Before I start, let me just say that this was the first time I have ever been to a J-pop concert. While the bulk of my experiences had been symphonic performances or musicals where I can sit back and let the music wash gently over me, AFA’s concert was akin to being stuck in a washing machine in a spin cycle, amidst hundreds of people waving lightsticks, singing along with the artists, cheering and screaming themselves hoarse. And to make matters worse, my spirit was not even a fraction of theirs, and while my heart did beat a little faster, there was not a moment where I even came close to losing myself.

Still, throughout most of the concert, I was in awe. This was partly due to the volume being high enough to knock the air right out of your chest, but more due to the sheer quality of some of the performances. Itou Kanako started things off and made an immediate impact through her vocal clarity and strength of delivery in ‘Uchuu no Engineer’. While her stamina did not last through the entire performance, Itou Kanako is definitely more than auto-tune and audio editing. It helped that her English is excellent, and she came across as a really sweet and likeable person through all the MC sessions. It was definitely the best opening I can hope for, and she is one person I’ll definitely pay to watch again.

Following Itou Kanako, we had Milky Holmes, whose autographed poster I’m still trying to auction off. While their song offered the classic energetic and bubbly fare, the whole performance fits much better in a grade school setting than among our group of audiences.  To their credit, they did work up the crowd a fair bit, and as seiyuu singers, their singing is half-decent.

Third up is the powerhouse: Angela. Through this group’s sheer amount of experience, they were demonstrably in an different league from Milky Holmes. Their audience engagement is just off the charts; Atsuko led the audience on a dance to accompany hers and Katsu even jumped off the stage to get up close with some of the audience. I really liked the selection of their tracks, from the track that propelled them to stardom, ‘Shangri-la’, to their debut ‘Asu e no Brilliant Road’, and even a surprise reveal in ‘Cruel Angel’s Thesis,’ which drew thunderous cheers from the crowd. While Angela did give up a whole lot of intonation and music quality for such a performance, I can only say that each song was meaningful in its own way and I had never been this happy having my eardrums ripped to shreds.

With Kalafina, the audience went wild. It seems that May’n may just have to give up her spot as the AFA icon in a year or two. Starting with their trump card ‘Magia‘, I stood in absolutely awe over Wakana’s performance. Her voice was stronger, brighter and richer than ever, and while I had complained about that before in their singles because it comes across as being unexpressive, it worked great for a live performance. Also, her aria was just, dare I say it, heavenly.

Keiko would have held her own had the microphone volume been adjusted higher for her, but as it stood, it was really difficult to even hear her solos. Hikaru, for her part, was having one of her better days (i.e. no horrendously off-key notes), but her performance did not come across as confidently as the others’. Still, Kalafina gave the most musically sound performance, and there was an odd sense of satisfaction seeing these girls whom I’ve had my eyes on since their debut finally propel themselves to international fame.

Wrapping up, we have the resident diva of AFA: May’n. Like I mentioned in my most recent review, I am not too fond of most of her releases since her voice is like a rubber band.  My friend takes it a step further, comparing it to a spider web: thin, taut and sticky. I admit that’s an fair description, but I also have to marvel at how May’n is just a natural performer. With the confidence rivaled only by Angela, May’n’s presence absolutely dominated the stage. And while this has been said a thousand times, I have to say again: her songs sound much better live than they do on record. However, the pounding synth and bass, along with May’n's extreme and uncontrolled fluctuations in volume did leave me with a headache less than halfway through.

Overall, the concert has been a whole new experience, and the songs are going to keep replaying in my head for some time to come. While I did not go away with a boatload of adrenaline like everyone else did, and my complete lack of stamina for such events tells me I should hold off my pilgrimage to Animelo for at least a few years, I did enjoy the night thoroughly. Still, my ideal concert remains as one which takes my breath away through the music and the strength of the singer’s vocals, not with speakers that churn your insides around like soup.

Review: There are many bones I have to pick with May’n's singing: it’s contrived, it’s thin, and frankly, it’s like a rubber band that’s ready to snap any moment. There are only a few of her works that I can sit through without a splitting headache at the end and “Brain Diver” is one of those rare finds.

