Need For Speed -ProStreet- Official Soundtrack

	Album Title: Need For Speed -ProStreet- Official Soundtrack
	Record Label: Electronic Arts
	Catalog No.: N/A
	Release Date: December 11, 2007
	Purchase: Download at iTunes

Overview

Another successful addition to the Need for Speed franchise, Need for Speed: ProStreet features music from a wide selection of popular artists. Fortunately for us, the Need For Speed -ProStreet- Official Soundtrack features most of these, in a 19 track journey released online. On the album are the likes of Unkle and CSS, and Junkie XL who also composed the original score for the game, which can be heard on the Need For Speed -ProStreet- Original Music album.

Body

The first part of the album is taken up mostly by indie rock/post-punk bands. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs get it all underway with their rather laidback punk track “Kiss Kiss.” Unkle then follow with the similarly easy-going, but surreal “Restless,” which also features in the racing rally game Colin McRae: Dirt 2. Two tracks which really stick out in this set of similar musical styles though are “Draw Japan” by The Horrors and TV on the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me.” Though “Draw Japan” isn’t particularly fun to listen to, it has a unique sound, mostly created by the contrast of the vocals against the track’s synth backdrop.

“Wolf Like Me,” however, is the best of these. The track has become so successful commercially that it has appeared in multiple TV series’, adverts, and games such as Project Gotham Racing 4. Perhaps this reduces its originality here though. What makes it really stand out is the fantastic riff which comes in around 0:17 and the spoken word vocals which overlie this.

Alongside the indie rock and post-punk bands, electronica bands also get a decent representation towards the end of the album. “Neon Knights,” from MSTRKRFT (one of my favourite electro house groups) is one of the more striking examples, with its pulsating beats and throbbing melody. CSS take a completely different approach with their track “Odio Odio Odio Sorry C,” which takes upon a brash obtrusive sound with the female vocalist literally shouting the words out. Datarock’s “I Used to Dance With My Daddy” and Chromeo’s electrofunk “Fancy Footwork,” are both pretty catchy too, especially with the lyrics.

It’s Junkie XL’s “More” which I should really point out though, especially with the musician composing the original score for the game. “More” is actually dedicated to (and inspired by) Pacman, and was pushed out as a single release in conjunction with Need for Speed: ProStreet. It has a catchy beat and melody, but features some rather explicit lyrics, and doesn’t especially have much to do with Pacman, but it’s a nice addition nonetheless.

Summary

With the majority of these artists having music featured in other games (e.g. CSS, Chromeo, Datarock in FIFA 09) it’s apparent that they must have that generic, popular gaming sound. My main criticisms are of the lack of memorable tracks on the album and also that some of the game’s other licensed tracks aren’t featured (e.g. Bloc Party and Digitalism). I think most of you who have already played the game will agree that the tracks all come together to create a unique experience, and I feel that this isn’t represented here to its fullest, with the absence of the 15 or so other tracks. The album is certainly respectable — at least in the sense that it doesn’t just stick to one specific genre of music — so either way it’s still a worthy download from iTunes. Otherwise, if you like the sounds of some of the bands represented on here, then go ahead and take a look at their respective singles or albums noted in the iTunes page.

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