killerkabob

Well, if my last.fm history is any indication, I'm completely in love with this song. I've NEVER touched Chrono Trigger (if you can believe that...Final Fantasy, sure. I've played many of those...but never this game). However, it doesn't take a genius to recognize a quality remix. There are definitely a few things that bother me regarding the song. The part that sticks out like a sore thumb is the part that Rimco himself already condemned. That would have to be the ending. It's a bit jarring and in your face. I plan to edit it out myself just for my own personal collection (No offense Rimco!). My only other very minute gripe might have to be with instrument selection. I don't know my musical terminology, but I'll try to describe what I can here. The first and second verses (?) are gorgeous...the flute followed with the strings are just so smooth and calming to me. Easily my favorite part of the song. The oboe is kind of what gets to me a bit. It's not horrible, but I just would have liked a smoother instrument to go along with the 3rd verse. Or maybe just a different instrument altogether. I'm just being knit picky here. The 4th verse (starting at 3:21) which goes back into a fast paced feel with the strings sounds very elegant in contrast to the 3rd verse. Then of course there's the finale which, to me, leaves something to be desired. At this point, I am already not quite digging the oboe, then it goes to that harsh "acid-jazz-inspired" cut at 4:00 that really takes me away from the fluidity of the song. Now, as for more of the positives of this song that has me coming back for more! After hearing this song, I was so inspired to download the SPC soundtrack to Chrono Trigger to hunt down the original songs used that helped inspire Rimco to make this remix. Admittedly, this song blows the originals out of the water. The general melody of the remix is pretty much identical as far as I can tell, but the quality of the keyboard instruments Rimco uses is far superior to the sound bank that Square had to play with to create the original songs. The piano that plays in the background of the original is really distracting and grating on the ears to me (talking about Memories of Green here). And the Chrono Trigger theme is rather forgettable as far as what instruments were picked out to form the song. That's just me. And this is coming from someone who has no nostalgic affiliation to the game. Anyway, to me, Rimco has provided us here with the true definition of what a remix should be: the taking of an original song and altering it in a way that makes it sound better/superior to the original while maintaining the original song's integrity to a certain degree. That's exactly what Rimco did here. I could easily see this remix in a Nintendo DS or Gameboy Advance remake of chrono trigger. If all the songs sounded as well constructed as this, I'd buy the converted game in a heartbeat just to hear the soundtrack! Great job Rimco.