Ken Hisuag

I am wasting no time on featuring Rivals of Aether II; I've been anticipating this release for much of the year, and now it's finally here! The soundtrack is divided between two albums, each composed by a different team of musicians. Returning studio RESOFORCE, which includes the original game's composer "flashygoodness," has updated several of the existent motifs to match the new aesthetic. Some of these pieces were already expanded for Definitive Edition, but have still received a fresh arrangement, while several pieces lacking this earlier treatment have been fully reworked to match their quality to the rest. Meanwhile, the Moonsailor studio has composed several new tracks for the game, expanding the soundtrack's range in genre and style. The main name behind these pieces seems to be Rafael Langoni; additionally, raphaelgoulart is credited with arrangement assistance for both albums. Overall, the new tracks fit in perfectly with the old, together forming a collection more than worthy of its predecessor.

akikiki - The Fairy's Adventurous Tale I have a nagging suspicion that I've feature this artist before, just under a circle name, but I can't think of a way to verify that, and it's a soft rule anyway. The source track seems to have escaped the obscurity its release context would have it doomed to, but for all that I couldn't find many adaptations that fit my preferences. The melody is excellent, and I appreciate its preservation in this performance. Kouki Izumi - The First Spirit is the World Splitter I know I've featured this artist before, but I can't track down a record of it more recent than several years ago. This piece was particularly difficult to search for, so I'm giving it a pass, despite not being particularly impressed by this specific remix. The "build-up" takes to long, and doesn't contribute anything to the overall arrangement. Still, it's professionally constructed, and once it gets past the overdone intro it does manage its tone well. Natsume Kotori (Yuki Alter?) - GENSO ATMOSPHERE The menu themes for spin-offs seem hit-or-miss for representation. Sometimes this works out in my favor, though; no knowing if I'd have come across this remix if there had been more content. This is the kind of arrangement where lacking progression is a good thing, and this particular piece keeps enough going on to prevent things from stagnating.

Perhaps it's obvious in my case, but it was music that brought me in, and it's music that keeps me here. There was a time in the middle where I was more engaged with the community aspect; the remix tournaments facilitated interaction in context of my pre-existent interests, and the various music threads we have today came into being around the same time. Garison DeCrick (who deleted his account some time ago) had several threads up of a style similar to CountVonNumenor, and those of us who were active at the time had a few non-music related discussions which are now lost to time (I remember an especially interesting thread about potential educational applications for the franchise). In many ways, CountVonNumenor filled the gap of engagement instigation left by Garison, just in time for the sudden boost in members incited by the DMCA incident of 2022. Inevitably, interests shifted, both of the community general and of its specific members. Nowadays, the older members are more lurkers, in much the same way as the oldest members were when the older members were new. I suspect this is the normal cycle for a fandom, and arguably should be; fictitious franchises should not be the core of life, and online relationships can only go so far without opening up to more direct communication. For now, I'm still here, and I appreciate the interactions when they occur.

Animal Well's soundtrack has not received official release, and is not likely to, given it technically does not exist. I've had previous opportunity to explore the boundary between music and ambience, or more accurately speaking the overlap between the two, distinguishing between ambient music and "true" ambience. Animal Well uses true ambience, with little to no tonal shift or progression in its background soundscapes. As such, it may be incorrect to reference these as a soundtrack at all, as there is little to distinguish them from sound effects in some cases. Nonetheless, an argument could be made in either direction, and the concept of where the definition begins intrigues me. Perhaps by featuring this "soundtrack," I may incite others to the consideration of what does and doesn't count. BTW, credits are somewhat lacking for this game, but it seems safe to presume Billy Basso as responsible for the sound design along with everything else.

I planned a Fracture Feature for today specifically, on behalf of a friend who enjoys Skyrim music. I've posted about the base game and Beyond Skyrim mod soundtracks, but haven't touched on any other fan contributions, some of which are absolutely worth knowing about.

I often come across musicians known for their VGM arrangements, very few of which spend time on original work. A few, however, will take the risk of striking out with the name they've made for themselves for more original work, and the resulting projects often reflect the true levels of skill they've developed.

