Song of the Week - WEEK 96 Voting/WEEK 97 Nominating

Week 96 Voting is closed.
Week 97 Nominating is closed.

Week 96 Voting
The rules for voting can be found here.

Results
1). [27] The Gods Awaken - Jooli's Song
2). [26] DELIGHT in DAYLIGHT - Cielos de agosto
3). [18] SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds
4). [15] Be filled with feeling - Blind Kiss
5). [14] Top Gear (SNES Game Rip) - Las Vegas
6). [10] Raystorm - LUMINESCENCE (AREA5) - full take
7-t). [8/5.5] I.Q. Final Perfect Music File - The 1st Tide
7-t). [8/5.5] Radiata Stories Original Soundtrack - Devote for Nature

Tracks (links):
Be filled with feeling - Blind Kiss
DELIGHT in DAYLIGHT - Cielos de agosto
I.Q. Final Perfect Music File - The 1st Tide
Radiata Stories Original Soundtrack - Devote for Nature
Raystorm - LUMINESCENCE (AREA5) - full take
SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds
The Gods Awaken - Jooli's Song
Top Gear (SNES Game Rip) - Las Vegas

Notes:
DELIGHT in DAYLIGHT - Cielos de agosto was originally in AAC format. This version has been used to make an MP3 for greater compatibility. The original .m4a file has been uploaded to the [url="http://songoftheweek.info/music/voting/extras/"]extras[url] directly for those demanding original encoding quality.

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 97 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.

I have nominated the previous week, so... I can't nominate now can I?



3 points: Cielos de Agustos: cool harmony and effects, very original, I like to give points to creative pieces.
2 points: Devotion for Nature: I like the percussion, instrumentation and the use of pizzicato's here. Melody isn't that memorable.
1 point: Full Take: too much of percussion, too dominated. Much potential in sound effects. Nice mix of sounds. Melody is very bad but the mix deserves this point. I really liked the "virtual computerized" effects.

The first tide had nearly made it for orchestration, but the song didn't stir me in melody.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by katchum

I have nominated the previous week, so... I can't nominate now can I?

Not unless you want to change it; the queue is only good for your next nomination--not others further down the road.

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

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

Raystorm - LUMINESCENCE (AREA5) - full take

Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: - full take

"Raystorm" is the album name, and "LUMINESCENCE (AREA5) - full take" is the track name, not just "full take."

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

3 points - Raystorm - LUMINESCENCE (AREA5) - full take
2 points - Top Gear (SNES Game Rip) - Las Vegas
1 point - SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds

I was speaking idiomatically.

Bleh...Terrible week. Too much easy-listening nonsense and 1st Tide sounded painfully cliche for an orchestral track. (Almost) Nothing worth keeping.

3 pts - Bonds
2 pts - Las Vegas
1 pts - Luminescence

Bonds has always been a nice sub-main theme and this was a great arrangement of it. Vegas is too long, but otherwise good. Luminescence is the best of the rest.

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Originally Posted by CHz

"Raystorm" is the album name, and "LUMINESCENCE (AREA5) - full take" is the track name, not just "full take."

Damn Japanese albums and their multi-hyphen names.

Hokkaido Sakura Shinobi 2 ~DELUXE SUPER NUMBER ONE ARRANGE PLUS~ - Gold Album (THE BEST OF HOKKAIDO SAKURA SHINOBI 2) - Let's Make a Big Ruckus - THEME OF LET'S MAKE A BIG RUCKUS LEVEL (Arrange Ver.) - Part 1 ~Hokkaido Sakura Shinobi 2 Version~

EDIT:

Be filled with feeling - Blind Kiss Relentlessly cheesy, but somehow enjoyable despite it all. Perhaps it's the melody, or the fact that it reminds me of something I can't quite put my finger on, but the song's a synthy charmer.

DELIGHT in DAYLIGHT - Cielos de agosto The hi-hat at the beginning was so off the beat that it literally sickened me. The other instruments followed suit. There might be a reason that everything is so out of whack here, perhaps even a fancy musical term for it, but it just annoyed the hell out of me.

I.Q. Final Perfect Music File - The 1st Tide A neat little orchestral piece that was absolutely nothing like I thought it would be. There was a lot of buildup compared to the amount of payoff, though, and the whole is slightly over-the-top and cheesy.

Radiata Stories Original Soundtrack - Devote for Nature Noriyuki "Disco Duck" Iwadare returns to SoTW with...tribal drums, saxophone, and pan pipe? It's not bad, but the synth bugs me--it's not bad enough to be deliberately synthy, and far worse than one ought to expect on such a recent game.

Raystorm - LUMINESCENCE (AREA5) - full take Takes a while to get going, and not entirely satisfying once it does. The melody is okay, but it suffers in comparison to the similar "Blind Kiss" for me. The voices are horrible, though.

SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds This one really suffers from poor arrangement and a too-small ensemble. I can hear the melody, but it's muted by wishy-washy, weak performance. It sounds very small--even timid--as a result.

The Gods Awaken - Jooli's Song Very laid-back and relaxing, though not without a mysterious edge to it. Love the acoustic guitar, not so hot on the electric. This tune has some truly great bits, but it's also maddeningly inconsistent.

