The National

“Exile Vilify”
from the single Exile Vilify (From the Game “Portal 2”)
2011
iTunes

For those who aren’t as in-tune to the gaming world as others, this isn’t the first time The National has contributed an exclusive song to a video game, and furthermore, the second time they’ve contributed to the Portal series of games. “Exile Vilify” is a piano and string-drenched lament that appears in Portal 2, but judging by the single’s artwork, may have originated as a High Violet B-side. Either way, it’s the kind of track that emphasizes atmosphere and build over everything else, making it a good fit for the at times similarly structured world of video games.