Primary Emotions/Themes: Bar music, upbeat songs, background music
Thoughts: Having played through VA-11 HALL-A the soundtrack takes on a bit of a deferent life for me. Listening to this record brings me to the titular bar, making drinks while listening to different peoples stories.
A vast majority of the soundtrack is contained within a jukebox that you set up at the start of every day in the game. Whatever songs are selected is what plays in the background as the story unfolds. There are few points in the games 10 or so hours that you don't have control of what you are listening to. Even in those points, the music fits so perfectly that I didn't even care.
The first record for this epic boxed set contains about half to one third of the songs that are available within the jukebox selection. The rest is filled out with songs that you hear in between work shifts.
Everything on this first record is synthwave, with a vast majority of it being the upbeat jukebox selections. The tracks taken from the in-between scenes and at home are decidedly more laid back and comfy sounding. Two different sounds, all created within the same genre of music.
Of the two styles I prefer the more relaxed tracks. They have a welcoming feel and tend to resonate with me a bit better than the barfly music. The more traditional synthwave tracks are meant to channel the energy of the VA11-HALL-A bar and the more active pace of a busy work environment. The thing that works so well on the record format is the two styles are worked in together in such a way that they balance each other out - a bit of ebb and flow as the record spins. I quite enjoy it.
This is the first of five records to this set, each one brings something just a little different to the table. It's a great way to start off one of the better soundtracks to come out in the last five to six years, and it fills a specific need that I have in my collection. Good stuff.
Written October 11th 2023
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