Best Original Soundtrack and Arranged Album of 2006 Discussion

As the thread title implies, we are to name the top original and arranged works and explain why we liked them so much. There are no limits on how many releases you wish to mention and discuss. I know the year isin't quite over, but there isin't really anything hype-worthy IMO (aside Gradius Tribute in a few days) until next year.

So to start things off, here's my picks.

Original Soundtracks

1. Ibara

No really, you don't know me all that well if you couldn't predict this one popping up in my list of notable releases. It's so simple, for the ROCKIN' lovers, the basic formula of "Hosoe + ROCKIN' & SYNTHIN' = Ibara" just works :P

Honorable mention to "Show Time", "Endless Train" and "Rose of Zeal"

2. Under Defeat

See Ibara's description. Seriously though, it has it share of amazing stage theme and intense boss themes. Not as ROCKIN' as Ibara, but still very solid. A great album from Hosoe to start off the year with a BANG! (It came out 15 days or so before Ibara)

Honorable mention to "Can't come back", "way back that was shut" and "storm of fine weather".

3. Tobi Tsukihime

Masashi Yano on ROCKIN' mode was definitely interesting. Aside a couple of electronic tracks, the rest was a fine mix of synth and guitar. Unless you hate hard rock, it's hard to hate the majority of this album.

Honorable mention to "Boss -Enraged-", "Stage 2 -Rampage!-" and "Stage 5 -amVirus : Avatar of Nightmare-".

4. ESPGaluda II

The first taste we got out of Manabu Namiki this year if I'm not mistaking. Solid trance tracks as usual from him, and Mitsuhiro Kaneda's sole contribution on the album was simply "fun". A great album to pick you up when you're feeling down, if you like trance, at least.

Honorable mention to "Mutiny - Fate is with the Girl", "Aerial - Sadness Bathes in Dust" and "Galuda - Becoming Complete".

5. Metal Slug Complete Sound Box

While the majority of the material was released several years ago, the new material on this set made it worthwhile. That being Namiki and Kaneda's Metal Slug 6 music and Toshikazu Tanaka's Metal Slug 4 (previously unreleased on disc) and Metal Slug 3D. MS6 was a great mix of military, epic, electronic and synth-rock music while MS4 and MS3D were more along the lines of synth-rock and heavy metal(mostly for MS3D) for the most part.

Honorable mention to "Main Theme from MS6", "Asian Impact", "Snowy Road (Stage 3)", "Final Madness (Final Boss Second Half)", "Desert Town (Stage 3)" and "Out of Control (Stage 11 -Lugus-)".

6. Carnage Heart Portable

Another of my blind purchases that really paid off, having a great mix of piano/guitar/jazzy event themes and downright awesome techno-rock battle themes.

Honorable mention to "Title (Prologue)", "Reminiscence (Adventure Part 1)" and "Pulse of Sympathy (Battle Bgm 8)".

7. Bullet Witch

Yet another blind purchase. This one shows Masashi Yano's orchestral side, which is really enjoyable as his tracks develop plenty and it's easy to grow on you.

Honorable mention to "Dusk", "Geist" and "Insane".

8. Pink Sweets

The latest Cave release had a lot to live up to and as far as I'm concerned, it surpassed my expectations by a good deal. It's mostly peppy techno, but it's easier on the ears than ESPGaluda, for one.

Honorable mention to "Drago Blu (Boss ~ Sky Battle)", "Svolta! (Stage 4)", "Ale che non cadono (Stage 6)" and "Uccello rosso (True Last Boss)".

9. Radirgy

Fresh from Chaos Field in 2004, Hayashi and Nagata of Milestone had more of the good stuff in Radirgy. This time, they took a diffrent approach with their unique flair. Instead of bombarding the listener with loud samples, they've made not as loud and the melodies develop a bit more.

Honorable mention to "bitcrush -Character Select-", "a day in the park -Stage 02-" and "asagiri -Final Boss-".

10. Blue Dragon

I was expecting a lot out of this one, and once more my expectations have been surpassed largely. I love the abundance of guitar-driven tracks, it does give the impression of a spiritual sequel to Final Fantasy Mystic Quest in music style. There are little to no "filler" tracks here, which says alot of Uematsu's newfound freedom by being free of corporate control.

Honorable mention to "Dragon Fight!", "Nene's Paradise", "Mechat Takes Off!" and "Release The Seal".

Whew ! That's pretty much it for the original stuff. Onto the arranged albums now.

Arranged Albums

1. Ibara REMIX Tracks

I will not lie, even tho it is very short, this is a candidate for best arrange album of the year for me. Hyakutaro Tsukumo and Tatsuya Uemura's remixes of "Rose Garden" and "Show Time" respectively stood out the most to me.

2. Under Defeat -Extended Tracks-

The OST tracks with the added live guitar were the best part of the album for me, but I also enjoyed the arrangements of "Toward a mistake" and "Huge dead end".

3. iFUTURELIST

I'll count this one technically as an arrange album as it has some extended versions of some of Yamaoka's vocal tracks from various Bemani titles. I enjoy especially "LOVE ME DO", "INJECTION OF LOVE" and "bitmania".

4. ESPGaluda II Arrange Disc

Oh come on, you had to expect that. This is some hardcore electronic stuff, they tend to move away too much from the original compositions. Not for everyone, but I enjoy the novelty.

5. Pink Sweets Arrange Disc

At least this one is easier to take in. The arrangements are more faithful to the originals. Koshiro, Abe, Hosoe and SSH's remixes stood out the most to me.

6. Ridge Racers 2 Direct Audio

Remixes of Rave Racer, Ridge Racer 4 and 5. Pretty crazy but awesome stuff, as usual, Hosoe, Saso and Sano entertained me the most.

7. Rogue Galaxy Premium Arrange

One of those all-stars remix projects, I always enjoy these. This one is no exception. Aihara, Hirota, Sakuraba and Hosoe hooked me the most here. Great stuff all around.

8. Wild Arms -The Rocking Heart-

Two words: Ryo. Yonemitsu. That is all. The rest were also good, but I feel that Yonemitsu did the best arranges.



That's pretty much my picks. I believe I'll be adding Gradius Tribute eventually.

Anyways, post your picks and discuss.

Here's to a great 2007 of VGM Releases

Jam it back in, in the dark.

1. Front Mission 5 Original Soundtrack
I'm absolutely amazed by the epic quality of this soundtrack, and it's one of the OSTs this year with almost every single track to my taste. This is a militaristic soundtrack, so I'm sure it's not something that many of you prefer.

2. FOR BRIGHTER DAY Phantasy Star Universe Original Soundtrack
This is a pretty weird soundtrack, but it's awesome. I especially like the melody that's used to compose all of these themes, and there's no track in here that pisses me off either.

3. Rockman ZX Soundtrack -ZX TUNES-
It's a pretty light soundtrack, with very catchy tunes. What can I say?

4. Xenosaga III Original Sound Best Tracks
The soundtrack got me from the beginning, especially because it's Kajiura

5. Deep Labryinth Game Sound CD
Nothing would be complete without a Mitsuda pick... very celtic and sweet

6. Ace Combat Zero The Belken War
I think the song Zero qualifies it all =)

7. Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack
This song became more enticing after I finished playing the game

8. TalesWeaver Original Soundtrack
It's only a soundtrack that I'd like, especially because it's composed in Korea



1. Atelier Iris ETERNAL MANA 2 Arranged Tracks RED LUCIFER RISING
2. Rogue Galaxy Premium Arrange
3. Wild Arms Music the Best -rocking heart-

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Dragon God

I know the year isin't quite over, but there isin't really anything hype-worthy IMO (aside Gradius Tribute in a few days) until next year.

BOOO! Gradius Tribute, Shin Sangoku MusouBB and an Ys Origin rip (crosses fingers) all have knock-out potential. Those three aside:

Best OST.

#1 Atelier Iris Grand Fantasm

Had to think about this one...It's not vastly different from this composing team's previous offerings, but it does feel like they've really hit their niche with it and melodically, is far more impactful than either AI1 or AI2. Highlights are the well-developed boss themes on disc 2 and the 4 vocal tracks.

#2 Blue Dragon

He's BAAACK!

#3 Phantasy Star Universe OST

Lately, I've become accustomed to the PSO sound and this is very much the next step up for all composers involved. Very happy with how this turned out.

#4 Rumble Roses XX Original Soundtrack

They really played this one to the hilt...While the game is one of the more blatant attempts at fan-service I've seen, the music is a slick combination of hard rock and more groove-based pop music. I'd probably be annoyed at much of the music were I to hear it alone, but knowing what it accompanies, I can't help but have a good time with it.

#5 Ibara

Not much to add to DG's description, but this is easily some of Hosoe's best work.

#6 Legend of Heroes VI SC OST

Didn't care for this a great deal at first because of the extensive amounts of main theme arranges, then it started to grow on me (at least the first CD). Much better sound samples than the original LoH VI OST and mixes in enough trademark Falcom synth-rock with the more orchestral-style pieces.

#7 Ace Combat: Belkan War

Solid AC tunes, seemingly with more of an emphasis on the guitar work. "Mayhem" and "Zero" are probably my favorite two tracks from the series.

#8 Men at Work 1-4 Complete! Original Soundtrack

This was one Teioh got and encoded...Wasn't sure what to expect when I got it (I later found out this was a little-known RPG series from Studio E.go), but it's basically 4 CD's of well-done upbeat melodic techno-funk.

#9 Suikoden V OST

Sup, "Wind of Phantom"! Oh yeah, the rest is good, but the excessive amount of filler and non-looping amazing tracks is maddening. Small glimpses of a return to Suikoden greatness, but still very distant from the series' peak of S1 and S2.

#10 Megaman ZX (gamerip)

Fun stuff...Very classic Rockman sounding, with a lighter feel than previous entries. Even with ZX Tunes around, I do still listen to these tracks.

Arranged:

#1 ZX Tunes

Mmmm...Good stuff. The steller OST tracks arranged and their synth upgraded a great deal = easy win. A+ packaging as well...The little art cards and pencilboard are nice extras. Also, it took me forever to tell the cover was Aile listening to a CD...

#2-4 The Trio of Jesus is Dead - Jailbreak, Wild Arms Rocking Heart and Atelier Iris 2 Arranged: Red Lucifer Rising.

All amazing rock arrange albums in their own right. Rocking Heart met my sky-high expectations (it didn't shatter them...That would have been scientifically impossible, but the arrange of "Battle vs Toka and Ge" is easily my favorite track from 2006), Red Lucifer was more of the same from the AI Arranged album from last year (good news) and Jailbreak was my favorite doujin arrange this year and features some slick rock arranges of some familiar (Mother, Megaten, The Scheme) and non-familiar material (Rance)

#5 Legend of Heroes VI SC Super Arrange/Vocal

Mixed reaction...The SC Super Arrange was actually just an instrumental version of the vocal tracks (which were released seperately), but it still turned out well and it included the Super Arrange for the first LOH VI game (which was originally just released as a promo). Nice package, but it should have been much more than it was.

#6 King of Fighters XI Arranged

Kinda have to mention this, but I'm kind of sick to my stomach about SNK passing off a non-looped instrument upgrade as an arrange. Fortunately, the core melodies were nice enough on their own, but that just made the lack of slick 94-00 style SNK arranges all the more painful. So much potential...

#7 Haganebushi

I don't know the history behind the OST of this, but its' arranged tracks turned out really well.

#8 Chaos Seed

Mmm, Sega Saturn upgraded music of an already-hot SNES score.

