Analog Synthesis is a rich and restless poetry collection by Christopher Fried that drifts through nostalgia, pop culture, and philosophical reflection. Split into two sections—“Retro Speculative” and “Iconoclasts”—the book reads like a time machine wired to a synthesizer. Fried channels memory, media, and meaning into formally composed verse, touching on everything from VHS tapes and video games to forgotten poets and outmoded ideologies. The poems pulse with synthwave energy, cinematic flair, and bittersweet homage to decades gone.

Reading this collection felt like walking through a dusty but beloved video rental store, every poem a cassette tape pulling you into another microcosm. Some poems hit like a sugar rush—immediate and nostalgic—while others unfold slowly, pushing you to sit with them. I was especially struck by Fried’s commitment to form. Sonnets, quatrains, and other metrical devices give the collection a tight rhythmic engine, but this isn’t stiff or academic; it’s playful, moody, and deeply personal. Sometimes his nostalgia is tender, then funny, then sad in the span of a stanza.

While I enjoyed this collection, I felt like the writing occasionally leans so heavily into references that it risks alienating readers less familiar with its touchstones. There were moments when the homage became a bit too insular, like a fan convention you enjoy but can’t quite join. Still, even in those moments, the emotional honesty kept me engaged. Fried doesn’t just celebrate the past, he interrogates it. The poems grieve the things we lose, laugh at the absurdity of what we remember, and hold up flickering screens to what endures. The voice is unique, sometimes jaded, sometimes ecstatic. It felt like a voice trying to make peace with both beauty and decline.

I’d recommend Analog Synthesis to readers who grew up blowing into NES cartridges, who still feel something when John Williams’ scores swell, or who find themselves haunted by the glow of an old TV set. It’s for lovers of formal poetry who don’t mind pop lyrics next to philosophy. This book made me smile, made me wince, and made me want to revisit old movies and old selves.

Pages: 85 | ASIN : B0F5MT7D8P