Customer Reviews

American Mcgee's Alice (Score)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Much like the smile without a cat, this is the score without a movie.

This score by Chris Vrenna is a masterpiece of atmospheric mood. It contains sounds you know and sounds you hope never to meet in the real world, all used musically or dramatically to enhance the experience of the computer game. The thing is, you might just want to have the music and skip the game.

If you are in love with electronic music (and here I do NOT refer to dance, techno or rave music) you may find this CD to be one of the most important of your collection. Especially if you like film scores, atmospheric and ambient works and general creepiness.

Don't be put off by descriptive words such as "gothic," "creepy" or "ambient." There is actually excellent orchestration and structure to be found here, making this stand as a film score and not a crude modern art performance piece.

If you're one of the people who bought the Quake game just for Trent Reznor's music (and liked it, but thought it would have been nice if it were more thematic and musical) you should get this disc, too. Hey, these two artists worked together in the past, so it is no surprise that if you like the one, you may also like the other.

My appreciation of this CD lead me to purchase Chris Vrenna's solo project "Tweaker: the attraction to all things uncertain." If you like Alice, you may well like Tweaker, though they are surely of different upbringings.

This disc is surely one of the most important in my collection. Make it part of yours.

ok, so this is a soundtrack for a game... how much can it really have in it?? you might be surprised -- the aspect of this music that most interests me is not what the music says directly, but the moods and emotions it conjures indirectly. there is some excrutiatingly cunning use of sampling in this music, and the context of these sounds provides unexpected variations: familiar sounds placed within the dark, brooding landscape of the music become terrifying. even if i had not played the game i would recognize that the familiar had dissolved into the demented. chris vrenna does amazing work, so i'm not shocked to see that he has accomplished these things with his music -- what surprised me (pleasantly) is that he would go to the trouble of evoking so many colors in a soundtrack for a game. he really should be commended for this project.

I absolutely loved the thrilling, atmospheric score in the chillingly ambient game, and one of the first things I did upon completing it was extracting it from the game's libraries and burning it as audio tracks to CDRs (it took two discs), to be able to appreciate it anywhere where there was a CD player. :) Some time later I heard about a planned release of the soundtrack and I was hesitant - I was sure it would simply be a clipped version of what I already made for my use on my own, i.e. just some of the tracks from the game recorded on a CD. As it turns out, it's much, much more! The music is expanded, partially remixed, and yes, it actually sounds considerably better. It certainly is worth buying. A truly magnificent collection of excellent, ambient music. I think even the greatest film music composers of our time, people of Jerry Goldsmith's class, would be impressed by it. Too bad this isn't a double CD release, with *every single* track from the game, but perhaps there is more to come... :)

As promised nearly a year ago, EA has finally released the score of American McGee's Alice. EA originally planned to sell the score along with a full line of Alice merchandise. EA canceled most game merchandising plans at the time as part of across-the-board cuts due to low demand for PS2 titles in 2000. Alice did meet sales expectations with over a million copies sold.

This album is available exclusively on Amazon.com and contains 19 original tracks plus a remix titled "Flying on the Wings of Steam." All music is composed and performed by Chris Vrenna, the former Nine Inch Nails drummer. The score does not include every track from the game such as the original opening and those included are rearranged. Many tracks sound noticeably different from the original background music after having been remastered and remixed with some dialogue.

Now you can experience the twisted tunes and organic rhythms that added depth in a Wonderland gone to hell. The sounds of dilapidated toys and ghostly machinery converge with the haunting ambient electro-soundscape produced and composed by Vrenna, whose numerous credits include the Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, and Stabbing Westward. Alice's music is a unique treat to the ears that makes a must-have addition to any gamer's collection.

Buy this CD! You won't be disappointed.

I have not played the game, Alice, but I am a big fan of game music, though not so much of the more "ambient" soundtracks. However, I really enjoyed this one. It's dark and creepy, to a point where you are drawn to listen to it. Each song comes across as more than just background music, with a disturbing mix of toy pianos, clocks, violins, female vocales, and other child-like devices. I hate to compare this work to something else, but it kind of reminds me of The 7th Guest and Silent Hill, with a happier, but more twisted, approach. The only thing I don't like about this soundtrack is that every song includes dialogue from the game, be it at the beginning, middle, or end of the track. I would have preferred pure music.

The music from "American McGee's Alice" is haunting, heartbreaking, poignant, and perfect. From the tortured sobbing in "The Centipede" to the almost-comical plucked strings in "Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum," coupled with the relentlessly ticking clocks and gothic voices, this album will truly affect any who are lucky enough to purchase it.

Even if you aren't familiar with the game, the music conveys the nightmarish vision of American McGee's Wonderland gone wrong. The harpsichord, toy piano and various grinding gears all add depth to the dischord, a subtext to the soundtrack. One can feel how odd and sinister Alice's perceptions have become, as familiar characters become twisted and gruesome. Chris Vrenna's music is as powerful standing alone as it is accompanying the game.

Game soundtracks aren't just bleeps and bloops anymore - they have a power and depth all their own. This album proves it beyond all shadows of doubt.

When I played the addictive Alice PC game, I knew first hand how the story's atmosphere (with its fantastic graphics, realistic characters and solid storyline) is fused together by Vrenna's one-of-a-kind score. Then when I heard that the actual music was available on CD, I wasn't sure whether or not it would stand up on its own. Well, I have the album now and it's not just good music...it's BETTER than in the game. Vrenna managed to unify the twisted atmosphere with ticking clocks, seemingly broken music boxes, character dialogue and (most importantly) the keys of a toy piano, which reminds listeners of a long-lost childhood innocence. The score is anything BUT video game music; it may as well have come from a feature film. Now I am anticipating the actual release of the Alice movie, which is currently being directed by Wes Craven as a live action film with most of the elements taken from the game. In the meantime, the Alice game soundtrack is a must-have for any music collector with an open mind.

This album is simply breathtaking.

Never before have I listened to a CD so many times, only to get the same feeling in my gut each time I listen.

Its a beautiful mix of haunting lullabies, and ambient doom. The finale is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written.

I cannot describe how much you need this CD.

An excellent composition; front to back an experience that's unique and enjoyable. Fans of the game, take note that the music is remixed from its original form in the game. Even the opening track, Village of the Doomed, shows off much more variety and spark than the game version.

When my best friend first told me of the game, American McGee's Alice, I immediately started looking for screen-shots and information. Sadly I couldn't buy it because my computer couldn't handle it. But my friend did bring it home from Washington with her. I was amazed with the graphics and game play but the best of the game was defiantly the music.

After playing bits of the game I knew I had to buy the soundtrack. After I had the money I got on Amazon and bought it. Less than a week later it arrived. I got it Yesterday to be exact. I have listened to nothing but this since I got it.

This CD includes quotes from the game at the beginning or the very end of most tracks and a remix of 'Flying on the Wings of Steam' (which is very different and wonderfully done). This music gives any where a creepy atmosphere. My favorite track was 17 (Pool of Tears) and my favorite quote started of track 14 (The Cheshire cat saying "When is a croquet mallet like a billy club? I'll tell you; whenever you want it to be.")

At times the music may be a bit tedious and a few people my be seeing how much time is left on the track, and you might have a few problems with finding songs as they are not in order as they appear in the levels of the game.

Over all, 4.5 out of 5 stars. But I was always taught to round up! Hope my review helped you!