Well, as anyone who's up to date with Naruto Shippuden will know, Joe Inoue's CLOSER is the current opening theme. And... it's pretty good. It's certainly one of my favourite so far. The only problem I had with the song itself was how long it took to be released after appearing in the anime. But never mind.
The CD is a fairly standard affair, with five tracks:
1. CLOSER (full version)
2. GRAVITY
3. Kangaetaku Nai ~Can a guy talk all night?~
4. CLOSER ~NARUTO intro version~
5. CLOSER ~Karaoke version~
NOTE: The code on the CD should be KSCL-1322, released by Sony Music Entertainment. If you find a copy that says anything different then DON'T BUY IT. It's most likely a fake unless you buy it from a reputable retailer.
Because I managed to nab a First Press edition I got a nifty free Naruto sticker with Naruto, Shikamaru, Asuma and Kurenai on it. The sticker itself is about the size of the CD case, so I've no idea what I'm supposed to do with it for being so big o_o; I also got a tiny, tiny 2009 calendar with lots of Shippuden and original Naruto pictures on it.
So, as with all things, let's start at the beginning, and the chief reason you'd be buying the CD. CLOSER is definitely the track of choice on the disc by quite a long way. The light synthesiser orchestration works nicely with and against the heavy guitar riffs and rumbles, and Joe's voice fits very snugly into the middle of this to create a very nice harmony with the rest of the song. The lyrics (or from what I gather of them from the translations- regrettably I don't understand Japanese) aren't particularly special, deviating rather little from the mainstream sentiments that follow a lot of animes that have a tragic vein running through them for whatever reason or another. Despite the upbeat nature of the song itself the lyrics are a little more grounded, which fits well with the majority of Shippuden's more serious nature, and it all echoes well with the section of the series this initially accompanies.
Assuming you've only heard the version featured on the Shippuden intro, the second verse would be new to you, and the music deviates a little from the rhythmic verses and choruses snipped into the shorter. It's a little jarring when the drum beat suddenly disappears for the second section and then slams back in at double-pace for the last bit. I'm not entirely sure it works as well as it was intended for the short amount of time the changes happen, and there is a slight sense all the way through the song that it's trying too hard to be dramatic and exciting. You've even got the slower, harder drum beats in the penultimate chorus repeat used in a lot of songs to really hammer home that "This is the point the song is trying to make!" In this case it actually sounds very good and adds a nice variation to the chorus, and in all honesty if the verses and chorus had been the same all the way through it would have become a bit stale by now. CLOSER keeps itself fresh all the way through.
And the final chorus has the key change of the rhythm guitar that sends the emotions soaring into the stratosphere, and you finish the song feeling incredibly satisfied and wanting to go on that ride again, please.
The only slight deviation from its successful form is the slightly offbeat instrumental bit that kicks off the third act. If you've watched the video of the full version on YouTube this is where Joe talks to 'The King' (who looks suspiciously like the King Of All Cosmos from My Beautiful Katamari), but the bizarre dialogue from that is thankfully omitted from the single version. I have to admit I was rather relieved to discover that, having winced in anticipation of hearing garbled Engrish over a very nice song >.>;
Speaking of Engrish, with Joe Inoue having been born in Los Angeles it helps the English sections of his songs tremendously, and there's nary a bad vowel or mispronounced consonant to be found. They always make me smirk a bit, even when I love the song.
Then we get onto the other tracks. GRAVITY is incredibly average in its orchestration, and the lyrics contradict themselves a lot. It's sort of angsty, almost emo stuff, but not written with nearly as much care or consideration as CLOSER. It comes off as petulant and whiny, which is disappointing given the more empathic song just previous. He doesn't sing it particularly well either; I don't think he's done himself any favours by creating it virtually on a monotone instead of using the range he shows off in CLOSER. It's all in English though, and for what it's worth you can hear every word of it.
Kangaetaku Nai ~Can a guy talk all night?~ starts with the lyrics 'I don't want to think about it', and to be honest you don't really need to when listening to this song. It's fun with a lively rhythm, but again he sings on a monotone all the way through, and it feels a tiny bit soulless. The little guitar riffs that play in the background are quite interesting and lift it a bit, but the bass has the same, unchanging pulse all the way through, and it almost brings the rest of the song down to the same level of flatness. There's some nice synth brought into the end to liven it up, but it's not really enough to redeem it. Much better than GRAVITY, but miles behind CLOSER in its richness.
CLOSER ~NARUTO intro version~ is the song you've already heard, although condensed into one-and-a-half minutes instead of your three-and a-half. Still very very nice, although bite-sized for when you want your CLOSER fix and you've not got much time ^_~
I like the karaoke version of CLOSER almost as much as the proper full version. As is the case with any karaoke, you get the full taste of the orchestration, and it's not any less effective for not having lyrics. You can really appreciate the instruments and how well they all fit together. If Joe can create more songs in the same vein as CLOSER then I know I'll be very happy. He's got a new single coming out on February 18th, called 'Maboroshi'. I can only hope it's more CLOSER than GRAVITY...
