Some of us are known to do it from time to time while others find the act contradictory and absurd, listening to music while playing video games. To be honest with you, I only do it on very rare occasions but I started thinking about it the other day. What music would go well with which games? It was then that I decided to start this blogging series where I can suggest music to listen to with certain video games. I think of it as being very similar to the way in which some people have cheese and wine together to compliment their separate tastes. Todays game, L.A. Noir.

L.A. Noir has been a pretty heavily discussed game within the last few weeks, and for good reason. Once I was out of school for the summer I began playing my copy and like most people I was amazed! They really nailed the atmosphere of the city. The storytelling in the game is also another huge success in my eyes. It's by no means a perfect game, it has it's flaws and all, but what it does it does well.

It was also around this time that I began listening to a great deal of Dave Brubeck. Brubeck, for those of you that don't know, is a very popular Jazz quartet leader and pianist from around the same time that L.A. Noir takes place in (well, maybe a little bit after L.A. Noir). If you have already played L.A. Noir then you also already know that the game contains a lot of Jazz in it, so this was a pretty easily made connection for me.



Brubeck's most popular (and possibly best, depending on who you ask) album was Time Out and is an excellent album choice for the game. Listening to this nice cool Jazz while driving to a crime scene where some whore has been beaten to death with a lead pipe, stripped naked with obscene messages written across her tits is just so soothing.

The one track I chose to share with the class is entitled, Take Five. This song sounds like it came right out of an episode of Cowboy Bebop. Which makes me wonder, am I the only one that when driving at night likes to listen to Jazz and pretend their car is a spaceship? Take a listen to the song and be the judge. I think it would sound perfectly at home if it had been placed at some point within the game.



That wraps up my very first Taste Test post! What did you think of it? Would you like to see more? Do you ever listen to music while playing video games? What games would you like to see me do Taste Tests of in the future?