Song of the Week - WEEK 55 Voting/WEEK 56 Nominating
 

Week 55 Voting is closed.
Week 56 Nominating is restricted.

Week 55 Voting
The rules for voting can be found here.

Final Result:
1st: Raystorm Neu Tanz Mix - Aquarium
2nd: All Over Xanadu - The Resurrection of Dragon
3rd: Tales of Legendia Original Soundtrack - Tomorrow Will Surely Be Sunny

Notes:
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 56 Nominating
The Nominations Queue can be found here.
The rules for nominating can be found here.

Here are the links to the corresponding threads at the other forums:
- STC

----

I'll be taking over weekly duties while Mo0 runs Song of the Year; he's a busy little shopkeep and could use the extra help. Be sure to stop by and acknowledge his hard work by voting for your favorite previous weeks' winners.

Just for curiosity, is there a reason why all those people nominated Tim Folling tracks? :D

Tim Follin.

Yes there is. If you'll recall the thread before the crash which announced the unfortunate end of Follin's career as a VGM composer, a number of us expressed our sincere regrets. One person (not me) decided that a nice tribute to Follin's pioneering efforts within the genre would be a themed SotW week. It required a little patience and organization but there was enough support to see it through.

And so you have it: Tim Follin Week.

Yes, this is a man who has been composing VGM for 20 years. Few people hold such a title of senority, especially outside of Japan. And it should go without mentioning that he's a good composer.

Guilty! >_> And well said, too.

This has been in the works on and off since January, and the main planning was my doing; this definitely wasn't a coordinated plan by the staff (Mo0 told me over AIM that he'd disclaim any responsibility for this, so I'm just throwing that out there). Kaleb definitely gets the assist for rounding up a few extra participants and reminding me about the plan after I forgot a few times.

Indeed. Although we decided to ram the point home by nominating eight tracks. :megaman:

I think it's cool that we have a week dedicated to him, but who are "Nuh" and "thefatebreaker"? I never seen them before.

And how come I never knew about this beforehand? I saw the Follin thread that was here before the close (about his departure), yet no mention of this :/

Nuh has at least one nomination under his belt already from way back.

In fact, it won its week.

He was responsible for the title theme from Treasure Master.

According to Kaleb, thefatebreaker also participated back in the day (before I joined), except under the name Access Gamer.

Because SECRET

Quoted because I won. I mean the song. Yes. My only other nomination won its week as well. Just saying. I'm a nominating genius. "How come you decided to just nominate the next track from the same game you already nominated from, genius?", you may ask. Yes you may.

I managed to use the word "nominate" five times in various forms in this thread. CAN YOU FIND THEM ALL?

Actually, you only used "nominate" twice. The other presumed instances were, in fact, derivations and conjugations of the root. Just sayin'.

There would be no mistaking Nuh if he brought back his Mr. Tiltyhat avatar. But I like his new one as well.

And yes, thefatebreaker = Access Gamer, who nominated a few times early in the life of the SotW event (before the last GFF crash). He also went by the name FATE BREAKER two crashes ago, which would be late 2002/early 2003. He may have been here even longer than I, although he avoids this place like the plague now, for some reason (mostly lack of time).

EDIT: BTW, it was thefatebreaker who informed me about Future Tactics' music and told me that it was composed by Tim Follin. He also persuaded me to rip the music and gave me useful information about it. I owe him credit for this, and if I get around to making a new version of the NFO file, I'll give him a nod therein.

Aw, you guys should have PMed me...I've been toying with "Odd Number Levels" from NES Wolverine since this contest began.

Just to keep the flow going (and not to bump CHz off), I'll hold off nominating until next week. Dunno what it'll be, but I'll come up with something good...

Oh yeah... how are you going to work around New nominators? :D

GoldfishX's potential nomination FTW. I like to believe Geoff > Tim

If I had known, I would've! That's Geoff, though. :\

A new nominator is added below any other new nominators. Thus, if we have a ninth person come in with a pick, that person will appear below me.

Basically, we're invincible. :biggrin:

i.e., go ahead and nominate

Before anybody gets the wrong idea, let me clarify. I'm not against this idea in any way, I just wanted to make sure people knew I had no idea about it until it was already formed (Kaleb approached me about a month ago to give me advance warning of it), and didn't help with it.

