Ken Hisuag

My methodology for this thread is primarily spontaneity, and this afternoon I had the urge to post some Masayoshi Oishi songs. Sometimes I think visuals distract from the appreciation for the music itself. Not that there isn't something to appreciate in those additional elements as well, simply something to consider.

A Fracture FeatureTM this week, just 'cause. I've just about given up on getting to hear the full Critadel soundtrack; what I can find is really good, but for some reason it hasn't been released either officially or unofficially. While I wasn't motivated to plan out a feature for the rest of the soundtrack, the trailer music for Dead Estate impressed me (surprising, considering it's partly English vocal). Sonic Origins was in no way what I was hoping it would be, but at least we got a new Hyper Potions composition out of it.

Felt like looking for Len'en arrangements today. AdeleyWolfy - Stronger and Stronger I remember coming across this one before; hopefully it's not a repost. Mono Chrome - One-Eyed Blacksmith ~ Weapons of Ametsukana Fun title. LENK64 - Casino Miki does quite a few Len'en arrangements. Boid - Present World Dance Engine Boid's art is really good, too.

I would be remiss if I did not note the release of the long-expected Cuphead D.L.C., with it's generous supply of new music! As one might have guessed of a game known for its attention to detail, these fresh tunes compare more than favorably to their predecessors. In addition to the big band and jazz of the originals, a splattering of other genres have been mixed in, usually complimentary but occasionally as a sharper contrast. I've omitted some of the more unique pieces to avoid spoilers, but hopefully the spirit of the addition is still felt in these tracks.

I should have done this earlier [I always say when I don't do it earlier]. No time for lamentations, though! Studio Nenem - Astral Sword Dance -Glory- This is an alternate version of the arrangement DF posted a couple weeks ago, officially released exactly a year after its predecessor. I hesitate to use the term "remastered," but the concept comes to mind. Hachimitsu-Lemon - Disappearing Queen In contrast, a different remix of a different final boss by a different person. I'm not used to hearing vocal remixes from Hachimitsu-Lemon, but it sounds alright. ESQUARIA - Disappearing Queen -Luon Remix- The actual contrast of the same piece in a different style by a different person. I found these two at the same time!

Missed my post on Saturday, so y'all getting something minor today instead. Shibayan Records - Tiny Little Adiantum This was mentioned in the chatbox, and despite discussion implying fair familiarity, I had never heard of it. So here it is now! asi14 - Lunar Clock ~ Luna Dial An unusual combination of fighting game style (7.5) and PC-98. I'm not always sure whether such specification are part of the title or not . . . Miki Hiroyuki - Memory of the Road I'm still technically in tournament mode, so a few Len'en remixes shouldn't be out of place.

Digging deeper into unfamiliar territory (for me), I pulled out the soundtrack for Willow (the game not the movie). Typically, the older the chiptune, the less likely I am to be impressed by it; having been spoiled by the likes of the Follin brothers or Eric W. Brown, it's sometimes harder for me to appreciate the less complex arrangements that limited hardware instigated at the time. Despite this, the objective aspect of musical quality is worth striving to discern, lest worthwhile experiences be missed. In this case, I appreciated the effort put forth by the composers to make the most of their simpler compositions. For more atmospheric pieces, drawn out notes inflicted with tremolo sets the tone very well, while more active pieces can employ a baroque style to capture the desired mood. The fight themes are more typical for chiptune, using rapid movement to simulate energy, but are nonetheless well composed in melody. I also encountered a slight usage of leitmotif, though without context for the pieces I can't be sure of the specifics. The adjustment to mood was noteworthy, though.

This is not meant as a critique of anyone’s lifestyle or moral standard; it is merely the presentation of perspective.

A passive reference by SasaMisa put me on the trail of The Last Ninja, a Commodore 64 game with composers Ben Daglish and Anthony Lees. This soundtrack surprised me; my preferences in chiptune favour complex arrangement, but I rarely come across it in the retro era. Many of these tracks are composed in a progression of movements, seemingly multiple tracks transitioning one into another while retaining the features of one track. Additionally, in connection to this game is a rare instance of the composer having an opportunity to remix a chiptune piece into something resembling its instrumental inspiration. Not all (perhaps not even many) retro chiptune soundtracks were composed in enforced minimalist replication of "real" instruments, but when such is the case it's fascinating to be able to hear the comparison later on.

