ReMix:Super Mario Galaxy "Galaxy Drifter" 5:19

I may on *occasion* gripe about Nintendo's historical pattern of having gamers buy the same game over & over again, for each new platform... but I'm *also* paradoxically super-psyched for the announced remaster/Switch port of Super Mario Galaxy (and more) - so I guess the joke's on me, ultimately. Here to whet your SMG appetite are LongBoxofChocolate (Trevor Burch, Daniel Perry, Aaron Schmitt, Nick Bello), who deliver an (inter)stellar prog-rock take on "Buoy Base Galaxy" - Trevor writes:

"A bombastic progressive rock anthem fit for a space-faring plumber!

I can't believe it took almost 3 years to fully arrange and record this intergalactic garbage, but here it be:

"Galaxy Drifter" is a bombastic prog-rock anthem that celebrates some of my favorite musical influences. My main goal when writing was to faithfully convey the energy of Mario Galaxy's cosmic and grandiose adventure, with some twists and turns along the way. While simple in theory, the execution was actually quite troublesome. Tracking was done over the span of almost an entire year, and as our recording process changed, certain parts had to be painstakingly retracked... often more than once.

But despite all the issues, this turned out to be some of our best work to date. My ambition may have carried us a little outside our means (read: too many dang tracks for an amateur bedroom studio, we only have a 10' x 13' room to work with ATM), but somehow we managed to hold the mix together without compromising the original vision. So without pulling the curtain back any further, I invite you to join us on this one-way trip to the center of the dumpster dimension."

Celestial refuse never sounded so good :) This is perhaps proggier AND rockier than previous LBC gold, but no less shiny as a result - if you haven't checked out their excellent Undertale EP, The Lesser Dogs, you absolutely should. Evaluator Gario writes:

"Prog-rockin' overall, and I also like the elements that were retained from the source (that brass and synth) - very smart sound design choices made throughout. Needless to say the prog rock portions were played impeccably well, to boot, and despite any recording issues this may have experienced the overall mix is simply excellent. Not sure if I dig the fade-out ending, but in an otherwise amazing track I think it's acceptable."

I particularly like how upfront & chunky the drums are - plenty of detail & agility, but some serious beef as well. Might push things towards muddiness at *times* but the tradeoff is a barrage of satisfying whacks. Unfortunate phrasing, but you get me. Sir_NutS adds:

"Boy, am I a sucker for prog rock with overdriven organs. Highlights for me here are first the bass which is crystal clear and always interesting to follow, and then the lead guitar tone: I absolutely love the bite it has. I would say as a negative that the mix is a bit muffled but passable for a live recording. This is a great, complex arrangement with many different parts that come together nicely. Definitely belongs here as an OC ReMix."

It's pretty sweet, and yeah, the organ parts sing through & have the right grit to 'em. MindWanderer chimes in with some closing accolades:

"Ooh, that key change at 1:40. I don't have the musical vocabulary to describe exactly what they did there, but it was amazing. And it's just the first of many amazing twists and turns. One of my favorite remixes in a long time."

Beyond being well-executed and leaning on the group's formidable musicianship, I love the prog-rock take on SMG, which wouldn't necessarily have occurred to me, but which works swimmingly. Superb stuff from LBC that makes me all the more excited to play through SMG again!