I wouldn't suggest any of the songs for meditation. Although some otherworldly music can be conducive to relaxation, all of the music in the Defiance: Soundtrack is more edgy and very rhythmic. The two most "relaxing" songs in the group were "Tranquility" and "Votan Romance," which are just under and over one minute, respectively. Next would be "San Francisco Shadows," which has a defined beat, with some sound effects here and there, but it has a generally softer ambiance than the rest of the album, without the hard grind that the majority of the songs on the album feature. A distant fourth would be "Marin Exploration" - and Marin Exploration has sound effects of gunshots in the distance at one point. If your idea of relaxation music includes gun reports, you probably need help of some sort.
Most of the pieces are designed to heighten tension and intrigue and to give a sense of alien, uncomfortable areas - to serve as a background to the in-game action. The music rises to this challenge with a good bit of military cadence, unsettling alien-sounding effects, a heavy dose of saw-tooth waveform instruments and a good bit of audio effects and bass drops and wub-wubs that indicate that the future does, indeed, sound like dubstep. Sounds used in these songs range from pan flutes and strings to grinding synths and what sounds like weapons fire.
The "Theme From Defiance" has everything, from violins to dubstep-esque blowouts, with military undertones, alien sounds and sections that have some sad strings or some almost native-sounding claps, for a touch (or reminder) of humanity. The soundtrack is book-ended with versions of the theme; the first song on the album is a four minute, nineteen second version of the song and the last song on the album is an extended reprise of the song that is just over seven minutes long.
Fans of both Defiance and Firefly have likely noted that Defiance has a bit of that "space cowboy" feel to it, with humans never leaving Earth and, instead, the aliens (in)conveniently coming to them. A couple songs reflect a bit of this cowboys-meets-aliens feel to them, such as "Ninety-Niners," with its fiddle part that sounds to have, perhaps, Irish Folk inspirations. "Marin Exploration" has a bit of that vibe, as well, at least for a bit in the middle of the song.
If you're a fan of Defiance and you like the music from the videogame, this is your chance to take it with you in digital format. The songs last a total of one hour, thirty-one minutes and nineteen seconds, which I discovered when I went to drop the music to CD to listen to it on the way to work. In fact, there's more music than would fit on a CD.
As I stated above, it's all instrumental and it's mostly pumping music, but if you need a shot of adrenaline to go, buy a copy and take it with you.
