News ► Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura's memória album!

[Oracle Spockanort]

*Update* You can check out a livestream of Shimomura discussing memória!, where you can hear song previews of the album's songs right here. 

Yoko Shimomura's newest album celebrating her 25th anniversary, memória!, will be released in two weeks and fans of her work will be able to enjoy brand new arrangements of some of her most iconic pieces. The official website for the anniversary album has been updated with samples of music from Super Mario RPG, Legend of Mana, Parasite Eve, and more. One of these previews includes "Dearly Beloved", the theme of the Kingdom Hearts series.

Along with these song previews is the full tracklist for the album, including the song that debuted in the E3 2013 Final Fantasy XV trailer, "Omnis Lacrima".

You can check out a preview of "Dearly Beloved" and see the full tracklist for memória below:

• 01 "Dearly Beloved" - Kingdom Hearts
• 02 "Beware the Forest’s Mushrooms" - Super Mario RPG: Legend of Seven Stars
• 03 "Kiss of Jealousy" - Live-A-Live
• 04 "The Revolving Wheel of Fate" - Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana
• 05 "Elegie" - Front Mission
• 06 "Vector to the Heavens" — Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
• 07 "Going Through the Flame ~ Legend of Mana Dragon Killer Medley" - Seiken Densetsu: Legend of Mana
• 08 "A.Y.A." - Parasite Eve
• 09 "Pain the Universe" - Seiken Densetsu: Legend of Mana
• 10 "MEGALOMANIA" - Live-A-Live
• 11 "Song of MANA – Orchestral Version" - Seiken Densetsu: Legend of Mana
• 12 "Goodbye Geno ~ Seeking Dreams Through the Window of the Stars" — Super Mario RPG: Legend of Seven Stars

Bonus Tracks:

• 13 "OMNIS LACRIMA" - Final Fantasy XV
• 14 "The Masked" - Demons’ Score
• 15 "Kiss of Jealousy (Karaoke)" - Live-A-Live
• 16 "MEGALOMANIA (Karaoke)" - Live-A-Live

memória! will release March 26th 2014 for 3150 Yen ($30 USD) and you can pre-order the album from the Square Enix eStore, Amazon Japan, and the Sony Music Shop. Amazon Japan ships internationally, so all of you music lovers should think about picking it up!

For all of the latest news on the music of Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, and Kingdom Hearts 3, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Google+.

 

[Solo]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura's memória album!

The sample was too short to pinpoint things, but the unusual chord progression (which is different from previous renditions of Dearly Beloved) make it seem like it's slightly jazzy. At least, for the first few bars of the body of the piece. And the intro... DANG. It's basically the prelude to March Caprice and that was truly, really, diabetically sweet. I know I will be loving this one.

I'm really interested to listen to the other tracks as well. Though many of the titles I haven't played, I draw assurance from the fact that they were all composed by Shimomura, one of the big guns when it comes to video game music. I must reserve some space for this album.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura's memória album!

I love that you can essentially pull any song from Dearly Beloved from each of those beginning measures. March Caprice, Xion's theme, Organization XIII...The list could go on. Dearly Beloved is the heartbeat of the music in this series. Literally. A heartbeat.

 

[Solo]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura's memória album!

It's not simply a leitmotif. It's the fingerprint, the identity, the being of the music of Kingdom Hearts. Almost every single key piece links to this one piece. Shimomura is a freakin' genius for being able to incorporate this theme that started of simple in the first game into key themes of the game.

I really won't be surprised if the theme of the very final battle will contain a reprise of Dearly Beloved. <3

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

If it does I will cry forever. It'd fit so well. Dearly Beloved is, like I said, literally a heartbeat. What better place to have a song that follows the beat count of a heartbeat during a battle for the heart of all worlds?

 

[Nazo]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

Oh dear Lord. Can you imagine how beautiful the final battle song would sound if it had some kind of anthemic reprisal of Dearly Beloved? Oh God. That would be overwhelming. I'd have so many goosebumps from the music I'd probably get distracted and die xD

Even just that tiny preview put a giant smile on my face. That main melody is one of my most favorite pieces of music of all time. It's just so wonderful.

 

[Gexus]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

You mean just like in Vector the the Heavens? It fit so wonderfully into that song, and it made the final battle against Xion even more thrilling.

 

[Solo]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

Just like that. But I imagine it would be done in a much grander scale. Since Dearly Beloved is the very first piece we hear in KH, it reprising in the final battle would also give an impression like "this was where it began, and also where it will all end". Yeah, such kind of feeling.

At least to me.

 

[Sorarocks93]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

But is this really the final battle? Since there is going to be a next Saga and all.
Unless Dearly Beloved won't be used in the next Saga at all, then it may be fitting for the last battle.

 

[SoraForeverKH]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

Congratulations to Yoko Shimomura on your 25th anniversary of making magical video game music, particularly Kingdom Hearts. I love all the wonderful OST for KH! I listen to them over and over again.I am looking very forward to hearing the new tracks from KH III! I'm sure they'll be amazing, as usual. ;-)

 

[Gexus]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

Oh God, they were livestreaming this radio interview with Shimomura and she previewed both Dearly Beloved and Vector the Heavens. THEY WERE AMAZING.

 

[Solo]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

The full tracks!? Dang, I wish I could have listened to them! Lucky you!

 

[Xagzan]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

The sample was too short to pinpoint things, but the unusual chord progression (which is different from previous renditions of Dearly Beloved) make it seem like it's slightly jazzy. At least, for the first few bars of the body of the piece. And the intro... DANG. It's basically the prelude to March Caprice and that was truly, really, diabetically sweet. I know I will be loving this one.

What are you referring to? Which part is jazzy? We only get a few bars of the main DB melody in total, so I don't know what you mean by the first few.

 

[Solo]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

What are you referring to? Which part is jazzy? We only get a few bars of the main DB melody in total, so I don't know what you mean by the first few.

That's exactly what I was referring to. And as I said, the audio sample was too short to say much about this rendition of Dearly Beloved, but it seemed to me like the chords backing the main sequence of the piece are similar to what is used in jazz music.

 

[Magnus]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

I could do without the cheesy pop songs from Live-A-Live, but the rest of the album sounds divine so far. I like that this album doesn't just contain mostly popular pieces, but has quite a few really good overlooked ones. Elegie and Theme of Aya are especially nice to hear!

 

[Xagzan]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

That's exactly what I was referring to. And as I said, the audio sample was too short to say much about this rendition of Dearly Beloved, but it seemed to me like the chords backing the main sequence of the piece are similar to what is used in jazz music.

Do you mean rhythmically or tonally?

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

But is this really the final battle? Since there is going to be a next Saga and all.
Unless Dearly Beloved won't be used in the next Saga at all, then it may be fitting for the last battle.

KH3 isn't, but it is the end of the Xehanort Saga. It should go out with a bang like it is their last.

 

[Solo]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

Since a chord is a group of notes sounded at the same time, I thought it was already clear that I was referring to the tonal quality. However, we're slowly digressing; we're not here for music lessons.

 

[Launchpad]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

Oh my gosh when I heard Beware The Forest Mushrooms I might've pooped a little bit

 

[kuraudoVII]

Re: Preview of "Dearly Beloved" from Shimomura&#039;s memória album!

So they actually start out with a bit "March Caprice" before getting to "Dearly Beloved." Seems like a good lead-in now that I think about it...