Looks like someone did rip the Subarashiki Kono Sekai OST on release day after all because, I just found it on a certain site today with the post dated August 22nd. After listening to the 35 tracks (there's a bonus hidden track), my favourites haven't really changed. But cheers to whoever ripped the CD!

Here are the lyrics to my favourite vocal tracks followed by some comments. You can hear short samples at the official site. The booklet actually contains Japanese translations of these English vocal tracks.

Calling
Music: Takeharu Ishimoto
Lyrics: SAWA
Vocal: Leah

Calling
You hear the
Calling

Let me go
Gravity
What's on my shoulder?
"Little by little, I feel a bit better"

Let me know
Set me free
I feel a bit older
Just once more unto the breach
"Dear friend, once more"

Wake up
Leave your hesitation
Wake up
Time for us to realise
Wake up
Show appreciation
Wake up
Time for us to realise

Calling
Someone is
Calling

Wait and see
Empathy
You're not the only one
"Little by little, you'll feel a bit better"

Lucky me
Destiny
You are on my side
Just once more unto the breach
"Dear friend, once more"

I thought she was singing, "Little by little, I feel a bit bitter" but now I know. Not exactly great lyrics but I like the song and it actually suits the game well if you know what's going on with the story.

According to the site, the song was composed with high class vocals with an 80s feeling to it. It is one of the songs composed that sticks in your mind. The four beat rhythm has a nice feeling to it and just like its name, the song is "calling" out to you until the end of the game.

Well, it certainly grew on me!

Twister
Music: Takeharu Ishimoto
Lyrics & Vocal: SAWA

"Brain wave, main wave"
Psycho got a high kick
Collect and select
Show me your best set

"Crystals, blisters"
It's all over now
Psycho cane
You're so keen
I need more candy canes

"Cold cake, cold break"
Freak got a high kick
Mr. Twister
Moist with roistering

Stick it up
Take it up
Step aside and see the world
Effect has defects
"Take a bow to the moon (Bow-wow to the moon)"

"Morning rays, Hairspray Queens"
"Get on their way to their nests, the west"
"Honest, they once had a dream"
"Belles of society, in the shells of their unity"
Cornet'n spinet
"The sound flows, follows till they're home"
Dragged by the power of dreams
That power is yet unknown

Hmmm, yeah... "I need more candy canes". Don't really get the lyrics in this one but again, I like the tune. There's actually a Japanese version of this song too with the name written in Katakana. It's longer and has different lyrics. Same goes for a few other vocal songs.

The full track list is:

1. It's so Wonderful
2. Twister
3. Underground
4. Long Dream
5. Calling
6. Despair
7. Hybrid
8. Fighting for Freedom
9. OOPARTS
10. Forebode
11. Give Me All Your Love
12. Someday (Japanese version)
13. Satisfy
14. Someday
15. Twister (Japanese version)
16. Lets Get Together
17. Slash and Slash
18. Amnesia
19. Rush Hour
20. Imprinting
21. Owari Hajimari (Ending and Starting)
22. Psychedelic
23. Game Over
24. Dancer in the Street
25. Hybrid (Japanese version)
26. Detonation
27. Black Market
28. Junk Garage
29. It is Fashionable
30. NOISY NOISE
31. Economical Shoppers
32. Shibuya
33. Make or Break
34. Twister-Remix
35. Untitled

The other two tunes I like are "It's so wonderful" and "Shibuya" but they're instrumental only. Too bad they're as short as the in-game versions because I was hoping for a fuller 5 minute version. Again, you can hear these two theme tunes when you visit the gaming or music sites.

I noticed that one of the other average songs "Game Over" had a reference to the giant, anonymous Japanese forum of 2ch. The message board where the "Densha Otoko" story originated from. The line in the song goes, "It's like the "2 Channel" where people can just throw their own anger". Pretty accurate description from what I've read.

That "Twister-Remix" sounds like a cult group at the beginning with the singers chanting, "The power's yet unknown"...

If you like the theme song, Jyongri's "Lullaby for You", I'm afraid you'll have to order it separately. Her third single's actually pretty good. Of course, you can check it out beforehand at the usual Youtube.

Splitting up Big APE Files

The OST I got came in one big Monkey Audio APE file so I had to find some way to split it up into individual tracks. This kind of packaging seems to be pretty common with release groups or individuals lately...

Monkey Audio itself can't split the file for some reason even though it was the program used to create it. So instead, I had to go find another way to do it. I ended up coming across a program called, "Cue Splitter" which works great! It can split any big APE, MP3, FLAC or WMA files into tracks using the right CUE file and then fill in the tags for you too. Much handier than doing it manually. Make sure you have the latest beta version 4 of Monkey Audio installed though or it won't split APE files.

Well, looks like I probably won't be ordering this OST after all. Too few tracks that I like at the moment unless... More of the tracks grow on me!