Search - Kenji Kawai, Kimiko Itoh :: Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2

Fitting music for the sequel ...

Enrique M. Alvarez | San Francisco, CA | 01/01/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Dark, ethereal, and evolutionary, Kenji Kawai serves up a signature aural landscape for the sequel to Ghost in the Shell (GITS). For "Innocence" he reassembles many of the elements that made his original GITS soundtrack so unique: taiko percussion, female Japanese chorus, brooding electronica, while adding two original western Jazz-oriented tracks sung in English: "River of Crystals" and "Follow Me."



With a nod to twentieth century classical music, "Follow Me" takes its motif from the second movement of Joaquin Rodrigro's "Concierto de Aranjuez" for guitar and orchestra. Usually, this sort of practice is disastrous but Kawai's arrangement and Kimiko Itoh's lush vocals make it work here.



In a departure from the original GITS soundtrack, Kawai includes several high-energy tracks which make use of percussion and electronic riffs ("Attack the Wakabayashi") along with more dark, familiar brooding tracks such as "Etorofu."



However it is on track #9, "Ballad of Puppets: The Ghost Waits in the World Beyond" that Kawai masterfully blends all his signature elements: female chorus, high energy taiko percussion, smart electronic riffs. During the movie, this track plays while Section 9 Operative Batou assaults the Gynoid Factory Ship. Kawai culminates the track by weaving in a choral theme from the original GITS Soundtrack associated with Major Motoko Kusanagi -- Batou's long lost partner. Highly recommended!"