The disc opens with Peace Orchestra's "Who Am I? [Animatrix Edit]." Peace Orchestra is a solo project of producer Peter Kruder, who is best known for being half of the production team Kruder & Dorfmeister. This song appears in the "Kid's Story" short, and is one of the more memorable pieces from The Animatrix. It's a great song to open the soundtrack with.Next is Free*land's "Big Wednesday," which was used in "The Second Renaissance." This song is definitely meant to be background music, and wasn't meant to be listened to. It only runs for about five minutes, but it feels longer than that when you listen to it. There's really nothing to make this song stand out.
Layo & Bushwacka!'s "Blind Tiger" is next, and it was used in "A Detective Story." In a lot of respects, it reminds me of some of the music used in Cowboy Bebop. Sonically, the song really fits the feel of the short, and it's an enjoyable song to listen to.
The shortest song on the disc is Supreme Beings of Leisure's "Under the Gun." This was also used in "A Detective Story," and I think it's one of the best songs on The Animatrix soundtrack.
Meat Beat Manifesto's "Martenot Waves" is next on the CD, and it appears in "The Second Renaissance." Like the track by Free*land, it's definitely meant to be background music, and not really a track you sit down and actively listen to.
Next is Photek's "Ren 2," which is also from "The Second Renaissance." It's an interesting song to listen to, and I believe it's the one that is used for the riot sequences in "The Second Renaissance Part I." Death in Vegas provided "Hands Around My Throat" for the "Beyond" short. It's a very well-done song, and fits in with the action that is taking place in that particular short.
Junkie XL featuring Saffron is next on the CD with "Beauty Never Fades [Animatrix Edit]." It appears this song isn't actually used in The Animatrix. It's puzzling why this was included, because Junkie XL did another song that actually appeared in one of the shorts, but for whatever reason, the song actually used isn't included on the soundtrack.
Overseer's "Supermoves [Animatrix Remix]" is from "The Second Renaissance"; in fact, I believe it's used in the war's battle sequences. This big beat track works very well for the story being told in the second part of "The Second Renaissance." Juno Reactor's "Conga Fury [Animatrix Mix]" appears in "Final Flight of the Osiris" (one of the non-anime shorts in The Animatrix). If you've seen "Final Flight of the Osiris," then this piece would be very familiar to you. It's another standout track on the CD.
The final two tracks aren't in any of the shorts, and both include dialogue samples from two of The Matrix films. The first of these is "Red Pill, Blue Pill" by Junkie XL, and the second is "The Real" by Tech Itch. Of these two songs, I have to say that "Red Pill, Blue Pill" is the better one.
If you enjoy the music from The Animatrix, then this soundtrack is worth acquiring. If you like electronic music, but haven't seen The Animatrix, you might also find enjoyment when listening to this soundtrack.
I wrote this review after listening to a copy of this CD that my husband and I purchased.
| Who Am I? [Animatrix Edit] Big Wednesday Blind Tiger Under The Gun Martenot Waves Ren 2 Hands Around My Throat Beauty Never Fades [Animatrix Edit] Supermoves [Animatrix Remix] Conga Fury [Animatrix Mix] Red Pill, Blue Pill The Real |
