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State of Symbiosis - 3

...on religious experiences...

A few weeks ago my fiancee and I visited my good friend Jeff, whom I used to make music with.  Musically we’re doing our own things now, but we still talk every now and then, and we love to get together over dinner to talk about music and gear.  I had mentioned to him that I was interested in hearing BT’s latest album, This Binary Universe, and he offered me his copy, as it was a little ‘too ambient’ for him.  I gladly accepted, wanting to experience both the stereo mix, and the included DVD which features a full 5.1 DTS mix as well as videos for each track.
 
I started listening to it that night, though it was late.  It was definitely ambient, and probably not the best music to listen to after a late meal, some sake, and a 30 minute drive home.  The shortest track on the album is about 8 minutes, so three tracks and we were pulling into our parking space at our apartment building.
 
What a difference a day can make in ones ability to be impressed by a piece of music.  What on Saturday night seemed to be some typical BT musical explorations turned into a full-fledged spiritual experience on my commute the following Monday morning.  I recalled that I had left off on about track 3 or 4, so I started again with track 4.  A few minutes in, I knew I was in for one of the most enjoyable commutes I’ve had since starting my new job.

I’ve always had a fondness for the unabashed emotional underpinnings of film music, so maybe that is what drew me in to this album so quickly.  Many fans seem to agree that This Binary Universe is more like Transeau’s film music than his pop music, more Monster than Emotional Technology.  Even so, I could clearly hear techniques from both his film and pop work, as well as references to other popular artists within these tracks.  With subtle nods to Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada early on and some Thomas Newman-esque piano work later on, the surface level experience was familiar in many ways, yet the total experience was uniquely BT. What I find most remarkable about this album is the space to which I was transported, without really having been led on a journey.  Sans any lyrics or vocals, the only meaning I can derive from any one track comes from the song names.  Even then, they’re not all that descriptive or informative.
 
Musical pioneer and composer Brian Eno said, “Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention, without enforcing one in particular...” and in that sense I think BT has succeeded in his latest effort.  On the ride home that Saturday, I was tired and unable to attach any meaning or emotion to the music - though I still enjoyed it.  The following Monday morning, however, the music nearly brought me to tears during my commute.  I simultaneously felt overwhelmed with joy and inspiration, and a deep and solitary sadness.
 
It was a religious experience, if one can be had while navigating Seattle traffic.  A spritual experience, at least.  I was inspired to write down a list of things I had been meaning to accomplish, yet had been pushed to the rear behind the daily din and buzz.  Great music, great art, can do that.  It can inspire us to be better, to want to be something greater.  And like many religious experiences, it inspired me to want to share it.  To show everyone how powerful this music is...but then I realized that the limitation of these experiences is that one must be personally ‘ready’ for them.  If someone doesn’t come to the music on their own terms, it may be meaningless.
 
It is an experience that humans have had for centuries, and one that can often result from listening to music, watching a film, reading a book, and maybe even playing a video game.  Some people consider Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon the pinnacle of progressive rock recordings in the 20th century.  For many fans, listening to that album is a religious experience - an expression of divinity and ecstasy.  Though I respect them deeply, I’ve never been a huge Pink Floyd fan.  Not because I don’t like the music, or appreciate the deep connection many have made with it, but simply because I’ve never been in a space where it has moved me.  And while the Pink Floyd religion may not be for me, I have had my own religious experiences with music - Peter Gabriel’s Passion, Counting Crows August and Everything After, and most recently, this new BT album.  These experiences are abundant in all forms of art, yet only recently has the games industry begun to talk about games as an art form, capable of expressing emotion.

In terms of emotional experiences in games for me, they’ve been few and far between.  I can really only think of two - my first playthrough of Cyan’s revolutionary adventure, Myst, and Square’s Final Fantasy X.  But even those experiences just barely reach the levels of emotion I’ve experienced with music alone. 

I hope that as we grow and explore together as an industry, we’re able to more clearly express emotion - be it through better graphics, better audio and music, or better storytelling.  I don’t really care how I get there - but I want more games to be able to inspire and move people the way that other artforms can.  In the meantime, I’ll continue to listen to this album, to share it with friends, and hope that I can contribute to something this inspiring someday.

If you haven’t heard it yet, this album is worth a listen.  Don’t buy it from iTunes - get a hard copy, listen to the CD, and if you’ve got the system for it, watch the DVD with the surround mix.  You are in for a real treat.

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