Tag Archives: album

ALBUMS, DANCE MUSIC, FUSION, GAME MUSIC, MUSIC

“Boogieman” — A Review of Jake Kaufman’s “Mighty Switch Force! 2 OST”

Leave a comment
"Everybody out!"
“Everybody out!”

Call up your folks and tell ’em disco ain’t dead, baby! Jake Kaufman‘s newest release, the soundtrack to WayForward‘s 3DS puzzle-platformer Mighty Switch Force! 2, harkens back to the glory days of dancehall greatness, yet still keeps things fresh by throwing in some of electronic music’s more recent innovations. Nearly every track on this album will make you want to stand up and get down. I guarantee it. So grab your white suit and let’s groove!

This album has a very distinct, classic dancehall inspiration behind it that strings the whole album together, but different tracks approach that unifying sound from various angles. Numbers like “Rainbow Love Zone,” “Got2BAStar,” and even the short little “Title” track bring the funk like only old-school-inspired dance music can. I honestly thought Maurice White or Barry Gibb was going to start singing when I cranked up that opener. You can imagine my surprise, then, when “Rescue Girl” comes around at the end and actually kinda delivers on that feeling, in the form of Kaufman himself singing with a couple friends, no less.

Meanwhile, other tracks take the album’s disco sound and brilliantly mix it into something more contemporary. “Exothermic” lays that sound over a drum-and-bass beat that slides into classic dubstep, but without following that old and busted build/drop formula that loses the beat. In fact, the closest thing this album has to a modern dubstep track is “Soak Patrol Alpha,” but even that song has more in common overall with 80’s pop music, and the drop isn’t even really a drop so much as a random section of wubs. Somehow it works, oddly as that may strike you.

Other tracks fit into a kind of gray area between these two extremes, and I think that’s where the album truly shines. “The Afterblaze” has got to be the catchiest thing I’ve heard so far this year, and gives “Exothermic” a run for its money in terms of being my album favorite. Tracks like “Soft Collision” and “Dalmatian Station” owe as much to 70s disco as they do to modern house music, yet both manage to synergize those two genres, rather than imitate one or the other. “Rescue Girl” is so incredibly fun to sing they probably can’t play it in countries where joy is frowned upon by the State, and “Glow” sounds like the opening theme to a Powerpuff Girls movie in the best way that sentence can be read.

My only real gripe with this album is that it can be repetitive at times, but that doesn’t even feel fair considering that’s my default problem with any video game soundtrack. “Title” forms the basis for much of “Got2BAStar,” while “Rescue Girl” is just a longer version with words. This isn’t inherently bad, but I could definitely understand people taking issue with it. Beyond all that, the album in general is built upon the soundtrack for the previous game in the series, which Kaufman also made. However, where the MSF1 soundtrack had chip, MSF2 has disco, so if you’re familiar with the previous OST, you may or may not prefer this one.

The album closes with several remixes by other artists of some the album’s core tracks, which are great from a standalone perspective but might feel repetitive if you’re listening to the album cover-to-cover. Under his “virt” handle, Kaufman turns “Rescue Girl” into a slow-jam R&B song, which was pretty rad, while his remix of “The Afterblaze” lives up to its “Bonus Chip Mix” subtitle. Coda drops the dubstep trappings of “Soak Patrol Alpha” and replaces the main melodies with delicious funk basslines. Finally, DJ Bouche‘s orchestral remix of “Glow” could easily be a tune in a Zelda game.

Just like the firefighter heroine of his song, Jake Kaufman is here to rescue us. His disco- and funk-inspired music rises above the jaded wastes of modern dance and reminds listeners that, in the future, electronic music can still have a soul. This is the music we’ll be listening to when we’ve all got virtual reality glasses grafted to our faces and we’re dancing in German diskotheks in the Metaverse. Except we haven’t left out living rooms.

 

Danwich once deconstructed a post-modern novel.  He is still too irradiated to risk personal human contact.  You can reach him through his email or his radio show’s page.

ALBUMS, CHIPTUNE, FUSION, MUSIC

Bringing the 80s Back to the Future: A Review of One: A Telefuture Compilation Album

Leave a comment

One: Telefuture AlbumAmidst the commotion of fast-paced 21st-century life, 80s-inspired record label Telefuture reminds their listeners of a more optimistic time, when we could only just begin to glimpse at what technology might become. Over the last year, Telefuture has strived to keep alive the ideals and sounds of the 80s.  A celebration of the label’s first anniversary, One: A Telefuture Compilation Album is an hour-long musical ride that pays homage to the golden age of wayfarer sunglasses, hairspray, and video arcades.  The eleven songs showcased in this album re-imagine 80s auditory tropes for the listeners of today by capturing neon-lit nostalgia through the use of classic analog sounds and samples.

The album leads off with “Gemini,” an exquisitely introspective track by Nashville-based Makeup and Vanity Set. The song draws us in with its subtle buildup of atmospheric synths coupled with delicate percussive pops, while also sparking Cosmos-like visions of exploding stars and faraway galaxies. Moving on through time and space, the album next invokes the era of the Brat Pack with Le Cassette‘s “Tonight.” No album inspired by the sounds of the 80s would be complete without a throbbing vocal ballad and Telefuture’s inclusion of “Tonight” definitely does not disappoint. Flashing back to an electronic love affair long gone, “Tonight” shines bright as the only song on the album with vocals at the forefront; the track blends buttery backing synths with smooth vocals into a delicious sonic simulacra of an 80s-style ballad.

