Triple Review Number Two: Amphibious, Nario, and Joshua Morse

Time for another triple review everybody! In this edition, three phenomenal albums will be reviewed; two original, one remix. What are they, you ask? Well, I’m glad you inquired as to this. They are Amphibious’s Oceans EP, Nario’s More of Me, and for those who thought I’d forgotten it, Joshua Morse’s Robot Museum. See, I didn’t go straight from The Missingno Tracks to The Sound of Speed! Anyways, all three shall be reviewed in this one article, by me, Mirby, your one-stop shop for multi-reviews! You can’t find them anywhere other than ThaSauce! And my website… but still. It’s an exclusivity thing, you see? And now, to the reviews!

AMPHIBIOUS – OCEANS

1. Plunge     2:59
This starts off very aqueous, and some percussion comes in at about 0:10. Melody at 0:27. More percussion at 0:37. Keys at 0:47 or so. I’m sensing a pattern here. I feel like I really am plunging here, like I had my Wailord use Dive or something. Another instrumentation at 1:44 or so. The end is near with a reprisal of an earlier part at 2:30.

2. Pelagic Fortress     3:00
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what pelagic means, but it’s probably something good. Starts off rather ambient, then kicks in at 0:24. Nice melody at about 0:56 or so. Great whistle-thing at 1:18. Breakdown at 1:40 or so. It starts to come back at 1:47. The usage of echoes really gives this album an oceanic vibe; fitting for the title, and the artist’s name. It starts to fade out at the 2:30 mark, very gradually.

3. The Azure Deeps     5:18
Did we enter a deep sea trench here with lava bubbling up from the asthenosphere? I don’t know, but it sure starts off mystical. I’m suddenly reminded of the Serpent Trench from Final Fantasy VI, but just because what I said and not the music. It’s very very ambient until 0:45 when a melody comes in. Very atmospheric. 1:30 brings in some bass, breaking up the ambient background for about 14 seconds. More keys at 1:55 or so. This reminds me of Dave Wise’s infamous “Aquatic Ambience” from the original Donkey Kong Country, both in its vibe and general watery feel. Especially at 2:30. This could very well be a tribute to that track, and that’s a very good thing. It keeps building and building… it feels just like exploring an unknown sector of the sea floor, which is very possible since we know very little about our own oceans. I hope they’re as awesome and mystical as this; I’m loving this vibe. Nice chillout music. 4:15 or so brings in more keys and a reprisal of the original melody back at the 45 second mark. From here it slowly fades until the end.

4. Resurfaced     4:41
Unlike the previous tracks, this one starts off almost immediately with a melody. 0:20 brings in an awesome rhythm. This one… gives a vibe, a vision of ascending back to the surface, to the sunlight and fresh air. 1:05 has nice synth usage. 1:23 may very well be the moment of breaking the surface, what with the sound effect used there. It’s very very calm and mellow until 2:01 when it starts to build up triumphantly. 2:25 brings in a rhythm that just adds to the victorious theme. It’s like a credits theme; once again, my mind returns to the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack, but this time it’s Donkey Kong Rescued from DKC2 And it’s only reminiscent of them because of the triumphant feel present in the track, the general HELL YEAH I DID IT vibe present. 3:53 keeps this feel going. The end begins at 4:27. Fantabulous work, Amphibious!!

NARIO – MORE OF ME

1. gNARly     3:18
Cyril told me recently that this song is the result of a Double’s Dash Compo between him and Nario; sounds good. Nice and chiptacular. And not gnarly in any way, shape, or form. It’s rather groovy. 0:52 brings in a change-up in speed. I feel like I’m running around in a pixelated wonderland. Especially at 1:37 when the hasty rhythm returns. Breakdown at 1:58 or so. Back to the rhythm, but with a key change, at 2:37. Another keychange at the three minute mark, to the end.

2. This Pain Is Too Much to Bear (And Screw You, Too)     3:30
I like the name, it makes me laugh. It’s like THIS TITLE IS KIND OF EMO AND SCREW YOU FOR MENTIONING IT. Nice usage of panning at 0:30. Another hasty rhythm follows shortly after. Nice work here, Nario! You know, it’s nice to talk about Nario without there having to be a dance pad mentioned somewhere. Slow part at 1:25 or so, that builds, and the panning is still in effect. Pause at 1:58, with what could be the pause screen melody right after. 2:21 shows signs of life in the track as it starts to build back up piece by piece. And another piece at 2:33, and then back to full force at 2:43 with a chipsolo. 3:05 brings the rhythm back once more, and keeps on building on that until the end.

3. Drive-In Dance Club     3:35
Ooh, a drive-in dance club! Wonder if they have dance pads here… oh wait. Anyways, aside from the jest, this has a groovy rhythm right off the bat. 1:04 shows a possible change-up, and it keeps on taking this path until 1:36 with a slight breakdown. It’s something different, that’s what’s important. 1:52 has a chipsolo. 2:07 adds a melody in the background to the chipsolo rhythm. 2:23 adds another layer to that melody. Slight switch-up at 2:53 or so, signaling the impending end. This impending end begins at 3:25.

4. Chips of the Penguin     2:30
I didn’t know penguins liked chiptunes. Regardless, this does have a slightly frosty vibe to it. Switch-up at 0:49, and back to the norm at 1:10. Nario is great with his chiptunes, that’s for sure. This sounds just like something I’d hear in a classic game from yesteryear. Or Game Center CX aka Retro Game Challenge… which amounts to the same thing, really. The end starts at 2:27.

5. Chilled Pop Cherry Soda (8-Bit Mix)     2:24
It says 8-bit Mix, not one sound mix. But another sound gets added in quickly, and 0:20 puts one more in, and 0:30 puts one more in. 0:47 shows off some melodius meanderings. 1:32 returns to the normal melody after a brief chipsolo. This continues until the end. Nice track there.

6. Ghostbusters Have Sex With Schala at a Strip Club     3:42
This could be one of the strangest song titles I’ve ever reviewed. Isn’t Schala like… underage? I mean sure it was 12,000 BC but still! Starts off simple, but slowly builds until 0:42 when we have chipdrums. 0:52 gives us some melody. Nice layering at 1:20 or so. Breakdown at 1:48 or so. More layering at 2:02. It’s building and building and building… very nice work with the atmosphere, Nario. Random speed change at 2:42. It’s almost like a completely different song! It stops at 2:56 or so, and picks back up at about 3:08. The end is near at 3:25, when the finale begins.

7. Hands in the Air (feat. cyrilthewolf)     3:19
Ah, Cyril. Let’s see what you contribute to the chippiness that is Nario. Starts off simple, but some vocals come in at 0:30. Nice work, Cyril, beautiful! And the chiptunes work perfectly. Chorus at 1:02 or so; it all comes together beautifully. More chorus at 1:48. Also, I’m putting my hands in the air sooo… Bridge at 2:18. Also, isn’t putting your arms up in the sky what every party member in the first six Final Fantasy games did after every battle? Great work! That was wonderful!!

JOSHUA MORSE – THE ROBOT MUSEUM

1. Thunder Beam (Mega Man – Elec Man Stage)     4:10
This track always was pretty chill… But JM makes it sound like elevator music. And I mean that in a good way. Snapping is mandatory for this track, I’m telling you. A slight breakdown at 0:58. More source at 1:28 or so. Another brief solo at about 2:08. Breakdown at 2:33 or so. The end is near at 3:54.

