Liontamer Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Contact Info ReMixer name: Just Coffee Real name: Gian Descallar Email Address: Website: justcoffee.bandcamp.com User ID: 32271 Submission Info Game: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Arrangement Name: Together Again Songs arranged: K.K. Love Song My comments: Always take care when time travelling. Hello OCR, here's my 80's take on Animal Crossing's K.K. Love Song by K.K. Slider. For this track, I try to carry those feelings of fondness, remembrance, longing, and reunion that I feel are present in the original. I had a particular story in mind involving the Time Travel mechanic in Animal Crossing games wherein you could potentially lose a villager if you used it too much to advance in the game outside of its normal time-based progression. The original itself is very minimal in structure and I've decided to maintain it but give it a bigger retrowave energy. From the intro, there are two leads that might not sound quite 80s but I used them to represent the player character and the villager and to add a little narrative in the song. It's been a while since my last submission and I hope I haven't rusted too hard. Still, I present this work as it is to the panel for criticism and feedback, to which I always look forward to receiving. Peace! -Coffee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 Takes some time to build up. I actually thought the percussion was OMG TOO PHAT and should have been pulled back to give the soundscape more clarity and sharpness. The lead's not bad, but during the quieter parts, it's arguably too static and basic-sounding and could use more ear candy (not just the good countermelodic material) to pad out the textures. It fills out quite a bit in the second half though. I'd say this is still capably developed and gets by, but it's more of a borderline case because I felt the first half (from :40-on) was actually a little too basic with the writing and textures, and the production's too crowded. If this didn't make it, I wouldn't be upset, but not because I don't enjoy and respect what's been done here. This could be developed further and has obvious room for improvement, but it's still solid. YES (borderline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emunator Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 I'm a huge Animal Crossing nut and this is one of my favorite K.K. Slider songs, so I'm keen to hear what you've done with the piece! The style you've chosen works very well with the source material. By the end of the arrangement, your soundscape is fleshed out very nicely and is extremely pleasant to listen to, and I understand the slow burn you were aiming for here. However, the first half of the song (basically everything up until 1:40) feels comparatively underwhelming. Aside from setting the tone for the rest of the arrangement, I don't feel like that first minute and 40 seconds contributes much. Part of this, in my opinion, is due to how sparse and staccato all of the writing is - there's nothing to pad the soundscape. This space is filled up with arpeggios and countermelodies later on, but this could seriously benefit from something extra to fill the void early on, like a synth pad or even letting your instruments sustain a little longer or giving them a bit of delay/reverb so everything isn't so exposed. Alternatively, you could play with a softer sound palette during the introduction and gradually work up to the more aggressive, bright synth patches in order to maintain the contrast you currently have. Love the concept and, by the time everything kicks in fully, I'm 100% on board with this track, but this could benefit from a bit more time in the oven to ensure that the track is engaging all the way through. If this doesn't make it, I sincerely hope we hear a resubmission from you! NO (resubmit!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted May 27, 2020 Author Share Posted May 27, 2020 Gian reached out to me on his own and was looking to revise this and make the opening build stronger. I shared with him the existing votes, which he appreciated, and we were both on the same page with seeing the potential for improvement. We'll hold off on further votes until we get an updated version. Emunator 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted June 5, 2023 Author Share Posted June 5, 2023 We've attempted to touch base twice but have never heard back, so let's just keep voting as is, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted June 6, 2023 Share Posted June 6, 2023 intro is quite simple, but not in a bad way. there's some P H A T bass synths coming in at 0:30, and then we get the first real run-through of the melodic content. i don't think this earlier section sounds too thin at all - the space in this realization is great, and allows the very slow, patient melody to have some room to breath. i really liked this section actually. at 1:41, we get some iconic sixteenth-note bass stuff sidechained nicely, and a good driving beat that continues to explore countermelodic material. this plays through and then goes through a key change, and that key change brings in a more heroic, uplifting set of arps alongside it. the ending actually comes a bit soon - i wouldn't have minded a four-bar outro, as there's a ton of energy there at the end - but it's handled in a fine way. this is a slam dunk in my opinion. there's a natural shape to the song, the synths sound great, i love all the space in the first half and the countermelodic content in the second half. nice work. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkSim Posted June 6, 2023 Share Posted June 6, 2023 Well this is just great. I get whiffs of Dire, Dire Docks with some of the intro, and then it moves into Yazoo territory, before 1:00 where it moves into a pulsating retrowave/vaporwave treat. Totally understand the arrangement and production critiques from my fellow J's on this one. The compression feels too much, the lead synth doesn't have the presence and body I'd be striving for personally, and there could be some more ear candy to flesh out the soundscape in parts. That said, it does nail the retro vibe very well, and the progression is beautiful, wholesome and satisfying. By the end of the piece, I'm totally sold. It's the kind of track that makes me want to hit repeat to experience the journey again, coming from the delicate e-piano to the triumphant chords and warm, fuzzy feeling that bass gives me. Lovely stuff! YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted June 21, 2023 Share Posted June 21, 2023 I'm not in agreement with the criticisms about the beginning feeling underdeveloped. It's pretty representative of early chillwave. It's maybe on a bit too slow of a burn, but it has all the necessary elements and it fills the soundscape with deeply resonant synths. And if it hit full speed any earlier, it would be harder to stay engaging without cutting length or going outside the current sound palette, which I think works fine. Production could be very slightly cleaner, but it's well above the bar IMHO. I have no problem rubber-stamping this. YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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