Some assorted Zunish arrangements, with no other particular association. Pigu/pigdevil2010 - AAABBHM ~ Tales of a Ghostly Field Club Girl and Her Puppets (Album Edit) One of my favorite chiptune arrangers, though this obviously isn't an example of that. Quite a long medley, and I'm not sure it holds up all the way through, but still potentially worth sharing. Occult Miko - Mysterious Inked Inventor ~ Monochromatic Laziness A rare Len'en remix, apparently in the style of the most recent mainline game, though I haven't figured out the sound of that one yet (it can take awhile sometimes). Aka Kyuketsuki - Witch of Love Potion An even rarer non-Touhou-Zun-composistion remix, pulling out potential from unexpected places. I considered saving this for later, but it's good enough that I'd rather not hold on to it too long.

I'm on a re-feature streak lately, and I feel a bit guilty for it. Sonic Origins is coming out this week, and I was intending to do a Sonic CD feature for it, but I haven't reviewed the soundtrack in a while and I ran out of time. So I figured I'd do a Sonic Mania feature instead, as it's one of my favorite soundtracks and I did say I'd come back to it eventually. Coincidentally, Tee Lopes recently did the soundtrack for Shredder's Revenge, so I'll have to check that out soon. While I'm on the subject, a shoutout to Jahn Davis, one of the best Sonic-style musicians out there and composer for the Sonic Studio project.

Bonus: ARA - Bouhou Youyoumu - Level 4 (Captial City of Flowers in the Sky) I fixed the loop; harder than I expected, but nothing too exciting.

I was going to wait till after the current tournament to post about this, but with Shionne's current project now seems the ideal time. Across the tournaments, there have been a few instances where the submitted video does not accurately represent the piece it features. By this, I mean anything from lacking a proper loop to only featuring a part of the full arrangement. We've usually reviewed entries according to their submitted presentation, but I'd like to at least note these instances (if there be no better reason, then at the very least to enable ease of retrieval in the event that original links go dead). FANTASMAUN - Lost Dream x Ghostly Band RT1, entry #12. The submission was a fifteen minute extension of the first Vanishing Dream section only; the full arrangement continued into a Phantom Ensemble remix, and ended with a blending of the two themes. I wasn't part of this tournament, so I can't speak to the impact this had at the time. LiLA'c Records - 4th Radiance RT3, entry #2. For some reason, the featured video cut off the piece almost thirty seconds early. I remember we were all rather confused about the abrupt ending, but it wasn't until much later that I found out what the problem was. I wasn't as acclimated to the genre at the time, but now I've come to appreciate the piece quite a bit. Oriens - Sealed Sword Oriens - Alice in Wonderland RT3, entry #10. Two different tracks from the same album were placed in a single video (to be fair, they do come one after the other in said album). As they are meant to be separate tracks, the first came to a full stop before the second began. For some reason we all just rolled with it at the time, but looking back I would have preferred them separate. That being said, they both feel rather short on their own. Kuroneko Lounge - Myorenji set 07 ~ Interdimensional Voyage of a Ghostly Passenger Ship RT5, entry #15. I am still unsure if this was intentional, but the submitted video only featured the crossfade demo. I'm not sure this affected reviews much, both because it was noticed and identified at the time and because of the kind of piece in question. This is the last one I remember right now, though I may come back to the subject later. There's been a couple times I've considered replacing the tournament features with their more accurate portrayals in the Vault playlist; it comes down to a question of what purpose the Vault functions, either as a record of submissions or as a themed community playlist. For now, the answer seems more obviously the former, so I'll leave it as it is. But if any of those original videos are lost, I'm likely going to replace them with these (actually, the last one is already replaced, as the original submission wasn't on Youtube to begin with).

After two years of near complete silence, we have finally been graced with an update on the development of Hollow Knight: Silksong, and I could not be more excited. As it is on my mind, I've noticed I never featured any of the boss themes in the previous Hollow Knight features. Now is as good a time as any:

A challenge? First, second and fifth tracks, respectively: Javon Dance The Rumbling Ultramarine Armour The Silhouette's Transformation The remaining three tracks are proving more difficult, but three out of six isn't to bad, eh? ?

Not all original Zunish has to be fangame related . . . MiragEden - Reversed Asterion Eban is a favorite of mine, and though he hasn't been as active recently, he has been working on albums as opposed to individual tracks, which I can appreciate. Mirai Morikawa - All-you-can-drink Festival Party! On the other hand, this artist is a more recent find, and they seem to favor older/classic era styles of Zunish. I hope they stick around. Ichigo Papurika - Kodemari Carrying Wind of Another World ~ Yu zhuan qing This is an experienced hand in the craft, but for some reason I don't often come across his work. Luckily, I found this one through someone's remix. That will do. I'll see y'all Monday!

