8. The Protomen – Discography

The Protomen are what happens when the rock opera goes viral: Nine college students record a song about the Megaman videogames on the night before their final project is due, and that one recording spirals into a touring independent rock opera with a ferocious Internet fanbase. Only the bold embark on a career-spanning rock opera, but the Protomen pull it off, thanks in no small part to their knack for wringing serious emotion out of shallow pop culture. Their take on the Megaman franchise as half family drama, half dystopia. The tag line writes itself: It's Les Miserables with robots. As for the music, the Protomen mix country, vintage synths, and noise rock into their sound. And Queen. Lots of Queen.

The band's debut sports more rough edges while the second act presents a much slicker '80s-throwback sound. The tonal shift actually fits the emotional shift from act one's gritty determination to act two's more optimistic finale. There is no third act yet, but if it ever is released, one could actually see this adaption happening. The Protomen already have the backing of Capcom (the company that owns the Megaman franchise), and such a production would come readymade with a fanbase. The Protomen bring gamers to rock shows, they could do the same for theaters.