nobodygetshurt Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 once again, thank you judges for accepting another of my remixes. i'm glad this finally made it through. it seems that intonation issues is the recurring topic in the reviews of my 2 mixes. being brought up twice, maybe i should take a deeper look into whether i could personally improve my vocal and guitar-playing abilities. the drums weren't originally planned for the mix, but i felt that it needed something to lift the energy of the music at the 'chorus'. without it, it sounded to me like there wasn't any change in power. no crest and trough. and personally, i'm all about trying to create music that carry varying levels of energy within it. as for imitating radiohead, well... i love that band to death, but this is honestly the way i sound from the heart. maybe i've internalized thom yorke's voice way past the creepy-obsessive-stalker level. who knows... i appreciate the constructive crits and feedback. thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormguy Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 To everyone who dinged this remix, saying it was horrible: I don't see your logic. We definitely need more vocal stuff on this site, and definitely more unique work like this. It reminds me of Ben Cousins' brilliant MGS2 remix (BigShellWestBristol). I love the evocative and emotional vocal style, and the minimalist instrumentation just complimented the whole thing perfectly. Excellent work, and I hope more very original stuff like this gets submitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karrde Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Holy freaking crap! Radiohead meets Pink Floyd anyone? Oddly enough, I never played the Max Payne games (Maybe I should if they're good on the PS2). I've never heard the music either. However, this mix is absolutely golden. I'm really loving the minimalist approach here. It shows that you don't need a ton of stuff going on to make something come out nicely. The vocal samples really compliment the simple piano work in the background. We've got a winner here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Lenetia Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I don't know why people didn't like this remix. I think it's one of the most interesting pieces I have heard yet, and interesting is much better than bad. I like its uniqueness. 0:00 to 0:13 It starts off with something that really reminds me of the game. Of course, I haven't played the game itself, but I like to venture to other songs every once in a while. 0:13 The crying starts around here, which makes a nice transition to... 0:17 Here, the crying slowly fades out as a note fades in. It sounds somewhat like the low wail of a ghost, suggesting the tragedy has taken place. 0:20 The buildup to the singing starts with the sound still climbing higher, and the lone piano echoing in the background. The sound then possibly takes the role of a siren of an ambulance arriving one minute too late. 0:27 - 0:54 The singing finally kicks in, and it sounds so mourning and melancholy that there is no real way of describing what it could stand for as anything other than suggesting someone got killed the loud sound heard earlier in the piece. That sound takes the form of the bullet around this time. The lone, a capella singers seem to signify the sorrow felt by the people perfectly. They don't even need to sing words to convey what's happened. 0:55 - 1:23 While it is apparent that some of the singing is a bit off-key, it brings forth something I would say is akin to improv. Death is a very unplanned thing, and the slight roughness aids in driving a point home. 1:24 - 3:33 More instruments start coming in to support the voices, started by an ebbing low bass-like sound. At 1:57, the main instruments start kicking in. All of them support the desperate chorus, going from what could be the moans of the dearly departed and those they left behind to being more of a haunting melody that wraps itself around your heart. 3:34 All the instruments drop out to go back to just the singing, sinking in the point that this is real, and there is no turning back. In the end, it goes to something almost unison, tying in the overall sorrow of the piece into one(or twoish ) chords to give it a somber close. This is a piece not meant to conform, that much is for sure. I liked how it all worked together to make a dirge of the city that, no doubt, encompasses the events of Max Payne. This remix itself makes me want to actually play the game just to see where this could have come from. Very nice job IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Once you've been compared to Yorke you know you can't get any better. I dig this. Good work (and by good I mean totally frikin awesome). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJT Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 It's mixes like this that make me glad I'm on the panel. All I can say to the dissenters is that I'm extremely proud that this is featured on ocremix.org So there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broken Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Excellent submission overall. My largest problem with the song is actually the drums, which someone else before me mentioned. I understand the kind of lamenting, dragging feeling they're supposed to convey, but in the end I think they detract from the emotiveness of the piece rather than add to it in any meaningfull way. The vocals were well done, especially for someone who isn't a self-proclaimed vocalist. I'll be the last person to bash someone for putting it all on the line and singing occapella. Enter in the next VOCR, plz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesPip Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 To be perfectly honest, it just bored me to tears. Not my type of music at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceansAndrew Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 It's a little rough around the edges but I think it adds to the charm. It's very moody and some of the chords are incredibly beautiful. I think with a bit of polish this would have sounded completely pro, but as is it's still something I really enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepChild Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 This is one of those pieces that really places me in a certain state of emotion throughout. For that reason alone I would consider it enjoyable and a success. However, for the same reason I find it inappropriate for my casual listening lists. A great song to listen to when I'm trying to create something that delivers that same emotion of sadness, emptines, and loss. I'm really glad I checked this piece out. Well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoboKa Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I don't care if its polished or not, it hits my chords just fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicked Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 After listening to it several times, I have to say that I really enjoy this one. Definitely has a quartet under a street light feel to it, slightly flawed vocals and all. I think the word "charm" has been used several times but it's fitting, it definitely has charm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordBreaker Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I've always wanted to make a cappella piece similar to this. After reading the judges' decisions, I'm now a bit afraid to step up since I'm also thinking of putting no background instrumentation whatsoever, unlike this piece. After all, it is called cappella for a reason, eh? In the same time, however, this piece inspired me that anything