Ken Hisuag

Previous post indirectly led to me remembering another example of odd music, and I figure I ought to take the opportunity to fill this thread a little more.

What constitutes a "series?" I keep thinking of franchises that only have two or three entries, or even just one primary entry and a variety of spin-off material. Still, there are a few ideas I can confidently say apply. I was a huge fan of Brian Jacques's Redwall while growing up, especially the book Mossflower. It was, as far as I can recall, the first fandom I got involved with, especially in regards to fanfiction; the writing side of the fandom used to be quite active in the early 2010's, though it became significantly less so as time went on. I remember a specific story called The Sword and HIs Flowers that had a profound impact on my perception of storycrafting, and may have been the beginning of my fascination with story theory. Unfortunately, the author took all of his works down at some point, and I've been unable to find a copy of it elsewhere. I have good memories of reading the Anne of Green Gables series with my family, which took quite a few years for us to get through. It's very difficult to carry a series solely upon the depiction of everyday relationships, and this series manages it across an entire generation-and-a-half. There isn't cinematic drama or tension, but rather charming slice-of-life that is nonetheless relatable and compelling. My favorite book was Anne of Windy Poplars, though the nature of the series makes it best (though not necessary) to read in order. Doctor Who comes to mind, but with a regrettable stipulation of distaste for the recent direction the series has taken. I didn't mind the initial reboot, and appreciated the new approach of giving a complex character arc to the titular character. Unfortunately, once that arc had run its course, the series collapsed in on itself, with initially following episodes throwing out random ideas and failing to explore them, and more recent arcs being heavily weighed down by extremely obvious agendas lacking appropriate artistic presentation. Comparatively, the classic series may not have had much depth to it, but it was still fun and engaging. Most stories took a flat-arc approach (i.e., main character is the agency of change in the world around him), and worldbuilding was accomplished slowly and naturally. But I digress. Every Doctor has a specific episode [chain] that best showcases their character, but for me the highlight of the series is The Key to Time saga and The Five Doctors. That's already quite a bit, even just for three, so I'll leave off for now (maybe more on the 'morrow?).

Inspired by Gou's recent Musical Discoveries post: I've come across tesla coil arrangements before, and so far this is the best one I've found. On a side note, there ought to be a tesla coil Crimson in the Black Sea ~ Legendary Fish. After the meme songs, that is the most obvious piece to cover, no?

I'd intended to feature something else this week, but the listen-through has turned out to be a larger endeavor than expected. So instead, Guacamelee! While there's a very obvious Mexican flamenco influence, the instrumentation features a variety of synth and orchestral elements. Most tracks have two versions: a "default," and a darker, heavier synth version to correspond with the "spirit world" mechanic. Rather than use a filter, the composers adjusted the arrangement of each piece in this process to achieve the desired effect. In gameplay, this allows the tracks to contrast each other while being switched between.

Holding this off till last minute (this time intentionally). The show must go on! situation report (feat. Merami Pop & Yui Katsuragi[?]) - Broken Dreams The vocalists sound like they're competing with their different melodies toward the end, and this works really well with the arrangement's dark metal. Not something I'd expect for a PC-98 theme, but it works really well. Artifex - Hakurei ~ Eastern Wind (Remastered) Technically, this is the first song in Touhou for a proper curtain fire level. There's the ominous build up into leisurely melody, followed by a rapid series of close-together notes before dropping suddenly back to the opening build up; there may not be much to it materially, but all together it makes for a perfect introduction. Himi no Yuri - Attack! Attack!! Attack!!! I'll always have less to say about pieces I had to post, since I've necessarily said something already in the description. It was completely coincidence that I had a Eurobeat piece prepared for today; be sure to check out busker's feature in the post above.

Illusion ~ Duet of the truth and lie from the album "白くてしましまでうさぎっぽいの" (It's White, Striped, and Like a Rabbit).

About time I feature some releases from this year. The electronic/pizzicato blend from ITORAH surprised me, not so much for its instrumentation (I am aware of my preference for folk hybrids), but for its rustic arrangement style. I hesitate to use the word "tribal," as it does not technically apply; nonetheless, the perception is there, reinforced by its percussion and strings even as it's contrasted by its progression. I've developed an unfortunate habit in drawing too many comparisons to other soundtracks while listening to new music. While not unusual, it isn't technically fair; the same styles and genres have been around for quite some time, and I'd rather estimate the music as close to its own merits as possible.

