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 Borderlands 2 by Gearbox Software.
THE STATS
Name: Borderlands 2Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: 2K Games
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Genres: Action role-playing, first-person shooter
Composer(s): Sascha Dikiciyan (Sonic Mayhem), Jesper Kyd, Cris Velasco, Raison Varner
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!)Bandit Slaughter - Raison Varner
(Length: 3:55) This is my favorite track from the entire soundtrack. The build-up and the beat is great -- it's definitely a great instrumental track for a workout mix or just for background motivational music. (I put it on a loop while I finished up this blog entry, in fact.)
The Fridge - Jesper Kyd
(Length: 2:38) For whatever reason, the build-up and dark tones of this track, along with some of the chord changes, remind me of the Portal soundtrack. (That's a compliment.) It has that edgy, mecha-digital-distortion pulsing through it while also having harmonic elements from the lawless gunslinger-y vibe Borderlands is known for.
Interlude Ambient - Jesper Kyd
(Length: 2:37) Those singing guitar strings and sustained notes make this a beautiful piece (yes, a beautiful piece in a shooter game -- it happens).
Interlude Combat - Jesper Kyd
(Length: 2:00) This track has a phenomenal beat, and I'm only sad that it's so short! The theme started at 1:30 definitely could've opened up into something better instead of fading out 20 seconds later.
Sanctuary - Jesper Kyd
(Length: 3:11) The opening to this has a distinct New Age tone before the gunslinger guitar makes itself known, but then it backtracks into the New Age again and carries sustained notes in the background for a hypnotic and mellowing effect.
Vog Fight - Cris Velasco & Sascha Dikiciyan
(Length: 3:29) This one's on here as an honorable mention. I couldn't NOT include a track that sounds like a remix of the X-files theme with extra wub-wub.
You can listen to the full soundtrack on YouTube:
WHY I RECOMMEND IT
This section of the Soundtrack series gets harder with each game soundtrack I listen to. I would say there are probably two types of sound that are the most prevalent in this soundtrack to compel someone to listen to the music. First, there's the percussive and upbeat tracks, most of which have digital and electronic elements. Second, there's the pure, stylistic guitar that immediately puts one in the mindset of a Western and an imminent shootout at the saloon as tensions rise. Some of the best tracks manage to have BOTH of these sounds and somehow make it cohesive as a whole. That in itself is an impressive feat. It's much like fusion in the food industry -- when it's done right, it's amazing and exciting.THE COMPOSERS
There are four credited composers for the soundtrack, and they've all got some serious accomplishments under their belts. Cris and Sascha collaborate often, with Cris known for work on the God of War series and Sascha (Sonic Mayhem) known for work in series like Quake, Unreal, Mass Effect, Deus Ex, and The Long Dark. My favorite song was done by Gearbox's in-house sound designer, Raison Varner. But the majority of the tracks I enjoyed were done by Jesper Kyd, known for his work on series like Assassin's Creed, Hitman, Darksiders and several others (if you're a gamer, there's no way you haven't heard Ezio's Family from the Assassin's Creed II OST -- that's Jesper's work).So with a pack of composers like that, it's no wonder the Borderlands 2 OST is as awesome as it is! Dig into the previous works of these composers for some really great listens if you need more music in your life!
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