Some of the biggest video game news to hit today was Harmonix's announcement that Rock Band will soon support for user-created content to be made available on the Rock Band download store starting in August. While this may sound just sound like the download store will fill up with shameless, low quality, rip-offs of copyrighted songs, think again. In order to place a song on the download store, users have to input master tracks into a custom software where they can then set up note charts, lighting, camera angles, and characters that appear on screen when the song is played. And then, after all that, the song has to be submitted to Rock Band headquarters, where they make sure no copyright infringements occur before making it available for others to purchase for anywhere between 50 cents and three bucks. All artists that submit songs get a 30 percent cut too.
While I am glad that Joe Schmoe can now some cred for his home recordings, I think what's more exciting about this whole announcement is that band you know and love that hasn't seemed to make the Rock Band cut yet now has an easier means to make their songs available for you to play. In fact, along with this announcement, the head of Sub Pop records has announced that the label plans to release its hits using this service.
Hearing this announcement in particular makes it seem like Harmonix has been reading my mind. One of my few regrets about Rock Band was that the game was seriously lacking in some of my favorite artist, but Sub Pop just so happens to have some bands that are right up my alley. Acts like Band of Horses, Wolf Parade, Flight of the Conchords, and The Go! Team all have tracks that I thought could make for fun Rock Band experiences at one time or another, and now, bands like these and more could (hopefully) be hitting a console near you soon.
Protoculture: Rock Band Network Promises Diversity
Five Pieces of 80s Nostalgia That Haven't Been Ruined... Yet
It's no secret that Hollywood has made a somewhat of a trend out of taking what was once well and good, and then utterly destroying it. And, with what I've heard about the latest Transformers flick and what I've seen of the upcoming G.I. Joe picture, it seems that this summer is no exception. So, I decided to honor the pieces of my childhood that have gone untainted with this list of the five pieces of 80s nostalgia that haven't been ruined... yet.
5. Danger Mouse
Description: A British cartoon that followed the adventures of a secret agent mouse who shared more than a couple similarities with James Bond and Sherlock Holmes.
Why It's Awesome: British spy fiction was always ripe for a little parody, and Danger Mouse is the first instance I remember that decided to do so, and it was done in the form of a mouse with a sweet eye patch.
Where Are They Now?: I don't actually know, but musical artist and producer Brian Burton has adopted the name Danger Mouse, and has been making some killer beats with acts like Gorillaz, Beck, MF Doom, and (without permission) Jay-Z and The Beatles.
Why It Hasn't Been Ruined... Yet: Pixar is still trying to get the rights (probably).
4. Masters of the Universe
Description: Prince Adam can transform into scantily clothed He-Man to battle Skeletor on the planet Eternia. Adam always wins because he turns into the strongest man in the universe with the catchphrase "By the power of Grayskull... I HAVE THE POWER!!!"
Why It's Awesome: Two reasons: Loin cloths and Battle Cat!
Where Are They Now?: Robot Chicken has made several quality parodies of the series because of the easy access to He-Man action figures.
Why It Hasn't Been Ruined... Yet: Two reasons: Loin cloths and Battle Cat!
3. Blade Runner
Description: Harrison Ford shoots replicants, has a dream about a unicorn, then falls in love. All the while, Edward James Olmos spouts nonsense and J.F. Sebastian has creepy little friends that he makes.
Why It's Awesome: It's a sci-fi movie that has stood the test of time so far despite not being action oriented or a beloved, box office hit. Also, Pat Berman calls it "science fiction pornography," which is pretty great.
Where Are They Now?: There were a couple video games, one of which I played and it was pretty awesome. Other than that, there's groups of nerds that like to argue over the film's overall implications. This is all I know.
Why It Hasn't Been Ruined... Yet: The nerds still haven't decided on the film's overall implications, so continuing a 'canon' storyline is impossible and therefore a bad idea when your primary demographic is nerds.
2. DuckTales
Description: A cartoon that followed the adventures Dewey, Huey, Louie, and their great-uncle, Scrooge McDuck. It paved the way for other quality shows like Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin, but considering it was the OG of Disney's syndicated cartoons, it stands a cut above the rest.
Why It's Awesome: Scrooge McDuck is perhaps one of the best characters ever concieved. As the very embodiment of capitalism and a genius of a businessman, McDuck instilled valued quality, American lessons in children like how to get rich and stay rich; that and that you don't really have a reason to be angry unless some goods from one of your factories gets lost.
Where Are They Now?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKHpIuodU3Q
Why It Hasn't Been Ruined... Yet: Disney refuses to comment on this officially, but I'm pretty sure it's because DuckTales is the best thing they've ever done, and they fear that new iterations on the intellectual property--save for a boss Nintendo game--could damage the Ducktales name.
1. ThunderCats
Description: Lion-O and his cat-like compatriots do crazy epic battle with Mumm-Ra on the planet Thundera. If you know anything about cat people, then you know that this is, quite possibly, the best thing ever.
