Video games have always gotten kind of a bad rap in the art world, constantly struggling for a place next to other widely accepted “legitimate” art forms, and this includes the music in them. Thankfully, in recent years, this attitude seems to have shifted a little, with a not insignificant rise of games that absolutely prove the “video games can’t be art” camp wrong, and I’d like to think that we’re all open-minded enough here that I don’t need to argue the legitimacy of video games as an art form. This is not an article meant to prove to you that there is good music from video games out there. Rather, it sets out to combat something that I often struggle with with soundtracks in general - they’re often too “soundtracky,” too dependent on the material they were meant to accompany that they just can’t stand on their own. Oftentimes the enjoyment of the music on its own is derived from memories of the full work. Not every soundtrack is like that, however, and here I’ve compiled a list of grade-A video game soundtracks that hold their own as independent works. The following albums (for they are albums), I believe, can be thoroughly enjoyed outside of their accompanying video game, and are absolutely worth your time as discerning music listeners, regardless of whether or not you’ve played them.
Hideki Naganuma - Jet Set Radio (2012 re-release) When talking about video games with A+ soundtracks, inevitably the Dreamcast cult classic Jet Set Radio comes up, and with good reason - it’s fucking great. Jet Set Radio takes its name from a pirate radio station in the game, providing the soundtrack for each level as you, a hip youth of futuristic, fictional Tokyo, tear up the streets and tag your turf on magnetic, jet powered rollerblades. The soundtrack subsequently sounds exactly what I’d expect a game with such a premise to sound like—a playlist of underground hip hop and dance tracks, with the occasional grungy garage rock to break it up. Coinciding with the 2012 HD re-release of the original on Steam and PS3, SEGA put out a compilation of sound director Hideki Naganuma’s contributions to both games - which is great, since let’s be real: aside from a few exceptions, all the best songs in either game came from him. The result is the grooviest collection of sample-based hip hop, big beat, and plunderphonics, not unlike Fatboy Slim and Mr. Scruff. This makes the first half of the album what some people have described as
some of the 90s-est music they’ve ever heard, and while that seems like a bit of a cop-out that doesn’t really mean anything, it is perplexingly an incredibly accurate descriptor - all you need to do is hear the effected beatboxing loops, funky slap bass, and wonderfully campy “better watch that beat cominatcha!” and “blast that shit, homie!” samples on songs like “That’s Enough” and “Rock It On” to know exactly what they’re talking about. The second half, corresponding with the game’s slightly more sci-fi-y sequel, appropriately features songs more synthesizer-heavy like “Fly Like a Butterfly,” straying more into dance music territory but still maintaining that goofy Naganuma charm and hip-hop influences, evident in the likes of “Funky Dealer” and “Oldies But Happies.” Sure, I miss the removal of some fan favorite artists from the soundtrack, like Guitar Vader and Reps, but I think the album becomes a much more cohesive experience because of it. Blast it when you’re driving, throw it on as the soundtrack to a high school snowboarding video. It won’t disappoint you.
MilkCan - Make it Sweet! (UmJammer Lammy) UmJammer Lammy is the slightly less well-known spiritual successor to the revolutionary music game PaRappa The Rapper. If you’re familiar with PaRappa, it’s pretty much exactly like that except you play as a guitar-playing lamb instead of a rapping dog, and also for some reason the scoring system is completely fucking broken. The titular Lammy plays guitar in a three-piece, all-girl rock band by the name of MilkCan, and this album is presented not as a soundtrack CD but instead as an actual album made by the fictional band—which is probably why it works by itself as well as it does. With that in mind, MilkCan’s diverse blend of punk, rock, hip hop, and even country is hilariously awesome. It’s fun guitar rock at its core, reminiscent of a broadway show tune one