Why does this need to be crystal clear? Good question.

I like how this thread is at 14 replies and no one's voted yet

After a trip down memory lane with SotY, it's nice to hear new material! Decided to get voting done now since I have the rare opportunity to take a break from school today. Well, sort of.

(3 points) Raystorm Neu Tanz Mix - Aquarium
I found myself lost in this song. It's very good and even more surprising, it's an arrangement from Raystorm. Hearing the dolphins and waves (nice touch, by the way), I thought it was an Ecco track. Then again, I haven't heard a lot of Ecco. :P

(2 points) Tales of Legendia Original Soundtrack - Tomorrow Will Surely Be Sunny
I gave the game a short spin the other day and rather liked some of the themes. This was one of them. Nicely done melody interwoven with great little passages, it has an air of adventure that's infectious.

(1 point) Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None (Game Rip) - walkingaround01
Didn't realise there was actually an Agatha Christie game. The music is chillingly good and I imagine it must work very well in the game. I like the heavy overtones that give the song that "Who dun' it?" quality.

And the rest...

All Over Xanadu - The Resurrection of Dragon
After listening to the Agatha Christie track, this was almost like a more upbeat extension of aforementioned song. At least in the beginning. :P This Xanadu track is not quite as unique as "walkingaround01" but it has a rather strong early 90s quality that I like.

Battle Arena Toshinden 4 (Game Rip) - Track 21
These fighter type games sure have interesting music. I rather like this track. It's almost like a mild mannered cousin of ZUN's songs. Probably has to do with the use of electronics and the piano.

Lode Runner - The Legend Returns (Red Book Audio) - Abandoned Mines ~ Music
This is somewhat more interesting and satisfying than the other Lode Runner song featured many weeks ago. It's music like this that make exploring game environments a joy.

Metal Gear - Solid Snake Music Compilation of Hideo Kojima - Red Disc - Sneaking Mission
Actually considered nominating from the same album at one point. In any case, "Sneaking Mission" has some very interesting pseudo Indian elements, which I only realised today.

The Sims 2 (PC Game Rip) - CAS
This was very close to getting a point. It does suffer a bit without a bridge between different sections of the song but thankfully the breaks don't break the flow of the song too much. The themes are very pleasant and slightly pastoral, which makes for good easy listening. Also thought the song was a refreshing change.

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None (Game Rip) - walkingaround01 I didn't know that there was a game based on this; would be hard to make it suspenseful, since everyone knows the ending already. This tune is extremely dark and oppressive;good for establishing a mood, but not so listenable out of context. It's also quite repetitive.

All Over Xanadu - The Resurrection of Dragon The chords at the beginning are VERY familiar; I've heard them in Uematsu and Barry (and maybe other places) before. The change in tone and instrumentation between the intro and the body of the piece is extremely jarring; it's almost like two different pieces of music crudely sewn together. The string-led synth break in the middle is nice, but the piece is too 1978 for my taste, overall.

Battle Arena Toshinden 4 (Game Rip) - Track 21 Some interesting synth stuff going on with this one, but the piece is also incredibly busy and cluttered, with dozens of tempo and instrument changes crammed into a tiny package with nary a transition to be found. The result is just oo eclectic to be cohesive.

Lode Runner: The Legend Returns (Red Book Audio) - Abandoned Mines ~ Music I hardly even remember the previous Lode Runner TLR track. This piece is definitely of the QUIRKIN' variety, and is more about rhythm and texture than melody. It reminds me a bit of Thomas Newman, and I found myself enjoying it quite a bit despite its weaknesses. Downloaded.

Metal Gear>>Solid Snake: Music Compilation of Hideo Kojima / Red Disc - Sneaking Mission I really enjoy the "Theme of Solid Snake" from this disc, but this track isn't much like it, being far more electroniaclly-inclined. The guitar solo that erupts in the middle is everything I hate about guitar solos wrapped into a single package, and the electronics become more oppressive as the piece progresses, eventually rendering it an unlistenable noise soup.

Raystorm Neu Tanz Mix - Aquarium Sort of a techno-Latin gumbo, and definitely of the "easy listening" or "lounge lizard" persuasion. Not bad per se, but kind of boring. Also LONG.

