Shoumetsu Toshi Original Soundtrack
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Album Title: Shoumetsu Toshi Original Soundtrack |
| Record Label: noisycroak Records |
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| Catalog No.: NCRS-0015 |
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| Release Date: November 25, 2015 |
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| Purchase: Buy at Amazon Japan |
Overview
The Shoumetsu Toshi Original Soundtrack features the music of the mobile game of the same name. While some of the music was already released in two digital volumes, the physical release of the soundtrack contains new music as well by Hiroyoshi Kato and Yasuhiro Kawagoe. How does the new music featured on the soundtrack turn out compared to the other music already priorly released?
Body
The album opens with “Eternity,” a beautiful piano driven piece with a strong melody. It’s a simple piece, but one that is enjoyable, with strings and orchestral renditions of the theme featured as well. Other acoustic pieces on the soundtrack include “About Us,” a lounge jazz style piece with great energy and is quite enjoyable as well that also features an arranged version that is more fleshed out. Some of the hybrid pieces, featuring orchestra and some sort of electronic component, are a bit weaker. “The noise” is a bit mysterious in nature and features some soft electronic tones while “Discord” is more ominous in its execution and features a lot of electronic distortion. These tunes are more atmospheric and as such, might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Similarly, “Boot it” is an orchestral tune with some electronic backing, but is fairly forgettable. “Fragment,” on the other hand, is a beautiful ethereal electronic piece with some soft piano that really conveys a lot of emotion. The new music in this style are quite strong. “Enduring” is a reflective piano piece that is quite simple, but also very emotional, while “Immortality” is a dramatic orchestral piece with sections that feature ethereal piano. It’s an extremely beautiful piece. Speaking of beautiful, the final track on the album, “The End of the World and the Last Word” is a stunning vocal theme that utilizes the main theme, “Eternity.” Sung by Emi Evans, her airy vocals really help elevate the ethereal atmosphere of the tune.
As for the electronic driven pieces, they are also of a mixed bag. “I miss you baby” is a bright and bubbly vocal theme that is very reminiscent of music one might find in the beatmania series. The vocals are heavily processed, but the melody is superb and is quite catchy as well. In addition, there is also a music box rendition of the theme as well as a very strange orchestral/electronic remix that is quite creative, but not as engaging as the original, in my opinion. “Satellite” is an energetic electronic tune, but isn’t entirely engaging. “Avalon,” one of the highlights of the soundtrack, is a fun dance tune with a great atmosphere, progression, and melodic sections, although melody isn’t the major focus on the tune. Lastly, “Wizard” is done in a 90’s rave style, akin to Shinji Hosoe’s death techno stylings back in the day. It’s full of intense energy, but might not be for everyone. “Punk” is most like “Satellite,” but is slightly more engaging on the whole while “Reborn” mirrors “Wizard” with its intense 90’s rave death techno sound. “Neverland” is a beautiful piano driven dance tune with a ton of ethereal atmosphere and, like “Avalon,” is the highlight of this particular volume. “Now I feel U” is a fun and bubbly electronic tune with a cute piano melody and plucked strings. There is also the vocal “You and Me,” which mirrors stylistically “I miss you baby.” It, like its counterpart, is an extremely strong piece with fantastic energy and wonderful melody. There is a new “You and Me (Reprise)” featured on this soundtrack that opens up with some beautiful piano before moving into a beautiful dance driven tune. Of the two, this is the version that I prefer.
The rest of the new music is more electronically oriented and, overall, are much stronger than those originally released digitally. “Calling Your Name” is an excellent dance tune with piano and vocal samples, that features a wonderful melody while “Exhale” is another dance driven tune with plenty of piano tones, an excellent synth melody, and tons of energy. Another enjoyable tune is “Flashback” with its incorporation of the lyrics found in “You and Me,” while “Iris” is a hybridized orchestral and electronic tune that is a highlight of the album thanks to its piano usage, and its tense, haunting atmosphere. Similarly, “Reflection” incorporates hybridized elements by mixing an enjoyable dance beat with a lovely violin melody and acoustic guitar elements. “Neptune” is done in a 90s rave style, similar to “Wizard” and “Reborn,” and is quite energetic and tense and is probably the strongest of the bunch done in this style. Lastly, “Overloud” is a drum and bass tune that is quite intense, features some retro elements, rock, and vocal samples. It, too, is equally enjoyable.
Summary
The Shoumetsu Toshi Original Soundtrack is the definitive edition of the soundtrack, featuring all of the music, sans “The bells” from the digital releases in Shoumetsu Toshi Original Soundtrack Vol. 2. The new music is on par, or better, than the originally released music and the ending vocal by Emi Evans is quite spectacular. For fans of electronic soundtracks, this one might be worth checking out. While those who favor noisycroak’s more acoustic entries, there is some great production values in this album so it might be worth checking out, at least the digital volumes at first, if you are on the fence for a purchase.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on January 25, 2016 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on January 25, 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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