With its rapid tempo, we don’t get many sustained notes from May’n – the sort which tear at her throat and my sanity. And to her credit, May’n does handle fast and rhythmic songs quite well. “Brain Diver” capitalises on her talent and astutely hides all her weaknesses. Her overly dramatic delivery, which usually raises eyebrows, actually raises the quality of this song because it goes together rather well with the discordant synthesizer sounds, making the song even catchier. It’s generic pop, no doubt, but if she can make it sound as good as it did, there is really nothing I can complain about.

But as we progress on to the B-side, I am reminded painfully that the usual May’n fare is never far away. Starting off with instrumentals that sounds right down the Maaya Sakamoto alley, my stomach just churns while waiting for May’n entry. As expected, she completely desecrates the song with a delivery that is still as contrived as ever. Her complete lack of meaningful modulation, the painful amount of repetition, and the slow pace of it all make this song plain torturous.

Still, I tip my hat off to composer Tomokazu Yamada and arranger CHOKKAKU for managing to bring the best out of May’n, who actually ain’t all that shabby. Spare me the “Scarlet Ballet” and “Ready Go!” nonsense; this is the song I want to hear when I attend AFA this weekend.

Rating: Good

Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle OP – Brain Diver

What you’ll get here is a brief rundown of the questions that were asked at the panel and the answers they gave. The questions don’t exactly follow the order in which they’re asked (else it’d jump around a whole lot), so without further ado, check out what they had to say after the jump!

On the Anime Expo Concert:
No surprises here; they definitely had a lot of fun and enjoyed every minute of it. Both of them put in a lot of work to prepare themselves for the concert and they felt that doing so contributed a lot to making the experience an enjoyable one for all. May’n did take the time to learn a few English phrases to rouse the audience (that wasn’t necessary since the crowd was plenty excited). Megumi Nakajima didn’t go that far, but she did work on her image a bit so as to match her personality to her performance. From the language standpoint, Nakajima felt that her singing was more than capable of bridging that gap because music is a universal language.

If memory serves, this was also Nakajima’s first international concert, and she was worried about how the fans would react. Those fears evaporated once she took the stage and saw how enthusiastic the fans were.

One interesting point that May’n did raise about the concert was the difference between Japanese and American fans. Fan behavior in Japan tends to fall under a sort of group mold, where the swaying and reveling is done in unison. American fans contrasted themselves by being more individualistic. While there were pockets in the crowd who moved to the music in a same manner, on the whole, Americans did whatever struck them at the moment and so, there’s greater freedom for individual self-expression. Megumi Nakajima chimed in by adding that this had the effect of making her concert experience feel as though she was communicating to each member of the audience rather than to a group, and so, the distance felt much closer and the event was more personal.

On Their Career Trajectory:
Both seemed pretty content with how their careers are coming along. May’n in particular is happy where she is and isn’t looking to explore other musical genres with any urgency aside from spontaneous ventures into stuff like rock music. This characterizes her tendencies in general, so when she moves into different types of musical genres, it’s not consciously planned. More often than not, she just sings whatever she wants to sing. And despite the success of artists such as Nana Mizuki, May’n has no plans to go into voice acting.

Likewise, Nakajima doesn’t have any long-range plans to branch out beyond idol-pop. She’s a big fan of 80s-era idols and wants to sing music that hearkens back to this time period. She particularly admires Kawai Sonoko’s because Sonoko’s music is varied, each with its own character. If given the chance, she’d love to perform a duet with Sonoko someday.

From the voice acting side, there’s no planned movement there either since Nakajima is very much content with the way things are. In her various roles, she always strives to serve as a good role model. This goes back to her childhood where the manga she enjoyed often featured a main character who was a star, and she often looked up to those characters.

No mention of Nakajima’s career is complete without a talk about how successful her GUMI Vocaloid has become. She feels honored to know that people will use that character’s voice to make music for years on down the line.

On How Well Their Characters Represented Themselves:
The conversation slowly turned to their work on Macross Frontier, specifically, how well they were able to relate to their characters. May’n really thought that Sheryl Nome’s personality was a good fit for her because of how she enjoys the stardom that Sheryl experiences. In addition to that, May’n feels that both she and Sheryl take great pride in their music and when they perform, both will express their emotions freely, passionately, and with full confidence.

Nakajima gave a more general response in that her inexperience of being a seiyuu somewhat parallels what Ranka felt like when her stock began to grow. Beyond that, she felt like their lives were too different to make for a worthwhile comparison.

