Overview

Continuing to consider even their most hardcore fans, the Key Sounds Label released a vinyl dedicated to the theme songs of Little Busters! during 2008. It featured the original versions of "Little Busters!", "Alicemagic", and "Faraway", along with their electronic remixes previously featured in OTSU Club Music Compilation Vol. 2. While vinyls are a select taste, the recycled contents here are certainly enjoyable.

Body

The opening theme for Little Busters!, named after the game, captures the high school focus of the title with its upbeat and youthful approach. Combining an alluring verse with an elating chorus, Jun Maeda created one of his catchiest songs to date here. Rita brings out all the radiance of the melody with her powerful performance; her vocals are girly enough to fit the setting, but rich enough not to be annoying. A few softer interludes, notably at the 2:51, also give a taste of her versatility and the rich journey that lies ahead. Moving on to the remix, impressively the entire ten minute track is entertaining. Initially building intrigue through layering electronic forces, ZTS eventually treats the vocals in an ethereal way. This prolonged development makes the elating climax of the track worth the wait.

"Alicemagic" is also filled with the unrestrained excitement of girly J-Pop. It's the least catchy and emotional of all the songs here, but it still has plenty of charisma and substance. With the help of the Japanese rock band MintJam, the instrumentals actually have a modern rock influence and make up for the somewhat generic vocals. Not brilliant, but a novel addition to Key's discography nonetheless. Moving on to the remix, Blasterhead retains the energetic nature of the original in his hardcore remix here. There's not many subtleties in his treatment, but it suits the nature of the original. At 4:30, it is relatively short and sweet.

Finally, "Faraway" is a ballad written principally for voice and piano. Rita isn't able to offer as mature a performance as Lia and riya did respectively on the ballads for Air and Clannad, but this isn't necessary a bad thing. Indeed, the fragile quality of her voice is endearing in itself and brings quite a tragic aura to the song in conjunction with the solemn vocals. Some sections here are truly tear jerking and the build-up at the end is magical. As is customary for vocal singles, the release ends with karaoke versions of all three tracks. Svenson's treatment is also a highlight. While the opening is quite abstract, the dreamy trance beats that emerge will certainly appeal to mainstream listeners and sound especially deep during the chorus. The chromatic shift at the 7:30 mark is also masterfully implemented.

Summary

All three theme songs for Little Busters! boast memorable melodies, evocative arrangements, and effective in-game integration. What's more, their remixes surprisingly preserve the emotional quality of the originals while bringing mainstream beats to the picture. But at 3000 JPY, this vinyl is certainly only for hardcore collectors and most others will find themselves satisfied with the alternative releases featuring all this music.