Song of the Week - WEEK 59 Voting/WEEK 60 Nominating

Week 59 Voting is closed.
Week 60 Nominating is restricted.

Week 59 Voting
The rules for voting can be found here.

Final Result:
1st: Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura)
2nd: Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa)
3rd: Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral

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 60 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

----

Just two more Song of the Year polls to go!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

3 points: Gyakuten Saiban Yomigaeru Gyakuten Original Soundtrack - Ryuichi Naruhodo ~ Objection! 2001 (Phoenix Wright ROX!)

2 points: Batman

1 point: Shadowgate 64

There's nowhere I can't reach.

No link to the Chudah's thread?

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

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

No link to the Chudah's thread?

TCK hasn't made it yet, so there's nothing to link to at the moment.

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

Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral Should game music based on established franchises be judged against the existing music from those franchises? I can't think of anyonw who would say yes, yet I can't help feeling that subconsciously this track suffers in comparison to Danny Elfman's 1989 score. It's decent enough by NES synth standards, and the melody is nice, but something's missing for me.

Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa) Yussa got a song with nice synthy melody and effects. Yussa be a little repetitive, and would have been better with more variety. Yussa got a sucky ending, though. Yussa still a solid track with nice body.

Darwinia (Game Rip) - Impact of Silence There's a lot of silence before this track really gets started, and it doesn't have much impact. Things are very nice once they heat up, but the quieter bits, with loooong pauses between notes can be a bit of a chore. This may have been an intentional choice, but a tighter arrangement would have resulted in a stronger song.

Gyakuten Saiban Yomigaeru Gyakuten Original Soundtrack - Ryuichi Naruhodo ~ Objection! 2001
ME: "Your Honor, I object!"
JUDGE: "On what grounds, counsel?"
ME: "The defendant, while presented as a complete song, is really the name nine notes over and over again without variation or complexity!"
JUDGE: "Sustained! One more outburst like that, Gyakuten Saiban Yomigaeru Gyakuten, and I will hold you in contempt!"

Kyusai no Giho (Technique of Relief) - Mother Japanese singing over instrumental backing that's chaotic and poorly arranged. This track lined up and hit my musical pet peeves like ducks in a shooting gallery, though these are admittedly personal biases.

Like Life Original Soundtrack - Decoy Nice bit of vaguely quirkin' or relaxin', but not much going on aside from the main melody repeated ad nauseum until the fiddle kicks in midway through. The result is that the track feels padded, with a lot of filler.

Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers (N64 Game Rip) - Tower of Lakmir Some nice orchestral touches, but the track always felt like it was on the verge of completely falling apart, with the instruments never quite in sync and ready to go into full-on dissonant error at any moment.

Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura) The sultry 1985 sax returns. More than anything, this sounds like something Dave Grusin would have scored a movie with in the 80's--lightweight, disposable, and very much tied to that era in time, so much so that it sounds out of place in any other context. Not much to remind one of streets on the fighting on thereof.

Very mediocre week (but, then again, what do I know?).

The Point Spread
2 pts - The Batman
2 pts - Youssa Got a Nice Body
1 pt - Too Much Silence
1 pt - A Lot Like Life
Just missed - 1985 Jazz Club Fighter (feat. Dave Grusin)

How ya doing, buddy?

I'm not going to say don't vote for it or anything ridiculous like that, but can we all not give the Phoenix Wright track points just because the game kicks ass?

Just saying.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Wow, it's so inmensely easy to spread points when you are a nominator...

2 points - Kyusai no Giho (Technique of Relief) - Mother

2 points - Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura)

1 point - Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral

1 point - Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa)

I may add some comments soon, I feel a little lazy today.

FELIPE NO

3 - Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura)
2 - Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers (N64 Game Rip) - Tower of Lakmir
1 - Darwinia (Game Rip) - Impact of Silence

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

3 points: Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa)
2 points: Darwinia (Game Rip) - Impact of Silence
1 point: Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura)
Close: Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral

The chorus of the Cool Cool stage was somewhat similar to Chill Penguin Stage from Megaman X1. Still not much substance and full of groove bias to at least pull it up.
Darwinia track was kind of boring, but was ok. Same with the SF:EX2 track, decent but nothing standout.
The Batman music is classic, but I still prefer Stephen Kennedy's OC ReMix, "Music of Funk".
Everything felt incredibly spotty with that "Mother" track. The mixing was terrible, as everything felt imbalanced and nothing really stood out clearly, either the instrumentation or the vocals. Had some potential.

