@@pete5423 he reffered to WCS which makes ppl who makes contact with it to become red eye legion or pile/statue of "salt", so basically the "snow" is a maso particle that spreading because Japan & US nuke the legions contained in the city lol
9:17 As one of those "really into NieR lore" people who just got their english copy of Grimoire NieR: Page 205 "August 3, 2053 (Weather: cloudy) ... It's cold. Salt is falling, and it looks just like snow." It's not clear if this is the exact same day depicted in game, but it matches what we see.
Pretty much this. After you dive deep into the lore it's clear that it's the WCS, autor of the video strengthens his belief that it's snow, but it's not.
Snow in summer reduces me to tears every time. Kaine Salvation fills me with hope for Kaine. The whole NieR soundtrack is absolutely amazing. The duet that Devola and Popola sing is superb
I WILL namedrop. I believe the main composer for both replicant/gestalt and automata is Keiichi Okabe and most of the vocals done was by Emi Evans. I cant tell you how many times ive listened to the entire franchises' OST.
The fact that Backstreets Back and Snow in Summer are written in the same key hit me like a FRIGHT TRAIN I can’t believe I haven’t noticed that before.
When you mentioned the bells somehow corrupting the choir part, that actually ties into some deep lore. You see, bells were the main instrument associated with the Watcher/The White Giant, the being that fell from the sky and caused White Chlorination Syndrome. You hear this in "The Final Song" in Drakenguard 3 and more recently, "Her Inflorescence" in the Nier raid in Final Fantasy 14.
Snow in Summer is a hauntingly beautiful track and yes Nier went from "Kicks magic book away and tells sister not to touch it" to "give me power magic book" in two minutes flat
Well of course. He wouldn't want this fate for his sister, & would gladly accept this fate in order to save his sister. This is the natural behavior of humans.
Soon to be 40 years old and I've never heard anything like that song, classical or otherwise. The level of soul crushing despair at play in it cannot be described. It WILL reduce you into nothingness every time you listen to it... It's.. it's just absurd.
"Snow in Summer" strikes me as a sort of "Winter" song. Not like one of those "winter wonderland, sleigh bells, Corporate Holi-CHRISTMAS" songs typically associated with the season, but more like "I am litterally freezing to death in -20° F weather and struggling to survive in the worst blizzard in a century. Please help me." That's what "Snow in Summer" makes me think of.
@@hussyweissshutup1275 Same reason why nuclear winters happen: particulate in the air has blocked out the sun, causing local temperatures to drop. IIRC at some point they even dropped tactical nukes is Tokyo, although I don't know if that happens prior to the Nier prologue.
Keiichi Okabe is just a musical genius and no one can convince me otherwise. His work has the ability to give anyone goosebumps within the first note. His attention to detail is unmatched. The masterpieces he’s created for this franchise is insane
Holy SHIT this blew me away. I've been obsessing over Nier's respective soundtracks for YEARS and am so happy to see such thorough and thoughtful coverage of this song! It's arguably one of the game's backbone tracks but kind of gets slept on a lot. I especially appreciate the effort that you put into connecting this analysis to the lore. Don't get me wrong, the "musician reacts to X OST!" format is fun, but it always leaves me wishing for a meatier deep-dive into the song's actual construction. My background is in classical ballet rather than playing any particular instrument, but it's definitely taught me to listen to this kind of music with a lot of intention. There are many ways in which OSTs like Nier's remind me of how music functions in ballets as a storytelling element, especially when it reacts or changes according to what's happening on the screen or stage. Thanks so much for sharing this!
As someonr without a single rhythmic bone in their body, and no understanding of music theory, I think this might be the first time someone's gotten me to actually "get" it, even if I'm probably still missing a lot of nuance. I also really liked the putting it back together bit, really helps you see everything in motion.
finally someone can point out the advanced soundtrack adjust from the original, they really take this serious when call this an upgrade rather than an remaster,remake
Yeah, the only song I somewhat prefer the original of is "The Wretched Automatons", and that's only because they softened the percussions. I felt the original with the heavy upfront percussion throughout fit the area better.
I have a very limited musical background, mainly in singing. So the contextualization of how many pieces in such an important song come to bring about the emotions many have felt is something that's largely missing and undermined in video games was refreshing. The visualization was especially helpful. Coming across this actual musical analysis was very insightful and enjoyable! Okabe/MONACA's music deserves this kind of attention. Thank you and I hope you create more!
Nice analysis! I particularly am a sucker for songs like this that add tracks in while you progress through certain gameplay elements. It’s one of those uniquely video game feelings you can’t replicate since there is no gameplay cue while listening to an OST on its own. Having a little music background helped me, but your explanations behind the theory felt easy to understand from a pure feelings standpoint if I hadn’t!
I will forever say NieR is and always will be The Definitive example of a series that feels like it's games were built around it's soundtrack, without that actually being the case. You don't even have to hear any of the tracks to know just how much tlc went into this series' ost, from the way they layer the different song versions to create Dynamic Tracks, to using an 8-bit filter for the seamless transitions into Hacking Versions of every song, and of course creating your own language so tracks with lyrics could be played during Cutscenes without confusing listeners but still getting across what you should be feeling during said Cutscenes... 👌 Absolute Master Class Conceptualizing!
By the way, the v1.22 Snow in Summer is actually composed by Ryuichi Takada of the MONACA team. From my memory there are only 2 tracks in which Keiichi Okabe have a role in: he composed "Fleeting Words - Family" (which is great) and co-composed "Analogous Memories". I think this is an important point because most of my favorite tracks in this epic work are from Ryuichi Takada.
I feel like your commentary on how the core choral tune leaves us wanting resolution but only getting a troubled one could encapsulate the game in its entirety. All 5 endings later, and we’re still left with a weighty, distant, “And everybody died. The end.” Not that I would change that. It’s perfect like that. Thank you for the wonderful work, I’m in awe of the technical wizardry you’re able to map out.
Thank you, that's so nice! Yeah, it's true, the whole story is basically "some people dared to dream, so humanity ended." Nice, comforting bedtime story.
There is no possible good end to this story. This has been guaranteed since the end of Drakengard. The despair is unimaginable. Yet the game is so full of hope. I'm still going to cry all the way through it, though.
I've always loved the start of replicant, and snow in summer is definitely a part of that. The tension in the song itself already lends to storytelling, but seeing the snow before we're clued in that its summer just adds even more tension. You dont know why this feels off yet, you just know it does. But as soon as we're clued in that its summer, suddenly the whole mood changes. We're thrown for a loop within the first few minutes and its beautiful
Excellent musical analysis! This video helped me gain a new appreciation for the remake version of this track, as well as the musical genius of Nier's composers. I would like to add something that I saw in a comment on another video of this song; the violin ostinato in Phrase D (20:02) resembles the really crazy part of the Queen Beast's song from Drakengard 1.
When i played Replicant 1.22 for the first time, or rather when the new version of Snow in Summer was released by SE on youtube "Snow in Summer" quickly became one of my favorite musical pieces ever and well not being a musician i had no idea why. I genuinely believe you helped me understand why i love this track.
The intro to NieR is so perfect, lightning in a bottle. It’s jarring, emotional, and immediately puts you in a place of discomfort. And then suddenly the rest of the game feels totally disjointed and disconnected from it for hours on end. But because it’s such a harsh and stark contrast, it stays in the back of your mind for the entirety of the game. “Haunting” is the perfect word, it feels like you just know at some point the game will reveal that connection and the significance of those starting moments, and break you. And then suddenly, the song plays once more, it delivers, and does just that.
the OSTs from Replicant/Automata, they have the power to fiddle with your heart's strings, and will do, that's why they have remained in my mind ever since i played those games. Gotta thank Okabe-san for making me interested in music theory, specially when it's about dissecting the aforementioned pieces. Superb Analysis!
