Entertainment

Postmodern Jukebox Puts A Twist On Nerdy Favorite

by Emma Goddard

Scott Bradlee and Postmodern Jukebox are at it again with an insanely fabulous cover of what might have been one of the world’s most celebrated cartoon shows: Pokémon. We have seen this talented group of musicians cover anything from Miley Cyrus’ We Can’t Stop, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ Thrift Shop, and even the theme song to Game Of Thrones. Each time, they pretty much blow us away, garnering attention across the web and receiving millions of hits on all of their videos. Yet when Postmodern Jukebox covered the Pokémon theme song this weekend, I couldn’t stop squealing like the little Asian girl I am.

The video is currently listed under a new series that the group has titled Saturday Morning Slow Jams, and they bring us a soulful rendition of the song we grew up listening to on repeat. Or at least that I listened to on repeat, because I totally owned every Pokémon video game known to man and once dressed as Pikachu for Halloween.

Text is scrawled across the screen at the beginning of the video, reading, “Somewhere in NYC, a group of musicians posed the question: What would life be like if our favorite cartoon theme songs were actually ‘90s R&B slow jams?” And thank baby Jesus someone actually did ask that, because it’s such a wonderful question and I’m so happy to have an answer to it through this beautiful video.

Andromeda Turre took the lead this time with her vocals while Bradlee and the rest of the band made sweet music with their instruments, playing the EWI, the bass, the drums and the keys.

Just imagine what it would be like sitting down at a dimly lit table at a bar, watching a live band play slow, smooth tunes while you sip on a cocktail as if you've got money to spend like Jay Gatsby. That's exactly what this sounds like. Except that the song the band is playing mentions things like, “Pokémon, oh you’re my best friend in a world we must defend” and “Gotta catch ‘em all.” Also, having this so easily accessible on YouTube is actually so much better because you don’t have to leave the confines of your own house and can sit in sweatpants belting out the lyrics.

The only part of this cover that throws me off at the end of the video is the moment when Turre attempts what sounds like a note that’s much too high for her when she belts out the word “Pokémon.” This sounded a little screechy and made the ending of the song slightly anticlimactic. Yet then again, I must remind myself that I can’t even sing and it’s pretty obvious that Turre can… so I’ll just leave that up to her. However, if you end up enjoying the band's take on this fan favorite, prepare yourself for all the cartoon theme songs that have yet to come. Yes, you heard me right.

This new video series is set to have a video produced and published every Saturday morning from here on out, with Postmodern Jukebox claiming their followers will have the opportunity to hear “cartoon themes with a gangsta lean.” This is basically the best news I've heard all weekend, minus the fact that all Easter candy will now be on sale tomorrow. A cover of Scooby Doo perhaps, or even the theme song to Inspector Gadget? Until next Saturday.

Image: Postmodern Jukebox