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Today's nerdiest audio: Street Fighter songs
We can do without "whiny" being the default setting for so much indy/emo music, but Arlington-and-Grand Prairie-Texas-based Man Factory serves up enough indy-powerpop-rock to offset any latent emo sadness. Plus the group's latest project is a series of seven songs written from the perspectives of Street Fighter characters. The series is called, "Street Fighter II: Rock Opera: Round 1," and hits enough high notes that we hope rounds two and three follow.The band offers such tracks as "Chun Li, i'm lovin it," and "There goes Dhalism" for free at its site. (Or visit the MySpace page to play them in-browser and download the whole package as a zip file.) Our verdict: Knockout.[Thanks, Matt]
TotalTunes controls iTunes with ease
We've all been there, you're working on something and want to easily change a song in iTunes. What do you do? Well, you could right-click on the iTunes icon in the dock; but that will only give you rudimentary options. Well, here comes TotalTunes Control. With TotalTunes, just create a toggle key then start playing a song. When you want to change a song, just press that key combo and you're given a slew of options for changing song, playlist, rating, volume level, shuffle, and repeat. You can download this slick application for free from the developer's website (it's freeware, but donations are accepted).
Abortions and cheat codes
Have you kids seen Juno, the latest film from director Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking)? It's a coming-of-age tale about an eccentric 16-year-old managing her unexpected pregnancy, and, in spite of its Dawson's Creek-esque dialogue and unrealistic plot, it's also a pretty good film, in our opinion. Considering the ubiquity of the Nintendo DS, it didn't surprise us to see the handheld make a cameo in the movie, but the particular setting in which the DS appeared was a surprise -- an abortion clinic. A teenage receptionist taps away on her portable while handing medical forms to the titular character, right before offering her a complimentary boysenberry-flavored condom. "My boyfriend wears them every time we have intercourse," she praises. "It makes his junk smell like pie." What could she have been playing on her DS, greeting and offering condoms to people all day while the women who've come in to get their "problems" fixed sit anxiously in the waiting room? Probably not Imagine Babyz!That's not the only time video games come up in Juno, either! Halfway through "Anyone Else But You," a song by The Moldy Peaches that plays several times during the film, one of the singers croons out the famous Konami code. How awesome is that? There's also a shortened version sung by Juno's stars, Michael Cera and Ellen Page, on the official soundtrack; it's totally wizard. You can hear the original track and watch a trailer for Juno right after the break.
Jingle Bells played with graphics card, Santa wonders why
As if an office full of guitar-controlled lights weren't enough to get you in the holiday spirit, along comes a self-proclaimed geek to play Jingle Bells on his graphics card. We know, it's hard to really grasp what we mean, so jump on past the break to catch a video that will undoubtedly do our explaining for us.[Via TheInquirer]
"The Pleo Song" takes our breath away
It's no secret: songs about gadgets are a scourge upon the earth. And that's why they're awesome. The latest of these little ditties that'll have you humming in the shower tomorrow morning -- and raving like a lunatic the day after -- is "The Pleo Song," courtesy of RobotsRule. The song was written to celebrate Ugobe's announcement of 30 day shipping notices for Pleo, which we suppose is as good an excuse as any to write a gratingly bad song about a robotic dinosaur. "Remember the heart of a child knows that love goes with Pleo." If you still think you can stomach it after that little teaser, the YouTube version is after the break.
Forum Post of the Day: Ode to the CMs
I have to say that I really enjoyed this little ditty Tatiana wrote up over on the forums. She's seen all the trouble the CMs are contending with lately, feels a little sad for our Community Managers, and decided to write a song for them. I don't want to turn this into yet another discussion about Shaman buffs (we've got other posts for that), but no matter how you feel about the CMs, you just have to be won over by lines like "You tease us with "When it's ready" and even with "Soon." / And you get flaming pumpkins as your forum toon."Hopefully some musician more qualified than I (I've got my trusty Uke right here, but unfortunately my mic isn't quite good enough to give this thing justice on a recording) will toss in a catchy chorus and set this to music. I imagine something a little Arlo Guthrie-- how else could you pull off the song's best joke: "In excitement I click on the Blue post, / To see if it's "Soon," or "!!!" or " If you have any complaints or feedback regarding a Community Manager, please email wowcmfeedback@blizzard.com. Thanks!" Funny. And if someone does put it together, drop us an email about it-- we'll be sure to play it on the podcast.The whole thing is reprinted for posterity after the break.
Zelda Week: Bishop Allen's "Butterfly Nets"
"Still surprised to catch you, every time.Still surprised to catch you, by and by and by and by." "Butterfly Nets," Bishop Allen's carefree track from the band's May EP, might not share the same blood as The Legend of Zelda series, but if you stand the two side-by-side, comparing their congruent features and similar jawlines, you'll see how they could be from the same family tree, or at least the same family orchard.The New Gamer has put up a downloadable mp3 of the song, as well as an analysis on how its lyrics and mollifying tone unintentionally matches that sense of discovery and wonder one often has when exploring Hyrule. The track's title itself recalls memories of chasing flitting bees and fairies with a bug-catching net in A Link to the Past. On a somewhat related note, we had the pleasure of meeting Bishop Allen's lead singer, Justin Rice, when the Brooklyn-based indie band was touring with Mates of State a few years ago. He started chatting with us in a public restroom, visibly three sheets to the wind, while we were washing our hands, and somewhere during the conversation, he convinced himself that we were searching for a misplaced friend. We parted ways several minutes later, and he promised to keep an eye out for our off-course comrade. We wonder if he ever found him ...