Seiga Kaku, one of the most unabashedly self-serving deceivers in all Gensokyo. At least, I'm pretty sure that's the intended design.

I'm not sure I have ten favorites; the vast majority of characters fall into my "other" category. All this talk about a sorter (which I was previously unaware of) has caught my interest, so I may have to try it (though the implied time commitment is concerning). Off hand, I suppose I'll add Kosuzu and Rinnosuke to my previous list of eight: for the former, I am a bibliophile, too; for the latter, the potential of unique perspective within the world (but this is tentative, as I am without context).

Time is short today, so I have to get this in when I can. Also, reviewing earlier posts reminding me of alternative post formatting options. Oshio Hakumu - Swordsman of a Distant Star Possibly my favorite TH1 themes, though remixes rarely do it justice. This piece, though labeled as dubstep, has a restraint to it that creates a surreal tone; this compliments the pizzicato lead instrument, keeping the melody distinct. Violet Delta - Reconciliation Violet Delta hosted an album project for multiple remixes of this track, but this is my favorite. Hard to go wrong with VD synthwave. Northwich Committee of Magic Researches - Shrine of Tempest The forgotten track, replaced by the infamous Theme of Eastern Story in the Untouched Scores. This remix features heavy percussion reminiscent of the Oriental style, and I think it manages to balance out (perhaps a bit chaotic in the last third).

Himno is a little roguelite platformer with no objectives, meant to be a relaxing pastime. Part of crafting this experience is providing an ambient background sound that neither distracts nor becomes tiresome. This is true ambient music, as opposed to the melodic ambient that I usually prefer; it has little to no progression, and its patterns are simple. This limited structure makes it the perfect sort of music to accompany more mentally intensive tasks, as it does not take up the attention.

Holiday post:

I've been experimenting with different searching strategies to see if I can get different results. Doing the same search in Japanese seems to be somewhat effective; I've become as familiar with the appearance of "アレンジ" as I've previously been with "東方." In future, I intend to try VPN effects. Happy Resurrection Day!

As I've said before (but must say again because it makes for a convenient intro), I struggle to appreciate the majority of English vocal VGM, due to my habit of analyzing the message of the lyrics while listening. As such, I tend to avoid soundtracks that are mostly made up of English songs (SA2 is still waiting for a feature). That being said, I wanted to try stretching myself a bit by featuring a quality soundtrack that I may not personally enjoy. I've heard a lot of praise for the music of last year's Guilty Gear Strive, and after listening to a few songs determined I could probably do it justice. I'd categorize this as a progressive rock collection (assuming I understand prog rock), and a creative one at that. Considering my previous experience with the series was limited to XX, I had expectations of a trend into heavy[ier] metal that were not met, nor to my dissatisfaction. As to the lyrics, I was impressed with the balance of meaning achieved in each song, being both about the character while also being vague enough to work out of context. Still not something I could enjoy listening to regularly (especially concerning specific songs), but a technical accomplishment nonetheless.

Recent random something from an artist I follow. Perhaps a bit too close to its obvious inspiration for an "original," but arguably unique enough to be distinguished from an arrangement. Is there a comprehensive term for that?

The whole shrine is so much more active now, it's hard to keep up! Can't say I mind though; some of these conversations have been really thought provoking, and I'm always excited for music shares. So even if I'm less active, I still appreciate seeing the activity. Anyway, continuing my plans for now.

Posting to this thread to bump it up to the front page for the benefit of new denizens, for the possibility that discussion had at the time would be useful for review thereof.

I can't speak to the community at large, and indeed I'm not sure anyone can; a fandom, by its nature, has many sides and parts of which it is highly unlikely any single person may be a part of. But as for Moriya Shrine, the above statement sums up my observations. A new name appears in the forums, sticks around for a couple months without doing or saying anything specific to interests, and then goes idle. Those that do display specific interests tend to stick around, interacting with others in context of those interests. With that in mind, I'm not sure it matters too much whether we consider the community of Touhou to be "ready" for newcomers or not; if they come, they come. To be fair, however, I'm not really familiar with the process of gatekeeping. My tendency is to be a passive participant, and I suspect gatekeepers are more concerned with interactive types. That being said, I refer to my earlier estimation of the "fandom" as a multi-faceted phenomena; if the door is closed in one part, there is likely a window open elsewhere. Potentially, the closing of windows may encourage the creation of new ones (a site like this has to start somewhere, right?). Granted this is heavily speculative, but it hopefully conveys an encouraging perspective. FTR, I appreciate it when people do stick around, whatever the reason.

