Crush 40
Crush 40 | |
---|---|
Summer of Sonic 2010 in London . From left to right; Jun Senoue and Johnny Gioeli. | |
Background information | |
Also known as | Sons of Angels |
Origin | Japan, United States |
Genres | |
Years active | 1998–present |
Labels | Victor |
Members |
Crush 40 is a Japanese-American hard rock band. The group consists of guitarist and composer Jun Senoue and vocalist Johnny Gioeli, although Senoue has featured other lead vocalists on a Crush 40 album. Crush 40 is best known for their contributions to the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series.
Senoue has been employed by Sega as a composer since 1993. While preparing music for Sonic Adventure, he contacted Gioeli to record the game's main track, "Open Your Heart". They also recorded the soundtrack for NASCAR Arcade under the name "Sons of Angels" and released it in 2000 in Japan as the album Thrill of the Feel. Afterward, Senoue and Gioeli stayed in contact and continued to record new music for further Sonic games, as well as their own original music, and performed live concerts.
Crush 40 has released a total of two studio albums, two live albums, two compilations, an EP, and individual tracks, mostly under Sega's
History
Formation, Thrill of the Feel, and Crush 40
After graduating from college,
In 1998, Senoue contacted vocalist
During the development of Sonic Adventure 2, Senoue and Gioeli reunited to record the title track, "Live & Learn". As Shibata and Homma were busy performing with Loudness and later Anthem, Takeshi Taneda was brought in to play bass, and Katsuji Kirita from Gargoyle and The Cro-Magnons played drums.[7][9] According to Vice, "Live & Learn" is one of Gioeli's favorite songs.[10] Senoue recorded the intro to the song for the game's trial edition; he worked on the rest of the arrangement later and completed it within one day. He then sent a demo to Gioeli to record his vocals.[6] Gioeli was given the task of writing the lyrics for "Live & Learn". He initially was nervous and asked Senoue if his lyrics were okay on multiple occasions, but despite this, "Live & Learn" became one of the most memorable songs on the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack according to Sean Aitchison of Fanbyte.[5]
Around this time, the band was renamed Crush 40, after discovering that there was a Norwegian rock band already named Sons of Angels.
Recordings for Sega and The Best of Crush 40: Super Sonic Songs
In 2003, Crush 40 composed two new songs entitled "Sonic Heroes" and "What I'm Made Of..." for Sega's
For their first 10 years, Crush 40 never performed live.[6] In 2008, Crush 40 performed live at the Tokyo Game Show, with Senoue and Gioeli performing with backing tracks.[15] A year later, Senoue revealed to Famitsu that Crush 40 had two album releases in the works, one of which was a "Best Of" album, due for release in September 2009. He also announced the release of future songs that were not written for video games.[16] The Best of Crush 40 – Super Sonic Songs was released on November 18, 2009. In addition to compiling various Crush 40 songs from previous games, the album featured a new song, "Is It You,"[17] and a cover of "Fire Woman", a song released by The Cult in 1989.[14] Senoue was also credited as a soloist on "Before This", a song from the 2009 Hardline album Leaving the End Open.[18]
Rise Again, Live!, 2 Nights 2 Remember, and Driving Through Forever
After the 2010 release of
On March 29 and 30, 2012, Crush 40 performed live at Shibuya GUILTY in Tokyo, with
In 2018, Senoue was named lead composer for the soundtrack for
In February 2024, following the use of its instrumental in a teaser, Gioeli confirmed that "Live & Learn" would be featured in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He said that how the song is used is ultimately up to producers.[32]
Musical style and legacy
