The Forest Floor: Music to Level Up Your Day: BioShock 1 & 2

I don't know much about musical theory, nor am I a musically inclined person. However, I do love to listen to video game soundtracks. Who doesn't? They can be a powerful listening experience in their own right, or be as evocative as the scores composed for film. Each of these posts will feature music tracks from a single game title, or series/franchise in some rare cases.

Composer: Garry Schyman

North American Release Date:

August 2007 (BioShock)
February 2010 (BioShock 2)

BioShock takes place in 1960, in the fictional underwater city of Rapture. Built in the late 1940s by business tycoon Andrew Ryan, it was meant to be an environment for individuals to live and work, free of the limitations imposed by government and religion.

BioShock contains both licensed music and an original score. In total, 30 licensed songs from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s can be heard throughout the game, which I have excluded from my post. I want to focus exclusively on the game's original score. Composer Garry Schyman tried to give Rapture's environments an "eerie, frightening, and at times beautiful" feel. For the sequel he chose to retain some elements and motifs from the first game, like the use of a solo violin and compositional techniques common in the mid-20th century.

The Ocean on His Shoulders | (Narrative Theme - BioShock)