2. Air Shooter (Mega Man 2 – Air Man Stage)     4:20
Oh, Air Man. Contrary to popular belief, you can in fact be beaten. Ooh, nice bass at 0:14; sounds like more standard JM funk is the theme for this track. The bass really bumps in this track, something I’m really enjoying. Guitar at 1:04 taking on the source. After this, I’m gonna have to listen Bramble Reprise. Ooh, solo at 1:54. Heh, I bounced too much and my computer almost slid off my bed. Back to source at 2:38 or so. Epic bass solo at 2:56. Those are words I never thought I’d type, but here they are. And better yet, this bass heralds the end of the track, with more source at 3:28. The end is near at 4:04.

3. Spark Shock (Mega Man 3 – Spark Man Stage)     4:50
Spark Man’s stage always annoyed me; too many holes with too many floating enemies above them ready to knock you down them. The music was solid though, and JM’s take on it is just as firm. Starts off muffled a bit, a la 50’s radio, but at 0:30 true JM flavor drenches the track. More source at at 1:31. Seriously, who would’ve thought that all it took to spice up the classic tunes was some of Joshua Morse’s signature funk? 2:31 brings in the solo. Just thinking, I would so want to hear a collaboration between JM and Mustin. That would be pretty awesome. Back to source at the three minute mark. Piano solo at about 3:30. It morphs into a funky free-for-all that fits in fantastically. But afterwards, the end of the track is quite close.

4. Dust Crusher (Mega Man 4 – Dust Man Stage)     4:23
And now for a more obscure theme. Most people like Pharoah Man, but Dust Man is cool; he’s the one who got an EXE counterpart! Starts off calm with a very basic rhythm, but at 0:42 the source kicks in with a hollow feeling. 1:45 brings in a decidedly epic part that quickly gives way to another brief bass solo. More source at 2:13. Another calm spot at 2:30, but it gives way to the solo right afterwards. At 3:17, you can tell the finale of the track is quite close. 3:43 brings in more source. It slowly dies at 4:14.

5. Power Stone (Mega Man 5 – Stone Man Stage)     4:14
Stone Man, oh Stone Man. You have a wall you can walk through in your stage! Great level design and a great tune! The source kicks in at 0:36. Epic guitar solo at 1:07 or so, followed by another solo. Source returns at 1:52, with epic guitar throughout. Calm spot at 3:08, but it gives way to another solo that heralds the end.

6. Yamato Spear (Mega Man 6 – Yamato Man Stage)     4:37
Ooh, what a vibe right off the bat. I liked how Yamato Man had the rivalry with Knight Man and Tomahawk Man. But he got named JapanMan in EXE sooo… Then again, Tomahawk Man became TmhwkMan. Source at 0:37 or so. Groovy and funky, with great source usage and ethnic feel to it. But that quickly gives way to the funk. Everything gives way to the funk; such is the way of funk. Breakdown at 2:29. Source returns at 3:00. This is phenomenal; Mega Man ain’t ever been this sexy! The end is near at 4:20 or so.

7. Slash Claw (Mega Man 7 – Slash Man Stage)     4:10
I once replaced Slash Man in a Famicom-styled rendition of Mega Man 7 with my custom Robot Master, Wombat Man. The music remained, of course, as did the jungle stage. Starts off with the lesser-known tropical funk, and at about 0:50 piano comes in with source usage. Slight breakdown at 1:31 that gives way to the source quickly after. This is a great take on the track; solo at 2:50. Back to source around a minute later, and it ends suddenly.

8. Astro Crush (Mega Man 8 – Astro Man Stage)     4:12
I still haven’t beaten Mega Man 8, but I did get to the tower stage where you fly around. Think it’s the third one. Regardless, funky to begin with and source comes in at 1:15. 1:45 amps up the funk factor like the funk in the air at Otakon, if reports I’ve received are any indication. Solo at 2:08 or so. Back to source at 2:56. What a groovy rendition of the track. Nice rhythm to end the track.

9. Data Base Accessed (Mega Man & Bass – Data Base)     3:31
Aww… I’m sad that this is the last track. But hey, the Data Base is cool. It’s what made Dr. Light canonically a douche. Seriously, his Bad Point in his profile is Douchie. Anyways, a nice mellow track; works great as a counterpoint to the rest of the album. In fact the mellowness of this and Thunder Beam work as bookends, preventing the funk from spilling over into the rest of your music library. Source is used throughout. This is just nice and mellow… how I like it. There’s really nothing of note aside from the general awesomeness of the song.
CONCLUSION
So in this review, I’ve got two albums that were released quite recently, and one that’s been out since March. I’ve been meaning to get around to Robot Museum for a while now, and I figured why not throw it in with the other two? It’s a single artist album, so the formatting would remain the same. And it worked out. This triple review was also awesome for the fact that all three albums are of completely different styles. Amphibious’s is a nice ambient rhythmic album, Nario’s is a chiptune masterpiece, and Joshua Morse’s is a funkadelic ride throughout the classic Mega Man series, sans 9 and 10. And in light of recent events regarding Mega Man, someone needed to give the Blue Bomber some love.

In summation, Amphibious’s freshman effort was well-done; I hope to hear much more from him in the future. And I hope to get lost in fantasy with the aid of his music once more. As for Nario’s album More of Me, well… It’s Nario, so what else can I say? If you need to know more, just look at the album art. Enough said. And lastly, Joshua Morse’s The Robot Museum. As I said in the review, Mega Man ain’t ever been this sexy. And, once more, enough said. All three of these albums are phenomenal, and while some may already have The Robot Museum, Oceans and More of Me are well worth a listen as well. Get them as soon as you are able, and until next time, game on!

NiGHTS: Lucid Dreaming Just Released!

In an earlier update, we recently mentioned the trailer release for Stevo “Level 99” Bortz’s long awaited project. With over thirty talented musicians skillfully arranging tracks from Sega classic NiGHTS into dreams… over the past two years, this project highlights the first Sega Saturn title to receive an OverClocked ReMix album.

Today marks the official release of NiGHTS: Lucid Dreaming! Directly created by fans for fans, this project features a diverse array of genres that have been influenced by the NiGHTS musical dreamscape motif. Lucid Dreaming has also had the luck of being the first OC ReMix album to be heard by both the game’s creators and lead composer.

With the project intending to promote the music of NiGHTS into dreams…, Bortz recalls about his own unique vision for the project: “To me, NiGHTS into dreams… defines what the essence of the Sega of old was: creative, original, adventurous, and memorable. The music was the most memorable part of the game for me: I’ve been listening to the soundtrack for 15 years now. Despite being a cult classic, NiGHTS has not received its due attention over the years. Two years ago, I started this album, hoping to pay respect to the music, the game, and their creators through art and sound. I couldn’t be more proud of the amazing work everyone put into this album, and I hope you all enjoy it!”

So there you have it. Congratulations to OC ReMix, Bortz, and everyone involved for giving us such a solid album. NiGHTS: Lucid Dreaming is available for free download here.

Nerdapalooza 2011: Hotel Rates and Hosts!

Nerdapalooza has just announced the host of this years event, as well as the discount rates available for attendees staying at the venue, the Orlando Airport Marriott.

Nerdapalooza is an annual nerd music concert. This year the festival will be returning to the Orlando Airport Marriott beautiful Orlando, Florida on July 16th and 17th. This places the show conveniently during the summer in Florida (as if you needed another excuse to go to Florida this summer!), in the city that is also home to Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Studios Orlando Florida, Universal Studios’ Island of Adventure featuring the NEW Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Sea World Orlando, 1000 malls, and MUCH more. This year they will also be returning to the Orlando Airport Marriott that is located right outside of the Orlando International Airport (MCO). (For a list of airlines that fly into MCO, check here!) Anyone planning to attend the event will have absolutely no trouble finding a shuttle to bring you the less-than-5-minute trip from the airport to the venue!