According to Allegra Frank and Philip Kollar of Polygon, Crush 40 and Senoue have made "some of the most memorable butt rock tracks from Sonic history (and the history of video games in general)".[33] Writing for Vice, Andy McDonald stated that Crush 40 helped to keep glam rock alive after grunge had supplanted it as a more popular style of rock music.[10] Reviewing the album Crush 40, Chris Greening of Video Game Music Online highlights the hard rock sound and showing of Gioeli's experience in the vocals, stating that "Live & Learn" is "an ecstatic Americana rock anthem featuring Johnny at his best", while also stating the instrumentals are inspired by early 1990s heavy metal. He calls the album "among the best of the genre in game music".[11]
Gioeli, who is not a gamer, described his songwriting process with Senoue for games as being akin to writing a soundtrack for a movie, watching scenes from the game or looking at storyboards. According to Gioeli, "Jun and I have our system—he starts with a musical feeling and sometimes a melody idea and then I go nuts with it! The lyrics do have to be approved for content, but that's it. We have the freedom to write what we feel is the right song for the scene."[10] He has stated that among his three main projects—Crush 40, Hardline, and performing with Axel Rudi Pell—all three are different styles of rock music and he has to set himself in the "right emotions" to perform.[13]
When interviewed about his style and that of the band, Jun Senoue said, "I know what my style is, and I know what my favourite genres of music are. I listen to a lot of metal music, as well as other genres of music, and my inspiration is always there. The style of the music in the game does change, and it gives a great sense of progression... When we got together to write stuff for Shadow [the Hedgehog], we found that our fresh ideas were a lot different to the songs we'd written back in 2002 – our sound had changed."[34] Senoue has stated that the tempo of each song written for a game is based on how it is planned to be used and what would be suitable, but those songs not for a game are what the duo want to perform.[6]
Writing for Fanbyte, Sean Aitchison stated that Crush 40 provided a signature musical style for the Sonic the Hedgehog series and expanded the musical tastes of Sonic fans. According to Aitchison, "The band embedded themselves in the memories and hearts of an entire generation of Sonic fans. Though their contributions to the Sonic franchise may be small in number, they are massive in impact."[5] Kofi-Charu Nat Turner's 2008 study of media usage in an American urban middle school listed the band as a common interest within the group studied.[35]
Discography
Year | Album | Publisher | Type | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Thrill of the Feel (as Sons of Angels) | Victor Entertainment | Studio album | [8] |
2003 | Crush 40 | Frontiers Records | [11] | |
2009 | The Best of Crush 40: Super Sonic Songs | Wave Master | Compilation | [17] |
2011 | Rise Again | EP | [21] | |
2012 | Live! | Live album | [24] | |
2015 | 2 Nights 2 Remember | [28] | ||
2019 | Driving Through Forever | Compilation | [36] |
Games
Year | Game | Song(s) | References |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Sonic Adventure |
|
[5] |
2000 | NASCAR Arcade |
|
[4][8] |
2001 | Sonic Adventure 2 |
|
[5] |
2003 | Sonic Heroes |
|
[7] |
2005 | Shadow the Hedgehog |
|
[5] |
2006 | Sonic the Hedgehog | [37] | |
2008 | Super Smash Bros. Brawl |
|
[38] |
2009 | Sonic and the Black Knight |
|
[39] |
2010 | Sonic Free Riders |
|
[40] |
2011 | Sonic Generations |
|
[41] |
2014 | Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U |
|
[42][43] |
2018 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | [44] | |
2019 | Team Sonic Racing |
|
[29] |
Notes
- ^ Cover of "All Hail Shadow" by Magna-Fi, originally in Shadow the Hedgehog
- Matty Lewis of Zebrahead. Soundtrack release only.
- ^ Written by Crush 40 and performed by Emma Gelotte and Tinna Karlsdotte of All Ends. A "Massive Power Mix" version by Crush 40 is on the soundtrack only.
- ^ Written by Crush 40 and performed by Chris Madin. A version performed by Crush 40 is on the soundtrack only.
