Pocket Mine Soundtrack

Pocket Mine Soundtrack, Big Giant Circles, 2013

As enjoyable as it can be to analyse a piece of music — to drill into what makes it work, trace its inspirations, and so forth — there is also the simpler pleasure of being swept up by a song so irresistibly fun that critical distance briefly falls away. Big Giant Circles’ Pocket Mine soundtrack delivers exactly that feeling with the aptly titled “That Diamond Smile”. The track also demonstrates perfectly how this score draws on the strengths of 8-bit music while enhancing them with contemporary production and fuller electronic textures.

All “That Diamond Smile” really needs to succeed is the catchy little chiptune ditty with which it opens. In what feels like the blink of an eye, the track begins to expand: harmonies pile up, the tempo lifts, and the initial tune returns in a broader, fuller-bodied form on soaring chip synths. Suddenly, it becomes one of the most joyful and memorable melodies heard in retro-styled game music. Throughout the cue, the tune keeps pushing higher and higher until one final, exuberant reprise. Its insidious catchiness is a reminder of Big Giant Circles’ — that is, Jimmy Hinson’s — stature as a master tunesmith.

Just as impressive is Hinson’s control of musical shape. The melodies he fits in between appearances of the main tune are anything but throwaway material, and together with the lushly arranged beats and arpeggios they saturate “That Diamond Smile” in boundless fun. What it all adds up to is near-perfect chiptune pop.

It is hard to imagine music that could more emphatically persuade players to have one more go at the level, one more attempt at beating their high score. As such, it is the ideal accompaniment for Pocket Mine itself. After all, this is one of those mobile games that builds an engaging loop out of a single simple idea: dig as deep as possible before your pick breaks, collect items to improve your tool, and start again. As on developer Roofdog Games’ other 2013 title Extreme Bike Trip, Hinson writes the kind of music that keeps players alert and energised throughout, neatly honouring the gameplay’s arcade nature and retro inspiration.

Given Pocket Mine’s limited scope, it is surprising how coherent an arc the score album creates. “Pocket Mine Menu” opens proceedings with an infectiously carefree, strutting rhythm coupled to a charming chiptune melody that could have come from a late-era Game Boy platformer. The groove is content not to go anywhere in particular, but it still conveys the expectation of adventure ahead. In that sense, “Pocket Mine Menu” keeps the soundtrack in a holding pattern — but makes that holding pattern a thoroughly entertaining place to be.

After that, things quickly take flight with “That Diamond Smile”, but where can the album go next? “Inverted Vertigo” provides a smart answer. It largely sheds the soundtrack’s overt chiptune leanings, replacing them with grittier electronics and a more urgent tone. The cue is happy to undermine its initially ascending melody with dissonant chords that send the music’s enthusiasm tumbling back to earth. Suddenly, things feel more precarious and the game-over screen seems closer at hand — until silvery cascades of arpeggios begin to rain down. They carry “Inverted Vertigo” to an exhilaratingly busy close that pushes players onwards, whether toward success or failure.

From there, the soundtrack begins to wind down. “What’s Pocket Mine Is Pocket Yours” is more relaxed than the preceding tracks, carrying the feel of a laid-back high-score screen. Once again, a simple but deliciously addictive pop melody rendered on chiptune instruments leads the way. This time, however, the rhythmic backing comes mainly from a rock drum kit rather than electronic beats. The lead tune has a faintly wistful quality, as though ready to wave goodbye — but, as in “That Diamond Smile”, it keeps building until it earns one last exuberant high.

Album closer “Tally Up the Loot” provides a slight contrast. Heavy synth-bass chords dominate a more decisively electronic soundscape, with head-nodding rhythms that hit harder than those of “What’s Pocket Mine Is Pocket Yours”. It is the least melodically involving track on the album, though only by the soundtrack’s own very high standards. Pocket Mine may contain one undeniable smash single, but it is far more than a one-hit wonder.