Natsume Yuujinchou Original Soundtrack
Anime: Natsume Yuujinchou
Album: Natsume Yuujinchou Original Soundtrack
Musicians: Yoshimori Makoto; Kamiya Hiroshi; Kita Shuuhei
Composer/Lyricist: Yoshimori Makoto
Release Date: 26 Sept. 2008
| Natsume Yuujinchou Original Soundtrack - Yoshimori Makoto Tracklisting 1. Kimi ga Yobu Namae ~Natsume Yuujinchou no Theme *Bold titles - recommended listening. |
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OVERVIEW
Natsume Yuujinchou’s soundtrack is all over the map in terms of its presentation, but its core foundation emphasizes the series’s atmosphere by placing light and pleasant melodies that evoke the image of a hot, lazy summer day alongside gloomy tracks and tracks that consist of sounds that one might hear when taking a walk through a forest. The degree to which the listener will enjoy this soundtrack depends on how well they can tolerate the latter. While those tracks rich in sound effects are unlikely to appeal to people initially because it is not what most would perceive to be music in the traditional sense of the word, it is not impossible to learn to appreciate those tracks over time, especially if the listener is looking for tracks that are slightly off the beaten path and complement the series by providing atmospheric ambience. So when you go about listening to this album, keep an open mind because this soundtrack is packed with the unexpected that spices up its otherwise subdued atmosphere, preventing it from growing overly stale or tedious.
THE GOOD
Kimi ga Yobu Namae ~Natsume Yuujinchou no Theme~
This piece does an excellent job of evoking the variety of emotions that the series stirs within the viewer. Right off the bat, the glissando followed by an accordion melody brings forth the feeling of an idyllic, nostalgic time in one’s life when they are not burdened by the problems and responsibilities of adulthood. Its tone then shifts slightly with an increased tempo when the piano makes its entry and the mood in this section is suggestive of a person’s emotions that gush forth as they fondly look back upon their childhood with all the joys, pains, and sorrows that they experienced. You could not ask for a more beautiful way to start things off because it is so good at conveying the richness and sense of wonder that come about through Natsume’s interactions with the ayakashi.
Yuruyaka na Aze Michi de
If there’s a piece that succeeds in invoking the summery atmosphere that I mentioned in the introduction, this one would be it. The recorder melody and acoustic guitar accompaniment set to a slow tempo makes for a pleasant, almost lazy-sounding section that paints a scene of the characters as they take a stroll through a lightly wooded forest. At least that’s how it starts. As the piece picks up and adds more instruments to the theme in the first section, you can almost feel the woods growing denser, but also more alive, especially once the piano takes over. The sense of life that Yoshimori injects into this piece becomes very apparent around 1:52 where the sound effects make their entrance and builds up to a cacophonous sound which feels like a lively forest filled with exotic creatures. Finally, the ruckus dies down and the piece falls back to the slow theme that’s heard in the first part of this piece. Though it might be deceptively slow in the beginning, it’s definitely worth a listen because the way it comes to life captures your attention by putting you right in the middle of the action.
Ame Yoru no Tsuki no Youni
The tension brought about through the piano part playing in the minor key at the start feels as though the piece were describing a gloomy, rainy day that’s turned worse as a result of some calamity. A sense of urgency and sorrow permeates throughout this piece with the former coming from the tempo and the piano harmony and the latter conveyed through the forlorn-sounding flute part that comes in 20 seconds into the piece which is soon joined by the oboe. While you get a glimmer of hope scattered here and there like the section around the 2:13 and 2:54 marks where the piece tries to be more uplifting, it reverts back to its mournful tone to close out the piece. As you listen, be sure to keep your ears open by listening to how well the oboe and flute melody combine with the piano and acoustic guitar harmony to tug at your heartstrings through its outpouring of grief and sorrow.
Kimi ni Fureta Hikari
This track may very well be the best track on the entire album because of how it manages to do practically everything right. The piece starts with a piano playing a legato section that evokes a flowing mood reminiscent of a babbling brook. Although the first minute feels repetitive because it uses the same progression sequence, the listener should not have a difficult time hearing how the melody builds the piece ever so slightly and meaningfully while shifting the mood. For example, you’ll hear scatterings of dissonance here and there to create a sense of worry and keep the listener on the edge of their seat until they reach the payoff which comes once the 4:54 mark is reached. Here, the piece hits the climax that resolves itself through an amazingly graceful and elegant melody that’s predominantly taken up by a piano playing on the higher registers backed by a synth part played at a slightly higher octave. What results is an airy mood that feels as though one’s burdens are lifted and that the doors have opened up to a whole new beautiful world.
THE BAD
Natsu Mado Hirakettanashi
This is the track that most people will talk about when voicing disgust for this soundtrack simply because there isn’t any music present. For 3 minutes, 41 seconds, the listener is subjected to the sound of insects buzzing incessantly. Credit must be given towards Yoshimori for being able to put the listener right in the middle of an insect swarm convincingly because listening to this does have a tendency to set one’s nerves on edge as it literally drones and buzzes on and on for the length of its duration before fading out. Unless you have some sort of appreciation for environmental sounds of the irritating variety, it may be wise to skip this track altogether.
Oushi Za no Kaijin
Those of us who prefer that musical pieces carry some sort of structure will have a hard time appreciating this track. The piece starts out lazily enough with the sproinging noises that accompany the piano melody and creates a rather lackadaisical scene. It doesn’t take long for this piece to plunge into the bizarre by including some outworldly moaning noises accompanied by a set of dissonant piano chords. This moaning becomes particularly grating in the segment starting at 1:57 where the moaning continues for 20 seconds straight without any musical accompaniment. Although the dissonant piano part and the increase in tempo create an enjoyable sort of tension, its sound effects are a bit too strange, making this piece difficult to enjoy.
The Rating: 8
Reviewed by: zzeroparticle
