posts tagged “Yoko Kanno”
[Music]
19 Oct 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Macross Frontier, Yoko Kanno]
The second Macross Plus OST album was a bit more of a mixed bag than the first, with fewer standout tracks and more oddities. Not so with the second LP-length outing for Frontier though: this disc is every bit as good as its predecessor, and possibly of even higher quality if I make allowances for the songs growing on me in the fullness of time. The running order seems to place vocal tracks and instrumentals alternately, which prevents it getting repetitive and gives an emotional break or ‘reset’ between the lyrical flagship-type songs and the instrumental BGM ones.
The proceedings kick off as before in dramatic style with an orchestral instrumental track, this time with Prologue F; it’s less than two minutes long but sets the mood wonderfully. The Jpop side of Frontier makes itself felt immediately afterwards with Northern Cross, which launches itself into a fuzzy, strident electric guitar, a fast-paced beat with May’n’s vocals picking up the pace. It’s a heady blend of (synthesised?) orchestral strings, frantic drums and six-string riffery; as a (re)introduction to the vocal aspect of the score, it’s a sound choice.
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[Music]
19 Aug 2008
Posted by Martin [Tags: Macross Frontier, Yoko Kanno]
Macross Frontier is something of a full circle trip for Yoko Kanno. Macross Plus, along with its two OST albums, was my introduction to both her work and that of Kawamori’s Macross franchise, so the news that the two of them would be working together again was what made me so enthusiastic about this series. It’s inevitable that comparisons will be drawn but the atmospherics of the two shows are so different that the scores inevitably have their own distinct sound and feel: Plus was very grown-up and cinematic while Frontier is more fun and eager to revel in the nostalgia of the franchise as a whole. Because of this, the Frontier soundtrack has a stronger pop slant as well as the orchestral numbers; in my reviews of the series so far I was reluctant to place the Frontier score alongside its illustrious predecessor but saying I’ve started to change my stance on that a bit is an understatement. I might go as far importing it in fact, unless Beez pick up the license and release it with English language packaging (which would consequentially make me a happier if slightly poorer man).
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[Music]
11 Nov 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Ghost in the Shell, Yoko Kanno]
The second helping of Yoko Kanno’s music written for the GitS: SAC series proves to be of equal quality alongside the first album, if slightly different in style and atmosphere. Once again it’s a typically Kanno-esque mixture of styles and genres that borrow from numerous times and cultures; incidentally it makes for excellent driving music!
Cyberbird starts the record off at a brisk pace and features ethereal-sounding vocal harmonies from that mysterious Gabriela Robin to give it that almost magical quality that Kanno’s vocal tracks often show. It doesn’t so much say anything by itself as set up a feel for what the album sets out to achieve; the atmosphere that a soundtrack provides is an important factor in how effective I consider it to be but fortunately this tune also sounds great taken out of context and played on its own. The full version of the second season opener Rise is featured here too, expanding the TV-sized arrangement with additional verses and a guitar-driven breakdown/middle eight section. It lacks that stratospheric vibe of Inner Universe but the pulsating beat makes it sound more insistent and Origa’s superb vocals give a great sense of continuity.
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[Music]
22 Jul 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Ghost in the Shell, Yoko Kanno]
“There’s no danger, we’re just killing time again why they order up new parts…”
This post’s song quote is from a modern concept album which, coincidentally, is I suppose a fair way of describing Be Human, the GitS SAC soundtrack album that revolves around the idea of, well, ‘being human’. The tachikomas of the SAC, like Ray Kurzweil who indirectly inspired the lyrics above, were prone to discussing what it means to be human in a world of computers and AI - a recurring theme of the series that forms the concept of this record. Basically, it’s a concept album that’s dedicated to the endearing little ‘think tanks’ - if it hadn’t been penned by Ms Kanno I probably would have given it a go on that reason alone.
