 |
|
Naked Intruder, "The Last Vestige"
The newest release from micro-indie label Mile 329 is a fun slab ofnostalgic oddity that anyone who's spent time furiously tapping A and Bbuttons is sure to enjoy. This is the first I've heard from NakedIntruder, and The Last Vestigeis his love letter to the musical engine inside the classic 8-BitNintendo Entertainment System.Mile 329
Composed from a FrankensteinedNES-turned-synthesizer that I won't even try to understand or describe,the EP's central conceit is that the NES is its ONLY sound source: noeffects or processing were used to gussie it up. This adherence to anarbitrary albeit admirable formality gives the record its charm whilealso hamstringing it as a novelty. The limitations of the soundcapabilities of the NES' native sound processor mean that while thecompositions are more interesting than a lot of standard game music,they nevertheless can't sound like anything BUT game music withoverly-loud lead melodies and a sometimes grating dynamic range. NakedIntruder and Mile 329 wouldn't have it any other way though, and forthat, the record scores major points for the fun little curio that itis, and not stacked against what it 'could' or 'should' be. The musicitself is rich in melody and plays darkly against game music's usualpalette of silly, chirpy sing-songiness. It's hard not to smile wheneach track uses the exact sounds I've heard thousands of times whileblasting aliens with a flamethrower, but uses them in a new and purelymusical way. There's a surprising amount of bass in the tracks, and therhythms while stiff are about as funky as one can probably coax out ofthe Nintendo's sound chip. To cap it all off, the 3" CDR is housed in aclassic Nintendo game cartridge that's been gutted and slapped with aNaked Intruder label. Even if it's the kind of thing I only listen to ahandful of times, the NES cartridge with Naked Intruder on the spinewill be a great conversation piece for my CD collection for years, andfor $6, I can't ask for anything more.
Composed from a FrankensteinedNES-turned-synthesizer that I won't even try to understand or describe,the EP's central conceit is that the NES is its ONLY sound source: noeffects or processing were used to gussie it up. This adherence to anarbitrary albeit admirable formality gives the record its charm whilealso hamstringing it as a novelty. The limitations of the soundcapabilities of the NES' native sound processor mean that while thecompositions are more interesting than a lot of standard game music,they nevertheless can't sound like anything BUT game music withoverly-loud lead melodies and a sometimes grating dynamic range. NakedIntruder and Mile 329 wouldn't have it any other way though, and forthat, the record scores major points for the fun little curio that itis, and not stacked against what it 'could' or 'should' be. The musicitself is rich in melody and plays darkly against game music's usualpalette of silly, chirpy sing-songiness. It's hard not to smile wheneach track uses the exact sounds I've heard thousands of times whileblasting aliens with a flamethrower, but uses them in a new and purelymusical way. There's a surprising amount of bass in the tracks, and therhythms while stiff are about as funky as one can probably coax out ofthe Nintendo's sound chip. To cap it all off, the 3" CDR is housed in aclassic Nintendo game cartridge that's been gutted and slapped with aNaked Intruder label. Even if it's the kind of thing I only listen to ahandful of times, the NES cartridge with Naked Intruder on the spinewill be a great conversation piece for my CD collection for years, andfor $6, I can't ask for anything more.samples:
