Search - Nujabes, Fat Jon :: Departure

The ultimate chill music?

The Delite Rancher | Phoenix, Arizona | 09/16/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Smelling of sunflowers, "Departure" is one of four Samurai Champloo soundtracks. Like bookends, the first track is Nujabes' 'Battlecry,' the song that kicked off every episode. Likewise, the last track is MINMI's 'Shiki no Uta' (Song of the Seasons), the poetic closer for each episode. There are lots of great animation themes that only exist as a thirty second piece of music or the rest of the song falls short. An example of this is the theme to the Boondocks animated show. In contrast, it is deeply satisfying to hear the entire three minutes and twenty seconds of 'Battlecry.' The music between the opener and closer is also compelling. Given the eclectic nature of the music, an exact genre or musical style is difficult to pin down. "Departure" is a relaxing combination of jazz with pop, rock and hip-hop esthetics. While urban music tends to have a digitally processed feel, this project keeps an organic groove that can only be created by musicians playing actual instruments. At times, it comes close to smooth jazz but nu-jazz is probably the best single descriptor. The mostly instrumental soundtrack manages to combine relaxing with hip -a feat that is seldomly achieved. Urban beats usually lay the foundation for smooth melodies. The first six tracks are by Nujabes while Fat Jon plays ten tunes. Given a shared musical vision, most listeners would have a difficult time distinguishing between the two musical entities. The Wikipedia entry for this disc indicates that the song 'Aruarian Dance' receives regular airplay on the XM Radio station Chill. This is for good reason, it's one of the album's highlights. While this music can work for active listening, it is best employed as ambience. While we know that the music works well in the background of martial arts anime, it can also be a hipster's soundtrack to a romantic evening. I'd rank them all in the following order: 1) "Departure," 2) "Impression," 3) "Masta" and 4) "Playlist." It can be fun to find these songs within the show, but Samurai Champloo is not required. "Departure" is strong enough of an experience that anyone can enjoy it with an interest in chill music."