RADWIMPS (formed 2001, debuted 2005)

Arr. Victoria Gonzalez (b. 1997)

RADWIMPS is a Japanese rock band known for their work scoring acclaimed animated films such as  Your Name (2016) and Weathering with You (2019). RADWIMPS has also received recognitions at the Japanese Academy Award for Best Original Score.

“Goshintai" is from the Your Name (君の名は / Kimi no Na Wa) film. The word in Japanese essentially translates to "body of the kami" or objects where spirits/kami reside. In the film, Goshintai is a crater that is considered sacred.

This arrangement features Victoria Gonzalez on harp and Ashton Gonzalez (no relation) on cello. This project was an experimentation of blending recorded and MIDI orchestration, as well as extended harp techniques.

Victoria Gonzalez (b. 1997)

This composition was inspired by my work with my professor, Jeffery Hepker, who pushed me to explore the world of MIDI and soundscapes in new ways. Rather than aiming for complex orchestration and melody, I wanted to see what I could create in a more ambient, minimalist setting with effects layering on top to create something special.

It is recommended to listen to this track with headphones for the full effect!

Børns (b. 1992), Sia (b. 1975)

Arr. Victoria Gonzalez (b. 1997)

Børns is an American singer-songwriter. “10,000 Emerald Pools” is a song from his 2014 Candy EP, which compositionally highlighted the creation of dopamine and the feeling of sunshine for audiences. Børns’ inspiration for the song was an idea about two people that go on vacation and fall in love underwater while everything is in slow motion around them.

Sia is an Australian singer-songwriter. “Elastic Heart,” featuring The Weeknd and Diplo, was released in 2013 for the Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack.

“Emerald Hearts” combines “10,000 Emerald Pools” and “Elastic Heart.” The arrangement was inspired by the bassline of “10,000 Emerald Pools,” which lent itself to both the laid-back, beachy sound of the original song, as well as the emotionally driven lyrics and harmonies of “Elastic Heart.” Some inspiration for the harp part in the piece was also taken from Lara Somogyi’s 2015 solo harp arrangement of “Elastic Heart.” The goal of this arrangement, which features Sia’s vocal track, was to create a new musical narrative that supports Sia’s lyrics and Børns’ melodies in new contexts with the instrumentation of CrossTALK in mind. 

The lyrics “10,000 Emeral Pools” are also reflected in the minimalist elements of the arrangement. The lyrics mention that time stands still underwater, and the looped motifs reflect that imagery. In addition, Sia’s lyrics refer to not being broken down, and several contrasts between full instrumentations and reflective, stripped back moments within the song embody her words within the musical progression of the piece.

Victoria Gonzalez (b. 1997)

This composition was inspired by my capstone research project on Japanese video game music for my East Asian Studies degree for Japanese culture. I wanted this piece to directly reflect how circular Japan’s progression of society and music is, and that in order to move forward, there is often a call back to and adaptation of Japan’s historical culture.

The piece starts out heavily rooted in traditional Japanese music. The foundation of the entire piece is one of the four main traditional Japanese scales: the Kon-go type (混合類) scale. This scale is an adapted pentatonic scale from those of China, and consists of the following notes: E, F, A, B, D (, E). In addition to scale, the opening primarily features Japanese instruments: Taiko and Shamisen. The incorporation of a drone throughout much of the piece is intended to serve as a nod to traditional Japanese music while also being an notable electronic sound, which alludes to the developments to come in the piece. As the music progresses, the incorporation of harp and musical quotes from the Japanese video game Ōkami, as well as electronic instruments, are intended to represent the Western influences and technological progressions of 20th century Japan. As the piece progresses, more and more electronic elements and Western influences come into play, which is representative of Japanese culture and compositional techniques today.

The title, “Kami (神),” was chosen as a nod to how in Japanese culture, kami are spirits that hold many roles, one of which is to inspire people to be in harmony with the nature. But they also hold a sense of magic. Music has held such an important place in Japanese culture, and has been part of what propelled Japanese culture into mainstream popularity, so it holds a sort of magic for making Japan what it is today. Perhaps it is kami, or maybe just the magic of embracing the past to create the future, that makes Japanese music special.

Mark Mothersbaugh (b. 1950)

Arr. Victoria Gonzalez (b. 1997)

Mark Mothersbaugh is an American composer and co-founder of the band Devo. Mothersbaugh is known for his composition work in Rugrats, The LEGO Movie, and Thor: Ragnarok. 

“The Revolution Has Begun” is part of the Thor: Ragnarok soundtrack film soundtrack. The music of Thor: Ragnarok was designed to stand apart from previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films, which have been criticized for their lack of memorable music. Alongside the director, Mothersbaugh strove to create a new soundscape to move the franchise in a new direction while still honoring the existing films. Although themes and motifs from previous films ‒ such as Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Avengers: Age of Ultron ‒ are present, the distinct presence of 1980’s synthesizers and less orchestral style is the primary characteristic of Mothersbaugh’s score. The orchestration of the music with electronic sound rather than the traditional film score orchestra aims to further immerse the audience in moments taking place on the planet Sakaar, which is vibrant, shiny, and postmodern yet distinctly separate from the extent of the universe the hero Thor is familiar with.

A central characteristic within “The Revolution Has Begun” is a musical pun on the title: revolving effects, including risers/crashes, are spun throughout the piece, serving as transitions but also giving the music directional support. This serves as a nod to events in the film, at which point people forced into servitude on Sakaar are given the chance to revolt as Thor executes his own escape. The opening melody is the theme for “The Revolution Has Begun,” and highlights those revolting against the Sakaar’s ruler. However, in the second half, the theme evolves into the Thor: Ragnarok theme rather than featuring a continuation of the primary melody. It is primarily due to the film’s shift in perspective to Thor’s escape, due to the fact that the Thor: Ragnarok theme is an adaptation of the Thor: The Dark World theme and motif for Thor.

For this arrangement, the primary goal was to adapt the material in the context of CrossTALK’s electronic percussion ensemble setting while also using Ableton Live to create a sound palette as close to the original material as possible. By utilizing samples from the original soundtrack material and new samples designed to mimic those present in the original track, a blend of old and new sound material was achieved while simultaneously separating sounds into separate tracks, and in turn, parts for the ensemble.