He's been making simplistic, catchy chip music for years as Pixelh8, with three full albums and another in the works, and now Matthew Applegate has finally released a Greatest Hits album. It's about time, I'd say. I've been a Pixelh8 fan for years, and "The Boy with the Digital Heart", while not perfect, is still one of my favorite chiptune albums. Cleverly titled "The Best 8 Bits", this new collection takes some of Pixelh8's best for an eight-track highlight of the past six years or so. Narrowing things down to eight might be a bit sparse, however, and I would have included "A Party without You" and "Read Only Memories" instead of "IED" and "Kilobyte Rider", which weren't too remarkable.
Even so, this release has some of Pixelh8's best work, including the lovely "Super Fantastic Turbo Magical" and tender closing track "You Were Born to Save the World". Do yourself a favor and give it a spin.
Applegate has also been working on a new LP called "Hard Reset" which is due later this year, so keep an eye out.
You can stream or download the album here: http://pixelh8.bandcamp.com/album/greatest-hits-the-best-8-bits
