Rekishi Hiwa Historia OST II

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@ninetales: I agree with you about Until You Find A Light, One Small Life, Jubilee, A Forced March, and Mysterious.

Storia: Never cared for it until Kalafina sang it acapella during one of their interviews in China and then I luuuurved it after hearing the live version on the Red Moon DVD. I like it even more now!

Chaotic: Is that a male vocalist I hear? :ayashii: Cool.

Noisy and Unrest: Interesting. Going to take a few more listens for me to come up with anything else to say, though. I’m still not sure whether I love it or not :XD:

I am a Small Boat on a River: One of my favorites on this album for sure- beautiful and different. Such gorgeous oboe playing * squees :hearts: * Definitely going to loop this one multiple times. (Off-topic: it reminds me of a feather slowly making its way down a lazy river in the South… I don’t know why :desksweat:)

A Reckless Passion: I love this one as well. The part where the bass guitar kicks in is great.

The Outbreak: The last half of the song with the frantic strings was really good, although IMO Yuri Kasahara’s vocals weren’t necessary.

Mysterious: This album is making me realize that I’m not a fan of Eri’s voice. Well… I should’ve gotten the hint long ago because I keep skipping the songs in FJ vol. 2 that feature her in them. >.<

Looking Back to the Past: Cello playing for the win. The title made me think “oh-no-i-hope-it’s-not-slow-and-depressing”, but it wasn't. I love that this song has more of an objective feel to it compared to an angsty one.

Town of Vigor: It has a sort of… Chinese atmosphere to it. Cute, lots of energy, makes me wanna dance!

Creative Power: Uplifting, inspirational, and sweet. Me likes.

Must Go Ahead, Somehow: Piano playing (especially the little flourishes) is just <3

A Fruitless Love: I don’t care much for the melody, but I love Kaori’s singing. This one might grow on me after a few more listens.

To The Next Door: Meh. I know I’m being a major ass when I say this, but I think Kaori’s singing of that refrain is definitely better than Eri’s. *is kicked*

A Tiny Light: Very pretty. I really like the ending. :shy:

Symphonia (TV version): I feel like this song steadily goes upwards, in both melody and vocal range. It’s almost like we start on the ground with Keiko (who gets the honor of singing “symphonia” by herself), a “bon voyage” of sorts with Hikaru’s entrance, and then the take-off and lift when Wakana comes in :dote: Wakana’s parts get me every time- I have a soaring feeling every time she sings in this! Really nice~

Overall: I really liked this album (I prefer it hands down to Fiction II). I love that Yuki used a large range of instruments, and there was a very cohesive feel about the tracks. No English and plenty of great Kaori moments helped a lot as well. :goodjob:
 
wintersviolet said:
(I prefer it hands down to Fiction II)

I suppose I agree with you, to a point. I would've liked Fiction II with less Emily Bindiger, but the songs I liked (Heigen, L.A., E.G.O., Lotus, and yes My Long Forgotten Cloistered Sleep) were nice and long, mostly over 5 minutes.

Here, there are so few songs over 3 minutes...You Can Go Your Own Way could've been much longer, and there are probably at least two or three others that could've been extended too.

So I guess both of the albums have their strong and weak points, at least for me :V:
 
I like how the op themes on this album sound somewhat darker than the originals. I'm sort of enjoying this album more than the first, but maybe it's because of the recent lack of soundtracks after being spoiled in 2009.

chaotic kind of sounds like a Madoka track that I want but with male vocals. jubilee has beautiful strings, and noisy and unrest sounds very different from the usual Kajiura.

a forced march sounds... apocalyptic and powerful. I am a small boat on a river is simple but beautiful, love the oboe. a reckless passion is pretty much "鴇色の舞 2", it's probably my favorite on the album. you can go your own way is a nice combination of warm strings and acoustic guitar.

foreboding has so many strange (synthesized) instruments, I wonder what they're called since they're not in the credits. mysterious sounds like something from Tsubasa Chronicle. I like how all the tracks with idiophones (i think?) were grouped together, my favorite is town of vigor.

Tracks 19 - 22 can be easily compared to the usual Kajiura, but also show a bit more creativity than usual. Kaori's vocals are beautiful on track 23, the Kajiuran itself doesn't sound very good for some reason though. a tiny light might be my second favorite track on this album, very beautiful and complex composition.

Why does this incredibly boring show have some of Yuki's best work? I really want an OST 3.
 
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Kowz said:
The one that plays in EP 1 when the witch barrier is manifesting?
Correct. Heh, I just noticed that these are probably the same vocals but pitch-shifted.
 
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acid_mouthwash said:
Kowz said:
The one that plays in EP 1 when the witch barrier is manifesting?
Correct. Heh, I just noticed that these are probably the same vocals but pitch-shifted.

omg i noticed that too! i love the witch barrier-shifting song :omgz:

acid_mouthwash said:
Why does this incredibly boring show have some of Yuki's best work? I really want an OST 3.

