Here, you'll find my commentaries on the music of "Evangelion."
"COMMENTARIES!?!!?" you say?
Yep, you read right. No downloads here.
There are enough download pages out there already. After all, I am a novice in HTML, remember?? Anyway, I'm already giving you some samples through the MIDI's on this page. Besides, real treasure isn't given to you...you must find it yourself. That, I have done. The music in all the 8 "Evangelion" soundtracks I've collected so far is truly something I love and treasure. Probably more so than anything else in my entire music collection, anime or not.
After all, I am a music lover so you should have expected this from me, especially if you've been to my homepage. All you'll find here are some of my comments and feelings towards various tracks off of all these 8 soundtracks that I own. I don't blame you if you want to turn back because you'd probably prefer to hear it than read about it. I just haven't found too many pages singing any praises about the music in this series and I believe the music deserves quite a bit of merit.
I hope you take the time to consider what I have to say and enjoy it.
You are listening to "When I Find Peace of Mind".
| "Evangelion": Volume 1. | "Evangelion": Volume 2. | "Evangelion": Volume 3. |
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| "Evangelion-Addition." | "Evangelion-Vox." | "Evangelion-Refrain." |
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| "Evangelion: Death." | "The End of Evangelion." |
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Definitely the first "Eva" soundtrack you should get. Actually, I got the first three you'll see here at the same time but I listened to them in order, of course. It kicks off with the long version (Director's Edit) of "Cruel Angel's Thesis," a song which has grown on me incredibly. In fact this song was the thing about the series that first caught my attention. The aspect that really hits me the most is the background vocals and how they give the main vocals an extra punch. A friend of mine described them as "angelic" once. This is quite true at the beginning of the song. The second track is a jazzy, smooth rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon." I really love "Rei I." This is an extrememely beautiful piano piece that incorporates violins, a cello and a harp later on to give it an eerie edge. It captures the mystery and enigma of Rei perfectly. This song makes me wish I played the piano.
Another one I love (that comes right after "Rei I"!) is "Hedgehog's Dilemma," a piano and guitar duet mainly, with more violins and soft percussion in the background. This piece expresses Shinji's solitary nature. This is a song I play in my head a lot...like when I'm alone or something. I also get the impression that I'm looking at myself through someone else's eyes. This is a very calm, emotional song. "Misato" is a very cheery, bouncy track that I like a lot. The instrumentation is done very well. "Asuka Strikes!" has a great guitar part. It's kind of a country hoedown (however the heck you spell it) kind of track that's pretty amusing! "Marking Time, Waiting for Death" is a downright eerie piece. It starts of with a calm, simple piano part. A harp is thrown in in a few spots and you can barely hear the plucking of violin strings. It then flows into something more percussive and more threatening, with more instruments. Very nicely done.
Volume 2 starts of with a Japanese track who's title, "Yokan," translates to (I discovered through research) "Premonition." I don't recall hearing it in the series but that doesn't matter. I find it very pleasant to listen to. "A Crystalline Night Sky" starts of sounding eerie...again...with a repeating piano part and the constant, high pitched reververation of violins. The addition of horns make it less eerie in the middle and then it goes back again. You might say that "Angel Attack 2" has a slight James Bond feel to it in a few places, with blaring trumpets. I find "Both of you, Dance Like You Want to Win!" quite a graceful song. You really have to hear it. "A Moment When Tension Breaks" is relaxing, to say the least. It definitely reflects the title.
"Evangelion" is full of eerie music. I guess that's natural, considering all the mystery that is found in the series. "The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still" simply sends chills up my spine. It starts of with a haunting piano part. A desolate sounding trumpet with a low cello in the background just completes the effect perfectly. "The Beast 2" is a powerful track that has grown on me. It exemplifies not only the grandeur, but also the frighteningly menacing ferocity of Unit 01. You have to see it to understand. "When I Find Piece of Mind" is easily the song I love the most on this disc. The MIDI you are hearing really doesn't do it justice. I absolutely love the way the flute sounds in this. In the second stanza, the violins take over as the flute sits out, percussion in the background...sounding beautiful. They then hand it back to the flute and support it, while the percussion cuts out. Then the violins take over again until the end. All the time, a guitar plays softly in the background. This is an incredibly beautiful song. I can never wait to get to it when I put in this c.d.
