The Living Tombstone Explained
The Living Tombstone |
Origin: | New York City, New York, U.S. |
Years Active: | –present |
Associated Acts: | Sam & Bill |
Current Members: |
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Module: | Embed: | yes | Years Active: | 2011–present | Genre: | Music | Channel Name: | TheLivingTombstone | Subscribers: | 7.96 million | Views: | 3.36 billion | Silver Button: | yes | Silver Year: | 2013 | Gold Button: | yes | Gold Year: | 2015 | Stats Update: | August 17, 2024 |
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The Living Tombstone, also called TLT, is an electronic rock band and YouTube channel formed in 2011 by Israeli music producer Yoav Landau as a one-man band and later joined by American singer Sam Haft as a musical duo. The group is notable for their songs and music videos based on video games and pop culture media, such as the Five Nights at Freddy's series, Overwatch, and My Little Pony, as well as original music. They have released one studio album, Zero One (2020), with a second studio album expected to be released sometime in 2024 titled Rust.
Several of their songs have garnered online popularity, and they have been credited with spawning various internet memes. In addition to their music videos, they have created music for the video games In Sound Mind, Beat Saber, and have created the video game . Music publication NME has referred to them as "the internet's biggest gaming band".
Career
Background
The Living Tombstone was founded by Landau in 2011 as both a YouTube channel and a musical project.[1] Landau, a native of Israel, was involved in the online fan community of the media franchise My Little Pony, where he created a remix of one of the songs featured on . After the remix garnered several thousand views, Landau created more songs of the franchise before eventually shifting his focus to various video game communities, creating songs based on video games.
Five years after forming The Living Tombstone, Landau moved to the United States where he met vocalist Sam Haft. Haft had previously been involved with other musical projects in the past, such as the comedic music group Sam & Bill. Landau and Haft sent each other their songs before eventually collaborating on music, with Haft becoming an official member of The Living Tombstone. The pair wrote songs such as a remix of Super Mario Odyssey's "Jump Up Superstar" in which Haft contributed backing vocals, and the original track "My Ordinary Life" which was cited by LA Weekly as their most popular song. Both Landau and Haft worked on the worldbuilding for The Living Tombstone, including the characters, story, and lore surrounding the group's music and videos. The attention their music received online caused Warner Music to notice the band, and the record label signed The Living Tombstone.
Content and musical style
The Living Tombstone's content consists of both original music and homages to various video games and pop culture media, several of which became popular online. One of the group's first video game-related videos was a trilogy of songs for the first three games in the Five Nights at Freddy's series.[2] The trilogy went viral on YouTube with each song accumulating hundreds of millions of views; the first video in the series reached over 68 million views by 2016.[3] Houston Press listed the trilogy as one of the best songs based on the horror game. The trilogy's success led the band to develop a cult following amongst the game's fandom. Rolling Stone credited the band with launching a subgenre of Five Nights at Freddy's themed music inspired by hyper-pop.[4] The first song was later used for the 2023 film adaptation in the credits.[5] Shortly before the film's release, the band released a gothic remix of the first song.[6] After the film's release, the song reached the top 5 of Billboard's Dance/Electronic Songs chart, peaking at #4, previously only charting on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart.[7]
In 2018, The Living Tombstone's song based on the hero shooter game Overwatch, No Mercy, went viral on social media.[8] [9] [10] Originally released as an animated video from YouTube channel Mashed in January 2017, the song describes two players on the same team arguing about their choice of characters and its contributions to the team's repeated losses, mainly due to the lack of a support character in the team. The song features the refrain "I'm Already Tracer," which became the subject of numerous videos made on social media platform TikTok in which users recorded themselves lip-synching to the song.[8] The meme attracted negative attention as it was the subject of various compilations on social media. Outlets such as Kotaku, Polygon and The Daily Dot noted that such compilations soon became rooted in misogyny, with comments disparaging those who created such videos miming to the song alongside mocking women who play video games in general.[8]
Other songs of theirs that have become viral include their remix of various My Little Pony songs[11] [12] and a remix of "Spooky Scary Skeletons".[13] [14] In 2012, The Living Tombstone remixed the song "Discord" from the Eurobeat producer Odyssey/Eurobeat Brony, which accumulated over 40 million views on YouTube and was used in over 500,000 videos on TikTok in 2021. In 2013, Landau made a remix of Andrew Gold's 1996 song "Spooky, Scary Skeletons," which garnered over 90 million views on YouTube. The remix was also listed by The Daily Dot as one of the most popular songs of 2019 on TikTok, and as one of the best Halloween songs by USA Today.[15]
The group's music has been labeled as electronic rock, alternative rock and pop rock, with influences from EDM and Middle Eastern folk music. Landau has also stated that genres such as complextro, dubstep and drum 'n bass has inspired the band's musical style. Their music and aesthetics have been compared to Gorillaz and Daft Punk, along with Lindsey Stirling's videos.