Such an underrated video!! I've been a huge fan of the nier soundtracks for years now, but having had no musical education I was never able to pinpoint exactly why Okabe's works make me feel certain ways, let alone trying to understand technically how powerful they are. Your analysis is precise and especially clear and easy to understand, even for me with no specific knowledge! Thank you very much, I hope to see more of your works!!
I'm so happy to hear this! The main reason I made this video was to help people with less technical music knowledge deepen their enjoyment of the NieR soundtracks. I plan on making many more videos like this, it's just a matter of finding the time! Thank you.
I think my favorite part of the Replicant ver 1.22etc ver of this composition is the added staggering choir voice distortion towards the end of the track. It adds something of a feel of a fragmented memory
This was a really fantastic watch, I would absolutely adore it if you made more videos like this! If I were to pick any other tracks I'd like to hear you cover, it would absolutely be the Shadowlord's theme, as 1) its a beautiful song by itself and 2) Its the resolution to all the themes the game has been putting together to completely oppress you with the weight of what you've done and become. Either way, wonderful to hear an analysis of my favourite OST!
Thank you for your kind words! Yeah my goal is to make more like this as often as I can. I want to hit a lot of games, so it'll be a while before I do NieR again but I do like the idea of talking about the shadowlord and his music. Big spoiler warning on that one for sure!
omg amazing video i just recently started playing, probably just 2 hours in and already started looking for some expert opinion on this piece because it really captured me for how mysterious it is, and the fact that it plays throughout the whole section not just the cinematic, so you're basically playing and asking *"what the hell is going on?"* And then things get worse for yonah, nier screams for help and the cameras move away slowly and the music kicks in again and that's when you realise *"this world is screwed"*
I love Nier so much and as a piano and clarinet player, this contexualizes so much music theory and concepts that I can apply to band and piano arrangements. I always somewhat overlooked Snow in Summer, in favor of Song of the Ancients, but this made me love the piece. Great video.
Actually, it's not snow, that's remains from White Chlorination disease which happens from the Drakengard ending E when Angelus and Cain come to earth. It might be cold, but it's discussed in a few different areas about that this disease is what is wiping out humanity and Neir and Yonah have been given Grimoir Noir to help survive. Anyways, thank you for breaking this down and I've been watching your dissections of this soundtrack and have been enjoying learning a bit about the theory about why the soundtrack is so great.
Man am I glad youtube recommended this to me, never have i been this enamoured by a games' soundtrack and to have the theory to break it down is just awesome.
I knew there was something more deep in this ost, the violins are just in another level. Thanks for bringing us this video made with a lot of love and attention to detail.
Delightful- absolutely delightful. Late to the party at this point, but my appreciation for this piece has gone way up from watching your masterful breakdown. Especially the violin parts at the end; forget haunting my dreams, now you've etched this onto my soul.
You're doing an amazing job, I love each and everyone of your NieR analysis videos. It's one of my favorite game series of all time and the music is really on another level.
This was a super engaging video. I do not know much about music technically, but I know I cannot live without it. Video game soundtracks are such a huge, huge part of storytelling and immersion and it is a shame that it occasionally goes unrecognized.
@@JonathanBarouch I am very glad RUclips tossed it into my recommended, I love this sort of look into music. I've subscribed and look forward to future content!
I’ve been playing through this game this week and it’s been an absolute blast. The music theory was broken down and explained wonderfully. Amazing video man
@@daitsukishiro1505 ahahahah spot on!! I too noticed that the Nier OST goes amazingly with HnK. 2 more suggestions: -The sound of the end when phos attacks earth for the last time, -Widespread Illness while reading the last pages of chapter 97
Awesome video! It's really cool seeing why songs sound as good as they do, especially because I've loved Snow in Summer ever since I first played Nier but never really been able to explain why other than 'idk it sounds good to me'. I'll have to show some of my friends this
I'm so grateful for content creators like you! I don't have a musical background but you helped me understand the why and how and I appreciate it even more. I love it when a soundtrack is what gets you to play the game for the first time, Nier was one of those games for me. Please make this a series :D
I haven’t stopped binging the Nier OST since I played this game and finding this video was like a dream come true. It’s so insightful and educational and entertaining and makes me miss playing in an orchestra. I hope that you’ll continue to do these kinds of analyses, since you have a huge talent for it!! Thank you so much!!!
Well, it could not be snow. A certain substance does indeed decrease the freezing point of water, so maybe the air is just really cold, because the water vapor in the air is cold, because of that certain substance being everywhere. The nier/drakengard series has turned white from a symbol of light and purity to a haunting, sickening color for me.
The air is probably very cold, Nier and Yonah are shown freezing even with winter cloth. And lorewise they nuked shinjuku so it's probably a nuclear winter
@@lusaminable Well actualy ... i read a lot into the NieR Lore since i played the Original NieR Replicant ... and as far as i remember .... it isnt Snow , it is something else , to explain what it is i would need to Spoiler something from a only Japenese Book called Grimorie Nier that explained a lot of Story before the Games Start of Story
This just happened to pop up in my feed after looking up so many NieR songs and videos recently and I enjoyed it a lot! Gives me even more appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the soundtrack
Yes! Bravo!! Loved the visualization of all the selected elements and the explanation of composition leading to narrative. Would love to see you tackle something like the pop style of Persona 5.
Great video man, I love the "mostly serious video with a sprinkling of well executed jokes" style and you did just that. And just for curiosity's sake, can I ask what a couple of your other favorite songs are from Keiichi Okabe?
Thanks for the kind words! I'm very into "The Ultimate Weapon," and "Alien Manifestation" from Automata. I will probably do videos on them eventually too. I haven't checked out Drakengard yet!
@@JonathanBarouch Glad to see you too have a love for those tracks. They truly are great and I look forward to seeing your take on them some time in the future!
@@JonathanBarouch The Ultimate Weapon is one of my absolute favorites in Nier Replicant because of how much it just _drips_ atmosphere and I would love to hear you break it down.
i KNEW there was something so SO SPECIAL about how Snow In Summer gave me so much GOOSEBUMPS!!!!!! i love your video and it helped me a bit more to understand and appreciate the thought, care and passion Musicians create to ignite/ stir unexplainable emotions (especially for those who cannot musically analyze such pieces in the more technical aspect) 😊💖 thank you!! and keep up the good work! i am looking forward to more Nier Soundtrack analysis!
How the heck do you only have 2k subscribers? This is quality content right here. I'm subscribing for more Nier content, it's one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. This is the level of detail in analyzing music that I need. Thank you.
It's official, this is your thing. Wonderful deep dive into the musical theory and providing an easy to understand data visualization to break everything down. Very high level work, I dare say I would love to see the rest of the main themes from Nier Replicant 1.22 now, if possible! Thanks for sharing! Subbed and looking forward to seeing more!
Wow that is... incredibly kind, thank you. If I can start supporting myself on RUclips I'll be doing many more soundtracks, including more of NieR! We'll soon see what happens.
I've loved this song for years now and i the remake version in 2021 blew my mind with the added parts, especially the violin that you analyzed in this video. Really great analysis that was easy to follow yet insightful, I hope to see more!
Love your music analysis videos, but honestly from the little snippets you do here I'd also love to see a plot analysis from you! You've got the right humour to keep it interesting.
This video is very well done. I appreciate the deep analysis and addition of good editing, explanation/narration and video structure/planning. I know it must have taken a lot of time and effort to create a video of this caliber. The composer of Nier, Keiichi Okabe, has so many outstanding works out there. Sometimes I feel Nier’s soundtrack isn’t truly appreciated since we often just say, “It sounds good” but, as this video showed there are so many complex things taking place. It’s a masterpiece that deserves more recognition. Personally, even when knowing how to play the piano, I don’t have a great understanding of music theory so I really appreciate videos like this and yours was outstanding. Luckily, what I know is editing, and the one in the video was great. Specially when explaining and pointing out the notes and sections in the sheet music. The scenes chosen where placed at the right times and your voice blended perfectly with the background music. Loved that there were no overwhelming or useless transitions and it all was all beautifully put together. I look forward to more videos alike and hope your channel blows up! Side note: Ashes of Dreams and Emil-Sacrifice are my favorite tracks.
