Continuing my VGM Spotlight series I’ll now shine some light on the soundtrack for Jade Cocoon by Kimitaka Matsumae. For those unaware, VGM Spotlight is my series of moderately sized reviews/analyses of game music. Most often I take an album I own and give a decent overview and/or go deep into a few of the stand-out tracks. Beyond this I can also do theory breakdowns of particular tracks, overview of something interesting regarding VGM and so on and so forth. One more thing before I start, I’ve lost the Obi for this soundtrack (the little card that sits on the spine of japanese releases) so if someone happens to have one and aren’t as big a collector as I am, I will pay handsomely for it! Just shoot me an e-mail at mattias [a] anosou [dot] com, you can also send any comments or questions you might have that you don’t want to post here.
So, without further stalling.
For those unaware, Jade Cocoon is a role-playing game for the PlayStation developed by Genki and published by Crave in the late 90s. Basically a monster collecting/breeding game it had some amazing graphics and sound for it’s time. The art was made by veteran and Studio Ghibli member Katsuya Kondō and Kimtaka Matsumae was likewise very experienced, having worked with game music since the 80s as part of S.S.T. Band and other projects.
Well then, what is so good about the music? In my humble opinion, Jade Cocoon has one of the most fitting and memorable soundtracks on the PlayStation and in RPGs in general. In fact, I would count this as one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. I’m aware that a lot of this is nostalgia since I played the game religiously as a kid but the deeper I wander into the sonic world of Jade Cocoon, the more impressed I get.
The fictional world in Jade Cocoon is reminiscent of both east asian history and native american history, a strong focus on the relationship between man, nature and the beasts. To capture this atmospheric place with it’s rather rich lore, Matsumae employs a distinct combination of sounds and melodies. As the most iconic pieces we find Legend of Arcana and Syrus Village, two pieces that appear as different arrangements throughout the game. They feature strong melodies, mainly traditional instruments from many parts of the world and using the minor pentatonic scale as the main melodic content. Legend of Arcana, being the game’s main theme, appears in different time signatures and with different instrumentation that perfectly captures the mood of the game. The difference between ‘Legend of Arcana ~ Main Theme’ and ‘Legend of Arcana ~ Clandestine Meeting’ for example ties perfectly into the scenes in which they’re used. The first being the opening theme, introducing the musical elements and harmony of the world. The second depicting a meeting during night, using a sustained note in the bass for much of the song together with ostinati that makes it much more tense and uncertain.
Syrus Village features the game’s most memorable melody and the variations, while not as bold as Legend of Arcana, depicts the village at various stages in the game. The haunting beauty of the village turned to stone ‘Syrus Village ~ Chrysalis’ is definitely great track but it doesn’t differ too greatly from the original ‘Syrus Village’ and especially not from ‘Syrus Village ~ The Holy Ghost’. This isn’t a bad thing though, the subtle arrangements of one of the best melodies are welcome additions and they had an important role to play in the game to get the mood across. Matsumae’s instrumentation, combining synthesized sounds and traditional instruments, helps emphasize what has happened even before the character knows it.
The different forest themes go in another direction compared to the tracks I’ve mentioned. While the former are melodic and often rhythmically simple, the forest themes captures the “wild” by focusing on the rhythmic phrasing and percussive elements. ‘Neverending Corridor’ only uses percussion and chants, resulting in a ritualistic music that creates tension by repeating the oddly phrased rhythms. It’s a common cultural musical code that repeating of motifs like this create tension without having to involve harmony and it’s put to good use here. ‘Beetle Forest’ similarly revolves around percussive elements. The only “melody” is a flute motif and once again an ostinato, this time using a marimba or similar instrument. The different drums and the melodies are all phrased in different ways, some having a triplet feel while others are almost straight. This layering of phrasing gives a feel of uncertainty that makes the track interesting even though it’s repetitive in nature. When heard in context of the first of the four forests it really captures the feeling of unease the player might (and should) feel when venturing forth.
The forest music continues being some of the most interesting and “bold” music on the soundtrack. ‘Dragonfly Forest’ has almost atonal melodic lines and once again the focus on the percussion ties it to the overall “theme” of the forest music. ‘Spider Forest’, being the most “inviting” of the four forests, takes a different approach and offers a hummable melody. However percussion still takes the front seat and the melody is handled by a mallet instrument. The upright bass is an odd element but ties into ‘Yamu Tribe’, the theme of the people living in Spider Forest. The black sheep of the forest pieces ‘Moth Forest’ features no percussion at all and is the exception of the rule. At this point the story has reached a drastic turn though and the change in pacing is not without reason. The piece is a beautiful ambient background featuring choir-like synthpads and a flute-like synth lead. The only real melodic motif you find is short and sudden but hauntingly beautiful. Once again the music depicts the environment that, in this forest, are very bright and almost deserted.
I could go on about many of the other tracks (and I already have in an essay I wrote in Musicology at the University of Stockholm) but I think I’ll leave it at this right now. Pretty much all other tracks works great in the game and on their own. They’re varied enough while still feeling cohesive and relevant. The quality of the music, both compositionally and the production, are very high for a PlayStation game. While the melodies and harmonies aren’t as fast and daring as much VGM, it works perfectly in this setting and channels folk music without feeling like a folk music soundtrack. I actually get a hint of 60’s minimalism at times which, to me, is a great compliment. There’s a staggering collection of emotions ranging from hauntingly beautiful to adrenaline pumping to straight-up odd but the soundtrack never once feels unfocused. Matsumae’s unique mix of instruments and influences has definitely created one of the better soundtracks of the PlayStation-era and in my opinion it’s a must for any JRPG-enthusiast or VGM-nut. Get it before it’s completely out of print!
Since I’ve already tweeted one of the tracks I thought I might as well post it here as a teaser. Beware as I’m actually playing guitar!
