 | Album Title: Touhou Gensou Shiten 5 -Fable- |
| Record Label: Sound Sepher | |
| Catalog No.: SEPR-0008 | |
| Release Date: December 30, 2010 | |
| Purchase: Buy at Sweep Record |
Overview
Released during Comic Market 79, Fable is the most recent Touhou arrange album from the Sound Sepher label. Featuring primarily members of SuperSweep, with doujin artist Sorabu as a guest contributor, does the overall listening experience suffer from the lack of many artists on the album?
Body
Sorabu, the sole doujin artist on the album, contributes two very different remixes. The first, “Because Princess Inada is Scolding Me,” features an interesting progression that focuses on rock with an Asian soundscape thanks to the wonderful woodwind work in the melody line. As the theme progresses, the rock is replaced by more classically-oriented instrumentation and gains a slight gothic touch before moving into rock undertones and returning to a more rock-oriented approach. It’s a fun remix that fuses two different soundscapes quite nicely. The second theme, “Charming Domination ~ Who Done It!,” on the other hand, is a wonderful European-influenced remix with touches of Spanish and French styles. The accordion melody combined with the flamenco guitar creates an excellent pairing and really brings out the best in the melody.
Shoichiro Sakamoto contributes most to the album. “Wind God Girl” is a very nice remix, in my view, that captures great energy. I enjoy the heavy rock focus with charming woodwind, piano, and synthesizer melody lines. In particular, I like how the majority of the theme centers on the melody before moving into the synth-focused B section; it helps reinforce the name of the theme. In addition, although a bit muddled in the mix, there is some beautiful Hammond-organ-sounding work that harmonizes with the more predominant synthesizer and rock parts. “The Fairy’s Adventurous Tale” is an upbeat synth-rock piece that improves upon the original’s synth. It’s an intense remix and quite enjoyable, but I find it to be one of the weakest on the album in terms of actual execution. “Youkai Mountain ~ Mysterious Mountain,” the shortest remix on the album, is a synth-rock-focused piece with some more organic elements from time to time. For example, the intense synth sections are broken up by calmer, woodwind-derived melodies with more of a pop-focused approach in the drum work.
Three of Shoichiro Sakamoto’s remixes come from the latest game to be released, Great Fairy Wars. “The Refrain of the Lovely Great War” is an upbeat remix with a trance-like melody accompanied by some fast-paced electronic beats and drums. There are occasional piano sections that add contrast to the majority of the remix, as these are mellow in approach and often carry a hint of ethereal quality. The increased tempo and the synth-focused approach of the arrangement really improve upon the original, in my opinion, which I felt was a bit clunky despite its intriguing piano work and strings-focused atmosphere. “Ruse Rain” opens with visual-kei-inspired, gothic-toned elements, such as suspenseful organ and choral work, both of which resurface from time to time in the theme. From there it moves into a more dance-like section with wonderful synth work. Throughout the remix, Sakamoto manages to keep that suspenseful air while also making the arrangement a treat to listen to thanks to his signature synth and variations in melody and harmony.
The last remix by Sakamoto, “Magus Night,” is probably the most sinister in approach. Opening with bombastic choral chants before moving into an upbeat rock piece with extremely ominous-sounding synthesizer notes, it’s a remix that definitely has a very gothic nature. There are synthesizer sections that sound a bit more upbeat and, in a way, inspire hope, especially during sections given a key change. The more gothic and choral sections, though, despite their brevity at times, manage to reinforce the idea of an extremely powerful entity. It’s one of my favorite remixes from Sakamoto on the album.
The rest of the SuperSweep presence on the album consists only of Yousuke Yasui and Takahiro Eguchi. Contributing one remix, “Satori Maiden ~ 3rd Eye,” Yousuke Yasui offers a fantastic rock theme. While I think his “Fires of Hokkai” remix is much better, I do enjoy this updated version of the original. The powerful rock riffs, keyboard harmonies, and electric guitar melody make for a very exciting version of my favorite Touhou boss theme in history. The piano inclusion is also extremely beautiful; however, I wish it developed longer. In the end, it’s definitely an entertaining remix.
Takahiro Eguchi opens and closes the album with his three remixes. The opening remix, “An Ice Fairy in Spring,” manages to convey the mellow nature of the original while at the same time adding a nice twist to it. Eguchi makes it a very groovy, disco-inspired arrangement with great electronic beats that add the funk while the strings craft the retro dance soundscape. The addition of a very unexpected but fitting saxophone solo really helps bring the track to a close. My favorite track on the entire album is definitely Eguchi’s rendition of “Year-Round Absorbed Curiosity.” It is a fantastic trance remix with exquisite piano leads and beautiful electronic harmonies. It introduces a variety of synthesizer sounds and occasional melodies and also provides a bit of an Asian influence in the piano melody. The key change later in the remix provides a very beautiful effect, making the overall sound a bit more jovial and heavenly. The album closes with Eguchi’s take on “The Earth Spirits’ Homecoming.” It’s, for the most part, a very calming track with beautiful ethereal synthesizer, exotic percussion, and a stunning sitar-like melody. Notable additions include occasional heavenly vocal accompaniment and the addition of electric guitar as the remix progresses, which gives the track a bit of edge while retaining its beautiful soundscape. It’s a wonderful way to close the album.
Summary
In the end, I think that the Touhou Gensou Shiten 5 -Fable- album is a fine addition to the Sound Sepher label. I think that Sorabu, Yousuke Yasui, and Takahiro Eguchi help craft themes that complement Shoichiro Sakamoto’s musical style. However, while I find Shoichiro Sakamoto’s remixes very enjoyable, they may not add enough diversity to the album for some listeners. Many rely on variations of his style, but none transform the originals into something off the beaten path, like some of the remixes on his older albums or the other remixers featured on the album.
