Elf Titled

Thankfully absent of any obvious upgrading puns or next-level system geek-speak, the Advantage return with a second happy helping of what they do best, and do so well: deliver no-frills game themes nearly free of electronic keyboard or sampler trickery in an earnest math rock manner. Technically, the band is near perfect yet again in its execution of the tunes: hitting all of the right nuances and melodies of the original compositions in all of the right places without being too precious or gimmicky about the whole concept. This time around, however, the band has chosen several more obscure pieces to re-create which aren't as instantly identifiable to those who didn't spend endless hours toiling away in front the Nintendo eight-bit system. But for those who did, most of these will ring bells and bring back long-suppressed memories and more than a passing smile, listen after pleasurable listen. And even though there are 16 tracks here, it still seems painfully too short, as there's just so much more fertile ground to tread.