Edmund McMillen’s 2008 Flash game Meat Boy was a smash-hit on Newgrounds before eventually making the leap to the retail world, but there was another major figure who came up with him from obscurity to relative fame: Danny Baranowsky. While McMillen had cut his teeth on games like Gish, Baranowsky was off working on things like Canabalt. They have gone on to collaborate on the critically-acclaimed The Binding of Isaac, but for my money Super Meat Boy is not only their magnum opus, but a landmark in video game music history.

From the very first track, the OST dives right into the unique duality of the game. On one hand, SMB is a bloody, sadistic platformer that isn’t afraid to kill the player dozens of times per level. On the other hand, the whole premise of the adventure–heroic meat cube saves feminine wound dressing from an evil prenatal doctorate–is patently ridiculous. “Boy Meats Girl” gets this dichotomy across perfectly, lulling you in with a relaxed string riff evoking beach vacations, before suddenly: BAM!

This theme continues throughout the length of both the game and the soundtrack. Stages have both “Light” and “Dark” versions, the latter being the more difficult, and the audio responds in kind. Each version of a given stage has its own theme, but the two versions share core elements such as basic rhythm, structure, and style, which are then molded into something unique. This perfectly mirrors the level design for the title, which presents Dark Stages as twisted interpretations of their easier counterparts. It could be argued which version of a given stage theme is atmospherically darker, but the fact that Baranowsky does this for so many songs, and manages to make them all sound so unique, is an accomplishment in and of itself.

It’s interesting to note that McMillen described the composer as “manic, obsessive, complex, and full of life” as the pure energy and the layers of composition really do give off a sense of mania. At any given time in a song several different things are going on simultaneously. Compare “Devil N’ Bass” below to its counterpart, “Hot Damned.” It’s striking to recognize how many disparate tangents the composition goes on, and yet both have a recognizable connection to each other and a general cohesion with themselves.

It also can’t be understated that Super Meat Boy is as retro in its sounds as it is in its graphics. Although the multi-tracking technically disqualifies it from being considered authentic chiptune, the undeniable and pervasive influence of the 8-bit era colors every bleep and bloop of the score. Even better, the game’s Warp Zone levels feature “retro” versions of the songs from the levels in which they are hidden. “Betus Blus” might be the catchiest tune of them all, but I’ve always thought its retrograde remix was superior.

Take a listen to that and tell me you don’t want it on your iPod right next to The Beatles and Metallica:

Yes, every version and facet of the Meat Boy experience is tailor-made to stimulate your nostalgia gland, but that’s far from all. Even if there had never been a golden age of 8 and 16-bit classics from the likes of Nobuo Uematsu and Koji Kondo, this soundtrack would still hold up as an exciting collection of ear worms that match the simple, yet satisfyingly dark and fearless game they accompany. Is Danny Baranowsky the new Nobuo Uematsu? Well, I don’t think anyone will be replacing the venerated JRPG guru any time soon, but I feel safe in saying that he is the Uematsu of indie games. That’s a bloody big accomplishment in my book.

Check out the rest of Danny Baranowsky’s work right here.

Music Mondays is a weekly column by Austin Yorski and Robert Heck dedicated to discussing the most interesting audio experiences in electronic interactive media. Tune in every week for more original game soundtracks that you need to hear. Feel free to disagree with, add to, or question everything. I welcome your feedback. Also, follow me on Twitter @austinyorski (please).