2015 has been an absolute blast for chiptune, with so many artists releasing fantastic material. It's totally unreal! But now it's 2016 so what better than starting with an artist from last year?
Poly Pines was one hidden gem that I found towards the end of December, with his latest album The Perfect Frame, released on the 18th. As Chip Bit Sid has grown, I have constantly been on the look out for chiptune music which is unique in its sound and nature; This artist is a prime example of this. Poly Pines (real name; Nash) hails from Springfield, Missouri, USA and creates his music fusing chiptune with certain chilled styles such as, Dreamwave & Dreamgaze. I haven't heard much dreamy music since the futurecop days, so it was welcoming return for me.
The introductory song, 'Awake' fantastically shows off Poly Pines music style, firstly by going into the warm & restful waters of Dreamwave, but then changing up following with a chiptune styled hook. All this is then complimented excellently with drums which bring out the lead as well as some samples taken out of the 'book of Nintendo'. I really liked 'Awake', as it's a great track that introduces you to Poly Pines' style whilst still being extremely engaging.
The next song from my featured list is, 'Knee Deep featuring Akacia' and really makes an impact as the second track off the album, mainly due to its shimmering keys that echo & resonate powerfully at the beginning and middle of the song. The main hook is also utterly brilliant, working well with Akacia's dreamy vocals to provide a harmonising and powerful sound that goes beautifully with the chords.
My final song, was a hard choice. 'Swordsplay ft. Koloda' was a fantastic song with beautiful lyrics and outstanding vocals from Koloda, however I liked 'Forget' more, due to its mixture of droned out, mysterious, fuzziness through out. 'Forget' is very different from the rest of the album, instead focusing more on the rhythm between the lead, the fuzzy keys & the slow formulaic drums. I love how the chords have been subtly composed into a trap-like rhythm. It gives the rest of the track room to breathe and let its listeners get into the groove.
Needless to say, these are just my favourite songs that I picked, and I urge you to listen to the whole of The Perfect Frame as one. The dreamlike tones, the wet, shimmering leads & the resonating drums can be heard across the whole album, making 'The Perfect Frame a great album to chill out to in 2016.
The Perfect Frame by Poly Pines is available on Bandcamp for $3:
https://polypines.bandcamp.com/album/the-perfect-frame
PICK TRACKS:
Awake & Knee Deep ft. Akacia
Poly Pines:
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(Outside of my blog, I have also started creating chiptune music! I've released my first song as a try out. [link] Please listen to and tell me what you think! Appreciate the feedback! Thanks! :D)
(Outside of my blog, I have also started creating chiptune music! I've released my first song as a try out. [link] Please listen to and tell me what you think! Appreciate the feedback! Thanks! :D)
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