This is a very special song we're looking at today, one that is near and dear to my heart. Today, we're visiting Lilycove City.
You visit Lilycove City rather late in Ruby and Sapphire. Right on the coast, Lilycove City serves as the gateway to the last two gyms, the Elite 4, and a hell of a lot of surfing. Though it has no gym of its own, Lilycove is the home of both the highest rank of Pokemon contests and the obligatory department store. It also has some of my favorite music in the entire game.
I just love the sound of this song. It's such a happy and cheerful waltz, something you could see in a ballroom, but it has a certain seafaring quality to it very characteristic of the coastal city. It's just so fun!! The part that starts at :23 is one of my favorites; it's a break from the usual instruments that really conveys the innocence and playfulness that this piece is. I especially love how it loops; it's not really an awkward, "okay, let's start the music again." It fits really well. If you don't feel like swaying to this song, I'm not sure you're human.
Since this song has not yet been repeated in official Nintendo works (DAMMIT GUYS GET ON THAT RUBY/SAPPHIRE REMAKE. EMERALD TOO.), I decided to post two fan remixes instead of one.
This remix took the ballroom part of this song and put all its focus on that. I love how the strings work in this song; I would have never thought that strings would work well in this song, but hearing it, I think it sounds great! I love the addition of the harpsichord as well. However, some of the sounds don't seem to fit with the atmosphere, especially the section I pointed out as the break--perhaps more string instruments would have made it fit more?--and the loop doesn't seem as natural as it does in the original. Honestly, this seems more like a simple reorchestration of the song rather than a remix. It still sounds good, but doesn't really offer a difference.
Ah, PokeRemixStudio. This man/woman/thing's remixes are absolutely astounding, so expect to see more in the near future. This remix is incredibly fun to listen to, and I think, in contrast to the other remix, this remix focused on the seafaring town part of the music. All of the instruments fit well with each other, and I love how the drums' constant beat moves the song along. May I also mention 2:21 and the section following that? It's completely original, exactly what a remix needs. I also love the fact that PokeRemixStudio changed around the atmosphere of the main theme, once at the beginning and then again at 3:43. The section at 3:43 makes me think of going underwater and listening to the music, like how sometimes in games (namely Super Mario Galaxy) the music changes slightly once you go underwater. It's a great, relaxing way to end the song and actually made me love Lilycove's theme even more than I already had.
Well, that's all for this week! Until then, ciao~!
-umchan649
