ReMix:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker "Home, Sweet Home" 4:36

Bright and bubbly from the outset (island), Gaspode makes landfall at OCR once again with an inviting Zelda series medley he sent our way in the spring:

"Time for some positive vibes. This time in form of five different hometown themes from The Legend of Zelda.

Because the only place in a big adventure where you can relax, and don't constantly have to fight Ganon's minions, is at Home, Sweet Home."

Time to kick those shoes off and make yourself comfy, why don't ya! Just so all our guests feel welcome, Gaspode was also kind enough to break down the source tune usage for you Zelda lovers everywhere:

• Wind Waker - "Outset Island" - 0:40-0:55, 1:35-2:08, 2:08-2:24 (in the background), 3:32-3:42 (in the background)
• Ocarina of Time - "Kokiri Forest" - 0:55-1:34
• Link's Awakening - "Mabe Village" - 2:08-2:40
• Twilight Princess - "Ordon Village" - 2:40-3:12
• Skyward Sword - "Skyloft Theme" - 3:12-3:48

The lineup of themes was personalized nicely with the cheerful sound palette alongside consistent weaving in of original composition ideas Gaspode kicked off the track with (which felt very authentic to something you could envision as a Zelda theme). Judge Hemophiliac felt right at home with Gaspode's jaunt through the various villages:

"Pretty fun synthwave-adjacent villages track. Are these villages adorned with neon lights and beaches that have massive sunsets with palm tree silhouettes? [...]

Overall, this gets the job done and is a pretty fun throwback to another age...exactly what synthwave is going for."

Mutual feelings of fun were shared by our resident Hylian sword slasher Chimpazilla as the first judge to voice their support:

"I love this concept (I have considered making a similar concept track or album!). This arrangement is absolutely a medley, but it plays through consistently and cohesively, no jarring transitions or wildly varied timbre changes. The intro is original, but everything is direct source from 0:40 onward.

I really enjoy Gaspode's synthwave productions [...] And the arrangement is super upbeat and happy."

Gaspode has jumped around working with themes from all around the Zelda franchise, but he's starting to carve another sub-niche as well, with this now his third Zelda medley on OCR! As an aside, I think we collectively need to sit down with some FM-84 and The Midnight, because I'm in the camp with prophetik music that isn't synthwavy (to me, that requires a certain dark, pulsing, and ethereal ａ ｅ ｓ ｔ ｈ ｅ ｔ ｉ ｃ), though there's clearly nothing wrong with being joyous and nostalgic in the context of Zelda games, which is exactly what Gaspode delivered with a refreshing skip through several sanctuaries of safety and hospitality!