Stage themes you're really enjoying at the moment?

[Ka Takane]

It's difficult to make a choice on what your favorite stage theme is of all Touhou games, since it can change over time, so consider this thread as something to post your favorite stage theme of the day, or week, or month, or whatever! And maybe a why too, like maybe a fan remix or arrange got you hooked in or something...

For me it's Bamboo Forest of the Full Moon from TH14 DDC right now. Really loved how it did Eternal Shrine Maiden there, the guitars and trumpets are shredding, and it's a nice throwback to TH08 IN's stage 4, which I also absolutely love (the percussion at the very beginning man).

[CyberAngel]

My all-time favourite is probably Fall of Fall ~ Autumnal Waterfall. Depending on how you look at non-standard games, you can count Spring Lane ~ Colorful Path and The Mystery in Your Town too.

[williewillus]

I'll just list some of my top-of-all-time:

• SA Stage 5
• MoF Stage 3 and 4. If I'm not careful I can cry when playing these two stages because of the music and that's not good for dodging lol
• LoLK Stage 5, the danmaku and the music fit together perfectly. Not sure if there's a better orchestrated and presented stage section in the rest of the series
• UM Extra. Also very strongly orchestrated, and of the primary examples I point people to when they claim ZUN has lost his touch

[nav]

Emphasising the "at the moment" part, while they're not my all-time favourites, I've had a lot of fun listening to Double Dealing Character song arrangements lately. Reverse Ideology, Dullahan Under the Willows, Lonesome Werewolf.

It takes me years to start appreciating a Touhou soundtrack past UFO, but sooner or later it happens. On to LoLK, I suppose.

[Mikuru]

I'm hearing a lot of The World is Made from Cuteness this week, as many of the streamers I watch have been trying out TH19. It is a very charming and upbeat theme.

[Ka Takane]

Right now I'm enjoying Silk Road Alice. It's technically not Touhou, yeah, but it's the extra stage theme of Seihou 1, whose extra takes place in Gensokyo.

I really like this theme. It perfectly conveys the first impression of Gensokyo to a Western outsider (which VIVIT is). Calm yet dangerous.

What's with ZUN's early obsession with "Alice" in the theme title btw lol

[nav]

I missed the "stage themes" part of the thread title, hurr durr. In this case I have to go with The Young Descendant of Tepes. Simple melody but so very earwormy.

[CyberAngel]

What's with ZUN's early obsession with "Alice" in the theme title btw lol

He likes western literature, having plenty of Agatha Christie references too.

[williewillus]

Alice in Wonderland is a hugely popular piece of Western literature in Japan, so a lot of that has seeped into Touhou as well. The word Alice is everywhere, even in places unrelated to the Touhou character. For example, Shanghai Alice of Meiji 17, or the name Team Shanghai Alice itself.

[Popcioslav]

UM's stage 4 is probably in my Top 5 Touhou songs so I'm enjoying it in every moment I get a chance to listen to it 

Serious answer: Literally any Ten Desires' stage theme since I've listened to it today on a trip several times. Stage 1 is this awesome piano that feels melancholic, yet powerful. Stage 2 due to confusing time signature and upbeat feeling afterwards. Stage 3 just sounds bouncy yet nostalgic to me. Everyone knows why Stage 4-5 themes are good already I feel. However Starry Sky of (i forgot) Desires is also a masterpiece of bass and atmosphere and I feel it's truly underrated. I like when ZUN does the "Final stage and boss share melody" from time to time, but there's a reason this song, Fires of Hokkai or Voyage is just far, far superior to me.

[moons1de_]

It's kind of hard for me to pick stage themes that I enjoy seeing as I have so many.

If I had to choose though I would probably have to pick:

Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea
Paradise ~ Deep Mountain
Mystic Oriental Dream ~ Ancient Temple
Charming Domination (The original and Who Done It!)
Nostalgic Blood of The East ~ Old World
Cinderella Cage ~ Kagome, Kagome
And maybe some others like Voile, the Magic Library or The Maid and the Pocket Watch of Blood.

Out of any of these I would have to say Nostalgic Blood of the East ~ Old World is my favorite that I listen to and never get tired of seeing as it's such a simple song for Touhou yet has such an enchanting melody and song structure. (Also I like a lot of Perfect Cherry Blossom's stage themes. Probably one of my favorite games for stage themes in general!!)

