Customer Reviews
Several diamonds in the rough
So I'm reviewing this album just based on the music, not how it connects to Stand Alone Complex, because I don't even know what the plot of the series is. I consider myself an "anime listener"; I don't really have time to watch anime series, but I seek out and listen to the good soundtracks.
Unlike the other Ghost in the Shell OSTs, be Human doesn't really hold together as an album. I wouldn't often listen to it from start to finish. But despite this, it has individual tracks that stand out and make me say "wow" more than on its sister albums.
The most notable of these is "Rocky wa Doko?". It's got a beautiful, poignant, flowing melody, and it works in a reference to the song "Daisy" in a way that fits perfectly with the middle section. With the album's theme of robots trying to be human, I have to wonder if this is an intentional reference to Hal's death scene in 2001.
The CD gets off to a slow start with "Be Human", but it does establish the theme for the album. The hard-rocking second track, "Trip City", is worth the wait. The chorus, in particular, is worthy of some serious rocking out.
"FAX me" is perhaps difficult to appreciate at first. You may wonder why you're listening to a fax machine over some classical music. But the music is original Kanno, and the fax machine is an integral part of it. It's a concerto for string quartet and fax machine, and it works.
"Cream" is R&B the Yoko Kanno way. Not something I thought I'd like, but egad does that melody get stuck in my head. The broken guitar chords and the way they weave into the wordless female vocals are what make this track.
"Good By My Master" is a powerful bit of choral soundtrack, and it pretty much rounds out the section of the album I'd actively listen to. Some other good tracks I've passed over are the eccentric and fun "Tachikoma no Iede", the catchy Latin jazz of "bang bang banquet", and the driving orchestral "Spotter".
The end of the album is filled out with a bunch of very short tracks, and I don't see the point of them. They may mean something to fans of the anime. To me, they mean that the album needed to be padded out to 45 minutes. So while I'll listen to the other Stand Alone Complex albums as albums, here I pick and choose the tracks I like and shuffle them into my playlist. But hey, those are some good tracks.
My favourite GHOST IN THE SHELL: SAC soundtrack...
This is perhaps the least loved of all the Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex OSTs. . But I personally think it's the best of them all and the most underrated. . . But then again, I'm a full-fledged YK fan and may be just talking way over my head. . .
1. "BE HUMAN" - I like Scott Matthew's voice. . . His deep and melancholy voice seems to fit very much on those sad songs--even how lively the music is. . . If I were to rank this song against his other GITS songs, I'd place it behind "Psychedelic Soul" (OST 2, track 10) and "Dear John" (OST 3, track 13). . . Nontheless, I love the lyrics and it really helps to bring the song out more. . . And found it quite catchy to sing the song out of the blue. . .
2. "TRIP CITY" - Not the best GITS songs sure, but it sure is a heck fun to listen to. . . It's a lively piece that again showcases Scott Matthew's voice but in a different light--it's not a sad song at all (compared to most of his YK songs like Cowboy Bebop's "Is It Real?" or "Psychedelic Soul"). . . I personally prefer the second half of the song especially when Scott Matthew sings "Trip City" over and over. . .
3. "PATCH ME" - One of the techno style tracks for the series. . . I personally don't find to listen to this track most of the time. . . But I definitely don't skip on listening to it on random. . . Hey, it's just fun to listen to. . . I like when that harp suddenly plays before the end. . .
4. "TACHIKOMA NO IEDE" - One of the cutest and best tracks in this OST. . . The interluding piano, fiddle, and flute is just a joy to listen to. . . You'll definitely notice this nifty number find yourself listening to it over and over. . . (At least I hope)
5. "OSANPO TACHIKOMA" - Cute. . . Kinda sad. . . Kinda off-beat. . . I'm sure you'll appreciate it. . . It even ends cutely. . . It's, by no means, bad at all. .
6. "BANG BANG BANQUET" - Another great piece. . . Even if you can help to not dance to it, you'll definitely find yourself tapping to the tune. . . I'd like to know how they used this piece in the show (since I don't really watch the show). . .
7. "FAX ME" - Very classical in sound, but contrasted by some beeping sounds of office supplies like a phone or fax machines (:P). . . . I like it. . . It's got some really nice tunes. . .
8. "ROKKI WA DOKO" - This one's another track for keeps. . . It has a sad nature to it that I just can't quite put my finger to. . . The combination of strings and the xylophone has a sort of child-like innocence to it. . . Sounds dreamy, yet melancholy. . . I like how it 'ends' in the middle and 'starts' again. . .