This was so wonderful to read, thank you so much! Yes these definitely take a long time to make but it's some of the most fun I've ever had. My next video will be on Shadowlord, and I plan to do more NieR beyond that. I'll add your favorites to my prompt ideas!
damn i remember i saw this video when it only had 2 comments and barely any views, i keep thinking about this song and video a lot, you def deserve all the views and more!
Ever since I heard snow in summer 2 years ago I never stopped replaying it. Whether it was reading for exams, after a tough day, working out, after a death in the family, sketching or when I just want to get a dose of feels in a stagnant day. There are many amazing tracks in Replicant but Snow in summer is the only one I religiously listen to on a daily basis. I never understood why, all I know is no matter how much I rewind I hung onto every sound, every instrument and I would get goosebumps all the while. Thank you for this video. Nier videos are scarce, videos on specific music on Nier more so. I was close to jumping when I came across this on recommend
I feel the same way about this track and Ultimate Weapon since that song just fits so freaking well with the absolute horror of Emil's character and you're being in the dark about all of it until the very last moment. That song is easily one of my favorite pieces of music ever as it just conveys so well what was intended you can understand it without any of the game's context imo. I would love to hear an analysis of that track on this channel!
I love to understand the music theory breakdowns that explain all the emotional narratives of songs, especially such a hard-hitting piece such as this. It's great to get confirmation that the feelings it provokes are composed with such purpose. As much as Yoko Taro gets salty about people hyping the soundtrack, Keiichi Okabe just really knows what he's doing to our hearts.
I could see this song applying to Kaine gaining her power too. Tynan mocking her as she tries to see the humanity in the shades and even as they attack her she refuses to fight back...Then when the song really kicks in is when shes forced to finally defend herself and kills one and Tynan just egging her on to keep the bloodshed going.
Never heard a more intensley hopeless sounding piece of music in my life. Its manic desperation, which is the exact mindset Nier is in when we meet him.
Hi Jonathan, Thanks to the RUclips algorithm and recent boost of NieR content, I found your video. I am a long-time fan of NieR's music and am extremely grateful to have listened to your in-depth analysis of 1.22's Snow in Summer. I really like how you tie in your musical analysis with gameplay, such as the moments where you tied the stages of the track to leveling up in-game, it was one of the several things I did not realize until you pointed it out. The musical visualizations were on-point, and I can imagine they were not easy to make, particularly the rhythm visualizations at 16:55 When I first listened to 1.22, I was expecting just small tweaks to the arrangements, nothing drastic enough to be considered a re-imagining of the NieR soundtrack, despite what Okabe says in his interviews. I still remember the exact moment upon putting on those headphones, pressed play on Snow in Summer and reaching 1:50 on the track, then getting goosebumps at 2:08. Compared to the original, 1.22 has a greater emphasis on string instruments than percussion drums, likely taking a page out of their work in NieR: Automata. This greater emphasis on strings I find can be hit-or-miss at times, great examples include: 1. Snow in Summer - for the reasons stated in your video. 2. The Ultimate Weapon - rhythmic violins that support Emi's vocals (@ 2:33 is one highlight) 3. The Prestigious Mask - (@ 0:45) the use of strings on this particular track leans towards typical fantasy J-RPGs as somewhat of a motif for themes of "hope" and "community". I feel that the use emphasizes those themes, especially when considering the location where the track plays. Worse examples, in my opinion, can be found in the following track: 1. The Wretched Automatons - it really hurts to put this here because it was my absolute favorite track in the original NieR, to the point that I tried to learn it on piano through mere mimicry (to no avail, unfortunately). They reduced the emphasis on raw, metallic-sounding percussions and placed greater emphasis on violin strings, which works against the music when you put in the context of gameplay and story. The track plays in a location called Junk Heap, where inside you will find a set of claustrophobic metal hallways, filled with hostile automatons. In this case, the strings do not evoke this sense of claustrophobia that synths and drums can create, but rather a freedom that you should not have access to (in terms of gameplay). To put it physically, you need a lot of space and freedom to move your arm to bow a violin or cello, whereas you can allocate a set amount of space with drums, synths, and keyboards, especially with this track. The original track had minimal, if any, use of strings, and relied on Emi's vocals, metallic percussions, and synths. In 1.22, strings replaced a majority of the synths as the main builder of tension within the track (@ 2:28), and I find that it does not work because it does not reflect the enemies that we are fighting, machines. The original synths sound erratic, which properly reflects the enemies that we are fighting. I hope you can read this and possibly follow up with some technical musical analysis when you are free. I am just a hobbyist and know very little in regards to traditional music theory but am eager to learn what makes these songs tick. I look forward to your future analyses and if you keep up this production quality, I can guarantee you will be one of the top VGM analysts on RUclips in no time! It is strenuous work to analyze music and present it to a broader audience but I am sure you are on the right track. If you want, you can even cite academia and let us do our own research.
Hey Mr. Carnoe, this was such a pleasure to read! Thank you for taking the time to write it all out. The visualizations indeed took more work than I expected them to, but I'm very glad I made them! I agree with you about Wretched Automotons for sure, that track above all others deserved to keep every moment of its percussive impact. I'm impressed you tried to learn that by ear - the piano part is SO fast. There's a good chance I'll be making a video on The Ultimate Weapon at some point down the road. I haven't decided yet which version I'll look at closest. Thank you so much for your time and kind words! The sheer numbers and supportive comments like this that this video keeps getting are an unexpected gift to me, and I'm very encouraged to keep this train moving. See you on the next one!
Absolutely amazing analysis man even tho I’m watching it with bad speakers (ip7+ lol) It’s so nice to see many people get into such “quaility” content and easy to get the points. Btw I love the “Crumbling lies” track, I was stunned for the introduction by literally playing half of the game lmaoo hopefully you will analise that track, I had enjoyed that intro a hundred times and never got bored, but the feelings for the first time experienced would never be coming back :(
Really nice explanation/analysis. I have to say that the video was also really well-produced and editted, the jokes all landed and the explanations were easy to follow as well with the visuals. All of that made it really easy and accessible to see why picking apart music is so fun and rewarding when pieced back together and it brought me a greater appreciation of the track. Can't wait for more of your videos!
This is a really great analysis. You were able to explain everything so well and thoughtfully in a way that makes sense and understandable. A lot of tracks in the OST (both the original and remaster) there was always something I loved about but I never could explain why or analyze more into it myself. I would absolutely love to see more stuff like this, great work man!
@@eiwhaz-tina6528 Ohh I misunderstood. Sadly, RUclips took down community captions a few years ago. I think this is the only way now. www.wikihow.com/Contribute-Subtitles-to-Someone-Else%27s-RUclips-Video
When I started playing the remake, and heard Snow in Summer in the new version (I had played the first version on PS3 prior, so I knew what I was going into) but holy GRIMOIRE WEISS does this piece give me the creeps, but also I can hear both resolve and desperation. The Shades are mindless in their attack while Brother Nier is determined to go at them in full force to safeguard Yonah. While I was playing I found myself just crying and just trying to beat the shades. I really like this breakdown you did - now the song makes more sense to me.
Not sure how your channel escaped my voracious consumption of thoughtful game-related content in the first place, but it shall do so no more! Off to watch all the rest of your videos. :D And I'm pretty sure this analysis just singlehandedly set me on a path to watch through a Nier playthrough. I've never seen a better hook for it than this video, to be honest. Amazing work!