This year the Marriott if offering a discount rate of just $89/night. Not only that, but the first 100 to reserve with the Nerdapalooza discount at the Orlando Airport Marriott will receive a 10% discount to the hotel’s restaurant for one meal at their stay! So if you’re thinking about going to Nerdapalooza, there’s no better time to reserve a room than right now.

In order to take advantage of this, you’ll have two paths you can take:

  • Either call 407-851-9000 or their toll-free number of 1-800-380-6751 and ask for 5th Annual Nerdapalooza Group Block.
  • Reserve online at this link, which will automatically take you to the Orlando Airport Marriott website with the discount code of nernera entered as the discount code.

Additionally, this year’s Nerdapalooza will be hosted by none of other than Epic Win Burlesque. Anyone who attended last years event surely won’t forget the Epic Win Burlesque performance after-hours on Saturday evening. For those who didn’t attend Epic Win Burlesque is a phenomenal burlesque troupe with a taste quite nerdy, as seen in shows themed in Ghostbusters, cartoons, and even hosting a debate between Star Trek and Star Wars. Hosted by Schäffer the Darklord and Nelson Lugo, accomplished magician and vaudevillian, Epic Win has been redefining the craft in New York.

Each year Nerdapalooza grows bigger and better, and this year is no exception! People from all over the video game remix community are already lining up to get to Nerdapalooza, including everyone’s favorite OverClocked After Dark hosts, Level99 and Brushfire. Don’t miss out on this huge event! Book your room today.

How to Optimize Your YouTube Profile

So by now you should know why you, as a musician especially, should have a YouTube Profile, you know how to optimize your videos and music for YouTube, but there’s one more thing missing: How to optimize your profile itself. There’s not TOO much you can do with your YouTube profile as far as optimization goes, but it’s a good opportunity to talk a little bit about yourself, get some links out there, and direct users to other outlets such as Facebook, twitter, your personal website, etc. The absolute best example I can give for this is OverClocked ReMix’s YouTube Profile.

Some important things to remember are:

  • Use your whole description, and every field you have that’s relevant. If you get X amount of characters, use as many of them as you can. Drop as many links in there as are relevant, and make sure you list them in the order of importance. Every bit of information about you in there is more information that someone will read.
  • Make your background image relevant. Have the address to your mainsite, twitter, Facebook, etc. You can even include a small description of yourself and your music as well. Remember information in the background displays above the fold (aka “near the top part of the page, before the user has to scroll down”). This is some of the first information they’ll see. Some users won’t scroll down at all, make sure you make your information very accessible. Try not to go over board with how “busy” your background was. Don’t let your information get distracting, and make sure the information that you want to put forefront is visible and obvious.

That’s really all I have. As I said, there’s not too much you can do, but there are steps you can take. I can’t emphasize enough that you should text every stop possible. Every little bit helps. As always, any questions or suggestions, just leave a comment, and I’ll catch you next week.

The Very Best That No One Ever Was! The Missingno Tracks

DISC 1

1. Fishy – Game On (~Opening~ Demo) 0:19
Starts out with the Game Freak sound effects, and then rocks the main theme like mad!

2. Level 99 РThe Mighty Mighty Pok̩mon (~Opening~ Demo 2) 2:48
Starts out with Stevo’s signature guitar sound! Pretty rockin’ track from the start. 0:30 shows off some source usage. 1:08 brings a breakdown… and then it builds back up without missing a beat. 1:31 brings in a solo. Source resumes at 2:01. Stevo rocks this track right to the very end! YEAH!

3. halc – Shades of Red (Theme of Pallet Town) 3:11
I thought this was a remix album… not a soundtrack. Starts out with almost straight source usage, and 0:18 brings in the remix. halc keeps on improving his skills! 1:25 brings in some solo action. 1:44 slows it down and breaks it down. Source returns with some mixage at 1:54. Everything slows down at 2:30. It all starts to fade away at this point as well…

4. Jaroban, Matt Beckemeyer, Fishy, Sam Cooper, Vralia, Jocelyn Holst, DJ Krisp-E, Chris Stibrany – My Greatest Rival (Battle! Rival) 5:28
Oooh! Starts out pretty ominous sounding… Also, it didn’t take long to get to the requisite mega-collab. 0:13 brings in guitar, and 0:20 brings in an epic voiceover. 0:36 shows source chippiness. Vocal track? No worries, the lyrics are pretty well written, and also pretty funny. 1:25 brings in a backup vocal. That’s great… We’ll see who has the bigger Pokéballs! Best line ever. This makes Gold out to be a loser of sorts and Silver to be a pimp. Then again, Silver is Giovanni’s… err… don’t want to spoil that. 2:50 or so brings in the chorus. 3:22 brings a breakdown of sorts. Whip out your Pokéballs! 3:37 or so brings in a battle scene voiceover with classic sound effects. The lyrics don’t take themselves seriously at all… I love it. 4:20 brings the chorus back. 4:58 ends the song, and ambience starts until the end, with the epic voiceover too… What a hilarious track.

5. ProtoDome – Rain Prayer (Road to Viridian City – From Pallet ~ Guidepost ~ Road to Cerulean – From Mt. Moon) 2:42
Piano, eh? Proto’s still got it. But why isn’t he saving Christmas: The Dangerous Formula? Eh, no matter… 0:22 brings in some chippiness with the piano. What a mellow jazzy track… This is a really good track right here; I love it! 1:25 or so brings in a piano solo. 1:38 brings in a chippy solo. Everything really picks up at 2:04 or so. Everything fades away at 2:36.

6. prophetik – Viridian Vibe (Theme of Pewter City) 3:29
Ambience, eh? Saxophone at 0:16 or so. Some electronica comes in at 0:38 or so. This is a beautiful track right here… 1:24 brings in a solo of the wind instrument. Source resumes at 1:50. The electronic sound in the background works beautifully. It keeps the track together in a cohesive unit. More solo at 2:38 or so. The finale becomes evident at 2:58. Ambience returns at 3:10, and the sax fades out to the end.

7. Cerrax – Out of Antidote (Viridian Forest) 3:41
Eh, eh? Okay, I had to do that. 0:08 brings in source, with creepiness to boot. This is how this track should be done! After all, they say that the forest is a maze. Great work from Cerrax here. What an eerie track; fitting for this creepy forest. 1:06 brings in some more creepy ambience, and is followed by a solo. There’s even more creepiness at 1:30!! Everything slows down and calms down at 1:45 or so, but builds back up 10 seconds later. Another solo of sorts at 2:10, with a breakdown included. It slowly builds up to what is sure to be an epic finale. A hint of the end at 2:48. 3:04 brings a return of the norm, but with a hint of finality. 3:26 proves that the end is near, and it breaks down to the end.

8. ProtoDome, Level 99 – Hope to See You Again Soon… (Pokémon Center) 2:21
A mellow mix for a mellow source. With “duh duh duh nuh nuh”s included. Looks like Stevo opted for acoustic here, and Proto opted for his usual quirkiness. A breakdown at 1:20 or so. The piano in the background is beautiful. 1:50 brings a solo of sorts. Fades to end.