9. "SPOTTER" - From the very few episodes of the series I've seen, this one seems to get a lot of airplay (is that the right word?). . . It has the essence of technology with the techno-like beat to it, combined with strings that really add to its mood. . . It gets catchier and catchier as the track plays on. . . The best part is when the chorus (and guitar) joins in the middle transition. . . One of the great tracks in this CD for sure. . .
10. "LET'S OIL" - This short piece is somewhat unnerving (not in a bad way in my case) due to its fast-paced tune. . . This won't be your favourite, but it's goes to my most favorite track in the entire GITS:SAC canon--"Cream". . .
11. "CREAM" - Now we get to my most favorite track Ms. Yoko Kanno composed for the show. . . It really took a second or third time of listening before it really got to me indefinitely. . . HIDE's rapping is top-notch. . . The first verse of the rapping isn't really the clincher for me, but rather the 'bridge' to the 'chorus' before Maaya Sakamoto sings 'la, la, la' which I also absolutely love. . . This 'bridge' to the 'chorus' is so different in most of the rap songs I hear, it's worth noting the fast-paced singing is a darn catchiest rap tune I've heard. . . I hope to find other people who really like this song. . . .
12. "SPIDER BITES" - This is the instrumental/music box version of "Be Human". . . It's lovely and poignant in a different way the original song evokes. . .
13. "GOOD BY MY MASTER" - A choral piece that's haunting yet technological with it's sound. . . A very nice combination IMO, that's very hard to achieve. . . A great, great piece. . .
14. "PIECE BY TEN" - Probably the saddest piece for this soundtrack, or the series for that matter. . . This orchestral track was played during the episode where the tank run amok and the Major was able to see the memories of the inventor placed inside the tank. . . The piece heightens to a beautiful climax in the middle that really pulls your heartstrings. . . A very lovely tune. . .
15. "WHAT CAN I SAY" - A song sung by a child named Sunny (at least I think s/he's a child). . . It's again sad but a more classy way of singing it--kinda like a torch song or bar song but with a kid singing the lyrics. . . I love this piece but I'm particularly annoyed at how short it is. . . Love the lyrics too. . .
>> The Shorts:
16. "HI!" - Weird. . .
17. "I'M NOT STRAIGHT" - Sounds Cowboy Bebop-ish. . . It's cool. . .
18. "AI SENTAI TACHIKOMANZU" - an extremely funny and catchy take on those Power Ranger type songs. . . I love it!. . . Some may get annoyed by the singing. . . But I found it very cute and catchy. . .
19. "PRO BOWLER TACHIKOMA" - Have you heard the opening song for L/R?. . . Well, it kinda sounds a lot like it. . .
20. "DON'T SPONGE ME" - Another 'too short' track. . . I'd like to hear this longer since it sounds really interesting. . .
21. "PO'D POD" - Sounds like a computer game. . . *Plop-plop-plop*
22. "CIAO" - And then they say goodbye. . .
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I'd have lots of friends, and I'd stay out too late...
As I listen to "be human" for the uptenth time whilst writting this review, I can honestly say that words cannot accuratly describe how I feel about this album, if you wish to know, you should feel it for yourself. .
As mentioned above, the first track is by far one of the most, if not the most, moving to me in both the melodic and lyrical structure of tense, after all it is the album title, although from the looks of some of these other reviews, it seems you'll either love it or hate it.
tracks 2 through 7 are an insight to the Tachikomas' precocious child like single persona, most examplified by their use in "Tachikoma no Hibi" from the anime. (FAX Me was particularly halarious in my opinion. )
Tracks 8 and up begin to get more serious as they deal with the circumstances leading up to the Tachikomas' fate in the first season. I was particularly overjoyed upon the incluion of Spotter and Cream, as they (as well as others) were not present in the first OST volume.
Tracks 12 to 15 pretty entail the emotional climax of the story. I'd like to add that Track 15 does a perfect job of wrapping it all up and leaving one feeling satisfied, although it's not the end of the album, it's the end of the tracks listed giving way to an Omake to top things off just as "Tachikoma no Hibi" was to the anime and can allow the album to be viewed as an episode in it's own right as it would contain an introduction, a build up to eventual conflict, ending with a climax, then topped off with TachiHibi.
I shall finalize this review by saying that the cover artwork is very well done, and can range from amusing to heartwarming; the lyrics are included as well.
. You can see a complete list of all Yoko Kanno discography, or go back to the Yoko Kanno tabs
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