PixlBit

So...I've been talking about the OCRemix tribute album to Final Fantasy VI, Balance and Ruin, for two weeks now (here and here), covering all the songs on the first two discs. By this point, though, I'm sure that anybody here that is going to download it has already done so and those that aren't going to...well, what's the matter with you? Go download it!

Anyway, there is more good stuff on the three remaining discs, naturally. I like "The Megiddo Brigade," a remix of "Devil's Lab" by djpretzel, who just happens to be the founder and administrator of OCR. It's an orchestral remix featuring a solo cello, though there are a lot of electric influences, particularly in the percussion. Another good one is "There's Nothing Like Flying," which is a remix of "Blackjack" (one of the airship songs). It's a completely chiptune remix, so very old school, done in an electronica/dance style. "Mogstradamus" is a great name and the remix is an interesting mix of chiptune, electronica, dubstep-ish beats, and ukulele. Yup. But the best title on the whole album comes on disc four. XPRTNovice's remix of Umaro's Theme is called "The Narshemellow." That just cracks me up every time! It's a good remix, too, and features a bunch of real life instruments ensembled together (as you might guess from his previous work) like mandolin and flute.

There are some good rock mixes, too, like the one for the Floating Island and "Dancing Mad." On the other end of the spectrum are some good classical-style orchestral remixes, especially those by Jeremy Robson--"Elegy for a Ruined World" and "Trauermarsch." And a couple of guys, one on piano and the other on violin, turn the "Ending Theme" into an "Ending Suite" and the results are very impressive.

The fifth disc is all bonus tracks, basically just some different takes on songs that had already been remixed (which they all had by that point). There's some interesting stuff there too, my favorite probably being "Umaro's New Groove," which was inspired by cartoons like The Emperor's New Groove (betcha didin't see that one coming). It reminds me of The Incredibles at times too.

In summary, discs 3-5 are good too and you should listen to them! I've been listening to them all a lot over the last couple of weeks and everything holds up really well. Next week we'll return to regular old "OCR Spotlight" but don't miss out on this great album. It's the best work the folks at OCR have ever put out and that's saying something.