9. Fishy – Battle for the Badge [Battle (VS Gym Leader)] 4:10
Starts out calm, but 0:05 brings in some epic music. 0:16 shows the source in full rockin’ glory! 0:37 rocks it even harder. Distortion at 0:58. This is a phenomenal track right here… just what a remix of this source should be and more! It’s hard to review because it’s so awesome. I only want to listen and not type! Woe… Anywho, 1:57 kicks off the solo; can’t miss that now can we? 2:17 brings in more of the solo, and it sure sounds epic. Source begins to return at 3:00 or so. Still a bit of a solo here… that’s over a minute now. Slowdown at 3:29. Calm music until the end… One hell of a track there.

10. ProtoDome – On the Origin of Species (Evolution) 1:35
This title makes me laugh… well done, Proto. Well done. A mellow track for a simple source. Nice breakdowns and usage of Pokémon cries. Yes, I can tell they’re cries by the sound. Yes, I’m a nerd. No I don’t care. Think I heard a Magnemite in there… Very well done, and very calm. Nice work. Ends with the classic finished sound.

11. Benjamin Briggs – Drowning Blue (S.S. Anne) 3:13
Piano/chiptune hybrid is evident in the first 20 seconds. Classic chthonic goodness here. 0:56 brings in some source usage. Slowdown at 1:22, and solo from there. Slight speedup at 1:44 or so. It works wonderfully. Also a bit of a solo at this point, until 2:27 when the source returns. Fadeaway at 2:54 to end.

12. Rozovian – Spume (Sea) 4:43
Oh, Rozo, what have you done here? Let’s see! Sonar blips? Nice ambience… signature for Rozovian. Everything keeps building and building up until 1:11 when more ambience comes in. What a buildup.. 1:26 brings in some source usage. I knew it was building to something! What a happy track! Scratch that, what a bipolar track. More so than Bipolar Bird from Essence of Lime… 2:12 brings in more source usage. 3:07 slows everything down, and brings back the sonar blips. 3:18 brings it all back again though. I like the tempo of this… Everything slows down for the last minute, and returns to the ambient beginnings of the track. Nice job, man!

13. Tweek – TEEM.ROKIT (Team Rocket Hideout) 4:31
Tweek, master of epic stuff, tackles the Team Rocket Hideout on his own. Err… the song, not the place. 0:20 proves the epicity of the track is easily evident. 0:44 brings in some heavy drums. What an epic track! No surprise though; it is Tweek. 1:14 or so brings a breakdown, but with all breakdowns it builds back up. Source usage is littered throughout this breakdown. 2:10 brings in some more solid source usage. 2:26 has the classic sound of the source that is probably ingrained in the memories of youth who played Red and Blue for hours on end. Gold and Silver too, for that matter. 3:00 or so shows another solo. If Team Rocket was this awesome, they just might have succeeded in their goals. Instead, they were foiled by a sixth grader. 3:50 shows that source one last time. Fades to end starting at 4:10.

14. pu_freak – Clash of the Titans [Battle (VS Trainer)] 5:55
Piano rendition of the battle theme? I’ll take it. 0:26 brings in some source usage. The original battle themes were the best. This is a pretty awesome track. On par with Rexy’s best, methinks. 1:15 or so is a bit of a solo. 1:30 brings in the source again. Speed up at 1:55 with more source. This style fits the source wonderfully… like a skintight bodysuit or something. Yeah, it’s that good of a fit. 2:50 or so has a slowdown, but 3:00 brings in more of the source. 3:25 or so breaks everything down to the simplest form… pure, slow piano at its best. This continues until 4:24 or so when it starts to build back up… slowly but surely the intensity increases with each key, each note, until 4:52 when it gets back to the source. And at 5:10 it is on the verge of exploding with the pressure and intensity. At 5:30 it explodes, and the remnants of the track fade away to the finish. Beautiful!! Bravo!!

15. Rozovian, WillRock – Blue Haze (Road to Viridian City – From Pallet) 5:21
Once again, ambience. This is also Will’s first track on the album, and his signature synth sound comes in at 0:48. This track keeps on building like so many others before it. Then again, that’s fitting for a Pokémon remix album. Have to build your monsters up too, right? 1:38 continues the building of the track… WillRock uses Source! It’s super effective! Listener takes 2:10 damage because that’s the time it begins at. 2:37 brings a hint of more to come. The title is apt; there’s certainly a haze in my ears with this song. And then at 3:00 or so, the main song cuts through the haze like a Razor Leaf. At 3:39 or so, WillRock uses Solo! It’s super effective! Yes, I’m gonna continue these jokes. With this album, it’s kinda mandatory, ya know? Everything builds up after this solo until 4:38, when a hint of the end reveals itself. 4:50 slows everything down to it’s base level. Ambience to finish. Great way to end the first disc.

DISC 2

1. WillRock – Champion’s Horizon (Route #26) 4:47
Starts out rocking right out the gate. Classic WillRock sound permeates this track, as with most of his other tracks. 0:29 brings in calm source usage. 0:39 is the return of the synth sound. 0:54 has the classic screaming guitar sound that is so beautiful. 1:17 brings in a solo. 1:53 or so brings more source usage. 2:12 has some piano; a rare calm spot for a WillRock track. But 2:25 proves it was just the calm before the storm, as everything intensifies tenfold from here on out. This is truly one heck of a track, and truly fantastic. 3:19 brings in some triumphant sounding guitar. 3:50 or so has a victorious solo. More calmness at 4:05 or so. 4:22 says PIKA!! And repeats a few more times until the end. Cute and unexpected.

2. Insert Rupee – Precious Metals (Goldenrod City) 2:25
Ben Briggs and halc team up once more for this song. Very evident source usage. Very happy as well; the musical glee is reminiscent of Why So Serious? More source usage at 0:58 or so, with a bit of a personalized touch. 1:12 has a solo using some classic sounds and Pokémon cries. 1:42 has another solo. It all breaks down to simplicity at 2:07, and continues until the end.

3. WillRock – Slowpoke Shuffle (Azalea Town) 3:49
Ttthhhiiisss tttrrraaaccckkk iiiissss sssslllloooowwww…. A very mellow track; very well done Will! I’m half-tempted to review this song in the conclusion as a joke, but I won’t. Source is very evient throughout this track. 2:00 brings in a slow solo… a slowlo if you will. Source usage returns to dominance at 3:00 or so. Calmness continues to the end.

4. Mattias Häggström Gerdt, GSlicer – Casino Lounge (Goldenrod Game Corner) 4:43
Anso’s electronic expertise and GSlicer’s skills combine for one trance-tacular track. Rhythm appears at 0:30 or so. Source usage at 1:45 or so. This is a very rhythm-driven song; it works though. A bit of a solo begins at about 2:10. It’s like Rain Dance and then a water move; one part emphasizes the other. Nice work. Source returns at 3:30 or so. Calmness begins at 3:58 or so, and then builds up to the finale. Solo beat at 4:18, and then fadeout until the end.

5. Chrono, Dragon Avenger – Divine Olivine (Violet City) 4:15
What a happy beat! If Deia’s involved, I’m expecting vocals to go with a beat like this. Chimes play throughout. Source at 0:32. 0:47 brings in Deia going “na-na-na” more than that recent My Chemical Romance song. This is cooler too. More source at 1:21. Short breakdown at 1:35 or so. 1:56 brings Deia back, with backup vocals by DragonAvenger. Pretty well done. 2:38 brings in some beautiful piano, that brings in even more of the source. 3:14 returns the source that had been used up until this point. Basic beat from 3:55 or so until the end, with occasional chimes.

