ReMix: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 'Prayer'
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- Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, 1998, N64)
- ReMixer(s): pixietricks
- Composer(s): Koji Kondo
- Song(s): 'Forest Temple'
- Posted: 2005-03-22, evaluated by djpretzel
Jill Goldin can sing. She knows karate, butoh, and furthermore apparently played Yum-Yum in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. All of which I learned from her site, and all of which is pretty badass in my book. I actually just watched Topsy-Turvy for the twentieth or so time, so it was cool to see the G'n'S stuff. While I'd certainly love to hear her cover "The Sun, Whose Rays", the matter at hand is this Zelda 64 mix she's submitted. The ReMixer, aka pixietricks, writes:
"I want to thank user Evilhead for helping me with the Japanese text and pronunciation. He's quite a guy! This project took flight when, inspired by the vocal work I did with m1lesteg, I thought I might try a remix of my own. I've been an OCR listener for years, but I never really took submitting seriously until now. I hope you enjoy. This should stir things up a bit, if nothing else. And to any mixers out there looking for a voice, opera or otherwise, I lend myself to the vastly underappreciated art of videogame music!"
Actually just finished my first Anime Remix, a cover of Naruto's first season ED (end selfplug) and am thinking about doing others... maybe that offer extends to anime mixes, too? Now, where to start. This is in some ways a liberal mix and in other ways conservative - essentially, the original 'Forest Temple' theme is kept pretty close to the cuff, but Jill's added, among other things, an original Japanese lyric, an original melody for said lyrics, ambient storm effects, soft but layered + interesting drums, and she's also swapped out pieces of the original instrumentation with some cool vocalizing that reminds me of Laurie Anderson (Oh Superman = one of my favorite songs, ever) or Meredith Monk or something. Not surprising, for a voice major, but still very cool. The actual melody that's been superimposed over Kondo's original reminds me more of Erasure, especially the synth pattern that enters at 1'11" and the oh-so-lovely interval at 1'49". I was trying to explain to someone the other day how, like a single amazing line can make or break any given poem, a single interval in a melody that is JUST right can change things dramatically. When Tom Chaplin of Keane resolves on "we know" in "Somewhere Only We Know", for example, any other note would have been so very... less. The whole piece is fairly non-linear, without a sense of climax, but this makes a good deal of sense because, as the title suggests, the lyrics and the structure as well take the form of a prayer. I seem to dig this a good deal more than some of our judges; I think it's definitely the type of mix that'll either hit you the right way, or not. If, as I do, you've got a predilection for J-Pop and anime OSTs, I think you might be more likely to dig it. From an arrangement perspective, it's one of the more liberal pieces on the site, and an extreme example of primarily additive technique, but... I listen to Jill's piece, and I listen to the original, and I hear Kondo's piece reenvisioned as the backdrop for something that, while larger, still shares the same spirit of wonder, naturalism, and a sort of wooded, ethereal transplendence. There's precedent for this sort of arrangement, though the line/ratio can certainly be crossed. Mastering is a little low, so you might wanna pump the volume a bit. Hopefully you'll see in this what I see in it, but I think it's ultimately one of those tracks that does different things for different people. Regardless, I love that Jill's first submission is so unique and singular a creation. I'll be playing this one often and looking forward to more.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the Is there any chance of seeing more remixes in this vein? I think it would be great to hear themes from the other temples redone with enhanced instrumentation and vocals.
- Sabrewulf on January 26, 2009
shadowolf86 wrote: It's the exact original melody with a looping preset over it.
Actually, the only "melody" in the original lasts about four bars, and there are layers upon layers of tracks in this remix even excluding my vocals, so you can't boil it down like that.
Prayer was not only my first remix, but my first hand at computer music-making period. Sure, the standards have evolved since I first joined this community, and I'm much more familiar with them now (hence being a judge). I wouldn't submit something like this today, but I still consider it a great first step in my musical journey. :>
- pixietricks on November 25, 2007
So uh yeah! Forest Temple is a bitching song from Ocarina of Time. So it's great that it got coverage.
I really really really love ambient songs, so I love this mix as well! The staccato vocal things caught me off guard at first, but they've since grown on me. Nice work!
