ReMix:Final Fantasy IV "The Dark" 4:24

Like the introduction. Got a feel for the original Dark Knight. Makes me wanna say, "I'm Batman!"

If I ever needed a song for one of those thought-provoking, reflective moments in a movie, I think this is around the style I'd be looking for.

It does have that sort of whimsically powerful darkness about it that I could hear in a movie. Sounds just like the kind of arrangement that would fit a Final Fantasy 4 movie score for the dungeons, because it has those deary booming bassoons that turns into more of the same with fantastical lifts dancing around them. Got a small shade of Potter vibe in some areas, but just a little one. Like everyone else mention, the thing is overly quiet and I had to turn the volume up just to hear the ReMix, but after that, not bad.

I don't currently have headphones, so I had to crank this one all the way up just to hear it. The arrangement seems intentionally deliberate and very moody, thanks to the sudden drop offs and haunting choice of instruments.

If I ever needed a song for one of those thought-provoking, reflective moments in a movie, I think this is around the style I'd be looking for. It feels like you're trudging through uncertainty and darkness for most of the mix, but toward the end when the instruments get louder and more profound, you feel like you've reached enlightenment and everything is much more clear. If that's the concept you were going for, then kudos to you!

I remember when this came out I was confused. It was right before the release of the FF4 album, but it wasn't affiliated with it. But it was still a very pleasant surprise, being from trickwaters, and being of one of my favorite FF4 tunes.

I had to break out my headphones to listen to this one, because it was just so *quiet*. Admittedly I should listen to more music with headphones, especially for reviewing purposes, but I don't have a great setup for that kind of thing. In this case I'm glad I did though, because with the headphones I'm picking up a lot of stuff I missed initially. Some of the strings and flutework in the background, for instance. And it's all done well, in that the instruments don't sound too fake to me. In pieces like this, authenticity is important. (Then again it could be real instruments for all I know.. I'm not too good at telling the difference XD)

The overall mood of this piece is really reminiscent of the original for me. Haunting, but still beautiful. My one complaint is something I'm torn about. The quiet beginning sets up the mood of this really well, but at the same time my instinct is to cut up the volume so I can hear it. Then later it gets loud! So the volume must come down, and the having to cut it up and down makes this.. not the best candidate for easy listening or just having something on the mp3 player to chill to. But that's me just being anal and nitpicky, I'll admit.

Overall, this is really worth a listen if you love orchestral stuff, and moreso if you're into the FF4 soundtrack!

I LOVE this dungeon song. I can imagine hearing this version in the game. .

Oh and beautiful key change during the climax was a special "oooh" moment for me ))

This forcibly reminds me of Shadowgate 64, thanks to the corridor-creeping pizzicato strings (1:52 = strongest), the woodwinds expressing tall tower wonder (2:47+ = ditto), and the overall vibe (exploring in a musky, people-less fantasy setting). Furtive and gripping, like a spellbook waiting to be found.

Nice arrangement and instrumentation. The deliberate pacing didn't put me off at all; I think it fits the overall mood of the song very well.

It's awfully quiet, though. As Kirby Oak said, it's kinda hard to have this remix as part of a playlist. As a standalone song, though, with the volume cranked up accordingly, this is pretty sweet stuff.

This piece makes me feel hopeless and vulnerable.

It's been a long time since Music pulls my strings like this.

gotta start listening to this genre again.

thanks.

Edit: Oh, I agree whith this:

If only it wasn't so short, I felt it could have gone for quite a bit longer with some additional expansion.

Very deliberate pacing, and some very nice contrapuntal ideas contained within. I thought the dynamic curve was fine, though I can see how it would potentially turn off a lot of people who are looking for action right away, but if you are patient, there's some pretty good ideas here. If only it wasn't so short, I felt it could have gone for quite a bit longer with some additional expansion.

Still, it's good, and I enjoyed it. Nice work.

I really like the atmosphere this song sets up, I basically get a constant vision of the first dungeon of FFIV, Mist Dragon and all, which is definitely not a bad thing. It also conveys a sense of sneaking around and being careful, which sort of gets knocked out of its socks occasionally by the louder parts. The intro has got to be my favorite part, it sets the rest of it up wonderfully.

This mix is very quiet to start, and I have a hard time listening to the whole thing at one consistent volume level, but as I'm a pretty huge fan of the source I can certainly cope with this.

Don't know about Mahler, but there's a lot of Holst's Planets in there. The celesta arpeggio is almost a quote from Neptune, for example. Very good regardless.

If it's instant gratification you're after (as I often am) this won't do it. If you're looking for a well-executed tune that doesn't intrude terribly on your psyche as you try get some work done at the computer (as I often am), this will do it.

Hmm... Well, as far as the arrangement goes it's top notch, and the orchestrating is quite good. Yes, it's very quiet, but if you listen to any classical CD it's about at the same dynamic volume so it could fit in perfectly with a Debussy album or even Mahler. Mind you, I believe that if your listening to classical music, you need to have it up loud enough to hear the quiet parts and let the loud portions blow your head off (no tweaking the volume, people!) - that's the only way to go, and this piece is great for that type of listening (other genres of music don't have this element, which is rather sad, but that's life).

I do feel that the instruments don't sound very real, though, but it does the job well enough - the arrangement and dynamic play works well, making up for that one deficiency. Nice stuff!

Like someone mentioned, a little quiet, so hard to add to a playlist without the other songs blowing my ears out, but definitely a relaxing piece. It's very fitting with a "Dark" castle of some sort in a fantasy movie. Retaining some of that majesty of it's lost kingdom while still being in a state of disrepair and spookiness. It very much reminds me of the witches' lair in Stardust (probably because I recently saw that movie and it's most fresh in my memory), or even the crystal towers of the third Pokemon movie. Overall, very nice mix, even if it could use an audio boost.

Excellent job here! I've been waiting around for someone to cover this source track adequately...haha. (I'm such a jerk.)

Anyway, this is beautiful, marvelously subtle, and evokes the atmosphere of the original perfectly.