Ar tonelico Hymmnos Concert Side Red -Tsukikanade-

	Album Title: Ar tonelico Hymmnos Concert Side Red -Tsukikanade-
	Record Label: Team Entertainment
	Catalog No.: KDSD-10014
	Release Date: January 25, 2006
	Purchase: Buy at CDJapan

Overview

Ar tonelico Hymmnos Concert Side Red -Tsukikanade- is one of two vocal albums that accompany the original Ar tonelico. Barring a few instrumental themes, the majority of this album features vocal compositions by the Gust Sound Team and Haruka Shimotsuki. How does this album complement the original soundtrack for an engaging in-game experience? More importantly, is it any good on a stand-alone level?

Body

Unlike the Ar tonelico Hymmnos Concert Side Red -Tsukikanade-, all the instrumental themes for this album are composd by Daisuke Achiwa. “LORE” features a very beautiful soundscape. The woodwinds melody combines quite nicely with the exotic percussion and the ethereal accompaniment. It features a very beautiful melody that is accented by some Hindi sounding vocals samples towards the end of the theme. Overall, it’s a very beautiful theme. “COSMOSCAPE,” on the other hand, is an interesting blend of elements. At times, there is some nice jazzy soundscapes, at others, a more emotional emphasis. The combination of the bass guitar and piano are nice and give it that jazzy air, but in addition, Achiwa throws in some more chiptune/electronic elements and some tribal percussion to give it a very unique sound. Lastly, “MEMORY” adopts an Asian soundscape and is an absolutely beauty in which to listen. The combination of the shamisen, the industrial beat, and the chiptune/electronic elements all mesh together to form an intoxicating blend of organic and futuristic elements. This is a very beautiful way to end the soundtrack.

Many of the vocal themes are composed and arranged by members of the Gust Sound Team. “EXEC_PAJA/.#Aurica extracting” is a theme composed and arranged by Takashige Inagaki and sung by Haruka Shimotsuki. Unlike the extracting theme from Side Blue, this theme, although action-oriented, is much more subtle in its approach. Overall, the vocals give off a feeling that is, at times, mysterious, while at others, more akin to those featured in its counterpart. The music, on the other hand, is a blend of percussion and electronic effects with some definite ethnic influences. It’s a much more mysterious theme, and although I enjoy Akiko Shikata’s extracting theme more, this one is still quite nice to listen to.

Takashige Inagaki is featured a few more times as composer for this album. “EXEC_SUSPEND/.” is also composed and arranged by Takashige Inagaki, but rather than Haruka Shimotsuki, the vocalist is Noriko Mitose, whom many may know from the vocal theme to Chrono Cross. This theme is a very laidback theme. Noriko Mitose’s delicate voice is featured, and although there is vocal layering, it’s nowhere near as complex as those featured in Shimotsuki’s or Shikata’s songs. The music also helps to reinforce this delicate nature. It’s a very calming theme with an Asian soundscape. The exotic percussion, the beautiful stringed instruments, and the ethereal accompaniment make for a very delicate theme that compliments Mitose’s voice quite well. Lastly, “Chanting the Moon -Tsukikanade-,” is also composed by Inagaki and features Haruka Shimotsuki as the vocalist. Once again, the vocals for this theme seem to mix a single vocal lead with a choral layering. I’m more a fan of when the layered vocals aren’t featured as I think they detract from the delicate nature of the musical accompaniment. The musical accompaniment, on the other hand, is a delicate Asian theme with some beautiful shamisen work and a beautiful melody. It’s a shame that the more obtrusive vocals tend to drown out this work. On the whole, it’s a beautiful exotic theme with some poor decisions in terms of vocal harmony.

The other members of the Gust Sound Team, sans Daisuke Achiwa, each contribute one vocal theme to the album. “EXEC_PHANTASMAGORIA/.,” composed and arranged by Akira Tsuchiya, features Akiko Shikata, Haruka Shimotsuki, and Noriko Mitose as the vocalists. I really enjoy the vocal work on this album. Having all three singers works to the themes advantages as you have the powerful Shikata, the delicate Mitose, and the in-between Shimotsuki and the way they intertwine is magical. As for the music, it’s another stunning accompaniment. At times, it carries with it an Asian soundscape with some stunning violin work, both in the form of accompaniment and solo. The percussion is subtle and doesn’t detract from the theme. It’s just a theme that really relies on the strength of the collaboration between the vocalists. “EXEC_RIG=VEDA/.,” composed and arranged by Ken Nakagawa, features Noriko Mitose as the vocalist. Unlike Mitose’s other theme, this one features vocal work more akin to those by Akiko Shikata. Similar to Inagaki’s theme, this is also a theme that features Mitose’s delicate vocals and she complements the music quite well. Speaking of similarities, this theme also adopts an Asian soundscape. The slower, softer Asian influenced sections are absolutely stunning, but I find some of the more upbeat sections to be a bit off-putting, mainly due to the instrumental accompaniment. Overall, it’s a nice theme, but one of the weaker themes on the soundtrack.

Haruka Shimotsuki is also responsible for a couple compositions, although both are arranged by Ken Nakagawa. “EXEC_LINCA/.,” as with those songs by Akiko Shikata on the complementary album, there are a lot of layered vocal accompaniments to the lead vocals. Haruka Shimotsuki does a fantastic job as vocalist and she really accents the music quite well. As for the music, it has a few interesting features. At times, it has a very Celtic feel, mostly due to Ken Nakagawa’s style, but the underlying piano line adds so much mystery to the theme. In addition, the organ adds a hint of sinisterness. In the end, it’s a complex theme that was envisioned by Haruka Shimotsuki and fully realized by Ken Nakagawa. Her other contribution, “EXEC_RE=NATION/.,” is quite different. The vocals are more in line with those of a ballad and featuring some beautiful ethereal choral layering. As for the music, it’s an exquisite theme in which to listen. Used more as a support than a melody carrier, there is some beautiful percussion work and a bit of a Celtic-flair to it, but in the long run, it’s got that Ken Nakagawa charm for creating a playful theme that is a bit serious at the same time. This poignant theme touches my heart and I think Haruka Shimotsuki’s attention for melody is superb, even if she needs someone to fully develop it.

Summary

Ar tonelico Hymmnos Concert Side Red -Tsukikanade- is definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. By that, I mean, those who aren’t a fan of Japanese female vocals should definitely stay clear of this one. That being said, for those who enjoy Japanese female vocals, I recommend checking it out. Although there are a couple instrumental themes, ranging from excellent to mediocre, the vocal themes are all quite pleasing, despite not being quite as strong as the vocal themes on the Side Blue album. The Gust Sound Team, unlike those featured on the complementary album, take a more Asian aspect and are a bit more experimental. The inclusion of three vocalists helps differentiate the themes from one another, but the melodies aren’t as engaging, even if the atmosphere is Overall, this is a recommended album, so pick it up if it piques your interest. It is, after all, the complement to the Ar tonelico Hymmnos Concert Side Blue -Hoshiyomi- and the Ar tonelico -The Girl Who Sings at the End of the World- Original Soundtrack.

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on January 22, 2016.

About the Author

Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.

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