Arranging the music of one song...

"Forest Temple"

Primary Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo , 1998, N64), music by Koji Kondo

Posted 2005-03-22, evaluated by djpretzel


Jill Goldin can sing. She knows karate, butoh, and furthermore apparently played Yum-Yum in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. All of which I learned from her site, and all of which is pretty badass in my book. I actually just watched Topsy-Turvy for the twentieth or so time, so it was cool to see the G'n'S stuff. While I'd certainly love to hear her cover "The Sun, Whose Rays", the matter at hand is this Zelda 64 mix she's submitted. The ReMixer, aka pixietricks, writes:

"I want to thank user Evilhead for helping me with the Japanese text and pronunciation. He's quite a guy! This project took flight when, inspired by the vocal work I did with m1lesteg, I thought I might try a remix of my own. I've been an OCR listener for years, but I never really took submitting seriously until now. I hope you enjoy. This should stir things up a bit, if nothing else. And to any mixers out there looking for a voice, opera or otherwise, I lend myself to the vastly underappreciated art of videogame music!"

Actually just finished my first Anime Remix, a cover of Naruto's first season ED (end selfplug) and am thinking about doing others... maybe that offer extends to anime mixes, too? Now, where to start. This is in some ways a liberal mix and in other ways conservative - essentially, the original 'Forest Temple' theme is kept pretty close to the cuff, but Jill's added, among other things, an original Japanese lyric, an original melody for said lyrics, ambient storm effects, soft but layered + interesting drums, and she's also swapped out pieces of the original instrumentation with some cool vocalizing that reminds me of Laurie Anderson (Oh Superman = one of my favorite songs, ever) or Meredith Monk or something. Not surprising, for a voice major, but still very cool. The actual melody that's been superimposed over Kondo's original reminds me more of Erasure, especially the synth pattern that enters at 1'11" and the oh-so-lovely interval at 1'49". I was trying to explain to someone the other day how, like a single amazing line can make or break any given poem, a single interval in a melody that is JUST right can change things dramatically. When Tom Chaplin of Keane resolves on "we know" in "Somewhere Only We Know", for example, any other note would have been so very... less. The whole piece is fairly non-linear, without a sense of climax, but this makes a good deal of sense because, as the title suggests, the lyrics and the structure as well take the form of a prayer. I seem to dig this a good deal more than some of our judges; I think it's definitely the type of mix that'll either hit you the right way, or not. If, as I do, you've got a predilection for J-Pop and anime OSTs, I think you might be more likely to dig it. From an arrangement perspective, it's one of the more liberal pieces on the site, and an extreme example of primarily additive technique, but... I listen to Jill's piece, and I listen to the original, and I hear Kondo's piece reenvisioned as the backdrop for something that, while larger, still shares the same spirit of wonder, naturalism, and a sort of wooded, ethereal transplendence. There's precedent for this sort of arrangement, though the line/ratio can certainly be crossed. Mastering is a little low, so you might wanna pump the volume a bit. Hopefully you'll see in this what I see in it, but I think it's ultimately one of those tracks that does different things for different people. Regardless, I love that Jill's first submission is so unique and singular a creation. I'll be playing this one often and looking forward to more.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Sarinilli
on 2012-02-07 03:23:16

This song is beautiful, I love it. Have loved it for years. Such a beautiful voice and you did a great job on the pronunciation too!

Would love to hear more Zelda mixes with vocals from you. Maybe even in Hylian. ^.~

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slashie
on 2011-01-15 08:34:44

Used this remix in a page in memory of an old friend at http://www.santiagoz.com/alenome/

Thank you!

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MechaFone
on 2010-12-04 19:34:45

Can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet! If you can't tell by now, I am a fan of Jill's workings here. I loved this song from the beginning, especially since I'm a OOT nut. Man that sounds funny. Anyway, I loved the idea of a song of prayer. It makes me think of Saria and her innocence and her role in the game, so major kudos on original ideas, and excellent vocals.

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OA
on 2010-09-02 11:36:51

A really nice ambient journey with a strong soundscape and some beautiful vocals. This mix used the original as a launching point for something that encompasses so much more. I wish there was a little more bass, but even as is, it possesses a dream-like quality that is pretty great.

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DJ Uni Mekaju
on 2010-08-05 03:53:11

Dang, I thought this song was scary before but you made it even freakier! In a good way though. ;D

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Sabrewulf
on 2009-01-26 14:02:13

I thought the Forest Temple theme was an outstanding piece to begin with and Jill's vocal addition made it that much better. It's a great track for meditation.

Is there any chance of seeing more remixes in this vein? I think it would be great to hear themes from the other temples redone with enhanced instrumentation and vocals.

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Jillian Aversa
on 2007-11-25 16:06:03

It's not a MIDI rip; there was no MIDI involved whatsoever. I sampled the rolling mallet percussion background from the game, and wrote an original melody to carry the piece somewhere other than strict ambience, interspersed with different re-hashed sections from the source.

It's the exact original melody with a looping preset over it.

