Today's track is another one I've been listening to non-stop lately. When I first posted a song by Kenji Kawai (the track from the movie Gantz), I mentioned that I had been introduced to Kenji Kawai's music via the soundtrack of Nobunaga's Ambition Online. The online game of the series was first released in 2003 and has seen a number of expansions, or "chapters", since then. The online game continues the series' tradition of great music, starting with Yoko Kanno and then continuing with Kousuke Yamashita. Although Kawai is probably my least favorite composer of the three, he is still a great one, and his compositions are way higher in quality than those of your average video game composer.
The music to Nobunaga's Ambition Online got its first release in 2005 with a soundtrack to the first chapters. There ave been two more soundtrack releases since then, all featuring music by Kawai. Unfortunately, just like the games, the soundtracks are not available in the United States and are incredible hard to find. I still have not located the third soundtrack, but will continue to try.
Although Kawai's music is often dark and brooding (like his soundtracks to the movies Gantz and Death Note), or fast and action-oriented (like his music for the Ip Man films), I personally prefer the tracks of his that are lighter and more cheerful. Most of his soundtracks will feature at least one of those, and Nobunaga's Ambition Online has a few. This is one of them, appropriately titled "Tranquility". Having not played the game, I can't be certain under what context the music plays. The song begins with a charming flute solo (an instrument I'm a sucker for) before transitioning into Kawai's signature over-produced sounding strings, which I have grown fond of over time. It is a very short track, but another good example of Kawai's style and ability to craft a memorable theme. Enjoy!
Album info: http://vgmdb.net/album/939
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