Faking the Band 2 - Banshees? How clever. [Oct. 28] |
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| BY Jason R. Wallace Oct. 28th, 2008 | More on: |
Faking the Band 2 is a weekly feature detailing the latest in DLC for the Rock Band platform. This segment will also cover Guitar Hero World Tour DLC starting November 4.
We all see what you did there, Harmonix. We all know that banshees are the wailing, frightening, otherworldly creatures of Irish mythology who portend death, and so releasing a Siouxsie and the Banshees pack now is a bit of Halloween jest. Apparently, someone at Rock Band headquarters, someone in the track scheduling division, at the very least, has a good sense of humor. Ghastly jokes aside (cue rimshot), today’s DLC offerings are a welcome addition, as they both flesh out an unusual genre and provide a little fan service in the way of a much-requested tune.
Rock Band 2 doesn’t have a “post-punk” category, per se, but it certainly has enough related tracks to warrant another bracket: genre staples like Devo and Talking Heads, revivalists like Maxïmo Park and the Killers, and close calls that take the label to its logical extreme (e.g. Sonic Youth, which is more rightly referred to as a “noise rock” band). The Siouxsie and the Banshees Pack firmly adds to the list of genre staples with their breakout hit “Hong Kong Garden,” but then veers hard toward the pop side of things with songs like “The Killing Jar” and “Kiss Them for Me.” Of course, every track is characterized by the group’s Gothic sensibilities and lead singer Siouxsie Sioux’s enigmatic lyrics. But there’s more, folks! Molly Ringwald devotees will be tickled pink to know that the Psychedelic Furs’ “Pretty In Pink” is also available for digital consumption.
Post-punk clearly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, judging by the sale numbers for the Devo tunes in August, but that’s where bands like Blink-182 and Silversun Pickups come in handy. Blink’s “Dammit,” a bouncy pop punk anthem, has been an oft-requested song in forums and fan setlists since time immemorial, it seems, and Silversun Pickups’ “Lazy Eye,” a Smashing Pumpkins-esque track on-disc, has made way for “Well Thought Out Twinkles” and “Melatonin.”
Siouxsie and the Banshees Pack
[160 MS points per song / 440 for pack / all masters]
Assorted singles [160 MS points per song / all masters]
October 29th, 2008
at 6:44 am
Good selections this week, especially the Silversun Pickups stuff. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come for bands that made their debuts in Rock Band 2 (would love to see a Pearl Jam pack).