OCR02088 - *YES* Metal Gear Solid 2 'Solid Snake's Cigarette Break'

[Palpable]

LOVE the title - palp

Contact Information

Alexander Bornstein

Alexander Bornstein

myspace.com/alexanderbornstein

#32755

Submission Information

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

"Solid Snake's Cigarette Break"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_2:_Sons_of_Liberty_Original_Soundtrack

The theme from the first two Metal Gear games have long held a special musical place for me. Hearing the original HGW arrangement for the first time took the credibility of the game to a new level. It's a very expressive idea, and was versatile in conveying the heroism and emotive qualities of the Metal Gear games which themselves were very large in an emotional scope. Jazz is also amazingly versatile in expression, and hearing the minor keyed quality of the theme with the unique synergy of a piano trio and distinctly Jazz influenced harmonies (like those used by Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, or McCoy Tyner) seemed like a curious experiment. I was really excited to hear the results, and hope you enjoy this take on such a well known theme. The piano, bass, and drums were performed by myself.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECjDfQd8QVc

[OceansAndrew]

Parts seem pretty conservative at first, but each time I listen to the track I notice nuances that show depth, and further connections to the source in what I first took to be original sections. The playing throughout is really nice, and I love the super subtle drums at the beginning, and the groove is really nice.

Production is clear and clean, but has real atmosphere to it. Very well done.

Classy and understated. I really enjoy this one.

Yes

[Vig]

I'm very torn on this. I'd say just about everything about it is good, and nothing about is great. This is a very straightforward jazz trio performance. Because of the exposed nature of that format, the listener will tend to be a lot less forgiving of performance shortcomings that might be overlooked in a more densely arranged style.

Ignoring for a second its context and the fact that it's a rather creative reinterpretation, as a jazz recording this piece simply doesn't cut the mustard. The performances are really just not rhythmically and melodically sophisticated enough to stand up in this genre. The strength in the piano playing is definitely the chord voicings, but the solo is entirely uncaptivating, and the comping rhythms are clunky. The drum part lacks any sort of subtlety or rhythmic complexity. It's just a placeholder. The bass isn't bad but it's also pretty basic and doesn't seem to be communicating with the piano or drums.

There are absolutely some solid ideas here and the concept is enjoyable, but if you listen to the more straightforward jazz remixes on the site (neskvartetten, etc) the performances here aren't really at the same level.

NO

[Palpable]

Before the 1:19 mark, I was ready to agree with Jesse's vote, but it really took off there and started clicking. The soloing isn't ornate but it works, and the section following it has an interesting take on the melody line. The voicings in the song are great. The problem is that the intro section is definitely weaker than the rest. The piano sounds dry which causes dead space at times, and the instruments are a little too loose. But after a couple listens, even that starts to click a little more, and overall I think it's a close pass. It's not on the level of Neskvartetten but few jazz remixes on this site are. There are some things that could have been done to improve this, like more reverb, more intricate playing, but it's just good enough.

YES (borderline)

[DarkeSword]

I think it's solid enough, though I wish there was more going on in that ride pattern. Walking bass is solid, comping picks up after 1:19 and really locks in.

Yeah, that percussion could've worked more with the other players. It's cool though.

Great arrangement, really intimate. Perfect title too. I dig!

YES

[DragonAvenger]

I can also echo that the title is awesome.

It is a shame that the opening is as weak as it is, because the rest of the song is pretty decent. I can agree with Vig that the performances overall are not great, but when things get going I think they do the job decently enough. I would definitely like to see you improve, because there are some great ideas going on here that will only sound better as your skill increases in playing.

Ideas are pretty good, and the performances overall are passable, though it is borderline. Keep improving, please!

YES (borderline)

[Palpable]

With two borderline votes, it'd be nice to get at least one more YES on this.

[Jillian Aversa]

The intro does drag a bit - and not because of length, but it just doesn't sound as tight as it could. Still, once the rhythm picks up it's definitely quite enjoyable. Production is clean, arrangement is good (if not a little brief). Sure, it's not Neskavartetten, but we can't expect every jazz, rock, or dance remix to be on par with the "cream of the crop" artists here.

I think this track is solid, and I think Alex shows a lot of potential. He played all the parts himself - that's gotta count for something! ^_~ Let's plant this seed and watch it grow...

YES

[Vig]

I'm flattered by the implication that my vote is equal to four, but I think it's okay to close this one.

[Liontamer]

It wasn't super duper impeccably polished, but it was still significantly above the bar. I co-sign with Jesse's criticisms, even though I wouldn't be able to articulate those myself, but like the other YESs, thought the arrangement and execution weren't even teasing borderline. It's very good, not yet great, but very plainly got the job done. A good laid back take on Snake, make no mistake.

YES