RWBY Volume 4 Soundtrack Review:

The soundtrack to the latest volume of the internet anime series RWBY has just been released and provides an interesting insight into the characters. Whether you take these songs as gospel (Cough cough, Bumblebee shippers, cough cough) or you just like listening to them for Casey Lee Williams' amazing vocal's and her father's, Jeff, incredible scores I am going to give my take on the songs on this album. I will only be reviewing the first eleven songs on the album as the rest are scores and do not feature any new vocals. Although there are no volume or story spoilers, beware of minor spoilers for the characters ahead. I should also say that although I am attributing the songs to characters this doesn’t necessarily make it the case. Jeff Williams once said in an interview that he writes the songs about people and feelings in his own life and not for the show itself.

Let's just live (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_aEUQJXG0s):

This song served as the intro for the episodes in Volume four. On first glance, it can seem to be about the teams dealing with the heavy losses and injuries acquired at the end of Volume three. The opening line of the song is 'It used to feel like a fairy tale', harkening to the allusions of fairy tales that many characters in RWBY symbolise, for example, Ruby Rose (Lindsey Jones) is emblematic of little red riding hood. Casey, however, is singing that they were 'just pretending' and that the character's 'life was far less than a bedtime story than a tragedy.' The song, however, may also be seen to be about the show's creator, Monty Oum, who died on the 1st of February 2015 at the age of 33. During the song's bridge, the melody slows and the instruments shift from heavy guitar and drums to a quite piano as Casey sings one of Monty's many mottos 'Go forward, you must keep moving on.' Jeff has also included an Easter egg in a line of the song's chorus, 'Move onward not there yet' which, when you take the first letters of each word, spells out 'Monty'. Overall, however, the message of the song is optimistic, that although the teams, fans and all of the crew at Rooster Teeth are not yet over their losses they have to keep living, an important message that rings too true in today's society. Casey and Jeff have created a tear wrenching opening track.

Like Morning Follows Night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKfPZVPUfWo):

This song acts as a continuation of the themes of acceptance introduced in 'Let's just live' told from the perspective of Blake Belladonna (Arryn Zech) and Sun Wukong (Michael Jones). It was played during Chapter three of the volume when Blake and Sun are fighting the Seadragon Grimm. Sun, who symbolises the morning, is trying to convince Blake, who symbolises the night, to stop running from her friends. In the opening verse, Casey sings that Blake '[knows] it's always easier to run' which is immediately countered with Sun's narrative voice saying telling her '[She] doesn't have to spend her life looking backward.' A lot of Blake's arc over the four volumes of RWBY revolves around her not trusting her friends and teammates because of events in her past. After the end of Volume three, the enemy managed to resurface those feelings of guilt which are shown throughout this song. The track also features a rap by the artist Lamar Hall, who has sung on songs the other volume's soundtracks, appearing in songs such as Caffeine. Although I did not immediately like this part, upon re-listening it is not so bad and offers some interesting information on Sun's backstory and motivation, which has not been seen in the Volumes. I do not believe, however, it harks to a possible relationship between the two characters (sorry Black Sun Shippers). I have more to say on shipping later so I'm not going to get to it here. Overall, I think this is an excellent representation of the conflict within the mind of my favourite member of team RWBY, although I feel as though the rap does not fit too well in with the other parts of the song.

Bad Luck Charm (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ1xUy8FQ7M):

'Bad Luck Charm' is undoubtedly a song about Ruby's uncle’s, Qrow Branwen (Vic Mignogna), semblance. It was originally played in Chapter seven of the Volume when Qrow fights Tyrian Callows (Josh Grelle). The song’s lyrics link to the reveal of Qrow's semblance in the show, being one of misfortune. The song uses many references to unlucky omens from multiple cultures, such as 'a mirror broken' and 'an albatross, in its chorus, with a Crow being seen a bird of bad luck in this country as well. The song has an unusually long intro which almost seems like it should belong in with the scores but quickly jumps into a heavy guitar and drums like the last two songs. As far as other features in the song, many lyrics are left deliberately ambiguous and ominous such as, 'if you linger close it's a hefty price.' I have a feature I'm planning to write on my theories for RWBY Volume five and beyond so make sure to check that for more details. Overall, 'Bad Luck Charm' is a fitting tribute to an awesome character who the fan base love. This song definitely does him justice, even if its lyrics are left very open.

This Life Is Mine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM59comMpxE):

The fourth track has easily become one of the new fan favourites in the RWBY community. ‘This Life is Mine’ was originally played in Chapter six of the Volume and is told from the perspective of Weiss Schnee (Kara Eberle). At the end of Volume three, we saw Weiss return home with her abusive father. Weiss had had a song in almost all of the volumes, with the exception of Volume two. Like most of these other songs, ‘This Life is Mine’ alludes to the fairy tale of Snow Wight and the Seven Dwarves, who Weiss is based on. The song is directed to the same ‘mirror’ we see her singing to in the other two songs, Mirror Mirror part one and two. This time, however, Weiss is, ‘shattering the mirror that kept [her] split in pieces.’ Once again this is another song about breaking free from guilt and sadness after a tragedy, like ‘let’s just live’ and ‘Like Morning Follows Night’. In my mind, this is the best-composed song. The track starts with a slow piano instrumental, similar to that in Mirror Mirror part one and two, but gets progressively heavier as with each verse, symbolising Weiss breaking free. Unlike her previous songs, however, ‘This Life is Mine’ is clearly directed towards her father and brother who’ve held her in a ‘patriarchal prison’. Weiss is no longer consumed by self-pity but now accepts that her family doesn't have to be blood-related, completing the character arc we have been witnessing throughout all four volumes.

