Motoi Sakuraba

Originally Posted by Tir

My thoughts exactly.
Sakuraba is one of my favourite VGM composers, and I rank his Star Ocean 2 OST very high, it's one of the best OSTs I've ever heard. Too bad that it costs so much these days, I would really like to own it.

I agree, when I first played Star Ocean 2, I was hooked at "The Venerable Forest" and "Pure A Stream". I enjoy both his progressive rock and baroque-style melodies, although I prefer the latter. I really think it's awesome how the music he makes really personifies the areas you are playing through.

Speaking of the soundtrack, it is the only soundtrack to date that I have ever paid to have imported. It was around 50 dollars including shipping, but extremely worth it.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

For example, "Integral Body and Imperfect Soul" from Star Ocean 2 is not what I would consider an iteration of Sakuraba's "Battle Theme" in that it is orchestral and doesn't feature bass guitar and drum kit work. I'd probably rate it in the two to three star range. "Stab the Sword of Justice" from the same game, however, is very much in that niche, and would recieve the automatic one star from me.

I understand where you would say that "Integral Body and Imperfect Soul" would not be considered a standard battle theme. However, do you think it is complimentary as the final boss battle theme? I found it to be a rather disappointing attempt at being a climactic piece. Have you heard the arranged version of this track? What are your thoughts on it?

Speaking of Sakuraba's battle themes, what is your take on the rest of the themes from SO2?

Dynamite
Climax at the Tower
Tender Spot
Shiver
Tangency
Beast of prey
Mighty Blow
The Incarnation of Devil

I really loved the battle themes he created for taking on the Ten Wise Men. Those themes are fast, relentless, and carry a sense of urgency as well. I like Sakuraba's little synth-freestyle in Mighty Blow as well. What do you think?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

Orchestra/rock fusion is tough to do, but it can produce some dynamite tracks (though not "Dynamite" from SO2).

I thought that was pretty funny.


I'm curious. What do you think of Sakuraba's synth instrumentation on the previous songs I asked you to judge? Is it just the bass / percussion that you dislike?

If you don't mind I'm going to review some of the tracks I asked you to.

Shiver - I like the sense of urgency in this track. If you've played the game (Which I'm sure you have) then you'd understand why Sakuraba would do this. I really like the second half of the track (:46-end) which serves as a bit of a bridge / build-up to the track loop.

Tangency - I liked this track up until about 45 seconds. I really like the synthwork he displays in this track. I believe it's the fastest track in the game.

Beast of Prey - My biggest gripe about the track is that the glitter-synth lead is so weak in my opinion. He could've put any other type of sound in it's place and it probably would've sounded better.

Mightly Blow - I really love Sakuraba's synth in this track, especially his freestyle towards the end of the track. The drumwork I like because it was more along the lines of a break-beat which I believe is the only time he used that kind of beat in the soundtrack.

Climax at the Tower - This track stood out to me mostly for the pitch-bending synth he used. Made the song sound very condescending.

After listening to the tracks again I can understand where you are coming from about the bass and percussion. To be honest, I like the drumwork a lot more than I like the bassline. It seems to me that a lot of times the bassline just follows the drums. What do you think?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

I don't dislike the bass/percussion per se, but Sakuraba recycles it so much that I'm pretty tired of hearing it.

I'd agree, and I'd also add that the melody tends to follow the drums and basline as well. Of course, I have to allow for variations based on taste; someone who loves synth rock of the type Sakuraba cranks out is clearly going to find more merit than someone like me.

What do you think of his work in Valkyrie Profile? I thought it was rather pointless for him to include several tracks from Star Ocean: The Seoncd Story on the tail end of the second OST disc. Mostly due to that fact that these tracks weren't even in the game.

What about it's battle themes?

- Turn Over A New Leaf
- Fighting The Shadowy Gods
- Confidence in Domination

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Dr. Uzuki

You never got to the Sepheric Gate, did you?

No, but from the looks of it it resembles a Star Ocean 2 "Cave of Trials".

Regardless though, even if the tracks were used there, it still makes Sakuraba look like he cut corners.

How ya doing, buddy?