Having featured each of the official Cave Story soundtracks, I will finish with some brief features for the major unofficial versions. There are three I am especially impressed with, potentially more so than with most of the official comparisons, for various reasons. I earlier alluded to SoloMael's "Wii-Balanced" soundtrack. Despite claiming to be a mere "equalization," the by-hand process used resulted in a slightly altered collection. While the arrangements themselves are still technically Cruyssen's, the revamped balance of instrumentation and adjusted effects give many tracks a unique sound from their counterparts. Some have argued that this is the definitive version of New, but I personally prefer to consider it on its own merits; for example, I prefer Mimiga Town (New) to Mimiga Town (Balanced), but consider Mischievous Robot (Balanced) the better version of the track. As the Balanced soundtrack may be compared to the New, I estimate DynamiteMan.EXE's "VRC-6" against RushJet1's Famitracks collection. Without an intimate knowledge of chiptune arrangement, I can't speak to which of these adheres closer to an authentic emulation, but I can say that DM.E's arrangements sound more like I would expect them to. More importantly, the arrangements work with their sound, as though they constructed to compliment and be complimented by the style. As one of the more obscure unofficial soundtrack, it deserves more attention. Finally, no coverage of the music of Cave Story would be complete without the arrangements of "DM Dokuro." Aside from its creative arrangement and unique style, this album stands out for possibly having the highest production value of all versions of the soundtrack. It does suffer somewhat from overly high energy (similar to Remastered), but focuses on being a musical experience more than an actual soundtrack. This is highlighted by Dokuro going the extra mile with additional tracks, such as unique versions of Last Cave for its regular and hidden variants. While it may not fit the game too well, it is arguably the definitive tribute to the game's music and legacy. I hope these features have helped others appreciate the variety of music this game has generated and inspired, and encouraged further exploration into them.

Running late tonight, but I'm here.

I consider this question applied more broadly to other concepts. The Lord of the Rings has a sizable fandom, but some have read all the books, some have only read the original four, and some haven't read any books at all; all are "fans" of the franchise, because their interest is in the concept rather than the material. I'm a bit of a Sonic the Hedgehog fan. I'm especially fond of the Archie comics continuity, although I've never read any of the comics' material; my experience is limited to second-hand depiction and summary. My first experience with the franchise was Sonic X, and to date I've only played one of the games (that being Sonic Mania, and I never got beyond the third zone). As I've mentioned before, I have not played any actual Touhou games. I tried out the Fantastic Danmaku Festival games, and decided curtain fire wasn't something I wanted to invest much time in. I dabbled a bit in Antinomy of Common Flowers, but I couldn't figure out the controls. My interest in Touhou began in the music, and over time expanded into the world-building and character designs. That was the compatibility of my previous interests of music appreciation and story theory. I believe that's what it means to be a fan of something: to find aspects of the thing that relate to your interests. Your interests will likely align with others who are "fans," but others will be "fans" for completely different reasons. You may gain new interests from your interactions with other "fans" (or perhaps at least new appreciation for their interests), and you may lose interest as you change over time. Regardless, I don't think anyone should be worried about whether or not they are a proper fan; so long as you have a related interest, that will be the determining factor in your interactions anyway.

Posting a day early this week. Artifex is a good ZUNish musician, with both covers and original works. Among his discography are complete cover albums for High Responsive to Prayers and Story of Eastern Wonderland.

FTR, I have no current intentions of going anywhere. While I may have arrived looking for soundtrack downloads, it has never been my primary interest in this site. So long as there are people willing to continue activities, Lord willing I will be available to participate and encourage.

I was doing some cleanup to the RT playlist, and I couldn't find a replacement for TatshMusicCircle's paraguas. I did, however, find a video for Paraguas ~ The Great Eastern Cleaning Edition. For all intents and purposes, it seems identical, so for now I'll use that.