Gundam, Turn A OST 1

Credits: Yoko Kanno.

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Track Listing:

1. Spiral Re-born
2. World Edge Theory
3. Memory of Military Boots
4. Chi yori hazumeto
5. The First Advent
6. The Second Advent
7. The Third Advent
8. Final Shore
9. Moon
10. Yoigoshi no inori
11. Oshaberi Soshie
12. Days
13. Ojousan, naishobanashi desu
14. Gwen Lineford's Limousine
15. Girls Rule
16. Quiet Landing
17. Air Plant
18. Koujiku no nazoru mono
19. Ondori no you ni
20. Kyuuyaku no kataru tokoro
21. The Song of a Stone
22. Boys about 16
23. 5'4 Moon
24. Felicity

Yoko Kanno just keeps getting better >>> by firesenshi
Can't Yoko Kanno get any worse? This one proves she can't. Wonderful arrangement, great experimentation, eclectic taste in music. I guess he has proven herself worthy to be chosen to compose and arrange for a classic series like Gundam. Turn A Gundam's soundtrack is different from Gundam Wing's. While Gundam Wing's opening and ending themes sound mostly like typical pop sounds, Yoko Kanno's touch has added a bit of classical melodies.

Memory in Military Boots is sounds as its name. It's a mix of military and royalty overtures and fanfares. Another favorite is Moon where you are just mesmerized by the medieval melodies. I really love that Yoko Kanno is very much inspired by medieval melodies and how she incorporates in other genres to produce something magical. Oshaberi Soshie in the meantime, sounds like playful wind instruments with a melody I usually associate in portraying the Greek god Pan.

A most remarkable track is World Edge Theory. It is a mixture of all these -- tribal drumbeats, chants, a mix of middle eastern melodies, trumpetic fanfare, soft keyboard fantasy samples and Western jazz inspired melodies. It's like music moving from one edge of the world to the next sampling the best of each. Each one gradually segways into another genre without a pause so that you don't notice the transition! It's as though African tribal music with the heavy beats of the percussion going to the shaman chants of the East could actually blend well with Western jazz!

Actually, if you listen to this album, you will notice the mix of World music. It has choral chants, songs inspired by church choirs, Irish music, medieval inspired melodies and even a pop sounding number with Boys About 16, that reminds me of blues type of singing or those I associate with Ken Hirai, Japan's most popular R&B male singer.