OCR00876 - Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind "Island of Edges"

[OceansAndrew]

A few of the samples are starting to show their age, but this is still pretty nice stuff. Sort of new age, sort of orchestral, a nice flow, and a few cool surprises. I wish the piano had a little more high end, and the guitar had a little more human qualities, but the flute and choir are nice.

Rain sounds are a cool touch as well.

While this doesn't jump out at me as much as probably everyone who's played the game, it's still good listening.

[Marmiduke]

I have to disagree with most people here, which hurts, because I absolutely love the work of The Wingless, I adore Morrowind and I'm positively fanatic about the source tune. I don't think it is a fair assessment, but regardless, every time I listen to this I am disappointed.

First of all, this is a superb sounding mix, as are all The Wingless' mixes. However, Jeremy Soule's original is one of the most equisite melodies composed in recent years for me, and I get the feeling that it is trampled on here. The stop and start mechanic detracts from where the theme seems to want to flow, and the strength of the melody always seems just out reach; frustratingly so. The source seems distant; recognisable but obscured and twisted in an uncomfortable way. The arrangement just doesn't sit right for me in ways where the other Morrowind mixes, 'The Final Stage' and 'Fear Not', really excel.

I get that the focus of this mix is to be restrained and complacent to the theme, and it does draw out the meditative aspects of it quite nicely. But I hate to see things go to waste, almost as much as a I hate trashing this otherwise fine mix.

I wish I wasn't so precious about the melody. But that's what hundreds of hours of hearing it in-game will do to a person.

[Liontamer]

Pretty dated at this point with pretty exposed & stiff-sounding samples; would love to hear Wingy give this one another go; he could craft something that sounded smoother, because the interpretation itself is strong.