August 5, 2016

Journal Day 5; Aug 5, 2016

Day 5: List the 10 songs that you are in love now.


Foreword


It's my birthday today! :D :D :D WOOOOOOO~
Ehm... anyway. Now that Day 4's out of the way (never going to talk about it again), it's time for the fifth day on the journal calendar! I listen to a lot of songs, usually those which can influence emotions. They help me write a specific emotional scene better. But the thing is, I don't listen to songs with lyrics (sorry, love song fans); my taste is more to instrumental. This includes classical, orchestral, background music (BMGs), soundtracks, themes, and others. No loud music, either!

Enough talking, let's have me introduce to you my taste in music! Again, no specific order.

Thank you for reading this post, and I hope you'd read the following days' topics. :)
Enjoy reading!

(PS: My sincerest apologies for the late post. :( )

10 Songs That I Am In Love Now


1. Umineko – Dread of the Grave
I'll start this off with one of my most recent soundtracks I've heard and loved. This BGM comes from the murder mystery sound novel by Ryukishi07, 「うみねこのなく頃に」 (EN: Umineko; lit: Seagulls When They Cry), inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. This theme plays when Battler Ushiromiya, the protagonist, countering a move—similarly to Phoenix Wright making an objection.

All of the music are splendid and successfully set the mood in each scene, but the one that captured my heart was this theme. The rhythm, beat, and transitions between slow and fast make it sound triumphant. And it is! I could listen to this whenever I write a victory scene; it's perfect!


2. Jacques Offenbach – Cancan
Never ever nor will be tired of this piece by Jacques Offenbach, a German-born French composer. This is a superbly done classical piece you'd probably heard of but don't know the name to. Here's something to ring a bell: it's the song you'd hear when wild goose chases happen.

Right from the overture down to the ending, the piece is awesome! It's so vibrant and bouncy, the perfect kind of music you'd want to sway your dress, high kick, and cartwheel to. (No seriously, people do do that ( ._.) ). I'd probably listen to this music whenever my character does something stupid that causes a chain reaction. Well composed, Offenbach!


3. Undertale – Undertale (Main Theme)
A soundtrack composed by Toby Fox, from the game Undertale, also by Toby Fox, eponymously named Undertale. Undertale is a kickstarted 8-bit RPG bullet hell game, with an excellent story and even more excellent tracks. When I first played this, I knew I couldn't click that big red "X" button until I finished the game.

The main theme plays at the near end of the game (SPOILERS!!), when protagonist Frisk travels through New Home while the story of Asriel and Chara is told. It's a heartfelt song that invokes a soothing calmness. I'd listen to this whenever I'd write a traveling scene or when a tragedy is resolved.


4. Final Fantasy X – To Zanarkand
I haven't played Final Fantasy X, but my brother did once. Even then, I forgot almost everything about it, except this one theme. To Zanarkand is composed by Square Enix, the same company that produced games such as HITMANTM, Kingdom Hearts II, and Call of Duty 4.

Unfortunately, because I haven't played the game before, I have no idea when the BMG plays. It plays in a high-pitched tune and in soft piano notes. Imagine you, yearning to return home, but your home is in ruins, and this song starts playing. The overwhelming sadness is compelling enough to send imaginary tears down my cheeks.


5. Yiruma – River Flows in You
When I first heard this piece, I fell in love with it immediately. In fact, when I first heard this piece, my mind scream, "Okay, I have to learn how to play this on the Virtual Piano." It is a piano piece composed by Korean pianist Yiruma.

The tune is just so serene and tranquil... peaceful. I feel at ease listening to it. The name is pretty suitable too. A river does seem to be flowing inside me as I listen to the piece. Yiruma: great with naming, greater in composing, greatest with playing.


6. Faraway Voyage of 300 000 Kilometers (Orchestral Arrange)
Another song from a game. What can I say? I'm drawn to games with terrific music! This is one of the many, many themes of the Touhou series 「東方」, a bullet hell game made solely by a single person, ZUN. And I mean everything—from the music to the characters to the story.

I seriously love orchestral arrangements of the music in the game. As if the music itself wasn't already well composed by ZUN, the orchestral arrangements make it even better! This is the Stage 5 theme from Touhou 15 – Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom 「東方紺珠伝」, which happens to be the latest game as of this post.


7. CLANNAD – Dango Daikazoku
Well, when I said I don't listen to music with lyrics, it doesn't mean I won't listen to music with lyrics. This is the only one in the list that has lyrics. Dango Daikazoku 「だんご大家族」, or in English, Big Dango Family, is the ending theme of the anime, CLANNAD. CLANNAD itself came from the visual novel of the same name.

The song is sung in a soft voice throughout the video. In the beginning, it starts off cute and cuddly. But as the song goes on, it builds up and the rhythm and beat become powerful. Even my heartbeat starts to follow the song. The song is beautiful and that's why I fell in love with it. Not just that, it has a far deeper meaning than talking about a big dango family. Curious? Why not research? ;)


8. Shadow of the Colossus – The Opened Way
Something more intense for the change. This theme comes from the game, Shadow of the Colossus by Team Ico, a PS2 game known for being incredibly well made for such a platform. The story of the game is incredibly sad and heartwarming. It is one of the themes that would play when you climb atop a colossus.

I have to say, The Opened Way brings out the heat of the battle. Climbing a moss-covered few-hundred-meters giant is no easy task, let alone trying to kill it. And what's even better about it? It loops flawlessly and the balance is perfect. I can listen to it for a full ten minutes without realizing how long I've been listening to it.


9. The Nightmare before Christmas – This is Halloween (Instrumental)
Finally a song from a movie! This is from a Disney classic, The Nightmare before Christmas. Too bad I prefer listening to the instrumental version, hehe. It is composed by Danny Elfman. The song is as good with lyrics as it is without them too!

I like how the song has a sense of mystery and creepiness without actually having a sense of mystery nor creepiness. Well, it is a celebrative song, in dedication to Jack Skellington and Halloween. I also like how there's a bit of Christmas jingle thrown in there. Nice, Disney, nice.


10. Johann Strauss II – Tritsch-Tratsch Polka
This list can't properly end without another classical one! A piece by Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, Tritsch-Tratsch Polka is a jolly tune. I've listened to it once when I first watched Tom & Jerry, but I didn't know the name. Now that I know the name, I just can't stop listening to it.

It's a great piece to listen to. Energetic, merry, and puts a smile on my face whenever I listen to it. Most importantly, it's catchy! Sometimes, I find myself humming to it without realizing.


----

Well, those are my 10 songs that I'm in love now. Did you fell in love with any of mine? If you had listened to all 10 of them, I salute you! What are your 10 songs that you are in love with now? Let me know!
Extra challenge: Guess which song I was listening to while I was writing this!

Want to read more? Check out the topic list, here!

Looking for the next day?
Looking for the previous day?

5 comments:

  1. this one much better than the previous for sure that i could read right to the end. the one before this, i just had to stop somewhere in the middle cause i find it boring and all over the place...you don't know what you're talking about...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chan, I enjoy The Final fantasy to Zanarkand and of course Yiruma, River flows on you ( my sister always plays this song in her laptop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, teacher. I'm glad you enjoyed at least some of my favorite songs! ^_^

      Delete

Do you have something to share? Please do leave your thoughts. I would love to know your opinions. :)

Remember to check back here! I will try my best to reply to all of your comments. ^_^