Posted 2017-08-03, evaluated by Gario

EPIC!! E.L.O. style rock Katamari Forever power love tribute with respectfully woke lyrics from the one & only Star Salzman!!

Star Salzman, who's THAT? Some n00b. It's been OVER EIGHT YEARS (!!) since we last feasted on Salzbury steak, back before even the OCR02XXX series, so it's pretty effin' great to see one of OCR's vets back in action & returning to form with this Katamari/Jeff Lynne 7+ minute rock opus! It's insane! If for some reason you're unfamiliar with Star's work, go back and listen to ALL his previous mixes first, THEN come back and catch this one! SS says:

"Here's a new remix! It's of the theme "Cherry Blossom Color Season (fanfare mix)" from Katamari Forever. Which itself is a remix of "Cherry Blossom Color Season" from Katamari Damacy.

This song took me forever (2 years) for no good reason. I am just lazy. I wrote the lyrics to be as feminist as possible given the constraints. Turns out, it's quite difficult to not use a billion ownership cliches when talking about women in a musical context.

The title is long: "Tales from Arctic Katamari Roundabouts, and You and I, in Cherry Blossom Season."

The idea behind this song is that I really like the band Yes and I think it dovetails nicely with Katamari music. Fans of Yes will notice several homages to various Yes songs, such as "And You and I" and the album Tales from Topographic Oceans, and the song "Roundabout." (Larry's note: Sir Jordanius also has an amazing arrangement of "Roundabout.") Also, I met my wife in March which is traditionally cherry blossom season in Japan. And the song is about her.

She is from Alaska and Alaska has a lot of roundabouts. So, the title works on like every possible level.

The original is such a sweet exploration of love, since it's from the perspective of two old folks who are reminiscing about their past life. Had to remix it with fun feminist lyrics."

A+ for backstory and mix title working on multiple levels; very sweet. Star plays up the feminist angle of the lyrics in his notes, but they're really just more of a parody on the standard outdated cliches used in love songs - cheeky and earnest at the same time, and not pedantic. This ReMix echoes "Dreams Come True" a bit for me, which is a GREAT thing, and while Yes may have been the inspiration, I continue to hear more of an E.L.O. flavor, personally. Gario writes:

"This is delicious. The performances are great, and the vocals are absolutely on point here. I could nitpick on the mixing of the vocals and how I'd prefer them to be closer to the front of the mix, but that's more a testament to how much I like 'em more than anything. The lyrics are great, too, so full props on that.

The source is easy to hear, but the Katamari Damacy theme is integrated cleverly throughout. Honestly, all I've got are great things to say about this one, so let's just get this posted, shall we?"

Short version: It's not JUST a new Star Salzman ReMix, it's one that is similar to his vocal masterpieces of yore, works in some new tricks, clocks in at 7'41", and will blow your mind :) From the opening acoustic guitar to the lo-fi, Mellotronish strings to the bitcrushing & psychedelics to the rich, creamy vocal harmonies, this is a love song in every sense of the phrase: love went into it, and love comes out of it. Higly recommended - welcome back!



on 2019-02-12 00:04:02

love it! should have more comments, it's a gem.

really digging the arrangement on this one.

on 2017-08-03 18:50:31

Now this is a serendipitous treat - never expected Star Salzman to come back. And top notch music as always!

on 2017-08-03 16:44:40

+1 on a great comeback from a great remixer

I'm getting a lot of They Might Be Giants vibes from the lyrics, though that's partially the nature of Katamari as well. The surrealism is real!

on 2017-08-03 16:09:11

Whooooooooooooooooooooa! Absolutely insane comeback. This song is the new definition of awesomeness. Yeah, that's how good it is. Don't even hesitate, download it ASAP!

P.S. That title lol

on 2017-08-03 11:44:45

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)

Primary Game:
Katamari Forever (Bandai Namco Games, 2009, PS3)
Music by Akitaka Tohyama, Asuka Sakai, Hideki Tobeta, Katsuro Tajima, Keigo Hoashi, Yoshihito Yano, Yuri Misumi, Yuu Miyake
"Cherry Blossom Color Season (fanfare mix)"
"Katamari on the Wings"

Tags (14)

Pop, Rock
Energetic, Epic, Funny, Romantic
Acoustic Guitar, Singing, Strings, Synth, Vocals: Male
Effects > Lo-Fi
Lyrics > Lyrics: Existing
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original

File Information

12,985,976 bytes

faster than a hundred thousand million billion miles per hour
stronger than a hundred hurricanes from way offshore
katamari is my heart, and you, you are my soul
you're the only one who makes me feel like I'm whole

was there something in the middle of that February sky?
did the planet change in some way that can't be quantified?

did anyone else wake up that wasn't asleep?
was anyone listening when the soundtrack modulated upward?

did anybody else feel crazy on a springtime Sunday?
was anybody else looking forward to the following Monday?

nobody else can output half as many lumens
.000000001 percent of humans
and you're mine
but in a completely non-possessive way, so it is totally fine

I would rather not objectify you while I sing
but you need to know you are my favorite thing

that's why I went down down down down down down down to the center
of a world rolled with hundred thousand million billion people

that's where I found you and I and we, and we will be together
for approximately ever (and ever)

that's not to say you won't be sometimes doing your own thing without me, without me

hope you have the finest Sundays eating fancy brunch with whomever you get to accompany you to them (to them)
just know you are the only person I will always need, so drive safe, be safe for me


ooh... sakura iro no
ni giyaka na kisetsu deshita


ooh... ももいろの
にぎやかな きせつでした


ooh... it was a lively,
peach-colored season


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