ReMix:Golden Sun "Starting a New Chapter" 3:42

We've got two for today, starting with one more from Golden Sun: A World Reignited - a peaceful, serene acoustic/folk meditation on "Page One":

• Reuben6: arrangement, drums, guitar, banjo, accordion, bass
• Gamer of the Winds: flute, piccolo

The emphasis here isn't particularly on a dynamic/narrative arc, but rather just establishing a chill, relaxed acoustic groove and letting that play out in interesting ways, leaning on both artists' musicianship/performances to imbue the mix with soul & emotion. Rexy evaluated, and again says most of what I'd have to say:

"It's been wholesome seeing Reuben's growth as a producer as of late, and equally so with the number of works he towed Greg in as a woodwind performer. His performance chops consistently got tighter, especially within the past couple of years, plus he's become more consistent with mixing down his (mostly) live instruments and allowing his folk style to radiate naturally. The arrangement is also a fun one - a pleasing stylistic adaptation going through two variations of the source, both of them separated with melodic changes in the second half.

There is one note for improvement that I'd like to pass along to Reuben, though. Autopilot is considered a minor weakness at this point, so for future arrangements with multiple theme variations, it'll be nice to hear him change the accompaniment's writing in a similar way to how the melody got presented here. For what it is though, the recordings are on point, the arrangement is simple yet effective, and the overall balance is one of his best to date. I'm interested to see where Reuben would be a year from now because his development has been phenomenal!"

I can't disagree that more variation in the accompaniment could have made this a touch more engaging, over the course of its duration... then again, there's a difference in my mind between "autopilot" and pieces that intentionally stay within a groove/pocket and evolve certain components more than others. I think it's good advice, but I also agree with Bev's assessment that it's still an effective, enjoyable arrangement and a therapeutically rustic vibe. From my own album evaluation:

"Really nice blend of acoustic attack transients, right out of the gate. Trills on winds, nice stereo separation across the board, with the double-tracked acoustic guitar popping out on either side. A little light on the low-end, where a bass drum, cajon, or the actual bass that's employed could have been beefed up a bit, but this is an acoustic, in-the-moment style jam, and bass is often less present w/ those. Short & sweet, and unlike the album's initial arrangements, takes things in the opposite direction by making an epic source decidedly more intimate & casual."

Hard not to like, full of pleasing acoustic/organic textures, and mixed quite well, Reuben & Gregory teamed up for one of the album's calmer oases. Enjoy!