Concurrent with the release of Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky, Gust Inc. published two albums containing the instrumental and vocal music of the game. This review focuses on the instrumental songs included in its original soundtrack. Given that this game is the 15th installment in the Atelier series, the company decided to go all-out with the music team this time; aside from the return of the team that scored its predecessor Atelier Ayesha: Alchemist of the Dusk Ground, several guest composers like Mana composer Hiroki Kikuta, doujin favourite Hideyuki Kinoshita, and AliceSoft’s Shade lent a hand in making the music for it. Does it maintain enough of the identity from its predecessor and also move in new areas with the introduction of the other composers? Or does the album fail to continue the established sound from Ayesha in a satisfactory manner?
Body
The soundtrack for Atelier Escha & Logy does maintain the sound that was so prevalent in Atelier Ayesha: it retains the relaxed tone for environmental and scene-setting pieces and some emotional event tracks, while battle themes are much more intense and exciting. What’s more, it’s every bit as extensive as Atelier Ayesha was: it spans three CDs of music, which we could say is the new standard for Gust’s albums ever since Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland was released.
First, I have to say that a few songs returned from Atelier Ayesha, mostly due to the returning characters. The new version of Nio’s theme, “A Flower Blooming Nearby part 2,” is relatively similar to the original, but with more percussion and the main piano line replaced by oboes and flutes, which makes it feel bouncier—though I personally prefer the orgel version from Ayesha. The same could be said for the redux of Willbell’s theme, “A Baby Bird part 2,” which has a sillier feeling than the original due to changes in instrumentation. It could be said that Kazuki Yanagawa decided to give them a quirkier atmosphere compared to their versions from Ayesha.
Daisuke Achiwa’s Ayesha theme, “The Pen and the Sword,” also receives three rearrangements. While this was a given due to Linca and Marion’s reappearance, it’s a bit astonishing to have so many rearranged versions of the same song. The first one, “The Pen and the Sword part 2,” has a jazzy sound that wouldn’t be out of place in a bar, while “The Pen and the Sword part 3” is more similar to the original version but more rock-styled. Comically enough, the third rearrangement, “FJ: The Pen and the Sword part 3,” is actually a shortened edit of the normal part 3 with a more abrupt ending, used for Linca’s special when she finishes off a battle. As for “Close to the Edge part 2,” Yu Shimoda deviated a bit from his original work due not only to the song being shorter, but also by giving more emphasis to the synth than to the electric guitar riffs, not to mention the addition of synth noises.
Now, going to the tracks that are original to the game itself, Daisuke Achiwa unfortunately only got to work on two of the battle themes in this game, but fortunately the ones he made don’t disappoint in quality. A good example is the basic battle theme “Fulcrum,” with its intense percussion, guitar riffs in the background that take center stage midway through, and occasional sound effects. “Roar,” on the other hand, starts off much softer with a bouzouki-, guitar- and accordion-based melody, which then gives way to a pan flute and introduces an electric guitar later on. The song remains at a relatively calm pace during its entire length, but it feels quite enthralling for a battle theme despite that.
Achiwa also worked on several of the silly songs for the soundtrack: “Rice and Meat Anthem” is an over-the-top orchestral piece that prominently features the tuba and a male chorus in the background. “What I Should Do?” is a bit more low-key, lacking the chorus and orchestra and opting for a jazzier tone, but it still gives that same sensation of bearing witness to a nonsensical situation. The same could be said of “Too Late,” though it plays at a much slower tempo and with a lack of enthusiasm. As for “Big-Breasted, Melancholic Woman”(!), it keeps the same trappings as the previous songs, but with more of a polka sound due to the use of the accordion.
However, not all is silliness. Achiwa also contributed some of the event and location themes, such as “To the Land Without a Name” with its accordion, woodwind and guitar melodies; “Looking up at the Sky” with its pizzicato and flute that are joined later by bells; and “Apple Tree” with its warm, soft woodwind- and guitar-based sounds. There is also the sadder piano-and-strings ballad “Rut of Time,” the sentimental woodwind, harp and flute ensemble “Alone in a Room,” and the depressing guitar-and-piano duet “Remorse.” I can’t deny that I felt many of these pieces reuse elements from the soundtracks for Atelier Iris 2, Mana Khemia, and Atelier Lina. However, there are also new elements in some of his other contributions: “The Glasses are Boiling” is an interesting mix of Celtic and electronica; “Hummingbird” sounds like a jazzy reprise of some of the melodies and rhythm patterns he has employed over the years; and “Belly’s Bullet” has a sound that wouldn’t be out of place in a western.
Moving on, we have Kazuki Yanagawa. While I originally wasn’t very impressed with his compositions in Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel, he has greatly improved with every game he has taken part in. While he indulges in a folksy sound similar to Ken Nakagawa’s, he also produces strong orchestral pieces like “Both Wings,” which can be heard on the world map screen and was also used in the PV announcing the anime adaptation of Atelier Escha & Logy. Another interesting piece is “In the Nest That Has no Worker Bees,” which, aside from the orchestral base, also makes use of bagpipes and is quite intense. There’s also the baroque-inspired “Stretch” with its harpsichord, oboe and elegant orchestral sections, which I think wouldn’t be out of place in a palace. “Spicy Sugar” has something of a royal theme to it, and though it lacks the baroque feeling, it feels like being in the presence of something majestic despite the somewhat silly name.
