Lost in the Music: Intergalactic Continuum by The OneUps

Original Cover Art by Reagan Lodge of  reaganlodge.com

    Today is a special edition of Lost in the Music. Earlier this week I got a hold of the OneUp's latest album, Intergalactic Continuum which is by far one of the more interesting albums I have ever reviewed here on Lost in the Music. For the first time I am review an album that features song's from such games such as Battletoads, Ikari Warriors and Angry Birds of all things.

     Going into this album I was pleased by the music selection. There are the staple songs such as Zelda, Mario and Final Fantasy, but after that there are some that are more obscure in origin. I am not saying God of War, Battletoads and Angry birds are obscure, but you rarely hear any music remakes from those franchises, so seeing a band like the OneUps give these games some cover is certainly a welcome change to the Video Game Cover Band scene.

     Intergalactic Continuum has a nice and varied soundtrack. When I first got the album I was expecting to hear the the same selection of songs remixed and while I don't mind that, it can get very boring and the music starts blending together. As I said above they chose other songs that are outside the norm. Aside from the VGO album I reviewed earlier, I have not heard anyone cover music from God of War and despite my dislike of that series, I came to appreciate what the band had done with the soundtrack.

     The one song that came as a surprise to me was Birds, Stars, Pigs and Quasars. When I saw the title I thought I would not like the song because it was associated with Angry Birds and I am not a fan of that series. Giving the song a chance and not immediately disliking it, I discovered that the song was quite catchy. It was fun to listen to and I found myself tapping my foot to the beat. It is not the best song on the album, that goes to Two Dragons, One Cup...of Funk which is one of the strangest, but most refreshing twists on the Double Dragon Stage 1 track. While Birds, Stars, Pigs and Quasars will not get me motivated to play Angry Birds, it is still a fun song to listen to.

     Sadly the one song I think is the weakest is their rendition of One Winged Angel. The sound that this band utilizes does not work well with this track and it sounds kind of messy. The album is still great but I feel they should have chosen another song. They have already gone outside the regular so why not something from the Soul Blazer Trilogy, Castlevania or hell even Mystical Ninja? These guys have proven they can take obscure tracks and make them great so why not break the mould and go for something new and fresh.

     Aside from their One Winged Angel cover, The OneUps perform solidly with this album. The album has a nice variety of music and on the rare occasion two genre's will work off each other. It is very difficult to combine two different musical styles as they might not mesh. However these guys do it right. It gives the album its own unique touch and a great way to end the year. If you enjoy video game music and are looking to expand your horizons, I would recommend picking up their album. You can pick it up off their bandcamp page.

     This is Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.