ReMix: Seiken Densetsu 3 'At First Innocence'

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This one caused a bit of a ruckus on the panel: feelings were hurt, tempers were raised, and yes, lives were lost. Well, that's a slight exaggeration, perhaps, but zyko's latest SD3 mix generated some concern about guitar tuning, or lack thereof, which resonated differently with different folk. It's definitely a legitimate observation - it doesn't take perfect pitch to notice the lack of subscription to Pythagorean purity. This bothers some people terribly and others could care less; as someone who's got a fondness for The Clash, The Velvet Underground, and The Strokes, I personally am willing to accept all manner of imperfections as part of an artist's intentional aesthetic, whether it be a consistent "sound" or an approach to a specific track. In other words, even on headphones, zyko's tuning on this track didn't bug me... much.

So, let's talk about the track itself, outside of scandalous tuning buzz; the feel here places more emphasis on atmosphere than zyko's usually action-packed jams. This is a slower, more ambient affair, with a really interesting pan flute performance that's intentionally tentative and punctuated when playing solo, but legato during harmony passages. Layered acoustic guitar drives the piece, however, with a smattering of repeated arpeggio, solo melody, and quickly repeated strumming of a single note for that mysterious dulcimeresque effect. There are male and female choral elements that come in selectively; some sound like samples, others sound like they may be Waleed himself, but they're tasetfully applied in either case. Percussion stays out of the way for the most part, but what's there is good. There's a curious bit of what sounds like electric wah guitar at 2'54" that disappears before it becomes a fully-realized part; peculiar arrangement decision, but certainly adds more unique character to a piece that already has a lot. Someone mentioned that the guitar tuning gives it a bit of an "Old West" feel, akin to the traditional detuning of a saloon piano. I see that; ultimately, I think the tuning should still have been a little cleaner than it turned out. Not pristine by a long shot, but there's a couple moments where it crosses my internal atmosphere threshold into problematic waters. Nevertheless, Weed had a vision here, and its unique realization, if troubling in some ways, is transporting and creative in far more.

― djpretzel