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OCR01859 - Final Fantasy IX "The Rose General"


djpretzel
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I'd first heard Kate's 'You're Not Alone' mix on youtube almost completely by accident. I was completely floored by her voice, and I was quite eager to hear the rest of her mixes.

This song is easily my favorite of hers; the arrangement is perfect for her voice (and even better that she played everything too!) and the lyrics are just right for the song. I won't lie, I'm a little envious of how easy she makes everything sound.

I look forward to hearing more from Kate, and look forward to hearing more of her songs on OCR.

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The synergy between instruments, lyrics, and voice modulation is inseparable and soul-touching. It feels like the marching drumwork replaces unanswered emotions with physical determination, and the guitar seems to echo the wishful sentiments that follow. Add the somber pace and brief silences and this mix not only invites empathy for a war general, but implicitly asks the listener to search for their own soul.

My favorite details:

- The high-note harp triplet at 0:36 and 2:37 is throat-constrictingly bittersweet.

- "When you look at me, what do you see?" - Sounds like a tender cry for help.

- "The red on my hands won't wash away, wash away" - This breeds a wealth of inner turmoil worse than any sword wound.

- "So here now I lay my Roses of May" - Taken literally, it sounds like a grave visit. Maybe it's a metaphor for paying respects to one's "dead" (former) self?

Introspective and interpretive.

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The classical theme and instruments fit well with Kate's voice. Too often, as far as what I've heard, vocals tend to clash with the rest of the composition. Definitely not the case here. The beautiful instruments matched the beautiful vocals, making a great take on a great FFIX song.

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Usually, the vocals in remixes are just another "instrument" to me; they enrich the soundscape, but I hardly ever pay any attention to what is actually sung.

This, however, is different. It's the very first time that I actually pay attention to the lyrics (might be because the instruments complement the vocals instead of just filling the soundscape as noisily as possible), and I really like them.

Quite the positive surprise. Nice work.

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This IS Beatrix's Theme. There's something about the way the vocals interplay with the soft soundscape going on here that, as mentioned above, make it personal. You can imagine these being the thoughts and feelings inside Beatrix as she fights.

Previous comments nail anything I'd say in a much more affluent way. The turmoil in this song gives it so much emotion and power. It's gut-wrenching. You hear this oath led in with a delicate strength, alternating between a facade utter devotion and devastating self-doubt.

I think her "Roses of May" is her past innocence, and the purity and peace of mind it brought her. She fought and fought - perhaps uncertain of the outcome - to try and find this feeling once again, each step sending her closer to damnation. I'm guessing the end of the song references Steiner - who was also a blind follower of Alexandria - who showed her what she should be devoted to, and gave her a new path to follow. She finally comes to terms with what she's done and accepts that while she may never have that innocence ever again, she can leave it behind and still be happy.

In any event, I don't know how I extrapolated that rant, but this song is most certainly one of the best I've heard in forever, and I am a damned fool for folk-style songs - which is why I love FFIX's soundtrack most overall. Great mix and keep them coming!

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None. At all. To describe this song...unless it be in the tongue of the angels of heaven.

It's been very long since a song, from _ANY_ source, has caused me to openly cry. Not just a tear, nor a stifled sniff. An open cry of anguish. Thinking back, I'm not even sure I *can* recall the last time.

This song pulls your soul's pain and lies it bear for your consideration. All the pain, suffering and loss you might have suffered in life...all the tears you held back, pain unacknowledged... It cuts through your soul as a razor.

I can say no more. *repeats song*

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Nice! I think some more reverb, especially in the intro, would have been nice, but it's all a matter of taste. Sounds like the mic picks up a little huff, and most of the consonants get garbled like through a phone, but it's ok. I haven't played any of the FF games, so I can't say anything about the source... interesting to hear this type of music here, at any rate. Keep it up.

Ticondrius... are you high? You need to listen more to folk music, this piece may be unique to ocr, both in style and quality, but there's lots more like it out in the big world.

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This is... beautiful. I rarely use such emotive words to refer to anything abstract like music, but this truly is. Although I do agree that it would be nice if the mic huff could be cleared up.

The lyrics are really inspired and appropriate, and I am totally serious when I say that this quite possibly deserves to become an official version.

As a general rule, I am highly suspicious of vocal ReMixes, but this totally goes in my list of incredible ones. Well deserved credit and kudos!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm so happy that you submitted this wonderful piece to OCRemix Kate; you've truly earned every bit of praise that you have received. (This is MagikalOverlord, from Youtube, in case you actually remember me XD) You have a bright, amazing future ahead of you, and I can only hope that if I ever start Spaztik Games I can get a chance to work with you. Best of luck, and hopefully we'll be seeing more of your beautiful arrangments on OCRemix in the future.

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"You woke up in a tavern."

No wait, that's a D&D joke with me and my mates... moving on.

This remix. Hrm. Well there is no hrm about it. I've always enjoyed the IX OST because it's a very different from previous FF games, maybe because Nobuo has experimented with a different kind of music, but this track is...

Well the voice is one of the best female vocals I've heard in a while, along with the lead singer of the prog band "Touchstone" who I stumbled accross at a Prog Rock Fesitval in Philedphia in May. But that last fact is neither here or there in regards with this song.

But, I'm not sure about the lyrics themselves. Yeah I can see Yashuiko's point with his interpretation of the lyrics, but it still doesn't fit, it it's Beatrix's theme or not, at least to me. I haven't had chance to anyalsis them, as well as my poor spelling today yet, but I'll get back to you later.

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This has been a fave of mine for a long time now, Kate is truely gifted and I want to thank her for sharing the talent she has with us. Her music is one of those that I feel honoured to listen to. Not only is she very talented but also a very sweet girl, so nice to chat with ^_^

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So perhaps my original post didn't really convey my sentiments on this song the best - I really love this song, and glad it submitted here. I relish listening to the song even still, and it has led me to Kate's other stuff via her YouTube page.

In particular, there is a quality in Kate's voice in her technique that really accentuates the style in such a way that it strikes emotional chords with the listener. It really meshes well with the minimalist backing.

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I've always felt Final Fantasy 9 is the most emotional game in the series, as well as its soundtrack. So it's fitting that this song leaves such an impact. It's also refreshing to hear real instruments played by real person. Kate's voice is one of the most beautiful I've ever heard. Not flattery, simply a statement of fact. Excellent work.

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