There is one video game song above all others that I enjoy on a regular basis. Whether blasting from my weathered stereo while driving late at night, or playing in the background as I move stealthily through the corridors and rooftops of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Time and again this track has been my go-to song for feeling like a badass, and to me is a sterling example of how far game music has come and how far it can go. I'm talking about "The Lighthouse" by Amon Tobin off of the Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Soundtrack.
Chaos Theory is a masterful installment in the Spinter Cell series, in my opinion frankly the best installment, and that praise is owed in no small part to the intergral sound design that runs throughout the game. In 2004 Ubisoft Montreal contracted Amon Tobin, a highly regarded trip-hop artist from UK based label Ninja Tune, to compose the reactionary soundtrack of the Chaos Theory. Ubisoft was so impressed with Tobin's work that they released it as a standalone album months ahead of the game's release to promote it, much to the adoration of video game and music enthusiasts alike.
The soundtrack is composed of songs pieced together from the stems of much shorter tracks that are prompted in game to punctuate escalating moments of danger in response from the enviroment and enemies. All of them are great in and of themselves, but none of them come together quite so well as "The Lighthouse".
When I hear "The Lighthouse", I hear the spectacular collision of a spy thriller theme and the soundtrack of a psychological horror film played out in slow motion. The booming background bass that leaves a feeling of echoing depth and emptiness, the shreeking chellos that rise up like the lank arms of ghouls, the assorted random bits like the sound of a whistle or the distortion echo of radio chatter, and the spindling flutter of a few careful keystrokes. These elements all come to a head in a loud intense barrage of distorted but organized chaos. And just as quickly as it comes it's gone, sound seemingly evaporated into what little is left of a few wayward violin chords hanging in the air. All of this tied together in a neat little bow by one of the sexiest bass line hooks I have ever heard.
There are soundtracks for major motion pictures that never reach the quality of this one track, let alone the entire album. And to think, this is was just the soundtrack for a video game. "The Lighthouse" brings fond memories of title screen reloads and multiple playthroughs of one of my favorite games. This song encompasses the character of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory far better than any screenshot or video would ever do.
Slip on this track and slink into the shadows.
[embed:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVAWi6K0JzY ]