Unlike movies, video game sequels eclipse their predecessors. The graphics are better, the gameplay is tightened, and the quantity of visible buttocks is increased. For The Advantage, a band that only plays video game covers, their second full-length has to be better than the first. For all the gamers in the house, warm up your thumbs and say goodbye to losing your virginity: The Advantage's Elf Titled kicks more ass than Street Fighter's Adon.
For the n00bs, The Advantage released The Advantage in 2004. This was really rad at first, but like the power glove, was more novelty than anything else. The covers they chose were fun for nostalgia but didn't reach any further plane than that. Everywhere The Advantage failed, Elf Titled has an advantage. A combination of choosing better songs to cover, tighter instrumentation and a more glorious recording makes it "all good." The gamers of The Advantage even offer a little more experimentation this go around. The evolution is similar to the move from Street Fighter to Street Fighter II.
Everybody knows the songs from Mario Bros., without a doubt one of the best video games ever. The songs are simple, catchy and instantly remind every listener of eating mushrooms... figuratively. For instance, the song "Mario 3 - Underworld," am I ducking on a pipe or is this just a memory? Safe. But as good as the song is, hearing it covered gets boring after a few listens. Compare this to the newer album with songs like "Contra - Alien's Lair & Boss Music," a score so epic you'll find yourself wanting to pee in your undies rather than miss where the sound leads to; the Mountain Dew adds up. The song is metal with its heavy guitar parts and fist-through-the-ceiling rising guitar harmonies. If you take a peak at the tracklisting you'll notice the games are not first generation. These games all have very complicated soundtracks and no simple "beep boop" that some people associate with videogames.
Maybe it's just because they share a member with Hella, but experimentation does bleed through every so often. Take the keyboards in "Double Dragon III-Egypt," the delay effects in "Metroid - Kraid's Lair," or the vocal chanting on the closing of the final track "Wizards & Warriors - Tree Trunk, Woods, Victory." Each song has tons of changes that will have you slaying one second and platform hopping the next. There's even a part in "Double Dragon II - Mission 5; Forest of Death" that straight up sounds like some Brooklyn noise band. And if you really want to get your mind blown, listen to the math finger-tapping explosion that is "Goonie 2 - Wiseman."
Whereas the first album gave the listener a pleasant ride down memory lane, Elf-Titled kicks you in the face with hand full of balls deep material. Even if you've never even played Duckhunt, you'll dig this. It's early to say this, considering 2006 isn't even 1% done, but this album will make its way on many a "best of 2006" list. Elf Titled is to our ears what the SNES was to our eyes.
