[3DS] Pokemon X/Y - "Emma's Theme"

[Jet Blankett]

Completed by FireArrow

ok, I just got to this part in the game, and up to this point, I thought, while some songs were quite good, Pokemon X/Y had some of the worst music in the franchise, especially when it came down to the E4 and gym leader battle music. Then I hear this song, and my heart just shattered into a million pieces! Could somebody plz put this into sheet music?? It's not a very long song, but it's incredibly powerful. Thanks

[fingerz]

I have to agree with you there. I was surprised at the complete lack of melody in many of the battle themes... They were nowhere near as nostalgic as the music from Black/White. I must admit, they are yet to find a good balance of orchestral and techno in the series. BW was bordering the techno side too much and BW2 just went over the top... XD To date, the most exciting soundtrack I've heard would be Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and HeartGold/SoulSiver soundtracks. THEY were great! So, when they do another remake, they should be even better, OR ELSE!

[SlowPokemon]

X Y had my least favorite soundtrack of the series overall -- that's not to say it's bad, because it's actually very good and there are a few highlights that I love, but overall I was disappointed and thought that the Unova soundtracks were better.

[Yugi]

Ok I'm fine for people having their opinion but

gym leader battle music

What

[SlowPokemon]

Ok I'm fine for people having their opinion but
What

There is literally zero melody in the gym leader battle theme, it's just boring chord changes. The beat and percussive sounds keep things okay but from a musical standpoint, that piece is terrible.

[Yugi]

But it actually gets you pumped for the battle!

[SlowPokemon]

That's true. I guess I'd compare it to Hans Zimmer's music, because it can be acceptable while having zero substance.

[Yugi]

That's true. I guess I'd compare it to Hans Zimmer's music, because it can be acceptable while having zero substance.

Yeah, It's good in context, but not from a musical standpoint.

[SlowPokemon]

I must say though, I love that weird electronic sound at the beginning of the song. It adds to the atmosphere.

[FireArrow]

That's true. I guess I'd compare it to Hans Zimmer's music, because it can be acceptable while having zero substance.

What, Pirates of the Caribbean has an awesome (though extremely repetitive) sound track.

[SlowPokemon]

What, Pirates of the Caribbean has an awesome (though extremely repetitive) sound track.

I repeat, it has absolutely zero musical substance. It does sound nice though.

[FireArrow]

What purpose does music have other than to sound good? (not sarcastic, legitament question.)

[Yugi]

What purpose does music have other than to sound good? (not sarcastic, legitament question.)

It adds emotion to the situation, for example:

Look at how un-climatic this scene is without the music, it kinda proves that music adds to the situation.

[FireArrow]

^I don't really think that's what slows talking about, considering Hans Zimmer's music sounds good and adds to the emotion of the scene.

[FierceDeity]

I find this pretty interesting, actually. Especially the fact that you bring up Hans Zimmer. Sure, I like some of his music, but it's definitely a lot less melodic than things I like to listen to as pieces themselves. "Time" from Inception, for example, I have a friend who's obsessed with it, but I just can't get into it. I would never, however, go so far as to say that it has no musical substance. A lot of thought and musical knowledge goes into making those scores; he definitely knows how to write music that's effective for the moment in the film; that's how he's gotten this far, after all.

There is literally zero melody in the gym leader battle theme, it's just boring chord changes. The beat and percussive sounds keep things okay but from a musical standpoint, that piece is terrible.

I repeat, [the soundtrack for Pirates of the Caribbean] has absolutely zero musical substance. It does sound nice though.

But... But Pirates of the Caribbean is like, all melody (not to say that's it's only quality, because I mean that's just as bad, really, but it has several significantly memorable melodies). Make up your mind, damnit
Because, I mean, to say that music is entirely subjective and so there's no way to objectively classify what makes something good prevents us from ever criticizing anything ever, but there definitely is a large amount of it that IS subjective. Take the first pokemon games, for example. Simple, 8-bit music based almost entirely on contrapuntal relationships. As a listening piece, many people from our generation can appreciate it, because we grew up with it. Yet, with the increasing sound capabilities given to game companies, that kind of music has been disappearing, to be replaced by music that achieves a mood more through orchestrational choices. A lot (not all, but a lot) of the music in pokemon X and Y, I wouldn't call less melodic at all, just less contrapuntal, and more based on large-scale (complicated or not) harmonies and textures. The objective benefit of that is that they can more accurately convey a setting through sound. The objective issue with that is that if you're creating a mood through textural methods rather than relying on the harmonies inherent in the melody, then the melody itself, the part that we all remember, is not nearly as affecting, and our memory doesn't respond in the same way upon a second listening as it would for, say, Pallet Town. Memory plays a huge part in how we register music, whether we like it or not. That doesn't mean that something is a bad or ineffective piece of music.
(I know you were referring to gen V, not gen I, but gen I fit better into my spiel on melodicism in general, so yeah, haha)

Also, I like gen VI more than V :3