They have brought you Springtunes, then I heard about their awesomeness with the fantastic Summertunes, then patiently awaited the highly anticipated release of Autumntunes. Well now the folks over at the chiptune label ubiktune have encased an entire year of seasonal greatness with, you guessed it, Wintertunes. This is a brand new compilation from many fantastic artists from the chiptune community.
This album features some spectacular snow themed, ice sheeted tracks from the likes of Temp Sound Solutions, Zan-zan-zawa-veia, as well as recent chiptune darling Derris-Kharlan, and plenty more from folks new and old to the seasonal tunes series.
Things kick off with the funky Magic Snow is White and Slow by nq\skrju (I have no clue how to pronounce that). We are hit with a funky groove that layers some clap like glitchy leads and sample voice overs that create an upbeat mood of driving down a dark winter road with your friends as the snow begins to fall. Navigator on the other hand takes on a more somber space like tone. This track comes our way courtesy Rico Zerone and creates a vibe more akin to a snowy tundra as opposed to a soft snow covered yard. The song creates images of a vast swath of endless white snow.
Skipping ahead a few tracks we hear from Captain Tortilla with his track Wind Chill. This song creates an adventurous NES game style melody that reminds one of a side scrolling winter level from many a game back in those days. This is followed up by my favorite track on this collection, the flustered tones of Jeca Jeca by the ever interesting Zan-zan-zawa-veia. This track melds together Zzzv's glitchy nature with a laid back tune that would be played during Christmas in an alternate world. The slow, melodic track wraps around and slowly rises in both pace and insanity as we reach the end.
We reach the end of the album with a breathtaking track from Temp Sound Solutions. I have always enjoyed the juxtaposition between his gritty video game covers and the very relaxing, almost daze inducing chiptune work he has created. Angels' Bane definitely fits in with that category of chiptunes. The track gives off a nostalgic mood with it's soft beeps and buzzes, as if you were hearing a recognizable song from outside of a store window. The track gives off a ton of lazily window shopping along main street while bundled up in a brand new winter coat and simply enjoying the scenery of it all. The laid back atmosphere also brings the album to a very smooth, well defined ending.
The album, much like it's predecessors, is a relaxing, nostalgic look back on the recently passed season, and all the seasons before that as well. Remember that you can grab the album for free through the Wintertunes page on ubiktune. Be sure to grab all their previous compilations while you are there as well.
Track listing after the break. 1. nq\skrju — Magic Snow is White and Slow (1:41) 2. Rico Zerone — Navigator (2:30) 3. Tony Thai — Cough Syrup Overdose (2:37) 4. Derris-Kharlan — Reconciliation (2:18) 5. Captain Torilla — Wind Chill (2:39) 6. Zan-zan-zawa-veia — Jeca Jeca (4:45) 7. Blitz Lunar — The Labyrinth of Skadi (5:05) 8. zinger — Hibernation Hacker (5:00) 9. coda & surasshu — lucia (6:17) 10. ast0r — Mere Words (Bobby McFerrin) (3:12) 11. Temp Sound Solutions — Angels' Bane (2:57)