10/15/20 || Music Spot: Not Tomorrow – Silent Hill

I recently finished streaming my very first playthrough of the original Silent Hill. One of the most striking things about that game is its soundtrack, composed by Akira Yamaoka; most of it is ambiance that makes creative use of filtering and sound design to make an unsettling atmosphere. What makes Not Tomorrow so interesting, then, is how much of a, well, *song* it is. It’s the only time I can remember during regular gameplay that a fully composed song plays, and it punctuates the most heart breaking moment of the story. I won’t go into that for spoiler reasons, but the way that this song begins during a cutscene and then continues after you’ve left the room, giving you time to soak in the moment, is probably the single best moment of the game for me. The lonesome chords that just keep going, joined by the long tones of what I think is some kind of win instrument. It all keeps building with harmonies stacking on top of each other until the main melody, so bittersweet, finishes the loop. Sometimes it’s hard to say exactly why music can make us feel a certain way, and I have trouble putting my finger on just what makes this track so harrowing and melancholic, but the whole soundtrack is worth a listen for gems like this.