Justin Amirkhani

I don’t often buy music, but there’s something undeniably convenient about the way bandcamp.com does business. I’ve found a couple great albums I absolutely love through the service and I’ve never hesitated purchasing because the money goes right to the artists. Among the albums I’ve purchased, there have been a few video game soundtracks that I’d like to take a moment and highlight for you.

Ska Studios Collection

In addition to being a talented artist/programmer, one-man wrecking crew James Silva is also a wicked-talented musician. Doing the scores for all of his Xbox Live Arcade and Xbox Live Indie games, he’s produced some tracks that rock far more than your typical indie background music.

While my personal favourite is the Vampire Smile: Missing Solos album, Silva’s probably most recognized for I MAED A GAME3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1. Most of his songs are dirty, electric and energetic but Z0MBIES takes the cake with the over-the-top vocals.

Like a good starving artist, all the albums are pay-what-you-want, including the high-quality FLAC and AAC files.

dB Soundworks

In the indie game scene it’s hard to find someone with a better track record than Danny Baronowsky. Producing soundtracks for games like Super Meat Boy, Gravity Hook, and Canabalt — all games that were made by their scores — Danny B has earned his place amongst the indie-gaming elite.

There’s something so complimentary about dB Soundworks’ high-energy tracks that just make their games so much better. Would Canabalt really be the same without it’s futuristic, frenetic theme music? I don’t think so. Almost every thing this guy produces is pure gold and well worth a listen.

If awesome game soundtracks aren’t your thing, Danny also has a chiptunes remake of Rebecca Black’s Friday. Naturally, it’s available for free like (almost) everything else he’s produced.

Jim Guthrie – Sword & Sworcery

Mystical, magical and a little classical, Jim Guthrie’s Toronto-produced Sword & Sworcery LP – The Ballad of the Space Babies is a perfect musical companion to the iOS game of the same name. It’s equal parts entrancing and relaxing but never loses it’s epic adventure undercurrent.

There are few game soundtracks designed to coincide with it’s playable counterpart a well as Sword & Sworcery does. Each track plays a pivotal role in the game and being able to listen and re-listen to the MP3s broadens an appreciation for the work. These are detailed tracks with a lot of love put in them.

In addition to the $7.99 digital album, Guthrie offers a real-life physical 12″ vinyl edition for $30. It comes with a limited edition print of the game’s fantastic pixel art and will be releasing near the end of the month (May 2011).