 I'm usually not much for soundtracks
and prefer listening to albums from regular bands, but once in a
while, I make an exception. This Macross Frontier release had me very
interested, since I'd been following the series for a little bit and
dug what I'd heard of the music so far. Plus, the news that genius
composer Yoko Kanno was handling the lion's share of the songwriting and penning the score added more than enough reason
to give it a fair listen.
Seeing that music plays a big part in
the series (it was the gift of song that ended the war between the
humans and the alien Zentradi earlier in the Macross universe), there
was no shortage of themes to play around with. Sheryl's whole J-pop
act obviously hogs up a lot of the stage, Ranka's timid but soulful
tunes also draw a good deal of attention, and then there's a whole
lot of random music that makes for excellent punctuation.
It was a bit tricky getting the hang of
who's doing what, but it seems like Sheryl's songs are handled by the singer
May'n, who does a decent job in the last few numbers, especially the
end credits song (and album closer), Diamond Crevasse, which plays
out like some sentimental Disney number, throwing in a bit of swagger
here and there. All the Sheryl on stage numbers early in the album
aren't as tight in comparison, though...and those sped-up electronic
beatz are pissing off too.
Nakajima Megumi is responsible for all
Ranka's songs and she's easily the best singer on board here. Her
version of the horribly cheesy, Engrish-ridden (but still somehow
great fun) What 'bout my star is way better than the onstage version
earlier in the album. And it's also owing in part to her voice that
Aimo – Tori no Hito is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard
in a while. I happened to be up in the mountains while I was
listening to the album, and that song managed to just about freeze
time for me. The perfect track for solitude and vast open spaces. She
also takes care of some super-short quirky ad jingles that act as
cheeky juxtaposition in between the longer songs.
And to complete the vocal trio,
Sakomoto Maaya (who's supposed to be a big thing in J-pop circles)
does the extended version of the intro theme Triangular. Some would
probably take issue with the high nasal timbre of her voice, but I
suppose that's the biggest caveat with regard to J-pop in general.
Anyhow, the song benefits a hell of a lot from the extended playtime
– there's some proggy parts in the midsection that even reminded me
of Shadow Gallery. Must have been a pain cutting that out to make the
TV edit.
That leaves Yoko Kanno's backing
score. This woman is one of the biggest names in Japanese music
production, and for good reason. I haven't heard that much of her
work yet – my experience is mostly based on Cowboy Bebop and Ghost
in the Shell: SAC, but the versatility and skill she showed in those
two were enough to convince me of her worth. Macross Frontier has a
slightly less outlandish feel than, say, Cowboy Bebop when it comes
to the musical direction, but it's still awesome nonetheless. There's
the usual typical orchestral space opera fare, but then there are
also more pastoral themes (reminiscent of her work for Ragnarok
Online 2), and other parts that actually sound pirate-y (like arr!).
It's a healthy mix of a lot of different sounds, and the only time it
feels a bit dragging is from Tally Ho! To Bajura, where there's 12
minutes of spacey themes playing – a smaller song in the middle to
break the monotony would have helped. Otherwise, it's quite an awe-inspiring effort.
That being said, I have to make a
disclaimer. If you're not into the whole Japanese female vocal thing
that anime brings to the table, then your mileage is definitely going
to drop. Even so, this is a humdinger of an album and has some of the
best pop I've heard in a while. But holy shit, this sucker is
expensive . Blasted Japanese inflation!
Year of release: 2008
Label:Flying Dog/JVC Entertainment
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