1.21 Minecraft Music

Soooo a few days ago we got the music for the upcoming Minecraft update and I decided to give it a listen to while doing some work and here's my thoughts on it!

Lena Raine, as always, is amazing. In the interview she focuses on "Deeper" which is totally understandable, it's a track that's very clearly Her Style, reminding me a lot of some of her slower tracks in Celeste. It also compliments her previous Minecraft tracks as well, namely Ancestry, for the Deep Dark, while providing a great sense of contrast between the sleeping ancient cities and terrifying trials. "Endless" and "Eld Unknown" follow this same themeng very well, providing a sense of caution and curiosity within this new environment. My favorite out of all of these new tracks though is the shortest of them all, titled "Creator". This track is unlike anything else in the games soundtrack, starting and ending with sounds of a music box that quickly picks up pace into a mysterious waltz (forgive me if I'm incorrect in my usage of this term, I'm not actually the most musical of fellows). This track also features an even shorter variant, sporting just the music box on it's own.

Admittedly, I'm much less familiar with the other two artists, Aaron Cherof and Kumi Tanioka, though I'm aware they've both featured in the Minecraft Soundtrack in recent updates as well.

Cherof's tracks for Tricky Trials really does sound similar to some of C418's original Minecraft tracks, in part mostly to the focus on the ever soothing piano, with the other instruments providing a unique flavor to separate them from the game's past. These tracks are nothing short of soothing, with "Watcher" being my favorite among the trio. However outside of these songs that shall someday be named Minecraft classics, is a fourth track, left for the very end of the video, and for good reason. "Precipice" is a track nothing short of amazing!!! It is bar none the most energetic song on this whole list, really giving you that sense of combat and challenge as you traverse these new challenges and fight off new foes never before seen. The bells are an incredibly strong start, almost reminiscent of Christmas, as the song almost immediately picks up with even stronger synths. What an incredible song!

Last, but certainly not least, are the three tracks provided by Kumi Tanioka. Compared to tracks like "Creator" and "Precipice", Tanioka's work might seem less interesting, but make no mistake, these tracks fit perfectly into the calmer side to Minecraft. Similarly to her previous Minecraft tracks, Cherof's work fits very well into the kind of music we've come to know and love from the game, similarly calm to some of Cherof's work. However, unlike tracks like "Featherfall", songs like "pokopoko" and "yakusoku" provide a very distinct sound, utilizing instruments made from materials like bamboo and glass. I think my favorite track from this batch is "pokopoko", Tanioka stated that her intent with this song was to create something that expressed a birds-eye view of the world of Minecraft and I think she does so beautifully. I don't have as much to say about her work, but that's mostly because I think it speaks for itself.

Overall these new tracks provide a lot of newfound variety and depth to the world of Minecraft, and I absolutely can't wait to hear these in game!