Most amazing jew boots

Decided to vote a bit earlier. Nice change of song selection this week.

(2 points) Darwinia (Game Rip) - Impact of Silence
I thought the brief pauses were very interesting and quite intense in a few spots. It's something I've heard a number of times elsewhere. The pauses almost create a feeling of disbelief or a sense of suspension thanks in part to the reverb. The slow rock bits were a nice extension. I'm tempted to hazard that this track comes from some sort of survival horror game not unlike Silent Hill.

(2 points) Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura)
Very agreeable and great for easy listening. The slick arrangement does wonders for an already catchy melody.

(1 point) Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa)
This has got to be one of the strangest song and game/album titles I've seen. Nice body...??? I don't even want to try to guess what kind of game this is from. :P It has some neat sections and a good melody. Would have been even better if certain sections had just a bit more punch.

(1 point) Gyakuten Saiban Yomigaeru Gyakuten Original Soundtrack - Ryuichi Naruhodo ~ Objection! 2001
I really like the progression in the song. Some very interesting things going on. But just as I was getting into the song and expecting more to happen, it ends! I'm thinking an arrangement of the song with more development would be great. And no, I have not heard of Phoenix Wright until now.

And the rest...

Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral
The track starts out promising but doesn't quite attain the catchiness I was expecting. It still has a good melody, though.

Kyusai no Giho (Technique of Relief) - Mother
This is rather interesting. I like the percussion and the catchy melody. The vocals have a nice folklorish element that make them all the more enjoyable. Almost sounds like something from an anime.

Like Life Original Soundtrack - Decoy
Very light and bursting with saccharine sweetness. But beneath the deceptively relaxing, fluffy exterior is a song with nice but subtle development and some rather interesting violin sections.

Shadowgate 64 - Trials of the Four Towers (N64 Game Rip) - Tower of Lakmir
This has a classic RPG vibe about it. Granted the Batman tune is probably even more classic, I'm more predisposed towards this piece. Nice flow with a nice change midway or so. Just missed out on points.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

VERY very VERY great good week this was. All of the songs, save for one, was enjoyable. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised if my least favorite track won this week, so whatever.

Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa)
The Chord Progression at times reminds me of Rockman & Forte music. Bonus points. Melody is kinda eh, though. Just missed on the points.

Shadowgate 64 - Trials of the Four Towers (N64 Game Rip) - Tower of Lakmir
Love the composition throughout. It's a great song, but I wouldn't recommend it for easy listening. My favorite part is from 00:56 to 1:16 for a reason.

Life Like Orignal Soundtrack - Decoy
Pretty sweet stuff here. It kinda got lost once the strings kicked in, though. They could've just looped the part from 00:44 to 1:27 and got rid of the strings that develop into the next section, and IMO the song would've been much more effective.

Kyusai no Giho (Technique of Relief) - Mother
Holy

Wow. This is a very cool fusion of things. I especially like the main transition line that combines everything. The beat is POWERFUL like... like a pencil that writes itself.

Darwinia (Game Rip) - Impact of Silence
I'm not really going to complain about how long it takes for this piece to start up, because I rather like the almost nonexistant piano part. Is this the song that plays after the universe implodes?

Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura)
Eh. 00:43 to 00:55 is good, but the rest is seriously lacking.

Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gothas City & Cathedral
The only thing I felt was really good about this track was the melody, but THAT'S ONE DAMN GOOD MELODY . It gets better as it progresses. The percussion at parts was surprisingly inventive. Great song.

And no, I never heard it before.

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

Pretty strong week...More good than bad, but some REALLY good ones.

1st-Precious Heart
I have a history with this track...A friend was showing me Napster a couple of years ago (the REAL Napster, not the crappy one of nowadays) and this was the first song I tried looking up, since I didn't have the Street Fighter EX2soundtrack yet (the EX Plus Alpha tracks were included on the EX2 OST). One of the best jazz-fusion tracks I've ever heard...Great melody, just enough solos and good work between the synths/guitars/keyboards. A track I actually don't listen to much just to savor it more for when I do.

2nd-Gotham City and Cathedral
Nice...Melodic, well-developed, excellent drums...A pleasure to listen to. One of the better first-listen NES chiptunes I've come across. Just won't beat Precious Heart.

