New Music!

[LuckyLionStudios]

Hello! I'm Andrew Riley, the composer for Secrets of Grindea. For the past year or so, I've been quietly working on an album of (mostly) Japanese language electronic/pop music titled "Adrift," which features three different vocalists. While it's not specifically designed to sound like VGM, the influence is definitely there.

I just released a lyric music video for the title track in preparation of the full album's release. I'm hoping to have it out next month!

If you're interested, please check out it out below and let me know what you think!

 

[Chaldo]

Although I don't understand any of the lyrics, I'm absolutely in love with it! The calming instrumental and the soothing vocals go really well together, and you did an incredible job composing it!

 

[LuckyLionStudios]

Thank you very much for listening! I'm really happy with Marika's work on this track and I hope she gets the recognition she deserves.

 

[Teddy]

Awesome dude! Looking forward to that full album (and also to having a vocalized OST for our SoG-remake we'll be releasing somewhere between the death of our sun and the end of times)

 

[MrChocodemon]

It reminds me of Massive Attack in the best of ways.
Marika has a really smooth and rich voice.

I'll be waiting for that album with great anticipation.

 

[LuckyLionStudios]

Teddy: I'm confident we can have that remake done in time for the PC2, when they release the long awaited sequel to the personal computer. We could always go with a vocal track for the current version of Grindea, too. I'm thinking "Ode to Uncle Vev," with lyrics touching on the universal struggles we all must face in providing for ourselves and those closest to us with the essentials in life; also, the importance of upper body strength and a positive attitude.

MrChocodemon: Thanks, that's a great compliment! I originally had two versions of the song, one with a lot more synth/experimental sounds, and this one. Marika sold me on the simplicity of this version, which I think was a good call in hindsight.

 

[LuckyLionStudios]

O.K.! Adrift is finally out on Bandcamp and Spotify. It'll be out on iTunes in the coming days, along with other digital outlets like Pandora and Google Music Store.

You can stream it for free on Bandcamp, though.
https://luckylionstudios.bandcamp.com/album/adrift

I've also made a few more lyric videos with the other singers:
Heartbeat [featuring Ami]

R.P.G. [featuring Keiko Yoshimura]

I'd definitely welcome feedback and if you know anyone who might be interested in this type of music, please spread the word!

 

[MrChocodemon]

I really like Heartbeat.

I (sadly) cannot pinpoint why, but R.P.G. really doesn't work for me. It feels just like the bad pop songs that have been added to all the movies in the early nineties.

Also I am really bad at making desriptive and constructive criticism when it comes to music. Sorry.

 

[res7less]

For me the R.P.G. one actually really stands out from the rest. The other tracks are good too, but this one really has a distinct character. The futuristic noir vibe is palpable, imagining cars driving on long roads in the night, through some big unknown city with a lot of glowing billboards and colorful districts. It kinda feels Ghost-in-the-Shell-esque for me, just less mechanical and more natural. It's probably also because I prefer more energetic music as opposed to slow tracks, although I imagine the slow ones are more difficult to create as you have less "material" to work with to convey the musical message you're trying to express.

Overall it's really awesome how you're able to produce such different kinds of music and incorporate the individual voice characteristics of the vocalists into a fitting track. Hope your work gets the appreciation it deserves, mate!

 

[The G-Meister]

Nice album! Had a listen through while I was updating my CV earlier, was a nice change, though not something I'd normally listen to. Bygone Days was definitely my favourite, love the jazzy style. Keep it up!

Album art looks great as well!

 

[LuckyLionStudios]

Thank you all for listening, it means a lot to me.

