ReMix:Plants vs. Zombies "Cerebral" 3:02

By Avaris

Arranging the music of one song...

"Cerebrawl"

Primary Game: Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap , 2009, WIN), music by Laura Shigihara

Posted 2020-10-30, evaluated by the judges panel


Avaris (Shaun Wallace) continues our flora vs. necro-fauna flood with a cinematic, hybrid electronic/acoustic hip-hop instrumental that blends micro-percussion, some spooky background ambience, & piano/guitar:

"Chimpazilla approached me about participating in the project. I decided to jump knowing how dedicated she is. I went for a laid back hip hop track with tones and textures that enhanced the feel of the original source. I have been doing a lot of synth work lately, so I wanted to get back to using some organic, natural instruments. Hence the combo of piano, acoustic guitar, and plenty of bell tones and textures layered throughout. This track came together fairly quickly, but the last 5% was a doozy. Thanks to everyone on the project for the spirited debates to iron out some of the final details. ;)"

Judges approved, but also felt like this could have developed a bit more - Shaun went for something subtle/reserved, and while it never really breaks out of its (enchanting, well-realized) shell, DragonAvenger was okay with that:

"I think it takes the source into a fun direction, and has a lot of nice sounds that work well together. I think opening up into some more sounds and some more bombastic sounds (Wes worded it just right) would bring this up a notch, though I think having the track be a bit understated works in its own way, too."

Shaun could easily have incorporated another source or extrapolated from this source to round this up to four minutes and introduce a clearer climax or point of interest (solo, breakdown, etc.), but not every track *needs* that additional structure/arc. This takes a building, suspenseful source and meditates on it, with a textural emphasis on drums - given the bird sounds in the background, I think this qualifies as BIRDCUSSION, which is always high praise. I love the blend of hand drums & synthetic perc FX, and the wide panning applied to both so that they're easily distinguishable. There are lots of sonic details hidden in the mix, something the artist excels at, and the initial simplicity yields to deeper appreciation on repeat listens. Something a bit less flashy, but still quite enjoyable, immersive, and - yes - cerebral from Avaris. Enjoy!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 3 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
CJthemusicdude
on 2024-04-08 11:49:49

The percussion early on definitely had me paying attention, it kind of tickles your brain in that odd way. This was expertly done and very cool. Good stuff ?

avatar
timaeus222
on 2020-10-30 17:03:27

"Cerebral" certainly describes this mix well. Lots of cool, subtle percussive effects/details that don't really distract the listener, and just add a layer for acute listeners to notice.

avatar
Liontamer
on 2020-10-28 10:31:49

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap , 2009, WIN)
Music by Laura Shigihara
Songs:
"Cerebrawl"

Tags (11)


Genre:
Cinematic,Downtempo
Mood:
Chill,Dark,Spooky
Instrumentation:
Acoustic Guitar,Bells,Hand Drums,Piano,Strings,Synth
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Plants_vs_Zombies_Cerebral_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,460,646 bytes
MD5:
5af9c2650bbd00b03f7e3bc1ef45ccc0
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:02

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