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Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band)

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221Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Empty "Lost Boys Life" Music video, August 24, 2017 Sun Aug 27, 2017 12:57 am

Poppy

Poppy
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Jeremy wrote:
On one hand, it's not the kind of music video I'm into and I'd like they stick more to the universe they talked about when they released the EP (90's, video games). On the other hand, the actor is cute (I've watched ST's first episode and his character was my favourite), there is a story, it's really different of the previous video... 

Poppy, how are your parents ?

I think you mentioned before that you are fond of music from the 80s and 90s.  If I remember correctly, you liked "Every Single Night," which is understandable since you can hear that strong 80s influence (Miami Sound Machine, Lionel Richie). 

I also like music videos with a plot, although I enjoy music videos that just are fun too (like the "Every Single Night" video; also one of my favorite Glee music videos was the "This is the New Year" music video--so fun and joyous and full of friendship).   I agree, that Gaten is very cute!


Thanks for asking about my parents, Jeremy.  My mom seems to be recovering well.  She had so many big bruises everywhere.  It made me sad to see that, and to hear how much she was hurting for a while.  But the deep gash on her hand seems to be mending well and the doctor said that there does not  appear to be any nerve damage, which is a huge relief.  My step-father is having a much harder time recovering.   Because of the broken sternum, and fractured ribs and clavicle, he is almost always in pain.  They said he would heal on his own without any surgery.  His heart seems to be acting up, I guess because of the trauma and the stress.  His heart rate has been very high since he got released from the hospital.  I've been trying to figure out if a factor is because he is not taking the proper dosage of the new meds, or possibly because the dosage is too low and needs to be adjusted up.  It's sometimes hard to get a straight answer from either him or my mom about what he is actually taking.   In the last appointment, the cardiologist was very good about  making sure my mom and my step-father realize the importance of following the correct dosage.




Computer Games, "Lost Boys Life" Music video, August 24, 2017






From dcriss-archive:


This is very nice!
Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_ovawl0HZBK1wpi2k2o1_1280
Computer Games’ Lost Boys Life EP is #94 on alternative iTunes Chart (August 26th, 2017)

via dcriss-archive







applause 
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Computer Games’ “Lost Boys Life” music video has reached 200k views

via dcriss-archive






From dcriss-archive:


Some more comments from friends (that I had missed earlier):  :happy face
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Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_ov9areiZa71wpi2k2o1_540

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From Darren Criss Army:

Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_ovb4gisxr11ubd9qxo1_1280

(Source: twitter.com)

*Jeremy*

*Jeremy*
Advanced II
Advanced II

It's not an easy situation. All I can do is sending you my best wishes.

Poppy

Poppy
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Thank you, Jeremy.   I appreciate your kind words.

Poppy

Poppy
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Computer Games, "Lost Boys Life" Music video, August 24, 2017





YouTube: No stranger to the spotlight, @GatenM123 stars in #LostBoysLife from @weplaycomputers & @DarrenCriss goo.gl/vw6mCB

via dcriss-archive










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computergamesst:
   We added 486 HD Screencaptures of the Lost Boys Life music video to our gallery. Check them out here!


via dcriss-archive





Poppy

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This is a nice surprise, Darren and Chuck were on MTV.  :happy face

From Darren Criss Army:




Darren and Chuck Criss Freestyle | Summer in the City | MTV

August 29, 2017

(Source: youtube.com)






hee.   That first pic.  (I never tire of Darren's funny faces.  With all the sad news of the world, his positive energy is both a salve and a ray of sunshine.)  :big grin   Chuck's face in that last pic too.  :amused


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Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_ovgvt2DAWW1ubd9qxo2_1280

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kaymaldo1 I promise @darrencriss and @charlescriss are doing a boomerang and not trying to kill me (I think Razz ) #mtvsummerinthecity #mtv #summerinthecity #darrencriss #chuckcriss #glee #computergames

via Darren Criss Army







From dcriss-archive:


This is interesting.   I love the idea of Darren and Chuck creating original music, but at the same time, I also enjoy interesting takes/covers of existing songs.  I would enjoy Darren and Chuck releasing covers that are their own interpretations of songs (but please keep releasing original music too).



