Yoshiaki Fujisawa | Land of the Lustrous
Family Average: 5.3/7
Shoutout to Maggie for putting this album on the boards. It’s a soundtrack to an anime that none of us have seen except her. When the family goes outside their comfort zones sometimes it can get a little heated…like when we went to Europe and Dad was super mad at how small the coffee cups were. Happy to say that this wasn’t so much the case here.
Listen along on Spotify and check out what we had to say:
I like the piano in this one.
4/7
I would like to thank the musical group for creating this music.
Absolutely magical. Like an elegant and carefully mastered movie score. The piece has the ability to focus, calm, and provoke thought. (Some of my favorite things to do).
Layers upon layers of excellence. I don’t have all the knowledge as my fellow reviewers to write something that more adequately describes this.
But what I can say is how this made me feel. Like I was hopping around random side streets in the plot of movies across varying genres. Yet perfectly safe and smiling the whole time.
6/7
Oh Holy Smokes! This is just what I needed to hear today. I was in a pretty low place this morning, and now I feel like I could take on the world babayyy. I agree with the dad’s sentiments the piano on this album is lovely, but what is even better is how each instrument is used carefully to build a soundscape that is layered, but not too complicated…Like a cake, or a hipsters outfit, everything is working just fine.
6/7
Wow, thank you! When I was young, my mom would take me to hear orchestras play. I had forgotten what a beautiful and often emotional experience it can be to just lose yourself in the music. I agree with Kate’s GroupMe comment [editors note: yes our family has group chat, yes it can get pretty crazy in there], I also felt like I was watching a movie.
Just like you all create art on canvas or computer screens, this artist was creating a gorgeous portrait with his or her work here. I loved how you were taken on this magical journey: starting slowly, building to a climax and then gently returning you back home richer for the experience.
It was at times very whimsical and at others very dramatic. I think it was like the 4th melody that sounded like it was right out of West Side Story or Hook even. You know, like when opposing forces are facing each other.
6/7 Thanks for including this beautiful album.
For me this soundtrack sounded like “Lord of the Rings”, a princess disney movie, and building a house on The Sims…in that order. It was funny to contrast this epic score to a relatively boring brochure I was designing at the time. It made me feel like I was building something super hardcore and significant…maybe I’ll design better if I work to inspiring movie soundtracks.
That being said, I don’t think I would choose to listen to this again in full. There were songs that probably fit with the show (or movie? What is this for?) but I was like “ugh please be over”.
Still really nice to change it up from my usual albums for the work week, because this definitely not on my radar.
4/7
It’s got all the ingredients of a great soundtrack. Good orchestration, great composition, emotional stuff.
It makes me want to see the show. I really liked how you can hear the Japanese scales, which makes it unique, unlike the typical movie soundtracks you’d usually hear.
5.5/7
I may be biased because I’ve watched the series, but this soundtrack is strong enough to stand on its own. While there is a wide variety of emotions and styles, they are all weaved together by an underlying elegance. From the naïve optimism of the violin and marimba, to the driving energy of the drums, and the melancholy isolation of the piano. This album would be right at home in a ballet.
The tracks that stood out to me the most were “Lunarians” and “Withdraw”. I was impressed at how the music was able to get across their ethereal beauty and wondrous nature in tandem with the sense of foreboding and dread. The inspiration drawn from Buddhist culture is especially prominent in these songs. Also of note “Unreachable” really tugs at the heartstrings, you can just feel the desperation.
6/7