Blank Banshee - Mega album review/dissection

Clean cut, rock solid, high quality Vaporwave. This is a combination of words that sums up Blank Banshee's album "Mega." In classic Blank Banshee form, Mega takes the Vaporwave form and produces an album that applies itself to the audio/visual genre attributes confidently and almost to the T. Blank Banshee's Mega takes creative directions and paths that form an album that is indeed very much Vaporwave,but also something uniquely itself and uniquely Blank Banshee. Mega takes something old made new and makes it a bit newer again.

Mega is Vaportrap. Mega is Vaporwave hopped up on itself and it's sample sources. It feels the need to take these genre qualifiers and push them into overdrive and almost completely into the dance and hip hop direction. Most tracks on Mega feel like they exist there to make you move, though there are some exceptions (like the 13th track JUNO.) There are still the Blank Banshee ambient dreamscapes that exist, but even some of those still lay a heavy back beat in its musical environment that wants to shatter something. The album, like said before is Vaporwave, but it does pull a pretty slick move right off of the bat that then echoes out into the rest of the album and doesn't really even try to recover it. From the opening, the album makes the statement that it wants to be high audio quality and this requires the removal of something that has and is pretty prevalent in Vaporwave and it's assorted micro and subgenres. What Mega removes from this album is essentially the "lo-fi" of Vaporwvae. The lo-fi sound quality, either produced artificially or natural occurring, is a consistently occurring formation in Vaporwave and its sub and micro genres. Beyond the sampling, it's the constant reminder of Vaporwave's nostalgic roots and time period based musical influence and the technology and media of those eras. But this album takes the low-fi into check and says it doesn't need it. The source samples are enough to place its chronologic pallet of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. And it is. Mega lives whole-heartedly in these times and places and the tech and assorted media they produced. From videogames to indie rock, this album makes positive and great musical use of these musical worlds and ambiances, all contributing to the Vaporwave tonal environment of this album, but also the quality of the music as well. Guitar strums and video game music are blended into a flurry of fast beats and pin point placement that create something very Vaporwave and very Blank Banshee. Something that could have easily ended up as a weird mess ends up as a neatly layered musical feat in Blank Banshees hands.

Mega, being an October 2016 release, is far from the grace period of Vaporwave in 2012 (masses were already stating and further still from the birth of the genre in 2010 (most voices consider the genre dead since 2014.) What this means is that Mega is mostly free from scrutiny from purists or really in general from most scrutiny beyond "why is vaporwave still a thing" or "vaporwave is a dead meme since 2014." The album did fare well in critical reception but that's only a handful of overall opinions. Because Blank Banshee with the release of Mega was really the one giant (popularity-wise) artist producing Vaporwave and releasing at the time, a certain freedom comes with that. Of course there was and still is a community of artists making this kind of music (and always will be.) mega is free to do what it wants with the Vaporwave formula with confidence, and it does so. Looking at Vaporwave now in 2016, there is so much room for change and things are changing. Artists all over the this musical environment on the internet are doing different things with this formula and creating different things and experimenting within Vaporwave. And with Mega, Blank Banshee does his part with this. It isn't flipping the script upside down, but it is a subtle shift for the artist and a shift Vaporwave and its subgenres.

Blank Banshee's album before this, "1" was released way back in 2013, which is a long time when it comes to the internet, and Vaporwave and its sub and microgenres are very much internet-reliant. If you look back, fans were waiting for this with strong anticipation. Three years is forever on the internet. And with Blank Banshee delivering solid albums back to back before this one with "0" and "1", the anticipation and waiting is emphasized for people looking forward to his next release and fans. Seemingly for a majority of the waiting audience, Mega delivered. It's not anti-anti-punk or reverse Vaporwave something, but it does its part in being a part of the Vaporwave shift in 2016 and onward. Like said before, it's clean cut and rock solid (like somebody took the sharpest knife they could find, heated it up a bit and cut the smoothest diagonal section off of the Vaporwave soap block and made sure to take off some of that root too.) It's also subtlety unique, like said before.