MTV: Computer Games Music rant about music today vs. music back in the day in this round of #TellUsEvrythng

via dcriss-archive









 This was fun.  (Pie is always the superior choice. :amused )

MTV: Computer Games Music answers some rapid fire questions in this round of #TellUsEvrythng

via dcriss-archive







 

xxxqueenj: @DarrenCriss ON MY TV :heart eyes :heart eyes hands in the air

via dcriss-archive









MTV: Hiii, @weplaycomputers  heart | #MTVSummerintheCity

via dcriss-archive







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MTV: .@weplaycomputers just killed this #MTVFreestyle using your tweets | #MTVSummerintheCity

MTV: Thanks for stopping by today, @Lecrae + @weplaycomputers  kiss | That’s a wrap on #MTVSummerintheCity, see you next time!

via dcriss-archive















*Jeremy*

*Jeremy*
Advanced II
Advanced II

I hope Darren also loves cats, though unhappy

:amused

Poppy

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haha!  :amused  Darren likes small animals. . . who are nice (the "nice" part is emphasized).  So unless they are giant cats (like tigers, lions, etc) who are not "nice"-- Darren also likes cats (who are nice).  :happy face  (Although I guess the big cats are just being themselves, so "nice" is not much of a priority to them.    :amused )  Anyway, see Point 4:28 of the below video:





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Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_lqbptl5eEb1qf8ttso2_r3_250  Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_lqbptl5eEb1qf8ttso3_r1_250

Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_lqbptl5eEb1qf8ttso4_r1_250  Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_lqbptl5eEb1qf8ttso5_r1_250
wellblainelovesfootball:
    “I like beaches, sushi and small animals… who are nice!”


via adorkabledarrencriss







If you watch these Celebuzz Livestream videos, they are hilarious.  He's so funny.  His mind is racing a mile a minute--his humor is so quick.  "This is why I'm on a show where they write lines for you.  So I kind of avoid, . . . what's happening now, basically."  :big grin  I like the part about the polka song.  :happy face

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From dcriss-archive:

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weplaycomputers: We made a bunch of exclusive #LostBoysLife merch for you. Hope y'all like it.
weplaycomputers.co/merch




Link:  https://store.darrencriss.com/collections/computer-games

Poppy

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From Darren Criss Army:

Baeblemusic wrote:
Coming Soon:   A Baeble NEXT Session with Computer Games

September 5, 2017

A little while ago, alt-pop duo Computer Games stopped by the Baeble office for a stripped-down Baeble NEXT Session. While Computer Games is a new collaboration (they just released their first EP, Lost Boys Life, back in March), the members of the duo are pretty well seasoned in the music industry - the duo is comprised of brother Chuck and Darren Criss. Although they’ve always wanted to do a collaboration like this, the brothers initially ended up going their own ways and making their own names in music. Darren Criss has obviously made a big name for himself, creating the Youtube sensation Starkid and starring on Glee, while Chuck spent his time as a part of the indie-rock band Freelance Whales. Computer Games grew out of the brothers’ frequent basement jams from their childhood, and their regular songwriting collaborations.

For their Baeble NEXT Session, Computer Games performed some songs from their debut EP, including title track “Lost Boys Life” and “Every Single Night,” as well as a couple songs that have yet to be recorded and released, “Damage” and “Same Old Situation.” Beginning the session with a full backing band that includes drums, bass, piano, and the Criss’ on acoustic guitars, they strip it down for their last song, performing with nothing more than a couple of acoustic guitars and their harmonizing voices. Between songs, Chuck and Darren talk about their 80s-inspired songwriting, how their collaboration came about, and their goal of making music to make people happy. If you’re finding yourself in need of a little 80s alt-pop happiness, be sure to watch Computer Games’ NEXT Session when it drops on Baeble Music.

Poppy

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From Darren Criss Army:










Please click on the link to the Baeblemusic article, to give it numbers.  :happy face  I'll quote a few parts of the article, but please go to the link to read the entire article.  It's interesting, some things I haven't read before (note:  the article does have some editing issues).

