Music and Ambience in Final Fantasy X

[Lirael]

Although we have a thread for the music, I want to dedicate another to the ambience certain pieces in Final Fantasy X create. The topic came up in one of my posts yesterday and I wanted to explore it in more depth. It should be very interesting to see how the music affects everyone else's perception of locations within the game. =)

Listen to the following pieces and cast your mind back to the setting. What does the music tell you about the place? How does it make you feel? Is the city friendly? What is life like there? Who lives there?

Besaid
Luca
Mihen Highroad
The Blazing Desert

Try to avoid looking at any other posts before you create yours. You can add a couple of pieces if you so wish! =)

I shall put my comments in a spoiler. I don't want to influence anyone else.

Spoiler!

Besaid
I'm not quite so fond of the theme in Final Fantasy X for Besaid island - I prefer the theme in X-2! This piece didn't make the place feel warm or homely. Instead, I see Tidus running along the idealistic, bright, colourful paths with Wakka, Wakka pushing Tidus into the lake and the two swimming towards the village. The theme is bright, but fairly neutral, which reflects how Tidus feels about this new place. Around 1 minute 46 seconds into this, the long, quiet backing seems to convey how the features in a place can make us grow still as we sit perfectly still to admire them. Tidus is awed by certain features on the island and its beauty, but the place holds no connection to him, nor to the gamer.

Luca
Ah what a place! There's something very lively about it. The music conveys activity, excitement and sunshine. There are still small sets of notes which bring to mind opening a chest or making a new discovery, but overall, the piece implies to me that Luca is a bright, sunny place bursting with activity.

Mihen Highroad
When listening to the track for Mihen Highroad, I visualise several people sauntering along a path lazily. Others skip along, pausing occasionally to admire the sights. The pace is quite strong and steady for the first minute, which brings to mind people marching along, aiming for a destination. When that rhythm falls away and transforms into something calmer (1 minute in), I see an expanding road ahead and scenery passing by - plenty of it, too! It rolls on and on... But the strong rhythm returns. Someone/something has brought me back from my daydream and I continue to march.

The Blazing Desert
The majority of this piece is rather wavy, like the waves of heat one feels in a desert and the ripple-effect we can see. At first, the twangs feel like mirages, disturbing the perfect sea of sand. As the twangs continue, they melt into the sand, disappearing. The scene, endless sand, then feels more intense and the heat is unbearable. Around 1 minute in, there is a moment of relief. The area is calm. But it's still desolate!

[Catnip]

Besaid
This is one of my favourite themes of any Final Fantasy game ever. The beat is so innocent, but has an assertive side to it that's so subtle. I don't think it quite suits the Isle of Besaid given it's context and how it's viewed as a peaceful home in the game, but I have no complaints. Especially since there's a rich feel of nostalgia attached to it. The innocence that I mentioned earlier reminds me of the children that play by the beach. The beat reminds me of the tropical environment, and there are parts in the song that remind me of the soothing waves that swim by the white sands. So I suppose, in ways, it does match the island. Just not the village, but that one has its own theme anyways.

Luca
This one is pretty good! I never really appreciated it until now. I'm used to just running around Luca trying to get from one place to the next, and it taking hours...not really. It does suit the bustling town of Luca, I think. It has it's calmer parts, but also sounds busy and ongoing, just like the city is.

I actually really enjoy this one, wow. I never fucking noticed. I'm just gonna sit here and listen to it for a while before moving on to the next one.

Mihen Highroad
Haha, oh this one. For fuck sakes. It's got a bouncy rhythm that is just so chocobo. That's what this theme reminds me of. It fits though, since that's a pretty major transportation method on this road. Then it transitions to this part that puts the fun beat on hold to make room for itself. It's a dedication; a seriousness reserved for the statues and summoners that cross the path, before getting right back into the fun.

The Blazing Desert
This one is excellent. It's one of the ones I think suits the area spot on. There's a background sound in it that reminds me of sand blowing in the wind, hitting other grains as it passes by. It's the sound of sand running through an hourglass, and there's a tick in the music that creates an urgency for a specific need. In this, it's water and shade, two things the hot sun above refuses to grant you.