Chipzel is perhaps most well-known for providing the soundtrack to a hit little mobile game called "Super Hexagon" however her work outside of that soundtrack is far more impressive and interesting. While in "Super Hexagon" the soundtrack was intentionally more reserved to complement the addictive gameplay, in an album like Spectra Chipzel has the ability to pull out all the stops and really deliver.
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Album: Spectra
Artist: Chipzel
Year of Release: 2014
Genre: Chiptune
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Chipzel's music has a very distinct rave feel to it in the way it is generally designed. Rave music is known for not only having heavy loud beats but also for its use of short, repeated melodies - known in music theory as ostinati - stacked on top of one another. Each melody is important, but right when one starts to get boring, a new one enters. Rave music isn't exactly something that could be sung along to but it manages to still be unmistakably catchy and fun to listen to. People dance like crazy when listening to rave music, and the catchiness is the reason why.
The title track, Spectra, follows this exact design philosophy, and it works really well to start the album off. First a very basic 4-note ostinato begins the piece, then a new part is added alternating between a lower and higher register. The first melody then gets more complicated right before the music drops the first heavy beat. It's brilliant design and it opens the album flawlessly. The song stays pretty simple, but when it starts to wear out its welcome, Chipzel changes it. As with all of her work, there are some brilliant harmonies in certain areas of the track, and even the tracks that sit in the background are interesting to listen to on their own. It's a great listen throughout.
Tokyo Skies follows a similar philosophy, although the melodies and ostinati are less interesting in this song than in the title track. It still is a catchy song, but it just doesn't work quite as well. The most memorable parts are when a melodic part takes over the upper register, but it doesn't happen often enough, and the background doesn't carry the song very well on its own.
The third track, Forged in Stars, moves a bit faster than the first two tracks, changing things up right when the older tempo would have gotten a bit old. There are more melodic elements in this song, and those melodic elements also cleverly come back in the background of later parts of the song. The song also changes its entire makeup about halfway through but still manages to sound like the same song - a very impressive feat.
Formed in the Clouds is a softer, more lyrical song, which is a good interlude to break up the more rave-y songs. This track is simply beautiful, and paints a lovely 8-bit image in listeners' heads of a distant landscape or something of the sort. It works really well here.
Only Human takes a slower tempo while bringing back some of the rave elements. The melodic part in this song stands out more than in other songs, but it works nicely and is a nice change. This album would not have been nearly as good as it is if all of the songs had a generic rave feel to them, and this song is one of the more memorable songs because it stands out.
The next track, Aurora Borealis, starts with an intro that probably could have been a bit shorter. This song also decides to take the slower tempo at first but still has a rave feel, picking up towards the middle. The track manages to keep one basic melody interesting throughout the entire song, which is quite a feat. It's one of the weaker tracks, but it still works well and is just as catchy as the other songs.
Evolution finally returns to the full-on rave that listeners may have thought Chipzel forgot about. It doesn't drop the heavy beats as much as the early tracks, but it's still a really catchy track. That percussive beat in the background keeps the song glued together as the ostinati keep changing. It's the longest track on the album at 5:35, but changes things up enough to justify the length.
At first, Beyond the Cosmos sounds like another lyrical track, and it sounds really nice, but then Chipzel adds the percussive background and the track picks up. It's not very rave-y but it's one of the best tracks on the album. It's catchy and it's interesting. While Chipzel's mostly non-melodic music is always fantastic, this melody gets into listeners' heads and stays there.
The intro to Veteran is a strange one, but after around 15 seconds the rave begins and it all locks into place. Going back to the design philosophy of the first two tracks, the rave part begins only with the heavy beats and one ostinato. Then more and more parts get added as each preceding part gets less interesting. Once all of the parts have been added, Chipzel then changes everything into something completely different, incidentally showing off how she is a talented veteran of making chiptunes.
Sonnet is another great track. The song constantly changes things up while keeping the same background. It doesn't stand out quite as much as the other tracks, but it still is a fun listen.
The album stumbles a bit with Sunday, a track that starts out with incredibly out-of-place vocals accompanied by chiptune ostinati until the chiptune aspect eventually takes over. When it does, it's a decent listen, but the upper register ostinati can get obnoxious over time. A piano also enters into the song a bit later on, which fits better than the vocals, but it takes away from the clean 8-bit-ness of the rest of the album. The song just doesn't fit well here. It was a decent experiment, but when the other 12 songs are all chiptune-based, throwing in other elements just feels odd.
The penultimate track, The Art of War, is a somber, more atmospheric, and just beautiful track. Chipzel also has a drum-like track in the background to keep some minor rave elements while not overpowering the atmosphere. It's a great song to have near the end of the album as it winds down the excitement while not fully abandoning the core of the album.
The final track, aptly named Final Credits, pulls a 180 and closes out the album with a bang, following the same philosophy as the title track while also throwing in some melodic elements as a callback to "Only Human" and "The Art of War", perfectly bringing everything great about the album together in a nice package. It's of the best songs on the album and is a fantastic finish.
Other than "Sunday", the only real problem with this album is that it drew its trump card way too early. The best track is definitely the title track and while it is an excellent opener, it sets a precedence that wasn't fully met with the rest of the album. The rest of the album is still great, but it isn't quite as memorable. Regardless, the album is definitely worth listening to over and over again for its sheer catchiness alone.
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Music Video Sample:
<to come at a later date>
Website: http://chipzel.co.uk/album/spectra
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