3rd-Ryuichi Naruhodo Objection 2001

I feel kind of awkward, considering how much I rag Vagrant Story's "Truth" and its' four notes, but this track is the same deal...The front part is pretty repetitive, but the layers of music underneath keep the piece interesting and bring it around for its' share of repeats. Of course, it gets by largely because I think the synth in general sounds good. Something ear pleasing about the entire track.

And the rest:

4th-Yussa Yussa You
I was sure I'd be giving this points at first listen, but I liked the first two better and it was a toss-up between this and Objection. Cool beat, great melody, great solo...But oddly, not as memorable as Objection.

5th-Tower of Lakmir
Better than I expected for music from an N64 point and click game. Not the most melodic thing around, but does enough to stay interesting and the synth is better than I would have thought.

6th-Decoy
Pleasant sums this one up...It just doesn't go beyond that. The ones above it are better.

7th-Mother
Eh...Pretty straight-forward JPOP. Nothing terribly special about the song or the actual singer...The whole thing just grooves along without breaking its' stride. I imagine this could pass as a filler song on an anime series vocal collection.

Song of the Weak: Impact of Silence

I feel guilty doing this just from reading the title, but this song has nothing going for it to win praise from me...It's dark, brooding, mostly ambient and takes forever to get started...I can definitely go through the next 50 years of my life never listening to it again and not think twice.

And for my next nomination:

Title: Sword of Delight
Album: Gamadelic Delicious Selection
Artist: Gamadelic
Track: 2
Disc: 1 of 1
Year: 1994
Source: GMR

Will upload to Yahoo Briefcase tonight.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

Song of the Weak: Impact of Silence

I feel guilty doing this just from reading the title, but this song has nothing going for it to win praise from me...It's dark, brooding, mostly ambient and takes forever to get started...I can definitely go through the next 50 years of my life never listening to it again and not think twice.

Saw that one coming a mile away.

How ya doing, buddy?

I'll keep comments to a minimum. I'm going through RE4 for the umpteenth time. (This game never ever gets dull.)

Batman - Not the most riveting chiptune out there, but competent nonetheless. It's just nice to see some NES love in SotW. (Personally, I think track 4 in the NSF is vastly superior. But the whole thing is well-composed.)

Cool Cool Toon Soundtrack - Some good pop elements mixed with a light jazz flow. The worst I can say is that it's repetitive, but at least the bread and butter of the track is worth revisiting several times.

Darwinia - Takes far too long to build into anything. The meter is also so slow it's almost oppressive. Not a big fan of this track.

Phoenix Wright - Props to the game for being quirky and engrossing. The track itself is rather shrill and I was never 100% crazy about it, even in game. It suits the mood well, I admit, but on its own it's only average.

Kyusai no Giho - The pace is pretty good, but WORDS WORDS WORDS. I can't understand what they're saying and that never sits with me. This would've been one hundred times better if presented purely as an instrumental with a guitar or piano substituted for the vocals.

Like Life Original Soundtrack - It was average. Took a while for me to feel as though the track was going anywhere. The subtle R&B influence is interesting to note in the bassline and backing synth layers. I definitely don't dislike this one, however.

Shadowgate 64 - This one's the weirdo of the bunch. I think the muddied textures in the track turned me off a bit. The melody feels too primitive and disjointed in spots to get any points from me.

Street Fighter EX2 - Within the first ten seconds I knew this was earning points. No complaints from me with this track. I like it. Nice pick.


WINNER'S CIRCLE

2 Points: Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral

2 Points: Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura)

2 Points: Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa)


A HUGE improvement over the last two weeks, yes. Definitely.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Yesterday still, I wanted to make other comments than today, so let’s see.

Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral has 3 or 4 different nice melodic segments and for a chiptune 1 or so minutes are fine. It’s favourable that it’s rather climatic as well as I kinda just like the synth.

Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa) Sup, Yussa? I guess this just a very cool track, that tickles my fancy. Listening to it I just want to leave the house to kick some garbage bins on the street. My choice.

Darwinia (Game Rip) - Impact of Silence These kind of atmospheric tracks have to be somewhat special, to stir something up in me. The beginning piano segments are alright, but also rather boring. It does lead up to something awesome in 1:24, but ironically it has little to do with “Impact of Silence” then… haha. It does have a convincing atmosphere though, I give it that.