Lumarbo - Scenery with Dolls I expected this one to be difficult, but came across this remix quickly, and was charmed immediately by its simple effectiveness. The soundfonts could be a bit better, but the arrangement's quality comes across clearly all the same. NJune - The Brand New Steam Engine For an orchestral remix, this is somewhat restrained, but in a way that helps emphasize the important parts. The arrangement has some imagination to it, and that's better to me than complex instrumentation. ??? - Small Shadow and Tiny Conclusion I was and am hesitant to settle on this remix, but the only other suitable option is a piano solo from Assaultdoor, and I featured a remix from that circle relatively recently. As to this, I can't find proper accreditation, and there isn't much to make the arrangement stand out aside from the instrumentation. At least it's unique . . .

The plan was to listen through Echoes of Wisdom's soundtrack for this week's feature; but when I tried pulling it up, I was reminded of what a hassle it always is to find clean and consistent organization of recently (un)released Nintendo music. It'll likely be a few months before everything's standardized, and I decided I can't be bothered. Meanwhile Gestalt: Steam and Cinder's OST seems to be Steam exclusive, and I'm hesitant to invest at the moment. Year's getting on, though . . . In the meantime, might as well do that Hi-Fi Rush refeature I'd planned for back when the b-side album came out. Admittedly I'm using it more as an excuse to feature some extra tracks from the base release, but I'd argue the soundtrack is worth it. As before, there's a lot of names associated connected to the collection, notably Shuichi Kobori, Masatoshi Yanagi, and Reo Uratani (I think I sufficiently covered The Glass Pyramids previously). Since acquiring the OST back in March of last year, it's been a consistent part of my listening playlist, and I foresee that will remain the case for some time to come.

S-Rey - Dichromatic Lotus Butterfly ~ Lotus Natural Hear me out: If I count "Magic" and "Master Spark" for individual representation, and subsequently give "Flower Mix" its own spot, it's only consistent to consider "Ancients" separate from "Red and White," making this a unique inclusion. Ideally, I found an arrangement of 12.3's version specifically, and a rather noteworthy one at that! The slight discordance fits the pacing, enlivening the old motifs through fresh presentation and original supplements. AQUA STYLE - The Legendary Titan . . . TTL Sound - Beautiful Fighter "Our Hisoutensoku" is among my favorite compositions in the franchise, yet I've consistently struggled to find fandom engagement therewith; every time I've searched for remixes, the results are clogged with that one SOUND HOLIC animation (which I'm not particularly fond of). Of the alternatives, I deemed this eurobeat arrangement the best option, retaining sufficient energy and imagination. But it still isn't the kind of adaptation I've been looking for; perhaps my expectation are unrealistic, but on the other hand there ought to be a wider variety of options imo. Given how this entry has been going, I dread to think how difficult 15.5 will be. Going into this, I had presumed the harshest obscurity would be found in 7.5, but it seems the Tasofro spin-off compositions in general are underappreciated, for all that their remixes seem to be preferred by the fandom (if the volume of arrangements specifically based off those iterations are at all indicative). Time will tell . . .

Returning to the Astro Bot franchise to feature its [technically] fourth entry, Astro's Playroom. Essentially a tech-demo for the PS5, the game has an even shorter soundtrack than its predecessor, and features less re-use of motifs as a result; whether this is a beneficial change or not is difficult to quantify. The new melodies are as high quality as ever, and while there's a bit of a gimmicky theme going on, I didn't find it too distracting. A couple of motifs are brought forward, specifically the credits theme (not featured here) and the boss fight motif, which help tie the soundtracks together a bit aside from the stylistic similarity. Kenneth C M Young is again the composer, and his consistency across these two projects incites my interest in seeking out his other works (apparently he worked on Little Big Planet, which I have no familiarity with whatsoever, but maybe I'll check it out some time soon). I'm officially set to check back with this year's release, though it'll be a bit before I feature it here; lot of plans for the remainder of the year already, hopefully I can fit everything in.

