7: a-TTTempo -
YOU ARE MINE!
Lotta jazz, lotta love. I think I'm finally coming to terms with my appreciation for jazz, thanks in no small part to the wide variety of remixes in the Touhou fandom (not to mention Akiyama's work).
There's a lot going on in this performance, and it's very fun to listen to. While the focus of this arrangement is (ironically) trumpets, there's a very distinct difference between them and the iconic ZUNpets from the source theme.
Master Spark only has three or so motifs, one of which is transitional, so this remix attempts to mix things up with a pop song structure where the first two motifs represent verses, the primary motif functions as the chorus, and an improve adaptation of all three for the bridge.
By the end of the second chorus on first listen, I figured the song was about done. Unfortunately, that perception didn't recede through the rest of the piece, which was almost half the length. On subsequent listens, this doesn't bother me as much, but it makes me question the progression quality of the arrangement. There's nothing wrong with the tried-and-true pop structure, but you have to set it up earlier in the piece so that your audience is prepared for the bridge; either that, or lead into the bridge in such a way that the audience is aware of it.
For all that, I prefer this piece to previous round's
Flower Land, and will acknowledge here that I rated too enthusiastically overall in the first round, and am now stuck. 9/10
8: Akatsuki Records -
The Floating Orb Shapes' Line of Faith ~ White Spirit, Ultra Red
Obligatory Stack feature:
;
. . . and as Stack songs go, this is especially good! Managing to strike a balance between the hardcore and serene that she's known for, the vocal performance perfectly compliments the accompanying blend of rock, electric and orchestral instrumentation. Yet there are brief points of contention in the music itself, moments where one style is almost overcoming the others before being smoothed back into the preordained pattern; the vocals are also subject to these events. Then there's the ending: it comes suddenly and with finality, but without feeling rushed or improperly telegraphed. Whatever conflict existed throughout the arrangement is not resolved, but ended. With improper setup, this could have had a disastrous effect on the audience, but in this case it is the finishing touch to the song's theme.
I appreciated the instruments used here. As stated above, they reinforce each other in unexpected ways with no one part dominating the whole performance (even the vocals). A part of me wanted to isolate a few of them for discussion (like the guitar at 3:40 or the hard electronic instrument at 1:36), but the blend is so well accomplished that I can't feel justified in doing so.
Alright, that's it; I have to go back and change my ratings. If need be, feel free to ignore the changes in the final tally, but this one needs to be higher. 10/10
9: ESQUARIA -
Repeating Greenery
Elusive Lyrics 2: Search for Meaning
Blending house with the original theme's gothic classical somehow results in a very diverse arrangement. There's a sinister edge to what is otherwise a pleasantly head-boppin' piece; it sounds very much like the theme of a 3D animation. The house style makes it a dance song, but then it breaks away from that into purely classical interludes. More so than previous round's submission, I'd really like to know the lyrics to this one; either they'd tie everything together, or establish this as a purely stylistic remix. The vocal performance is superb, alternating between clipping words and sliding through them as the accompaniment calls for. The ending also stands out as being unlike the rest of the piece. It's neither the house nor the classical; a serene middle ground, perhaps?
I'll have to come back to this circle, see if they've done other stuff like this. 9/10
