Steven Gordon

Jon Krol

The Impossibles- "Come Back" 

I have to give props to fellow buffaBLOG writer, Mike Moretti, for turning me on to this band, and in particular, this track. Heartfelt lyrics, a beast of a chorus, and hooks that made my head spin, I probably listened to this song a hundred times this year. As someone who grew up loving that early 2000's brand of emo-flavored indie rock this was the clear-cut choice. I could have chosen a song that was abstract (esoteric lyrics and the like), or a b-side cut. Perhaps a track without the obvious pop inclinations. But at the end of the day, I know what I like. And this song spoke to me. 

Ryan Wolf

So I should elucidate from the outset that I don't historically care much for videogames. I happen to like the videogame Grand Theft Auto series because 1) It's basically a sandbox in a massive free-roam environment so it doesn't matter if I suck at videogames, and 2) The soundtracks are always spot-fucking-on.

The fifth installment of the series came out recently, and both points 1 and 2 hold true, once again, and the soundtrack is superlative. The game takes place in a fictional Southern California, and the programming matches that vibe. It's kind of a background thing in the game – when the player's avatar steals a car, they can scroll through various format radio stations and be treated to some stellar DJ sets and some sharply written satirical talk, while they are mowing down hookers and juking cops.

Some highlights:

-After playing the game for a couple hours, I caught, in my aural periphery, two Kendrick Lamar jams. It was perfect. I double checked the station (Radio Los Santos), and proceeded to use it as a go-to backdrop during game missions in the Hood.

-Danny McBride (Eastbound And Down, This Is The End) voices a backwards, conservative host on a small right-wing station that the player can only pick up when driving out to the boonies (where a lack of social propinquity still merits a conservative mindset – just like real-life!). Inversely, JB Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm, SNL) voices a street spiritual guide on the in-game NPR analog (WCTR).

-The hip-hop station West Coast Classics plays all your favorite old-school rap gems - “Regulate,” “Gin and Juice,” “So You Want to Be a Ganster,” and so on. God, I feel like a dinosaur.

-The psychotic anarchist character, T, has a propensity for switching the station in his vehicles to Channel X, so he can kick out the jams to so-cal hc/punk monsters like Fear, Black Flag, and Suicidal Tendencies.

-Vinewood Boulevard Radio is a personal favorite of mine, as it incidentally features pretty much every band I've gotten into over the last couple years. Thee Oh Sees, FIDLAR, Bass Drum of Death, Ceremony, Shark?, Black Angels. Grungy, grimey, new surf/garage stuff that pairs well with some of the seedier aspects of the game. And the station hosts are actually voiced by Nate Williams and Stephen Pope of Wavves.

-And speaking of hipster-trend shit, Radio Mirror Park plays some more laidback electronic-ish stuff, like Yeasayer, Yacht, and Toro Y Moi. Meanwhile, FlyLo FM (hosted by, you guessed it, Flying Lotus) puts together a set of IDM, featuring, you guessed it, a ton of Flying Lotus, along with arguable outliers like Tyler, the Creator, Outkast, and Aphex Twin.

The game developers allegedly spent about $250 million putting GTA V together, and the soundtrack shows they didn't cut any corners. And they were smart about it – the jazz station, for instance, mixes international fusion with recent Chillwave offerings. Los Santos Rock Radio functions as a nostalgic, more selective Jack FM, with everything from Queen to Bob Seger to Elton John.

Get into it, or if you're ambivalent about videogames, you can pick up the 3-disc soundtrack from music stores (I think? Do they still have those?), which features original scores from Tangerine Dream, DJ Shadow, The Alchemist & Oh No, and Woody Jackson. Or just wait a few minutes until the playlists show up on Spotify and YouTube.

Good work, and good taste, videogame developers.