What an amazing video you put together. I was completely enthralled from start to finish. Thank you so much for this amazing analysis, this was extremely enjoyable to watch!
When I played Nier Replicant and I finished the prologue (and thus this song) I concluded it was possibly the best video game intro I've ever seen and I felt that I absolutely had to keep playing the game. The music is what puts it there imo. It's a truly amazing piece that also hints very heavily at just how messed up (but weirdly hopeful) the story of Nicer Replicant is. It's probably my favorite song in the whole soundtrack except Song of the Ancients because of what a key role Song of the Ancients has both from a lore and character development stand point.
Words can not describe how happy it makes me to know that someone; has finally made an analysis on this song. Finally is there someone who shares the same sentiment of Snow In Summer “haunting their dreams”; and has explained it in all of its complexities. I’ve been waiting for this video ever since the time I first heard the track. Thank you Jonathan, thank you.
Oh my god, I'm so, so happy I was able to help you that way. I was just driving while listening to the soundtrack one day and realized instead of bothering my family with all these thoughts, I could put them up here. Very glad I did!
was feeling down and this was just the video i needed to watch and appreciate. love nier so much and happy to see how others fell in love with the amazing strangeness of its soundtrack
Well… I just can't get this music out of my head, it's so powerful and emotional. I have no background in music theory, but I watched the video to the end anyway, and it made me want to learn music theory. This music is a masterpiece and totally underrated. Thank you for your amazing video, and your hard work on it!
People like you make me want to study music theory so I'm able to understand this by myself, as a videogame music lover, I always admire the thankless job youtubers like you do.
It's not thankless at all! Even with its modest view count, this video has done everything I've wanted it to and more. My goal is to make it so that folks like you can enjoy a deep connection with video game music without having to spend time in a classroom if you don't want to. I hope I can continue doing that!
@@JonathanBarouch I still think this kind of analysis deserves more recognition, great job, I can't wait to see what you have in store for future videos
I adore this breakdown of Snow in Summer so much! I've been self teaching a lot of music theory this summer (ironically) and having someone break down some of the concepts used in songs that I'm familiar with is amazing! You do a fantastic job of explaining things and providing on-screen visuals! Thank you so much!
This is a really great video! I love watching people analyze and break down what makes the music for the NieR games so unique and compelling. There's always something new to find within the music that not only amplifies a person's appreciation for the music itself but in how it's used to express the stories of these games. Snow in Summer is the tone setter for NieR because it's the very first piece of music you hear in the game. And it's expansion in Replicant is absolutely stellar, especially because it's used again just before the final major campaign of the game to hint towards an upcoming resolution in the story, but the nature of the composition gives us this feeling that the resolution ahead isn't really a resolution at all, but the beginning of something more that the player never anticipated. I loved watching this. I hope you'll want to analyze other songs in the NieR franchise. A few months ago I went through every track in NieR Automata and had the best time ranting about it. I'd love to see someone approach the music of that game from a more technical perspective as you did here in this video. It's super interesting and I feel like I learned a lot more about music theory from just listening to you go in depth about this one song. It's really cool! :) This was super inspiring! I hope to see more from you in the future! Best wishes and God bless you in whatever project you work on next. :)
@@JonathanBarouch Well, thank you! :) NieR's music is a lot of fun to dig into. If you choose to explore its music more in the future, I really hope you enjoy it. Thanks for replying to my comment too. :)
Maaaan, this video and your analysis is something I really truly appreciate. Over the past decade I've probably listened to the NieR OST (and all it's variants) more than any other game soundtrack out there. But as someone whose both hearing impaired and musically illiterate it's always been a real challenge for me to feel like I've properly absorbed or appreciated any individual piece of music, especially when it comes to sheet music or fancy musical terminology. This song in particular has so many layers and instruments dancing around that it's tricky for me to concentrate on anything but the overarching choir, so seeing it all laid out in a visual format like you've provided at 16:50 did WONDERS for my comprehension; it just CLICKED for my visual artist brain. ✨Good stuff!!✨
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Can we also appreciate that title? “Snow in summer”. It’s such a good title that encapsulates so much.
it's one of the most haunting sentences to me
@Purple Shade dont be salty
@@bloodwoot ?
@@pete5423 :) if you know, you know, mr. venti :)
@@pete5423 he reffered to WCS which makes ppl who makes contact with it to become red eye legion or pile/statue of "salt", so basically the "snow" is a maso particle that spreading because Japan & US nuke the legions contained in the city lol
9:17 As one of those "really into NieR lore" people who just got their english copy of Grimoire NieR:
Page 205
"August 3, 2053 (Weather: cloudy)
...
It's cold. Salt is falling, and it looks just like snow."
It's not clear if this is the exact same day depicted in game, but it matches what we see.
Pretty much this. After you dive deep into the lore it's clear that it's the WCS, autor of the video strengthens his belief that it's snow, but it's not.
Snow in summer reduces me to tears every time. Kaine Salvation fills me with hope for Kaine. The whole NieR soundtrack is absolutely amazing. The duet that Devola and Popola sing is superb
I WILL namedrop.
I believe the main composer for both replicant/gestalt and automata is Keiichi Okabe and most of the vocals done was by Emi Evans. I cant tell you how many times ive listened to the entire franchises' OST.
The fact that Backstreets Back and Snow in Summer are written in the same key hit me like a FRIGHT TRAIN I can’t believe I haven’t noticed that before.
I didn't know until I made this video! Key has very little to do with a piece's "personality." It can only offer very broad strokes.
@@JonathanBarouch that’s true! I guess I’m just a huge fan of Surprise Minor Keys haha. Very interesting fact, super great analysis.
When you mentioned the bells somehow corrupting the choir part, that actually ties into some deep lore. You see, bells were the main instrument associated with the Watcher/The White Giant, the being that fell from the sky and caused White Chlorination Syndrome. You hear this in "The Final Song" in Drakenguard 3 and more recently, "Her Inflorescence" in the Nier raid in Final Fantasy 14.
Snow in Summer is a hauntingly beautiful track and yes Nier went from "Kicks magic book away and tells sister not to touch it" to "give me power magic book" in two minutes flat
Well of course. He wouldn't want this fate for his sister, & would gladly accept this fate in order to save his sister.
This is the natural behavior of humans.
Soon to be 40 years old and I've never heard anything like that song, classical or otherwise. The level of soul crushing despair at play in it cannot be described. It WILL reduce you into nothingness every time you listen to it... It's.. it's just absurd.
i think "soul crushing" is the exact phrase to use for the Draken Nier universe.
"Snow in Summer" strikes me as a sort of "Winter" song. Not like one of those "winter wonderland, sleigh bells, Corporate Holi-CHRISTMAS" songs typically associated with the season, but more like "I am litterally freezing to death in -20° F weather and struggling to survive in the worst blizzard in a century. Please help me." That's what "Snow in Summer" makes me think of.
but. it's not snow
@@savathunthejudge914shh don't tell him
@@savathunthejudge914 I never understood why its visibly cold then.
@@hussyweissshutup1275 the particles blocked out the sun
@@hussyweissshutup1275 Same reason why nuclear winters happen: particulate in the air has blocked out the sun, causing local temperatures to drop. IIRC at some point they even dropped tactical nukes is Tokyo, although I don't know if that happens prior to the Nier prologue.
Keiichi Okabe is just a musical genius and no one can convince me otherwise. His work has the ability to give anyone goosebumps within the first note. His attention to detail is unmatched. The masterpieces he’s created for this franchise is insane
Holy SHIT this blew me away. I've been obsessing over Nier's respective soundtracks for YEARS and am so happy to see such thorough and thoughtful coverage of this song! It's arguably one of the game's backbone tracks but kind of gets slept on a lot. I especially appreciate the effort that you put into connecting this analysis to the lore. Don't get me wrong, the "musician reacts to X OST!" format is fun, but it always leaves me wishing for a meatier deep-dive into the song's actual construction. My background is in classical ballet rather than playing any particular instrument, but it's definitely taught me to listen to this kind of music with a lot of intention. There are many ways in which OSTs like Nier's remind me of how music functions in ballets as a storytelling element, especially when it reacts or changes according to what's happening on the screen or stage. Thanks so much for sharing this!