On Working with Yoko Kanno:
This segment was probably the most interesting to me personally because the relationship between composers and performers, I think, plays a major role in determining whether a song will flourish or fail. And Kanno’s ability to get the best performance from her vocalists by composing music that fits their idiom has been shown time and time again with the likes of Maaya Sakamoto being the most prominent example.

With that kind of reputation under Kanno’s belt, May’n was pretty nervous, but through working with Kanno, May’n found her to be a very warm, caring person. Their relationship progressed to the point that May’n was comfortable enough to go to Kanno with thoughts and suggestions with regard to Sheryl’s songs and establish a good rapport.

Nakajima saw Kanno more of a motherly person who was very supportive as the two were quickly able to gain a mutual understanding of one another while they worked.

One thing that they did confirm about Kanno is that she’s quite the lively personality. Nakajima describes times where Kanno will dance around and May’n confirms that this is especially the case when a recording session goes particularly well.

On Visiting America:
May’n's biggest surprise was in seeing the food portions and how big they were. I actually hear this a lot from friends from Europe who come over to the US and how everything looks and feels super-sized. In May’n case though, she was very pleased with the size of the portions and rates her dining experience rather highly.

For Nakajima, the surprise was in seeing the amount of open space. I guess that in Tokyo, everything feels cramped and so, all this free space that we take for granted was a total revelation to her. She was especially startled at how beautiful the blue sky was as she got off the plane. That event was noteworthy enough for her to enter into her diary.

Tracklist

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

Review: In composing the music to Ookami-san, Megumi Oohashi’s decision to stick with simple, dreamy melodies and ambiance is no accident. The anime focuses on reinterpreting well-known fairy tales through a modern lens while also building up character relationships. To match it, the music follows that premise by dispensing with a tracklist consisting of a mix of light, pleasant pieces to capture day to day life, ambient mood-setters during the introspective moments, and energetic electric guitar pieces for the action scenes. Save for a handful of pieces, Ookami-san’s soundtrack isn’t all too memorable; that said, it works best as tranquil background fare because it doesn’t distract one’s attention from the anime.

The first track, “Youkoso! Otogihanashi he,” is one of the memorable pieces. Starting with a slow, quaint oboe air, “Youkoso!” builds up nicely in its depiction of the early morning with a dreamy aura that soon picks up through a burst of energy carried by the lively xylophone sequence that works to waken you with its light taps. Soon, the sun’s warmth seeps in, driven by the violin’s elegance, which brings the opener to a wonderful close with its optimism for what the new day brings.

Youkoso! Otogihanashi he

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
And yet, the dreamy feel is far from gone. “Otogi Gakuen Gakusei Sougo Fujo Kyoukai’s” slow tempo, combined with the flute melody, lulls you with its soothing sound and measured steps that leave you brimming with quiet contentment. The lethargy it induces is not unpleasant as the background piano and accordion sweep you gently along while leaving you feeling light and carefree. “Omoi” complements this general aura with its synth tones that calmly envelope you with their warmth as the languid flute part drifts to and fro, thereby rendering a tranquil, introspective moment fittingly. There are moments when the emotional turmoil pierces the calm surface, as it does in “Hontou no…’s” heartrending piano introduction, but in that instance, it quickly recedes, restoring the mood through a trickling of hope and joy.

Omoi

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Hontou no…

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Although this album is dominated by balmy tracks, Oohashi does vary it up a bit by cultivating a wide variety of styles and genres to make this soundtrack more engaging. Towards the beginning, “Itsumono Nichijou” departs from the calmness with a jaunty piano tune that hearkens back to the early day of vaudeville even if it drawls on just a bit long. “Contest!” is more to my liking as the track takes on the form of a march, complete with an opening fanfare that segues into an animated, yet regal section led by the violins with flute trills to back it up. But it’s not until you reach close to the end that you encounter a major genre shift into the realm of rock music.

Contest!

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Starting with “Arawaru!” and ending with “Ketsui,” Oohashi delivers a trio of electric-guitar driven tracks that evoke action, tension, and determination. Of the three, “Ketsui” is my favorite. The pianos lead off grimly and once the electric guitar makes its entry, not only do you feel the hopelessness and despair that issues forth through the buildup, the release is also exquisite, exhibiting purpose and determination. The other two are a mixed bag, though “Arawaru!” isn’t too bad in its use of punk rock to depict the action. It’s “Niramiai” that, though initially impressive with its ominous tones, becomes tiring rather quickly because of its repetitive ambiance.

Ketsui

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
That problem isn’t resigned to just “Niramiai” either. If there’s one major complaint that can be leveled towards this album, it’s that there are one too many repetitive ambient tracks that receive little in the way of melodic development. Pieces like “Yasashi Kokoro’s” dull ethereal electronica and “Sennyuu’s” uninteresting ostinatos that never do anything interesting beyond the addition of other instruments grate on my nerves. While the reason why these tracks exist is to complement the scene, it just doesn’t work all too well when actively listening to it on a standalone basis. That said, its dullness makes for some decent homework music since it won’t be too distracting.

Sennyuu

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Despite this niggling issue, Megumi Oohashi demonstrates some solid compositional chops through Ookami-san’s soundtrack. The pieces that are upbeat, dreamy, serene, or any combination of the three, are solid, and she’s also adept at sculpting melancholy tracks like a less-skilled version of Chopin. That effectively means she’s got a ways to go before being able to write something truly memorable, but for what it is, Ookami-san’s is a good start. So in this case, all’s well that ends well. Right?

Medetashi Medetashi

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Rating: Decent

For those of you with a lot of time to spare, the full-length version of the concert report can be found at OSV. This report is for those who want a quick run-down of my thoughts of the event.

But before we get to that, I’m sure you guys will want a set list. Unlike the MELL Concert, I actually knew most of the songs; the only one that I didn’t know was May’n's performance of “Kimi Shinitamou Koto Nakare” since I never watched Shangri-La. If there are any mistakes, I’ll blame that on my horrendous notetaking skills.  Anyhow, the set list based on my notes is as follows:

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

So the big takeaway from this concert was something that Taka had mentioned in my AX schedule post; namely, that May’n is an outstanding live performer. She did have a bit of a shaky start when a few phrases were out of tune, but once she got her rhythm going, she was completely unstoppable. The way she sang completely exuded passion, confidence, and energy, and in doing so, made her stage presence impossible to ignore. Though I’d criticized her before for her vocals, which feel somewhat lacking in emotion, by actually being there and seeing her movements and facial expressions as she sang went a long way towards bridging the gap.

Most of her songs are characterized by high doses of energy and passion, but she also did a great job bringing out that nostalgic, longing feelings in “Diamond Crevasse,” which demonstrates her ability to shift tones to match the song during the middle of a concert. To draw the crowd in, she also learned some English, and you can probably guess how thick her accent was. Still, I’ll give her points for trying, and the audience appreciated that quite a bit.

Megumi Nakajima brings out the softer, cuter side, which nails Ranka Lee’s personality to a T, and as a result, her songs were much bouncier. That said, she doesn’t have quite the experience, and therefore stamina, to hold out for very long. And since she was performing 15 songs, it was inevitable that her voice would break. I started hearing it around “Jellyfish no Kokuhaku,” but it really became noticeable when she sang “Ao no Ether,” and that stuck out enough to be a bit distracting at times, especially when I wanted to take in the poignancy that the song had to offer. Oh well. I’ll give her a break for hanging in there and seeing the concert through to the very end.

You’ve all heard by now that Yoko Kanno made an appearance, and that proved to be a really awesome surprise. During the course of the concert, she played the piano, put an instrument that mimicked bird noises up to the microphone and played with that for awhile, sang along with May’n and Megumi Nakajima, and tossed a “Kira!” here and there during “Seikan Hikou.” While seeing her was great, having her on the piano really made songs like “Ai Oboete Imasuka” even more heartfelt and engaging. Though I understand the necessity of having singers sing to some background instrumental track, having live instrumentals there to back up the vocals is even better.

Of the two concerts I attended, this one was the most enjoyable mostly because I was familiar with the music. With 23 songs in tow, the singers kept the pace going strong and kept the audience engrossed with the overall presentation. My respect for May’n's singing has grown since her voice closely matches those of her recordings and Megumi Nakajima did well enough in spite of her relative inexperience. The word I’ll keep using to describe this is phenomenal, and so far, its magic still sticks with me.

I’m not the only one who wrote about this event, so if you’re looking to get some other perspectives, you can always check out Tim Sheehy’s thoughts on Japanator and Yoruko’s report over at C’est la Reve Qui Chante.

EDIT: Looks like the Anime Diet guys have posted their report too!

