Music from Ys - Renewal

Amongst the assortment of Ys soundtracks in game music land, Music from Ys - Renewal seems to get lost in the shuffle. This is a shame, because many Ys fans would find Renewal to be one little gem of a CD.

Renewal isn't live or mock-orchestral, like the Ys Symphonies, nor is it guitar-laden power rock as in the Perfect Collections. Perhaps the best comparison would be to the regular Music from Ys CD, in that it features many short tracks (34 to be exact) of fairly strict OSV compositions. However, based on my limited knowledge of Music from Ys, the instrumental sound quality in Renewal is considerably different - "different" equating to "superior" in this case.

As Falcom's own web site once stated, Renewal contains the original compositions from Ys I in a more "futuristic" tone. In tracks like the ever-present "Feena", this means whispy, airy-sounding synths with crisp percussion and synthey bass. "Tears of Sylph" features a synthetic hybrid of wind and angelic chorus. Rockman (Mega Man) fans will be surprised to occasionally hear drum samples straight out of that classic action game series.

People who can't stand synths will surely not appreciate Renewal. Most of its instrumental samples make little pretense toward any real instruments and instead are clearly electronic. I am not a fan of game-style synth, and I must admit that certain tracks I often pass over. Some of the horn samples in particular I find obnoxious, as in the very anime-like "See You Again". However, in some tracks the synth works surprisingly well. Several of the flute samples in particular are captivating.

Fortunately, the melodies of Ys can take almost any kind of instrumental sound and make it rock. This is perfectly clear with "The Last Moment of the Dark". Renewal's version of this classic Ys tune is probably my second-favorite, next to the Symphony Ys '95 one. Sound Team JDK takes a smorgasbord of electronic sounds, including a wicked-cool bell sample, and combines them into an enthralling new rendition that keeps the ominous presence of the original yet is also eminently danceable.

What should really appeal to Ys fans is that this CD contains virtually every tune from the first Ys game. Fans who have only heard the Symphonies and Perfect Collections would be surprised at just what they're missing. Tracks like "Fair Wind", "Sub-Mission", and "Over Drive" are trademark Ys - upbeat, energetic, and ultra-melodic. A serious Ys collection is not complete without them.

I wouldn't recommend this CD to Ys newbies, for whom one of the Symphonies or Perfect Collections would probably be a better place to start. However, current fans of Ys who would like to hear the whole musical story, but who don't want to tolerate the extremely poor sound synthesis of Music from Ys, should find an enjoyable solution in Ys Renewal.

The good people at Falcom and Sound Team JDK are at it again with Ys Renewal. This CD has *every* track of the game made popular of the PC-Engine, but sounding just a little different, using X-Files whistles like in "Feena" and brass instruments sounding like they were taken straight from R-Type. In my case, it's a nice CD that brings back memories of when I first played the game. I highly recommend it to all diehard Ys fans out there, but if you're looking for something fully orchestrated like Ys Symphony, you might want to pass this one up.