Welcome back to Mecha March and yet another entry under the “Music” heading. Now, finding the music from anime wasn’t very easy back in the day. Until file sharing programs and sites came around, you had to get music imported from Japan or hope that you lucked upon some in a Japanese book or movie store. I remember when Suncoast Movies had a whole rack of music from Macross Plus when the DVD came out. It was wild. And I was broke. So, piracy ensued. However, all these years later, I managed to track down this CD and give it a listen.
INFORMATION HIGH:
This is the first track and it is a song I have been obsessed with ever since I first heard it. While in English, there is some “Engrish” going on with the lyrics. Slow to build, the song picks up and just takes off. If you’re wondering, this is the song that plays while Isamu is trying to get through the defense barrier of Earth. However, the eight minute and five second length might be a bit much for some of you. For me, I could listen to it forever. I suppose it would be Trance? Electronica? I don’t know but I want more of it in my life.
Idol Talk:
This track is the one that causes the warning above. Why? Because there’s snip-its of actual phone sex in it. I’m not joking. You can clearly hear a woman with a British accent talking about sex and sexual acts, towards the end. It fades in and out during the start and end of the song but is covered by the rest of the music. Besides that, this is actually a really good track. The lyrics are in French, I believe and it has a very Pop sound, with a dash of Electronica, that just works for me. Can you believe that this came out in the 90s? Because I sure can, as it feels very Madonna influenced. Once again, there’s a bit of a slow build up to the faster part but when that switch it flipped, it’s great. This song plays during Sharon’s concert on Eden.
The Borderline:
Another song in English, I never knew what the name was because the singer’s accent made it hard to make it out. It makes sense, as the Japanese don’t really have an L or R sound, it’s something somewhere in between the two sounds. Anyway, after the faster songs so far, this one feels so nice and relaxing. But it’s also a bit sad, melancholy, really. I like this one, too. Hell, I like all the songs here but for different reasons. This one is just so… Wispy, soft, and ethereal (yes, I know I’m pretty much saying the same thing three times, get over it). It’s very clearly got a Jazz or perhaps Blues influence and it works. This song also plays during the first concert of Sharon Apple’s. If you really want to enjoy it, I suggest using headphones. Also, this is the shortest track on the album, coming in at five minutes and eighteen seconds.
SANTI-U:
You know what’s interesting about this song? I think it’s in Zentradi. Yeah, a made up language from the show. This song is really two but are one track. The beginning opens with that etherealness from the last track, with some soft singing and slow drums, making for a relaxing start. It’s slowly relaxing you and preparing you for what comes next. Halfway through the song, there’s what sounds like someone flipping through TV channels, followed by a test signal, and then the song changes. There’s this drum beat that slowly starts up and then gets louder and louder, faster and faster, and then it hits you with the Scat (like, the singing thing) and Trace beat. It builds, and builds, until the end, where it all just fades away like a dream. This is the last song from Sharon’s first concert. It’s interesting, because if you listen to the album on repeat, it’s like a circle that never ends. Or perhaps waves rising and falling, over and over again.
And with that terrible metaphor, I think it’s time to wrap up this review. There are two more soundtracks for Macross Plus out there. Both of them, and this one as well, are available on Spotify, should you want to give them a listen.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Suggestion: A great
one, if short one. Oh, did I mention that the artist is credited as
Sharon Apple? Because it is. And that’s neat.
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