In Praise of The Advantage (on the release of Elf Titled)

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When I was maybe nine years old, I took a small Sony tape-recorder, put it up to the television set, and recorded the opening theme to Zelda because I thought it was beautiful. My dad and grandpa, both music snobs, thought my taste was a little strange.

The second full-length from The Advantage suggests I was not the only one. Of course, if they were just covering Zelda and Mario and Contra I might dismiss them as a novelty band looking to cash in on nostalgia (c.f. The Mini-Bosses), but by the time a second disc of this stuff comes out -- painstakingly faithful renditions of tracks from little-remembered games like Airfortress and Solar Jetman (which happen to be two of my favorite tracks on the album), one has to at least wonder what these guys are up to.

Unearthing and exposing forgotten but great music is what, I can only assume. Hearing The Advantage nail all the nuances of the Ducktails - Moon theme (which sounds like a hybrid of a Bach prelude, Sweet Child Of Mine, and an 80s sitcom theme), I get a mental image of brilliant but underemployed Japanese recent composition school grads toiling in obscurity and under virtual sweatshop conditions, secretly hoping that some zit-faced American kid will not be too drunk on victory tonotice their name at the very bottom of the end credits of Metroid.

Adding rockin' drums was a good idea, for sure, though the drums always stay true to the rhythms suggested by the original pieces (rather than adding rap-rock beats), and the result has all the best qualities of prog metal and math rock (yes, prog metal and math rock).

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 04:58 (twenty years ago)

I assume you heard their first album, right?

I loved the first one, but I haven't listened to the new one too much (although I have heard the Ducktales song a few times). I think they may have blew their wad on the Marble Madness song on the first album, though. God, I love Marble Madness.

― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 07:45 (twenty years ago)

Yeah I like the first one and this one about equally, though the Air Fortress song blows away pretty much anything on the first one. I don't really expect any departures from them, nor do I want them to make one. I just hope they keep digging the crates for great Nintendo music and keep playing it to perfection.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 13:36 (twenty years ago)

This is real fun to listen to every once in a while for maybe three songs, but are people actually listening to this as an album proper?

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 15:28 (twenty years ago)

kyle does.

― Rickface, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 18:13 (twenty years ago)

My main problem with the advantage is the production and playing quality to the music. I think the playing the Mini bosses do is actually much more faithful to the original songs and has a production quality I can get into much more.

The Advantage just sound too indie rock for me to really enjoy it. And the mini bosses chose much better songs.

― Period period period (Period period period), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 18:44 (twenty years ago)

I dunno, I think The Advantage not only play the songs better, but sound much have a sound much more reminiscent of an actual Nintendo (without going too far toward actually replicating the sound).

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:55 (twenty years ago)

are people actually listening to this as an album proper?

Sometimes it's too harsh for me to listen to straight through, but I don't take that as an automatic minus for an album. I like almost all of the songs.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:57 (twenty years ago)

I tend to like the songs that I actually know, or sound familiar. I think that's why I liked the first album better, because before I even bought the CD, I looked on the back and already knew half the songs.

― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 03:29 (twenty years ago)

Shame they seem to have picked tunes from games I never played at the time. In this way though it makes for some decent post-rock listening.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 09:05 (twenty years ago)

The ducktales moon theme is pretty sublime. I haven't heard all of the new album, but with the first one I tended not to listen to it as a whole, rather I'd just listen to one or two at a time. To me that's not unusual since I'm not really enamored with the album format (coming from the milieu of dance music and downloading music). The Mini-bosses on the other hand really, really stink.

― jimnaseum wastes the taxpayer's money, Wednesday, 26 April 2006 09:18 (twenty years ago)

four months pass...

Fun live show. The drummer was like Captain Caveman on the traps.

I don't understand what the fuck is up with that horrible rap karaoke guy that did vocals on the first couple songs though.

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Sunday, 27 August 2006 15:29 (nineteen years ago)

isn't the guitar player dude from hella in this band?
anyway, i really like the the new album. good stuff.

― Christopher Costello (CGC), Sunday, 27 August 2006 17:33 (nineteen years ago)

I think the guitarist from Hella plays drums in Advantage.

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Sunday, 27 August 2006 17:38 (nineteen years ago)

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