For today's soundtrack we return a little closer to home with Rockstar's 2006 game, Bully. Rockstar is one of the few companies out there that have released their game soundtracks in America, but not exactly because of their original content. With Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Rockstar recognized the commercial appeal of their "jukebox" soundtracks - that is, their collection of well known (and lesser known) pop songs from the various eras in which their games take place. They released a huge box set of '80s songs in a Vice City soundtrack, and continued on through the '90s and present day with soundtrack releases for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Grand Theft Auto 4. The popularity of these jukebox soundtracks peaked at the very beginning however- Vice City, still remains the most popular soundtrack by Rockstar, and my favorite by far from the GTA series.
The jukebox trend changed with the release of Bully, however. Bully's soundtrack was an entirely original composition by Shawn Lee, an American musician who relocated to Britain early in his career. However, Lee's soundtrack continued Rockstar's practice of evoking different time periods. The game itself is set in an ambiguous, anachronistic era, with references to the 70s, 80s, 90s and present day. The soundtrack also straddles eras to a degree, but its styles definitely point to the punk rock and dance hall sounds of the 70s and 80s. Lee picks a musical genre appropriate to the scene or character of the moment. The dropouts get rock, preps gets '80s pop, nerds get vintage electronica, etc.
This track is "Defend Bucky" and plays during one of the game's missions. The song got my attention with its minimalist style and progressive motif. At a time when most game soundtracks go orchestral (or at least hard rock), "Defend Bucky" is unapologetically funky, and its style represents the rest of the soundtrack well. Enjoy!
Album info: http://vgmdb.net/album/3955
