Vitamin String Quartet: The World of Studio Ghibli is the Perfect Holiday Soundtrack

Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is fast approaching which means two things: Black Friday madness and holiday music. Thankfully, Vitamin String Quartet’s most recent release “The World of Studio Ghibli” will help you handle both fronts with the confidence and grace that only a Miyazaki soundtrack can.

Vitamin String Quartet (VSQ) is most famous for their all-string covers of pop songs, but they’ve also gone so far as to cover the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy soundtrack, as well as geeky favorites for walking down the aisle. This year, just in time for the holiday season, VSQ is releasing an entire album devoted to the soundtracks from Studio Ghibli classics like My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle. While Miyazaki films are already well-known and loved for their soundtracks, VSQ brings their signature warmth and emotionality to the tracks, breathing new life into fan-favorites.

The full track list is as follows:

1. On a Clear Day (from Kiki’s Delivery Service)

2. The Path of the Wind (from My Neighbor Totoro)

3. One Summer’s Day (from Spirited Away)

4. Night of Shooting Stars (from Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)

5. The Legend of Ashitaka (from Princess Mononoke)

6. Home Sweet Home (from Grave of the Fireflies)

7. Merry-Go-Round of Life (from Howl’s Moving Castle)

8. Opening (from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)

9. The Neglected Garden (from The Secret World of Arrietty)

10. Fine on the Outside (from When Marnie Was There)

11. The Rose (from Only Yesterday)

12. Take Me Home, Country Roads (from Whisper of the Heart)

If you’re wondering how it’s possible to improve upon Studio Ghibli’s already frequently emotional soundtracks, you can preview VSQ’s take with Nerdist or Slate. I recommend headphones and a quiet moment, but I’m sort of a sap. I was especially moved by the cover of “The Path of the Wind” from My Neighbor Totoro.

“The World of Studio Ghibli” will be available in a special Black Friday special, November 24, 2017 as a clear, 180-gram vinyl release with a download card and full color sleeve. The digital album will be available December 1, 2017. And Mom, if you’re reading this…cough cough nudge nudge wink wink.