This is so cool! I never thought of the parallels in how dance and gaming both relate to music. I'm thrilled you enjoyed it
As someonr without a single rhythmic bone in their body, and no understanding of music theory, I think this might be the first time someone's gotten me to actually "get" it, even if I'm probably still missing a lot of nuance.
I also really liked the putting it back together bit, really helps you see everything in motion.
That is so gratifying to hear, that's exactly what I wanted when I made this!!
My favorite thing with this track is that it comes back as you make your way through the Lost Shrine before you enter the Shadow Lord’s Castle
I can't believe you compared NieR's OST to the Backstreet Boys in a way that actually makes sense.
finally someone can point out the advanced soundtrack adjust from the original, they really take this serious when call this an upgrade rather than an remaster,remake
I know there are many people who prefer the old soundtrack, and I think that's great, but yeah I REALLY prefer the new versions of most tracks :)
Yeah, the only song I somewhat prefer the original of is "The Wretched Automatons", and that's only because they softened the percussions. I felt the original with the heavy upfront percussion throughout fit the area better.
i wish they did the same for demon souls remake music
Only "upgrade" that I didn't liked in this game is new version of song of the ancients/fate
I for one prefer the whole original soundtrack but I did only like 3 remastered tracks. I really wish they had the original soundtrack as an option.
this whole OST lives in my head rent free
I have a very limited musical background, mainly in singing. So the contextualization of how many pieces in such an important song come to bring about the emotions many have felt is something that's largely missing and undermined in video games was refreshing. The visualization was especially helpful. Coming across this actual musical analysis was very insightful and enjoyable! Okabe/MONACA's music deserves this kind of attention. Thank you and I hope you create more!
You and me both! Thank you so much, this is exactly the kind of experience I'm hoping to give people.
Nice analysis! I particularly am a sucker for songs like this that add tracks in while you progress through certain gameplay elements. It’s one of those uniquely video game feelings you can’t replicate since there is no gameplay cue while listening to an OST on its own. Having a little music background helped me, but your explanations behind the theory felt easy to understand from a pure feelings standpoint if I hadn’t!
I also LOVE dynamic tracks that respond to gameplay events. Definitely my favorite thing a soundtrack can do :)
I will forever say NieR is and always will be The Definitive example of a series that feels like it's games were built around it's soundtrack, without that actually being the case.
You don't even have to hear any of the tracks to know just how much tlc went into this series' ost, from the way they layer the different song versions to create Dynamic Tracks, to using an 8-bit filter for the seamless transitions into Hacking Versions of every song, and of course creating your own language so tracks with lyrics could be played during Cutscenes without confusing listeners but still getting across what you should be feeling during said Cutscenes... 👌 Absolute Master Class Conceptualizing!
By the way, the v1.22 Snow in Summer is actually composed by Ryuichi Takada of the MONACA team. From my memory there are only 2 tracks in which Keiichi Okabe have a role in: he composed "Fleeting Words - Family" (which is great) and co-composed "Analogous Memories". I think this is an important point because most of my favorite tracks in this epic work are from Ryuichi Takada.
Absolutely an important point, I couldn't find individual credits, thank you!
I feel like your commentary on how the core choral tune leaves us wanting resolution but only getting a troubled one could encapsulate the game in its entirety. All 5 endings later, and we’re still left with a weighty, distant, “And everybody died. The end.” Not that I would change that. It’s perfect like that. Thank you for the wonderful work, I’m in awe of the technical wizardry you’re able to map out.
Thank you, that's so nice! Yeah, it's true, the whole story is basically "some people dared to dream, so humanity ended." Nice, comforting bedtime story.
There is no possible good end to this story. This has been guaranteed since the end of Drakengard. The despair is unimaginable. Yet the game is so full of hope. I'm still going to cry all the way through it, though.
I've always loved the start of replicant, and snow in summer is definitely a part of that. The tension in the song itself already lends to storytelling, but seeing the snow before we're clued in that its summer just adds even more tension. You dont know why this feels off yet, you just know it does. But as soon as we're clued in that its summer, suddenly the whole mood changes. We're thrown for a loop within the first few minutes and its beautiful
9:40
> *adds some fun existential dread to the title*
My Brother in Christ you have no idea
Excellent musical analysis! This video helped me gain a new appreciation for the remake version of this track, as well as the musical genius of Nier's composers. I would like to add something that I saw in a comment on another video of this song; the violin ostinato in Phrase D (20:02) resembles the really crazy part of the Queen Beast's song from Drakengard 1.
When i played Replicant 1.22 for the first time, or rather when the new version of Snow in Summer was released by SE on youtube "Snow in Summer" quickly became one of my favorite musical pieces ever and well not being a musician i had no idea why. I genuinely believe you helped me understand why i love this track.
I'm extremely happy to hear that. Thanks so much for saying so!
The intro to NieR is so perfect, lightning in a bottle.
It’s jarring, emotional, and immediately puts you in a place of discomfort. And then suddenly the rest of the game feels totally disjointed and disconnected from it for hours on end.
But because it’s such a harsh and stark contrast, it stays in the back of your mind for the entirety of the game. “Haunting” is the perfect word, it feels like you just know at some point the game will reveal that connection and the significance of those starting moments, and break you.
And then suddenly, the song plays once more, it delivers, and does just that.
Snow in Summer has always been one of my favs Nier songs and i'm happy more people are appreciating it
the OSTs from Replicant/Automata, they have the power to fiddle with your heart's strings, and will do, that's why they have remained in my mind ever since i played those games. Gotta thank Okabe-san for making me interested in music theory, specially when it's about dissecting the aforementioned pieces. Superb Analysis!
Such an underrated video!! I've been a huge fan of the nier soundtracks for years now, but having had no musical education I was never able to pinpoint exactly why Okabe's works make me feel certain ways, let alone trying to understand technically how powerful they are. Your analysis is precise and especially clear and easy to understand, even for me with no specific knowledge! Thank you very much, I hope to see more of your works!!
I'm so happy to hear this! The main reason I made this video was to help people with less technical music knowledge deepen their enjoyment of the NieR soundtracks. I plan on making many more videos like this, it's just a matter of finding the time! Thank you.
Ah, the infamous Elena comment.
I think my favorite part of the Replicant ver 1.22etc ver of this composition is the added staggering choir voice distortion towards the end of the track. It adds something of a feel of a fragmented memory
This was a really fantastic watch, I would absolutely adore it if you made more videos like this! If I were to pick any other tracks I'd like to hear you cover, it would absolutely be the Shadowlord's theme, as 1) its a beautiful song by itself and 2) Its the resolution to all the themes the game has been putting together to completely oppress you with the weight of what you've done and become. Either way, wonderful to hear an analysis of my favourite OST!
Thank you for your kind words! Yeah my goal is to make more like this as often as I can. I want to hit a lot of games, so it'll be a while before I do NieR again but I do like the idea of talking about the shadowlord and his music. Big spoiler warning on that one for sure!
Yesss, Shadowlord or the Tower from Automata
@@JonathanBarouch you should also do grandma!!!
Absolutely brilliant breakdown of what makes the NieR soundtrack so hauntingly beautiful.
That "don't fit the flat there, it's natural" joke is my new favorite musical notation pun.
