All the Playlists

Green and Blue (Koan Sound Remix) – Neil Davidge

9 February 2018

Track 5 on the playlist is Koan Sound’s remix of Neil Davidge’s epic theme for Halo 4. This playlist celebrates video game music in all of its forms, and while the first tracks explored songs in video games, the playlist will mix things up by embracing some of the all time classic instrumental pieces that have appeared on video game scores.

Obstacles – Syd Matters

9 February 2018

Syd Matters 2005 album Someday We Will Foresee Obstacles borrows its title from the poignant lyrics of it’s 2nd track: “Obstacles”. The intricate but carefully articulated guitar patterns weave through layers of reflective vocals to perfectly capture the feeling of early Autumn in the Pacific Northwest…

Far Away – José González

9 February 2018

Although he’s probably best known for his 2003 cover of Swedish electronic music duo The Knife’s “Heartbeats”, it’s José González “Far Away” that wins him a place on this playlist. Written exclusively for Rockstar San Diego’s open-world wild-west epic: Red Dead Redemption, “Far Away” has become something of a classic example of video game music done right.

Short Change Hero – The Heavy

9 February 2018

Track 2 is “Short Change Hero” by The Heavy. The track featured on the band’s 2009 sophomore release The House That Dirt Built. The Heavy are one of those bands whose name you might not know but you’ve probably heard their music because it seems to turn up everywhere…

Runnin’ Down A Dream – Tom Petty

9 February 2018

“Runnin’ Down a Dream” from Tom Petty’s solo album Full Moon Fever was featured to excellent effect in Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Although only a moderate billboard success on its initial release in 1989, it had become a staple of classic rock radio stations by the early 1990s. Reflecting this trend, the song appears on the in-game classic rock radio station “K-DST The Dust”.

White Noise – Murder by Death

9 February 2018

Murder by Death – Sounds like a metal band, right?… wrong. While this 5-piece folk-rock clan may ride parallel universe tracks when it comes to the dark themes of Metal music, when it comes to the instrumentation, vibe and composition, they’re on the polar end of the cosmos.

Dust, Dust – The Chaw

9 February 2018

Imagine yourself a dimly lit, smoke filled speakeasy, ripped leather booth (stuffing exposed), and a neat glass of warm bourbon in hand… enter “The Chaw”. A Brooding, sulky, psychedelic blues rock band with a rattlesnake bite, desert vibe. Hailing from the California, East Bay area,…

Knock Yourself Out – Jon Brion

9 February 2018

Taken from the quintessential existentialist 2004 film “I Heart Huckabees”, which was ever so charmingly scored by Mr. Brion himself. This playful ditty pokes fun at the exhausting, never-ending quest for the meaning of existence.

Here – Vast

9 February 2018

A methodically slow swell of keys that float angelically behind a cinematic, ominous string section. Roll the percussive crescendo….the curtain explodes open and BLAM!!! you’re in.

“Here” may be one of the strongest opening songs on a debut album I’ve ever experienced. Jon Crosby, the mastermind behind VAST, is essentially screaming out to the universe “I’m fuckin’ HERE!”

Anywhere Out Of The World – Dead Can Dance

9 February 2018

Lyrically, the song’s a seekers utopia as much as it is a mid-evil torcher device.

Do you endure on an epic, never-ending quest in pursuit of answer to all things life?

F*** Me Up – Virginia To Vegas

8 February 2018

This song feels like the sun coming through the window of your car, taking polaroids with your friends on the drive to Vegas. Like the light in the morning in your penthouse suite, messy hair and a stranger leaving out the front door…

Vintage – Allie X

8 February 2018

Pour some champagne girls, we’re going out tonight. This song is a fleeting romance, dancing in a stretch limo, sparkling wine and the tang of a shot. A glittering gold song that’s just as fresh and glamorous the first time around than it is the hundredth…