Well, we're finally approaching the end of the Touhou Music Reviews. It's taken way too long. These last three albums all kinda slot in around the middle of the pack for me, they're all really consistent, offering up some neat new original tracks, some fantastic remixes, and another solid Hifuu Club story.
Neo Traditionalism Of Japan: Neo Traditionalism Of Japan isn't one of the more remarkable albums, but it's a solid improvement over Trojan Green Asteroid with more noteworthy remixes and memorable original tracks.
Green Sanatorium
Green Sanatorium is a bit of a dinky track, from the spooky central riff to the main melody that almost sounds like a nursery rhyme. It does a lot right like the lovely flutes and bouncy piano, but I don't know, something about this track just doesn't all come together for me.
3/5 Stars
Led On By A Cow To Visit Zenkou Temple
Phenomenal track, easily one of the best original CD themes. It sounds a lot like a title theme in how it uses the Theme Of Eastern Story, but the haunting main melody, unconventional chimes and percussion, and intense tone makes for a real album highlight.
5/5 Stars
Heartfelt Fancy
Yet another remix that doesn't change too much from the original. I do prefer the original's percussion a tad, but Heartfelt Fancy is still a fantastic track.
5/5 Stars
Fate Of Sixty Years
Fate Of Sixty Years's remix on the other hand sounds drastically different, with nearly all the instruments being new. The organ has a synthier vibe to it, the drums are punchier while still having that distinct PofV cadence to them, the intro is a bit longer, and we get a new ZUNpet only section to end off the track. I already loved the original track, but this has to be one of the best remixes in any album, all these improvements make this a better track.
5/5 Stars
Wind Of Agartha
Wind Of Agartha is another strong original track. The melody is catchy, the primarily woodwind instruments are pleasing to the ears, and the comfy vibes make for a very pleasant listen.
4/5 Stars
Izanagi Object
Izanagi Object is one of the most beloved album tracks, often held up as one of it not the most underrated Touhou track ever made. Sorry, I don't really see it. The intro is phenomenal, from the quirky and offbeat instrumentation to the dramatic ZUNpets to the eerie piano piece, but around the 0:50 mark, it feels like the track loses all its momentum as it enters its much weaker second half. It's still a good track, but not one of ZUN's best.
3.5/5 Stars?
Youkai Back Shrine Road
Another great remix that improves on the original track. The higher-pitched synths and removal of that squicky noise the original had really brings out Youkai Back Shrine Road's best qualities like its energetic pace, catchy melody, and sketchy vibes.
5/5 Stars
Unknown X - Unfound Adventure
Ooo, a fighting game theme getting a remix. Unknown X isn't one of my favorite final boss themes in a Touhou fighting game, but it's still really good thanks to a ridiculously chaotic and frantic pace, and those satisfying chimes that are used throughout the track.
5/5 Stars
Gathering The Mysterious From All Around Japan
Another pretty calming piece with a beautifully somber melody and all the same satisfying synths and woodwinds that made Wind Of Agartha so effective. The chorus can hit particularly hard too.
4/5 Stars
Let's Live In A Lovely Cemetery
Let's Live In A Lovely Cemetery's remix doesn't change too much beyond adding a new synth lead and tweaking a few instruments as usual. Both versions are equally great.
5/5 Stars
Dr Latency's Freak Report: Dr Latency does have a incredible selection of returning tracks, though barely any of them are actually elevated by their remixes in this album. The original tracks, on the other hand, are some of the best we've had in a while, employing this uniquely techy sound that defines the album.
Natural History Of The Childlike Duo
Fantastic opening number. The melody is so happy and catchy, and the guitar and synth solos that slow pop up over the course of the track only make you want to bop your head increasingly more.
5/5 Stars
The Frozen Eternal Capital
This remix barely changes anything from what I can tell outside of adding some more strings in the background. Not that it changes much, this is still one of my favorite Touhou tracks of the last decade.
5/5 Stars
Dr Latency's Sleepless Eyes
This feels like it could work incredibly well as a factory theme, between the harsh synth tones and rhythmic melody. It's a really fun track too, super catchy and energetic.
4/5 Stars
September Pumpkin
Another track that hasn't changed too much. My thoughts on September Pumpkin remain the same.
4/5 Stars
Beyond Planck In An Instant
Beyond Planck is the requisite chill track of the album. The low-key vibes and somewhat melancholic but still catchy central melody makes for a comfy track, at least until the halfway point when the track abruptly shifts into a tense techno bop. I prefer the first half a bit more, but hey, I respect the boldness.
