Saturday, April 18, 2020

Soundtrack Saturday: Life Is Strange


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 Life Is Strange by Dontnod Entertainment.



THE STATS

Name: Life Is Strange
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Publisher: Square Enix
Release Date: January 30, 2015 (Episode 1)
Genres: Graphic adventure
Composer(s): Jonathan Morali


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!)


To All Of You - Syd Matters
(Length: 3:30) "Driving a car by the seaside/ Watching the world from the bright side..."
First of all, I was surprised when I heard the vocals begin. I honestly thought I was hearing Rufus Wainwright singing -- and I love it! The instrumental part of the song reminds me of the band Venice, and that's no insult either. It's a fantastic balance and I have literally kept this track looped since I finished researching for this entry.

Mt. Washington - Local Natives
(Length: 3:14) "Digging like you can bury something that cannot die..."
This track is almost like two songs playing in harmony -- one with percussion and guitar, the other with piano and vocals. It's strange but somehow works.


Kids Will Be Skeletons - Mogwai
(Length: 3:10) No vocals here, just layers of guitar and mellow percussion. Very much what I always enjoy from Mogwai.


Mountains - Message to Bears
(Length: 2:22) "And we could run away before the light of day..."
Without giving away any spoilers, this track is well-placed in the game. It has persistent percussive tension that suits the moment it is attached to.


Got Well Soon - Breton
(Length: 4:54) "And there's ground and there's your feet, and never the two shall meet..."
Not my usual kind of track, but I liked how the different elements came together into a surprisingly cohesive whole: it's clubby, dissonant, moves up and down a lot, and has nicely poetic lyrics.


Obstacles - Syd Matters
(Length: 3:28) "We played hide and seek in waterfalls. We were younger, we were younger..."
This one builds and then repeats, and the layers are wonderful to follow. 


You can listen to the full soundtrack on YouTube: 




WHY I RECOMMEND IT

This is another one of those games that I haven't played but have in my Steam library. For whatever reason, I've always steered clear of it. It seems to have an intense cult following, and people talk about how emotional it is and that it tackles serious issues like depression and suicide. I suppose I veer away from games like that because it's too serious for my tastes. With this game, they clearly offset it with a down-to-earth, genuine, and folksy sounding soundtrack.

This is the second time a Dontnod game has been in my Soundtrack Saturday entries. The first was Remember Me, one of my absolute favorite games and game soundtracks. It doesn't surprise me that Dontnod landed just the right music for another game like this.

All tracks considered, even the ones not on the official limited edition soundtrack, I most enjoyed the ones composed by the game's composer, Jonathan Morali, and the tracks performed by his band, Syd Matters. The other licensed songs were hit or miss, with several of them being misses. But the overall soundtrack has a particular flow of moods and is a must-listen for fans of folk music.


THE COMPOSER: JONATHAN MORALI (SYD MATTERS)

Fun to know that Jonathan is a gamer and was contacted right away by the Life Is Strange game directors. Raoul Barbet wanted to have some songs by Syd Matters in the game, and eventually Jonathan agreed to compose the whole soundtrack in addition to the use of two Syd Matters songs. My ears are very happy about this. While I don't think I'll be playing the game any time soon, I have found a new band to listen to. Not surprisingly, he reprised his role as composer for the game's sequel.

I think what I like best about the band's sound is probably Jonathan's vocals -- he reminds me a great deal of Rufus Wainwright with the way the words are both crooned and clearly enunciated. The vocals don't stick out glaringly from the tone and sound of the music so much as lift it and make it sing with him. Listen to "To All Of You" again and tell me you don't hear it, too!

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