Le Noir, ce mot désigne depuis une époque lointaine le nom du destin.
Les deux vierges régnent sur la mort.
Les mains noires protégent la paix des nouveaux-nés.

Noir is an old style of film making created to showcase the darker side of humanity, while escaping the harsh censorship of the time. Film Noir took advantage of sound effects and shadows heavily in order to create an eerie atmosphere fitting of the dark stories. The story of Noir (the anime) centers around two beautiful young assassins, Kirika and Mireille, who cooperate as a means for discovering the keys to their pasts. The anime is sort of a tribute to the old style, using carefully placed lights and shadows, and disconcerting sounds and music for effect. The soundtrack to Noir does not simply accent the series's atmosphere, it creates it. The scores and lyrics are dark and frightful at their core, yet bright and beautiful on the surface. Many of the songs off this first Noir soundtrack do not take any great risk to set themselves apart from other musical works, but they do succeed brilliately at effect.

"Coppelia no Hitsugi" (Coppelia's Coffin) - This is a song that at first was difficult to like, but is not without merits. The chorus of the song comes across as a cheap hack, but the verse gets the song into a nice groove that makes the former tolerable. It's the kind of song that makes a poor first impression, but earns a favorable opinion in the long run.

"Canta Per Me" (Sing For Me) - This song screams emotion, and demands the same from the listener. The sweetly sung Italian lyrics put a spell on me, and I was hopelessly drawn in and strung along like a puppet. It gives you a few moments to breathe, but don't be surprised if the song makes you get pains in your heart and want to cry out.

"Lullaby" - This song begins in an almost childish tone, but later strengthens and becomes more assertive. It plays like a song from the heart of a child and at the same time an adult, and it's very pretty. Some of the lyrics are difficult to make out, since they're in English and sung by Yuriko Kaita, a Japanese woman, but her beautiful voice makes this song a great addition to the album.

"Salva Nos" (Save Us)- The shining star of this soundtrack is also its darkest. Salva Nos is both frightening and tempting at the same time. Its driving beat is accompanied by voices that rival the muses. The song is played when the two young beauties are at work during the show, and it seems to speak, "Accept your fate, for your time is at hand." The lyrics are a haunting prayer in Latin, asking God for salvation from the enemy. "Salva Nos" has the unique quality of being so seductively charming that what should be fear is replaced by longing, much like the songs of the Sirens from the Odyssey. It fits the show so well that it could be considered the theme of Noir. All by itself, "Salva Nos" makes this album work purchasing, and possibly even worth swimming to Japan for.

"Silent Pain" is the only song that's difficult to enjoy without the accompanying show. The reason is that it is more abstract in its delivery, so it's difficult to get a feel for the atmosphere that it tries to create. This problem is not apparent in the other songs though. From the Gregorian touch of "Les Soldats" to the distinctly French flair of "Romance," this soundtrack accurately portrays the old-fashioned charm and mystery of southwestern Europe, in its many flavors and cultures.

The album is closed by the show's closing theme, "Kirei na Kanjou" (Pure Emotions). Oddly, this song does not carry the same sentiment as the others. It is a pretty love song, expressing warmth in its lyrics instead of darkness. It serves as a great contrast to the other songs.

The Noir OST is required listening, plain and simple. The incredible voice talent combined with the dark mood of the music makes for a unique experience.

Update (Lionrampant, 04/17/06): The domestic release of the first Noir soundtrack includes the same tracks as the Japanese version. The only noticeable difference is in the cover booklet. The booklet contains English translations of three short essays about the show and its attendant music. The first is by the animation director, the composer, and a French literature researcher. These essays would be of interest to most Noir fans, though I must say that when it comes to providing actual useful information, only Yuki Kajiura's essay hits the mark, though the final essay isn't bad; there just isn't enough space in a CD liner to really capture the subject properly. The essays are followed by the obligatory photo montage and lyrics to the opening and ending songs, both in romanized and fully-translated forms.