ReMix:Final Fantasy VIII "The Infested Arena" 3:21

We've got a great 1-2 punch of Bluelighter (Guillaume Saumande) for you. :-) Combining Final Fantasy VIII themes for an album cut from our behemoth 80-track SeeDs of Pandora release, Bluelighter tickles the ivories in a way that's some parts uneasy, some parts jaunty! Hard to believe how that can work, but it does, as Guillaume explains and details for his piece:

"Here is a piano arrangement of "Fear" and "Unrest". These tracks marry well together IMO, by their melody or by their sinister atmosphere. This arrangement sounds a little jazzy with disturbing dissonances, notably at the 2nd play of "Fear" at 1:53 where I've taken some liberties on harmony. Soft parts (notably intro and outro) also contribute to the worrying atmosphere that I wanted in the arrangement. Enjoy!

Breakdown:

0'00: Intro ("Fear" harmony)
0'47: "Unrest" (26'-41')
1'02: "Fear" theme presentation
1'53: "Fear" harmony variations
2'20: "Unrest" (0'-25')
2'35: "Unrest" (26'-41')
3'11: "Fear", outro (light sounds)"

SeeDs of Pandora co-director Darkflamewolf agreed with how effectively Bluelighter combined the compositions in their POV, making the case for why this track would be their album favorite:

"It takes two themes that you wouldn't normally think go together and it harmonizes them in a flowing, smooth piano arrangement that is seamless in its transition between the two themes, and that's why it is my favorite."

Fellow album co-director Jorito honed in how the source tunes' titular emotions came through, even in light of what could have been an ill-fitting genre approach on paper:

"Quite soon after we restarted the album project, Bluelighter treated us on a solo, atmospheric piano version of "Fear" mixed with parts of "Unrest". With the bounce and jazzy influences, it starts out as a playful take of the source, but treads into darker territories after some key changes, bringing the feelings of unrest and fear from the titular tracks. Moreso than the source tracks, I might add. As the only solo piano piece on the album, it definitely stands out!"

The lower chords here certainly conveyed stress and tension at times, so I see where Jorito was coming from saying that, even with a more upbeat and spirited performance, there were more feelings of fear and unrest in this version than the originals. prophetik music's view from the judging arena was on the same wavelength (only leaps and bounds more articulate):

"ff8 has some real weird tracks. i love that about it.

this is a super interesting concept. i wouldn't have ever seen a rolling jazz gait fit either of these tracks, but they dovetail very nicely together with this level of expressive playing. i love how much space you put into the arrangement, letting some of the chords ring and sit for a bit. the increasing intensity and tempo at 1:48 is great too - the hurried feel is very disconcerting, especially paired with a bunch of normal major chords on top with no extensions, it just feels very different. coming back to the more introspective A material at 2:55 is a great way to end it.

easy vote. excellent work."

An interesting but successful juxtaposition of the original tracks' titles with more color and spontaneity by Bluelighter for a unique interpretation, a singular, special item in the buffet that is Final Fantasy VIII: SeeDs of Pandora!