ReMix: Final Fantasy VI 'Forever, Young Rachel'

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Final Fantasy VI

Songs for the Cure '11 is now available! Be sure to check it out & donate to support the fight against cancer! Mr. Whelchel writes:

"Forever, Young Rachel" is Poolside's return to ocremix.org to celebrate the release of SONGS FOR THE CURE '11, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society aiming to raise over $10,000. This year's compilation features a metric ton of big names in the video game music community, including several talented remixers from OC ReMix. Minecraft's C418 and Super Meat Boy (and OCR celeb) composer Danny Baranowsky are joined by names like Alexander Brandon (Unreal), djpretzel (OCR founder), Big Giant Circles (Mass Effect 2), A_Rival, Jake Kaufman (virt), Wilbert Roget, II, Joshua Morse, Kunal Majmudar (ktriton), and so many more, I can't even begin to think straight about it. Last year, our compilation raised over $7K and this year we are busting our butts to finally reach that $10K goal. http://cancerdrive.org/donate

As for the song, it was originally written for Poolside's debut album "CHILDREN OF THE SUMMER" (April 1st, 2011), and features special guest David Saulesco (http://saulesco.se - also an indie game composer) who completely blows the performance out of the water. At its core, the song is about two souls that are torn apart by fate and long to return to one another, whatever the cost. Obviously, this mimics the story of a certain treasure hunter, but we were also attempting to portray the feeling of longing that is physically experienced when two people who are truly in love become separated. This bares special truth with the recent events in Japan which have affected so many families and friends."

Josh really outdid himself on the roster for this year's album, and I'm not just saying that cuz I'm on it ;) While this synth-pop FF6 track might be less polished than their superb Super Meat Boy & Final Fantasy VIII ReMixes, the arrangement is still emotive, heavily emphasizing male/female vocals, with some moving lyrics. I liked the vocoded/obscured intro w/ pipe lead, Melinda's oscillating note @ 1'22" (repeated later), the lyrical repetition of "love" at 2'31", & the vocal harmonies throughout. On the other hand, not a huge fan of the key change circa 3'23", the EQ seems to generally lack a bottom end, and the drums might be going for a chippish vibe, but I'd have preferred something with considerably more punch. Ultimately, the arrangement triumphs, the vocal performances have the requisite heart & soul to sell the lyrics, catchy harmonic vocal hooks & male/female tradeoffs stick in your mind long after the song is done, and that's what counts. Production qualms aside, nobody makes mixes like these; Poolside have a distinct sound, and hearing it applied to thoughtful VGM arrangements will never get old. And this is just the tip of the iceberg for an album jam-packed with musical goodness!

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 13 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Crono3of3time;770932 wrote: I realized later in the song that the openings sounded a bit sour because they were designed seemingly for the duet that happens later on. Kind of interesting really. It sounds awkward isolated, yet much better in tandem.

Interesting thought.
In my opinion, the male vocals are overpowering the female vocals a bit during the chorus; a little more balancing would have been good.

- Martin Penwald on June 13, 2011
I absolutely loved it! It's very original, and the more you listen to it, the more you love it. The harmony is excellent.

- Tanianol on June 8, 2011
This one can be (and has been) endlessly nitpicked on technical details, but for me it hits all the right emotional buttons as-is. And that's what music is all about at the end of the day.

- Ian Schmidt on May 9, 2011
Brandon Strader;766707 wrote: 2:25 sounds so much like Sonata Arctica. XD
Still digging this song.

Agree on the Sonata Arctica. I was looking for Tony Kakko's belting. :< :-D
Though, of a differing opinion; the song is okay, but I have a feeling so much could be done to improve it. There is potential, but nothing shines out. The lyrics are gorgeous, the composition is alright, and the singers are good, but it still lends me to wanting something.
Vocals maybe a little dry, and the synth and voice at the beginning just doesn't seem to mesh well. That, and the vocal comes out way too quiet to be heard through my monitors.
I hope I'm being helpful. :grin:
ETA: The more I listen, the more I like it. I still think a bit more work on the vocals would be good, though.