Home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AsaZwT6xB4):

‘Home’ is my favourite of the new songs on the album, although it is unclear who it is directed towards. This track was originally played during the last chapter of Volume four over Ruby’s monologue. Like ‘Let’s just live’ this can be seen as directed towards the fans and I feel like that to some extent. For many fans, RWBY is home to them and the Rooster Teeth community is more like a family to them. It is a place where they can talk about what interests them openly ton people who care without being judged. The song can also be seen as a family song either between Ruby and Qrow or Ruby and Yang (Barbara Dunkleman) or maybe even Ren (Neath Oum) and Nora (Samantha Ireland). Really any close pairing in the show can be attributed to this song. Personally, if I had to pin it to a pair it would be Ruby and Yang and Casey sings ‘To you I'll cling’, a similar sentence to that used in ‘All Our Days’ from the Volume two soundtrack which is about Ruby and Yang. In that Casey sings, ‘I will cling, I will clutch.’ Overall, ‘Home is a change of pace from other songs on the album, taking a slow piano melody instead of heavier guitar and drums.

Armed and Ready (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhOPp1GF0I8):

‘Armed and Ready’ acts as Yang’s war cry for Volume four. It was originally played on the last episode of the volume during the credits. The song features many call-backs and references to Yang’s lines, in particular in her introductory trailer, the yellow trailer. These include the ‘strawberry sunrise’, the drink she orders in her first appearance and ‘call me sir’. The song starts with a small piano melody and Casey singing the events of the end of Volume three from Yang’s perspective. Then the guitar starts and the flashbacks continue. Again the song transitions into dealing with the pain and suffering experienced in the last Volume but in Yang’s explosive way. Out of all of the fighting Yang was arguably most effective so now she is armed and ready, a pun in itself shows the true nature of her character, a woman who will only get stronger the more you hit her. The song has definitely made me excited about a re-math between Yang and Adam Taurus (Garrett Hunter) in later volumes and whether or not this songs assertion stands true. Overall this as a fantastic song to end the volume on with a catchy chorus worthy of the strongest character.

Lusus Naturae (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxM8-Y7Wc1M):

‘Lusus Naturae’ was originally made for the RWBY Grimm Eclipse game although parts of it are used in the first episode and when we are introduced to the Nuckelavee Grimm. The song is told from the perspective of Doctor Merlot, the main antagonist of the game. If anyone hasn’t played the game yet I would recommend checking it out. It is currently available on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation. The song details his plans to mutate the Grimm, making them stronger and smarter in order to serve him. This has confused fans, however, as it was presumed that this character was not canon, so why his song is in the Volume is strange and seems to be hinting at something. Once again make sure to check back in a few weeks to see my theory on how this is going to play out. The distorted vocals really give the sense of a true freak of nature or ‘Lusus Naturae’. The villain songs are always one of the best bits of the RWBY soundtracks and this one is no exception.

Bmblb (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nn9pShFci0):

‘Bmblb’ is the last new song on the album and if it hasn’t got the fanbase riled up! People are arguing about what it is about, either the ship between Blake and Yang or between Yang and her Bike. First of all, I should point out that the song as much about a Yang and her Bike as ‘Like Morning Follows Night’ is about Blake and her bow. Casey sings that the recipient of Yang’s affection ‘tastes like honey’ as well as other features a bike doesn’t possess. Now I do ship Bumblebee but not to the extent some others take it and if Blake ends up with Sun I won’t mind. The problem arises when people take it too far and make ships the feature of the show, which I feel Rooster Teeth has contributed to. It is okay to ship characters together but doesn't make your ideal ship the only reason you are watching the show. It is also worth saying that YouTuber MurderOfBirds (Arnold Delgado) said that this song could be about any ship. I still think it is about Blake and Yang given the bumblebee references but I can see where he is coming from. Now that is out of the way this song is great on its own because it is so different to the other songs on the album. All of the other songs seem to focus on pain and suffering whereas this is a celebration of love. It is a really chilled out sound with perfect timing and one I had on repeat when I was sat out in the sun. Overall this is a great way to end the new songs on the album even if the fan base has slightly ruined it.

Boop (acoustic) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc6txi8hMG8):

‘Boop’ is another fan favourite from the RWBY soundtracks’ as well as Jeff Williams’s favourite himself. Originally appearing as an entirely new song on the Volume two soundtrack, ‘Boop’ is about Renora the ship between the characters of Ren and Nora told from Nora’s perspective. With the previous acoustic songs remade on other soundtracks, I had never liked them as much as the originals. With this one, however, I found myself liking it more. The use of violin and snapping fingers, a sound we haven’t heard on the soundtrack up until the point. It was also nice hearing it again given the amount of Ren and Nora scenes we were given in Volume four. Overall ‘Boop’ is another really chilled out and happy song.

Sacrifice (Harry Lodes Remix) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gWFsY3rZPk) and I May Fall (Harry Lodes Remix) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpwMXu-wvR0):

As for the remixes, I am not a big fan of them on the other soundtracks and these did not change my mind. I felt like the’ I May Fall’ remix was the worst song on the album but ‘Sacrifice’ was still okay. Both songs are open to interpretation on who they are about with Sacrifice most likely being about Cinder Fall (Jessica Nigri) or Salem (Jen Taylor) and I May Fall being about any of the heroes or teams.

Overall the RWBY Volume Four soundtrack is well worth buying for these songs alone, and I know I will be listening to the soundtracks in order to concentrate the next time I am revising. Although the themes were a bit repetitive at times, the different narrative f=voice provide a fresh perspective, which otherwise is not shown in the show.

P.S Thank you for reading this far. Feel free to comment your thoughts down below and any suggestions on things you think I should review.