Sylvanas' song, remixed
After the Lament of the Highborne video released last week (if you haven't seen it, check our video analysis of it), I saw lots of comments in lots of different places about how much people liked the song. Lots of the Warcraft music is good, but it's true, the Lament of the Highborne song (sung by Vangie Gunn, who we saw live at BlizzCon with Video Games Live) is definitely terrific.That's why I was so excited to see that Reggie over on LJ put together a remix of it. You can check it out over on his Myspace page (or here's a direct link to the file itself). It does get a little repetitive (he cut it all together in Reason, and looped a lot, as you can tell), but hopefully it's the first in a new batch of Warcraft remixes. I've heard the music used in all kinds of media (lots of podcasts and machinima "borrow" the official music, legally or otherwise), but I think this is the first time I've heard it remixed into a techno beat. So get to it, remixers! There's at least three soundtracks of Warcraft music out there, and while Reggie's beat sounds good, I'm sure someone else could make something that sounds even better.
Today's sing-talkingest video: Mushroom Singdom
GameJew sings three short songs about retro Nintendo games in this seven-minute video. Part of his Mushroom Singdom series, we liked the catchy song about Yoshi's Story best. Take a break from that other videogame of the moment with this clip. (We won't even name or link it, Voldemort-style.)See the video after the break. (And also watch his latest from the Mushroom Singdom series.)[Image credit]
Captain Dan's Deadmines Battle
You may have already heard this one, but I figured it would be a good thing to post on Talk Like a Pirate Day. Our friends over at WoW Radio recently dropped a new track from Captain Dan, "rising star in the field of Pirate Hip-Hop," called "Deadmines Battle." You can listen to it over on their website-- it features some trippy beats, a little Casio jamming, and rhymes all about everyone's favorite pirate instance. My favorite part of the song, just like the instance, is Mr. Smite, of course.WoW Radio also says Captain Dan's new album hits today (it's called Rime of the Hip-Hop Mariners, which I, being a Coleridge fan, find very funny)-- there's more tunes and information about that over on their Myspace page.Avast ye maties, thar be some good rapping off starboard side! Now get back to yer deck-scrubbing, ye scurvy dogs, afore I keelhaul the lot of ya! Yarrrrrr!
Halo 3 Hype Hoedown satire song
It was bound to happen and be absolutely well deserved. Sarcastic Gamer, the guys who've already created a Wii song, Xbox song, and PS3 song, are now focusing on the hype machine behind Halo 3 and how it'll change the world. Sadly, we believe that many people actually think many of the things in the song will happen once Halo 3 is released -- OMG, what if they're right?
Wii song gives console satire comeuppance
The Wii has been relatively unscathed by satire, which given its success is quite surprising. Maybe there is ultimate fear of the Nintendo Defense Force and anyone who speaks out is afraid of waking up with a lombax head in their bed. Jeromy Adams has now completed the circle of mockery starting with the PS3 on how to kill your brand, then the Xbox 360 and its red rings of fire.Adams, who made the song with Dave Cothran, says the song is inspired by the "scores of gamers" who discover the Wii works better as a "bookend" than as a gaming platform. Hopefully the release of Metroid will signal a change in the Wii and it won't be considered the parched console of gimmicky waggle anymore. We hope.
New professions: Music, woodworking, or something else?
Recently we talked about what kind of quest you would make if Blizzard gave you the opportunity, and since reading Tobold's suggestion yesterday about a new woodworking profession, it got me wondering about what new professions would work well with the existing system. Like jewelcrafting, any new profession should cover items or functions in the game that are not currently craftable. I know many people are just dying to have your current profession improved, but think for a moment if you could start over with a clean slate: what kind of profession would you design?To give you an example to get you thinking, I did some searching and found this suggestion for a music profession which would let players create their own instruments and play their own music -- something I hear Lord of the Rings Online implements very well. (The clip above features a LotRO player using his keyboard to play "Dust in the Wind.") In addition to this, "song-spells" or enchanted instruments of some kind could give a benefit for anyone in range to hear them played, such as a short-term buff or heal-over-time, or else a debuff for enemies within range, such as a short charm or a lullaby. Some have suggested that a "Bard" class would be able to do this, but to me it seems that the "singing" mechanic suits a secondary skillset better than a full-fledged class and also opens it up for more people to learn and use in different ways. What's your opinion?
