League Of Legends' lo-fi album is surprisingly good
I wasn't expecting it to slap, but it does
Sometimes when I'm reading a book or doing the dishes, I need a bit of ambience to carry me through. Lo-fi music often does the trick, so when I spotted that Riot Games Music had released a League Of Legends themed lo-fi compilation, I hesitantly dipped my ear in. And I didn't recoil! In fact, I added it to my saved albums. Now that's a seal of approval.
The League Of Legends album I'm referring to is called Sessions: Vi, named after the League character that's on the album cover. During the working day she beats the crap out of people with her mecha-fists, but in her downtime she unwinds with some beats backed by tinkly piano. Of which there are a whopping 37 tracks and 20 different artist collaborations. I recognise some of the names too: Kupla, goosetaf, and Idealism all already feature in my own study playlist, so it's lovely to see them pop up here too.
This album's also safe to stream and free to download. So anyone can use this in their videos and live streams as peaceful backing music without fear of a copyright strike. Now, I personally won't be doing either of these things, but it's a nice touch all the same.
Most of all, though, I'm surprised at how good this album is. I expected some edgy undertones, or classic video game cheese. Maybe an awkward remix of a World Championship theme, or voice samples from characters shouting their ultimate abilities. But no, it's far removed from all of that. So much so, that if you went into this album blind, you wouldn't know this was affiliated with Riot Games, or games at all.
In typical lo-fi fashion, tracks are named after breezy things that evoke blue skies and sofas and flowers. Finally Home is a favourite of mine because it hits all the lo-fi targets. It has the sound of a canned beverage being cracked open, a sigh of relief, delicious vinyl crackle, all underpinned by a calming beat.
I like the track Golden too. Again, it starts off with another lo-fi favourite which is the sound of a train pulling into a station and the faint chatter of the waiting crowds. The piano is in full twinkle mode here too, which gets me every time.
And just to round things off nicely, I'd say Lights Out is worth a listen. As the name suggests, this is perfect pre-snooze material.
You can download the full album over on Riot's site.