A video I found concerning a fellow fan's personal music ranking put me in mind to this thread again, more specifically toward the minor changes that have occurred in my preferences (a lot can happen over the course of two years); rest assured there aren't many, but they're worth mentioning. I started accumulating the Music Collection albums on iTunes awhile back (honestly should have done so a long time ago), and consequently have been listening to those pieces more regularly. More specifically, I've finally started to acclimate to the style of Dolls in Pseudo Paradise; I still hold that its dated soundfonts hold it back, but I've been able to look past that more than I used to. This understood, I want to properly credit the masterpiece that is Legend of Hourai, the beautiful whimsy of which surpasses similarly toned pieces from far later in the series. I still haven't settled between Forest of Dolls and Strange Shrine Maiden for my second, though; also, a side note on this album's version of Shanghai Alice, which is as unique to its in-game counterpart as Wind Girl is to its "short version." Additionally, I've been reconsidering my secondary pick for T12 as my appreciation for its other tracks has grown, especially At Harbor of Spring (a lot of the stage themes are better than I gave them credit for initially). I also neglected to denote Akiyama's second take on Voile, the Magic Library for honorable mention from T12.3 (not to be confused with the T7.5 iteration), so this is a rectification in announced preference, rather than a change thereof. On a final note, the list didn't seem complete to me without recommending at least one of NKZ's remixes, so I'm going with his Doll Maker of Bucuresti (Nihu Arrangement); Akiyama would go on to cover in T10.5 nearly all the themes NKZ had been responsible for in T7.5, and Doll Maker of Bucuresti is the one I think NKZ did better (probably put a target on me for that one, but whatevs :). Before going, I also feel like ranking the Seihou games while I'm here. Seihou 1 ~ Shuusou Gyoku Everyone refers to them by their untranslated titles, so who am I to do otherwise? (It's "Autumn Frost Orb," btw.) Depending on the version you listen to, this should have a similar sound to the aforementioned Dolls in Pseudo Paradise, and while I've made it fairly clear I don't appreciate the style in that production, I sometimes paradoxically prefer it in this one. Girl's Legacy ~ Pandora's Box is far superior in its true SC-88Pro version, with an amazing intro, excellent progression, and several twists along the way that elevate its melody over the rest of the album for me. I find the more common version of Witches' Ball ~ Magus preferable to its 88Pro version. It also happens to be my #1 Marisa theme, and I've yet to find a remix that does it the justice I desire; somehow the elegant and slightly foreboding playfulness never gets preserved. I ought to put an honorable mention, because the soundtrack deserves it, but I can't seem to pick one out from the rest (other than Silk Road Alice, but that's hardly fair). Seihou 2 ~ Kioh Gyoku ("Rare Venerable Orb," in case you were wondering.) Again, my preference between the standard MIDI and true SC-88Pro versions varies by track. To start with the former, Velvet Maiden ~ Velvet Battle is the theme of the series' main character, and to me serves as the theme of the series as a whole. It has all the marks of ZUN at his best, and I wish DiPP had sounded more like this overall, though the sound association also helps me better accept that collection on its own merits. On that note, I appreciate the 88Pro version of Lovely Mound of Cherry Blossoms ~ Flower of Japan over either its closer counterpart and later Touhou integration both. Something about the instruments sounds more authentic, and the speed helps keep the melody rolling. This soundtrack is shorter than its predecessor, so I feel less concerned about not including an honorable mention; y'all should listen to the full albums regardless, you're missing out if you don't. Why stress the distinction between two versions of these soundtracks, but neglect earlier to reference the SC-88Pro variants of T6, T7 & T8? Well . . . I could say they were less relevant in some way or other, but I did reference T2's variant, so . . . not sure. I don't generally listen to them as much, but that hasn't stopped me in other cases . . .

POLTANEST - Did You See That Shadow Is the question mark implied via language nuance? I feel sure I've seen it actually notated before, so something has to be up here . . . For some reason this took some trouble locating, and I'm more inclined to assume error on my searching strategies than lacking popularity of the source material (this has to be one of the more popular pieces, right?). It was certainly worth the time, though. Team Manju - The Unfound X The end? Already? Well, no, but that's how the OST is laid out, so that's how I'm doing it. A medley, but not a medley; I've encountered these before, but they're very rare, and not often done well. This keeps the focus on "Unfound Adventure" while interspersing its contributing references unobtrusively, these being thematically related to the main piece. ClumsyRecord - X-MODE The other arrangements I reviewed lacked sufficient punch, which I was determined to get since it wasn't present in the "Unfound Adventure" remix. It's a bit short, but then again so is the source material. Hopefully I'll be able to do the motif better justice when we get around to "Occultly Madness."

