I already fell in love with the album from the first contact. The songs feel so dreamy, and nostalgic, yet from time to time, traces of modern JPop seep in like fresh air in a summer night.
The opening track is a banger, but there is more across the spectrum as I go through the album. Some hints of bossa nova, some hints of blues. They all blend into each other like a beautiful flower banquet.
Groove is undeniably the heart and soul of the whole soundtrack, but it has much much more to offer. Even as a person without too much nostalgia for the TMNT series, I still adore the energetic spirit and passion poured into each song all the same.
Living up to the promise, Yume no Machi is truly a perfect marriage between Japanese Jazz-Fusion and Citypop. I can feel clearly the Jazz-Fusion spirit from the vast array of instruments employed. That said, the Citypop spirit seems to have a more dominant influence over the rhythms and tone of the whole album, down to the harmonic coexistence of both funky and soul tracks.
In contrast to Second Round's rather ambient aesthetic, Sounds From the Future features much more lively and colorful melodies. That said, the cyberpunk as well as the night life spirit are here to stay.
Chiptune, meets cybepunk :-) Each track is unique on its own, but they all share the same trait: perfect naming. The tone, the rhythm, they are always on point and guide my mind exactly toward what the track name suggests. This is even more genial from a gameplay-focused perspective: the music works along the dialogues to set the tone of each bartending session. This enables players to infuse their imagination into their own gameplay experience.
Invocative, yet never overstays its welcome. Under the country style overlay, there is a incredible mix of various styles (jazz, clubs, flamenco, and so on) which lives up to the game's wide range of stories and characters.
The album on its whole is a perfect rendition of 80s/90s game music with proper modernization. Lo-fi samples are utilized frequently to tone down the harsh tone of synthesized instruments. Leitmotifs are strong and consistently employed. This contributes a lot to the cohesion of the album.
Futuristic old school is the best term I can use to describe this album. The funky rhythms, occasinally sprinkled with soft ambient tracks (Lovers, Fugaz) reminds me so much of the urban night life.
