PODCAST · music
Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast
by Drew Mackie & TableCakes Productions
Hi. This is a podcast about video game music from the 16-bit era Singing Mountain is hosted by Drew Mackie, who feels most at home in the music from 16-bit RPGs.
Episodes
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Party With the Pixelated Prince of Darkness
And here, in the spirit of the season, is the second of the two "lost" Patreon episodes. Unfortunately, while I was able to find the file, I was not able to find the description or tracklist, so this one will have to be a bit of a mystery. I can tell you this much: It is definitely a Halloween...
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The Pixelated Pumpkin of Doom
Way back in the distant past, there existed a Singing Mountain Patreon, where I managed to toss up four Patreon-exclusive tracks. Then, I closed the Patreon, thinking the content would still be accessible. It wasn'! Horror of horrors! However, as time passed, I realized that I'd actually…
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Winter VGM: Grand Finale
I know I said in the previous episode that there would not be another Singing Mountain winter VGM episode. I lied. This episode — a two-hour, "all music, no talk" collection of 16-bit winter VGM — originally went live December 21, 2020 on the Singing Mountain Patreon. It has not been available...
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My Save Point Is a Hot Shower
Given that Christmas is upon us, you might be expecting a 2021 edition of Singing Mountain's ice music episode. Unfortunately, it turns out I used all the tracks I collected in last year's winter episode and so I decided to lean in a different direction. This is the third in a different series…
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The Final 16-Bit Halloween
Here it is: my last effort at celebrating the spooky season with VGM. I don't have much to say other than that that this is a mix of new stuff and stuff I've played on previous episodes. I couldn't think of a better way to say goodbye to Halloween episodes. Previous Halloween episodes: My 16-Bit...
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Cruise Into Sunset
Some of you bemoaned the loss of the Singing Mountain Patreon because it also meant the loss of the "all music, no talk" versions of episodes that I sometimes posted there. Never fear: the files have been recovered, and I will be posting them on the main feed. First up, the "all music, no talk"...
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Afternoon Drive 2: Revenge of the Afternoon
You're still driving. It still doesn't have to be a race. Listed to KVGM, "The Last Wave," a podcast full of low-key, chilled VGM that you'll like if you like this episode. Also listen to my previous driving music episodes: Afternoon Drive 1, Moonlight Drive, Sunset Drive, Drive Into the City…
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Sunset on a Mountain
The good news: Singing Mountain is back. The bad news: It's only coming back for a few more episodes before ending. Due to reasons I explain in the episode, I've decided to end this podcast. However, before I do that, I'll be clearing out the odds and ends that are remaining in the shambles of…
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The Forest of Remarkable Chill
This is an experiment. What you have here is ninety minutes of 16-bit forest music, drawn from all four forest episodes of Singing Mountain, only slowed down, pitched down, muted and muffled in various ways and played over the sound of some royalty-free rain noise I found on YouTube. I initially...
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Pixelated Light Shining Through Pixelated Trees
I'm going back to my roots, and no, that is not a pun about trees. I decided to revisit the "relaxing forest music" theme that I first did back in the fifth episode of this show. If you're into it, there's also an "all music, no talk' version of this episode on Patreon, with some rain effects...
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Christmas Eve in an Ice Cavern
Yes, it's the annual Singing Mountain episode about chilly winter music. The big difference is that this year I'm actually allowing a few tracks that have sleigh bells jingling. Don't worry — they're still moody, but this is a less melancholy collection of ice level VGM than I've put together in...
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A Road Walked by Heroes
A sequel of sorts to the "Lonesome Journeys" episode I did way back when, this episode is all about "sad travel music" — the kind of stuff you might associate with an RPG overworld, where the world is big and open and mysterious and you have to venture forth anyway. It's a little somber, it's a...
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Attack of the Cutie Pie
The episode I intended to put out this week isn't done yet, but I decided to toss you guys an episode that was previously a Patreon-exclusive. Last year, around the time Singing Mountain hit one hundred episodes, I did a bonus that was just all the VGM tracks I'd encountered just through doing...
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My 16-Bit Horror Movie
This year, I tried to pick tracks that sound like they could be from a horror movie — and not just any horror movie, but a solid B horror flick, watched on VHS, with a synthy score that's way better that it should be given the quality of the movie. There is also an "all music, no talk" version of...
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Game Over / The Return of Peach
It's a Halloween miracle! As Singing Mountain preps to transfer over to a new hosting site, some of the Patreon-only bonuses from back in the pre-16 bit days are getting folded into the main feed mix. Since this was in the process anyway, I decided that listeners might enjoy this all-music…
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Devil City
The sun has gone down and the moon has come up, and it's not a good time to be in the city. This is part three of a three-part series that began with a drive into the city and led to a fight through the city. Now you're in a neon metropolis at night and you're on your way to the big boss fight....
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Gritty City Sounds
Back in the 16-bit era, urban streets were littered with no-good punks who would attack in wave after wave, leaving a group of musclebound heroes no choice but to keep on punching — and hope there is a whole roast chicken hidden in a garbage can somewhere. This episode is a celebration of those...
