ReMix:Golden Sun: The Lost Age "Au Clair de la Lune" 4:16

Chernabogue (Alexandre Mourey) starts the week with a pretty solemn & dark rock ballad take on Golden Sun: The Lost Age, featuring organ & some familiar collaborators on guitars:

"This track from Golden Sun 2 sounds so sad, especially when you first visit that village in the game. I wanted to keep that sinking feeling as part of the remix while switching its genre and aiming for a slow rock arrangement. Challenging but super fun (despite the depressing/nostalgic atmosphere of the track). Guitars by Audio Mocha and bass by Furilas. Major thanks to my partners in crime for their time and recordings! Thanks, guys!"

So if you're already feeling down, I can't particularly recommend this track as a pick-me-up, as it definitely feels pretty... resigned? Bleak? But that's a valid musical emotion (as are they all!), and I like how Alexandre plays with intonation to help convey a disconnected, disaffected vibe. Things might stray a little too far at 1'52", and some of the underlying organ sustains towards the end feel like tone clusters, intentionally or otherwise, but the general atmosphere is one of descent, abandon, & withdrawal, captured effectively. Larry Oji writes:

"The approach remained mellow like the original, but this version was nicely personalized, and I loved the backing pattern being used as the foundation of the track from 2:02-4:06. A really cool listen; nice teamwork!"

I liked the processing & placement on the guitar plucks, adding some dimensionality to the mix, and the juxtaposition of dirty B3 and regal pipe organs provides a nice contrast, from gritty club to vaulted cathedral. Subdued, cool stuff; I'm not 100% on the more exposed intonation calls, but I don't need to be, as the feeling and musicality are both conveyed. If you're plagued by an overabundance of happiness & contentment in your life, this mix might just be the answer, and either way it's an enjoyable, slowly-nodding-along chill piece that makes you think for a bit. Kudos to Chernabogue, Daniel, & Mac for something different and rather beautiful in its own way; a slow dark walk down a troubled street.