Minecraft – Volume Alpha

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.[3] 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".[7]

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".[8]

Rosenfeld composed the soundtrack using Ableton Live along with "a ton of extra software and plugins" and synthesisers including a Moog Voyager.[7] 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.[9] In April 2021, it was also the most streamed video game song on Spotify.[10] 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.[9]

On 21 August 2015, the first physical releases of Minecraft – Volume Alpha were released by record label Ghostly, as an LP and CD.[11] The LP version features a much more sparse track listing compared to the original digital release.[12]

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.[13]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]

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".[15]

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."[16]

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.[7]

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.[9] Digital Trends called it "Sweden" of the "simple classics" of the game's soundtrack.[17]

Minecraft – Volume Alpha has been cited as a popular album for studying, especially for teenagers and young adults.[18][19] 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".[20]

The album has received enduring praise from listeners for encompassing "nostalgia in its purest form".[21] 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.[1]

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".[22]
• "Droopy Likes Ricochet" and "Droopy Likes Your Face" are taken from C418's 2010 album, Life Changing Moments Seem Minor In Pictures.[23]
• "Oxygène" and "Équinoxe" are references to Jean-Michel Jarre's 1976 and 1978 albums of the same name.