Turn A Gundam Original Soundtrack

TURN A GUNDAM
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Copyright © Sotsu Agency - Sunrise - Fuji TV
KICA 473
¥3,059
Available now in Japan
Where to buy

—by Charles McCarter

1. Spiral re-born 1:02

2. Chi no Fuchi no Genri (Principle of the Abyss of Earth) 5:18

3. Genka no Kioku (Remembrance of the War) 4:58

4. Chi yori Hazumeto (Springing from the Earth) 2:37

5. The First Advent ~ Kami no Azageri (The God's Sneer) 2:10

6. The Second Advent ~ Kami no Sousei ga fureta Kishi (The Shore Touched by the God's Claw) 2:08

7. The Third Advent ~ Chi ni Hisomu mono (The thing Hiding in the Ground) 2:40

8. Final Shore ~ Oo, Sairin ariyato (Oh, To Meet Again) 5:17

9. Moon 5:15

10. Shogoshi no Matsuri (The Ceremony of Crossing Over) 2:16

11. Oshaberi Sotsue (Talking Sotsue) 1:36

12. Days 4:19

13. Ojousan, Naishou Hanashi desu (Miss, a Secret Conversation) 1:21

14. Gwen Lainford's Limousine 2:34

15. Girls rule 2:08

16. Quiet landing 4:29

17. Air plant 1:17

18. Koujiku no Nazoru Mono (Tracing the Point of Light) 2:34

19. Ondori no you ni (Like a Rooster) 1:57

20. Kyuuyaku no Kataru Tokoro (When Talking of Old Promises) 1:37

21. The song of a stone 3:15

22. Boys about 16 5:37

23. 5/4 moon 2:29

24. Felicity 3:30

It had to happen. Kanno Yoko has composed music for such Sunrise titles as ESCAFLOWNE, COWBOY BEBOP, and BRAINPOWERD. So of course they wanted her golden touch to grace the newest installment of what they hope will become the next blockbuster of the GUNDAM franchise. So she was enlisted by Tomino to create the soundtrack for this newest world of GUNDAM.
And if you thought you knew what this soundtrack would be all about, you'll probably find yourself wrong. Eclectic is an understatement. Those who thought that the later BEBOP CDs were a strange mix of styles will find that the TURN A GUNDAM Original Soundtrack could easily compete for that title. There are primitive chants, a capella choral arrangements, classical music, marches, and pretty much every style in between.
The first track, "Spiral re-born" is reminiscent of the a capella chanting heard at the end of the episode previews in MACROSS PLUS. Hauntingly beautiful, this piece sets a mood for the whole CD.
"Chi no Fuchi no Genri" has an almost primal jungle beat and is voices with some percussion accompaniment in the beginning. It grows to encompass synthesizer later in the piece. However, what is strange is that about a minute and a half into the track, it suddenly takes a Scottish turn with the unmistakable sound of bagpipes. The bagpipes then give way to a flute melody. Overall, it is an interesting track that skillfully interweaves the sounds of vastly different cultures.
Conversely, "Oshaberi Sotsue" is a beautiful piece in a classical style, using a flue, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and strings. Coming as it does after the chanting song used in the adulthood festival (of episode 2), it is a remarkable contrast and shows Kanno's true diversity as a composer. But it's also a beautiful track in its own right.
"Air plant" is seemingly part jazz and part new age, with a lone saxophone and some bells giving way to an electric guitar. It is also very short, at just over a minute in length. The following track, "Koujiku no Nazoru Mono" launches into a stirring piece of music very reminiscent of John William's INDIANA JONES soundtracks, with blaring horns, tense strings, and frantic woodwinds.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a Kanno Yoko soundtrack without a Gabriella Robin song. TURN A GUNDAM gets "Moon," a slow ballad with a very ethereal quality. It sounds somehow familiar, but it's not the same as any of the other songs we've heard from the team of Robin and Kanno before.
The other songs are interesting but not particularly outstanding. "Ojousan, Naisho Hasashi desu" is a sort of folksy song sung in a blues style. The other vocal, "The Ceremony of Crossing Over" is the chant used at the Adulthood Ceremony in episode two, and is more for atmosphere and feeling than for lyric quality.
The final vocal is "Boys about 16," which sounds more like a typical pop ballad than anything else. It's a song that kind of creeps up on you, and it doesn't make much of an impression until you find yourself humming it after you've listened to the soundtrack several times.
In short, this is an interesting soundtrack with a wide variety of tunes. As such, you will likely find something to appeal to you, but then again you may also find that there are too few tracks to your liking. However, if you like Kanno's other works, especially the later BEBOP albums, this album will probably appeal to you as well.