Overview

Hopeful Weeds is the name given to Yasunori Mitsuda's fan club. During the time period in which the fan club has been established, Yasunori Mitsuda has put out various volumes of CDs, each containing two tracks, for his fans' listening pleasure. Featuring two vocal remixes, let's see what the fourth volume has to offer!

Body

The album opens with an arrangement of "Hopeful Weeds" entitled aptly "Hopeful Weeds 2004". As before, it's quite a captivating piece. It starts off with a capella vocals chanting a beautiful melody, yet this version also throws in some beautiful vocal layering and piano to create an ethereal mix.

The vocals soon fade away leading into a mesmerizing piano melody. There is some light percussion accompaniment, which as been changed slightly, despite using the same instruments as the original. The melody that the piano creates conjures up images of hope and solitude. Halfway through the track, the vocals come back and mirror the piano melody. Rather than use an acoustic guitar to close the piece, Eri Kawai's vocals are layered to create an almost choir like quality. It’s absolutely mesmerizing.

"I Am a Craft Expert (HW 2004 Mix)" is a very bizarre contrast. It's a very eclectic theme, with a clear electronica focus. It's bouncy and fun and the vocals are just hilarious! As it progresses, it takes a more serious tone, albeit briefly with a contemplative piano line.

Summary

These two pieces are great examples of Mitsuda multiple styles. The first one is a beautiful arrangement of the original "Hopeful Weeds" whereas the other harkens back to the days of Tobal No. 1 when Mitsuda experimented a bit on the electronica side.