OCR01739 - Super Metroid 'Kindred'

[djpretzel]

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

[Fishy]

Its zircon and pixie, this was never going to be bad even if it was made in 48 hours. I'm sure blind was very happy to hear this :).

Also, the key changes in this are sick. I'm gonna have to check this source out myself.

[Triad Orion]

Oddly haunting, but utterly addicting. May to make the Marida theme even more atmospheric, Zircon. Pixie's vocals are as full and strong as ever, too. And all in 48 hours? You guys are simply amazing. I know bLiNd will love it.

[Tables]

Wow, you did great with this. I never like mixes with vocals, but this is different. Maybe its the singer, maybe its the extremely well done mix that is so ambient and sexy it hurts. Maybe it's the bells, I love bells.

Point is, I love this. A++ will listen again

[Jewbei]

im very impressed this shit is maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad hot man good work zirc & jill!

[Scaredsim]

Very nice ambience and amazing vocals. :) Very good job.

[The Vagrance]

Heavy atmospheric fare, about par for the course with zircon, though that's not a bad thing in the slightest.

I am a bit curious about such a quick turnaround in the posting though, considering how long tracks are lingering in the panel. Does zirc get some special "straight to the site" privileges or something?

[Mirai Gen]

And as always, Pixie's awesome voice adds nothing but class to a mix.

[Subz1987]

Hate the abrupt ending, but the rest of the piece is amazing. Jill's voice is as great as ever.

[JaDE ARaN HaRuNo]

Dude... I can't believe this was posted today. I cried like a baby. hahaha THANK YOU SO MUCH PIXIETRICKS AND ZIRCON FOR MAKING AN AMAZING SONG FOR JORDAN AND TAKING ON MY REQUEST! :] When Darkesword gave me the album and looked at the artwork, I FLIPPED out when I saw you were number 28. It's like 'save the best for last.' hahaha The song brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.

djpretzel... Thank you too for OCR... I'm so thankful I found it in 2001... This site has been a neverending gift to me.

[bLiNd]

This is just too much for me. I am so touched by this whole community and this mix is just mind boggling. I get goosebumps the whole way through, its too amazing for words so i wont ruin it with my feedback haha. Masterpiece....thank you guys so much <3

[anosou]

This is wicked and a fantastic gift to bLiNd and the community.
Yeah, nice work right here.

[DarkeSword]

After my own mix for the project, this was definitely my favorite. :<

Seriously though, this was an amazing piece of work; Xenosphere is one of my fave mixes too, and this really captures the feel of that track.

Amazing work.

[SwordBreaker]

Not bad, not bad at all. In fact, considering the time-frame of the "Get Well" project, it's a pretty amazing feat.

I can see how structurally similar this is to "Red July" as you mentioned, zircon. I don't mind as long as you manage to make it sound different, which you did obviously. A very nice combination of ambient and industrial sounds...trademark zircon, indeed. You also pay a lot of homage to Yamamoto's style of composition for the Metroid series. Fits like a glove all in all.

Jill's vocals are as entrancing as ever. Can't get enough of that voice. However, I wasn't really captivated by the lyrics, despite the good intentions of trying to convey Samus' perspective. "Dreaming Still" and "Lover Reef" remain as favorites of mine 'cause I felt this deep connection to the lyrics. Maybe I need to put this latest track on repeat so that it finally gets to me. Maybe I'm just too dense to get it. Maybe hardcore Metroid fans will feel the connection more than someone like me who started off with Fusion. Maybe I'm just being too picky.

Yes, I contemplate too much. Bottom line: another nice Andy/Jill collab. Keep 'em coming, guys. And Jill, if you're free please try and make something up for VOCR3! :)

[Jillian Aversa]

Heavy atmospheric fare, about par for the course with zircon, though that's not a bad thing in the slightest.

I am a bit curious about such a quick turnaround in the posting though, considering how long tracks are lingering in the panel. Does zirc get some special "straight to the site" privileges or something?
djpretzel can "direct post" a mix at any time - an option reserved only for submissions which clearly demonstrate they meet the site standards for arrangement and production. The judges panel is swamped enough as is, so it would be a pain to have to spend time voting on songs that will be unanimously passed. (zircon often gets direct posted because he's one of those remixers that has a very strong grasp on the site standards. But plenty of others are DP'ed as well!)

In this particular instance, Dave posted our mix quickly for two reasons: 1) The remix project for bLiNd was completed, and considering Jordan's rapid progress it makes more sense to announce the community effort sooner rather than later. 2) Our OCR panel at Otakon is coming up Saturday, and the song is going to be previewed among several others in a demo medley of games/genres we have on the site.

