Pop anthems are wonderful. As are video game soundtracks – hours can be spent appreciating the chirpy Mario chimes or swooning over Minecraft’s soothing sounds. But it’s the savagely-underrated menu music consoles possess which we meditate to – tap the power button and the melodies ensue, usually changing as you navigate from your friends list to the system settings back to the home screen.
Here are 5 of the best we want to share with you. Forget Cloud 9 – some of these numbers ship us off to cloud 15.
Wii Weather Channel – Nighttime
We kick things off with the music that greeted you on Nintendo’s Wii if you checked the weather…at night. The song is suitably dreamy, offering subtle-but-lengthy string notes periodically shifting pitch. These provide grandeur alongside the low-pitched melody and elusive high-pitched frills.
Nintendo 3DS Camera – Photo Collection
Scrolling through past photos taken via Nintendo’s 3D handheld will give you this nostalgia-inducing, almost ballad-like tune. A slow, yet powerful and iconic, melody is decorated with riffs which mimic instruments from guitars to bongos. Disclaimer: this composition is very, very emotional. If you’re missing times of your life gone by, this song will only stimulate the depression. But boy is it powerful.
Xbox 360 Avatar Music
A light, cheery rhythm is the order of the day here, as the lack of background sound combined with the simple light melody creates a quirky friendliness. Subtle cymbals work their way in too. It’s perfect for when you’re creating an animated doppelgänger to accompany you through apps and games, giving it a ginger Mohawk and equipping it with a explosive remote-controlled car.
Nintendo 3DS – System Settings Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nevO8SOqtos
The 3DS’ settings menu is dark and minimalistic (what else would you expect from settings?), so it’s right that the supporting tune is too. The lengthy, faded background notes complement the repeated riffs which subtly change key to stem any boredom. This one makes us visualise ourselves floating in deep, black space. But no meteors – we’re talking empty space, with nothing but distant stars.
Wii Photo Channel Music – Photo Select
We end the list on another cheery note with another Wii tune. This airy and fast-paced arrangement again implements dreamy background chords, combining them with uptempo scales which both maintain the song’s relatively high pitch. Its dreaminess always manages to transport us to another dimension.
So a quirky article, sure, but we hope we’ve enlightened you about the joys that games console music can bring. To chat to us about these tunes, or suggest ones we’ve missed, tweet us at @CelebMix.