Arcus II -Silent Symphony- :: Review by Dave

	Album Title:	Arcus II -Silent Symphony-
	Record Label:	Toshiba EMI
	Catalog Number:	TOCT-5616
	Release Date:	December 13, 1989
	Content:	1 CD - 39 Tracks
	Purchase:	Buy at eBay

Overview

In 1983, a computer standard called MSX was designed by a company called ASCII in cooperation with Microsoft. The standard was used in machines produced by such giants as Sony, Yamaha, Panasonic, Toshiba, Daewoo, and Philips. MSX computers were popular in Asian and South American countries as well as in Europe, and since the MSX line of computers could play cartridge based and disk games, it seemed only natural that someone would attempt to make a console out of the computer. The 1980's gaming world was ruled by the FM Towns Marty, the Commodore 64GS, and before that the Amstrad GX400 and the Amiga CD32, so it was time for something new and more impressive, better known as the Zemmix CPC-50 (after a branch of such consoles were developed MSX was taken as the global name).

8 bit consoles are renowned for their basic music, but I can tell you that Arcus II -Silent Symphony- has an impressive sound quality for the time. Three composers worked on this score, but there is only one whose name still stands out today. Arcus II -Silent Symphony- is amongst Motoi Sakuraba's earliest projects, and, it is definitely a pleasure to hear music from the start of his budding career. On this album, he worked alongside Masaaki Uno, and Yasunori Shiono, and formed the Sergeant Wolf Band, which was Wolf Team's sound team while they were independent from Telenet Japan. This album has music which is both melodically and harmonically impressive, and it really took me by surprise. It stands out in its own right, and although some areas are laughable in comparison to today's standards, the three composers certainly impress.

Original Version

Motoi Sakuraba's Contributions

"Western Kingdom" is the first of Motoi Sakuraba's creations on the Original Version. The opening section to the track is ominous, and after a drum beat is added, a high pitched melody comes in to play alongside a dark, electric guitar. Although the theme is relatively short, it is a promising first theme from him that leads the listener into searching for something similar. "Slash!!" does just that; tension, suspense, and horror fill this classic track. This theme is just full of action, and although it is short once more, it is hard to miss the intelligence behind the theme. The instrumentation is limited but effective, as with the start of the track consisting with a single instrument, Sakuraba adds some much more aggressive parts over the top of this to create the tense atmosphere that it holds. "Waiting Fate" holds a similar atmosphere, but this time, the effect is created by its contrapuntal nature. The next track, "Pale-Face~Rune Blade~" is an arrangement of this theme with darker instruments, and, added to this, the theme has a whole new, inspirational section. Indeed, Sakuraba has got off to a good start, and we are most certainly left in anticipation for some great themes.

In the second half of the album, there are three consecutive themes from Sakuraba that stand out amongst the others. "Mad King" is a perfectly developed composition that holds a grand atmosphere with a sense of confusion and fear as added effects. The start of the theme is aggressive in nature, but it is extremely pleasing to see that Sakuraba implements an inspiration melody within the theme, too. This, along with some awesome chromatic motifs, makes the listen all the more worthwhile. "Spark!!" is even more aggressive; with its pulsating drum line, its powerful, albeit simple, melody, and its dominance of the lower octaves, the perfect atmosphere for a battle is set. "In The Dark" is a much more flowing track that focuses upon the melody more than anything else. Although it is far from being as dramatic as "Spark!!" or "Mad King," its effects are long-lasting. This bunch of themes are packed with so much tension and suspense that the album now takes a deathly tint as it is now painted with images of battles and fear.

Aside from Sakuraba's tension enhancing themes, there are tracks earlier in the album that seem to tell stories of success and companionship above anything else. "Hobbit Kid" is a joyous theme that has a simple, yet fun, melody that oozes with a sense of grandeur and pride. The theme that follows this track, "Lady Thief," is passionate and gracious, and despite the fact that it is based on very little, it is really easy to note certain features that may have inspired him with later albums. "Grief Prince" is very Star Ocean-esque in nature as it is very futuristic, ambient, but ominous in nature as well. It is hardly as impressive as "Departure" though, which is based on the melody first revealed in "Grief Prince." Could this be the unravelling of the genius that is Sakuraba? This track represents exactly what his music stands for today: power, excellence, and ambition. The theme is hardly revolutionary, but it provides a dramatic atmosphere that is idealistic for the situation.

