ReMix: Marathon 'The Forerunner Mix (Gamma)'
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- Game: Marathon (Bungie, 1994, MAC)
- ReMixer(s): Nick Singer
- Composer(s): Alex Seropian
- Song(s): 'A Walk in the Woods', 'Flowers in Heaven', 'The Maw'
- Posted: 2009-07-18, evaluated by the judges
First Alpha, then Beta, and now... Gamma. While my software development-driven mind was expecting 'Release Candidate' or 'RTM,' this works too. Oh yeah - I'm referring to Nick Singer's Marathon mixes, of which this third arrangement is the latest addition. He writes:
"I finally got round to finishing a third of the marathon mixes I sent you last year. Like the others, it's a bit unstructured; after the transition in the middle it becomes mostly a wash of harmonies without a clear lead, which probably renders it more suitable for background/in-game music than as a standalone piece. It uses the themes Flowers in Heaven from Marathon, and A Walk in the Woods and The Maw from Halo.
The main tune is from Flowers from heaven, with a more Halo-style instrumentation and emphasis on the three note rhythmical motif- this then surges into a section based on the chords from A Walk in the Woods, which may not be so easy to recognize because of the slower tempo. The harmony from The Maw then takes us through a bridge and back to an understated version of the Flowers melody."
Like its similarly titled forebears, this mix has silky smooth production, with shimmering synths, semi-industrial electronic drums & FX, and expansive ambient pads. While mixing is shinier than Nick's previous Marathon mixes, arrangement is considerably more liberal, and judges had to do their homework to make some of the connections, even with the source breakdown the artist provided. AnSo writes:
"Larry's breakdown (see below) made me think a lot about this.. It's always hard to judge a remix that arranges a source that's extremely simple or lacks a clear hook to rely on. The Halo sources are mostly about the chords and Flowers in Heaven is very barren. I'm still on the edge about counting the three note pattern used from 0:07 forward but the more I think of it I realize it's the second most distinct part of Flowers in Heaven since the goddamn track only has two elements! I also thought you could've used the melodic movement the top note does in A Walk in the Woods. Now you're using only the chords and not the melodic motif. Reduction is ok but in this case there's not much to reduce really... However, the more I listen to the source the more I accept this as ok source usage."
Andy adds:
"I love the flow of the arrangement, and while the level of source usage is definitely in a gray area, I feel comfortable enough to say that it's within our standards. Though I won't get into an exact analysis, I felt like the remix masterfully blended the source tunes with original writing. This might be my favorite of the Forerunner series, Nick."
Bottom line: excellent addition to what is now a fine trilogy of Marathon/Halo arrangements from Nick!
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the Lucentas;569667 wrote: I absolutely love Alpha and Beta, and Gamma did not disappoint. Just as ambient, just as deep and powerful, with a wealth of elements that complement rather than muddle each other.
And I, for one, was not bothered at all by the purportedly liberal handling of the sources...because I've never heard the sources .(Yes, I'm the only one in the world who hasn't played Halo. Go on and shun me.)
Nope, I haven't played it either. I actually don't like war/first person shooters like that. But soundtracks are something completly different! Love this one!
- Sari Uchiha on January 26, 2011
This is really just super atmosphere and texture, and though there aren't any melodic hooks that really draw me in, the soundscape presented is very compelling. I really like the percussion with the super-treated snares, and though this wouldn't be something i'd rock out to frequently, it provides an excellent mood, and some beautiful progressions. It's almost like electronic new age. Thumbs up!
- OA on May 3, 2010
- Krypt222 on May 3, 2010
The sounds and production are wonderful and there's a few interesting moments, but personally I feel like this was leading up to something that never came.
- Emunator on December 22, 2009
It's not just bc it's Halo, I don't even own the game.
But it fits as a pretty outro
- Mtlbro on August 10, 2009
- Martin Penwald on August 4, 2009
Granted, they post news about everything Halo (and by extension Bungie) related, but if it means more exposure for OCR, that's a good thing.
- Ferret on July 27, 2009
And I, for one, was not bothered at all by the purportedly liberal handling of the sources...because I've never heard the sources .(Yes, I'm the only one in the world who hasn't played Halo. Go on and shun me.)
- Lucentas on July 21, 2009
- Tables on July 18, 2009
Sorry to those who thought it was a bit too loosely related to the source material. I see your point, it's a bit muddy and a bit abstract, but I sent the mix to Alex Seropian a while ago and he said it made him all nostalgic, so it can't be that far off! :-P
I guess it works best as a 'mood' piece, attempting to capture the atmosphere of those games rather than faithfully reproducing the actual musical content. That's my excuse anyway!
- integration on July 18, 2009
- Palpable on July 18, 2009
What happened at 1:22? Feels like ending a sentence in ALLCAPS AND THEN FORGETTING PUNCTUATION not really the smoothest transition. Overall the soundscape makes up for it. Not as good as Alpha and Beta, but it has an epic soundtrack feel, perhaps more a movie score feel than the other two as they are written and mixed to be more foreground music while this is more ambient, more background. Like most parts of a movie score. And that's not a bad thing. :D
- Rozovian on July 18, 2009
Love the atmospheric, almost dreamy feel. A worthy addition to my "OCR: Greatest Hits" playlist.
- Petara on July 18, 2009
