1. 1 year ago 

   Review: The Advantage - Self-Titled (The Advantage)

   

   The Advantage - Self Titled (The Advantage)

   Original Release On April 6, 2004 
   

   The argument over what is “geeky” and what is “nerdy” is one that shall never fully be decided. Generally, those things which are “geeky” are marked by cult trends, artsy fartsy images, cuteness, classic video games in the Nintendo fashion, intellectuallism, thick rimmed glasses, underground music, and a tendency to talk at length about George A. Romero. Nerd, on the other hand, like Apple products, wire glasses, Star Trek, action figures, Konami and Atari, computers, and numetal.

   The Advantage is, most definitely, geeky.

   A side project of the acclaimed Math-Rock group Hella, the Advantage takes two logical geek sources - math rock and Nintendo - and marries them together brilliantly. Here, in beautifully toned guitars, synchy drums and plodding base are Zelda’s fortress theme, Mario’s Underworld, even Mega Man’s Dr.Wiley theme. In essence, the Advantage have created geek heaven on many levels. 

   First listenings through the album are hilarious and intensely nostalgic. You can chuckle at the Bubble Bobble theme while also remembering the insane difficulty you had playing the original Game Boy version of the game. Over further listenings of the album, however, the nostalgia begins to fade away and the album becomes amazingly listenable. you never knew digitized music from the 1980s and 90s was so well written, so musically eloquent, so insanely catchy! (ok, maybe you did know that last one)

   Covers of Nintendo classics is no new trick. Just look up “mario theme” on Youtube to find thousands of musicians, most classically trained, geeking it up in the best way possible. Yet very few covers work in the grace that the Advantage do. Very few create music you want to listen to for most musicality and nostalgia. The Advantage may not step where no man has before, but they will certainly always win the foot race. 

   So live up your inner geek/90s child/nostalgic goon. You know you’ve been waiting for the Math Rock rendition of the Goonies 2 video game’s “Goonies R Good Enough.” You know you want it. Go get it.

2. Notes

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