Snow in Summer is an apt title because every time I hear it, and especially every time I watch the opening sequence, I get goddamn chills.
omg amazing video i just recently started playing, probably just 2 hours in and already started looking for some expert opinion on this piece because it really captured me for how mysterious it is, and the fact that it plays throughout the whole section not just the cinematic, so you're basically playing and asking *"what the hell is going on?"* And then things get worse for yonah, nier screams for help and the cameras move away slowly and the music kicks in again and that's when you realise *"this world is screwed"*
I love the 2021 version of this OST and it is a shame, a _crying shame,_ that they're not on spotify where I live 😭
SAME
I'm listening to the soundtracks on Amazon Music (don't have Spotify). Is it available there for you?
I love Nier so much and as a piano and clarinet player, this contexualizes so much music theory and concepts that I can apply to band and piano arrangements. I always somewhat overlooked Snow in Summer, in favor of Song of the Ancients, but this made me love the piece. Great video.
Actually, it's not snow, that's remains from White Chlorination disease which happens from the Drakengard ending E when Angelus and Cain come to earth. It might be cold, but it's discussed in a few different areas about that this disease is what is wiping out humanity and Neir and Yonah have been given Grimoir Noir to help survive.
Anyways, thank you for breaking this down and I've been watching your dissections of this soundtrack and have been enjoying learning a bit about the theory about why the soundtrack is so great.
Man am I glad youtube recommended this to me, never have i been this enamoured by a games' soundtrack and to have the theory to break it down is just awesome.
It is a music you listen with your soul, not just ears, and I adore it. But mr Okabe any songs is just amazing like that!
I knew there was something more deep in this ost, the violins are just in another level. Thanks for bringing us this video made with a lot of love and attention to detail.
Delightful- absolutely delightful.
Late to the party at this point, but my appreciation for this piece has gone way up from watching your masterful breakdown.
Especially the violin parts at the end; forget haunting my dreams, now you've etched this onto my soul.
You're doing an amazing job, I love each and everyone of your NieR analysis videos. It's one of my favorite game series of all time and the music is really on another level.
This was a super engaging video. I do not know much about music technically, but I know I cannot live without it. Video game soundtracks are such a huge, huge part of storytelling and immersion and it is a shame that it occasionally goes unrecognized.
Then you, friend, are exactly the sort of person I'm so glad I get to reach this way!
@@JonathanBarouch I am very glad RUclips tossed it into my recommended, I love this sort of look into music. I've subscribed and look forward to future content!
I’ve been playing through this game this week and it’s been an absolute blast. The music theory was broken down and explained wonderfully. Amazing video man
Wow, this analysis must have taken you ages to complete, well thought and detailed. 10/10!! Keep going champ!! 🏆
It took much longer than I expected it to, but I have no regrets! More to come. Thank you :)
trying playing snow in summer when phos goes to the moon
or The tower from automata same atmosphere
@@daitsukishiro1505 ahahahah spot on!! I too noticed that the Nier OST goes amazingly with HnK.
2 more suggestions:
-The sound of the end when phos attacks earth for the last time,
-Widespread Illness while reading the last pages of chapter 97
@@daitsukishiro1505 oh yeah and of course Analogous Memories from Replicanti when Phos goes crazy and looks scary
@@Lord_Randyona oh damn that shit would have slapped hard I was playing sound of the end
RUclips is on a roll today with suggesting top quality videos.
Keep up the great work, Jonathan! I look forward to future videos ~
Awesome video! It's really cool seeing why songs sound as good as they do, especially because I've loved Snow in Summer ever since I first played Nier but never really been able to explain why other than 'idk it sounds good to me'. I'll have to show some of my friends this
Thank you for sharing that!! That's exactly what I was hoping to give people with this.
I'm so grateful for content creators like you! I don't have a musical background but you helped me understand the why and how and I appreciate it even more. I love it when a soundtrack is what gets you to play the game for the first time, Nier was one of those games for me.
Please make this a series :D
There will be more to come! I won't just be doing NieR, but I'll return to it several times in the future. Thank you!
I haven’t stopped binging the Nier OST since I played this game and finding this video was like a dream come true. It’s so insightful and educational and entertaining and makes me miss playing in an orchestra. I hope that you’ll continue to do these kinds of analyses, since you have a huge talent for it!! Thank you so much!!!
Thank you!! Yes I plan to make a lot more!
Well, it could not be snow. A certain substance does indeed decrease the freezing point of water, so maybe the air is just really cold, because the water vapor in the air is cold, because of that certain substance being everywhere.
The nier/drakengard series has turned white from a symbol of light and purity to a haunting, sickening color for me.
Dang, I'm not equipped to turn this into a chemistry discussion but I believe it.
The air is probably very cold, Nier and Yonah are shown freezing even with winter cloth. And lorewise they nuked shinjuku so it's probably a nuclear winter
@@JonathanBarouch i always thinking it's not snow but salt
@@lusaminable Well actualy ... i read a lot into the NieR Lore since i played the Original NieR Replicant ... and as far as i remember .... it isnt Snow , it is something else , to explain what it is i would need to Spoiler something from a only Japenese Book called Grimorie Nier that explained a lot of Story before the Games Start of Story
@@mrriku2438 you can spoil to me, I already did the game 4 times
Superb review! Thanks for this level of depth
This just happened to pop up in my feed after looking up so many NieR songs and videos recently and I enjoyed it a lot! Gives me even more appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the soundtrack
Yes! Bravo!!
Loved the visualization of all the selected elements and the explanation of composition leading to narrative. Would love to see you tackle something like the pop style of Persona 5.
Ooohh, tempting tempting....
Great video man, I love the "mostly serious video with a sprinkling of well executed jokes" style and you did just that. And just for curiosity's sake, can I ask what a couple of your other favorite songs are from Keiichi Okabe?
Thanks for the kind words! I'm very into "The Ultimate Weapon," and "Alien Manifestation" from Automata. I will probably do videos on them eventually too. I haven't checked out Drakengard yet!
@@JonathanBarouch the ultimate weapon is my favorite out of replicant's and automata's ost it's nice to see some more love for it 😎
@@JonathanBarouch Glad to see you too have a love for those tracks. They truly are great and I look forward to seeing your take on them some time in the future!
@@JonathanBarouch The Ultimate Weapon is one of my absolute favorites in Nier Replicant because of how much it just _drips_ atmosphere and I would love to hear you break it down.
@@theshadowherself I will absolutely make that video, I just don't yet know when I'll have the chance!
I would love to see more musical analysis and breakdowns like this!
i KNEW there was something so SO SPECIAL about how Snow In Summer gave me so much GOOSEBUMPS!!!!!! i love your video and it helped me a bit more to understand and appreciate the thought, care and passion Musicians create to ignite/ stir unexplainable emotions (especially for those who cannot musically analyze such pieces in the more technical aspect) 😊💖
thank you!! and keep up the good work! i am looking forward to more Nier Soundtrack analysis!
How the heck do you only have 2k subscribers? This is quality content right here. I'm subscribing for more Nier content, it's one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. This is the level of detail in analyzing music that I need. Thank you.
Thank you so much! "Grandma" video coming out in a few weeks 😀
It's official, this is your thing. Wonderful deep dive into the musical theory and providing an easy to understand data visualization to break everything down. Very high level work, I dare say I would love to see the rest of the main themes from Nier Replicant 1.22 now, if possible! Thanks for sharing! Subbed and looking forward to seeing more!
Wow that is... incredibly kind, thank you. If I can start supporting myself on RUclips I'll be doing many more soundtracks, including more of NieR! We'll soon see what happens.
I've loved this song for years now and i the remake version in 2021 blew my mind with the added parts, especially the violin that you analyzed in this video. Really great analysis that was easy to follow yet insightful, I hope to see more!
Love your music analysis videos, but honestly from the little snippets you do here I'd also love to see a plot analysis from you! You've got the right humour to keep it interesting.
Please do more! This was so informative from a producer point of view.
