Song of the Week - WEEK 94 Voting/WEEK 95 Nominating
 

Week 94 Voting is closed.
Week 95 Nominating is closed.

Week 93 Voting
The rules for voting can be found here.

Results
1). [19] Battle Gear 4 + Battle Gear 4 Tuned Original Soundtrack - To a distance
2). [18] Uncharted Waters II Special Edition - The Chase
3). [15] To Be On Top - Chris Hülsbeck Volume 2 - To be on top
4-t). [14/10.5] Shining Wisdom - HERALDIC EMBLEM OF WISDOM
4-t). [14/10.5] The Sims (PC Game Rip) - Building Mode 5
6). [10/7] Namco Game Sound Express VOL.23 Cyber Cycles - Bahama
7). [10/6] Myst IV: Revelation (PC Game Rip) - Welcome
8). [8] Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (SNES Game Rip) - Bonus Stage 1 & Last Battle

Tracks (links):
Battle Gear 4 + Battle Gear 4 Tuned Original Soundtrack - To a distance
Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (SNES Game Rip) - Bonus Stage 1 & Last Battle
Myst IV Revelation (PC Game Rip) - Welcome
Namco Game Sound Express VOL.23 Cyber Cycles - Bahama
Shining Wisdom - HERALDIC EMBLEM OF WISDOM
The Sims (PC Game Rip) - Building Mode 5
To Be On Top - Chris Hülsbeck Volume 2 - To be on top
Uncharted Waters II Special Edition - The Chase

Notes:
The Shining Wisdom track that was uploaded this week was corrupted. The complete version has been uploaded in its place; please re-listen to the song if you downloaded it before the correction.

If you are a member at more than one of the forums which this event is being held at, please nominate and vote in only ONE of the forums. You may, however, comment in the threads at any of the other forums.

Week 95 Nominating
The Nominations Queue can be found here.
The rules for nominating can be found here.

Here is the link to the corresponding thread in the other forum:
- Soundtrack Central

Hum, I'm very pleased to see this going on. Anyway, I came to say that the Shining Wisdom mp3 is corrupted, and cuts halfway. Did I send you that way or is it that you just need to reupload it again?

By the way, now that we are a little low on nominators/voters I think that we could try to expand to other message boards like http://www.rpgfan.com/archive.html or http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/

The posted version is the one on the SoTW server. If you have a replacement version, best upload it quickly and let Drakken know.

The idea's sound in principle, but don't forget that those sites have a much different policy regarding music sharing than Gamingforce.

Ok, so here goes the nomination reupload http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LV8ZD7BN

In that case I think that hardcoregaming would fit this contest better than the other one, as they themselves upload some mp3s each week and have a subforum just for vgm. But maybe there could be a problem when linking to this forum, more than just the mp3s, so I don't know what to say :P

Okay, things should work all right for now; I've put up temporary links to the new version in the main post.

Tags updated and put into the voting folder. I'll let you change the post, simply because I can't!

Okay, let's see here. Dragon God's new track is:

• Artist: hide-aki (Hideki Tobeta)
• Album/Game Title: DELIGHT in DAYLIGHT
• Track Title: Cielos de agosto
• Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
• Track Number: 2
• Catalog Number: DMCD-0009
• Year: 2005
• Additional Information: This is an album of original tracks, but Tobeta has credits on Katamari Damacy and Soul Calibur. Which is fucking weird, because this sounds more like a lost IDOLA theme than anything from either game. Boy got range.
• Sources: http://www.gmronline.com/info.asp?CatNumber=DMCD-0009, http://www.gmronline.com/info.asp?CatNumber=DMCD-0009

The original's in .m4a, but I uploaded an MP3 version too.

• Artist: Barry Leitch
• Album/Game Title: Top Gear (SNES Game Rip)
• Track Title: Las Vegas
• Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
• Track Number: 02
• Catalog Number: NA
• Year: 1992
• Additional Information: Surprisingly, this hasn't been nominated before. Let's see how well/bad it does.
• Source(s): http://snesmusic.org/v2/profile.php?...&selected=3059

Will upload sometime.

