Static_Martyr
09-04-2009, 07:17 PM
Do you ever find new musical interests where you don't really expect them? A lot of times when I'm watching a TV show and I hear the soundtrack, I don't think of it....but then along comes a crowning moment of awesome, or a scene where something UBER CLIMACTIC happens, and a song plays that really sticks in my mind. I get the soundtrack (usually just for that one song), and I end up liking the whole thing with almost no exceptions.
Every now and then I find a show (or video game, in recent years) that I love that also turns out to have an awesome soundtrack that I can listen to completely on its own merits....but I'm saddened by how rare this is. It's only happened to me a few times recently. Which leads me to wonder: BBS people, what other kinds of "weird" or "unusual" places have you stumbled upon music that you like, but wouldn't normally listen to? Like....maybe a movie that has a good classical song that you like, even though you don't like classical music....or a game that uses a kickass metal song that really resonates with you, but you normally can't stand metal. I can't believe I'm the only person this happens to, but I never really seem to hear people talk about it.
Example: about a week ago, I finished watching this Japanese show called Fate/Stay Night (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FateStayNight) on recommendation from a friend, and although I REALLY liked the show itself on its own merits (I was thinking more like "stereotypical anime cartoon cliche," and it turned out to be more "tear-jerking romance novel that guys can say they just watch for the action scenes so they don't have to be honest with their girlfriends about why they watched it"), it had an absolutely entrancing soundtrack that completely blew me away. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have never felt more depressed than I did while I was listening to some of the songs on this soundtrack; they capture the mood of certain scenes so well that it just augments an otherwise stellar musical number into God-Tier Awesomeness. Some examples:
La Sola = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkgjc9HdTZ0
^This one's in Italian, and it plays during some of the gravest, most serious moments in the entire show....and in the final episode, it's put together with a visual montage that, to me, is nothing less than a piece of fucking art. I cried. I cried like a little bitch and I'm not scared to admit it :( It's both soothing and absolutely heart-wrenching at the same time, and I think I'll be able to die happily if I can ever --- even just once --- write a song that captures the depths of human pathos as well as this song does.
Night of Fate = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQGCuUxWnRw
^This one has this mysterious, kinda crystalline (for lack of a better word) quality that I just love. They originally use just the first 30 seconds or so of it on the "Next episode" preview segments, but around the halfway point they start using it in the main show, and it takes on a whole different significance. It also has aspects of old Western music (it makes me think of a "showdown at high noon" kind of setting once the violins and drums come in, for some reason), which gives it this really unique --- dare I say "ethnic?" --- feel.
Emiya (Kenji Kawai Version) = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xig98aL6M3c
^One word: Techno. I normally don't care much for this genre, although I have been trying to find a way to break into it for a good little while....this song did it for me. When I think of Techno and what I would like to hear in a Techno song, this song immediately comes to mind. It probably helps that this plays only during the most gushingly awesome moments in the entire series :D
Clamor of Heaven and Earth = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDl_WkHIaIA
A fully-orchestrated piece, complete with harmonic choir and crazy epicness. It plays later on in the series, during the more important fighting scenes, and it sets the mood in a way that few songs I've ever heard are capable. It's the exact kind of music that I hear in my head but can't compose because I lack a 70-piece orchestra....in short, I fucking LOVE it~
Kirameku Namida Wa Hoshi Ni (Shining Tears That Become Stars) = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2w1h0VxnAw
It's J-Pop, I know....and I normally don't care for that sort of thing, but this song has this eerie, melancholy melody that I just can't get my head around. It's charming in a weird sort of way that I absolutely love.
Another example of a weird place I found out about a song I liked....I was skimming Youtube for this song, "Manthem," by the Bouncing Souls (one of the songs they played live when we saw them on Warped), and I found this song "Anthem" by this...ah, singer, Miku Hatsune. Out of sheer boredom I clicked it, listened, followed the related videos around until I found this song, and now it's on my favorites list on my MP3 player; it's REALLY fucking poppy and catchy, but at the same time the subject matter just connects with me for some reason (the English lyrics are in the sidebar):
The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zbNykVQUUg
BTW, the reason I consider these "weird sources" is because, for me, they ARE weird; keep in mind, I traditionally listen to stuff like Offspring, Green Day, Sum 41, Ramones, Bad Religion, NOFX, Less Than Jake, Alkaline Trio, etc. etc., mostly pop, punk, pop-punk, hardcore, ska and that sort of thing. So I'm not used to stuff that's orchestrated or techno-oriented, and it's always a pleasure to find out that there's this whole extra dimension of music (that I've basically ignored until now) that I can get into :)
Another one; this is the theme song from the Japanese TV show, "Neon Genesis: Evangelion":
The Cruel Angel's Thesis = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgATlhZFAfs
This song is absolutely brilliant to me. I don't know why --- it's basically just dance-pop --- but the lyrics are pretty cool, and nostalgia helps as well (I first heard it when I was 13, and it was the song that got me started learning Japanese). I get it stuck in my head all the time....and on top of all that, it has the absolute most bad-fucking-ass name for a theme song that I've ever heard. Sounds like a metal jam or something.