Finally, a string of six tracks reveals to us what Sakuraba's musical preferences were at the time. "Rune Tradition" has both an inspirational melody and a tense atmosphere that is brewed up especially for the occasion. The harmony is simple and the instrumentation isn't diverse at all, but it just goes to show that a little can go a long way. "Devil Errand" follows on perfectly from "Rune Tradition," providing a battle-like setting with its fast pace and tension drilling drum line. The theme starts off solely with a bass guitar line, and when this is taken over by some blaster synth, an organ, and later on a piano, the theme comes to life. "Chaos" is a bit slower in tempo, but it keeps the atmosphere flowing. In many ways, this theme fails to perform since it neither develops nor entertains the listener. However, as previous tracks have done, it links perfectly with the next theme, "Charge," which takes the melody and expands it further.

"Bloody Jewel" is his second to last contribution on the Original Version of the album. The theme is amongst the longest on the album, but by no means does this reflect upon its development. In some ways, the uneventful nature of this track is apposite, but in my opinion, it doesn't make a good listen. Nonetheless, "Bride and Peace" is what I label as a 'classic track'. It holds an inspirational melody and it is divine in the way that it develops. Indeed, the fact that it has an arranged counterpart on the album shows what an epic theme it is. On the whole, Sakuraba's contributions prove how versatile he is. From the tension enhancing to the epic, and from the inspirational to the uniting, he doesn't let the team, or his fans, down one bit. Original, groundbreaking, and unforgettable, what more could one ask for? Well, there's a lot more to come.

Yasunori Shiono's Contributions

Yasunori Shiono's compositions certainly seem to have the most life in them, for instance, "Smile" is a very likeable track that really gets your hopes up, and although it is pretty repetitive, the harmony makes it all the more fun to listen to. "Kingdom Earth" shares the same upbeat rhythm as "Smile," but this time, the theme also adopts a darker nature. The combination of the two makes it a unique listen, and accompanied by some great synth, the melody lows along nicely. "Light and Dark" is a massive step forward in comparison to these, and this is simply because the melody is profound, the development is effective, and there isn't a single flaw anywhere. Indeed, it could have even better if it were longer, but truth be told, it needs no improvement. "Dwarven Warrior" is very much at the same level as "Light and Dark." It feels fresh and airy throughout with the flowing patterns of the harmonies adding to the light textures and subtle instrumentation use Shiono introduced. Despite being short, it is varied, so it creates a profoundly different atmosphere in the two minutes that it plays, offering a suitable and inspiring break from the themes that it is sandwiched between.

His last three tracks, "Where Are You Going?", "Strange Island," and "Eastern Kingdom" are all of equal calibur. Each theme has it faults, but they all have some really great assets, too. Indeed, length is another issue, but when one considers that this is an MSX album, it is hard to believe what you hear. This music is exactly what you would hear in the late Super Nintendo days, if not at the start of the PlayStation era. Of course, the synth is impressive, and although it may not be up to today's standards, Masaaki Uno's skills combined with Yasunori Shiono's produces an unexpected awe-inspiring vibe. Yasunori Shiono's contributions are monumental on this album and it is a pity that he didn't compose more. There is however, his impressive arrangement, which I will talk about later.

Masaaki Uno's Contributions

Born on March 12, 1964, Masaaki Uno joined Wolfteam in 1987 and worked there first as composer, then director and producer next to Masahiro Akishino and Joe Asanuma. His last known work was in 2004 as a sound director for Mario Power Tennis, a role that is quite low key, considering that his achievements in the past have been quite profound. Indeed, he is most likely the one that lured Sakuraba into the Video Game Music industry.

