For St. Patrick's Day, I had planned to post some Celtic folk arrangements; with the current thread trend, it was easy to decide on what theme to look for. Floating Cloud's Broken Moon is more Oriental folk, so I'm including his Demystify Feast instead (that's Suika related, right?).
I finally played some of Adventures in Scarlet Curiosity, and with the recent Hachimitsu-Lemon post I figure now is a good time to feature the music (beyond the two pieces already circulated here). The styles are somewhat varied, which makes it difficult to sum up the whole. For the most part, though, I'd say it leans toward hybrid-orchestra, with the "hybrid" ranging from folk to symphonic.
A Note: This soundtrack is amazing! But I personally found the game boring, to a point that it began to detract from the music's quality. Whether others have had a similar experience or not, I would suggest the soundtrack should be listened to on its own at least once.
But wait, we had a theme going this week didn't we?
And, because I can, Innocent Treasures for DF's megapost!
I might buy this soundtrack at some point, it's that good.
I never played Scarlet Curiosity because I wasn't interested in the game's premise and definitely not because I don't play many fan games in general, but wow, that is some good music. The Broken Moon one actually made me laugh a bit the first time it transitioned to Septette. It had me thinking something like:
Remilia: This is mine now.
What's the original for the second song though? The closest thing I could link it to was Mystic Oriental Love Consultation, but I really can't tell.
Also, I'm very happy you posted Onigashima in the Fairyland, because I almost NEVER hear arrangements of that song, and I really like the original. As great as Broken Moon is, I've always thought more of Onigashima in the Fairyland ~ Missing Power as Suika's theme. However whenever I click on a remix with Suika in the thumbnail - always Broken Moon or Oriental Memory.
Since I'm on the topic of fan games, linking back to that post Garison made with Suika's theme in the Komajou Densetsu OST, that's a fan game I have played - both the first and second one. Although they aren't actually Touhou arrangements, they have some great music in their soundtracks too.
@buskerdog The track in question is meant to be a remix of Curious Old Shanghai Tile, the theme of Rinnosuke Morichika, and plays in his shop (or so I gather; I was not motivated to play the game long enough to find out for myself). Even being familiar with the theme, I'll admit I can only barely pick up on the similar elements.
I think I realized quite some time later (literally years) that I was mistaken, and the "Shanghai Tile" arrangement was a different track of the OST. So I apologize for misleading anyone concerning this, and hope the fact I posted the original track here helped mitigate the confusion.
Ironically, I already had a Missing Power remix planned for this Saturday. I personally think it and Broken Moon depict two separate aspects of Suika's character; the one is powerfully assertive and mysterious, as befitting an oni of the Four, while the other is lighthearted and fun, in keeping with her "drunk as I like" nature. I guess this technically makes sense, being that the personality-filled piece is her conversation theme and the strength-influenced piece is her battle music. Ideally, both styles could be melded into an arrangement, and I believe it could be done well with Missing Power. So far, though, I haven't really found a piece that quite meets my expectations. The closest I've come to is, ironically, Akiyama's arrangement.
With all the focus on the Touhou 18 trial, I think most people missed the extra stage update to Infinite Blade Pavilion. But I didn't, so I'm sharing one of the tracks here!
As of tomorrow, this thread is officially a year old! The first post featured the circle Paradise of Boundaries, which does remixes in the styles of the individual Touhou games. I've had these two songs on my "to-post" list for a while, and now I'm posting them in commemoration. Luckily one of them happens to be a Suika theme, though I personally think the second feature fits the occasion best.
It was overwhelmingly apparent as of Thursday that I would have to feature the Len'en Project here this week; I've considered posting from it several times over the past year, and kept putting it off in hopes of a more fitting time. That time has obviously come.
However, in my attempts to narrow down a few themes to represent the series, I decided that such a task could not be appropriately handled in a single post. So now, I am announcing Len'en Month! Each week I'll feature one of the four currently released games.
The first game (technically) is Len'en 1 ~ Evanescent Existence, and right off the bat newcomers are introduced to Jynx's signature style with the menu theme, To the Village That Isn't Real ~ chain link? Though essentially a simple motif structure, the song stands out for its instrumentation contrast of piano and overhead synth, and a nifty audio effect for its loop.
