The Atelier Lilie soundtrack features more songs than any previous Atelier soundtrack. It is a powerhouse of music. Unfortunately, we must recognize that quantity and quality are two different things, especially in the case of this two disc set.
Wait, wait, wait! Don’t be taken aback by this warning! This is still the high-quality music you would expect to find on an Atelier soundtrack. It’s not my favorite, but it’s still got some amazing stuff on it.
Between the two discs, the first disc is out and out the better of the two. I suspect this is because the majority of these tracks are by Tsuchiya, the musical mastermind behind the majority of the Atelier series. However, even though a lot of these songs are great, they seem to be borrowing from another “great” in the world of VGM. I am referring to the musician behind Seiken Densetsu 2 and 3, Hiroki Kikuta. Kikuta has a remarkable ability to use sounds once un-usable in VGM and make them sound pleasant…even more than pleasant, they sound as though they are touched by wisdom and innovation, infected with some form of goodness that is at the same time natural (that is, of nature: green and growing) and artificial (that is, of man: mechanical and a dark gray). I find this style to be most obvious in songs like disc 1 track 20, which has a similar sound to some songs on Kikuta’s “Soukaigi” soundtrack. “Mushroom Forest”, another great song, seems to be borrowing synths and familiar melodies from Kikuta. “Far Mountain Top” has synths reminiscent of Mitsuda’s work in Xenogears. These songs, which sound so similar to other games, yet maintain that distinct “Atelier” sound, are certainly marvels to behold, but they seem to lack the ingenuity found on many other Atelier soundtracks.
The second disc gets a whole lot more boring than the first. It is difficult for one disc with nearly 60 tracks to leave a lasting impression on anyone: those are just too many songs to fit in the span of one disc. While the first disc has plenty of good and memorable tunes, the second seems to be devoid of such things.
Atelier vocal songs have been good and bad, but I have found that there is a consistent goodness about the two vocal songs in Atelier Lilie. Being the last track of each disc, they round out the experience of each disc nicely. “Footprints” (in Japanese, “Ashiato”) is one of the best Atelier vocals to date, and “Believe in the Future” is quite a contender as well (though Ashiato is still worlds better).
I think I ought to end this review short and sweet, with a quick restatement of all I just said. The vocals are good. Disc two is bland. Disc one is good, but features sounds you’ve heard before. Overall, I’d search out other Atelier soundtracks before this one, but that doesn’t mean it is at all bad; just not as good as the others in this overall great series (at least, it’s great musically!). Let the samples be your aural guide in agreeing or disagreeing with my judgment.
