Sunday, July 28, 2013

VGBA 3 - NESteryears

NESteryears
The Ultimate NES Chiptunes Dance Party!

Artist - bLiNd
Sites - bLiNd's site. Bandcamp. loudr.fm.
Type of Album - NES chiptunes remixed to sound like dance/dubstep/trance music!
Genres - Oh boy, this will be fun... Chiptune, Dance, Electronic, Techno, Dubstep, Trance, and a couple more if you want to be thorough.
Favorite Song - Moonstyle (Ducktales)

Review - Today, I bring you the first in a very long lineup of what one might call "weird" mashups. However, for the chiptune community, this sort of combination seems to be about the normal. Despite what might seem a strange combination, I can tell you right now that NESteryears by bLiNd is quality music! Time to go into detail.
     There are two major parts to this album. The first part is the selection of NES music that's been remixed. It's a pretty nice assortment from some of the better/best NES games to have been made. I won't list out everything, but it has your classics like Super Mario Bros, Castlevania, Metroid, Final Fantasy, and much more. For the second part, you add in the dancing techno electronica dubsteping trance-ary spice. With those two parts combined, you get this strange yet alluring album!
     I can assume right now that a lot of people will be immediately turned off by one or two of those words. (Most likely the dubstep more than anything...) However, despite all the words I just threw at you, I'd say you should still give the album a listen. You might be surprised by how much you like what you hear. The two parts of this album have been very well fused together to produce this tasty NES dancing selection that might make you rethink your taste in music. Even with the mixture taking place, you can still clearly hear the original songs that each track has been remixed from.
     All of the songs have a nice rhythm and flow going on and makes you feel like you should just get up and dance. If you aren't dancing, it's probably because you are not the dancing type or because you are sitting down while you read this. I'm not an expert of dance or electronic music, but I'd say the beats are dope or delicious or whatever it is people say.
     If I had any negative criticism towards NESteryears... Honestly, I don't have directly anything negative to say about it that's not the obvious one. This album is not for everybody. You're aiming at a crowd that either loves chiptunes, loves dance-style music, or just has a craving for the weird mixture of the two. A couple of the songs go a little out there with the added bits of voice or outside sounds, but I'd say they match fairly well with the tone. Overall, I can't really think of any huge negatives without just making something up.
     At it's core, NESteryears delivers exactly what it promises. You've got great NES chiptunes dipped into electronic dance trance step techno music, and when you pull it up and out, you have yourself an original and fun sound for the dancing off of your pants. Personally, I think it's a great listen for anytime, but I'm weird like that. Overall, NESteryears is a winner in my book. If you have a craving for this exact type of music, then jump on it. For those who are still unsure, just give the album a listen.


Pros - It's fun, very creative, totally dance worthy, great remixes of NES classics, and just a fantastically done album.
Cons - It's not for everybody, but what music isn't? The only con I can really say here is that it's a weird mixture of music that not everybody could get into. Is this worth docking a point? Not really, but a small part of me can't call this the perfect album. Regardless of my rating, go give it a listen and enjoy jamming out with it.
Rating - 4 out of 5.


Side Note - I'm getting a bit better! However I still need to improve somehow, so I'm going to try and look at other music reviews before I release a lot more. I need to either be meaner in my reviews, or at least get a look at how other people go about it. It's not fair to the albums I'm reviewing if I under or over review it based only on my own concepts here. I realize that's what reviewing is about, but I want to be fair to both the album and my own view of it. Also doesn't help that I'm mostly reviewing things that I know I like. XD
It's hard to review things you don't like though! That and willingness to pay for and then review it is even worse. That's enough for the side note. Regardless of anything, thanks for giving the album a shot!

~May the Crystals Guide Me~

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