On Video Game Cover Bands.
The video game cover genre that has erupted in the last few years is a really strange phenomenon. It very quickly changed from a novelty mostly enjoyed by nerds (like myself) and hipster douchebags that just go to yell “YEAHHH! I IRONICALLY REMEMBER SUPER ZELDA BROTHERS!” (hipsters can be killed only by fire and destruction of the head, should you ever want to kill one; believe me, you will) into a legitimate genre of arranged music, performed by incredibly talented musicians and respected even by those outside of the gaming community. There are three things that I think contributed to this: nostalgia, artistry, and musicianship. Nostalgia, of course, is going to be core to attracting new listeners to a band performing songs from the past, just like with, say, an 80s cover band, but it’s really the artistry and musicianship involved that have really pushed the genre over the top. There are so many phenomenally talented musicians, spanning many, many different instruments, and many of them are also very skilled at arrangement. They take the genre far beyond the simple novelty that it could be and bring it into the realm of serious music. Unfortunately, some bands don’t understand this, and because of this, we’re left with some groups that are jokes at best, and pretentious horseshit at worst. Here’s some reviews of some of my best loved – and most hated – groups.
The Black Mages
Although they’re renowned for many reasons, the Black Mages are probably best known for actually having Final Fantasy series composer Nobuo Uematsu in the band. He rocks the hell out of pianos, organs, and keyboards along with Kenichiro Fukui (an awesome composer in his own right, having worked on Sunset Riders, Lethal Enforcers, and the tragically underrated Einhänder, as well as arranging the soundtrack for the DS version of Final Fantasy IV with Junya Nakano), backed by Tsuyoshi Sekito (who did the soundtracks for Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant) and Michio Okamiya (Square publicity) on guitar, Keiji Kawamori (who arranged Final Fantasy III DS with Tsuyoshi Sekito) on bass, and Arata Hanyuda (also from Square Publicity) on drums. They sound like if Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer had an instrumental love child, which I suppose is appropriate since Uematsu has mentioned both bands as a huge influence. Actually, now that I think about it, pretty much every video game composer has mentioned ELP as an influence at some point. They’re one of those bands like Dream Theater who you can rock out to like crazy but still feel smart because of the classical influences. You can thoughtfully headbang, possibly while wearing a monocle and smoking a pipe.
Choice Tracks
Matoya’s Cave (The Black Mages II: The Skies Above)
I was so happy that someone did a cover of my favorite song from the original Final Fantasy that I wouldn’t have cared what it sounded like, but the fact that it’s arguably the most beautifully arranged track the band has ever done really puts it over the top. I admit I’m a sucker for classical guitar arrangements of video game songs, but this one is probably the best I’ve ever heard. Plus the extended rock out section in the middle is really fun to watch live (on their DVD anyway, I’m not cool enough to have seen them in person).
Opening ~ Bombing Mission (The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight)
Ok, this probably should have went to the epic and amazing version of the ENTIRE OPERA (!) from Final Fantasy III/VI, but as good as that track is, I really enjoy listening to this one more. This is probably because of nostalgia, but regardless of the reason, I love this song. It evokes really powerful memories of the Christmas I got FF7, and even though I didn’t have a memory card yet, I sat and played the shit out of it. I remember it’s the first time I ever saw swearing in a game, mostly because my parents saw it. Fortunately, my parents didn’t really mind, because they knew I was mature enough to handle it, and I credit my appreciation for intellectual pursuits (like this dick joke-filled website) to that lax parenting. Hell, my dad took me to see Starship Troopers when I was 9, which I think led to my lifelong appreciation of popcorn sci-fi and also tits. Anyway, yeah, if you’ve heard the original track (which you have if you’ve played the game, since it’s the first track you hear), there’s really not a whole lot to say about this cover, other than that it’s completely awesome. I don’t know what else you could want.
Dancing Mad (The Black Mages)
Dancing Mad, the theme song for the greatest video game villain of all time, is one of the most epic songs I’ve ever heard a band do. Any band, not just a video game band. It’s such a tremendous, powerful song, and it ranges from desperate to furious to soaring in such a way that evokes all the images of that final boss fight better than the original track did. The best part of the song, and the reason the arrangement is so much better than the original, is because the end of the track features the greatest solo of all time. Period. Listen to the whole track, and when get to that solo at the end, just try not to scream “FUUUUUUUUUCK YEEEEEESSSSSSSS” along with the guitar. I don’t want to have to be the one to say so, but if you don’t, the fact is you are a giraffe rapist.
