ReMix:Undertale "Make Your Life Hell" 3:36

Next up in our fearsome foursome of Undertale ReMixes are LongBoxofChocolate with a sax-fueled, high-energy, alt-rock, oft-hyphenated arrangement of "Stronger Monsters" and "Hopes and Dreams" - LBC's Trevor "Manny" Burch writes:

""Warning: this name will make your life hell. Proceed anyway?"

"YES."

Our first single in a series of Undertale tracks! This track is an upbeat alt-rock cover of Undertale's secret Hard Mode theme. Inspired by sonic artisans such as The Killers, MisterWives, and The Strokes, our dear saxophonist laid an amazing foundation for us to capitalize on these influences. We are thrilled with the final product - so just sit back and enjoy the chocolatey goodness."

So first things first, regardless of whoever else likes them and for whatever reasons, I'm a HUGE fan of The Strokes, and have been since Is This It? way back when... one of the few modern bands I love on the same level as artists from the 60s/70s/80s. So that certainly got my attention, and while none of The Strokes' stuff has this much (or really any) sax, LBC have definitely got that boogie beat going on in a major way. Things open blunt & rockin' and stay that way, and production generally has that "modern vintage" vibe; this may have thrown the judges a bit, as "intentional muddiness" isn't something we get a ton of, but it DOES make sense given the inspirations & is consistent with the overall presentation as well. Chimpazilla writes:

"The performances here are all top notch and the arrangement is dynamite! My only complaint is that the mixing is just a tad on the muddy side and things get a bit too busy in some spots."

So yeah, I'm pretty sure it's a stylistic thing, given the influences, but whether you like influences/styles that intentionally avoid super-crisp production (The Velvet Underground being a classic example) is a whole other question. In this case, it didn't stop the panel from loving the arrangement & performances, and I personally dig the sound/mixing, too. Dope drum fills, cathartic synth solo, effective drop & build... cut the sax and add Julian Casablancas on vocals and I could see this as not just a Strokes song, but a really damn good one. Gario writes:

"Aw yeah, I love you guys. You probably know that from the WIP board comments, though - I do have a tendancy to gush a tad. The arrangement for this is incredibly fun, easy to recognize and ultimately even more playful than the source material. The skaw style goin' here is full of flavor."

Agreed, on the fun AND the flavor. With a name like "LongBoxofChocolate" you're almost OBLIGATED to deliver on both of those fronts, and - once again - they have; love it.