Gatchaman Crowds Original Soundtrack

I didn't really like dubstep because of its reputation, so I usually strayed away from it, but this OST really turned me on to it, and not just because of its association with the anime. Taku Iwasaki is a magnificent composer, having done the soundtracks for Gurren Lagann, Ben-to, Katanagatari, C, Jormungand, and others, and I've always found myself gravitating towards these soundtracks. It was actually only recently that I found it was all Iwasaki.

The tracks on this OST are all as catchy, cool, or atmospheric as possible, from the slow and flowing violins of "Love" to the fast-paced orchestra/dubstep bass of "Firebird" that has to be heard to be believed. A few of the tracks, such as "Unbeatable Network" have 8-bit sound effects and rhythms thrown in, too, which I found to be great fun. In addition, to follow up on Iwasaki's much-loved "Libera me from Hell," which combined rap with opera, he has fused dubstep and opera with "Ziel Der Hydra."

I found some of the tracks to be a bit uninteresting, such as "Core of the Soul" and "Phenex," but they are the clear minority and still fit well within the collection regardless. My only other complaint is that the full version of the anime opening, "Crowds," isn't on this (the one listed on the OST is the theme to the titular Crowds in the show), though the TV-size version has tided me over.

This CD has been playing in my car during my commute for well over a week and not once have I gotten tired of G-G-G-GATCHA-MAAAAAAAAAN!!