Overview

The day before the game was released, Atlus released a three track digital sampler of Shoji Meguro's score for Catherine. This release gave a clear taste of what to expect from the game and score, but is the preview an appealing one?

Body

The sampler opens with a brief vocal theme, "YO". Meguro's rap tends to be hit-and-miss for me, and this particular piece is a clear miss. Though some of the lyrics assert a cool attitude, the repetition of "Yo" is extremely obnoxious. The backing track also seems thrown together and lacks the creativity of favourites like Persona 3's "Mass Destruction".

Compared to the Persona series, much of the music of Catherine tends to be quite soothing and relaxing. This is reflected by "Also Sprach Brooks", where Meguro blends lounge jazz improvisations with some soft electronic grooves. While the individual components are very simple, the composer somehow manages to really communicate to listeners with them.

The darker tracks on the release are represented by "Mt. Lamb" here. The piano returns, but this time as a 'dark' rather than 'pink' component in conjunction with tremolo strings. This track certainly complements game's nightmarish scenes, with its personal focus yet underlying hostility. Despite its nuances, however, the stylings are too clichéd to be particularly impressive.

Summary

Overall, this sampler reflects quite accurately what to expect from the Catherine soundtrack, with its 'pink' and 'dark' tracks, good and bad stylings. Those who enjoy these pieces should consider the full soundtrack, whereas the rest should stay away.