Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Zoë Blade & Pig - 8-Bit Generation



Musicians Zoë Blade and Pig recently create "8-Bit Generation," a stunning soundtrack exploring some of the themes of the 1980s and 1990s (embedded above).. The songs are clearly inspired by the music of classic video games, from the NES to the Playstation--but there is a definite feeling of newness throughout the album.

At times nostalgia, others whimsical, 8-Bit Generation starts of hard with "Cream Soda," the second track and--quite honestly--an amazing song designed to get inside your head and stay. The next few songs remind me of Anamanaguchi or Nullsleep, and use sounds which were probably produced with an NES soundboard.

Sometimes the album takes a contemplative turn, other times it kicks up the fun with tracks like "Closer" that convey the fun and excitement of exploring a video game world for the first time. Of working towards a quest and knowing that you are reaching the end. But for me, "Closer," is about that time in the middle, in which you accomplish a major task--like the 3rd or 4th dungeon out of 8--and much still remains to be done.

"Mapping out the System," conversely, feel more serious. It is perhaps analogous to that point in which you--as a player--realize that you cannot beat a game without some excellent mapping and organization.

The last two tracks mimic either an ending credits song, or something slow out of Final Fantasy 7. Lyrical, with strong hopeful-sounding motifs plus a significant amount of sadness.

I don't mean to stress the representational nature of the album too much, but with some of the song titles the connection is difficult not to make. In any case, 8-Bit Generation is fresh, killer album that you should definitely check out--but only if you want to go on a musical adventure from 1987-1997.

You can purchase the album on iTunes, or listen to it embedded above. You can also check out 8-Bit Generations the documentary.

If you like the music you might want to listen to more of Zoë Blade's music on her website. I've started listening to another album, Dagda's Arp EP, and it's awesome as well.


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