Bravely Default: Luxendarc’s Big Diary – Linked Horizon

	Album Title: Bravely Default: Luxendarc’s Big Diary – Linked Horizon
	Record Label: Pony Canyon
	Catalog No.: PCCA-03648 (Regular Edition); PCCA-03647 (Limited Edition)
	Release Date: September 19, 2012
	Purchase: Buy at CDJapan

Overview

For the Square Enix’s Nintendo 3DS RPG Bravely Default, Square Enix went beyond the norm in their choice of composer. They asked Revo, known for his work in the fantasy band, Sound Horizon, to compose the music for the game. Prior to the release of the original soundtrack, Revo’s new outfit Linked Horizon released a single and a full album that shared the worldview of the game. The full album, titled Luxendarc Daikikou, was released in regular and limited editions. How does it turn out?

Body

The album opens up with “Theme of the Linked Horizon”. This is the sole track on the album not related to Bravely Default and serves as the theme for the newly formed Linked Horizon group that will grow more prominent in the future. It’s an extremely majestic piece that ranges in styles throughout its duration. Featuring the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, it opens up with some stunning orchestra work before turning into an orchestral rock tune, a standard of Revo’s Sound Horizon outfit. Revo’s vocals are wonderful and his vocal melody is quite romantic. In addition, the inclusion of some choral backing adds some more textures to the piece. Of course, he also incorporates a variety of solos, ranging from electric guitar to piano that help energize the piece even more.

The next piece opens our introduction to the music of Bravely Default. Titled “Luxendarc’s Travel Journal,” it is an extremely lengthy vocal medley featuring the music of the six town themes present in the game’s soundtrack, which were originally instrumental. The first town theme signifies the start of a journey with its powerful vocals and heroic yet quaint soundscape, as it is the music for the “The Land In Which You Begin”. The second town theme represents “The Land of Sand and its Great Clock.” As such, the music is very much reminiscent of desert themes of past RPGs in inspiration, combined with folksy vocals and rock accompaniment. The third town theme, representing “The Land of Fantastic Flowers,” features RIKKI of Final Fantasy X fame, and has a traditional influence. I think RIKKI’s voice works wonders with this style of music and the beautiful strings work and acoustic guitar work are the key to this section of the tune.

The fourth town theme represents the “Sinking Land,” or as it is described by the narrator in this song, “the nearly vanished town”. It is much more ballad-like in approach, reminding me of some of Sakuraba’s more inspired town themes from Eternal Sonata. It is an extremely beautiful town theme that really manages to stand out among the bunch. Shifting dramatically in tone, the fifth town theme, representing “The Land in War,” focuses on darker tones and militaristic brass flourishes. What I particularly like about this theme is that it does really capture the essence of a country in war thanks to the chaotic nature of some of the music and the militaristic approach of the instrumentation. As with the other themes, the vocals are quite powerful and really match the composition. The last town theme, representing the “The Land of the Undead,” carries with it an ethereal quality to it with some soft pop influence. It is an exquisite theme to capture the essence of the haunted tundra. The track ends with a small rendition of the Bravely Default main theme that really manages to tie the whole world into the song, even more so than had been done already.

The third track on the album, “Beneath the Hollow Moon (Vocalized Version),” is an extremely beautiful theme featuring RIKKI on vocals. It is a very rustic, romantic, Celtic-inspired tune, full of acoustic guitar, violin, and flute work that carries with it quite a somber mood. Although it is the shortest tune on the album, it is quite powerful. The fourth tune, “You’re My Hope (Vocalized Version)” is another powerful track featuring a pop vibe. It has a very flighty feeling and definitely gives off a sense of courage and determination. I really enjoy the woodwind solo, piano, and acoustic guitar solos performed in the tune as well. “Windward (Vocal Version)” is another beautiful composition. The vocal performance is top-notch and the song-writing this time is a bit more mysterious, but very romantic thanks to the incorporation of some moody violin work, including a very powerful violin solo. The piano and acoustic accompaniment and solos really help bring a lighter touch to the tune while the heavy bass guitar work helps provide a nice rhythm.

One of my favorite tunes on this album is “Wanderer of Love (Vocalized Version). Featuring Revo on vocals, it is a fantastic orchestral rock tune with a clear Spanish influence, not only in the flamenco guitar additions, but also in how some of the vocal melody lines are delivered. At times, it is romantic, at others heroic, and overall the end result is spectacular. The acoustic guitar solo is absolutely stunning, as are the jazzy piano solo and the folksy accordion solo that follow. “A World Where Blossoms Fall (Vocalized Version)” is one of my favorite softer tunes on the album. Featuring Joelle on vocals, her voice matches the somber mood of the music itself and is quite powerful at adding to the overall atmosphere of the piece. As for the music, it has a bit of a pop influence, but is definitely more romantic and mysterious in nature thanks to the exquisite piano and strings works. Unlike the other tunes, this one doesn’t feature any elaborate solos, but it is still highly enjoyable.

