Song of the Week - WEEK 61 Voting/WEEK 62 Nominating

Week 61 Voting is closed.
Week 62 Nominating is restricted.

Week 61 Voting
The rules for voting can be found here.

Final Result:
1st: Princess Banenn (Game Rip) - Music 04
2nd: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Master System Game Rip) - Scrambled Egg Zone
3rd: Dark Savior (Game Rip) - First Parallel Theme

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 62 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:
- Chudah's Corner
- Soundtrack Central

Jam it back in, in the dark.

OK, new nom time: and based on certain events in my life, I'm not going with the nom I was going to. Hope this song isn't too popular, I got a backup anyway.

Artist: Miki Higashino, Tappy Iwase, Taniguchi, Mayuko Kageshita, Hiroshi Tamawari
Album/Game Title: Genso Suikoden Original Game Soundtrack
Track Title: Theme of Sadness ~ Guitar Version
Disc Number: 2
Track Number: 4
Catalog Number: KICA-7697
Year: 1996
Additional Information:
Source(s): http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/gensosui/index.html

Backup

Artist: Motoaki Takenouchi
Album/Game Title: Shining Force II Gamerip
Track Title: Dying Wishes
Disc Number: N/A
Track Number: 19
Catalog Number: N/A
Year: 1993
Additional Information:
Source(s): VGZ Tag

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Why isn't there a link for the Beyond Good & Evil track?

Also, Kyle: My gamerip of SFII doesn't have Dying Wishes listed at all. Track 19 is Mitula's Palace. Are you sure it's SFII you're nominating?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

Why isn't there a link for the Beyond Good & Evil track?

Also, Kyle: My gamerip of SFII doesn't have Dying Wishes listed at all. Track 19 is Mitula's Palace. Are you sure it's SFII you're nominating?

The VGZ set at http://project2612.org/ has it as that. It's the song that plays when Sir Hawel dies.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Hmmm. My rip has that listed as Track 11 - Sad Theme 1.

I like your title better.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

Why isn't there a link for the Beyond Good & Evil track?

Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't realize until after I made the threads that orion_mk3 has snuck in a nomination, and his upload got interrupted somehow, so I had to ask him to re-upload the track. It's up now.

Also, we've got a nomination from Dragon God; since it's a stage 5 theme, I'm contractually obligated to give a shoutout to Darkcomet72.

• Artist: Masashi Yano
• Album/Game Title: Tobi Tsukihime Soundtrack
• Track Title: Stage 5 - amVirus : Avatar of Nightmare -
• Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
• Track Number: 8
• Catalog Number: ODZR-0001
• Year: 2006
• Source(s): http://www.gmronline.com/info.asp?CatNumber=ODZR-0001

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Arc Hound (Game Rip) - Stage 5 The Stage 5 madness continues unabated, yea until it consumeth us all. This is a busy, if short, chiptune with a bit more energy than coherence. Not up to the gold standards of NES-era synth, but not bad.

Beyond Good & Evil (Game Rip) - Fight Part 1 Though I normally hate singing in VGM, I also love choirs. Figure that one out! This was essentially the first song I heard in the game, and it's been a perennial favorite ever since. The aggressive techno marks it as a battle theme, while the switch from angelic to demonic voices lends the track some nice progression. Forget the Latin chants in "The Omen"--it's all about the DomZish chant.

Dark Savior (Game Rip) - First Parallel Theme Interesting idea, combining synth piano and light drum set with unusually subdued electric guitar. It winds up sounding like a cover version of a vocal theme (not to mention more than a little 1980's), but it remains pretty nice. It gets a bonus for lacking annoying random riffs, which are the bane of 'lectric trax.

Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail! (Red Book Audio) - The Larry Theme With a name like that, what else would you expect? This is a pretty standard sultry jazz track, which means that, for me, it would function best in an elevator or behind Bogart and Bacall. Maybe it's my tin ears, but traditional jazz all seems to run together after awhile.

