Armor Hunter Mellowlink - BGM Collection Liner Notes

  

The liner notes for this soundtrack were also translated at around the same time that the notes for "THE MUSIC FROM LAYZNER" were TL'ed & finished, though I must admit that laziness was partially to blame for me not having posted this earlier.

In any case, here are the liner notes from the vinyl version of Mellowlink's OST. Not as detailed as my previous post... and I do wish it could have been a little bit longer, but this still has some interesting bits regardless. This includes comments from both director Takeyuki Kanda and Votoms creator Ryousuke Takahashi.

Translation provided by OverworkedSalaryman (@osalaryman on Twitter).

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A series' BGM can change a lot depending on the story—but approximately 80-100 songs are recorded at once, composed before the film is even done by conveying the song's story & image (etc.) to the composer. Something long can be about three to four minutes, while a short piece like "Ding... ♪" can be a mere 1.5 seconds.
At this point, if you think about it—from the perspective of those listening, having to go through an insanely huge collection of BGM like this can make listening to everything difficult. However, as the art gets done, the story flows, and it becomes a very satisfying feeling when the BGM overlaps with it.

Additionally, when you're done with the series, it has the strange effect of bringing back to mind the scene at the time when you're listening to it again.
During my time working on the sound, there's one thing I regret a lot: it's that feeling of "If the scene was just ten seconds longer, the entire thing could've been played..." or "This line—if it didn't have that specific sound effect, the BGM would've been able to hype things up more..." and so on. My apologies to Inui.

With this in mind, I would be honored if you enjoy this BGM collection and it causes you to remember all of the different scenes.

-Takeyuki Kanda (Director)

<The Winds of Nepal Blowing in the World of Mellowlink>

It has been 6 years since I met with Inui. My impression of him has not changed. He's a quiet but cheerful and bubbly person. It's likely because he drinks good alcohol and eats plenty of delicious first, I think...

More so than my outward image, though, Inui left me with a very strong impression of "one who goes to Nepal." Requesting work from Inui is, in a way, to also adjust the schedule to fit in his journey to Nepal. I once asked him why he goes to Nepal, but there isn't really a reason. He probably just really likes Nepal.

The world of Votoms is brutal and unmoving. After all, in order to survive, the protagonist is willing to kill without hesitation. He does not feel guilt. The protagonist's heart is... devoid.

Over the course of a year, the protagonist's empty heart grows to feel sadness, happiness, friendship and love. And in the end, we reach a happy ending... this means that to those of us who wanted to borrow the form of a serious mecha story and turn it on its head—even though the vibes are brutal, that's just a part of the style. We really wanted to avoid developing it into a brutal, unredeemable atmosphere... but the story and imagery sometimes happened to exceed that boundary. In the end, I feel like it was saved by the music instead.

This time, with Armor Hunter Mellowlink, we have a story of revenge. With a goal in mind, the 17-year-old youth continues on his journey of murder... if we messed up, it ran the risk of giving birth to a work which would leave a bad taste in one's mouth.

However, Inui's music probably helped to purify the actions and emotions of the protagonist. Somehow, when I listened to the music this time, the winds and great plains of Nepal were being etched into my mind.

By the way, how many times has Inui gone to Nepal?

-Ryousuke Takahashi (Original Work)

Liner Notes from Hiroki Inui's "THE MUSIC FROM LAYZNER"

Back with some more liner note translations.

This one had actually been translated since May of this year, though I had chosen not to post it immediately since I wanted to wait first until I could get new scans of this album.

They were just finished recently, so I decided now would be a good time to finally put these up.
(Slightly unrelated—I actually have some liner notes translated from some other OSTs... they were translated around the same time that Layzner's notes were worked on, but I'm unsure when I'll be putting up here).

Having said that—the liner notes for this album were written up by Tatsuo Oba, who had previously been the producer/director on various other Starchild albums. He talks a little bit about the music's production before providing some descriptions for each track on the album.

Translation provided by OverworkedSalaryman (@osalaryman on Twitter).

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"The Music From LAYZNER" has an ethnic sound!

The Layzner project was born on a Saturday early in the afternoon—four to five days after talks with Inui over pizza and beer at the end of June, near the live house Ruido in Shinjuku. You likely already know "The Music Of VOTOMS" and this album can be considered a sequel to it.

In performance, a "One Night Stand Band" is the name for an ad-hoc one night band of musicians created at live houses and the like.

This time, aside from guitarist Toru Aoyama, drummer Yuichi Togashiki and bassist Akira Okazawa were added as new members—and they all put on a splendid performance. Whatever the case, they are all first-rate musicians, and if you listen to it, you'll hard agree on the members.

Also, when it comes to composing, editing and his performance on the keyboard, Inui—who demonstrated his abilities on an unregrettable level—is a big shot who graduated from the music science faculty of Tokyo's University of the Arts because he has a kind look in his eyes and is someone I hold very dear to me. While Inui was busy composing and editing for NHK's Minna no Uta and Okaa-san to Issho, he flew to Nepal when he found the time for it and planned the compositions while gazing at Mount Everest. This album was made using both Layzner's BGM as a motif while incorporating these experiences of his as well.

● Side 1

1) Blue Diamond
This piece, which starts off with a piano solo, is a light-hearted one that fits very well as the album's opening piece. The title, "Blue Diamond", is the name of the hotel that Inui frequented while residing in Kathmandu.

2) Prithvi Highway
It starts with a unique, oriental motif. That sound in the intro and midway through that sounds like a percussive instrument was made using a synthesizer. Additionally, the melody in the middle segment which sounds like a synthy merry-go-round was made by sampling a bicycle bell. The title is the name of the highway going from Kathmandu to Pokhara.

3) Capriccio
"Capriccio" doesn't refer to the name of the cake shop in Roppongi. In music terms, it refers to a "Kisoukyoku" (a short, cheerful and whimsical piano piece). Inui's piano solo was really solid.

4) Contemplation
To be deep in thought. The straightforward start to the piece, followed by bassist Akira Okazawa's solo & continued by Aoyama's guitar solo, steadily builds up then fades out. The finger cymbal that clings during the piece belongs to Inui and was made in Nepal with an Adamski UFO shape.

● Side 2

1) Last-Minutes
The final moment. The executioners platform. It's a jazz-like piece that starts with a thrilling drum solo with a drum solo wedge in the middle of the song, fitting perfectly with the performance. It's a piece I'd really want to listen to in a live house.

2) Walk Upstream
It means to walk against the flow. I wonder if the melody came to them while they were trekking along the base of Everest. In the BGM, this should have been M-29.

3) Night Owl
One who remains awake long after dark. While everyone is silently asleep, at night is the best time to be making a song. Even tonight, Inui is likely facing his Fender Rose (Electric Piano) and continuing to produce some splendid music.

4) Capriccio II
In the BGM, it is used a lot in the main show as EM-11—but unfortunately, it wasn't recorded in the LP. For this album, all the string instrument sounds were created with a synthesizer.

5) Orchid
This refers to the orchid flower. Whenever Inui goes to Nepal, the Thai Airline he frequently uses has an inflight service called the Royal Orchid Service—passengers are all given an orchid as a present. If you put it in a cup of water at the hotel, it will continue to bloom on. I hope this album continues to become one of your favorite pieces from here on out...


- 1986.6.22 (T. OBA)