My intro to video games was through the SEGA Game Gear, a big lug of a thing that sucked up batteries like the cast of SNL used to suck up cocaine. And like the cast of SNL used to gloat over less fortunate variety shows (like Fridays), I would laugh at those with less fortunate systems like the Nintendo Game Boy. “You fools” I would shout, “you only have four colors, and no backlight! My Game Gear has both, and Sonic the Hedgehog to boot! Now I have to go sell my first-born to support my AA Battery habit!” It’s true, I was keeping the monkey off my back like I was a cast member of SNL, which is where the already bent metaphor breaks and shatters into a million pieces.
I guess my point is, in between the dawn of the very first video games that weren’t entertaining enough to play and the current state where video games aren’t affordable enough to play without making a serious marriage-level commitment to them, there was a time when games were both simple and fun. The Gameboy may have only had 4 colors but it had at least 40 GREAT games. And it may have been operating with approximately 14 sound effects (a number you can count on your fingers, if you’re weird and have too many fingers), but there was some great music. Tetris, Kirby’s Dreamland, Super Mario Land, all classic gaming scores, done with relatively simple beeps, buzzes, whirrs, and pops. Enter Campbell.
Campbell is an electronica artist that utilizes all sorts of lo-fi sound effects, from Game Boys to cell phones. And while this isn’t entirely unique to him (a mini-sub-culture* of sorts has spawned from this kind of lo-fi sampling. Even Beck rocked a concert in Bonnaroo using a Gameboy), the difference here is that once the gimmick has worn off what you’re left with is well-composed songs. “20,000 Leagues” is a lovely and lush (if a bit long) folk song that mixes gameboy sounds with a guitar and Campbell’s vocals (which I wish there were more of! Homeboy can sing!). It doesn’t sound like it should work on paper, but the two lo-fi sounds work amazingly well together. Then things get even better with his certifiably epic “Misguided Salute” which manages to evoke real feeling and soul from the boops buzzing and beeps. “Misguided Salute” is definitely my favorite track of the album, and one of my favorite electronica songs I’ve heard in a while.
His genre is listed as “Noise-Folk” and while I call it lo-fi electronica, it is important to differentiate him from artists like Kraftwerk. His music has much more of a soul and is much more rough around the edges (by design) than other similar artists.
Unfortunately, as with any good EP, it’s all a tease. With only 4 other songs (two more sound experiments than songs, and one a wholly original cover of “What a Wonderful World”) it’s all over much too quickly. I can’t wait to see what Campbell does next, and until he releases more material, this will do fine. Well, this and some late-night Tetris sessions on my old dot matrix Gameboy.
*Which I guess, is a sub-sub-culture.
Download Campbell - Flatland Prometheus EP from CLLCT!
Campbell - Misguided Salute:
