[SotW] Song of the Week - WEEK 107 Voting/WEEK 108 Nominating

Song of the Week. 100 Weeks and counting.
Week 107 Voting is closed.
Week 108 Nominating is closed.

Week 107 Voting
The rules for voting can be found here.

Results
1). [27] Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3)
2). [15] Freedom Fighters Original Soundtrack - The Battle for Freedom
3). [14] Venus & Braves - The Witch Goddess and the Alchemist of Destruction (Game Rip) - Cup of Story
4). [9] Garakuta Masterpiece Theater Rakugaki Kingdom - The City at the Ends of the World ~ La città delle estremità del mondo
5). [8/7] The Ninja Warriors Again (Game Rip) - Stage-8
6). [8/6] Astal (Game Rip) - Glacial Rift
7). [8/5.5] Bugs Bunny - Rabbit Rampage (Game Rip) - Things That Go Bugs in the Night
8). [7] Space Cowboy Online (Game Rip) - Bygeniou City

Tracks:
Astal (Game Rip) - Glacial Rift
Bugs Bunny - Rabbit Rampage (Game Rip) - Things That Go Bugs in the Night
Freedom Fighters Original Soundtrack - The Battle for Freedom
Garakuta Masterpiece Theater Rakugaki Kingdom - The City at the Ends of the World ~ La città delle estremità del mondo
Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3)
Space Cowboy Online (Game Rip) - Bygeniou City
The Ninja Warriors Again (Game Rip) - Stage-8
Venus & Braves - The Witch Goddess and the Alchemist of Destruction (Game Rip) - Cup of Story

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 108 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

Jam it back in, in the dark.

• Artist: Jürgen Piscol
• Album/Game Title: Oxyd (Atari ST Game Rip)
• Track Title: Title
• Year: 1992
• Additional Information: This ought to provide an interesting intro to a set of tracker noms.
• Sources: Atari Legend - Legends never die!

The Oxyd series is one of my all-time favorite puzzle series. The PC version of the game (as well as the sequel, Oxyd 2/Per.Oxyd) got gypped out of the title theme.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

There's an error with the link for "Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3)."

There's also no link for "Garakuta Masterpiece Theater Rakugaki Kingdom - The City at the Ends of the World ~ La città delle estremità del mondo."

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

Yeah, looks like they got mashed together. Until they're fixed:

Garakuta Masterpiece Theater Rakugaki Kingdom - The City at the Ends of the World ~ La città delle estremità del mondo
Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3)

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

Artist: Tommy Tallarico
Album/Game Title: The Terminator (Sega CD Rip)
Track Title: Destinations unknown
Track number: 4
Year: 1993
Additional Information: The rip is from a redbook audio, so I can't say where did the ripper take the name of the track from. I'll upload it to the server today

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by CHz

Yeah, looks like they got mashed together. Until they're fixed:

Garakuta Masterpiece Theater Rakugaki Kingdom - The City at the Ends of the World ~ La città delle estremità del mondo
Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3)

Thank you!

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

A single misplaced quote mark was the culprit. The links should work fine now.

I also stripped the ampersand out of the URL for Cup of Story, since the flash player was choking on it.

FELIPE NO

Please nominate:

Artists: B. Johnston, R. Usher, D. Whittaker
Game: Lemmings 2 - The Tribes (SNES Game Rip)
Tracktitle: Sports
Track Number: 13
Year: 1993
Source: Galbadia Hotel MP3

(e: I'll try to upload it, if i get any uploader to work)

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

Astal (Game Rip) - Glacial Rift: Starts off well, then goes absolutely nowhere.

Bugs Bunny - Rabbit Rampage (Game Rip) - Things That Go Bugs in the Night: Seven minutes and forty-one seconds of tinny discombobulation is about seven minutes too much.

Freedom Fighters Original Soundtrack - The Battle for Freedom: The beginning held promise but the rest failed to deliver.

Garakuta Masterpiece Theater Rakugaki Kingdom - The City at the Ends of the World ~ La città delle estremità del mondo: Too simplistic and meandering to hold any lasting effect. "The Sea", this is not.

Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3): Not entirely original but energetic and mildly catchy. The sample choices work well together.

Space Cowboy Online (Game Rip) - Bygeniou City: This track should've been twice as long to allow for better progression and variety. It's still the most interesting piece this week, however.

The Ninja Warriors Again (Game Rip) - Stage-8: Before this was ever nominated, I knew that I don't care much for the entire gamerip. So I can't say this impressed me.

Venus & Braves - The Witch Goddess and the Alchemist of Destruction (Game Rip) - Cup of Story: As far as big band music goes, it's average, but against much of this week's competition, it stands head and shoulders above the pack.


2 Points: Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3)
2 Points: Space Cowboy Online (Game Rip) - Bygeniou City
2 Points: Venus & Braves - The Witch Goddess and the Alchemist of Destruction (Game Rip) - Cup of Story

This week disappointed me. Many songs began well but failed to follow through and keep the momentum alive. Here's hoping next week is better.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

(3 points) Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3)
(1 point) Astal (Game Rip) - Glacial Rift
(1 point) Freedom Fighters Original Soundtrack - The Battle for Freedom
(1 point) The Ninja Warriors Again (Game Rip) - Stage-8

Man, nice nomination, bishop743!
I had been meaning to nominate from Raiden III, but I think you chose a better track to represent it with.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

(2 points) Space Cowboy Online (Game Rip) - Bygeniou City: Very good uplifting stuff, but too short. Good enough for this week.

(2 points) Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3): Very nice, very nice. Not earth-shattering, but a very good impression of Sakuraba at his electronic best.

(1 point) Freedom Fighters Original Soundtrack - The Battle for Freedom: I could have nominated ten tracks from Freedom Fighters, but I figured the soundtrack had already gotten its moment a couple years ago. On its own, this track gets lost in a little in its electronic morass; it fits in far better in the whole of Jesper Kyd's excellent soundtrack.

(1 point) The Ninja Warriors Again (Game Rip) - Stage-8: A pure toss-up at this point.

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

3 points - Symphony of the Night Dawn of Sorrow
2 points - Cup of Story
1 point - Stage-8

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

Originally Posted by Chuckster

(2 points) Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3): Very nice, very nice. Not earth-shattering, but a very good impression of Sakuraba at his electronic best.

Sakuraba??!!

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Ordinary week in my opinion. There are good tracks, but none came out of nowhere to shoot me with an arrow of love. It can't be expected to happen every time since "perfect" tunes are hard to come by and also, their definitions differ with each person's tastes. Still, it's always nice to hear new stuff brought forth by fans.

(3 points) Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3)
(2 points) Venus & Braves - The Witch Goddess and the Alchemist of Destruction (Game Rip) - Cup of Story
(1 point) Astal (Game Rip) - Glacial Rift

To Darkcomet72: I really wanted to get into the "Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage" track, but the SNES sound limitation was just too much here and the composition was a bit chaotic. I have to admit some parts almost got me, like the piano solos, but as a whole, it wasn't enough to give it any point. Props for nominating music by Nu Romantic Productions though.

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

Here's another nomination of mine:

Artist: Jogeir Liljedahl
Album: The Wanderer
Track Title: G-Comp
Track Number: 1
Year: 1999
Catalog Number: LYNCD006
Additional Information: Arranged demoscene track. Jogeir Liljedahl, as was proven before, also did compose a few game soundtracks. I know this isn't game music, but that it's still eligible according to the rules, yet I won't make an habit of nominating exceptions. This time only... or at least, it will take a while before I nominate something that isn't straight VGM again.
Sources: LynneMusic

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Dammit Rimo, I was going to nominate something off that same album very soon. (And I found it via the same source too.) I was planning on a different track but still, it seems like I'll have to move it down the priority list to keep Liljehdal from getting too overexposed in a short time.

GRRRRR.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

Dammit Rimo, I was going to nominate something off that same album very soon. (And I found it via the same source too.) I was planning on a different track but still, it seems like I'll have to move it down the priority list to keep Liljehdal from getting too overexposed in a short time.

GRRRRR.

Really? Which track did you have in mind? Guitar Slinger maybe?

I'm sorry if my nomination causes you troubles. You could still nominate yours soon, but yeah, I agree it makes it less original. On the other hand, if "G-Comp" does well, it could keep the door open for another Liljedhal composition to come in.

Another option, since I believe we'll be nominators in the same week, could be to have 2 songs by this artist at the same time, and see which one would be more popular. A mini Liljedhal special of some sort! Could be funny...

I know some people take Song of the Week at heart, seeing it as a "competition" and only feel enjoyed when their nominations win. They take it with seriousness, yet often too seriously in my opinion. I haven't had the chance to really talk with you ever, so I don't know if the hostile part at the end of your post should be taken as it is or with humor. If you've indeed become aggressive because of this, I could consider changing my nomination for something else.

