Before I start, I know quite many of you already have this album, but it’s extremely likely that the one you got is the bugged version. There are two bugged versions: one is the original bugged version, meaning the original commerical disc is bugged; the other one is a bugged rip of the fixed version, meaning it’s a rip of the fixed commercial disc but bugged due to technical error during ripping. To tell if it’s the original bugged version, listen to track 3 and 9 of DISC 1. If the music of the two are the same, then it’s the original bugged version (the booklet/scans have errors too by the way, if you have them); to tell if it’s the bugged rip of the fixed version, listen to the 2:00 mark of track 1 of DISC 2. If there’s a skip between 2:00 and 2:01, then it’s the bugged rip of the fixed version. There is also a third version out there that combines the rip of fixed version and the scans of original version that have errors. To tell if the scans are the ones of original bugged version, check the lyrics page of OP&ED (track 9 and 10). The original one with errors has 3 columns of lyrics for OP (“Kaze no Kotowari Remix ver”), while the fixed one only has 1 column for OP.
Fist of all, I’m honored to introduce you this album. There are plenty of talented music composers out there, but since most of them make a living on music, they have to keep writing new works to keep their career going even when they don’t have the inspiration. As a result, you will hear mediocre compositions from them from time to time. However, there are a few exceptions. Maeda Jun is definitely one of them. I would assume you already know who he is since you’re reading this, but if you don’t, he participated in AIR and CLANNAD’s (Kanon’s too actually, but he wrote only 2 tracks in it, plus the so-famous “Last regrets”) soundtracks. I’m sure you have heard his famous BGMs such as Natsukage from AIR and Nagisa from CLANNAD (i.e. the background music of Dango Daikazoku). Just when you think soundtracks can’t get any better than AIR, CLANNAD, and Tomoyo After’s, he have brought us yet another surprise with this one. Even better, unlike the ones mentioned above of which he wrote some of the tracks, this one he is the major composer. In fact, he wrote the whole DISC 1 (and DISC 3 are vocal versions of some of the BGMs on DISC 1, except track 8 is adapted from DISC 2). Tomoyo After and AIR soundtracks have always ranked at the top on my list, and now 5 (yukar) has joined them to be my top 3.
While Maeda Jun is one of the major attractions of this album, the other one is not any less well-known, but in vocal part instead. She is no other than our beloved Shimotsuki Haruka. She performs all the songs in this album, with the exception of track 5 of DISC 3 “Gin no Chizu”, which also features guest vocal of Rita, Chata, and Katakiri Rekka. If you still remember, LonE has released the maxi single with OP and ED before. The full versions of OP and ED are also featured in this album, so in case you missed that one, you will still get to hear them. Other than OP and ED (which are both very nice songs written by Maeda Jun, by the way), DISC 3 of this album features the vocal versions of some of the BGMs of DISC 1, meaning that they are all written by Maeda Jun. As mentioned above, there is one exception, which is track 8 “immature”, adapated from track 1 of DISC 2, written by Kyou (aka Higawara Yuu). Ironically, that song is my most favorite of the album other than OP and ED. Maybe that means Maeda’s BGMs should just stay as BGMs. That reminds me, that one time we were discussing about Key on IRC, I suggested that Maeda is better at writing BGMs, while Orito Shinji (i.e. the one who wrote “Tori no Uta”) is better at writing songs. Anyone else agrees?
Tracklist:
DISC 1
1. Kaze no Kotowari
2. cise kor*
3. have a stroll
4. Yuki no Ko
5. Mori no Ko
6. SensitiveSoul Inst
7. Fuyu no Hidamari cise*
8. Bokka Musou
9. over the snow
10.Sora no Katari
11.Kumo Nagarete
12.Yuki no Ashiato
13.end of promise
14.perch_Ikoi
15.soldiers
16.Kanashimi no Mori
17.iruska*
18.Kono Chi no Sakebi
19.SensitiveSoul
20.Gensou Fuukei
21.Fuyu no Hidamari arke*
22.Eien
DISC 2
1. Little Snow
2. ihunke*
3. Okite no Ori
4. Endless Pain
5. Stew no Kaori
6. Itetsuku Daichi
7. imeru*
8. Shiro no Kouya
9. Tomorrow Song
10.rera*
11.Kaze no Kotowari short ver
DISC 3
1. prologue
2. cise ek*
3. Koi no Mama de
4. proudness
5. Gin no Chizu
6. Tabidatsu Tori
7. echo
8. immature
9. Kaze no Kotowari Remix ver
10.Eien Remix ver
11.epilogue
Note: the ones end with * mean the titles are written in/contains Ainu language. I believe most of you have never heard of Ainu language before. Wikipedia has an article about Ainu language that you can read up if you are interested to find out what it is. Many thanks to hisana/hisahisa and tomoyoafter for helping me with figuring out the romaji of all the Ainu titles.
Finally, I would like you all to participate in the polls below. First one is to choose your most favorite song of this album, excluding OP and ED:
Second one is to choose your most favorite BGM of Maeda Jun. Below are the links to full samples of them for your convenience:
Yume no Ato (from Kanon)
Natsukage (from AIR)
Nagisa (from CLANNAD)
hope (from Tomoyo After)
cise kor (from 5 -Five-)
Also, how would you rank the 5 BGMs? A couple of us tried to do it, and it turned out to be really hard. Let us know in the comment.
LosslessONE 