|
   
|
||||||||||||||
Xenosaga III Soundtrack Review
Author: Chris Rhoton Disclaimer: All names, places, terms and titles in this document are the property of Namco, Monolith Software Inc., Yuki Kajiura, and Victor Records. This document is the property of the author, and may not be used or reprinted without permission. Preface: Ok, before I get into anything serious, I have a little to explain. I am a professional musician. I am a music teacher. I am a member of two professional performing ensembles (one choral, one a capella pop). I play the piano, guitar, and am a classical vocalist. I have been trained to formally analyze music and listen critically. This being said, I am not interested in the opinions of anyone else on this subject. This is an EDITORIAL, containing my opinions and assessments. What follows is a critical explanation of the Xenosaga Episode III Soundtrack album. I have tried to keep the technical terminology to a minimum, but in some cases it is necessary to explain the nuances of music in a complete sense. I want people to enjoy this album, but part of my job as an educator is to help people articulate WHY they like it. I don't like musical ignorance, and would encourage anyone reading this to do a little independent research for themselves. The more about music you learn, the more you'll enjoy it. If anyone reading this has questions about my review, I have provided contact information at the end of this document. On another note, my goal is not to hold this album up against other works. I will compare this collection to previous ones only when it is musically significant. I want everyone to experience this work in its own context, not being judged against the work of others. Ok, let's get on to the good stuff… Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra Original Sound Best Tracks Composed by Yuki Kajiura After the incredibly polarizing Xenosaga Episode II was released, one couldn't go three steps on the web without someone complaining about something. What seemed to get the most attention was the totally different styles of music composed for the game. Since the marvelous (albeit much too short and poorly utilized) score from Episode I was such a hit among fans, one wondered why the developers opted to change a good thing. Part of the reason is that Yasunori Mitsuda had decided to take a break from game composing to work on solo projects. In addition, I think they just wanted to experiment, and I applaud them for the attempt. If no one every tried anything different, we'd still be reading by candlelight and watching silent films. I loved the score for Episode II. Yuki Kajiura has a gift for unique harmonic language that not many game composers are willing to try. Now, the level themes were admittedly pretty irritating, but they were written by another composer, and would have been tolerable in another (less serious) game. Whatever you thought of the Episode II score, I was expecting more of the same from Episode III. When I first listened to it, I was immediately blown away. The harmonic language was expanded, and the uses of different instruments and voicing were expertly executed. Also among the greatest aspects of the score is Kajiura's ability to use touchstones from her Episode II score, with just enough familiarity to be recognizable while still seeming fresh. I would love to do a review of each individual track, but that would be far too long, so I have culled what I think to be some of the best pieces and have provided analysis of their texture (what instruments are being used) and form (how the piece is put together, and how melodic and harmonic devices and motifs are used). Keep in mind that the soundtrack album doesn't contain every track in the game, and that I have not played the game yet. I don't know specifically when some pieces are used in the game, and don't want to be spoiled. I'll describe my favorites in as much detail as possible. The album opens with the subdued, yet emotionally charged "Prelude to the Tragedy", which pictures the destruction of the planet Michtam and young Kevin's farewell to his mother. The use of strings (which Kajiura seems to like particularly) gives a sense of gravitas, with haunting horns and piano taking the spotlight for the first half of the piece. The third track is a piece called "We've Got to Believe In Something", and was used in a more obscure trailer for the game. It begins as instrumental, with driving rhythm, then a women's chorus enters with the main melodic motive, using a beautiful soprano descant above the main chorus. When it repeats, a solo flute creates a new melody. The chorus sings the same chord progression several times, but Kajiura's skill for embellishing existing material shines here: the chords are repeated many times, but in different inversions that shade the color in interesting ways. Track 8 is "Rolling Down the U.M.N.". This piece is especially entertaing, because it sounds more like an improv jam session than a through-composed piece. A jazz combo creates an enticing mood, with few real melodic figures, giving the listener a more relaxed experience, at least for the moment. Shame on all of you who said Kajiura could only write techno and pop ballads! Track 10, "Inferno" is a heavy orchestral piece with a menacing feel. The driving rhythm (another constant theme in this album) is accentuated by some really cool non-harmonic elements in the inner voices. This is a great example of a neo-Romantic style. A track that will bring back memories for every listener is number 14, "The Miltia Incidents". This march uses many expanded harmonic elements (lots of non-chord tones non-functional harmony). It also contains a new version of the "Song of Nephilim" motive, but is the strangest version yet. It is totally atonal and dissonant, like the Episode II version only a bit more out-there. Part way through, the tempo picks up, and the "Song" becomes a semi-ostinato above the instrumental voices. This is a really intriguing way to treat something that was previously melodic material. Kajiura really is clever with using repeated patterns in ways that keep them fresh and intellectually fulfilling. Track 15 is one of the more gentle pieces, but when Kajiura's music isn't loud and harmonically clever, it makes up by tugging at your heart strings. "Febronia" features piano with solo flute. It is hauntingly beautiful (the same could be said of all of the more subdued pieces in this score). Its mood is reminiscent of "Sakura No. 4" from Episode II. "Promised Pain" (track 16) was used in the "Testament