Actually, the only "melody" in the original lasts about four bars, and there are layers upon layers of tracks in this remix even excluding my vocals, so you can't boil it down like that.

Prayer was not only my first remix, but my first hand at computer music-making period. Sure, the standards have evolved since I first joined this community, and I'm much more familiar with them now (hence being a judge). I wouldn't submit something like this today, but I still consider it a great first step in my musical journey. :

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Jaybell
on 2007-11-24 18:14:53

Woooooaaaaaaah this mix has a lot of reviews.

So uh yeah! Forest Temple is a bitching song from Ocarina of Time. So it's great that it got coverage.

I really really really love ambient songs, so I love this mix as well! The staccato vocal things caught me off guard at first, but they've since grown on me. Nice work!

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Dhsu
on 2007-10-31 22:10:06
Yeah, but they're GOOD vocals, and they constitute an original melody that's pretty creative...

Well, you won't get an argument from me on that front. :)

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Shadow Wolf
on 2007-10-31 20:49:07

WOW. I happen to have Prayer and the Ocarina of Time OST, so I went back and had a listen. Have to agree with Dhsu on this one. It's the exact original melody with a looping preset over it. On the other hand, I think Jill's vocals stand very well on their own, and I've already stated my stance on vocals in other languages. Had I been judging, which I obviously was not (nor was anyone else) I probably would have sent this one back for a little more imagination with the arrangement. That's a tall order though; the Forest Temple theme is an extremely daunting bit of music to remix, as it's barely music in the first place. I'd call it more of an ambience track, and Jill certainly did a better job than I would have. So in summation

NO (resubmit)

I've always wanted to do that.

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djpretzel
on 2007-10-31 17:25:56

You're right. It's a MIDI rip with a GarageBand preset and vocals on top.

Yeah, but they're GOOD vocals, and they constitute an original melody that's pretty creative...

Even still, I feel that if we'd known this was a GB preset, since it was already close, it probably wouldn't have been posted. I love the melody Jill added, but I think this is a case of the standards evolving, and I don't think it would be posted today. However, it's not egregious enough to remove, either, and was spared by the last and hopefully final lockdown, if I recall correctly.

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Dhsu
on 2007-10-31 16:53:47
Yeah, but it's not really 'keeping us in line' when we didn't evaluate it to begin with.

Which I already admitted. Again, I apologize for bringing it up, since it was no fault of the judges per Larry's elaboration.

Not to mention that objectively speaking, it's not a MIDI rip with vocals on top, so those would be two reasons why it doesn't defeat my statement that you can't sub a MIDI rip with vocals and have it pass.

You're right. It's a MIDI rip with a GarageBand preset and vocals on top.

I can get annoyed, but I still like when David does that; nothing wrong with keeping us in line.

I critique because I care. :)

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zircon
on 2007-10-31 16:37:33

Yeah, but it's not really 'keeping us in line' when we didn't evaluate it to begin with. Not to mention that objectively speaking, it's not a MIDI rip with vocals on top, so those would be two reasons why it doesn't defeat my statement that you can't sub a MIDI rip with vocals and have it pass.

I would have backed him up if he was hatin' on AmberTrance though. ;)

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Liontamer
on 2007-10-31 16:31:39
Ah yes, another display of cunningly site (staff) criticism from Dhsu. He really could have picked a better example, as we've passed more cover-ish things.

I can get annoyed, but I still like when David does that; nothing wrong with keeping us in line. I could be wrong on the track implied, but we'll see. For the 1500 lockdown though, we voted on "Prayer" and let it stay due to having some interpretive merit, but myself and the panel at the time came to the consensus that we wouldn't have passed it in the first place had it went on the panel.

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zircon
on 2007-10-31 16:10:37
He's saying "Prayer" by pixietricks.

Ah yes, another display of cunningly site (staff) criticism from Dhsu. He really could have picked a better example, as we've passed more coverish things.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo , 1998, N64)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Forest Temple"

Tags (4)


Genre:
New Age
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Singing,Vocals: Female
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original

File Information


Name:
Legend_of_Zelda_Ocarina_of_Time_Prayer_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,874,255 bytes
MD5:
cae58a61054a37d38df00580d70b651f
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:49

JAPANESE:

Mori no yousei ga atsumatta
Din-sama ni inori wo utau
chikara wo kashite, soshite, ude de
hogo, tochi wo mamotte

Kashikoi Nayru-sama
housoku no houhou oshiete
anshin no rei wo misete
soshite namida ga kawakasu

Yuuki no megami, Farore-sama
inochi to tamashii no souzousha
eiyuu wo okutte, nozomi wo ataeru
itsuka nikko wo dasu no tame ni

ENGLISH:

Fairies of the forest gathered
Din, we sing our prayer
Lend us your strength, and with your arms
Defend, keep safe the land

Nayru, the wise
Teach us the ways of law
Show us the spirit of peace
And we will dry their tears

Goddess of courage, Farore,
Maker of life and soul,
Send us a hero, give us hope
That someday the sun will shine

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