Hiroto Saitoh’s Turning Japanese: Usotsuki to Inugamitsuki Music Collection (Review)

Now that you’re done vocalizing with Hiroto Saitoh’s catchy Vocalize album that we reviewed last month, it’s time to look into his other music release from Comiket 77. This one is titled Usotsuki to Inugamitsuki Music Collection, and while I’d never heard of the game, the Japanese-styled artwork on the cover immediately caught my attention.

Just as the Japanese title and artwork would suggest, there are a lot of traditional Japanese sounds here. There are lots of Asian-inspired melodies with woodwinds and various other ethnic instruments, but that doesn’t mean that we miss out entirely on Saitoh’s sometimes funky style. Given that I knew nothing about this album, I was surprised by what I heard.

Hit the jump for our review of Hiroto Saitoh of Many Color’s latest album, Usotsuki to Inagamitsuki Music Collection!

The opening track, “Calm Time,” couldn’t be titled any more appropriately. It opens with a deliberately funky bass line, rich electric piano chords, and whimsical woodwind and piano melodies, sounding like a Japanese take on smooth jazz. It’s seriously soothing, and the spacey belltones that take over during the chorus section are simply beautiful. This track and the next one, “Hope Riding on the Wind,” actually remind me a bit of Ragnarok Online with their catchy progressions and smooth sound. “Hope Riding on the Wind” gets a little more active, however, working in driving Japanese percussion and brass stabs as it picks up steam towards the end.

“Melody of Prayer” is a sweet track that would be perfect as a town theme with its doubled-up flute and shamisen melody with a light piano and string backing. It’s a lovely track. “Gentle Wind” sports the same vibe, sounding laid back and “village”-like, but sticks with solo acoustic guitar for the majority of the track.

“Smiling Face” is one of my favorite tracks on the album with its pitch-bending belltone melody, deep, octave-jumping bass line, and alternating side stick and snare percussion. It’s upbeat and energetic while still retaining the cool vibe of the rest of the album with lots of reverb and a slow-moving melody. Later, “Sky” features this accordion sample with lots of reverb that weaves in between a woodwind melody and a warm bass and drum line. The chorus section on this track is incredible.

“Setting Sun” throws in some surprises with a funkadelic synth bass and synth lead, gentle string stabs, and some seriously jazz percussion. I swear I had a tracker friend named AlexG who wrote a song that sounded just like this back in the day, but needless to say, it’s pretty damn awesome. “Tension,” on the other hand, goes in another direction with blaring synth lines and electronic percussion. It’s one of the heaviest tracks on the album, and demonstrates yet another style in Saitoh’s arsenal.

Not all the music here is happy, however. Tracks like “Grief and “Sorrow” are considerably melancholy, but don’t really do much in the way of being overly memorable. Both “Destiny” and “Epilogue,” on the other hand, are contemplative pieces that are minimalistic in approach, sounding less bubbly than other pieces on the album, and both are quite good. “Epilogue” in particular has this section that is highly reminiscent of “Moon River” towards the end that I got a kick out of.

The last two tracks are the longest on the album, starting with “Each Thought on the Chest.” This is a warming piece with layers of woodwinds, plucked instruments, an interesting choir synth that sounds like Japanese female vocals, and an incredible melody. Things really get moving when the bass and percussion join in. It’s really a powerful piece of music when all of these various elements come together. The final track, “Hope Riding on the Wind (Long Version)” brings us full circle, starting where we began, and closing out the album with a distinctly “Japanese” sound.

And there you have it. I believe this may be one of Hiroto Saitoh’s strongest efforts to date. The sound quality is great, and it blends lots of traditional Japanese sounds with smooth jazz and electronic elements to create something entirely unique and original. While there isn’t much else in the jewel case, the cover art created by the game’s artist is great, making for an all around excellent addition to your collection. I highly recommend checking this one out, and stay tuned for more Hiroto Saitoh in the near future!

Have you been able to keep up with all of Hiroto Saitoh’s releases lately? If you had to pick between the recently reviewed Vocalize and Usotsuki to Inugamitsuki, which would you pick?