My name is Aisha. I'm some sort of professional writer, marketer, PR practitioner. Communication and community make me happy. I like anime, books, comics, games, livetweets, music, poetry, and soccer. In my dreams, I'm a cosplayer.
Wait! I see neither morning, nor night. What's happening here, Aisha? Well, nothing yet.
The RWBY Volume 4 Original Soundtrack & Score won't be released until June 16, 2017. So until then, no arguments about whether or not this song is another allusion to Black Sun (Eclipse). Of course, I totally think it is, just like "Not Fall In Love" from Volume 3. But I'm not here for ship wars as much as I am for music. 😁
All of that to say, my reaction will be available sometime within the next couple of weeks after release. In the meantime, if you haven't read the introduction, check out the first post. Make sure to grab your pre-order on iTunes or Amazon, or grab a hard copy in the Rooster Teeth Store when it's available.
These are my thoughts on “Let’s Just Live” from the RWBY Volume 4 Soundtrack. For more details on each of the song posts check out my introduction here. If you’re looking for a different song, hyperlinks at the bottom of the page will get you there quickly. Enjoy!
The RWBY Volume 4 Soundtrack Reaction Awakens
Many of the new songs for RWBY Volume 4 made a big impression upon me, but this one hit me right in the heart. I’ve loved “Let’s Just Live” from the first time I heard that opening drum and guitar drive, and this full-length version only reinforced my affinity for it.
It took me almost 20 minutes to get through the five-minute song, because I kept pausing so I could reflect or cry. Lately, I’ve struggled with the value of my life, if it has any meaning other than repeated failure. I’ve wondered why I keep trying, why do I keep fighting when life continues to dole out utter trash? I know, that’s just life. To see what’s happening all around the world and feel like there’s nothing I can do to help, to see friends and family struggle and not have anything to give; it’s tempting to want to give up. Incredibly tempting.
Hearing the anthemic declaration “Let’s Just Live” is just what I needed. I am ridiculously moved by words and music, so this is powerful to me.
The second verse continues to tell the story of Beacon’s favorite students and the challenges they’ve faced as the realities of life smacked them in the face. There are some moments here where matching the lyrical flow of the first verse get a little, interesting; but it doesn’t halt the experience.
By the time it gets to the breakdown in the latter half of the song, that’s exactly what happened to me. I paused as the tears ran down my cheeks. I listened to the words, more than a couple of times in that slowed down section.
I love the theatrical build of this song. It comes back with a powerhouse guitar solo and finishes with an altered chorus for the outro. Man, it is so good!
Final Thoughts on Let's Just Live
Life has its ups and downs, but we make decisions to get back up when we fall, to face the scary parts, to move forward even when we’re faithless or feel that everything has fallen apart. I really do love this song! Oh and the Easter egg in here - all aboard the Feels Express. Jeff Williams has my heart in his hands.
It’s not without its hiccups. There are parts where the mix seems weird, maybe it’s just my audio setup, but overall it’s a strong showing.
The RWBY Volume 4 Original Soundtrack & Score will be available June 16, 2017, and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and iTunes. Hard copies are sure to be available in the Rooster Teeth Store.
Cover Art for the
RWBY Volume 4 Original Soundtrack & Score
The RWBY Volume 4 Original Soundtrack and Score has a release date of June 16, 2017 and four tracks are available for pre-order now on both iTunes and Amazon. Nothing in the Rooster Teeth Store yet, but as of "print" promotional social media has begun.
Yes, I downloaded the pre-order; darn my impatience when it comes to music! I wasn’t planning on a write up, but three minutes into “Let’s Just Live” that changed. Jeff Williams loves playing with emotions, I see.
RWBY Volume 4 Soundtrack: The Way My Reactions are Set Up
My RWBY Volume 4 Soundtrack reactions were written in the moment to capture the Oh My Gosh This is FINALLY Happening! of it. I paused long enough to write out how I felt or what I was thinking. I say this because there are sudden transitions, which I left unfiltered, because I hope it better captures the moment. I edited for grammar and, full disclosure, there are some spots where I went back to complete my thought.
The first paragraph for each song has my initial thoughts, based on what we knew from its appearance in the show, or in the case of “Bumblb” how much I think Jeff Williams loves trolling the fandom. Because, c’mon y’all know he had fun at the expense of BumbleBY shippers. I’m going to laugh if he later says it’s a ReNora song, or something crazy like that.
In addition to my reactions, I’ve added thoughts on the songs themselves, lyrics, production, musicality, etc. I don’t want to call it a legit review, but it’s as close as I get. As some of the reactions had quite a bit of content, I’ve split them into separate posts and provided links to navigate directly to each song.
When the full soundtrack is available, I’ll add the other four songs. Yes, I know full versions of “Armed and Ready” and “Lusus Naturae” already exist, but those aren’t final so I’ll wait. Y’all rock, thanks for stopping in. Click below to quickly move to the various recaps.