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Drive Into the City
In the grand tradition of Singing Mountain episodes that make driving music of VGM that's not from driving games, here's a new one: the soundtrack for a drive into the city that starts out laidback but gets a little tense as you get toward the big city. This is actually a part one to a part two...
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The End… as a Beginning
Singing Mountain is back. I said it would be back and I meant it. And to contrast this new run of the show from what I left you all on months ago, I decided to put out something a little more hopeful. Do you know that particular kind of video game ending where you see your character cruising…
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The Sealed City
A disclaimer: This episode won't be for everyone. It's been an odd few weeks, and for some reason I've been finding comfort in sad stuff rather than just trying to flood my brain with relentlessly happy things. As a result of this special mix of factors, the episode you're getting from me is all...
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All I Want for Christmas Is a Frost Dragon
Welcome to this year's installment of my "Christmas Eve in an ice cavern" series. Do you think winter music could do with fewer jingle bells and more cool, clear chimes that call to mind a lonely, cold night? Then you're in luck! Also listen to the other ice and snow VGM episodes! Diamond Dust:...
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A Relatively Brief Special Announcement
This is just a quick post to inform you that Singing Mounatin is going on hiatus for the rest of November — and beyond that too, despite some episodes in December. But no worries — I'll be back. And if you miss my stupid voice in the meantime, listen to my other podcast, Gayest Episode Ever:...
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The Dark Side of Nintendo
Nintendo may have a reputation as being family-friendly, but even its sunniest franchises have their dark moments. The second Halloween episode of 2019 looks at some of Nintendo's more sinister musical moments. Listen to all of Singing Mountain's Halloween episodes:...
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16 Bits From Beyond the Grave
Because horror always begets sequels, I'm giving your a follow-up to last year's creepy 16-bit music episode. It's all Hallloween-appropriate VGM from the Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, Sega Genesis and Mega Drive. Boo. Listen to all of Singing Mountain's Halloween episodes:...
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The 100th Episode
Against all odds, this podcast persisted and endured, and now we're at the one-hundredth episode. The best idea I had to celebrate this milestone was sharing all the lesser-known VGM tracks I came to love since I began Singing Mountain — the VGM gems that I would have never unearthed if I hadn't...
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Whiskered Eggplants (Songs I Haven't Played Yet)
We're ninety-nine episodes in, and I'm taking the moment to share some tracks I haven't yet featured on the show. Some got nixed from the final cuts of previous episodes, and others haven't even gotten that far. Either way, I thought you might enjoy an eclectic mix of VGM you maybe haven't yet...
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Through Creamed Spinach-Colored Glasses
Lifelong gamers might like to reminisce about video game consoles past, but just by the numbers, system that got the most play back in the '90s was the Game Boy. It outsold every console in its day, which means that a lot of players would have played famous video game franchises on the Game Boy...
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16-Bit Ruins
If I made the things you know to suddenly seem different, would that be good? Think about that while you listen to this episode of celebrated 16 bit-era VGM made to sound weird, dark and maybe a little drunk. I promise this will not become a habit. Track listing: 0:10: Revenge of the Kraken /...
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Bravely Default 1.0
Released in 2009 for the Nintendo DS, Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is the game that ultimately ended up leading to Bravely Default in 2012. And while Bravely Default improved upon the core mechanics in almost every way, there's a certain charm to 4 Heroes of Light — and that includes a...
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Sunset Drive
What does a sunset sound like? This episode may well fail to answer that question, but what you might get anyway is the third installment in the (so far) trilogy of Singing Mountain episodes about driving music but drawn entirely from non-racing, non-driving games. This one follows the narrative...
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Choo Choo! (Yeah, It's a Train Music Episode)
Hey, who likes trains? Because I do, and this episode is all about how different VGM composers interpret the sound of the train into actual music. Track listing: 0:25: Charge Man Theme / Mega Man 5 / Mari Yamaguchi 2:05: Train Ride / Animal Crossing (Gamecube) / Kazumi Totaka, Kenta Nagata, Toru...
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Welcome to Our Town!
Three hours of classic RPG town music. Enjoy. Track listing: 2:13: Town / Final Fantasy (PSP) / Nobuo Uematsu 3:59: Village / Dragon Quest III (Super NES) / Koichi Sugiyama 5:35: Birth of the People / ActRaiser / Yuzo Koshiro 7:45: One Day for Sure (Threed) / Earthbound / Keiichi Suzuki 10:57: A...
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My Village Is Number One: RPG Town Themes
This is not a definitive list of the best-ever RPG town themes. This is the first in what will be a regular feature on Singing Mountain in which I look at various town themes and talk about what I think the composers were trying to tell us about the fictional cities these songs are attached to....
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Four Flavors of Forest
Do video game composers speak a language that video game players understand? I'd like to think so, and maybe there's some small proof in the way they score forest scenes. In this episodes, I talk about four different styles of forest VGM that might be particular to this genre of music but also...
