I've been making leaps and bounds in Game Maker thanks to Tom Francis's tutorials and I am so glad for it. Really, if you want to make games please give it a try because it is surprisingly simple to make a little game that you and your friends can enjoy, and if they do you might just have found a hobby worth pursuing. I'll probably upload the game, in whatever state it is in, next week.
Other than that, this week I've been continuing on with writing The Pyromancer which admittedly is still going slow, but steady. I'm still enjoying it but I am finding it less fun than when I first started. My plan of action is to keep going at the pace I am and hopefully get it finished somewhere down the line. I've been working on inventing creatures for the world as a whole too which has been incredibly interesting. I've been researching loads of species finding out how they survive and how they have adapt to a particular niche and then applying it to whatever I can invent. It's been hugely fun and a great exercise in creative writing.
This week, on the 15th of January, one of my favourite musical acts, Starship Amazing (Derek Alexander (Melodies) & Calvin Hansen (Beats)) went on an indefinite hiatus after releasing the two song album 20XX. Known for their positive vibes (both musically and on screen), great beats and fantastically catchy synth melodies, this pair have been the BGM to my past few years and probably many years to come. From the light and delicate - Ya'll stop Bloggin', the dark - An Apocalypse In Binary, and the downright funky - Ruby Dagger, this pairing has proved that they can make a memorable song that makes any boring event into an amazing one. Their use of electronic instruments and varying kick-ass beats, honestly I can't the praises for these two enough and if I were to try we'd be here for days. Instead I'm going to take my favourite song from each album and explain why I like it.
A quick note that I'm not going to cover their 3 singles, Bonk (You Got Bonked)//Wrong Way, Space Jam//Neon Bowling & 20XX because personally I'm not a huge fan of singles although these three are very, very good. I'm also not covering Career Suicide because that is a remix album, albeit a pretty good one, or Robot Trilogy because that is a composite album of the first three. I'd actually recommend that new listeners start on Robot Trilogy for two reasons.
1) It combines many great songs from the first three albums giving you a nice range of what Starship has to offer.
2) It's free. Which is always nice.
Scoops The Robot - Scoops, The Natural Born Cuddler:
Firstly that is a cute as hell name. This song has a such an awesome melody that goes on throughout and the slow build up at the beginning is brilliant. I love the way the parts are slowly added. I find with this song, that each part works so with each other creating this glorious piece that is so damn uplifting. The electronic sounds are well chosen and the drum loops are wonderful. Oh and that piano bit that starts about 02:23 is just one the most lovely bits of music I have ever heard.
An Apocalypse In Binary - The Bleak Glory, The Grand Symphony:
This song is punchy, guttural and all over pretty damn big. The whole song shouts at you, the call and response melodies and the deep, pounding drum beats hit you hard, really hard. And the choir part over the top adds so much needed drama to the whole affair. Listening to this feels like you are on the edge of the apocalypse yourself and looking into a great abyss of endless power. Power. That's how I'd sum up the feeling of this one.
Broken Robots - Destroy This Memory:
For a song from a B sides album I think this one is a real winner. The soft piano and synth melody works so well over the punchy drum beat and repeating string harmony. I actually find this song quite emotional, which is something I always find impressive for songs without vocals. The way this song conveys emotion through so few instruments, and does it so well no less shows how good these two are. That ending section is fantastic.
Ya'll Stop Bloggin' - Ya Burnt:
Anyone who's watched Video Games Awesome should know this one! This is probably one of the most bouncy uplifting songs I've ever heard. The beat in this song just keeps going and going and I love it. Once again the melodic riffs are great all the way though and the synth that sounds like a cat is awesome. Note: Said synth may not actually be a cat but that's the way I've always seen it so bite me.
A Man Who Made A Choice - Search Order From Satan:
The slow grinding bass, haunting melodies and big drums are what, for me at least, make this song really stand out. I've always thought this song would make a good fit for a backdrop of a dystopian future city. I really like how the song goes back and forth from its main tune, with the big bass, into short somewhat creepy melodies. This song has what I tend to call good flow, which is something that I hope you understand when you listen to it. Which you should.
Ruby Dagger - Any Ghost That Would Bother Us:
This may just be my favourite song ever. The second this song starts with its quick and funky intro you know you are in for a good time. The catchy flowing tune over the funky as hell drums is ambrosia to me. I love the little break bit at 1:40 that changes the pace for a moment giving the listener a little breather before the song goes into a variation of the main theme. Which then itself flows through another little break and out into a brilliant ending which follows the main tune and slowly fades out. Honestly this whole album is fantastic but this song alone stands a tier above for me.
I find writing about music really hard, so I hope I got across something coherent here. Anyway if you want to listen to these tunes yourself you should go to the Starship Amazing bandcamp which can be found here:
music.starshipamazing.com/
-Beau
