"Christmas Medley" by Various Artists - Mr. P. Sings Stuff - Ep. 08

 

 

Several months ago I was approached by another member of my church to participate in a Christmas program for another local church. This individual had performed there in the past and was asked this year if he knew of any other men that would be willing to sing in a men's ensemble. We would pick whatever music we wanted and would practice on our own until the dress rehearsal before the night of the performance. Well, I agreed and this person originally wanted to just do one song and then we had a suggestion of a medley thrown at us. Not a bad proposition, but this same member who approached me decided that two songs would be enough.

Not on my watch!

I then had a random idea to then write a medley for us by taking about five different songs and smashing them together. Why? No ide! I'd never done anything like that before, but I had already committed to it and so over the course of a few nights I hammered on out in MuseScore and came up with the rough draft of the medley's you have linked above. One is an arrangement for men's trio, while the other is for quartet. Why did I write two arrangements? I dunno. The trio turned out well enough but I wanted to have a four-part harmony version as well.

Anyway, the order of songs is as follows: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!, Joy to the World!, Silent Night, Mary, Did You Know...?, and Oh, Holy Night!

I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed arranging and recording them.

Sea of Stars: The Indie RPG Where the Stars Aligned!...Almost - Mr. P Reviews Stuff - Ep. 10

 As you all know, I am incredibly punctual and timely with many of my reviews and not at all a procrastinator. Sea of Stars came out just...okay so it was three months ago and won indie game of the year. I'm not here to say that it doesn't deserve that accolade, but just how good of a game is it?

The combat is pretty solid though I did feel it starting to wear on me by the end of the game, the soundtrack is decent and is better than I remember it being which is mentioned in the video. Veteran video game composer Yasunori Mitsuda helped compose some of the tracks for this game which is appropriate considering how much the game borrows from Chrono Trigger (something that becomes very apparent in late game areas and enemy designs) and Super Mario RPG. The story is generally good but has some questionable decisions that I wasn't a fan of. I'm not saying they don't work as part of the overall narrative, but that doesn't make me not raise an eyebrow. After all, why would you choose to do something that essentially undercuts another goal you're trying to accomplish? Then again, maybe another playthrough will clear this up for me because I may have been misinterpreting some things.

Generally speaking, I was happy with the game despite some of its flaws. Perhaps one of the biggest flaws was that it doesn't quite live up to the standards and reputations of the games that it was inspired by. Then again, perhaps that's my own nostalgia and love for these games that has tainted my perception of Sea of Stars. In all honesty, it's probably better than I'm giving it credit for, and perhaps another playthrough will help me to adjust my perspective. Who know. Is it worth playing? Absolutely.

For my full thoughts on the game, watch the video above.