kefkafloyd

Clearly there's a nerve on subject of vocals. I was not attempting to be racist (please), and for the most part I actually like the vocal tracks. That doesn't mean we can't think about them critically. You've got to keep in mind that I am not criticizing you personally; rather I am just looking at the track itself. I'm not saying you can't do them; you can do whatever you want. They just didn't work for me as a listener. It was a risky choice creatively and sometimes people react differently to risky choices. My reaction was "WTF?" I just couldn't get into the lyrics. Maybe someone else likes them; good for them. That's not a slam against you (as I've never even talked to you before this). Since I don't speak Mandarin, my first reaction was that it was gibberish. Even then, I just found them distracting to the overall mix. If you feel that singing in a foreign language is the best way to express yourself, then power to you, but I wouldn't expect everyone to react to it positively. Also, if I offended you, then I apologize, as it was not my intent; I was just describing how the lyrics came across to me. When I say the main backbeat, I'm referring to the rhythm synthesizer present in the beginning of the original (which doesn't come in until later). Yes, obviously the main melody is there, but there's more to the track than that. Dude, all I was saying is that I got what you did with the end of the track and I liked it. I'm not saying it was end of the game; not sure where you got that from. I was giving you praise. I LIKE YOUR TRACK. You did good. I just didn't like it; it didn't click with me and if I was doing the track, I probably wouldn't have gone that way. Such is life. On its use as an instrument, I didn't feel that it added much. I generally liked the lyrics/singing on that track. I just felt it needed a little tightening. My qualms with that track have very little to do with lyrics, and I overall enjoy it. I liked the song and the recorder, not sure why you think I didn't. I also think you missed where I called it the best lyrical track. It's one of THE best tracks on the album, lyrics or not. I clearly said I liked the lyrics. Doesn't mean, again, that we can't think critically about them and what they mean and how they could be improved. This is not what I said, the only track's vocals that I didn't actually like were Us Monkeys Together. That's fine; I just won't listen to the track. If somebody else really digs the Mandarin? Great for them. Go hog wild. I did not say "Vocals are terrible." So by not universally praising the vocal tracks, I am a vocal hater? C'mon. This is what I was talking about earlier; if we can't discuss the merits of the tracks without people taking it personally or going the wrong way with it, then I'm not sure where the discussion can really go. The project just came out after a very long wait, obviously people are psyched about it, but in these post-release threads it seems that any sort of criticism seems to be dogpiled on and run out of the thread. Please don't take mine (or others') criticisms as personal attacks. They are just opinions; you are free to do with them as you wish. But before dismissing others' criticism (or taking it the wrong way), at least consider what they have to say.

I did know this, I guess I was just using "level clear jingle" as shorthand. I was just trying to intimate that I knew what you were going for. It's a nice easter egg for those that have beaten the game; but I'm not sure how you could make it less abrupt. On the subject of vocal mixes, I'm personally not opposed to them... so long as they're good. The vocals have to work, though. The only track that I listen to consistently from the FFIV album, Eminence Grise, is a vocal track. It's also, strangely, my least favorite song on the original FFIV soundtrack. OA and DragonAvenger really put together a solid mix. It works because the singing is very good (in time, tune, etc), the actual written lyrics fit the overall feel of the song, and the arrangement still invokes the gestalt of the original track - an alien, airy, atmospheric tune. The lyrics only add to that. The lyrical tracks on SMB (heh) are a mixed bag, in my opinion. A New Place is probably a pretty divisive song because it's so markedly different from the original, and then lyrics are thrown into the mix, and people don't know how to make heads or tails of it. The bigger problem with the song is that the main backbeat of the song doesn't come in till about 2:45. I guess my gripes are more with the actual musical arrangement than the lyrics. The singing is pretty well done and while a little cheesy there's a lot worse lyrical mixes out there. Us Monkeys Together... I just can't get into it. The lyrical track takes me right out of it, and feels almost unnecessary. It's the only track I unchecked from the playlist. I don't mind a lot of electronica, and the stuff in this track is actually pretty good; I just won't be listening to any of it due to the lyrics. This has even less of a legitimacy, IMO, than A New Place because to 99.9999% of the audience the lyrics are gibberish until they're forced to look it up. Admittedly that is a very personal thing for a lot of people; I do not care for foreign language pop at all. Your mileage may vary. Backwards Room... I still haven't completely digested yet. I know where zykO was going with it, but the singing need some tightening up with the beat. The actual lyrics and vocal production definitely add to the track. The only flaw, along with his other tracks, are that they really need some solid editing/tightening up; they just go on and on when you feel that, musically, you're spent by 3/4 of the way in. Trapped in the Minds clearly got some work done inbetween its entry in the Jan 09 DoD and what we've gotten here. I did like the original entry in a sort of "what's going on here?" kind of way. In the end, I find myself going back to the original mix, even though this one has superior instrumentation. The mixing of the lyrics absolutely kills the track. The original still had some meshing issues with the beat and the lyrics, and the harmonic portions of the original had so-so singing. The rapping meshes up better in the original too. There's a ton of potential with this track - it just needs more work, and based on Hale and co's comments on the review thread they recognize that. Lastly, Monkey Disarm Your Kremlings is clearly the best lyrical track. It perfectly gets the death metal sound (which I normally don't care for but find oddly compelling here), the lyrics are well written, and it feels like it could be what's going on in the game. The recorder section is still a bit of a WTF, and it's more out of place than the lyrics, but it's still played pretty well and fits the pirate theme of Kaptain K. Rool, so it's hard to argue with it. All of this being said, I've got some criticisms of many of the instrumental tracks. I wouldn't take this as picking on the vocals, as there's several instrumental tracks that just aren't up to snuff. I just figure there's more room in the discussion than just black and white "Vocals are terrible!" and "Every track should be vocals!"

