Audio CD review:
Yoko Kanno - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Vol. 3

Yoko Kanno - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Vol. 3

Band: Yoko Kanno Title: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Vol. 3 Rating: Release Date: Media: Audio CD Tracks:

Customer Review Simply amazing, a few cracks in a otherwise very beautiful looking crystal. ) 10 Second Decision: If you don't know what Stand Alone Complex is, but enjoy new directions in music, give it a try. Similar to: Chrono Trigger (Yasunori Mitsuda), Final Fantasy X-2 (Various Artists), and most Jazz styles (Gillespie, Monk, and a little bit of Gerschwin being audibly reminiscient. If you know who Yoko Kanno is or own something of hers already, you know my answer on this recommendation. If International Music or Instrumentals put you to sleep, move along. Yoko Kanno's work for anime is much like most alternative media artists much like Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, and almost the entire Jazz genre: brilliant but unfortunately overlooked. She does it all-- techno, rock, metal, jazz, blues, soul, funk, pop, big band, and even a little niche work like arabian folk and honky tonk harmonica. For Stand Alone Complex OST 3, you hear the work for the show, which leans more to the technical rather than analog, although the few pieces of 'natural' music is very simple, engaging and often powerful. The nice surprise of the album is it's small ties to the prior ones: one track, "Flashback Memory Plug" is the title of the reprise of "Inner Universe" heard in the "First" Gig of episodes when Motoko and Laughing Man interacted, which is unfortunately Origa's only appearance on the album. The first track, "The End of All We Know", is a remake of the last piano solo of "To Tell The Truth" on OST 2, but now with Scott Matthews' vocals much like the prior "Psychedelic Soul" (also on OST 2) in an adagio fortelling both ruin and hope. Also on the disc of note, "Dear John. " So much to say about this song when it comes to melody alone. Haunting, inspiring, optimistic, forcasting change. Arguably one of the best things I've heard her make in my LIFE. Seriously. The only thing that upsets me about that track is that his vocals are muffled with filters to the point where it's more or less inaudible: you can hear a whisper of the lyric a half-second before the overdriven muffled audio overtakes it. Production mistake, or on purpose? We'll have to see it when it's audible during a Second Gig episode. So, yeah, Scott Matthews is on it. Who else? Gabriela Robin checks in with "Turkey", a Japanese language techno-infused choiral piece, driving with powerful bass that makes one feel like driving past the speed limit in the streets of Japan. Ilaria Graziano has two tracks on the disc: Dew, which is a very gorgeous track, but the only other issue I had was "Christmas in the Silent Forest". She's singing away from her range and comfort zone on this one: it sounds forced. No real change in melody between the lyrics and chorus, which makes it sound typically the same all throughout. I didn't like it, even after giving it 4-5 plays. As for Yoko's instrumental work: "Access All Areas" is one of my favorites, easily heard during strategic computer work, like Massive Attack's feel, only much faster and intricate. "Know Your Enemy" is a nice, multi-layered track, sounding much like the Serenity Film Score: violins, slow and soft piano, and builds to different melodies, like a playback of someone's memories is happening at the same time. "35. 7 Degrees C" is another reminiscent track of "First" Gig Stand Alone Complex, when Motoko and Batoh had a conversation on a particularly important night (the best I could put it without any spoilers). It's cool, subdued synthesizer backing a solo saxophone firing as clear as a trumpet makes it easily recognizable for fans of the series. "Incomplete Love Song" is a short and abrupt, but very peaceful track. "Access All Areas" is a rapid-techno infiltration kind of track: something to play when trouncing someone in a computer game, or dodging sunday drivers, so it's very energized. Basically, if you're looking at this description, you should be familiar with her past work such as Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop and Wolf's Rain, or you heard the music in Stand Alone Complex and liked it, so this disc is pretty clear on what you can expect from her from the beginning. If you have no idea what any of that is, it's a treat, but may be inaccessible to a first time listener who may be turned off to 'international music', and what I see as a scuff on an otherwise great track like "Dear John", one may be irritated with not hearing the vocals and may pan it, but it's still a worthwhile CD in my opinion. . You can see a complete list of all Yoko Kanno discography, or go back to the Yoko Kanno tabs