ReMix:Skies of Arcadia "Rusted Hopes" 3:09

We continue our Arcadia Legends flood of featured mixes with a lovely, serene piece of Renaissance/traditional music, with a new age flourish, from the consistently engaging Rebecca E. Tripp, who writes:

"Remote Town" (or the Esperanza theme) is an intriguing piece of music for me. It's kind of like an archaic, romanticized take on a renaissance tune -- which is incredibly similar to my own style! I chose to cover this track partially for that reason. I fell in love with the tune when I heard it and realized that I could bring a lot out of what is otherwise a rather short and barren-sounding piece. Esperanza itself is a very desolate and dreary place where the people are rather cynical, yet the music sounds dreamy and colorful to me (if not a little sad), so I decided to call the piece "Rusted Hopes."

Delicate, flowing harp work, mixed wind leads, ceremonial/processional tambourine, and a small chamber ensemble of strings make for a mesmerizing arrangement; this distills many of the qualities I associate with her style into a single piece, which is understated but confident and perhaps more folk and less new age, in some ways. Album director Darkflamewolf writes:

"RebeccaETripp was actually a relatively new up and coming remixer on the scene, well into the development cycle of Arcadia Legends. Her take on the depressive and mournful theme of Esperanza was one of surprising depth and humanity. What was more of a downtrodden track was turned into a sorrowful, yet hopeful track with Celtic influences. Like Ganaé with his "Rogue Sanctuary," she didn't stray too far from the source, but did expand and evolve the melody into something more brimming with emotion and heartfelt yearning for the great beyond. It feels as if I am sitting on the very benches overlooking the abyss, my eyes on the Dark Rift beyond, speculating what wonders there are in store just past the darkness."

There's definitely a yearning, here, but the general vibe ends up feeling more communal/ceremonial to me, perhaps because of the average tempo and the isolated tambourine. Whether you characterize that as happy, sad, dreamy, hopeful, or any of a number of adjectives, it's a great inclusion on the album and a piece that resonates with emotion. Rebecca continues to create inviting musical worlds, and I continue to enjoy visiting them; highly recommended.