When Rock Goes 8-Bit
Sound has always an integral part of the gamer experience: from the reassuring ‘boop’ of a pong hit to the orchestrated score of Halo 3, there’s always been an ample musical backing to heighten gaming’s greatest moments. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that plenty of musicians who grew up with gaming love paying tribute to videogame music in one way or another. Rock band, this ain’t.
So I’ve compiled a list of five videogame-themed bands to check into for maximum enjoyment, with links to a video of each band. Some of the bands play songs directly lifted from videogames; some get a bit more creative. Either way, think of it of expanding your musical palette while staying true to the gamer at heart.
1. Minibosses.
Arguably the most recognizable name in the videogame cover genre, these Massachusetts boys cover all of your nostalgia-inducing, 8-bit favouries: from the Castlevania theme to Ninja Gaiden, the minibosses re-arrange it into their guitar-bass-drums configuration and make it rockier. A number of tracks are available as free downloads on their website, www.minibosses.com.
Minibosses hilarious video for “Castlevania III”
2. Man Factory.
Man Factory don’t cover videogame songs, but they’ve done something far more beautiful: penning a rock-opera ode to Street Fighter Two, which is both fantastic musically and completely unashamed of its extremely nerdy glory. They’ve only completed ‘Round One’ so far (which is free to download on their myspace), but those seven songs are one of the finest tributes to a single videogame you’re likely to find. http://www.myspace.com/manfactory
Man Factory, “Chun-Li Suite and Where is Ryu?’
By day, Nobuo Uematsu is known for composing some of the Final Fantasy series’ greatest music. By night….he records it all again in his personal band, the Black Mages, covering his own FF-tunes in rock-band format. They’ve just released a third album (The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight), but rarely play live. Still, not bad for a group fronted by a soon to be 50-year-old composer.
The Black Mages lack an english website, so here’s an interview with the group!
Black Mages “Those Who Fight Further”
4. The Megas.
One of the strangest videogame bands, and probably my favourite. The Megas stick to—you guessed it—Megaman tunes, but add their own lyrics in on top, which is kind of bizarre and kind of awesome. I could write more, but I think it’s best to just experience them, at least in video form. www.themegas.com
The Megas, “The Annihilation of Monsteropolis”
5. Cadence Weapon.
Alright, alright: This rapper isn’t a completely videogame-focused artist like most of the above. But he makes plenty of odes to system-based gaming: Lyrically, by dropping lines about his love of Megaman 4, or through selected musical samples (His track “Grim Fandango” lifts the creepy guitar riff from Silent Hill, of all things), or in videos like below. http://www.cadenceweaponmusic.com/
Cadence Weapon, “Sharks”
