Trigun: The First Donuts features a wonderfully eclectic mix of music, yet even so manages to follow a common thread from start to finish. As varied as some of the songs are, from industrial sounds to driving electronica to bluesy rock, the vast majority of the music seems to exude a certain western vibe perfectly matched to what Trigun's all about. I'm not talking about any kind of country influence mind you, since I'd have launched the CD right out the window had it been along those lines, but more a western vibe from the bluesy feel of certain songs, or the twang of the guitar work in others, or even just the rhythm of the songs that can't help but draw up images of a dusty town in the old west.

Regardless of the common thread that ties the CD together, there's a world of contrast between songs, and even within many songs themselves, where a western vibe intermingles with an industrial rock sound creating something uniquely Trigun. The odd mix of technology and cowboys from the series is reflected beautifully by the contrasting styles of music, which complement one another to perfection. As well as the CD stands on its own, there's no questioning this is a soundtrack, and a finely crafted one at that. Imagery of Vash standing cooly at the door of a rundown saloon, gun in hand, or alternately scambling about foolishly, bullets zinging past him left and right, are conjured up without fault.

The CD starts out with a driving industrial track called No Beat, featuring some quick percussion and a decided rock influence as far as the guitar work goes, which overlays the electronic / industrial sound stage. The closest stylistic match to this track, at least with respect to the industrial sound, is the last track on the CD, Perfect Night. This song, however, lacks either the driving percussion or guitar work of No Beat, but helps to tie the opening and closing songs together giving the OST a feeling of coming full circle.

The second song on First Donuts, called Big Bluff, starts in with the western vibe mentioned earlier, the heart of the song being a twangy guitar refrain. The song has a ever-present creeping, deceptive feel to it - rather fitting considering its title - which is only reinforced when the flute accompaniment kicks in.

Blood and Thunder is up next at track 3, bringing back the industrial feel from the first track with its busy sound canvass and mix of distorted guitar and varied percussion work. This serves as a fitting lead-in to the similar sounding, albeit much more upbeat, Knives. The tempo of the guitar and drums gives the song a welcome dose of added energy. You also get your first dose of the non-lyrical vocal accompaniment that rounds out a number of songs on the CD, although only very briefly in Knives. The non-lyrical vocal work is done to much better effect later in Winners (track 13), sporting a heavy native / aboriginal sound with its combination of percussion and vocal instrumentation. Another instance of the non-lyrical vocal music can be seen in track 19, Carot & Stick, featuring yet another interesting style with the vocal accompaniment, foregoing the native feel of Winners for a more jazzy sound.

The fifth track introduces the type of music that keeps this CD spinning time and again for me. Permanent Vacation features some terrific blues guitar progressions along with a well matched jazz sound from the sax accompaniment. This leads into the next song, Blue Funk, which takes the blues vibe of Permanent Vacation and runs with it. The guitar work is borderline hypnotic if your into blues at all. The bluesy goodness picks back up at track 14, Never Could Have Been Worse, where the mellow guitar work takes center stage again. A cowboy / western theme would simply feel empty without a collection of excellent blues tracks like these, as no other music is better suited to creating the feel of the old west. Although having less of a blues influence than the previous tracks, Fool's Paradise fits in with them nicely and is undoubtedly my favorite track on the Trigun OST. The song has a undeniably hopeful, upbeat sound to it, driven by the amazing guitar work and nicely backed up with horns and a fitting sax interlude about halfway into the song.

Track 7, Philosophy In A Tea Cup, incorporates a wide range of music into a single song. It starts out sounding much like a piano lounge tune, and indeed maintains that vibe throughout the song, but catchy guitar and drum work spice things up later on, as do bits of soothing flute interludes. Next Not An Angel continues the soothing vibe of the flute from the previous song, but with a stronger electronic feel. There's also a sense of orchestration in this track, as the strings and cymbals mix seamlessly with the electronic flute. Track 9, Cynical Pink, is a bit of a departure from the other tracks with its airy, carefree sound. It maintains a sense of orchestration carried over from Not An Angel, but presents it more in the form that you might expect to hear accompanying a Saturday morning cartoon. If nothing else, it serves as an upbeat song reflecting Vash's deceptively goofy side.

The next three songs, tracks 10, 11 and 12, comprise the most well known vocal pieces from the series, as well as the rocking guitar opening. Sound Life ~ LEM is up first, and while it's a rather simple sounding song as far as the guitar and drums work is concerned, the vocals give it a strong sense of poignancy and emotion. Kaze ha Mirai ni Huku, the ending song for Trigun, plays next and features an odd mix of mellow rock and moaning, wailing vocals. The instrumentation is widely varied in the song, from strings and bells to guitars and drums, all of which serves as an appropriate, if a little busy, backdrop to the vocals. Then H.T. kicks in with its blazing guitars, being the most rock oriented song on the album. The song may be short at only 1:30, but that minute and a half is filled with some terrific, driving rock that would leave a hole in the album were it missing.

The last three songs left unmentioned round out the CD nicely, none being merely filler music. From the piano / flute combination in Stories To Tell that can't help but bring a smile to my face to the foot tapping electric beats of People Everyday to the fast paced guitar plucking and percussion work of Yellow Alert, there's not a song on The First Donuts I'd be likely to skip.

I picked up this OST before I even saw the series and never regretted it in the least. Trigun: The First Donuts, while a soundtrack through and through, stands on its own as an album without question. It's had more play than the vast majority of my CDs, be they soundtracks or albums, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone that enjoyed what they heard in the series or even just what they heard here (aren't samples great :). Any blues, light industrial rock or electronica fan can't go wrong here.