The Ciel nosurge Original Soundtrack -Sound and World Reception Record Sec. 1- album is the first of two expected so far for the collection of music for Gust Inc.’s simulation/visual novel hybrid Ciel nosurge ~A Song Offered to the Lost Planet~. Given its status as a prequel to the Ar tonelico series, it is to be expected that it would offer high-quality compositions and arrangements similar in style to the series in addition to the vocal songs covered in the Genometric Concert albums. However, does the music contained in this album hold a candle against its predecessors? Does it fit the universe and represent it properly through its sounds?
Body
Once again, I’d recommend reading the review for the Ciel nosurge Genometric Concert Vol. 1 –Pact Songs– to get a good introduction to the game’s universe and better understand some of the terms and situations I will be referring to in this analysis of the album.
The soundtrack is generally a mix of electronica, synthesizer and industrial/mechanical sounds alongside more organic instrumentation — piano, guitars, and violin — and features several tracks that make use of Akiko Shikata’s vocal talents as insert choruses. While the album itself doesn’t offer a composer breakdown, most of it was also made available as an in-game jukebox with composer comments that allow players and listeners to know who composed each song. Thanks to this, it’s known that Akiko Shikata, aside from being one of the main vocalists for the Genometric Concert songs and composing and arranging several of those songs, is also the sound director for the game and the main composer of the instrumental music. She is joined by Yu Shimoda, whose compositions were unfortunately not featured on this album, and a newcomer who goes by the rather lengthy alias SSS-Solid State Signal-OOPS TEAM WEEDS. Kohta Takahashi has used SolidState as an alias in the past, but I’m not sure if this is him.
An excellent example of what could be expected from this album is its first track: “GATE::49.212.40.208.” It is composed entirely of synthesizer and electronic sounds, and is used on the configuration and DLC installation screens in-game, as well as during a segment in which Ion’s knowledge about the Cielnotrons is tested. Curiously enough, the name is also a real-world IP address that leads to Gust’s genomirai.com website, which is a promotional page for Ciel nosurge that, at the time of writing this review, allows visitors to play a short choose-your-own-adventure text game that serves as an interquel between Ciel nosurge and its sequel Ar nosurge.
For examples of how Shikata’s vocal talents work in the music, we have the tracks “Introductory Resonance,” “Lament” and “ExecuTron.” The first starts with elevator sounds, later joined by Shikata singing the initial choruses of the game’s opening theme, “To the Songless Hill,” though with an entirely different melody and tone — more like a prayer. It is heard during the introductory segments that showcase Ion’s nervousness at the prospect of speaking before a large crowd and her disastrous first public appearance. “ExecuTron” is a more technologically oriented piece formed by synthesizer, electronic percussion and Shikata’s choruses, usually played during scenes in which characters interact with technology such as the Cielnotrons, G2Trons and the Neptron in the fourth chapter. “Lament” can only be described as a funeral dirge: it begins with choruses that sound similar to moans accompanied by soft bells, then reveals its true form — choruses singing in a sad tone accompanied by sorrowful strings, harp and metal percussion. This one is played during tragic scenes; the first section captures Tabou and Ion’s desperate search for a lost character, whereas the second section resolves the character’s tragic fate.
Going to more organic-sounding pieces, we have “Flower of Dusk,” which is essentially the main theme of Chapter 3 and the song representing the Planetary Maison Colon that Ion and Nay arrive at in that chapter. It’s a beautiful, slow piece built from soft metal percussion, Shikata’s singing, and later strings and flute. It reflects the Colon being the only place in Ra Ciela where it is possible to see a starry sky, albeit faked, after its sun became a red giant. “Dwelling of Dreams” can be heard during the Trials Arc in the Dive Gate, which is the place where the player Dives into Ion to try to fix her broken memories. It is an energetic piece played by guitar, bass, strings and Shikata’s choruses singing once again the initial choruses from “To the Songless Hill.” It is very uplifting, and feels like the game is beckoning the player to another world. I should mention that the choruses employed here are a bit different from the game version: in some parts they are stronger than in the game, and the final reprise of the choruses is absent on the soundtrack, with only the instrumental part in its place.
And finishing with the pieces featuring choruses, we have “Flask Sea,” which is lengthy enough to be considered a full song in its own right. It features playful, child-like vocals sung by Shikata, combined with her more mature-sounding voice, backed by violin, flute and guitar. This playful, cheerful piece is used in-game as the music for the Sharl Nest, where the player scans barcodes with the PlayStation Vita’s camera to create new Sharls (fairies); these, in turn, can be used to restore the destroyed areas of Ion’s memory. This is essential to progress, as viewing the chapters in Ion’s Genometrics or Dream World is impossible if the memories haven’t been restored first. Additionally, while the album version expands the song and ends in a fade-out, in-game the finale is a duet composed of the xylophone-like and synth parts playing together before looping back to the beginning.
However, while the other tracks don’t feature proper choruses or singing, that fact doesn’t make them any less enjoyable: we also have the two sister tracks “Promise ~A Small Encounter~” and “Promise ~An Unforgettable Dream~.” While both songs share the same beautiful yet sad melody, they have different arrangements: “A Small Encounter” has an ancient, mystical feeling with wind sounds, metallic percussion, and acoustic leads. This song is heard during Ion’s first encounter with Tabou at the very beginning of the game. On the other hand, “An Unforgettable Dream” is generally heard during the parts where Ion wrestles with the idea of being an Empress candidate, and has a more introspective arrangement formed by guitar, piano and violin.