- ^ Is the only track available on 3DS; all other tracks are Wii U or Ultimate only
References
- ^ a b c Herman, Tamar (September 10, 2019). "Jun Senoue on Creating Music for 'Team Sonic Racing' and the Future of Video Gaming Music". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "Style Factory interview with Jun Senoue". junsenoue.com. Jun Senoue. May 13, 2004. Archived from the original on January 3, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
- ^ a b c McNiece, Andrew (February 7, 2004). "MelodicRock.com interview with Jun Senoue". junsenoue.com. Jun Senoue. Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
- ^ a b c Williamson, Colin (March 13, 2000). "Sega Rocks with Rubbin' Racing". IGN. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Aitchison, Sean (January 10, 2020). "Sonic Youth: The History and Impact of Crush 40". Fanbyte. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ GameInformer. Archivedfrom the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Gill, Parminder (April 10, 2005). "Crush 40 History". junsenoue.com. Jun Senoue. Archived from the original on January 30, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
- ^ a b c "JVC Music/Victor Album Information: Thrill of the Feel" (in Japanese). jvcmusic.co.jp. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
- ^ a b "2 Nights 2 Remember! "Crush 40-Live In Tokyo 2014" report showing two new songs". Inside Games Japan (in Japanese). IID, Inc. April 7, 2014. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c McDonald, Andy (June 23, 2016). "How Sonic the Hedgehog Kept Glam Rock Alive After Its Grungy Demise". Vice. Archived from the original on January 22, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Greening, Chris (August 1, 2012). "Crush 40 - Review". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Gill, Parminder (February 27, 2004). "Frequently Asked Questions to Jun Senoue". junsenoue.com. Jun Senoue. Archived from the original on February 5, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Swiss (July 24, 2012). "Summer of Sonic 2012: Crush 40 Interview". Sonic Stadium. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Wave Master. 2009.
- ^ Tuff, Adam (February 23, 2010). "The Jun Senoue Interview: Part One". Sonic Stadium. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ "Exclusive interview! The secret story of the ending song of "Baseball Tsuku 2"". Famitsu (in Japanese). June 21, 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Wave Master. Archived from the originalon February 28, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "Leaving the End Open - Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 3, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Gallagher, Mathew (June 7, 2018). "Jun Senoue lead composer on Sonic Team Racing". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ^ a b "Johnny Gioeli Re-Records Crush 40's "Song of Hope" with Bulgarian Vocalist Sevi; Video Available". BraveWords. May 9, 2020. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Wave Master. Archivedfrom the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "This is the Crush 40 Live! Photo report of the live performance of Mr. Jun Senoue, who works on the "Sonic" series!". Inside Games Japan (in Japanese). IID, Inc. April 1, 2012. Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- Wave Master. 2012.
- ^ Wave Master. Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Newmark, Judith (August 9, 2013). "Best Bets". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. G4. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014 – via LexisNexis. (Subscription required.)
- ^ Jones, Matthew (August 9, 2016). "One Glorious Day at London's Summer of Sonic Convention". Vice. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Kyanko (February 7, 2014). "A must-see for hard rock fans! "Sonic the Hedgehog" Crush40, a band led by Jun Senoue, holds LIVE". Inside Games Japan (in Japanese). IID, Inc. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ a b Greening, Chris (May 13, 2015). "Crush 40 releases new album featuring new originals and live recordings". VGM Online. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Siliconera. Archivedfrom the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- 4gamer.net (in Japanese). December 27, 2018. Archivedfrom the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Shepard, Kenneth (June 25, 2021). "I'm Still Crying About the Sonic Symphony Concert Days Later". Fanbyte. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Shepard, Kenneth (February 7, 2024). "Sonic 3 Movie Is Bringing Back An All-Time Sonic Adventure 2 Banger". Kotaku. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ Frank, Allegra; Kollar, Philip (July 5, 2016). "The Sonic series' high point is not a game". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Tuff, Adam (August 14, 2006). "Q&A with Jun Senoue Part 1". junsenoue.com. Jun Senoue. Archived from the original on February 23, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2006.
- (Subscription required.)
- Wave Master. 2019.
- Wave Master. 2006.
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- Wave Master. 2009
- Wave Master. 2010.
- ^ Hammond, Joe. "Game Music :: Sonic Generations Original Soundtrack -Blue Blur". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo.
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