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Whatcha Listening To: The Protomen (And So Should You)

Posted by Nadia Oxford

 [The Protomen] have just released a demo off of their upcoming album, a song called "Breaking Out," and it's so incredibly high concept that it should collapse: Mega Man as viewed through the lens of Rock Americana? How could they possibly have succeeded in this? And, having succeeded, what task could possibly thwart them?

--Tycho, Penny Arcade



Overclocked Game Remixes and other video game covers take up a significant amount of real estate in my iPod. Some Remix artists have even tried adding lyrics to their songs, and to be honest, I feel kind of embarrassed when I listen to them, even if they're done in the name of self-parody. Even when I was Disney-aged, I never liked it when characters burst into song. Having my video game heroes serenade me makes me flush. It's a little different with Hyadain's stuff, since it's so silly and over the top to begin with, but English language attempts at character exploration through song just...never reaches me.

Then I heard there existed a Mega Man rock opera. A serious business Mega Man rock opera. And when a good friend of mine recommended it, I thought, "Oh God, this is going to be death."

I was very surprised to learn that The Protomen are absolutely worth a listen. For starters, they write their own music. The Mega Man games are an influence, of course, but there are no covers; everything is original. Coming from a musical family (not that I could hack it on anything but the triangle), I respect music composition very much.

Being a writer (actually, I just play one on TV), I especially respect The Protomen's rare ability to write non-idiotic lyrics. Their rock opera follows Capcom's basic story very loosely, with Mega Man and his brother, Protoman, occupying a post-apocalyptic world that Wily rules over with an Orwellian flair. Mega Man wants to save humanity; Protoman, having suffered terribly at the hands of Wily's subjects, thinks humanity should bite it. He tells his optimistic brother, "They don't want a hero, they just want a martyr; a statue to raise."

It's all melodramatic but incredibly fun for being so. The soundtrack is refreshingly varied, too. From the scream-heavy "Vengeance" to the sad, bonging piano in "The Stand" to the Western-sounding "Unrest in the House of Light" (which incorporates Protoman's trademark whistle), it's enough to make you stop and realise, "Hey...these guys know how to write music!"

Which is not to say that the beautiful talented people at OC Remix don't know how to write music, but I have to admit that putting together a rock opera with your own work is a hell of a feat.

By the way, I would poke each and every one of you in the eye for the chance to see these guys live. Apparently, the band acts out the whole drama. Even better, they're working on a prequel. The Mega Man series has never been sullied by prequels or sequels; let's hope this works out.*

*Warning: Joke.

Related Links:

Whatcha Listening To: The Earthbound Soundtrack
Chiptune Friday: Crystal Castles
Pixies Cover "Theme From Narc"

+ DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT

Comments

Roto13 said:

Was it here that I found this video, or somewhere else? www.youtube.com/watch

September 15, 2008 6:12 PM

Roto13 said:

Was it here that I found this video, or somewhere else? www.youtube.com/watch

September 15, 2008 6:15 PM

Demaar said:

Oh wow OK, I had no idea the Protomen were actually doing their own original compositions, I might actually check them out.

Roto13: I used to do that all the time. Add my own lyrics to game music I mean, not put videos of myself singing on Youtube.

September 18, 2008 3:27 AM

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about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Hooksexup, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia's prized possession is a certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.


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