So, by far the most tired, depressing month of the year has finally come to an end and we welcome February with open arms. Now, I don’t know how it has been in the rest of the country, but here in the south, close to enemy land and the Danish border, freezing rain and howling, rough wind have characterized almost every day. A gray darkness that can take the must out of the best but thankfully we have the promised world of games to take refuge in. But more than anything, it is the daily prescribed pitch black coffee that has saved my existence. Medium-roasted beans of velvety, oxygen-free character rested in the breeze of Indian monsoon winds. A warm, full embrace marked by historic wingbeats from when the East India Company sailed between the Far East and Gothenburg with its precious, exotic cargo.
Because just like with red wine, coffee is a very special obsession and offers far more than what is found at the bottom of a cup of Gevalia brewed in a dirty construction shed next to the E4 somewhere between Tönnebro and Söderhamn. It is a temperate firework of tranquil stillness. Aromatic dreams, a meditative calm anchor that gives you the strength and motivation to endure the day but also has the ability to mask for a second the troubles of everyday life. The concept of coffee is simply so much more than just a hot drink and its multifaceted nature with the potential to create powerful personal experiences is something Toge Productions clearly aimed to capture with Coffee Talk. A jazzy visual novel not unlike Sukeban Games’ VA-11 Hall-A.
Coffee Talk’s strict and single-track storytelling is definitely not for everyone. There is very little in the way of choices here and the game’s events are clearly stilted and set in stone with very little chance of impact. But with plenty of philosophical undertones and parallels to societal problems and social stigma found in real everyday life, Coffee Talk quickly catches on. But more than anything, it was Andrew Jeremy’s exquisite music that captured my personal interest. The delicate soundtrack is an incomparably stylish framing of the characters and situations presented during the game with its distinctly jazzy feel seasoned with nice lo-fi beats, hip-hop and the pleasant sound of crackling vinyl records.
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The soundtrack is pressed on two beautiful 180g heavy wax plates that come colored in two different tones, green matcha and brown shade of coffee. As with most of Black Screen Records’ previous vinyl records, the envelope is a gatefold model whose inside as well as front is filled with newly produced, beautiful art from the artist Natto who previously worked with both Nintendo and Square Enix with, among other things, the Pokémon and Final Fantasy series. It’s tasteful, inspiring and literally oozes the high quality we’ve come to expect from Black Screen Records. Their soundtracks are always a pure joy to deal with. Consistently good-sounding and stylishly produced, interesting titles.
Unlike the last three soundtracks we had the pleasure of reviewing, Coffee Talk offers a distinctly more relaxed experience that lends itself well to easy listening. They are soft, relaxing compositions filled with exciting and interesting genre mixes that enchant and seduce. However, what I find a shame and want to criticize is that the entire soundtrack is not represented on the two vinyl discs. Of the 27 that Andrew Jeremy produced for Coffee Talk, only 14 are found here. Why exactly almost half of all music is missing, I can of course only speculate, but given that it is a very narrow game from a relatively obscure small studio, it is most likely a pure cost issue.
After all, the third pressing that is available at the time of writing costs close to 400 kroner and to almost double that just to be able to include every piece of music, I understand many may think it would be a bit juicy. Having said that, compositions included are very good sounding and the genre marries well with the format. The Coffee Talk soundtrack is simply something you can easily sink into the sofa or armchair with and dream away to, and offers a little more than an hour of meditative relaxing pleasure. It’s a room-filling mood booster, a rocking genre experiment and a straight-up brilliant record that, despite the above-mentioned shortcoming, is one of the most pleasant musical experiences I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying in a very long time.
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In short, a fantastic start to the new vinyl year and 2023 looks set to continue strong for Black Screen Records with upcoming releases from both Jean-François Freita’s Another World and Borislav Slavov’s Divinity: Original Sin 2. Records we here at the editorial office see incredibly looking forward to spinning our majestically good-sounding Technics SL-1210-MK7, which now also has new power behind it with the sound processor in the Yamaha RX-A6A, which cannot be described as rhythmically razor-sharp. I would like to conclude by urging all of you with an interest in game music to really give Coffee Talk a try. The game may be a bit of a watershed and visual novels certainly aren’t something that everyone can find appreciation in, but Andrew Jeremy’s irresistible music demands attention and needs more attention. Because that is brilliance.
Rating: 8/10
LP:
Coffee Talk (Official Soundtrack) by Andrew Jeremy
Equipment:
Ortofon 2M Blue
Technics SL-1210MK7
Yamaha RX-A6A
Jenving Supra Phono 2RCA-SC
Ortofon DS-3
Previous articles in this series:
VINYL: (1) The wax carousel has arrived
VINYL: (2) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Soundtrack
VINYL: (3) Back To The Future – Original Score
VINYL: (4) Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
VINYL: (5) The Medium Original Soundtrack
VINYL: (6) Shadowrun: Hong Kong (Official Soundtrack)
VINYL: (7) God of War – Original Soundtrack
VINYL: (8) Ghost in the Shell (Original Soundtrack)
VINYL: (9) A Plague Tale: Innocence (Original Soundtrack)
VINYL: (10) In Other Waters
VINYL: (11) The Last of Us II – Covers & Rarities
VINYL: (12) Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
VINYL: (13) Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake – Original Video Game Soundtrack
VINYL: (14) Skies of Arcadia Eternal Soundtrack
VINYL: (15) A Plague Tale: Requiem (Original Soundtrack)
VINYL: (16) Dying Light 2 Stay Human (Original Soundtrack)
