The music of Stubbs the Zombie, indie rock takes on doo-wop

February 8, 2015 1:50 PM

In the witty, gory video game Stubbs the Zombie, the dead roam a "city of the future" circa 1959, forcing the living to do their bidding before feasting on their brains. Meanwhile, on the game's soundtrack (YT playlist), indie rockers both famous and obscure reanimate classic songs from the late '50s and early '60s. Despite the album's high-concept nature, many of these covers aren't nearly as jokey as they could've been, and most of them mix a real love of the original songs with distinctive approaches.

A look back at 12 modern covers of vintage pop hits (and one original song), with Ben Kweller taking on The Chordettes and The Drifters remaking The Walkmen, and more.

It was almost a decade ago that Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse came out, allowing you to play Edward "Stubbs" Stubblefield, a poor traveling salesman who died in 1933, only to return in 1959 to get his girl back (45 minutes of gory gameplay). The soundtrack pairs decently well with the kitsch, as heard here:

1. Ben Kweller - "Lollipop" (originally by The Chordettes)
2. The Raveonettes - "My Boyfriend's Back" (originally by The Angels)
3. Death Cab For Cutie - "Earth Angel" (originally by The Penguins)
4. Rose Hill Drive - "Shakin' All Over" (originally by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates)
5. Cake - "Strangers In The Night" (originally by Frank Sinatra)
6. The Walkmen - "There Goes My Baby" (originally by The Drifters)
7. Rogue Wave - "Everyday" (originally by Buddy Holly)
8. The Dandy Warhols - "All I Have To Do Is Dream" (originally by The Everly Brothers)
9. Oranger - "Mr. Sandman" (originally by The Chordettes)
10. The Flaming Lips - "If I Only Had A Brain" (The Scarecrow's song from The Wizard of Oz)
11. Clem Snide - "Tears On My Pillow" (originally by Little Anthony & the Imperials)
12. Milton Mapes - "Lonesome Town" (originally by Ricky Nelson)
13. Phantom Planet - "The Living Dead" (original song)

posted by filthy light thief (13 comments total)

Yes! Great game, great record. So much lovely stuff here.
posted by ominous_paws at 1:58 PM on February 8, 2015

The real standout is Rogue Wave's cover of Everyday, if you ask me.
posted by Metafilter Username at 2:36 PM on February 8, 2015 [4 favorites]

I believe Stubbs is the best co-op video game I've ever played (original xbox). I was introduced to it by MeFi, naturally.
posted by exogenous at 2:42 PM on February 8, 2015

The Drifters remaking The Walkmen

I wish this wasn't just a typo and was actually a real thing. "We've Been Had" sung by the Drifters would be pretty awesome.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:15 PM on February 8, 2015 [4 favorites]

I really liked that game, but early on, i ended up in a situation where i needed to use one of the special abilities, and ran out of ammo. I got stuck because I got bit by the auto-save and I couldn't get back to the point where I could un-screw myself.

Also, the dance-off minigame was infuriating for me.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 3:49 PM on February 8, 2015

So that's where the Cake cover of Strangers in the Night comes from! It's on their B-sides album and I've always really liked it.
posted by immlass at 3:52 PM on February 8, 2015

Oh, god, the dance-off. Yes, that was a poor decision, but there really was a lot to like about Stubbs the Zombie - especially the ability to mind-control any enemy you could reach with your disembodied hand, which made for some really fun gaming when you e.g. took over one of the flying jetpack guards...

Alex Seropian, incidentally, who founded the developer Wideload Games, was the cofounder of Bungie. He's now the CEO of Industrial Toys, which has recently released Midnight Star, a shooter for iPhone and iPad set in a world co-created by MetaFilter's own John Scalzi.
posted by running order squabble fest at 4:00 PM on February 8, 2015

I'm pretty sure we put in an option to skip the dance-off, were you so inclined. We knew it was a total departure from everything else in the game and was likely to throw some people. But it was also delightfully surreal.

My idea, incidentally. Sorry and/or you're welcome. :-)
posted by minusman at 7:13 PM on February 8, 2015 [37 favorites]

This is one of my favorite games, and I have that sountrack still.
posted by mrzarquon at 9:06 PM on February 8, 2015

MeTa on minusman joining the discussion here.
posted by filthy light thief at 6:59 AM on February 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

Oranger! Love that band.

New Comes and Goes is an EXCELLENT power-pop record. One of my very favorites.
posted by blue t-shirt at 7:43 AM on February 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

Well, it's not that it was a thematically inappropriate decision, just that it was _really hard_ if you were playing on PC with a keyboard and mouse... I don't recall being able to skip it, but it's very possible that I didn't notice, or wanted to beat it.

Notwithstanding, it was definitely worth persevering - Stubbs the Zombie was a gem of a game, and one I played to the end. In fact, I just looked on Steam, but it doesn't seem to be available...

(It won't be news to minusman, but there's a nice piece on the genesis of the game here.)
posted by running order squabble fest at 2:40 PM on February 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

I agree. I know I tried a couple times because I was sure it would affect the outcome of the game, but when I couldn't get it and let me go on anyway I was a little surprised.

I'm going to have to dig the disc out now and play it.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 5:00 PM on February 10, 2015