Tournament management has taken up a bit of time, so I'm returning momentarily to the Everhood OST, because it's still one of the best soundtracks of last year. Also I didn't mention in the original feature that the game utilized some pre-existing music from other sources.

Using the pending tournament as an excuse to pause the Every Touhou Song Ever project, I present some original compositions in the Touhou style (Zunish). DJ Abner - Yosakoi Foxtrot A lot of these tend to be from fangame soundtracks, and certain names emerge as being especially talented in the genre. Aka Kyuketsuki - The Colorful Maiden, Through the Colorless World Two familiar names here, as I'm familiar with Oligarchomp from the Rivals of Aether workshop. Wanwan - Kite Flight ~ Winging Into Ancient Even this is fangame related, coming from the music team behind the Kaisendo Group series.

Pascal Michael Stiefel, composer for one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, has been recently releasing unused tracks for that soundtrack. Unused tracks are not a new concept for A Hat in Time, as many early-build pieces were included in the officially released "B-Side" album; these pieces were often fully realized and structured, capable of standing on their own despite being cut. These newly released tracks, which mostly hail from the DLCs, are of the same high quality, and I have been very appreciative of them. Thus far, he is continuing to release music on a weekly basis.

Considerations of chronology upon the horizon, but I'll likely address those in their time. Oshio Hakumu - The Tank Girl's Dream At times, unique styles and unfamiliar genres will naturally stand out to me among more predictable arrangements, yet at other times I'll be looking for something specific. Provided there is a balance, this tendency should have a positive impact on the selection I present here. For this particular piece, the former perspective is implicated. Metalhead33 - Forest of Tohno (SYNTHGMS) This has been the most difficult track to decide a feature for thus far. There was exactly one professional arrangement I could find, which was IRON ATTACK!, and I wanted something calmer. It is possible (even probable) that the title similarity with Fantastic Tales of Tohno contributed to the scarcity of findings, but even that accepting, I suspect there simply aren't many remixes of this piece. Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets - Legendary Wonderland Add on to the early statement "unusual artist names;" even now, there's some established circles I've never heard of, and I suspect this will always be the case.

Wait, I'm confused; this piece sounds similar to One-Way Accelerator. Which came first? If Maiden's Short Life was based off of Sentence of Death, is there a connection between these and The Kappa's Way as One Said? Or are the simularities merely a coincidence? I recommend the channel of asi14, which regularly releases new PC-98 remixes: https://www.youtube.com/c/asi14

I mentioned Ben Prunty last week, so I might as well take the opportunity to feature Subnautica: Below Zero. The first game was characterized by a sense of the unknown and intimidating; The world is hostile, you are the only person alive, and your number one goal is to stay alive. Its soundtrack reinforces these feelings using ambient, melody-light tracks focused on atmosphere. Below Zero is more focused on mystery and discovery; others have been here before you, and you want to find out what they did here. So the music is different, too; atmospheric ambience is still present, but a lot more of the soundtrack features progressing melodies and motifs to work alongside the story that accompanies your progress. The instrumentation varies according to the nature of the area and locations, and a select few leitmotifs identify relations between these and story elements.

Some original piano solos. Laurence Manning - Dance with the Wind Zach Parrish - Natalie Brayden McArthur - Nostalgia

Even more extremely late, but this time not so much my fault; been feeling a bit under the weather over the weekend. ESTi - Fantastic Summer of Youkai This is from the Seasonal Dream Vision CD, so it may be straying a bit too close to "official," but it's one of the best arrangements of the piece that I've found. Adazakura - Complete Darkness ～ The Missing Revenger (2019 ver.) There's a lot of Complete Darkness remixes out there, but considering the above feature I was hoping for something a bit more obscure. It sounds a bit too compressed to me, but otherwise it's a fine arrangement with good progression. mocchie - Phantasm Love I initially found a different remix, but I didn't think it contrasted favorably with the previous two in this feature, so I went with this one instead. I'll post the other one later. This does unfortunately mean I am reutilizing a previously utilized artist for this project; I'd like to avoid doing this as much as possible, so as to diversify the featured styles. On an unrelated note, y'all think it's better to credit the individual remixer or the circle? The Missing Revenger was released under the Reset All Controllers circle, but specifically arranged by Adazakura; which one seems the preferable option?