The cover art, that of a tachikoma taking to the microphone, is reflected in the rest of the inlay booklet that places them in a variety of real life situations (i.e. not art taken from the series) in an photographic style reminiscent of the sleeve art for Pink floyd and The Verve’s early stuff. It means you don’t know what to expect from the album from a musical point of view, beyond the fact that it’s a bit strange.
The title track starts things off nicely as a slow ballad with half-heard background noises behind a wistful vocal in which the performer lists the little things in life that make ‘being human’ so precious and special. It’s pretty deep and heartfelt but has a quirky oddness to it that prevents it being too downbeat. The rocking Trip City on the other hand lands between the psychadelic country-ish rock of the Screaming Trees (due in no small part to Scott Matthew’s vocal style) and the stadium-sized riffs of the Who; it’s an energetic tune that’s a highlight of the record.
Taken as a whole Be Human is Kanno at her most experimental - in terms of style it’s all over the place! Going from soothing ballad to guitar rock and then to pulsatic electronica is a textbook example of ‘eclectic’, although it does make the album a little inconsistent overall. Some songs are too strange or too short to warrant any special mention on their own but others are great examples of why some of us rave over Kanno’s songwriting talents with so much enthusiasm. Some tracks, because of their contrasting styles and influences, shouldn’t be expected to work but somehow do: Bang Bang Banquet sounds like a bossa nova piece recorded on a cheap synth keyboard with its tinny horns section and honky-tonk piano; the dirty techno of Patch Me could probably fill a nightclub dancefloor if only a DJ was gutsy enough to play it.
Fax Me is possibly the weirdest song on the album (which is saying something), beginning as it does in the traditional way of a classical piece arranged for strings; it is in fact either an experiment piece of modern classical or a cheeky joke aimed at the stuffy and formal approach to performing classical. The Mozart-style violins start up just as beeps, pips and all manner of electrical noises play in time with the strings - the idea sounds as inappropriate as someone’s mobile going off during a Mozart recital (which isn’t far off what it sounds like) but because the noises are in time they fit perfectly, as if they’d always been there - it’s a bizarre effect but altogether fascinating and quite addictive!
Good By My Master and Rocko no Doko? are more ’serious’ tunes that, like the title track, convey genuine feeling - the latter changes in mood and tempo during its duration, as if it’s real background music to the search of Rocky, whoever he or she is. Most of the songs have a very electronic and home-recorded feel to them, almost as if a group of Tachikomas got themselves inebriated on natural oil in the studio and decided to record one of their philosophical duscussions before playing around and having fun. In some ways it reminds me of Kanno’s efforts on the second Macross Plus OST, in which she experiments with samples, unusual instrumentation and fusion of disparate styles.
What Can I Say? is quite frankly a bit annoying (imagine a kid singing in a school musical, as the proud mum and dad manage to overlook how damn cloying it is) but the latter part of the record offers some treats to those of us who remember the ‘Tachikomatic Days’ shorts. Pro Bowler Tachikoma and the inevitable concluding track Ciao! (that bleepy cover of a snippet from Scott Joplin’s ‘The Entertainer’ that ended every Tachikomatic Days instalment) send things into Tahikoma comedy territory, and there’s the cutesy Jpop of AI Sentai Tachikomans too, which must have been a lot of fun for the musicians and vocalists to record.
Summary
The vast range of styles and genres is something that has been a Yoko Kanno trademark for years, giving us some of her best work as well as some that is…well, pretty darned strange. Be human is a record to approached with an open mind, purely because you’d miss some real gems if you skipped certain tracks because the sound ‘weird’ or ‘random’. Many are whimsical novelty numbers that make you wonder whether they are making a serious point or not but rest assured it’s bound to have at least something to your taste, no matter how unlikely that may seem!
Tracklisting
- Be Human
- Trip City
- Patch Me
- Tachikoma no Ide (Runaway Tachikoma)
- Osanpo Tachikoma (Tachikoma out for a walk)
- Bang Bang Banquet
- Fax Me
- Rocky wa Doko? (Where’s Rocky?)
