LogFAQs > #978852149

1. Intro Theme - One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The children's choir (called The Little Singers of Tokyo) is gorgeous and the string-writing and orchestration is so, so good. Fantastic melody too.
2. Yoru - Ilaria Graziano is one of my favorite singers period. A good chunk of my favorite Kanno songs are sung by her. There's a lot of subtle detail in the songwriting and instrumentation of Yoru that really makes this song shine. The double bass and piano both have very poignant parts (I really love the piano's usage of major chords throughout, despite being in a minor key, it adds a lot of flavor to the piece) that stand out on their own. The tin whistle is a big highlight, as is the marimba solo at 2:47.
3. Prontera Field - The looping of short samples in this intro and the way it builds into a very full sound is breathtaking. Later once the children's choir kicks in for the climax, it's really a special moment. Prontera Field is a song I'd consider pure ear candy, and I get something more out of it every time I listen to it.
4. Sara - The strongest pure Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra piece. Some absolutely gorgeous orchestration, motifs, and use of dynamics. Making the harp the centerpiece of this one was an excellent decision and really makes this piece stand out amongst the other Warsaw songs.
5. Din Don Dan Dan - Love the celtic goodness in this one. The bassline is awesome, the fiddles are great, and the drums and guitars work well with the main parts. Then this song really shines when Gabriela Robin's (Kanno's pseudonym) vocals are added in. Very smooth key change at 3:35 too. Such a fun song.
6. HODO - A slightly less-good celtic song than Din Don Dan Dan. But Gabriela Robin's vocals take a much more prominent role here. There's a lot to love in the rhythms and melodies in this one. The drum solo at 2:34 is a big highlight for me.
7. Sailing - With gapless playback, Yoru is supposed to seamlessly transition to this one, and it's one of my favorite seamless transitions in general. The ambient synths in the background add a lot of depth to Sailing. This one also has one of the stronger melodies in the soundtrack with the violin and tin whistle doubling on it. I love this one a lot.
8. Clap & Walk - The time signatures on this one are pretty cool with the focus on 7/8 and pretty regular time changes, and Kanno does a great job of making the odd time feel natural. The acoustic guitar, strings, and accordion make a fantastic combination here.
9. Poem - The tavern-like solo acoustic guitar, double bass, and Robin's vocals create a lovely combination and make this one feel very comfy. The double bass solo in the second half is a highlight.
10. Everland - Kanno uses this bubbly synth a lot in her music, and I really like it. The guitar effects and children's choir are so good too. Very saccharine piece.
11. Church - A piano-centric playful piece in a style that Kanno has become known for over the last 15 years or so. I love the runs at 1:04 and the children's choir is really sweet-sounding.
12. Kings Joy - Another Warsaw Philharmonic piece. Some strong orchestration over a short playtime. The horns, trumpets, flutes and other woodwinds, mallet percussion, and strings are all wonderful here.
13. Play chess in the air - I love when albums/soundtracks close with ambient pieces like this (Illinois did this as well) that let you close your eyes, absorb the atmosphere, and reflect on what you've experienced over the course of the album. What a great way to end one of my favorite soundtracks.
14. Swamper - Cool, muffled effect on the cello. Not a fan of the intro, but the rest is great, especially Gabriela Robin's vocals again. I love the way the twangy guitar was panned hard right too, making a neat effect in the mix.
15. Red Wolf - I like the reference to Intro Theme in the flute at 0:41. And the crescendo at 1:15 back to that theme is really well-done. The rest of the song is nice, although I wish it were more motivic.
16. Hold your Life - The slow bagpipe motif is interesting, but I like the other aspects of this song more, especially the flute and cello solos.
17. The Force Midgarts - I love me some good bagpipes. I wish it were longer though.
18. Pub - An example of Gabriela Robin's other style of singing, which is definitely not as good as her more ethereal, choir-like style, but I don't mind it too much. Still the e-guitar is the clear highlight of this piece for me.
19. Beginners - Nice song, but it's a bit short-lived.
20. 5 Years War - Brooding mood-setter. I like the usage of timpani, but it's a bit of a weaker piece on its own.

Yoko Kanno is far and away my favorite composer. Her compositional style really connects with me with its simplicity on the surface, yet complexity when you listen more carefully. She's produced 7 albums that I've rated 5 stars on RYM (this being one of them), which is way more than any other artist (no other artist has more than 2). Ragnarok Online II is a great showcase of her abilities in both orchestration and folk songwriting, with some hints of her synth abilities. Being the soundtrack for a canceled game, it didn't receive nearly as much recognition as it probably deserved. I'm very glad we got to cover it here and that you guys get the chance to at least be exposed to it.