Touché, bitches!

8-bit Weezer

Do you like 8-bit pop? Well of course you do! Online bit-pop label Pterodactyl Squad recently came out with a compilation of various chiptune bands covering Weezer songs. When I first heard about this, I was excited. Not only does Weezer smack of my youth but so do the oh so crunchy sounds of Game Boy, NES and C64 sound cards. And getting to hear some new stuff from Anamanaguchi and PDF Format is also kinda cool.

But as with any compilation–more pertinently, tribute compilations–it’s hit and miss. The obvious artists shine: Anamanaguchi, Bit Shifter, videogame orchestra and . I was particularly enamored by nordloef’s rendition of “Buddy Holly”, but I think that’s largely nostalgia. The rest of the album is never bad, but it’s seldom great. I was a little disappointed with PDF Format’s “You Won’t Get With Me Tonight” and, despite their cool name, Unicorn Dream Attack didn’t amaze me.

I think it works well because it’s a trip down both memory and hipster lane at the same time. One more criticism: it’s called The 8-bit Album; I think it should be called The Beige Album. Bam! Now that’s genius.

It’s free to download under creative commons. Also check out the Weezer 8-bit blog.