YMCK – Family Music
(Records of the Damned)

When I first glanced the bio for YMCK, I was a little unsure what to expect. With music described as an “experimental combination” of jazz and 8-bit Nintendo sounds, I was intrigued and yet at the same time worried that it would end up being just a lot of random noise. What I didn’t realize is that by “jazz”, they actually meant ragtime and big band music rather than, say, John Coltrane or more free-form styles of jazz. Family Music is an addictive and upbeat album that takes classic ragtime-sounding progressions rendered completely with synthesizers and keyboards, matching them with cute, poppy female vocals. I should have known that something coming out of Japan would almost by definition be this quirky and loveable.

YMCK take their name from the colour model used in old computer monitors (Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Black). This is a definite reference to old school video games, as all the music is composed using the wonderful spectrum of crunchy blips and beeps that populated games back in the 80’s. At first I was unsure if they were just sampling actual music from real Nintendo games (especially with song titles like “Tetrominon ~From Russia With Blocks~” and “Your Quest is Over”), but upon further inspection these are all original tunes save for a few familiar sound snippets sprinkled throughout (the Super Mario Bros. 1-Up sound, for example). Crackly digitized speech also spices up the retro electronic feel of the album here and there.

You definitely have to be in the right mood to listen to something like this, as the hyperactive tempo and high-pitched noises can drive you a little nuts after a while. Still, if you grew up in the 80’s playing the NES, this album will likely have a strangely soothing nostalgic effect on you. Nostalgia aside, there’s something to be said for the musicianship of YMCK as well. the sweeping melodic tunes found in songs like “SOCOPOGOGO (YMCK Version)” and “Magical 8bit Tour” are easily good enough to stand on their own, with or without the 8-bit gimmick. Odds are you’ll know yourself if this album is up your alley; personally I was more than impressed with this little disc. Lots of fun to be had, so check it out if you can get your hands on it. — Sean

SCORE:

Recommended If You Like: Pizzicato Five, 8 Bit Weapon, Katamari Damacy Soundtrack