BaebleMusic wrote:
A Baeble NEXt Session with Computer Games

Song List:


Lost Boys Life                     Every Single Night
The Damage                       Same Old Situation

Show Review

Beginning the session with a full backing band that includes drums, bass, piano, and the Criss'[es] on acoustic guitars, they strip it down for their last two songs, performing with nothing more than a couple of acoustic guitars and their harmonizing voices . . .  If you're finding yourself in need of a little 80s alt-pop happiness, our newest NEXT session might do the trick.

[. . . ]

With its blazing guitar solos and boundless energy, Computer Games debut EP Lost Boys Life perfectly captures the spirit of adolescent abandon. At the same time, Computer Games show[s] a sharp sense of songcraft born from years of refining their musical vision. One of the things about this project being a long time coming is that were taking the kind of riffs that we would've played back in the basement, but adding different layers to turn it into something new to put out into the world, notes Chuck.

Darren and Chuck share songwriting duties for Computer Games, drawing on their indie sensibilities to build the ideal backdrop for their often-introspective lyrics. In the making of Lost Boys Life, Computer Games went for a chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter effect by enlisting the pop expertise of New York City-based music production team THE ELEV3N. Known for their work with artists like Meghan Trainor and Jesse McCartney, the Criss brothers hoped THE ELEV3Ns production sensibility would add a more contemporary, familiar sound to their initial left-of-center tracks. The result was just that: a shiny sheen polish on scrappy garage pop. And for the mixing of Lost Boys Life, an EP that gracefully blends raw live performance with electronic elements, the band looked to their long-time hero, producer & mixer Tony Hoffer, who's responsible for a number of albums that shaped the Criss brothers musical background: Phoenixs Alphabetical, The Thrills So Much For The City, and Becks Midnite Vultures, to name a few.

With the band name referencing a bit of low-key childhood mischief (As kids we weren't allowed to play video games, but we had games on our computers so there was a loophole there, explains Chuck), Computer Games delights in what Darren refers to as nerdstalgia. As were crawling out of our 20s, a sentiment shared by the band is this eternal sense of nostalgia, which is something pretty prominent in nerd culture, he says. Its about liking whatever you like, and not needing to ever apologize for that.

That nostalgia also extends to the pop heavyweights of the mid-80s, according to Chuck. A lot of bands seem influenced by the 80s right now, but they're usually going for that darker, Blade Runner vibe, he says. We wanted to look at parts of the era that haven't really been explored as inspiration some of the music that's just super fun. Naming Miami Sound Machine, Lionel Richie, and Huey Lewis and the News among their reference points on Lost Boys Life, Computer Games channel[s] that outrageous fun into a deeply melodic sound that feels both fresh and timeless.

The most unabashedly joyful track on Lost Boys Life, Every Single Night fuses jangly guitar riffs and intricate rhythms with huge harmonies and some Michael Jackson-esque vocal styling. I tried to crush those consonants and vowels and make as many phonetically inspired lyrical decisions as possible like how with Michael Jackson, 'jam on is suddenly a really cool lyric, just because it sounds cool, says Darren. On We Like It, a flurry of handclap-backed acoustic strumming gives way to a soaring, soulful anthem that's epic in scope and subtly defiant in message. 'We Like It' partly came from hearing people of my generation or older generations worrying about kids being glued to their phones, and how that's such a cyclical concept like how our parents were worried about us being glued to the TV, and their parents were worried about them listening to rock-and-roll, says Darren. Its about kids saying, 'This is our life and this is how we express ourselves, and we don't have to explain that to anyone.'

The EPs moodiest moment, the slow-burning Lost Boys Life merges its heavy beat with an intense synth riff inspired by the darkly glamorous vampires of the 1987 horror movie. In the lyrics, meanwhile, Computer Games slip into a dreamy romanticism that's more autobiographical in nature. To me that riff sounds like so many nights walking home alone in the city, whether its San Francisco or New York or L.A., says Darren. There's an aimless quality to it, and the songs about finding meaning with someone after living an aimless Lost Boys life for so long.

