If you're rebounding off a day of Thanksgiving turkey (or just a regular Thursday, for those outside the US) and are looking for something to relax and unwind to, the singer behind Xenoblade Chronicles' ending theme, Sarah Àlainn, has you covered.
Over the course of this week, the musician has dropped a trio of new tracks inspired by the worlds of gaming and anime, all of which are now available on a host of streaming services including YouTube Music, Spotify and Amazon Music — and we've linked them in throughout this article, because we're kind like that
The first track, released on 27th November, is Àlainn's version of the Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes theme, 'Flags of Brave'. The track features the singer overdubbing a 16-part choir, with Kingdom Hearts pianist Benyamin Nuss on the keys.
Up next, there's Àlainn's cover of 'For Us to Decide (Mizu no Hoshi e Ai wo Komete)' from the Gundam anime series. This one was initially composed by Neil Sedaka, though the new take reimagines it as a jazz ballad. Nice.
And finally, the big hitter for us Nintendo fans, the singer has released a new rendition of EarthBound's 'Eight Melodies' in celebration of the game's 35th anniversary. This one also features overdubbed vocals and some synths peppered into the sound mix to capture some of the classic 8-bit magic.
All of the above were recorded, mixed and mastered in Dolby Atmos, which Àlainn described as "the closest to a live performance I have ever experienced yet entirely different at the same time". Hey, if you're going to listen to the tunes (and you have the relevant sound system), you may as well make the most.
And if it's even more chilled game music that you're after today, we've got you covered. This week, Nintendo Music landed a new batch of tracks from Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain? and we recently covered a new Zelda jazz album from The Deku Trio. Plenty of options for some weekend listening, no?