Year Of Release: 2019
Label: Self-released
Genres: Bitpop, progressive electronic, chiptune, kawaii future bass, bubblegum bass, electro house
Tracklist:
1. Show Us What You’re Made Of (2:11)
2. Cilantro (4:37)
3. Castle Sinclair Girnigoe (4:08)
4. Flap Flap (3:28)
5. Rocking Music (4:07)
6. Take As Many As You Like (6:31)
7. Nine Stars (8:27)
8. Catch These Hands (10:03)
9. Birdsong (11:20)
10. Would You Please Wake Up? (5:28)
11. My Best Friend (4:07)
12. I Haven’t Died (6:57)
Okay, so I might be stretching the definition of the word “obscure” just a little bit with this one. While she’s certainly not a mainstream artist by any stretch, she definitely has a fairly sizable cult following. But goddammit, I really want to talk about Pix & Bit! This album changed the way I look at music, and it means a whole lot to me.
As you might be able tell by looking at the cute N64-esque mascots on the cover, the sound design was heavily influenced by the 5th and 6th Generations of gaming, with a tone sounding like it came straight from an old PS1 or Dreamcast game. It also contains plenty of chiptune synths, and an infectious pop sheen filtered through the idioms of EDM, from bouncy house beats to the wobbly detuned synths of future bass to sticky sweet bubblegum bass melodies, and even a few melodic dubstep drops here and there. Patricia throws everything at the wall, and believe it or not, ALL of it sticks.
But what really impresses me the most is simply the sheer ambition, and the fact that she was only 19 when she created these songs. This bad boy is nearly 71 and a half minutes, and not once does it lose steam. Every track here feels essential to the experience, including the instrumentals. And several of the tracks themselves are epic behemoths, going above 10 and even 11 minutes, somewhat unusual for a pop album like this. By far my favorite is the 8 and a half minute “Nine Stars,” maybe my favorite song ever. Like the other tracks on the album, it may seem a little repetitive to the untrained ear, but when you pay attention, the song rewards you with a gradual progressive build. New elements are slowly added to the song over the course of its runtime, growing larger and larger, finally climaxing into a lush, almost ambient swirl of many different sounds that will envelop you and make you feel one with the heavens, before winding down and allowing you to breathe. It’s truly breathtaking, and the use of repetition slowly building to something more grand is something that Patricia has perfected throughout the entire album. And with the introspective, deeply personal lyrics on topics ranging from Patricia’s experience as a trans woman to the feeling of being neurodivergent in a world dominated by neurotypical norms, this album hits so many highs on an emotional and spiritual level.
It’s an album that can make you cry, but it can also fill you with immense joy. It is both melancholic, and whimsical. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and I think this might actually be my favorite album of all time. It just makes me feel the entire emotional spectrum every single time I listen to it, and even changed my entire perspective on music. After more than 20 years of my life being a rock/punk/metal guy, Pix & Bit truly opened my eyes to the wonders of electronic (and electronically produced) music when I first listened a little over a year ago. Sure, there were plenty of electronic and electronic-adjacent albums that I liked or even loved before this, stuff like Blackout by Britney Spears, Speak For Yourself by Imogen Heap, 1000 gecs And The Tree Of Clues by 100 gecs, Information Chase by Bit Shifter, Velocity : Design : Comfort by Sweet Trip, and the soundtrack for Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest by David Wise. But this album truly sparked my hunger for more electronically produced music, and now I can’t get enough! In fact, over the past couple months, I’ve come to the conclusion that I actually prefer the wonderful world of electronic music over rock, punk, and metal nowadays, which is honestly kind of mind-blowing to me since my taste has been largely dominated by the rock-o-sphere since I was 10. I’m 31 now, and I’ve found an album that’s as influential to my taste in my ‘30s as Nirvana’s Nevermind was when I was 17. So anyone who clings on to the notion that your taste in music stagnates after your ‘20s isn’t always correct, because my taste is still evolving.
But hey, don’t take my word for it. Listen to the album and see how special it is for yourself.
FIND IT HERE-
Bandcamp: https://patriciataxxon.bandcamp.com/album/pix-bit
YouTube: https://youtu.be/KD6Z10D7spU (official free upload) and https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXQV8t2nSoLIBmIVlbmfeZvkIMVcCN6gQ (for those who would prefer a playlist format)
Pix & Bit website: https://pixandbit.gay/ (I really adore the aesthetics of the album, and by extension, this gorgeous site)
Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/patricia-taxxon-discography (discography upload)
RATE, CATALOG, AND DISCUSS-
Rate Your Music: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/patricia-taxxon/pix-and-bit/
Album Of The Year: https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/195040-patricia-taxxon-pix-bit/user-reviews/
Last.fm: https://www.last.fm/music/Patricia+Taxxon/Pix+&+Bit
Best Ever Albums: https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=241699
Sputnikmusic: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/soundoff.php?albumid=341639
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