I decided to take a small break from the whole switching jobs and moving across the country thing that’s currently occupying my life and write something brief about this album, which I’ve been playing a lot recently. It’s good box-packing music, I’ll tell you that.

Pixelh8, a.k.a. Matthew Applegate of Hidden Fortress, is a chiptune musician, and The Boy With The Digital Heart is, according to the liner notes, “pure chiptune music.” As such, for anyone who might not know the terminology, essentially the entire (instrumental) record was created using video game consoles and old (pre-’95) computers.

Is it gimmicky? Sure, although the gimmick isn’t a unique one. But is it good? Yes it’s good. The repetitive, cyclical riffs are catchy (”Chocolate Milk” gets stuck in my head all the time), the use of the often at least somewhat recognizable sounds is clever (”Your Parents House,” punctuated just like that, is probably the best example), and in general, it stands up well on simply musical terms, not just as a trick album. There are occasional down moments — “Meet Me In The Arcade” doesn’t do much for me — but overall, it’s a surprisingly strong record. Also, my wife doesn’t like it, which is usually a good recommendation (see: Ifihadahifi).

This is Pixelh8’s second full-length, and I’ll be curious to see if he can keep the sound fresh as his career goes on. But for now, this one’s worth hearing.

Label: Hidden Youth
Release date: Dec. 12, 2007
Rating: 8/10

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