And it can't be all peaches and green, so...

Most bad/disappointing...

1. King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2 OST

I hold the original in high regard, even putting it on the level as Guilty Gear music as far as fighting music goes. But this...I don't know what happened here, but this can't even pass for a bunch of lousy B-Sides from the original. It's just a bunch of uninspired junk...And that hurts to say, since I've been one of Toshikazu Tanaka's biggest supporters. His other works this year were solid (just not spectacular), but this just flat out sucks. Back to the drawing board with the MI series...

2. Estpolis Soundtrack (reprint)

They really mangled this one to hell and back. The Lufia 2 tracks don't loop (they do in the original print). The 2 arrangements are flat-out awful. And worst of all, the sound volume is far below any normal music I listen to. The inclusion of the GBC Lufia tracks is hardly compensation. I seriously believe the point of reprinting this was to drive the already-insane prices for the original print even higher...


3. LocoRoco OST

I see what they were going for, but this doesn't have any of the charm of certain Katamari tracks and the made-up language it's all in gets old fast. I don't really see myself playing this game with this music...

4. Dirge of Cerberus

FFXII was more or less what I expected, so I don't really feel disappointed with it...DoC and Hamauzu, I dunno though...I keep going back to this one, hoping to find something that will draw me in, but it's really not happening outside of a handful of tracks. I love Hama's FFX and U:S work, but I feel like he slipped a fair bit with Musashi and even moreso with this...I'm fairly confident he'll be back to his FFX/U:S style for FFXIII though.

5. ESPGaluda II

The first is one of my favorite techno soundtracks and has a number of amazing tunes. This one...isn't and doesn't. Solid, listenable work, but a letdown nontheless.

6. Granada Espada OST

I liked a couple of isolated tracks, but this one kind of degraded into a mess of generic trance/techno that just got too tiring to listen through. SoundTEMP's done much better (not too sure about the others who worked on this).

7. Valkyrie Profile 2 OST's

Not bad at all...In fact, I enjoy a fair number of tracks from these and it's amazing in context. But out of context, I'd say about half of this score completely fizzles. I just haven't really built an attachment to it yet, which is disappointing only because VP1 is my favorite Sakuraba score.

8. Persona 3 OST

A decent score all around, but please leave the crap-rap at home next time, Shoji.

Hon. Mentions: Hiroki Kikuta's "Lost Files" and Mintjam's "5th Gig", both of which were highly enjoyable non-gaming related releases from two of my favorite artists. Hopefully 2007 will lead to big things for both of them.

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

Top original soundtrack releases:

1) Shin Sangokumusou Original Sound Track Ultimate Box
As a major MASA fan, seeing this on the release calendar at the beginning of '06 threw me for a loop. This box set is a Dynasty Warrior music fans dream. And with the soundtrack to Shin Sangokumusou BB coming out in a couple days, I'm expecting even more DW goodness to close out the year.

2) Carnage Heart Portable Original Sound Track
SuperSweep has had a really good 2006, so good in-fact, that this album might have flown under the radar for a lot of people. Regardless, Ryuuji Nishida and Yousuke Yasui do a killer job on this score. Those who have passed it over are really missing a treat.


The Fukasawa Factor

Hideyuki Fukasawa hadn't worked on anything since 2003's Chaos Legion, then he breaks out and works on two gems in '06.

3) Shin Onimusha Dawn of Dreams Special Pack Original Soundtrack
Best Onimusha to date, in my opinion. Combining Fukasawa's rocking style with Jamie Christopherson's orchestral work, this 3-disc release of the soundtrack delivers on all fronts.

4) Mobile Suit Gundam Target in Sight Original Soundtrack
While Fukasawa didn't work as a composer on this soundtrack, but an arranger, his imprint on this album is still evident. I'm hearing that the actual game is horrible but the soundtrack has an orchestral score, with a lot of Fukasawa's familiar guitar influences, that blows my mind.