Princess Banenn (Game Rip) - Music 04 When the lovely piano music began, I was sure I was going to award points. When the Asian singing began, I was sure that this would serve as an ironic counterpoint to my own nomination this week.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Master System Game Rip) - Scrambled Egg Zone This track is every bit as busy as the earlier chiptune this week, but offers a bit more in the way of creative synth use and development. Funny, I didn't even know that they made Sonic 2 for the SMS.

Super Monkey Ball 2 (Game Rip) - Staff Roll Staff rolls are often the strongest tracks in games, since they allow a lot of freedom and the ability to reinterpret and weave together existing thematic material. This little synth ditty is a good example of that, even if there's only one theme. Catchy and cute--and is that a faint female choir I hear in the background?

Thunder Force II (Game Rip) - Irrevocable Dream (Stage 5) Not an unattractive little chiptune, but really repetitive. Those four notes, again and again...depending on your position, this is what "Truth" was or what it would have been if done poorly.

I didn't expect to have another nomination up so soon. We need new blood, or at least some old blood back in the saddle.

The Point Spread
3 pts. - DomZian Chant (duh)
1 pt. - Super Hyper Monkey Fun Adventure Accordian Ball
1 pt. - Ave Satani, El Saviour Darkus
1 pt. - Seattle SMSonics

FELIPE NO

David Deluxe can have his Zero nomination now. I'll go ahead and put him down for it.

Album Title: Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Original Soundtrack
Artist: Keiki Kobayashi
Track Title: ZERO
Source: GMR and #gamemp3s
Disc Number: 2
Track Number: 19
Catalog Number: KICA-1398~99
Year: 2006

I'll up it to the nominations folder.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Ummm, David has already submitted that track as his #1 choice in Skate's BSC.

Not to split hairs or anything, but it's guaranteed a spot in the BSC bracket. And knowing the popularity of Ace Combat around here, I can see the track doing well.

Isn't submitting it to SotW like having one's cake and eating it too?

(Please don't take this as a personal attack, David. It's not. It's just that I get the impression that we try to avoid a lot of overlap between the two projects.)

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, if DD's nomination had been accepted at the time he nominated it, it would've been in SotW quite a while before BSC nominations started, so I don't have a problem there.

I'd be more worried about the track's popularity, given the large amount of Ace Combat fans around here (recall AC0 Squadron Week, which even I participated in). I'd say it's pretty close to the line; I don't know whether the familiarity here is an anomaly or representative of its familiarity elsewhere.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Well, I'm fully aware of the track's popularity and the swapping with the BSC contest, so I'd like to withdraw my nomination. While I don't have any replacement for the track, I still think that this is the best way. Nearly everyone should know Ace Combat Zero - Zero already and this wouldn't really serve the purpose of SotW.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Impressive week

3 points - Princess Banenn (Game Rip) - Music 04

2 points - Dark Savior (Game Rip) - First Parallel Theme

1 point - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Master System Game Rip) - Scrambled Egg Zone

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Solid week. Nothing was unlistenable.

6 Points 3 Points - Dark Savior (Game Rip) - First Parallel Theme - Absolutely gorgeous. This is perfect. I'm certain that I'll be enjoying this track for months to come.

2 Points - Arc Hound (Game Rip) - Stage 5 - Chiptune goodness, Konami style! (Although I'd bet that this game was produced under the alternate "Ultra" label. Its sounds a lot like T.M.N.T., Metal Gear and BaseWars.)

1 Point - Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail! (Red Book Audio) - The Larry Theme - I've a soft spot in my heart for this track after having played the game umpteen times. And I happen to like light jazz.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I'll be voting later, but I have a nomination, finally.