Wow that earned a sub from me. I was swelling with emotion by the climax. I love your visualizations and the raspy and calm sound of your voice.
This video is very well done. I appreciate the deep analysis and addition of good editing, explanation/narration and video structure/planning. I know it must have taken a lot of time and effort to create a video of this caliber.
The composer of Nier, Keiichi Okabe, has so many outstanding works out there. Sometimes I feel Nier’s soundtrack isn’t truly appreciated since we often just say, “It sounds good” but, as this video showed there are so many complex things taking place. It’s a masterpiece that deserves more recognition.
Personally, even when knowing how to play the piano, I don’t have a great understanding of music theory so I really appreciate videos like this and yours was outstanding. Luckily, what I know is editing, and the one in the video was great. Specially when explaining and pointing out the notes and sections in the sheet music. The scenes chosen where placed at the right times and your voice blended perfectly with the background music. Loved that there were no overwhelming or useless transitions and it all was all beautifully put together. I look forward to more videos alike and hope your channel blows up!
Side note: Ashes of Dreams and Emil-Sacrifice are my favorite tracks.
This was so wonderful to read, thank you so much! Yes these definitely take a long time to make but it's some of the most fun I've ever had. My next video will be on Shadowlord, and I plan to do more NieR beyond that. I'll add your favorites to my prompt ideas!
damn i remember i saw this video when it only had 2 comments and barely any views, i keep thinking about this song and video a lot, you def deserve all the views and more!
An early adopter! Thanks so much, that means a lot
Ever since I heard snow in summer 2 years ago I never stopped replaying it. Whether it was reading for exams, after a tough day, working out, after a death in the family, sketching or when I just want to get a dose of feels in a stagnant day. There are many amazing tracks in Replicant but Snow in summer is the only one I religiously listen to on a daily basis. I never understood why, all I know is no matter how much I rewind I hung onto every sound, every instrument and I would get goosebumps all the while. Thank you for this video. Nier videos are scarce, videos on specific music on Nier more so. I was close to jumping when I came across this on recommend
I know it's an oversimplification to say so, but I truly believe art alone is worth staying alive for.
I feel the same way about this track and Ultimate Weapon since that song just fits so freaking well with the absolute horror of Emil's character and you're being in the dark about all of it until the very last moment. That song is easily one of my favorite pieces of music ever as it just conveys so well what was intended you can understand it without any of the game's context imo. I would love to hear an analysis of that track on this channel!
I've got them both on my list but I'll bump them up a bit!
I love to understand the music theory breakdowns that explain all the emotional narratives of songs, especially such a hard-hitting piece such as this. It's great to get confirmation that the feelings it provokes are composed with such purpose. As much as Yoko Taro gets salty about people hyping the soundtrack, Keiichi Okabe just really knows what he's doing to our hearts.
I didn't know that about Yoko Taro! That's kind of funny, since the soundtracks are so deeply tied to the identity of his games.
I could see this song applying to Kaine gaining her power too. Tynan mocking her as she tries to see the humanity in the shades and even as they attack her she refuses to fight back...Then when the song really kicks in is when shes forced to finally defend herself and kills one and Tynan just egging her on to keep the bloodshed going.
Can't how I am to find a video like this. Thank you so much!
I loved this breakdown and it's so interesting how the re-instrumentation makes people feel. Also fuuuuucking miiiiinor keeeeys
I love them
They're soooo goooooooooood
Never heard a more intensley hopeless sounding piece of music in my life. Its manic desperation, which is the exact mindset Nier is in when we meet him.
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks to the RUclips algorithm and recent boost of NieR content, I found your video. I am a long-time fan of NieR's music and am extremely grateful to have listened to your in-depth analysis of 1.22's Snow in Summer. I really like how you tie in your musical analysis with gameplay, such as the moments where you tied the stages of the track to leveling up in-game, it was one of the several things I did not realize until you pointed it out. The musical visualizations were on-point, and I can imagine they were not easy to make, particularly the rhythm visualizations at 16:55
When I first listened to 1.22, I was expecting just small tweaks to the arrangements, nothing drastic enough to be considered a re-imagining of the NieR soundtrack, despite what Okabe says in his interviews. I still remember the exact moment upon putting on those headphones, pressed play on Snow in Summer and reaching 1:50 on the track, then getting goosebumps at 2:08. Compared to the original, 1.22 has a greater emphasis on string instruments than percussion drums, likely taking a page out of their work in NieR: Automata.
This greater emphasis on strings I find can be hit-or-miss at times, great examples include:
1. Snow in Summer - for the reasons stated in your video.
2. The Ultimate Weapon - rhythmic violins that support Emi's vocals (@ 2:33 is one highlight)
3. The Prestigious Mask - (@ 0:45) the use of strings on this particular track leans towards typical fantasy J-RPGs as somewhat of a motif for themes of "hope" and "community". I feel that the use emphasizes those themes, especially when considering the location where the track plays.
Worse examples, in my opinion, can be found in the following track:
1. The Wretched Automatons - it really hurts to put this here because it was my absolute favorite track in the original NieR, to the point that I tried to learn it on piano through mere mimicry (to no avail, unfortunately). They reduced the emphasis on raw, metallic-sounding percussions and placed greater emphasis on violin strings, which works against the music when you put in the context of gameplay and story. The track plays in a location called Junk Heap, where inside you will find a set of claustrophobic metal hallways, filled with hostile automatons. In this case, the strings do not evoke this sense of claustrophobia that synths and drums can create, but rather a freedom that you should not have access to (in terms of gameplay). To put it physically, you need a lot of space and freedom to move your arm to bow a violin or cello, whereas you can allocate a set amount of space with drums, synths, and keyboards, especially with this track. The original track had minimal, if any, use of strings, and relied on Emi's vocals, metallic percussions, and synths. In 1.22, strings replaced a majority of the synths as the main builder of tension within the track (@ 2:28), and I find that it does not work because it does not reflect the enemies that we are fighting, machines. The original synths sound erratic, which properly reflects the enemies that we are fighting.
I hope you can read this and possibly follow up with some technical musical analysis when you are free. I am just a hobbyist and know very little in regards to traditional music theory but am eager to learn what makes these songs tick. I look forward to your future analyses and if you keep up this production quality, I can guarantee you will be one of the top VGM analysts on RUclips in no time! It is strenuous work to analyze music and present it to a broader audience but I am sure you are on the right track. If you want, you can even cite academia and let us do our own research.
Hey Mr. Carnoe, this was such a pleasure to read! Thank you for taking the time to write it all out. The visualizations indeed took more work than I expected them to, but I'm very glad I made them!
I agree with you about Wretched Automotons for sure, that track above all others deserved to keep every moment of its percussive impact. I'm impressed you tried to learn that by ear - the piano part is SO fast.
There's a good chance I'll be making a video on The Ultimate Weapon at some point down the road. I haven't decided yet which version I'll look at closest.
Thank you so much for your time and kind words! The sheer numbers and supportive comments like this that this video keeps getting are an unexpected gift to me, and I'm very encouraged to keep this train moving. See you on the next one!
Absolutely amazing analysis man even tho I’m watching it with bad speakers (ip7+ lol) It’s so nice to see many people get into such “quaility” content and easy to get the points. Btw I love the “Crumbling lies” track, I was stunned for the introduction by literally playing half of the game lmaoo hopefully you will analise that track, I had enjoyed that intro a hundred times and never got bored, but the feelings for the first time experienced would never be coming back :(
I LOVE that track, I'll have to talk about it for sure. It'll be a while though.
Really nice explanation/analysis. I have to say that the video was also really well-produced and editted, the jokes all landed and the explanations were easy to follow as well with the visuals. All of that made it really easy and accessible to see why picking apart music is so fun and rewarding when pieced back together and it brought me a greater appreciation of the track. Can't wait for more of your videos!
