Weekly Music Spotlight: Zelda A Cappella, No Ocarinas Necessary
Posted on March 12 2015 by Jeffrey Edelstein
Hello fellow music lovers and welcome back to another entry of our (slightly belated) Wednesday Weekly Feature: The Weekly Music Spotlight! Every week, we showcase a YouTube artist or two or takes tunes from The Legend of Zelda and makes them their own, whether it be through arrangements, covers, or any other kind of altered take on the source material. Last week, we took a listen to a composer who favors powerful, moving orchestrations, so this week, we’ll take a look at some lighter fare.
We here at ZI enjoy our fair share of a cappella music, and were even so lucky as to talk with one of the best a cappella artists in video game music a couple weeks back. This week, we’d like to introduce you to another artist who shows us just how much they can accomplish with voice alone, both in Zelda (of course), and the wider spectrum of video game music and beyond.
Meet Jaron Davis. A YouTube artist since July of 2012, Davis has made many a Zelda a cappella video since then, including renditions of Zora’s Domain, the Zelda II Boss Theme, the Zelda II House Theme, the Death Mountain Theme, the Dungeon Theme, the Palace Theme (from Zelda II), and the Fairy Fountain Theme. Featured above is his most recent arrangement, showing off his skills on the fan-favorite Midna’s Lament, and a cover of the Bombchu Bowling Alley theme, showing off his collaborative talents.
In the case that you’d like a little more variation than that which his Zelda arrangements provide, Davis also has many a cappella arrangements from other games (such as Final Fantasy, Pokemon, and Metroid), and even pop/rock artists (such as The Beatles, Taylor Swift, and Radiohead). While a solid number of these are done with just Davis, he frequently partners with other a cappella artists and singers, including Annie Pattison, Alicia Renee,and Carly Cartunes.
What do you think of the arrangements in the videos above? Has Davis made you an aca-believer? If you’d like to check out more of Davis’ work, or support his music, make sure to check out the links below! And make sure to share your thoughts on his music, a capella music, or Zelda music in general in the comments below.