The group has one studio album, Zero One, released on September 4, 2020. In anticipation for the album, a CG-based music video for their song "Chosen" was released, created by the studio The-Artery during the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] [17] Their second studio album, Rust, is expected to be released in 2024.[18]
Game development
The Living Tombstone has also contributed music for video games. In 2021, the band created the soundtrack for the indie horror game In Sound Mind from Israeli game studio We Create Stuff.[19] [20] [21] Their contributions to the soundtrack were praised alongside the game, with several outlets noting that the poignant and reserved compositions added to the dark atmosphere of the game.[22] The same year, The Living Tombstone collaborated with game studio Big Boat Interactive to create the music-based strategy game .[23] [24] [25] Described as an amalgam of various rhythm games, the role-playing games Pokémon and Dota and the Scott Pilgrim comics, the gameplay consists of assembling a group of musician characters to compete against rival bands. The game was released on Steam in early access in late 2021.[26] The group also contributed a DLC track to the 2019 rhythm game Beat Saber.[27]
Discography
Albums
- Tombstone Remixes (2013)[28]
- Zero One (2020)
- Zero One: Reloaded (2021)
- Zero One: Deluxe (2023)[29] [30] [31]
- Internet Childhood (2024)[32]
- Rust (2024)
Soundtracks
As guest composer
Singles
As lead artist
Notes and References
- Web site: It's Alive!: The Living Tombstone Is Creating Worlds For Its Fans To Play In. Brett. Callwood. LA Weekly. December 15, 2022. January 25, 2023. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204192739/https://www.laweekly.com/its-alive-the-living-tombstone-is-creating-worlds-for-its-fans-to-play-in/. live.
- Web site: Five Songs Inspired by Five Nights at Freddy's. Jef. Rouner. Houston Press. June 11, 2015. January 29, 2023. November 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231113094021/https://www.houstonpress.com/music/five-songs-inspired-by-five-nights-at-freddys-7470557. live.
- Book: 15 November 2016. Guinness World Records 2017 Gamer's Edition. Guinness World Records. 47. 9781910561690. 19 March 2023.
- 'Five Nights at Freddy's' Started as a Video Game — But Launched a Musical Subgenre. CT. Jones. Rolling Stone. October 30, 2023. October 31, 2023. en-US. October 31, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231031023735/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/five-nights-at-freddys-video-game-musical-subgenre-1234865338/. live.
- Web site: 'Five Nights At Freddy's' Frenzy Fires Up With Around $7M+ In Previews – Box Office. Anthony. D'Alessandro. Deadline Hollywood. October 27, 2023. October 27, 2023. en-US. October 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231028192820/https://deadline.com/2023/10/box-office-five-nights-at-freddys-1235584788/. live.
- Web site: Does Five Nights At Freddy's Feature Music From The Living Tombstone?. BJ. Colangelo. /Film. October 27, 2023. October 31, 2023. en-US. November 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231101111651/https://www.slashfilm.com/1430576/five-nights-at-freddys-music-the-living-tombstone/. live.
- Rutherford . Kevin . November 9, 2023 . The Living Tombstone's 'Five Nights at Freddy's' Debuts in Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart Top 5 . subscription . November 17, 2023 . . November 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231114074715/https://www.billboard.com/pro/the-living-tombstone-five-nights-at-freddys-billboard-debut/ . live .
