Jam along to new DLC

This week in Rock Band (yeah, I know I'm still a week behind), stop making sense, and start making some noise, with a nice 5-pack by Talking Heads. We also get some individual tracks by The Jam, Oasis, Rage Against the Machine, and Avenged Sevenfold. The Talking Heads pack is 680 MSP/$8.50, but everything can be acquired individually for the usual price of 160 MSP/$2.
Here's what's on offer:

Talking Heads Pack 1
And She Was
Crosseyed & Painless
Girlfriend is Better
Once in a Lifetime
Take Me to The River

Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country
The Jam - A Town Called Malice
The Jam - Going Underground
Oasis - Supersonic (Live)
Rage Against the Machine - Guerrilla Radio
Note: Click on any song for expert band videos.

I was actually a little surprised when they announced this week's songs. I would have thought that tomorrow's release of Beatles Rock Band would be their sole focus right now, but apparently they still have time to give us decent DLC! So what did I buy then? Well, I had to pick up a few of the Talking Heads tracks. I avoided Crosseyed & Painless and Take Me to The River, as they sounded way too easy, but I bought the rest. Yeah, I know that And She Was is also rather simple, but how could I resist? I also bought the two Jam songs, as they are the first
released in the game, and I'd like to show my appreciation. So how were they?

Well, lets start with the Jam songs, which both fit into drum tier 3. Going Underground isn't bad, with a fairly standard punkish beat, only made tricky by it's speed. This is also what makes the fills tough, but overall, it's not going to provide much challenge for veterans. A Town Called Malice also has a fairly standard beat, but is somehow rather satisfying to play. I can't explain exactly why, but I get the same feeling I often do when playing Thin Lizzy's The Boys are Back in Town. It's not all easy, though, as there are some quick double-kicks throughout, and the occasional drumroll. Even though I got gold stars on my first try (woot!), I'm still looking forward to playing this one again.

Okay, so now lets look at the Talking Heads tracks. The first one is And She Was, which is down in drum tier 1. I knew I shouldn't have bought anything this easy, as I got a 100% full combo on my first go. Familiar, simple beat, with only a couple of fills in the middle. Nothing special. Girlfriend is Better (drum tier 3) was a little more interesting, with a pattern that goes back and forth between yellow pad, red pad, and kick drum; rarely two at the same time. While the beat subtly changes throughout, I still felt a little bored by the end, as there are never any major shifts. Oh well. Finally, we have Once in a Lifetime (drum tier 3), which was definitely the trickiest song I bought this week. It's hard to describe the hand pattern, but it reminds me of the Stone Temple Pilots' Vasoline, or Kiss' Detroit Rock City, with a back-and-forth kind of rhythm. Fortunately, the kick drum is easy, so you can concentrate on your other limbs instead. Overall, rather fun, and one I plan on getting better at.

So of the five tracks I bough this week, I would recommend A Town Called Malice and Once in a Lifetime. The others I could take or leave. While none of these songs are overly-tough, they're still fun to play, and worth having in your collection. Now I'm going to cross my fingers in hopes of seeing Artists Only at some point in the future.

In other news, Harmonix recently confirmed that a patch is on it's way to Rock Band, allowing the use of wireless mics. Hang on a minute! Didn't we get this promise back in December, after the release of Microsoft's Lips? Yes, but they never said exactly when the patch would be coming. While they still haven't announced a definite date, they have said that the mics will work fine in Beatles Rock Band from day one, with Rock Band 2 support to follow.

We also got our first look at Rock Band Mobile, the upcoming cell phone version of the popular rhythm game. Note that I said cell phone, not iPhone, as Verizon users will actually be the lucky ones to receive this title before anyone else. The gameplay will no doubt be similar to what we're used to, and it will feature 25 tracks (in high quality mp3 format), some of which were offered as DLC on the home console versions. You can click here for the full list. Unfortunately, no other cell phones have been confirmed yet, but I sure hope an Android version is in the works! Verizon users can look forward to Rock Band Mobile when it hits on September 16th.