ReMix: Final Fantasy IV 'Éminence Grise'
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- Game: Final Fantasy IV (Square, 1991, SNES)
- ReMixer(s): DragonAvenger, OA
- Composer(s): Nobuo Uematsu
- Song(s): 'Another Moon'
- Posted: 2009-08-17, evaluated by the judges
- Album: Featured on Final Fantasy IV: Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption
Wow, where to begin... San Japan was a great con, but alas, I was out the entirety of Saturday with one of the worst cases of food poisoning I've ever had. Feeling better now, but at the time I was miserable, stayed in bed all day long, and watched Obama's town hall health care speech, Tiger Woods, and Ratatouille. Larry had to cover both of our panels himself, but he got an assist from Mega Ran on our ReMixing panel. A huge & hearty thanks to all who chipped in, all who showed up, and special thanks to San Japan staff, in particular Dave Henkin and Ken Wallen - in addition to being plain old awesome, this was a really well-organized convention. While I was out for most of it, I did get up & about on Sunday, and in addition to having already met Raheem, the LeetStreet Boys, ZeaLouS1, and others, we got to meet none other than VGM legend The Fat Man, George Alistair Sanger himself. We didn't get to chat for all that long, but for me at least it was a rather legendary moment.
Right then, on with the show: Here's another gem from Echoes, this time a vocal collab between OA and DragonAvenger. Mr. Luers writes:
"This was a really fun track to work on, and it seemed to come together really fast. I think DA's voice is perfect for the mood we were trying to convey, which is a sort of mysterious tension with sinister overtones. Projectwise, it's the lead-in track to the Climax of the final battle, so it needed to slowly build. The end leaves you expecting more, which is more effective in the album itself (with the next track resolving), but i think it works well enough to stand on its own. Lyrics came together really fast, with DA making a few welcome suggestions at the end. The title is a reference to game storyline. Extra thanks to Jay, Connor, and Justin for whispers and effects. You guys are awesome."
DA adds:
"When Andrew originally asked me what track I wanted to do on the project, I give him a few options, Another Moon being one of them. He immediately jumped on it, and I was pretty much along for the ride. He came up with lyrics when I was stuck, which I helped him complete later on. We both worked towards creating an ominous feel, in lyrics, voice, and during the track as a whole. Working with him was really easy, and he was always open to my ideas. The style of the song worked well with my voice, I love the effects that Andrew added. I look forward to working with him again."
I'm looking forward to that, too. The overall tone here has that hanging, suspenseful, "premonition" vibe nailed - it's basically the opposite of instant gratification, so it's not something you'll be toe-tappin' to or even necessarily humming afterward, but it creates a moment that's portentous and clouded... very unique. I've been seeing a lot of people who have spent more time re-listening to Echoes beginning to appreciate its depth more through repeated exposure; this is one of those tracks that warrants repetition to fully appreciate the environment OA & DA created. One of many reasons to check out the album if you haven't already, but also a peculiar, inventive, and well-executed piece of music in its own right.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the DA's vocals are excellent on this one, and great for material like this. Chilly! Along with "My Child", I think this piece was a big step forwards for DragonAvenger. (Bits of the delivery actually remind me of Kate Bush, which is good.)
The production is good. Solid and meaty, yet very spacey. A wonderful amount of detail too. The whispering is a neat effect. Appropriately creepy. My one gripe would be that the vocals around 2:13-02:30 (the "Tonight" bit) sound a little plain. Structurally they're positioned at a kind of a high point of the track.. they could've been sung more powerfully, or perhaps with additional harmony vocals, for additional highlight, or perhaps effected in a way that would've made them blend to make the whole more interesting texturally. Instead they're a bit of in the middle. This isn't a major gripe though, the track overall is just so good that a bit that's just decent (instead of great) kind of sticks out. :)
Great work all around! I'll also mention that the piece also functions very well where it's situated on the album.
--Eino
- evktalo on December 27, 2011
- Mirby on December 26, 2011
Hey, it got me to download the full album ;D
-edit-
I appear to have assisted in bumping this thread. This was not my intention; my apologies.
- AllanAokage on April 4, 2010
- Crulex on April 4, 2010
Nice work you two! :-D
- Emunator on December 13, 2009
- OA on November 10, 2009
- SoulinEther on September 7, 2009
It's by far one of my favourite tracks on the album, combining as it does a haunting, ethereal feel with great lyrics. The fact that the lyrics don't rhyme adds a certain... disjointedness (which is perfect for the context) without being so obvious as to be annoying. Whether or not this was a deliberate effect, it really works well.
I also like lyrics to be intelligible, but again I prefer it to be subtle enough to gel. In other words: clear, but not in-your-face. That's another thing this track does perfectly.
Lastly, this track easily passes the criterion required to be one of my "very favourite tracks", which is that I can listen to it on repeat for ages and not get fed up with it!
- Sorceror Nobody on September 7, 2009
- DragonAvenger on August 31, 2009
- Bahamut on August 19, 2009
The feeling made me shiver when I heard the MAGFest preview, and honestly, this is a really good song. The background really helps DA's vocals, and the vocals complement the backing perfectly.
Plus, I can understand the lyrics. Hurrah!
Awesome work, you two. Hope to hear another collab in the future.
- HitoriJaNai on August 19, 2009
- Gario on August 18, 2009
The most important thing here, I think, was establishing the right mood and I think OA nailed it. Great foreshadowing for the ending of the album with the tense/somewhat creepy feel to it.
I really love the legato string run (shocking, huh?) that comes in around 1:14 that gives the piece some additional movement & diversity.
I think DA was a great choice for vocals as her singing style seems to lend itself well to this genre. Great job guys.
- Nutritious on August 18, 2009
