I first read about The Advantage
, named after an old Nintendo joystick controller, on a video game related website raving about what a great show they put on. Not so much for stage presence, but musicianship. When they came to San Diego, I made it a point to go see for myself. What's interesting about these guys, as opposed to other video game-themed bands, is the exactness and precision in the way they make their guitars and drums sound like the 8-bit midi sounds we grew up with in old Nintendo games. Certainly there is a greater richness to the audio which comes from using analog instruments to mimic digital samples, but every nuance and beat is upheld and carried over, which is fairly amazing considering the staccato, punchy nature of the music. The Advantage are, to be sure, accomplished musicians.I for one love hearing themes from Contra, MegaMan and the classic Sunsoft Batman game blasting from my car stereo. The Advantage has good taste, and choose songs that stand apart and make you tap your foot. Fans of the NES would do well to track down this album. However, if you have no sense of nostalgia for the halcyon days of retro gaming, you might be left feeling indifferent. Even so, if you choose to pass on the CD, go see them live if possible. That might change your mind.
Not The Advantage, but fun:
No comments:
Post a Comment