The Archives
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08.12.10Another Unlikely HeroRemember that time we took a hike through the outskirts of The Mushroom Kingdom and we got lost with only a gameboy to guide us? You kept complaining about my sense of direction and I kept insisting we were on the right path. Do you recall stumbling onto that meadow full of delicious fungi and eating entirely too much? You always were a glutton. How about that bouquet of flowers I picked for you that enabled you to throw fireballs at will? That was neat. I think my favorite part was how we saved the entire population of Mushroom Kingdom ...
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07.07.10The Birth & Liberation of Chicken GeorgeFrom the very same team that brought you the hit Famicom adaptation of The Drifting Classroom comes an 8-bit take on another Kazuo Umezu manga, Fourteen. This monsterpiece—which follows Chicken George as he grows from a sentient pile of chicken flesh to a full-sized creature who absorbs and implements all of our scientific knowledge in the most twisted way imaginable—debuted in Big Comic Spirits in 1990, and could possibly be the master's most mental work yet. If you want to read about the specific insanity of Umezu's Fourteen, here is as good a place as any. Unlike The Drifting Classroom, you ...
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06.11.10Halcyon HillsHad Beast Blaster been domesticated closer to its Japanese debut it would no doubt be a highly coveted classic today. However, the port took so long that it was nearing the end of the NES's life when it finally came out, though fans "in the know" still consider themselves the fortunate few. Beast Blaster is a lighthearted action/platformer on the surface, but there's incredible depth beneath, as well as some startlingly violent boss battles that clash magnificently with the stages that precede them. Take this track for instance. Halcyon Hills, an early stage, is bright and colorful. Sure, stomping about in ...
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06.02.10Getting Noisy With The New Wave of Chip MusicShawn and Ryan are collectively doing something a little different with chip music than some of you may be accustomed to. Through Noisewaves and their self-titled debut EP released this year on Pterodactyl Squad, these fine fellows have crafted an appropriately airy mix of shoegaze rock and the game-like chip stylings we've all grown to know and love. It's both familiar and fresh, so we sat down with Shawn to discuss how Noisewaves came about, what influences their style, and what's in the future for the pair down the road. More>>>
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05.29.10Goblin Sack Race & ThimbleriggerEveryone knows and loves the Very Quest series. You may recall we posted one of the most beloved themes in Very Quest II, "Cave Visitors", at the very beginning of Beep City. The series certainly didn't slack down the line. Much like Square Enix's venerable Final Fantasy series in popularity (though more of an action-RPG at its core), Very Quest spawned numerous sequels, and one of the best was without a doubt Very Quest IV: The Mystic Throne. VQIV is most notable for having more minigames than any other entry in the series, truly fleshing out the mystical world of Verania. ...
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05.07.10Party in the PalaceImagine, if you dare, being stuck inside a place so terrifyingly conflicting, you just don't know what to do with yourself! Such is the plight of Victor Cazarian, famed researcher-slash-adventurer that finds himself trapped in the confines of the nefarious Baron Blood's Lunatic Lair. Does he dance with the devil in the pale moon light? He may not have a choice! This late '80s gem was perhaps most famous for its party or die philosophy. It confounded players with a moral dilemma. Sure, you could traverse the sprawling manor with relative ease by gettin' down with the ghoulish guest list. But ...
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05.05.10Despite the Downturn: An Answer AlbumMarc Weidenbaum's blog, Disquiet, recently presented an audio reply to an article on the state of the music industry printed in the latest issue of The Atlantic. He asked a handful of artists to contribute musical responses/interpretations of an accompanying illustration, which you'll see above this text. There's much more to it than that, and I definitely recommend reading the full set of articles, and checking out the mix of music and soundscapes in the release post below: Disquiet - Despite the Downturn: An Answer Album So how does this cross over with Beep City? Why, there's a new Moldilox track in the ...
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04.19.10Exploring The Final Frontier With Norrin_RaddMatt Creamer is Norrin_Radd. Norrin_Radd is the most face-melting chiptune artist on the block. These are the facts of life, folks. Everyone's been clamoring for a new release from Norrin, well, ever since his last one, Melodia di Infinitá, rocked the world back in 2007. Since then, he's been working on Anomaly, the NES metal album to rule all NES metal albums. So if you felt a sudden jolt of electricity this week—an almost inexplicable seismic burst—you can blame Norrin, because Anomaly is out. We caught up with the man to talk about inspirations, what it takes to craft metal that sounds like it would be ...
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04.16.10Chattin’ With The RatOn March 18th. 2010, Josiah Tobin released the album Test Subject under his chiptunin' alias Bit_Rat. Some of his previous works include Channel 1, an album composed entirely on one channel, and Ant Attack, the soundtrack to the NES-styled iPhone game of the same name. You may also remember his track "Warm Green Something" as the opener to our first compilation, Love Songs from the Future. Whether your first exposure to Bit_Rat was any of the above, or even this very interview, there's no question that he's one of the most unique artists working with chips today. We caught up with ...
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03.23.10Flamin’ Hot CheatcodesKicking off with something brand new and never before heard, Flamin' Hot Cheatcodes is chock full of Moldilox's boldest jams, each retooled for the optimum TV-game-channeling experience. Consider this a chronicle of Chapter One of the Moldilox Story! Download the full album below: Flamin' Hot Cheatcodes [39.9mb .zip] TRACK LIST: 1. Wistful Woods 2. Mechanizer Metropolis 3. Smash Disaster's Brave Escape 4. Alleycat Shakedown 5. The Sphinx Awaits 6. Bandit Valley 7. Action Vacation on Shuriken Island 8. Crucial Fight - Volcanic Peak 9. Snow-steeped Forest 10. Triumphant Takeoff All songs created by Moldilox using Milky Tracker (OSX)