6. DragonAvenger – Jiggly Choir (Jigglypuff’s Song) 0:42
Okay, creeped out a bit. Damn Jigglypuffs… Anyone else getting sleepy? All this track contains is Jigglypuff singing. Pretty funny for an interlude. Then again, Deia did those on the FF4 album too…

7. ProtoDome – Home Is Where the Luvdisc Is… [Hearthome City (Day)] 1:45
0:12 brings in some jazzy source. Piano is used equally as the brass instruments. A bit of a solo begins at about 1:05. This continues until the end; beautifully done, Proto. Beautiful!

8. halc – My Friend Mudkip (Dewford Town ~ Surfing) 3:13
And now for the only Generation 3 remix on the album. Begins with some nice chippiness, and a great take on the source too. 0:30 brings in some background music. Also, for the record, I do like Mudkip. This is a very happy track, and chippier than a truckload of Lay’s put through a wood chipper. 1:30 brings in the Surfing source. This is even better than Shades of Red, believe it or not. A bit of a calm spot starts at 2:15 or so. A bit like Pacifidlog Town itself. Except this doesn’t float atop a colony of Corsola. Calmness and bass to end from 2:50 or so.

9. The Orichalcon – Argent Vexemon (Ice Path) 3:33
This is a very frigid song; by that, I mean the sounds are very icy. Bells and the like are used. 0:37 starts some electronic sounds. This a very intense song; 0:57 brings in a heavy beat. More source usage at 1:23 or so. There’s a large focus on the main rhythm here. A bit of a solo begins at 2:27 or so. A buildup to the end begins after this solo; the end really begins at 3:12, when it all starts to fade to silence until the end.

10. ProtoDome – May I Have This Swords Dance? [Canalave City (Day)] 2:51
A very calm song… it starts to build right from the start until 0:23 when the source comes in. Some jazziness comes in at 0:37, taking on the source. This is a very well-balanced mix of chiptune and jazz. Chipjazz, if you will, is pretty much Proto’s specialty, it seems. Solo at 1:27 or so, and it’s beautiful. There’s some pitch bending at 1:46 or so; continues until 2:06 when a breakdown occurs. Sax-sound comes in at 2:11 and continues until the end. Piano finishes the track. Nice work by Blake the British guy who’s a bit strange…11. Fishy, Andy Jayne – Super Effective [Battle! Trainer (Johto)] 5:15
Ah, Fishy and Andy. A collab unseen since Summoning of Spirits. 0:20 brings in some epic guitar source usage. This song is even longer than Battle for the Badge; with this much rock I can’t wait to see how much it progresses. More source usage at 1:08. Some solo at 1:27 or so. Once again, it’s hard to review because all I want to do is listen. Mor source usage at 1:57 here. This song is certainly super effective against my musical tastes; I’m loving the dual guitars. More solo at 2:41, and this one sounds quite heavy. Source returns at 3:04 or so. Another solo at 3:17 that quickly returns to source usage. 3:47 brings in some more rocking on the source that is a mix between cover and solo as with so many other parts of this song. This is such a fast-paced song. Slowdown at 4:27 that brings in some piano. Slowness continues until 5:02 when it all starts to fade away.

12. WillRock, ProtoDome, halc – Bullet for My Piloswine [Route #225 (Day) ~ Ending] 4:00
Vocals at the start; Pretty rocking start. Chippiness comes in at 0:25. Also, this song is guilty of one of the most simultaneously horrid and awesome puns for a title ever. Rocking at 0:37 courtesy of Mr. Harby. More chiptunes at 0:53 or so. Heavy guitar at 1:25 or so. Solo at about 1:40. This is certainly an epic track. Piano comes in at 2:08, no doubt courtesy of Proto. Chiptunes at 2:23. More guitar at 2:33. Dual guitar sound at 2:48 or so. More awesome guitar at 3:20. Fade beginning at 3:49 or so until end.

13. pu_freak – Journey’s End (Ending) 3:09
And we come to the final track, with a very fitting title. What an aural journey it has been, too. Very awesome piano, here. Then again, what OCR album these days doesn’t have at least one epic piano track? Very slow track, but the source is highly evident. I don’t anticipate a huge buildup here, as it’s the last track, and relatively short too. But it does start to build starting at about 1:40. The finale is surely imminent. This such a beautiful track… it all starts to decline to silence at 2:30, with very calm piano dispersed throughout this final period. Ends with a classic sound effect.

CONCLUSION
Well, this album has been in the works for 4 years now, right around the time when Diamond and Pearl came out, heralding the beginning of Generation 4 and showing a grand total of 493 unique Pokémon. And now, in less than a week Black and White come out, starting off Generation 5 and bringing the total up to 649. This album has been a long time coming, and that’s a very good thing. A nice balance between jazz, chiptunes, and epic guitar-driven rock, among other things, it comes together nicely. It’s definitely worth a download, and every track has earned its place on my hard drive. A much anticipated album, and the expectations were never too high. The end result met them and exceeded them without a doubt. Great work from everyone involved, and I can’t wait to hear and review the next album, whatever it may be. The only sure thing is that it will be OCRA-0024. Until next time, game on!

Mattias Häggström Gerdt & OCReMix Presents: THE ANSWER – Armored Core Tribute Album –

Anso has been working on his Armored Core Tribute album for quite some time now, and yesterday it was released via OverClocked ReMix. The full includes 11 arrangements from songs throughout the Armored Core series and features vocals by DragonAvenger and Jillian Aversa.

The artist had this to say:

[…] THE ANSWER is for all of you who really have no clue about the ravens, Line Ark, how to build the fastest AC, how to defeat White Glint or Nine-Ball Seraph. You who didn’t get nostalgic when playing the Revolution part of Armored Core: Nexus, who haven’t tried to figured out the vocals for Remember, who doesn’t tear up when hearing ‘Someone is Always Moving on the Surface’ and who doesn’t miss ‘Shape Memory Alloys’ on the newer soundtracks.

Much to my personal dismay it seems Shape Memory Alloys was not actually included on the album; A song that has defined the Armored Core series for me throughout the years. Regardless, Mattias has once again put together an excellent piece of work worthy of praise.

2010: The Year in ReView

As 2010 draws to a close and 2011 looms on the horizon growing ever closer, now is an appropriate time to look back and reminisce about what made this past year so great. Describing all the myriad events that happened in the world and the universe would take far too long (suffice it to say that there was a particularly notable total lunar eclipse on December 20, being the first such eclipse to fall on a solstice since 1638) so the world of video game music remixing is what we’re going to inspect in this article. Whether it’s OverClocked Remix, ThaSauce, or something not directly associated with the sites or the community, it shall be mentioned. Let the comprehensive guide of 2010’s notable events begin!

First off, January. The year was kicked off with OCR01967, a remix from the game Romancing SaGa 3 entitled “Romancing the Bossa” by OCR veteran Bladiator, AKA Karl Harmdierks. It was the first of many tracks in what was OCR’s tenth birthday. A few days later, ReMix: ThaSauce came out with their first entry of the year, RTS0204, a remix from the infamous game Bad Dudes entitled “My Way Or (Night Version)” by formerly just64helpin and now known as JH Sounds. Also came the first round of the Grand Robot Master Remix Battle, a competition that lasted all the way until June. It produced a lot of great mixes, and tested even the most veteran of remixers. The year was off to a great start.

January faded and February came. With it came the release of Get Acoustic on the fourth, an acoustic jam of The Megas’ 2008 release Get Equipped. The emotional feeling for the disc went from one of energy as with GE to one of somberness. The final track, Lamentations of a War Machine, also had a faster tempo than the GE version. On the 14th came Kaleidoscope, also known as OCRO-0001, the site’s first original soundtrack. A collaboration between Judge Another Soundscape, AKA Mattias Häggström Gerdt and site founder David W. Lloyd, AKA djpretzel, the soundtrack became a huge success. Of course, many tracks were released in this month as well, but none as monumental as those that would be posted in the coming month.

