This is
the fifth volume in the Rhythm and Police line and the
second soundtrack for
the extremely successful film Bayside Shakedown 2.
Compared with the previous volume, IV (UMCK-9527),
this disc makes for a much more enjoyable standalone
experience. It lacks a truly stellar track, which
the previous CD had in "Rhythm and Police 2003", but
also doesn't feature any cues which are particularly
unpleasant. Like the other discs in the series, this
release is composed by Akihiko
Matsumoto. As is standard for the composer, this CD
features a wide range of styles, although tends to drift
more toward the "usual" scoring methods instead of his
often unorthodox approach, which is expected given that
volume IV had mostly contemporary tracks. In terms
of the best theme on here, it would arguably be
"Critical Moment II", which is a nice rousing theme if
not a little long winded.
"SAT" is another interesting cue off this disc, probably
the most energetic of the group once it kicks into motion,
although starts off with sound effects from a helicopter
and a slow horn tune making it a little cumbersome until
the "meat" of the piece begins.
A couple of
the themes off this disc are reoccurring, or will become
so in later releases. One example of this is the "C.X.
(Orchestra Version 2003)", which was one of my favorite cues
off the original score for Bayside
Shakedown (1998). This new take is nice... but
lacks a lot of the energy of the earlier recording. Another
of these such tracks is "Negotiator" which, naturally,
is reused for Negotiator:
Mashita Masayoshi (2005), although a vocal layer
is added for the 2005 movie to make it very distinct
compared to the version here.
Overall, there are better CDs by
Akihiko
Matsumoto, such as volume III (PHCL-5106)
of this series and Negotiator,
but
this disc should still prove interesting for his fans
and is a much more appealing package than the previous
volume was.
Rating:  |
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