Monthly Archives: March 2018

Reviews

Review: Final Fantasy Record Keeper Original Soundtrack vol. 2

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Final Fantasy Record Keeper is a nice treat for fans of the series, and while the first soundtrack volume was fairly straightforward, there’s a little more depth to this release. Spanning two discs and including massive medleys, there’s certainly a lot of music to dig into.

The album opens with a grand and regal version of the Final Fantasy fanfare worked into the main theme, which is a refreshing take on both tracks. There’s a frightening “Kefka’s Theme” including sound effects and bombastic orchestra, a beautiful “Aria di Mezzo Carattere” with bells and a capella vocals that offers up a lullaby-esque spin on the track includes some Christmas cheer with “Joy to the World” worked in. There’s synth rock with rock organ and a unique upbeat reference to Aerith’s theme in “Still More Fighting,” and a wonderful overworld medley with  an alternative rock version of Final Fantasy IV, a sweet pop version of Final Fantasy IX,  and the rarely covered “Unknown Lands” from Final Fantasy V which I greatly appreciated. “Eiko’s Theme” from Final Fantasy IX gets a bouncy electronic remix, “UTAKATA” from Type-0 is a mix of flamenco and female vocal pop, and “Contest of Aeons” is a creative blend of boss music and the hymn from Final Fantasy X. “The Crystal Tower” from Final Fantasy III gets an adventurous arrangement that is intense and emotional,  whereas “Etro’s Champion” is an ethereal and cool medley from Final Fantasy XIII. “Hammerhead” from Final Fantasy XV gets a dancey synth/chip version, and “Chaos Temple” also goes electronic with bumpin’ bass and classy piano. There’s an 18-minute-long battle medley with a rock/orchestral spin on battle themes from each game in the series, an epic 25-minute-long 30th anniversary melody that includes lovely guitar on “Rebel Army” from Final Fantasy II, a folksy take on “Searching for Friends” from Final Fantasy VI, an explosive Hollywood action version of “Man with the Machine Gun” from Final Fantasy VIII, and a nice woodwind version of “You Are Not Alone” from Final Fantasy IX. The closer is a track from the Square Enix internal jazz band, Nanaa Mihgo, titled “Journey of Memory,” a funky and upbeat jazz pop track.

In all, this is a much stronger collection of music than was offered with the first volume, and contains a lot of material that fans of the series will want to hear. You can grab it on CD Japan.

Reviews

Review: Distant Worlds IV: more music from Final Fantasy

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We’ve written about Distant Worlds quite often, and here we are with another collection of Final Fantasy music with Distant Worlds IV. There’s a track from just about every game in the series, most of which are arrangements that have appeared on other albums in the past.

Starting sequentially from the beginning, there’s Final Fantasy III’s “Legend of the Eternal Wind,” which is measured and determined and takes on a more somber tone towards the end with a rendition of “The Prelude” on harp. Final Fantasy IV’s “Battle with the Four Fiends” is ominous and tense, incorporating hand percussion, tumultuous woodwinds, and regal brass with some great rhythmic variation. Final Fantasy V’s main theme is upbeat and lighthearted with woodwinds and triangles, and majestic at times with the inclusion of brass. Final Fantasy VI gets the mysterious pizzicato-laden “Phantom Forest,” and Final Fantasy VII’s “JENOVA COMPLETE” is featured, starting low and exploding with rolling percussion and powerful brass. Also included is Final Fantasy VII’s “Cosmo Canyon,” which is accented with its tribal percussion, its memorable woodwind melody, and emotional string swells. “The Oath” from Final Fantasy VIII is resolute and stirring, Final Fantasy IX gets the rambunctious “Festival of the Hunt,” and Final Fantasy XII’s “The Dalmasca Eastersand” gets sweeping strings and rolling snares in a playful arrangement. Final Fantasy XIII’s “Fang’s Theme” is adventurous and energetic, retaining Hamauzu’s strong piano backing, while Final Fantasy XIV gets the bombastic “Dragonsong” with Susan Calloway’s beautiful vocal work and the amazing take on the Final Fantasy prelude, “Torn from the Heavens.” There are two Final Fantasy XV tracks, including “Apocalypsis Noctis,” which is rather straightforward and true to the original, and “Somnus,” with its heartrenching piano, strings, and blend of regal and desperate moods.

In all, this is another strong collection of orchestral music from the Final Fantasy series. Many of the arrangements can be heard elsewhere, but it’s nice to have them compiled here in a nice, tidy package. The album is available from multiple sources, from Bandcamp to imports from Japan.