This week’s music comes with a happy launch announcement: Down the Rabbit Hole, a game whose score I composed last year, has posted its trailer video in anticipation of a March release.

The game is billed as a prequel to Alice in Wonderland, and involves an adventurous girl (not Alice) navigating through Lewis Carroll’s imaginative world in search of a lost pet. It’s a virtual reality game, so you’ll need a device like an Oculus or Viveport for the full experience.

Anyway, onto what you all care about most, which is music. Today you can hear the trailer score, which reflects the game’s impish fairly tale aesthetic. Or better yet check out the trailer video to hear it in context!

That’s not a cello you hear, but a contrabass played lyrically, courtesy of bassist Maggie Hasspacher. From the score of the film Emerald, Texas, this is the theme for Leo, a gentle soul who just wants to wear a blonde wig and avoid fights. Since he’s the film’s analog of the Cowardly Lion, this instrument seemed perfect — but I wrote for its upper register, to reflect the character’s softer side.

This week’s selection from the film Emerald, Texas accompanies a triumphant moment where the travelers face down a bigot in a bar and make a speedy escape via pickup truck. Guitar performances come courtesy of Kyle Johnson; violin solo performed by Adrianne Pope.

In the film Emerald Texas, a moment of auto larceny slash teenage self assertion is accompanied by this spirited folk-rock cue. Guitars and mandolin are courtesy of Kyle Johnson and vocals are by Enrique Acosta. (My backing vocals may also be buried in the mix.)

A teary-eyed moment late in the film Emerald, Texas. Here I chose to gave the cue’s main melody to the viola rather than violin. The viola has a more raw and less polished sound than its more celebrated soprano sibling, and I felt that a touch of raw longing was just what the scene needed.