Jump to content

OCR01234 - EarthBound "Dreaming on Distant Shores"


djpretzel
 Share

Recommended Posts

I'm torn. On one hand, Earthbound is my favorite game, ever, of all time. Nothing will top it. So a new EB mix fills me with joy.

On the other hand, are we talking about the same Earthbound here? The cult classic SNES RPG? I've played it at least once a year, every year since it came out, and although I hear some thematic similarities and samples I really don't recognize this song as anything from the game. So I'm sort of disappointed in that regard.

However, as a piece, on its own, it does some really neat and funky things. The trance ebb is carried throughout and it's very relaxing, I like the acidic synths and the crunchy drums near the middle. The instrumentation is well put together and the acoustic guitar is great (I normally abhor acoustic guitar used in electronic music) and the percussion has a very minimal quality to it. I seem to be hearing a sample of the sound stone melody in the background at places, but it may be my imagination. I love how it breaks down in the end to simple guitar and bass, it's got a bit of melancholy that reminds me of the end of the game--happy, and yet, sad. If they EVER make another Earthbound game I can see this being part of the soundtrack. Great work, even if it's more of a departure than I normally like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As much as I like it, I'd have to agree with Squid. On my first listen, I couldn't recognize any EarthBound music in it at all. After figuring out which song he was referring to and listening to it a couple of times, I could barely recognize bits of the melody in the intro and ending during my second listen.

Overall, I like the sound of it, but I never would have recognized it as an EarthBound mix if I hadn't been told that's what it was supposed to be, and even so, I'm still not sure that I do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it sounds the same as every other electronica/techno mix i've ever heard.

Just because you know what a 909 hi-hat is doesn't make you an expert on electronica. Please don't judge anything so "harshly" until you get some musical sense.

Anyway, this is some of the most developmental, dreamy, well-structured, trance-inducing stuff I've heard in a long while. The arrangement is excellent, and the production is nothing short of wonderful. My only real complaint would have to be the somewhat awkward flow of the song from the softer sections into the other stuff.

Very, very nice.

-chth

Link to comment
Share on other sites

first time listening:

I didn't like the intro, it takes some time before something really starts to happen. somewhere around 3'00 it gets really nice though.. makes you feel like floating trough the galaxy ;)

second time listening:

Yups, intro is definitely too long for my taste, but this time I listened more closely to the construction of this song. Although the same chords keep repeating on and on, they won't get boring. Those simple chords makes me feel like floating and I like the way they come back in a different variety each time :)

Overall:

Maybe the intro is too long, but listen it, and you'll get something nice in return :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like this. Very original and dream-like.

I'm not sure how close it is to the original melody though... The Earthbound .RSN doesn't have anything named "A Flash of Memory", and while this does seem vaguely familiar, I can't put my finger on it. Still very good though.

EDIT: Oh, and I'm pretty sure that the intro and ending is Tessie's theme, but the meat of the mix is a different track.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember hearing this track some time ago on VGMix (which is what made me seek out other Rellik tracks here :D), and utterly loving it. Very "protagonist runs away from everything down the street at the end of the movie, right before the credits roll," if that makes sense. It gives me a sense of a cinematic, epic, and emotional ending, but not so much as to distract from the beauty of the track. All said, this is certainly one of my favorite game mixes ever. Very good to finally see it on OC.

This coming from someone who never could get very far in Earthbound. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is amazing that this remix captures the essence of Earthbound so well. It sounds like it would have come off of the "Mother 3" soundtrack, if the game existed. I love the grit of this track and the bass, reminds me of "Alan Parsons Project" song called "Lucifer." The 2:20+ SFX programming is VERY, VERY sweet. It is not easy to do what he has done. The 3:10 distorted solo is THICK. The breakbeat drum break, even though it is like 1 measure, adds a lot. The choir, perfect. This guy not only knows what he is doing, he can control his results. I love a quality mix, and this is top notch. No tricks, no bullshit, just quality mixing, filtering, and programming. I must confess that the breakdown took me by surprise, but it definitely keeps things interesting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

first time listening:

I didn't like the intro, it takes some time before something really starts to happen. somewhere around 3'00 it gets really nice though.. makes you feel like floating trough the galaxy ;)

second time listening:

Yups, intro is definitely too long for my taste, but this time I listened more closely to the construction of this song. Although the same chords keep repeating on and on, they won't get boring. Those simple chords makes me feel like floating and I like the way they come back in a different variety each time :)

Overall:

Maybe the intro is too long, but listen it, and you'll get something nice in return :)

Yes it gets more and more enjoyable every time..

ADD THIS REMIX TO YER PLAYLISTS NOW PPL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...