Anime: FLCL (aka Fooly Cooly)
Album: Addict
Musicians: The Pillows: Sawao Yamanaka (vocals, guitar), Yoshiaki Manabe (guitar), Shinichiro Sato (drums), misc. members (bass)
Release date: 4 Oct 2000

FLCL OST 1: Addict Tracklisting 1. Last Dinosaur 2. Ride on Shooting Star 3. Sad Sad Kiddie 4. Carnival 5. Runner’s High ~FLCL Version~ 6. Instant Music 7. Stalker 8. River’s Edge (B-6) 9. Stalker Goes to Babylon 10. One Life 11. Pain (A-7) 12. Kaburefusuki :/ Yori – Gallop 13. Hybrid Rainbow 14. Selfish-b (B-5) 15. Pink (A-6) 16. Beautiful Morning with You 17. Sleepy Head 18. Ban-new Love Song 19. Advice ~FLCL Arranged Version~ 20. Little Busters *Bold titles - recommended listening.

OVERVIEW

To pick my battles wisely, I will say that FLCL’s greatest attribute is its music. Addict is almost entirely performed by the famous, and equally talented, Jrock (Japanese Rock) band The Pillows. The Pillows are known for their innovative guitar playing and mind stirring lyrics, making them the perfect band to play for such an interesting anime. Some songs do fall under the standards set early in this original soundtrack, but even a few bad songs can’t truly hurt Addict.

THE GOOD

Ride on Shooting Star
“Ride on Shooting Star” never fails to bring images of Vespas and guitars to my head, carrying the essence of FLCL with it. Powerful guitar playing, memorable lyrics, and background drums all come together to form a solid rock song. “Ride on Shooting Star” helps start this album off on the right foot, setting the bar just high enough for its brethren to clear and join it on the other side.

River’s Edge (B-6)
“River’s Edge” is the first song of its kind on Addict; unlike its predecessors it is not a hardcore Jrock song. It is more laid back and soothing. “River’s Edge” is played by what sounds like the simplistic plucking of a guitar string and the smooth patting of the drums. The melody is easy to follow, and conveys an emotion of wonder. By taking a break from Jrock, this song gives the listener time to reflect.

Kaburefusuki :/ Yori – Gallop
One would be hard pressed to find a song that portrays the pace of FLCL better. “Kaburefusuki” is fast, sporadic and catchy - just as much as the anime which wears it. The xylophone, flute, and strings work hand in hand to play out this “galloping” (pun intended) ballad befitting of a farce. FLCL’s wackiness brought me in, and “Kaburefusuki” has kept me from leaving.

Hybrid Rainbow
“Hybrid Rainbow” is probably one of the best known songs by The Pillows’ or in anime. With emotion-packed lyrics and fluid guitar work, it clears the bar set by “Ride on Shooting Star”, then catches it mid-flight and sets it higher. Sawao puts his soul into his vocal cords as he sings passionately into the mic. His voice definitely left me feeling the “hybrid rainbow”.

Advice ~FLCL Arranged Version~
Guitar playing at its best, “Advice” hits the ground running and never stops. The Pillows’ style comes into full bloom as Yoshiaki Manabe, Sawao and the bass put in their all. Reminding me of an old Hendrix song, this rock ballad pounds its beat into your head… but trust me, you will enjoy every hit. Playing along with the “air guitar” has never been so hard; The Pillows bleed talent all over “Advice”.

Little Busters
And in the end, there was “Little Busters”; my personal favorite Pillows and Jrock song in general. Another fine example of pure talent, The Pillows show great team work in pulling off this closing song. Led by Sawao, “Little Buster” is simple yet powerful enough to squeeze between “Ride on Shooting Star” and “Hybrid Rainbow’s” marks, rounding out the top three songs on Addict.

THE BAD

Stalker
Repetitive. How I dislike poor repetition. “Stalker”, in my analogy of bars and marks, is the jumper who walks under them out of pure laziness. “Stalker” has a nice 30 second tune, which repeats over and over again throughout the 2 minutes and 36 seconds of the song. No vocals mask the repetition, just straight guitars and drums. I have said this line many times before: I really expect more from such talented musicians. “Stalker” left me craving so much more…

Stalker Goes to Babylon
…and I hoped this would have delivered. “Stalker Goes to Babylon”, however, is a let down. Besides repeating itself about as much as “Stalker”, this song has an annoying high pitched whistle and “woo” sound to it. Over this “wooing” whistle, is the sound of a cat running on a turn table. Close to the end, a male’s voice enters the song; this voice is faint and heard sporadically, helping the song in no way.

The Rating: 8

Reviewed by: Kurier