Good to know. As a gigantic Floyd fan, I approve. We need more of this stuff. edit: Also, I loved Roller Disco. It does have an ending, it has the level clear jingle right there.

I can't be the only person getting a Pink Floyd vibe from Beneath the Canopy, right? Some Breathe/Shine On stuff going on there in the intro. Good work.

To be honest, I've listened to this mix several times, and I'm not sure why people say 1:53-1:58 is "wrong." It's the same sequence, and although the key is different, the rest of the song is in the same key at the same time, and there is no dissonance to make it sound bad. In fact, it sounded like it changed key all the way back at 1:32, then changed to the original key after 1:58. There is nothing wrong with this, since the transitions are done well and the phrase just sounds like it was transposed slightly upwards for playing on a different part of the neck. It's part of the character of the song, and if it lacked this segment, the song would be a lot more boring. I'm only going by my ears, though, so if my guesses about the key are wrong, please correct me Darangen.

That's probably because the original version of this song was almost a remix of FBTS. The Metallica/Maiden-ish comments are close, but that's because Yngwie influenced those bands in style and subject material. One of the greatest guitarists of all time, I'm sure he'd have rubbed off on a few guys. /me runs away after random comment

Another awesome area 01 remix from BC. This and Gux's remixes are the only Area 01s that really capture the essence of the song, the war mentality. The rest get too techno for my taste, and this one treads the line pretty well. By the way, when will anyone do Area 08?

BUT IT BURNS X_X My ears expect one dropped note and it just isn't there (but that's because I've listened to Gangplank Galleon a bazillion times and have "expectations"). Heh, it's cool. It's still probably my favorite track on the whole disc. The one missing note isn't as bad as what Uematsu's half-assed orchestra did in the version of the Prologue in Melodies of Life (go to 6:50 and see what I mean... now THAT'S an error that makes me scream out wondering if there is a God).

There's playing ragtime and then there's stumbling over the keys or dragging (again, I only nit this one particular instance past one second, it's only one missed note, really, the rest is done superbly).

Just want to say that I'm generally satisfied with the output of the collection. Unknown did a remix of my favorite track (Cranky's theme) so very well. My only nit to pick would be the piano work in the first half of the Gangplank Galleon theme. The part at slightly past one second really bugged me - sounded like there were supposed to be notes and the piano player just durn forgot to play them. After that, it's pure genius. Great work fellows.

