 | Album Title: Shoumetsu Toshi Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 |
| Record Label: noisycroak Records | |
| Catalog No.: N/A | |
| Release Date: November 26, 2014 | |
| Purchase: Buy at Amazon Japan |
Overview
Shoumetsu Toshi is a mobile game that features compositions from Hideki Sakamoto’s noisycroak team, specifically Hiroyoshi Kato and Yasuhiro Kawagoe. The style of music ranges from acoustic to electronic, with a large focus on the latter. Split into two volumes, Shoumetsu Toshi Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 and Shoumetsu Toshi Vol. 2 include the music for the game, as well as bonus arrangements. How does the soundtrack for the second volume turn out?
Body
The album opens with “I miss you baby (Music Box Version),” which is a straightforward orgel rendition that captures the essence of the melody quite nicely. In this volume, there is a strings rendition of “Eternity” that is quite beautiful as well. There isn’t as much hybrid music on this volume, but “The bells” is an orchestra-driven dance tune with, as one might surmise, a lot of bells. It’s an enjoyable tune, but doesn’t really stand out much. One of the bonus arrangements, “About Us (Arrange Version),” retains the jazzy atmosphere of the original, but is a more fleshed-out tune with solo sections and some sultry vocal work.
The electronic tunes mirror those found in the first volume of the soundtrack. “Punk” is most like “Satellite,” but is slightly more engaging on the whole, while “Reborn” mirrors “Wizard” with its intense ’90s 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. The vocal tune for this album is “You and Me,” which mirrors, stylistically, “I miss you baby” from the first volume. It, like its counterpart, is an extremely strong piece with fantastic energy and wonderful melody. The two other bonus tracks on the album are extended versions of both of these vocal tunes, and are the more definitive versions.
Summary
In the end, Shoumetsu Toshi Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 is a much stronger volume than its counterpart. There are more engaging tunes, and the bonus tunes are quite nice, with only a couple of tracks that might not stand out as well as the others. As with the first volume, due to the focus being more on the electronic side of the spectrum, fans of noisycroak’s traditional sound might not be enticed to purchase it, but those who enjoy electronic music might find something to enjoy here.
