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 Red Dead Redemption by Rockstar San Diego.
THE STATS
Name: Red Dead RedemptionDeveloper: Rockstar San Diego
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Genres: Action, adventure
Composers: Bill Elm, Woody Jackson
MY FAVORITE TRACKS
(The full list of tracks are linked by playlist below... and I highly recommend some good headphones to best enjoy all of the subtle elements of the music!)(Length: 4:18) This is, hands down, the best modern take on a Western style track. All of the little percussive elements and sounds are there, bolstering the vivid and unapologetic melody. It captures the theme of this game perfectly.(Length: 5:20) A mix of classic Western-esque style and... jazz? The title means "Light and Shadow" and the music has that exact sort of contrast-yet-balanced sound.(Length: 2:03) The 6/8 time snagged me, and then the beautiful guitar. This is just a lovely piece to listen to. Go ahead and put it on repeat a few times, I'll wait.(Length: 5:24) I admit it: they had me with the play on words with this title. And then once I started listening, it was like hearing Beck doing the soundtrack for a Western, and I loved it.(Length: 4:42) One of the additional vocal tracks, all credit goes to José González for this one. The style reminds me of heavily of Simon and Garfunkel -- somewhere between Scarborough Fair and Mrs. Robinson.(Length: 4:16) Another of the additional vocal tracks, this one is by the band Ashtar Command. If you haven't heard of them, their music has appeared in The Avengers movie, Grey's Anatomy, FIFA 13, Zune and Nissan commercials, and on tour with Paul McCartney. This sound here is a nicely harmonized rock ballad with amazing lyrics. "And you're not gonna let 'em take your will to live/ Because they've taken enough/ And you've given them all you can give."
You can listen to the full playlist here:
WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT?
I arrived late to the Red Dead series, with my first exposure to it being through my husband when he bought Red Dead Redemption II on his PS4. I watched him play a lot of the game, too. (LENNY!) Naturally I had to explore the previous games' soundtracks. I was not disappointed with this one! While most of the tracks have that gritty, modern Western sound to get the blood pumping in the gun-happy cowboys with consoles, there's some high quality composition throughout. Themes, structure, and some savvy instrument choices make it a solid soundtrack. It is perfectly embellished with the addition of 4 vocal tracks.
THE COMPOSERS: BILL ELM & WOODY JACKSON
There isn't a lot I was able to pull up about this pair, but this is what I've got: they are current and former members of the band Friends of Dean Martinez. Bill still performs with the band, while Woody has gone on to do his own thing. Woody has done additional musical work for Rockstar in the form of incidental music for the game L.A. Noire, and composing for Red Dead Redemption II.
If you like what you heard here, you can purchase the soundtrack on Amazon:
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