Kalafina is the product of producer and composer Yuki Kajiura, along with a bevvy of vocalists, currently Keiko Kubota, Wakana Ootaki, Maya and Hikaru. Kajiura's massive back catalog makes her worthy of an entry all to herself. The highlights? The Xenosaga III OST, the Noir, .hack//Sign and My Hime anime OSTs (among many others), as well as being a member of See Saw and FictionJunction. All of these (and much more) easily puts her on-par with the great Yoko Kanno. But let's not get distracted.
The music of Kalafina, like much of Kajiura's work, is also based around anime. For Kalafina, Kara no Kyoukai is the series of movies (based on novels) that provides their muse. Their style runs the gamut from a Middle Eastern to Celtic feel, pop to operatic, classical to rock.
Not everything they've released has been directly tied to the series, but only a few songs seem to have a life of their own. For the most part, Kalafina could legitimately be called an anime band, though "band" might be going a bit far since Kajiura does all the actual composing and recording. The vocal parts are performed by a group of women, all presented in very regal and ethereal forms. Again, one is reminded of Kanno's works like the Macross Plus OST, at least in the vocal department. The Kalafina sound is decidedly electronic, yet dark and organic, a feeling echoed in the groups videos. They are always presented in very ornate, almost gothic regalia, residing in lush, fantastical environments.
Far from being a typically vapid studio creation leaning heavily on a cute "moe" crutch, the work of Kalafina is rock solid and very well developed. Kajiura is truly a talented producer, drawing on her deep understanding of music from all over the world. This musical maturity is desperately needed in the world of anime and video games, and something that will always be a welcome change.
Sprinter
Official Site
Members:
Yuki Kajiura - Producer
Keiko Kubota - Vocals
Wakana Ootaki - Vocals
Maya - Vocals
Hikaru - Vocals
Albums:
Seventh Heaven - 2009
Seventh Heaven
Lacrimosa
Aria (Live)
Oblivious (Live)
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