Search - Pristina (featuring Sarah Masen) :: So Alive

A great start.

Ryan S. | FL, Earth | 09/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a fan of the Echoing Green for several years. A few years ago, Joey B., the man behind Echoing Green (EG), released an instrumental demo track which wowed those of us who got to hear it. That track later became "Faraway," which is now part of Joey's new "side project" Pristina. Of course, as soon as the "So Alive" single was released, I ordered a copy :) Here's a track by track breakdown... I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates reading these. I'm probably not the best review-writer out there, but it's a crime for this great single to go review-less!



1. So Alive. The album version of the title track is awesome, very down-tempo and emotional. It's a cover song, originally by Ryan Adams.



2. So Alive - Syrian remix. A great, danceable remix. Not terribly cheesy or over-produced sounding. Though there are 909 cymbals used, at least they're in the background ;-) (The 909 is an old Roland drum machine, whose sounds are overly used by electronic musicians. They're great sounds, but enough is enough...)



3. Skies - Sequencia remix. My second favorite track from this single. I've only heard a snippet of the album version of this track, but I absolutely love this remix. The original, unless it changes drastically from the clip I heard, has a kind of funky beat, with beautiful, soaring instruments. This remix maintains a danceable beat almost throughout, with smart programming, keeping the track upbeat, and yet maintaining the beauty of the vocals and melodies.



4. So Alive - Nevarakka remix. Definitely danceable, this track just keeps moving along. The ever-used 900 cymbals rear their ugly heads prominently, but they don't detract from the song. After each chorus, there's this crazy-fast synth line. Someone know from the EG forum described this remix as almost being goa (an electronic style). There's a great, slow break in the remix at about four minutes into it. I kind of imagine this remix is like a fighter jet, flying at supersonic speeds until this point, at which is noses up into the atmosphere, then comes speeding back down, where the remix resumes the frenzied pace.



5. Skies - Daybehavior remix. My least favorite track, but that's not to say it's bad. A slow, funky beat used throughout this remix. I can't quite place a name to the sound, I want to call it samba, but I'm pretty sure I'm wrong. It reminds me a lot of this old Casio keyboard my family used to have, with its pre-programmed rhythms. In fact the cymbals and woodblock sound incriminatingly like those Casio sounds... :-D



6. So Alive - Novan-K remix. My most favorite track from this single. I guess they saved the best for last! I actually prefer this remix of "So Alive" to the album version. The vocals are prominent and beautiful, the beat keeps moving along, unique synth sounds show up and fade away (love that metallic ringgggg that pops up about a minute and a half along), and there are no 909 cymbals ;-) I would call this remix progressive, because instruments build up, drop out, then come back again later towards end of the track. There are some great parts when the beat is light and the vocals and instruments swirl around. I especially love the ending of the remix, it's very subdued, and you think it's about to fade out until one last line of vocals is used. A great ending to a great single.



The album is due very soon, and I for one cannot wait! Also, one of the album tracks, "October," is being featured in the movie "Echoes of Innocence," which was just released in "select theaters" across the country."