His work on this album is really a mixed bag, but the good thing is that development is always a certainty. "Ten Years After" is probably the highlight of his work on the album. It starts off in a cunning fashion with many areas suggesting a forthcoming development, and, indeed, after a brief pause, the track really gets moving around the 1:30 mark. Although this theme is hardly the cynosure of the album, it provides the listener with a fair, unflawed, introduction to his works. His next theme, "Loggers" is slightly less inspiring, but what it offers is fitting and pretty relaxing. "Up Down" holds yet another wondrous melody, and although the piece sticks to the same line throughout, the sense of development created by the ever-changing harmony is aspiring and artistic.

Much like "Loggers," "Mystic Land" isn't as inspirational as his other compositions, but it has a really effective harmony that adds a bit more to the theme. "Elven Archer" is another track of the same nature (it even uses the same instrumentation), but it really fails to impress due to its lack of substance. Indeed, his melodic lines are profound, and he can create good harmonies at times, but he very rarely pieces the two together, despite the development that he offers. "By Linden" and "Wills Power" are exceptions to this, as they are definitely amongst his best works on the album. Each is as atmospheric as the other, and on the whole, Uno's contributions to the Original Version are wrapped up nicely. This album suggests that he is a composer who has a lot of musical ability which is sometimes wrongly implemented.

Arranged Version

1) Ten Years After

This arrangement is, by far, Masaaki Uno's best contribution to the album. The original theme is cunningly transformed into something special here, and although Motoi Sakuraba is head of the horn part, it is the rest of the track that really stands out. The first part of the theme acts as a curious build up to what comes next, and, following a delightful pause, the second half kicks in fully loaded and ready to go. Masaaki Uno puts all of his might into this theme, and this especially easy to note through the way that the crescendos and diminuendos are further enhanced by sways and swells in the instrumentation. This is my second favourite theme on the album, second only to the next track. (10+/10)

2) Kingdom Earth

"Kingdom Earth" is arranged in exactly the same way as Sakuraba would a theme nowadays. The development is intelligent, the introduction is captivating, and a pile of captivating keyboard and synth lines are added in to further enhance the theme. This theme is helped by the fact that it has a superb melody that no other track matches, and, as we all know, if you pair this up with a dollop of energy and rhythm, a winning theme is born. The theme essentially repairs what is lost in the original by carefully combining the epic melodies with an accompaniment that maintains interest and movement. The 1:50 mark sees the birth of one of the best organ solos that I have heard, and although it is short, the effect is long-lasting. Kudos to Yasunori Shiono, who really shows his worth here. (10+/10)

3) Bridal And Peace

Following his Motoi Sakuraba Live Concert Star Ocean & Valkyrie Profile and the Motoi Sakuraba Live Concert 2004, we all know what Sakuraba's arranging skills are like and what instruments he dominates on and prefers to use. Indeed, his arrangement here is very similar to some on his Beyond the Beyond Original Game Soundtrack, as despite the fact that it doesn't exactly reach the same lengths, it reaches an amazing height of sophistication and development. The theme starts off as a fanfare and as a piano line is added everything becomes even more grandiose as the parts begin to explore their own paths. The first minute or so is epic, and although the rest of the track adheres closely to the initial melody, he maintains equilibrium throughout. Sadly, this arrangement doesn't even touch upon Masaaki Uno's "Ten Years After," or Yasunori Shiono's "Kingdom Earth," yet it is unique in its own rights. (9.5/10)

Summary

On the whole, this isn't your average MSX album, in fact it was one of few that were released, and it must be amongst the best. The Original Version section of the album is filled with hidden delights that even the likes of Super Nintendo based tracks couldn't master. The Sergeant Wolf Band do a great job here, albeit separately, and it really is a privilege to see how they worked together whilst Wolf Team was independent from Telenet Japan. Indeed, this is most certainly one that you won't want to miss, but much like any extremely early Video Game Music album, it is out of print and extremely hard to find. Happy hunting!