ReMix:Chrono Cross "Another World" 3:51

And now for something completely different! SuprMelO (Drew Etterle) writes:

"Howdy! I'm Drew Etterle, and I'm half of Moiré Effect with Scott Wells (BluuMonk). We're back at the Chrono Cross OST with an alt-rock remix of "Voyage ~Another World~," our remix being titled "Another World." It's such a great soundtrack and, ofc, you all remember we've covered it before. Because the melodies are so nice and the atmosphere is so comfortable, it's a soundtrack you can enjoy without even having played the game. But as usual, our stuff kind of goes in a different direction than the original. This song was too big for just the two of us, so we teamed up with Viking Guitar once again, and we also featured Vivian Reeves on vocals.

In Chrono Cross, the player gets to cross alternate realities where things are different. Sometimes I think by way of the things we do, we create alternate realities for ourselves, and there's no going back to the way things were. The story of Chrono Cross explores at parallel existences and asks if something changed, how much of a difference would it make? Would the world be completely different? This song is about that. Some alt-rock that might even bring you back to around 2001 or so. Our remix asks: if you make a decision and the consequences separate you from the world you used to have, does that world exist? Can you ever get back to it? I wanted to write a song about when consequences put you in a place you never expected to be, and there might not be a way back. That world you came from might as well not exist anymore.

Special thanks to my friend Vivian for lending her voice to tell the story. I'd been hearing her sing at church and I said, I'll bet that voice can rock. And I was right. I think the interplay between her and Scott give the dual perspectives that make you think. Shoutout to COVID-19 for making it extra tough to make this happen.

We got to team up once again Viking Guitar for some killer guitar work and a sweet solo. This is our second team-up with Erik and we really wanted to give him room to shine. Last time, he kinda had to go by the numbers. He still covers a few key lines here, but this time I also gave him 12 bars and told him to go for it. I think the result is probably one of the best guitar solos you'll have on OCR. I can't get enough of it.

This song was a challenge to mix, what with 4 musicians in 3 different states. There's probably a little too much going on, but I love it all, so it stays! I spent a lot of time fiddling with the mix because I wanted to do justice to the talent that was shared. I'm not completely satisfied with it, but at some point it's time to put it out there.

We submitted this song to Dwelling of Duels last month, and that's always fun. Love putting out VGM remixes, even if they're not everyone's thang. Wish there were about 6 more hours a day so we could put them out even more! But yep, more in the works.

Here's a source breakdown for all the OverClocked Bean Counters:

• Intro guitar, same as the nylon guitar from the original (except for a note change to fit the chord progression) and it's playing during most of the remix
• Bridge, follows along closely to the B section from the original
• Vocals, mostly faithful to the original melody during the verses, and Vivian tends to be more faithful (see what I did there?)

Here's who did what:

• Erik: intro guitar, lead guitar
• Vivian: vox
• Scott: vox, bass guitar
• Drew: rhythm guitars, drum programming, arrangement, lyrics, mixing

Thanks for listening!"

First off, I'm glad he capitalized "OverClocked Bean Counters" because otherwise we may have taken umbrage ;) Secondly, just as the original, *actual* vikings were at their best when they were unfettered by organizational rigidity, giving Erik some space for a badass guitar solo was a wise move. The lyrics work really well for this genre; Drew's explanation/background make complete sense, the theme definitely resonates with the game narrative, and the phrasing & vocabulary all have a certain alt rock authenticity to them which elevates the vocals. The initial entry from both singers had me a little worried, but I found that their performances start solid enough and only get better as the mix progresses; the recordings are a little thin and I think better mics & EQ would have helped, but what's here works and serves the vision well. Emunator evaluated:

"Never content to simply maintain the status quo, Drew & Scott are consistently raising their already-high personal bar with each submission. The addition of Vivian's vocals add a fresh new sound to the Moiré Effect palette, and I'm grateful that you were willing to lend Viking Guitar a bit of extra real estate to do what he does best - both of these stylistic decisions paid off in a big way. Vivian and Scott are both powerhouse vocalists and both deliver stunning performances. And of course, I would be remiss not to mention that Drew's production work, as always, is top-notch and does justice to all of the performers involved. This remix particularly reminds me of Jimmy Eat World, a band very near and dear to my heart. The bridge at 1:50 particularly sounds like it could been lifted straight from "Futures," which is just about the highest compliment I can give to a song in this genre. It's really gratifying to have representation of a genre that one wouldn't typically associate with video game music, and you guys consistently deliver high-quality, inspired arrangements that could go toe-to-toe with some of my favorite alt-rock bands. Bravo!"

While I'm more of a classic rock guy, I've certainly heard boatloads of alt rock in my time, and I think Drew, Scott, Vivian, & Erik captured some of the best highlights/ingredients of the genre with this mix. The concept is solid, the lyrics are spot-on in conveying it with power & passion, the chorus is anthemic, and we even get a hella satisfying guitar solo as the icing on top, something more than a few alt rock hits were missing. As Wes said, bravo!