Yoko Kanno - Friends

Frieeeeeeeeends! I know not long ago I posted another song that was composed by this artist, but today I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with sentimentality about my friends, so this seems like the right day to post this piece. This is from the soundtrack of the anime Wolf's Rain, and it gives my heart that swelling feeling that reassures me I’m not a psychopath.
Note: Thar be HD here!

Yoko Kanno A.K.A. 菅野 よう子 - Friends:

Yoko Kanno feat. Shanti Snyder - Sora

This is from the soundtrack of the anime movie Escaflowne, which I received as a Christmas present many a year ago. It was a while ago, but if I remember correctly I actually had this song in my music collection long before I’d watched the movie. This song (and all of its multiple renditions) never ceases to captivate me. This version in particular is painfully pretty, largely to the credit of Shanti Snyder’s pure voice. I’ve seen claims that the lyrics are in old Romanian, but I doubt this is true. Instead, it seems to be a mixture of words taken from different languages.

 Yoko Kanno A.K.A. 菅野 よう子 feat. Shanti Snyder - Sora:

Yoko Kanno feat. Scott Matthew - Beauty is Within Us

So, since last time I posted a song with a male composer featuring a female vocalist, this time I wanted to post a song by a female composer featuring a male singer. By coincidence, the singer’s last name is similar to the previous singer’s last name. This is from one of the excellent soundtracks of the anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. This Japanese composer frequently features this Australian vocalist in her work, but this is probably my favorite of all the tracks I’ve heard this singer in.
Note: Listen in HD!

Yoko Kanno A.K.A. 菅野 よう子 feat. Scott Matthew - Beauty is Within Us:

Yoko Kanno feat. Ilaria Graziano - Pearls

Mon Dieu, I looooooove this song. I heard it during a screening of the Cowboy Bebop video game at Fanime Con and loved it instantly, so I made a note of it to look it up later. After a bit of searching I eventually found it and made it the only Italian song whose lyrics I have memorized. This is one of my favorite songs to sing!

Yoko Kanno A.K.A. 菅野 よう子 feat. Ilaria Graziano - Pearls:

Yoko Kanno - Piece by Ten

This is from the soundtrack of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime. The composer, once again, is EXTREMELY versatile and prolific, and this is one of my favorite pieces by her.
Note: Ummm, yeah, I don’t know what’s up with the video, but it’s the only one I could find in good quality, which in this case is fortunately HD.  Maybe just try to ignore it.

Yoko Kanno A.K.A. 菅野 よう子 - Piece by Ten:

Yoko Kanno feat. Ilaria Graziano - I Can't Be Cool

This song is from one of the soundtracks of the anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. I have already posted music by this Japanese composer, and intend to post a lot more by her because she's done so much amazing & varied work, including quite a bit with this Italian singer, so I intend to post more music by the two of them collaboratively as well.

Yoko Kanno A.K.A. 菅野 よう子 feat. Ilaria Graziano - I Can't Be Cool:

Yoko Kanno - Shiro

This gorgeous piece from the soundtrack of the anime Wolf's Rain makes me feel like I'm aching... in a good way.  Yoko Kanno is one of my favorite composers, who is immensely versatile and talented.  If you watch anime in general you're probably already familiar with her work, as she has composed the music for a lot of the most famous anime, and her soundtracks are always outstanding.  I could go on about the genius of this composer, but I'll save that ramble for another time, since I definitely plan to post more pieces composed by her.  For now, I'll just say that this first piece is the version of condensed awesomeness.  The longer version of the piece can be found below it (both were used in Wolf's Rain, but the latter was on a different album).

Yoko Kanno A.K.A. 菅野 よう子 - Shiro:


Shiro Long Tails: