Overview

Be Filled With Feeling is the first in a fairly long line of collaborative original albums published by Shinji Hosoe's Troubadour record label. It features contributions by soon-to-be-famous video game composers and two indie bands. Produced by Takayuki Aihara and engineered by Shinji Hosoe, it also features names such as Hitoshi Sakimoto, Hayato Matsuo, and Ayako Saso. The album was written with one goal in mind — to inspire all those that listen to it to live life to the full and love every moment. Since the order of the items is very important, I'll look at each track in sequence.

Body

The album opens with the stunning seven minute orchestration "Troubadour" by Takayuki Aihara. Even though his orchestral game works are distinctive and impressive, nothing quite compares to this in scope or intricacy. His modernist approach is very inspiring and brings both colour and dynamism at the start of the album. Shinji Hosoe's "Blind Kiss" subsequently lightens up the mood with a frivolous synthpop theme while Ayako Saso adds to the fun with a funky mixture of electronic and acoustic forces on "Kitten's Favor". These two tracks are melodically endearing and ideal for inspiring people to be happy. "Chromatic Beast" maintains the funk flavour, but has a much darker and richer sound typical of Hayato Matsuo's musicality. Already it's clear Aihara has a rich album in store.

The centre of the album features three songs by the band Psy-Force, for which Shinji Hosoe was once a member. In general, the male vocals for these songs tend to be pretty weak, but they are salvaged by good composition. "See The Light" is an uplifting pop song that revolves around a catchy ascending three note motif. "Moegiiro no Dansyo" initially features a lovely synthetic soundscape, though becomes rather generic with the addition of the bland singer. The vocals are probably most enjoyable in "Silent Runner", though that's largely because of the elegant shape of the melody. Group TIA are three-man instrumental band, on the other hand. Their sole contribution "Let Off the Steam in the Night" instantly captivates with its light rock beats and anthemic trumpet melodies. Quite fun overall.

Moving to the second half of the album, lesser known artist Masahiro Fukuzawa offers two contributions. "Everyone's" is a feel good composition built from simple funk riffs while "a.g.o" is a charming but underdeveloped piano solo with romantic vibes. Neither are musical masterpieces, but at least they make listeners one step closer to 'being filled with feeling' in more ways than one. Nobuyoshi Sano's contribution "Snow" seems to bridge ideas from the orchestral, funk, and pop elements of the album while recreating the emotions felt waking up to a rare snowy day. Following Takayuki Aihara's funk anthem "Beat Fest" and Hitoshi Sakimoto's soulful piano solo "Diatonic Beauty", the title track finally arrives. Aihara offers a modest yet meaningful piano piece transiently supported by warm synth parts. It's a little too simple, but definitely creates the feeling of enlightenment and contentment nonetheless.

Summary

Overall, Be Filled With Feeling is an inspired artistic collaboration. Not every track is as mature as "Troubadour" and "Chromatic Beast" or uplifting as "Silent Runner" and "Be Filled With Feeling". However, most contributions still add to the variety, emotion, and positivity of the collective album. This should ensure that it is an emotional and uplifting listen throughout, even if no track is likely to be life-changing in the long-term. It's also not the most cohesive album with orchestrations, funk instrumentals, pop songs, piano pieces, and more, although this shouldn't be a major problem for those expecting an emotionally rather than stylistically guided journey. Despite its rarity, this album is worthwhile for hardcore collectors looking to see the origins of a great record label and several eminent artists.