Why It's Awesome: 'ThunderCats are on the move, ThunderCats are loose! Feel the magic, hear the roar, ThunderCats are loose!" Also, Mumm-Ra!
Where Are They Now?: They too sometimes appear on Robot Chicken, but, more importantly, the animation group that made ThunderCats went on to form a little studio called Ghibli, otherwise known as the most critically acclaimed animation studio ever.
Why It Hasn't Been Ruined... Yet: No one wants to be messin' with cartoon perfection.
Review: The Dead Weather - Horehound
When I heard that Jack White was rolling out a new album with a new posse, I got extremely excited, but then became very skeptical. You see, I am a big White Stripes fan, but was not too pleased with White's last project, The Raconteurs. However, after a bit of research, I started to come back around on the idea. With this new group, The Dead Weather, Jack White decided to keep just one Raconteur (Jack Lawrence, bass) and trade everyone else out for very interesting and personally exciting troupe consisting of vocalist Alison Mosshart (The Kills), guitar/keyboardist Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age), and White (The White Stripes... duh) himself taking up the drums/vocals.
What has me excited about this combination of artists, you may ask? Well, for starters, almost none of them share much in common stylistically, and secondly, they're quite good at what they do for the most part. So this made me think to myself: what could possibly happen when you take minimalist post-punk, alt-metal, and blues revival, put it in a studio, and tell Jack White to make an album of it? Well, as The Dead Weather's debut seems to indicate, you get some eerie bayou-blues that rocks as hard as Rage Against the Machine at times, and plays out like the back-track to the craziest acid-western that hasn't been made yet at others. Essentially, White has come back in a big way with The Dead Weather's Horehound.
I only say White because, upon hearing even the first few seconds of the first track, "60 Feet Tall," it is clear who is in control of the band. Even though he has chosen to take the backseat position of drummer, White's influence is an ever-present force to be reckoned with. But, before you stop reading Mr. Jack-White-hater, understand that this man has come a long way since the days of Elephant and Get Behind Me Satan. There is a fullness of instrumentation and variety of song styles that keep the album novel and well-paced that hasn't really been fully realized by either The White Stripes or The Raconteurs here, and the results are sexy.
The most notable tracks on the album that provide this new sense of novelty are the reggae-tinged "I Cut Like a Buffalo," the quirky instrumental "3 Birds," and the ruefully inquisitive "Will There Be Enough Water?" Where "I Cut Like a Buffalo" takes the traditional, swagger-y instrumentation of White and mashes it up with reggae and bizarre choking noises, "3 Birds" sounds like someone made a bet that they could make an eerie western track that was composed of a discordant guitar riff and Korn keyboard samples and make it sound good. And--perhaps oddest of all--"Will There Be Enough Water?" features a somber set of self-conscious questions ("Just because you caught me / Does that make it a sin?") over its bluesy as hell configuration. Given all of the pomp that usually goes into Jack White's songs, this track ends the album on a curious but impactful note.
Of course, there are plenty of tracks that are more "rockin'" in nature, but they are just slightly less interesting to talk about. "60 Feet Tall," as hinted at earlier, sounds very much like it could be a track off of a White Stripes album (as does "No Hassle Night"), while the Rage Against the Machine simile lends itself most closely to "Treat Me Like Your Mother," "Bone House," and--to a certain but much smaller extent--"Hang You from the Heavens."
This leaves us with perhaps some of my favorite tracks on the album: "Rocking Horse," "New Pony," and "So Far from Your Weapon." Why are they my favorites, you ask? I think it may because they are lyrically interesting songs that have little but no-frills goth-blues instrumentation to get in the way of the writing. The speaker of "Rocking Horse" sounds like the story of a foul, wretch of a man who doesn't seek any sort of redemption or pity when White sings "Baby, don't you bother / tastin' the water / an' baby, don't you bother comin' closer to me / When you see my eyes / they're half the size / and I'm not able to look at you." "New Pony," on the other hand, is an interesting Dylan cover, and I don't think much needs to be argued about the quality of his songwriting, but it should be noted that this song is also where Mosshart's vocals seem to be at their best. But, I gotta say that "So Far from Your Weapon" wins out over these two, as the song seems to be a lecture from the baddestassest of badasses set to a sauntering guitar oscillation and a chanting chorus that only swells when it seems attention is not being paid. "You want to get up? / Let go?" asks the speaker before booming "I say no!" Props again to Mosshart, as she penned this beauty all on her own, and--with the exception of the Dylan, of course--is the only song written by a single member.
So, there you have it. I was expecting to be disappointed as I was with The Raconteurs, but Jack White has really assembled quite an impressive cast that works well together for The Dead Weather, and Horehound is the proof.
Song of the Week: Ducktails - "Parasailing"
It's alright, just take a breath and relax. I know we've just passed the mid-summer point and you may be freaking out about getting ready for whatever the busy fall may bring (or, arguably worse, having a friend or acquaintance freaking out for/with you), but don't worry, I've got just the thing that will calm you down. Just let the waves of relaxing, electronic mellow wash over you with Ducktails' "Parasailing," and you should feel better.
