Mar 9, 2006, 07:23 PM
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#1 of 4
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Listening to this, the thing that kept coming to mind was how utterly, unmistakably *different* it is from what I'm used to from the Tales series. Sakuraba's contributions have been consistently good, though declining in quality somehwat over the years.
But when I listen to "March," which combines a live choir, guitar, strings, and brass, I can't help but be stunned. The innovation on display is a nice surprise, but it's not without its drawbacks.
The predominence of classical-type strings, especially in the earlier portions of the album, and the tracks that mix electronics, rock, and orchestra are further markers of this difference. Sakuraba worked well in all genres but tended to segregate; one track would be all orchestra, one would be all rock, etc. (witness the two Star Ocean 3 albums). Mixing things up here is something of a refeshing break.
The downside is that the songs' melodies are not as strong as what I'm used to. They have melody, to be sure, but it's not as impressive or catchy as the best Tales songs of the past, and suffers a bit because of it. I wasn't able to hum any of the themes after the music stopped.
The verdict? A worthy effort for a newcomer to the series, and a breath of creative fresh air, but still lacking in enough areas to prevent me from fully enjoying or endorsing.
3/5
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