Esperwave has several
things working against it right away. One, I don't particularly like
remix albums. Two, I typically don't like re-imaginings of video game
soundtracks. Three, Final Fantasy VI is one of my favorite video game
soundtracks ever created. Four, I'm not a fan of vaporwave.
This
album was set up to fail from the start, so how does it respond? Well to
start the cover is created by none other than Yoshitaki Amano, the
original concept artist for the Final Fantasy series... you have my
curiosity.
Esperwave is a vapor influenced remix album of select
tracks from Final Fantasy VI. I was very cautious going into this one -
this is holy ground for me. After hearing the first track "Omen" I was
about ready to turn it off, the pipe organs do not translate well into a
vapor context - it sounds off putting.
I promised myself that I
would give the album one solid listen though so I continued on. Terra's
Theme translated way better than the opener, its peaceful and the laid
back approach was nice to listen to. Recognizable but the artist put
their own stamp on the music.
As I continued to listen the entire
album seems a bit disjointed, the songs don't flow well from one to the
next. That said, the individual songs themselves are quite good
(outside of Omen). Realms theme in particular is a wonderful
re-imagining of one of the best tracks on the OST - now you have my
attention.
Even with a mountain of momentum working against it
Esperwave won me over in the end. Is it perfect? Nope, but its good
enough for a spot in the collection.
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