Friday, July 5, 2013

Anamanaguchi - Endless Fantasy (2013)

A lot of people (and by "a lot," I mean two) have told me that I only like to write about songs that contain dark themes and somber lyrics. Settle down folks - even though I like writing about depressing music, I'm actually not that cynical in real life.

That said, Anamanaguchi's Endless Fantasy is the "happiest" album I've come across in years.  Anamanaguchi is a band that plays chiptune, a form of electronic music which is produced by using sound chips from vintage electronics.  In other words, it's glorified video game music.   Although chiptune has been around for years, Endless Fantasy is just a damn fine example of how well the genre works.

Even if you're not a fan of video game music (or if you're just way too cool to realize that it's a legitimate genre of music), this record is still worth checking out. Sure, most tracks sound like unused tunes from a Mega Man game, but it's actually accessible for just about anyone.  The compositions themselves are elaborate, yet undeniably catchy.  Plus, there's a surprisingly amount of variety to be heard.  For example, on "Japan Air," Anamanaguchi experiments with J-pop, and the extremely memorable "Prom Night" wouldn't sound out of place on today's mainstream radio.

My only gripe is that this record is just too friggin' long.  With twenty-two tracks, it clocks in at just over one hour and sixteen minutes. Listening to it in it's entirety is a challenge, and towards the end, the 8-bit style will feel a bit repetitive.  Still, if you're looking for some music that'll put a smile on your face, listen to Endless Fantasy.  I mean, how can you possibly be in a bad mood while listening to a track like "Meow"? (see below)



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