World Record Store Day is upon us! Saturday, April 22nd to be exact. To prepare for this very important holiday, our team of film composers, sound designers, and music supervisors have joined forces to create the ultimate list of record shops to celebrate.
Score a Score’s Ultimate Guide For Record Store Day
Before we dive in, we must note that this list is not just coming from experts in music management, sonic branding, and music composition. It is coming from a group of music lovers from all around the country! Okay, enough stalling… Let’s groove!
While this list is pure perfection, there are so many other record shops to choose from. If we didn’t mention a shop local to you, or if you live outside of the states, head on over to the official Record Store Day website. It talks about all the spots the Score a Score team mentioned plus stores all around the world. Happy listening, friends!
Ah, video game music—where would we be without you? Still playing games probably, but silently and awkwardly so. It is mesmerizing how far music has come in video games. Like the reasons mentioned in our blog about the Impact of Music in Commercials, music in video games enhances the gameplay, helps set the tone, creates a pace, and enriches the storytelling. We know that narrowing down the best video game soundtracks of all time to just 10 is a very subjective pursuit. However, after consulting our team of music supervisors, film/TV trailer composers, video game composers, and, of course, the internet, we conjured up our list of the 10 best video game soundtracks of all time. So, grab your controller and headphones, and let’s dive in.
Oh, Tetris, the game that made falling blocks as addictive as your favorite earworm. One of the most remarkable aspects of Tetris’ music is its simplicity. The melodies are straightforward yet incredibly catchy, facilitating both concentration and relaxation. This unique balance helps players immerse themselves in the game without feeling overwhelmed, an essential quality for a puzzle game that demands sharp focus. The most famous track, “Type A,” is based on the Russian folk song “Korobeiniki,” which is a nod to the game’s Russian origins. The music evolves in real-time, contributing to the game’s escalating excitement or in our case, frustration. In summary, the soundtrack of Tetris is a masterclass in how to do a lot with a little.
The Last of Us is a sonic masterpiece! The themes driving this post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested universe are survival, loss, and hope. Composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, The Last of Us is praised for its emotional impact on all ends. For us though, it was the music that infected us the most (pun intended). From the iconic acoustic guitar featured throughout to the seamless integration between the music and sound effects, The Last of Us creates a holistic audio experience. Needless to say, the cinematic underscore to Joel and Ellie’s emotional rollercoaster, earns it an ongoing standing ovation in our list of the best video game soundtracks.
When it comes to epic video game soundtracks, God of War isn’t playing around. Well, except for the game it’s part of. The score is intricately crafted to align with the game’s themes of war, family, and fate. The use of haunting melodies and powerful orchestration reflects the emotional journey of the protagonist, Kratos. We also must make note of the instrumentation! Utilizing a combination of traditional Norse instruments such as the Nyckelharpa and Hardanger fiddle, along with full orchestral arrangements, the music immerses the player in a rich and authentic Nordic soundscape.
Crafted by the mad musical scientist Mick Gordon, the score for Doom is like the energy drink of video game music. It’s loud, it’s relentless, and it makes you want to slay demons. The music employs an innovative mix of 8-string guitar riffs, synthesizers, and heavily processed drum sounds to create a sonic landscape that feels both futuristic and gritty. It’s also incredibly adaptable. The music roars in triumph while taking down demons and makes you hold your breath while sneaking around a corner. In a nutshell, it is the 24/7 adrenaline rush in our list of the best video game soundtracks of all time.
In Fallout, one of the key elements to the soundtrack’s success is its blend of retro and futuristic styles. The soundtrack combines 1940s and ’50s era music with ambient, post-apocalyptic sounds, creating a dichotomy that perfectly mirrors the game’s setting: a futuristic world destroyed by nuclear war, yet stuck in a sort of mid-20th-century cultural stasis. I guess you could say that the Fallout soundtrack is the bee’s knees.
Moving right along with apocalyptic video games, we have Bastion. Composed by Darren Korb, the music is as if someone threw folk, rock, and electronic music into a blender and hit the ‘Pure Awesomeness’ button. The soundtrack also features vocal tracks that deepen the narrative. This is particularly effective because the game itself has a strong storytelling element, narrated by a voice-over that follows the player’s actions. To sum it up: the Bastion soundtrack isn’t just music, it’s an integral part of the game’s DNA and a must in our list of best video game soundtracks of all time.