Tales of Legendia Original Soundtrack - Tomorrow Will Surely Be Sunny Interesting, which is exactly the word I use to describe this entire OST. While it has a lot of fairly traditional elements, there's something creative and yet the same time off-putting about the track that I can't quite put my finger on. It's technically good, with nice string writing and a light choir at times, but for some reason not very filling.

The Sims 2 (PC Game Rip) - CAS Is this one of the tracks that Mark Mothersbaugh composed? It seems to share a lot of structural similarities with some of his film and TV work that I've heard. Like Lode Runner, this is pure quirk that emphasizes rhythm and movement over melody; unlike Lode, it also has fairly strong melody(s). This seems less a track than a crude medley of tracks, though each snippet is long enough for basic ideas to be fleshed out and similarities to manifest themselves. Downloaded.

Kind of meh for me this week. Looking forward to next time, though; I know naught about this "Tom Falling," (;)) and am curious to see more.

The Point Spread
3 pts - The Simoleons
2 pts - What a Lode of Runner
1 pt - Legendary Legends of Legendian Legend

3 Pts: Tales of Legendia (Actually I had "The Bird Chirps, I Sing" on my personal Nom queue, which is just this with lyrics)
2 Pts: Xanadu
1 Pt: Metal Gear

OMFG where did Aquarium come from...

No, at least I wasn't totally nomjacked:

I nominate
Album: Raystorm OST
Song: Luminescence(Area 5)
Track #:9
Composer: Tamayo Kawamoto
Catalogue Number: ZTTL-0002
Source: HERE
Additional info: :tpg:

Oh, and if you found the theme I've had in all my songs since Energy Generator Lab, your next nomination gets a free point! :D

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None (Game Rip) - walkingaround01 A pretty ominous song.. While everything seems to flow well, it's just slightly dull. It would be good to see some more development.

All Over Xanadu - The Resurrection of Dragon Not a bad track. I like the variety presented! Too bad for it though.. There's some better stuff this week.

Battle Arena Toshinden 4 (Game Rip) - Track 21 Cool synths. :) This track is a wild ride for the ears, and I thought it was pretty cool, although it does seem to be a bit too busy at points.

Lode Runner: The Legend Returns (Red Book Audio) - Abandoned Mines ~ Music Cool beats, decent melody. A nice chill-out track, it seems. There's not all that much that this one has to offer though, when compared to some of the other tracks this week.

Metal Gear>>Solid Snake: Music Compilation of Hideo Kojima / Red Disc - Sneaking Mission This one would be better off without those guitar portions. It sounds much like a great stealthy track until those come in. Once the guitars enter, the beats become more of a nuisance than a contributor to the song. Not bad, but it seems flawed.. Maybe a little haphazard, even.

Raystorm Neu Tanz Mix - Aquarium I love this track! It has a great aquatic and loungy feel to it, which is similar to the feeling one gets in an aquarium I suppose.
Also, I think it feels a lot like an aquatic adventure. The listener is transported into an aquatic environment where they know not what to expect around the next reef, but find themselves fascinated by the underwater beauty.[/cheese]

Tales of Legendia Original Soundtrack - Tomorrow Will Surely Be Sunny
I concur. x) This track has a lazy feel to it as well, and there's definitely a likeability about it. Something about it is boring though.. Perhaps it's too lazy in its style? I dunno.
I can see this track growing on me with later listens, though.

The Sims 2 (PC Game Rip) - CAS Ooh, this is a pretty cool track. I love the freshness and upbeat nature. In fact, this track reminds me of Earthbound's music, which I also like quite a bit. My favorite this week, although Aquarium comes in a close second.


Pointage:
3 Points → The Sims 2 (PC Game Rip) - CAS
2 Points → Raystorm Neu Tanz Mix - Aquarium
1 Point → Battle Arena Toshinden 4 (Game Rip) - Track 21
The Resurrection of Dragon barely missed out on points. :(

And hmm, I'm definitely looking forward to next week's Follin tracks. :)

Ah, a rather interesting week, in that there was no clear-cut winner for me. I'll try to keep my critiques brief.

Agatha Christie - I found this far too oppressive for my tastes. I'm sure it does provide excellent ambience within the game and I do believe I'd appreciate its brooding nature more then. As a stand-alone track, it's just not for me.