----

Andy and I are both really glad to have been a part of this coming together for bLiNd. He has given this community SO much, and deserves every bit of that back. I know it sounds cheesy, but just when I thought I knew everything there was to know about the people around here... they come out and surprise you with something as awesome as this project. I think we all need that reminder sometimes. :>

[CN]

We also added a little something mainly for bLiNd, but any fans of his original music might pick up on it too. In the second chorus, we quoted the melody from "The First Day", a popular original trance track that Jordan produced along with Leifo as part of their group, Vega Projekt."

:shock: And here's me thinking I was the only one that did that! Oh well...

What else can be mentioned that wasn't already? When the two of you come together to make a mix, it's just staggering. This is truly a dark, awesome piece!

[Audity]

I enjoyed the ambient beginning. The sounds are really mixed well.

The first "not 100% perfect" personal gripe is that the vocals seem too fast.

My main gripe though is the chorus, as I guess I'm a purist when it comes to this song? Whatever, the rest is worthy. Only listened to once, shall probably listen in the future.

[The Instrumental Light]

This was definitely a unique and interesting listen. The whole atmosphere and feel of the song was much different than one would come to expect, yet it's quality and sound were superb. And the most impressing part about it is that something this good was done within two days, which still completely boggles my mind. Great work, zircon and pixie! :wink:

[Thrull]

If you'd told me this was made in two days after I listened to it, I wouldn't have believed you. I love the lyrics and all the little touches that make it so atmospheric, like the bubbling and quiet laugh.

This stage seemed to me like one of the most intimidating in Super Metroid, aesthetically, in part thanks to this source. Mellow, but evokes a sense of isolation. I think this remix really captures the original feel of the area.

[ZealPath]

I agree that it has some addictive qualities, I listed to it once then found myself reaching for it again about 10 minutes later, always a good sign :? . Vocal mixes can be hard to sell to me depending on the genre but pixietricks has always been the exception, this one being just as good. Still trying to wrap my head around the lyrics but hey, it sounds beautiful.

[DragonAvenger]

Wow, this is great. Honestly, I am jealous, as I've been wanted to do something with this track. I could never do something like this though, it's really creepy and awesome. Love the harmonies, Jill, they really add to the atmosphere.
Awesome stuff.

[MrBogus]

WOW. This gripped me right from the get go with that sick synth tone and the delicate melodic bells. And then ambient layers added upon each other. You just know it is going to be an awesome ride. And finally Jill's voice pierces the dark and the score is settled -- this mix will be a favorite of mine for a very long time.

Nice. Real nice.

[Kizyr]

I gave this one a listen almost as soon as it went up. It's really amazing, though being a zircon+pixietricks track, that was the expectation going in.

I'm sure this, along with the entire album, has made for a great gift to bLiNd. KF

[Da B.I.G. COMMANDER]

This is one of the best tracks that i ever heard from OCR!
As i heard the first few seconds i thought "why the hell i didn`t play it earlyer???"
I want to thank pixitricks and zircon for making a great masterwork of musicart. And that was just made in 48 hours??? Truly a work from genius guys.

[Darkflamewolf]

Very awesome mix. I heard there were 27 other Metroid mixes made for Blind that will be released soon. Any idea where I could find these or where I could look for updates on this? Any news when a public release will be made?

[Skullbullet]

Very awesome mix. I heard there were 27 other Metroid mixes made for Blind that will be released soon. Any idea where I could find these or where I could look for updates on this? Any news when a public release will be made?

Just keep an eye on this thread (http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17154).

Once again, I am not disappointed. Zirc and pixie together is nothing short of excellence, and this is no exception. SUPERB work.

[Audity]

Oh yeah, make more zircon and pixie albums!!

woops i meant to make that text size small OH WELL IT STILL WORKS

[SLyGeN]

I don't know how to describe this in musical terms, but right at 1:42 and 3:37 the key changes or something. Some very minor-key-sounding element. And it's just a few notes. It's very haunting, and very beautiful, all at once.

Music theory amazes me, so I'm very curious to know how someone musically talented would describe that brief break. It's something to do with the key the music was in previously and the transition to something different that makes it stick out so much for me, I think.

[avaris]

Really enjoying this track. Xenosphere is def one of my all time favs on OCR so this automatically gets two thumbs up. The vocals and sound design really help carry the song and immerse into an excellent atmosphere.