In all, for the song you buy the single for, I'd say a healthy 4.5 / 5 stars. It's lovely wonderful upbeat stuff, and you can't get much more exciting or invigorating. At least you don't pay extra for GRAVITY.
Having not watched a great deal of Shippuden, I was a little disturbed to initially find that Toshiro Masuda, composer of the original Naruto series, wasn't on board to create the music. The character and battle themes of Naruto were so important in setting up the story and conveying the drama of the series, I was quite surprised Masuda-san didn't follow on with the rest of the staff after doing such a good job.
So in comes Yasuharu Takanashi. He's not a name I was familiar with, having not watched Gantz, Ikki Tousen or New Fist of the North Star. My first foray into his music was with the Naruto Shippuden Movie soundtrack that I bought on a whim at the London Expo last October. And I was not disappointed in the least.
Naruto Shippuden track listing:
1. Shippuuden
2. Heaven Shaking Event
3. Homecoming
4. Battle Experience
5. Lightning Speed
6. Mission
7. Cicada
8. Departure to the Front
9. Anger
10. Akatsuki
11. The Disaster Victims
12. Jinchuuriki
13. Loneliness
14. Nightfall
15. The Secret Fighting Spirit
16. The Unmatched
17. Setting Sun
18. Everyone's Achievements
19. Despair
20. Dark Clouds
21. Stalemate
22. Tragedy
23. Confronting
24. Strangeness
25. It's All or Nothing
26. Reversed Situation
27. Comrades
28. Hurricane Suite
With the shift in tone of Naruto to Shippuden, it's probably no surprise that the music should reflect that change. The bright, perhaps slightly more innocent melodies that accompanied the first series are gone. There's little comedy on this CD, and the overall atmosphere is quite heavy. There are some lighter pieces, specifically 'Comrades' and 'Homecoming' that serve as nice interludes for the rest of the tracks, steeped in tense atmosphere. They're well composed and still retain the Naruto feeling, whilst being more mature and standing out incredibly well as individual pieces of music.
Battle music and ethereal themes of sadness or evil are Shippuden's main course for the day, then, beginning right from the start with 'Shippuden', a rousing battle theme that sends shivers down my spine every time I listen to it. There's a real story to this dramatic, action track with a burst of inspiring flute and drum kit in the middle for the real hit. Not content with already making me feel I'd got my money's worth with that single track, it then throws 'Heaven-Shaking Event' out, which, if you've got the Shippuden Movie soundtrack (that ironically enough came out before this one), you'll recognise instantly. It's a longer version of this heroic, victorious music with a heavier electric guitar presence and more pronounced drum kit usage. I haven't decided which one I like more yet. This version has a whole 54 seconds more than the Movie orchestration. Longer track = yum.
Anyway, great as they are, to go on about these two tracks would cheapen the rest of the music, which is at least as good.
The most prominent instruments in Naruto, as in the original series' soundtrack are definitely the electric guitars, Shamisen (traditional Japanese guitar), Shakuhachi (traditional Japanese bamboo flute), violins, an assortment of drums and a male chorus for shouty Japanese bits. There's supporting brass and woodwind, augmented somewhat by synthesisers in certain pieces; on the whole there's a very strong sense of rhythm, as the percussion and staccato chorus both play big role. It fits together seamlessly, the only occasional mesh that doesn't quite fit together is when some of the guitars have a little too much echo. But that's very rare.
The soulful, sensitive tracks are there too, needless to say to accompany Naruto's inevitable sadder moments. There's little to distinguish them unfortunately, and this is perhaps where the score falls down a little. They're very nice to listen to, but all very similar and sound too much like variations on the same theme: a disappointment considering the huge variety of rousing action themes. The Shamisen strums, the strings flow, and there's a soft atmospheric drone in the background. Nice, but not quite as moving as the original series' 'Sadness and Sorrow' track. Looking over it all now, I'm not sure I've heard a single piano in this entire soundtrack. I could be wrong, though.
Other notable tracks: 'Reversed Situation' is an epic four-minute rock battle track with synth, electric guitar and Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute used prominently throughout Naruto) melodies carrying it through. 'Akatsuki' is a great dark piece with an organ and those deep male vocals providing a rhythmic chorus that captures (hah) the evil organisation very well. There's a great sense of danger running through it. 'The Secret Fighting Spirit' is unique in the album in that it's very tribal-sounding, far-removed from the guitars and drum kits in the other pieces.
In all, this album far exceeded my expectations. The action themes are some of the best I've ever heard, atmospheric and exciting. It is well worth buying if you're a fan of the anime or music in general- I'd highly recommended picking it up. A staunch 9.3/10.
I have edited together a selection track snippets for you to listen to. They are, in order: Shippuden, Homecoming, The Secret Fighting Spirit, Akatsuki and Reversed Situation. I've provided a link to the piece on myOtaku. Bit of a roundabout way of doing it, but I hope you can get a feel for it. Here it is... we hope :p
REMEMBER: If you are buying the Shippuden soundtrack, make sure it's genuine. The code you're looking for is SVWC 7509. It's released by Aniplex, and you can pick it up from, amongst others, Play-Asia and CDJapan. That's where I live buy my soundtracks.
