Game music of the day: The OneUps

Welcome to GamesRadar's daily blast of all things pertaining to the ever-growing field of game music. Each post will introduce new sounds, games, composers and fan-made remixes of gaming's greatest aural achievements.

April 5, 2010

Games: Metroid and Final Fantasy VI

Songs: Title screen and Terra's Theme

Composers: The OneUps

This week I wanted to stray slightly from game-specific audio and instead highlight a handful of videogame-minded bands that consistently impress the hell out of me. Chief among them is today's spotlight, The OneUps, who I saw play in a tiny Missouri video store in 2005 and have since gone on to be featured performers at PAX Prime.

As with any live performance, the video cannot do the band justice. The group is extremely versatile, talented and easily the most proficient and professional-looking game band I've seen in person. Headed by a man who calls himself Mustin, the group has sold more than 10,000 CDs and brought a sense of class to game bands - most others are hard-rockin' electric guitar, so it's nice to have an option with some strings... and maybe a little sax.

Could you ever fathom a day and age where a crowd cheers to a sax-heavy rendition of NES DuckTales music? It makes my heart melt. If you only attend one game show or convention a year, you MUST make it to a PAX concert. As a lifelong fan of game music, I can safely say there's nothing else like it. Other bands have concerts, sure, but that many people crammed in one room united by a love of VGM is something that's only possible during a nerdvana like PAX.

Check out the OneUps either on their own site or by downloading their songs off iTunes or Amazon.

Game music of the day: Chrono Cross
"Time's Scar" by Yasunori Mitsuda

Game music of the day: Godzilla
"Planet Earth" by an unknown artist

Game music of the day: GoldenEye 007
"Control Station" by Norgate, Kirkhope, Beanland