While I finished with the main Touhou series, there are still two more ZUN soundtracks I have neglected to cover, and those are the Seihou scores. If you're not familar with Seihou music, boy are you in for a treat. They sound like a unique medium between the PC-98 and EoSD style, and boast some incredibly complex and varied melodies that rival some of the best ZUN has ever made.
Seihou Shuusou Gyoku
Clockworks
Pretty good title theme. It's super tense and ominous if a bit repetitive, and does a good job at establishing Seihou's unique vibes right off the bat.
4/5 Stars
False Strawberry
False Strawberry feels right out of a PC-98 game, with a simple but incredibly catchy melody, brisk pace befitting a first stage theme, and a lovely and calming pre-chorus section.
4/5 Stars
Primrose Silver
Once again, this sounds like the first boss theme of a PC-98 game, simple and short but relentlessly intense and fast-paced. I love that opening riff coupled with the chime that plays every time the riff loops, it's such a bop.
4/5 Stars
Illusory Imperial Capital
This track has grown on me a lot, it's really the best encapsulation of that distinct Seihou sound. There's a very wistful feel to this track, and the key change in the pre-chorus is just perfection.
5/5 Stars
Disastrous Gemini
The main melody in Disastrous Gemini is super catchy, energetic, and elegant, but the track itself is a bit short with slightly off-beat percussion.
3/5 Stars
Illusion Of Flowers, Air Of Scarlet Dream
Similarly to Maple Wise in ZUN's previous soundtrack, Illusion Of Flowers hints at the game's final boss theme a bit, though not with nearly the same impact. However, the chorus is fantastic, super powerful and intense.
4/5 Stars
Firmament Army
While Gates' next theme would blow this one completely out of the water, Firmament Army is still a bouncy and fun enough boss theme with a great riff and a solid main theme.
3/5 Stars
Illusionary Sputnik Night
And now Seihou's soundtrack becomes genuinely fantastic. Illusionary Sputnik Night is so great that it's one of the few Seihou tracks ZUN remixed for an album. It's energetic, catchy, complex, and just a ton of fun to listen to. The central riff is energetic and memorable, the piano solo in the verse is absolutely beautiful, and the chorus is triumphant as hell.
5/5 Stars
Circus Reverie
Yet another classic Seihou track, Circus Reverie also got a remix, though this more energetic original version is still great on its own merits. Circus Reverie is kind of experimental, jumping between tempos and tones while still remaining consistently catchy and elegant the entire way through. The light-hearted accordion melody in the verse definitely gives off the vibe of a circus.
5/5 Stars
Illusionary Girl From Canaveral
This was ZUN's attempt at making a western-sounding theme. Not entirely sure it worked, but it's a stellar track regardless. The catchy verse manages to be both breezy and slightly melancholic at the same time, but the highlight is easily that stunning chorus.
5/5 Stars
Magical Girl Crusade
Yet another one of the more iconic Seihou tracks, a super unique and oddly upbeat organ piece filled to brim with fun key changes. There isn't too much I can say about this one, it's just a joyous and energetic track.
5/5 Stars
Antique Terror
Seihou as a series leans more into sci-fi than magic like Touhou does, so for its final act, ZUN tried to experiment a bit with some more mechanical sounding tracks. Antique Terror isn't super memorable especially by this game's standards, but its rhythmic beat fits the robotic setting perfectly.
3/5 Stars
Dream Machine - Innocent Power
Seihou has a whopping three final boss themes, though Dream Machine is by far the least interesting of the three. It's definitely pretty ominous but the other two just hit harder.
3/5 Stars
Illusory Science - Doll's Phantom
Illusory Science on the other hand, holy shit. This is one of the heaviest tracks ZUN has ever made and I absolutely love it, from the intense and addicting techno riff to the dramatic organ chorus. This is easily my favorite track in Seihou 1, and that's not even getting into its album remix.
5/5 Stars
Girl's Divinity - Pandora's Box
The final final boss theme is pretty spectacular too, less atmospheric than the first two, but way more climactic and grandiose. Seihou uses a lot of organs, but it's never as chill-inducing as in that godly opening bit. And yet the song keeps getting better, with a powerful and dramatic verse, a triumphant chorus, and a somber ending. Genuinely one of the better final boss themes ZUN has made.
5/5 Stars
Silk Road Alice
If you're not aware, Reimu and Marisa were extra bosses in Seihou 1, so its extra themes are essentially a Touhou crossover. Theme Of Eastern Story showed up a few times in the intros to Lotus Land Story and Mystic Square, but this was the first time it got expanded into a full-on theme and it is glorious. It just encapsulates what Touhou is all about so quickly and efficiently, from the ways in which the Theme Of Eastern Story is used, to the more traditional-sounding instruments, to that heavenly chorus. This. Is. Touhou.
