Review: German musician known for Minecraft soundtrack C418’s latest, ‘Sweden’

Daniel Rosenfeld, better known as C418, is a German musician hailing from Germany. He is most famous for creating the soundtrack to the popular 2011 video game Minecraft, a game that has had a lasting impact on a generation of kids around the world. And so, these kids are quite fond of the soundtrack.

The Minecraft soundtrack comprises of music released across two soundtrack albums: “Minecraft-Volume Alpha,” released in 2011, and “Minecraft-Volume Beta,” released in 2013. Both soundtracks are instrumental ambient music, but with slight differences. “Alpha” consists of minimalistic, down-to-earth melodies, most likely akin to the lonely experience of a Minecraft survival world. “Beta” showcases C418’s ability to make grander, more sonically diverse ambience. “Beta” seems like an artistic embodiment of the rapid growth and sharing of ideas of the Minecraft community. 

The song “Sweden” comes from “Alpha,” and is arguably the most popular song in the entire soundtrack, easily recognizable by many Minecraft players. It is a low-key, quiet piece. The song starts with a slow, somber piano chord progression. Strings build up as the piano changes to a melody. The strings stop, and the piano transposes to a new key, with subtle, underlying horns to give it a small flavor of epic-ness. The instrumentation slowly fades into a submarine ambience, and then some pizzicato strings repeat the main theme briefly. Finally, a glockenspiel and piano come in for a final stellar finish.

The song is easily enjoyable, even for those who haven’t played Minecraft at all. To the Minecraft community, “Sweden” is an embodiment of the aesthetic of playing in a survival world. It is kind of sad, but at the same time, grandiose, conveyed beautifully in the song’s timbre. To those who haven’t, it is still a great easy listening track to enjoy a lazy Sunday or something. It’s an introvert’s anthem, as the song’s lonely vibe is a great combination with thinking to yourself. “Sweden” takes advantage of the nature of Minecraft to create a heartwarming and lonely experience for any listener.