Down the Tubes is a (semi) regular feature where we, the SAW staff, share our favorite movie-related videos with the Wasteland.
Please share your video recommendations with us at info.screenagewasteland@gmail.com or on Twitter @SAWasteland.
I stumbled onto the synthwave music genre a few years back and quickly incorporated it into my daily work playlist.
Gunship, Timecop 1983, FM-84, and Phaserland were among the first synth artists that really solidified my love of the genre, and I remember thinking at the time that so many of these albums sounded like soundtracks to movies I’d seen. In reality, they were wholly new creations and the movies I imagined they were soundtracks to only existed in my mind.
Call it pastiche or homage – but whatever you call it, it’s clear that what these artists are able to convey with their music is the result of a specific talent for drawing on a broad array of influences, filtering them, and creating something completely new, and at the same time, eerily evocative.
The first time I heard Starcadian, I was positive some of the tracks had to be covers. I did a little searching around and found an interview with the artist and he had this to say about his approach:
I like to describe it as ear movies. I basically make soundtracks to imaginary movies that I wish I had seen when I was younger. I like to visually, aurally and slowly tell a story with every lyric in every song.
Yep. That’s pretty much how I’d describe it.
The guy behind Starcadian works in the film industry as a VFX artist, and has plans to turn the short cinematic music videos he’s produced with co-director Rob O’Neill into a feature length film.
The first time I heard the embedded song, I remember thinking this sounds like a song from an 80s horror comedy recorded by Prince. And I remember clearly visualizing a montage scene filled with practical monsters. I had shared the album with SAW’s own Vincent Kane that same day, and when we compared notes, he’d gotten the same exact vibes: Prince, monsters, and horror comedy.
I hope Starcadian stays at it, and I truly hope he gets his feature off the ground.
Enjoy.
So what did you think? Like? No like? Tell us why in the comments below!
