OCR03436 - *YES* EarthBound "Battle Against a Malignant & Repugnant Opponent"

[Chimpazilla]

Remixer name: nelward

Real name: Nick Elward

Email address: 

Website: soundcloud.com/nelward

User ID: 32483

 

Game arranged: Earthbound (Mother 2)

Name of arrangement: Battle Against A Malignant & Repugnant Opponent

Name of songs arranged: Battle Against a Weird Opponent, Buzz Buzz’s Prophecy

Own comments: Made this specifically to submit to you guys. "Battle Against A Weird Opponent” is my absolute favorite video game track, and transcribing the crazy chords was a very educational experience! Hope I did it justice.

Cheers,

Nick

 

 

[Chimpazilla]

This is freaking weird.  The sources are freaking weird.  The remix is freaking weird.  I LOVE freaking weird.  I hear plenty of freaking weird source here.  The mixing is good, definitely not freaking weird.  This vote is freaking weird.

YES

[Liontamer]

OK, the different sound to the "Weird Opponent"theme got my attention; it's arguably a (purposeful) barebones sound that doesn't quite fill out the soundscape enough, but ultimately isn't problematic there as long as the arrangement is well-developed.

Feeling repetitive at :58 with the main verse again, so I would have liked more pronounced variation there, as well as for the chorus at 1:19; there were some additional elements added in for the second iteration, but the feel was still very copy-pasta. Abrupt but interesting transition at 1:41 to "Buzz Buzz's Prophecy"; that section sounded nice, though was basically a well-done sound upgrade. 

I thought this did a good job personalizing the sound, but the interpretation of "Battle Against a Weird Opponent" -- while going well in the right direction with the arrangement -- felt too limited due to the cut-and-paste job of the second iteration (:58-1:41). If this were about making a next-gen remake of a theme to plug into EarthBound, this would fit nicely. I wouldn't have an issue if this passed as is, but I believed this needed some additional development and/or more substantial variations.

Good stuff so far, Nick. If this doesn't make it as is, I think you have the arrangement skills to add a bit more creativity to the "Weird Opponent" part of the arrangement. I also would have liked to hear something more interpretive with the "Buzz Buzz's Prophecy" section, but it's not a dealbreaker. Definitely don't be discouraged if this doesn't make it; I like your style, and you'll only get better and get some mixes posted if you keep at it.

NO (resubmit)

[Gario]

Hmm... Tricky. This is a very conservative set of mixes, for sure. Very well done, no doubt, but conservative. Production is impeccable, so nice work on that front.

I'm all for the rather empty sound design, on this one - it works well, all things considered. The little talking bass adds a really cool twist to the track, and it fits the theme perfectly. The portion at 0:58 - 1:20 are nearly copy-pasted from the earlier section (save for the SFX at 1:15) - it would've benefited from at least a little change, there. At 1:20, though, I like the different drum pattern - that gives it a very different feel than the first section, and it segues into the next section very well. The fade out ending is a little lame, though. It sounds like you could've done more with the track, there, especially considering how conservative that section is.

It's close, and I can feel Larry's issue with it. I think there's just enough variety from section to section to pass, though it's really close. Take note of the areas that I pointed out, though (0:58-1:20 being copy-paste, fade out ending, conservative second part), if this doesn't pass - it's very close, and I could see it swing either way.

YES (BORDERLINE)

[DaMonz]

Okay, so I understand where Larry is coming from about this being repetitive, but I dig this. I dig it a lot. I feel there are enough sprinkles, details and embellishments to the groove to keep it interesting all the way through. I love what you did to the bass line and percussion, the subtleties in the writing are super tasty. The occasional variations to the soundscape, such as the bumped up reverb on the chords around 0:48, really help in keeping things interesting as well.

The ending left me a bit wanting, but I'm not really a fan of fade-outs in general and it's not a big deal. I think this is great overall.

GROOVY

YES

 

[Sir_NutS]

Well, this is a fun one, this got a few chuckles out of me.  Repetitiveness didn't bother me, as there are subtle touches here and there in the arrangement, the articulations on the lead and the bass and simple flairs in the beat to keep the arrangement away from falling into autopilot.  LOVED the yaya bass, man.  So many times I hear yaya bass synths used in such cliche ways they just make me roll my eyes, but the quirky way it's being used here is perfect for the source material.  I'm fairly certain the empty soundscape is a stylistic choice rather than the result of inexperience, as the artists takes advantage of this to emphasize the quirky arrangement and sound palette, plus some of the techniques found here, arrangement and sound design-wise, strike me as the work of someone who knows what he wants to accomplish.

The second section had some very nice textures and is less out there. I liked it but I felt it was a bit static and could've been developed a bit more before the song reached its conclusion, so for me this is the part that perhaps could've been expanded.  Nevertheless, it's in my opinion that this would be a great addition to the site as, aside from being a well crafted remix, this kind of deliberate quirkiness is something we don't get often and we could use more mixes this fun that would bring smiles to people's faces. 

YES