One leverages the combination of different musical artists to great effect; the songs combine old and the new to the point where it is difficult to tell where one era stops and the other begins. With its bouncy, upbeat synths and delightful underlying rhythms, Arcade High‘s “One Year Ago” summons up an especially jubilant acoustic throwback to the coming-of-age films of the 80s.

While there are many bright moments to be savored on this album, not every song completely hits the mark. Planted squarely in the middle of the album, Swedish musician Linde‘s “M.Y.S” clocks in at just over eight minutes. Wading through the track’s psychedelic echoes and ethereal arpeggios, though they are at times gripping and always interesting, constitutes an exercise in patience. By the seventh minute of languid electro synths, there exists an almost palpable desire for a jolt of musical rejuvenation. Thankfully, this jolt comes in the form of the track that follows “M.Y.S.” – lpower’s “Passage.” “Passage” recovers the album’s energy and recaptures the spirit of chiptune as it draws upon the power of bassy and driving melodic synths to pack in an energetic, addictive blend of dance beats, chip harmonies, and an intense boss fight wrapped up all in one.

The end of One does not impress as much as the beginning; this is not to say that the latter songs on the album do not deserve as much credit, but in the wake of the earlier musical heavy-hitters they remain at an auditory disadvantage. Overall, the album is a fantastic and thoughtful tribute to the sounds of the 80s, where the sincere efforts of the musicians on the album pack a punch as powerful as He-Man himself. With one ear in the present and the other in the past, any listener will find Telefuture’s first anniversary compilation to be a memorable musical marvel.

Find out more about Telefuture on their Facebook page, Soundcloud, or bandcamp.

ALBUMS, CHIPTUNE, Features, MUSIC

Anamanaguchi – Endless Fantasy

Leave a comment

ENDLESS FANTASY - DIGITAL COVER ARTAnamanaguchi has certainly made a name for themselves in the world of chiptunes. I doubt many would argue that they are one of the biggest chiptune/rock bands out there. With their latest 22-song release, paid for by the fans themselves via Kickstarter and not involving any record label, Anamanaguchi is showing just how versatile and dynamic they really are.

If you’ve heard their previous releases, you’re familiar with their fun Weezeresque-rock + NES lead instrumental sound. It’s fun, upbeat and always full of suprises. The Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game soundtrack expanded the pallete to using Gameboy sounds and a bit more “video game” styled songs.

However, this time around, on Endless Fantasy the guitars have taken the back seat for the first half of the album. You might be in for a shock at how danceable this album is. Live drums and guitars have been dialed down for great chiptune sounds and vocal samples that might remind you more of Daft Punk than Weezer. Tracks like Prom Night and Japan Air feature guest vocals and could easily be played on the radio next to the latest electro single. It might not be what everyone was expecting from them, but its hard to deny how great it all sounds.

And don’t worry, the guitars do make a come back on the second half. Spf 420 and the obvious Weezer-homage titles In the Basement and Space Wax America are classic Anamanaguchi goodness that will make you smile. Every track is full of suprises and you’ll surely find your own personal favorite amongst all the variety. This is their most professional sounding album to date, and I’d suspect any fan of VGM or Chiptune will find something they like here.

Buy Endless Fantasy on iTunes!

The music video for Meow!

ALBUMS, CHIPTUNE, MUSIC

Chema64 – Zapotecno

Leave a comment

Chiptune’s ‘official’ Mexican exporter, Chema64, has returned with a new collection of tracks spanning four years and four consoles. Released on his own label, 56kbps Records, Chema64’s infectious jams are sure to remind the world that, along with Pulselooper and Chilean Analog, South America should not be underestimated as a producer of chiptune. One thing ‘Zapotecno’ does well is traverse genres. Tracks ‘Machines of Loving Grace’ and ‘Fin del Mundo del Fin’ both contain nods at metal a la 90s VGM faux-thrash (think Duke Nukem 3D’s soundtrack). Elsewhere, album closer, ‘Quetzalli’, has a euphoric Saturday Morning theme tune pop atmosphere, with the accompanying hook-laden melodies lodged within its crevasses. The apex of the release really does come past the mid-point, however, and to be honest if the first four tracks had been cut the five remaining would have created a far more cohesive and powerful statement. The sounds present within ‘Dubtrip’ and ‘Featherblade’ are one of a kind, in fact the horn-like glissando harmonies on the climax of the latter sent goosebumps shooting up my arm. The spaced out atmosphere and throttling basslines of ‘Datavoid’ created a nice chunk of variation, and ‘Quetzalli’ has quite possibly one of the greatest selections of melodies to be released this year. Whilst on the first few listens the sometimes repetitive and often hap-hazard sounding melodies might deter future listens, I would implore you to persevere. Unlike the adrenaline ladled ‘unce’ of most of his contemporaries, Chema64’s real strengths lie in his understated melodic hooks. What on first listens might appear like a jumble of erratic notes will quickly become nine tracks of greatly varying character and undeniable brilliance. So, with the amateurish tones of ‘BROWNWAVE’ and dud melodies in ‘Megameng II’ aside, this release is fantastic. Given the time, ‘Zapotecno’ will likely become a mainstay in your listening repertoire, and such a unique one at that. If this is the level of quality produced elsewhere in South America, the rest of the world should definitely take note.

Grab the release here.

Written by Andrew Kilpatrick for his blog The Waveform Generators.