[djpretzel]

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

[Nex]

Heard this when it was on VGMix and I still love it. Very nicely done. I would deffinately suggest [as I did on vgmix] that the brass lines are more 'realistic' as well as better constructed, but overall it is very nicely done. Something I'll deffinately keep arround to add to my 'holiday' collection for next year :D.

-Nex

[kablammyman]

not a bad mix of one of my favorite tunes fromt he game. I too would like a better brass section, but overall a good mix.

[Trenthian]

The bassline is half cool and half suck.


there are times when the tonality doesnt belong for it to sound fluid enough for me...

But I do like the vibe otherwise.

[Adhesive_Boy]

I have to agree with Trenthian. Some of the chords the keyboard plays are just...odd and completely clash with the bassline. But I don't think the brass is too bad, considering how crappy most brass samples are out there. Sure, maybe a little artificial...especially when the part deviates from the original notes. But overall it doesn't sound too bad.

Still...while the keyboard notes sound fine about half the time, there's enough to make me uncomfortable. I do appreciate the creativity there, but I think making everything fit is more important.

[Blake]

I honestly think there is nothing really wrong with the chords. I actually enjoy the way they are as is, and gives a more creative feel to me.

[Liontamer]

Like a lot of other people have been saying, I believe some of the chords use are pretty suspect; they didn't hit my ear well. Nonetheless, this is a fairly good mix. I went into this one more in-depth on VGMix, so here's my review:

The opening notes honestly don't sound very melodic, and even when they're joined with the melody at 0:10, they don't really seem to match up well. Maybe those notes in a major key style would have worked better. When they're relegated to the background though, it's not as much of an issue for me. The "Frappe Snowland" saxophone melody, along with the backing drums however, are composed very well, not to mention the subtle but quality bass guitar notes.

While you're just laying out the basics that people are expecting with the melody from 0:10 to 0:40, the little saxophone bits in between the melody that are pure arrangement are pretty nice. Once the next part of the source melody comes into play with the switchup at 0:45, I had a problem with the dissonant notes being used. I didn't feel that the notes were changed "for the sake of changing the notes", but compared to the major key style of the melody you began with, they really clashed with the sound you started off with. It gets easier to not have a problem with upon repeated listening. Also, I know the feel of the song was supposed to be different as compared to earlier, but some more velocity on the trumpets and sax from 0:45 to 1:03 would have made them seem more natural sounding, as the notes seemed to end a little abruptly.

As a fan of SuperGreenX using the bongos, I liked the mini-section from 1:08 to 1:25, although again, the horns/trumpets from 1:16 to 1:25 had notes that just didn't match the major key feel that the main melody has. I'm no musician, but my ear just doesn't go for that stuff.

2:00 had an even more impressive bongo section, and while it wasn't 100% natural sounding, it's hard to program them that way, so I was still appreciative of what went into it. 2:21 segues into pure arrangement (those these synth piano notes are very sparse sounding) and while I'm down with that, a few notes felt out of place from 2:39 to 2:42 as the track got fuller once again. Kinda nitpicky, but the little things stick out. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the sixteenths from 2:48 to 2:51, and working in some of "Jingle Bells" from 2:56-3:00, since it gelled very well with the mix and the Christmasy feel it had. The cymbals from 3:00 until the end sounded very fake (though I'm not a big fan of cymbal usage, since it's so hard to get cymbals to sound good if they're not live), as well as the little horn toots that finished the mix off, since they were in some very high octaves (and I guess a little more exposed).

Overall this was pretty well done, and I'm a fan of Joshua's stuff, even if my knowledge of it's limited to "Where Destiny Meets". I thought that some of the notes here didn't vibe well within the broader sense of the mix, but it pretty much achieved both the Kenny G and Christmas styles that Josh was going for. I thought sleigh bells would have worked a lot better here instead of the tambourine to convey more of that holiday feel, but as an instrument they may have been hard to work alongside of a jazz setting, I wouldn't be sure. I enjoyed the second half of this one more than the first half, if only because more original arrangement aspects were featured there, so when I had a problem with some of the notes, it wasn't as strange sans the comparison to Frappe Snowland.

[Al Capwn]

Remix just rubs me the wrong way :(

[Falcovsleon20]

This song reminds me of what it's like to sit in a cafe and sip coffe and eat cheesecake. Mmmmm.....cheesecake. Oh um anyway, my only complaint is that it just sounds like it's a bit shorter than it really is. 7/10.

[Txai]

Good Jazz. I like saxophone. The trumpet are pleasant and great. In 2:56 up to 3:00 I perceived a "Christmas trace" in this remix. Nice work!