I've been working on this review for about a week now. It's been pretty difficult to really put into words my thoughts on the album. I've been listening to it ad noseum, had several chats with Pixelh8 himself in attempts to conjure up what to say, and gone through about fifteen drafts. Over the last few months where I've started writing reviews, I've begun to actually develop a spine and say whether or not I dislike something. My fears of distancing artists had gotten in the way of my devotion to the music lovers out there that had appeared without me noticing. Back to the album, though, the difficulty has been that there hasn't been anything I've thought of negative to say about this album, and I've been scrutinizing it, trying to get over what mental blocks I had that failed to reveal the flaws in the album.
The reality is, though, that this is a truly phenomenal album. From start to finish, this is one incredibly dynamic album that'll make you go “oh, I love this song!!” right when each track starts anew. Anywho, without further ado, here we go, the Pixelh8 album review:
Track 1: Girl Fight A very interesting way to start off the album, “Girl Fight,” like the name implies, has a lot of play back and forth in an almost aggressive manner. A very dynamic track, it really helps set the stage for this impressive album. I remember Pixelh8 performing this live at Nerdapalooza Beta, and being in love with it immediately. I was already excited to see what else he would throw our way with this album.
Track 2: Seque 18 I think the Game Dame said it best in her review of this album:
If video game characters’ lives flash before their eyes when they die, I bet track #2, Segue 18 is what they hear.
Track 3: Meet Me In the Arcade A very busy track with some very strong melody, and almost throw backs to sound bytes you'd hear on old games (very Pacman in some of the sounds) one gets the feeling of actually being in an arcade in this track. It's at about this track on my first listening that I started to get a feel of a story being told. I'll admit that chiptunes isn't my expertise in nerd music, but I get the feeling that isn't a common trend. You get a feel that Pixelh8 is a more mature artist then most, able to do more than just throw what songs he had lying around for an album and actually act as an architect with this album.
Track 4: We Can All See Rainbows Not my favorite of the tracks, many of you may remember me spamming you this track on Pixelh8's insistence. ^_^ This track has a much more monotonous feel to it that I wasn't too fond of, when compared to the rest of the album. Stand alone, this is still a pretty impressive track, but it misses the introspective or very dancey qualities that I really appreciate on the rest of the album.
Track 5: The Master However, the album jumps back in with a track that I can't get enough of. “The Master” has a nice intro that jumps into a very dancey feel. I believe that this was another track Pixelh8 performed at Nerdapalooza Beta, the last song of the show, if I remember correctly. While the breakbeat brings in a very lively feel, one is still left with a contemplative feel. This track in particular is one of my favorites cause it stands out showing how dynamic this album really is.
Track 6: Your Parents House This track made me chuckle when I read the track title. It has a very anxious and off-putting feel to it, continuing the implied story of two nerdy kids getting to know each other. In this, I guess the narrator has been brought to the female counterpart's house, where some hijinx insue, when the parents come home. It has an almost wacky feel to it, and that is definitely not meant as an insult on any level.
Track 7: A Party Without You Hands down my favorite track of the album, I'm going to have to quote my friend Anthony from Game Music 4 All on his review of the album:
Amazing that this song can draw such emotion from this hardware just as well as any other instrument
This is a very introspective track, where one can guess that in the story, the narrator is in a tough spot because of a spat he just had with the female counterpart. Very reminiscent to Postal Service (particularly “The District Sleeps Tonight”) the depth to emotions tugged by this song really shows not only a great accomplishment by Pixelh8 but chiptunes as a whole.
Track 8: Showdown In the Disco Bouncing back from “A Party Without You” we have my second favorite track, “Showdown In the Disco.” A tension building track, the narrator is confronted by his archnemesis in some obvious showdown. I imagine two gamers going head to head on DS's with a big crowd surrounding them, very reminiscent to The Wizard.
Track 9: Super Fantastic Turbo Magical 2 Player Love Game Adventure Called Happiness Has a track ever been so aptly given? I think not. Reunited with his lost love and obviously vanquished his hapless foe, our narrator is celebrating the best way he can, a montage of happy moments with his girl. At least, in the movie version that I'm planning. A very happy track that still carries a lot of depth to it, and with a feel of previous tracks, this is also a track high on the running in favorite tracks on this album.
Track 10: Chocolate Milk A much simpler track compared to the last three we just heard, it seems to have an appreciation for the simpler joys in life that used to mean so much to us. An appropriate example would be the title, “Chocolate Milk,” which used to fight away any fears and worries for many of us years ago.
Track 11: I Can't Run To You Fast Enough I am so in love with the title of this song. It matches the pace and feel of the song really well. Back when you first fell in love, before you knew what that even meant, with the feel that you couldn't get back to that one person soon enough. The anxiety and adrenaline. It's a great end to an amazing album.
Overall: Get this album. That's all there is to it. Go to his myspace page, scroll down, click on the purchase button, and get this album. You will NOT regret it. If you love chiptunes, this is a milestone album, if you are new to chiptunes, this is a great taste of what's to come. On a scale of 1 to 10, this gets a very high 9.
0 comments:
Post a Comment