The OneUps
The OneUps are pretty much the opposite of the Black Mages in every way except talent. They’re a little harder to define, because they don’t really stick to one genre, but are generally a little softer and more laid-back and groovy. A lot of their work hovers around light jazz, but never stays pinned down for too long. It’s really refreshing, since so many bands stay around the “here are some Nintendo songs exactly as they sounded originally, but we play them with really crunchy guitars, and we laugh about it too so you can’t laugh at us” mold that the Minibosses created (and perfected, and became the only band capable of doing without being obnoxious or insulting to gamers). They’re really closer to a collective than anything else (although I hate using that term since every untalented, pretentious-ass indie fuck likes to use that term for their shitty bands just because they occasionally have guest musicians), and their lineup changes pretty often. However, one of the constant members who has been with the band since the beginning is famous OCRemix member Mustin. He’s probably my favorite individual arranger in the video game fan community, and he has a huge catalog of work outside of the OneUps (if you can hunt it out, get The Mustin Collection; it’s fantastic). Another constant member is Dale North, who you may know as the news editor of Destructoid. His work is pretty good as well, especially his version of Pollyanna from Bound Together, the other other best song on the album, after the OneUps track and Ailsean’s version of the drugstore theme (as detailed below).
Choice Tracks
Summers (Bound Together)
Bound Together is probably my favorite video game tribute album of all time. I admit that part of the reason for that is because Earthbound is probably my favorite video game of all time, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Bound Together was the first album that showed me there’s a lot more to the fan-made game music tribute scene than bland, generic techno and abrasive, shitty hardcore (the only kind of hardcore). Bound Together spans all kinds of different genres, from jazz to rock to techno to ambient to new age. It’s a perfect tribute; it’s eclectic, strange, humorous, mindful, and touching, just like the game it was inspired by. The OneUps version of the town theme of Summers is maybe my favorite track (although Ailsean’s excellently jazzy guitar rendition of the drugstore theme, The Drugstore Sells Sparks!, is a strong contender). The instrumentation is great, and it really showcases the excellent sax work that makes so many OneUps tunes so awesome. It sounds exactly like what the original track was supposed to sound like; groovy, laid-back, relaxing-in-the-sun beach music.
Green Hill Zone (The OneUps Volume 2)
This track, the first world theme from Sonic the Hedgehog, is probably my favorite track on any Sega system, and the OneUps tear it up. As I said before, the sax work is a big part of what makes their music so good, and this song really shows it off. The guitar work is particularly great, too. It also features a great little electric piano solo. The electric piano is probably my favorite instrument (except possibly the fretless bass), so this is a big plus for me. It’s almost evocative of the 70s work of Bob James, most famous for Angela, the theme song from Taxi, and that may be why I like it so much.
Aquatic Ambiance (The OneUps Volume 1)
This is pretty much the epitome of what a video game cover should be. It pays tribute to the original track while expanding on it creatively, using magnificent instrumentation and arrangement to not only capture the essence of the original track and the atmosphere of the game but to have an atmosphere all its own, making a track that may be better than the original.
Unfortunately, there are bands that aren’t quite this good. There are also bands that completely fucking suck. Here’s are examples of both:
The Protomen
EDITED: This generated a ton of controversy, partly because of a few factual errors in the original article. I’ve fixed this up, and tried to make my arguments a little clearer. I’m not used to having to be fair, mostly since I’m used to being the only one really reading my articles. And yes, that was a joke.
