Overview

Little Busters! has the largest arranged discography of all of Key's releases, but also the most inconsistent with several major misses. Understandably, some listeners were worried about what to expect from the arranged album enclosed with Little Busters! Ecstasy. It features electronic remixes of a range of tracks from the original and eroge adaptations of the game by the unit moresis. Fortunately, it's not too bad...

Body

Like Little Busters! Original Arrange Album -Semicrystalline- before it, Little Busters! EX Arrange Album -Ontology- focuses on experimental ambient adaptations of pieces from the original soundtrack. But unlike its disappointing counterpart, most of the tracks this time have some substance. "Let's Return", for example, is comprised entirely of choppy beats and abstract synthpads. However, there are enough nuances in the timbres and individuality in the rhythms for the piece to create a considerable amount of colour and sustain its playtime. The track has little relation to the original's tone and listeners will have to have some affinity with electronic ambient music to appreciate this. However, no doubt considerable creativity went into this one.

moresis builds on this approach in a number of ways. "Lamplight" is appealing with its meditative beat and haunting echoes, while "Regret" has a truly percussive focus and grows more rhythmically complex. Clearly, moresis put a lot of effort into implementing such tracks in a vibrant and inspiring manner. There are a few weaker additions to the album, even for fans of this kind of music though. For instance, "Boys Don't Cry" is one of the most subtle ambient additions to the album, but also the most boring. Part of the reason is that the remix repeats the intro of the original ad nauseum. The blend electronic noise and glockenspiel passages produces an interesting timbre, but the whole piece sounds rather static and laborous.

While most tracks have an understated sound here, some are still striking. moresis, for instance, revitalise "Dash" from Love Song with an off-kilter folk-tinged adaptation, boasting a strong emphasis on melody. An even more catchy addition is Sasami's theme "Cat, Glass, and the Round Moon", with its lulling melody and prominent trapset. A welcome break from the subtle ambient sounds, "Slow Curve" brings with it distorted beats and flourishes of electronic noise. It will be too jagged for some, but still fits in snugly within the rest of the album.

Summary

Clearly, moresis are a talented unit capable of producing some very interesting sounds. Many of the arrangements on this album are fascinating to analyse and work well as ambient background music. However, the arrangement style isn't necessarily compatible with Key's approach and is bound to alienate their core audience. What's more, a few don't quite reach the mark and the album is rather short with just nine tracks. Overall, a decent experiment.