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OCR03244 - *YES* The Walking Dead: Season One 'Don't Go'


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ReMixer - RoeTaKa

Name - Alex Roe

Email - 

UserID - 9374

 

Games Arranged - Jared Emerson-Johnson

Arrangement Name - Don't Go

Songs Arranged - Clementine Suite (more specifically 'Alive Inside', I don't know where that name comes from but that song is part of the Clementine Suite and is what I focused on).

 

Game info -

    The Walking Dead

    Composers - Jared Emerson-Johnson

    Systems - Android, iOS, Kindle Fire HDX, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Ouya, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One

 

Comments:

 

When I was thinking of a game to remix for Halloween (2014) this totally slipped my mind. I went through the notions of Resident Evil and Silent Hill, had an idea for Lords of Shadow 2, considered The Evil Within and teased the thought of Luigi's Mansion. Then my sister reminded me of The Walking Dead, seemed like a great reason to work on this.

 

The Walking Dead has some good music, yknow it fits very well, if you heard it you know it would fit in that game. But it also has a really nice theme to it, something that tugs away at the heart when it needs to. I didn't want to stray far from the source because it's really good and has a great base to build on. So I thought of Season 1 with Lee and Clementine, thought about that journey. And that's it really, hope you enjoy!

 

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Pretty simple source song - mostly chords with a three note pattern that could maybe be considered a melody, and a small part at the end to return to the beginning. Right off the bat, I like how Alex has changed the track and added some really pretty guitar lines and strums. Whoa, is the track half the speed of the original? Yeah, it sounds like it. I'm impressed with how Alex is able to maintain development and momentum doing so little. There's subtle rises and instrument additions to keep things flowing throughout. Overall, it's a great build and a very well-executed piece.

 

Let's look at the source usage though: 

 

Chords and three-note pattern: 0:00-0:18, 0:36-1:10, 1:32-1:50, 2:07-2:25, 2:42-2:59, 3:17-3:34, 3:58-4:06, 4:15-4:23

Ending melody: 4:39-4:42

 

By timestamp, it's just about at 50%, a little low depending on how you count. There's a lot of places where Alex changes the chords but keeps the structure of the source song. He follows the same rhythm of the three-note pattern but changes the notes, which gives it a connectedness. OTOH, a lot of Alex's song is original. The source tune is very sparse and there's honestly not a lot there to ReMix. Is source dominant enough? I'm inclined to say it is in this case, but YMMV. The three-note pattern is so stretched out that a lot of the time it's not audible, and chords are the only thing connecting the arrangement to the source, but that was enough for me. The source song is heavily based on block string chords, and Alex uses instruments very similar to the original, which solidifies the chord connection for me. May change my vote based on what others think, but this tentatively gets the go-ahead from me.

 

YES

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  • 3 weeks later...

Wow, what a beautiful piece! Really loving what Roe has done here. Sure, the source doesn't have a lot to it but he's stretched every once out of it and then some. I felt like the source was pretty apparent throughout since it relies so heavily on that chord structure, but I can see other judges disagreeing. Regardless, this was a very moving piece that I enjoyed quite a bit!

One nit to pick though, some of the string attacks feel late, but super minor in the long run.

Yes

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Really pretty piece of music you've concocted here. It has a meandering walking dead feel to it, it's warm and damp. The guitar is a great touch to give track more elasticity. As you build your track, it picks up a lot of stem and starts to really sound cinematically epic. Very well done. 

I hear plenty of the source, this feels very cohesive and focused. All the original source really had goin for it was the block chord structure so emphasizing those in the arrangement, though in other applications is not very garish, works really well here. Original feel sustained and amplified. I'm all for it.

YES

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've never seen the TV series, and I've never played the game, which means I have no prior emotional connection with the source tune...so why am I in tears right now? Seriously, this is utterly gorgeous. I had goosebumps the entire time as well. YOU: yeah, you, the one who's reading this right now. Stop what you're doing, put on your headphones, close your eyes, and take a five-minute break to soak in this stunning piece of music. You won't regret it.

 

I could nitpick: some of the strings sound a touch unrealistic, and I may have heard a bit of distortion in the right ear at times. The entire thing is a bit heavy in the low mid. But none of that matters--if it didn't hit me about as hard as any piece of music I've heard in a long time, I'm gonna eat my shoes.

 

YES

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