Mirror's Edge: Still Alive - The Remixes
featuring Lisa Miskovsky
Mirror's Edge: Still Alive - The Remixes
Buy online
Mirror's Edge: Still Alive - The Remixes Composed featuring Lisa Miskovsky
Promo Release (2008)
Rating:
5/10
See below for soundclips from AmazonMP3
“The ethereal appeal
of the "original" piece "Shine" still remains the most satisfying
iteration of this infectious music but the steps taken to bring this
song to the mainstream has been done fairly well. The essence of the
piece is certainly maintained in the Lisa Miskovsky's vocal version
and while the remixes tread on the core trait of the piece, (one of
"freedom" or "flying") these mixes will certainly make the song
embraceable by a much larger audience.”
Transformed Reflections
Review by Christopher Coleman
MIRROR'S EDGE is a pretty special video game. Along with the hyper-real
visuals and non-violent slant, the game has received much buzz in regards
to its music. The first teaser trailer offered most their first glimpse
into the red, white, yellow and cyan world of Faith, the free-running
messenger. The sense of free-flight and awe that oozed out of the trailers
was, in no small part, due to the music chosen to undergird the images.
Savvy netters quickly found this mesmerizing chill-out track on Imeem
entitled "Shine" by some enigmatic entity called ALCORUS. EA and Dice
quickly denied that this was the song being used in the trailer and that
it was a piece created by their chosen score composer (who turns out to be
Magnus Birgersson/ Solar Fields). Well, despite the denial, aside from
very minor differences, the two songs were
a "mirror" of one another. Not long after, in response to all
of the discussion board buzz over this music, EA and Dice released a few
low-bitrate remixes of this new Mirror's Edge theme. Subsequent
trailer releases would
feature even more variations on this single theme; one of them introducing
some intriguing, Imogen-Heap-like vocals. It was clear that there was some
mass value to song that needed to be capitalized upon. Shortly before the
release of the MIRROR'S EDGE on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC, EA
announced there would be a release of the title track now entitled "Still
Alive" with vocals by LISA MISKOVSKY. In addition to the straight, vocal
version, the release would feature a number of remixes.
About the time "house" music started to really become popular, circa 1990,
my days as a deejay were coming to a close; however, "remixes" had already
been around for the better part of a decade. As I progress in years, the
fancy transformations, edits, filters, modulations, and other electronic
torture chambers that producers can put original music through is losing
its appeal for me. While I marvel at the technology and skill, I'm looking
for things to be made simpler, not more complex. That said, in moderation, remixes can still be a lot of fun.
STILL ALIVE: THE REMIXES starts off with the original track, of course,
and is easily my favorite of the bunch. Oh the joys of simplicity. Taking
the original piano hook and rhythm from the mysterious ALCORUS, LISA
MISKOVSKY adds her appropriate lyrics and youthful vocals. Perhaps her
background as a one-time member of the Swedish Snowboarding Team helped
her to express the "freedom vibe" of the music through her lyrics and
vocals as well.
The remaining tracks are all distinct remixes that vary enough in texture
to avoid listener fatigue. These remixes are in the classic sense of word:
taking and modifying existing material and adding countless new
instruments, synths, and processes. A couple of them even hearken back to
the days of 12 inch single with multiple versions of just one song...many
of mixes passing the 8 minute mark. In this case, we have two that do just
that: Still Alive: The Benny Benassi Mix (2) and Still Alive: Paul Van Dyk
Mix 4). As I mentioned earlier, I was diving out of the popular music
scene as "house" or "club" music was fast rising...and one reason for that
was because the recycled, pulsing disco-dance beat from the 70s never
appealed to me. Even though almost two decades have passed, my feeling about that
particular rhythm has not changed and so each of the tracks displaying that
quick-tempo-monotony does not fair as well in my ears. The Benny Benassi
Mix (2), Paul Van Dyk Mix (4) and Armand Van Helden Mix (6) all fall into
this category. There are a couple remixes that do; however, stand out in a
postively, retro way. Junkie XL Mix
(3) with its Frou Frou-like playful beginning and 90s club beat is a
refreshing change of pace. Junkie XL is able to "stay closer to home" with
the original piece while adding enough "junk" to give it a fresh and
upbeat vibe. Likewise track 5, Teddybears Mix, is a positive change up.
Since I've well established my age in this review, I can say with ease that this mix is strong call back to Toni Basil's "Mickey" from 1982. This
teeny-bopper, 80s hit is certainly not a song I ever thought could be
melded with the ethereal "Still Alive," but somehow producer Jocke Ahlund
pulls it off.
The convergence of media industries continues. We've seen movies and games
merging more and more and now we same video games and the mainline music
scene shaking hands. MIRROR'S EDGE's STILL ALIVE: THE REMIXES may be the
most promoted single to be spawned from a video game to date. And it's
likely to continue. While clubs make good use of this release, gamers and
soundtrack-hounds will have to be satisfied with these remixes until a
release of MAGNUS BIRGERSSON/ SOLAR FIELDS original score slides into our
reach. The ethereal appeal of the "original" piece "Shine" still
remains the most satisfying iteration of this infectious music but the
steps taken to bring this song to the mainstream has been done fairly
well. The essence of the piece is certainly maintained in the Lisa
Miskovsky's vocal version and while the remixes tread on the core trait of
the
song, (one of "freedom" or "flying") these mixes will certainly make
the song embraceable by a much larger audience.
NOTE: This review is focused on the the promo-release of these remixes.
the
official MP3 release from Amazon.com
offers a few alternative tracks which appear to only shorter, radio edits
of some of the longer mixes, plus a couple variations on the vocal theme.
Clearly, these tracks were made to be radio-friendly and to push the number of tracks up to eleven - making the
$8.99 price tag a bit more bearable.
