ZUN's Strange Works ~ A Music Theorist's Review

Link to Album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijniBZWR5D0&list=PLzdQcm51guT8Wljks6-D00J8qEEIs3ZEy

 

    Modern MIDI and VST engines provide even amateur composers with such good instrument samples that they can recreate semi-convincing sounding performances without having to hire expensive professional singers and instrumentalists; however, this wasn't always the goal of MIDI. Early MIDI was famous because it was a cheap imitation of real instruments, and some composers embraced it with open arms. One of the pioneers of this style of music is Jun'ya Ota, better known as ZUN—the creator of Touhou Project.

 

    While in university, ZUN created MIDI music to practice writing for RPGs and top-down shooters using an old sound module with built in samples called the SC-88Pro. While many Touhou music fans know that he wrote the three Seihou soundtracks during this era, but only the most dedicated fans have even heard of ZUN's Strange Works which predates Seihou by at least a couple of months.

 

"Magician of the Twilight"

    The first track, "Magician of the Twilight" is a delightful showcase of rhythmic ingenuity and harmonic intrigue. The drums, which sound just like Kenji Ito's MIDI kits used in the Nintendo DS remakes of SaGa 2 and 3, are just as aggressive and dramatic as Ito's work. Very few MIDI composers can make these old drum samples sound even halfway decent, but ZUN creates a massive spectrum of rhythmic feels with almost every phrase. The modulation to minor v embedded in the main theme is a sonorous treat for the ears that never gets tiring regardless of how many times the track has looped.

 

Divine Battle from SaGa 3 Jikuu no Hasha: Shadow or Light for reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDA5XthEyKw

 

"Magic of Life"

    "Magic of Life" is a callback to tracks titles with "Alice" or having to do with the PC-98 Touhou character with the same name. These tracks combine ZUN's western influences with a more melodic and cutesy character, and this track is no different. He doesn't experiment with harmony and was a little sparse in the middle of the track, but I find myself humming the infectious melody by the end (a melody that was eventually adapted into the not so cute Seihou track, "Firmament Army"). He manages to write an impressive amount of Japanese style counterpoint against the melody at the end which is the highlight of the track. Overall, the clean presentation and easygoing nature of the piece makes it one worth revisiting.

 

 

 

"Plastic Space"

    For a stage 1 theme, "A Pair of Divine Beasts"*, I mean, "Plastic Space" is just what it needs to be—a peppy little melody over VI-VII-i. While I am not partial to the wacky synth intro, I certainly appreciate the spacious build up to the section with the Picardy thirds. The percussion is especially light and snappy which is comforting and satisfying in conjunction with simple melodies.

*"A Pair of Divine Beasts" (Touhou 16) has almost the same melody:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8TBv3cEXuw

 

"Inventive City"

    The next track reminds me of a video where someone put "Extend Ash ~ Person of Hourai" from Touhou 8 in the major key. Any time I hear something that ZUN writes that lingers on a chord in the major key I can't help but crack up every time. The track is otherwise bouncy and fun. I feel like "Inventive City" fits the circus more than a Touhou game, and I don't really mean that in a bad way. I guess that's why it went unused. This is truly one of the ZUN's Strange Works of all time.

Here's that hilarious video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykvsp_TooXU

 

"Fantasy Corridor"

    ZUN writing a slow song is like expecting Seija Kijin to do what you told her to...it just doesn't happen. This piece has plenty of delicious mode mixture and beautiful pacing. The IV-V-bVI-bVII progression is very serene at a slow tempo and the modulation up a half step fits the character of the piece very well. The percussion, especially the hi-hat, is also subtly comforting.

 

"Hourai Illusion"

    ZUN wrote "Hourai Illusion" as an extra stage theme and then realized it doesn't work for its intended function It's a nice track; albeit, with a rather excessive number of repetitions of the chorus figure. There's a piano solo that is underpinned with an elegant modulation up a minor third via the octatonic scale, a harmonic progression that became a mainstay later in the series with tracks like "Tomboyish Girl in Love" (Touhou 6) and "Wind Circulation ~ Wind Tour (Touhou 9.5).

 

    I implore you to listen to the album if you like early windows game music. It is a marvelous time capsule of the compositional preoccupations of a composer right before entering the mainstream (of Japan, that is).

 

    Even though we have so much better samples available to us, ZUN still writes with old MIDI instruments today. He has stuck to his roots and his strengths in opposition to the technophile narrative that better technology always equates to better art. ZUN's music stands the test of time and will be remembered for decades to come. His contrarian nature is what makes him so iconic, so it's for the best he doesn't change.

 

    Despite the rather plain sounding presentation of his music, there is a wealth of harmonic and rhythmic storytelling that cleverly reveals the personality and nature of his diverse set of characters. No other composer can replicate what ZUN has done in (and for) game music. Even if just to catch a glimpse into why Touhou Project has stuck around for so long, ZUN's Strange Works is worth 40 minutes of your time.