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SOUNDTEST
L'Absence 09.09.2011
Past Updates: 07.08.2011 | 06.24.2011 | 05.06.2011
"Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence."
- Robert Fripp
12 - Overworld
Daryl Banner Final Fantasy IV | Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY IV
Author's Comments
well well, so apparently there are EIGHT crystals and not just the four. the group plans a strategy to find a way into the underworld, where the four additional crystals of dark reside. there are many a chore for the party to do across the world before gaining the toolsome addition of a drill to the end of their airship. overworld themes always get me, in their vastness and explorative qualities. makes me kinda happy, makes me kinda nostalgic, makes me kinda pained. enjoy the light of day one last time, friends.

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13 - Underworld
Daryl Banner Final Fantasy IV | Land of Dwarves
Author's Comments
and the airship, with new drill-friend, plummets through the earth and into the under-earth, where suddenly the heat of lava oceans proves too much for them to explore too far. they land at the dwarven castle where the third of the four crystals reside (apparently Golbez already beat them to the first two --- i'd always wondered where they were. sylvan cave? land-of-summoned-monsters cave? the-house-where-that-guy-who-wants-a-rat's-tail-lives?)

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14 - Dance of the Calbrena
Daryl Banner Final Fantasy IV | Dancing Calbrena
Author's Comments
the wicked little puppets attack the party in the crystal room of the dwarven castle, all the Cal, all the Brena, until they mishmash into a gruesome looking thing out of a horror movie.

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15 - Rydia's Return
Daryl Banner Final Fantasy IV | Battle With the Four Fiends
Author's Comments
i chose this battle to represent the boss battle theme, feeling it one of the most memorable instances of the music for me, and also after a peaceful interlude of Edward's music, it proves the most jarring to be thrust into a battle for the fourth and (maybe final) crystal.

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Two months... I have been away for too long. Unfortunately, hospital work has gotten in the way of my duties here at RPGamer. Being able to post depends entirely whether I have toxic duty or not. Nonetheless, I have finally found the time and energy to post today.

On to the tracks, then. Overworld is Daryl's take on the main theme. I don't know if this is intentional, but the fragment from 0:43-0:45 sounds a bit like a fragment of Prelude. What I love most about the mix is that it throws the listener off. It begins very simply with broken chords and warm strings carrying the melody. As it progresses, the instrumentation becomes more complex and frantic, only to become simpler, purer and more soulful at 1:44.

Back-to-back with Overworld is Underworld, a piece built upon a theme that was, in turn, based on the main theme, Overworld's source. As such it is a variation of a variation of sorts. Drastically different in instrumentation, Daryl manages to capture that eerier essence with layers upon layers of sound samples. My only concern is the introduction, as it comprises a quarter of the entire piece.

Dancing Calbrena is one of my favorite tracks in Final Fantasy IV, and corresponds to one of the more disturbing parts of the game. I have always been frightened of dolls since seeing a horror movie with a story revolving around possessed toys as a young child. Battling that doll brought back memories. Daryl manages to capture the essence of the piece—diabolically playful. I just wish the end wasn't so abrupt. A fade-out with subtle piano or high-pitched string pizzicati would've been more in-tune with the eerieness of the piece.

Lastly, we have Rydia's Return. Now, I have to be honest here, when remixing battle themes, I usually like them just as frenetic or even moreso than the original, or drastically lyric and slow. Anywhere in between, I'm not too much of a fan. However, this is just me. I'm sure other people would love this piece. After all, it is impeccably constructed.

I hope this update managed to quench the musical thirst of Sound Test readers. I'm sorry for not having updated for so long, but I suppose it can't be helped. Well, then, folks. Until next time!

Fermat's Last Theorem, M.D.

Sound Test Curator

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