Throughout Lost Boys Life, Computer Games sculpt a kaleidoscopic sound that reflects their eclectic appetites. Listing early-90s grunge, late-90s pop, Led Zeppelin, Supergrass, and Spoon among their formative influences, the Criss brothers each started studying music as little kids. But while Chuck quit piano lessons early on, Darren kept up with violin and added guitar to his repertoire by elementary school. Chuck was a late-bloomer, which impressed me and made me jealous at the same time, says Darren. At some point in high school he got a banjo as a joke, but then got really good at it really fast. After that he started playing guitar too and then got really good at that really fast. Once Darren got his drum kit, the two took to the basement and started working on original songs together. Through the years, they continued sharing songs with each other, sending demos back and forth via email while away at college. I always admired those early songs, and Ive still got aspirations of putting them through the Computer Games filter and seeing what we can make of them now, says Darren.

For Chuck and Darren, there's at least one major upside to the long delay in launching Computer Games: that hard-won sense of freedom that comes with pursuing their purest passions. Instead of trying to chase what's next, were trying to do right by those kids in the basement, says Darren. We've learned to embrace our love of what makes music fun for us, and were putting that into a project that's 100 percent dedicated making people happy. Its about creating something completely unique to us, and trying to make as many smiles as humanly possible.

Link:  http://www.baeblemusic.com/concert-video/baeble-hq/computer-games.html








And Darren Criss Source gave us a YouTube video.  :happy face

Darren and Computer Games perform live via Baeble Music

September 6, 2017

via Darren Criss Source
-

Poppy

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I haven't have time to watch the entire video of Darren and Chuck at Baeble Music.  I listened to some of the video (will finish the video when I have more time, because I really do like "Damage").    I thought Darren sounded really good in "Lost Boys Life."  Nice tone, and nice emotion.  And the problem of Darren's voice quavering sometimes that I heard in previous Computer Games performances is gone.  :happy face

It's interesting that Darren said that the songs from the Lost Boys Life EP started from songs that Chuck was toying around with (and it's also interesting that Darren mentioned he's reserved about starting songs, which is what he calls his kind of "curse," but that Darren's strength is inserting structure and form to the songs).   Nice partnership with Chuck in terms of their strengths.  I also liked the other guys/friends in the band. 

I saw a video somewhere, I'm not sure, but I think it was Ed Sheeran talking about song-writing, where he talked about how all composers will write some crappy songs, but that you just keep writing and eventually you will write non-crappy songs (using the analogy of running water and how at first it's murky, but eventually it will run clear).  I know when I used to write short-stories in high school and a bit in college, that one of the hardest parts for me was where to start (along with how to end), but you just have to start somewhere, even if it's a weak beginning, and eventually it will start to flow.  You may entirely rewrite the beginning (or even re-write the entire story :amused ).   I can imagine perfectionists in particular would have a hard time starting (and ending).

So I recognize Tomek and Clark, but don't remember seeing the drummer (Jim?) before.   Clark is fun to watch, in terms of how he gets into the performances when he's playing the piano.   At 9:40, someone has a beautiful voice that reaches a pretty high note--I'm guessing it was Clark, but I'm not sure?   I looked at some of Clark's YouTube videos, and he has a very nice voice.


From dcriss-archive:


Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_ovzputWjl31wpi2k2o1_1280

Link









baeblemusic: Darren Criss + brother Chuck of Computer Games got us up and [dancing emoji] with their 80’s pop. Watch the full session on Baeble now

via dcriss-archive









charlescriss: if you wanna watch some acoustic Computer Games, head over to @baeblemusic (link in bio) here’s me and Darren singing one of the first songs I ever wrote. Throwin it back!

via dcriss-archive







ha!
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charlescriss: mic check 1,2

via dcriss-archive



X

Poppy

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ha!  Chuck:  "No solo!  It's called Computer Games now!" 


Darren Criss Source

September 6, 2017






I really like "The Damage."  I wish I had the lyrics to the song.  Chuck's voice is perfect for the song.

