Song of the Week - WEEK 115 Voting/WEEK 116 Nominating
 

Song of the Week. 100 Weeks and counting.
Week 115 Voting is closed.
Week 116 Nominating is restricted.

Week 115 Voting
The rules for voting can be found here.

Results:
1). [19] Kukeiha Club pro-fusion ~Salamander~ - SENSATION
2). [18/12.5] The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles
3). [18/12.5] Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove
4). [17] Sephiroth - Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~phantasmagoria~
5). [15] The Lunatic - Ibara Remix Tracks - Endress Train
6-t). [13/8.5] 19XX THE WAR AGAINST DESTINY - CAPCOM Game Sound Track - City light in the black strait Mission5
6-t). [13/8.5] Wizardry ~ Llylgamyn Saga - Fort City Llylgamyn
8). [7] Leander (Amiga Game Rip) - Intro

Tracks:
19XX THE WAR AGAINST DESTINY - CAPCOM Game Sound Track - City light in the black strait Mission5
Kukeiha Club pro-fusion ~Salamander~ - SENSATION
Leander (Amiga Game Rip) - Intro
Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove
Sephiroth - Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~phantasmagoria~
The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles
The Lunatic - Ibara Remix Tracks - Endress Train
Wizardry ~ Llylgamyn Saga - Fort City Llylgamyn

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

Week 116 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

Guess I'll do this and keep the thread near the top.

19XX THE WAR AGAINST DESTINY - CAPCOM Game Sound Track - City light in the black strait Mission5: I can't really say this impressed me. A lot of the track felt repetitive, which is especially bad when there isn't much tonal range to begin with. Some of the sample choices felt very grating, and the drop into silence at 2:10 was nothing but awkward.

Kukeiha Club pro-fusion ~Salamander~ - SENSATION: This track comes from a line of pedigree, so my expectations set the bar higher than normal. While it's not the most energizing guitar-driven piece I've heard in SotW, it's still competent. In fact, I'd say the guitar is merely average and that the piece is carried by the strength of the background elements. The first half is a little sloppy but the melody pulls itself together by the end and finishes strong.

Leander (Amiga Game Rip) - Intro: While this is pretty good for an Amiga track, a significant part of this composition didn't appeal to me. A couple bridges were interesting but the remainder possessed a darker tone that was hard for me to enjoy completely. The drum beat, I'll admit, was enticing.

Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove: I remember renting this game and being disappointed that it wasn't as funky as I'd hoped. My expectations were on a "Parliament Funkadelic" level and the game delivered more of a "Steve Winwood" kind of jazz fusion. Time has allowed the sounds to age more gracefully and for not having heard this track since I was 17, it sounds just fine to me now.

Sephiroth - Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~phantasmagoria~: First, I'm stunned that any game named "Sephiroth" has managed to remain obscure. Damned Squaresoft brats will glom onto anything that bears a Final Fantasy masthead. Though this track makes absolutely no attempt to play down its "ching-chongy" nature, it's presented in a flowing manner that makes good sense. It feels genuine and unforced but with just enough Western new-age influence to bridge the gap in geographies and remain contemporary.

The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles: I've heard this countless times as I've played Monkey Island. It's still as good as the first time I heard it.

The Lunatic - Ibara Remix Tracks - Endress Train: Oh, Engrish! Well, it's better than "Undress Train", anyway. The rockin' comes out in powerballad style here. This one approaches cheesiness but manages to avoid toppling over the brink, though not by a whole lot. Though the rockin' sections are acceptable, I thought the slower portions felt weak and disinterested. It leaves a rather neutral feeling on me, overall.

Wizardry ~ Llylgamyn Saga - Fort City Llylgamyn: No, this is far too bland. I gather that it would provide a strong mood in-game, that much is evident. But it's also pretty textbook. Taken out of context, it doesn't possess much spark.

The Spread:

3 Points: Sephiroth - Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~phantasmagoria~
1 Point: The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles
1 Point: Kukeiha Club pro-fusion ~Salamander~ - SENSATION
1 Point: Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove

A substandard week, in my opinion. Well, maybe not. But not the best either.

Can someone (most likely Djinova) clarify something for me? A couple tunes from this "Sephiroth" game are going to be in the doujin contest, meaning they are doujin works. Doujin works are not eligible for SotW unless the artist has other "official" game credits, so I'm assuming that he does?

We've already had a doujin arrangement by ZTS place, "if it dies rather -short.rm-" in week 109. So, recalling that, I didn't have a problem with the current track from Sephiroth (which is a Touhou arrange album, not a game) when it was nominated last week.