Next is In This World ~ Monochrome eye, essentially the U.N. Owen was Her? of Len'en. Widely acknowledged to the best (or at least most infamous) piece in the series, with a strong motif and complimentary instrumentation, it's rather fitting that this should be the theme of the series' signature character. . . . or is it?
Rounding off is the game's "final" boss. Being that this is a Touhou-inspired series, obviously there's an extra stage boss which may or may not prove to be the true final boss, but nonetheless Empire Power ~ Eternal Force technically holds the distinction of first final-boss-theme in the series. It doesn't get as much appreciation as it deserves, imo; the motif is perfect for the purpose, preserving the ominous confrontation sound that a good boss theme should have. Not to mention that bass . . .
As an added bonus, I'll include the extra boss theme as well. I have it on good authority that this is a very obscure theme that even some Len'en veterans aren't familiar with, so it's just as well that I help propagate it. The theme itself is something of a controlled chaos, and is an earlier example of Jynx's jazzier side.
@Dana Iclucia Definitely not your standard folk, but a very creative arrangement nonetheless.
It seem this was the perfect time for a Len'en themed month, with the next remix tournament around the corner. This week is game #2, although canonically I believe it takes place simultaneously with the first entry. This is personally my least favorite entry in the series thus far, simply because fewer motifs stand out to me. By far my favorite theme from Earthen Miraculous Sword is the menu theme, Repose That Detests Even Good Luck ~ Need umbrella! The confident entrance of the piece with a lengthy, repetitive intro to a expectedly simple motif bolstered by a many-layered accompaniment is, in my perception, a fitting representative theme for the series as a whole.
After that it becomes more difficult to choose between tracks. I'll feature Prismic Accelerator for it's fast-paced presentation and featured ZUNpets; of all the themes thus far, this feels the most "Touhou"-like.
Next will be Below a Deep Vanishing Cloud ~ Mow Down! This theme has a stronger motif and good progression, but is most noteworthy for being the longest theme Jynx had composed up to this point. I find it impressive (and possibly confusing) that his long themes don't feel unnecessarily stretched out, and in fact usually maintain good progression through to the loop (yet there are some shorter themes with lesser quality in this regard . . .).
Finally, Mono Eye ~ Ironic FATE, the extra boss theme. Now might be a good time to mention that the titles rarely mean anything, except when they do. This piece has what is probably the best primary motif in the game, and does a great job presenting that motif without overusing it. The majority of Jynx's work is more chaotic and defiant of traditional music structure, while he saves themes like this one for late-game use. There may be a study to be had on that topic, but I'm not currently invested enough to attempt it.
Len'en, week 3. Possibly my favorite in the series from a musically collective stand point.
First off, good ole' stage 1 Decayed Tranquility ~ be motivated, leading into its melody with an encouraging but leisurely pace that picked up only a tad bit by the loop point, just as a stage 1 theme should.
Next up is boss 4.1, stage 4 having three different bosses depending on who you're playing as. 4.3 is a theme for the series' main characters, but Only in Beige, Only in Earnest does a better job at showcasing the variety of sound this game has to offer.
BTW, the stage 4 theme is basically Len'en's Retribution for Eternal Night, as in it's a stage theme arrangement of Len'en's main theme. While it's far from one of the best tracks in the series (or even this game), you may want to give it a listen anyway: Each of Their Thoughts and Footprints.
For the third feature, I'm skipping ahead to the extra stage theme The Lost Road that Widens the Sky. At some point, Jynx developed a signature intro style in which he'd use an instrument unusual for a Touhou-style theme, and then not use it for the rest of the piece. This gives quite a few of his themes very recognizable entrances, which helps make them more memorable. Of course, the best themes follow up the intro with quality motifs.
Finally, a jump back to the stage 5 boss theme. Len'en 3 technically has between three and four "final" bosses; the primary responsibility for the incident lies with this character, but at some point in production Jynx moved the boss up a stage to make room for a different character. Thus, there is a certain sense of finality to Moon Child ~ Homunculus Dream, in keeping with the original intention. Also noteworthy is that this piece doesn't loop in the normal way.
