Culture

Rating: 3.5/5

There are few things that irk me more in a musical discussion than a person dismissing an entire genre. To assert that a style of music is wholly without merit, regardless of the incarnation, borders on psychosis. How can you deem hip-hop or metal or folk to be inherently shit, when you will never in your life get around to hearing a thousandth of one per cent of what that genre has to offer? The vastness and diversity of music genres nullifies any such sweeping criticism, so don’t risk sounding like an idiot by chucking them around. Don’t be stupid, stupid.

And yet, I come to you something of a hypocrite. Try as I might to enjoy it, it is something of a rarity for me to speak positively of the chiptune genre. Ninety per cent of the time I find chiptune music to be nothing but shrill, obnoxious Nintendo bleeps; ugly sounds forced out of old consoles that offer cheap nostalgia to anyone who has ever played a video game. High on sugar, low on creativity. But that’s just like, my opinion man, and I’m doing my best to change it. Mighty Social Lion, the new album from chiptuner J. Arthur Keenes, is something of a beacon of hope.

What distinguishes Mighty Social Lion not just from J. Arthur Keenes’ discography but chiptune as a whole is how diverse its influences are. Though the eight-bit synths and Super Mario sound effects are still present, they are far from the sole ingredients. Added to the sonic palette this time around is everything from lo-fi rock (the Sparklehorse-like “Trails”) to guitar pop (fantastic single “Congratulations”) and oceans of woozy Lennon reverb (“Worth Keeping”).

Commendably, J. Arthur Keenes manages to make these new sounds cooperate with his old ones, rather than quarrel as one might expect. Instead of yelping at the front of the mix like an insufferable fucking chihuahua as Keenes’ synths previously have, on Mighty Social Lion they receive a much-needed dose of Ritalin; they dwell obediently amongst the rest of the song, less concerned with being the centre of attention than with actually being an instrument.

But even with the step up musically and creatively, J. Arthur Keenes is still lacking in the ol’ lyrical department. His words come in rambled streams of consciousness, as if read from a diary of random thoughts, and very rarely add up to anything beautiful or profound. Often the lo-fi production and his Julian Casablancas-like mumble will disguise their vapidity, other times he isn’t so lucky: “my dirty socks are getting filthy, walk through the rain, I’m feeling guilty, my feet stink.” So he sings on “Cardboard Box,” to groans and rolled eyes from listeners everywhere.

So there is still big room for improvement. But much improvement has already been made with Mighty Social Lion, both in my opinion of J. Arthur Keenes and of chiptune in general. He’s shown us that the genre can be more than just Donkey Kong samples and eight-bit farts, and if he continues the upwards trajectory set in motion with this album, J. Arthur Keenes could very well become chiptune’s premier musician.