The Bloons Tower Defense franchise has justifiably seen the highest success in its most current entry, being the sixth iteration. However, I could not feature the soundtrack thereof in good conscience without first addressing the history, specifically the entries I grew up with. The primary leitmotif of the series finds its origin in Bloons Tower Defense 4 with a stock music track ostensibly titled "Volcano Party," and while I can't find sufficient evidence of this to satisfy myself, the story does match up with the standards of the time. It was with BTD5 that the series received a proper composer in Tim Haywood, who adapted the original piece into a handful of new tracks. The later expansion, BTD5 Deluxe, heralded further compositions with less direct ties to "Volcano Party," but these never achieved the degree of iconic status that the initial pieces did.

SharKur - Heian Alien : Unidentified "Heian Alien" remains one of the most tonally unique pieces ZUN has ever released, and I wanted to be sure that was preserved in whatever remix I chose for it. This arrangement is chaotic, shifting from genre to genre as it goes (but not in the full-flavor sense), while still remaining cohesive (feels a bit long, though). I might have gone with something more oppressive, but would likely have needed to sacrifice motif structure for it. EastNewSound - Whitest Eden I did not anticipate how difficult it would be to search for this piece; the phrase "youkai temple" appears in the titles of other more popular compositions of ZUN, which subsequently get more remixes, which then get shown higher in the search results. Yet against the odds I found this arrangement, and by a big name circle no less! Lost Garden - Returning Home from the Sky ~ Sky Dream Fitting for an underrated theme, if I do say so myself. Sounds more like an ending than a staff role in this tone, but it works well all the same. I'd definitely recommend listening to the original, as I suspect it's one of those pieces from the series that most haven't heard despite being from an otherwise well known entry.

Fracture Feature! Instigation related to this week's feature proper:

The Finals somehow got on my to-do list, though I can't remember the reasoning; I've limited familiarity with the game, and hardly any previous experience with the music. Nonetheless, I hunted down the three different albums that the soundtrack is currently split between and listened through the lot of them. The division reflects what I assume to be season passes, but also indicate the different composers involved: the first season had "Sailor & I" as lead, while the second and third seasons were headed by Carl Strandberg with assistance from Olof Strömqvist and Alexander Sjödin. Each season also favors a specific genre leaning; heavy synthwave is prevalent throughout, but the second season incorporated chiptune elements, and the third had something of an Eastern influence. As for subjective impressions, I can't say I was especially engaged. The tracks are arranged well with decent structure, and the stylistic theming adds some degree of distinctiveness. However, there is a general lack of central motifs, specifically in the initial seasons, progression being carried by layer fluctuations instead. I enjoyed listening to this part of the soundtrack overall, but only a few tracks stood out to me. On the other hand, the third season seemed stronger in this regard, so perhaps it's moving in that direction (although, if I consider the perspective of a player, I might start to question the conceptual continuity within context of the gameplay). Overall, I want to emphasize my perception that these are all quality compositions, just that some of them are closer to what I'm looking for than others; context of presentation is important.

PARADOX - Fires of Hokkai Thought for sure I'd featured this circle before, but can't find anything, so I'm amending with this. I picture this song as anticipatory, ominous, yet desolate. The general construction of the original is genius, but lacks depth due to its contextual constraints as a soundtrack. Enter the fandom musicians; this particular piece is as much as I could ask for. Elemental Records - Grieving Skyscraper I've referred to Cosmic Mind as the culmination of ZUN's efforts to instill an elevated tone into his motifs. For a remix, I wanted something that furthered that tone. Easier said than done; however, I'm satisfied with this find. Mirufi / Milfie - Skyfall Wasn't entirely sure what I wanted for this one; spacey, perhaps? Regardless, nothing stood out to me until this one; the casual tone adapts the motifs well, and contrasts with the other features. Granted, it's a bit "happier" than I might have anticipated, but if it works then who am I to complain? Reading back on my comments this post, it's too bad I couldn't make time for this earlier. Life's like that sometimes.

Driving to work today, a Nathanael Fisherman song came up in the shuffle, and I was reminded of how unique his style is. There's some reggae influence in some of his songs, but I'm more familiar with the heavy post-production morphing into something I can't settle a definition on. I'll also admit struggling to discern the lyrics at times, due to a combination of his heavy accent and rapid delivery; but there are plenty of songs I understand completely, and for those I don't, I can catch enough to appreciate the theme. He's unequivocal in his messaging (which stands out in modern CCM), but retains an artful presentation all the same. I've known about this artist for over five years now, and it's about time I shared him here.