I believe these four tracks do a fair job at representing the unique diversity of styles Jynx employed for this game's soundtrack. However, I can't pass this entry by without mentioning my favorite theme in the series, A Name Cast off from the Edge. Coincidentally, it also happens to be the longest piece in the series to date, and everything I said about the previous record holder from the previous game applies.
Possibly a bit repetitive, but with spectacular progression!
I'm not going to claim I'm familiar enough with Len'en 5 ~ Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle to properly represent it's music, nor do I feel guilty for it. This game is possibly one of the most creative takes on the curtain fire genre, featuring a branching story in which you can make choices mid-stage that effect what bosses you'll fight and consequently what dialogue you'll get to hear. A single stage is guaranteed to have multiple potential bosses (even some stages have multiple themes), and consequently there is a significantly larger quantity of music for this game. All together, the total number of pieces Jynx had composed for Len'en over the previous three games was fifty-seven. This game alone featured fifty-four in its soundtrack. Granted, many of these themes are rearrangements of previous themes, for returning characters. But still . . .
Acknowledging that I've posted two out of the three games' menu themes already, I still think War Record of Heaven and Shadow ~ Playing soldiers is a perfect introduction to this soundtrack.
Next up will be my personal favorite from this game, the "main" character's theme Feathers Flying off the Beaten Path ~ Eleven-dimensional. As is the case with at least half this soundtrack, this is technically a remix of Yabusame's theme from Len'en 1. But where that theme is slower and focused on dissonance, this version is slightly more energetic, and features a new section with a standard harmony, creating a contrast.
I've only got two songs left, so I'm going with Necromaster. A double remix of two themes for the same character, both from the previous game. You wouldn't know it if you weren't familiar with the original themes, though, which imo is the best kind of "mashup."
Finally, to close off this Len'en feature, I could not forget to include one of Suzumi's themes. My personal preference is MO-NA-D-2 ~ Memory Forgery; it's slightly more subtle than its counterpart MO-NA-D-1, with a more easily discernible melody. Otherwise, it's arguable the most important theme in the game, so I couldn't very well leave it out.
Proper representation of this game would require more than four examples, but I do not have the strength of will to pick any more. Hopefully these features have pricked the interest of those previously unfamiliar with Len'en.
ya know Redtails?
the music channel https://www.youtube.com/user/redtails
he's the owner of that circle.
amazing eh? how an appreciator grow up to be a producer
I like the sound of the French lyrics, but the audio isn't balanced properly. The vocals sound on top of the music, rather than being part of the piece. Otherwise, these are very good arrangements; I especially appreciated the Ancient Temple and Capitol City pieces.
Having covered all four of the currently released Len'en Project games, I can now return to the more familiar territory of Touhou arrangements . . .
SIKE!
Those of the Len'en fandom who thought they might escape exposure of the project's darkest secret, behold now this final feature. For buried beneath the illustrious creations of of the one-man circle Trick Nostalgia, behind the oft-praised imagination of Jynx, there lies the incomplete ruins of a game that never was . . . twice!
Len'en ~ Emergency Everyday:
While this may sound very much like the Len'en so many know and love, with its discordant harmony and familiar violin midi, it in fact had little to no connection to Jynx at all!
Before the first official entry to the Len'en series, there was this project spearheaded by the mysterious individual known only as Daijin. Three stages were created, complete with custom music, before the game was permanently abandoned for unknown reasons. Some time later, Jynx (a friend of Daijin) asked for permission to take up the project. He was granted this permission on the conditions that he start from scratch, and would retain the name of the series. Thus was Evanescent Existence born.
But the foundation upon which Jynx's work would be build was not to be forgotten. Though the original music is difficult to locate, a close recreation thereof was arranged by another friend of the original creator, known as Popfan. In a similar spirit to Jynx's own series of PC-98 era Touhou remixes, Popfan released slightly modernized versions of Daijin's themes, while also adding a couple original compositions of his own.
With that, the Len'en features are truly done . . . for the time being, at least. To end it off, I leave one final entry from this ill-fated game, in which Daijin paid homage to the inspiration that itself served as the foundation for what would become Jynx's Len'en Project.
Fun Fact: The bosses for whom this theme was meant to play were named "Red-White" and "White-Black," respectively.
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