Next up was March, the first month of spring, a month that signals a deliverance from the winter frosts and a rebirth of beauty with the blooming of the trees and flora. On the ides of March, or the 15th, Serious Monkey Business, a Donkey Kong Country 2 remix album, was released.  With it came a few important milestones. The credits remix, entitled “Re-Skewed”, was posted as OCR02000, the two-thousandth mix to be posted on the site. It was also by David Wise, Grant Kirkhope and Robin Beanland, three veteran Rare composers, and Wise was the composer for the soundtrack. To have him remix a track was an honor for the site, and for it to be one of his own tracks was a great way to show that the composers support the community all the way. Another one of the tracks to be posted was entitled “Dance of the Zinger” and was by Jake Kaufman, also known as virt. Several years previous virt and djpretzel had a falling out that caused virt to create his own site known as VGMix. He returned with OCR02005, a glorious dance remix of Flight of the Zinger and returned with style. This wouldn’t be the only remix of his posted this year.

April brought with it the release of “What If This CD…Had Lyrics?” on the 26th. YouTube sensation brentalfloss was well-known for his series of “With Lyrics” videos, each being a remix of some classic gaming tune, but with lyrics. This was his first full album, and it was a great one. Featuring songs from his YouTube archives and others exclusive to the album, it was a perfect melding of old and new and incited nostalgia fits among gamers of all ages. The very next day brought with the the pixietricks/zircon collab (wife and husband team Jillian and Andy Aversa, respectively) “Time to Oil Up,” a remix of Hakan’s Theme from Super Street Fighter IV, which was released on the same day. The only reason this is notable is because it’s the first, and currently only, time that a remix was released on the same day as the game that the source track belongs to.

May had the usual song releases, and on the seventh a Mega Man fan film was released using two Megas songs in its credits roll. It also brought a monumental event in OCR’s history. Just as 2010 brought with it an old anniversary (OCR turned ten), a new one had found its genesis on May 30th. Site founder Lloyd got married to his long-time love Anna Ziskind, thus inspiring congratulatory wishes from all forum visitors, and also a few jokes and the new husband’s expense. This didn’t affect the site in any way, thankfully, as Lloyd kept his schedule just as it was before marriage. The only difference was that he was noticeably happier.

June came, and Essence of Lime was released on the 18th. Originally a solo effort by Ben Hoffman, alias Hylian Lemon, others quickly latched on to the idea of an Oracle of Ages remix album and joined forces with Hoffman. The album was a rousing success, despite the fact that several websites mislabeled it as an Ocarina of Time remix album. It even reached into the world of the game Minecraft, with a small blurb reading “Goddamn Ess. of Lime is badass to listen to.” Plans were quickly made for a companion album, then untitled (now known as Lime of the Season). This one would be an Oracle of Seasons remix album, for Ages can’t be remixed without Seasons. Unfortunately with the joy of the release came sadness as well. VGMix, the brainchild of Kaufman, had died. Dwelling of Duels, a well known monthly competition hosted on VGMix had vanished with its host. Luckily, a lot of people worked to give DoD a proper site, and can now be found at dwellingofduels.net.

>July came and with it, heat. The 4th, known as Independence Day here in America, had a rare quadruple mixpost under the guise of Four for the Fourth. All Sonic remixes, they were lapped up quickly. halc, alias Drew Wheeler, tried his best to remix Labyrinth Zone from the original Sonic and succeeded, and Chemical Plant Zone from Sonic 2 was received warmly and remixed well by PrototypeRaptor, also known as Jonathan Paulsen.  Joshua Morse took on the iconic Ice Cap Zone from Sonic 3 and blew it out of the park, and Level 99, alias Stevo Bortz, took on the Doomsday Zone theme from Sonic and Knuckles. On July 29th came OCRO-0002, the site’s second original soundtrack release. This one was for Trenches, a comical World War I-era tug-of-war style iOS game with some elaboration to make it quite unique. The music was done by OCR forum regular Abadoss, AKA Kenneth Keynes, and his brother Troy. It went extremely well for the two, and was downloaded en masse.

August was a bit of a moody month. On August 15th, a preview of an Armored Core tribute album entitled The Answer was released. It was quite well received. On the 19th, remixing veteran Geoffrey Taucer, alias Jeremy Waters, left the community to pursue his dream job. He promised to check in from time to time, a promise he has kept, but a sad day nonetheless. And then, on August 28th came the unthinkable. The well-known double act between  Duane Zuwala and Brandon Lackey known as The Adventures of Duane and BrandO was dead. The two had split up, showing some distance between the two. Lackey would continue his own solo act entitled The Amazing BrandO, and Zuwala would remain as Duane’s Action-Adventure World. It was tragic, but time moves on…

September came and if anyone wanted to be woken up when it ended, their slumber was stopped a bit early. The well-known One Hour Compo had it’s hundredth installment on the second. On the 15th came the first of five Final Fantasy V remix albums. Directed by DarkeSword, alias Shariq Ansari, this one was entitled Wind. It featured 9 tracks from remixing vets such as Sixto Sounds, AeroZ, and DarkeSword himself. This series would be the first album Ansari had directed since Rise of the Star in 2005. It was released to stellar acclaim, and left fans salivating for the next installment, Water, in early 2011.

October brought more autumnal weather, and with it a few milestones as well. The game Shantae: Risky’s Revenge was released on DSiWare on the 4th, with a soundtrack scored by none other than virt. A remix from the game came two weeks later by Kaufman himself, entitled “Baal Bhaagna.” It was a Bollywood-inspired take on the source used. The 26th of the month brought the start of competition for the Grand Maverick Remix Battle, hosted by Ansari just like the GRMRB was at the start of the year. And much like that, this one lasted until the end of the year. On Halloween came the final track to be posted from Morse’s album Castlevania: Sonata of the Damned, Demonic Conception. The album was released on Halloween 2009, and with the post came the first OCR album to be released in its entirety through individual mixes. Christopher Getman, better known as Mazedude, also had his 50th mixpost on the same day, joining the ranks of Ari Asulin, alias Protricity, and djpretzel himself.

In came November, and with it came yet another remix of Wily Stage 1 from Mega Man 2. This one was by AkumajoBelmont, real name Robbie Sabo, and was unlike any other remix of the source before. It was a huge success. JH’s first album release with fellow remixer B-Type’s record company Giggling Robot Records happened on the 11th. It was entitled Genuine EP, and contained four tracks. The long-awaited Teen Agent album release occurred on the 22nd. Directed by the infamous Brandon Strader, the album was based on a semi-obscure PC game from a composer who also was semi-obscure. However, he gave it the old thumbs-up, and so did fans. Lastly, on the 28th long-time remixer chthonic decided to use his real name, Benjamin Briggs, for all his remixes. No longer would he have people either confusing him with some metal band or stumbling over how to pronounce his name.

December came, and with it a promise of the best the year had to offer. Although it was the last month of the year, the 13th showed it could contain many firsts with the release of Threshold of a Dream. The Link’s Awakening remix album was the site’s first Zelda album, and 20 album overall. It also was the site’s longest running album, having started originally way back in 2002, and featured many first-time remixers. The requisite flood from the album also brought about the site’s 2,000th hosted track. At the time of this writing, there are currently 2011 tracks hosted on the site, even though the most recent track is OCR02153. Oddly fitting, in my personal opinion. The 23rd also saw the release of Return All Robots! and its soundtrack, OCRO-0003. This was a new type of original soundtrack for the site, as the first disc was the actual soundtrack and the second was all remixes.

