ReMix:Banjo-Kazooie "The Last Laugh" 3:24

"When Gruntilda Met Cackletta" - the crossover modern Wiccan romantic comedy you never knew you needed!!

Ahem; we start the week with a dark & dramatic solo piano arrangement mashup of Banjo-Kazooie and Mario & Luigi from newcomer Tyler Gill:

"Banjo-Kazooie and Mario & Luigi were both some of my favorite games growing up, and the music was a large part of that. I remember getting a headphone adapter for my GBA SP just so I could close the lid and listen to Cackletta's theme, and Gruntilda's theme was one of the first video game songs I figured out how to play on the piano. As the two characters are both witches, and both have quite distinctive laughs, I had the brilliant idea of a title for a song that could combine the two together -- "The Last Laugh." The name just fit so well, I had to write the song to go along with it. (It wasn't until this point that I realized the two songs are in different time signatures... but that just made it more of a fun challenge.)"

This song tells the story of the final battle between the hero and the villain:

• 0:00-0:05 - The hero enters the chamber with the final boss.
• 0:05-0:23 - The hero looks around the room, searching for the villain.
• 0:23-1:09 - The villain steps from the shadows -- cue monologue...
• 1:09-1:22 - The villain knows something the hero doesn't -- suspense builds...
• 1:22-1:34 - The villain springs their trap! A new baddie appears!
• 1:34-1:46 - The hero springs into action.
• 1:46-2:21 - The battle rages!
• 2:21-2:27 - The villain is getting weak...
• 2:27-2:34 - The villain gets their second wind!
• 2:34-2:40 - The hero strikes back!
• 2:40-3:18 - The villain falls...
• 3:18-3:24 - ...but will be back!

The breakdown is similar to the story:

• 0:00-0:05 - Intro (original)
• 0:05-1:09 - "Gruntilda's Lair"
• 1:09-1:22 - Bridge (original)
• 1:22-1:34 - "Cackletta's Theme"
• 1:34-2:21 - Super Mario "Overworld"
• 2:21-2:27 - "Gruntilda's Lair" (4/4 time)
• 2:27-2:34 - "Cackletta's Theme"
• 2:34-2:40 - "Banjo's Theme"
• 2:40-2:50 - Bridge (original)
• 2:50-3:18 - "Cackletta's Theme" (12/8 time)
• 3:18-3:24 - "Gruntilda's Lair"

First off, excellent conceptualization and props for providing a narrative play-by-play along with the source breakdown! This is a very creative, mostly dark but occasionally playful solo piano piece in a classical vein; well-performed and clean production, but the highlight is definitely the integration of themes, which weaves a wonderful, engaging story. MindWanderer writes:

"Fantastic concept, wonderful execution. I love the narrative, which works out perfectly, and the heroic Mario theme in minor key was brilliant (although a little dark to really sell the story). Great, evocative performance."

Judges did more or less agree on a couple criticisms, namely some chord voicings being on the simpler side, and the overall volume levels and tone/body of the piano being a tad thin; food for thought on future efforts, but not a major detractor from the entree of dynamic, compelling arrangement. DragonAvenger concurs:

"I do agree that there's a lot of this that uses a lot of simpler voice leading and chords, but I still felt the arrangement was fairly emotive. The story told is clearly presented as well."

Chord voicing complexity (or lack thereof) probably wouldn't get cited in an arrangement with elaborate instrumentation, but it stands out more & (arguably) matters a bit more as well in a solo piano context. That being said, the mental dexterity in so naturally & musically integrating these themes is impressive, which I think balances out that particular concern. Dark, fun, witch-on-witch solo piano action in a charismatic debut from Tyler - looking forward to hearing more!