5) Ace Combat Zero The Belkan War Original Soundtrack
No, it's not the monster that Unsung War was, but the impact still hits nearly just as hard. "ZERO" might not be a "Megalith" or "Unsung War" in it's approach, however, it is in it's delivery. Team Namco always comes through musically when it comes to this series. Without question.

6) Raiden III Perfect Soundtrack
These Insanity DVD releases are quite expensive, but this one in particular is well worth the price of admission. Go Sato!!!


Hosoe Heaven

7) Ibara Original Soundtrack
8) Under Defeat -Sound Tracks-
Shinji Hosoe continues to impress me, simple as that. Dragon God already hit the nail with these two. I don't really have anything else to add.


Kreative Koreans

9) TalesWeaver Original Soundtrack
10) Yogurting Original Soundtrack
11) Granado Espada Soundtrack CD
Slowly but surely, these Korean composers are making a huge name for themselves. All 3 albums have a little bit of everything and are all worth listening to. Nauts, Jang, Sung-woon and SoundTeMP... keep 'em comin'!


-- Honorable Mentions --

>> Front Mission 5 ~Scars of the War~ Original Soundtrack
>> PRINCESS WALTZ Original Sound Track
>> Lost Technology Plus
>> Genso Suikoden V Original Soundtrack
>> Okami Original Soundtrack
>> Radiry Original Soundtrack


Top arrange album releases:

1) Rockman ZX Soundtrack -ZX TUNES-
No album this year has gotten more play on my computer or CD player than this one. The III sound staff delivers time and time again, and this is no exception.

2) Gyakuten Saiban Orchestra Album ~Gyakuten Saiban Meets Orchestra~
Oh my, I can't explain how much I love this album. Iwadare's work on arrange albums had been subpar as of late but he does a total 180 on this joint. His contributions are amazing, but the whole album is damn good.

3) Wild Arms Music the Best -rocking heart-
Ryo Yonemitsu. That's all I got and that's all that needs to be said.

4) Atelier Iris ETERNAL MANA 2 Arranged Tracks RED LUCIFER RISING
S.S.H.'s second foray into Atelier arrangements is definitely a successful one. Now, let's see one for Grand Fantasm.

5) HAGANEBUSHI
There were so many great OST releases this year that I wasn't able to get Hyakutaro Tsukumo on that list, so I thought I'd make sure to make a place for him here. Tsukumo does a masterful job at arranging this old PSX/Saturn game.

6) Back in the Gamadelic!! ~Data East Arrange Album~
Gamadelic is the most underrated sound team in the game. This album is pretty tight.

7) Ibara Remix Tracks
This is a very nice extension and compliment to the OST. Hosoe is a true dynamo.



Maybe I'll do a couple disappointmnts later. I don't really feel like it right now. I can tell you that KOF Maximum Impact 2 and Blue Dragon are two of them though. Maximum Impact 2 simply did not live up to it's predecessor and I just don't see where this huge appreciation for Blue Dragon is coming from. I listened through it twice and I just don't hear it. The rock influences are nice an all, but that alone is surely not enough to chalk this one up as a success to me. Nothing really stands out. Despite that, I'm glad to see Uematsu back in the mix.

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

2006 is year of the synth rock. Here is a list that is probably incomplete, but contains many favorites released this year. I will expand upon this with comments later.

1. Rockman ZX Soundtrack -ZX TUNES-
2. IBARA Original Soundtrack
3. Under Defeat -Sound Tracks- / -Extended Tracks-
4. Metal Slug 6 (as part of the box set)
5. Ace Combat Zero The Belkan War Original Soundtrack
6. Seiken Densetsu DS ~ Children of Mana Original Soundtrack
7. FINAL FANTASY XI Treasures of Aht Urhgan Original Soundtrack
8. FINAL FANTASY XII Original Soundtrack
9. FOR BRIGHTER DAY Phantasy Star Universe Original Soundtrack
10. Wild Arms Music the Best -rocking heart-
11. Blue Dragon
12. iFUTURELIST
13. Dead or Alive 4 Original Sound Trax

Also, props to Lost Files.

