Golden Sun "Mercurial Mechanisms" 3:40

A double shot of Golden Sun is here to brighten your day! First up, Lucas Guimaraes reunites with Eladar to beef up their take on "Mercury Lighthouse", originally from our community's Golden Sun: A World Reignited tribute album. It took some time to revisit and refresh, yet this darkly tinged take on the lighthouse shines better than ever, according to Guimaraes:

"SURPRISE, IT'S A RESUB! I took this song on because, while I love Golden Sun's soundtrack, the Lighthouse themes shine high, and this was one of the last important songs that needed to be done. Sometimes, my ambition eats me alive. One of those times was this song - when making this, and even now, my composition skills far outweigh my production skills. Sometimes, it is better to make a composition and let someone else produce it. Let this song be proof, because even if I had acquired the self-production knowledge to produce this track, it sure would be very different.

I knew what I wanted for this track, and had a very solid arrangement down, but I needed a producer to really shake it to life. I had enlisted someone else before to help, and we were on a tight deadline. Thankfully, Eladar swept in and was able to turn the arrangement into gold - I was extremely thankful. Let me just say: Eladar 110% delivered on my vision. I'd worked with producers for electronic-type tracks before, but hearing how well this duo went is wonderful. Prior to, I'd never worked with him. Honestly? Finishing it was a miracle on its own. One of the aspects I appreciate the most about being a creator? Getting to demystify the other side. There wasn't any 'magic'; just a lot of hard work and determination. A lot of that stemmed from when I was finishing my master's degree.

That said, I'm going to give some credit to my composition here. I went for simple, as we were pressed for time. I also very much went for tempo switches. The first third of the song features a more "very tense" section, with a bit of tempo switching shenanigans for the second third, so that nobody ever notices that some sections are actually getting less tense. The final third? A section with still some tenseness, but cooling down. The very final bit, I think, was actually added in by Eladar? Either way, it worked beautifully.

This arrangement was heavily inspired by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hollywood Burns, and Carpenter Brut. Not the places I completely expected to go for EDM/synthwave/whatever you want to genre this track, but I had a great time.

Oh, and I continue the tradition of making every single Golden Sun "Lighthouse" different than its original time signature. "Venus" was 4/4, made it 5/4. This was 3/4, made it 4/4. Maybe I'll do the other lighthouses in the future...

This is where the joke "Louder master plz" comes from. I feel the original voting thread was pretty divisive, and we addressed a lot of the problems and added some new stuff here and there. And I'm happy that it's resubbed.

One thing that makes the resubs a bit magical(?) in their own way is getting to reconnect with people that I haven't connected with in forever. Eladar and I hadn't talked with each other in years, and it took us several months of on-and-off communication to sync our times to get this done. It's weird 'cause, at the time, I was annoyed at having to resub it for small things. But now I'm happier with this version *and* I'm happier to connect again.

Hoping a lot of fellow Golden Sun fans get to enjoy this! Thanks once again to Eladar. Really, him and I tag-teamed this and he def deserves as much credit as I do. I'm still surprised the original was done so quick for the album."

As stinging as a submission rejection can be, stepping back and seeing what more can be done with a track can also end up being comparatively more rewarding. As I've said on numerous occasions, the role of the judges isn't to beat you down, it's to lift you up, so kudos to Lucas for not letting the feedback or the hands of time deter him from realizing this piece's potential. Judge Chimpazilla solidified her earned reputation as one of our quirky music appreciators:

"Ah yes I remember this, and the varied time-signature source song. [...] The mixing sounds so much better this time [...] things are grooving nicely.

I like the weird lead sounds, I liked those before and I still do, they fit the vibe so well. This is such a cool creepy yet groovy arrangement, and the creation of it has an interesting story attached to it. Congrats on the Masters degree, three years late! Thanks for putting in the time to get this mix sounding its best!"

Fellow judge Emunator also acknowledged Eladar's new level of production polish, which fully unlocked the intrinsic character of Lucas's arrangement:

"Well, last time I dinged this for lacking verve... I hear the verve now! [...] It's really got a lot of spunk and personality. There's a solid groove in place, the synths and drums all feel like they belong to the same space, and everything feels quite warm and cohesive. I still find the arrangement and part writing a little weird, for lack of a better word, but thanks to the overhaul on the mixdown, it feels more like an intentional kind of weird, like I'd expect from a modern-day EarthBound recreation. [...]

Great job guys, this is ready for primetime!"

It's wonderful seeing how Lucas was even more satisfied with the execution of his concept and how he Eladar made the most of the opportunity to work together again. Comparing this piece to the A World Reignited album version, this version boasts a fuller, harder-hitting, and much more mercurial sound, so enjoy Eladar's excellent enhancements brightening Lucas's lighthouse labor of love!