However, I decided to look into it anyway now just to be certain, and it appears that I wasn't particularly diligent about checking up on him the first time. I can only find three composition credits: Parhelia (half the soundtrack, or 8 tracks), Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (4 tracks), and DJMAX Portable 2 (2 tracks). Everything else he's done, and there is quite a bit that he's done, is either a fan or official arrangement (pretty much all fan, but I did see an arrangement on the Glove On Fight OST).

so yeah um right

Assuming people think he shouldn't be eligible as a VGM composer, we can fix the problem of this week pretty easily by replacing the track with another nomination by Djinova (definitely if possible) or the next nomination in the queue (me! :D). Week 109 is another matter. We have one precedent for letting a mistaken track remain on the site, Chapter 1: Feena ~ First Step Towards Wars ~ Palace from Symphony Ys. However, that was just a tabulation error and not the case of a track that shouldn't have been eligible in the first place, and it had been on the site for a very long time before it was noticed. I could pull it, in which case the Sapphire track would move to second and Shadow Devourer from Sword Maniac would move to third.

ah yes, CHz basically summed it up already. I nominated something from this artist, because I think he is in the same league with some other artists, which appear in this contest from time to time as well, like S.S.H, Hyakotarou Tsukumo, Toshiharu Yamanishi, setzer... etc. It's just that nobody ever heard of this artist before.

I didn't really make it clear in my last post, but the track is not disqualified yet. I expect it will be, which is why I started thinking about what we should do if it has to be pulled, but "whether or not someone is a 'professional VGM composer' will be decided on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of SotW participants" need opinions etc. Djinova, mind coming up with a replacement if your current nom is ineligible?

Also, while you're all paying attention, the Best Doujin Contest is going to start voting soon. Should we do an SotW delay of some kind?

This sephiroth fellow has a handful of partial album credits. It sounds as if he would be more professionally involved if given the opportunity. But intent isn't actually experience, is it?

This is as tough a call as I've seen in SotW. I sort of want to let the track stay because I already voted in favor of it. I recall the original argument against for determining "professional" status and most people seemed to hover around "3" as the magic number of credits, though I think most of us had whole albums in mind, and not just collaborations.

I honestly won't be outraged by either outcome. If it goes, I'll understand why. If it stays, fine with me. I guess I abstain from casting a preference.

I say let the track be grandfathered in, as it's already been put up and recieved votes and replacing it would be a pain in the butt. At the same time, let's not make it a precedent for anything--just call a horse a horse and say that it's a marginal track that slipped through the cracks. That's assuming it's an original work by the artist, of course, and not an fan arrangement.

I think that a 1-2 week SoTW hiatus, or perhaps a double-length voting period, might be in order when the contest starts, since the first round will involve groups of four tracks squaring off against one another and our fine listeners might get overloaded.

Screw you guys. You can't nominate one of my all time favorite Megadrive soundtracks to go up against my own nomination. That just isn't right. Also, anything by Lucasarts up until Grim Fandango. Not fair.

3 points - Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove
3 points - The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles

Screw you guys.

(PS. <3)

Much as it pains me to say this, you can only give 3 pts. to one song. You'll have to remove a point from one of those and give it to something else :(

I think surasshu knows this and was being facetious about his inner torments.

Bah, how can I choose between those two! :( I should probably just do a 2-2-2 split then, give my nom a few points as well. It is a pretty good song, after all. I'll come up with a proper post for this later I hope, I'm swamped in work. I really wanna express my love for the ToeJam & Earl soundtrack...

2 points - Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove
2 points - The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles
2 points - Leander (Amiga Game Rip) - Intro

I'm surprised that Lucasarts' entire adventure game catalog isn't banned from this yet, to be honest!

-edit-
So yeah ToeJam & Earl is one of those soundtracks that totally blew my mind when I heard it. it came at a time when a lot of Megadrive soundtracks were very twanky and just plain ugly, and this was like a breath of fresh air. I don't really remember this track specifically (and the arrangement makes it harder to recognize I guess), but it's close enough that I'm all nostalgic goo for it! Plus, it's super groovy.

This version of the Monkey Island theme is extremely beautiful and full of life. I don't know what else to say about it, it's just great.

Leander is mostly just nostalgic to me, I was a huge 4mat fan a long time ago. It's still a great track I think, great quality considering the time it was made and all.

I don't know what you guys are hearing in that phantasmagoria track, but it just sounds like super generic tripe to me. Especially compared to the rest of these tracks! It's so devoid of any passion or individuality, it sounds like a million other songs by a million other composers, completely bland. It's not even really bad, cause that would mean it's something. It is super long however and I haven't been able to listen to the whole thing without getting too bored and just putting on something else instead, so maybe it picks up after 5 or 6 minutes, and they are so mindblowing that they make up for the rest of it!

I'm surprised this week hasn't gotten more votes -- it's very good. In fact, there are only two tracks I don't like (I'm looking at you, 'City Light'), and frankly, 'Intro' may have garnered points from me if I was more predisposed to chiptune/amiga music.

As it stands, it looks like the illegal track is going to be the one getting my points:

(3 points) Sephiroth - Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~phantasmagoria~
(1 point) The Lunatic - Ibara Remix Tracks - Endress Train
(1 point) Kukeiha Club pro-fusion ~Salamander~ - SENSATION
(1 Point) Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove

2 points : The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles
2 points : Kukeiha Club pro-fusion ~Salamander~ - SENSATION
1 point : Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove
1 point : The Lunatic - Ibara Remix Tracks - Endress Train

3 points: Kukeiha Club pro-fusion ~Salamander~ - SENSATION
2 points: The Lunatic - Ibara Remix Tracks - Endress Train
1 point: Sephiroth - Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~phantasmagoria~
Close: Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove

Additional Spam:
Well, I mean, if I'm understanding this correctly, he's had pro credits as a composer. So what was the problem? Not enough credits to be considered a focused VGM composer? Not that I make the rules, and this obviously goes case-by-case: If the nom isn't mainstream stuff, the guy has even 1 legit composer credit, and he's most known for VGM (even if it's mostly doujin/official arrangements), then what's the problem? As soon as a guy gets a pro credit and they're dedicated to VGM, they seem fine to me.

