ReMix:Breath of Fire II "Whale of September" 3:36

By ilp0

Arranging the music of one song...

"A Whale (La-la-la)"

Primary Game: Breath of Fire II (Capcom , 1995, SNES), music by Yuko Takehara

Posted 2018-09-10, evaluated by Liontamer


We've got a whale of a track for you this month, as we continue with another featured ReMix from ilp0 (Ilari Nieminen), this time taking on Breath of Fire II & continuing a late 70's rock aesthetic with articulate & present bass, acoustic guitar, some prog aspects, and recurring subtle use of synth and Mellotronish flutes. Liontamer writes:

"ilp0 actually didn't submit any comments with this ReMix, so I hope we learn more about what inspired this mix, since we actually don't get too much Breath of Fire representation around these parts (especially my runaway favorite OST of the series, Hitoshi Sakimoto's score to BoF5). As an aside, I laughed when seeing the comment on the source tune's YouTube of "This music is so unfitting to the cover art." TRUTH, thanks to some decidedly aggro U.S. cover art! Anyway, with this take on it, obviously the tempo's slower and the production isn't meant to be in your face, but I liked the opening synth and guitar cadence making me think back to "Jump" by Van Halen, even though it's a total coincidence due to the source's melody. There are a lot of understated elements in this one, from the quiet backing guitar flourishes first used at :13 and :21 under the melody, as well as the bass and percussion work at various other times. ilp0's rock stuff always has a throwback, old school vintage style that genuinely sets him apart from everyone else in the VGM arrangement community."

While I hear the "Jump" comparison due to the source melody, stylistically you're talking more Eagles/Steely Dan territory, and the structure actually reminded me of Boston at times. Again, this is the type of music I grew up with & still listen to, and I love how ilp0 is channelling it and applying it selectively & creatively to VGM. I especially dig the detail & space on the bass part, as each slide and articulation is discernible. Acoustic guitar layers in perfectly, and while the electric lead initially hit me as a bit thin/static, it grew on me as the track progressed. Great stuff, and part of a lovely one-two combo from Ilari that comes after a considerable gap, taking FFX & BOF2 to places few arrangers go & doing so with style!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 4 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
CJthemusicdude
on 2024-05-08 11:24:09

I really enjoyed the vibe of this. It was well made and was the perfect vibes for me on an early Wednesday morning. I really dug the bass in this, so groovy and funky! The percussion was also very mucn on point, nice and varied and interesting. I don't even know anything about the source, this is just a really cool remix!

avatar
WesternZypher
on 2018-09-20 09:42:40

Good classic rock vibes a la Boston or Steely as djP said. I hear a bit of Yes' ISAGP in there too. Mellow, trans-formative.

avatar
HoboKa
on 2018-09-10 23:28:54

No wonder I woke up with raging stiffy. BoF2 finally getting some love!! Thank you ilp0!!!

avatar
Liontamer
on 2018-09-05 16:59:40

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Breath of Fire II (Capcom , 1995, SNES)
Music by Yuko Takehara
Songs:
"A Whale (La-la-la)"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Progressive Rock,Rock
Mood:
Energetic,Mellow
Instrumentation:
Acoustic Guitar,Electric Guitar,Flute,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Breath_of_Fire_2_Whale_of_September_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,293,115 bytes
MD5:
dcba8e5c588fbe1186314c1ad48ec281
Bitrate:
230Kbps
Duration:
3:36

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