First time reviewer, longtime lurker and listener. Protricity's done it again with another great DKC2 tune, and one of my personal favorites. First, before I get to lavishing the praise, I'd like to make a small criticism - the clipping in some of the low-end instruments really, really detracts from the tune. It may have been done on purpose, and I'm sure it's not me (it's even there with a flat EQ on a great system), as well as being able to reproduce this amongst other systems. It just reduces the quality of the song - I love blaring remixes in my car, and this song made my fairly decent audio system (which isn't very bass-heavy, mind you - I hate excessively bassy systems which make too much muddy bass instead of just enough clear bass) cry. A bit of tweaking of levels of certain instruments as well as fixing some equalizing issues would go a long way in making this song "perfect." Aside from that admittedly minor quibble, the rest of the song is pure awesomeness. It takes a few songs, actually, from DKC2 - let's look at it time by time. 0:00 - Song starts out with the introductory chords from the Kaptain K. Rool battle from DKC2. Nice little interpretation which keeps the chords from being repetitive, although the clipping I hear in the low instruments is annoying. 0:35 - I love that little Xylophone (or whatever percussive instrument used, synths are so finicky) intro into the next bit. 0:37 - The strings come in. The first three beats are the ones everyone probably knows best from the original song - that apprehension of finally getting to the Kaptain's chambers and thwacking him good. Prot's done a bit of tweaking to them from the original though, and as usual, it hits the spot - varying the beats ever so slightly, giving that apprehensive feel. 0:40 - The electric guitar comes in for a quick downward riff as the main rhythm comes in for the punch. This pattern is seen a lot through the song and is used quite well. Using the violins with sharp attack is very sharp, the original used a sort of bassy synth that isn't necessarily better or worse, just different. It doesn't get lost in the rhythm, and actually produces an excellent effect. 0:55 - Little guitar overlay which takes over from where the original song used the strings. I liked the imposing nature of the original's little interlude, although we'll be hearing this little bit again in just a few seconds. 1:05 - Small bass interlude. This feels like a hole in the song - like something is missing. I blame this on the muddiness of the instruments - they sort of run into each other here. Clipping is maddeningly present. 1:16 - This is actually the same beat as 1:05, but played differently, both from there and in the original. The staccato... whatever was used (damn synths! Sounds like string plucks) are interesting, and give it a more pirate-y feel than the beat in the original (this song isn't fairly pirate-y, IMO, where's the accordion? ). Again, great musical work, but hte production is killing me - the clipping is just driving me nuts. Prot, tell me if this was done on purpose or if all three of my systems are screwed up with flat equalizers. 1:40 - repeat, except with different instruments. Needed, since the original song was only 52 seconds long! I'm not complaining with hearing those great beats twice, though. 2:10 - Guitar trails off and a quickie bass solo. This quickly leads into original material that ever so slightly connects more of... 2:30 - The original chords are back again, establishing melody, and just sort of meandering for twenty seconds, then the repeat continues with more strings of the secondary rhythm. This continues on for... a long time, actually, about a whole minute before something new happens! 3:30 - Violins crescendo and halt - very nice lead in to the new bass line. Over this we hear ever so slight hints of the first rhythm plucked on strings until... 3:55 - The guitars and drums come into full force here for a little original interlude. Nice buildup, unconventional and really links the first song (K'Rool) to the next, which starts at... 4:19 - We hear the DKC 2 main theme here for a short moment, which is a nice nod, and is a great little guitar solo to boot. Musically, this is holding up pretty well. 4:42 - Rambi Rumble kicks in... or at least, I think it is. It sounds like an amalgamation of Rambi Rumble and the Lost World themes (the two tracks are so similar with a few exceptions), until you definitely hear the sounds of Rambi Rumble around 4:58. The hard hitting strings make the Rambi Rumble theme scream - very nice touch. 5:33 - From this point until the end, apparently, we've got some grooving between certain parts of the main theme and Rambi Rumble - You could almost want to hear that bit we heard back at 4:19 over this, until we're greeted with Rambi Rumble again at 6:14. After that, the song sort of... dies. The ending doesn't seem to be very firm, but it does lend to a nice crossfade. In all, it's a great tune - I love it because it's one of my favorite DKC2 tunes next to the main theme and the lava theme. The only thing that really mars it for me is the clipping - and it's not just this mix, I've heard other mixes that have really bad clipping as well. What's up guys, boosting our volume or our lows too much? Not trying to rag on Prot, he's a great guy, it's just that the clipping keeps this song from being perfect. If it's that way on purpose, fine, just my only real criticism of an otherwise awesome medley.