Review: Hemisphere – Sakamoto Maaya
Artist: 坂本真綾 [Sakamoto Maaya]
Title: ヘミソフィア [Hemisphere]
Catalogue No.: VICL-35358
Tracklist:
1. ヘミソフィア [Hemisphere]
2. 音楽 [Ongaku]
3. ヘミソフィア without maaya [Hemisphere without maaya]
I can’t remember exactly how I discovered Maaya Sakamoto’s Hemisphere, as it was so long ago. This was pre-Youtube, so that immediately rules it out. Back then I was more into eroge than anime so that rules out me watching the anime this is from (RahXephon). The most plausible explanation that comes to mind was a friend was watching the anime and sent me the song as a “Hey, listen to this! Isn’t it awesome?”
I had to agree, it is. Hemisphere sounds like the good kind of anime theme in my eyes – distinct, a rich arrangement and a female voice without the saccharine. For the longest time, I didn’t even know that this was the theme song to an anime because it sounded something way too ethereal to be anime theme. (And yet, here comes the paradox – such an ethereal song would only be composed for an anime a lot of the time.) Yoko Kanno gives me strings, synths and a beautiful arrangement that is deliciously downtempo though uplifting. And Maaya’s voice… Maaya’s voice has a haunting, longing quality to it that suits the atmosphere of the song perfectly.
The b-side Ongaku shows more of that mysterious haunting that Maaya’s voice. The song beings with something akin to a clock winding down and has an eerie, almost enveloping quality to it. And of course, the string arrangements makes me happy. But unlike Hemisphere, Ongaku is less uplifting and more contemplative. It ebbs and flows as a piece of music.
Of course, rounding off the single is the instrumental version of the A-side. Listening to the instrumental without Maaya sounds strange to my ears, like I need Maaya there otherwise the song lacks something completely. It’s still good as an instrumental track, but it doesn’t stand out if it just were.
This single, as a whole is breathtaking. Both songs on it are beautifully crafted and it has left a lasting impression on me. It’s a very unusual single in that respects. I felt the need to review it after finding the single tucked away in my bookshelf and ripping it for my music library. But sometimes, words fail me and all I can recommend sometimes is just to listen.
