Music: Dormir - Petit March

Told you not to expect much from this... So, in the midst of working on my undergraduate thesis and taking some filler classes in between, I wrote one (yes, finally one!) music review. This is intended to be published for my campus music appreciation group (Apres! ITB) but while I'm at it, it should be worth posting here. Here goes, the first actual review on the blog.

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Track list:

1. Introduction
2. space merry-go-round
3. にゃんだふる55
4. Une mage blanche
5. αρχη
6. Ferris wheel
7. 星夢
8. 魔法のたまご
9. みずうみの記憶
10. リンゴロジック
11. おもちゃばこのロンド
12. Cookie Bouquets
13. なまいきプリンセス
14. Resurrection
15. さよならトリップ
16. Ending

The world of video-game music can generally be considered as obscured to the public eye, as video game composers never intend their work to be published globally. It would generate no appeal to the mainstream as their music is catered exclusively to the fanbase and to an extent, avid gamers outside of it. It is such a shame, however, as albums such these offer a world of variety and flair that can’t be found within the strains of mainstream music.

For starters, Dormir are a Japanese-based duo consisting of Tomosuke Funaki (alias Tomosuke) and crimm (real name unknown as of now). Tomosuke himself is highly prolific composer for a string of music games by Bemani and a man of much collaboration and work to his repertoire; among others the soft jazz act Orange Lounge, his delves into pop soul with Frances Maya, a foreword into the mainstream with Japanese jazz group Jazzin’ park, forerunner of pianotronica (mixing electronic elements into piano-based songs), as well as providing instruments (mostly piano) to various Bemani songs, making him one of the most musically versatile in-house artists of the Bemani family. Crimm on the other hand is a vocalist who works mainly with Tomosuke and is known for her candy-sweet twee vocal styles. Together, they make Dormir. Petit March showcases 16 (2 introductory and outro, 14 actual) tracks of their colorful career, all of which are a deft and intelligent blend of Tomosuke’s various styles against the foreground of Crimm’s saccharine saturated singings.

The album opens with the aptly titled “Introduction” that escalates from a soft piano ballad to merry jazz, officially opening the album as crimm utters the album title in the most endearing way possible.

From here, the video game notion is established Evident in songs among others “space merry-go-round”, a bright waltzy march song with intermittent jingles that emulate a video game start menu, the pianotronic transitions of  “Une mage blanche” akin to timeworn 8-bit melodies of yore and “さよならトリップ” (Sayonara Trip) with soothing vibrations emanating throughout to constitute a pseudo-credits sequence, all the while seeping and echoing subtly into the corner of every song.

Every once in a few songs, the elaborate video game emulations are pushed aside to give room for a more post-modern production in the intermingling instrumentations and complex coatings of Tomosuke’s multi-musical repertory. “αρχη" (Arche) is a wondrous and expansive endeavor of jagged and eccentric pacing. “にゃんだふる55” (Nyandafuru 55) is a rousing swing-jazz number in all its festivity. “魔法のたまご” (Mahou no tamago) starts as an uplifting piano-violin duet that magically transforms itself into an electro-lite dance floor tune. “みずうみの記憶” (Mizuumi no kioku) opens with crimm’s dauntingly mesmerizing drones in unison to a music box before it sways an 18^th century ballroom dance. The carnival-like “Ferris wheel” that laments a romantic seaside setting. The earworm that is “Cookie Bouquets”, a buoyantly brazen tune that gets pulled in every direction with fuzzy synth bleeps, pseudo-broken noise beats and ecstatic pacing in a deviously delightful atmosphere. The album’s fitting centerpiece “星夢” (Hoshiyume) puts both members at their prime in a mix of their respective and idyllic talents; Tomosuke stages the music of a nighttime backdrop to crimm’s lush lullaby voice (“hoshiyume” literally means “star dream”, so it’s quite aptly titled).

Like I’ve said before, while it may preferably be catered to the Bemani fandom, Petit March is an intricate assortment of contemporary waltz, march, pianotronica, twee pop, and jazz among others. It is like a toy box of musical celebrations just waiting to be open to the mainstream ear and believe me when I say, that listening to this is much enjoyable whether you are listening to Tomosuke’s intelligent musical designs, crimm’s humble honey-dipped hums, or better yet, both at the same time.

Rate: 4.5 / 5