EarthBound "Eternal Summers of the Spotless Mind" 2:43

The sky's blue and the sun is high, so we've got some surf-ready indie-riffic indulgence from Pixel Mixers' PM Rockin' album! Emunator tags in help from Ridley Snipes & ErichWK for their trippy tribute to EarthBound's eternal tourist trap, "Summers"! Emu explained his modern musical makeover:

"I picked up this track as a last-minute addition to the Pixel Mixers EarthBound compilation. The "Summers" source is pretty unassuming, but it had some interesting chord movements and frequent key changes that I thought would provide a fun opportunity to attempt something a little more liberal and interpretive than I usually do. Inspired by chillwave/indie pop artists like Washed Out and Tame Impala's more psychedelic work, my arrangement latches onto a few specific motifs from the original and treats them as standalone hooks. At :42, the original "Summers" briefly dips into a different key before coming right back up to the original melody again. I subverted that by staying in the transposed key for the rest of the arrangement to introduce some drama to this happy summer vacation. Trevor and Erich go nuts on the drums and bass respectively, we get a little synth solo action, and it all winds down. The disparity between the quantization on the drums was an intentional choice to make things sound... wonky, same with the chorusing effect - it's EarthBound, I was going for jarring psychedelic effects! No frills, just vibes. Enjoy!"

Judge Hemophiliac tipped his cap (sun hat?) to Emu's ability to walk his production choices riiiiight up the edge of the water, as well as easily pass the seasonal vibe check:

"Really enjoying the warmth from this, and while at some times bordering too much saturation/fuzz on elements it toes the line and doesn't overstep. Leave it to Emunator to create a "summery" vibe, I think you have that on lock. The very subtle wah/filter modulation on the background pad is so nice. It's adding movement without standing out, truly the definition of subtle.

I can't help but notice how much your interpretation of the melody is similar to "The Licc", and now that I've noticed I can't unhear it. I enjoyed this interpretation and really makes this more than just EarthBound to me now.

2:10 was a wacky little transition and was not expecting it at all. Fun."

Oh snap, how did I overlook The Licc?!? It's no C-shot, but I digress, haha! :-D Judge Chimpazilla actually mastered this one, so she did the audio equivalent of laying out on a beach chair and basking in the glow:

"Wes *really* likes saturation. I find this track heavily saturated, but it's is a stylistic choice and it sounds fine to me (especially with this tasty mastering applied!). There are a few non-saturated timbres in the soundscape, just enough to provide some sonic contrast.

I love this arrangement and the chord movement as the piece moves along. It has an airy/floaty casual feel while also having a confident/assertive vibe, if that makes any sense. [...] Short but sweet, let's go."

When my judgehat's on, I can certainly be guilty of nitpicking or missing the forest for the trees, so I was amused at my vote mainly touching on some negligible little crits, when the reality's exactly like Emunator and all the other judges said: "vibes". This is such a smooth piece of business from Emu, Ridley & Erich; sophisticated and punchy, yet equal parts quirky and relaxing. The next time you're lounging by the seaside on a hot day with some quiet moments, fire this up and unwind! :-)