ReMix:Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals "Christmas in the Village (Silver Bells)" 3:00

By Dale North

Arranging the music of one song...

"Theme of Village"

Primary Game: Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (Natsume , 1995, SNES), music by Yasunori Shiono

Posted 2002-12-24, evaluated by djpretzel


Whoa. When first I completed listening to Dale North's latest ReMix, I simply thought he had submitted an arrangement of Silver Bells. I had to double check the Lufia 2 soundtrack to verify that yes, the town/village music is certainly at work here. The two songs are quite similar - far moreso than say, Pachelbel's Canon and any of the Zelda 64 soundtrack :), so props to Dale for hearing the similarity and capitalizing upon it in a timely fashion. This is a soft pop/rock ballady sort of piece, not too far off from Rayza's Sor2 ReMix that was just posted, and if you've any familiarity at all with the Christmas favorite "Silver Bells", I don't think you'll have a hard time spotting it here. The two songs are intertwined seamlessly and naturally. I should note that "Silver Bells" has a bit more presence and focus than the actual video game music, so if you're a stickler for details this might more accurately be labeled a "Christmas remix with pieces of game music in it" than vice versa. But I think if you listen to the original from Lufia 2 you'll hear that it wasn't wildly different from "Silver Bells" in the first place, so in a way it's an arrangement of a potential arrangement of Silver Bells that simply brings out the source material more ^^ - whatever, I don't think too much explanation is needed. When you be hearing the nice muted guitar, bells, french horn, dynamic but subtle drum work, and overall pleasing vibe Dale's got going, especially over a nice warm cup o' cocoa, I doubt you'll take issue either.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Necrox
on 2015-12-08 18:54:05

Reminds me a lot of Usa's City in the Clouds album, must be "New Age-ish" sounds. The bittersweet vibe makes it sound a bit like a keyboard demo, but it's definitely a good piece of music. Wish it was a bit longer.

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Rozovian
on 2009-12-13 10:18:24

Appropriate for the time of year, someone should make a playlist with all winter/xmas-y remixes, and share it.

This is an excellent winter holiday remix with church bells, a hint of xmas carols, end (and/or end credits) music to a winter movie and all that. Perfect for this time of year.

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OA
on 2008-01-11 14:24:00

Normally I'm not down with mixing existing songs with a game's music, but i'm making an exception here, as there is plenty of Village to go around. I love the subtle percussion in the bells and tambourine, along with the tasteful North kit stylings.

Dale has a very classic style that people associate with Christmas, and though I don't associate it with the holiday as much, and can thankfully avoid the connotations, I can clearly see the connection. I really like his soft rock style, and think it fits both sources very well.

I agree with DA that the ending is too abrupt; I think there is enough material for another minute or two, and would have at least liked a more structured ending, perhaps a ritardando or something, but as is, I still enjoy the song immensely.

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DragonAvenger
on 2006-12-26 23:43:16

A post-Christmas Christmas song review!

I love how these two songs are melded so well together. Dale certainly makes them flow very nicely with smooth transitions, and a nice calm feeling throughout. I play this each year around christmas.

My only gripe is the ending seems a bit ubrupt. Nothing to really take away from the overall feeling though.

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AngrySquirrel
on 2004-12-24 16:05:44

Heh, reminds me of the Christmasy songs of Ragnarok Online. But it's certainly a nice thing to listen to during this season.

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Corporal Eschebone
on 2004-12-17 20:53:04

Well, Christmas is coming up again. Figured I might as well review one Christmas-y song.

This... Is beautiful. I absolutely love it. Calm and spirited. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a Christmas song that they could play without ever getting tired of.

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Elex Synn
on 2003-05-03 05:53:41

Well, after I discovered the great peice called "Turbid Guidance" I decided to check out the rest of the Lufia mixes available...

My god, you could relax a charging rhino with the sweetness this piece is treating my ears to... (I gues sI didn't notice this mix when it first debuted)

Though I'm not all that satisfied with how the song end, it's still another great Lufia mix! :)

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SsaiskK
on 2003-05-03 02:13:32

well... i did dl this back during christmas and i enjoyed it a looooot. but when that new faze lufia piece came out, i enjoyed it so much i decided to load up all my lufia + 2 remixes... and this came out on the playlist and oooooohhhh the shivers. i love it. keep up the amazing work dale ;)

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djcubez
on 2003-01-05 12:56:43

ahhh great great song. Just like djp said. nice over a cup 'o cocoa.

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Vagrant_D
on 2003-01-05 00:59:45

Very nice work by Dale. Lufia 2 was one of my favorite games, so uber-cheers!

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Saiko
on 2002-12-30 08:59:50

Nothing to complain about. Just both thumbs up! 8)

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Kamikaze Noodle
on 2002-12-29 04:08:49

A little bit too Christmasy for my tastes. But if it's you're bag you can't go wrong here. I have to admit it's incredibly well put together. Practically professional quality. Very melodious and soft. I can already feel what it would sound like coming out of cheap speakers in the roof of the mall...

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Shhteve
on 2002-12-29 01:56:47

This song blew me away completely. I'm getting used to Dale's extraordinary talents, so much that he's starting to spoil me (and probably most of us) with how well done his work is. I had this on loop for a long time the past few days, and I have to say it's quite amazing work. Keep it up Dale, keep submitting your excellent work!!

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Aprentis
on 2002-12-27 21:04:11

*sniff* what a great song. Too bad it wasn't on the site before Christmas. Oh well, it's still awesome. Goodwork :)

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Ginnsu
on 2002-12-27 07:17:44

Lufia II 'Christmas in the Village (Silver Bells)'

You can't get much more Christmasy then this. All through this song I'm just waiting for Anne Murray to start up her vocal cords. I can't say that I'm incredibly enthused about this style of music... but it is Christmas so I'll live. Another excellent piece of work for the Christmas holidays. Great work Dale North.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (Natsume , 1995, SNES)
Music by Yasunori Shiono
Songs:
"Theme of Village"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Mood:
Chill,Mellow
Instrumentation:
Bells,Brass,Piano,Strings
Additional:
Usage > Winter Holiday

File Information


Name:
Lufia_2_Christmas_in_the_Village_(Silver_Bells)_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
3,689,260 bytes
MD5:
5058f37aba35642fc861beb151cb2528
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
3:00

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