With the July 4th weekend just hovering around the corner means yet another trip to Anime Expo with all the madness of making the schedule just tight enough so that I can maximize whatever utility there is to be had by interacting with fans, industry, and of course, meeting people who have been nothing more than internet screenames with all the personality and such encapsulated in those virtual identities. Unlike last year, the concerts this time around are actually worth going to. Also unlike last year, there will be a bit of work involved since I’m on assignment for Original Sound Version. Which effectively means that any enthusing over the concerts will be found there once the dust settles. Of course, if anyone else wants to write up a concert report for Anime Instrumentality as a guest post, do let me know!

Anyway, the plan is to hit up Friday and Saturday. Specifics? Well, here’s the plan given the schedule I have on hand:

Friday:

Not much in the morning though I might go to half of Eri Kitamura’s panel before making a hasty exit to beeline towards what is the must-see event of the day.

Megumi Nakajima/May’n Concert
Is anyone really surprised I’m looking forward to this? Though I might not have liked some of Macross Frontier’s pop music, most of that falls under May’n's performances; I’m perfectly happy listening to Megumi Nakajima’s stuff since she puts a solid effort in all of her songs. Somehow, I don’t think we’ll see any of her non-Macross Frontier material, but who knows, we could be in for a pleasant surprise there. It’d be cool is something like “Jellyfish” from Kobato pops up. So yeah, mostly going for Nakajima, but if May’n's as good a live performer as rumor says she is, it’ll exceed my expectations by a huge amount!

Maybe after that, I’ll hit up the Rightstuf/Nozomi panel? I guess it’d be interesting to see if they have anything down the pipeline since I’ve stopped paying attention to their releases since the ARIA franchise finished. No Danny Choo though. Not even for the Black Rock Shooter OVA and I’m not sure Chinka is in the cards for me.

Yui Horie
You can’t really go for that long without having heard her voice work or vocal performances. Anyhow, a lot of this is nostalgia since one of the earliest series I remember watching is Love Hina. Plus, her recent work has been solid, even if I can’t claim to have been awed by her singing like I once was. Maybe that has something to do with the composers/lyricists who write her songs.

MELL Concert
No, I wasn’t all that fond of “Red Fraction” or of I’ve Sound in general, but hey, if she’s here, might as well make the most of it. And if she sings “Proof,” that’ll be enough to make me a happy person. That should about do it for my Friday.

Saturday:

Megumi Nakajima Panel
Why not, right? I’ve already gone to the concert. Might as well grab more tidbits. Guess that means I’ll miss out on the Toradora! panel, but that’s not a total wash since seeing Yui Horie makes up for that.

That’s really about the only thing that demands my attention at this point. If any of you have suggestions for how to fill up Friday or Saturday, do let me know. Probably a lot of that time that I don’t spend wandering the convention hall will be spent in putting faces to names as I meet up with people I’ve only conversed with through online platforms, so that’ll be pleasant since there are quite a few people I’d like to meet in person. (Anyone else I’m forgetting? A meetup might be in the cards as long as people tell me when/where.)

Review: Those who have read my review for the Macross Frontier Original Soundtrack will have noted my discontent with May’n's vocal talents. The major issues that I had with her performances is that her voice doesn’t catch my attention because she doesn’t really convey much in the way of emotion through her singing and her songs tend to have this generic bland pop feel to it. While this single does not assuage my opinions about her, it is a touch better than the songs that she performed on the soundtrack, making this album enjoyable even if doesn’t blow you away.

Thankfully, “Lion” does an excellent job of grabbing your attention right off the bat with an elegantly-written exposition that sets the tone for the introduction of the electric guitars which charge to set forth the forceful rhythm and tempo that remains for the rest of the song. May’n's voice is clear as she comes through and already, the amount of energy and emotion that she’s putting into the piece is an improvement over most of her songs on the first soundtrack even if that doesn’t really mean all that much. Megumi Nakajima entrance around 0:42 gives her more soothing and enjoyable voice a chance to shine before she and May’n combine their efforts. If there’s anything that’s readily apparent with “Lion,” it’s that May’n and Megumi Nakajima complement each other really well because May’n's deeper voice contrasts really well with Megumi Nakajima’s lighter tone. It also helps that the melody is fairly catchy and enjoyable for the whole way through with its jamming guitars that set the song in motion in a fast-paced manner that will hold the listener’s attention. Although it’s not the absolute best OP ever, “Lion” manages to be enjoyable all the same by showcasing one of May’n's better performances.

