ED: We are starting a new feature where we try to profile an chip artist a little under the radar, or one you need to check out. We will also bundle it with hot links from the week, for any highlights more casual readers might’ve missed. Enjoy, and feedback please!
Last night I saw the Phenomenal gwEm perform live with Counter Reset. As my face was melting from my body, a thought occured to me. Those who can meld various genres with the chip music sounds, and do so in a evocative manner seem to be rare, but those who succeed are some of my favorites in the scene.
Perhaps one of the lesser known chip rock hybrid acts (think the likes of Anamanaguchi, Graffiti Monsters, or Depreciation Guild.) has to be Sweden’s Bondange Fairies.
There are a few incongruous elements you have to get by to appreciate their music. The name is taken from a famous hentai manga and has no impact on their image or music, other to illustrate their fascination with sex and the profane. Live they are a duo, a guitarist and bassist (named Elvis Creep & Deus Deceptor) who play late 80’s pixies style indie rock mixed with deep c64 style electronics. They never appear live or in photos without trademark robot masks.
Lyrics range from the scatological and outrageous (see Songs like Gay Wedding and Pink Eye Paranoia), to biting and sarcastic (like Indie Girl and HeMan).
He-man
But the common thread throughout all their music is how CATCHY it is. Take a blend of Pixies style rock, add c64 and casiocore drums, and throw in a nasal, constanly exasperated and bewildered vocalist whose unreliable narratives paint uncomfortable and vivid imagry on a host on topics from 80’s cartoons to cuckholderly to the sad state of shitty indie rock.
May will see the release of their second full length “Cheap Italian Wine” out on Audiolith and a small Euro tour is scheduled to follow. If you can’t get to see them live, the record is well worth your e-dollars.
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This week was plenty active with tons of great music, software, and hardware releases, so lets take a look at what you may have missed.
Music
EAT RABBIT has a delicious noisy mess named Kiss the Dolphin out on Da!Heard It.
8bitpeoples released the hard Post-Wave Glomag’s DaMaGe and the cool electrofunked and Miami viced Mr. Spastic’s Claps and Leads.
We gave an in-depth review of Oxygenstar’s Thy Name is Adventure.
Video from the Datapop SXSW Showcase.
Software
Listen to the entirety of your C64 music collection on your iPhone.
Glitchnes allows you you to turn your favorite NES games into visual mayhem.
Shitwave turns your gameboy into a Merzbox for your pocket.
Hardware
A preview of a handheld atari 2600 for all your 1bit boxing needs.
MD2PC allows your pc to control your Sega Genesis.
Next week should see some cool releases, and hopefully we will get some tasty video from thee gwEm Pulsewave show. Thanks for reading!
