When someone mentions the music of Valve’s Portal series, several things instantly come to mind. Jonathan Coulton is probably foremost among them, as his “Still Alive” and “Want You Gone” are so catchy and fun that they’ve transcended the games and made their way into popular culture. And yet, these two songs are only a small fraction of the aural quality on display in this generations’s seminal puzzle franchise. Let’s forget about the singles and delve deep into the setlist of Portal 2‘s soundtrack, “Songs to Test By.”

Note: Spoilers for Portal and Portal 2 follow.

“Robots FTW” is probably the second most memorable track from the sequel, and with good reason. The ending credits of the co-op mode perfectly capture the electronic vibe of Mike Morasky’s original score. Portal is, first and foremost, an intellectual property that deals with science, whether it be robotics, physics, or pure, liquid insanity. This is perfectly reflected in this track, as Morasky combines chiptune and synthesizers to create a song that almost sounds like robots talking.

Of course, this technique is perhaps most infamously utilized in “Cara Mia Addio,” and/or “Turret Wife Serenade.” These songs are utitlized in-game as “Source Music“–not to be confused with the engine of the same name, which Portal 2 actually uses. That is to say that both the player and the character can hear the turrets singing, lending a very surreal air to the proceedings. Furthermore, these operatic tracks not only use Ellen McClain voice samples (the voice of GLaDOS) but also include Italian lyrical puns.

But sampling and voice manipulation aren’t the only technical technical achievements on display. “Friendly Faith Plate” (above) is a great song on its own, but its usage in the game is very similar to Left 4 Dead‘s procedurally generated soundtrack. Just like that other Valve game, the music will change depending on the player’s actions, creating a unique experience for every player. In the case of “Faith Plate,” triggering the titular devices will play notes that make up the song, similar to the way that clicking on the members of DVA would reveal individual elements of the Botanicula soundtrack.

Of course, this means that a mathematical majority of the Portal 2 soundscape is seemingly random. Despite this, there are a ridiculous amount of tracks that stand up on their own merits. One of my favorite is “Science is Fun” (below), which is another pulsing electronic track that encapsulates the game’s frantic brand of technological innovation.

Mike Morasky may be credited as “Aperture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory,” but there is one non-Coulton contribution to the OST that was he wasn’t responsible for. That would be The National’s “Exile Vilify,” which was nominated for a Video Game Award for “Best Original Song.” The track isn’t part of the actual score, but is instead a bit of diegetic music that can be found playing on hidden radios throughout the game. The composition seems to hint at the mental state of Doug Rattmann, the unseen person behind the cryptic messages left throughout Aperture Labs. This is a unique instance of music being used to surreptitiously expand on backstory and help make the game world feel alive.

Portal 2‘s soundtrack was specifically designed to sound as if it was generated by a computer, but it still manages to have plenty of soul. As much as I love “Still Alive” and “Want You Gone,” there are plenty of other sonic experiments that even Cave Johnson would have been proud of. Also, is it just me, or does GLaDOS sound completely different from one song to the next?

You can download the whole Portal 2 OST right here for FREE.

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).

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