With the release of Astro Bot sending waves out through the internet, I thought I'd casually investigate the soundtrack thereof. Three tracks in was enough to realize I'd missed something in being previously unfamiliar with the series. I remember discovering Boneworks some years ago, and being shocked that I hadn't heard anything about its music previously; this felt similar, in that there was a depth of quality to this that I would have expected better acclaim for. I determined to backtrack and find out just how much I'd missed. Based on my research, the foundation of the franchise exists in a tech-demo game called The Playroom. However, the soundtrack for this unfortunately turned out too difficult to pin down, as was that of its technical sequel The Playroom VR. The first properly available OST is from the more official start of the series, Astro Bot Rescue Mission. Even this soundtrack is lacking proper distribution, but is at least available on Youtube in official format. Composer Kenneth C M Young (without punctuation for some reason) is responsible for the modestly-sized album, making excellent use of leitmotif variance in several pieces (specifically boss themes and "caves") and showcasing a versatile style favoring techno/disco, consistently upbeat and unique. It's an unabashedly happy soundtrack, even as it plays at other tones, instilling an excellent degree of characterization. I anticipate a continuation of these qualities as I progress through the series, as I intend to do in the coming months.

Kaburagi.M - Captain Murasa I expected to settle on something heavier, but I came across this artist and wanted to feature something from his available repertoire. The motifs are clear, and the arrangement itself is excellent! I've come to love these rolling jazz style pieces, it's the perfect music to happily go about the daily business to. Mad Tea Party - Rural Makai City Esoteria I'm reminded of another folkish remix from the tournaments, but this one feels more faithful to the source material in the adaptation. Now that I'm going through it all in order, I think 12 has an underappreciated collection of stage themes, or at least there's some impressive arrangement work on them. 130Grit - The Tiger Patterned Vaisravana Initially thought I'd go traditional for this feature, but that wouldn't have contrasted well with the previous piece; then I came across this, and recognized Tangentg as the arranger (he's changed his alias since he was here last). The style of this piece is intriguing; he was always one for surf-rock, but this seems an experimental hybrid of sorts, and it works surprisingly well.

Wasn't on my mind; I'm fairly casual about my postings, so there isn't much precedence for anything. Maybe a SMYL favorites post? Depends what else is going on when we get there, I guess. For this week, I find myself compelled to feature a game that I'm not entirely comfortable with. Thank Goodness You're Here! is a masterfully designed comedy game, built on the satirizing of British subculture and supplemented by more general subversion humor. While I was extremely impressed with the manner of progression, the degree of crassness prevalent throughout was more than I could consider excusable. Thus I was conflicted over whether this was a game I wanted to make reference to, even just for its music. Granted, it's hardly the first instance of such a situation (Rabi-Ribi being a prominent example), but I still want to be careful about my potential influence. Ultimately, I want to remember the better aspects of this project, in hope of further implementation thereof in less compromising setting. The music itself is endearingly simple. I wouldn't consider it "atmospheric," but it is suitably reserved for the background, much in the way atmospheric music usually is. It's hard to pinpoint the specific inspiration for its style, though this could just as well be a result of my own lacking familiarity as a quality of the music itself. The composer was one of the game's designers, James Carbutt, with some additional songs incorporated from other sources. Most notably, I was introduced to "On Ilkla Moor Baht'at," reportedly a culturally significant song for the Yorkshire area. While technically not part of the soundtrack proper, I'm including it anyway as a curiosity :).

Ken Yanagimoto - Sky Ruin I've not been particularly fond of this piece in the past, but I was surprised by what a difference a few remixes made to my perception. This one in particular completely reinterpreted the tone for me, and as such is an excellent example of what is to be gained from seeking out arrangements sometimes. Sharp Eight - nice middle with bad girl Traditional Old Man & Stylish Girl represents missed opportunity to me; I don't appreciate its intro (it doesn't go anywhere), I've never been impressed with its carrying lines (ditto), and the "chorus" seems flipped from what it ought to be (why are the best parts in the background?). To clarify, these are subjective objections; so for this feature, I was determined to find something that presented the motifs in a way that satisfied me personally, in hopes I could overcome my prejudice against the piece. I'm not sure this is it, as it doesn't quite rely enough on those motifs, but it's going in the right direction. TaNaBaTa - Golden Route Opposite end of the perception spectrum, Interdimensional Voyage is one of my favorite stage themes in the entire series. As such, my prerogative was different; find an arrangement that was particularly unlike the original, while still holding to the motifs. This seemed suitable enough for the feature, contrasting well without being overbearing. Couldn't find the transcribed lyrics, though . . .