is possible. Very haunting and ambient stuff here. Love it. You have some nice pipes on you, too. Sure, people critisize the flaws here and there, but to me they're being too picky since the great stuff in this track overpower the minor "sloppy vocal execution" parts. Also, the instrumentation is more than enough for a genre like this. If Neil put in more instruments, the haunting voice would've been hidden in the background, thus eliminating the purpose of this remix. Very nice work, Niel. I'm hoping that my upcoming ReMix has the same quality of this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoboKa Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 I've always wanted to make a cappella piece similar to this. After reading the judges' decisions, I'm now a bit afraid to step up since I'm also thinking of putting no background instrumentation whatsoever, unlike this piece. After all, it is called cappella for a reason, eh?In the same time, however, this piece inspired me that anything is possible. Very haunting and ambient stuff here. Love it. You have some nice pipes on you, too. Sure, people critisize the flaws here and there, but to me they're being too picky since the great stuff in this track overpower the minor "sloppy vocal execution" parts. Also, the instrumentation is more than enough for a genre like this. If Neil put in more instruments, the haunting voice would've been hidden in the background, thus eliminating the purpose of this remix. Very nice work, Niel. I'm hoping that my upcoming ReMix has the same quality of this one. Amen to that! This song is fine the way it is. It's impossible to cater to every one's taste anyways, so don't let the haters effect ya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWalkingBox Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Great piece to "break through" for such a memorable game. Spine tingling. I'm not a pitch perfect listerner but I have been listening to remixes for a while now and this one gets my vote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Penwald Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 While not exactly my cup of coffee, I do acknowledge the quality of this piece. The voice sounds just fine to me, and I think it's a great idea to make a song like this one. The thing that irks me a bit about it is the missing of any melody, or let's rhythm, until 2:12 when the drums come in. This moment, the whole thing improves quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
area51999 Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 I think it's really cool. Never heard nothing like that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audity Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Back on VGMix 1, someone uploaded a version of this song that was either a direct rip, or had some small additions. Ever since, I've liked this theme quite a bit. I was hoping to hear more of the original in this, like at 2:12, but instead I was faced with vocals reminiscent of silent's In the Atrium. I think 2:12 could have worked with or without drums, and "with drums" including some different sounding percussion than the ones used here; needed something more unique to fit the style of this mix. The vocal bits remind me of the end of silent's In the Atrium OCR from Ninja Gaiden. Seriously check that mix out if you want to hear the exact same kind of "out of tune vocals." Some of them sound verbatim from that mix. I didn't like those kinds of vocals in silent's remix, and I don't like them here. It's supposed to be a style? Just sounds out of tune to me. Some of it seems stylish, but other times (which also seem deliberate), I just don't like. Regardless, I'll probably keep this just for the part that I wanted to hear (it's well-done). Stories within mixes sometimes does not = casual listening, and that is the case here. With this, along with some other "flaws", of course people have very good reason to say it sounds terrible (though, as a fan of detail, elaboration on their part would be nice). But to not sound preachy (not that I want to), I'll stop here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fieari Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 This song is amazingly beautiful. It's haunting, creepy, emotive, and very effective. The dissonance works as well as the harmony. I can picture something like Boondock Saints set to this, easily. Chilling and sad. I've listened to this piece a dozen times so far, and it gets better every time, and I liked it to start with. Just listen to the difference tones made by the different voices. Hear how rhythms are created with only the voice. The high pitched piano tones merely emphasize the etherealness of it all. The different voices, though all made by the same man, each have a distinct and specific personality to them, and this comes out in the song. Different flavors and varieties of mourning, from wailing agony to simple low-key despair. It groans with feeling. This is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inv1ctus Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 wow this guy should remix the silent hill soundtrack! in fact someone get this guy to do it! I dont remember this track from the game but who cares its awesome! Its like the madison project meets the pixies meets videogame world, and its cool to see such alternative music on OCR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoboKa Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 Amen to that , Silent Hill does need more attention Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayc4life Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Great piece to "break through" for such a memorable game.Spine tingling. I'm not a pitch perfect listerner but I have been listening to remixes for a while now and this one gets my vote. What he said. I'm only finding this now but I think he's got the whole tragic feel to the game nailed to this song. Although most of you that's posted mightn't have stopped to think about it, but maybe if you're that grief-stricken (assuming this is sung/wailed from Max's perspective, that is) then he wouldn't be too worried about whether he was pitch-for pitch perfect with the original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_44 Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 I love this. I like music to be raw and immediate; qualities which can be lost in the pursuit of perfection. It sounds like Neil was caught up in the moment when he made this, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's minimal, but there is a lovely narcotic effect to the whole thing that could have been compromised if it was made any busier. Excellent work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProjectSpam Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Alright, I didn't dig this remix before, but I have recently really gotten into Radiohead, and when this came up randomly while my iPod was on shuffle, I was amazed at how good this remix actually is. While very different from everything else on the site, the male vocalization and harmonies are just beautiful, and the minimalist percussion throughout is fitting. This is a remarkable interpretation. Wish I fell in love with it sooner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 This must be one of the most polarizing mixes on the site. Personally, I think it's phenomenal. The emotion is so strong and heartfelt - I'm not even sure a better quality vocal would capture the same air of desperation. Great atmospheric effects, and the beat is just oppressive. I'm extremely glad that OCR took a chance on this one, it seems to have found its audience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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