The Animal Crossing series has long been know for its quirky and upbeat soundtracks, with hourly music composed for each game to keep players’ ears happy around the clock. With the popularity of New Horizons, more and more people are being exposed to this chipper background music, as well as one of the best musical performers in gaming history – K.K. Slider.
K.K.’s tune’s can be purchased from the Nook Shopping catalog, or players can request specific records from him when he visits each Saturday evening. The songs can be loaded onto various radios and record players and heard around your island, but some are more suited as the backing track to your island life than others.
Updated February 28th, 2021, by Thomas Bowen: With 95 unique tracks, Animal Crossing: New Horizons features more K.K. Slider songs than any of its predecessors. While there’s plenty of variety though, there’s quite a wide range in quality; with some tracks hitting all the right notes and others sounding just a little bit off key. Those looking to load their jukeboxes with the musician’s best work while avoiding the duds will need to do a little bit of research to help separate the wheat from the chaff.
15 Best: K.K. Cruisin’
Not every song needs a fast tempo to get the heart pumping; as evidenced by the excellent hip-hop track K.K. Cruisin’. Its smooth groove is reminiscent of something from the gangsta funk scene of the early nineties; which would also explain the Snoop Dogg inspired cover.
While there are plenty of K.K. songs that incorporate whistling, few do so quite as well as Cruisin’. It compliments the vocal melody perfectly and its positioning in the composition helps to break up two sections that might otherwise start to feel a little repetitive. It’s the perfect track for chillaxing and definitely fits in with the tropical island vibe of New Horizons.
14 Worst: K.K. Calypso
Inspired by the syncopated beats of the Caribbean, K.K. Calypso falls just a little short when compared to some of the game’s other tracks. Unlike some of the other disappointing K.K. numbers though, its failings are perhaps the result of composer Kazumi Totaka trying too hard to capture the perfect calypso sound.
The occasional grunts really don’t fit in with everything else that’s going on, nor does the howl leading into the bridge. To his credit though, the transition into the whistling section does work well and the main melody is catchy in its own unique way. Even so, there are far better jams to enjoy.
13 Best: K.K. Rockabilly
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If Kazumi Totaka wasn’t listening to Bill Haley & His Comets when he wrote K.K. Rockabilly, then he must have been listening to something incredibly similar. Given how many other rockabilly tracks have been inspired by Rock around the Clock, there are certainly plenty to choose from.
Either way, Rockabilly is one of the very best K.K. songs in the game; managing to be both upbeat and exciting without dragging on for any longer than it needs to. It’s one of those tracks that will have players humming along whenever they hear it and a must have for any serious K.K. collectors.
11 Worst: K.K. Rock
Having hit the nail so firmly on the head with Rockabilly, K.K. Rock is an emphatic letdown of epic proportions. Its atonal chord progression as it transitions from verse to chorus is incredibly jarring while the general tone of the song feels a lot more like grunge than it does rock.
The song’s only saving grace is the brilliant howl that comes at the end of the bridge as it’s one that is worthy of appearing in any classic rock song. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly enough to make up for the song’s various shortcomings; the worst of which being just how boring it is.
10 Best: K.K. Metal
As its name would suggest, K.K. Metal is a heavy metal tune with a rapid beat and intense guitar riffs. It seems heavily inspired by the aggressive style of thrash metal bands like Metallica, especially considering the cover art features a font almost identical to that of Metallica’s logo.
Aside from being a genuinely enjoyable little song, K.K. Metal stands out for its entertainment factor. Villagers in New Horizons often start singing or playing instruments when near a record player, and listening to them keep up with the rapid, complex melody of this tune’s guitar solo is both surreal and adorable.
9 Worst: Lucky K.K.
Evoking the style of traditional Irish jogs like Dusty Windowsill, Lucky K.K. is a fast-paced ditty featuring mainly bagpipes and percussion. The cover art features Lobo and Lolly with K.K. in the Irish countryside, and though it’s quite the idyllic scene, the song is far from calming.
It begins with a bagpipe solo that gradually speeds up, while other instruments are introduced until the song is really quite intense. Lucky K.K. is a catchy tune to be sure, but it’s not the kind of song you’d want to be listening to while meticulously terraforming your island.