I'm surprised Children of Mana wasn't mentioned yet. That soundtrack is excellent.

EDIT: I forgot about Aht Urhgan and DOA4; fixed. I also have to include FF12; it's not fair to exclude it just because of popularity.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Original

Most Significant Top Scores:

1) Blue Dragon Original Soundtrack - Solid fun score that shows Nobuo Uematsu is back. I love the action tracks and the FFIX-esque light-hearted themes. Some of the score lacks coherency or references old works too much, but it's a thoughtful inspired effort.

2) Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack - A bastard to digest with quite a bit of filler material, but basically a solid symphonic effort gleaming with Hitoshi Sakimoto's luscious musicality. My thoughts on it are positive, though I wouldn't choose to listen to it in a four hour session. >_>

3) TEKKEN 5 / TEKKEN Dark Resurrection Original Soundtrack - Anything goes in this TEKKEN score and that's why I like it. A few too many short pieces but otherwise pretty awesome with a great number of contributors (including Riow Arai, believe it or not).

4) Project Sylpheed Original Soundtrack - Junya Nakano and Kenichiro Fukui were great choices to lead this shooter score. I already commented on Nakano's electro-acoustic awesomeness. As for Fukui, even better than Einhander... Surprised that Kumi Tanioka only contributed one, though..

5) Dirge of Cerberus Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack & Multiplayer Sound Collection - Masashi Hamauzu's largely symphonic effort was misplaced for the 'Compilation of Final Fantasy VII' franchise but an excellent achievement in its own right. It's mature and dramatic with lots of highlights. Sure, a little dull in places, but overall an excellent effort.

Honorable Mentions:

ESPGaluda II Original Soundtrack
Front Mission 5 ~Scars of the War~ Original Soundtrack
Children of Mana iTunes Soundtrack
Valkyrie Profile 2 -Silmeria- Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 & 2
Ninety-Nine Nights Original Soundtrack
Granado Espada Original Soundtrack
Metal Slug & Breath of Fire Boxes
LocoRoco Original Soundtrack
Ibara Original Soundtrack
Under Defeat Original Soundtrack

Disappointments:

Final Fantasy XI Treasures of Aht Urhgan Original Soundtrack
Kingdom Hearts II Original Soundtrack
Front Mission Online Original Soundtrack
Okami Original Soundtrack
BulletWitch Original Soundtrack

Arranged

1) Rogue Galaxy Premium Arrange

There are real masterpieces here. I never grow bored of the contributions from Hirota, Aihara, Hibino, Mitsuda, and, best of all, Sakuraba. It's a pity I find the contributions from Shimomura, Sano, Hosoe, Ito, and Iwadare relatively bland, though still good.

2) Valkyrie Profile 2 -Silmeria- Arrange Album

Great effort from Motoi Sakuraba here. I'd recommend this for anyone who loves Sakuraba but was disappointed by VP2 overall. There's a
good selection of tracks with plenty of progressive rock and really interesting electronic fragments. The opening track is just a masterpiece.

3) Dragon Quest Symphonic Suite Tokyo Met CDs

The new prints of the Dragon Quest Symphonic Suites (II-VII) by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra are excellent. The performances are so clean, the brass is great, the concertmaster really shines, and the recording quality is wonderful. Faultless...

4) More Friends Concert CD

I hate Jason Michael Paul, but this CD is a worthy one, because it's solidly performed and has a few original entries. There's orchestral classics, goodness from The Black Mages, a decent rendition of the opera, and, best of all, "Swing de Chocobo".

5) ESPGaluda II / Pink Sweets Arranged Sections

Gotta love abstract electronic remixes.

Phoenix Wright Orchestral Album, Sailing to the World Piano Scores, and Wilds Arms Rockin' were both decent but not too remarkable in my eyes.

