Resistor Anthems
Self released
Released last year, Eric Skiff's charming Resistor Anthems is a nine tracks of chirping, lo-fi electronic beauty. Reportedly created almost entirely on a borrowed Gameboy hacked into a musical instrument, the album displays an impressive grasp of melody, space and sound design.
All of the songs have their charms, but several stand out as especially
worthy. The upbeat "Chibi Ninja" sounds like an authentic theme from a
classic platformer game, while "Searching" recalls classic Kraftwerk,
if Kraftwerk had used a Gameboy. The best track on the album, by far,
is the gorgeous and hypnotic "Underclocked (underunderclocked remix),"
which is the emo sound of the NES R.O.B. robot peripheral mourning the
fact it's been packed into the closet for all these years.
One
quibble is that too many of the songs sound a bit too similar and
paring a few out would have made for a stronger, if shorter, release.
It's also worth noting that this isn't the album that's going to change
anyone's mind about the 8-bit sound -- if you just don't get it, you
probably still won't. But if you're inclined to embrace new dimensions
of sound in your music, or just get the warm-and-fuzzies over your
youthful gaming days, Resistor Anthems is worth a listen.
Download the album free at Eric Skiff's music website.
