L.A. Noire Official Soundtrack

Various Artists | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: May 17, 2011
• Label: Rockstar Games
• Copyright: 2011 Rockstar Games
• Total Length: 50:31
• Genres:
• ASIN: B00500T7S6
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Like My Music & Detectives Hardboiled, May 24, 2011

By 

Flap Jackson "Sky Is Burning, But At Least We... (State Road, NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: L.A. Noire Official Soundtrack (MP3 Download)

Back in the day, there was a throwback radio program back in Seattle called Harry Nile. While the stories and characters never reached for the hardboiled glory the show was going for, I'll always remember the sad trumpet that accompanied the program that made the down on his luck detective a lot more down than he actually was. And that's the point of Hardboiled Noire music.

You might hear it in coffee shops, or on rainy nights, but there's no mistaking it. When a down on his luck Private Dick is narrating, this is the music that accompanies him. This is also the type of music and mood that the L.A. Noire soundtrack nails down perfectly. The strength in the album really lies in the fact that it works on two levels: The level of atmosphere, which anybody that's played the game can probably attest to, and the level of just being great music. The genre is very specific, and isn't played with that much nowadays, but composer Andrew Hale not only gets mood down pat, but he also takes the liberty to explore the themes, playing around with the original compositions to really peg the era.

Granted, 40 minutes straight of it can seem monotonous at times, but it also gives you the chance to savor the quality that went into it. In particular, the main theme and its variations work well, and the track "Fall From Grace Pt. 2," is a great suspenseful piece so effective that it's the main piece they use in advertising the game.

The only place where the soundtrack really falls down however is the 3 vocal compositions at the end. Not only do they not nearly live up to the quality of the time, but the singer they found is sort of awful and annoying. Let's just say there was a lot of cringing, especially since you know they didn't have the budget to get anybody bigger.

Overall, if you like down on your luck trumpets, then this is a soundtrack for you. It's really a surprising and original effort that you're not going to find anywhere else, video game or movie-wise.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It'll make you crave more jazz music from the 1940s, August 8, 2011

By 

Timothy Bauer (Illinois) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: L.A. Noire Official Soundtrack (MP3 Download)

Not having played the game yet, I was told by a few of my friends that the soundtrack for it was great. Needless to say I immediately fell in love with it! You can't really beat the brass and woods playing against one other. Some tracks are incredibly suspenseful (Redemption Part 2) while others are deeply emotional (Temptation Part 2). There's even a great 'dance' track: J.J. Bop. I especially love the vocal tracks (Torched Song is my favorite); they break up the occasional monotony of the rest of the album. It's a shame you don't hear music like this more often in the mainstream nowadays. It's such a nice break from all the pop and rock music that we're constantly barraged with. As one of the other reviewers points out, this is obviously not all of the music in the game, but since I haven't yet experienced the rest I see no reason why this album doesn't deserve anything less than 5 stars!

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of 2011 in music, December 12, 2011

By 

Musicman1234 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: L.A. Noire Official Soundtrack (MP3 Download)

It's not often you hear music in a game that effects you in such a way as this music does. I do think this music should win some award this year in original video gaming music.Some of this stuff is literally breathtaking. Some of the finest music I have heard written this year anywhere.
Highly suggest.