Copy Machine and the Off-Score Project take active listening to new levels
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As I’ve been cooped up inside these last - checks notes - five months, I’ve been getting more into listening to vinyl. More than just nice decorations, what I’ve appreciated about vinyl is how it forces me to actively listen to music. The mechanics of vinyl - opening a jacket, placing a record on the turntable, flipping it halfway through - are all distinctly physical compared to clicking play on Spotify and letting the algorithm make all the moves. Vinyl makes me pay attention to music as a tangible artform, and I appreciate that in a time when everything feels increasingly unhinged.
The Off Score Project (2020-) does something similar as a playable album, each track accompanied by a game that ties into the song’s lyrics and mood. A group project between musician YenTing Lo, artist Vanja Mrgan, and programmer Ferran Bertomeu Castells, Off Score is being released a track at a time with the first, Copy Machine, available now on itch.
On paper (haha) it’s a simple spot-the-difference game with a jazzy score, but the charm of an interactive album is apparent before the music even starts, watching a digital turntable ignite and begin to spin. Copy Machine exists inside of its namesake, following a tribe of little geometric folx who like to congregate in the paper plazas the machine creates. Some dour guards prevented me from moving forward, so I had to mix and match colors and shapes to fool them into letting me pass. It’s as if Louie Zong directed a Hitman game.
The soundtrack is cheery and playful, with lyrics like “I can copy your smile / copy your style” popping up on the ground as a catchy jazz piano goes in for a solo. As a game based around a single song it doesn’t take much more than 10-minutes to complete, but it is such a lovely place to vibe in I was happy to continue spitting out new circular citizens for my paper plaza and while the soundtrack looped (which it does with impressive ease).
The whole soundtrack is up on Bandcamp, but I like that I have to wait for the rest of it to drop in the game. It’s all part of the vinyl ritual. Listening for the fuzz and click, flipping the disc, and wondering what sound will come next.
Copy Machine is available now for Windows and Mac on Itch, with the rest of the tracks dropping in the future. It was reviewed with a press copy of the game.
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