Thanks to Jessica Stan for submitting this one for review.
This CD captures Naoki Sato at his peak. Released between K-20: Legend of the Mask (2008) and Space Battleship Yamato (2010), Ballad: Song of Love Without a Name continues a period where Sato was firing on all cylinders. The score features a strong set of pieces, most leaning toward the majestic. In fact, even a lot of themes that have more energetic moments will feature parts of their themes that are a bit more grandiose in nature. As a result, the score doesn’t display the full stylistic range found in many of Sato’s works, but it embraces that majestic tone and emerges stronger for it.
Now unlike many Sato soundtracks, this one features a recurring main theme motif that appears frequently throughout. It welcomes the listener right from the opening track, “Ballad: Gift of Time,” and resurfaces often. You’ll hear it in “Put Your Thoughts Into Words,” “A Moment of Happiness,” “A Wish for Success in Battle,” and “Thank You,” among others. These pieces aren’t simply repetitions of the main theme, though. Instead they are distinct cues that eventually circle back, often near the end, to that central motif. Even “The Person of My Dreams Appears,” which begins on a rather cheesy note, ultimately shifts into the main motif. Fortunately, the motif itself is superb. Sato excels at writing themes that evoke a vivid sense of place, and this one is both epic and sorrowful, with a distinct flavor of feudal Japan.
Beyond the main title motif, there are some other strong tracks here. “Assistance” is a good example, feeling a little sorrowful in its slow, violin led tone. However, that transitions into a more energetic theme, making it a true highlight track off the CD. “The Vow Fulfilled” also impresses, opening with melancholy and closing on a more uplifting tone. “The Debut of the Two-Wheeled Vehicle” is also another interesting track, having more of a carefree and whimsical tone to it. It actually does feature the main motif, but played in such a different fashion that it’s not that overt.
While the soundtrack is consistently strong, a few tracks have weaker moments. As mentioned, “The Person of My Dreams Appears” starts off on a cheesy note, and “Matchlock Shoot-Out” takes nearly two minutes to find its footing, meandering before it finally kicks into gear.
Bottom line, this is probably amongst Sato’s top 10 soundtracks, buoyed a lot by one of his best motifs of all time with the main theme. |