5/5 Stars
The Witches' Ball
Marisa's theme is the stronger of the two, once again. Befitting the title, this theme leans hard on the witchy side of Marisa with a balletic and spooky main melody and heavy use of harpsichords. It's a real banger of a track that deserves more recognition.
5/5 Stars
Dichromatic Lotus Butterfly - Ancients
While this is not my favorite rendition of this track, Dichromatic Lotus Butterfly has always been one of the better Reimu themes in my opinion. The main riff is super exciting and intense, and the chorus is absolutely iconic. But for me, the highlight of this version of the theme is that more somber and calm bit near the end.
5/5 Stars
Herselves
This is a great credits theme, starting off which the Illusionary Girl From Canaveral riff only to burst into a triumphant, dramatic, and just plain badass main theme. The whole track feels like all of the previous tracks brought together into one, though the second half isn't quite as exciting.
4/5 Stars
Titled Maid
This theme goes surprisingly hard for a Name Registration theme. That beat is really catchy!
4/5 Stars
Seihou 2: Kioh Gyoku: This soundtrack has both MIDI and WAV versions. I'm sticking with WAV since that's what all the Touhou soundtracks would use.
Kioh Gyoku - Fairy Dance
I like this title theme. While a fairly simple loop, it's a pretty catchy one. Maybe it's the synth instruments used or the brisk percussion, either way it's super hypnotic-sounding.
4/5 Stars
Velvet Maiden Battle - Velvet Battle
What a wonderful track. Vivit's theme feels like ZUN's first maid rock, with a pretty head-banging riff and some stellar percussion work. The piano solos are lovely, the chorus is phenomenal, and the WAV version even throws in the UFO saxophones?! This early?
5/5 Stars
Castle Explorer - In The Sky
This is so much better than the last Gates theme! It's so bouncy and fun, with a catchy central piano riff, adorable background instruments, booming percussion, plenty of slower moments scattered throughout, and a fantastic chorus.
5/5 Stars
Orphic Castle - Psuedoclassic
Coming off the heels of the last two themes, Psuedoclassic is quite a bit more melancholic, once again using a lot of harpsichord. The main melody in the verse is probably the most memorable part of the track, but it's that catchy harpsichord solo in the pre-chorus that steals the show.
4/5 Stars
New Illusion - New Fantasy
Speaking of melancholic, I love how simultaneously somber and energetic New Illusion is. The percussion is exciting and fast-paced, but the melody is pretty much all slow-paced and elegant piano trills. The sparse chorus manages to be so powerful despite its simplicity. And the track even ends a pretty wild piano solo.
5/5 Stars
Holy Knight Of Orleans
Probably the weakest of the character themes, but by no means bad. The melody isn't super memorable, but the stellar piano solo and ZUNpet finale more than make up for it. Wait, is this the first song with ZUNpets in it? That's pretty cool.
3/5 Stars
My Maid, Sweet Maid
My Maid, Sweet Maid goes for more of a slow-paced lullaby vibe, and it's pretty great. The main melody gives off Lullaby Of Demonic Hell vibes, but the real highlight is the chorus that seems to borrow from Illusory Science. Also, this is the first appearance of the flute from LoLK.
4/5 Stars
Lonely Mound Of Cherry Blossoms
Time for another Touhou crossover! This time Yuuka was made playable, and got a pretty fantastic theme all to herself. Lovely Mound Of Cherry Blossoms is just plain beautiful on so many levels, from the lush piano/guitar intro to the lovely main melody to the usage of traditional instruments once again to that powerful chorus to that absolutely godly piano solo. Once again, this track was remixed for an album and yeah, good choice.
5/5 Stars
Warrior Maiden - Heart Of Valkyrie
I don't know what that repeating sound in the intro is but it sounds so pleasing, and mechanical enough to fit a mad scientist quite well. Warrior Maiden is a great intense track that does a good job at raising the stakes for the penultimate boss, even if it isn't quite at the level of Sailor Of Time or Higan Retour.
4/5 Stars
Enigmatic Doll
ZUN ends his time composing for the Seihou series with not just the best Seihou track, but one of the best tracks he's ever composed. Enigmatic Doll is probably the most beloved Seihou theme which makes sense because it's freaking amazing. It has everything you'd want from a ZUN track, between a stunningly beautiful opening piano riff, an elegant and melancholic main melody, an energetic and triumphant chorus, and a fun-as-hell piano solo. There's just something so majestic and awe-inspiring about Enigmatic Doll.
5/5 Stars
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