Gyakuten Saiban Yomigaeru Gyakuten Original Soundtrack - Ryuichi Naruhodo ~ Objection! 2001 It’s listenable, but short as this comment! (to a fault incomplete)

Kyusai no Giho (Technique of Relief) - Mother One thing it has do with my particular indifference towards the theme. I just don’t really understand what this is all about. The other thing, it just sounds very messy to me.

Like Life Original Soundtrack - Decoy A bit repetitive, but not really boring. 1:28 brings in some fresh air and saves it from being too monotone, otherwise the ground layer does provide an interesting relaxing mood. Literally a nice track.

Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers (N64 Game Rip) - Tower of Lakmir Not merely functional, but the whole theme is kinda hypnotic and I don’t like this. Another track I don’t really understand.

Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura) Umm… I can’t really deny any quality of this track. As a whole I just notice, that the improvisation didn’t always suit my ears, the melody feels forced sometimes, and there’s too much saxophone. Haha, otherwise I liked the other 70% of the track.

Point Spread a la orion:

3 Points: Yussa kicks some grandma
1 Point: Very bad, man!
1 Point: Death and Decay
1 Point: My Preciousssssssssss

(hope it’s not too cryptic >_>)

FELIPE NO

Back to feast after two weeks of famine. I like just about everything this week.

2 points - Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa)
2 points - Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura)
1 point - Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral
1 point - Darwinia (Game Rip) - Impact of Silence

In addition, hate to pick on you, Djinova, but.

Quote:

It does lead up to something awesome in 1:24, but ironically it has little to do with “Impact of Silence” then… haha.

No, I'm entirely certain that the title has everything to do with with that particular moment.

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

You could argue that the whole (to me boring) „silent“ buildup… was just there to make an „impact” when it suddenly strikes the awesome at 1:24 , like the more silence before the more impact thereafter… I considered it too, but alas.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Djinova

You could argue that the whole (to me boring) „silent“ buildup… was just there to make an „impact” when it suddenly strikes the awesome at 1:24 , like the more silence before the more impact thereafter… I considered it too, but alas.

For the record, the actual version used in the game (the original song was written before the game) starts at around 0:50. Essentially the only thing this original has is those 8 notes, but I felt compelled to present the full song rather than the game version.

Compare and contrast.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

3 Points - Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura)
A decent Smooth Jazz arrangement with 90's flair. This manages to stay interesting as the lead melody is handed off between the guitar and saxophone throughout the piece. The nifty sax solo toward the end of the track was the cherry that put this track on top for me.

2 Points - Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral
A competent piece of NES chip tune which adheres to classical platformer stage music composition, while managing to stay both original and interesting.

1 Point - Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa)
Yussa certainly has a good intro, but truthfully the body could use a bit more development. Manages to stay relatively interesting throughout and has a enjoyable synth melody and funky little beat.

Most amazing jew boots

(3 points) Street Fighter EX2 - PRECIOUS HEART (Sakura)
With my final nomination, I wanted to select something I enjoyed with a somewhat appropriate title. CHz's suggestion of Matrimelee March was cool but I thought the tune would be too well known. Precious Heart contains all the elements which I enjoy in a musical piece. It's upbeat, has a great melody, employs enough small solos which fit in well without meandering and uses quality instrumentation between the guitar and sax which don't sound cheezy in the least bit. No need to sit there and analyze it through multiple listens - this one is pure enjoyment from the get-go.

(2 point) Cool Cool Toon Sound Track - Yussa Yussa You (Nice Body Yussa)
This is the nicest new track I've heard on SotW in weeks. Great melody with a nice little solo to wind things down. I wish it had another section or two to it to really round it out but it's still a very enjoyable and upbeat track to listen to.

(1 point) Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral
Very nice melody contained in this chiptune which is just screaming for an arrangement. Reminds me of music from the Castlevania series. I can just picture wailing guitars playing out the main tune with some solos thrown in.

The rest in order of preference:

Like Life Original Soundtrack - Decoy
A nice laid-back track with a decent sounding violin for the melody but doesn't pack quite the punch as the Batman track. Just missed out on a point.

Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers (N64 Game Rip) - Tower of Lakmir:
Every time someone nominates a track from the N64, the quality is marred by the choice of samples used in the track. This track also suffered from a poor melody which sounded off-key at times though that was probably done by design to fit the game.

Darwinia (Game Rip) - Impact of Silence
I can't appreciate stuff like this. Not much happening in the first minute and when stuff finally starts to happen, it suffers from Truth syndrome as the main melody consists of four notes slowly being repeated. Some variation in the piano near the end but really, I just couldn't get into it.

