[Liontamer]

title: Go Blow Snow For a Year
source music: "Prologue" from Snow Bros. (NES)
by: housethegrate
email: housethegrate@gmail.com
website: www.housethegrate.com

This song was inspired by Chromelodeon, particularly some of their Ninja Gaiden 2 stuff. I did it shortly after seeing their last show in Philadelphia. "Blow Snow" is my humble tribute to a brilliant band.

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http://www.zophar.net/nsf/snowbros.zip - Track 11

Thanks to Alex for clarifying the source tune usage. The only reason I paneled this was rather than go for direct post was because I wasn't making out the extent of the source connections initially. I didn't want this track put up and then panned because fans didn't get the connections to the original. I wasn't recognizing it offhand when I first listened, so I went with my gut to panel this and make sure things were clear.

The track is excellently put together. Most of the relevant stuff has to do with :00-:25 of the source, which can be isolated to the Square 1 and 2 channels of the NSF, as well as the Triangle. I checked them out in every combination, so let's go for the breakdown.

House had a really nice intro that feels very straightforward, but turns out basically original aside from the 3 note riffs (e.g. :14, :21, :29, :32, :36, :40, :43, :47, etc.) It had the same "feel" as the original and fits over it like a glove, but doesn't incorporate any of the actual source melody except for that brief note pattern. The glassy sounds starting at :44 were a similar feel to the melody of the original, but weren't structured in a similar enough way to the melody, which was more noticeable when you actually heard it play alongside the melody at 1:27.

1:27 was where the source tune, :00-:25 of the NSF, truly (and finally!) showed up, used as the foundation of the track via the keyboard. 1:53-2:03 arranged :25-:34 of the source tune.

2:03 went for an original chiptune section with the source tune quietly playing in the background via the bassline, which could have been more audible. 2:30-2:39 more liberally arranged :25-:34 of the source tune.

house then went into really nice variations of the source on the piano and guitar from 2:53-3:22, before amping things up with a last variation of the source theme from 3:22-3:59 heading to the finish.

By my calculations, which I can keep to myself for now, this makes it past my 50% threshold for viable arrangement. Again, it's not just about adding original material that fits together seamlessly with the original, it's also about referring back to the original itself with the arrangement ideas. The 1:26-long intro being so liberal was basically what put this in "danger", as it was smooth sailing after that.

Great job as usual, Alex. Very polished, dynamic arrangement, and definitely a great tribute to Chromelodeon. Can't wait for your next one.

YES

[Vig]

This is a fairly easy decision. Great guitars, good if not revolutionary arrangement, lots of nuance in the production. If I have a complaint, the tempo changes sound awkward...a function of doing them on a sequencer. Oh well. Solid stuff.

YES

[zircon]

The arrangement is liberal, but especially after seeing Larry's breakdown of where the source was used, I feel comfortable that it's not TOO far out. This mix is excellent in every area, from performance, to recording, production, drum sequencing, variation, original material, etc. House's musical abilities are really quite diverse even within guitar-based mixes. An obvious YES!

YES

[JJT]

Not a whole lot to add to this decision. This is an easy pass. Interesting textures, good arrangement, rock on.

YES