I'm personally fine with the track also, but I figured that I should disclose this information in good faith, because I figured some people might have a problem with someone having so few composition credits. Looks like no one's really chomping at the bit for its removal, though.

*CHOMP CHOMP*

Fort City Llylgamyn: I have a crush for orchestral things, all the other songs were not my thing: 3 points

Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~phantasmagoria~: 1 point
Sensation: 1 point
Endress Train: 1 point

So many good stuff this week, though nothing I was quite attached to, so it's buckshot spread for me!

1 point: 19XX THE WAR AGAINST DESTINY - CAPCOM Game Sound Track - City light in the black strait Mission5
1 point: Leander (Amiga Game Rip) - Intro
1 point: Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove
1 point: The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles
1 point: The Lunatic - Ibara Remix Tracks - Endress Train
1 point: Wizardry ~ Llylgamyn Saga - Fort City Llylgamyn

Edit: Oh, and we could go back to double-length voting periods once the BDC starts. I am not in favor of a hiatus of any kind.

2 points - Sephiroth - Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~phantasmagoria~
2 points - The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles
1 point - Leander (Amiga Game Rip) - Intro
1 point - The Lunatic - Ibara Remix Tracks - Endress Train

Lots of good stuff this week, not enough points to go around.

3 points - 19XX THE WAR AGAINST DESTINY - CAPCOM Game Sound Track - City light in the black strait Mission5

2 points - Wizardry ~ Llylgamyn Saga - Fort City Llylgamyn

1 point - Leander (Amiga Game Rip) - Intro

Tough choices this week, given more than enough time to give it some thought... I'm at a loss for words. I picked the 19XX track because of the ideas present, not necessarily the audio quality. I guess I differentiate myself from a lot of listeners through trying to get an idea of what an artist was trying to accomplish contextually, as well as trying to enjoy a song out of contest. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think of game scenarios and have a rampant, rampaging imagination while tracks play. I like moody tracks. That'll explain my second place song, as well.

19XX THE WAR AGAINST DESTINY - CAPCOM Game Sound Track - City light in the black strait Mission5 I certainly wasn't expecting synth jazz, given the title! Unfortunately, it's the formless, aimless kind of jazz that I can never really get into.

Kukeiha Club pro-fusion ~Salamander~ - SENSATION Pretty much what I expected--upbeat, 80's style guitar with some synth accompaniment. Nice, but not all that distinctive.

Leander (Amiga Game Rip) - Intro Good sound considering the tinny MIDI crap that most personal computers were stuck with at the time, but a bit unfocused for my taste. Has its moments, though.

Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove One certainly can't fault this track for false advertising--it is nothing if not a mellow groove. Mellow grooves just happen to bore me, and that's the case here (though the sax is nice).

Sephiroth - Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~phantasmagoria~ Our controversial track of the week. Eligibility questions aside, the song is rather low-key, very oriental, and very long. Definitely some nice bits, but it's a long slog.

The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles There have been four versions of this theme to date, and I think this is the best, with great sound quality and a upbeat, jaunty air. The fusion of stereotypical pirate music with reggae is as nifty and fun as ever, and this is a sentimental favorite.

The Lunatic - Ibara Remix Tracks - Endress Train Sort of a combination of Sensation and Mellow Groove's weaknesses, made flesh ot at least sculpted out of cheddar in a lifelike manner.

Wizardry ~ Llylgamyn Saga - Fort City Llylgamyn Another low-key track, this in more of an ambient style that tends to appeal to me (but bores plenty of others). Short, but I liked it.

Varied selection this week, but many were from genres I'm not so big on.

The Point Spread
3 pts. - Monkey Island
2 pts. - Fort City Llylgamyn
1 pt. - SENSATION

2 points: Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove
2 points: Kukeiha Club pro-fusion ~Salamander~ - SENSATION
1 point: The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles
1 point: 19XX THE WAR AGAINST DESTINY - CAPCOM Game Sound Track - City light in the black strait Mission5

This was a damn good week. I was this | | close to giving a point to Fort City Llylgamyn.

I really wished this week had some sucky tracks, so I wouldn't have had such a hard time giving out points. Permutations totally possible.
1 Pts. Kukeiha Club pro-fusion ~Salamander~ - SENSATION
1 Pts. Leander (Amiga Game Rip) - Intro
1 Pts. Sega Tunes - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron - Mellow Groove
2 Pts. Sephiroth - Oriental Memory of Forgathering Dream ~phantasmagoria~
1 Pts. The Curse of Monkey Island (Game Rip) - Main Titles