Rockstar Games‘ latest release, Team Bondi’s L.A. Noire is perilously close now, with the May 17 release now less than two weeks away. “Perilous” because the mold-breaking period police procedural threatens to steal multiple hours away from important real life activities, like going to work, eating and bathing. With the highly anticipated release looming large, Rockstar has finally revealed details of the game’s soundtrack release.
There are actually two separate releases to talk about today. The first is the product of a partnership between Rockstar and Verve Records, L.A. Noire: Remixed. Rather than go with a straight compilation of the game’s 1940s jazz music, Rockstar has chosen to spice things up with “a modern take on the music found throughout the world of L.A. Noire,” according to the press release. The six-song EP features remixes from DJ Premier, Truth & Soul and others on works by greats like Billie Holiday and Louis Jordan (full track listing below).
The other release is a bit more conventional, the L.A. Noire Official Soundtrack. Like the remix EP, this is no compilation of 1940s jazz standards. Instead you get the game’s score, composed by Andrew Hale, who also put together the music for last year’s criminally underrated summer film, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. The press release reveals that the official soundtrack serves up “modern takes on the classic torch songs of the period,” produced and written by Stephen Coates (The Real Tuesday Weld) with guest vocal contributions from Claudia Brucken of Propaganda. There’s also additional music from Woody Jackson, who collaborated with Bill Elm on the score to Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption.
L.A. Noire places an atypical focus on the score, with musical cues being used to signal when players are close to a clue’s location or have thoroughly explored a particular crime scene (for example). It will be interesting to see how these elements are woven into a soundtrack release, if they are at all. Also, bravo to Rockstar for not birthing yet another 1940s jazz compilation into the world. Those who want to discover the joys of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and all of the other early jazz greats have plenty of options; L.A. Noire: Remixed commendably offers up something a little bit different.
Both releases will be available on iTunes on May 17, the same day the game hits stores in North America.
Here’s the L.A. Noire: Remixed track listing:
L.A. Noire: Remixed Tracklist
1. Elle Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan – “Stone Cold Dead in the Market” (Ticklah remix)
2. Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra – “Hey-Ba-Ba-Re-Bop” (Midnight Sun remix)
3. Dinah Washington – “A Slick Chick (On the Mellow Side)” (Maximum Balloon remix)
4. Louis Jordan – “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” (DJ Premier remix)
5. Gene Krupa – “Sing Sing Sing” (Truth & Soul Remix)
6. Billie Holiday – “That Ol’ Devil Called Love” (Moodymann remix)
