Album Notes

The Outer Rim is a Japanese band sporting a smooth “spiritual jazz” sound and epic hairstyles. The group is headed by bassist Jeff Curry (not Japanese!) and features game composer Norihiko Hibino on sax and computer, Hakuei Kim on keys, and Nobuaki Fujii on drums. While the album is dominated by catchy jazz pieces with a distinctive atmosphere, a few tracks include bits of English vocal drama featuring No More Heroes front man Travis Touchdown and co-star Silvia Christal as they describe a bleak, musicless future in outer space. And yes, they used the same voice actors from the game!

Check out our full impressions after the jump.

The opening track, titled “N.M.H The Outer Rim Remix” is actually an arrangement of the No More Heroes main theme, sporting a gritty rock edge alongside Hibino’s commanding sax. “A False Sense…” is my personal favorite, giving a spacey, atmospheric approach to the traditional jazz formula. Another track titled “Coleman’s Cliff” is a loungey piece that describes a popular suicide spot. The final track, “In Peace” is a contemporary jazz track co-written by the whole group that provides a beautiful and contemplative closer to this unique journey.

This album is an interesting experiment in cross-promotion between music and games.