In this soundtrack to one of the more popular space shooter video games, composer Hisayoshi Ogura pulls together a nice range of compositional techniques, bouncing from fluttery light synths to pounding bass ostinato, flowing smoothly through hooky anthems and solid stage themes. Casual touches of humor help elevate the late-’80s electronica’s coolness, with serious dives through straight-forward power riffing providing a substantial portion of the score’s run. The tracks veer closer towards early techno than to electro, though they mostly dodge falling into loop studies, and the few trips through subterranean gloom show the arcade cabinet’s sound hardware put to impressively nuanced use. Good stuff, if fairly niche.
Scrambled Brains 