All cards on the table, I chose this soundtrack for listening solely for the alpaca/llama (how does one tell?) on the cover art. After a couple tracks, I determined it was worth planning a feature for, and here we are. Accredited to one José Ramón "Bibiki" García (quite the title), Arco is what I would describe as "western" in style, although I'm aware that the term is a bit out of date. The instrumentation for all but the high-energy tracks (presumably combat) is primarily that form of folk blending Spanish and American styles. I find it strange how I've not previously reflected on the ambiguity of distinct origin for this genre, and I wonder how much history lies behind it. Almost every piece relies heavily on acoustic guitar, though there is a notable presence of oboe in some tracks. On the other hand, the aforementioned high-energy pieces are tonally distinct from the rest of the OST, consisting of heavy rock with electronic elements. While these compositions exhibit the same degree of quality as the rest, I question the cohesiveness of the collection; some pieces integrate suitably, but others seem to contrast rather sharply with their surroundings. It may be that they work better in-game, but I'm not particularly interested in checking. On a final note, there is a selection of Spanish vocal songs scattered through the soundtrack. My habit is to seek translations of songs I can't understand, but I was unable to find a proper source for any of these. I'm including one anyway, as representative of the OST, but be aware of my lacking awareness thereof.

404p - tiny, tiny, CHU The character of Nazrin is a mouse, but also a major strategist of the "antagonists'" operations, justifying her positions in stage one and five both. Her theme has a decent melody, but it's rather repetitive, and imo doesn't seem to relate to the character very well. My hope was to find an arrangement that stayed relatively consistent with the original's structure, but revitalized the presentation. I don't think I could've found better than this. Conagusuri - The Unforgettable Forgotten Umbrella Part of this challenge is the featuring of unique artists for every piece, whereby I avoid circles I've already used or hope to rely on at a later time. However, I'd given myself allowance after the PC-98 era to consider it a clean-slate, with potential consideration for similar exclusions in future eras. I haven't had to resort to that too much; this time around, I'm choosing to refeature this circle due to the distinction between this remix and the previously featured arrangement. The stylistic contrast impressed me, and I wanted to draw attention to it. Kan/Kanpyog - Beware the Umbrella Left There Forever ~ Festival extended Proper credit was accomplished by proxy, as I had encountered the sister-arrangement with proper citation (thankfully NicoVideo is back online); I recognized the title formatting, and confirmed the shared origin. The parts come together beautifully, with the folk components imparting a tone of nature, and the electronic backing giving it punch.

Going into this series, I was under the impression that Metroid was a franchise focused on action-adventure with a sci-fi theme. As I've listened to its music, however, I've come to realize it's far more focused on suspenseful atmosphere, which it has accomplished quite well. Where my expectation initially caused me confusion with Fusion (heh), my adjusted perspective enabled me to fully appreciate the soundtrack of Metroid Prime. Interestingly, Kenji Yamamoto from Super Metroid seems primarily responsible for this soundtrack, assisted by Kouichi Kyuma (I find this intriguing given how the other composer for Super Metroid worked on Fusion instead). While there is a strong focus on ambience, the music is not without progression and melody, albeit in subdued capacity. The balance is delicately maintained, and defines the soundtrack's identity in establishing the atmosphere. Higher-energy combat tracks do not betray this focus, being composed dynamically and otherwise in keeping with the general tone. Despite not having very many noteworthy motifs overall, I can recognize the quality of this soundtrack, and appreciate having experienced it with the proper expectations. Addendum: Upon further reflection, I realized how similar this music was to that of Subnautica, both installments. While clearly ambient, melodic progression is still central to the compositions, being able to fall into the background or provide satisfactory accompaniment according to the situation. I can't help but wonder if Chylinski and Prunty took inspiration from Metroid Prime, not necessarily for Subnautica directly, but perhaps as part of the development of their respective styles.