ReMix: NiGHTS into dreams... 'Tomorrow Should Have Been Last Night'
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- Game: NiGHTS into dreams... (Sega, 1996, SAT)
- ReMixer(s): DragonAvenger, OA
- Composer(s): Fumie Kumatani, Naofumi Hataya, Tomoko Sasaki
- Song(s): 'After The Dream'
- Posted: 2011-09-21, evaluated by djpretzel
- Album: Featured on NiGHTS: Lucid Dreaming
Bogglin' your noggin' with its titular temporal paradox comes another cut off Lucid Dreaming, this time from OA, w/ a vocal assist from DragonAvenger. Andrew writes:
"I loved the serene and calm, yet flowing source song, and immediately imagined it in an even more relaxed, soft rock style. One of my goals for 2010 was to improve the expressiveness of my lead guitar playing, so having a pretty naked lead tone really shines a light on the subtle vibrato and phrasing.
The song was about done, but needed a certain "je ne sais quoi," so I convinced the lovely and talented Deia to do some backing vocals, which really brought the track together, especially the ending. Nice work, Drastic Baby. :-)"
Voulez-vous coucher avec... mix? Lovely, floating guitar - the specific clean, sustained tone that Andrew achieves, coupled with lyricless vocalizing, reminds me of Cocteau Twins a lot, which is nice because I'd almost forgotten about them. If Stevo's mix conjures a feeling of racing on the wind, twisting & turning through valleys and around clouds, then I think OA & Deia have captured the other side of the metaphorical flying coin - soaring calmly in the night sky, perhaps looking down on a village or town, perhaps w/ fireworks and/or a carnival, etc.; that zen sense of hovering high above civilization, observing it in ample peace + space. If I had one salient criticism it's that I would have preferred a more mobile, discrete bassline; the tone is nice, but it feels a little too warm and continuous, and I'd have preferred more movement to accentuate each new bar or phrase in some way. This is precisely the type of genre/track where the bass is often neglected, and while it's far from being on auto-pilot in this instance, I think there was more it could have said. That being said, the purity of the lead guitar really serves the arrangement perfectly, I also concur that DA's vocals added a perfect, elevating touch, and the overall vibe is expansive, liberating, and emotional. More excellence from Lucid Dreaming that almost serves as a companion track to 'Twin Seeds Flyby' and continues to show the album's many strengths.
Discussion: Latest 9 comments/reviews; view the - OA on December 16, 2011
- Crulex on December 12, 2011
Good job you two!
- Bahamut on December 7, 2011
Anyways, I was originally slated to do this, but... well, frankly I'm glad I didn't, because in its place was created THIS. THIS EPIC MASTERPIECE OF EPICOSITY. I mean, really, I am a huge fan of both OA's and DragonAvenger's work, particularly when they work together, and this served as a perfect ending to the end of the first CD. I know I personally enjoy listening to it far more than I would my old stinkin' track... but that's just personal bias.
Fantastic song, you two! Continue with the amazingness, and thanks for helping me confuse what tomorrow or yesterday should have been even further! XD Goodness, its time to wake up...
- HitoriJaNai on December 6, 2011
If I remember correctly, the title of the track was a mistake being correct in a conversation between the two, and it kind of stuck out as being a good descriptor for the emotions behind the song. This is a love ballad in everything but words, because it doesn't need any. The crisp, shimmering guitars lead as the gated pad and dreamy vocal work from deia carry the song. This is some of OA's most out-of-box guitar work to date, and it shows he's comfortable with his guitar being more exposed and less processed. Deia's vocals are haunting and ethereal, a perfect fit for the song.
Overall this is my favorite piece of work from you so far, Andrew, and I mean that with as much of my NiGHTS bias removed as possible. I can't wait to hear what your next collab with Deia sounds like!
- Level 99 on December 5, 2011
- Emunator on October 13, 2011
When hearing it in the listening party, it felt like it had a great position near the end of CD 1 as one to wind down after some of the liveliver performances there ("New Jack Mantle in particular). In regards to the arrangement, so much had been done to maintain both the melody line and the general atmosphere behind it to maintain the heart and soul behind the source material, while a lot of the original writing had worked out so well to keep with the track's gentle flow.
The production's also very precise as we've come to expect from OA as well, though I did notice a little quirk. During the listening party I felt from listening it through headphones that it had a tendancy to weigh down your body really quickly, as if it wanted to enduce sleep. Did you sneak in some binaural beats into the pads? Because what you did there really seemed to amplify the general mood just as well as the arrangement did.
Only downside I can see is the sudden ending, but maybe there was something intentional going on for the album that required it to end that way.
That aside though, the collab worked extremely well, and I'm glad to see it not only follow up one of my OWN tracks (lol shameless self promotion), but more importantly to see it emerge from the album, onto the site and into musical bliss. That said, nice going you two! :)
- Rexy on September 23, 2011
Love the vocals and guitar =)
- Chris | Amaterasu on September 22, 2011
