ReMix: Sonic Advance 'The Glacier's Peak'
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- Game: Sonic Advance (Sega, 2001, GBA)
- ReMixer(s): jmr
- Composer(s): Tatsuyuki Maeda, Yutaka Minobe
- Song(s): 'Ice Mountain Zone: Act 1'
- Posted: 2012-01-15, evaluated by the judges
Our first Sonic Advance mix comes courtesy jmr, who anchors a pleasant jam on a music box motif & solo piano for an upbeat, soft groove that fit nicely into Dyne's xmas project back in 2010:
"This one was first hastily put together for Dyne's An OverClocked Christmas V4 over the course of two days in December 2010. I started off with the idea of re-creating the song as a music box jingle, and just expanded on it from there. (I was considering recording an 'introduction' consisting of me winding up a music box, but I thought it would be too cheesy.) Like my Mario Galaxy remix, the arrangement is close to the original, but I think I've deviated from and expanded on the one-minute long source tune enough to pass the bar here. Enjoy!"
It leans a little heavily on the intro music box pattern, but I still think Jeffrey's done enough to evolve the source into a more complete song form. halc writes:
"...arrangement does take the pretty conservative route for the first half, keeping a lot of the writing the same but swung and with some added embellishment. the second half makes up for it with good harmonies and counterpoint while keeping the general vibe the same. it's close, but I'd say this is interpretive enough to pass. I thought the bass was a little quiet at first, but on repeat listens, it's no bother. digging your bell and piano samples, and the mix definitely has a wintery vibe to it. I enjoyed this quite a bit."
It's a straightforward mix that focuses more on executing a core arrangement concept well than trying too many variations or structural deviations. I think that's a plus, in terms of simplicity & accessibility - and just being a pleasant bit of music - but I also think jmr should explore adding a bit more narrative and having clear-cut climaxes or additive developments; this probably could have benefited from just one or two additional motifs, patterns, additions/removals, or textures. Deia adds:
"Personally I love how you swung the rhythm; it adds a really fun bounce to the track and really makes it feel happy-go-lucky. Agreed with Andrew that it feels a little dry overall, which is a little distracting, but not a dealbreaker. Arrangement is conservative, but I think it gets the job done and has a decent amount of personalizing and expansion."
Agreed; great to hear more GBA musics gettin' some attention, and to see some more non-Genesis Sonic love, too, for that matter. I think jmr can expand on this type of foundation and tweak it just slightly to go in some new directions, but there's a direct, positive, warm vibe here that's enjoyable & solid nonetheless.
Discussion: Latest 13 comments/reviews; view the - Crulex on December 12, 2012
PROTO·DOME;837759 wrote: Yeah agreed.
Sonic Advance 1 and 2 (especially 2, not 3, they pushed their luck there) are the best Sonic games this side of 2000, period. The engine is fantastic, art style is brilliant, music is killer and the gameplay is a logical progression from the old games. Why these titles get little attention from the Sonic community (and SEGA) is beyond me.
Couldn't agree more. Been waiting for the day when Sonic Advance (any of the three games) gets remixed. Some amazing tunes were hidden in these gems. Though I agree with you regarding no.3, I'm still hoping someone gets around to remixing some tunes from that game especially. It's one of my favorite video games in terms of music.
All three games have amazing tunes, and the Ice Mountain Act 1 is my favorite from the first game. I love how the original feel of the song is kept very much the same as one would experience playing the game. This is a very lovely mix that's been put forward.
- ZArsenalZ on January 26, 2012
Shake;835975 wrote: Incredibly excited when I saw the title logo from Sonic Advance 1 on the right side of the screen.Yeah agreed.
The site has plenty of Sonic arranges of the old console games, but the handheld games get no love. Which is a shame because the music quality is just as good. Hell, the gameplay is just as good. Seriously.
Sonic Advance 1 and 2 (especially 2, not 3, they pushed their luck there) are the best Sonic games this side of 2000, period. The engine is fantastic, art style is brilliant, music is killer and the gameplay is a logical progression from the old games. Why these titles get little attention from the Sonic community (and SEGA) is beyond me.
Anyway, whilst yeah, this is a bit of a sound upgrade from the original, it's no way a bad thing and I most definitely enjoyed the listen.
I love that you hold off on stating the VIb, VIIb, I progression 'till around 2 minutes in. The subtle little change in harmony helps to give the whole thing a sense of progression and, really with that sequence, resolution.
- PROTO·DOME on January 22, 2012
Quaint and very enjoyable.
- Emunator on January 18, 2012
- BlackRazgriz on January 17, 2012
Shake;835975 wrote: Incredibly excited when I saw the title logo from Sonic Advance 1 on the right side of the screen.
The site has plenty of Sonic arranges of the old console games, [b]but the handheld games get no love. Which is a shame because the music quality is just as good.[/b] Hell, the gameplay is just as good. Seriously.
Anyway, great arrangement. Would love to see more arranges of these songs, in particular, egg rocket zone 1.
This so much. Though a similar story could be said for the 3d Sonics as well. Past Sonic Adventure 2, it is hard to find love as well (we got one mix from 06 but that's it). Still, gotta start somewhere, and this is an excellent start
- NegimaSonic on January 17, 2012
- Yami on January 16, 2012
The site has plenty of Sonic arranges of the old console games, but the handheld games get no love. Which is a shame because the music quality is just as good. Hell, the gameplay is just as good. Seriously.
Anyway, great arrangement. Would love to see more arranges of these songs, in particular, egg rocket zone 1.
- Shake on January 15, 2012
- SuperiorX on January 15, 2012
- uhhh6677 on January 15, 2012
- WesternZypher on January 15, 2012