Artist: Michiko Naruke
Album/Game Title: WILD ARMS the 4th Detonator ORIGINAL SCORE
Track Title: Yet Another Ex. File
Disc Number: 4
Track Number: 19
Catalog Number: KICA-1373
Year: 2005
Additional Information: This is a remixed version of the vocal theme (which happens to be terrible) of this game.
Source(s): http://www.skylagoon.com/gamemp3s

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Arc Hound (Game Rip) - Stage 5
Cool. It seems pretty unmemorable though.. By the time I finish listening to the track, I can't find myself remembering what exactly it was about. Interesting though, nonetheless.

Beyond Good & Evil (Game Rip) - Fight Part 1
Pretty awesome, like the other BG&E tracks. Although it's not one of my favorites from the game, it's still pretty great.

Dark Savior (Game Rip) - First Parallel Theme
I like the subdued guitar work in this song a lot. A pretty laid-back tune that's easy to get into for me. It also suits the nature of summer, in my opinion. Quite a fitting nomination for the time of year. ;p

Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail! (Red Book Audio) - The Larry Theme
This is a nice jazzy piece. But I dunno, I just can't get into it. I almost want to say it's too reliant on the saxophone (that is a sax, right? I suck at identifying instruments ._.), but it doesn't seem to be the case. Bleh, just not for me I guess.

Princess Banenn (Game Rip) - Music 04
ZOMG. Excellent piano work, and the vocals fit like a glove. Definitely one of the better tracks this week for me. I'll have to check out more music from this game sometime. Props to whoever nominated this.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Master System Game Rip) - Scrambled Egg Zone
Awesome. I love the energetic nature of this track. It grabbed my attention and didn't let go, which wasn't the case with some other nominations this week.

Super Monkey Ball 2 (Game Rip) - Staff Roll
Ahh, Super Monkey Ball 2 has some nice music. This track isn't bad, but slightly repetitive and not as memorable as the previous two, in my opinion. Still good, though~ I like the bouncy nature of the track.

Thunder Force II (Game Rip) - Irrevocable Dream (Stage 5)
I guess this is what one calls... Catchy? After listening to it a couple of times, the melody is engraved into my brain. It's kind of annoying now, but this isn't a bad song by any means.

{3 Points} Princess Banenn (Game Rip) - Music 04
{2 Points} Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Master System Game Rip) - Scrambled Egg Zone
{1 Point} Dark Savior (Game Rip) - First Parallel Theme

EDIT: oand, I think I'll nominate a track again and attempt keeping up with the nomination queue this time.

Artists: Go Saito, Masae Sakaide
Album: Lagoon
Track Title: Moonchild
Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
Track Number: 32
Catalog Number: TOCT-5934
Year: 1990
Source: http://gmronline.com/info.asp?CatNumber=TOCT-5934

FELIPE NO

OH SNAP GAME RIP WEEK

3 points :: Princess Banenn (Game Rip) - Music 04
The vocals are very nice and the piano is excellent (specifically in the instrumental section). I specifically like the melody starting just before the three minute mark. This sounds even better on my car stereo. A very articulate song.

1 point :: Beyond Good & Evil (Game Rip) - Fight Part 1
It's dramatic and well presented. The combination of female and DomZ vocals works wonders. A very appropriate battle theme.

1 point :: Super Monkey Ball 2 (Game Rip) - Staff Roll
Cool electronic stuff with a nice touch of guitar and vocal samples.

1 point :: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Master System Game Rip) - Scrambled Egg Zone
Groovy, frantic melody.

Arc Hound (Game Rip) - Stage 5
The chord progression (0'00" - 0'11") is cool, but with its short length, it would be better off as a base layer for which a more complex, dynamic melody could be layered ovor the top of it. While I liked this nomination, the person who nominated it may want to pick a song with a little more substance next time.

Dark Savior (Game Rip) - First Parallel Theme
Didn't care for the melody.

Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail! (Red Book Audio) - The Larry Theme
See above.

Thunder Force II (Game Rip) - Irrevocable Dream (Stage 5)

re·pet·i·tive
adj.

