ESCAFLOWNE
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK 2
Victor Entertainment
VICL-772
96.7.24
¥3000

Liner notes: 12-page color booklet w/ English production credits and lyrics to "Love" and "If You."

by Scott Rider

Total Length: 54:42 (17 tracks)
1. The Vision of Escaflowne (4:17)
2. Fanelia (2:14)
3. Ask the Owl (2:05)
4. Charm (1:53)
5. Country Man (1:35)
6. A Mole Man (1:28)
7. Cradle Song (2:06)
8. Machine Soldier (2:29)
9. Shadow of doubt (4:42)
10. A Far Cry (5:39)
11. Market Place (1:34)
12. Medicine Eater (Gabriella Robin)(2:53)
13. Godds Drunk (2:31)
14. Cat's Delicacy (3:19)
15. Love (ACEILUX) (5:01)
16. Hitomi's Theme (4:27)
17. If You (4:42)




When I first opened the CD, I wasn't sure what to expect. The first volume of the soundtrack was nigh well perfect: Wonderful opening and ending tracks and very potent orchestrated BGM, the scores of which reflected at times strong Orff (Carmina Burana) and Wagner (Ring Cycle, Tannhauser) musical themes. As for the show itself, I was immediately reminded of "La Morte d'Arthur," that classic tale of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. More specifically, I was reminded of the film EXCALIBUR, possibly the best visual telling of the Arthurian legend to date. This familiarity is in no small part due to composer Kanno Yoko and Mizoguchi Hajime's selection of the melodies and arrangements they used for ESCAFLOWNE: the score of EXCALIBUR used those works of Orff and Wagner directly. [The title "Vision of Escaflowne," incidentally, is itself a reference to the Arthurian legend: Escaflown (no "e") was the brother of the Fisher King and uncle of Percival.] That CD would be a tough act to follow. Nevertheless, I loaded the second CD into the car's player and headed for home.
"The Vision of Escaflowne" -- this CD's first track would make a wonderful title theme for a theatrical release. An opening thunderclap, a distant piano and the soft "Escaflowne" chant provide a lead-in for percussion and electronic orchestration that practically demand screen titles to be shown.
"Fanelia" has distinct Shakespearian tones, whereas tracks such as "Ask the Owl," "Marketplace" and "Godd's Drunk" are composed so as to suggest an open bazaar or fair--a medieval feeling, but with a middle-eastern influence.
"Charm," "Country Man" and "Mole Man," too, are rather distinct: the first is a rigidly syncopated, almost Robert Fripp-like BGM, the second is an all-vocal folk tune and the third is very Victorian, similar to the BGM of the lamentably late Jeremy Brett's SHERLOCK HOLMES series.
The tracks "Cradle Song" and "A Far Cry" are easily the most new-age sounding pieces on the CD. A kind of cross between the styles of composers Michael Stearns (scored the film BARAKA) and veteran ambient guru Brian Eno.
"Machine Soldier" stands out immediately. Fans of ORGUSS II will like this sharp-edged and familiar-sounding techno piece. "Shadow of Doubt" is quite different, however; I was immediately reminded of the work of composer Philip Glass (rent the art film KOYAANISQATSI sometime).
"Medicine Eater" -- Sharon Apple does TWIN PEAKS! No joke here: Gabriela Robin, who provided the salacious vocals for the songs of Sharon Apple in MACROSS PLUS, takes her turn at a very Angelo Badalamenti influenced song (Badalamenti composed the TWIN PEAKS BGM). If you liked TWIN PEAKS, this song is for you. Even if you didn't like TP, it's Sharon! Then there is "Cat's Delicacy," wherein Sharon Apple takes over Kraftwerk! To one friend, this song is simply known as "track 14." The song itself provides the tagline BGM for the feline girl Merle.
The track entitled "Love" is a great road tune. Has that "After, In the Dark" sound from Kanno's MACROSS PLUS end title theme. The lyrics are in English.
"Hitomi's Theme" -- For some reason, this piece of music reminds me of sitting in a planetarium and watching a sky show. Save for some synthesizer voicings used as a subtle music bed, the instruments are entirely acoustic.
The last track, "If You," is a love ballad, and probably this reviewer's personal favorite of the CD. The style is reminiscent of the love songs of Alan Parsons' Project. This song, too, has English lyrics. It might be noted that the artist "ACEILUX" (also featured on the first CD) sang "Love," and wrote the lyrics for this song.
If the first CD could be described as "predominantly classical," then I would describe the second CD as "predominantly eclectic." It does not have the stunning orchestral fullness of the first volume, but as series background music, it is well above par. Fans of PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH should like this volume; the majority of tracks would fit well as BGM for that story. Of course, this comes as no real surprise--PSME is yet another series scored by Mizoguchi Hajime, a co-composer of Escaflowne's music. Perhaps this CD is best enjoyed in a multidisc player along with the first volume, which would provide the broadest experience to the intense music of ESCAFLOWNE.