We also get an instrumental arrangement of the vocal piece “Ahih rei-yah” on this album. In this case, the song is titled “Ahih rei-yah ~Connected Feelings~.” While the original song was rather slow and featured strongly classical-Japanese instrumentation, this version has a faster rhythm and a livelier instrumentation composed of electric guitar, flute, piano and violin. It is definitely a much more cheerful and vibrant version of the song, and one that is meant to be uplifting for the listener. This song plays during the preparations Ion and her friends make for her to sing “Ahih rei-yah” to save the city of Manjusara by asking everyone to lend their Cielnotrons, as well as during the aftermath of Ion singing that song.
Now moving to more ethnic-styled pieces, we have “Signpost of Beginning” and “Manjusara.” While they do not share a common melody, the common thread is that both have a distinct Chinese flavor, reflecting Manjusara’s architecture and atmosphere, which draws from both Japanese and Chinese cultures. “Signpost of Beginning” has a much slower rhythm and a rather sad feeling, while “Manjusara” has a much faster tempo and is quite a cheerful piece. As should be obvious, “Manjusara” plays in the segments taking place in its namesake city, while “Signpost of Beginning” can be heard on the map screen for Chapter 1. There is also “Cold and Dignified,” which is Kanon’s theme and is heard in scenes featuring her. It has instrumentation similar to “Manjusara” and a strong Chinese flavor, though it feels more overbearing due to its orchestration.
And closing off the Shikata side, we have “Genometrics” and “Shards of Loss,” which mix both electronic and organic elements. “Shards of Loss” begins with synthesizer and electronic sounds, then turns into a heartbreaking violin piece. It is usually heard prior to very sad scenes or ones where the characters feel great anxiety and distress. As for “Genometrics,” it has similar instrumentation but conveys a more mysterious and dreamy feeling than a sad one; this song is heard in the GustID registration and login screens, as well as during the parts in which the characters are Diving into someone’s mind (Genometrics).
SOLID STATE SIGNAL also contributed some nice pieces, though their quality is somewhat lacking in comparison to Shikata’s because they rely mainly on samplers for the instrumentation. An example of this would be the themes for both of the main factions in the storyline: “Imperial Genometrics Synchronization Mediation Institute” and “Imperial Astronomical Quantum Wave Theory Laboratory.” The former is a relaxing piece led by synth piano and piano, though it is quite flowing and doesn’t feel like it has a proper resolution. On the other hand, the latter has a slightly faster rhythm that makes use of synth orchestra and electronic effects, and I find it more enjoyable due to its changes in tone and how it builds toward its ending. There are similar pieces like “Cosmic City” and “Stargaze ~Galaxy Flight~.” The former is an uplifting, rhythmic piece that gives the feeling of being in a city in space, Dream Sphere Colon. As for “Stargaze ~Galaxy Flight~,” the piece has a very nice second segment composed of strings, harp and electronic sounds, but it’s rather short and takes a long time to reach that section, with the first part being somewhat repetitive.
SOLID STATE SIGNAL was also in charge of the more funny and comical themes used in the soundtrack, such as “Let’s Join Our Hands!” and “A Couple’s Photograph.” The former is a medium-paced piece that makes use of various synth and distortion effects, even using one at one point that sounds like a chiptune for comical effect. The latter is slower and is a typical funny piece used whenever a character does something foolish. However, it surprises a bit with a segment in the middle where strings come in before it reverts to being humorous again.
And while there is still no official confirmation that SOLID STATE SIGNAL composed “Crisis” and “Run Through!,” I have a very strong suspicion that he did so due to the instrumentation used. The first plays when people scramble to escape the Wave Burst that will hit Manjusara during the first chapter, and it’s made from an extremely disharmonic combination of synthesizers that then gives way to a very upsetting melody, which really conveys that the situation is critical. As for the second, it is a frantic piece made of synth orchestra, choir and snare drum, and despite being reserved for dangerous moments in which characters are trying to rescue someone or escape a collapsing place, it’s quite enjoyable. Actually, I could even say that this piece gives off a very similar atmosphere to several compositions Michiru Yamane made for the Castlevania series.
SOLID STATE SIGNAL also contributed one of the more emotional and sensitive pieces of the soundtrack: “A Small Flower.” This is used in several emotional scenes in the game, one of them being Casty deciding to escape from her house after her father grounded her to go help Tabou. It begins with synth sounds and a piano, but soon blossoms into a beautiful and delicate piano melody. And while the composer for “Sunset Avenue” is unknown right now, both pieces are similar enough to be considered as made by the same person: both use very similar instrumentation, though I feel “Sunset Avenue” is more developed and conveys much more warmth thanks to the addition of violin near the reprise of the initial melody.
Finally, the album ends with a bonus track courtesy of Akiko Shikata called “The Boy Traveling Through the Glittering Desert.” Though the track thematically has nothing in common with the rest of the soundtrack, it is an enjoyable Arabic-inspired piece similar to other works Shikata has made in her previous albums, and according to her it is supposed to evoke the travel theme of the game: the three years of trials Ion has to endure to become Empress, and the journey she makes alongside the player to regain her lost memories.
Summary
This soundtrack is pretty much a return to form for the Ar tonelico–styled soundtracks after two years’ absence and the rather disappointing soundtrack for Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. Both Akiko Shikata and SOLID STATE SIGNAL managed to produce a superb work that combines electronic, organic and choral elements into an eclectic yet cohesive soundtrack that continues the sound of the Ar tonelico series while introducing several elements of its own. It is a bit sad that it doesn’t include some of the pieces featured in the game (such as the music box version of “Promise”), but as this is the first volume, I’m confident they will be included in the second volume alongside the new pieces introduced from the fifth Ciel nosurge chapter onwards, once it is released. I recommend it to all fans of Ar tonelico and Akiko Shikata, and anyone who likes choral and ethnic music, as well as electronica, should find it to their liking.