All Over Xanadu - The whooshing bits at the beginning are a little cheesy, but it eventually opened up into a nice, upbeat track. I was folding laundry during my first listen-through and I was particularly surprised when the synth-bell chorus came in. I was like "WTF XMAS?". But despite not being the most sophisticated or original track ever, I still like it.

Battle Arena Toshinden - It seems like fairly standard techno-ish ACTION! music. It's not unlistenable, but it's nothing to write home about either.

Lode Runner - At first I didn't think much of this track. But then I gave it a couple extra listens because I was curious about the individual sounds used in its creation. Progressively, the track grew on me. I guess I'm a sucker for pizzicato violin melodies or something. (Parts of it remind me of The Eurythmics' work and I admire that group tremendously.) I think this is one of those "sleeper" tracks that steadily improves as the listener discovers new facets of the whole. A nice surprise.

Metal Gear - The beginning was somewhat dull. Lots of typical trance that you'd associate with spy music. The middle improved slightly but not to any level that made me turn my head from what I was doing as it played. Sections did sound a little like "Legends of the Hidden Temple" to me, which was just odd. I guess this track's acceptable. It's just not something I'd listen to that often.

Raystorm - A different sort of ambient track. I didn't get a whole lot from it, to be honest. The rolling waves at the intro and outro were the best parts for me. Dunno what else to say.

Tales of Legendia OST - Nice violins, nice percussion, great pacing and variations, very soothing melody. I can't think of any real flaws in this piece. Quite sunny, indeed.

Sims 2 - Sims games are a funny lot. The music is either brimming with deep orchestration or popping with quirky strangeness. This is definitely the latter, but there's something about it that doesn't seem to stand up to the usual quality of Sims music. I feel that knowing what the Maxis team is capable of, this one just sounds shallow, even oddly fragmented.


I suppose someone will expect points out of me here. I hate to disappoint.

Tales of Legendia Original Soundtrack - Tomorrow Will Surely Be Sunny - 2 Points
All Over Xanadu - The Resurrection of Dragon - 2 Points
Lode Runner - The Legend Returns (Red Book Audio) - Abandoned Mines ~ Music - 2 Points

Stage 5 themes, naturally. Has that been on purpose?

although I'd prefer if you give my next nomination a point because you like it >_>

Hey, don't fret about it. *WINNER*

I didn't choose Stage 5 themes simply for a gimmick, but rather because I truly think they are the best songs in the game in most all cases. It's a bit tricky to see what would and what would not count, though, cause obviously it knocks out some games completely.

Still, those games are usually RPG's, and I'm never crazy about RPG music anyway (but that's a discussion for another time )

And of course you had the unfair advantage, what with keeping track of every song and their info. Should've seen it coming.

C'mon, it's just 1 point, it's not like I'm going to give out free points every other week. Not much of a big deal, especially next week, since everyone wins in a Follin week, right? ;)

That version I didn't like at all, and when I heard that version first, I was hoping to god there was a non-vocal version, because the melody was just freakin' awesome. That singer was offputting.

<2 Points> Lode Runner - The Legend Returns (Red Book Audio) - Abandoned Mines ~ Music
I love Lode Runner! I remember I use to play this game all the time back in the day, man that was so long ago. The song brings back good memories.

<2 Points> All Over Xanadu - The Resurrection of Dragon
As formulaic as it may be, it was still alright.

<1 Point> Raystorm Neu Tanz Mix - Aquarium
It was fun in the beginning, but then it got boring.

<1 Point> Metal Gear - Solid Snake Music Compilation of Hideo Kojima - Red Disc - Sneaking Mission
I enjoyed it more than the rest, so I'm giving it my last point.

Interesting week. I only like a few songs.

3 points. Lode Runner - The Legend Returns (Red Book Audio) - Abandoned Mines ~ Music

2 points. The Sims 2 (PC Game Rip) - CAS

1 point. Tales of Legendia Original Soundtrack - Tomorrow Will Surely Be Sunny
- I'm assuming it's the same person who composed some piece (more like 3 songs) for Klonoa 2 because... *points to spelling of name*

Close but no cigar. All Over Xanadu - The Resurrection of Dragon

...and my nomination:

The New Tetris (N64 Game Rip) <Neil D. Voss> - [03] Dvie
- Don't look at me. That's how it was "tag" from the USF rip. XP