Minecraft – Volume Alpha

Minecraft – Volume Alpha is the second studio album and first soundtrack album by German electronic musician Daniel Rosenfeld, known by his pseudonym C418. It was digitally released on 4 March 2011 independently as the first installment of the soundtrack for the video game Minecraft. Since 2015, the album has been physically released by record label Ghostly.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Volume Alpha comprises most of the music featured in the game, as well as other music included in trailers and instrumentals that were not included in the game's final release.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2022, the album peaked at number five on the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and was nominated for the category at the Billboard Music Awards of 2022.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Background

In early 2011, Rosenfeld began collaborating with Minecraft creator Markus Persson through internet forum TIGSource. He was given responsibility for developing the music and sound effects of the still in-development game.<ref name=":4" /> Rosenfeld was forced to adapt to Java's "terrible sound engine" and took inspiration from Dwarf Fortress in creating the soundtrack, due to its "lovely guitar music" despite the game's "basic ASCII art for imagery".<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Composition

Deciding to "work with experimental simplistic acoustic music that doesn’t actually tell you anything about the game”, a key objective of Rosenfeld's work was to be unobtrusive, explaining "I almost hoped that [players would] only notice [the music] when something interesting happens in the game".<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Rosenfeld composed the soundtrack using Ableton Live along with "a ton of extra software and plugins" and synthesisers including a Moog Voyager.<ref name=":3" /> He took inspiration from the soundtrack of Blueberry Garden, which he described as "piano music [recorded with] a really terrible microphone on top of the piano". Experimenting with this technique, Rosenfeld claimed the final release consists of "about 80 percent electronic and 20 percent acoustic".

Track 18, "Sweden", is the most popular song in the soundtrack of Minecraft, being certified Gold in the US.<ref name=":02">Template:Cite web</ref> In April 2021, it was also the most streamed video game song on Spotify.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The track begins with a slow piano chord progression that turns into a melody as strings appear. The strings then stop as the piano changes keys alongside horns. Pizzicato strings then repeat the main theme before a glockenspiel and the piano finish the song.<ref name=":02" />

Release

On 21 August 2015, the first physical releases of Minecraft – Volume Alpha were released by record label Ghostly, as an LP and CD.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The LP version features a much more sparse track listing compared to the original digital release.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref>

The album's artwork features a 3D model of a block of grass from Minecraft. On some vinyl pressings, lenticular printing is used to give depth to the blocks in the image. Since the first pressing, Ghostly has re-pressed the album several times due to high demand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Critical reception

Template:Album ratings Andy Kellman of AllMusic praised its replay value, stating that "none of the recurring elements is pronounced or simple enough to become fatiguing with repeated play".<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Mojo wrote that "Minecraft's huge audience makes the contents of Volume Alpha some of the most influential pieces of music of recent times. Some of the loveliest, too."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Keith Stuart of the Guardian praised the album for acting as the "perfect accompaniment" to Minecraft. Stuart compared his compositions to those of Brian Eno and Erik Satie because of their minimalistic, ambient qualities.<ref name=":3" />

Praising "Sweden" in particular, Raymond Tsai of the Los Angeles Times called it "a low-key, quiet piece" that is "easily enjoyable" and acts as "an embodiment of the aesthetic of playing in a survival world". He remarked its "lonely vibe" made it an "introvert's anthem" and praised its mixture of sadness and grandiosity.<ref name=":02" /> Digital Trends called it "Sweden" of the "simple classics" of the game's soundtrack.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Legacy

Minecraft – Volume Alpha has been cited as a popular album for studying, especially for teenagers and young adults.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, the University of Delaware's magazine The Review called the soundtrack "arguably the best ambient album to be released this decade", citing “Sweden” and “Mice on Venus” as "perfect ambient songs for studying".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The album has received enduring praise from listeners for encompassing "nostalgia in its purest form".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, Jamie Hornsey of the Boar wrote "I can’t think of another game where the memories are as vivid as these", citing C418's Minecraft – Volume Alpha as a key factor.<ref name="theboar" />

Track listing

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break Digital download and CD (58:59)

1. "Key" – 1:05
2. "Door" – 1:51
3. "Subwoofer Lullaby" – 3:28
4. "Death" – 0:41
5. "Living Mice" – 2:57
6. "Moog City" – 2:40
7. "Haggstrom" – 3:24
8. "Minecraft" – 4:14
9. "Oxygène" – 1:05
10. "Équinoxe" – 1:54
11. "Mice on Venus" – 4:41
12. "Dry Hands" – 1:08
13. "Wet Hands" – 1:30
14. "Clark" – 3:11
15. "Chris" – 1:27
16. "Thirteen" – 2:56
17. "Excuse" – 2:04
18. "Sweden" – 3:35
19. "Cat" – 3:06
20. "Dog" – 2:25
21. "Danny" – 4:14
22. "Beginning" – 1:42
23. "Droopy Likes Ricochet" – 1:36
24. "Droopy Likes Your Face" – 1:56

LP (38:08)

Side A

1. "Subwoofer Lullaby" – 3:28
2. "Living Mice" – 2:57
3. "Moog City" – 2:40
4. "Haggstrom" – 3:24
5. "Minecraft" – 4:14
6. "Clark" – 3:11

Side B

1. "Mice on Venus" – 4:41
2. "Dry Hands" – 1:08
3. "Wet Hands" – 1:30
4. "Sweden" – 3:35
5. "Cat" – 3:06
6. "Danny" – 4:14

Notes

• Songs from this album featured in Minecraft do not take the track names on C418's release. Instead, for example, "Subwoofer Lullaby" is known as "hal1", and "Minecraft" is "calm1".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• "Droopy Likes Ricochet" and "Droopy Likes Your Face" are taken from C418's 2010 album, Life Changing Moments Seem Minor In Pictures.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• "Oxygène" and "Équinoxe" are references to Jean-Michel Jarre's 1976 and 1978 albums of the same name.

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations for Minecraft – Volume Alpha

Awards	Year	Category	Result	Ref.
Billboard Music Awards	2021	Top Dance/Electronic Album	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

Chart performance for Minecraft – Volume Alpha

Chart (2022–2023)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	26

Release history

Release history for Minecraft – Volume Alpha

Region	Year	Format	Catalogue	Label	Ref.
Various	2011	Digital download, streaming	–	Independent	<ref name=":5" />
United States	2015	LP	GI-243 LP	Ghostly	<ref name=":6" />
		CD	GI-243
United States, Europe	2016	LP (second pressing)	GI-243 LP		<ref name=":0">Template:Citation</ref>
United States	2020	LP (third pressing)			<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
		CD (reissue)	GI-243
	2022	LP (fourth pressing)	GI-243 LP		<ref name=":0" />
Various	2023	LP (fifth pressing)			<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>