This month's Man of the Hour is Alex "Arkke" Swift and earlier this month he wrote Earthbound - A hidden relic of the 16-bit Era for us. Since he is still the Man of the Hour he submitted a second article to be published on the Rock Band DLC Survival Kit which is everything you need to know about the DLC.
Rock Band DLC Survival Kit
By Alex Swift (Arkke)
Ask any of my friends and they'll tell you that Rock Band is my favorite Xbox game. I'd even go as far to say it's my second-favorite game of all time (behind Earthbound). The biggest reason I'm so wrapped up in Rock Band is the customization - the ability to craft your own music collection from a library of over 500 downloadable, ready-to-play songs is something that no other music game on the market can offer. Unfortunately for today's gamers, times are tough and money is tight, so not everyone can afford to buy dozens of songs at any given time. For those of you who have drawn the purse-strings a little tight, I've assembled what I consider to be the perfect Rock Band survival kit, for the player who needs a little 'oomph' in their setlist. These five songs are guaranteed to turn your faux rocking up to 11.
Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench
What better way to start off the list than a high-speed, chord-heavy trip through a classic from the Foo Fighters' "The Colour and the Shape"? One great thing about this song is the fact that every band member is put through the ropes to pass, particularly on Expert. The guitar hits you chord after chord, and some of the transitions are particularly brutal, but aren't any less fun because of it. The drum section is pretty standard as far as drum parts go, but still a decent challenge - the song's fast pace makes keeping the beat a little hectic at times, especially with all the kick pedal that's thrown in. Bass is a little bit on the easier side for Expert, as is generally expected, but still doesn't let up, and the vocals highlight all that Dave Grohl screaming that fans have come to love. This one is easy for a whole band to get into. If you can afford the entire 12-song download then I'd recommend picking up the album, particularly for some of the unorthodox songs like "Enough Space", but, if you're only able to afford a song or two, "Monkey Wrench" is the way to go.
Muse - Hysteria
"Bah, these songs are too easy," your bass player moans, "can't we do something that'll put this $99 precision bass to good use?" Shut 'em up and download "Hysteria". The bass section in "Hysteria" is arguably more difficult than the guitar. The note structure isn't necessarily complicated, but it does require your bassist to be quick about moving across the frets. Your guitarist will still be kept decently busy, as will your vocalist, who will have to work their way through the higher-pitched singing that Muse is characterized by. Your drummer will likely not have a very hard time passing this one if they're worth their weight in meat; the song's tempo is slow enough that it won't be hard to keep up. The one thing to look out for in this one is that the guitarist gets a long break before the first chorus. A perfect opportunity to go grab a drink for your bassist; this may not be a Chili Peppers song, but he may still need something to cool off with when everything is said and done.
Children of Bodom - Are You Dead Yet?
OKay, so everyone has that one big friend. They've got that deep, foreboding voice and can't really sing much of anything that would be considered "mainstream." Thank goodness Harmonix had the foresight to throw a bunch of metal into the DLC line-up. This song is fantastic for a few reasons - the main one being that your awkwardly-big friend can just scream the whole thing without any regard for pitch. The other is that, because it's a metal song, the kick pedal notes are practically stacked on themselves in some parts, meaning this may be the challenge your drummer is looking for. This song has a good balance for your drummer - it gives you challenges, but spaces them out, so your drummer doesn't feel completely bombarded by Expert-level drum beatings. This one is also surprisingly fun on guitar and bass; the guitarist will encounter a tricky solo about 2/3 of the way through, but it's one that feels fantastic to hammer through, and the bass section, as GameGirl Rini will profess, is equally entertaining and well-structured. Almost anyone can find something to like about this one, unless they're REALLY averse towards 'screamo' music. Even then, there's much worse than this one up for download; as far as metal goes in Rock Band, "Are You Dead Yet?" is actually somewhat tame.
Wolfmother - Joker & the Thief
Despite the fact that we didn't get an encore of their hit song "Woman", Wolfmother's "Joker & the Thief" is a suitable replacement. It opens up with a guitar structure that I, having beat hundreds of songs previously, find extremely frustrating. At the very least it's really good practice for those who are really crummy at hammer-ons. Adversely, as someone who can't clear many songs on Expert drums, this one feels really natural to play, and is a total blast to drum through. Your vocalist should be carefully selected; the vocals in this one are very high, so pick either a girl or a very pretty boy and you should be fine. One downside to this one - to be brutally honest, your bassist will probably fall asleep out of boredom, but you can't win 'em all. Tell him to take a break, go cool his head off, or you'll make him play Hysteria again. I only wish there were more Wolfmother songs in-game; their style of against-the-wall rock could really do wonders for the current DLC library.
Boston - More Than A Feeling
And you thought that the vocals in the last song were high. Of the handful of Boston songs currently in Rock Band, "More Than A Feeling" is by far the greatest test of your singer's vocal range and sanity. There will be high notes. Really high notes, ones that will hurt the vocal chords of an average man. If singing this is a stretch for your vocalist, save it for dead last, unless you're so tired of hearing them sing that you'd like to put their voice out in short order. Otherwise, the song is pretty standard for the instrument players in your band - you'll find that, compared to the other songs on this list, playing through this one is pretty easy. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - while shredding through super-hard solos is always entertaining, part of the Rock Band experience is the feeling of being a rock star, and playing an 'easier' song means more opportunities for on-stage antics with your bandmates. Don't be dissuaded by the fact that this song is easier than the others on the list; I'd suggest the entire Boston song pack to anyone who's serious about building a solid DLC collection.
These songs are only a start - if you sat me down I could probably list off scores of songs I could recommend for Rock Band. Even $20 a month can considerably expand your collection, so this is one habit that even a recession-era gamer can handle, and Harmonix is a developer with an unbeatable track record - new songs every week for the past year and a half. Now more than ever it's important to put your money someplace where it'll count; investing it in the forefathers of the music game genre is probably one of the best things you can do with your hard-earned dough. So, give the full DLC list a once-over, and see if there's something unexpected that may be worth downloading. In the meantime, I'll be sitting on my hands waiting for Harmonix to throw some more ska up for purchase.
