Some of the most iconic music of this generation comes out of video games. Almost everyone can hum the Super Mario music, The Legend of Zelda tunes, and that little chime that gets played when you win a fight in Final Fantasy. Those iconic 8-bit notes have stuck their place in popular culture as songs that has taken us “geeks” to worlds beyond our dreams, and stories of pure wonder and excitement.

“But Alan, this is a music review, not a gaming retrospective.” I know, but there’s a reason that I’m bringing this up. Chicago geek rockers I Fight Dragons not only nods to their love for video games, but implants it into their music. Throughout their major label debut Kaboom!, the quintet borrows the sounds of one of gamings most beloved machines (I’m of course talking about the NES) and implements them into catchy pop-alt songs, but could the LP and it’s 8-Bit gimmick hold its own?

(By the way, I’m not comparing the album to the games that I listed above. Just clarifying for that one person who thought that.)

The opening (“Fanfare”) really sets the tone to the entire album; The thirty second introduction sounds reminiscent of an 80’s RPG, or a song from the movie version of Scott Pilgrim. The album namesake (“Kaboom!) is a great introduction to the band; it gives listeners a taste of how fun the band can be, and how original their style is. Their first single, “The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth” is a pop oddity, mixed in with lyrics of teenage angst and sweet revenge.

Even in 8-Bit games, they have moments of pure sincerity and happy bliss. Kaboom! is not any different. “With You (feat. Kina Grannis)” sounds a bit like The Legend of Zelda, as it plays like a beautifully geeky love ballad. My favorite song, “Before I Wake,” is a digital delight, however masking a very soft and honestly sad song. I’m actually surprised that they could pull something like that off, but they did it in flying colors.

However, the one problem with Kaboom! is what makes it so original. The 8-Bit sounds and melodies sounded great on my first listen, and some of them happened to stick to me. During my second, however, the novelty started to pull me down. I don’t mind picking and choosing throughout this album (they have plenty to do that with), but giving it more than one go through in a sitting just so happens to drag it. Also, the overall musicality of the album isn’t something that should be praised, as most of it is just filler for the aforementioned sound effects.

I Fight Dragons is a band that you can’t really contain into one specific sound. They possess the geek-chic quality of Ludo, but the lyrical angst of Yellowcard, mixed in with a couple of old school Nintendo games, which makes them all the more interesting to listen to. Kaboom! has a lot of things going for it; it’s a fresh addition to the almost saturated market of popular alternative music. However, the album’s uniqueness happens to also to be its problem. It’s 8-bit gimmick is played on every song, which brings down the musicality and the existence of the band. This is definitely a band to look out for, but they must be able to highlight their members more than just button pressing.

Final Grade: B

Go Download: “Before I Wake”

Here’s the lyric video to “The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth”