When GAINAX's latest OVA series FLCL burst upon the scene, it caught the attention of fans everywhere. Rumored to be GAINAX's "Last Gasp," the studio pulled out all stops to hook viewers into watching what might be their last anime project before devoting themselves to making videogames exploiting EVANGELION. The drastic measures include an aggressively low-priced first volume, a frenetically twisting and weaving plot that leaves you guessing where it had been and where it would go next, and the attention-grabbing visual direction that has become GAINAX's trademark. But the best hook yet is the synthesis between the imagery and the musical soundtrack.

FLCL features the most western soundtrack mixing in anime so far. The narrative, whether it be dialogue or action, is punctuated by the musical soundtrack which permeates almost every scene. Instead of being horribly done, like in STEAM DETECTIVES where the music drowns out the dialogue or inappropriate songs are used, FLCL's soundtrack truly enhances the animation and gives the series an emotional resonance that makes the story feel alive. Once you've seen FLCL with the sound on, it's really hard to watch the series again in silence without the music running through your head.

The music-making responsibilities on this soundtrack album are split between a band called the pillows and Mitsumune Shinkichi. Mitsumune has worked previously on other anime series, notably SHOUJO KAKUMEI UTENA. But the majority of the tracks on this album were performed by the pillows, an established band with a few albums already under their belts. This looks like their first anime contribution, and what a debut it is.

Definitely not a group of j-pop idol singers nor heavy metal visual j-rockers, the pillows are probably best described as an alternative band. A couple of their vocals have a grunge feel to them: "HYBRID RAINBOW" stirs echoes of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and "Instant Music" is somewhat reminiscent of The Wannadies' "You and Me Song." They could be mistaken for The Who at the start of "LITTLE BUSTERS," but it's a bit unfair to keep comparing their sound to other musicians because the rest of the album demonstrates that the pillows are quite capable of establishing their own identity. "Ride on shooting star" is an excellent choice for FLCL's ending song because it's very catchy and stands out as the pillows' signature piece.

Some of the pillows' instrumental tracks are catchy as well, and there's a bit variety between the pieces. "LAST DINOSAUR" starts the album off with a brief loud jam. "Beautiful morning with you" is a pensive rock tune, if such a thing could ever exist. "Bran-new lovesong" isn't quite a serenade, but it does sound soulful. "Come Down" is simply delightful music for moshing. All of the pillows' tracks makes one realize just how appropriate the pairing of GAINAX and the pillows is, given GAINAX's rock star status in the world of anime studios.

Mitsumune seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick since his contributions to the album weren't used for the more memorable scenes in the series with the exception of his arrangement of Kabalevsky's "Gallop." Mitsumune's instrumental compositions are quite appropriate for the soundtrack because they fit the whimsical and laidback nature of the series, and they provide a deft contrast to the pillows' rebellious tracks.

While the genre of the material on the CD is nothing new to people who have been listening to music for the last decade, it's very refreshing in the anime music landscape filled with sugary j-pop and dance mixes. An extremely enjoyable album that refuses to leave the CD player, I'm eagerly awaiting for Volume 2 which just came out recently.