Sep
16
2006
Sprites “Modern Gameplay”
Posted by mikespiegs
Band: Sprites
Album : Modern Gameplay
Release Date : September 5, 2006
Website: http://www.sprites.org.uk/
Record Label : Darla
Free Downloads : George Romero
Rating: 8.5
(1 Votes, User Rating: 10)
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As much as I hate to mention it, lets bring it out first because as there is no dodging the issue. Sprites is one part Jason Korzen. Jason Korzen was one part of Barcelona. Barcelona was an amazing indie pop band that did the whole retro synth sound long before others even contemplated the idea. Barcelona was 100% totally geeky which for me is 100% totally awesome being quite geeky. They wrote songs about IRC (for those un hip is a text based chat server that has been around since the interwebs started), Commodore 64’s, Robots, Artificial Intelligence and other things that are more important then having your heart broken by some girl (although that is there too). Long story short, Barcelona broke up in 2001 and the members went on to form two bands – The Positions and Sprites. Sprites first album “Starling, Spiders, Tiger and Sprites” seemed to be Jason trying to shy away from his Barcelonian roots and record something more organic and less synthesizer based. The album was successful in accomplishing this and had some pop hits on it (i.e. “I wish I sang a little bit better”) but there seemed to be something missing. Listening to “Starling, Spiders, Tiger and Sprites” was like eating a PB&J sandwich minus the J. It was still good but lacked that extra punch to make it worthwhile. Well, now Sprites are back with Modern Gameplay and they have brought that Jelly to the plate. The synthesizers are back are well, eh, better then ever. This album will be compared to Barcelona by just about everyone who reviews it (that remembers Barcelona, come on, Tom Cruise named dropped them in the not-so-hit Cameron Crowe remake of Vanilla Sky!) and it’s definitely the best thing that has happened since Barcelona and well it sounds like Barcelona but… OK, but nothing, this is pretty much Barcelona and I’m not complaining because they were one of my favorites. Modern Gameplay is a clever album filled with references that your girlfriend might not pick up on. “George Romero” tackles being obsessed with Zombie films (namely Dawn of the Dead). “I Started a Blog that Nobody Reads” is self explanatory. “Me and the Sysop” is a tale of BBS’s long past. There is even a song about NYC’s infamous indie popper Shirley Beans. If you listen closely enough you can catch all the name drops which are done so in a way that is not overly obnoxious as name dropping can often be. Analog synthesizers, Jangly Wedding Presentesque guitars, simple drumming, Devo quirkiness all properly describe this album. This may be the perfect soundtrack to an afternoon of playing emulated Atari 2600 games on your PC.
Track List:
01. Bionic Hands
02. George Romero
03. I Started a Blog Nobody Read
04. Overclockers of the World Unite
05. Me and the SYSOP
06. Modern Gameplay
07. Requirements for DJs
08. Mystery Man
09. I Love You, You Retard
10. Unconditional Love Definition
11. Shirley Beans
12. Huygens vs. The Werewolf
13. Good Friend Sticks to You
14. Dropping the Mir on Japan
15. Most Dangerous Thing in the World (Invisible Robot)
16. Things Are Looking Up in Lebanon
17. Ambient Industrial Dronescape
Comments
1 Comment so far
I am digging this….a whole lot.