MrChocodemon: I'm glad you like Heartbeat, and no worries on not liking R.P.G. - it's definitely the most "different" track on the album. So while I'm not sure I understand the 90s film reference, I can appreciate that it's not for everyone (though that would be a pretty good descriptor of the album itself). Edit: One of the coolest things I'm getting from the feedback on this album is how completely divided everyone is on their favorite songs. For example, this very kind write-up singled out R.P.G. for their audio selection.

res7less: I definitely took inspiration from rainy nights under neon lights (I live in Seattle) and I think most of this album falls under the category of "songs I would listen to while driving at night if I owned a car." I wrote most of Adrift on a laptop while commuting on Seattle's light rail, so a large percentage of that was accompanied by raindrops bouncing off of the windows around me.

G-Meister: Awesome to hear you gave it a listen. I had a lot of fun writing Bygone Days... so much so that I went and added The Road To You as an instrumental with some of the ideas (trumpets, sax, etc) that would have maybe made Bygone Days too bloated. The album art was licensed by the great Yuumei. Pretty much everything she comes up with looks great.

 

[LuckyLionStudios]

Hello again, I have new music!

2020 was bumming me out a bit, so I thought I’d take a trip back to the 1980s (the decade of my birth). A simpler time, when the future idea of 2020 was full of neon lights, flying cars, hover boards, and fingerless gloves.

Efflux Waves is a synth-driven retrofuturistic ode to 1980s cyberpunk and film noir with inspiration drawn from films like Akira, Blade Runner, and Tron.

It’s currently available on Bandcamp, Apple Music, and many other streaming platforms, and will be available on Spotify soon.

Also, if you missed my Japanese language single from 2019, Hitotsu no Hikari (featuring MIO), please check that out on Spotify, Apple Music, or Bandcamp!

Feedback is always appreciated, and I hope some of you enjoy it.

 

[res7less]

Another awesome album right there! Synthy, yet organic but also nostalgic, and it generally gives off a lot of very relaxing and feel-good vibes. I especially like "Cyber Noir" - its beginning immediately pulls you into that sweet noir mood and then it just keeps getting better and better, with every new layer of feels being added to the mix. Great stuff, as always!

 

[LuckyLionStudios]

I have new music again!

Out now on Spotify, Bandcamp, and many other streaming services (Apple Music will have it sooner or later):

“Love Will Change Us” is my latest four track EP with three songs featuring Japanese vocalist Marika and one instrumental featuring Brazilian artist Beto Braga on the soprano saxophone.

The songs are stories of love, compromise, and growth told through metaphors and fables in English and Japanese. I appreciate everyone who gives it a listen.

Even more new music to come (hopefully) later this year.

 

[LuckyLionStudios]

I have a new full length album coming out August 8 titled Low. This will likely be the last non soundtrack, full length release from me for the foreseeable future.

This track is titled Hiccup, and features violins from Betania Hernández. Everything else by me (drums, piano, koto, erhu, cello, synths, vocal sampling), recorded, mixed, mastered by me.

Thank you for listening!

 

[LuckyLionStudios]

Low is now available on:
Spotify
Apple Music
Bandcamp

...and most other streaming platforms! I deeply appreciate everyone who listens.

This is a lyric video for the lone lyrical track on the album, with vocals from the great vocalist Ami (heard on the "Learn Japanese Pod" podcast, and her own lovely solo albums). This song is about being present. Appreciating what you have while you still have it and leaving no room for regret. “Live like it’s our last hello.”

 

[LuckyLionStudios]

Another new release, another bump of the ole thread!

Somnia is a multi-genre album that blends electronic and live instrumentation. It has 3 vocal tracks and 9 instrumentals, with live piano, violins, violas, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass guitars, record scratching, and trumpets in addition to my usual arsenal of electronic sounds. As always, thank you for listening! Every stream/favorite/like/follow/share is helpful! And feedback is always welcome!

Bandcamp
Spotify

Always Be (feat Sora Lion)

If you played Cyberpunk 2077: The Phantom Liberty, you may have heard Sora Lion singing on the track Hardest to Be (played by Alex on the jukebox before a major mission). This is the last track on the album, and one of my favorites. While its meaning is very personal to me, I think the theme is universal. It was inspired by a poem, "'Tis a fearful thing to love what death can touch."