Let's look at "Gunshots", the 4th track on Mega. It contains, basically, videogame sounds from the 90s, classic 2000s-2010s era dance samples about drinking, and Wonderwall. Yes, that Wonderwall. On top of all this there is the classic quick loud present funky bass that is practically a Blank Banshee staple. The song uses Wonder Wall as its flourishing intro statement even though it speed its p and place with it is recognizably Wonder Wall. It then uses a simple transition to then present the hook which is essentially the lyrical and tonal antithesis of Wonder Wall because it shifts into a 2000s-esque dance-like sample that is just some guy saying "shots" and then it continues the song on top of that. It's like saying "screw what this song is trying to say, maybe, not really, maybe." It's just such a jump to the future of vapid dance lyrics and that's what makes it so addictive to listen to. It's not really necessarily trying to say anything but it's slightly thematic, and on top of this the music is incredibly catchy. The bass is hard and it's an itchy thump that works into the brain. Work Blank Banshees bass string work into this and it's a slight masterpiece. It's just the minimal thematics that make the track seem to come off with a heavier value, it isn't entirely vapid, it's almost saying that something is vapid in comparison to something. It feels different because "Gunshots" blends two absolutely different source samples together. It's a work of synthesis. Take two things that don't go together, use Vaporwave to make them work. Indie rock like isn't really something used on Vaporwave classically, but it's not like some jerk is making sure it's forbidden. It's classic 90s media so it fits in perfectly to the defining genre attributes, but it feels different because it isn't often heard (if at all) inside of this genre. "Gunshots" blends two main source samples that are on very different musical points and works them together into a rock solid Vaporwave track with minimal seems.

"XENOS" is the 8th track on this album that is an example of how Blank Banshee can make a Vapoirtrap track that sounds completely entirely consumed with the feelings and tone of Vaporwave's genre defining attributes and guidelines without infusing the track with consistent recognizable samples layered in and out of the track if not totally based in whole (like Macintosh Plus' early ambient Vaporwave debut Floral Shoppe) on the samples that are irresistibly recognizable. Rather, XENOS finds a way to exude Vaporwave and the classical Vaporwave tone without touching any vocal samples or any media clips that are widespread or mainstream legible as samples even in the first place. Samples in the first place aren't even easily found for this song unless you're one of the lucky few who can pick them out due to being exposed to the samples earlier or just being able to tell due to musical experience or program and software experience, and that's a light guess. So what "XENOS" does to accomplish this is apply itself to the light musical ideas that Vaporwave follows and simulates the tonal connotation of those genre defining attributes in the song. It asks, what feels like Vaporwave? What makes something feel that way? Why does it feel that way? What old media, old tech, things that were audible en masse in the 80s, 90s, and 70s and how do those things affect why we think of Vaporwave as what it is? What connotation from those sounds makes those things so vital to the personality of this genre type? Is it just nostalgia? "XENOS" answers back "no." There's a way to create something that feels like it sounds old. Something, some type of sound usage, that emits the same feeling, but is in fact a recent production or creation. So "XENOS" uses custom recently created sounds to imitate the sounds and feelings of those samples from those past, to imitate what is classically sampled for Vaporwave and its subgenres. It creates Vaporwave mostly from the ground up. And on top of this it is undeniably Vaportrap with it's crunchy and fast beats and viscous bass, all dance music influence. Then, not kidding, it still has its minor moments where it feels unique to the genre itself. The track takes and uses the light strumming of a guitar that comes just after transition points after the hook, or chorus you could say. This ultimately adds a flare that also makes the song feel different within the confines of this genre. So "XENOS" as a whole is a binding work that builds the tone of Vaporwave almost from scratch but yet also is able to still feel unique within the genre thanks to the usage of creative sampling.

Let's mention the track "My Machine",the 2nd track on Mega. My machine is something that seems more "classic Vaporwave" when it comes to just how heavy the track relies on it's single sample, but of course this comes with the difference of overall being a part of the faster, more dance inspired subgenre of Vaporwave called Vaportrap so it is faster than something like, say Macintosh Plus, had put out in the past. But what this song does is just, put simply, real cool. It takes the yelling from the main source sample and utilizes it like a vocalist. It repeats and replies sections, as well as introducing new ones throughout that keep up with the up and down pace of the song at its lightning speed and comes off like there is a "singer" for this track. It's not something super unique to the formula, but it does something with the sampling that is very engaging and fun to listen to. basically, having somebody scream "my machine" at you over beats is something enthralling. It's so rapid and nonstop that it doesn't hurt to be yelled at. It is like enjoying a nice soda with high acid and carbonation content that you feel like should be hurting your mouth, but instead it goes down smooth. This is likely due in part to how the sampling just kind of doesn't stop. You have your initial jump on to the shouting train and then it all just kind of seamlessly flows together. "My Machine" becomes entrancing. it's just a slight amount of unique thrown into something that flows perfectly with the normal themes of Vaportrap.