(And yes, before you ask, you are allowed to make fun of me for liking "gay anime music," it's cool and I take it in good humor~)
EDIT: And oh, yes, for extra hilarity points, I'm told that this anime that I love so much (and whose soundtrack is so godlike to me) is actually based on a PC game, only released in Japan for the PC, that was --- get this --- an "eroge," also known as a porno video game. A quick surf on Wikipedia tells me that they re-released it later in several other "cleaned-up" incarnations once things got more popular (the show, for example, has no pornographic content)....but I still think it's a bit ironic. Who said porn doesn't lead to great things? XD
Every now and then I find a show (or video game, in recent years) that I love that also turns out to have an awesome soundtrack that I can listen to completely on its own merits....but I'm saddened by how rare this is. It's only happened to me a few times recently. Which leads me to wonder: BBS people, what other kinds of "weird" or "unusual" places have you stumbled upon music that you like, but wouldn't normally listen to? Like....maybe a movie that has a good classical song that you like, even though you don't like classical music....or a game that uses a kickass metal song that really resonates with you, but you normally can't stand metal. I can't believe I'm the only person this happens to, but I never really seem to hear people talk about it.
Example: about a week ago, I finished watching this Japanese show called Fate/Stay Night (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FateStayNight) on recommendation from a friend, and although I REALLY liked the show itself on its own merits (I was thinking more like "stereotypical anime cartoon cliche," and it turned out to be more "tear-jerking romance novel that guys can say they just watch for the action scenes so they don't have to be honest with their girlfriends about why they watched it"), it had an absolutely entrancing soundtrack that completely blew me away. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have never felt more depressed than I did while I was listening to some of the songs on this soundtrack; they capture the mood of certain scenes so well that it just augments an otherwise stellar musical number into God-Tier Awesomeness. Some examples:
La Sola = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkgjc9HdTZ0
^This one's in Italian, and it plays during some of the gravest, most serious moments in the entire show....and in the final episode, it's put together with a visual montage that, to me, is nothing less than a piece of fucking art. I cried. I cried like a little bitch and I'm not scared to admit it :( It's both soothing and absolutely heart-wrenching at the same time, and I think I'll be able to die happily if I can ever --- even just once --- write a song that captures the depths of human pathos as well as this song does.
Night of Fate = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQGCuUxWnRw
^This one has this mysterious, kinda crystalline (for lack of a better word) quality that I just love. They originally use just the first 30 seconds or so of it on the "Next episode" preview segments, but around the halfway point they start using it in the main show, and it takes on a whole different significance. It also has aspects of old Western music (it makes me think of a "showdown at high noon" kind of setting once the violins and drums come in, for some reason), which gives it this really unique --- dare I say "ethnic?" --- feel.
Emiya (Kenji Kawai Version) = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xig98aL6M3c
^One word: Techno. I normally don't care much for this genre, although I have been trying to find a way to break into it for a good little while....this song did it for me. When I think of Techno and what I would like to hear in a Techno song, this song immediately comes to mind. It probably helps that this plays only during the most gushingly awesome moments in the entire series :D
Clamor of Heaven and Earth = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDl_WkHIaIA
A fully-orchestrated piece, complete with harmonic choir and crazy epicness. It plays later on in the series, during the more important fighting scenes, and it sets the mood in a way that few songs I've ever heard are capable. It's the exact kind of music that I hear in my head but can't compose because I lack a 70-piece orchestra....in short, I fucking LOVE it~
Kirameku Namida Wa Hoshi Ni (Shining Tears That Become Stars) = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2w1h0VxnAw
It's J-Pop, I know....and I normally don't care for that sort of thing, but this song has this eerie, melancholy melody that I just can't get my head around. It's charming in a weird sort of way that I absolutely love.
Another example of a weird place I found out about a song I liked....I was skimming Youtube for this song, "Manthem," by the Bouncing Souls (one of the songs they played live when we saw them on Warped), and I found this song "Anthem" by this...ah, singer, Miku Hatsune. Out of sheer boredom I clicked it, listened, followed the related videos around until I found this song, and now it's on my favorites list on my MP3 player; it's REALLY fucking poppy and catchy, but at the same time the subject matter just connects with me for some reason (the English lyrics are in the sidebar):
The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zbNykVQUUg
BTW, the reason I consider these "weird sources" is because, for me, they ARE weird; keep in mind, I traditionally listen to stuff like Offspring, Green Day, Sum 41, Ramones, Bad Religion, NOFX, Less Than Jake, Alkaline Trio, etc. etc., mostly pop, punk, pop-punk, hardcore, ska and that sort of thing. So I'm not used to stuff that's orchestrated or techno-oriented, and it's always a pleasure to find out that there's this whole extra dimension of music (that I've basically ignored until now) that I can get into :)
Another one; this is the theme song from the Japanese TV show, "Neon Genesis: Evangelion":
The Cruel Angel's Thesis = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgATlhZFAfs
This song is absolutely brilliant to me. I don't know why --- it's basically just dance-pop --- but the lyrics are pretty cool, and nostalgia helps as well (I first heard it when I was 13, and it was the song that got me started learning Japanese). I get it stuck in my head all the time....and on top of all that, it has the absolute most bad-fucking-ass name for a theme song that I've ever heard. Sounds like a metal jam or something.
(And yes, before you ask, you are allowed to make fun of me for liking "gay anime music," it's cool and I take it in good humor~)
EDIT: And oh, yes, for extra hilarity points, I'm told that this anime that I love so much (and whose soundtrack is so godlike to me) is actually based on a PC game, only released in Japan for the PC, that was --- get this --- an "eroge," also known as a porno video game. A quick surf on Wikipedia tells me that they re-released it later in several other "cleaned-up" incarnations once things got more popular (the show, for example, has no pornographic content)....but I still think it's a bit ironic. Who said porn doesn't lead to great things? XD