[High-Tension Yuuritsu]

I generally love all Touhou music, but if I had to choose a stage theme I like the most I think it would be Romantic Children.
It sounds mystical~

[jankop]

My favourite stage theme is "Desire Drive" from the 4th stage of Touhou 13 but lately I've been listening to "Faraway voyage of 380.000 kilometers" a lot (along with "Pierrot of the star-spangled banner" but that's not a stage theme)

[williewillus]

My favourite stage theme is "Desire Drive" from the 4th stage of Touhou 13 but lately I've been listening to "Faraway voyage of 380.000 kilometers" a lot (along with "Pierrot of the star-spangled banner" but that's not a stage theme)

lolk stage 5 is soooo good, and it's one of the best designed stage sections in the series too

[cloudshift]

Suwa Foughten Field or Necrofantasia?
overwhelming powerful!

[degradingwindow]

Call me basic, but I'm really enjoying Nostalgic Blood of the East ~ Old World (IN 3rd stage theme).
I can't stop myself from humming it.

[moons1de_]

Call me basic, but I'm really enjoying Nostalgic Blood of the East ~ Old World (IN 1st stage theme).
I can't stop myself from humming it.

Nostalgic Blood of the East is such a great stage theme, it has such a simple structure and melody but because of that, it's such a unique Touhou song compared to the fast and oriental sound of the rest of the soundtrack. The climax of the song also really makes it for me as it's it's just so... dramatic... yet soft sounding.

[degradingwindow]

Nostalgic Blood of the East is such a great stage theme, it has such a simple structure and melody but because of that, it's such a unique Touhou song compared to the fast and oriental sound of the rest of the soundtrack. The climax of the song also really makes it for me as it's it's just so... dramatic... yet soft sounding.

People always talk about how ZUNpets always sound good but I never see them talk about his piano centric songs(I guess they're a ZUNpiano?, a ZUNiano?).

Some of the ones that come to mind for me ads for example Septette for the Dead Princess(Remilia theme) and Song of the Night Bird(IN Stage 2 theme)

The piano really works well for a more mysterious and mystical vibe to the song which is why I really like the stage themes from IN that implement the piano really well and gives the song a mysterious feeling which fits well with IN which takes place during night time a rather mysterious time of day.

[moons1de_]

People always talk about how ZUNpets always sound good but I never see them talk about his piano centric songs(I guess they're a ZUNpiano?, a ZUNiano?).

Some of the ones that come to mind for me ads for example Septette for the Dead Princess(Remilia theme) and Song of the Night Bird(IN Stage 2 theme)

The piano really works well for a more mysterious and mystical vibe to the song which is why I really like the stage themes from IN that implement the piano really well and gives the song a mysterious feeling which fits well with IN which takes place during night time a rather mysterious time of day.

I feel like the piano in ZUN's songs are really overshadowed in popularity by the ZUNpet and possibly sometimes the drums (I mean, the drum patterns are literally insane I don't know how he does it so well), it really deserves more acknowledgement as it really builds the melody.

I would say Septette for the Dead Princess is more of a mixture of piano-focused and typical EoSD sounding segments, although it's ironic for me to say that seeing as I know pretty much all of it on piano. While for Song of the Night Bird, I wouldn't personally think of it as a more piano centric song but it does have a good melody when it does kick in.

I love EoSD's soundtrack and the songs that have a good use of piano in them a lot, as it's just pitched down enough to make it seem weirdly nostalgic. But IN is like the climax of the 1st Windows Generation's soundtracks. It has just enough uniqueness to have it's own feel but it also has some themes reminiscent of EoSD or PCB. I don't know, I think I overexplain Touhou music sometimes... 

[degradingwindow]

I feel like the piano in ZUN's songs are really overshadowed in popularity by the ZUNpet and possibly sometimes the drums (I mean, the drum patterns are literally insane I don't know how he does it so well), it really deserves more acknowledgement as it really builds the melody.

I would say Septette for the Dead Princess is more of a mixture of piano-focused and typical EoSD sounding segments, although it's ironic for me to say that seeing as I know pretty much all of it on piano. While for Song of the Night Bird, I wouldn't personally think of it as a more piano centric song but it does have a good melody when it does kick in.

I love EoSD's soundtrack and the songs that have a good use of piano in them a lot, as it's just pitched down enough to make it seem weirdly nostalgic. But IN is like the climax of the 1st Windows Generation's soundtracks. It has just enough uniqueness to have it's own feel but it also has some themes reminiscent of EoSD or PCB. I don't know, I think I overexplain Touhou music sometimes... 

Touhou songs are hard to explain in words. Imagine trying to explain to someone why Septette for a Dead Princess has "loli-tastic" vibes.