Game Changers: The New Japan BGM Philharmonic

I'm not a fan of using the descriptor "mind-blowing". It seems like anytime anything happens anymore, some portion of gamers claim how blown their minds are. The overuse of this term is so great that at this point it has lost all real meaning. Unfortunately, I find it very difficult to come up with another word that accurately describes the euphoric, reality shattering experience I get when listening to the New Japan BGN Philharmonic. It's mind-blowing in the realist sense, which is to day I feel like my brain has exploded, been reassembled, and then placed once more into my skull. The NJB are of greater importance than my feelings alone though, as they may just be the first group to fully legitimize game music as a musical genre.

I've always felt that games have had some of the best instrumental pieces ever composed. The Legend of Zelda, MOTHER/Earthbound and Halo are just a few game series which have time and time again demonstrated incredible songs both in terms of enjoyability and technical proficiency. While these songs become more engrained into pop culture there have been some attempts to bring them to the concert setting but the performances always turn up the lackluster reviews indicative of a cash grab situation. This is where the NJB comes in, not only playing the pieces with incredible skill but also treating the music with the respect it has been denied for such a long time. The great musicians who make up the group are clearly all in their prime, expressing the somewhat hidden value each piece has in a way only great musicians with real instruments can. The quality in their performances is such that they could easily charge people to listen to them but they don't. Their YouTube channel and Soundcloud provide an amazing look at their work completely free of charge.

I hope that this becomes a trend among other also talented musicians, and we can start seeing big name groups tackle the vast ocean of video game music. It is my opinion at least that with the NJB revolutionizing how game music is handled that there might one day be a time when game music can be a real part of the conversation.