The Advantage, the world’s finest Nintendo cover band (no offense obscure electronic outfit Kraftkäse), are back again with another jam-packed full-length of eight-bit soundtrack romps. The guitar/guitar/bass/drums arrangement does the original tunes more justice than one would imagine, and man, does it rock.
Elf-Titled, a not-so-subtle Link reference, is a must-have for any nostalgic ’80s child or fan of video-game music. The origins of the sixteen new tracks aren’t quite as discernable as those from their 2004 self-titled release, and because a track listing was not available at the time of listening, the only song-to-game connection I could make was that of track two to Contra.
To give you a better idea of their inspirations, the 2004 self-titled release inundated us with tunes from such classic games as Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3, Zelda, Contra, Megaman 2 and 3, Double Dragon 2, Bomberman 2, Ninja Gaiden, and Bubble Bobble.
Elf-Titled digs a little deeper into the Nintendo vault, but the bottom line is that the dual-guitar action is fast and furious and there is no shortage of thick-assed beats to back it up. Featuring members of Hella and Crime in Choir, The Advantage are truly the most talented group to ever be named after a boxy, bulky, arcade-based joystick.
Scott Morrow
The Advantage (5RC)