The Dig (Video Game Score)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

For quite some time I have been looking for this particular score. The time exactly started ticking when the game was first released upon us. Meaning from the year 1995 I started to get an itch because it just didn't seem there was a copy left of it in the world. Lucas Arts seemed happy with the fact that it was such hard to get, because even if a lot of people wanted to get their hands on it, The Dig by Michael Land remained unreleased. But silly coincidence led me to another soundtrack store which I haven't purchased items from yet, until I saw they had The Dig of Michael Land available for the same price as any other soundtrack in the world today. So, I obviously snatched the opportunity and lucky I did because it became even a greater experience as I thought it would be. The game carried this magical, atmospheric and ambient listen which easy put a spell on you during the game. But to my utmost delight composer Michael Land rearranged and newly composed pieces so that everything would click rightly during the listen. And luckily he did because now The Dig listens as a film score, a magical and inspiring listen and a sound that transports you to where it belongs, in fantasy, outer space and on science fictional undiscovered planets.

This score runs for about 40 minutes and carries from begin to end an ambient mood, never deviating from this style but in contrast adding different colors to it so that the experience never sags to become the same. While the first two tracks are a bit alike, they still set the score directly on fire. 'Mission to the Asteroid' is 10 minutes of ambient, atmospheric, magical and mystical mood music. But the thing is, it works to give the listener and gamer a sense of outer space, giving it also a last minute where the main theme (hardly stated during the score) appears in full wonder. The people that played the game will recognize it as the wonderful theme as the Shuttle removes itself from the asteroid and flies towards the camera, before the asteroid explodes. 'Ghosts' is completely different, the first 10 seconds are used during the game but Land adds another minute and a half to it where cello and synths are battling each other in an odd mix (like Close Encounters of the Third Kind a bit). 'The Ancient City' is a real beauty, a very wondrous theme for the city is supported through lonely trumpet and the mix with the magical music is stunning. 'Underwater Cavern' by then states darkly piano based melodies against a lonely moody jazz tone, again the effect is quite interesting. However the best track is 'A River Canyon', brought to life by choir and female solo vocalist Emily Bezar, it is a stunning display of beauty and magic.

But the thing is, it simply continues. 'The Madness of the Crystals' is very intriguing as it represents the outer beauty with magical music as the inner danger of the crystals with mystery and dark mood. The effect again is great. 'The Monument' is also good as how it shows the beauty and pride with bells against a set of ambient music and the magic is dripping of the end tracks, with the choir giving you more of that quality in 'Cathedral of the Lost'. I find that there is no complaint that this score is composed by solely synthesizers (as of course solo instruments as cello, piano and trumpet) because it truly helps the music to become this magical in its effect. However, I do feel that the score never grows in its magic as other scores might do. What I'm meaning is that the score is actually already loud from the begin so that the growing stature of the theme or the magic has lesser effect when they actually appear in the score. Still, it is a complaint that doesn't work always because by then you spot that the magic is ever-present in the score, making it a stunning listen at times. The Dig is perhaps a bit of the same if you compare it with sound, but piano, trumpet, cello, choir and Emily Bezar give it in different tracks the quality that it doesn't matter because their contribution truly helps. At times I would like to give this score more, at times it feels like its enough. Just like the soundtrack, the magic is capturing you too much at times so I better hold on if I were you.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Mission To The Asteroid (9.53)

2. Another World (3.33)

3. Ghosts (1.49)

4. The Ancient City (3.46) Excellent Track

5. Underwater Cavern (2.13)

6. A River Canyon (4.13) Excellent Track

7. The Madness Of The Crystals (2.21)

8. Tomb Of The Past (2.12)

9. The Monument (2.47)

10. Dimensions In Time (4.07)

11. Cathedral Of The Lost (3.41) Excellent Track

Total Length: 41.01

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