1. Given to or characterized by repetition.
2. Thunder Force II (Game Rip) - Irrevocable Dream (Stage 5)

No hard feelings, Doc.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Nice week, not exceptional according to my criterion, but good enough to comment on it.

Arc Hound (Game Rip) - Stage 5
In general lines this chiptune doesn't strike me as a strong one. It's not a problem of brevity or limited sounding, just its melody is average at the very least. Too homogeneous and plain.

Beyond Good & Evil (Game Rip) - Fight Part 1
This one has no introduction, straight to the action. Good combination of electronica, orchestra and chorus. The real highlight, imho, is the choral work because is the most distinctive feature of the track. It's a pity that the electronica and orchestral work leave to be desired. Great potential wasted.

Dark Savior (Game Rip) - First Parallel Theme <1 point>
I don't unveil any secret if I say that this one is probably going to win. It seems a _DH_'s nomination, a solid offer. The star here is the guitar which plays a superb melody, the rest of instrumention only plays a role of accompaniment. It's easy-going and a joy to listen to, although I'd prefer a little more of character.

Leisure Suit Larry - Love for Sail! (Red Book Audio) - The Larry Theme <1 point>
Music very appropriate for Larry. This theme is a legend between Sierra's aficionados like the same Larry. Larry's theme is a sexy, cool and charismatic tune and this rendition in key of jazz is simply insuperable. Henry Mancini would be proud.

Princess Banenn (Game Rip) - Music 04 <1 point>
That's Chinese? Well, the piano takes the principal role and the exotic singer remains in a secondary plane. It was hard to get into the vocal performance but once done I can appreciate it. The tone is decidedly melancholy, almost like a lament, and this impression is confirmed with the tragic piano solo in the middle of the song, which is the "brilliant" moment of the entire song. I'm a tragedy-addict.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Master System Game Rip) - Scrambled Egg Zone <3 points>
Yeah, my nom seriously rocks. Modesty apart, this nomination has the purpose of reducing the deficit of nominations from SMS chiptunes on SOTW (only remember a Zillion track). For such purpose, I had recourse to my childhood memory, and my memory brough me till Sonic 2. Then I had to choose between amazing tracks such as: http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console...2_AquaLake.mid, http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console...c2_SkyHigh.mid, http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console...nderground.mid

My election was Scrambled Egg Zone cause is the most complete of all of them. Two minutes of pure adrenaline and with an awesome build-up. The beginning puts you on alert, the tension grows and appear different lines in crescendo. All seem a chaos but suddenly a fast phrase makes a stellar appearance and releases all the tension. It's one of the chiptunes with better development, it has sense, direction and action.

Super Monkey Ball 2 (Game Rip) - Staff Roll
Basically it's a pretty decent tune, however it suffers from very little modification of its melodic material. The lack of progression make to repeat excessively the same stuff turning out redundant. The development is an aspect critical for making stand-out compositions, here the composer didn't take into account.

Thunder Force II (Game Rip) - Irrevocable Dream (Stage 5)
Another chiptune, this time better than the first one. The four notes that work as base-line are quite annoying and distract me of the musical flow. Anyway, the evolution of the music is unremarkable, just I can remember a few cool synth sounds. Above-average chiptune.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

my nomination:

Mother 1+2 Original Soundtrack - Eight Melodies (MOTHER)
composed by Keiichi Suzuki, Hirokazu Tanaka
arranged by Kimitaka Matsumae
track 10 of 26
2003, TOCT-25125
http://gmronline.com/info.asp?CatNumber=TOCT-25125

I should vote; I hope I get the chance to.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