I don’t think the Protomen are a good band. Despite being educated at one of the best schools in the country for music, their production sounds amateurish at times (and not in a good way), and I don’t really care for their music. but they have their moments of rock. It’s not really so much that the Protomen are a bad band, though, so much as it is that, despite their marketing, they aren’t a video game band in any way, shape, or form. “Now, wait a minute,” you say, “that’s not fair, just because they don’t play songs from video games doesn’t mean they aren’t a video game band! They play music based on video games!” (Jesus you talk a lot. This is my fucking article, and anyway, how is that even possible?) To this I say, in what way? Yeah, they used Dr. Wily, Mega Man, Proto Man, Proto Man’s hat, and the concept of robots. That’s like saying Lost is based on John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government because it has a character named John Locke in it. Most of the acclaim for the Protomen revolves around their narrative, and don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad story. It’s just that it’s not fucking Mega Man’s story, which means they aren’t a fucking Mega Man band. “Well, at least they’re doing something original,” you bray. Well, that’s true, except for the fact that it isn’t. You see, there’s a band called The Megas which has been around since 2004. They’re more talented musicians, and producers, and they play songs that are actually from Mega Man. They are a video game band. Moreover, their lyrics follow a storyline. A storyline about Dr. Wily. A storyline about Dr. Wily using his robots to take over the world. A storyline that is a whole fucking lot like the Protomen’s, only related to Mega Man. Now, I’m not saying that the Protomen ripped them off, obviously they didn’t. I’m just saying that this isn’t something that has never been done. Furthermore, how original is the idea of a robot dystopia? Are you saying you’ve never heard of a story about a robot dystopia? “Ok, maybe it’s not original, but they have a great stage show!” Yeah, maybe when they give a shit, they do. Unfortunately, when I saw them in concert, they really didn’t seem to give a shit. They apparently got to the show late, and then took a fucking hour and a half to set their equipment up. They had a few keyboards, a guitar, a bass, a drum kit, and a couple of amps. Most of the sound was already run, because the venue had a sound system. This should have taken 20 fucking minutes, or even less, to set up, judging by the equipment they used (which, yes, I am familiar with). The worst part is that after all this work, they played one song which didn’t work right. Then, after about 10 more minutes of messing with their equipment, when the supposedly “legendary” stage show started, they hit a piece of metal with a hammer. I didn’t know the in-depth story or anything, but I’m a sucker for theatrics. After that, though, it was about 30 minutes of playing normally, albeit in hats and makeup, at a volume sufficient to make the poorly mixed sound irrelevant. Then, they played an admittedly awesome version of Total Eclipse of the Heart, and packed up and left town. That was it. Honestly, at first I only went to see them because my friend’s band Midnight Radio was there (they rocked the house), but by the day of the show, I had started to get excited about seeing the Protomen. But they really came off like a bunch of cocky assholes that think they’re bigger than they are, and like they could really give a shit less about people who are willing to support them unless they can personally benefit from them. I felt really let down. This is really my biggest problem with the band: their attitude. I’ll admit that from a songwriting standpoint, yeah, they generally know what they’re doing, better than some bands, anyway. They have a couple of tightly written songs. I’ve listened to both their albums about 10 times through, if only because I was trying to figure out what all the fuss is about. But I don’t care how talented a group is if they treat a show like it doesn’t matter just because there aren’t enough people there, and I become actively pissed when they try to act like “video game band” is a pejorative. Most of their fanbase is made of video game fans, they play a lot of video game conventions, and they’re supposedly “inspired” by video games. So why would they be embarrassed of being called a video game band? Like I’ve said before, there’s nothing wrong with playing video game music or being associated with the culture, and it’s insulting to act like you’re better than your fans. So, to reiterate, they’ve made some decent albums. I just can’t say anything positive about them outside of that, except that maybe that the research for this article led me to discover and fall in love with The Megas. <3 you guys.
HORSE the Band
HORSE the Band is possibly the worst band, of any kind, that I’ve ever heard. They are a fucking joke. That’s all I can say about them.
My wife, though, has this to say: “More like HORSESHIT!”
Well, ok, any of you who know me know I can’t shut up about things I hate until I’ve exhausted every possible negative point. Listen to this musical abortion. Like most hardcore, it’s the musical equivalent of a Michael Bay movie, a lot of distracting musical explosions with no real talent or direction behind it. Playing it in the midst of a battle would constitute a war crime. Furthermore, they refer to their sound as “Nintendo-core,” a name as obnoxious as it is laughably inaccurate. Owning a synthesizer does not make you a fucking video game band. I guess if that’s the only way you can promote your band, though, more power to you! Unless your band causes Ear AIDS, like HORSE the Band. REAL TALK.