Blank Banshee's third album Mega is a success at mixing the old made new again with new techniques and ideas that make it a bit newer once again. It synthesizes what makes up Vaporwave with some things that don't necessarily represent it all the time. It takes a look at what it needs and throws away genre conventions that it doesn't, like lo-fi buzz and noise. Mega is a unique musical Vaportrap experience that is a treat for fans and newcomers alike. It is a creative part of this ever growing and changing internet-influenced music genre. This isn't Vaporwave as the meme, this is Vaporwave as listening material.

Vaporwave and Internet Meme Culture Influence

It's likely that if you're reading this right now, you understand that Vaporwave is not a "serious" genre. That with every song that takes some alternative creative risk, or maybe just does something different in general, that there's also something else there in the audio or in any accompanying visuals that promotes thoughts or comments in the form of "A E S T H E T I C," "F E E L  T H E  V A P O R," or "I M  J U S T  A  K I D." That every song or video that conforms to the Vaporwave genre comes with the attitude either from the audience or from the work itself that it isn't being or doesn't want to be taken seriously. Vaporwave is one part self-indulgent joke and one part experimental music genre. What makes things more interesting is that the joke part is consistently in an almost always present state of exposure that can make it difficult for newcomers to understand what exactly is going on with the genre in the first place. If they raise their hand for help the only responses they'll often receive are things in the vain of "T H A T S  H O W  V A P O R W A V E  I S  S U P P O S E D  T O  W O R K." This is due to the large part of the Vaporwave audience present on media sharing sites that is very much involved in participating in the joke, or meme culture, of the Vaporwave genre. The meme culture here holds a fair amount of responsibility for creating how we think of Vaporwave today in terms of visuals and vocabulary but also for how the music itself sounds. The joke part, the meme part of this genre has strongly affected how Vaporwave sounds and has sounded in the past, even going so far as to help introduce and sustain micro-genres. You can just take a look at Chuck Person's Ecco Jams Vol. 1, considered one of the founding Vaporwave genre albums that was also  produced as a joke, as an example of this.

So what is meme culture? What even is a meme exactly? Let's define it basically. Think of a meme simply as a fad joke that lasts for a limited time, is generally exclusive to the internet, and requires the internet to pass along and grow. The fad joke only ends when the general public decides the joke has gotten old, thus it is named a "dead meme." The second part of this is that these are almost entirely done with a dry sense of humor (whenever one is posted or interacted with.) To not approach it or respond with completely unsubtle dryness would be the contrary of a point. You post or respond with something completely absurd, but you do it because you don't care, it isn't important enough or "serious" enough to be taken seriously. If there is a general tone for being "memey," unsubtle dry absurdity is a short way to put it. This is where Vaporwave comes in. Frequently referred to as a "meme genre," Vaporwave promotes this same sort of attitude among a select number of it's audience. This is most likely because either some of the musical ideas are so weird or simple (like having an entire album that's almost entirely slowed down old songs) or the accompanying visual aesthetic is so stylized (everything being themed thickly in old tech and media from the 80s, 90s and sometime 70s) that it can't be taken seriously. Vaporwave is so recognizably Vaporwave, so ridiculously and densely involved in its own audio visual scheme that it has to be taken more as a joke by certain community members. Maybe because some of these decisions in the audio visual department are seen by some members of the consuming audience as silly or non-serious decisions and thus taken as jokes. But despite the reasoning, since the beginning of Vaporwave's musical appearance, the "memey" side of things, the joke side of the audience and creative population in the genre have been a closely connected part of it. The meme culture surrounding Vaporwave since its birth has helped change and evolve the music itself.

Vaporwave wouldn't be here without Youtube. Youtube helped push Vaporwave to peak popularity and a majority of Vaporwave consumption is done through this platform. This isn't because all of this music just so happens to be on this platform en masse, it's due to the fact that Vaporwave's visual aesthetic is so completely vital to what Vaporwave is (mashing old tech and media of the 70s, 80s and 90s.) Because of this the visual aesthetic that so closely accompanies this music is not just vital to the sound and tone of the genre, but it's inclusion in most (if not all) Vaporwave media consumed makes it subject to "memery", or parody. Audience sees it on Youtube, creates parody (of the audio, visuals, or both) that goes back into Youtube. A great example of this creative process in action is the micro-genre "Simponswave."