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Save Point: Sixteen Bits
An hour of relaxing video game music — a pixelated hideout from the world. For this go-around, all tracks are taken from the Super NES and Sega Genesis. The original Save Point episode: https://singingmountainpod.com/episodes/40-save-point More of the episodes where I shut up and just play music:...
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David Lynch in Nintendo Land
In a departure from the typical Singing Mountain episode, this one isn't focused on video game music. There still is VGM, it's just that the episode is more of a deep dive into a very niche subject: the popularity of Twin Peaks in Japan and its subsequent impact on two major Nintendo franchises....
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Let's Get Creative, Mario Maker-Style
Every version of the stage themes in Super Mario Maker 2 has both a regular, in-stage version and then a sort of remix you here when you're in edit mode, building the stage. They're cool, and they make for good thinky music. This episode is all them. Get to work! Listen to the other episode about...
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The Retro Sounds of Super Mario Maker 2
One of the not-so-obvious functions of the Mario Maker games is as history archive for the Super Mario series. The newly released Super Mario Maker 2 boasts a whole lot of music, much of which looks to the past for inspiration. This episode looks how the composers used music to bring Mario's...
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What Does America Sound Like?
Video games allow American gamers to see depictions of America that don't always line up with how they might see themselves. But how do VGM composers shorthand the U.S.A.? I listened to some of the more notable examples of themes for American characters in games around the Street Fighter II era…
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Gimmick! in 30 Minutes
Released late in Nintendo's 8-bit run — and even then, only in Japan and Scandinavia — the Sunsoft platforming game known either as Gimmick! or Mr. Gimmick has one of the best soundtracks of that era. In fact you might be surprised just how beautiful Masashi Kageyama could make the system sound,...
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Summer Vacation for People Who Play Video Games All Summer
It's the sound of summer.... specifically for people who'd rather not put on sunscreen or deal with beach traffic. Everything in this episode reads as summery to me, and I will try my best to justify my picks. Listen to last year's summer episode:...
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Monster World IV in 30 Minutes
So there is the Wonder Boy series, the Adventure Island series and finally the Monster World series, which are all related but separate. But in 1994, Sega released Monster Hunter IV for the Mega Drive, and while it didn't make it out of Japan for a very long time, it did sport a catchy soundtrack...
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Mario Artist in 30 Minutes
Did you know that Japan got a spiritual sequel to Mario Paint in 1999? An entire suite of programs released under the name Mario Artist, it was released for the 64DD peripheral, which never made it to the U.S., and it features a lot of the calm, creativity-inspiring music heard in Mario Paint.…
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Your Favorite '80s Action Movie
Because console video games hit mainstream around the same time that America was watching a lot of B-grade action movies, there's a more-than-occasional similarity between the way '80s video games sound and the way those movies sound. It's a good thing, and this episode is all about VGM that…
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Ric Ocasek in Moonside (Reprise)
It's not a rerun; it's a special edition. This is redo of the fourth episode I ever did on this podcast. I thought that original was good. but being relatively ignorant about podcast-making back in the day, there are a few things, content-wise and production-wise, that I always wanted to change...
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My Boiling Blood Bubbles for Battle
Samurai Shodown has a lot to offer… just not that one missing W. SNK's fighter had samurai and non-samurai alike swinging weapons in one-on-one combat, and though it once appeared to be a moribund franchise, it's actually being revived later this year with a brand-new entry later this year. This...
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Lagoon in 30 Minutes
An early Super NES title, Lagoon is a Zelda-ish adventure that is today most remembered for its soundtrack. But here's the thing: That music was initially composed for the game's first incarnation on the Sharp X68000, which is both maybe the best version of its music and also a version you…
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Winners Don't Use Drugs
Back before mainstream pop started sampling video game music willy-nilly, The Pixies went a step further and wholesale covered a VGM composition: the theme from NARC, a 1988 arcade game. This says as much about The Pixies as it does Brian Schmidt's great soundtrack for this game, and in the scope...
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A Different Kind of Desert
Not every desert sounds the same. The sitar and tabla are Indian instruments that, in video game music, are almost always used to signify the desert. Not every composer buys into this trend, however, and this episode focuses on desert themes that suggest a different kind of adventure. Track...
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Arc the Lad Battle Music in 30 Minutes
A big hit in Japan during the PlayStation's early days, the Arc the Lad series hasn't endured quite as well as other JPRGs. However, the soundtrack to the first three games — masterminded by Masahiro Andoh — has a style all its own. In fact, these games' battle themes sound nothing like most…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast have?
Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast currently has 128 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast about?
Hi. This is a podcast about video game music from the 16-bit era Singing Mountain is hosted by Drew Mackie, who feels most at home in the music from 16-bit RPGs.
How often does Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast release new episodes?
Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast publishes regularly with 128 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast?
You can listen to Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast?
Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast is created and hosted by Drew Mackie & TableCakes Productions.
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