Another
dark score to control my CD player in 2001 is composed by an
old pro, Yasunori Mitsuda, and a relative newcomer, Yoshitaka
Hirota. While Mr. Mitsuda's music is once again top notch, Mr.
Hirota's blend of Chinese, industrial, and rock have a melancholy
influence that rises from the darkness and shines like a black
pearl. This is not bad for a guy who is composing his first
game soundtrack, although Mr. Hirota has scored (with Mitsuda-san)
several CAPCOM drama discs based on Resident Evil and Street
Fighter, and has worked on sound design at SQUARE.
After you've
heard and considered how great most of the music is, you will
notice the sound quality of the disc and the instruments used.
The combination of electronics, ethnic instruments and vocals
is unbelievable: the best since Hiroki Kikuta's Soukaigi score.
Some really
outstanding tunes by Mr. Hirota are the "Alice" tracks,
which are two of the saddest, bust most beautiful compositions
written in recent memory. They are dark, yet moving and will
truly wrench your heart. "Beltconveyor for Killers"
is a rich complex tune melding traditional Chinese sounds with
modern electronics. Hirota-san twists both styles into a gritty
tune with a cyber punk attitude.
Coming off
his brilliant scores for Chrono Cross and Tsungai, Mr. Mitsuda
gives us ten original tracks, nine of which are outstanding
(although I like his Celtic music it seems a bit out of place).
Two of my favorite Mitsuda tracks are on disc two. The creepy
"Coffin Fetish" and the sweeping yet tender "Tanjou"
are excellent examples of Mr. Mitsuda's moody music.
The last
thing of interest for this 2 CD set are the track names. They
are some of the weirdest, most absurd and coolest song names
to appear on a soundtrack CD. Examples are: "Coffee with
Bullet," "Bloody Kitchens," "Don't Cry My
Vampire" and "Sicking F*cking."
This collection
is a top notch accomplishment is video game music, but there
is one tune that I really don't care for. "Bacon's Juice"
is composed by both men, and in all candor, its cutesy sound
is like a Chocobo reject tune. Sticking out like a sore thumb,
it nearly destroys the atmosphere of disc 2.
I can't
remember a time when there were so many great scores to horror
based games (Silent Hill 2, Blood: The Last Vampire). Shadow
Hearts adds its own stamp to the horror music genre, without
relying on clichéd sounds and motifs. Instead, it pushes
the envelope with the infusion of Mr. Hirota's and Mr. Mitsuda's
unique styles, and then weaves them in to a dark, rich and complex
aural atmosphere.