If you like the track, you can snag yourself a copy over at RCRDLBL.
Protoculture: Left 4 Dead 2 Racist?
According to Willie Jefferson's recent post for The Houston Chronicle, the upcoming zombie shooter from Valve is, in fact, racist simply because "...players will have to fight their way through hordes of zombies - with several of them who appear to be African-Americans" when the game launches this fall. "When I saw the first trailer for the game, all I could think about was Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath."
Quick to rebut was Destructoid's own Jim Sterling, who finds it completely unreasonable to call a game set in New Orleans featuring a certain percentage of black antagonists racist, responded with a rather incendiary response, calling Jefferson's statements "the most ridiculous and convoluted racism link in history." Here's a link to the full response.
While I wouldn't necessarily go as far as Sterling's response, I would find it hard to believe that Valve's upcoming title is as racially charged as Jefferson suggests. Saying that "Setting the game in a city that was scene of dead, bloated bodies floating by so soon afterward was a bad call, IMHO," seems a little extreme, but responding by writing "When you're saying L4D2 is racist because some black people happen to be IN it... then you've lost your grip on reality."
I'd say that Valve--by picking the Deep South as the locale for Left 4 Dead 2--needs to be careful to ensure that stories like this don't blow up to the extent that they did surrounding Resident Evil 5 (I still think most of that hubub was as over-exposed as most of it was ill-informed and dramatized). And, while I haven't been following the game extremely closely, I'm personally more concerned about a L4D sequel coming so soon than I am about the racial representation in the game.
What do you think? Of course, there's no telling what it will be like until it comes out, but here's some pictures and such to give a basic idea.
Meta-Talk: The Line Between Bloggers and Journalists
I apologize in advance, as this post has little to no direct arts & entertainment relevance.
As I was perusing the Internet the other day, I noticed this one story written in The New York Times regarding the Federal Trade Commission's reexamination of disclosure rules for their truth-in-advertising guides and, more specifically, how these rules apply to blogs.
The crux of the article's argument seemed to be based on the assumption that bloggers are willing to and have endorsed products that get sent to them for free in hopes of getting additional free items or perhaps monetary compensation for particularly favorable posts. And, with the article's various examples and testimonials from people that admit to participating in this behavior, it seems The New York Times has established a point. If bloggers are a bunch of biased sell-outs, why should you listen to them?
Even as a blogger myself, I am inclined to agree with the basic principles backing this argument. I mean, I wouldn't put much faith in a review if I knew the critic was being paid to write a certain way. But, what this article fails to realize is that this potential for dishonesty is a fundamental problem for all critics and not some line in the sand that separates bloggers from journalists. Companies that pay or send products to official publications are also capable of affecting the way their products are scored.
For example, a few years ago, Eidos Interactive--a video game publisher that is now part of Square Enix--bought a considerable amount of advertising space on the video game website Gamespot in order to promote their latest title. The editorial director of Gamespot at the time, Jeff Gerstmann, was then assigned to review the game. When the review eventually came out, Gerstmann had scored the game a 6/10, and was fired shortly thereafter. While the official reason for Gerstmann's termination was never released due to "corporate and legal reasons," many speculate that it was because this low review caused Eidos to place a lot of external pressure on Gamespot as well as the rest of the CNET family of websites. One of Gamespot's former freelance reviewers, Frank Provo, even commented "I believe CNET management let Jeff go for all the wrong reasons. I believe CNET intends to soften the site's tone and push for higher scores to make advertisers happy."
Now I'm sure that this incident was not the first of its kind and certainly won't be the last. Considering the fact that most official publications rely on advertising revenue to stay afloat paired with the dismal state that most print media are in now, I would not be surprised if this kind of thing started to happen with more frequency; perhaps not the firing of those writing less-than-favorable reviews, but more score inflation at least. It even seems that the pressure to support advertisers is actually greater on the professional side of writing, as negative reviews could result in job loss or even the termination of the publication altogether. Bloggers, on the other hand, could either stop getting sent stuff, or they could just not write about it and see if they can get something else from the company. Looking at it this way, it seems we should turn a more critical eye back towards The New York Times and the FTC.
Now, as both somewhat of a journalist and blogger, I do believe that there are fundamental differences between the two professions, but biased criticism is not one of them; anyone and everyone is susceptible to that. Writing style, depth, consistency, and caution are where people that want to draw dividing lines should look, not review scores. However, it seems the Federal Trade Commission and The New York Times both seem to believe that this is not the case. What is concerning about all this is that, if nobody speaks up, the government will have this authority to divide 'journalists' and 'non-journalists' along this arbitrary line, and then proceed to make different rule sets for them. A scenario provided in the FTC report, for example, suggests that bloggers should disclose whether or not they receive products for free while 'real' journalists (or, those who supposedly incapable of being swayed by getting free gifts) don't have to do so.
While I don't necessarily believe the government should be doing this kind of thing in the first place, it would at least be a step in the right direction if they at least took the time to establish a more correct system for identifying professional and non-professional writers.