So with your last project being more of an adventure module or small setting, its pretty obvious what the music is for, its kind of like the OST of a video game or movie but how does the album fit with this project this time? An RPG can encompass many many more situations and moods and is a lot less tightly directed even if the other one was more a setting book.
Great question! So, Shifting City did synergize with its music in very specific ways. Each track was coupled with a different section of the book. This was something I could do because I was making pretty much every part of the project, which is cool but also very labor intensive.
With AZAG I put together a team, including a musician, who influenced each other in a general way, rather than crafting components specifically for each other. That's why in AZAG you don't see a track called, for example, The God in Silver, which was made for that short story as you would have in Shifting City. Instead, AZAG's score is meant to be listened to while playing, reading, or planning adventures with the book. It sets mood and tone. It inspires. It informs the world in a way that words cannot. I believe that certain tracks work well for different situations, some bend more towards combat, or discovery, or suspense. Also, since it is so tied to such a rich genre, it encourages mixing in other tracks to expand your experience.
In short, this is a production decision meant to encourage flexibility and creativity among my team as well as give customers more options for how to use the music. While not as targeted as Shifting City's score (I feel) AZAG's is no less impactful.