Disappointments:

Motoi Sakuraba Live 2006
Kenji Ito Piano Works Collection ~Everlasting Melodies~ (not that I ever expected much)
Ibara Remix Tracks (alright, but not amazing)

How ya doing, buddy?

There were a lot of good stuffs this year, but I didn't feel like there was a single album that was totally awesome. But that doesn't mean I don't have any top list.

ORIGINAL:
Carnage Heart portable original soundtrack
Granada Espada Volume 1 (the 4-discs one)
GuitarFreaksV2 & drummaniaV2 Original Soundtrack
Rengoku II Original Soundtrack
Rogue Galaxy Original Soundtrack

ARRANGED:
Atelier Iris ETERNAL MANA 2 Arranged Tracks RED LUCIFER RISING
Pink Sweets (arrange disc. All hail to SSH)
Rogue Galaxy Premium Arrange
Valkyrie Profile 2 Voice Mix Arrange
ZX Tunes

I'm not surprised no one has mentioned some of my "nominations". Since when do I like something that is universally appreciated anyway?

How ya doing, buddy?

I don't know if Gundam Mobile Suit Target Insight is counted, because although the game has not yet been out, the official OST was released before it. This OST is so well written and perfomed, one of the best score in 06. It not only transmits the "sense" of the evironment and emotion, it also examplifies itself as great musical work. For countless time listening to the album, I have never skipped one track. So if there ever was an award for BEST OST in 06, I only think of Gundam Mobile Suit Target Insight

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

This is easy!

#1
Muv-Luv Alternative Original Sound Track Vol.1&2 (2006/03/24&2006/06/07)
What can I say about this soundtrack. I think âge wanted this game to have more than one game music composer. When a company makes their biggest project of the year, it's got to be at least 12:
JAM Project, Yoshiki Minami, Hikaru Nanase, Angel Note, Yoshikazu Kawatani, Peak A Soul+, Susumu Ueda , Taku Iwasaki, Hijiri Anze, Hironobu Kageyama, Masaaki Iizuka, Shinobu Kajihisa.
Any familiar names?
I don't want to give a big review so I'm just saying this is the greatest thing ever happened when Japan's best anime composers (Hikaru Nanase, Taku Iwasaki) and game music composers (Angel Note, Hijiri Anze) come together. And when there's a new Mech-(novel-)game, Jam Project's got to be with the team, even Hironobu Kageyama writing two instrumental tracks.
It's funny Muv-Luv Alternative caught nobody's attention when it was released. Perhaps to anime-ish.
Also, Basil Poledouris fans might notice a tribute to their favourite music track in Assault Landing.

#2
Wanko & Lily Soundtrack (2006/08/11)
Hijiri Anze a second time, yet so different. She's slowly becoming my favourite composer with Biohazard CodeVeronica, Sakura Musubi, Muv-Luv Alternative and now Wanko & Lily in her repertoire.
Wanko & Lily has the most enjoyable and at the same time relaxing music I've heard since Tail Tale. Recommended.

#3
Souten no Celenaria Original Soundtrack (2006/07/07)
Liar-Soft games are always a little bit different. My current signature is from their game "Forest". Their works list includes other famous titles like Pink Panzer, Mega Laughter, Little Little Election and Born Freaks.
Souten no Celenaria is one of their three games in 2006 and the only one that got a soundtrack to my knowledge. When you take a look at the game's artwork, you'll notice it looks a lot like Legend of Heroes VI. The music is a bit more advanced and the tracktitles fit amazingly well to the music as the music fits into the game. steam city under the grayish sky = track of the year.
On another note, Souten no Celenaria has a partially complete English translation.

2006 had a couple of others great soundtracks, I'll also have to think of a good arrange album, right now Quilt Clover's Jazz is probably gonna take this place. I'll update with honorable mentions soon, as well.

Jam it back in, in the dark.