ReMix:Pokémon Sapphire Version "Gotta Catch a Wave and a Memory" 4:56

By Von Nebo

Arranging the music of one song...

"Dewford Town"

Primary Game: Pokémon Sapphire Version (Nintendo , 2002, GBA), music by Go Ichinose, Junichi Masuda, Morikazu Aoki

Posted 2016-11-23, evaluated by the judges panel


And now for something completely different... echoes of Santo & Johnny in this minimalist electric guitar rock ballad arrangement of Pokémon Sapphire from newcomer M4PLEHOODI3 (Von Nebo), who offers up a bluesy, soulful, unique, & surprising interpretation of "Dewford Town":

"Back in the day when I would play
my game all day, let me just say...

...No, but really. When I would play good old Pokémon Sapphire, there would be times when I would simply fly to Dewford Town and put down my Game Boy so that I could listen to the town theme. For some reason, the song gave me this lonely feeling, but yet the feeling that everything would be fine in the end. I found it so calming and nostalgic.

So, I figured I'd do a cover of it as a soul-driven, lonely guitar tribute to how it made me feel. I tried to pour the emotions I gathered from the passing of time and that song into my own take on it. The result is a sleepy surf melody that had me nodding off when I was putting the finishing touches on the mix.

It's strange, because I would feel nostalgia even back then when I listened to the song on the Game Boy. As if I knew that those days were going to be the "good old days." And now, here I am years later. These days aren't bad. But these days aren't the old Pokémon Sapphire days either.

Thank you for receiving my submission. :] I will be doing more in the future. I hope you enjoy."

It's a simple treatment, but it grows & develops nicely, and the core of the concept is executed such that the whole thing works; each note is infused with meaning, and there's an easiness & a grace to the timing. Very reflective & introspective stuff, with a soundscape & structure that make it fairly unique on OCR; I think with the fast pace of news & information & everything being so hectic these days, this might be a welcome respite/oasis for some. Like Gario, for instance:

"That lead guitar sounds incredibly clean, and it really shines as far as performance goes. The subtle background elements and soft change ups from the bass really help push this piece forward.

Honestly, I think this track does exactly what it's supposed to do. It's incredibly relaxing because of it, too - the minimalist element to it just lets what's there shine through that much more. I think it's pretty damn good, myself."

NutS adds:

The protagonist here is of course the guitar, and boy did you run away with it. You really took your time with the development of the arrangement, and for the first 2 minutes I was wondering where this was going but you did enough to keep me curious. After the lead enters in full force it never lets up or disappoints, taking the source and transforming it naturally over time. Sometime exploring feelings of nostalgia, other times just being cocky and playful. I dig.

Well said, from both Greg & Mike; this one's all about patience, restraint, and saying a lot with a little. Give it some of your time & it'll reward you. Expressive, memorable, and immersive debut from Von; definitely looking forward to more!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 4 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Geoffrey Taucer
on 2017-02-22 12:27:01

I LOVE the lead guitar tone, and I love the dynamics; sometimes there's fuzz, sometimes it's crystal-clean

avatar
Polo
on 2017-01-03 20:35:10

As meandering and sedentary as a buoy in gentle water.

avatar
The Damned
on 2016-11-23 15:49:28

There's this guy that plays an electric guitar on the corner of the street on the other side of the park next to where I live.

He's an older guy, wears a duster jacket and an old cowboy hat. Only shows up once a week, and plays whatever he feels like for a few hours. Just blaring out the music, non-stop, with his guitar case open for whatever spare change people drop in it.

Most of the time, it's loud, brash, and kind of annoying. He's not a bad player, but he's just cranking up the amp and using the buildings around the intersection to make use of the echo. I try to avoid walking right by him because it's too damn loud most of the time.

But this one time a few months ago... I don't know if it was his mood, or the air temperature, or someone sprinkled magic guitar dust on him or something. The volume was just right. The echo was just right. The guitar strings were just right. I stood across the street and listened to him.

It was this bittersweet, melancholy, sorrowful, uplifting, slow mix of a warm autumn afternoon, a man just playing what he felt like, and some kind of understanding between him and the street. It seemed almost scripted, like out of a movie or something. People usually just went about their business at the hot dog vendor's cart, or kept walking past him back to work. But not that day. Everyone kind of slowed their pace. Ate their lunch a little slower. Sat down a bit longer. Read the paper a bit more. I could see the hot dog guy kind of swaying a bit. It was... I don't know, it was kind of magical?

He finished it, packed up, and walked off. Haven't seem since. I guess he packed up for the winter.

Hearing this made me think of that. I can see him playing this on the corner, with the autumn sun shining on the road, people sitting on the benches. Everyone is... just right.

Just right.

avatar
Liontamer
on 2016-11-22 12:17:23

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
( , , )
Music by
Songs:
Additional Game:
Pokémon Ruby Version (Nintendo , 2002, GBA)
Music by Go Ichinose,Junichi Masuda,Morikazu Aoki
Songs:
"Dewford Town"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Ballad,Rock
Mood:
Chill,Mellow
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Sound FX
Additional:
Arrangement > Minimalist
Time > Tempo: Slow

File Information


Name:
Pokemon_Sapphire_Version_Gotta_Catch_a_Wave_and_a_Memory_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
7,183,058 bytes
MD5:
27fdb963e8caa1e1c9523887178976f8
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:56

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