I personally don’t like 2 out of 3. But I adore the third one. In fact, I told him that I’d consider buying the character just so I can listen to the music in-game even if I never ever play him.
Then, something peculiar happened.

While the theme was still running, he looked at me, back to the character artwork I just opened up and asked.
“Is that guy a werewolf?”

I was a bit taken aback.

“Yes… … why do you ask?”
“Dunno. Just sounded that way I guess…”

This got me to think about this post again. Which is actually one of my oldest drafts.

The thing is. I adore BlazBlue for the quality is showed in that very case. It’s ability to not merely match the characters with fitting (and utterly awesome) musical themes but also to enhance the characterization with them. To use, not only gameplay mechanics and animation to convey the look and feel of a person. But to add the layer of actually hearing what they are all about.

Let’s have a quick look at this so we’re on the same page, shall we?

If we look a littler closer at the song we might notice a few things. It’s fairly “wild”, constantly switching speed and dynamic around. This effect is brought even more to the forefront by the instruments used. Each BlazBlue song has a distinct set of sounds. In Hazamas case it’s a piano, mixed with rather aggressive and almost hissing cymbals. All of this is layered over a hefty guitar piece, also displaying a very fast play-style. These 3 are constantly changing places. Rotating the main focus of the song each time.
The whole thing slithers on some unseen edge, easily and casually dancing around it in a wild and twisted manner.
Now. The fun part in this is: the very same thing can be said about the character himself.

For contrasts sake, let’s not look at another character.

I dare say the difference between the two should be obvious even to those who never even so much as saw a glimpse of the game itself.
Just by listening you can tell that the guy this song belongs to is build like an industrial plant and hits like a sledgehammer that’s mounted on a monster truck.
The general sound is as hard as they come. The guitar is unforgiving and the base drones in the background. It sounds like a rock made love to a piece of metal and the two decided to get a set of drums involved. From there on out, it only gets bigger and broader until it smashes down again. One straight line of sonic fists against your brain.
This is also pretty much how the guy plays.

By now, I think my point is clear. But just for the sake of it I’d like to point out one last example. The versus themes.
These are, for me at least, the crowning achievement in the games soundtrack. Each and every one takes the aspects that dominate the character themes and mashes them together into one song. Once you know the cast a bit, you can instantly tell who is fighting whom in these tracks just by paying attention to the melodies and instruments that rage against each other within.
To illustrate, I present you with:

as well as:

Now… Imagine what those two would sound like if they were one song. Although you won’t need to. Because the answer is right here:

You may have noticed how the two previous themes lead characteristics. The parts of them that instantly establish the characters, are both present in this song. And they at first overplay each other, fighting for dominance. But then melt together into one great new piece that displays what the two would be like in unison.

Of course. BlazBlue is by far not the only game that uses music to emphasize character portrayal. Heck, most movies figured this stuff out ages ago.
But BlazBlue does it so incredibly well that I stand awed each time anew at how much personality the cast has just from their theme music. Compare this to other fighting games where the music is stage bound and personality is something completely beside the point. Unless you read up on a whole lot of side material, do you really know what the people on the screen are all about? Or why they proceed to smash each others face in?

The BlazBlue franchise is often hailed for it’s approach to story. The console releases in particular putting an enormous effort into developing the world and people that surround the 90 seconds of fist-to-head action that dominated the genre for the last decade or more.
And while I don’t want to disregard this (on the contrary). I still think that, if BlazBlue shall only be remembered for one thing and that one thing only. Then it should be this.
Because, as I see it. The more care is put into crafting the music of games, and the more this music is used, not only as a bit of background noise, but an integral part of the experience and presentation, the better the future will be.

Tempting not to write a whole lot more on each song. And generally go through every song in the game. But it’s a long article as it is already.

Now I’m the first one to admit that I have some fairly strange hobbies. But doing exactly what I described above is the among the ones that probably stick out the most.

Per natures default, I’m a right handed person. And I remained as such until a few years ago.
I don’t know what got me to start. But I suddenly decided that I wanted to teach myself basic left-handed motor skills.
I’ve been doing that ever since.

And it still surprised me each and every time how weird it can be to start something from scratch. Because to this day, there are all kinds of small things. Remnants of my daily routine I never questioned. Until it suddenly hits me and I realize that this too is done with my right hand.
I immediately switch and experience a whole new world of confusion.