- Jaybell on November 24, 2007
djpretzel;337990 wrote: Yeah, but they're GOOD vocals, and they constitute an original melody that's pretty creative...
Well, you won't get an argument from me on that front. :)
- Dhsu on October 31, 2007
NO (resubmit)
I've always wanted to do that.
- Shadow Wolf on October 31, 2007
Dhsu;337973 wrote:
You're right. It's a MIDI rip with a GarageBand preset and vocals on top.
Yeah, but they're GOOD vocals, and they constitute an original melody that's pretty creative...
Even still, I feel that if we'd known this was a GB preset, since it was already close, it probably wouldn't have been posted. I love the melody Jill added, but I think this is a case of the standards evolving, and I don't think it would be posted today. However, it's not egregious enough to remove, either, and was spared by the last and hopefully final lockdown, if I recall correctly.
- djpretzel on October 31, 2007
zircon;337969 wrote: Yeah, but it's not really 'keeping us in line' when we didn't evaluate it to begin with.
Which I already admitted. Again, I apologize for bringing it up, since it was no fault of the judges per Larry's elaboration.
Not to mention that objectively speaking, it's not a MIDI rip with vocals on top, so those would be two reasons why it doesn't defeat my statement that you can't sub a MIDI rip with vocals and have it pass.
You're right. It's a MIDI rip with a GarageBand preset and vocals on top.
Liontamer;337966 wrote: I can get annoyed, but I still like when David does that; nothing wrong with keeping us in line.
I critique because I care. :)
- Dhsu on October 31, 2007
I would have backed him up if he was hatin' on AmberTrance though. ;)
- zircon on October 31, 2007
zircon;337962 wrote: Ah yes, another display of cunningly site (staff) criticism from Dhsu. He really could have picked a better example, as we've passed more coverish things.
I can get annoyed, but I still like when David does that; nothing wrong with keeping us in line. I could be wrong on the track implied, but we'll see. For the 1500 lockdown though, we voted on "Prayer" and let it stay due to having some interpretive merit, but myself and the panel at the time came to the consensus that we wouldn't have passed it in the first place had it went on the panel.
- Liontamer on October 31, 2007
Liontamer;337959 wrote: He's saying "Prayer" by pixietricks.
Ah yes, another display of cunningly site (staff) criticism from Dhsu. He really could have picked a better example, as we've passed more coverish things.
- zircon on October 31, 2007
Dhsu;337844 wrote: Good guess, but not quite the proverbial tobacco.
Although I just realized the mix was actually direct-posted, so it doesn't really have a place in a discussion about the judges. My bad, carry on.
He's saying "Prayer" by pixietricks.
- Liontamer on October 31, 2007
Great work.
- admeister on August 19, 2007
Brim;54598 wrote: I just remembered what song the synth reminds me of.
http://www.icompositions.com/auditorium/showphoto.php?photo=4317
You have to wait until 7 seconds to hear it.
I truly do not think anything was stolen, but it does sounds almost exactly the same. Its too off-chance to hear this song, and then think about remixing a Zelda song and just happen to fit the synth into that Zelda song. Just thought it was interesting.
I was just going through old review threads again and noticed this post. Checked it out and I have to say the resemblance is uncanny...literally note for note, except for a key signature change. And the other dude remixes game music too! Perhaps it's some sort of GarageBand preset?
Then again, have David Easthope and Jill Goldin ever been seen in the same room together? HMMM...
- Dhsu on February 14, 2007
- YellowYoshi1 on July 16, 2006
So anyways...
I'd just gotten off the bus on my way home today, and this song came up in my mp3 player.
It's a nice night, but quite dark aside from the occasional streetlight. Also, there happened to be a light rain tonight.
As I was walking home, this song just fit the mood perfectly.
Only shortly after it ended did I remember that this also happens to be quite akin to the mood in the Forest Temple itself [only with more ghosts and hands falling from ceilings].
I think when a song can either provide perfect background music for a situation like that or make you recall moments like those, it's succeeded in what it's trying to do.
So..good job Jill.
- WesPip on May 20, 2006
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