ReMix:Chrono Cross "Dreaming Still" 4:13

By Jillian Aversa

Arranging the music of one song...

"RADICAL DREAMERS ~The Jewel That Has Not Been Stolen~"

Primary Game: Chrono Cross (Square , 1999, PS1), music by Yasunori Mitsuda

Posted 2007-02-14, evaluated by the judges panel


Depending upon your temperament, perspective, and situation, Valentine's Day is either about love, chocolate, or the Bourgeoisie opportunistically using yet another holiday to mass market themed paraphernalia and guilt-trip the masses into squandering their money and dignity for teddy bears and blood diamonds. That last one's a little dark, sorry about that. If you're a professionally licensed curmudgeon, like myself, it's about being extra annoyed at the preponderance of stupidly happy couples sharing meaningful slow-motion stares. And also, chocolate. Single, dating, married, N/A, or otherwise, I suggest we all just consider it a day to eat chocolate and shut the hell up. And it should occur weekly, as well. THEN I wouldn't be such a hater.

But I digress; though she's collabed to varying extents on mixes in the interim, this is only Jill's second solo piece for OCR thus far, an appropriately romantic vocal arrangement from Chrono Cross. pixietricks writes:

"Okay, so several of you know this already, but this mix has actually been sitting around on my computer for quite some time. I showed it to a few people over the summer to get some feedback, and then the next time I tried to open the project file, it was damaged. All attempts at recovery were unsuccessful, sadly. There are still things I wish I could change (i.e. varying up the percussion, tighter snare, reverb on the attack strings, more distinct panning in the choir section...), but I still feel like the piece is in a good place.

So yeah! It's a song about longing/unrequited love... Really original, I know. :wink: Thankfully the lyrics no longer apply in my life, but I'm sure they will reach an audience of sorts. I drew my inspiration almost completely from Dido on this one: specifically her song "Here With Me" from the album No Angel, which was featured as the opening credits track on Roswell, an awesome sci-fi TV series. Hope you like!"

I suppose that's yet another good, sound case for making consistent backups of project files, but honestly this sounds pretty polished and... finished. The tempo and structure remind me of Bjork's Venus as a Boy; the vocal is front and center, drums mixed prominently, and a sweeping, ethereal atmosphere envelopes the whole thing. My favorite line in the lyric is "And how your breath would feel against my eyes" just because I think the specific image it conjures is both accurate and interesting - I can't remember hearing it articulated before. The drum build-up following the last line is well-timed, and the mix overall has exits and entrances that are subtle but very graceful; nothing interrupts the vibe, but things don't stagnate, either. Since it's V-day, and this was Jill's mix, we'll see what Andy had to say:

"The arrangement here is solid. Added harmonies and riffs are there to build on the rather sparse source, and there are several sections with original melody over the source chord progression (a method of variation I typically recommend). Again, I can see Jon's complaint about the chord progression staying pretty static for most of the time, but that's somewhat minor. I'd compare the approach to "Snow Motion" or "Xenosphere" which have relatively static or even NO chord progressions, but still pull it off by building up percussive/synth and other elements on top. Jill worked in progressively more percussive parts, riffs, and harmonies as the mix went on which kept things fresh. My main complaint: where's the rap solo?

Overall, this is a very cool mix in a style that we don't usually see here. There are a couple minor production complaints, but even if she still had access to the project, they're not worth a NO. Personally, I would like to see more people mixing in downtempo, new age, or chillout styles (where are you Gray!) It can be tough to pull off but this mix proves that Jill's got the style down. Great job!"

It definitely is a style, and while things could have been played out more both tonally and rhythmically, that type of divergence can always be risky when trying to create a consistent atmosphere. It's not unlike Jill's first solo piece in its minimalist approach and heavy emphasis on vocals, but there's more substance and recognizable variation. Whoever you are, whatever your romantic predicament (and believe me, there are far worse things than being single), and however you feel about the holiday, set some time aside to check this one out; it's even got a perfect mix title, with a double read on "still" as "motionless" or "as previously" (or a dozen alternate defs that would probably work, too) - very cool.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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2dark4light
on 2012-12-31 15:25:42

a calming and stirring beautiful voice. I really enjoy running across a mix with her singing in it. she really sets it off.

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Bahamut
on 2012-07-24 12:11:43

This mix, while not completely polished, is one of the most enjoyable mixes on the site for me - part of that might be to having a soft spot for female vocals, and Jill sings well enough here. I would absolutely love an updated version of this!

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MechaFone
on 2010-05-29 18:24:52

Incredible vocals as always. I actually really like the background music, it's a very atmospheric sound to me. I'm adding this to my vocal playlist.

