ReMix:Chrono Cross "Font of Life" 5:16

We've got TWO lovely mixes from Rebecca E. Tripp today, starting with this ambient, watery, crystalline atmospheric take on "Jellyfish Sea" from Chrono Cross:

"Chrono Cross is my favourite soundtrack from any video game. I must admit that "Jellyfish Sea" was never one of my favourite tracks, in part, due to the fact that it sometimes makes me sad due to an association with grief. However, as I sit in my home under oppressive, smokey skies for days on end, I find myself drawn to tracks like these. This remix conveys how I'm feeling right now: forced to daydream in order to escape the physical and emotional discomfort of the forest fires all around me! As I pine for rain, I'm compelled to compose watery music. Thus, I give you this "Jellyfish Sea" arrangement! I tried to make it happy. That's why this remix is called "Font of Life". It's meant to celebrate the life-giving aspect of the sea."

I was going for a similar meaning with my Mana mix; water is life. Distant verb, delicate harp, bells, and the ebb & flow of ambient pads - it'd be perfect for walking through an aquarium, so I think she's hit the mark in this regard. Larry writes:

"A beautifully constructed arrangement with a more ethereal presentation than the original; it still feels like you're swimming underwater, but maybe here you're in the deepest, darkest depths. Let's go."

Rexy had some very specific, insightful analysis:

"The use of the source here is visible with the change of instrumentation to a bell-driven landscape and the different key adding to an underwater feel, and yet it treads the line between straight-forward and interpretive writing. The first repetition does its job with identifying the source, and 1:23 moved on with a delicate switch between additional writing and playing around with various motifs. Then there's the rest of the track starting at 2:35, where the focus balanced between subtractive interpretation and playing around with the chords to add a unique character not present beforehand. In other words, a surprising amount of coverage is going on for its length and pacing, and it's beautiful to take in."

It certainly is; great work from Rebecca which goes more for atmosphere than usual & hypnotizes with texture & pattern.