- dotaino on April 17, 2011
I was cringing a tad when the first male vocal session commenced (29s), as it sounded a bit flat. I also noticed that listening to it in segments, such as starting at 28s onward it doesn't sound flat, but then when listening from 19s it does. I guess the preceding part leaves me expecting a tad more energy in the vocals.
I realized later in the song that the openings sounded a bit sour because they were designed seemingly for the duet that happens later on. Kind of interesting really. It sounds awkward isolated, yet much better in tandem.
Hard to forget Locke and Rachel.

- Crono3of3time on April 16, 2011
2:25 sounds so much like Sonata Arctica. XD
Still digging this song.

- Brandon Strader on April 2, 2011
I would prefer the vocals to be a bit more wet, they sound pretty dry to me - which is no mistake or fault, I am just talking about preferences here.
Sure enough there are a few instances where the vocals are not 100 percent on note, but this takes nothing away from a good listening experience.
This is a great interpretation of an amazing source tune and shows us crystal clear what a personal note on a remix is all about.
Thumbs up (and kudos for the SFTC project as well, of course)!

- luhny on March 31, 2011
It's not perfect but it was worth a listen. I did like "Power of the Meat" better though. It was fun and almost was like a joke opera segment.

- NegimaSonic on March 30, 2011
Poolside isn't on my radar for some reason. Haven't been following their releases. That being said, while this remix may be technically okay, I don't see myself putting it on repeat. It was the same case with their Super Meat Boy mix, too. Maybe it's just me not liking electropop much.
I will say this though, thanks to Xarnax for directing me to Shine Tonight in this thread. I really liked it. After listening to it, I agree with Inferno in a sense that Poolside's latest track seems to be missing something.

- SwordBreaker on March 30, 2011
You finished it?! WOW. This is the first song I've followed out of the WIP thread to release, then.
This is still good, though, to tell the truth, it's nowhere near the quality of Poolside's other works. The garbled intro is a bit strange, and the male vocalist (Josh?) doesn't seem to go well with the song until the second half. Of course, Melinda's vocal work is amazing as always, and Poolside once again shows excellent taste in picking songs to remix.
In the end, it's still a decent remix, but it just feels a bit... Unrefined compared to their other works. If I was introducing someone to them, I wouldn't necessarily use this one. But I'm definitely downloading it; ANY Poolside remix is worth that much, at least.

- Inferno232 on March 30, 2011
I really wish Poolside had been around for longer, because it is such a distinct sound, I love that sound, and their library is still too small. [URL="http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02023/"]Shine Tonight[/URL], recently discovered, is now my morning alarm and gets a few more listens almost every day, and I was crazy-stoked to see this on the front page.
After a couple listens...it's good, but not up to the high bar they've set for themselves with previous work. The write-up sums up production issues. The arrangement seems rather empty at times, and a bit repetitive. Sounds like the vocals were brought way up front, but that might just be because there's not always a lot under them.
However, the vocals are phenomenal. Josh's style is one of the reasons I was so excited to listen, and Melinda's pipes impressed me. Her tone and interpretation continue to get better with each release. Harmonies are pure, lyrics are genuine (if a little sappy).
Oh, and you can't go wrong with the source. Glad they played it conservative on this one.

- Xarnax42 on March 29, 2011
I thought the tuning on the vocals was a little questionable, but apart from that, I found little to no fault with this song. I really enjoyed it, and I think the vocalists are quite talented. Some might say the absence of auto-tune allows for a more emotive performance. In this digital age where everything is auto-tuned, people probably expect that. But nay, I say, this song is great. I liked the dark tone of it so much that I searched out the original source which I wasn't familiar with. Definitely hearing the ties in there. As a whole, I'd give it 8 out of 10 cans of potted meat -- very good work, not completely perfect (what music ever is?) but definitely a very well put together and emotive work of art.

- Brandon Strader on March 29, 2011
What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

- djpretzel on March 29, 2011