Nom train

• The man behind the music: Tamayo Kawamoto
• This game does not suck: Raystorm (OST)
• Did you expect a stage 4 theme: Luminescence (Area 5 - Full Take)
• :noonecares:: Disc 1 (of 1)
• Bunch of lowlife carpet baggers: ZTTL-0002
• My folks sued Chuck E Cheese's in: 1996
• Who the hell puts mozzarella on a cheesesteak: I nominated this around 6 months ago, but switched in because I don't even remember why.
• I AM LINKING TO CHUDAH'S CORNER, SEE I USE IT: http://www.chudahs-corner.com/soundt...alog=ZTTL-0002

Yes I know Kawamoto is a she get off my back

Looks like the symbols in the URL's (+, ü, &, .) are wreaking havoc with the flash player, so the download links are the best bet this week. It's also a strong argument for shorter album names (I'm looking at you, Japan!).

Battle Gear 4 + Battle Gear 4 Tuned Original Soundtrack - To a distance This song's in full 1980's Pop Ballad mode, along the lines of something from Top Gun. I'd be lying if I said the relentlessly cheesy atmosphere didn't appeal to me at all, but the song was at its best when it was reminding me of better songs.

Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (SNES Game Rip) - Bonus Stage 1 & Last Battle Good old Battletoads; that game was so hard that the damn programmers probably couldn't beat it. Despite fond memories of the games, I couldn't recall any of the music when this track came up--and after it's over, I still can't. Not bad, but very unremarkable.

Myst IV Revelation (PC Game Rip) - Welcome Very strange; at least no one will accuse this of being too ambient. It has its moments, but I don't like the whiny delivery the singers use.

Namco Game Sound Express VOL.23 Cyber Cycles - Bahama Very nice synthy melody in this one; reminds me a bit of Mega Man and a bit of the wierd bloopy interval in "Come Sail Away." Fine track.

Shining Wisdom - HERALDIC EMBLEM OF WISDOM Another synthy tune. The beginning is very strong, but I lost interest once the song proper started. The melody just didn't do much for me, and the intro had enough promise that this felt like a letdown. Not bad, just kind of disappointing.

The Sims (PC Game Rip) - Building Mode 5 My nomination. I felt like throwing out another piano tune, and this has always been one of my favorites. I really like the way it's semi-structured--there's definite melodic content, but with some jazzy flair here and there. I listen to this when I need to relax or kick back, generally.

To Be On Top - Chris Hülsbeck Volume 2 - To be on top Good to know that Herr Umlaut is alive, even if his composition here is still firmly rooted in the 1980's. Like many of the Hülsbeck songs in the BCC, the tune has some nice moments but is ultimately to inconsistent and too rambling for my taste.

Uncharted Waters II Special Edition - The Chase Pretty mellow chase, this. As far as airy Caribbean tracks go, it's not bad, but I was never particularly fond of airy Caribbean tracks.

Unusual week; not the best but nothing was outright bad.

Next nomination:

Artist: Shinji Hosoe
Album/Game Title: Be filled with feeling
Track Title: Blind Kiss
Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
Track Number: 02
Catalog Number: TTRC-0001
Year: 1998
Source(s): http://squaremusic.ffworld.com/?comp...ithfeeling.htm

(I will upload it soon to the server.)

Listening through the best chiptune contest tracks, and watching a video of some guy playing Daddy Mulk on some Japanese drum game has somehow inspired me to nominate this song.

System: SNES
Game: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Track: Stage 1

That's sadly all i know about this track, but it's damn awesome!

I believe I'm going to have a hard time assigning points this week...I have a nom and plenty of quality stuff.

Welcome - Well, technically, this is one of the best Myst tracks I've heard, since stuff actually happens. Indeed, one of the best Myst tracks I've heard. I can't deny that at all.

To a Distance - Mmm, I loves me some Battle Gear. Not quite Guilty Gear, but not too far either. Lighter than much of the main OST, but still maintains the rock sensibilities quite nicely. No arguments here.

Bahama - Now this is how I like my racing soundtracks. Great synthy hook, with a solid melody and drum support to back it up. The solo into the loop is nice as well.

Emblem of Wisdom - One of the true hidden gems I've encountered is the Shining Wisdom arranged album and this track is reflective of how to do great light synth-rock. It gets a tad repetitive in spots, but at least its' repeating good things.

Building Mode 5 - Eh...I'll acknowledge its' pretty (most piano is), but that doesn't mean anything when it bores me. Good for background music, but it invokes the noncompetitive clause in these types of situations.

To Be On Top - My experience with New Wave music has prepared me for this, as this has much of the melodic prowess, synthy goodness and steady synth drums of said style. Lone complaint is it fizzles at the end (after about four minutes, but the comeback at the end is quite nice), but I really liked this, especially compared to 1-1 from the chiptune contest.

