A World of Old: The intro sets the scene nicely with the descending minor melody. But the entrance of the bass at 0:36 is where I got hooked! The solo lute/mandolin at 1:44 is really fun and the accompanying orchestra gives this a big and bold title theme sound. Overall I had a lot of fun with this track and loved hearing your fun and upbeat style mixed with different instrumentation to create a new sound.
Human Township: The slow and lumbering bass feel and some of the chord changes remind me of Banjo Kazooie/Banjo Tooie music somehow - I know that Grant Kirkhope is a strong influence for you so whether it was intentional or not, I think it’s reasonable to assume it’s there! The ornamentation on the violin gives a dance-like quality that sells me on the old-time town atmosphere. Nice work!
Moment of Respite: I love how this song is so clearly your style but also sounds like an ancient bard song. The strong degree of swing that almost feels like skipping notes has a really interesting sound not commonly used - and at the slow tempo it helps create a fun and jovial type of sound without feeling too active.
The Bells of Battle: A highlight for me is the multiple flutes (panflutes?) that stack on top of each other in triads. This theme has a very natural and wild (untamed) quality which works really well for the theme of the harpy.
Take Stock: This is a nice little breather from the story. Many games use shop functions and including a shopping theme is very realistic to full game OSTs and I think it was really creative to include one here!
As a Bell Tolls…: Your organ and harpsichord work is well-done here in particular. This track seems to be very different from your usual style and I like that you used this project to explore new territory!
…The Citadel Beckons: This track is a really interesting blend of the hymnal citadel and the dance-like feel of the other tracks. This sound feels fresh and also supported by the entire OST ahead of it.
A World Renewed: The return of the opening theme in a major key is a very nice optimistic way to end the OST and round out the story. I particularly love the violin melody in this track when all of the themed instruments enter.
The idea to tell your story musically with instrumental representation is quite creative and effective! The Youtube video also was well-made and helped add context to the story and your music. This OST was a treat to listen to because it was purely Jofes, but also a new angle of Jofes that we haven’t seen yet. Really great work on this! Thank you for sharing your music! Also thank you so much for dedicating your time to listening to and providing commentary on every single submission. We all appreciate the thoughtfulness and equity you bring to this competition.