“Northern Cross’s” introduction carries with it a harder edge provided by the electric guitars, an electronic rhythm in the back, and a full percussion set to carry the rhythm and harmony. This piece presents May’n on her own and here, she starts off with a light ballad-like introduction before speeding up the pace at which she sings, which piques the listener’s interest through her ability to go through the lyrics at a rapid pace without slurring the lyrics. As you keep on listening to this piece, it sounds mostly like an effort to showcase May’n's ability to sing the lyrics without really showing off her ability to fuse much emotion into the music itself. In fact, that’s probably the biggest issue that I had with this piece is that its emphasis on vocal virtuosity comes without the emotional connection that makes songs generally enjoyable. While this song is, on the whole, a good listen because of May’n's performance, I’m just not seeing this one hold up to multiple listens on its own.

May’n's performance in both tracks continue to demonstrate that she still has difficulty making that connection with the listener and because of that, her music tends to require more enhanced effects to keep the audience interested rather than being strong based on the strength of her vocal talents. Megumi Nakajima’s performance also doesn’t bring anything new to the table in that we know she’s not quite an experienced singer as May’n, but is certainly willing to put in a solid effort which shines even more in conjunction with May’n. Their performances aren’t good enough to single this album out as being excellent, but at least it’s passable and fits in with the show.

Rating: Good

Opening – Lion

Ending – Northern Cross

Review: Yoko Kanno’s latest effort into the realm of soundtracks is another winner with many pieces that succeed at sweeping me off my feet with their sheer force and intensity. This is among the grandest works I’ve ever listened to in the world of anime soundtracks and the epic feel that many of the orchestral tracks carry with them can be seen as a tribute to the best that movie soundtracks have to offer. As you listen, you can hear a smattering of Hans Zimmer, John Williams, and even Bruce Broughton (who worked on Rescuers Down Under) throughout this album. Although the orchestrated and instrumental pieces are all excellent, the vocal tracks are generally mediocre and leave the listener wanting, which brings down the overall quality of the album.

As befits a Macross Soundtrack, many of the tracks have a militaristic and space opera bent to them. The opening track “Frontier 2059” does just that with an opening dominated by drums and trumpet before moving into a sweeping orchestrated fanfare which evokes the image of spaceships embarking upon a grand journey. “Vital Force” is also an epic piece with its fanfares that would fit just fine serving as theme for the Olympic Games.

Spread throughout the album are some other interesting tracks such as “Private Army” which has a Latino flavor to it with the guitar work and “Alto’s Theme” which is fairly solemn. There are also some soothing piano pieces like “Innocent Green” and “Kira Kira,” both of which consist of a repeating melody. They don’t particularly push any bounds, but that’s OK since they serve their role more as introspective pieces.

It’s only a matter of time before the orchestral tracks return in full force, and return it does with the likes of “Tally Ho,” which has all the feel of a battle preparation theme as the lines are being drawn. I’m awed by the sheer emotions presented as the moments of discordant chords which increase the tension. It’s definitely a grand, epic, and powerful piece that will carry you through fortunes and misfortunes until the piece resolves by closing on an optimistic note.

However, “Tally Ho” just really does not compare to “The Target” which may be one of the best action pieces ever. It opens very much with a mood that screams of an intense space battle that draws comparisons to the music played during the Battle of Yavin from the original Star Wars. Of all the superb pieces scattered throughout this album, this track is probably the best of the lot.

The main problems with this soundtrack lie in the vocal tracks, many of which have decent background music and production values but are saddled with terrible vocalists. While the various renditions of “Aimo” are calming and enjoyable, the rest of the vocal tracks that don’t involve Megumi Nakajima are terrible. I often found myself skipping through May’n’s tracks because her voice is just terrible and the melody was never all that interesting to because of how utterly generic it was. Maaya Sakamoto’s poor performance with Triangular was also a shame since her work has been a lot better in the past. Listening to her sing that opening was painful.

The majestic melodies in the orchestral and instrumental tracks just cannot be understated for they represent the pinnacle of anime music. Few soundtracks are able to match the degree of intensity and awesomeness contained here. Although, the vocal tracks by and large are washouts, the Macross Frontier soundtrack delivers a solid performance and is definitely worth your time.

Rating: Very Good

Music Sampler