Millennial Fair – Final Fantasy Tactics Advance – White Melodies – Page

Two of the best composers for Squaresoft, Nobuo Uematsu and Hitoshi Sakimoto teamed up to make the Soundtrack for Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. From the soundtrack also came an arranged mini–album, named the White Melodies. Combining the limited sound of the Gameboy Advance with real instruments and arrangement, this CD offers a nice break from other Square CDs.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance White Melodies

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance – White Melodies –

Composed by Nobuo Uematsu & Hitoshi Sakimoto, performed by Akira Sasaki (guitar), Yo Yamazaki (piano/fagot), Satoshi Henmi (acoustic/electric guitar)

Tracks:
1. Monster Farm (Bandneon Version)
2. Ivalice, A Different World (Piano Version)
3. Crystal (Quena Version)
4. Mewt (Acoustic Guitar Version)
5. Teach Me, Montblanc (Fagot Version)
6. Marche (Love for Humanity Version)
7. Main Theme (Piano Version)
8. The Anxiety One Can’t Hide (Electric Guitar Version)
9. Beyond the Desert (Bandneon Version)
10. The Place to Which We Must Return
11. Valley of Amber (Sing Me Softly Version)

Review by

I admit that I have not played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance yet, but I am familiar with the works of both composers, and the FFT storyline. I did not really know what to expect from this album, but to me it was a pleasant surprise. The CD starts off with Monster Farm, which is now my favorite track on this CD. The guitar in this song, along with the “chocobo”–esque melody make it a very soothing, funny track that is a pleasure to listen to. Ivalice, A Different World is a much sadder theme, which is very much like some of the real Final Fantasy Piano albums. It is a very simple, yet striking song. I thought that track 3, Crystal, was a dissapointment. The bamboo flute was fitting, but I find that as a whole, the track is a bit lacking. Mewt, a real guitar solo song, kind of reminds me of a song from the Genso Suikoden OST. A very nice track. The next track, Teach Me, Montblanc was in my opinion the most fitting FFT track. Sakimoto used the fagot a lot in the FFT OST, and finally it returns on this CD as well. Marche is another good track, it reminds me a lot of an old Genesis RPG that I played a lot as a kid. It’s a quirky, yet also very soothing. The Main theme on piano, I thought, lacked power. It could have been a good song like FFT’s main theme, but it missed out this time. The Anxiety One Can’t Hide, is perhaps the most expressive song on this CD, and as soon as it starts to pick up the pace, it is very good, very different. Beyond the Wasteland appears to be a normal town theme at first, but I like how they mix the little instruments into this song and then make it heavier with some blow instruments. Finally, the acordeon completes it, making this track perhaps the most varied of all the tracks, and a pleasure to listen to. The Place to Which We Must Return sounds like a really sad song, and it is, but it is also mixed enough to keep it interesting. The ending track, Valley of Amber, is a good ending track, also very reminiscent of Genso Suikoden. A nice, romantic track to finish this CD. All in all, I think this CD is worth trying if you like simple albums with appeal. Although not comparable with the FFT OST (and to be honest, there are few CDs that can live up to FFT), it is still a good stand alone CD. A collector would definately not want to miss it.