Starscream: Future, Towards the Edge of Forever
Starscream
Future, Towards the Edge of Forever
(Self-released)
While their sound can be lumped in with other Chiptune acts, those that primarily use or sample musical tones associated with 8-bit graphic gaming systems such as the original Nintento, Starscream has always pushed their sound outward to defy labels.
As a lover of the nostalgic sounds of those math/prog rock groups that cover Nintento theme music, Future, Towards the Edge of Forever immediately grabbed me with the opener “Mira, Ultraviolet.” Akin to a starship lifting off, the track sets the stage for the entire extraterrestrial vibe that Starscream is going for with their latest offering.
The entire album flows from one track to the next without many breaks, and the work evokes a sense of speeding through the ether. Whether the songs feel like turbulence leading to balance, the quiet of nothingness, or as if stars are going nova all about you, Future, Towards the Edge of Forever evokes it’s own world of space travel and storytelling.
Full of synth, masterfully handled drums, and sparing guitar, the album, indeed the band itself, builds to crescendo after crescendo via simple tonal changes and up-tempo steps to create a feeling of accelerating ever onwards.
Whether ascending, descending, or simply maintaining, Starscream’s ability to allow a listener to fade in and out from the liquidity of sound and simulate the feeling of always travelling onwards is a bonus in and of itself. It makes me feel as if the band has a vision and is sticking to it, providing their fans with an expansion of sonic horizons and creating joyful anticipation for the next adventure.
Music for both those who are already fans and those new to their sound, Future, Towards the Edge of Forever is a sweeping, pinging, aurally pleasing album.