Song of the Week - BATTLE 25 Voting/WEEK 201 Nominating
 

Song of the Week. 200 Weeks and counting.
Battle 25 Voting is off like Donkey...Koff?.
Week 201 Nominating is suspended indefinitely pending investigation.

Results:
1). [17] Neotokyo - Annul
2). [16] Machinarium Soundtrack - The Bottom
3). [15] Darius Premium Box -Rebirth- - VISIONNERZ
4). [12] PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1-
5). [9] .hack//G.U. GAME MUSIC O.S.T. 2 - Blue Sky City Dol Dona
6-t). [6/4] Lucidity (Game Rip) - Twilight Farm
6-t). [6/4] Sam & Max Season Two Soundtrack - Unholy Workshop
8). [3] Grim Fandango Original Game Soundtrack - Hector Steps Out

Tracks:
Week 193: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Neotokyo - Annul
Week 194: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: .hack//G.U. GAME MUSIC O.S.T. 2 - Blue Sky City Dol Dona
Week 195: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Sam & Max Season Two Soundtrack - Unholy Workshop
Week 196: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1-
Week 197: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Grim Fandango Original Game Soundtrack - Hector Steps Out
Week 198: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Lucidity (Game Rip) - Twilight Farm
Week 199: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Machinarium Soundtrack - The Bottom
Week 200: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Darius Premium Box -Rebirth- - VISIONNERZ

Voting Rules:
Voters must distribute 6 points among the 8 nominees, giving points to at least 3 songs, giving no song more than 3 points, and giving no more than one of their choices 3 points. Possible ways of voting include:

Notes:
Please remember to upload your nominations to the SotW server! Uploaded noms mean a faster, smoother SotW experience for everyone. Server information:

Week 201 Nominating:
The Nominations Queue can be found here.
The rules for nominating can be found here.

Quick votings...

3 Points: Machinarium Soundtrack - The Bottom
2 Points: Neotokyo - Annul
1 Point: Lucidity (Game Rip) - Twilight Farm

Hearing the tracks in the this battle just remind me of how different my tastes are from most people here. >_< (Horrible battle, IMO)

(3 points) Week 196: PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1-
(2 points) Week 194: .hack//G.U. GAME MUSIC O.S.T. 2 - Blue Sky City Dol Dona
(1 point) Week 199: Machinarium Soundtrack - The Bottom

[3 points] VISIONNERZ
[2 points] The Bottom
[1 point] Blue Sky City Dol Dona

2 points: Machinarium Soundtrack - The Bottom
2 points: Lucidity (Game Rip) - Twilight Farm
1 point: .hack//G.U. GAME MUSIC O.S.T. 2 - Blue Sky City Dol Dona
1 point: Grim Fandango Original Game Soundtrack - Hector Steps Out

If "The Bottom" doesn't win then I will eat my hat. After pouring extra-hot chilli sauce on it.

(3 points) Neotokyo - Annul
(2 points) Machinarium Soundtrack - The Bottom
(1 point) Lucidity (Game Rip) - Twilight Farm

3 points: The Bottom
2 points: Blue Sky City Del Dona
1 point: Annul

Added in the mp3 tags that should have been there in the first place. Guess nobody noticed! Also: full Battle comments for the first time since 2007!

Neotokyo - Annul A name like "Neotokyo" activates certain ingrained anti-weeaboo instincts; I'd forgotten how creepy and neo-noirish this song was. It's like detective music beefed way up for a futuristic dystopia, and the childrens' voices that pop up sometimes are the only drawback (and, incidentally, the only thing about the music that seems remotely related to the name).

.hack//G.U. GAME MUSIC O.S.T. 2 - Blue Sky City Dol Dona I think I've said before that I don't like stuff that has too much of that sterotypical, classical "Asian" sound (hence my relative dislike of the Okami and Jade Empire OST's). When done right, though, it's posible to package those elements like ehru into a pleasing package. I won't say that Blue Sky City is perfect in that regard, but listening to it again makes me appriciate the balance that it's struck.

Sam & Max Season Two Soundtrack - Unholy Workshop Our erstwhile Yuletide Week winner. A lot of those songs don't hold up too well outside that context--and, frankly, neither does a lot of Sam and Max music. I feel like this succeeds on both counts: it's something I wouldn't mind listening to when it's not Christmas (a time span that conveniently includes right now), and something that works without canine wisecracks and lagomorphic violence to prop it up.

PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1- I was AWOL for this week, so this is the first time I've heard this amusingly long-named song. Phantasy Star, for me, is best when it goes for Vangelis-style beauty or hard edged techno mayhem ("After the Story" and "IDOLA the Strange Fruits" being excellent examples of each). I wouldn't put this in the top tier of either category; while there are moments of synthy beauty, they're not particularly coherent and there's a lot of rambling passages where not a whole lot happens. To its credit, it holds up better than the bland "Grimoire of Alice" and is more or less on the same level as "Homesickness - Reunion," the only other songs from that week I've heard. So we can chalk this up to a mediocre selection and move on.

