Killing them softly to this song…

The Left 4 Dead series, despite being relatively new to the gaming scene, has been given numerous accolades for its various qualities. Gamers seem to have a great love for the well-done atmosphere, basic, yet solid gameplay systems, and the simple novelty of playing through a zombie apocalypse with three other players cooperatively. However, the effect of the musical scoring for the Left 4 Dead games is something that cannot be given enough credit, in my eyes.

The Left 4 Dead score is a masterful example of dynamic situational music. What I mean by that is how the music for the games is specifically and carefully designed to fit the current action on screen at any given time while still being good music in its own right. More traditional songs are also present throughout, but the majority still has that particular design philosophy behind it. While both the original Left 4 Dead and its sequel are good examples, due to the number of tracks the two share with slight variations and the larger number of tracks in the sequel, I’ll talk about Left 4 Dead 2 here.

Due to the setting for all Left 4 Dead 2 campaigns being the Southern U.S, there is a Southern twang present in nearly every song of the soundtrack, even forming the basis for most theme variations from the original to fit with the new tone. While clearly evident in most tracks, one of the most obvious examples are the different themes for the campaigns shown above. Each of these tracks has the same base melody, but use different instrumentation to better fit each unique situation, such as the Dark Carnival theme having a few expected carnival instruments mixed into the melody and the Swamp Fever theme using screeching violins to go along with the murky and backwoods feel the area evokes. However, despite the variations, the tracks still keep with Southern instrumentation to keep cohesiveness throughout all campaigns.

However, as stated previously, the music doesn’t simply apply to the situations encountered. It actively announces their presence. When a special infected shows up, the game will play a musical cue tailored to that specific enemy to let you know of their presence. When a horde is triggered, the music changes to the specified horde music for your current level to raise an alert for the coming danger. The game plays music to go along with what you experience, just as the AI Director will spawn items and enemies based on your current performance. This dynamic makes the soundtrack just as integral as firing a weapon to the overall experience, even to the point where it impacts the player’s actions directly. Using the most obvious example, if the Tank music started playing, every player instantly went into “Tank Mode” to deal with the big, hulking threat. The deep integration really makes the music more than just fitting, as with most games.

Although much of the music can play at any given time provided you are in the proper situation, some music is saved for specific, known instances. Events such as starting a level in the Safe Room or float running in The Parish have accompanying music that serves to amplify the feelings associated with those situations. While all the appropriate tracks do accomplish that feat, these specific songs tend to add a bit more emotion to make up for the expected nature of the situation. For an example, “Skin On Our Teeth,” shown above, plays when the rescue vessel has arrived after the huge holdout at the end of every campaign, and sounds fittingly nerve-wracking. The song gives a real sense that if you don’t leave that instant, there is no hope. You MUST escape or you die, simple as that. The augmentation shown there is present in all situations, as the soundtrack is designed around that idea.

Even though every situation has a song to go along with it, that doesn’t mean there aren’t also more traditional tracks that are simply good in their own right. While the aforementioned campaign themes, particularly the theme for Hard Rain, are some of my favorites of the soundtrack, they aren’t the only ones. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the songs played for the rock concert finale of Dark Carnival. Two rock songs, “One Bad Man” and “Midnight Riders,” play over the two different sections of the finale and both are simply great tracks to rock out to, made all the greater when it’s performed with zombie killing. However, as if that wasn’t enough, the two separate Tanks that appear during the finale even get alterations on the regular Tank theme to fit with the current song playing, producing the appropriately named “Midnight Tank” and “One Bad Tank,” linked below. I already liked the Tank theme, and rock only made it better.

To finish off the soundtrack, it’s worth mentioning the jukebox songs that can be played on the various jukeboxes found in certain levels. While rarely heard due to the fact they have to manually be played on a jukebox, their quality is on par with any other song on the soundtrack. Probably the most well-known is “Re: Your Brains,” a Jonathan Coulton song about a zombie trying to convince his former friend to let his brains be eaten by the zombies outside. It’s a silly, entertaining number and despite the overall creepy, depressed feel of the soundtrack, it still fits with the element of humor still present in the game. The other possibilities are good as well, although my personal favorite of the bunch is “Save Me Some Sugar,” added with the downloadable Passing campaign.

When it all comes down to it, the Left 4 Dead series is a unique beast in a sea of video game soundtracks. While it isn’t the first to integrate its music so heavily into all aspects, it’s definitely gone further than most in that regard. The songs are already good, but the degree to which it ties into regular gameplay is inspiring and I would love to see more games follow this example, or at least more than there are currently. With the new Cold Stream DLC released for the game, I would recommend that anyone planning to give it a play through give special attention to the effects of the songs played. You may be surprised by just how much it matters to how you play.

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.

Left 4 Dead 2 is AWESOME!

By Fraser

4 players + 4 systems + 4 screens + zombies + beer = HALLOWEEN AWESOME!