LogFAQs > #876694639

Sexualizer
The Maximum High Speed
Title

I'm not the biggest fan of the Genesis's FM synth sounds-- they can be kind of abrasive-- but the original Flying Battery Zone had a certain sonic cohesion to it, at least. This rendition of the track blows that up with a blur of messy-sounding guitars and some incredibly generic-sounding synths-- listen to the one playing the melody at 0:25, it's like a synth preset from the 90s-- which erodes a fair amount of the original's appeal. Okay, so maybe then they did something interesting with the melody or arrangement, maybe give it a new dimension to think about? Nope-- it's a faithful, vanilla cover of the original. At least that bass seems to be having a bit of fun.

Listening to Sexualizer makes me want to listen to Run. Man, that track had style. Sexualizer is much more straightforward in its intentions-- I much prefer the throbbing rhythm it establishes for the first 10 seconds of the track before it switches to a more basic kick - snare - kick - snare pattern. I don't think it's a bad track, but it doesn't really succeed at sinking its hooks into me.

THE MAXIMUM HIGH SPEED feels more like a track name that deserves caps than its opposition, anyway. It's not the most interesting jazz track but the genre shows up infrequently enough in video game music (or maybe it's just the contests) that it's refreshing to hear just the same. I'm not sure whether to enjoy the varied rhythms of the repeated single note this track pulls occasionally, or find the whole endeavour annoying. I think this is pretty catchy but it's probably the percussion that I enjoy the most-- the 6/8 time established by the drums and the bongos really sell this to me.

I've talked about MARIA enough in previous contests, I think. It's in VGMC11. A fair number of people like it. I can see where the appeal is, in much the same way as something like, say, Ezio's Family. I don't like it and think it's mostly devoid of ideas (in much the same way as something like, say, Ezio's Family). This is a series with soundtracks rich in musical ideas. Give me The Wind's Blooming Mountain. Give me Impromptu.

I think Las Vegas is pretty boring. 'but kaonashi you like synth arpeggios and love Potential for Anything so this should be up your alley'. Good point! I guess the answer is that I'm inconsistent. But more than that, I think Las Vegas is predictable and bland. I think of a phrase Mycro uses to describe some other tracks-- it keeps going back to its tonal center, over and over again, every four bars. Contrast with Potential for Anything, which decidedly does not do this-- and the resulting tension drives the tune forward in a way I really like.

Title is pretty cool. Chris Hülsbeck puts in the work to really make the C64 soundchip sing (well, sing as well as possible, anyway), creating sounds that vary in timbre and giving the illusion of more layers than exist at any moment. I like the trick he uses for some of his pluck synth leads-- the tone right at the point of attack is actually an octave off of the sustained tone, giving it a distinct texture.