I suppose this isn’t anything new to gamers with a broader cultural palette, but there’s this new Dockers commercial that uses the song “California Soul” by Marlena Shaw, and when I heard the opening horn riff I thought they were sampling Rez.

That’s because DJ Adam Freeland sampled that riff prominently for the remix of his own song, “F.E.A.R.,” as the music for Rez’s fifth level. It’s my favorite track in the game, and Freeland makes pretty good work of looping and beefing up the horn groove (see 2:22 in that video). Who knew?

Music | No Comments »

I woke this morning to see my girlfriend — who at this point just tolerates my video game habit — standing over me and singing “Still Alive” (Spoiler Warning) from Portal.

It’s going to be a great day.

Newman, Music | 2 Comments »

I’ve long dreamed of a video game cover band that does justice to the songs they tribute. Most game music is based on short, looping themes, much of it Japanese and somewhat jazz-oriented, perfect for improvisation and interpretation. And as for composition, if you can see through the blippy lo-fi sound (aesthetic to some), a lot old video game music is quite interesting.

So it’s always surprised me that the most celebrated video game cover bands (Minibosses, The Advantage, NESkimos) turn the sounds of our youth into death metal. The worst examples cover up both the song’s intricacies and their own musical inadequacy with distortion. I’m not totally against this, but when every Dr. Wily Theme Song from Mega Man 2 lacks groove, and every note rings a little too long, and every drum fill causes a missed downbeat, you start to wonder if there’s another way.

Fortunately, there’s The OneUps. For goodness sakes, the group does a latin jazz cover of the theme from Zelda, with horn solos in the middle. They have a number that interlaces Super Mario World melodies with Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” And according to their Web site, they’re working on a funk set. Even listening to their online offerings, you can tell that the band not only knows the music, but they know music. It’s impressive that a group this talented is willing to dedicate themselves to such a niche. You can download their albums online, or pick individual tracks, which works if you’re only a fan of some of the games they cover.

Rants, Music | No Comments »