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Overdriven
on 2010-04-09 17:26:43

well, *someone* uses Logic. blatantly.

anyway, nice mix. vocal mixes don't usually show up on my radar (or my collection) but i downloaded the torrents and this came up. nice mix, very mellow, interesting use of the drum loop at the end. would not normally see that.

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Nutritious
on 2009-07-04 12:54:42

Very beautiful remix here. Vocals sound great, very good processing on them. Good use of harmonies and vocals as background fillers in addition to main lyrics.

That said, I would've like to hear a more polished beat that makes some changes to keep it interesting. Overall, the backing track is pretty basic, but it's the vocals that are center stage here, and they're excellent.

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glasfen
on 2008-10-10 11:56:44

This ReMix was my introduction to the musical stylings and incredible voice of pixietricks. It blew me away to hear such emotive lyrics woven into a wonderful source. Inspiring and poignant, it made me happy to have found OCR.

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Forgotten
on 2007-05-23 04:12:47

A nice remix to my fav video game song. well done

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mDuo13
on 2007-04-28 22:00:59

Wow. The chill beats, the sweet moves, and then the amazing vocal harmonies in this piece make it incredibly beautiful. Jill, you've done it again, and not only that, you get better and better every time I hear you.

Aside: this piece also flows really well into Reuben Kee's "Beauty's Abomination".

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maestermatt
on 2007-04-20 00:09:14

one of the only reasons i come back here is. because i love to hear that angelic voice. that comes out of pixie. keep up the good work sweetie. and good luck with your life.

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Theory of N
on 2007-04-19 18:53:07

buh...beautiful :3

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JoeRW
on 2007-04-18 02:57:08

PixieTricks has a great voice, non indulgent, emotive and on key. I like the vocal harmonics here, very tasteful and timely. The backing percussives and effects are like the snowflakes in a chilling cold while the vocals are a warmth that pierces in crescendo to bring on a sunlit panoramic feel.

Definitely a standout here on ocremix, one of my faves although I havent played the game. I also love trance and it would be interesting to see if this could be made into a hybrid trance track a la Tiesto.

Great Work!

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ShrikeArghast
on 2007-04-05 00:59:56

Everything pixietrcks does always sounds like a whine to me. I don't know what it is - whether she sings slightly off key, or if it's the tone of her voice, or what; but when she sings, I feel like I'm listening to a nagging ex-girlfriend croon at me over the phone.

The rest of the song is top notch, aside from the drums which, as most other people have noted, are kind of overpowering. Otherwise, it moves slowly, is recognizeably faithful to the original material, and has smooth audio. 8/10 on everything but the vocals, 4/10 on the vocals themselves. Sorry, not every review can be ultra positive.

*Edit* Actually, what I said about the vocals is not entirely true, because I really enjoyed the singing in Journey's End, just not in this mix.

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Arwen
on 2007-03-31 23:42:24

Everyone needs a chilled track like this. I actually liked the same-ness of the chord progression, it seems to be part of the point of the piece. The whispering around 1:25 is excellent and rounds out the track's cool mystery.

I particularly like the harmony. I have not noticed as much use of harmony in pixietricks' other pieces, but I think that harmony helps a lot when you have a voice that is pure like hers. I think it's harder on someone with a pure voice because the ear gets very unforgiving for straying off-key even an ioda, but harmony can help compensate for that.

All in all it's a dreamlike piece with an icy edge that really kindles the imagination!

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Degree
on 2007-03-26 23:55:56

An absolute beautifully chilled track.

Jill's voice is so beautiful. I could listen to it forever.

Keep up the amazing work Jill. I'm a fan. :]

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gregfrost
on 2007-03-11 18:44:37

This song is super chilled. Jill mentioned Dido as an inspiration, and I think the feel of the piece compares very well to some of that singer's work on No Angel. I plan to listen to this one a lot.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Chrono Cross (Square , 1999, PS1)
Music by Yasunori Mitsuda
Songs:
"RADICAL DREAMERS ~The Jewel That Has Not Been Stolen~"

Tags (6)


Genre:
Hip Hop,Pop
Mood:
Chill
Instrumentation:
Singing,Vocals: Female
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original

File Information


Name:
Chrono_Cross_Dreaming_Still_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,157,541 bytes
MD5:
5bae099bc2263af5fab3d47caa650c99
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:13

Sometimes I lie awake at night and wait
The shadows changing on the hollow wall
And moonlight streaming through my windowpane
Leaves me cold, under the shroud of nightfall

You're there beside me in my deepest dreams
A ghost of all the weight I feel within
And floating endlessly, my heart believes
That we are one, ready to touch, to begin

Imagine how your lips would taste on mine
And how your breath would feel against my eyes
My heart is racing for the millionth time
Don't let go of this thought, otherwise

There's a haze, a feeling that I get with you
And this hand won't let go
Lead me, show me just how love's supposed to feel
So that I won't be dreaming...

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