Posted 2012-03-14, evaluated by the judges panel


MAVERICK RISING!! We hope you're enjoying the album already; we're going to be posting some flood mixes the next couple days, but for tonight we're kicking it off with an absolutely badass ska jam from The OverClocked Plaid Muffins, who debuted last year with an equally amazing Kirby mix. Lest we chalk that mix up as a fluke or passing glimpse of brilliance, they've done it again, bringing high-energy vocal ska/rock with sexy brass to a source tune that completely lends itself to the style. Stevo writes:

"This song was actually suggested by PrototypeRaptor while we were still working on finishing "Ska Buffet." Took on this track because PR wanted to do it and, as chance would have it, Cyril had already nabbed the track for Maverick Rising. Took probably over a year to make in full, and many brass takes were needed in order to get the timing as close as we could. Much harder rock than the Kirby track.

When we started this, I knew it was going to be a harder track, but I didn't realize that it would channel Agro Rock a lot more than Ska. Vocals this time are split between PrototypeRaptor and myself. The lyrics describe, for lack of a better term, the humanity behind the robot. Disparity and longing turn to bitterness and hate, giving Armored Armadillo a tragic backstory. It is quite different from previous material, but that will probably be par for the course for the Plaid Muffins. Awesome work by PR, Swann, Xenon, Cyril, and AMT, as usual! That's about it, hope you enjoy it."

Great job on the vocals, guys, really. And this is just a smart, wicked arrangement - I love it so much I can with confidence say that it will stick in my head for the rest of my life. Fate willing, I'm gonna be diaper-wearing octagenarian one day, and I'll STILL be rocking out to this joint in my mind. That's some pretty high, incontinent praise, but it's deserved - album director Wesley Cho adds:

"The Plaid Muffins is probably the only video game music ska band in the world, so it’s exciting to hear their take on Armored Armadillo. After some songs that are more mellower in nature, this song gets in your face with its assault of brass, guitars, and drums and excepting for one reprieve, doesn’t let up. The vocals adds to the fun yet aggressive soundscape - they provide a story to Armored Armadillo, giving him some human characteristics, especially the craziness. This will almost certainly be an instant favorite for many!"

Yeah, Wes called it - definitely a favorite for me; it just CLICKS. It also show the Muffins are capable of some vocal variety - I thought LuIzA really nailed it on their Kirby mix, and I was concerned that she wasn't reprising her vocal role, but megaprops to L99 & PR for again doing some spot-on vocals that are perfect for the genre. There are so many great things to say about Maverick Rising, so many tracks to single out - and believe me, we will - and so many angles you can approach the album from, it's near-monolithic in breadth, scope, and excellence. But for now, for tonight, I think this one track, especially on the heels' of Hugo & Jordan's arrangements, sets the stage perfectly, and just plain old kicks ass. Classic.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Venom Fighter X
on 2016-02-10 10:49:32

Holy Sca Batman!

I actually like it better like this.

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Black_Doom
on 2014-11-30 14:24:14

After I got enough of the Muffins' Buffet, I decided to listen to this one without any doubt. And... I wasn't disappointed at all. Sadly, there're only few ska mixes here, on OCR. I can compare listening to this mix with playing Katamari Damacy :lol: There's so many instruments playing: vivd very emotive brass, brutal guitar, pounding drums. PR's vocals are fitiing for this song. The break at 1:52 is what makes me love this mega-collab with all my love. More muffins!!!

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Cyril the Wolf
on 2014-05-03 21:25:46

Just listened to this for the first time in a while today.

Damn. All the kudos to the team of musicians who brought this together. I just can't believe how sexy everything worked together because at the time I was very negative about my playing in it.

Now I sit, after having not played sax in a few months, thinking "How in the hell did this work"

Props to Prototype Raptor who definitely did some wizardry on at least my part, but dang guys. Well done, from the future.

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TillyFun
on 2012-08-19 23:49:12

It's mixes like these that make me wish karaoke versions were released. ^_^ I'd love to do an awful cover of this! XD

A perfect evolution from the already jazzy source track. :D Definitely made for a marvelous surprise in the awesome Maverick Rising album. Unique -- and squishable! :3

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Roadieface
on 2012-08-01 10:34:28

This song is fantastic! This is one of my favorite tracks from the game and they did a seamless job taking it to the next level. Love it guys!

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Bahamut
on 2012-07-04 13:34:14

The Plaid Muffins blew this one out of the water - the amount of effort poured into this track really shows through with how massive the song feels. The track ran into mixing issues, but it's hard not to when there's so much going on. The ska style fits this source like a glove here, and the vocals are a treat on top of it.

This is some great stuff!

