The Last of Us [Original Video Game Soundtrack]

by Gustavo Santaolalla

Overview

Since the 1980s, Argentina's Gustavo Santaolalla has established a singular reputation as a producer (though he's been active musically since 1969). He's helmed top recordings by Cafe Tacuba, Los Prisioneros, Molotov, Julieta Venegas, and Juanes, to name a scant few. Along the way, he also began scoring films -- Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel, Brokeback Mountain, Motorcycle Diaries, and more. The Last of Us begins a new chapter for Santaolalla; it marks the first time in his career he's written a score for a video game. The 30 brief cues included here -- not everything he's written for the game by far -- are mostly sparse, haunting sketches using the guitar as the central instrument, with various keyboards illuminating his evocative melodies. They evoke the nature of a post-apocalyptic world where there is little left in the way of life, and what there is, is sinister, dangerous, tragic, and foreboding, yet not without hope. This is no mean feat. Santaolalla performed most of the music himself, but there are several intense, percussion-heavy tracks including the original title theme, "The Hunters," "By Any Means," "I Know What You Are," and "Infected." Elsewhere such as on "The Last of Us (Never Again)," "All Gone (No Escape)," "Vanishing Grace (Childhood)," and "Returning," chamber strings play a captivating, balancing role, though they never overcome the guitars, charangos, basses, etc. "The Path" and "The Path (A New Beginning)" touch on the scores of Italian spaghetti westerns, but never lose sight of their Latin harmonic and lyric origins even as they change shape into more pastoral and quietly transcendent themes; their drama remains inherent. Perhaps the most compelling thing about the score is how, even in the midst of suspense, Santaolalla never forgets that it is the melody or circular rhythmic patterns that draw in -- and keep -- the attention of the listener. The Last of Us is all killer, no filler. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	12/16/2022
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262025721
Rank:	28844

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Gustavo Santaolalla   Primary Artist,Drums,Percussion
Alan Umstead   Orchestra Leader
Jonathan Mayer   Drums,Percussion
M.B. Gordy   Drums,Percussion
The Nashville Scoring Orchestra   Orchestra

Technical Credits

Anibal Kerpel   Mixing,Editing,Producer,Recording
Alan Umstead   Orchestra Contractor
Gustavo Santaolalla   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Pat McMakin   Administrative Director
Jonathan Mayer   Mixing,Producer
Jason Swan   Management,Music Business Affairs
Tim Davies   Sound Design
Tammy Tsuyuki   Project Manager
Lucia Peraza   Production Coordination
Marc Senasac   Mixing,Recording
Scott Hanau   Associate Producer
Chuck Doud   Executive Producer
Tom Baker   Mastering
Justin Fields   Licensing
Nick Spezia   Assistant Engineer
Andrew Buresh   Programming
Jeremy Miller   Assistant Engineer
Angelica Garde   Music Assistant
Vanessa Zamora   Music Coordinator
Jasper Lemaster   Assistant Engineer
Keith Munson   Assistant Engineer
Candace Stewart   Studio Manager
Neil Druckmann   Liner Notes