Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Song of the Week 28: 'The Galaxy Awaits' by Nutritious

I didn't post yesterday, although I was supposed to. It's sort of a long story of why I didn't write anything, but I do thank Met for giving me the day off yesterday. Fortunately, I'm now writing again. So, this is another Super Metroid remix that's going to be reviewed, and is titled 'The Galaxy Awaits' by the artist Nutritious (his real name is Justin Medford). I learned that I've been having more terrible problems with my computer, so I better finish reviewing this song quickly.

The beginning starts out strong. With a couple percussion hits, low strings, and a flute-like instrument playing, the track is off to a good start. There are also other instruments added in there, such as wind chimes at 0:14, and even something that sounds like castanets is heard as well. At 0:17 the brass is added (with some high strings as well), giving the song another boost in strength. With a quick suspended cymbal roll at 0:24, the song continues to increase in volume with the brass and high strings playing the melody/harmony role here. The song doesn't die down until about 0:30. At this new section, the strings are playing a soft, extended note until a french horn comes in to introduce the melody. At 0:35 the melody consists of low strings. This is some pretty powerful stuff; it's one of the elements that I love about orchestral songs. More and more different string instruments are added to greatly increase the complexity and volume of the song (this makes it very epic). Another suspended cymbal roll will come in at 0:52. After this loud roll the brass will play with all their power, with timpani doing what it does best. After a stretched note at 0:58, a new section will start to play at 1:04. It starts out with low strings and percussion playing simultaneously. They would play two beats per measure (It sounds like the key signature is in 6/8 time). Brass and a crash cymbal will be added at about 1:08 also. This seems to be an introduction for a section that is to come. At 1:17 there's a roll on the snare drum, and the song goes into a brand new section. At this section low strings play a simple one-note melody, and the snare drum does an excellent job with it's numerous rolls. At 1:28 the melody starts to be developed from a low brass section. Not only that, but I can hear those castanets again. At 1:38 there's trumpet the plays it's own melody, blotting out the low brass and standing out quite well. At 1:44 the trumpet splits itself to make a harmony of itself. Strings will be heard again at 1:48ish, and the song continues. At 1:59 everything is strong and is showing off its perfection to me. Plus, I recognize the song that the melody is playing. The same melody is still played at 2:13, but it's much quieter. Instead of the normal brass and strings that I've been hearing throughout the song, I now hear flute playing the melody with some bassoon lightly playing alongside it. The strings pop back in at 2:18 though, with a great bass line coming from the lower string section. With a smack of the crash cymbal, as well as the rolling of the snare drum, the song goes into another new section. Woodwind instruments play medium-slow triplets to start out with. As the song progresses, more and more instruments are added. Flutes, french horn, strings, and even the triangle are played to create a great build up. I don't hear a melody until close to 2:45; the strings play a semi-progressive rhythm that I guess would count as a melody. Another cymbal roll appears, which as you know means there's going to be more added. I'm correct, although there was a slight delay before anything the section changed. What really changes is the quick change in melody at around 3:04. Here there's one more concluding section. The strings are very loud, and when the timpani comes in again at 3:11, it creates one of the classic ways to end an orchestral piece. Everything cuts off at 3:23, and then the song is over.

Pros: Mostly everything I would count as a pro. The instrumentation was great, the balance was great, the harmonies were great, etc. Very strong and moving stuff right here.

Cons: There was pretty much nothing wrong with the song, although I thought that a couple of the suspended cymbal rolls were unnecessary when no change was after said roll.

Overall: Looking for an almost flawless orchestral remix from Super Metroid? Then this is the song for you. This is a great song to listen to, no matter what type of music you prefer.

Rating: 9.4/10

1 comment:

Met said...

2:00 is what it's all about; fantastic expansion.