On more tranquil terms, he also contributed the serene “Cloud Harbor,” which really feels calming with its strings and harmonica, and I feel it wouldn’t have been out of place in a game like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. On the funny side, there’s the Italian-inspired “Kitchen Dance,” made up of accordion, guitar, bells and orchestra; it can be defined as overdone (if I might be excused for the kitchen puns) due to the excessive force used in the percussion in some sections, though it also has a nice guitar solo near the end. Yanagawa also made the exciting “Updraft,” which really gets the player pumped with its violin, flute and piano, and is pretty fun to listen to—though I have to admit it fooled me at the start, since at points it sounded more like something Achiwa would have made.
Next we come across Yu Shimoda’s work. I’m still not very familiar with his output, but it’s somewhat out of tune with the rest of the music the Gust Sound Team members have made over the years: one example is “Magnum Opus” with its piano lines that seem like something out of a noir film. The same could be said about “Alchemist Escha’s Case File,” which has a quiet, creeping tone perfect for a mystery story. There’s also the tense “Again, the Red Nightmare,” which is made up of piano, drums and noises; coupled with the preceding ambient-noise track “And then, In a Place Where People Once Were,” it is quite chilling. He also demonstrates a more emotional side with the sister pieces “Promise (Piano Version)” and “Promise (Dusk Hill)”: while both pieces are very similar, the former starts slower with a simpler arrangement, while the latter begins faster and gains a slightly more complex arrangement and a more developed melody in its second half.
However, he’s not all mystery: “Germination” has a classic rock ‘n’ roll sound that reminds me a lot of The Beatles, “Formation” is an interesting demonstration of synth mixes that gives the sensation of seeing liquids mix together in testing tubes, and “Fly in the Blue Sky” has an emotional sound that then develops into an exciting one. Finally, similarly to what he did in “Close to the Edge,” he also made the hard-rock battle theme “Don’t Panic.” It has a rather strong beginning that really makes one feel some panic, but while it softens up a bit around a minute in, this synth-based rock piece regains its energy quickly and doesn’t let up until the end. There is also the song “Love the Dragon -Don’t Kill the Dragon-,” which is more of an orchestral piece with some guitar riffs, though I feel it’s somewhat slow and lacking in variety for an epic battle, since this song is heard during battles with relatively hard-to-defeat dragons. I’d also like to point out how contradictory the title is for the situations where it is used.
Next, we come to the guest composers, beginning with the famous Hiroki Kikuta. First is the harp-based “Pavane,” a slow and beautiful piece that seems reserved for sad situations. Next is “Simulacra,” a quite happy-sounding piece formed by pizzicato and bells initially, with drums and keyboard entering about half a minute in—it’s really uplifting for the mood. I have to say these two pieces brought back a lot of memories: “Pavane” evoked “Spirit of the Night,” and “Simulacra” felt like a mix of “The Color of the Summer Sky” and “What the Forest Taught Me” from Secret of Mana. Both are beautiful pieces that stand very well on their own. Kikuta also contributed to the action side, handling the basic battle theme “My Name is Legion,” a drum-and-keyboard piece that evokes a lot of energy. Similarly, “Dorothy’s Tiger” has a more intense rhythm but a more enthralling melody; it also includes nice guitar solos and finishes in a pleasing combination of both instruments before looping.
Then we come to Hideyuki Kinoshita’s compositions. I have to say Kinoshita was a complete mystery to me because I hadn’t listened to his music before, despite his prolific involvement in doujin albums, but I grew to like his style after hearing him here. “consolation” is a sorrowful piano solo that really tugs at the heartstrings. The following “Evening Melody” is also a piano solo, but it has a more hopeful sound that feels nice after the sadness of the previous song. Kinoshita’s last addition to the soundtrack is the fun “Working People Ragtime,” which is just what it says: an entertaining ragtime made of piano and drums that feels like something that would propel someone to dance. The AliceSoft veteran also contributes an extended instrumental version of “Sky of Twilight,” also featured in a vocal rendition on the game’s vocal album.
Moving to the vocal tracks featured on the soundtrack, the release opens with the game version of “Milk-Colored Ridge,” sung by vocalist Yumi Nakashima under the pseudonym Yuu. I can only describe it as a slow rock song, though I feel it’s somewhat out of tune not only with Ayesha’s opening (“Flower Marks”) but also with those of previous Atelier games due to its musical style. However, Yuu still does a nice job with the singing, as do the rest of the Chirinuruwowaka members. Next is the ending song “Sweet Reward,” also interpreted by Yuu and the rest of Chirinuruwowaka. While it’s a nice song, I somehow feel it doesn’t fit the ending either, as it’s somewhat heavy and dark in tone for the name it has and the kind of endings the Atelier games tend to have, despite fitting well with the way the credits roll is presented. It’s interesting how they fake out the listener by making it seem like it ends near the halfway point, then continue it.
And finally, Yu Shimoda is also in charge of the instrumental medley that closes off the album and serves as the BGM for the second part of the credits roll, titled “Burning Sunset -Goodbye Dusk Sky-.” After beginning with a soft piano part, it draws the listener in with a beautiful choral performance. It then moves to a rearranged version of Yanagawa’s “Both Wings,” replacing the orchestra with synth and making several beautiful alterations to the original piece. Finally, it ends with a lovely synth-orchestra melody, which serves as the perfect way to close off the album.
Summary
In the end, the Atelier Escha & Logy original soundtrack is another solid album and a good addition to the series’ overall repertoire, but I have to note it feels less consistent than the Atelier Ayesha soundtrack. Maybe this is due to the different styles and samples used by the many composers involved, but it feels like there isn’t a unified theme or style running throughout. I also have to say that some pieces feel somewhat underdeveloped due to not having enough variation or structural changes. However, this doesn’t offset what the album does well, and I can only hope the soundtrack for Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is of the same level or even better.
