In about six weeks, long-faced football fans jonesing for sacks, Hail Marys and outrageous end-zone celebrations can count on two things to turn their frowns upside down: the start of the preseason and the next installment of the John Madden video-game franchise.
Madden 2005,” due August 12, promises all the bone-crushing hits, jaw-dropping jukes and gridiron grip of its predecessor, all to the tune of another star-packed soundtrack.
Green Day lead the charge of artists unveiling new material in the game. Even before it goes to radio, the title track from the band’s forthcoming album, American Idiot, due September 21, will blare from TV speakers as teams vie for the Lombardi Trophy. Similar exclusivity is given to tracks by producer Jazze Pha (“Da Heavy Hittas”) and Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas (“Go!”).
Transcending the mixtape circuit for the circuit board, rapper Yung Wun donates his street hit “Yung Wun Anthem,” expected to also surface on his debut, Dirtiest Thirstiest, due July 13. Mash-up master DJ Z-Trip lends his skills to a couple of tracks: an original called “Listen to the DJ” that features Soup of Jurassic 5, and “The Madden Re-Match,” a hybrid comprising rap group the D.O.C. and metal band Earshot, who also contribute a track of their own, called “Wait.”
The soundtrack also includes artists such as New Found Glory, Hoobastank, the Hives and Franz Ferdinand contributing cuts from their current albums, and one old-school track: Faith No More’s 1989 classic “From Out of Nowhere.”
“Madden 2005” Track List, According To Electronic Arts:
- Wylde Bunch – “Last Day of School”
- New Found Glory – “This Disaster”
- Earshot – “Wait”
- Hoobastank – “Same Direction”
- Ozomatli – “Saturday Night”
- Jazze Pha – “Da Heavy Hittas”
- Strata – “Piece by Piece”
- Yung Wun – “Yung Wun Anthem”
- Z-Trip f/ Soup of Jurassic 5 – “Listen to the DJ”
- The D.O.C. vs. Earshot – “The Madden Re-Match”
- Will.I.Am – “Go!”
- Hazen Street – “Fool the World”
- Midtown – “Give It Up”
- Alter Bridge – “Open Your Eyes”
- Green Day – “American Idiot”
- JR Ewing – “Time to Get Dirty”
- Hives – “Two-Timing Touch and Broken Bones”
- Mooney Suzuki – “Alive and Amplified”
- Chevelle – “The Clincher”
- Faith No More – “From Out of Nowhere”
- Franz Ferdinand – “Take Me Out”