Comments
Leave a Reply
brentalfloss on 06.10.2010
Nice article. Do a sequel! And include that handsome brentalfloss fella!
Ninjapocalypse on 06.11.2010
ZOMG it’s you!
Actually I was already writing a second part. And you were in it!
MY GOD.
MY SITE WAS IN YOUR FLASHFORWARD.
I started writing the second part when I realized I left you and Ailsean out. I promise. I’m not sucking up. Well, maybe a little, since I think I’ve watched your version of The Moon with lyrics more times in the last month than I’ve been to church in my entire life. But it’s not entirely sucking up. So keep an eye on this here “web-site” cause you’ll be on here soon too.
Codec on 06.11.2010
You know it takes a certain sort of wilful ignorance to be this stupid about something. Any man can be uneducated, poorly informed and just plain lacking in the smarts to get it done, but to be this wrong takes intent. You have to have decided to be devoid of knowledge, content to be left behind by the wavefront of evolution, and prepared to make a virtue out of ignorance. I thought about attempting to educate you; to set your right on your wrongs but then I realised you have no desire to recieve such information. A cursory Google of your subject matter would have revealed that Makeup and Vanity set and Protomen are in fact two different entities, the one being the tour DJ (and 8-bit remix artisit) of the other. Same lable though. If only identity was related to proximity. Or that The Protomen have been around and recording before 2004. Feel free to explore these revelations in your own time. But no, you did not wish to present any sort of informed arguement or commentary here. You simply wished to whine about how you went to a show once and didn’t have a good time. Perhaps your date ditched you after the first set? I wouldn’t blame him/her if your writing reflects your conversation. Personally I would have been prepared to write this off as a difference of opinion and let it be but your pretentious ‘my dad was in a band so I must know what the fuck I am talking about’ arguement (specious at best given the wildly varying nature of technology and its associated problems) combined with the blatant axe-to-grind angsty rant about their attitude to their supporters forced my hand. So go, languish in your ill-informed bitterness while you write your superior rock opera. And when, years from now, encompassed by your inevitable failure and still chewing on the comforting bile of your vendetta you can look back on this moment and think ‘if only I had taken the time to find out what the fuck I was talking about, perhaps I wouldn’t be in this wretched hole looking out as The Protomen march past in their glory.’ Perhaps The Protomen aren’t a video game band. Do they claim to be? I don’t think so. Setting out to write an article about video game bands then dragging one in you consider to be outside the genre just to vent your spleen at them seems a little… how shall we say it?.. unstable? I for one would be interested in hearing what yoru real issue with them. An idea for your next post perhaps?
Ninjapocalypse on 06.11.2010
I understand what you’re getting at, but I think you’re a little too overzealous about your point. Before you get mad about that, I don’t mean it in a cutting or vindictive way. Let me explain:
First of all, you’re absolutely right about the Makeup and Vanity Set. That was poor research on my part. I thought I could take some of my friends’ word for it, but obviously I can’t. That’s why I’m not a newsman. But nothing of my opinion is “willful ignorance.” It’s just the way I feel with the information I’ve been presented. Furthermore, I didn’t deign to present an informed argument or commentary. This isn’t an overview of their career or an encyclopedic article. This is an opinion article, and that’s all it was ever meant to be. There’s an article I wrote a couple of months ago about this (which I don’t expect you to have read, don’t worry). I don’t consider myself to be a critic to be respected and agreed with; I only write for entertainment. I hate the very concept of a critic. I think that putting yourself in the position that you feel that your opinions are any more valid than anyone else’s is ridiculous and egotistical. The only reason my site exists is to try and entertain some people. So while I’m not going to be “left behind by the wavefront of evolution,” I did fail to entertain you, and for that I apologize.