Maridia isn't exactly the greatest source in the world to base a remix of off. It had some good ambience through minimalism. This mix basically took the good points about the source and makes them 10x better. One of my fav pixie vocal performances thus far too! The hooks in the melody were awesome. Great stuff dude and dudette! :nicework:

[derako]

Very cool you guys! Great job!!

[burnham909]

I must say this is probably one of the most ridiculously awesome songs i have ever heard on this site.8-O

[Argle]

Wow, just wow. :shock:

[Weimar Pluto Knight VII]

Another masterpiece from Jill. I know what I'll have on infinite repeat for a week at least maybe lol.

Yeah, hopefully this cheers up bLiNd. It should, it's really good. The lyrics are kinda sad but thats ok it's still awesome!

[DarkeSword]

Another masterpiece from Jill. I know what I'll have on infinite repeat for a week at least maybe lol.
Hey don't forget about Zircon. :(

[mananetwork]

Amazing song! Lyrics defiantly really put this song together!! Two thumbs up!

[Weimar Pluto Knight VII]

oh yeah Zircon's awesome too!

[Kizyr]

One thing that struck me listening to this again at the OCR panel... The way Jill did the vocals for the main melody, plus the overall atmospheric vibe of the song, reminds me a lot of the opening song for Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex. In a good way; I really liked that song. KF

[playingtokrush]

The first minute or so of this track was building me up to a climax of epic proportions, then the vocals came in and I became flaccid and unfulfilled. :/

[DarkeSword]

The first minute or so of this track was building me up to a climax of epic proportions, then the vocals came in and I became flaccid and unfulfilled. :/
Any particular reason, or do you just not like vocals in anything?

[jintoreedwine]

This remix is stunning. I LOVE the atmosphere that this song sets, and I also think it stays completely true to the games in the Metroid series (not that remixes have to do this) .

I have been listening to this song frequently since I downloaded it, and I just cannot get enough :)

Keep up the great work pixietricks and zircon!

[playingtokrush]

Any particular reason, or do you just not like vocals in anything?
Lyrics almost always detract from a song for me (see also: Dragon Song), so a good instrumental lead would have been better in my ears -- just a matter of personal preference.

[DarkeSword]

Lyrics almost always detract from a song for me (see also: Dragon Song), so a good instrumental lead would have been better in my ears -- just a matter of personal preference.
Yeah that's cool, I was just wondering.

[WillRock]

This is awesome, I love the introduction the singing is brilliant and the atmosphere is very haunting. This was done in 48 hours? Jill and zircon have done brilliantly, but I wouldn't expect anything less from them.

Great stuff, I'll download.

[kobuu]

ok. so up until now i had my faves: terra in black, pheonix symphonic, etc. mostly stuff from the FF games that i know so well. but after i heard this you have reawakened my inner samus and i have to say that this piece is sooo beautiful. i feel as if i'm samus walking in the caves of zebes or sr388 look at the little enemies on my way to grab jump ball or something. i can hear the footsteps of dark samus in the deep and the screech of ridley in the distance.

my new fave piece obviously. thank you and NEVER STOP mixing! (and pixie [your vocals right?] why are you not doing that professionally!!?)

kudos from kobuu:-o

[Weimar Pluto Knight VII]

The first minute or so of this track was building me up to a climax of epic proportions, then the vocals came in and I became flaccid and unfulfilled. :/

when the vocals came in for me I was like "omg most awesome thing ever!" But yeah as for whether or not this is the best pixietricks song ever, it's hard to say. It's hard to beat Hajime and Via (FFX). As for zircon, don't worry I think he's awesome too! This was awesome but I don't know if it beats his Eternal Champions one. But yeah Kindred is definitely one of my fav remixes ever.

[Jillian Aversa]

my new fave piece obviously. thank you and NEVER STOP mixing! (and pixie [your vocals right?] why are you not doing that professionally!!?)
I am! http://www.jilliangoldin.com

XD

[Hale-Bopp]

Great stuff! What a team you guys make. So complimentary in every way. What else is there to say, you guys rock.

[Weimar Pluto Knight VII]

Yes Kobuu! Go get her album if you loved this. You'll fall in love with those songs too like I did. I think David quoted Andrew and said a track from there was an inspiration for the musical style for Kindred so yeah.

[Avatar of Justice]

pixietricks,

Please do more dark and haunting sounding stuff! I would love to hear something like this on your inevitable next CD!

P.S. Really appreciated the thank you card that came with Origins. You've earned a permanent fan.

[Liontamer]

Haven't commented yet, so I'll just quickly note that this is niiiiiice.

Amber from Nerve.com also agrees. (http://www.nerve.com/CS/blogs/61fps/archive/2008/08/20/what-s-in-my-mp3-player.aspx) You were able to withstand her vocal-hate!