spoilers" trailer. It uses strings, synthesizer, and a women's chorus (singing in Latin). It is made up of motives from the Episode II track "Bitter". However, as with all the old material in this album, it is different enough not to be boring. In fact, many people may not recognize the similarity, since "Bitter" was not actually used in Episode II. It also uses the main theme from the opening piece, "Prelude to the Tragedy". Another interesting part of this one is the use of a clavichord, which seems strange at first but works surprisingly well. Track 27, "Testament", uses full orchestra and choir (once again in Latin). This piece is slow and brooding, with the choir in open 5ths throughout a large part, which gives it an ethereal quality. In the development section, it adds harpsichord and the tempo becomes plodding and martial while the harmony expands to becomes more chromatic. Track 28, "Survive", is one point where I think Kajiura deliberately tried to imitate Mitsuda's Episode I score (but with her own unique and more iconoclastic approach). This is one of the few places that makes good use of brass, and has the slightly arabesque flavor of "Gnosis" from Episode I (it's even in the same key). Yet another meditative break from the bombast of the battle themes and high action, track 35 "A New World #2" is a satisfying string piece that just wallows in lush beauty. The melody is emotionally engaging , though not as haunting as "Febronia". It also borrows melodic motives from Episode II's "I Am Free". In the home stretch, track 39, "Hepatica #3 'I Believe In You'" brings us to a denouement in the drama. Its quality suggests finality, bitter sweetness, and hope. It uses a harp, string group, piano and solo viola. The harp plays arpeggios for the whole piece, while the melody changes from viola to violin in the 2nd statement of the theme and the piano takes over the arpeggios. It contains two distinct key changes, the first rather conventional, but the second is significant because it arrives in the bIII (read "flat 3") key of the second tonality (a pattern Kajiura used in many pieces in both "Xeno" scores, like "Sweet Song"). Finally, I must talk about the closing piece, track 40, "Maybe Tomorrow - Ending Theme". In typical Xeno fashion, our story ends with a pop ballad. This one, however, feels more natural than any in the previous games. For one thing, the poetry doesn't have the awkward way with the language that all four other Xeno pop songs had (I'm reminded of "The Smaller of Two Pieces", which was gorgeous, but had a text that was so esoteric that I had a hard time understanding what in the world it was about). This one is free from many of the strange verbal non sequiturs in the previous songs. The language flows better, and Emily Curtis sings it sensitively and beautifully. When the chorus of the song finishes, we are treated to a medley of pieces from elsewhere in the score. They are: "The Battle of Your Soul", "Promised Pain", "Xenosaga II Opening Theme", "Hepatica #3", and "Prelude to the Tragedy". It then recaps the first verse of "Maybe Tomorrow", with a long outro that brings everything to a calm, settled and tranquil conclusion. In general, every piece in this album falls into one of three categories: slow, song-like and beautiful; loud, powerful and menacing; or spooky and foreboding. Most of the latter are not very eventful musically, but do fill a dramatic need. There are some that fall into none of the categories, having their own identity and uniquness ("T-elos" and "T-elos #2" immediately come to mind). You can definitely hear how Kajiura's musical vocabulary has matured in the 2+ years since composing for Episode II. She makes more use of her love of chromatic melodies (something most game composers aren't brave enough to try) and dissonances that are effectively executed. Generally, there is a more intellectualized approach to her old habits that make them more "respectable". There is stylistic continuity: she likes ostinato patterns to drive the rhythm (hence the "techno" feel of lots of the Episode II score). However, here she (for the most part) uses the same patterns, but with acoustic voicing, which gives it a more mature feeling. This album also demonstrates her marvelous skill to reuse material in ways which are familiar, yet different in aspects that move the music to new levels of nuance. She embellishes melodic and harmonic patterns, sometimes in the same piece, to keep the music from becoming boring and predictable. My only complaints about this album are more about the post-production issues. I think it is simply too short! As most of you probably know, this collection does not contain every piece of music from the game. As far as I know, no plans to release a complete OST are in the works, but it is still a possibility. That being said, my next complaint might not even be a real reflection of this album; I felt that some of the different "versions" of some songs were simply repeated too much (there are at least four different versions of "Hepatica", only two of which are very unique). However, in light of the fact that the soundtrack is incomplete, and the similarity may serve a necessary dramatic purpose, this is a minor drawback that might be remedied by hearing them in context of the story (maybe it's some sort of Jungian/Nietzschean statement about eternal reoccurrence?). In summary, these minor qualms are not enough to keep me from rating this soundtrack 10 out of 10, and a must buy for anyone who loves Xenosaga (or just great modern music). The Xenosaga journey has been a rewarding one, both dramatically and musically, and those two could hardly be separated from one another. I hope you all have enjoyed the adventure as much as I have, and here's to the Xenoverse continuing on into the ever-spanning future, with many more great memories along the way! Chris Rhoton Scherzophrenic@gmail.com I will respond to any email with serious questions about my review or the soundtrack album itself. I will also answer any questions pertaining to other music collections in the "Xeno" family ("Xenogears" included), and hope to write detailed reviews of those albums as well. Do not email me to argue with me about my review. If you haven't studied music at the college level, I am not interested in your opinion. Also, do not email me with spoilers or silly questions about the narrative content of the games themselves; save that for the forums, because there ARE stupid questions AND stupid people, and I have no problem making you feel like an idiot. |
|||||||||||||||