Grim Fandango Original Game Soundtrack - Hector Steps Out Grim Fandango is excellent in every area, but like Sam & Max a lot of its music (particularly the more abstract jazz pieces) don't work so well out of context. At less than 30 seconds, this lasts just long enough to be pleasant without jazz fatigue setting in.

Lucidity (Game Rip) - Twilight Farm I recently downloaded this game rip, and I have to say I'm disappointed at the selection that was put up. It's decently atmospheric, but lacks the dreamy power of some of the other songs from the game, especially the ones featuring the main theme. ANNOUNCEMENT: Fake analog LP grain has been officially added to the "effects I hate" list. Beware.

Machinarium Soundtrack - The Bottom This one seems to be getting a lot of love, and I think it's pretty clear it has a shot at being the eventual winner. And the structured parts of the music--especially the beginning--are great. It's when the music loses its way and gets plodding and ambient that I lose interest, and there's too much of that as compared to the better parts for me to really tout it (a weakness it shares with the rest of the OST in general).

Darius Premium Box -Rebirth- - VISIONNERZ This was intriguing last week, but a lot of the novelty has worn off. I still like parts of it, but the sections that didn't work for me last Wednesday have become downright insufferable.

A decent pack of winners without any overt stinkers...what more could one ask for? Well, maybe a better SotW record than two 8th-place finishes in a row, but that's another discussion for another time.

The Point Spread
Annul - 3 pts.
Unholy Workshop - 2 pts.
Hector Steps Out - 1 pt.

3 points - PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1-
2 points - Darius Premium Box -Rebirth- - VISIONNERZ
1 point - .hack//G.U. GAME MUSIC O.S.T. 2 - Blue Sky City Dol Dona


Just missed out: Neotokyo - Annul

Don't know if I ever awarded points to it in its week, but it's an interesting track, even if it drags on a bit long.

Nomination time:

Album: Cabal online gamerip (from killy, I think)
Composer: Unknown
Song: Bloody Ice map theme

This is just 128 kbps but I couldn't find anything better.

EDIT: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ELR91X4B

Votes coming up soon!

I agree. Not the best of battle weeks. Even the creme doesn't feel like it would stand up to others.

(2 points) Neotokyo - Annul
(2 points) PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1-
(2 points) Lucidity (Game Rip) - Twilight Farm

The minor shocker here is that I gave the PSO track just one point in its week, but I've seemed to have taken more of a shine to it.

Edit: Must have been a copying and pasting error.

3 points: Darius Premium Box -Rebirth- - VISIONNERZ
1 point: Machinarium Soundtrack - The Bottom
1 point: PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1-
1 point: Sam & Max Season Two Soundtrack - Unholy Workshop

Q(' 'Q)

2 points: Sam & Max Season Two Soundtrack - Unholy Workshop
2 points: Darius Premium Box -Rebirth- - VISIONNERZ
1 point: Neotokyo - Annul
1 point: PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1-

Quick votes with quick comments:

(2 points) Neotokyo - Annul
This track still wows me everytime I listen to it, nevermind some parts that could be better.

(2 points) dot hack G.U. GAME MUSIC O.S.T. 2 - Blue Sky City Dol Dona
Very nifty and interesting take on a familiar melody from the game.

(1 point) PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1-
Would have wanted to give Phantasy Star 2 points but...

(1 point) Machinarium Soundtrack - The Bottom
...Machinarium was hard to pass up.

Special mentions to:
(1 imaginary point) Lucidity (Game Rip) - Twilight Farm
The melody that kicks in around 1:00 is really neat. Love how it develops, too.

Here's a new nomination that might not win many fans but, hey, I like it for its retro-ish stylings. :P

* Album Title: Technosoft Game Music Collection Volume 05 - Thunder Force IV
* Artist: Toshiharu Yamanishi
* Track Title: Stand Up Against Myself
* Source: http://gmronline.vgmdb.net/info.php?CatNumber=TCS-0005
* File Location: Nominations folder
* Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
* Track Number: 42
* Catalogue Number: TCS-0005
* Year: 1992

=== Kaleb.G ===
* Album: Summoner (PS2 Game Rip)
* Artist: the glimpse (Wally Shaw)
* Track Title: Iona Monastery (iona2)
* Year: 2000
* Additional Info: This may be ripped from another version of the game, but I know this plays on the PS2 version for sure.
* Source: Don't know exactly, but I've played the game and know this is legit. I got the artist/year info from various Internet sites.
* File Location: nom folder (in a minute)

3 points: Darius Premium Box -Rebirth- - VISIONNERZ
1 point: Sam & Max Season Two Soundtrack - Unholy Workshop
1 point: PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1-
1 point: Hector Steps Out

Voting is closed and nominations are restricted!