“Baby Bird (Long Version)” is quite an interesting tune musically. While I’m not the biggest fan of the vocalist at times, particularly in the opening where her vocal range is a bit higher and ends up grating a bit, I do think her style for the majority of the song does complement the music quite well. As for the music, it’s a very pop-rock oriented tune with tons of jazz influence particular in the piano and sax solos. In addition, there are plenty of funky guitar solos that really add to the power of the tune. As indicated, this is a vocal theme that will be present on the soundtrack. “Pure Heart Crossfire (Long Version)” is another rock-oriented theme. It features powerful guitar and keyboard solos and gives off a fantastic energy. The vocalist fits the style, but I feel her performance on “Baby Bird” is much better overall. “Prayer of the Priestess (Strings Quartet Version)” is, as the title suggests, an arrangement focusing on a string quartet. It features the same melodic motif as the world map theme and in “Ballade to Hope (Long Version)”. In the end, it’s a very romantic tune and serves as a nice instrumental break from the vocalized majority of the album.

The last tune common on both albums, and the one that ends the regular edition, is “Ballade to Hope.” This was also featured on the single released in August. This tune opens up with beautiful acoustic guitar and woodwind work that really gives off a rustic feel and is reminiscent of Gust in terms of sound. However, as the track progresses, a more magical atmosphere is introduced thanks to the orchestral elements that are incorporated. After briefly incorporating a portion of the main theme, it moves into a moving vocal performance by Joelle. Primarily accompanied by piano, the vocal melody should be familiar to anyone who has followed the game since its announcement, as it is the first music released in the trailer as well as on the Square Enix Music Sampler Vol. 6, “The Land of Light and Darkness.” While that version is very adventurous and heroic, this version is melancholy and enchanting. The light pop mix really works well with Joelle’s voice and she really carries the melody quite well. As the theme progresses, a beautiful violin solo is incorporated as well as a duet between Revo and Joelle. As the theme reaches its end, a more energetic rock focus is incorporated into the mix featuring some flashy guitar solos and more powerful vocal work.

Of course, the limited edition and regular editions each have an exclusive track of their own, similar to the single release. The regular edition features an extended version of the normal battle theme, “Bell of Battle.” As for what is heard in the game, the first half of the song is what you’ll get, although it does feature some additional guitar lines not hear in the original. It’s a very heroic orchestrated theme with a progressive rock accompaniment. What I particularly like in this theme is the brass lines, as they really bring about a classic RPG sound reminiscent of Noriyuki Iwadare, while the other accompaniment is reminiscent of Sakuraba’s approach to battle themes. From the halfway point on, it’s a slew of powerful guitar solos, Sakuraba-esque keyboard solos, and beautiful, yet energetic, piano solos to close out the tune.

For the limited edition release, after “Ballade to Hope [Long Version],” there is a short atmospheric interlude track with no title that separates the end of the album with the bonus track, “Picopico Battle Song Medley”. It features an 8bit medley rendition of the various battle themes featured on the original soundtrack, arranged by Yasuhiro Yamanaka of Square Enix. The tune starts up with an 8bit rendition of the world map theme before getting into battle. From here, the first three tunes are “Bell of Battle,” the normal battle theme, “At the Battle’s End,” one of the boss themes, also featured on the limited edition single, and “His Name Is…,” the opening theme on the single. From there, the track moves into the various other battle themes in the game that, at least in this rendition, all sound quite inspired by classic RPG series, including Final Fantasy. After finishing with what presumes to be the multiple final battle themes, of which one uses the main theme, the arrangement ends with an 8bit rendition of the victory theme, an extremely jovial and upbeat theme whose original is heavy on the flute.

Summary

In the end, I think that Luxendarc Daikikou is a fantastic album. Revo manages to cover a range of styles, showing his diversity as a composer, and for the most part, the vocal performances are on par with the music. For some, this album will serve as an introduction to some of the music that will be heard in the original soundtrack. For others, it will offer a new perspective on the soundtrack with vocal renditions, long versions, and even a few medleys. Either way, it ought to satisfy. Of course, the exclusive tracks for each addition are a shame, as it would be nice to have all of this music on a single disc; however, given the unique nature of the limited edition bonus track, I would recommend it over the regular edition as you won’t hear a portion of the various battle themes in 8bit form any other way. Either way, each exclusive track offers something nice for the purchaser.

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on January 23, 2016.

About the Author

Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.

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