:XD: :XD: seconded!
 
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wintersviolet said:
Mysterious: This album is making me realize that I’m not a fan of Eri’s voice. Well… I should’ve gotten the hint long ago because I keep skipping the songs in FJ vol. 2 that feature her in them. >.<

Well there is a big difference between the nowadays Eri songs and the ones back in Tsubasa, Xenosaga: in those she was singing and her voice was multilayed, which was making the songs to sound better, while now she sings without layers. Also you cant compare the voice of 1 person with the voices of 4 people with different vocal range.
 
I am a Small Boat on a River: I wonder where Kajiura-sensei got the idea for this song? I don't think I've ever heard anything like it from her before.

I, as usual, have my own parallels... :ayashii: :sparkleguy: :XD:

Bad Things That Should Happen: I will never understand this title.

Come to think of it, the title works if you interpret "should" as suppositional mood - i.e. not in the sense of "bad things that are bound to happen", but some abridged implication of "whatever bad things may happen, [they will be overcome]" :ayashii: Like I said, it requires some context indeed.

Why does this incredibly boring show have some of Yuki's best work?

This question has been often asked ever since Bee Train years. :ohoho: One might think the producers knew it would be boring, so they not only invited Yuki, but gave her BeeTrain-level freedom to create her trademark "music-drawn pictures" rather than scene-emphasizing BGMs. :XD:

Well there is a big difference between the nowadays Eri songs and the ones back in Tsubasa, Xenosaga: in those she was singing and her voice was multilayed, which was making the songs to sound better, while now she sings without layers. Also you cant compare the voice of 1 person with the voices of 4 people with different vocal range.

As far as I can hear, it's still multilayered. Maybe not as much in this album, though. But before you say good-bye to that technique, listen to Madoka songs. :sparkleguy:

OK, here's my brief review of the album:
until you find a light - op theme #5 - Kaori's Kajiurago is win. A prominent-sounding song with much suspence. A suitable opening.
one small life - a very cute piano track :dote:
storia - should I comment on it, too? :desksweat: :XD: It's a great song, and it was one of my favourite Kalafina singles way back when.
chaotic - I agree, this is a very Madoka-style track. :ayashii: I like the piano. :dote:
jubilee - :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: ...ahem. :XD: But seriously, it may actually be the best track in the album. :love: Eri's voice is as good as ever, but it's the grandest I've ever heard her sound. :TdT:
noisy and unrest - Eastern theme, very... intriguing :ayashii: Evokes some memories of Tetotetometome and Undertow intros, but in a much more elegant and playful tone.
a forced march - Yuki's ability to write epic and heroic songs have been well proven in Shin Hokuto no Ken, but this is another proof. :hero:
the coming ruin - really good, although I wish for a longer version (the part starting at 1.13 deserves at least one repetition :nosebleed: )
I am a small boat on a river - as said above, the mood of this track strongly resembles the one we heard in Achilles to Kame OST. An incredibly deep feeling of longing, living, dreaming... all in one. :shy:
a will to go - op theme #6 - Storia strikes yet again, a heroic version this time :hero:
a reckless passion - oh boy, THIS is where I felt like time-travelling back to Tsubasa Chronicles. Whoever said hearing old features in new songs was bad? This track feels (not sounds, before you ask :knife: ) so much like Storm and Fire, I almost cried. :touched: Like I said, it's really been a while since Yuki last used the fast guitar/flute combo, but I didn't realize how much I missed it. :sohappy:
the outbreak - pure concentrated epic. :nosebleed: :nosebleed: :nosebleed: I can hardly describe my feelings, because it evokes a whole spectre of them. Kinda wish PMMM ended at a note like this... :ayashii:
you can go your own way - another gorgeous track. I'm running out of descriptions already, so I'll leave it at that... :XD:
foreboding - can't help imagining I'm attending a play in a Japanese theatre. :hypno: A background track, although it's too atmospheric to be called boring. Serves as a nice interlude between more full-fledged songs.
George, what Aquarian Age track did you mean to compare it to? :confu: The only slight similarity is Arayashiki (boy, Araya-shiki, five years before KnK :ohoho: ), but no further than several seconds into the beginning. Can't compare them overall, IMHO.
mysterious - Eri again! :sohappy: if you want parallels... Future Soundscapes 2 & 3 used to begin with something like that. Btw, one of the tracks in question was called Moebius *stares at the RHH2 cover :ayashii: :psst:*
looking back to the past - I, too, expected something pensive but got something thoughtful. A nice surprise :ayashii:
bad things that should happen - arguably the most original track here. Can't really compare it to anything, although the arrangement might be like early years when Yuki mostly relied on keyboards and synthesizers. Gives off a feeling I can't quite define, but it's certainly not an ominous one. :ayashii:
town of vigor - a sweet "music picture" of a small, but lively and busy town. Maybe a seaport, even. With lots of merchants. :sparkleguy:
creative power - I'd describe it as... "exactly what it says on the tin". :ayashii: :XD: :dote:
break down the door - wooooooow :nosebleed: more flute/violin/guitar. Redefines gorgeous. :TdT:
must go ahead, somehow - I didn't realize the semblance to I Talk to the Rain style before it was mentioned. :desksweat: I guess I haven't listened to it in a while, since despite obvious strings, I got more associations with Boogiepop OST somehow. :XD: Going by the violin solo, though, it might rather be the successor to An Ordinary Dream :sparkleguy:
the breath of the era - starts out as another cute piano track, becomes grander eventually. :sohappy:
a fruitless love - Kaori wins again, but the melody is not to be written off either. A pure gem, with a mood not unlike Sayaka's theme. Wait... did I say "Sayaka's theme"??? *stares at the song's title :white: :omg: :leaf: :uh..: :orz:*
to the next door - op theme #7 - you know I can never have enough Eri :stars: the song itself is as mysterious as... well... Mysterious? :XD:
a tiny light - I bet it played at the end of some episode (not the credits, but a fade-out sequence). Maybe even at the end of the last episode. A tiny light, finally found - as the first track's title hinted. Now to the grand finale, which would be...
symphonia TV ver - of course, what else would it be. I already expressed my love for this song, happy to hear it in good quality at last. It's really rather full-fledged for a TV version, and by now, it's as much a clone of Adore as I'm a clone of Elvis Presley. :ohoho: Awesome. Period. :nosebleed:

Overall: I guess, it really is nothing short of Future Soundscape 5 in my eyes. :TdT: :shy: :XD: With the only drawback - the real Future Sounscapes had more Eri. But no Kaori in Kajiuran tracks, on the other hand. :sparkleguy: I don't care how boring the show may be (not like I'll ever have a chance to see it anyway :ohoho: :ohoho: :ohoho: ), until Yuki is at the stand, they may make ten more seasons if they want. :sohappy:
As to my faves, there are really a lot... OK, judging by the onion intensity in my review, the Grand Prix seems to be going to Jubilee, The Outbreak, Break Down the Door and Symphonia. But seriously, the rest is not far behind. Thank you, Yuki Kajiura. You did it yet again. :TdT:
 
@ Nick for forboding: Yes I meant Arayashiki and Influentail Arayashiki (which is in sphere 4). And its not just a few seconds. That sound that's similar dominates half of the track.

a fruitless love - Kaori wins again, but the melody is not to be written off either. A pure gem, with a mood not unlike Sayaka's theme. Wait... did I say "Sayaka's theme"??? *stares at the song's title :white: :omg: :leaf: :uh..: :orz:*


Haha! :XD:
 
So many Yuki's releases this spring :ohoho:

I like this OST a lot, but I'm still a bit disappointed that there're so few vocal tracks :uh..: But well Yuri\Kaori song is awesome as well as Kaori's kajiurago. The more I listen to Kaori, the more I like her voice.

I wonder why they included storia again. It's the same version they've released before.... And I didn't like symphonia. It sounds like a typical boring Kalafina song :uh..:
 
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Alphard Sokaina said:
I wonder why they included storia again. It's the same version they've released before.... And I didn't like symphonia. It sounds like a typical boring Kalafina song :uh..:

^ because they hadnt done so in the previews OST and maybe because they wanted to make the tracks 26 XD.
Also ballads are like that in general, you can avoid it. So if you find this boring and typical you will probably find so the other ballad songs that Yuki and all the other artists have made.
 
Re: Re:

I have been "listening" to symphonia for 3 months so now I like it. Though the first ED is better :P

acid_mouthwash said:
Kowz said:
The one that plays in EP 1 when the witch barrier is manifesting?
Correct. Heh, I just noticed that these are probably the same vocals but pitch-shifted.
Yuki's new sampler XD
 
Re: Re:

george1234 said:
wintersviolet said:
Mysterious: This album is making me realize that I’m not a fan of Eri’s voice. Well… I should’ve gotten the hint long ago because I keep skipping the songs in FJ vol. 2 that feature her in them. >.<

Well there is a big difference between the nowadays Eri songs and the ones back in Tsubasa, Xenosaga: in those she was singing and her voice was multilayed, which was making the songs to sound better, while now she sings without layers. Also you cant compare the voice of 1 person with the voices of 4 people with different vocal range.

Sorry, but I just don't like her voice, regardless of whether it's layered or not or who she's singing with. "Mysterious" basically confirmed it for me.
 
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