- Spotter
- Let’s Oil
- Cream
- Spider Bites
- Good By My Master
- Piece By Ten
- What Can I Say?
- Hi!
- I’m Not Straight
- AI Sentai Tachikomans (AI Combat Team Tachikomans)
- Pro Bowler Tachikoma
- Don’t Sponge Me
- Po’d Pod
- Ciao!
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[Music]
25 Feb 2007
Posted by Martin [Tags: Ghost in the Shell, Yoko Kanno]
No updates for ages and all I have to offer is another helping of fanboy raving? Yep. It’s time for me to highlight another Yoko Kanno album…
One thing that the SAC always represented for me was the fusion of the natural and mechanical, old and new, recognisable and strange. Appropriately enough, that theme is carried over in the music that accompanies the show - traditional instrumentation sits alongside samples and other electronic sounds, showing perhaps her broadest range of styles to date. The opening tune, Run Rabbit Junk, blasts out of the speakers with an industrial drumbeat and distorted guitars, Yakitori following hot on its heels as an instrumental guitar jam. Taken on their own, this could be a rock album - a far cry from the orchestral pieces of Macross Plus. Stamina Rose however falls more into the realms of dance or trance with its hypnotic beat and ethereal chanting.
It’s an about-turn for Surf then, which sounds like more tribal with its pan pipes and wooden drums over the bassline. Where Does This Ocean Go? is the first of several brilliant performances from guest vocalist Ilaria Graziamo: the surreal lyrics, looped samples in the background and her distinctive vocal delivery give the song a Bjork-esque vibe. Train Search is a sudden change of pace and feel, with distorted Black Sabbath-style guitar lines played at an energetic tempo. Not the best song on the album, but as a rock fan the riffs are really fun to tap your feet along to!
Siberian Doll House starts off quite relaxing, with some Dave Gilmour-inspired guitar and eerie background vocal samples. Some more sound effects make it sound more and more dark and menacing, ending with a shrieking violin crescendo reminiscent of the Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows. Needless to say it’s quite a surprise on its first listen. Velveteen is another Ilaria Graziamo effort, which relies quite heavily on synths so sounds more ‘futuristic’ and in keeping with the show’s themes.
Perhaps surprisingly Lithium Flower comes next rather than being at the end (as you might expect with it being the end theme to the series) and is another guitar-driven tune with Scott Matthew, another long-term collaborator, on vocals. Home Stay is quite a funky instrumental that transforms into something from a 70s cop show towards the end; it is a quirky reminder that the SAC is, after all, a high-tech cop show.
It’s no surprise though that Inner Universe is one of the album’s highlights and Origa’s vocal performance is spectacular (I really ought to track down her solo stuff sometime). This version is also an extended mix that runs for longer than the TV theme edit; the slowdown in tempo partway through makes it a more varied and satisfying experience than the version most fans will be familiar with.
The two-part Fish: Silent Cruise sums up what makes the album (and the series) as a whole. it contains soaring vocal harmonies, traditional orchestral parts, crashing drums and bizarre electronic noise: the collision of the old and new, organic and mechanical, it is a strange journey but a strangely enjoyable one. Some Other Time might not be as famous as Inner Universe but it’s my personal favourite - a delicate guitar line plays over a string section with Gabriela Robin’s (or is it Kanno herself? It’s a long-running rumour) half-whispered vocals that take off into the stratosphere when the guitar’s distortion kicks in. I don’t know what she’s singing about but the whole tune sounds heavenly.
Beauty is Within Us on the other hand has very clear and interesting lyrics sung once again by Scott Matthew. The melody is pretty emotionally-charged but the feeling and meaning behind the words are especially memorable. We are the Great is a short acoustic guitar piece that is pleasant enough but isn’t anything worthy of much comment with what follows. Monochrome is Ilaria Graziano’s third and final contribution to the disc, and it’s a beautiful tune with a hint of melancholy and loneliness. Odd, but stunning nonetheless.
