An arranged album exclusively dedicated to the NieR series mobile game, NieR Re[in]carnation? Well, bust my buttons! I would not have expected this.
Among Square Enix Music’s many arrangement series, the “Chill Out” series has had a fairly limited outing. First, they brought the Around 80’s Mix, featuring music from early NES and Game Boy titles (Final Fantasy, Mana, and SaGa series represented). In late 2022, Square Enix also published the “chill” arrangement album for Final Fantasy XIV, titled Sanctuary’s Heart. The NieR Re[in]carnation album in this series is nestled snug between these two releases. I think this puts the live service mobile title in good company, musically.
Before continuing, I ask the reader to note the release year for this album: 2022. At this point, do not expect any arrangements from the second or third volumes of the NieR Re[in]carnation OST set. I would also point the reader to the list of arrangers and the number of arranged tracks. As you might guess, this is a one-to-one match. Each track is arranged by a different individual, with the exception of track 2, co-arranged by tomisiro and DJ Synthesizer.
After my first listen through NieR Re[in]carnation Chill Out Arrangement Tracks, I had two paradoxical takeaways: 1) this OST is perfect for this kind of arrangement, and 2) arranging this music in a lofi “chill out” style is pretty redundant. But seriously, arranging an already “chill” electronic ambient OST in this same style is a tricky balancing act. If it’s not transformative enough, what was the point? Why not listen to the OST? And then, if you get too transformative, you risk ruining what made the song so chill in the first place.
For an example of the latter, I’ll point to yuki kawamura’s arrangement of “Aun (Breathe).” This six minute arrangement relies on added layers of percussion. Yes, that’s cool at first. But the percussion becomes too overwhelming and too upbeat by the halfway point of this six minute track. As I listen, I don’t feel like I’m chilling out. Instead, I feel like I should stand up do a quick workout. Cool arrangement, but not within the parameters of the assignment! Additionally, the beautiful melody really gets lost, and that’s just tragic.
In sharp contrast to kawamura’s approach, Yukihiro Atsumi takes a stripped-down approach to “Tōriame (Fleeting Shower).” Forget about percussion. Atsumi extracts the vocal stems from the OST version, then adds his own guitar performance, then plays with the mix extensively: reverb, stretch, white noise, the whole shebang. In my opinion, this particular arrangement works well. Even so, when I really stop and think about it, I would rather listen to the OST version of this track than the new arrangement.
Okay, so is there anything transformative in a positive direction, where I prefer it to the OST version? I think there are two that just barely tip the scales in that direction. One is “Kaikyō (Homesick)” arranged by Fred Everything. The other is “Sabigoe (Dignified Voice)” arranged by Sapphire Slows. The former offers the listener a more impressive musical scaffolding for Saki Ishii’s childlike humming. The latter leans heavily into a more pure electronica, highlighting the artificial nature of The Cage and the rigidity of the vocals. These two are winners, for sure.
If you’re genuinely in need of the NieR equivalent of “lofi hip hop radio beats to relax/study to,” I suppose this is the best you can get. This isn’t a bad arrange album, to be sure. I think it’s quite palatable. But at the end of the day, as a fan of the source material, nine times out of ten I just want to listen to the NieR Re[in]carnation OST. I don’t think I can fault the arrangers for this, because of part two of the paradoxical conclusions I reached. I do wonder, if time had been warped and these arrangers had access to all three volumes and could layer or medley some tracks, might we have a superior arrange album?
Should you want to get a taste of NieR Re[in]carnation Chill Out Arrangement Tracks for yourself, the album is available as a CD and digitally through most streaming platforms.
