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Radirgy Noah Original Soundtrack -Good Bye- :: Review by Don
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Album Title: | Radirgy Noah Original Soundtrack -Good Bye- |
| Record Label: | Sweep Records | |
| Catalog No.: | SRIN-1059 | |
| Release Date: | September 2, 2009 | |
| Purchase: | Buy at Amazon Japan |
Overview
According to Daisuke Nagata, the Radirgy Noah game is more of a side story in the Radirgy series, rather than a full-fledged sequel. He considers the music featured in it a refinement of that set forward in the original soundtrack. How does the Radirgy Noah Original Soundtrack compare to the original? Read on to find out!
Body
Since the Radirgy series is considered the child of Daisuke Nagata, it's only natural that he also composes the majority of the substantial themes on the soundtrack. "Psychopath" has quite a bubbly demeanor mixed with some slightly industrial beats. It's extremely fun and I like the spacey approach the melody line takes. The B section, which features a more prominent focus on the beats, combines nicely with the more ethereal synth featured in the background. Continuing with the more upbeat atmosphere, "Talk with the Wind," features another bubbly atmosphere with some fantastic beats and a great melody. The theme, on the whole, seems to give off a 70's vibe to me, and I enjoy the mix between spacey synth, ethereal accents, and piano to give a nice distinctive flavor to the theme.
"Tokyo Eight Spots" definitely features a heavier focus on beats, although they are more in line with the music previous mentioned. They have a definite pop sound and I think they really help solidify the cheery synth heard in the melody line. It's not the most creative or groundbreaking thing Nagata has done, but it's still decent nonetheless. Unlike the majority of Nagata's contributions, "Blue Flower" is very industrial in nature and more in line with some of the themes composed by Kou Hayashi. It features a heavy industrial influence, as mentioned above, with some great beats, some excellent robotic vocal sampling, and some great piano sections. The melody is practically absent, but the presence the entire mix leaves is pretty lasting.
"The Setting Sun" is definitely one of my favorite Nagata contributions on the soundtrack. The mix between some pretty powerful beats and more calming piano is an excellent choice and the synth harmony is superb. The B section mainly features the beats with some ethereal backing, but it's not very long before the piano is reintroduced. In a way, I could see myself watching the sun setting to this music. Moving to another favorite by Nagata, "Humanlost Funk" immediately reminds me of "death from above 4098" in terms of approach, but modified for this soundtrack. It features some great electronic sound effects, an exquisitely ethereal atmosphere, but most importantly, the beats are what make this theme shine. Not as powerful as those featured in "death from above 4098" from Karous, but this is a more lighthearted soundtrack. However, it does manage to throw in a bit of sinisterness with its distorted synth before the loop.
The boss theme, "The Ordinary People [shaped]," is a refined version of the boss theme featured on the original Radirgy soundtrack. It's an excellent mix of some nice house beats, some awesome percussion sampling, some great electronic mixing, and some groovy piano. It's one of those infectiously catchy pieces of music that just sticks in your head and the refinement this arrangement brings, particularly in the beats, makes this the definitive version. Lastly, "The Tongue of the Woman" is probably my favorite from Nagata. It's one of the more upbeat themes on the soundtrack, but it's excellently mixed. The beats and percussion sampling are quite nice and I love the piano thrown into the mix to give a nice sharp contrast to the more atmospheric synth used in the melody line. Throw in a bit of industrial influence and you have yourself a winner!
Hayashi's contributions to the soundtrack definitely are more hardcore in nature. "Phil Case" features some nice industrial beats with some excellent vocal sampling, some fantastic synth in the bass line, and some great percussion sampling. It definitely has a more powerful persona than some of Nagata's contributions, but at the same time, the seriousness is counterbalanced by the playful melody line. It's not the most melodically focused, but it matches nicely with the rest of the soundtrack. The B section even sounds like you'd find it in a dance club. If the B section in "Phil Case" sounds like it could be in a club, I think that the majority of "5 Questions" would fit perfectly in a club. Some infectious house beats mixed with some fantastic vocal sampling reminiscent of some of Supersweep's works dominate the majority of the theme. The ethereal accompaniment and the industrial sound effects go well with the melody line, both in terms of the use of vocal sampling and more futuristic soundscapes.
"Keep Quipu" is probably my second favorite Hayashi contribution on the soundtrack. It's got an intensity about it that makes me think it's a boss theme. Copious use of industrial beats and sound effects dominate the theme and it mixes nicely with the distorted synth that is the driving force of the theme. Lastly, "Liver Dysfunction," what I only assume is the true last boss theme, is my favorite Hayashi contribution on the soundtrack. It's a nice industrial influenced piece with some distorted vocal sampling, some slick beats, and some great percussion sampling. It's a frenzy of layered sounds and I really enjoy the synth in the melody line that helps give it a bit of contrast to the more menacing beats.
Summary
Overall, the music featured in the Radirgy Noah Original Soundtrack is on par with the music in the original. The contrast in styles between the two composers helps to break up the upbeat nature of the soundtrack (not that there is anything wrong with that!) had really helps bring freshness to the listening experience. It's not as experimental as some of their other works, but it's still a worthy listening experience. In the end, it's definitely worth picking up if you enjoyed the original.