The album concludes on two short tracks: Get9, a short, funky number reminiscent of Jamiroquai, and a TV edit of the Second Gig’s op theme Rise. Again it’s a brilliantly energetic song with Origa providing the vocals once again (a detail that gives a great sense of continuity when you watch the second series) and a pounding dance beat. I can’t wait to get hold of the second OST and hear the full version!
Summary
Although this is only the third OST of Kanno’s that I’ve heard, I’d say it’s the most recommended owing to not only the quality but the sheer range of styles of music on offer here. We have rock, dance, industrial, traditional and more experimental elements that appear on one disc and often within the same songs. How she can effortlessly pen tunes across such a broad spectrum is beyond me, and in the process make a record that is very much a ’stand alone’ experience alongside the project it was written for. The series is mature, classy and well worth your time; the talent of the songwriter (not to mention guest lyricists and vocalists) easily matches the standards set for it.
Tracklisting:
- Run Rabbit Junk
- Yakitori
- Stamina Rose
- Surf
- Where Does This Ocean Go?
- Train Search
- Siberian Doll House
- Velveteen
- Lithium Flower
- Home Stay
- Inner Universe
- Fish ~ Silent Cruise
- Some Other Time
- Beauty Is Within Us
- We’re The Great
- Monochrome
- Get 9
- Rise (TV Size)
Note: Some pressings of the CD have a scrambled track order partway through. Velveteen and Lithium Flower are on the same track, which means subsequent tracks are numbered incorrectly. The two parts of Fish ~ Silent Cruise are on separate tracks though, so everything that follows that song is numbered correctly. The album’s wikipedia entry gives more details on this mastering problem; it’s my only criticism of what is a very unusual but outstanding record.
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[Music]
11 Oct 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Macross, Yoko Kanno]
The second half of the Macross Plus soundtrack is much more varied in style than the first, although inevitably this means that it is less consistent in quality. At least, unlike its predecessor, this CD is still available outside of Japan without going to too much trouble with importing.
Idol Talk is an impressive way to open the album, being lifted straight from that legendary Sharon Apple concert scene. Imagine early Madonna fast-forwarded fifty years and you’d be halfway to imagining what a superlative piece of J-pop this song is: an insistent synthesised drumbeat mixes with electronic samples and Akino Arai’s sweet, seductive vocal delivery that really sounds like the future of music.
The two following tracks, Jade and Nomad Soul, are background pieces that show the record’s variety to great effect. The former is a carefree ‘marching’ type of tune with jolly whistling, drums, warbling hammond organ and a dash of bluesy acoustic guitar here and there; the latter is a three minute jazz-inspired saxophone solo. *grins* Nice.
The feel of Welcome to Sparefish will be immediately recognisable to anyone who is familiar with the music from Cowboy Bebop: the lazy, twangy slide guitar brings in the carefree blues vibe once again. I always think of that tune as Isamu’s theme. ^_^
Go Ri a Te is a strange one, kicking off with a tribal-sounding vocal chant then pan pipes and taiko drums, except the instruments are all electronic! A keyboard performing a jaunty oriental melody tops of a decidedly strange piece. Let’s News is odd too, but is over just as you’re thinking “what the…?” about the vocal samples. It wouldn’t be missed if it were omitted from the tracklisting, but it isn’t long enough to try your patience.
Pulse on the other hand is a beautiful track that is not unlike the chilled-out electronica from Royksopp and Massive Attack: a soaring vocal harmony plays out over the slow-paced beat with electronic loops and samples murmuring beneath. A definite highlight of the album, which could easily stand alone outside the album itself.
3cm is a variation on the first OST’s More than 3cm, this time performed on piano and sax; this above all others on this disc highlights Kanno’s Debussy and other similar influences, adding the only classical offering on the album.
Akino Irai returns for the sublime acoustic version of Voices, arguably the best song on the whole disc. With the instumentation stripped down to mere piano accompaniment, this version loses none of its power and haunting beauty; I’ll leave it up to you to decide on which of the two versions you prefer because I love them both - mainly because the instrumentation adds a more sombre and introspective spin to the song.
