Video games are rapidly becoming one of the coveted pillars of modern art culture – the medium’s accessibility, engaging aesthetic form, and blossoming narrative potential is gathering interest from artists across the globe. Creative writers embrace game design as a method of creating “choose your own adventure” story experiences. Movie directors capitalize on film-inspired games. And music groups like the Nielsen Family Band use the medium in order to create a new and enchanting listening experience. The Nielsen Family Band shows off the glistening potential of marrying original music with a visual game experience with their new game and song, both entitled “Fragile Flowers.”
There’s a garden of fragile flowers where my head should be/I don’t know what to do with all these fragile flowers, I just don’t know what they need
The Nielsen Family Band’s song “Fragile Flowers” accompanies the group’s original video game, a side-scrolling 2D platformer that consists of eleven levels. The song opens with a drifty synth pad, splattered with computer blip noises. The drizzly atmosphere is then joined by guitar and drum, shifting the sound into an easy, lilting country melody – the perfect accompaniment for a video game.
They pretend not to hear me/There are bouquets of fragile flowers/At the ends of my sleeves
“Fragile Flowers” hosts a generally bright, twinkly sound throughout. This glittery soundscape stands in contradiction to some of its darker lyrics – lyrics that seem to speak to a profound personal uncertainty. Yet the lyrics seem unbothered by their own darkness, remaining bouncy and matter of fact even as they are delivered; this is not a song that feels sorry for itself but rather one that embraces the delightful oddities of life, the flowers in your sleeves, the strange and delicious uncertainties that keep you awake at night.
There’s a garden of fragile flowers/Growing out of me
Harmonica enters the scene about halfway through, capturing a shiny folksy tone. The Nielsen Family Band self identifies their genre as “space country,” which is perhaps a head-scratching term at first but quickly becomes fitting as you listen to the group’s expansive, rippling take on country music. Think futuristic textures with the upbeat strut of country music. Now imagine playing a video game to it. Pretty awesome, right?
“Fragile Flowers” is just one song off the band’s new album “Eat the Light,” a bright collection of space country. The band’s video game is accompanied by other tracks from the album as well. You can watch the trailer for the video game here and listen to the album here.