- Web site: Popular Overwatch Fan Song Has Turned Into An Excuse To Mock Female Gamers. Gita. Jackson. Kotaku. November 21, 2018. January 29, 2023. January 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230128073148/https://kotaku.com/popular-overwatch-fan-song-has-turned-into-an-excuse-to-1830594468. live.
- Web site: 'I'm Already Tracer' critics tear teens down just for having fun. Petrana. Radulovic. Polygon. November 3, 2018. January 29, 2023. January 30, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230130054016/https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/3/18038334/tik-tok-im-already-tracer-overwatch-reactions. live.
- Web site: Overwatch Tracer memes invade TikTok with cringeworthy clips. Brittany. Vincent. The Daily Dot. November 26, 2018. January 29, 2023. November 26, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181126180718/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/overwatch-i-wanna-be-tracer-memes/. live.
- Web site: A song called 'Discord' is going viral on TikTok, but not all creators realize it's a fan-made 'My Little Pony' song popular among 'bronies'. Palmer. Haasch. Insider. June 10, 2021. January 29, 2023. July 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240715023636/https://www.businessinsider.com/discord-tiktok-song-my-little-pony-eurobeat-brony-living-tombstone-2021-6. live.
- Web site: There Are Grown Men Who Are Obsessed With My Little Pony. Nike. Reynders. Vice. February 22, 2012. January 29, 2023. nl. January 30, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230130054020/https://www.vice.com/nl/article/ez4mm7/er-bestaan-volwassen-mannen-die-geobsedeerd-zijn-door-my-little-pony. live.
- Web site: How 'Spooky Scary Skeletons' Became the Internet's Halloween Anthem. Brian. Feldman. Intelligencer. October 16, 2019. January 29, 2023. October 17, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221017162807/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/10/how-spooky-scary-skeletons-became-tiktoks-halloween-song.html. live.
- Web site: TikTok's 20 most popular songs of 2019. Nahila. Bonfiglio. The Daily Dot. December 14, 2019. January 29, 2023. January 30, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230130054016/https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/tiktok-songs-2019/. live.
- Web site: The 10 best Halloween songs of all time: 2023 edition. Mary. Clarke. USA Today. October 20, 2023. June 5, 2024. June 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240606070049/https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/best-halloween-songs-all-time-2023. live.
- Web site: The-Artery Builds a Neon CG Future for The Living Tombstone's 'Chosen'. Mercedes. Milligan. Animation Magazine. August 25, 2020. June 5, 2024. July 15, 2024. https://archive.today/20240715025033/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2020/08/the-artery-builds-a-neon-cg-future-for-the-living-tombstones-chosen/. live.
- Web site: The Living Tombstone's Blistering 'Chosen' CG Music Video. Dan. Sarto. Animation World Network. August 31, 2020. June 5, 2024. July 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240715023708/https://www.awn.com/news/living-tombstones-blistering-chosen-cg-music-video. live.
- Web site: Gear Talks: Sam Haft. Lewis Noke. Edwards. Mixdown Magazine. July 15, 2023. December 23, 2023. December 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231223161859/https://mixdownmag.com.au/features/gear-talks-sam-haft/. live.
- Web site: In Sound Mind is an indie that brings new meaning to the term psychological horror. Rachel. Weber. GamesRadar. March 22, 2021. January 30, 2023. July 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240715023636/https://www.gamesradar.com/in-sound-mind-is-an-indie-that-brings-new-meaning-to-the-term-psychological-horror/. live.
- Web site: Previewed in Sound Mind: A Horror Beyond the Mind. Jonas. Hoeger. Philip. Sattler. PC Games. March 22, 2021. January 30, 2023. de. July 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240715023637/https://www.pcgames.de/In-Sound-Mind-Spiel-73251/Specials/Horror-Spiel-Vorschau-Preview-1368806/. live.
- Web site: 'In Sound Mind': New Israeli video game released for PC, PS5, Xbox. Aaron. Reich. The Jerusalem Post. September 29, 2021. January 30, 2023. February 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230201040026/https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/in-sound-mind-new-israeli-video-game-released-for-pc-ps5-xbox-680610. live.
- Web site: In Sound Mind review. Peter. Wolinski. Tom's Guide. November 14, 2022. January 30, 2023. July 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240715023709/https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/in-sound-mind. live.
