open your ears

Yuu Miyake | Cherry Tree Times / Cherry Blossoms

And now for something completely different. Welcome to my Video Game Soundtrack review category. I’m not a huge gamer, but now and then I do like to play something. Katamari Damacy is not a game I have played and yet its soundtrack is so touching and gripping, that I almost want to try out the game. A few months ago, I was looking for some new music to listen to and I stumbled upon one site (unfortunately I can’t find it anymore) which had a Top 100 list of the best game soundtracks. So I gave some of them a listen. I always was a fan of listening to video game or movie soundtracks while studying for school or university. But not all of them are suited for that task. Just like Katamari Damacy. Its soundtrack is so active and energetic. You just want to listen to the nonsense that’s happening.

Although I think the whole album is a masterpiece and certainly worth checking out on its own, I had to pick my favorite song: Cherry Tree Times (or sometimes Cherry Blossoms). This song somehow manages to remind me of my home. Although I’m nowhere near Japan and don’t really have any connection to the people there. I’ve never even been there, but it’s culture does really fascinate me.

But why does it remind me of home? There’s need for a little backstory:
I come from the south of Austria. It’s a not so secluded state called Carinthia, but they do like to make you feel like they’re secluded. As it’s the case in most of Austria. Everyone is on his own.
And in Carinthia there’s this traditional music called “Kärntner Lied”. It’s always sung, seldomly accompanied by instruments and most of the time sad. Well…not sad, but melancholic. You see, the Austrians are a very death-friendly culture. Death isn’t something that they are afraid of, which is a funny trait to have, if you think about it.
And these “Kärntner Lieder” often speak about loss, heartbreak or deep emotional scars.

So why does this song feel like home? Well, listen to how it starts. That’s a melancholic feeling through and through. They don’t mess around and immediately hit you with a beautiful string arrangement, which guides you into the song.

At 00:21 we hear this wonderful children’s choir enter with a simple la-la-la. But there’s nothing simple about the way the melody goes. Because the lyrics aren’t sad, but the music in the background creates this melancholic atmosphere. It’s like you’re transported back to your childhood in this short but sweet interlude.

At 00:46 we are greeted by a beautiful vocal line. Delivered so innocently and in all honesty (I have no idea if that was intentional. I imagine that it could be difficult to be a producer for children and to give them specific directions, but I really don’t know). There are vocal cracks, slight intonation difficulties and some insecurities. But any other way wouldn’t suit a child. If that were autotuned or even sung by an adult, it just wouldn’t fit.

At 01:22 something nice and unexpected happens. First the lead vocal gets doubled and then, after a few seconds, they move in different melodic directions. At 01:34 these two voices are now doubled once more. So although you can still just hear two melody lines, there are four voices singing.

At 01:51 they now enter the pre-chorus. And at 01:53 some beautiful voice sways between the double tracked vocals happen in the right headphone or speaker. As we enter the chorus in 02:11 we are again welcomed by the crowd and their beautiful la-la-la.

02:38. We now enter this wonderful string interlude. Their playing’s so corny here. But I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. There’s some nice melodies and countermelodies going on in this part between the high and low strings. And it’s all held together by the steady drum groove and the guitar plucking.

03:20. Now the vocal line isn’t double-tracked, starts on its own and is then accompanied by the harmony. The only notable difference to the first verse is that now the strings underline the melody with some completely unique movements without ever distracting from the vocal line.

At 04:11 one of my favorite parts of the song happens. As we enter the chorus, we are now accompanied by the lowest part of the string section, which hasn’t played a big part yet. But now…oh boy. Listen to that beautiful bass movement it creates. It enriches this part in so many ways and it’s the perfect addition to an already wonderful vocal melody and chorus. I especially love the note it lingers on at 04:19 before resolving it on the next downbeat.

At 04:52 we are back with the intro as an outro section. Yes, we can still rest in this feeling of melancholy. And as if even the musicians can’t get enough the drum beat starts again at 05:12.
Oh, if only the children could come again with their la-la-las.

05:35…oohhh yeah.