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

No, I was mostly venting in good humor. Nominations are first come, first serve. I've songjacked others unintentionally, and it's only fair that I get albumjacked now and then. But it's like thinking you're the only person who knows about a buried treasure and when you arrive at the location, there's already someone there with a shovel, up to his knees in dirt. I'm not mad, it just means that the song is no longer as unpolished a diamond in the rough as I'd once considered. Most of my dismay is over not nominating the track I liked sooner.

I do take it as a competition, because who doesn't like winning things? But I also take the "quality" mantra seriously; if a song is to be nominated, it had better be representative of the best that's out there. That's what this is about, right? I sometimes wonder if anonymous internet people randomly stumble upon the SotW mainsite. If they do, I like to think that what they're hearing is worth their time. If I come off as aggressive, it's unintentional. I think I just have high standards.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Alright, cool. Although it was unintentional, I'm still sorry about this. The metaphor you used was interesting, and I totally understand what you mean. It's deceiving when you're all prepared and excited to get back with the shiny unearthed goods, thinking you'll make people happy with this discovery, only to see that someone else did the same thing just a little earlier. Well, at least it's never lost for personal culture and I can say you're looking in nice places to find nominations, hehe. I'm certain that other song should still be pertinent to nominate, when you'll feel it's time.

I agree about the quality aspect that the songs nominated (and even more for those winning) should have. This is indeed a good part of what SOTW is about, but there's also the obscure factor: the games/albums or artists shouldn't be popular ones. This is common knowledge, I don't question people don't follow this, although there are at times borderline nominations. This isn't really a problem though, so I won't elaborate more. What I want to introduce is that rare material is sometimes rare for a reason: the music ain't as interesting as the top soundtracks out there and most people don't care about it because they have relatively selective standards or bias and don't leave room for many things to pass the test and get the privilege to stay on their playlist. At the opposite, there are people who like everything, ranging from classics to total crap and the rest in-between, making you wonder if they actually have tastes? Closer to the middle, most people are able to recognize what a great song is, but can also appreciate good or average compositions as well. One could bring forward a tune to be nominated in SOTW, knowing it's not the best thing the world of VGM ever produced, yet still considering it to be enjoyable to a certain degree and, most importantly, selected it because it was uncommon in the game music community. I would be tempted to give a better chance to a song like this, even if the music itself is not my favorite type, and somehow lower a bit my standards. I wouldn't go as far as giving points to a Coleco Vision track with only 3 notes playing for 3 seconds because it would actually be VERY rare, or not attributing any point to a little-less-rare-but-still-rare song even if it would be better, but yeah, I'd try to be a little more tolerant in general. This isn't BSC after all, so it should be normal that the general quality shouldn't be as high as one could expect. Still, I consent it shouldn't become a "CSC" (for "Crappy Song Contest") either, that would be quite unpleasant.

These comments aren't specific to anybody, only general thoughts.

How ya doing, buddy?

2 points: Bugs Bunny - Rabbit Rampage (Game Rip) - Things That Go Bugs in the Night
2 points: Freedom Fighters Original Soundtrack - The Battle for Freedom
1 point: Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3)
1 point: The Ninja Warriors Again (Game Rip) - Stage-8

The Bugs Bunny track has awesome bass. Plus everything else. I was going to give it one point at first, but further listens made me appreciate its groove more. The Battle for Freedom has great drums 'n' bass, and atmosphere. The rest of the songs were, at the very least, enjoyable, but I didn't think much of them to award them points. Good week in any case.

2 points - Astal (Game Rip) - Glacial Rift
2 points - Venus & Braves - The Witch Goddess and the Alchemist of Destruction (Game Rip) - Cup of Story
1 point - Bugs Bunny - Rabbit Rampage (Game Rip) - Things That Go Bugs in the Night
1 point - The Ninja Warriors Again (Game Rip) - Stage-8

New nomination:

Album Title: Cotton 2 ~Magical Night Dreams~
Artist: Ken-ichi Hirata
Track Title: The Castle in the Sky
Track Number: 7
Year: 1997
Catalog Number: PCCB-00278
Source: PCCB-00278: Cotton 2 ~Magical Night Dreams~ - VGMdb beta

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2 points : Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3)
2 points : Venus & Braves - The Witch Goddess and the Alchemist of Destruction (Game Rip) - Cup of Story
1 point : Freedom Fighters Original Soundtrack - The Battle for Freedom
1 point : Garakuta Masterpiece Theater Rakugaki Kingdom - The City at the Ends of the World ~ La città delle estremità del mondo

I was speaking idiomatically.