8 Best: Stale Cupcakes
If you couldn’t already tell from the cover, Stale Cupcakes is almost the opposite of Lucky K.K., consisting of a simple, music-box style lullaby. It stands out amongst K.K.’s otherwise energetic and upbeat discography, sounding almost wistful and sad.
If players request Stale Cupcakes when K.K. visits on Saturdays, they’ll be treated to a rendition in a more major key and with an added bridge. It first appeared as a secret song in the original Animal Crossing, where K.K. would perform it if players input an invalid song name. Stale Cupcakes finally became obtainable as a record in City Folk, and has been a fan favorite ever since.
7 Worst: Mountain Song
Mountain Song starts off with a merry accordion melody, before a synthesizer erupts into what sounds like yodeling. Judging by this yodeling, the song’s title likely refers to the Alps, where the oscillated singing has been a popular rural tradition for hundreds of years.
While the song’s cheery opening sounds like the perfect soundtrack for a picnic area near your island’s playground, the yodeling synthesizer soon renders Mountain Song too fervid. As with Lucky K.K., the rustic air of the album cover hides a potentially agitating tune.
6 Best: K.K. Disco
In the spirit of the disco music of the late 1970s, K.K. Disco features groovy synths, bass slaps, and heavy percussion. The cover art is as colorful as the song, featuring K.K. Slider in a white suit and dance pose that clearly references John Travolta’s role in Saturday Night Fever. Even the colorful lights and glowing font echo the cover of the 1977 dance drama.
K.K. Disco grows on you in the best way possible, with the uplifting tone of a Mario Kart track theme and the same ability to get stuck in your head. It’s a song made for dancing, perfect when played on your island’s decorated beach area, or a basement made into a band room.
5 Worst: K.K. Marathon
K.K. Marathon’s name doesn’t have much to do with its style, which is influenced by Indonesian gamelan music. The album cover makes these origins more obvious, featuring Midge the Bird and Maple the Cub in the floral headpieces and colorful, intricate dresses of Balinese dancers.
K.K. Marathon’s only real issue is that when K.K. himself covers it, it sounds incredibly boring. While the original version has some complex broken chords to keep the momentum going, K.K. mostly just repeats the same three notes, very occasionally singing. Most players will agree it’s not his best adaptation.
4 Best: Bubblegum K.K.
Aside from being one of K.K. Slider’s best songs, Bubblegum K.K. must be one of his most popular. A clip of Isabelle singing along to this bubbly tune has made the rounds on TikTok a few times now, and at this point many players may be wondering whether Isabelle or K.K. is the dog with the most iconic voice.
A remixed version plays on the Town and City stage of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, further popularising Bubblegum K.K. outside of Animal Crossing games. A number of very cutesy villagers appropriately play it in their homes, including Gayle the pink alligator, Rosie the peppy cat, and Chrissy the pink rabbit, who also features on the cover.
3 Worst: K.K. March
There’s nothing particularly wrong with K.K. March either, but it’s not all that special either. It’s New Horizons aircheck version adds some interest with almost live-sounding brass, but the melody is over far too soon.
The same can be said of K.K.’s cover. His singing is adorable as ever, but in the long interludes between verses his guitar work is too basic and repetitive to keep anyone interested. His performance is slightly redeemed by some key changes at the end, and it’s worth noting that the album cover is among his best.
2 Best: Forest Life
Forest Life may sound odd at first, with its deep bassline and odd chiptune notes. But once the melody kicks in, most will recognize the original Animal Crossing theme, which at the very least will make veteran players nostalgic for the series’ GameCube days.
This is the song that K.K. Slider plays in the opening scene of the first game, as he introduces you to this new animal world. The melody is played on chimes in the aircheck version, creating a quaint, silly tune that sums up the atmosphere of Animal Crossing almost perfectly.
1 Worst: K.K. Song
Though this is clearly the most boring song K.K. Slider has to offer, even K.K. Song has some interesting secrets. It’s actually a version of Totaka’s Song, named for the composer Kazumi Totaka. Totaka likes to insert this little tune as an easter egg into the games he works on, and it can be found hidden in everything from Link’s Awakening and Yoshi Touch & Go, to Luigi’s Mansion and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
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