(le) poisson rouge

Somehow managing to blend ‘60s Parisian decadence, Atari-inspired eight-bit cacophony, sweeping neo-folk revival, and a post-punk sensibility, Mixel Pixel’s sound palette is dizzying. Their latest outing is a headfirst collision between bourgeois vocal stylings reminiscent of Magnetic Fields and the heavy, unforgiving beats of Chris Clarks Empty the Bones of You. The album somehow sounds like Super Mario strumming Jeff Mangum’s guitar, humming along and bouncing his pixilated little feet to Stereolab and the Postal Service. Otherwise put, Mixel Pixel have crafted an album that dips its toes into just about every hipster-friendly kiddie pool this side of Brooklyn.