I don’t completely hate the Protomen, and if I had an axe to grind I would have made this much more negative. Honestly, they aren’t that bad (as I said in the article), it’s just that I hate that they’re always depicted as one of the big bands in the video game cover scene. Like you said, they aren’t a game band. That said, the show I went to was awful. There was no “first act” any more than there was a date to leave me (especially considering I’ve been married for over two years. Seriously, do some research before you take a childish dig! Just kidding.). It was a 30 minute set with about 4 or 5 original songs and a cover, no theatrics. I don’t think that I “know what I’m talking about” just because I’ve set up stage equipment for years. It’s more because I was about 3 feet from the stage and could see everything they were doing. I’m familiar with most of the equipment they were using and how it needed to be run. It was set up correctly, it just took way longer than it should have, for no reason other than that the band was in no hurry to do it. Maybe their other shows are better! I’m in no position to know. I know plenty of people enjoy their shows, so I’m sure some of them are great.
So overall, I guess my point is that I’m glad you like the Protomen! There are bands that are much worse that you could like. I don’t want to change anyone’s opinion. If you enjoy something you should keep enjoying it, it doesn’t matter what I think. But that said, I’m entitled to my opinion as well, and if I don’t like them, then it doesn’t matter what you think. Don’t take an attitude like your opinion is a fact and that my failure is inevitable because I don’t like a band and went off on a poorly written rant about them. Honestly, yours is the first negative comment that I’ve gotten, but I’m sure more will come. But I’ve gotten plenty of positive feedback as well. It’s all relative. So I hope you come back, and maybe enjoy some of my other work. And if you don’t, I understand.
MRN2g on 06.12.2010
Whoa, the guy who spelled realize with an ‘S’ and told you you would be left behind by a wave of digital evolution just called you pretentious. Let’s just disregard the fact that the Protomen put out their first CD a year after the Megas. Although Wikipedia says that the Protomen were around in ’93, considering the fact that I went to college with three of these asshats, I don’t know how they expect anyone to believe that they were a band back that year. In ’93, I was 5 YEARS OLD! Perhaps it is true and they either have a time machine or are pushing 40. I won’t believe that with all of the technology in our hands that a band could be around for 12 years without putting out a single record. I know they studied recording, but the production has that “I just got a copy of Garage Band, and I put four different kinds of synth in there. Isn’t this innovative for 2005 shit?” that everybody did. Sorry, I just had to chime in. Your article was brilliant. You handle your critics well, and you’re a real class act, kid.
Anthony on 06.13.2010
Hey man, just read your article. I wonder if maybe you should go back and fix a few things?
It’s one thing to not like a band, that’s fine. I can appreciate where you’re coming from — I find all sorts of bands overrated that many people around me appreciate. But I just think that if you’re going to lay it all out and attack a band you should get the facts straight.
The Protomen recorded their first track in ’03, Due Vendetta (the last track on their first album), as per an interview I did with them in February ’08. The Megas, according to their records online started in ’04. Whether or not they heard The Protomen first then got the idea or got the idea themselves is really not an issue. I interviewed them at Comic Con ’08 and they didn’t mention hearing them when describing their origins, so it seems more like a Ramones or Sex Pistols who-came-first sort of issue. I mean, there’s only a year between the two. But The Megas were second.
There’s clear stylistic differences between the two bands as well. The Megas are a poppy, tongue-in-cheek take on Mega Man 2. The lyrics are cleverly ironic and catchy as hell, but they follow the conventions of the actual games pretty much spot-on. Talented musicians, nevertheless, and good guys to boot.
The Protomen reference the games, sure, but you couldn’t find their story in one of the actual games. That’s because it’s an original take on the property. A few of the characters are original as well. Also, the music is completely different. It ranges over several styles, but it never touches the same mold The Megas are cast from.
Also, it’s not ‘The’ Makeup and Vanity Set. It’s just Makeup and Vanity Set.
I’m sorry you were unsatisfied with the show, but you should at least correct the mistakes in your article. I’m not trying to be disrespectful to you or anything. I’ve left my website and email if you feel the need to respond, or even comment bomb me or retaliate in some way. You obviously don’t even have to post this if you don’t want to. But I hope you’ll at least fix your mistakes.
dave on 06.13.2010
@MRN2g you can spell realize with an S. the guy is probably just from england. look it up. also which three of them did you apparently go to school with, and how old are you? as i do know them and would love you have you back this statement up.
as for who was making music first and your various production comments, please just read this and rethink your attack a little -
http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_nashville_skyline_86/
everyone clearly needs to just do their research better around here before venturing to be critical of people who are clearly being a great deal more creative with their time.
Ninjapocalypse on 06.14.2010
Like I said before, I understand that I made a few factual errors in the post about the Protomen, and I apologize about that. Now that I have a minute to do so, I’m going to fix the errors that I made. I appreciate the constructive criticism, and I’ve never been one to hide criticism of my work. This isn’t a prestige piece for me, and if someone is unhappy with something I’ve done, then they have every right to criticize it.
However, while I respect that you like the band (and like I said before, I’m not looking to change anybody’s opinions), I still stand by my main problems with the Protomen. Despite the way the article came off, it wasn’t just dissatisfied with the show I saw. My problem really lies more with the attitude the band seems to have. There weren’t a whole lot of people at this show, maybe around 80-100. I just genuinely felt like this was a “fuck you” show, because there weren’t enough people there for them to really put their all into it. I’ve seen them perform (in videos) for larger crowds, and they looked like they tried a lot harder. Like I said, in the show I got to go to, they didn’t “perform” their usual show, they just played a couple of songs and left. That wasn’t hyperbole; it was literally a 30 minute show. And they didn’t stick around to talk to anyone or anything like you would expect a band on their level. They just packed up and left. If it was just a show that came out terrible that they really tried on, that would be one thing, but it just felt like they cut their effort short because they didn’t feel like there were enough people that they wanted to impress.
And as far as The Protomen vs. The Megas: again, I probably came off wrong. It’s not that I think one band ripped off the other. I love The Megas, but they’re a completely different band. They pay homage to the series, and do so by playing music from games in the series. The Protomen are not a video game band in any way, shape, or form, aside from using a couple of names and Protoman’s helmet. To reiterate, I have no problem with people liking the Protomen, or anything about them, and I’m definitely not jealous of their success, so this isn’t coming from a place of bitterness or anger (like people seem to keep suggesting, which I think is a juvenile way of criticising someone; it’s like when I was in middle school and talked about hating Eminem, and people would reply “well, he’s getting laid a lot more than you!” What the hell does that have to do with my criticisms?), but, as hard as I’ve tried, I can’t reconcile them with the games. They seem to have hit the “sweet spot,” so to speak; they have a band whose iconography attracts Mega Man fans, but when they get criticized for not having anything at all to do with Mega Man, they just say “oh, well, we’re not a video game band, so you can’t criticize us for not being one, we never claimed to be.” Whether they “claim” to be a video game band or not, they borrowed the iconography, and to new fans, they’re a Mega Man band, whether they claim to be or not. Which, again, is fine, except that they (and some of their fans) tend to take an attitude when they’re referred to as such. I don’t have a problem with someone making music that I don’t like, I just don’t like people who take attitudes, especially about something like that.
This article has generated a lot of controversy. I’ve been getting a lot of new people in to the site, which is cool, but I don’t want people to think this site is super negative. I really just try to talk about things I love. It’s all about love, people. <3
MRN2g on 06.14.2010
@Dave
The Protomen are in their 20s. They weren’t putting out albums in 93′. I have a sneaking suspicion that Codec is in that band. I am not going to mention who is in the band, for their anonymity and mine. If I am wrong about this, than you should be the one releasing their identities to prove to me that they were old enough to start the band in ’93. I looked at your link, and it didn’t prove anything. I remember several bands which were just as good or better than the Protomen which never received the same praise and acclaim. Happy Birthday Amy, Bent Fur, The Glib, and the Vermicious K’nids are a few for example. I can bet you any amount of money that Codec is not from England. By all means, feel free to set things straight if YOU can prove ME wrong.
As for who is being more wasteful of their time, you don’t know me. I write and know a thing or two about music. Just because I am not putting it out there, it doesn’t mean that my art is not valuable as the douchebags who used their spare motorcycle helmet to dress up like MegaMan. Maybe I would like them if they paid an ounce of attention to their source material and didn’t pretend like MegaMan had no existing story before they came along. That is why I think they are arrogant jerks.
