I feel like it’s been a really long time since I’ve posted. It’s been a busy last couple of weeks with the end of the school year, but now I’m officially off until August. So assuming there’s more geek music released in the next couple of months, which I think is a safe assumption, I should be able to keep up to date for at least a little while.
Marc with a C – The Real Live Sound Of Marc With a C
I’ve actually been sitting on this one for about a month now, waiting until I could officially talk about the setlist before the review went up. Marc has wanted to release a live vinyl album for quite some time (and his fans have wanted him to do so), and he’s perfectly captured one of his concerts with this release. Recorded at Sleeping Moon Cafe in Orlando, FL, in September 2013, the album features fan favorites like “Nerdy Girls,” “You’re My Princess,” “I’m in Love with Everyone I Know,” and more, along with less played songs like “Music Can Heal,” plus plenty of stories and banter from Marc. I think the track that best encapsulates the whole experience would have to be “The Audience Is Listening,” which clocks in at a bit over eight minutes. It’s a song about telling the audience interesting stories in which Marc tells a story and a (really, truly wrong) joke. Very meta; no surprise there. There’s also audience participation, but I’ll leave that experience as a fun surprise for when you listen.
The vinyl double album is wonderful, with cover and interior design by Katharine Miller (as an aside, if you’ve never seen her book, BORIS Robot of Leisure, you really should). Looking at the illustrations just automatically makes me happy. Of course, Marc’s music is always best experienced on vinyl (plus there are two extra tracks that aren’t on the digital version or the CD), so grab your copy soon before they’re sold out because once they’re gone, they’re gone forever!
Adam WarRock – Transistor Mixtape EP
Supergiant Games just released their sophomore game, Transistor, which is the first game in a very long time that I actually pre-ordered. Given how great the music for Bastion, their first game, was, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the soundtrack is a highlight. And it should also come as no surprise that Adam WarRock would create a mixtape using the music, just as he did with Bastion (in fact, one of the five tracks on this EP also uses music from Bastion to praise indie game companies like Supergiant). There’s not much else to say other than it’s Adam WarRock doing what he does best. If you’re a fan of the game, it’s well worth a download (especially since it’s free!). And, of course, don’t forget that WarRock’s annual Donation Drive starts June 11!
Copy Red Leader – Crossing the Streams
It’s been a while since a new band came on the scene and absolutely blew me away. Copy Red Leader falls into that category. From the opening title track, I knew immediately this was going to be some great music. The duo seamlessly weaves together different genres of music as well as different fandoms (in other words: crossing the streams). Their name should be a clue that Star Wars is an influence, and that shows in such tracks as “Large and in Charge” (about Jabba the Hutt), “Tatooine Blues,” and “Let the Wookiee Win” (at everything, not just chess). There’s a common rivalry among geeks between Star Wars and Star Trek, but Copy Red Leader don’t let that bother them, with Trek songs like “P’s and Q’s” (hint: the “P” is for Picard…) and “Brawl in Ten Forward.” Heck, they even manage songs about Pigs in Space (appropriately titled “Pigs in Space”) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (“Drawn That Way”). But most of their songs (including some of those already mentioned) are a wonderful mishmash of nearly every genre TV show, movie, or book you could imagine. I keep noticing new references every time I listen, which just makes it that much more fun.
I’m really glad that they reached out to Fandomania to let us know about this release; I strongly suspect it will end up on my list of top releases for this year!