I vividly remember taking 10 minutes to brush my teeth for the first time with my left hand.

But it’s a weird flavor of fun. The sort you get trying to hit something with a stick while being blindfolded.
It helps shifting the perspective on seemingly mundane tasks and how incredibly complex they can be if you start and think about them for a bit.

Of course, doing this for years weakens that impact a bit as I am by now fairly adept at using whatever hand to do stuff. The exception here being the big two skills of writing and drawing. Or generally handling a pen. Granted I can write a bit. But especially in terms of drawing I don’t indulge in any illusions of catching up to the 20 years head start my right hand has.
But that’s fine. By now my left hand has become the better one at shoveling food to my mouth and other side processes that are best done while the right hand is busy doing something worthwhile. Like drawing.

Still. The initial thrill of new discovery within my own old surroundings might be gone or at least severely diminished, but each time I stumble across something new (old) I have never tried that way before it flares up again.

Plus: Let’s not forget that it has it’s uses in day to day life once you figure out how to multi-task with both hands at once.
Or at least once you try doing that and breaking many things in the process of getting there.

I had so much fun writing the last one a few days ago that I decided to split it in two.
This happened to A.) not to over-stretch the length of the first one and to B.) ensure that I could have that much fun at least a second time.

Since then I have thought about what artists to talk about in the next one. And I slowly came to realize that I could not bring myself to decide.
I know so many songs. And they mean so much to me.

So, selfish as I tend to be, I’ll not be continuing the last one.
I’ll start something else entirely.

From here on out, in between the “regular” updates and whenever I feel like it, I will write a bit about some songs. And see how it goes from there.

So let’s start this of by a small collection of songs I truly love. They all share a certain atmosphere that just grips me.
And sadly, they are all unique. Most of them are the only song I listen to from their respective artist. Not because the rest of their stuff is bad. Not by any stretch. But because nothing of it can come close to this one single piece.

So here we go in no particular order.

1.) Celtic Women -- The Voice

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX2anEXG0eE

Discovered this purely by accident. One day I was browsing some YouTube videos for the sake of it. I just washed right over this and went on. But something stuck. And a few days after I desperately tried to find it again. In a rare example of positive comments on the Internet I actually found someone kind enough to tell me artist and title of the song. It bore itself into my mind and didn’t let go since.

2.) Rika Muranaka -- The Best is Yet To Come

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6miaTf1gF4g

This was recommended to me a long time ago. I didn’t even know it was from a game back then. The memories of my first ever RL meeting with “Internet People” is tightly bound to this. Even though I have not seen the people themselves in years.
Later it helped turn around the very bad impression MGS2 made on me and led to me enjoying one of my all time favorite games: Metal Gear Solid 3.
And still. Whenever I hear it. It takes me back to those two weeks of camping.
Luckily I don’t feel like I’m 16 again.

3.) Sia -- Breathe Me

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtZ54DYBdY

The most recent addition to the mix. Brought into my life by nothing less than Six Feet Under of all things.
It plays during what is considered by many (me included) to be one of the best endings in TV history. And each time I listen to it, it takes me back.
More than that though, it opens up a whole new horizon of possibilities.
With the soaring sounds and the images of stories untold engraved into my mind it stirs me up and calms me down at the same time.

4.) Carpenters -- (They Long to Be) Close to You

www.youtube.com/watch?v=87XQKCXfFjQ

The song is almost twice as old as I am.
Introduced to me by the Simpsons it’s another of those “love on first sight” songs. And I know for a fact that I’m not alone with this.

5.) Herbert Grönemeyer -- Halt mich

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vpcuQL5u5g

Ok. Hands up. Who saw that one coming?
Be honest.
I certainly did not. Like all songs in here it came to me out of nowhere and has stuck around ever since. In this case it was the credits song of the demo of a freeware RPG that never was completed and not all that good to begin with. Yeah. Let that one sink in for a moment. To me, it’s still weird even after more than half a decade.
The song however is still mesmerizing. And that is all I have to say about it.

I considered maybe just doing 3 songs per post so I don’t run out of material too fast. But once I started even 5 seemed a bit sparse.
There are so many things that float to the surface again while I write these.

It feels like yesterday that I started watching what I then only knew as “one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows of all time”.
Six Feet Under.

But it has been months now. And it was only recently that I got to the big finale.

I know that this is a cliché to say. But the series has changed my life. It really has.

