ReMix:Super Mario Bros. "The Life and Death of the Mario Brothers" 2:53

This is an amazing song by Matthias and it delivers a really original twist on the iconic Mario theme. The groovy synths around 1'28 always make me smile. This mix has a lot of attitude - almost like Mario and Luigi are driving around on a gigantic cloud of bubbles, gang-wielding Cougar Magnums. WHAT. You can take that how you want. The only problem I have with this song is that the synthesizers can get a little bit grating on the ears at times - but, then, that's also what makes this mix really unique. Maybe it couldn't have been done any other way! Regardless, this is a great song. Recommended.

What to say about this ReMix.....hahaha, ah, too much. First off, the first few moments, flooded my brain with nostalgia. Then bam! Strange synths and strong beats that give the Mario tune we all love a bit of a sharper edge. Back to nostalgia and some SFX, which is always great when done right, and back to the synths again. I just love the hard beat to this one, got me nodding my head to it. The ending with the lesser use of instruments followed by the death music was a damn good way to end it. This track is three minutes long, and yet it goes by like nothing when I get into it. Everything just seems to click with this ReMix. Probably one of my favorite takes on the Mario theme, so well done.

I don't know how I've never commented on this mix, but the shameless endorsement/comparison in the title to IR's "Life Death of Kirby" mixpost brought me back here. So I just want to say that this is one of my favorite mixes on the site. The synths are absolutely ridiculous. I love them. Great, interesting, and fresh take on an ionic theme.

This song is absolutely warped, but in a good sense.

Definately enjoy listening to this one, and the sound effects starting around 1'17 just put this song on a whole new awesome plane.

This is one of the best interpretations I've heard of what's probably the most iconic video game theme of all. It's been done to death with all sorts of instruments imaginable, but still this mix manages to make it sound fresh and delicious.

The synths in this are incredibly sexy.

This is simply amazing. For a source that's so old and tired, it completely refreshes it. The change to the minor key gives it that sort of desperate, earnest feel of nostalgia to it, like the game's so old you're trying to remember it and bits are missing. Then you just let the synths take you on a journey as they dance around with each other in some twisted psychedelic retro soundscape.

Truly emotional piece.

This song is...well, strange but c.mon it's the Mario Theme here! So allow me to review this one.

A generic Genesis FM-style opening gives us the signature that Mario fans know and love with some bell-ish synths. Then we're launched into a groovy electro funk major/minor session with some really funny lead sounds that are found in a vocal-less auto-tuned song or a West Coast rap rather than in electro funk. I especially like the bits after 1:50 where the two leads play off each other. The breakdown with the glockens is cool, just could use an extra instrument, but it sounds okay. Perhaps the sound effects in that section were supposed to lead us into the "death" of Mario or Luigi...I'll have to listen to it a few more times.

On a side note, you could have ripped high quality sound effects from Tony Thai's fakegame.ftm file and did some editing in FamiTracker. Plus you could mess around with them too to make something really quirky and novel. Fami's a fairly easy program to use if you haven't done so, and since this was done effeciently, it won't hurt your time constraints.

9/10

And now, since I have no real great conclusion for a song based on awesome-ness, I shall quote the chipper passionate voice of Charles Martinet in my head as he says "Thank you so much for a playing my song."

Well, uh, AnSo certainly managed to make the song his own, offering a rather fresh take on it.

Personally, I can't say I'm too hot on the synths. On the one hand, they have kind of on an awesome sound to them, but on the other hand, they are just one step shy of making me say "ohgodmyears" on turn it off.

Which is a shame, because the arrangement is great, the other instruments are well chosen, and the sound effects from the game are incorporated rather well IMO.

I'm really torn on this one.

Great lead synths all around, and melodically and harmonically one of the most cool and interesting mixes Anosou has done. The modulations are seamless, the arrangement is fresh, and the source is classic.

I didn't even mind the SFX. Nice work, Sir Swede.

what just happened

This really reminds me of the Kaliedoscope (sp?) OST, similar sounds and feel to it, that sort of light-hearted playfulness that permeates that soundtrack. Yes, yes, I know it's the same guy, but it's just weird since AnSo's tracks are usually a fairly diverse lot.

What's with five seconds of silence at the end!?? Bahs, minor quip.

Yeah... What's with the need for samples? Granted, you work them in nicely, ie. the pipe sound effect, the coin hits, and even the death sound at the end. It's all very well executed from a technical, and even creative standpoint. But.... With how well done the rest of the track is, the samples seem to cheapen the mix as a whole for me. The nostalgia factor is high enough with this being such a well referenced song, something that exists in our collective gamer concience. Did you really have to toss in the samples?

With such a fun, breezy overhaul of the theme I would have expected that if anything, there would be an update to the jumping sounds, coin hits, etc. They wouldn't have stood out so much, to the point where they almost distract from an otherwise excellent take on a very worn, tired theme.

Mattias, you've simultaneously captured the nostalgia factor of the original song whilst transforming it into your wacky chipomatic signature swede format. I absolutely love your interplay between major and minor chord variations throughout the song. It sounds almost bipolar, and is incredibly entertaining. I don't need to say anythign about your instrumentation or production value: as always, it's through the roof and very clean. You almost got a reggae vibe in particular places with that damn organ and beat you have going on. I can't pin down a style, but why should that be something I need to do anyways? Great song, and great ending.

Hope you got some extra lives hanging around.

Amazing, one of the best takes at the theme so far.

I had a laugh that just as I was listening to the pipe sound at 0.55 the file finished downloading.

...Wow, some crazy awesome synths/writing. This is absolutely insane, love it.

Word. I wouldn't expect anything less from the great AnSo. I'm going to be listening to this all day.