Simponswave came around in in early 2016 and with Vaporwave starting up in 2010, this is far from the genres 2012 grace period in internet time. Most audiences were calling Vaporwave a "dead meme" by 2014. Simpsonswave is a series of still-growing Youtube videos that are based on a pretty simple formula. Take classic The Simpsons episodes, stitch and edit them together to portray a simple story or theme, add vaporwave or soft electronic music on top, and add claasic Vaporwave visual attributes over the video such as VHS lines, codeine purple, and cheesy or glitched visual transitions. Simponswave was started up by a Youtube user called Lucien Hughes with a video called Sunday School which utilizes Blank Banshee's "Teen Pregnancy" off of the album 0. It grew in popularity then and there and drew in a big following for a few months. What's interesting about Simpsonswave is once creators mixed the tracks with a light stiched together story from older Simpsons episodes it radically changed the tonal atmosphere and really created something different. Songs could get more sad such as in "Crisis", but songs could also become hopeful or nostalgic like in the video "Millhouse 1996." This along with the addition of periodic quotes or audio clips from The Simpsons used as well really topped off and made Simponswave into its own transformative creative experience. Once the fall of 2016 swung in, the micro genre had lost a lot of steam with a fair amount of people already throwing it into "dead meme" territory. Though Simpsonswave has so soon already been claimed lost accounts like Lucien Hughes still do occasionally put out Simpsonswave audio visual pieces.

So what happens when somebody wants to do a parody of really just the music alone? It's simple, you get mash-ups and edits. People wanting to take the music and alter it so it becomes something different in order just to tease at it or maybe to actually insult a certain aspect. Just searching "Macintosh Plus" and "Blank Banshee" on Bandcamp's website causes a massive influx of audience created parody material to pop up. Everything from "Floral Cop" to "Death Banshee" appears. "Floral Cop" takes the opening themes from classic cop or detective procedural television programs, much in the vein of Macintosh Plus' Floral Shoppe. Then "Death Banshee" Mixes an assortment of Blank Banshee and Death Grips tracks to create something new. Once again, these follow in the same kind of meme tone. It's done for fun, don't take it too seriously, this is silly. Which is what makes something that works out very well musically but starts out as just a joke very interesting.

As an example, look at the Youtube video Resonance/80808. It's a mash up of a Death Grips and ambient electronic song called "Resonance" (a track also later used in short Simpsonswave videos) from the artist Home. Looking at how the video is flared with the classic Vaporwave visual aesthetic, flashes of purple and the hand-drawn face of Death Grips' lead Vocalist, MC Ride, we can see this video falling in line with the host of other similar Youtube videos that are also kind of done as a joke. What makes this one different though is that the mash-up comes out as a high quality musical example that exceeds the expectations of the Death Grips mash-up video meme. The audio in both songs is only tweaked minimally but is done in such a way that causes both tracks to synthesize beautifully. It gets more interesting when you see that the comments section, that on this kind of video would normally filled with comments like "D E A T H  G R I P S" and "A E S T H E T I C" has audience members genuinely taken back and appreciative of the track in the video. What it does here is sort of break the meme you could say. It breaks the tone of the meme culture in these videos and has people participating in appreciating the musical form. Of course there are still spaced lettered comments and absurd humor still present in this comment section, it is Youtube after all.

The last example here is the album "Vapor.wav" from December 2016. Currently audible on Bandcamp the album comes from Odaxelagnia. What this album does is fuse the the meme culture reception of Vaporwave over the last few years with the creative, more direct, not-so-memey side of the Vaporwave genre. What comes out is an album that on one hand knows, right down from the visuals to the music, that sometimes Vaporwave is silly and can be taken very, very lightly, but on the other hand makes an effort to create something that sounds great and is unique within the genre. "Vapor.wav" is a quality Future Funk album that feels different, feels like it understands the genre, and has an opening track with a sinister edge that knocks the socks off.

Meme culture is ingrained and intertwined in the Vaporwave genre. The jokes and the parodies produced by this will be around as long as there is Vaporwave to listen to and to watch. People constantly want to reinvent and recreate, this causes the music to undergo constant transformation as well in response. Vaporwave reacts to the meme culture surrounding it and is manipulated because of it, but sometimes Vaporwave is just a meme all on it's own and happy accidents occur. Looking back at Chuck Persons' Ecco Jams Vol. 1, the album produced as a joke that some say helped create the genre, maybe Vaporwave is the happy accident.