4/5 Stars
Schrodinger's Bakeneko
Another fan favorite track, and I can absolutely see why in this case. Schrodinger's Bakeneko boasts an incredibly bouncy and head-banging melody, along with an infectious sense of energy, that makes for
5/5 Stars
The Shining Needle Castle Sinking In The Air
My favorite Touhou track and it's... once again almost exactly the same, at least outside of a newly added guitar in the intro.
5/5 Stars
The Taboo Membrane Wall
Another good original track! Unfortunately it's also the last one in the album. The weird time signature and pounding percussion makes for a really tense and engaging track which culminates in a hauntingly beautiful piano chorus that's unfortunately a bit too short.
4/5 Stars
The Sea Where The Home Planet Is Reflected
Another phenomenal track from the games, that once again doesn't change too much outside of a few instruments. I feel like a broken record here.
5/5 Stars
Pure Furies
Pure Furies is a unique exception among all the remixed tracks. It's the only one I didn't already love, but it's also the only track that feels like it got a worthwhile remix that improves upon the original. Everything just feels so much more punchier here, particularly the synths, and the reworked percussion keeps the momentum going in a way that the original just couldn't. This version of Pure Furies feels more powerful, and earns the feeling of intensity that the original track didn't quite reach.
4.5/5 Stars
Eternal Transient Reign
After that pleasant surprise, we have yet another incredible track that barely got changed in its remix. Oh, well...
5/5 Stars
Dateless Bar "Old Adam": Dateless Bar is one of the most interesting albums ZUN has ever made, both thematically and in terms of how much he experimented. Dateless Bar is pretty much an album entirely about Renko and Maribel going to bar and getting drunk, which leads to a slew of weird and quirky off-kilter original tracks and a group of remixes composed almost entirely of underrated gems that actually deserved a reprisal. Not every track lands for me, but I admire the ambition on display here.
"Old Adam" Bar
I already raved about "Old Adam" Bar in my spinoffs review, but yeah, this is a great track and one of my favorite original album themes. The mysterious vibe, the jazzy melody, the bouncy synths, it all sets the tone for the album to come perfectly.
5/5 Stars
The Darkness Brought In By Swallowstone Naturalis Historia
Okay. I'm mixed on this track. The opening is ear-grating, boasting harsh high-pitched synths that I just find unpleasant to listen to. But on the other hand, the chorus is actually pretty great, and the wacky final 30-or-so seconds are an actual bop.
3/5 Stars
Reverse Ideology
Always love to see Reverse Ideology return and this remix is pretty good but not particularly ground-breaking, only just punching up the instruments a bit.
5/5 Stars
Outsider Cocktail
Hmm... this is another weird track that I'm not sure works for me. It's pretty obvious trying to recreate the feeling of being drunk, with off-kilter swaying synths that almost sound tipsy. Unfortunately, Outsider Cocktail can sound a bit harsh if you're not in the mood for it.
3/5 Stars
Omiwa Legend
This might be the most improved track in any Touhou album, what a glowup. Futo's theme was always one of the less remarkable themes in Ten Desires's soundtrack, but the shift to using a synth riff makes this version feel almost like a techno rave remix of the original, and it sounds so much more energetic.
5/5 Stars
Pandemonic Planet
Pandemonic Planet is already a track I really loved, but lo and behold, this remix is also an improvement. The bass is more audible, the woodwinds are crisper, and yes, the instruments as a whole have more of a punch to them. It all helps that iconic final segment hit all the harder.
5/5 Stars
Adventurer's Tavern Of The Old World
This is a cute track. A bit on the dinky side, but it's overall very bouncy and fun, especially in the catchy verse.
4/5 Stars
Rural Makai City Esoteria
Rural Makai City Esoteria is such a criminally underrated track and I'm very glad to see it return. The added chimes, strings, and musical flourishes managed to improve on a track I already thought was borderline perfect, making it sound far richer than ever before.
5/5 Stars
The Lost Emotion
Huh, I haven't even talked about The Lost Emotion, have I? It's a fantastic track, crushingly bleak and hopeless but in a way that's still gripping to listen to. This remix is yet another solid improvement, amping up the percussion to give it a bit more energy without losing the grim atmosphere that the original had.
5/5 Stars
Hangover Of Bedfellows Dreaming Differently
What an incredible final track, super melancholic and touching, especially with those almost bagpipe-sounding synths. It hits even harder knowing that this is the last full album, and that we may never get another one after this (I hope not, though. Please, ZUN, give us another Hifuu Club album!).
5/5 Stars
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