Chase - An okay track from its' respective album. I think I have an innate weakness for this type of music, as I find it legitimately relaxing and peaceful, unlike much music that tries like hell to accomplish that. I think it might just have picked a bad week to show up.

Bonus Stage 1/Final Battle - Nothing fancy from me...Just a pair of dueling riffs between the synth-guitar (one of the better sounding ones from the SNES...Not too many instances of really distorted guitars on the SNES, come to think of it) and the keyboard section and practically nothing else. That fascinates me, since this piece does so much for me than tracks that technically do a lot more. It's warm and nostalgic, yet doesn't lose that feeling of "Let's go kick some ass!" either. I'll gladly name David Wise as my favorite non-Japanese composer, based on this track alone (but the rest of the OST is great too!).

So let's see...I know Battletoads gets 3, but it gets hairy afterwards...

3 pts - Bonus Stage/Final Battle
1 pts - To Be On Top
1 pts - To a Distance
1 pts - ...Chase (won the coin flip with Emblem and Bahama)

Very nice week.

Battle Gear 4 + Battle Gear 4 Tuned Original Soundtrack - To a distance - Being a child of the 80s, I've retained a soft spot for epic power ballads. I like that they're emotionally accessible and that they're often quite thorough in their progression. "To a distance" is quite the uplifting number once you overlook the obvious cheesiness. I guess my only complaint is that it clocks in at a modest 2:26. I would've loved for this to extend itself to a five minute joyride, if only to enhance that "epic" quality. But yeah, I'm enjoying this track a lot.

Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (SNES Game Rip) - Bonus Stage 1 & Last Battle - Quality SNES tracks are few and far between, mostly due to the "canned" quality of the synths. It's not the composers' fault; the sound processors were inferior; they did what they could with limited capability. This Battletoads track is a good example of a track that held potential but was ultimately spoiled by the SNES's lackluster sound.

Myst IV Revelation (PC Game Rip) - Welcome - Myst music, as a rule, is dull and uneventful. Although this track offends the least, it still upholds that rule. I found several points in the music where it could've stepped up to become something more interesting, but instead resorted to droning chants and stock gypsy rhythms. The only compelling section was the a capella chanting, but that quickly grew shrill and bothersome.

Namco Game Sound Express VOL.23 Cyber Cycles - Bahama - While not being thoroughly memorable, "Bahama" does little to offend, nor does it commit itself to too many standard progression cues. Not great but solidly good. The track's title had me hoping for something a little more tropical in feeling, whereas this feels far too urban and aggressive to be called "Bahama". Just a minor nitpick, though.

Shining Wisdom - HERALDIC EMBLEM OF WISDOM - Ah, Motoaki Takenouchi, the man who brought me my first SotW Gold. Always a pleasure to hear his work. "HERALDIC EMBLEM" isn't as demanding of notice as some of Takenouchi's other works, but it's still pretty groovy. This is really making me wistful for the games with which his music is associated, and damn if I don't love me some Shining Force II action. <3
(I've been eyeing a Takenouchi track for a while and this is making me seriously consider tossing it up after my next nomination goes to bat.)

The Sims (PC Game Rip) - Building Mode 5 - While I can't argue that this is very soft, organic and soothing, I don't see that many functional differences between "Building Mode 5" and "Building Mode 3", which has been on my iPod for over a year now. On one hand, I do like this style of piano improvisation; on the other hand, it's not at all distinctive from its companion tracks on the gamerip. Oh, what would Vince Guaraldi do?

To Be On Top - Chris Hülsbeck Volume 2 - To be on top - Huelsbeck is cool. I greatly admire his musical sensibilities. I've had this album for quite a while, although I'll state that "To Be On Top" isn't the first track I'd nominate. Being familiar with a lot of Huelsbeck's work, this is a fairly standard offering, mostly emphasizing Huelsbeck's fascination with fusion and funk. Oh, it's not bad in the least bit, but it doesn't have that "punch" that several of his other works have held for me. ("Freedom" & "Giana Sisters" = LOVE) But it's been a little while since we've had a Huelsbeck track in SotW, and there are worse ones that could've shown up.

Uncharted Waters II Special Edition - The Chase - For Yoko Kanno, this seems particularly sloppy. I'm not as impressed with "The Chase" as I've been with many of her other pieces. I guess it's a slightly more mature form of light jazz stylings, and I can appreciate that, but while the technical merits are present, this track lacks that element of "life" that Yoko Kanno so regularly brings to her work. The second half of this track is significantly more interesting than the first, but it falls back into the melody from the first section that I didn't connect with.


