Soundtrack Saturday: Transistor

In this weekly feature, I recommend game soundtracks. I share a few of my favorite tracks, talk about why everyone should listen to the soundtrack, and a little bit about the composer. This week's choice is Transistor by Supergiant Games.

THE STATS

Name: Transistor
Developer: Supergiant Games
Publisher: Supergiant Games
Release Date: May 21, 2014
Genres: Action Role-playing, Turn-based Strategy
Composer(s): Darren Korb

MY FAVORITE TRACKS

(The titles link to YouTube videos... and I highly recommend some good headphones to best enjoy all of the subtle elements of the music!)

• Paper Boats
  "We are paper boats floating on a stream/ And it would seem/ We'll never be apart"This is my favorite song from the soundtrack. I never get tired of listening to it. Potentially spoilery if you think too hard about the lyrics, but it's a beautiful track.
• The Spine
  "I see the spine of the world/ Sparkle and shine, light the inside"My second favorite track, this one reminds me a lot of the Hellsing anime's soundtrack. It's got electric guitar and a melodic bass, but it's slow and sultry. The vocals carry the rest of the parts through a moving modulation (sorry, am I getting too technical?), and it's very easy to zone out while listening to it.
• In Circles
  "Never be sorry for your little time/ It's not when you get there, it's always the climb"This one is a reference to a specific character in the game, but it's pretty safe to listen to if you don't know the story. Metaphors are the best! The build-up to 2:20 and the part that follows is always my favorite. But the song really shines once you know what it's talking about, so you'll probably need to give the game a play sometime.
• Signals
  "And we all are sending smoke signals/ Keep pretending we're one"
  Metaphors again. This one just kind of... strikes a chord within me, you know?
• Heightmap
  This is a fully instrumental track, and between the percussion and the guitar melody it's just an absolute joy to listen to. There is an optional track version where Ashley Barrett hums through it, which adds another layer of enjoyment. There are a few tracks like that in the extended soundtrack.
• Water Wall
  Another instrumental track, this is one song until 1:30, it goes back to the first song at the 2-minute mark and then adds another layer at 2:27 just to see if you're paying attention. The build of layers in this song is well worth listening to. I also have to agree with YouTube commenter TimmCosplay: "Somehow, it sounds so very... French. XD"
• Apex Beat
  Most people agree that this one sounds like the NES Legend of Zelda dungeon theme because of the moving piano line in the beginning. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! For added flair, there's the optional track version with the humming.
• We All Become
  "When you speak I hear silence/ Every word a defiance"This is the song we all knew before the game was released. A clip of it was used as part of a teaser, and it was instantly popular. It is also the song that best explains the overall plot going on in the game, so don't think too hard about it if you've yet to play the game. It'll all make sense eventually. Until then, just keep this song on repeat.

You can listen to the full soundtrack on YouTube by clicking here: 

Transistor OST
and
Extended OST

WHY I RECOMMEND IT

You'll notice, first of all, that I have EIGHT tracks shared above instead of the usual five I have been sticking to. That is because this soundtrack is just that phenomenal! This was the second game soundtrack Darren Korb composed for Supergiant Games, and clearly shows growth, developed finesse, and balance in comparison to the first. There are a variety of sampled musical genres in this soundtrack, yet they all share a similar sound that's hard to put your finger on. Another soundtrack for another dystopian world, the soundtrack can easily spoil the story of the game if you aren't careful! That said, I had 2-3 hour work stints a few years ago before the workplace opened to the public, and I left this soundtrack on repeat as I worked. It's that good.

THE COMPOSER: DARREN KORB

Darren is known for the soundtracks he has composed for the four game titles released by Supergiant Games: Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and Hades (newly out on Steam's Early Access after an exclusive stint in the Epic Games store). He is a childhood friend of the Supergiant co-founder, Amir Rao, so it was lucky for him that he was chosen to do the soundtrack for Bastion. He tapped his own friend, Ashley Barrett, to assist with vocals on that soundtrack -- and the duo have returned for all of the following games because of their well-received tracks. Darren and Ashley regularly appear at various gaming and comic conventions.