{1 Point} Bugs Bunny - Rabbit Rampage (Game Rip) - Things That Go Bugs in the Night: had something fun and playful about it
{2 Points} Garakuta Masterpiece Theater Rakugaki Kingdom - The City at the Ends of the World ~ La città delle estremità del mondo: liked the atmosphere
{2 Points} Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3): nice shooter track, good melody and upbeat
{1 Point}The Ninja Warriors Again (Game Rip) - Stage-8: in the same vein as Dawn of Sorrow

Nom nom:

Artist: ZTS
Track Title: if it dies rather -short.rm-
Album: Faraway Moon
Catalag No.: RLCD-0010 (Rolando - Otokei Dojin Data Base)
Track No.: 07
Info: ZTS composed about half of the tracks for Parhelia, a shooting game in 2003. The present track is an arrangement of the eroge game Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien (see pic).
DL: MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Artist: Harumi Ueko (Jimmy Weckl)
Album: SILENT SCOPE TRILOGY Original Soundtrack
Track: THE FLY - Valley Stage BGM
Track #: 2-34
Catalouge #: KMCA-109~110
Year: 2001
Source: Viewing file list of Silent Scope Trilogy Original Soundtrack, SILENT SCOPE TRILOGY Original Soundtrack
Additional Info: I don't speak Russian

EDIT: Whoops, apparently forgot to mention this was my next nomination.

Additional Spam:
Also are weeks even allowed to be this good, Jesus Christ. I am seriously requesting an increase in distributable points from 6 to 80 just for this week.

FELIPE NO

My next nomination:

* Album Title: Ultima Online (PC Game Rip)
* Artist: Kirk Winterrowd, Joe Basquez and Hal Milton
* Track Title: The Journey (Outtake)
* Source: Game Credits for Ultima Online
* File Location: SotW ftp
* Disc Number: NA
* Track Number: NA
* Catalogue Number: NA
* Year: 1997

Note: It seems that Ultima Online is sometimes refered to as "Ultima Online: The Shattered Legacy"

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

Astal (Game Rip) - Glacial Rift The mallet percussion in this song does a good job of converying a cold and icy feeling, with the mellow instrumental leads contibuting to the atmosphere. Its melody isn't the best, and I wish there was a bit more variation, but it's definitely very "glacial" in tone.

Bugs Bunny - Rabbit Rampage (Game Rip) - Things That Go Bugs in the Night In theory, the jazzy approach taken here is pretty nice. In practice, it soon wears out its welcome--seven minutes is far too long, and some of the synth just can't cut it.

Freedom Fighters Original Soundtrack - The Battle for Freedom Jesper Kyd is almost always worthwhile, and if this song isn't close to his best, it's still pretty solid. The beginning is slow, but once the hard-edged techno kicks in, the music's quite nice, especially with the brass melody alongside it.

Garakuta Masterpiece Theater Rakugaki Kingdom - The City at the Ends of the World ~ La città delle estremità del mondo I generally like acoustic guitar pieces, but I also prefer them to have a lot of energy. The performance here is just too slow, too languid, to sustain much interest, even though it's technically performed very well.

Raiden III Perfect Sound Track - Dawn of sorrow (Level3) More techno, this time of a more synthy sort. It's not bad, and definitely has energy to spare.

Space Cowboy Online (Game Rip) - Bygeniou City I found this one while randomly surfing not too long ago and decided to put it up, since my list's a bit thin. It's got some really terrific stuff in it, especially the piano and brass, and I love the melody. I just wish it were longer--the way the song's constructed doesn't lend itself to looping.

The Ninja Warriors Again (Game Rip) - Stage-8 A third techno-style entrant for the week, and by far the weakest. It doesn't do much besides churn until the melody kicks in a third of the way through, and the melody's fairly forgettable when it's there.

Venus & Braves - The Witch Goddess and the Alchemist of Destruction (Game Rip) - Cup of Story I don't know what I expected from a song with a title like that, but loungy jazz with a touch of big band thrown in wasn't it. It sounds okay, but this kind of jazz just generally bores me.

Okay week.

The Point Spread
3 pts. - Bygeniou City
1 pt. - Battle for Freedom
1 pt. - Dawn of Sorrow
1 pt. - Glacial Rift

Jam it back in, in the dark.