Ypx here—today we’re going to be listening to “View” from Pikmin.
I am surprised we have not yet covered the Pikmin franchise in these weekly discussions yet. Released in 2001 for the GameCube, the first Pikmin game introduced us to Olimar and the first four species of pikmin. Today we listen to the map theme, also called “View”.
This track is emblematic of Pikmin music, using most of a full orchestra’s instrumentation, but in small groupings that feel intimate, sparse, and cutesy. We open with a brief bit of synth before an orchestral buildup featuring typical pairings such as bells/flute, brass/strings, and harp/woodwinds. We continue with bells and woodwinds being paired over a reed melody and driving strings before the melody is paired. This instrumentation of pairing bells and driving short strings underneath long brass notes and several woodwind instruments on the same melody persists for the rest of the track.