I read this website because I like old games, and I can relate to the author’s work. I have been reading this website for over 1 year, and I don’t care whether or not it is as popular as the band that basturdized my favorite video game’s story, go by idiotic names, and dance around on stage wearing make-up. Just because the Protomen are more well known, it does not mean that their work is more important.
Ninjapocalypse on 06.14.2010
To be fair, he never said that they started in 1993. The only source I can find for that is on Wikipedia, and a few other sites here and there with no sources.
Also, you criticized Codec for spelling realize with s but spelled bastardized with a u.
Other than that, I appreciate you sticking up for me, but I don’ t want a flame war. I want this website to be a positive place, and I want people to read it because it makes them happy or makes them laugh or whatever. I don’t want people to be turned off just because I don’t like a band. I admit my attack was maybe a little virulent. I tend to get worked up a little too much about stuff I don’t like. It’s a flaw, although sometimes I do it for comedic value.
At least we all seem to agree about how godawful HORSE the Band is. Let’s all unite under one banner of hatred for them!
MRN2g on 06.14.2010
@Ninjapocalypse
I guess it doesn’t matter. I don’t care about the Protomen anyway or any other bands that suck. I appreciate your writing, and I do not think you should apologize for your opinions. It’s great that you are trying to keep your website positive. Believe me, I could have written a much harsher review of the Protomen. I think musicians should realize when they play music in a niche genre, most people are not going to like them. Even in the mainstream, it is hard to reach a majority audience. Just because you have a higher standard of review, it does not mean you were wrong for honestly stating your opinion.
The Protomen (Commander) on 06.15.2010
Hello Everyone,
The following section is to MRN2g(atmtsu?):
I think you’re missing the point. I don’t think anyone was bashing Ninjapocalypse for not liking us. They seemed to be attacking him (with possibly too much zeal) for presenting an opinion that was based on entirely wrong facts, while presenting that misinformation as fact. When starting this band, we never expected everyone to like us. In fact, that was the purpose of the band. Why do you think the first album sounds like distorted pencil sharpeners about 90% of the time? Our first album was made specifically to go against everything our recording teachers and fellow students were trying to feed us about making everything sound pristine and “perfect.” We could have easily made an “indie rock” record that sounded like every other indie rock record on earth, but we didn’t. It wasn’t us. “Act I” was an experiment on how to record everything wrong, but in a somehow “right” way. That being said, we completely understand people not liking the record because of that.
Also, by the math in your first comment, you would have been around 17 or 18 in 2005. Meaning that you wouldn’t have gotten to college until ’05 or ’06. We had all graduated and moved to Nashville by 2005. It seems that you didn’t go to college with any of these “asshats.” Again, we’re ok with you not liking us, but you don’t have to be a douche about it.
As for our arrogance…I don’t know what you think we get out of doing this band, but it’s mostly nothing. We do this because we love it. It is something that has become a strong part of our lives, and if we were only in it for rock n’ roll fame and glory, believe me, there are much easier paths to take.
This next section is to Ninjapocalypse:
Firstly, I’d like to commend you on how you’ve reacted to the slightly overzealous comments that were trying to defend us. It’s not every day that you see someone on the internet keep their cool and use their brain when internet confronted. It’s obvious that you’re not in this for “website hits” or fortune and glory. That is why I’m responding now.
That being said, I am slightly confused by how you feel about our attitude. The show that you describe seems to be the last show we played in Knoxville. I’m pretty sure that is the only time we’ve played with Midnight Radio. I’m especially amazed that we came off as arrogant that night, because we were mostly terrified that we wouldn’t even make it through that show at all. Two nights before, at our show in Memphis, Panther blew out his voice. We decided to cancel our appearance in Knoxville, because we didn’t have a lead singer, but we got several emails from fans asking us to reconsider the cancellation. To make a long story short, we decided to do the show anyway and teach two of our other singers (TurboLover and The Gambler) his parts….while driving to Knoxville. You are right in thinking that it wasn’t a regular show. We had to rearrange our set to work for the new singers. We did what we could for the kids who cared. I’m sorry that it was your first impression of us, but maybe try giving us another try when we come back through. We generally do our best to bring the thunder even if there are only 5 kids in the crowd.
