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Star Ocean Soundtrack :: Review by Dave
OverviewThis album, released in 2004, is a remastered score for the Sci-Fi RPG Star Ocean. Although the arranged album Star Ocean Perfect Sound Collection was released soon after the game, an original score was never produced. This album, created a whole nine years later, features the music that so many fans longed for, and, luckily for tri-Ace, the reception was great. The Star Ocean series features some of Sakuraba's most dramatic and exhilirating compositions to date, so, when this album was eventually released, many game fans were treated to a series of classic SNES tracks with a kick to them. Admittedly, I greeted this album with a great deal of trepidation as I was unaware of the series prior to its creation, but after hearing the beauty of the first track and its excelling power, the sky was the limit. BodyThe first track on the album, "Tense Atmosphere" sets the scene perfectly. A combination of smooth strings, a sharp drum line, and a pure oboe melody provide the track with an essence of originality that is expanded upon later on in the album. The next track, "Ambition" features some airy instrumentation and a great melodic line which create a very calm and seductive atmosphere. "Tense Atmosphere" and "Ambition" prove to be very different in nature, with one track adding a sense of flair to the situation (a battle may I add), and the other generating a sense of relaxation. Evidently, Sakuraba's diversity has already been put to use. Dark and sorrowful tracks account for at least two thirds of the album, and when the gameplay is considered, this hardly comes as a surprise. Instrumentation is a decisive element in the creation of an effective atmosphere, and Sakuraba does well here to satisfy a number of emotions through a variety in timbre. "Tense Atmosphere" is the first instance of a dark track, and with its battle-like flair, a sense of action is produced straight away. The next battle theme, namely "High Tension," features an apprehensive set of instruments, and although the theme is similar in pace to "Tense Atmosphere," it is much darker and portentous, thus widening Sakuraba's scope. He continues to impress on the second disc with four wild themes that feature fear filled atmospheres. "Immediately Before" is the first of these tracks, and by introducing a set of shrieking synth lines, he creates the desired effects perfectly. From here onwards, these wild tracks begin to evolve, as, with constant changes in metre being evident as well, a combination of instrumental variety and unexpected jolts heighten the atmosphere. "Dream and Reality" is a perfect representation of this; enthralling the listener with a series of dramatic changes in timbre and rhythm, it comes as a blessing. Even still, tracks in which the initial rhythm is maintained throughout seem to work, too. A series of ominous themes benefit from this factor, although a majority of them lie on the first disc. "Secretly" is the first of these themes, and it is through some dark organ chords that a sense of tension arises. At the 0:25 mark, Sakuraba combines the organ chords with a synth bass, and although highly unorthodox, it works very well. Conflicting genres are a key to success, but, unfortunately, he doesn't use them often enough on the album. The next dark track, namely "Face to Face," combines an oboe melody with a synth bass line, and that is as far as it goes when fusion is considered. "Dim" is another dark track, and despite the obvious potential in the accompaniment, Sakuraba concentrates on the melodic line for far too long. All in all, this isn't a bad decision; yet, one's desires aren't exactly fulfilled when a bass note is repeated throughout the track to create an ineffective accompaniment. Nonetheless, he concludes his set of dark themes with "New World," an ambiguous track in nature. "New World" is somewhat pride filled, but, at the same time, the chord progressions that the low 'cello parts offer are mysterious. Tracks like this make the listener feel uneasy, and this was the precise effect that he was after when he created it. More could have been made out of the militaristic edge to this track, but all in all, the accompaniment is perfect. Sakuraba's battle themes aren't as powerful as they could have been; yet, when they are compared to each other, a sense of justification is certainly brought out through the solemn atmospheres created. "For Achieve" is a perfect representation of this; it contains some wondrous string parts and a selection of emotional wind lines that are truly heartbreaking. There are a number of sad tracks on the album, and the first of these is "Full of Sorrow." "Full of Sorrow" is a creative 'cello and soft synth track that features a series of heart-rending chord progressions. Sakuraba doesn't develop this track as much as he could do, which is a shame, seeing as though it could have been as effective as "Solemnity," a later track. "Solemnity" excels as it has an additional factor of intrigue and tension. An organ harmony gives this track an ominous aura, yet, with the addition of an airy synth part, this then develops to create an atmosphere of sadness and mystery. "Purge Thyself," the track that leads into "Solemnity," is just as atmospheric. Sakuraba relies upon the success of a set of piano chords and a high pitched melody here, which, in many circumstances, can result in a lack of power or effect. He doesn't fail here, as, with the use of a considerable amount of crescendos and diminuendos, he strays away from this trend of failure. Few tracks maintain such a great amount of power with such instrumental simplicity, and it is great to see him excel here. The rest of the album is made up from a series of light-hearted tracks, which, much like the darker tracks, also fall into a number of distinctive areas. Sakuraba lets his melodies come alive here, thus creating a number of grand, purifying, and victorious themes. Creating a sense of victory is potentially one of Sakuraba's weakest areas; in fact, it is the lack of these themes that prove to be the main problem. "Next Step" is the first of these tracks, but it is merely thirty seconds long. Many fans will agree that it does well ingame, but, as a stand alone track, I would rate it amongst the likes of Final Fantasy VII's "Victory Fanfare," a track that grew old far too easily. "Space Peace" is similar to this track in that it holds a great amount of wasted potential and little else. Sakuraba soon picks himself back with a selection of grandiose themes that hold all of the factors that the two short victory themes lacked. "One Challenge" is the first instance of this, and with a brass section followed by a pride enhancing developed part, the other two tracks pale in comparison. "Refinement" is another grandiose track, but this time it has a stately essence, too. The track is composed in the style of a waltz and it is based upon a cycle of fifths chord progression, too. The instrumentation that features here is extremely effective as there isn't a single instrument that fails to contribute something special to the track. Ambience is another important feature of the album, but it is only really shown in its most dominant form when it is combined with a sense of passion. "Calm Time" is one of these tracks. The sense of enthusiasm produced by the melodic line of this track is profound, and it creates a distinctive sense of holiness and stability through its pitch and pace. The initial melody is repeated over and again throughout this track, but this lack of development keeps it simplistic and musically just. This track is one of the few exceptions in that any major development would spoil the atmosphere rather than enhance it. "Relief," is another passionate track, but sadly, it proves to be one of the cases in which a lack of substance doesn't work, so, it is a total contrast to the nature of "Calm Time." Sakuraba experiments with this sense of ambience throughout the soundtrack, but ironically his best ambient theme comes towards the start of the album. "Stream of Wind" is neither full of instruments nor is it plain, and this is the perfect style that Sakuraba should have stuck to. Although he rediscovers himself later on, he lingers for far too long on lacklustre tracks like "Relief" and offers very few tracks like "Calm Time" or "Stream of Wind" towards the start of the album. Nonetheless, the main part of the album ends strongly with three memorable ending themes. The first of which, "Sweet Time" is a wonderful harp and guitar track that is full of passion and purity. As well as this, it features a great development that adds to the overall atmosphere of the track. "Sweet Time" offers a sense of reminiscence to the listener, and it is only after listening to "The Strong" that this image of the past grows to one of pride and supremacy. "The Strong" is a militaristic track with an edge, as although it starts off in the style of a war march, Sakurba soon diverts the course of the track into a more fluid section that is filled with pride and honour. The last track that we hear from this remastered section is "All for One." "All for One" is a suspense filled gem that has militaristic sections and mystical parts intertwined within its structure. These ending tracks are excellent when their structure is considered, and they truly provide a sense of climax in the game. Following these tracks is a selection of the original themes that were played in the game, and although these only act as a bonus to the album, they also show just how well the themes have been remastered for the album. SummaryI would highly recommend this album to anybody, as although some tracks are plain, there are a great number of epics, too. Tracks like Tense Atmosphere" and "For Achieve" are a must hear, as are a majority of the themes on the second disc. All in all, this album is a great representation of Sakuraba's work at the start of this decade. 1996 was a highly successful year for him, as with Shining the Holy Ark and the Star Ocean Perfect Sound Collection being composed in the same year, he really showed the world what he can do. 1998 saw him compose a whole three albums more than the previous maximum, and this just goes to show what an influence his music must have had. He has certainly found his feet with this album, an album that marks the start of a new Sakuraba era, despite its nine year delay, of course. Percentage Overall Score: 95% |
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