Pu Qua O is more strongly driven by piano melodies before those electric pan pipes return, and serves as a relaxing and light interlude before the dark and brooding Sweet Feather (which retains its feeling of foreboding because I associate it with its moment in the OAV) - it would be better titled as ‘Ominous Night’ or similar.
A Sai En marks that moment where the Macross begins to re-awaken, i.e. it’s that searing, dramatic vocal chant that teeters tantalisingly on the edge of melodic. Emotionally charged indeed. Bad Dog, with its bizarre and quite frankly annoying vocal samples (also used on Santi U) is best left out of the discussion: take my advice and press the ’skip’ button because you’ll only lose patience before the more pleasant harmonies fade in towards the end.
Child Myung re-uses the distinctive melody used on both Myung Theme and Voices, this time played on a harp-like instrument. Coma is a rather slow and gloomy way to end the album, being quite low-key and directionless. Like many of the tracks here, it’s better as BGM than a stand-alone, sit-down-and-listen type of track.
Summary
The second OST follows on from and compliments the first one well, but as before there are a small number of stand-out tracks with a lot of interesting but less outstanding incidental music in between. There are still one or two songs I would have like to have seen included (namely Sharon Apple’s The Borderline) but overall the disparate range of influences and styles is a help rather than a hinderance. It’s far from Kanno’s strongest album to date but there is enough stand-out material to warrant a place in any fan’s collection.
Tracklisting
- Idol Talk
- Jade
- Nomad Soul
- Welcome to Sparefish
- Go Ri A Te
- Let’s News
- Pulse
- 3cm
- Voices (acoustic version)
- Pu Qua O
- Sweet Feather
- A Sai En
- Bad Dog
- Child Myung
- Coma
[2 Comments]
[Music]
25 Aug 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Macross, Yoko Kanno]
One of the most memorable aspects of Macross Plus is the music: a heady mixture of the orchestral, electronic and ambient. This is the first in what I hope will be a series of editorials drawing attention to the songwriter who created it: Yoko Kanno.
Although her scores for Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell: Stand-alone Complex are the most well-known Macross Plus has always had a special place in my appreciation of anime soundtracks since it was the first work of hers that I’d heard. Coincidentally, it was the first anime soundtrack she’d written - quite an amazing fact when you’ve given it a listen.
The first CD is quite a surprise in another sense: more than half of it is orchestral, no doubt inspired by European classical: the National Anthem of Macross has a ‘military band’ feel with the brass section and Fly Up in the Air: Tension could have been picked straight out of Holst’s The Planets. Somehow this traditional approach to a music score works well as a companion to a science fiction story but can stand as an outstanding record on its own. There isn’t much from the Sharon Apple set list though, which I’m assuming can be found in the second CD (which is fortunately easier to find).
The most outstanding tracks for me are the episode end theme After in the Dark and the stunning vocal piece Voices; the latter adding words to the soaring melody of Myung Theme. Already this compilation shows the trademarks of Kanno’s sound: eclectic yet easily recognisable with a wide variety of instrumentation and frequent use of heart-rending vocal harmonies (Torch Song and the haunting closing track Santi-U for instance).
This particular CD is out of print and hard to find unless you import (CDJapan.co.jp is your friend) - a shame since, as well as being Kanno’s first foray into anime soundtracks, it’s also one of her best. I strongly recommend you track it down: the effort involved will be amply rewarded.
Well, that’s all for now. The second Macross Plus OST is currently awaiting delivery and I already have the first draft of my GitS: SAC OST review ready so until then I’ll get back to the normal reviewing schedule…
Tracklisting:
1. National Anthem of Macross
2. Fly Up in the Air: Tension
3. After In the Dark: Torch Song
4. Myung Theme
5. Bees and Honey
6. In Captivity
7. More Than 3cm
8. Voices
9. Break Out: Cantabile
10. Very Little Wishes
11. Santi-U
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