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A three-disc album, containing all 67 of the original tracks from the PlayStation game, "Chrono Cross" - the long awaited sequel to the RPG "Chrono Trigger" released over four years ago. Although not known to many people, a number of the songs from "Radical Dreamers" (the sequel to "Trigger", released only for a short period of time on the satellite-based console, Satella-View) are used as the origin for the songs in "Cross". Several of these masterpieces, along with many of the inspirational phrases off of "Trigger" are skillfully arranged into an even more awe-inspiring and an even more colorful group of songs that will undoubtedly bring tears to the eyes of all Chrono fans (especially for those who have played the entire series of "Trigger", "Radical" and "Cross"). The arrangements themselves are not overpowering, but rather soft and gentle; packed with elements that will delicately embrace the hearts of listeners. This is a big change from the strong and self-expressive songs in "Xenogears" which were often so overwhelming that it would sometimes go totally against the event or scene. In this game, Yasunori decided to take a step back, so that he could first get the full grasp of the setting (note that this does NOT mean his music took a step back). And then, after getting the overall picture, he would put himself into that world and write songs that would fully maximize the atmosphere of the world that he depicted. His writing style has matured, and in his newly developed arranging and composing skills, one can also feel the firm confidence that is beginning to form within him. Using the acoustic guitar as the main instrument for his "Mediterranean sounds" theme, his songs this time carry more of a multi-cultural taste compared to that of "Xenogears" where there was a strong influence from Irish and Celtic sounds. Although many of the songs may sound calm and peaceful, behind the scenes, Yasunori was constantly taking aggressive, bold steps in order to obtain a more live and acoustic sound - an extremely difficult task to accomplish in the world of computer games. Also, the number of instruments used in a single song was reduced dramatically, which made it even more difficult to leave a strong impact on the minds of listeners. But as always, this obstacle was cleared skillfully with Yasunori's unique and influential writing style. Always struggling to take the road less travelled, and never following in the paths of others; Yasunori has been able to slowly but surely develop his own distinct style of music. This work here is unmoving proof of his development as a true composer.
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