Jump to content

*NO* EarthBound 'Nausea Lovestroke'


djpretzel
 Share

Recommended Posts

http://snesmusic.org/spcsets/mo2.rsn - "Hospital" (mo2-025.spc)

Played this on VGF73, so, while I liked it, I've heard it early enough to express some concerns. I'm feeling the guitar work here, but something about the percussion didn't create the right texture and sounded out of place to me. Despite the attempt at a subdued feel for the track, the percussion actually sounded too thick here.

It was only during part of the track (e.g. :22-:41, 1:06-1:20, 1:49-2:17) but the heavier-sounding drums patterns didn't seem to gel with the rest of the track. They stuck out enough where they were too exposed as really basic and repetitive. The softer sounding percussion (e.g. :00-:21, :42-1:06, 1:24-1:48) sounded basic as well but didn't draw too much attention to itself.

Overall, the drum patterns themselves were also a bit sparse, with the lyrics and other instrumentation unable to compensate and fill out the soundfield. Perhaps someone could better articulate why things weren't necessarily clicking here. Even if there were 0 arrangement concerns, the background instrumentation isn't getting the job done. Considering it's supposed to be the foundation, it's a weak foundation.

But more important to me, besides the keyboard playing the backing of the source, I wasn't hearing much overt arrangement of "Hospital". I'll be glad to reevaluate this after talking to weed and/or reading other votes, but aside from opening and the keyboard here, I'm not hearing much of "Hospital" in this very liberal spin of the source. The lyrics and the bassline all seem to be doing their own thing most of the time.

"Hospital" may lack a prominent melody, but IMO there's a enough material in it [including a reference to "The Metropolis of Fourside" (mo2-083.spc)] to base a full-fledged arrangement off of it. If that's not the case, perhaps integrate more arrangement of Fourside into the instrumentation ideas. Sorry bro. Lyrically, this a is a great song that I find myself singing, but goes to far off the beaten path.

NO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I'm going to disagree with Larry on the percussion in this one, the samples sound very thin. This sounds like it could use some nice thick beats to drive it along.

Apart from that, the arrangement of the mix is very simplistic, there's not a lot going on here beyond the guitar, vocals and thin percussion. I'd like to see a strong sound through the mix. The vocals themselves sounding kind of dissonant to the rest of the mix to me as well, not really feeling them here. Not sure if that's just a matter of taste or not though.

Even so, I'd like to hear this one again with some better beats and a thicker sound to accompany the guitar.

NO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the concerns about how the drums sound are pretty valid, though for reggae the drum patterns are supposed to be sparse.

the biggest problem for me is that the rhthym section doesn't groove, which is a necessity for the genre.

your bass playing has improved greatly, but at times you're trying to do too much and subsequently losing the harmonic foundation along with the groove. for example, during the guitar solo you start noodling and moving away from the root of the chord. you'll never hear the bass player for steel pulse doing that. let the guitar do the soloing and hold down the groove.

another problem here is the lead guitar noodling over the lyrics in the first verse...from a songwriting perspective that doesn't make any sense.

So for me the biggest problem with the arrangement is not the drums, but that the various roles in the rhythm section aren't thought out very deliberately, and in reggae you just can't get away with that.

NO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Despite the attempt at a subdued feel for the track, the percussion actually sounded too thick here.

I'm going to go with Larry on the percussion in this one, the samples sound very thin.

anyone care to explain this one for me?

I thought the drum sound chosen was too thick, but that the background texture was arguably too simplistic/sparse at times. Can't tell what Lee felt about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Well, I had asked for a 4th vote here specifically to address the arrangement concerns I had in my own, basically that there was too little arrangement of a very simple/minimal source tune, and that most of the material here was original writing that didn't work with the source. Unfortunately though, it's apparently too much to ask now, so I'm going to close the vote rather than delay the decision any longer. Sorry to weed, who, as a friend and a former judge, I hope doesn't feel any disrepsect over the delay or the decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...