As for our packing up and leaving right after our show – I know you somehow think we have a small amount of gear, but we are always the last people to leave the venue, many times to the dismay of the people running the venue. One of the main reasons is that it takes us a while to start tearing down our gear because we spend that time talking to fans and signing strange things. Did you actually stick around to talk to us, or did you just assume we were asses? Because I really don’t see how you missed the cake eating party that we had that night with everyone after that show, but we certainly ate cake and hung out with the 30, or so, kids who stuck around. It was seriously good cake, too. Again, give us another shot, and hopefully we won’t disappoint. •••And before anyone says anything… yes, the cake part is very true.
Sorry for the long-winded response, but I just wanted to clear some of the air.
-Commander
p.s. – We don’t control what is said on our Wikipedia page. That is the nature of the horrible beast.
Ninjapocalypse on 06.16.2010
@Commander
You know what, Commander? I’ve got to be honest, that was a very cool response on your part. You didn’t get pissed, or go nuts on me about how I’m going to be “left behind by the wavefront of evolution” or anything. So I think I was probably wrong about your attitude. Honestly I couldn’t figure out how your band could survive while being cocky assholes, because especially in your genre musicians are expected to be really cool to talk to and hang out with, so I might have been wrong. Maybe I just misinterpreted what was going on, and for that, I’m sorry. I had apparently forgotten about the problems you had with your vocalist, although now that I think back about it I remember you guys mentioning it. That’s a hard problem to get over and I guess it would explain the discrepency between what I’ve heard about your stage show and what I saw.
However, I do need to say it was setting up that seemed to be the problem, not tearing down. I don’t think you have a small amount of gear at all, it looked like quite a bit. It’s just that it looked fairly simple to set up. Again, I could be missing something, but I’m pretty familiar with most of the equipment you use. And I wasn’t specifically staying around to talk to you, but I was there for quite a while afterward. I want to make it clear that I didn’t feel specifically spurned because I wanted to talk to you guys and didn’t get to; it just looked like after the show you guys were completely gone. And again, maybe I was looking in the wrong place.
So, I definitely made some mistakes in my article, I admit. You, at least, are cooler than I gave you credit for. I’m still not really a fan of your music, but now that’s more of a personal taste thing than it is a problem with your attitude.
One thing though: Please, please, please tell me it’s your fans/reporters/whatever and not you guys that are saying that you took something that had no story and made a big, epic thing out of it. I respect what you’ve done with the iconography of the games, but Mega Man has a very, very in-depth story and always has; it just doesn’t come up directly inside the first couple of games. If I had to pick one thing that always irritated me about the Protomen, it’s that. I really hope it isn’t you guys, because if it was, that would be incredibly disrespectful to the source material that has won you so many fans.
I’ve tried to make my criticisms more clear in the ridiculous amount of edits I’ve done, so I hope this clears up any problems that were there before. Your response certainly has on my side; I just hope that my corrections have done so on your side. I don’t want to begrudge anyone anything they enjoy, but I feel like I have some fair criticisms that I stand by. But like I said, people can enjoy whatever they want, and I certainly don’t want to take anything from your fans or yourselves. Besides, I think we both know how hard it is to launch a creative career from Tennessee if you don’t sing “country” music. So let’s all just get along.
Alexander Kesillero on 07.03.2010
@MRN2g Just for the record, two of the members of Happy Birthday Amy are also members of the Protomen.
toast on 03.15.2011
I am convinced that you haven’t given HORSE the band a fair listen/chance.
I am not saying Horse are great, but you seem misinformed. Regardless, we are all entitled to our own opinions.
*The link you posted, for “Shapeshift,” is from Horse’s newest cd. This release does not have nearly as much video game related instances as their older works: R. Borlax and The Mechanical Hand.
e.g. “cutsman,” “pol’s voice,” “Birdo,” and “The House of Boo.”
Posting a link to “Shapeshift,” besides one of the aforementioned tracks made little sense on a thread about VGM.
*Horse described their music as “Nintendocore,” years ago as a joke and have since stated they don’t like the label nor did they intend for people to use it in referring to them.
Horse are not for everyone and i know why. Screaming, technicality over melody (at times), and bi-polar songs with little structure are not common or popular traits.