Get to the Point, Oblio!

3 Points: Battle Gear 4 + Battle Gear 4 Tuned Original Soundtrack - To a distance
1 Point: Shining Wisdom - HERALDIC EMBLEM OF WISDOM
1 Point: To Be On Top - Chris Hülsbeck Volume 2 - To be on top
1 Point: Namco Game Sound Express VOL.23 Cyber Cycles - Bahama

Just Missed The Boat: The Sims (PC Game Rip) - Building Mode 5


This was a solid week, with a great deal of variety. I didn't get bored halfway through. I really want the cheesy powerballad to get into the top 3, which is why I threw three points at it. Otherwise, this could've easily been a five or six-way split.

Easy votes here, as I have a nom this week and there are two nominations that I liked specially:

2 points ~ Battle Gear 4 + Battle Gear 4 Tuned Original Soundtrack - To a distance

2 points ~ Namco Game Sound Express VOL.23 Cyber Cycles - Bahama

2 points ~ Shining Wisdom - HERALDIC EMBLEM OF WISDOM

I dunno if this has been suggested already, but would it be feasible to do a SotW torrent? I've been meaning to go through all the past winners, but clicking on 93x3 links seems like an extremely tedious endeavor. Maybe someone could make a torrent to commemorate SotW100 when it comes around or something.

3 points the Chase.
1 point Heraldic emblem of wisdom
1 point Welcome
1 point Building mode

You might want to talk to Kaleb about that; his server is the one that hosts the files, after all. He might be able to hook you up with a seedable torrent.

(3 points) Battle Gear 4 + Battle Gear 4 Tuned Original Soundtrack - To a distance: One delicious slice of '80s riffing. It might be a little light on substance, but sometimes it's best just to go with style.

(2 points) The Sims (PC Game Rip) - Building Mode 5: I may be unfairly comparing it to Building Mode 3, which has permanent residence in my fave 5. Building Mode 5 lacks the energy that makes 3 so distinctive, but it has plenty of pretty sections to savor.

(1 point) Uncharted Waters II Special Edition - The Chase: The main melody is a gripping piece of churning jazz. Some of the improvisational noodling is wanting, however, which ultimately prevents this track from stepping higher.

With apologies to: HERALDIC EMBLEM OF WISDOM

Very good week this week. I almost threw out 6 1's, because there was so much I liked, but one track eventually jumped out at me. So I had to narrow it down to three ones.

3 points - To Be On Top - Chris Hülsbeck Volume 2 - To be on top
1 point - Myst IV Revelation (PC Game Rip) - Welcome
1 point - Namco Game Sound Express VOL.23 Cyber Cycles - Bahama
1 point - Shining Wisdom - HERALDIC EMBLEM OF WISDOM

My next nomination:

* Album Title: Within a Deep Forest (Game Rip)
* Artist: Troupe Gammage IV
* Track Title: Diamond Meditation
* Source: http://www.yaaay.net/niffpage/?stuff=Music; http://withinadeepforest.ni2.se/; http://troupe.actionsketch.com/about.php
* Disc Number: NA
* Track Number: NA
* Catalogue Number: NA
* Year: 2006
* Note: Within a Deep Forest is a freeware platforming adventure game created by Nifflas (Nicklas Nygren).

Within a Deep Forest is a landmark game from the creator of Knytt, Nifflas. It's full of old school charm, refreshing gameplay, simple but effective graphics and lots of smooth tunes. "Diamond Meditation" is the ending theme to this gem.

This is my first nomination ever in this contest, so if it is not eligible then I'm sorry for that. I hope the song is "unknown" enough for this contest.

My nomination:

* Album Title: Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon - Coi Vanni Gialli
* Artist: Masashi Hamauzu
* Track Title: Wodan
* Track Number: 02
* Catalogue Number: SSCX-10016 (released 2/4/00 by DigiCube)
* Year: 2000

I know about the album and the song, but it's definitely one of the more rare albums out there, so i'm fine with it.

There's a precedent for it, so you should be fine.

Coi Vanni Gialli, the arranged ST to Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, hasn't been in SotW, but the OST has. I'd still say the nom's okay, though.

Also, quoting from STC:
Snagged a copy of the track from Akyu's Untouched Score vol.2, and it has (slightly) better sound quality than the original. Uploaded it to the nominations folder: http://www.sotw.info/music/nominatio...20Romancer.mp3. Lemme know if you want that or the game rip version, TCK.