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Atelier Series & Mana-Khemia Vocal Collection ~ Volkslied 2 :: Review by Solarblade
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Album Title: | Atelier Series & Mana-Khemia Vocal Collection ~ Volkslied 2 |
| Record Label: | Team Entertainment | |
| Catalog No.: | KDSD-10024 | |
| Release Date: | May 30, 2007 | |
| Purchase: | Buy at CDJapan |
Overview
The second Vocal Collection of the Atelier series brings us the vocal tracks from various titles. There are a lot of songs from the Atelier games, most noticeably from the Atelier Iris series. Being an RPG series, you'll obviously find some great vocal tracks here. The compilation also includes some songs from the countless other Atelier titles and even a track from the off-titled Mana-Khemia series.
Track-by-Track Reviews
1) Fragments of Dawn [Atelier Iris Eternal Mana 2]
This song is one of many medieval-inspired pieces from the album. Yuki Mizusawa performs this track in a very moving fashion. The thing I really enjoyed is how much bass is present and how it stands out from a lot of the instruments. Then again, the violin solo also stuck out in my mind from this track and really developed the song further. Yuki does has some trouble keeping the higher notes in tune, but it's tolerable. (8/10)
2) Light Up the Sky [Atelier Marie]
"Light Up the Sky" mixes the whole medieval style of the last track with some beautiful strings. There is something that is little too familiar about this track causing me to have mixed feelings. I agree that Noriko Mitose sounds a lot better than Yuki Mizusawa and her vocals really makes the song seem better. However, it has a little less drive and flair than the previous song. In addition, it is quite short. (7/10)
3) By Yourself [Atelier Iris Eternal Mana]
A ballad pops up next. Some interesting hollowed out sounds and low strings form the song's backbone. Somehow, though, there's something missing that just left me feeling bored. I felt no connection with this song even though it does sound like something I might one day hear from other well-known female artists. I'm not beating down on the singer, though; she was actually quite good otherwise. (7/10)
4) carrot [Atelier Viorate]
There's something wrong when you get an artist with a nasally voice to sing a track like "carrot". The instrumentals, set with the familiar tone of the first two tracks, are what I like about the song. The clapping was kind of cute as well and adds a fun atmosphere. To think that Yuki Mizusawa also sung this one blew my mind because she killed the song with her honky voice. (6/10)
5) Forever [Atelier Elie]
We roll back into the ballad side of songs with "Forever", a more fitting ballad with Marie at the reins. I love her child-like vocals here. They fit with the acoustic guitar well and there's also good support from bass. The violin solo midway through the song really made the song stick out in a beautiful way. What a nice piece! (8/10)
6) News of the Love Wind [Mana-Khemia]
Now, this is a twist. This song sounds very upbeat and interesting at the beginning. This song was an early favorite of mine with its easy and pretty synth set-up. Haruka Shimotsuki leads the song and her voice is very interesting to say the least. However, I think it suits this pop tune. Obviously you can't have a song without a violin solo! (8/10)
7) Lhiannan Shee [Atelier Lilie]
Interesting. "Lhiannon Shee" is pretty ethereal at the start and, when Noriko comes in, the mood changes. The song goes into a dream-like state for the verse until she hits the bridge where an electric guitar makes its presence known. The song creates the perfect sound of an adventure if you ask me. It's like the song is telling a story. One of the best on the album. (9/10)
8) Ocean of Prayers [Atelier Iris Grand Fantasm]
The calm sound of waves crashing introduces us to a track sung by Haruka Shimotsuki. It is another one of those songs that would sound great if it were accompanied by a music video. Shimotsuki's vocals are sort of on the lower end of vocal abilities because, when she tries for the high notes, they turn flat and they aren't pleasant. Musically, it's pretty upbeat and quite nice actually. The acoustic guitar player is really good for some reason. (8/10)
9) ROYAL BLUE [Atelier Judie]
"ROYAL BLUE" is definitely like the material I would usually listen to. However, hearing this on the album totally knocked me off my seat because it just didn't fit. On the other hand, it's a really good track with its aggressive guitar riffs and Marie's vocals. The bridge probably made me the happiest because it just captured my attention. (8/10)
10) Flask Boy [Atelier Iris Eternal Mana]
The last new singer featured on this album is Rekka Katakiri and she sounds pretty interesting. "Flask Boy" is one of those happy pieces that tries to sound good. But please Rekka, don't sing at a higher tone! There's some nice instruments such as church bells ringing after a verse; it sounds good, but it seems awkward given the otherwise happy tone. I'm not too fond of this track overall. (7/10)
11) Change My Life [Atelier Iris Eternal Mana 2]
Haruka Shimotsuki disappoints me with this track. Her voice is oddly squeaky and very seiyuu-like while the instrumentals are full of staccatos and pan flute usage. This combination sounds incredibly awkward here. Shimotsuki needs some English lessons with lyrics like "Flesh your hush? Change my love?". This is the shortest song on the album, not even making three minutes, so I was happy by the end. (6/10)
12) Wings of the Night [Atelier Iris Grand Fantasm]
Wow, the synth opening of this song sounds so good after the mess that was the last track. Once again Haruka Shimotsuki takes lead vocals and her unsupported vocals once again overwhelm. However, the instrumentals are quite effective at making her voice seem better. The chorus sounds perhaps unfinished, however. They could have added so much more to make this song better. I don't know what the solo instrument here is, but there is some fancy playing right there. (8/10)
Summary
I usually like Vocal Collections because they capture most of the themes and essence of games. The choices of singers on Volkslied 2 were pretty good, but then again some singers have troubles and others are out of pitch. This doesn't mean much when the song's instrumentals are behind them and they are mostly pretty good. They also made me notice something interesting about how the album progresses. I kind of saw a transition from the medieval music into the more modern sounds of today. That was an awesome idea. All in all, the album is a nice collection of songs from the series and I'm hoping to see another one in the near future.
