Back catalogue: Soundtracks

Review: 'We Are!' was the very first opening theme for the TV anime version of One Piece, which first aired in 1999. The first analogue version of the 8cm single CD was released in November of that year. Sung by the franchise's in-house singer Hiroshi Kitadani, and bringing along with her a bursting, emphatic, nearing-on-frenzied composition, the theme instantly captures the vibe of One Piece; that of following Monkey D. Luffy and crew on serial whimsical piracies and carefree adventures, set against a more sinister backdrop of tyrannical secret police forces controlled by a World Government, in constant conflict with a Revolutionary Army.

Review: If you're going to put together a compilation of anthems plucked from the unabashed and unapologetic world of 1980s film soundtracks, then for goodness sake subtitle it The Soundtrack of Your Life. In fact, throw in Vol. 1 just so we know this isn't where the story ends. A decade that wasn't exactly renowned for its subtleties or known for a belief that anything could possibly better it really only deserves this kind of album name, which - from where we're sitting - is pretty accurate.

After all, you'll have to go a very, very long way to get bigger than 'St Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)', a track way, way bigger than the somewhat rudimentary Brat Pack flick it takes its name from. Better films are represented here, with even larger tunes - 'We Don't Need Another Hero' from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Beverly Hills Cop's 'The Heat Is On', and 'Maniac', plucked out of Flashdance, are just a few examples.

Review: Australian folk-indie-pop set Angus & Julia Stone, appropriately led by brother and sister Angus and Julia Stone, have been making waves Down Under for almost 20 years now. One listen to their output is enough to convince you they're a cut well above the rest, and the panel charged with deciding on the ARIA Awards obviously agree. They've now won lots, and received nominations for countless more.
Life Is Strange certainly reflects their oeuvre quite accurately. Somewhere between contemporary country, blissful indie and romantic, soft and sweet artsy indie, the project itself also reflects their forward-thinking attitude, with this one of a growing number of video game scores that are actually albums in themselves, rather than the kind of straight up soundtracks we're mostly used to.