Echoes in the Distance

 Oof been listening to the Endwalker OST these days, sure brings back a lot of feels. Some collected thoughts:

• I knew the Garlemald tracks, especially the day theme (White Snow, Black Steel), are particular favourites. The radio music too (Home Beyond the Horizon)!
• Surprised myself with how many of the songs I recognized and could largely tell where in game it was used. Guess auditory memory is forming even when I don't consciously pay attention while playing. 
• Neath Dead Waters (Scions & Sinners) and Imagination (Duality), both piano arrangements of ShB tracks were pretty hard hitting. I can't believe I missed out on this particular arrangement album (Scions & Sinners) with its album art featuring ES.
• Flow Together (solo battle with Venat in Elpis) is a jazzy version of Flow that I did not know I needed.
• From the Ashes (Final Coils T3) is a surprising favourite! I even recently played that raid unsynced for WT and did not notice how grand the track is. 
• The very first version of Close in the Distance (Echoes in the Distance) is so incredibly atmospheric, probably the most out of the three versions. The fan-compiled lyrics turned out surprisingly accurate!
• We did not see as good of a job with Flow's lyrics, especially the last part:
  Hush, love, close your eyes, and in sleep abide
  As sun's distant light, echoes down to dreams below
  Know you will wake, on winds rise again
  For this journey's end is but one step forward to tomorrow
  It does confuse me who Venat is speaking to in this last part, it doesn't seem to be the current WoL but rather the past pieces of Azem's soul? It even fits Hyth & ES as they depart back to the aetherial sea. 
• The tracks to the final battle (The Final Day, With Hearts Aligned) and the final credit track (The Tale of the Star) has snippets of the overall FF series theme and other themes that's present in multiple FF games.
• I like the msq version of Radz-at-Han's themes more
• I'm never going to forget Smileton's theme based on how many times I ran it for tomes haha
• Where Daemons Abide is amazing, super atmospheric and kinda eerie.