Mandolin? Check. Accordion? You betcha. Mouth harp? Oh yeah, it’s there! Silent Hill composed by Akira Yamaoka uses instruments you’d expect to hear in a quirky European café in this survival horror video game. These unconventional choices resonate deeply with the narrative’s themes of distorted reality and existential dread. It’s not just “background music” but an integral part of the storytelling mechanism, making it a must-feature on our list of top 10 best video game soundtracks.
Grab your oversized sword and strap on your chocobo saddle, because we’re diving into the symphonic wonderland of the Final Fantasy series. The music catalog in this series is like a genre-defying Spotify playlist. It’s got it all: sweeping orchestral numbers, rock-inspired battle anthems, and electronic tracks. The strength of Final Fantasy music lies in its ability to evoke a wide range of emotions. And just like your favorite TV series, Final Fantasy uses recurring motifs—little musical Easter eggs that pop up across games, tying the series together like a well-placed plot twist.
Ah, nostalgia! The music from The Legend of Zelda sticks to your brain like that stubborn piece of gum on the sole of your shoe. Except, you know, you actually want it there. You’ll find yourself humming the “Song of Storms” during a downpour or quietly playing the “Zelda Lullaby” to your houseplants. Now, let’s talk about Koji Kondo, the musical sorcerer behind the game. Through leitmotifs, Kondo manages to evoke specific emotions, be it the tranquility of a pastoral setting or the tension of a looming battle. Needless to say, this game is legendary (feel free to judge us for that pun).
Koji Kondo strikes again! He’s like the Spielberg of video game music. The man has basically soundtracked our childhoods. The “Super Mario Bros. Theme” is so catchy that it’s practically a universal language at this point. One moment you’re bouncing along to the upbeat main theme; the next, you’ve plunged underwater, and the music mellows out. It’s also got genre-bending: everything from jazzy New Orleans vibes in Super Mario 64’s “Dire, Dire Docks” to the tropical rhythms in Super Mario Sunshine. Super Mario Bros.’ music is more than just a collection of tunes, it’s the heart and soul of the franchise.
That’s a Wrap on Our Top 10 Best Video Game Soundtracks EVER!
To the gamers reading this, we hope this list holds up! We are certain we will revisit this topic in a few years. If our list of the best video game soundtracks doesn’t hold up, let us know what we missed in the comment section of this Instagram post!
It has been such a thrill to see how much Score a Score has accomplished over the past few years. The company has grown to 19 team members (and counting), we supervised our first Super Bowl LVI commercial for Bud Light Next, and a few weeks ago, our custom trailer music was part of 7 campaigns nominated for a GTA! That included Best Music for Babylon, which took home the win. Even more recently, we launched the re-brand of our trailers department! We are now officially called Locked.
SAS Favorites: Custom Trailer Music Edition
To celebrate the re-brand of our trailers department, we want to take you all down memory lane and highlight three of our most memorable and recent custom trailer music placements.
Babylon (Paramount Pictures, written and directed by Damien Chazelle). Babylon was a fun challenge as our own Captain Plantain created a vintage, big-band jazz accompaniment to play against David Bowie’s, Fame. The biggest challenge was to conform a 70s funk rock track to work against glamorous old Hollywood star-studded visuals.
White Lotus (HBO Max, created by Mike White). White Lotus season two was a last-minute hot rush by the client. Our main task was to showcase the new season on the beautiful backdrop of Sicily. Captain Plantain’s Tattered Pin Block was the perfect fit. We were able to create authentic Italian-style instrument overlays like the accordion to lend to the new season’s quirky island vacation getaway vibes.
The Staircase (HBO Max, created by Antonio Campos). The custom trailer music forThe Staircase was a particularly cool custom because the trailer editor was already using the full track plus stems from SAS veteran, JNUARY and his song, At The Brink. However, they still needed help reimagining some overlays for their cut. JNUARY was able to recreate new string pizzicatos and percussive elements along with several rhythmic stems that made the trailer’s soundtrack incredibly tense with dark comedic moments.
Locked, Loaded, and Ready to Score!
While our trailers department has a new look and name, our services remain the same. We are here to provide bespoke music production, curated music, pulls, trimerization, overlays and remixes, sound design, music supervision plus clearance, and one-stop licensing. Our premier collection of top-shelf tracks forges the latest innovative and outside-the-box music styles that will elevate your trailers a cut above the rest. Our team cannot wait to create custom trailer music with you! Connect with us to learn more about what we can do for you at locked@scoreascore.com and head on over to our catalog to listen to all of our current work.
