Item 2 Completed!

Benthoven here with a followup on Mugshot's post on video game music. Having been thoroughly hooked on The Advantage's outstanding remixes of classic 8 bit beats (Ducktails! Castlevania! Goonies!), I decided to pursue the subject of video game music further on the Internet. I eventually stumbled upon the following interesting item.

















Basically, some very tech savvy types (i.e. nerds) decided to take The Advantage's concept and flip it on its head. Take popular songs from bands like R.E.M., Led Zeppelin, and the like, and remix them using the original audio synthesizer software from the old 8 bit Nintendo.

Some standouts from this selection of "beep-bop" hits?

• "The Final Countdown" by Europe
  
• "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor
• "Closing Time" by Semisonic

All in all definitely worthy of your consideration, if for no other reason than to appreciate the flexibility of the NES as a musical instrument.
You can download the album here. (for free!)
Or peruse the original forum posts that led to its creation by going here. (also free!)
And when you do, feel free to comment on what songs you liked or which ones you think would sound cool given the 8 bit treatment. (comments cost extra!)

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At the End of the Day

It has been a nostalgia-filled week for me. Last night, I went with Mandolin to see Les Miserables at the Forrest Theatre in downtown Philly. I last saw it when I was about as young as Gavroche, and the production was exactly the same, at least from what I remembered. (Lowender pointed out to me that all productions probably are.) Everything, down to the kinds of voices each character had, were just as I had remembered them from the live and recorded versions, even though most of those involved when I originally heard it must be long gone.

I have no shame in my appreciation of Broadway and its ability to create a standardized, musically whole and dramatic experience. What's more, the songs in Les Miserables are filled with terrific pop melodies, and the tunes from the different numbers are actually interrelated in a meaningful way. Hearing it and seeing it again brought back memories, just like hearing the Advantage play the Nintendo Bubble Bobble theme earlier this week. And like any good indie-rock record, the musical itself is top-heavy, with most of the high quality hits coming in the first half of the play.

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Snobbery or ignorance?

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm no snob when it comes to music. But as I sit in my classroom listening to Sonic Youth's 2002 masterpiece Murray Street, I'm reminded of the annual Spring Fling concert at the University of Pennsylvania, where I saw the band last year. I remember a huge uproar in the weeks before the concert about the choice of Sonic Youth to headline Fling -- after all, SY was not a "big name" like Ben Harper of Dave Matthews. (Never mind that Sonic Youth has been in the business for decades and could drop songs out of their ass that are better than the best of those other guys. See, I'm no snob.)

So this year, with O.A.R. chosen to headline the concert, I'm reminded that many Penn students have yet to grow up. It's fine if they don't like Sonic Youth (even though many hadn't heard of them), and, I guess, if they really like O.A.R. more, but to say things like
Penn finally got a "decent" band for Fling is as sickening as the fact that Penn students actually formed a group last year protesting the choice of Sonic Youth because they hadn't heard of the group. Am I a snob, or are these kids ignorant?

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Get an Extra Life

This past weekend's visit to Berkeley, Calif., sparked a personal pop renaissance. Trips to Amoeba with Stark and FriedOreo led to the purchase of a few gems — among them, Mandy Moore's Coverage (yes, I got it because of an XTC cover — "Senses Working Overtime") and a different kind of covers album — a self-titled album by a band called The Advantage. (Their first album was called Elf-Titled. Ha. And they include a member of one of Stark's favorite bands, Hella.) Not everyone knows what it's like staying up till 2 a.m. trying to beat Gannon for the 40th time that month on the Legend of Zelda, but I do, and the Advantage's rocking versions of classic 8-bit Nintendo themes show that the band knows its music AND its Nintendo. Songs come from games including Mega Man 2 (Flash Man), Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Bomberman, Goonies II, Super Marios 2 and 3, and Zelda.

Bubble Bobble brings back memories.

What about you? Post what you think are the best video game themes -- from the classic Nintendo to the Okama GameSphere. If you said it's Magnet Man's level from Mega Man 3, you win in my book. But other responses may be valid.

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