And now the end of the year is here. OCR posted 186 tracks so far, and RTS posted 58. Not records by far, but still a respectable amount. The birthday party for OCR went resoundingly well, and wasn’t forgotten once. ThaSauce got a new format so it would be easier to write and post articles on the site. Many stellar albums, an astounding amount of tracks, and a promise of more to come is what 2010 leaves us with. Let’s hope 2011 delivers on the hopes its predecessor has planted! Until next time, and next year, game on!!

Threshold of a Dream Review: Written Whilst Listening

DISC 1 – MAIN ALBUM

1. Theophany – Full Moon Cello (The Tail Cave)     5:49
Peaceful at first, befitting the intro track to the album. Bells or something come in at about 0:20, and then the main intstrumentation at about 0:28. Strings at 0:46 elaborate on the basic rhythm already created. More strings at about 1:09. The mood is set quite beautifully by the strings and bells. Quick breakdown like in the source at about 2:10. Drums come in at about 2:25, along with bass a few seconds later. More breakdown at about 3:00, this time distinct from the source. Main melody returns at 3:40 for a second, then violin comes in at about 3:45. The melody takes a life of its own at about 4:09 with a beautiful fashion. At 4:28 all the instruments come in for a truly beautiful buildup to the finale, which begins at 5:10 or so. It all ends suddenly and only bells and bass remain at 5:29 to end.

2. Benjamin Briggs – Lucidic (Koholint Island)     3:23
The artist formerly known as chthonic makes his mark known immediately. Buildup until 0:32, when some nice peaceful and semi-ethereal instrumentation come in. Briggs’ basic style comes in at 1:16 or so, and demonstrates his love for this soundtrack (seriously, listen to It’s My Turn to Dream and you’ll see what I mean). Main melody returns at 1:50. Breakdown at 2:10 or so, with more of his style and touch. True remix comes in at 2:38. Fadeout beginning at about 3:05, with spacey instruments to end.

3. Level 99, prophetik – Threshold of a Dream (Title)     3:14
Stevo’s acoustic sexiness begins the track immediately, with a rain sound effect backing at first. Violin comes in at about 0:48, adding to the beauty. Shakers at about 1:10 add to the atmosphere, and the guitar evolves into an electric one at 1:29 to truly amp up the listening experience. Drums appear with it, and a nice remix breakdown comes in at 2:09 or so. A truly atmospheric and beautiful peace, with the finale beginning at 2:57, consisting of the rain and the violin.

4. Iggy Koopa – Oceanfront View (House)     2:23
Piano begins immediately. A beautiful track, reminiscent of Shnabubula‘s work on Voices of the Lifestream, is found here. A short one, but a classic.

5. prophetik – Animal Counterpoint (Animal Village)     5:00
Here there be electronica; reminiscent of an odd 80s space movie soundtrack, part of the melody comes in at 1:24, after an odd effect that repeats. The instrumentation chosen is eccentric, but it fits the village the source tune plays in. It keeps building slowly but surely, until 3:25 when it starts to get a bit intense. This track is a bit strange, but in a purely enjoyable fashion. The source is recognizable, but it’s hidden under all the bizarre music. The song ends suddenly at 4:57.

6. Ten19 – The Wind Outside (The Egg)     4:20
A bizarre and creepy source track gets an upgrade here, with spooky sound effects that sound like they came from the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time and ambience that chills the spine. 1:11 starts the main melody. 1:52 brings in a break with heartbeats or something… 2:11 heralds the return of the main melody. More melody comes in at about 3:15. Ambience from 3:50 to end, with melody.

7. The Joker – Evigilo Inserpatus (Dream Shrine)     4:26
A beautiful soundscape comes in here, with echoing piano at about 0:25. Drums come in at 1:04, complete with echoing. Powerful ambience comes in at 1:20 or so, creating a dreamscape with the soundscape. Somewhat haunting effects are interspersed within the track to accompany all the music to give a complete package here. Breakdown at 2:50, shattering the dream, albeit momentarily. Everything returns at 3:17, bringing with it a dark feeling that ups the ante considerably and gives the song itself that much more emotion. Breakdown at 4:00 until end.

8. Benjamin Briggs – Climb My Mountain, This High (Tal Tal Heights)     3:40
Chth’s second track on the album (he changed his name, I’m still calling him that) is just as great as the first. Giving a mellow feel to the track with his champion chiptune expertise, the music comes in right away, and explodes at 1:03 with raw chippy power. A pretty sweet breakdown begins at about 1:22. The song has its own energy, infectious in its old-school style and sound. Briggs took the source, got an idea, and ran with it. Good thing too; this track is awesome. The main rhythm comes in at about 2:45. The music is drowned out by the bass from 3:15 to about 3:35, when it stops.

9. Sound Test – Spare Key (Key Cavern)     3:55
A haunting track, consisting of piano and space age sounds. Main melody comes in about 0:50. There are some nice breakdowns along the way, with what sounds like the boss theme thrown in at about 2:10. It sounds like a bunch of radio sounds are thrown in too, which adds to the atmosphere. Raw power comes in at 3:10, and ends suddenly right on time at 3:52.

10. Dj Mokram – Fierce Melancholy of the Woods (Mysterious Forest)     4:30
What sounds like a pan flute starts the track with the famous Zelda theme, and then piano comes in with what sounds like the Ballad of the Wind Fish. Strings come in at about 0:48 with what sounds like Tal Tal Height’s main rhythm. The flutes come in at about 1:10 with the main mysterious groove of the forest. At 1:35 the flutes come in, and there’s a beat that adds drama and energy to the track. The strings come in with force at about 2:10, with another melody at 2:30. The same raw energy he showed on Essence of Lime is present in this track. Peace comes in at 3:20. A cool rhythm comes in at 3:55 or so, and kicks off the finale of the track. The end begins at 4:20.

11. Artem Bank – Liftin’ Them Pots (The Bottle Grotto)     4:10
Ambience kicks the track off, and the main rhythm on bass comes in at about 0:32. Piano comes in at 1:20. Guitar comes in at 1:57, adding to the atmosphere of the track. More intstrumentation comes in at 2:30 or so, building the raw emotional energy already present in the track. Some cool guitar comes in at about 3:00, and continues until about 3:35 when the music calms down and the ambience carries the track to its end at 4:05.

12. prophetik – Facies Templum (Face Shrine)     4:50
As with other tracks on this album, ambience kicks the track off, this one interspersed with strumming. At 0:39, saxophone comes in. 1:18 shows the start of the main track. Mr. Burr demonstrates his skill with the wind instruments. 1:58 shows some piano that really elaborates on the feeling of the source, which always was a bit melancholy and somewhat spooky. Sax returns at 2:38 or so. A very mellow listening experience can be found here, beautiful in its elegance and simplicity. More atmosphere comes in at 3:50, and even more at 4:08. Tears almost started to flow; bravo, Bradley Burr. Bravo.

13. Dafydd – Sköldpaddsklippan (Turtle Rock)     4:07
The track begins immediately with the main rhythm. Drumbeat comes in at 0:30. The track continually builds up until 1:17, when some power appears behind the basic rhythm. Bass beats back the track up. The bass vanishes at 2:30, but the main rhythm remains intact. Strings come in at 2:40 or so, with a building sense and then piano at 2:57 or so to show off the main part of the track. 3:28 brings back the part of the track the played for the majority of it and plays that until the final ten seconds, which add a finishing touch to the track.

