Gustavo Santaolalla’s soundtrack “The Last of Us,” written for the post-apocalyptic video game with the same name, alternates between moody ronroco (a guitar-like instrument) and quick-paced drums. It has the eerie feel of heat mirages in a desert, and the rough, gritty mood of survival tactics.
Santaolalla, whose previous work includes the soundtracks to “Brokeback Mountain” and “Deadwood,” was born in Argentina, where he began his career in 1967 by founding a band called Arco Iris that fused rock with Latin American folk. Since then, he has produced, directed, collaborated, and soloed on a number of albums and hits. To date, Santaolalla has won two Academy Awards, two Grammys, and a Golden Globe, as well as receiving numerous nominations and Latin Grammy Awards.
In places, “The Last of Us” is very similar to a Hans Zimmer soundtrack (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight,”) or Thomas Newman’s soundtrack for “The Adjustment Bureau,” but toned down a few notches. The songs are sparse—in fact, some are entirely drums—but beautiful nonetheless. If you enjoy working to background music, album ought to be perfect; it’s enjoyable, varied, but not distracting.
The storyline of the video game is that 20 years after a pandemic, a survivor from the pre-apocalypse world is hired to rescue a young girl from the quarantine zone. Survivors and infected alike kill for survival, and the highly interactive gameplay evolves based on choices the player makes. It was released to critical acclaim, and reviewers on Amazon are calling it “the best game I’ve ever played.” Praise comes for the perfect mixture of storyline, character development, action, and (believe it or not), music.
Santaolalla took his first step toward soundtracks with his purely instrumental album “Ronroco.” But soundtrack is mainly about evoking moods that tell a story, and “The Last of Us” has a great story to tell (in fact, it reportedly outdid the new “Superman” movie in sales). I’m happy to have it on my iPod, and I would recommend it to anyone who plays quiet background music. It’s not just for classical-lovers, I swear. Check out the behind-the-scenes interview with Santaolalla below if you don’t believe me—the score play in the background.
Photo Courtesy of Tumblr