Various Artists
[review-body]
the soundtrack to the anime Boogiepop Phantom just might be more intriguing than the show itself. which is saying something. through a candied assortment of varied artists, the OST focuses on ambience with depth and precision. the changes in styles across the artists keep the soundtrack both fresh and memorable. focusing on electronic repetition and angular melancholic mooding, the soundtrack makes a full identity for itself. with a surprising amount of bangers, it is incredibly listenable and even easier to revisit.
when i think of the soundtrack, i think of its relentless personality. by combining techno-futurism, realism, cold and warmth, the mechanical and the biological, it centers on a strong premise. the soundtrack is both alienating and somehow familiar, embracing, in its arm's-length and focus-heavy music. it’s an album that has one of the sharpest identities i know of in the music i listen to. easily played through from top to bottom, this is only achievable by being repetitious and experimental. bringing these two qualities together makes it a strong candidate for engaging background music. that is a compliment.
“Happy End” sets the whole thing off right. the electronica pops, grinds, and clicks as the overarching mood and beat come into the picture. it’s the kind of sound that helps whittle attention down to a focus. the chirping tones that fall over each other and the methodical beat set the tone for the song. by the first third of the song, a little twinkle of sound comes in and defines the whole thing; it defines the album. the first track is exactly the kind of song the soundtrack lives on.
“In Heaven,” the second track, reminds me so much of the greatest soundtracks of anime from the time. Ghost in the Shell SAC, Wolf’s Rain, Darker than Black, etc., all have this early 2000s kind of deep mood that is engraved in the bedrock of their identity, both as a soundtrack and as an anime. the song isn’t complicated, but it certainly helps upkeep the energy to expect from the rest of the work.
my favorite track, “Gateway,” probably singlehandedly built this website. by that i mean, it’s a driving force, a nonstop beat of upward unravelling. the song has such a hypnotizing effect through its angelic background vocals and its vivacious synth work, and by mid-song, it gears up another notch. “Gateway” takes moments to breathe and rely on its relentless beat, and it takes moments to up the ante. this back and forth is incredibly energetic and one of the highlights of the album. when i say i built the site on this song, i mean it. it probably ran in the background ten or thirty times as i locked into my work. it also adds a sort of DJ vinyl warp sound that adds a lot of personality to the experience. as well, i’ve long been a fan of the artist Susumu Yokota for his work in somewhat ethereal ambient music. it shines most distinctly in Boogiepop Phantom.
“Stormy Soup” is another lock for the album. it reminds me more than ever of the obscure soundtrack to the video game Oddworld: Munch’s Odyssey. the future-techno warp and beat deliver an organic yet sterile and cold sound. it never relents; it only drives deeper. same as “Snow Coast,” which has an antsy, urgent quality, held back by its superluminal Y2K futurism. the songs remind me a lot of what it felt like to experience gaming systems, media, and everything in between back in the early 2000s. a monument to music once assumed to be the future, but now cemented in the past.
“Angel in the Dark” solidifies the soundtrack in memoriam. the use of exotic-sounding chanting layered over ancient Japanese instrumentation gives the nail needed to shut the box on this work. it’s a bizarre piece of music. i think the repetition really helps devalue and recontextualize the sound clips into a new form of music. outside of the context of the album, it might not even work. within the context, it feels like the exact proper piece to end it on.
Boogiepop Phantom, the anime, is a strong contender for a favorite. yet it’s also a rare instance where the show would not be nearly as impactful if it weren’t for the soundtrack. and an even rarer case where the soundtrack seems to rise above the original work. you don’t even need to have seen the anime to enjoy what is happening here. you might not even feel the need to. the identity of the collection is so cohesive, it certainly stands on its own two legs.
(various artists include: FLARE, SiLC, Audio Active, Susumu Yokota, 2k+D’s of RED LINE, AOA, Ming&FS, sugar plant, Sadesper Record, Yoshihiro Sawasaki, HIDENOBUITO, Rei Harakami, M.Y.K.N.)
[review-footer]HighlightsGatawayHappy EndStormy SoupSnow CoastUnstability
TracklistHappy EndIn HeavenPenalty TakerGatawayDeliriousStormy SoupBoogiepop Me UpA Furrow DubTorsoSnow CoastUnstabilityPoneAngel in the Dark