1). [17] Neotokyo - Annul
2). [16] Machinarium Soundtrack - The Bottom
3). [15] Darius Premium Box -Rebirth- - VISIONNERZ
4). [12] PHANTASY STAR ONLINE Blue Burst EPISODE IV SOUND TRACK - Nostalgia in Solitude -PART1-
5). [9] .hack//G.U. GAME MUSIC O.S.T. 2 - Blue Sky City Dol Dona
6-t). [6/4] Lucidity (Game Rip) - Twilight Farm
6-t). [6/4] Sam & Max Season Two Soundtrack - Unholy Workshop
8). [3] Grim Fandango Original Game Soundtrack - Hector Steps Out

Eh "Annul" is an OK song and definitely has that 'battle winner' sound, but it isn't a personal favourite, nor one that I've revisited outside of the contest. Good honourable mention to "The Bottom" though---oh so close! [also, poor theme week tracks]

Been wondering, does anyone here think that any of the voters do vote "tactically" to boost their own nominations or favourite? For example if i hadn't given Annul (which i really like a lot; my thanks to nominator) any points and awarded them to tracks that did not have any chance of winning anyway, then The Bottom, my own nomination, would have won. I do not think that this sort of behaviour is acceptable and it could be quite problematic in terms of detecting it. Unlike "normal" nomination bias it does most likely not balance out since not everyone does it consistently.
If everyone gives their own nomination three points, then all eight tracks have three points by default which is not any different from all having none (of course that is not always the case [in fact i just gave Annul more points than Twilight Farm, my other nomination] but it is expected to some degree or another). This tactical voting would also work if everyone did it, since then there are those three meaningless points again and the other three identify the worst tracks, so you basically have a "The Least Horrible Song of the Week" contest.
Has this been discussed prior? Any other thoughts on this?

Damnit, Sundays are completely against me.

Though, I have no idea what my point spread would've been. Even though VISIONNERZ holds a spot near and dear to my heart, I doubt I would've given it 3 points because this is a pretty fantastic battle. The weeks lately have been unbelievable overall, actually, similar to the massive spike in quality around week 100.

EDIT: Stalky, from my observations, I haven't really noticed anyone actually attempt to vote tactically to boose their own nom up. I've probably joked about doing it more than once myself, but I would never do anything like that. Most people who enjoy SOTW, like myself, are here for the exposure to new VGM, and trying to make your own nom do better doesn't even enter the voting thought process.

Giving your own nom 3 points is absolutely fine, though.

I used to do this for a while, but it rarely led to my noms winning and if they did, it was a marginal victory, which is very unsatisfying. That's why I don't even vote on weeks that one of my noms is up.

Stalky: I know what you mean, and I've fallen to it a few times (that is, I've given ample points to a rival track that ends up winning; if I hadn't have given it any points then my own nomination would have won). If people tactically distrubuted their points then it would kind of take the fun out of the whole process. Sure it's nice to win every now and then, but if it means scrutinising a video game music contest with a fine tooth comb, then who would really bother. There's no way to police it sadly, but one would think that we wouldn't need to. Hopefully all participants are sound and fair in their weekly SotW involvement.

I do not know how many times i caused my own nomination to place lower than it could have been, in most cases i do not mind either, after all i gave that other tracks many points because i like it as well. When i first joined SotW i expected the nominator to not be allowed to vote in weeks in which their own nomination comes up but this does not matter as long as there is consistency. That tactical voting however is different, i just noticed a logical error in my previous post, if people were to distribute their three spare points to tracks that are unlikely to win, and everyone does that, the three worst tracks would win, or rather everyone would struggle to keep the points on all other tracks even so that only their own nomination is slightly ahead, that could even lead to endless post editing and point rearrangements. So it's not just a impolite and rather sneaky thing to do, it also might screw up the process. As we can see that is not the case, decent tracks come out on top and people don't normally change their votes. Of course a few people could justify tactical voting to themselves with the fallacious conclusion "if only i do it, no one will notice and it's not a problem". Anyway, i also hope that people here are 'mature enough' to refrain from tactical voting even though it might be tempting at times.

Wow, really close fight there. Was expecting The Bottom to take it, but way to go, Annul. It's not without its flaws but I have to admit it's been one of my favourite SotW tracks of late.

On the issue of tactical voting, it appears to be more prevalent in the annual Best Song Contests, especially during the nomination rounds in previous years when there was a point system in place. But I don't believe it's that much of an issue in SotW.

Nomination bias is certainly there, in terms of giving your own nomination more points. However, I think most SotW participants distribute the remainder of their points to tracks they like. Otherwise, it really defeats the purpose of the event, or similar affairs.

Like many, I tend to give my own nominations more points, simply because I really like them. But more often than not, I end up giving just as many points to other excellent tracks.

On some occasions, I even give other tracks more points. Once, I gave my nomination just 1 point because several other tracks in the week were clearly superior. And I believe some nominators have done the same.