[Jillian Aversa]

Haven't commented yet, so I'll just quickly note that this is niiiiiice.

Amber from Nerve.com also agrees. (http://www.nerve.com/CS/blogs/61fps/archive/2008/08/20/what-s-in-my-mp3-player.aspx) You were able to withstand her vocal-hate!
Yeah, I saw that! (Thanks to Google alerts...) :<

[Sparafucile]

Pretty much one of the coolest remixes I've ever heard, on this site and anywhere else. It's the reason I registered for an account here. :razz:

Amazing job guys... how 'bout you tackle some Xenogears next? ;-)

[Namagem]

Pixie, I absolutely love your vocals. To me, when vocals are done correctly, they add so much more to a song, style, class, and yet another layer of depth. Zircon's interpretation of the Maridia main theme is spot on, with the edge that gives this music the rare property of having just as much depth as the area Maridia itself. You two brought together a piece from a game likely to recieve criticism, and you just nailed it.
A post-facto inclusion in the album would not be unheard of at this point, I think.
The fact that this was done in BLinD's time of need just adds so much more to it. You two seem to have worked wonderfully on this piece and brought forth a studio-class song. Bravo, Zircon, Pixie, Bravo.

[VerSus22]

This would be a perfect candidate for a future OCR album! The bass and the other instruments fit very well into the arrangement.Great job, zircon & pixietricks! :razz:

[The Rev3nge]

This is one of the first tracks I've listened to on the site, and I can't get enough of it. It's pure nostalgia. I don't know what else to say. Great mix!!!

[Martin Penwald]

Once again, Super Metroid provides some excellent source material. Both artists gave their best; zircon once again shows that he knows how to make a very atmospheric track (the bells, the bubbling and all the other noises in the background). Pixietrick's vocals add a lot; I was surprised at how well her singing communicates the source tune.

Amazing stuff.

[Mazedude]

Well, several people have used the word "addicting" to describe this, and I would have to agree.

And, hearing this mix reminded to finally go buy Jillian's CD! So, I've been listening that as well... quite often. :)

Excellent work. Mazedude says "more like this!"

[Nobbynob Littlun]

Hmm is there a version without vocals? I don't have a problem with them, I just am greedy and want two versions of the same song :P

[schalaislost]

This is an incredible song.

[Stellos~Core]

Hmm is there a version without vocals? I don't have a problem with them, I just am greedy and want two versions of the same song :PI second this. This song is really great, but... I have a personal disliking of songs with lyrics. It would be fantastic if there was a "lyricless" version of this song available.

[CaptimusPrimus]

I keep coming back and listening to this, it is beautiful. Zircon is among my favourites on OCR (Monstrous Turtles gets a LOT of play when I am cycling to work!) and with the addition of Pixie's haunting vocals... well, you remember how COOL you thought Evanescence were before you realised all their songs sound the darn same? Multiply that cool by the number of times you hit the fire button when you completed Super Metroid, and we're about there for how much I like this mix. My entire sock drawer considers itself rocked.

[glasfen]

Great song and great purpose (feel better, bLiNd!).

The first chorus left me unnerved (fittingly, I suppose) as it seemed like there were tones missing which later presented themselves in the second go-round. Crazy good.

[OzymandiasVolt]

Gorgeous (gôr'jəs)
adj.
1. a. Dazzlingly beautiful or magnificent.
b. Characterized by magnificence or virtuosic brilliance.
2. (Informal) Wonderful; delightful.

[Platonist]

i don't want you to take this the wrong way, but im not much for this one, it's a great track with lots of potential - nice arrangements and good vocals, but it's just that it doesn't make me feeeeel THAT thing ..

super metroid is my favorite metroid and i usually bounce like crazy to everything from it... so this is really odd to me :|

i'll keep listening to your colabs anyway.. because im not a prejudiced guy :!:

[Antipode]

Well I was waiting on listening to this (as metroid is something special for me) until the full album was released to us, but... well it's been a really long while now, so...I decided to finally go ahead and check it out anyway...

And this was a really well-done track! It sounds very professional and pixie's singing is flawless as far as I'm concerned! I also really liked the synths used for the main melody-line. This really isn't my kind of music to be honest, but I really enjoyed hearing Maridia covered. And even if the style isn't my particular cup of tea, it was executed fantastically - which is to say you took Maridia and changed the elements of the original style to perfectly fit this kind of music and make it something new (which is probably what Platonist was talking about too - it doesn't have the Metroid feel anymore because of its direction).