I like what Darren said near the end of the video, where he said you can be cool by being yourself (versus trying to be cool by trying to be other people, such as trying to be your idols).    "And also our mom and dad are probably really psyched" that they got a band together.   Awww.  heart heart heart 

The melody of "Same Old Situation" is very catchy.  I kept humming it.  Chuck's voice seems so right as lead for this song too.  I like how Darren and Chuck sound together when they harmonize together. 

Fun, informative video.  :happy face  Darren sounds great as lead on "Lost Boys Life," (he is so fantastic at expressing emotion, his tone is so nice on this song, and his voice just sounds very strong) and he also sounds good as lead on "Every Single Night."  I don't know how to describe Chuck's voice, but it seems to me, that it's perfect for the quirky, indie-type songs of "The Damage" and "Same Old Situation."    I would love for them to figure out how to flesh out the last two songs to add more instruments for a studio production.






I found the lyrics on a lyrics-based website for "Same Old Situation." 

I could tell you were dying to try
But you were born tomorrow
In magic spells, in modern times
So very well, you are no

Burier of hatchets in the ground
A seed that's only rotten from beginning
Superior and cast off, then washed out
If you were worried about winning

Trophy town has lost its bet
It placed on you tomorrow
The sun is set, last afternoon
And you can bet you'll follow

The leader who had lost his way again
And found that your dust was so misleading
Driver in the backseat of your head
Keeps on accusing you of cheating

You can run in dust behind us
Travelling in vain
Run up to the sun and find us
Another way to rain

The same old situation
To change the situation
The same old situation
To change the situation

I could tell you were dying to try
But you were born tomorrow
In magic spells, in modern times
So very well, you are no

Burier of hatchets in the ground
A seed that's only rotten from beginning
Superior and cast off, then washed out
If you were worried about winning

You can run in dust behind us
Travelling in vain
Run up to the sun and find us
Another way to rain

The same old situation
To change the situation
The same old situation
To change the situation

Until I fall back down and meet you
Until I fall back down and meet you

You can run in dust behind us
Travelling in vain
Run up to the sun and find us
Another way to rain

The same old situation
To change the situation
The same old situation
To change the situation

The same old situation
The same old situation
The same old situation

by Chuck Criss
I like the song even more now that I know all the lyrics.  :happy face  Good job, Chuck!

Poppy

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From dcriss-archive:

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*Jeremy*

*Jeremy*
Advanced II
Advanced II

Was Darren in underwear ? lol

I find both songs promising but, personally, I prefer Damage.

Btw, I wonder if they plan to release a music video for We like it.

Poppy

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haha!  You are so funny, Jeremy.

Good question about a music video for "We Like It."  I wonder how busy Darren is right now with Versace?  Wonder how long they will be filming? 

I like "Damage" the most of the two as well.  Wish I could make out all the lyrics.

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weplaycomputers ‪Practicing our harmonies at @elsiefest… #FlashbackFriday

via dcriss-archive

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This is great.  It sounds like we can hear Computer Games on Alt 987 FM during the month of November (and every Sunday at 9 pm PT on her Close to Home show?):

tobitalks: this is a special sneak peek(-a-boo) of radio fun times ahead with @darrencriss and his band @weplaycomputers on @alt987fm. listen for them as #ALT987fm’s #ArtistInResidence the entire month of november and featured artist on my #CloseToHome show every #sundayfundayat 9p PT. heart . #xo #tobitalks#adayinthelifeofaDJ #ComputerGames#positivevibes #friendfamily #slinkyboom#gobitent

via dcriss-archive







And to prove this point, Ricky did hear Every Single Night on Alt 987 FM:  applause

Via Ricky Rollins’ instagram story-10/29/2017

via dcriss-archive







Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_oykoa7CBeY1wpi2k2o1_1280

10/28/2017









weplaycomputers We stopped by @mlb to talk baseball but got distracted and talked about our band instead. And @gatenm123 too.

via dcriss-archive






By the way the music video Lost Boys Life with Gaten has passed 400,000 views on YouTube, and the Every Single Night music video (with all Darren's dancing pals) has passed 300,000 views on YouTube.  :happy face









Darren Criss: So excited for #StrangersThings2 that I’m rushing through my day like (link: http://weplaycomputers.co/LostBoysLife_Video) weplaycomputers.co/LostBoysLife_V…

via dcriss-archive



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Holiday Variety Show:  Charitable Event for The Girls Home and No Kid Hungry (December 13, 2017)


Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_oz2d3pKkq11wpi2k2o1_1280

laurenevemay    We’re putting on a show next month in LA to raise money for #TheGirlsHome and #NoKidHungry. Tickets on sale Friday, 10AM PST!