This is really encouraging to hear, thank you so much! More to come.
I've come back to watch this video like half a dozen times. Love all your music analyses! Keep up the great work, I can't get enough
Thank you so much! New vid dropping this week :)
This is a really great analysis. You were able to explain everything so well and thoughtfully in a way that makes sense and understandable.
A lot of tracks in the OST (both the original and remaster) there was always something I loved about but I never could explain why or analyze more into it myself. I would absolutely love to see more stuff like this, great work man!
Thank you so much! Definitely more to come
Subscribed ❤️
This took a ton of work, great job dude, love to watch more from you.
Thanks for this! There's a boom of music-focused RUclipsrs right now, but few go into as much detail as you in this video.
This is Nier. He's doing his best :)
WTF DUDE
Just discovered your channel out of pure coincidence in my YT feed.
U ARE AMAZING.
I hope your channel grows!!! You deserve it
Thank you so much! I'm just getting started, so we will see what happens :)
@@JonathanBarouch I would like to translate subtitles to spanish so i can show it to my people, u okay with it¡?
¡Claro que sí! That's awesome!
@@JonathanBarouch Ok! imma do it now, imma try my best :) please allow the subs to be added
@@eiwhaz-tina6528 Ohh I misunderstood. Sadly, RUclips took down community captions a few years ago. I think this is the only way now. www.wikihow.com/Contribute-Subtitles-to-Someone-Else%27s-RUclips-Video
When I started playing the remake, and heard Snow in Summer in the new version (I had played the first version on PS3 prior, so I knew what I was going into) but holy GRIMOIRE WEISS does this piece give me the creeps, but also I can hear both resolve and desperation. The Shades are mindless in their attack while Brother Nier is determined to go at them in full force to safeguard Yonah. While I was playing I found myself just crying and just trying to beat the shades. I really like this breakdown you did - now the song makes more sense to me.
God damn man amazing vid I never noticed how good Snow in Summer is until today
Ive been in love with this sound track for 10 years thank you for the video
One of, if not, THE BEST opening in a game I’ve ever played.
Great analysis! Music is powerful.
This was really interesting. I knew I loved the music but this gave me waaaaaaaay more context. Thank you for sharing
Not sure how your channel escaped my voracious consumption of thoughtful game-related content in the first place, but it shall do so no more! Off to watch all the rest of your videos. :D
And I'm pretty sure this analysis just singlehandedly set me on a path to watch through a Nier playthrough. I've never seen a better hook for it than this video, to be honest. Amazing work!
What an amazing video you put together. I was completely enthralled from start to finish. Thank you so much for this amazing analysis, this was extremely enjoyable to watch!
Thank YOU for watching!! I'm going to make it a priority to make more videos like this.
yep the intro of snow in summer once I first heard it I already knew im in for a roller coaster emotional ride playing that game sheesh
When I played Nier Replicant and I finished the prologue (and thus this song) I concluded it was possibly the best video game intro I've ever seen and I felt that I absolutely had to keep playing the game. The music is what puts it there imo. It's a truly amazing piece that also hints very heavily at just how messed up (but weirdly hopeful) the story of Nicer Replicant is.
It's probably my favorite song in the whole soundtrack except Song of the Ancients because of what a key role Song of the Ancients has both from a lore and character development stand point.
I'm so happy to see another music theory analysis of the nier soundtrack. The music is absolutely fascinating and beautiful, keep up the good work
Words can not describe how happy it makes me to know that someone; has finally made an analysis on this song. Finally is there someone who shares the same sentiment of Snow In Summer “haunting their dreams”; and has explained it in all of its complexities. I’ve been waiting for this video ever since the time I first heard the track. Thank you Jonathan, thank you.
God I love NieR
Oh my god, I'm so, so happy I was able to help you that way. I was just driving while listening to the soundtrack one day and realized instead of bothering my family with all these thoughts, I could put them up here. Very glad I did!
@@JonathanBarouch :))
was feeling down and this was just the video i needed to watch and appreciate. love nier so much and happy to see how others fell in love with the amazing strangeness of its soundtrack
Well… I just can't get this music out of my head, it's so powerful and emotional. I have no background in music theory, but I watched the video to the end anyway, and it made me want to learn music theory.
This music is a masterpiece and totally underrated.
Thank you for your amazing video, and your hard work on it!
People like you make me want to study music theory so I'm able to understand this by myself, as a videogame music lover, I always admire the thankless job youtubers like you do.
It's not thankless at all! Even with its modest view count, this video has done everything I've wanted it to and more. My goal is to make it so that folks like you can enjoy a deep connection with video game music without having to spend time in a classroom if you don't want to. I hope I can continue doing that!
@@JonathanBarouch I still think this kind of analysis deserves more recognition, great job, I can't wait to see what you have in store for future videos
I adore this breakdown of Snow in Summer so much! I've been self teaching a lot of music theory this summer (ironically) and having someone break down some of the concepts used in songs that I'm familiar with is amazing! You do a fantastic job of explaining things and providing on-screen visuals! Thank you so much!
Thank *you* for stopping by! Good luck with your studies, as you know, this stuff can be so rewarding :) More of these to come soon.
@@JonathanBarouch Will there be additional Nier related ones? :o
@@contrastellar_ Yes, but not at first! I want to hit a few other titles with the next few.
i love both nier and music analysis, great video dude!
This is a really great video! I love watching people analyze and break down what makes the music for the NieR games so unique and compelling. There's always something new to find within the music that not only amplifies a person's appreciation for the music itself but in how it's used to express the stories of these games. Snow in Summer is the tone setter for NieR because it's the very first piece of music you hear in the game. And it's expansion in Replicant is absolutely stellar, especially because it's used again just before the final major campaign of the game to hint towards an upcoming resolution in the story, but the nature of the composition gives us this feeling that the resolution ahead isn't really a resolution at all, but the beginning of something more that the player never anticipated.
I loved watching this. I hope you'll want to analyze other songs in the NieR franchise. A few months ago I went through every track in NieR Automata and had the best time ranting about it. I'd love to see someone approach the music of that game from a more technical perspective as you did here in this video. It's super interesting and I feel like I learned a lot more about music theory from just listening to you go in depth about this one song. It's really cool! :) This was super inspiring! I hope to see more from you in the future! Best wishes and God bless you in whatever project you work on next. :)
I'm so happy you had that response to it, and I really enjoy your thoughts about its reappearance at the end, I totally agree.
@@JonathanBarouch Well, thank you! :) NieR's music is a lot of fun to dig into. If you choose to explore its music more in the future, I really hope you enjoy it. Thanks for replying to my comment too. :)
Well dude I hope you'll be making more videos because I'm hooked. That's awesome.
Working on another as we speak! Thanks for your support
Maaaan, this video and your analysis is something I really truly appreciate. Over the past decade I've probably listened to the NieR OST (and all it's variants) more than any other game soundtrack out there. But as someone whose both hearing impaired and musically illiterate it's always been a real challenge for me to feel like I've properly absorbed or appreciated any individual piece of music, especially when it comes to sheet music or fancy musical terminology. This song in particular has so many layers and instruments dancing around that it's tricky for me to concentrate on anything but the overarching choir, so seeing it all laid out in a visual format like you've provided at 16:50 did WONDERS for my comprehension; it just CLICKED for my visual artist brain. ✨Good stuff!!✨
That's so incredible!! I hope I can do that for you again in future videos too. Glad I could help with one of your all-time faves.
I rarely comment videos but I liked it a lot and it's really impressive. Bravo!
12:27 and in that moment I realized that Automata is structured in the same way as this song.
The way you worded it made it stand out very clearly.
There are lots of cool patterns like this throughout the NieR soundtracks! Which track are you thinking of?
@@JonathanBarouch No I mean the actual game, the way the story is developed.