6.22.2011

Kawai Kenji- Ghost in the Shell OST (1995)


http://www.mediafire.com/?tc5sbmauak88o1t

Soundtracks are tricky because they often don't stand on their own, without the images and dialog that they are supposed to support. I'm a bit dubious of soundtracks that play like entire albums-- they should be more evocative, leaving you wanting for a little bit more.

I recently re-watched this film and was struck by the music. It feels like the soundtrack to Blade Runner--both minimal and completely essential to the film's noir feeling, tinged with philosophy, sadness, indifference, anxiety, and wonder. 


The soundtrack is always somehow "empty" even in the fullest numbers (the title credits, which repeats periodically). The idea is to convey the ghost, or the spirit, that is somehow present in the materials that it shouldn't be--namely technology.

It's made me want to view the rest of this series. Plus, it's a killer soundtrack to a bike ride home. Wow.

An incredible live performance of the opening credit song ("Reincarnation"): 

Kawai Kenji in the studio, in a knit sweater and mullet.
I don't know if this makes him more awesome or just cringe-y.

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