indrid

I always loved the FF8 soundtrack. Perhaps because I listen to a good deal of prog rock/metal--and because I played through ff8 2 more times than any others in the series (0)--I think it fits the genre very well. My only gripe is that some elements have a subdued timbre that just doesn't satisfy like the live instruments. The strings in the beginning are especially hard to listen to, but the problem is mitigated by the constant presence of louder, more present parts. I could complain about the acoustic white noise generating cymbals(and at 128kbps...ew), but that's just my own personal beef and pertains to much more than this song. Overall, the arrangement makes me all kinds of happy and I look forward to giving it a proper listen when my ears aren't muffled by my present congestion. Very good piece. Love the source, love the genre. Hope to hear more from this Lastair.

There seems to be a lot of black and white opinions on this mix, but I can say when I first heard it years ago I was right in the middle. I liked the build up (loved it really) but didn't apreciate the distortion because of the extreme shift in volume (not the distortion itself). Hearing it now is a little slice of heaven. Because I know what to anticipate, it doesn't break the mellow progressive mood. Rather it's like it ignights the mix and spreads like a violent fire carefully paced by the bass drum. Like a heart pumping gassoline. As with the sunset, if you fixate on the light you'll miss the vista.

For a moment I thought I was listening to Chick Corea. Yes it's THAT good. Granted, there are discernible differences in style. Still, I was pleasantly surprised. I've been on a bit of a Corea binge lately so this makes my ears very are happy.