Volume 3 has a lot of what I like to refer to as the "mood setting" music. However, it starts with two Japanese vocal tracks entitled "Shiawase wa Tsumi no Nioi," and "Mugen Houyou." They translate into "Happiness bears the Smell of Guilt" and "Unlimited Embrace." The former is a pop-ish piece in 3/4 time. The latter is a very calm song that fits the title. Again, I can't recall hearing them in the series but again, it doesn't matter. This c.d. has a few tracks from the first two, but with different instrumental arrangements and feels. One of my best loved tracks is track 5: "Childhood Memories, Shut Away." This is the cello solo Shinji plays in episode 15. "In the Depths of Human Hearts" is another spine-chilling track.
I find tracks 14 through 22 simply breathtaking. All in all, the music in this disc symbolizes all the mental turmoil the characters experience, especially in the last two episodes. It is very psychological. Stunning. "Splitting of the Breast" sounds quite holy. It is a very deep piece. My other well loved track is "Infantile Dependence, Adult Dependency." This employs the violins beautifully with the punchy trumpets sounding off while they play...guitar in the background. The violins also give the impression of falling down...an aspect that really sets the mood of all the emotional turmoil. I really love this one. "Mother is the First Other," to me, is really relaxing, yet really psychological at the same time. It kind of gives me the impression of remembering childhood and the nurturing care of mothers. I guess that accounts for the title. Tracks 21 and 22 are made to be played one after the other. They are short, slow renditions of "Cruel Angel's Thesis," the first with violins, cello's and a guitar. The second with piano and guitar. One might not think too much of them but I really like them, especially how they are used in the last moments of the last episode...track 22 especially. It gives a great sense of jubilation and victory. These two tracks are entitled "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" and "Good, or Don't Be."
"Addition" is a cute little c.d. that I seem to like quite a bit. ^_^ Incidentally, I find the c.d. design itself to be quite pretty. The c.d. has 3 versions of "Fly Me to the Moon" and 3 promos for the movies. The whole thing kicks off with "Cruel Angel's Thesis (Director's Edit-Version 2)." In this version, the vocals are higher pitched than usual. A funky thing about this disc is the second track, which is a 21.5 minute drama track! The whole thing is in Japanese so I couldn't understand a thing but I found some bits to be pretty entertaining! I discovered through research that apparently, it is a comedy script in which the plot describes attempts to popularize the series by adapting it to different genres!! A cute surprise is track 8. It's that little song that those three girls sing at the wedding in episode 15.
The c.d. has two choral tracks: "Hallelujah" and "Worth is the Lamb...Amen." These were two tracks I enjoyed listening to. Then there was the 23 minute choral version of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, better known as "Ode to Joy." This has quickly become one of my most loved pieces of music of all time. Opera and choral music appeals to me in some way and I really enjoyed these 3 tracks, espacially Symphony No. 9. It's nothing but a complete pleasure for me to listen to. The stunning crescendo hits at 12 minutes and 40 seconds. It just makes me stand up from my chair and throw my arms up in ecstasy whenever I hear it. Marvelous songwriting.
"Vox" can be described as a "songs inspired by" kind of deal. This is probably the "Eva" soundtrack I listen to the least but I still enjoy it just as much (if that makes any sense to you). Essentially, this c.d. is full of rap and R&B renditions of songs in the "Evangelion" soundtracks, Volumes 1 through 3. Full of bass for ya. Track 6 is pretty umm...interesting. It basically starts of with a disgruntled fan apparently expressing his displeasure with a scene from "End of Evangelion" quite profanely. Well, that's one of the two reasons for the title: "X-Plicit." The three I seem to like are "Prelude to Battle," "Battling," and "Armageddon." The first two are kind of trash talking rap pieces. The first is set very nicely to "Decisive Battle" from Volume 1. The second is set with equal umm...niceness...to "Spending Time in Preparation," another version of "Decisive Battle" and a scene from "End of Evangelion." "Armageddon" is set beautifully with Canon.