[tickets]


Link:  https://www.axs.com/events/342724/justin-long-chvrches-present-a-holiday-variety-show-tickets?skin=goldenvoice


Remember, pre-sale starts November 9 (Friday) at 10 am PT!




x

Poppy

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From dcriss-archive:


Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_oz46tnLBCV1wpi2k2o1_1280
8 November 2017







alt987fm wrote:
Introducing Our November Artist in Residence: Computer Games

Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 59fb5cde026ae76fa0b76ca6

As high school kids, Darren Criss and his older brother Chuck spent nearly every afternoon playing music in their basement for hours upon hours. With Chuck on guitar and Darren on drums, the San Francisco natives tapped into everything from British power-pop to Bay Area punk to create their own rowdy breed of garage rock. Though they’d always planned on forming a bona-fide band together, each ended up striking out on his own path: Darren embarked on a singing/acting career that’s included the creation of YouTube sensation StarKid, starring on Glee and in the next season of American Crime Story, and a string of successes on the Broadway stage. Meanwhile, Chuck joined acclaimed indie-rock act Freelance Whales, with whom he recorded and toured with as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter for several years. But in 2016, the two finally decided it was the right time to revisit their teenage ambitions and launch a guitar-fueled alt-pop band that they’ve named Computer Games.

“The basement was a really hallowed place for us growing up, and spending all that time knocking around and making music together is what made us into the people we are now,” says Darren, lead singer for Computer Games. “So to finally follow through on that dream, and start this band together after wanting it for so long—it’s just wildly exciting for us.”

With its blazing guitar solos and boundless energy, Computer Games’ debut EP Lost Boys Life perfectly captures the spirit of adolescent abandon. At the same time, Computer Games show a sharp sense of songcraft born from years of refining their musical vision. “One of the things about this project being a long time coming is that we’re taking the kind of riffs that we would’ve played back in the basement, but adding different layers to turn it into something new to put out into the world,” notes Chuck.
 
Darren and Chuck share songwriting duties for Computer Games, drawing on their indie sensibilities to build the ideal backdrop for their often-introspective lyrics. In the making of Lost Boys Life, Computer Games went for a chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter effect by enlisting the pop expertise of New York City-based music production team THE ELEV3N. Known for their work with artists like Meghan Trainor and Jesse McCartney, the Criss brothers hoped THE ELEV3N’s production sensibility would add a more contemporary, familiar sound to their initial left-of-center tracks. The result was just that: a shiny sheen polish on scrappy garage pop. And for the mixing of Lost Boys Life—an EP that gracefully blends raw live performance with electronic elements—the band looked to their long-time hero, producer & mixer Tony Hoffer, who’s responsible for a number of albums that shaped the Criss brothers’ musical background: Phoenix’s Alphabetical, The Thrills’ So Much For The City, and Beck’s Midnite Vultures, to name a few.

With the band name referencing a bit of low-key childhood mischief (“As kids we weren’t allowed to play video games, but we had games on our computer—so there was a loophole there,” explains Chuck), Computer Games delights in what Darren refers to as nerdstalgia. “As we’re crawling out of our 20s, a sentiment shared by the band is this eternal sense of nostalgia, which is something pretty prominent in nerd culture,” he says. “It’s about liking whatever you like, and not needing to ever apologize for that.”

That nostalgia also extends to the pop heavyweights of the mid-’80s, according to Chuck. “A lot of bands seem influenced by the ’80s right now, but they’re usually going for that darker, Blade Runner vibe,” he says. “We wanted to look at parts of the era that haven’t really been explored as inspiration—some of the music that’s just super fun.” Naming Miami Sound Machine, Lionel Richie, and Huey Lewis and the News among their reference points on Lost Boys Life, Computer Games channel that outrageous fun into a deeply melodic sound that feels both fresh and timeless.