(2 points) Princess Banenn (Game Rip) - Music 04
Uh, no, it's NOT Japanese (big hint, orion). Nor is it Chinese but that's probably more accurate than Japanese. Actually, I'm not exactly sure what language the vocalist is singing in. :P But based on the game's context and country of origin, I think the vocals are done in a Taiwanese aboriginal tongue, probably something along the lines of the Alishan folk and what Enigma borrowed in "The Return to Innocence." I haven't played the game but according to stuff I read on the game's English website (I take no responsibility for bad grammer) and some Chinese gaming sites, the game is an RPG based on a Taiwanese aboriginal legend. Game notes strongly suggest that it's a love story of some sort that I think was quite tragic at some points. Which fits the mood of "Music 04," really. The folklorish vocals are very endearing and have that far away quality that typifies a lot of Taiwanese drama serials about lovers that could never be (at least at some point in the serial :P). But the real star of the piece is the piano. It's so beautiful and haunting that I never ever realise the track is 5 minutes long. Wonder if the game shop I used to frequent still has a copy of the game...

(2 points) Dark Savior (Game Rip) - First Parallel Theme
This is kind of like that other track from some weeks back... Can't remember the name but it has the same feel and mood I liked a lot. Very... 80s/early 90s. Now that I think about it, this track also makes me feel kind of old... urgh. But I still love it.

(1 point) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Master System Game Rip) - Scrambled Egg Zone
This is one very neat tune. Catchy melody and all, with good driving beats, I can't help but think it's like a Mega Man track in some respects.

(1 point) Beyond Good & Evil (Game Rip) - Fight Part 1
Nice choral work, ominous evil overlord-type anthem and all. A few bits almost remind me of stuff from a Tim Burton film for some reason. Would have liked more soaring techno-opera, though.

And the rest...

Super Monkey Ball 2 (Game Rip) - Staff Roll
Pretty cool track and great for easy listening. Very enjoyable groove there but I did think it could have done a bit more. In any case, it just missed on a point.

Thunder Force II (Game Rip) - Irrevocable Dream (Stage 5)
I rather like this one. It doesn't just end like most tracks of its ilk but actually evolves in small steps. Would have gotten a point from me in other weeks.

Arc Hound (Game Rip) - Stage 5
Would have been great if "Stage 5" was developed a bit more because I thought it was promising. It ends just when I was hoping for more.

Leisure Suit Larry - Love for Sail! (Red Book Audio) - The Larry Theme
Another track I'd have awarded points in another week. I can almost imagine Larry sauntering lazily about and being full of himself with this easy-going piece. Then again, I've never played the game, so...

Seriously, I wish I could give out more points.

Most amazing jew boots

Is it just me or is the voting extremely sparse this week?

What gives people? It's already Saturday!

How ya doing, buddy?

PHYSIS OF THE WEEK

Help me pick my next nomination, please. You can listen to any number of tracks. Please read the journal. Thanks.

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I'm just waiting to see if I can bank myself a zero pointer.

Most amazing jew boots

I'm guessing the somewhat poor attendance this week could be attributed to the EVENT of the year where most women suddenly find themselves very lonely whilst the men folk become enraptured with the invention called the television and start chanting the sacred war cry of OLE OLE OLE OLE... Could be wrong.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Kaleb.G

Help me pick my next nomination, please. You can listen to any number of tracks. Please read the journal. Thanks.

Physis is funny. I didn't really care for it or the OST when I first heard it outside of a few tracks, but it's really grown on me, and my respect for the OST grew as a result.
Most of the ones you've listed are solid, but I don't care much for Falling Down (Great intro, goes nowhere), and my favorite track (Blaze Down) is missing. But these are you're favorites, after all.
My personal take is that the best three pieces here are Holy Land, Max Heat, and Deep Blue. But that's just me.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Elorin

I'm guessing the somewhat poor attendance this week could be attributed to the EVENT of the year where most women suddenly find themselves very lonely whilst the men folk become enraptured with the invention called the television and start chanting the sacred war cry of OLE OLE OLE OLE... Could be wrong.

Hehe...I keep forgetting, as an American who hates sports, how much most of the World loves its Cup.

Jam it back in, in the dark.