14. Xenon Odyssey – Sunrise in Mabe (Mabe Village)     4:08
A basic piano rendition of this beautiful source. This mix is just as beautiful as said source, so something was definitely done correctly. The Ballad of the Wind Fish appears here as well, starting at about 2:10. Fitting for this album, as that was basically the main musical theme of the game.

15. Lashmush – Beneath (Shadow Battles)     3:30
The final battle mix starts out with menacing ambience. Some nice beats come in at about 0:50 that do nothing but add to the menacing feel. 1:58 brings in more menace. The ambience present in this track actually reminds of a few tracks from the Crash Bandicoot soundtrack. 2:40 brings in more feel to the track. 3:20 brings in a roar that is just scary..

16. Rexy – The Feather’s Reflection (Eagle’s Tower)     5:19
A nice piano rendition by Rexy, the thing she is known for the most. 1:28 brings in more of the source. 2:28 shows another part of the main rhythm. The track continues to build and expand into something more awesome and more beautiful, just like with Mario’s Hazy Beach Holiday. It slows down at 4:03 or so. It goes back to basics at about 4:40.

17. prophetik – Voices of the Deep (Catfish’s Maw)     3:09
Bells come in at 0:20. Ambience plays throughout, and whistling comes in at about 0:50. More instrumentation comes in at about 1:10 or so. Everything keeps building, just like in the previous track. A very mellow track on the whole here.

18. Sound Test – The Vision of the Wind Fish (Ballad of the Wind Fish)     6:09
A very odd beginning, with vocals and crazy ambience. The sounds used for the main melody (one of my all time favorites) is ethereal and awesome. There is a lot going on here, and it’s all good. A drumbeat begins at about 1:55 and carries the track a bit further. 2:27 brings in a different style of music, reminiscent of Joshua Morse almost. There’s even a running water sound effect that’s present in two of his tracks (that I know of). His voice comes in at 3:35 or so, and describes the game’s finale. Some awesome electronic sound effects accompany this, and bring the ballad back in. 4:50 or so shows the credits theme in a chippy happy rendition. More vocals at 5:40, heralding the coming end of the track. They end at 5:57, and the water sound effect comes in with seagulls cawing.

19. prophetik, Fishy – House of Frogs (Richard’s Villa)     3:48
Some pretty beautiful guitar starts out the song, along with some nice saxophone. A nice ending to the album; great collaboration between Burr and McCormack. Cain breaks out a solo at about 1:50 that just sounds awesome, with Brad accompanying in masterful fashion. Some awesome double woodwind action at about 2:45 or so. These play until about 3:19, when simple acoustic guitar takes over until the end.

DISC 2 – BONUS TRACKS

1. Sound Test – The Beginning of the Tail (The Tail Cave)     4:21
Our second Tail Cave remix comes from Sound Test, who quickly became the zyko of this album. It’s pretty nice, and mellow. Drama starts to build at about 0:59. It calms down at 1:37, and more odd instrumentation comes in. Everything starts to build again at about 2:33, and is replaced by more ambience. Crazy music comes in at 3:20. It crashes at 3:50, and ends suddenly at about 4:15.

2. sloopygoop – I Don’t Know Who I Am Anymore (Player Select) 7:56
The longest track is, quite fittingly given the game of origin, a chiptune. Great work considering the short source. The ZELDA activated salsa remix comes in at about 0:50. 1:18 brings on sloopygoop’s own take. 1:35 adds more to the track. 1:57 throws in another style, and 2:00 brings in a very odd take on the track, which is quite dramatic. 3:00 brings in a circus version in its happiness and eccentricity. The director’s comments are quite accurate in that this is “generally just eight minutes of awesome.” 4:15 brings in yet another style, after demonstrating it in waltz tempo. 5:06 is the mark for yet another change of style, once again using the salsa remix already present in the game. It calms down at about 5:45, with an almost straight copy of the source, and 5:57 expands it once more. 6:28 brings about a return to the source. It slows and stops at 6:45, and is silent until 7:03, when it kicks back in with a very basic and simple remix of the source that plays until the 7:40 when it starts to fade.

3. Obtuse – This Cave Is Creepy (The Tail Cave)     3:56
The final Tail Cave remix is from Obtuse, alias Andrew Struve. The rain sound effect works, and the instrumentation works for the creepy vibe that the title portrays. Thunder roars at 0:50, and some violin comes in to back up the creepy feeling. The tension continually builds up until about 2:09, when everything pretty much stops, and more of the melody is explored. More thunder at 2:57, with basic melody explored thereafter. Violin returns at about 3:20, and the song ends with a high note at 3:47 or so.

4. prophetik, PriZm – Villa (Richard’s Villa)     3:37
The original version of House of Frogs is right here. As with the remade version featuring Fishy, the beginning starts out beautifully. PriZm’s guitar solo at 1:36 is definitely different than Fishy’s, but classic PriZm instead. Very reminiscent of his work on Summoning of Spirits; certain parts of Final Destination, in particular. The dual woodwinds at about 2:35 are just as beautiful. Very basic guitar at 3:10 until the end, just like in Fishy’s version.

5. Mustin – Inception (Shadow Battles)     4:06
The title of this track no doubt refers to the connection between dreams and the recent film of the same name. Very funky; would fit in on an album with Mysterious Groove on it. Excellent work by Mustin; no surprise there. Chiptune sounds at about 1:11 work with the track. A phenomenal remix right here. A bit of a solo begins at about 1:40. 2:20 brings in The Egg’s melody for more elaboration. The funkiness is prevalent throughout the track. Some ambience comes in at about 3:05, but only for a few seconds. It returns at 3:15, and vanishes again at 3:22. It returns once more at about 3:26, and fades for a quick false ending at 3:37. The song ends suddenly at 3:56.

6. Miku – Eagle Tower (Eagle’s Tower)     3:44
A beautiful piano rendition similar to Rexy’s work on the album proper. The main melody comes in at 0:22. The source is continually built upon in elegant fashion. The main source returns at about 1:50 in all its beauty. Everything slows down at 3:10, and continues in the same manner until the end at about 3:39.

CONCLUSION
Given the album’s long history (having originally begun in 2002 with an attempt to remix all 96 tracks present in the game’s sound file, then dying shortly after, coming back again again in 2005, dying again in 2007, and reviving one last time in 2008), one would think this album might never have been completed. Instead, it has become the Zero of OCR’s albums, persevering even through death to come to its completion. And it’s a good thing it has; the 19 tracks on the album are phenomenal, all staying within a restriction and doing it with style and aplomb. A phenomenal listen; all tracks are covered equally and in grand fashion. The six bonus tracks are a real treat, as they give an insight into the album’s history with two tracks that were replaced in the update, two that competed for the first track spot, and two that didn’t meet the restrictions but were too damn good to leave out. This is a must listen for both fans of the game and the soundtrack, for fans of the musicians, and for fans of remixes in general. Stellar work from all involved, whether they’re OCR regulars or total newcomers to the scene. It’s an album full of firsts, and all involved have made their mark, and much like Neil Armstrong’s footprint on the moon, it’s not going away any time soon.

Mazedude’s 50th ReMix posted on OverClocked ReMix

Mazedude, aka Christopher Getman has joined the ranks of djpretzel and Protricity by having 50 remixes posted on Overclocked ReMix.  “All Outta Gum,” a Duke Nukem 3D ReMix is a fun and quirky homage to the original, complete with retro samples and charm.  Congratulations on having 50 posted ReMixes, Mazedude!  What’s your favorite Mazedude track?