The Advantage – Elf-Titled (5RC)

Elf-Titled is the sophomore album from The Advantage, a particularly talented group of nerds who have devoted themselves to the task of covering a song from every single Nintendo game ever made (certainly a worthy life quest if ever there was one.) I loved their self-titled debut despite the poor production quality; partially because of the nostalgia factor, but mostly because of the technical precision with which they play their instruments. The Advantage are not the first band to cover video game tunes, but to my knowledge they are quite simply the best. It is remarkable how faithfully they are able to translate the 8-bit bleeps of NES game soundtracks into high energy rock songs using nothing more than guitars, bass and drums.

One thing they have going for them is the fact that Spencer Seim, guitarist for experimental duo Hella, plays drums in the band.
I wouldn’t want to discredit the other members, especially since a lot of the guitar parts are extremely fast and complex, but Seim anchors the band by pounding out dynamic and interesting rhythms that are completely unique… especially considering most NES music never had any percussion to begin with. I think this is one of the big reasons that The Advantage have gone on to be more than just a joke band sharing MP3s with their buddies.

Of course, there’s also something to be said for the universality of Nintendo games, a shared experience among just about anyone who grew up in the 80’s (well… except for those few outcasts who had the Sega Master System instead). The selection of songs this time around does not feature quite as many popular favourites — no Mario or Zelda here — although many people will no doubt recognize the themes from Castlevania I and II, as well as the rollicking “Megaman II – Stage Select + Metal Man”. This time around The Advantage let their geek flags fly and dig into some more obscure games too, such as “Guardian Legend” and “Solar Jetman”. By unearthing some of these lesser known titles, they prove that the appeal of this band (and these songs) goes beyond pure nostalgia. Some of the songs I had never heard before are easily the best tunes on here, particularly the high-speed and persistent rhythm of “Guardian Legend – Corridor”.

I must admit to also having a soft spot for some of the other songs that I personally recognize, including the carefree “Ducktales – Moon” and slightly eerie “Metroid – Kraid’s Lair”, enhanced by an extra layer of spacey guitar noise.

Don’t let the lame cover artwork and album title throw you off either. Elf-Titled is not as lo-fi as their first record, which sounded at times like it was recorded on a ghetto blaster in someone’s basement. The improved production quality is certainly a welcome change and only serves to increase the band’s overall level of ass-kicking. It’s nice to be able to hear that they aren’t using a cardboard box for a kick drum after all, and the crisp sound makes their musical abilities all the more evident.

It’s hard to argue that The Advantage ever really transcend the basic novelty of remaking video game music, but I do think that what they do is impressive. In some cases they simply showcase the genius of the original composers, but often times they manage to take a piece that was repetitive and borderline annoying, and re-invent it in their own style. Maybe the song selection is still not as strong as the first album, but with the better production quality I don’t have any trouble recommending this album to anyone who is an old school video game fan. Of course, if you also happen to be a bit of a music nerd, I think you will have twice as much fun with it. — Sean

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Recommended If You Like: The Minibosses, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Pell-Mell, Hella