May 31, 2014

My 25 Favorite Chiptunes, Part 3


Part Three of Five

No. 15: My Beautiful Empty Heart by 4mat

Another glitchy, melodic highlight from Mr. Simmonds. I used to listen to this one a lot in the hotel room when I was out of the country for the first time. Lots of interesting stuff going on here, including the nice four-note riff and frantic beats.

No. 14: Dank Taquitos by Ro-Bear

When "Three Years" first came out, An0va described this track as having "more interesting motifs and transitions [...] than in some entire releases from people." Indeed, "Dank Taquitos" is a nicely unique song from the interesting title onwards. The patient, catchy intro is especially worth checking out.

No. 13: From Summer to Winter by Ghidorah

Extremely atmospheric and appropriately titled, "From Summer to Winter" is definitely one of Ghidorah's better experiments with chip music. Short and sweet, it clocks in at less than two minutes; but the subtle tracking and moody vibes are not to be missed.

No. 12: Beakortolaris by Cerror

One of the most bizarrely-titled songs on the list, "Beakortolaris" offers this interesting note in the source file: "a bird / made up / weird / but intriguing." Thankfully, the song itself is less inscrutable, with solid bass work and sweet little harmonies giving way to a gentle fadeout. Cerror should write more stuff like this.

No. 11: The Hospital; Your House; The Dark by Brother Android

It's a definite standout from Harrison Lemke's 2010 concept album, but "The Hospital" is also a career highlight in my book. It might be a little jarring when taken out of context, but this six-minute epic proves that chip prog can actually be pretty serious. With a pounding drum line kicking things off, the defining moment comes a little after the midway point, as Harrison takes a distinctly melancholy approach to the darkness referred to in the title. Be sure to check out the other songs as well... chiptune albums about death anxiety aren't exactly commonplace.

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