ReMix:Super Metroid "Lonely Petals" 5:06

By DrumUltimA

Arranging the music of one song...

"Brinstar - Red Soil Wetland Area"

Primary Game: Super Metroid (Nintendo , 1994, SNES), music by Kenji Yamamoto (I), Minako Hamano

Posted 2009-07-14, evaluated by djpretzel


Doug writes:

"So this one is a piano improvisation on the second Brinstar theme which I did for Reserve Tank: VARIAtions. I was reluctant on submitting it but I think now perhaps it's worth a shot. I'm sad to admit that Metroid is another game that I haven't played. However, I love this track and decided to see what I could do with it! Enjoy :)"

Wat!? Ain't played no Metroid? Or Super Metroid, rather? ShameUltima. It is, as they say, all good, however, since DrumUltima makes the excellent musics, regardless of his empirical experience with the games he happens to be arranging. Piano here is a little distant/watery, but that does jive with the title - it does sound lonely, perhaps fitting background music to a film scene in which a melancholy dowager walks down a leaf-covered sidewalk on a cold Autumn morning... alright, you got me, I just wanted to work the word "dowager" into a writeup... somehow. It's a little ironic that, while Doug's last mix was ALL drums, this one has none... although piano does often get categorized as chromatic percussion. For a first solo piano mix, this is some very solid stuff, and it's all the more impressive as an improvisation. It's simpler & rawer than Doug's other, more elaborate arrangements, and it leans effectively on performance for impact, with dynamics and tempo both keeping things wonderfully human. Some of the modifications to the progression & intonation are really fascinating - I could see building additional, complete arrangements of the source around these ideas, milking them for even more, which is definitely a compliment to the artist's creativity.

This is brooding, dark, stewing source material, and while Doug definitely keeps the brooding & and the dark, he's altered the stewing to more of a full course dinner: something with more range, emotion, and development. That's exactly what you need to do to pull off a solo piano piece, in my opinion, so kudos for a wonderful take on a classic theme and for showing even more versatility as both an arranger and a performer. Now go play the damn game already :)

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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RiverSound
on 2014-08-13 22:50:55

Still my favorite solo piano mix on this site. It's simply a perfect remix given the source material and its context. The sound you chose couldn't have been more appropriate, the live performance itself is of course nigh flawless and the structure of the arrangement here is spot-on with lots of dynamics, highs and lows. It's moody, eerie, hauntingly beautiful, solitary, sad and distant, but not without a glimmer of hope hidden in somewhere. Such an emotional piece, and it has accompanied me in many lonely situations of my life.. And it just hit me how appropriately this mix is named. :)

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CyberSkull
on 2014-07-13 11:03:15

This is a really great take on Brinstar's Red Soil Wetland area, the only thing I don't like about the recording is it sounds like it is being played behind some heavy drapes. The piano work is top notch.

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urdailywater
on 2013-03-28 19:59:48

This is probably my favorite Red Brinstar mix on the site. The other ones are good.. but I think this one hits the emotion of Metroid very well. It's very lonely sounding, which I like. Great job here.

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Master_Yoshi
on 2010-08-13 12:12:21
Somehow i missed this the first time around- :o

Same. Saw this come up and was like "Lonely petals? Nyo~~?"

This is a great, personal arrangement of a well-worn source. The mood is fantastic, I love the upbeat nature of the improv, serves as a contrast against the plodding, methodical, and lonely nature of the original.

I guess I am going to have to go and listen to the entirety of reserve tank. I started into it, but there were so many bad tracks that I ended up only going for the artists that I implicitely trusted. Guess I can add Doug's name to that list after this.

And his chrono trigger all-percussion mix. Actually, in retrospect I should have trusted him after that alone...

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tweex
on 2010-08-12 19:04:27

A piano arrangement from DrumUltimA? It's awesome to see (and hear) Doug stepping out of his normal remixing comfort zone. The production value of the piano is a little low heavy with not much head room for the high end. It's also a little drowned in verb, but that's just my personal preference. However, the arrangement is where it's at. Metroid is know for being creepy, and Doug conveys that in his progression and chord voicing choices for the piece. You can hear his lead synth lines and playing style in previous mixes come out here in the way he plays the piano. This track has a wonderful dynamic arch to it. No change is too abrupt nor is it too slow. It builds and builds nicely and then it will slowly come back down. Very nice work!

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MechaFone
on 2010-05-29 18:15:57

I love me a good piano piece. This remix is beautiful, interpretive, and somewhat lonely.

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OA
on 2010-04-08 16:36:51

Somehow i missed this the first time around- :o

This is really nice improv, and a great feel for the chords. Very nice stuff, emphasizes and enhances the moodiness of the original while still keeping it mysterious and intimate.

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namekuseijin
on 2010-04-05 18:13:57

I had to register just to tell how much I love this inspired arrangement and the original source material. Excellent variations, sweet tone for the piano. Congrats and many thanks for this. I even emailed my father! :D

and if you have the chance, check out the original game. It's still as much of a masterpiece to this day as it were in its heyday.

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ekaj
on 2010-02-07 12:36:22

Beautiful!

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Emunator
on 2009-12-22 00:32:05

I've tried to improv based on this same source tune, but really this puts anything I can do to shame. Absolutely fantastic, emotive playing and some clever interpretations on a classic theme.

The piano tone, reverb, and everything about it made it feel like it's being played underwater, which is pretty cool given the way the song plays out :-)

This one, as well as your DoD solo from Mario Galaxy, has proved to me that you really are as much of a Renaissance Man as you claim to be... watching you jump from pure electronic to percussion-only to something like this, and touching on every genre in between, with each submission is what draws me to your music. You never know what you're gonna get, but you know that each new song is going to take things to a whole different level of greatness!

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Theophany
on 2009-08-19 17:59:48

this remix is love... :D

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Mtlbro
on 2009-08-10 19:48:29

Where more of the improv starts around 1:15 reminds me of Charlie Brown, u know the sad parts like when their puny tree falls down that was so cute.

. .I love Charlie Brown . .

Oh right the mix! was this rehersed? There doesn't sound one intonation mistake !! And there's a climax to the piece and everything :))

Nice work DrumUltima this shows ur mellow side for all it's wonderful. . mellowness..

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Martin Penwald
on 2009-07-28 16:16:36
There need to be way more piano arrangements of Metroid stuff than there currently are.

I agree. Super Metroid's music lends itself very well to being arranged as a piano or jazz remix.

I thought that the remix at hand was a little too long, to be honest. The first two minutes are awesome, but at some point in the later half, it starts kinda meandering, and the last minute is like a really, really dragged out outro.

Still a nice remix.

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JenZ
on 2009-07-22 13:49:39

When I met DrumUltima at Magfest, I let him know I really liked his track in Darkesword's tribute album. One of my favorites on there. Nice that this got posted. :) Though I can't believe you've never played Super Metroid... lol Hop to it man!

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jintoreedwine
on 2009-07-20 10:36:57

I've had this mix in my play list for some time now and I think it is one fantastic mix. It's Super Metroid, it's piano, and the arrangement is a great take on the source tune. What else could one ask for?

Keep it up!!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Super Metroid (Nintendo , 1994, SNES)
Music by Kenji Yamamoto (I),Minako Hamano
Songs:
"Brinstar - Red Soil Wetland Area"

Tags (2)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Piano
Additional:
Arrangement > Solo

File Information


Name:
Super_Metroid_Lonely_Petals_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,983,340 bytes
MD5:
d771a436bf873bebb71a0b483dc29a7b
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
5:06

 

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Published 2008-12-15
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