For video gamers, the day of the forthcoming release of “procedural sci-fi adventure survival” game No Man’s Sky: Music For An Infinite Universe is circled on calendars, and U.K. post-rock veterans 65daysofstatic have contributed 10 original songs and six soundscapes to the soundtrack. Video games and music have a long, complex history with technological advancements, making the relationship infinitely more complex to where Dragonforce and Trans Am exist unfettered.
While the blips and bloops of early console games have obvious charm, what’s included here is infinitely more layered, panoramic and on par with both standard 65daysofstatic fare and spacious, relaxing new-age sounds. Soundtrack mode has allowed for greater exploration of the band’s ambient and krautrock interests alongside its post-everything forays of the past 15 years. Sounding like a cross between Explosions In The Sky and Blade Runner’s director cut, No Man’s Sky may be the backing track to an untenable make-believe world, but it’s also an example of the vast and powerful reach of well-placed series of notes.
—Kevin Stewart-Panko