The most unabashedly joyful track on Lost Boys Life, “Every Single Night” fuses jangly guitar riffs and intricate rhythms with huge harmonies and some Michael Jackson-esque vocal styling. “I tried to crush those consonants and vowels and make as many phonetically inspired lyrical decisions as possible—like how with Michael Jackson, ‘jam on’ is suddenly a really cool lyric, just because it sounds cool,” says Darren. On “We Like It,” a flurry of handclap-backed acoustic strumming gives way to a soaring, soulful anthem that’s epic in scope and subtly defiant in message. “‘We Like It’ partly came from hearing people of my generation or older generations worrying about kids being glued to their phones, and how that’s such a cyclical concept—like how our parents were worried about us being glued to the TV, and their parents were worried about them listening to rock-and-roll,” says Darren. “It’s about kids saying, ‘This is our life and this is how we express ourselves, and we don’t have to explain that to anyone.’” 

The EP’s moodiest moment, the slow-burning “Lost Boys Life” merges its heavy beat with an intense synth riff inspired by the darkly glamorous vampires of the 1987 horror movie. In the lyrics, meanwhile, Computer Games slip into a dreamy romanticism that’s more autobiographical in nature. “To me that riff sounds like so many nights walking home alone in the city, whether it’s San Francisco or New York or L.A.,” says Darren. “There’s an aimless quality to it, and the song’s about finding meaning with someone after living an aimless Lost Boys life for so long.”

Throughout Lost Boys Life, Computer Games sculpt a kaleidoscopic sound that reflects their eclectic appetites. Listing early-’90s grunge, late-’90s pop, Led Zeppelin, Supergrass, and Spoon among their formative influences, the Criss brothers each started studying music as little kids. But while Chuck quit piano lessons early on, Darren kept up with violin and added guitar to his repertoire by elementary school. “Chuck was a late-bloomer, which impressed me and made me jealous at the same time,” says Darren. “At some point in high school he got a banjo as a joke, but then got really good at it really fast. After that he started playing guitar too—and then got really good at that really fast.” Once Darren got his drum kit, the two took to the basement and started working on original songs together. Through the years, they continued sharing songs with each other, sending demos back and forth via email while away at college. “I always admired those early songs, and I’ve still got aspirations of putting them through the Computer Games filter and seeing what we can make of them now,” says Darren.

For Chuck and Darren, there’s at least one major upside to the long delay in launching Computer Games: that hard-won sense of freedom that comes with pursuing their purest passions. “Instead of trying to chase what’s next, we’re trying to do right by those kids in the basement,” says Darren. “We’ve learned to embrace our love of what makes music fun for us, and we’re putting that into a project that’s 100 percent dedicated making people happy. It’s about creating something completely unique to us, and trying to make as many smiles as humanly possible.”

Make sure to tune in to ALT 98.7 every Sunday at 9pm in November to hear @tobitalks play music from @ComputerGames on her #CloseToHome show. 










Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_oyzcdmSdUb1wpi2k2o1_1280
November 05, 2017


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From dcriss-archive:

Music by Computer Games (Darren and Chuck's Band) - Page 12 Tumblr_p07fec3Ons1wpi2k2o1_1280

charlescriss: #Repost @tobitalks ・・・ :: happily flanked between the talented brothers of @weplaycomputers, @darrencriss in #LA and @charlescriss in #NYC, on tonight’s new episode of @alt987fm's #CloseToHome - which is on NOW. it’s been such a pleasure having them as #ALT987fm’s resident artist for the month of november. please tune in to hear their banger of a tune called #EverySingleNight, as well as rad jams from @bedbugscrue, @wearegroves, @hunnytheband, @superetiscoming, @whereismuna, @theheirsmusic, @carahfaye, @penguinprison, @streetjoy, @loudforestmusic and @opusorange! heart#tobitalks #adayinthelifeofaDJ #ComputerGames #grouphug *if you’re not in #LaLaLand, you can listen with the free #iHeartradio app or online: www.alt987fm.com

November 29, 2017






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