Overall, I'd recommend this one for the extremely serious "Eva" fan (like me!). As a bonus, this is definitely a c.d. I'd cruise down the street to...when I get a car that is.
"The songs were inspired by 'Evangelion,'" says the side of the cover. This disc brings together all of the Japanese vocal tracks from Volumes 2 and 3 and adds a few other ones. This c.d. starts and ends with beautiful violin tracks, the first one setting them exquisitely to a slow bass beat. I find both of them to be really emotional. This disc contains the Ambivalence Mix of "Cruel Angel's Thesis," which is basically a more guitarry version. Track 8, "Love Antique" is a great track with a kinky sax solo in the middle. It also happens to be in English!
Track 11 is a slow bass beat with beautiful, smooth vocals. It's Japanese title, "Genwaku no Umi Kara" translates to "From the Dazzling Sea." Track 12, "The Refrain of the Soul," starts of with very graceful vocals and then dives into a dance beat while maintaining the grace of the vocals. The one that really hits me is "Forbidden Gene." This kind of sounds like a monastery vocal piece. I find the vocals to be quite hypnotic. They are somewhat haunting...gothic, you might say...and very beautiful. This song almost calls out to you.
"Death" is mostly a violin and cello c.d., which is only one of the reasons why I like it so much. A lot of the tracks are pretty darn short. You might call it a minus but I just call it...short. Track 2 is the longer (I'm not sure if it's the original) version of "Childhood Memories, Shut Away" from Volume 3. Although short, I really like this track, along with tracks 10 and 14, two different renditions of Pachalbel's Canon. What I find incredibly beautiful about Canon is that it starts off so simple and the violins go into so many variations of the first simple melody while the cello maintains that melody throughout the entire piece. Canon definitely ranks with Symphony No. 9 as one of my most loved pieces of music of all time.
Tracks 15 and 16 are the bonus tracks. Track 15 is from the "Rebirth" segment of the "Eva" movies but also appears on the "End of Evangelion." Track 16 is the longest song on any "Eva" soundtrack, clocking in at just over 37 minutes! I enjoy this choral piece very much though. It is entitled "Dies Irae."
"The End of Evangelion" is the last one I got so far. It starts off with two interesting, tense piano tracks that are somewhat reminiscent of the "Jaws" theme. Tracks 3 and 9 are stunning, live vocal renditions of "Mother is the First Other." Track 4 is the same track that appears as a bonus track (track 15) on the "Death" soundtrack. It's Japanese title, "Itsuwari no, Saisei," translates into "It's False, the Rebirth." Track 6 is entitled "II Air," which is originally Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major. I can't put my feelings about this one into words. It's kind of your own call. Lovely.
Track 7 is one I really like a lot. It's Japanese title, "Munashiki Nagare," translates to "The Flow of Void/Futility." I find "Komm, Susser Tod" a very pretty, yet sad vocal piece that is followed appropriately (at least I seem to think) by a very calm piano solo entitled "Jesus bleibet meine Freude." Yep, German. I definitely recommend this c.d.
Well, I hope that you enjoyed reading my commentaries and getting the feel of the music of "Neon Genesis Evangelion." Music is an important part of anything that is put on a screen...movies, t.v. shows...but music can survive on it's own! Have you ever seen anything on t.v. or in a movie theater without any music?? Ha ha!! Music truly is something wonderful. In the case of "Neon Genesis Evangelion," I find the music to be an amazing ehancement to the entire ambience of the series...and so much more.