But let’s start at the beginning for once.

I first heard about the series way back in the days I still watched TV. The advertisement promised a dark humor comedy series about a funeral home. Sadly, it played in the middle of the night. So watching it was out of the question for me back then.
I never heard from it again. Until I was so dried up on stuff to watch during meals or boredom that I actively had to search for some sort of show to fill my time.

You’d be surprised how quickly you get to that show if you search for good TV shows.
I saw the name, remembered that old advert and went for it.
Boy am I glad.

First of: The commercial lied to me.
This was not a dark comedy at all. It was sometimes funny. Sure.
A story about a family living in a funeral home is bound to be.
But to coin it a comedy because of that is severely missing the point.

I was not prepared for this in the slightest. And it blew me away as a result of it.

It’s not a show like Dexter. Something I gob down as quick as possible because it’s so much thrilling fun.
With it’s setup of one in-universe year per season passing the pace is a lot slower. The journey a lot longer. And you have much more time to get to know each and every person in depth.
With all their problems and faults.

Some time ago, I trained myself to be able to emotionally connect with TV shows, Movies, Books… everything.
Whatever would “let me” get into it, I would gladly allow myself to be sucked into the experience.

In Six Feet Under, I reaped the benefits of that.

The show is emotionally draining and satisfying like nothing I have ever seen before.
And at the same time it can be highly thought provoking. If you let it be.

How the different characters interact with each other and the world around them. How they cope with the problems that arise and how they decide upon which route to take can be taken to reflect upon your own decisions.

By this, watching it can actually change the way one looks at life. Even said life itself.
In whatever small way, I know that my life after watching it will never be the same again.
I know that by having experienced those 5 years of fictional lives, I will never look upon my own with quite the same eyes.

If there is any greater praise in this world. I would not know.

Now all that is left is filling the void the show left behind. I don’t think it’s gonna be easy to find something that actually “can” replace it.

I got tagged.

And so, without further distractions. Let’s get started.
Although I must say that I won’t be using last.fm as a basis because I have not been active on that site for about a year now.
All this really means is that the following 8 songs / artists should be considered equal instead of any real order.

1.) Devin Townsend

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ok64JX7KP4

Yeah baby. Probably what I could call my current favorite artist. A status the guy holds for quite some time now.
It’s hard choosing a representative song for him because his catalog is so varied. Which in itself it one of the reasons I love his stuff so much.
Sure, it all falls under certain parameters and if you’re a fan you’ll recognize his work at once. But at the same time each album has it’s very own unique flavor.
Still though. If I had to pick a single song of his or anyone else to listen to for all eternity. This is the one.

2.) Ulver

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBZ6UxCGKdM

Again. Hard to pick a defining song. If Devin is diverse, Ulver is a bunch of different bands.
The albums I adore are closer to mood pieces and single track experiments than “real” music albums.
They weave a thick blanket of sound to smother the listener. And succeed.

3.) Blizzard Entertainment Soundtracks

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-bVd9t2XA0

I make no secret of my love for all things Blizzard. But god damn if they don’t have some of the best composers on this planet working for them.
This song in particular helps to emphasize just why I love it that much.
The great range of different styles and influences coupled with an absolute precise feeling for atmosphere creates themes that are unforgettable.
These 12 minutes are something of a musical recap of the past. And melody has a specific purpose.
All woven together into one huge pile of epic memories created and cemented by the sound of Blizzard Entertainment.

4.) Schandmaul

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKWzV6s5pjI

An old-timer. We go way back.
I still eagerly await each new album.
They also represent a slightly different side to my love for music.
Because I tend to place great emphasis on diversity and complexity, others ( and I myself ) sometimes forget that simple music can be just as enjoyable. Sometimes even more so.
Nothing embodies this better than Schandmaul, who have over the years never failed to deliver songs that may not be magnum opuses. But they sure as hell are FUN

5.) Daisuke Ishiwatari

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQa1iunxGkA

Composed the soundtracks for the GuiltyGear and BlazBlue games. Pick any track from any of those games and you’re bound to get two ears full of awesome.
There’s not much more to be said about him. On the eight day, god created Daisure Ishiwatari. On the ninth day, he started rocking the world.

And this is where I make the cut. Article’s gotten too long. Enjoy what is here.
More is to come. And if you don’t enjoy what is here. Why did you keep reading and listening anyway?