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Yami
on 2012-04-13 05:01:37

I'm not really a ska listener, but this was awesome.

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Level 99
on 2012-04-12 08:11:59

On behalf of the Muffins, I want to thank everyone for their comments and feedback! We will indeed be staying classy.

Was the inclusion of the Peter Gunn theme intentional?

If you listen to the source, its not the Peter Gunn theme, but rather the way the riff works within the original track. I can understand you hearing a similarity though.

Ska was the wrong direction for this song, fast hardcore rock that doesn't go so far as to be metal punk or screamo is how it should of gone.

wut? That wasn't even a sentence that I could understand. But if you have an aversion to ska, that's a personal problem. Us plaid muffins? We're ska, through and through 8-)

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Korps de Krieg
on 2012-03-25 21:40:44

This song pretty much blew my mind the first time I gave it a listen through. Somewhere approaching the triple digits on playthroughs, it hasn't changed in my esteem.

The instrumental play could be a little cleaner, but for how awesome a job these guys did and how much energy went into their performance, I can hardly complain. They took an ultra-repetitive track from my childhood, strapped it with brass and aggressive guitar and blew me out of the water with it.

I definitely dug the approach taken with the vocal line, making Armored Armadillo sound bitter and resentful, but ultimately accepting of his lot in life. It added a lot of character to what was before just a boss fight and a shiny new gun. I'll admit, without the lyrics in front of me some spots were a little hard to understand (and were before with Ska Buffet, but not important), but the overall feel and execution was spot on.

This was a piece with awesome pacing, high energy even in the mellow sections, and mind numbingly nostalgic to mine ears. Besides my few little hangups, I have nothing but praise for this extremely well done arrangement.

Stay classy Plaid Muffins.

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Wardonis
on 2012-03-25 17:21:18

Ska was the wrong direction for this song, fast hardcore rock that doesn't go so far as to be metal punk or screamo is how it should of gone.

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psychowolf
on 2012-03-19 10:34:47

I loved ska buffet and as soon as i saw the name on the trailer i got really cyked for this song.

When i first heard i was first disappointed it wasn't LuIzA on vocals again (personally prefer female vocals) but then got over that quick with how great the song turned out anyway.

Good work guys :D hope to see the plaid muffins return for more songs.

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BlackPhantom
on 2012-03-17 18:54:52

This wasn't something that appealed to me at first. The instruments sound kind of messy to me. After a few listens though, it grew on me, and is now probably my favorite of Maverick Rising.

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Emunator
on 2012-03-16 21:23:00

I personally love this intolerable piece of noise ;-) Keep it up guys!

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Draconiator
on 2012-03-16 16:48:01

Was the inclusion of the Peter Gunn theme intentional?

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KyleJCrb
on 2012-03-16 14:47:29

VOCAL HAET!

I heard this one throughout its production, and I can vouch that everyone worked their asses off on it. Also, PrototypeRaptor is a much better singer than he gives himself credit for. Killer stuff!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Mega Man X (Capcom , 1993, SNES)
Music by Makoto Tomozawa,Setsuo Yamamoto,Toshihiko Horiyama,Yuki Iwai,Yuko Takehara
Songs:
"Armored Armadillo Stage"

Tags (10)


Genre:
Rock,Ska
Mood:
Aggressive
Instrumentation:
Brass,Electric Guitar,Singing,Vocals: Male
Additional:
Arrangement > Extended Soloing
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Time > Tempo: Fast

File Information


Name:
Mega_Man_X_Tuck_'n_Roll_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
7,080,388 bytes
MD5:
b4a8c32e0de99cf11cc452e456572231
Bitrate:
249Kbps
Duration:
3:44

When I was younger, my old father would say
The only thing worth having was found at the end of each day
But that was then and this is now and he's far gone
And his voice did linger on for far too long (He said)

My fearless son, you can't be stronger than them all
The birds control the sky and if you jump, you'll likely fall
And you need an alibi just to pass by in this life
'Cause your shell can't protect you from death's scythe (Oh no?)

When he left to find himself, I left in spirit and body and soul
I also left my family... literally
'Cause if he's not worth anything, then what do I know?
I'm just a carbon copy of a damned machine

He said

You'll never breathe
And you'll never touch the water
You'll never see
The sights that I, your father
Have entrusted to you
Entrusted to you
I'm sorry
But you will never touch the sky

When my time comes, I'll hold my head up and say
The only thing I've lived for is be thrown to the fray
No legacy, just digging; digging deep in my soul
I've become the underground king of nothing at all

I'm under orders to destroy all who dare
Disturb this cave and bring a light to my lair
I am more dangerous than you comprehend
'Cause there's nothing holding me back from the end

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