Gyakuten Saiban Yomigaeru Gyakuten Original Soundtrack - Ryuichi Naruhodo ~ Objection! 2001
Another track suffering from Truth syndrome. There's some very subtle variations in the background layers but again, it's lacking in a good melody and variety. Aside from fanboyism, I don't see how anyone can seriously place it higher than half the other tracks this week as it is seriously lacking. I guess the closest track this week you can compare it to in terms of instrumentation is the Batman which completely blows Objection away with a simple yet catchy melody which actually goes somewhere.

Kyusai no Giho (Technique of Relief) - Mother
It has singing.

-------------------

And that marks the end of my participation in SotW and probably these forums for quite a while due to my wedding which is almost a week away. I'd like to thank all who have wished me well, the staff members who have kept this event running smoothly for over a year and of course all the participants who have kept things lively with their colourful comments. I know I've been harsh in some of my reviews but it was all in good fun. I'm sure some of you will be happy to see no more of the jazzy 1970's/80's style nominations from me while others will miss them...who knows, maybe I'll stop by one day and drop in a surprise nomination
Until then, I hope someone keeps the ROCKIN' and JAZZIN' alive!

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

Originally Posted by _DH_

And that marks the end of my participation in SotW and probably these forums for quite a while due to my wedding which is almost a week away. I'd like to thank all who have wished me well, the staff members who have kept this event running smoothly for over a year and of course all the participants who have kept things lively with their colourful comments. I know I've been harsh in some of my reviews but it was all in good fun. I'm sure some of you will be happy to see no more of the jazzy 1970's/80's style nominations from me while others will miss them...who knows, maybe I'll stop by one day and drop in a surprise nomination
Until then, I hope someone keeps the ROCKIN' and JAZZIN' alive!

We made a good tag team. Best of luck to you.

If you get the chance, make sure you help me vote up "Believe in my Heart" when BSE starts in a couple weeks.

Consider the return of "the sig" as a wedding present. :biggrin:

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by _DH_

And that marks the end of my participation in SotW and probably these forums for quite a while due to my wedding which is almost a week away. I'd like to thank all who have wished me well, the staff members who have kept this event running smoothly for over a year and of course all the participants who have kept things lively with their colourful comments. I know I've been harsh in some of my reviews but it was all in good fun. I'm sure some of you will be happy to see no more of the jazzy 1970's/80's style nominations from me while others will miss them...who knows, maybe I'll stop by one day and drop in a surprise nomination
Until then, I hope someone keeps the ROCKIN' and JAZZIN' alive!

I have a bunch of ROCKIN' coming up eventually (3rd GIG #Crescent, Falcata, and Shin Sangokumusou 3 to name a few), and you weren't the only person nominating them, so I don't see a shortage coming any time soon.

The JAZZIN' might be a bit harder to come by. We need more saxophone.



What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by _DH_

[b]
And that marks the end of my participation in SotW and probably these forums for quite a while due to my wedding which is almost a week away. I'd like to thank all who have wished me well, the staff members who have kept this event running smoothly for over a year and of course all the participants who have kept things lively with their colourful comments. I know I've been harsh in some of my reviews but it was all in good fun. I'm sure some of you will be happy to see no more of the jazzy 1970's/80's style nominations from me while others will miss them...who knows, maybe I'll stop by one day and drop in a surprise nomination
Until then, I hope someone keeps the ROCKIN' and JAZZIN' alive!

You'd be the last one I expect to lead a marriage life. Good luck with it, dude. By the way, I never felt your comments were harsh, as you seem to know by heart what you like and what not, and that's good. Hope you return someday.

FELIPE NO

Looks like you'll be one very busy and happy man, _DH_. All the best! Will definitely miss your presence and nominations. Do pop by as and when you're free!

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

Interesting week.

VOTING:
3 points. Like Life Original Soundtrack - Decoy

2 points. Gyakuten Saiban Yomigaeru Gyakuten Original Soundtrack - Ryuichi Naruhodo ~ Objection! 2001

1 point. Batman (NES Game Rip) - Stages 1 & 5 - Gotham City & Cathedral

NOMINATION:
Super Monkey Ball 2 (GCN Game Rip) <Hidenori Shoji> - [1.28] Staff Roll

Jam it back in, in the dark.