Cool Is Just A Number (EP)
Private Studios, 2008
REVIEW BY: Mike Cirelli
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 05/06/2009
I Fight Dragons dons superhero tee shirts for photo shoots, list video game systems in their instrumental repertoire, and blend Atari-esque sound effects with power-pop in a relatively new genre called Nintendo rock. Their music evokes the feeling of being inside a video game.
Sounds like a gimmick, right? There’s no way a band that tacks on sound effects seemingly pulled from Super Mario Bros. 3 can transcend novelty status. This reeks of more schtick than Hey You, Pikachu! or the Nintendo Power Glove of 1989.
But what makes these
The songs follow a logical and fluent sequencing, suggesting that IFD are ready for full-length albums. In opener “The Faster The Treadmill,” they mesh 8-bit sound effects quite nicely with a piano, throw in some power-pop guitar chords, and supercharge the chorus. The result is something both innovative and cohesive. The lone ballad on Cool Is Just A Number provides an appropriate ending. Despite its tacky lyrics, the warm and glowing synths and frail acoustic guitar radiates a kind of nerdiness as the music slowly builds like frost inching up a windowpane. Finding the pathos in video game music – pretty good for a couple of guys and a gal who like Nintendo and dress up in superhero shirts.