Critical Response #6

This song is called Sanctuary and is written by Hikaru Utada.

     The song uses the most basic instruments as well as some programming to make it sound rather mystical and otherworldly. The following instruments are: Electric Keyboard, Piano, Guitar, Drums, Vocals and Computers. This song is used in the video game Kingdom Hearts. There are a few sentences that have been turned backwards so it sounds like gibberish. There are two versions of this song; the Japanese version and the English one.
     I really like this song, because whenever I hear the hushed voices and synthesized sounds, I forget about reality and the stressful day I had and start daydreaming. The music feels enlightening, magical even. It feels as if I am floating in the sky with singing angels, surrounded by white clouds and bright light. It is a wonderful piece of music that I have come to love completely from the first time I heard it.

This is the Japanese version of the song Sanctuary. The Japanese version is called Passion. This is sung and composed by Merryberrymusic. The instruments involved are: Keyboard, Guitar, Tambourine and Djimbe. The song has a very calming effect, though it is very repetitive and a bit off-key in several places. I feel at peace but also somewhat sad. The music is mellow but seems to sound sad. It may be her voice or just the piano. Overall, I think she did a pretty good job of composing the music to sound like the original only with her own twist to it.

     Some similarities about the two songs is that they both have female singers, guitar and piano. They have a similar calming and mellow feel to each other. Both are relaxing and enlightening. Neither overdone with instrumentation and kept it simple, but the choice of instrumentation has created a powerful effect.
     A couple of differences are the difference in instruments and the length of each song. The original version is longer and incorporates a section (2:10-2:38) which the other version doesn't have. The version done by Merryberrymusic has some interesting instruments used (tambourine and djimbe) that makes the song sound acoustic. Both are different but also rather similar.