[Clerk W 4th] DESIRE SANCTUARY / CODE-49
I actually wanted to write the 4th episode as ``Talking about Touhou Chireiden's soundtrack,'' but the content was too core, so I decided against it.
My name is W, a store clerk who loves cats and music games.
Here is the CD I'd like to introduce to you today!
From CODE-49
「DESIRE SANCTUARY」
This is the latest work by LV.4, distributed at C102!
It also includes previously released singles such as "Overwrite" and "Voyager 1."
LV.4 mainly composes game music, but he also writes Touhou arrangements and other anime songs.
This CD also mainly features songs with female vocals.
However, the appeal of trance x hardcore is more than enough. Even the female vocals have a great feel with the crunchy synths.
Overall, it was a great album.
I LOVE TRANCE & HARDCORE!!
Of course, all of the songs are great, but in this article I will introduce four songs that I thought were particularly good.
Tr.1 "Overwrite feat. Ike Yuu"
Right from the beginning there is a part that wasn't in the radio edit.
Vocal sampling is so satisfying.
At first, I guess it's more like pop music. That's what I thought, but the kick that comes in from the middle is huge...! The best.
I have a habit of loving the shimmering effect on vocals, so that's a really good point as well. The best.
I was already high before the lyrics started. Is this the LV.4 sound?
After the main song starts, it continues with the A and B parts,
When the chorus (drop) part comes, the synth starts playing the main melody.
The vocals are used in an extravagant way, almost as if the synths are taking the lead role.
I thought the drop's synth would continue to sound like a super sow sound, but at the end of the phrase it suddenly changes to a "simple square wave." I was surprised when I first heard this.
I love it when waveforms suddenly change over time. Do you understand?
The method of accenting tones often used in games such as Dragon Quest for the Famicom is to change the waveform over time.
I can't stop listening to game music.
Tr.4「Voyager 1 feat.Ike Yuyu」
It's out. I was looking for a song like "The Trance". My body starts moving on its own.
Most dance music types don't use complicated chord progressions, and instead rely solely on the comfort of the tone and rhythm.
Of course, I also like complex progressions, but I'll talk about that another time.
This has a simple progression, and even though it's long, it never gets boring. That's what trance is all about.
The vocals are by Ikeba Yu, who also sang "Overwrite" above.
It's just my imagination, but it sounds like this person is smiling and singing, which makes me feel really good.
It's straightforward and has a powerful voice, and I really like this kind of song.
Regarding the title "Voyager 1,"
Touhou has the word voyage (voyage, journey) in its title, so I kind of knew what it meant, but when I looked it up again...
Apparently it's about Voyager 1, an American unmanned Jupiter/Saturn probe. perhaps.
Apparently it was launched in 1977, so that's probably it.
What is the true meaning of the words spoken by Voyager as it heads to the end?
I can't take a nap because I'm worried about it.
Tr.5「In the Desert feat. Iwasaki Chiaki」
The strength is obvious from the first sound. This is powerful.
The genre seems to be "Psystyle."
The strong and loud kicks that are typical of hardstyle, and the variety of distortions are fun.
The genre with the name psy seems to have a clean kick, so I guess it's a combination of that and hardstyle.
It's fine to talk about any genre.
Anyway, what I want to talk about with this song is the title call.
LV.4's vocal songs often include the title at the beginning, but this song "In the Desert" is really bad.
The vocal phrase ends, the synth sounds fade away, and then something approaches in the reversed waveform...
「IN THE DESERRRrrrrrrr・・・t.」
This is what it looks like when written down.
I interpreted the noisy sound as an expression of being swallowed up by a sandstorm, and the lowering of the voice as an expression of being dragged into a sand hell.
It's hard to describe when you write it down, but please give it a listen.
You can't listen to this in crossfade, so try melting your brain with the CD. (You can listen to it now at Akihabara Hobby Stores)
I've gotten so used to the feeling of being buried in the sand in this area that I loop it about 20 times a day.
The break after this feels great, and Whisper In the Desert is also good.
Tr.09「Cult Future (2023 Extended Mix)」
Tr.09 and Tr.10 are bonus tracks, but I would like to introduce this song that has a presence that is comparable to the others.
I'm a rhythm game fan who first learned about LV.4 through "Angel Dust."
There's no way I wouldn't like a song like The Oto Gate Run Score like this.
This song has been included in SEGA's music game "Ongeki" as a newly written song, and was recently ported to "CHUNITHM".
(Even though Chuni got SSS on first try, why haven't there been any new records since then?)
However, it is definitely not a good idea to ignore it just because you can listen to it in a music game. You should listen to the Extended Mix.
In games, the length is set to a certain extent, and each phrase is inevitably short, but with CD sound sources, that restriction is lifted to a certain extent.
In my case, it's the part where the code that has always followed the same route starts to move...
Perhaps it's an LFO; some kind of effect is causing the lead to undulate.
The fluid, moving synths are endlessly fascinating.
Since there is a singing bass, you could call this a singing synth.
I thought it was great that this singing synth was doubled in length.
There's also the appeal of the Extended version, which comes after the drop section is finished.
Once you've decided on the perfect phrase, if it's the length of the game version, that's where it ends...but if it's longer, this is where it gets stronger.
The so-called verse part, which appears after the intro, comes in at the end.
I love it when you think the song is over and then the first half of the phrase is thrown in at the very end.
I'll let it go here this time.
I feel like I've talked about my personal preferences.
But if you're reading this article, you probably understand.
Please listen to Crossfade and come to Akiba Hobby to get the best LV.4 sound!
01. Overwrite / LV.4 feat. Ike Yuu
02. Hard Landing / LV.4 feat. Lilith Reverse
03. Four seasons / LV.4
04. Voyager 1 (2023 Mix) / LV.4 feat. Yuu Chiha
05. In the Desert / LV.4 feat. Iwasaki Chiaki
06. Like a Cigarettes / LV.4 feat. Maiko Erigawa
07. Sentimental Surge / LV.4 feat. Ike Yuyou
08. Vortex of Sorrow / LV.4 feat. Mawata Spica
09. Cult Future (2023 Extended Mix) / LV.4
10. Overwrite (Radio edit)/ LV.4 feat. Chi Yu Yu