I figured that for the last Kickback ever, we change things up a bit. And by change things up, I mean gift you with the greatest compilation of "Oh yeah how could I forget about this?" songs ever found in one era. Whether it brings back memories of a boring summer you spent indoors or losing 5-0 to your best friend when no bounces were going your way, the FIFA 11 soundtrack is the way to go.
Basically, I was getting tired of listening to the same music that I have starred over the past year on Spotify and thought to look up the last five FIFA video game soundtracks. And with this week being papers week, followed by finals week, I may have made one of my better decisions on the academic year. And no, I'm not lying. If you need a random compilation of upbeat, quirky, catchy music to get through the long nights and fluorescent lights, search for the FIFA playlists on Spotify. Some incredibly generous people out there in the music community have put together unofficial playlists with all the songs (this also goes for movie soundtracks and even the new Grand Theft Auto).
After listening to the last five FIFA soundtracks, FIFA 11 stands apart from all else. It features some really weird underground music like "Odessa" by Caribou or "Ace of Hz" by Ladytron, if you're into that stuff.
It also features some low-key, head-nodding indie classics like "Rhinestone Eyes" by Gorillaz, "O.N.E." by Yeasayer and "I Can Change" by LCD Soundsystem.
And if you're still not interested in that, the soundtrack carries some more top-40 based tunes that you'll be sure to recognize like "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys, "I Can Talk" by Two Door Cinema Club, "Flash Delirium" by MGMT and even some overly-aggressive Linkin Park.
But the best part of the soundtrack are the songs that you know you have heard in some capacity before, and just never knew the name of. Everyone has those songs where Shazam took too long to load and you have to resort to hopelessly Googling "song in Acura commercial" so you can add to your collection.
For me, it was Chromeo's "Don't Turn the Lights On" and "Can't Sleep" by Adrian Lux. You can even find some obligatory-for-any-FIFA Scandinavian rap and South American/Spanish lisp-pop. My usual finals week routine is a lot of Girl Talk and Childish Gambino. But now I have a backup.
However, just a fair warning, you might be tempted to leave your work and play a few games of FIFA. And for that, you're welcome.
