ReMix: Zombies Ate My Neighbors 'The Curse'
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- Game: Zombies Ate My Neighbors (Konami, 1993, SNES)
- ReMixer(s): Christian Pacaud
- Composer(s): George Alistair Sanger, Joe McDermott
- Song(s): 'Curse of the Tongue'
- Posted: 2006-07-04, evaluated by the judges
Last but not least, with very little time to go here on the East coast, we have our fourth mix of the day, making it "four for the fourth" - an excellent marketing gimmick, were we actually trying to sell anything. I don't really think of OCR as a particularly "American" website - one of the best aspects of running it over the years has been getting to know people from all over the world, and seeing them come together for a common purpose. I'd actually like to work on opening things up more, whether that involves translations of site content into other languages, etc. Nevertheless, myself and many of the judges are American, and from the limited stats I get, I'd guesstimate 60-70% of the site's visitors are as well. So, for the remaining 30-40%, thanks for bearing with us during our day of patriotic zeal and non-sensical explodifying of multicolored doodads; we mean well.
Mr. Pacaud sends in a mix that isn't really as polished as his previous efforts; this is ostensibly an intentional decision on his part, but that doesn't mean the judges can't critique it along those lines. I didn't find the production overly problematic because, while it was unpolished, the performances themselves were organic and quite musical, but it's definitely going to be a subjective thing that hits certain people one way and others another. It's sort of like... garage rock meets Castlevania, for lack of a better simile. If you want metrically immaculate, pristine, and tightly sequenced ZAMN coverage, Protricity's been there and done that, but that doesn't mean the game's score doesn't leave room for alternate interpretations, like any good text should. Cpac got rhythm, lead, and wah guitar, acoustic kit drums, pipe organ, harpsichord, and electric bass going on. I actually think I would have preferred the mix steered away from the heavier side of things, went for slightly cleaner production, and aimed for the Steely Dan feel that 2'54" evokes, but it's still cool that the ReMixer can blend in jazzier compositional elements into a rock piece as such. Jesse writes:
"the bass could afford to be more pounding in my opinion. from a creative perspective, this isnt really my cup of tea. However it's very solidly composed. Plenty of ideas expressed, good performance. The track is quite creative, lots of liberties that work out quite well. In my opinion this is very solid material, and well above the bar."
So, I guess my take would be that this isn't Cpac's slickest or most cohesive mix, but it still displays most of the traits that make him one of the most exciting mixers on the scene, being a willingness to try riskier arrangement ideas coupled with heapin' helpings of live instrumentation, and is definitely worth your time. Happy 4th of July!
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the - metalsnakejuice on September 24, 2009
The guitar clarity is what I enjoy most about this, I think. I'm glad the distorted route wasn't taken. I tire easily of distortion, and with a mix that is this length, it's important that everything sounds as pleasing as possible to maintain consistent interest. I'm unsure about the wah portions though, sometimes I thought they fit, other times I minded them. But they are small portions, and they are easy to tolerate.
And I have to mention the harpischord and organ, for this mix would not be the same without them. In future, all mixes lose marks for not having harpischord and organ in them. Love it. The ending is exspecially cool.
It's a really good tune, this, and although it does hop around all over the place, it always makes sense to me. And that's important. I haven't been big on this for a long time, but now I am really starting to like it. Nice one.
- Marmiduke on June 27, 2009
The wah'ed lead is a little loud too, but it's in their briefly and doesn't really detract.
I'm loving the harpsichord flourishes, and though i think the kit sound is a little too raw, it still sounds good.
I overlooked this one when it first came out due to not being familiar with the source, but i'm glad I finally got around to rocking; this track is excellent.
- OA on March 17, 2009
--Eino
- evktalo on December 11, 2007
- i <3 robots on July 30, 2006
- KyleJCrb on July 16, 2006
- Dhsu on July 11, 2006
Oh well, should've just shut up and take credit. :twisted:
- CPacaud on July 11, 2006
- Dhsu on July 11, 2006
CPacaud wrote: And Blind Hornet, I think this is just a case of having different philosophies about remixing. I'm not trying to stir up nostalgia or evoke the original feel, quite the contrary in fact. I'm trying to create something new based on the original music.
QFE. That's what remixes are supposed to do. If you want to hear the original, GO LISTEN TO THE ORIGINAL!
- Cerrax on July 7, 2006
- CptWillard on July 6, 2006
Consider which is more of a tribute: an arrangement that is more or less similar to what the original composer has already created or an arrangement which acknowledges that the original ideas were brilliant enough to take in a different direction.
- ktriton on July 6, 2006
