fripSide - eternal reality

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S OP2

Tracklist:

- Regular Edition -

1. eternal reality

2. Scorching Heart

3. eternal reality -TV size-

4. Scorching Heart -Instrumental-

- Limited Edition -

1. eternal reality

2. Coupling Tune A

3. eternal reality -TV size-

4. eternal reality -Instrumental-

1. eternal reality

Wow, another single in such a (relatively) short notice? I was barely finished rotating sister's noise when eternal reality opens with a usual fripSide instrumental, except the atmosphere is slightly happier and more anison when compared to the first opening. SAT, unfortunately, has an unchanged formula here, and, if I had to choose a previous Railgun song to compare it to, another average fripSide A-side would be LEVEL-5 Judgelight; the arrangement has no innovations whatsoever, while Yoshino is thin and faltering when singing, and the partial absence of filters doesn't help. 

Rating: 6

2. Scorching Heart (Regular)

A darker ambient ensues, utilizing more of fripSide's rockier style than the usual techno, with the guitars being quite subdued to fit the dance sequences, but still noticeable. Sadly, at least in the verses, the arrangement is the only thing that distinguishes the song from their overused cadences, before the chorus comes in using a standard pop chord progression, which, at least in this case, is a new thing. Yoshino is filtered the whole time, with even a slight vocoding layer to emphasize the robotic feel of it, but the vocals haven't exactly been the highlight of fripSide's song anyways, so the change is barely discernible. Following the second chorus is an almost non-existing middle eight section, which is only bridged by a small vocal-only part and Yoshino's whisper before wrapping up the track.

Rating: 7

2. Coupling Tune A (Limited)

In spite of the somewhat generic soundtrack name, Coupling Tune A is very much a full song. Opening with Yoshino singing to a synthy background, it made me wonder if it's the same singer in question, as she opens very deeply, suiting the dark atmosphere. Unlike the previous two tracks, this song turns more towards trance than anison, which is that missing originality and spirit, and is easily detected by the constant bass hitting in the background and the unusual lack of guitar and piano until right before the chorus. Fortunately, Yoshino acts as a real trance vocalist for once, as her vocals are quite subdued, especially in bridges, and used more as a background and an addition to the instrumentals. Of course, you can't have a fripSide song without a guitar solo in the middle eight section, but it doesn't break the overall flow of the track, or steal the spotlight to cheerless synthage which shows the serious, dramatic side To Aru Kagaku no Railgun can sometimes have.

Rating: 9

Unlike sister's noise, the very opening to the show was somewhat disappointing this time around, but Coupling Tune A makes up the listening time for all that was lacking in the previous two songs as, by far, the best song in the single. My overall rating is: 8.

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fripSide - sister's noise

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S OP

Tracklist:

1. sister's noise

2. I'm believing you

3. sister's noise (Instrumental)

4. I'm believing you (Instrumental)

1. sister's noise

Having heard this song before, it is a pretty standard one for the numerous fripSide's tie-ins in the To Aru series. The track opens with an altered intro very similar to Level 5 Judgelight, and moves in a barrage of hard-hitting synths and guitars that merge with the occasional short piano sequences. Increasingly, Yoshino's voice is becoming much better with each of their new releases, and while it's still not especially impressive, she does manage to avoid the frail and thin tones. This song follows most of the usual formulas for fripSide, and with that said, it's not very original, but the sheer dramatic effect and catchy tune manage to save it.
Rating: 8

2. I'm believing you

A soft vocal solo with a significant amount of English opens the next track, accompanied by creatively used 8-bit synths, and after slowly gaining tempo, the result is a touching mid-tempo song. With the more serious overall atmosphere, the track is much more original than their seasonal ballads were when used as B-sides as well. The song retains the usual instrumentation also found in sister's noise, but with even more electric guitars added for impact. Appropriately, Yoshino's voice is sung at a lower pitch, with which she sounds quite a lot better than when incidentally screeching at too high tonalities, but the vocals tend to get lost in the varied arrangement, especially in the "middle eight" section. Even with the length of almost 6 minutes, I find this track to be a bit more enjoyable than sister's noise, and would serve as a much better ED theme in To Aru Railgun S than the current one.
Rating: 9

Currently, fripSide's composer is managing to bring up songs to the table with just enough changes to make it seem like completely new material, but the great similarities between sister's noise and only my railgun/Level 5 Judgelight (which have become almost a model to which everything else will be written) are already starting to be observable. The freshness is in compositions like I'm believing you, which I hope to hear more of in the future. My overall rating for this single is: 8 ½ 

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