Final Fantasy IV: Vocalist wanted
The official website for the recently revealed DS remake of Final Fantasy IV is now online. There's the usual logo and intro music by Nobuo Uematsu. If you're in Japan this summer, you can audition for the chance to sing the game's vocal track. You need to be over eighteen and have a voice that can make a grown man weep like a baby. Any Fanboy readers feel like heading along?[Thanks, Zshadow; via Exophase]
Helio Music launches
Helio today becomes the latest carrier to enter the lucrative fray of mobile music sales, rolling out its "Helio Music" platform to a customer base revealed to rock a monthly ARPU (average revenue per user) in excess of $100 -- not a bad target demographic, if we do say so ourselves. The scrappy MVNO, which expects that very target demographic to hit 100,000 subscribers some time in Q2 after launching last May, will offer music downloads direct to user's handsets for $1.99 a pop -- or, more intriguingly, to desktops via a PC client available this spring for 99 cents, at which point the songs can be loaded back to the handset via USB at no additional charge. Helio is promising an unusually user-friendly interface and a far wider selection than other carriers have managed to offer thus far, signing on Universal, Warner, Sony BMG, and EMI to bring "thousands of well-known artists" to Drifts across the land. Speaking of the Drift, it'll be the first device to support Helio Music; no word on whether Helio's older handsets will be supported in the future, but with the Drift's stereo Bluetooth support, we're thinking it's the way to rock anyway. Follow the break for Helio's press release.
Today's monkey vs. robot video: er, Monkey vs. Robot - The Movies
Today's movie isn't topping any charts, but it's a dash of much needed Monkey vs. Robot-ness. Comic book artist and musician of the wacky James Kochalka created Monkey vs. Robot eons ago, and has appeared on cds, as a graphic novel, and in animated form. However, this version was created with the PC game/simulation The Movies. Yes, it's inane. Sure, it's repetitive. Damn skippy, it's simple ... but c'mon, it's monkey vs. robot. Check out the damage after the jump. For a real royal rumble, someone needs to do a Monkey vs. Robot vs. Ninja vs. Pirate mashup. At least this thing is better than the episodes of Lost that have aired so far this season. Sawyer vs. Robot, FTW!
Roombas get some holiday cheer, go caroling
Just in case that "holiday cheer" you once had has completely vanished at the thought of battling the crowds this weekend in an attempt to snag those last-minute gizmos on everyone's gift list, here's something to not only brighten your spirits, but to help you procrastinate a bit more as well. While gadgets getting their sing 'n dance on aren't anything new, a trio of Roombas breaking it down to Frosty the Snowman is enthralling nonetheless. We figured out how to give that pre-programmed Roomba its own freedom of expression awhile back, but serving up a few glasses of "robo-nog" and donning the Christmas apparel just puts this act over the top. Still, the Trans-Siberian lightfest remains numero uno until further notice. Hit the jump to see these servantbots strut their stuff...[Via MAKE]
Totaka's song: The search is on
A seventeen-note theme that has been hidden in Nintendo games for over a decade is finding new life as internet sleuths track down new instances in old games. Totaka's song is most easily accessible from the title screen of the SNES' Mario Paint, but the quirky ditty has appeared in over a dozen games featuring the work of Nintendo sound designer Kazumi Totaka.Interesting trivia, but not too relevant to today's gamers until a few months ago, when Powet.tv compiled a video of the song's known occurrences and put out the call to gamers everywhere to track it down in other games. Within a month, video confirmation for instances in Pikmin 2 and Wario Land for the Virtual Boy had been obtained, and earlier this week Powet posted a video of the song in Luigi's Mansion.MobyGames lists 24 games Totaka has worked on, including the recently released Wii Sports, and it's a decent bet that his song is buried somewhere in most if not all of them. And so the call goes out to Nintendo fans across the land. Let's harness the awesome collaborative power of the internet to solve a mystery that has been plaguing humanity for, er... well... not exactly plaguing but... oh, let's just figure it out, OK?[Via Digg]
Wii will rock you!
The Wii may rock you, but it's unclear if this song will, the jury is still out. Team Fremont has put a musical effort up commemorating the Wii launch tomorrow. It won't be topping any charts (except maybe the "Top ten songs written to commemorate the Wii launch" chart), but it's worth a listen for the sheer "What the?!" factor.According to Team Fremont, "In celebration of the Wii launch, we created a song for people to listen to while they stand in line or drive to the store at midnight. We hope you enjoy!" So, fire up the WiFi if you're out there in line and download some aural Wii-tunage to share with your fellow Wii-waiters."Come and play my Wiiiii ... you wanna wave it around!" Nice work, Team Fremont. A+ for effort, B- for the beat, and C- for the creepy factor. +50 DKP points to the first Joystiqer who lays down a decent remix of this song, preferably techno-style.
Widget Watch: iPodage song calculator
Remember that iPod storage calculator iLounge released? It seems Christian Chladek, maker of such other widgets as the Morse Code Translator, was inspired to provide an iPod calculator in widget form. iPodage allows you to pick your iPod model and adjust all the vital settings to do some quick and dirty math on just how many tunes you can cram into your pocket for the road. For bonus points, the widget can even shrink out of your way should you need to reclaim some Dashboard space.iPodage is donationware and available from Christian's site.
