If you grew up in the 90s, you probably know of Radiohead, the English Rock band behind the hit song Creep. Recently, On4Word recreated the band’s 7th album, In Rainbow, using only the Super Mario 64 soundfont. This means the composer utilised only sounds from the Nintendo 64 title to recreate an entire album and the result is quite impressive.
The project, In Rainbow Roads, is available for purchase on On4Words’s Bandcamp page and the best part is that purchasers can name their own price. So, anyone can download the entire album for free. This pays homage to the original 2007 release of In Rainbows when Radiohead sold the album digitally using the same bold pricing method.
In Rainbow Roads Nintendo 64 edition
In Rainbow Roads is also available on YouTube, where the creator dedicates the project to “all toadstool beings.” The dedication itself appears to be another Radiohead reference, this time riffing off the lyric “dedicated to all hu… all human beings” from Reckoner, which is arguably one of the best tracks on the album.
On4Word perfectly translates Radiohead’s iconic melodies into Mario-like tracks. One can only marvel at the dedication and time the composer must have put into this project to create such a pristine translation of the original album. And On4Word isn’t just receiving praise from fans. Johnny Greenwood, Radiohead guitarist and composer, jokingly tweeted, “It’s a-me, Arpeggio,” while sharing a link to In Rainbow Roads. Fans of Radiohead and Mario alike should check out the album, which seamlessly blends the two opposing music genres.
Previously On4Word has covered other Radiohead tracks such as Paranoid Android and Idioteque. Similarly, the composer has covered tracks by Aphex Twin, which are available to listen to on his YouTube channel.
Radiohead has been associated with gaming before. In 2021 the band partnered with Epic Games for Kid A Mnesiac. Epic described the event as “An upside-down digital/analogue universe created from original artwork and recordings to commemorate 21 years of Radiohead’s Kid A and Amnesiac.”
Jack Brassell is a freelance journalist and aspiring novelist. Jack is a self-proclaimed nerd with a lifelong passion for storytelling. As an author, Jack writes mostly horror and young adult fantasy. Also an avid gamer, she works as the lead news editor at Hardcore Droid. When she isn't writing or playing games, she can often be found binge-watching Parks & Rec or The Office, proudly considering herself to be a cross between Leslie Knope and Pam Beasley.