Any way we could see the lyrics (if they haven't already been posted somewhere)?

[Liontamer]

Any way we could see the lyrics (if they haven't already been posted somewhere)?

1. Go to the writeup page.
2. Click the "lyrics" tab.
3. Lyrics.

[Antipode]

Oh! My bad, I forgot about this feature.

[Liontamer]

Oh! My bad, I forgot about this feature.

I also tagged the MP3 itself with the lyrics in the comments field.

[gandalf0987]

It's very good. Very ambient and creepy.

[JEV3]

This is absolutely amazing, I've heard a few pretty creative lyrical songs here, but this one blows them all away in its integration. This melody stood out to me when playing Super Metroid as an awesomely atmospheric piece, so after checking out the Metroid Remix Project, I tried to find more remixes that are more focused on the melody without losing the atmosphere. I definitely found more than I was looking for here.

I frequently listen to New-Age songs on an internet radio site, and they have come to be one of my favorite genres. When a song achieves a full atmosphere, sublime ambiance, a terrific core melody, *and* solid vocals along with plenty of well-placed swells and an irresistible presentation, it very easily becomes one of my favorites. This song can compete with some of the professional pieces that I've run across and enjoyed, and that is saying quite a bit.

As for constructive crit. I really can't think of anything to say except that I would love to hear more like this. Lyrical remixes are rare, with everything being techno or trance. Its possibly because its hard to make a decent lyric to match the songs' feel, but you've nailed it. I think if there is anything to criticize, it would be something technical that I wouldn't be able to recognize or suggest.

Yeah, registered solely for the purpose to post feedback on some of these awesome remixes...:razz:

EDIT: Ahh, I did find something to criticize. I think the ending was a little abrupt, the last tone cutting it off was fine, but it came too soon after the lyrics. It should transition smoothly into the ending tone and never transition out if that's the effect you are shooting for.

[Vitor Machado]

As DJP said, the lyrics are elementary, but they are so amazing when sung by Jill's soft and angelic voice.
Talking about Jill's voice, it's actually an interesting variation, as this has to be the darkest atmosphere sounding ReMix I've heard from her yet, and she manages to keep the dark, wet, tense Maridia atmosphere superbly.
That is, of course accompanied by zircon's simple and airy, yet very effective composition.

It's amazing this could've been done in 48h, and it's still one of my all-time favorite ReMixes!

So to sum it all up: This is an amazing ReMix! Period. :-D

[Daishi231]

Very few pieces of music manage to send shivers down my spine as I listen to them, and this certainly does. I love this mix.

[glasfen]

The more I listened to this mix, the more it struck me as very 80s in nature. Something about pixietricks' voice reminds me of a fusion of Heart, Eurythmics, and Stevie Nicks (particularly during the chorus).

The final chorus is just amazing, as all the pieces come together.

An incredible combination of talent.

[Lint]

I really like how minimal this mix is. It seems like the source rhythm is just softly present throughout the piece, but no part of the track loses any poignancy by being too loud or soft. Everything present is just in a good state of balance (metaphorical balance).

[Dafydd]

Weird, I didn't see this until now. Also, I don't remember pixietricks singing this well last time I heard her. Very interesting mix. It's very dark and sci-fi. The reverb is a little excessive for my taste, but it fits the mix.

[Infinity's End]

Just wanted to let you know...
We discuss Kindred momentarily in the first ep of our new podcast, "Wave Beam."
It happens around the 48:00 mark. Check it out at www.metroid-database.com!

[zircon]

I made a music video for this track, available on Jill's YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf6U9UZPKso

I'm pretty new to video editing, but I think it turned out pretty well :-) Enjoy!

[a_d]

I wonder what Jillian's inspiration for the lyrics were (besides Super Metroid). It seems to be hinting at spiritualism, i.e. communication with the supposed spirits of the dead, especially of relatives, aka kindred, or as the Bible refers to them, familiar spirits (e.g. Leviticus 19:31 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+19:31&version=NKJV))

[OA]

Amazingly polished for being done in 48 hours. Could have been 48 days and I'd have believed you.

Great soundscape, good rhythms, and an amazing voice combine to make a really standout mix. The ending is cool, the lyrics really fit, and everything works really well to draw you in. Awesome.

[meboeck]

I'm not quite a lyrics hater, but I'm definitely a lot pickier about vocal mixes. That said, I love this mix. I love the way the atmosphere from the source was taken and amplified, and I love how the lyrics and vocals fit perfectly with the musical mood of the song. I definitely hear the "call of the deep" when I listen to this.