- Web site: AudioClash: Battle of the Bands shreds it to the top of the charts with new trailer. Sam. Chandler. Shacknews. June 11, 2021. January 25, 2023. January 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230126004539/https://www.shacknews.com/article/124900/audioclash-battle-of-the-bands-shreds-it-to-the-top-of-the-charts-with-new-trailer. live.
- Web site: AudioClash: Battle of the Bands Gameplay & Interview. TJ. Denzer. Shacknews. August 9, 2021. January 25, 2023. January 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230126004539/https://www.shacknews.com/article/126028/audioclash-battle-of-the-bands-gameplay-interview. live.
- Web site: AudioClash: Battle of the Bands Is Auto Chess With Rock Stars – IGN Expo. Joe. Skrebels. IGN. June 11, 2021. January 25, 2023. January 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230126001543/https://www.ign.com/articles/audioclash-battle-of-the-bands-announcement-the-living-tombstone-auto-chess-game-ign-expo-summer-of-gaming. live.
- Web site: The Living Tombstone band unveils AudioClash: Battle of the Bands. Pipomantis. Gamekult. June 12, 2021. January 30, 2023. fr. July 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240715023639/https://www.gamekult.com/actualite/le-groupe-the-living-tombstone-devoile-audioclash-battle-of-the-bands-3050839939.html. live.
- Web site: Beat Saber update adds new mechanics and six more songs for free. Thomas J.. Meyer. Android Central. March 8, 2022. June 5, 2024. June 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240606053036/https://www.androidcentral.com/gaming/beat-saber-update-adds-new-mechanics-and-six-more-songs-for-free. live.
- Web site: Discographie The Living Tombstone – austriancharts.at . 2023-04-24 . austriancharts.at . 2023-05-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230507132847/https://austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Living+Tombstone . live .
- Web site: September 1, 2022 . We heard you wanted CDs? . March 27, 2023 . . March 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230328030253/https://twitter.com/LivingTombstone/status/1565427414397640706 . live .
- Web site: July 15, 2022 . You'll be able to get 'em all in zero_one:deluxe, our upcoming CD release . March 27, 2023 . . March 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230328031756/https://twitter.com/SamHaft/status/1548155028933709824 . live .
- Web site: Streamily The Living Tombstone . 2023-05-24 . streamily.com.
- Web site: Internet Childhood by The Living Tombstone . 2024-06-07 . . en.
- Web site: February 19, 2014 . "MFP: My Friend Pedro - Coming Soon A game by @deadtoast_com, Music by Me" . 16 April 2024 . Twitter.
- Web site: Croft . Luke . June 21, 2021 . Exploring In Sound Mind's Music with The Living Tombstone and Yair Ben-Dor . March 27, 2023 . . March 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230328030258/https://modusgames.com/news/exploring-in-sound-minds-music-with-the-living-tombstone-and-yair-ben-dor/ . live .
- Web site: Odom . Dani Kessel . October 27, 2023 . Five Nights At Freddy's Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When It Plays . October 27, 2023 . . en . October 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231029074712/https://screenrant.com/five-nights-at-freddys-soundtrack-guide/ . live .
- Web site: Rutherford . Kevin . 2023-11-09 . The Living Tombstone’s ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Debuts in Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart Top 5 . 2024-05-02 . Billboard . en-US . 2023-11-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231114074715/https://www.billboard.com/pro/the-living-tombstone-five-nights-at-freddys-billboard-debut/ . live .
- Web site: Living Tombstone . 2024-05-02 . . en.
- Web site: Gold & Platinum . 2023-08-07 . RIAA . en-US . 2023-08-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230810224832/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=The+Living+Tombstone#search_section . live .
- Web site: BRIT Certified (enter "The Living Tombstone" in the "search awards" field) . 2024-05-02 . BPI . en.
- 10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Travis Kelce, Jason Kelce, The Red Clay Strays & More. Xander. Zellner. Billboard. November 21, 2023. July 19, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20231121193905/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/travis-kelce-jason-kelce-billboard-charts-debut-1235502120/. November 21, 2023. live. subscription.
- Web site: 2013-10-25 . The Fantasy . 2024-08-08 . Bandcamp . en-US.