Sounds like…
A gloriously happy dose of chiptune anthems.
The review
The beauty of what Xyce do has been evident across their whole musical career. The duo create tracks that would not feel out of place from any 90’s platform game or Nintendo mascot melody. The Dutch composers understand that if you are going to do something pure pop and cheesy, you need to embrace it with a pep in your step, a smile and a jazzy hands wave. ‘Vue’ continues their idea and places the album as a walk around outside.
Across the journey you’ll get plenty of fun from the title track, Eurovision final chorus key changes with ‘En Chemin’, sassy sidesteps with ‘Libellules’, breezy moments with ‘Bruyere’ and even some big crunchy moments with ‘Maisons’. What I love is that each track marks a different territory or phase of the travel log and so you visualise different natural elements with the music. The music stays firmly in the Atari & Amiga era of chiptune but feels sumptuous and full.
What marks this album out from Xyce’s others is that this time around there is a tiny hint of whimsy about it. ‘Se Pedre’ is a striding anthem that is based on a sad sounding melody. The cross between something that sounds happy but is intrinsically sounding like a outward sigh is a great match. Songs often swap tempo or keys too which change things up. Closer ‘Ville’ switches everything into a drum n bass early 90’s Streets of Rage style finale too and it sounds like nothing else on the album as its the busy city we’ve travelled to. All the other tracks that romanticises the sun, clear skies and so on all have a sunny demeanour. Its clear that this album feels that the city is less romantic.
I liken Xyce in chiptune to how I liken Freezpop in Synthpop music. They are both sweet as a new born baby and pack riff after riff after riff. ‘Vue’ is another example of how to make music that makes you smile. This is another beautiful collection from Xyce.
Recommended track: Vue
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Xyce - Vue