Top Gear (SNES Game Rip) - Las Vegas I like the rising and falling action of the tune, and the interaction between melody and rhythm is surprisingly complex at times. The melody, such as it is, tends to get lost in the scramble a bit, and the section that's nothing but rhythm is torturously bad.

A pretty meh week. Only one song I didn't care for, and one other that spoke to me for some reason.

FELIPE NO

Nomination time!

Album: SUDEKI Original Soundtrack
Artist: Tom Colvin
Track Title: New Brightwater
Track #: 01
Year: 2004
Catalog #: SE-2009-2
Source: GMR

Comments: It may be repetitive, but it sure is pleasant to listen to. It's a particularly nice song to have on in the background when you don't feel like intently listening to something but just want something soothing.

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

Here we go with another nomination:

Album: Muppet Racemania
Artist: Traveler's tales
Track Title: Rooftops
Track #: 17
Year: 2000
Source: It's from gamerip taken from ff forums/gh, and I will upload the song to the server soon.

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• Artist: Jogeir Liljedahl
• Composer: Martin Galway
• Album/Game Title: Back in Time II
• Track Title: Galway is God 2000
• Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
• Track Number: 02
• Catalog Number: C64CD2
• Year: 1999
• Additional Information: This is an awesome arrangement of two great Galway themes for two C64 titles; Rambo: First Blood Part II and Green Beret. I think the track title says it all. And coincidentally, this is my fifth nomination in a row to be a "track 02", without even knowing/planning it.
• File Location: http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/2381/14
• Source(s): http://www.c64audio.com/productInfo.php?cat=C64CD2, http://www.gmronline.com/info.asp?CatNumber=C64-CD2

This week's votes to come after I give the tracks a few more listens.

I can't believe it's taken me 97 weeks to finally put a nom in. If I'm doing anything wrong, please let me know:

<> Composer(s) : Yousuke Yasui
<> Album/Game Title : Carnage Heart Portable Original Sound Track
<> Track Title : Moonwalk
<> Disc Number 1 (of 1)
<> Track Number : 9
<> Catalog Number : SRIN-1027
<> Year : 2006
<> Source(s) : GMR database
<> Download: http://www.sendspace.com/file/lri6qd

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

It's Nomination Wednesday! YAY!

Album: Landstalker ~ The Emperor's Treasure
Composers: Motoaki Takenouchi, Ken-ichi Koyano
Track Title: Treasure Hunter Lyle
Track Number: 2
Year: 1992
Catalog Number: VICL-5179
Source: Chudah's Corner

Notes: Seeing the Shining Wisdom track lose by the slightest margin, two weeks ago, made me sympathetic for Takenouchi tracks. To be honest, this is a track I probably should've nominated a long time ago because it's really cool.

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

Originally Posted by bishop743

I can't believe it's taken me 97 weeks to finally put a nom in. If I'm doing anything wrong, please let me know:

Looks good!

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

Album: Landstalker ~ The Emperor's Treasure
Track Title: Treasure Hunter Lyle

So this is the Takenouchi track you were talking about, eh? First SonicPanda steals a future nomination of mine last week with Cheer Up!, and now you grab the song I had planned to nominate after Rocket punch and my next nom. I'm having some bad luck recently.

It's an arrangement of my favorite track from Landstalker, though, so <3.

(Mysterious Island is the best track, which is why I nominated that to the BCC.)

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by CHz

So this is the Takenouchi track you were talking about, eh? First SonicPanda steals a future nomination of mine last week with Cheer Up!, and now you grab the song I had planned to nominate after Rocket punch and my next nom. I'm having some bad luck recently.

It's an arrangement of my favorite track from Landstalker, though, so <3

Aww, man. Are you trying to make me feel guilty here? I unintentionally songjacked ikkei some time ago and felt bad then, too.

But this track's been on my "to be nominated" list FOREVER. I mean, as far back as Week 31, when I first began compiling tracks to offer up.

If it does well, you can share the credit.

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Heh, I already won one nomination battle with you (Airwaves), so you might as well have this one.

And I definitely haven't had the song on my nomination list as long as you have, so I don't feel bad about you taking it. It's nice knowing at least one person thinks the song is as good as I do.

FELIPE NO

Be filled with feeling - Blind Kiss: Not sure about this track. It feels rather weak at times, but it still has a serviceable melody. The pros and cons negate each other, leaving me feeling rather ambivalent toward this track.

DELIGHT in DAYLIGHT - Cielos de agosto: I liked this track more initially, but as it progressed, it felt like it was merely treading water. The piano elements, however, are delightful and this is the sort of music I prefer while focusing upon my pencil sketchings. It's okay.

I.Q. Final Perfect Music File - The 1st Tide: I've had this soundtrack for a while and this is one of the more notable tracks. It's not my favorite, but it's acceptable. Unfortunately, I've got a limited tolerance for this kind of orchestral, so I doubt I could sit through more than one hearing.

Radiata Stories Original Soundtrack - Devote for Nature: It's upbeat and happy, so you'd think I'd automatically dig this track. But something about it feels...lacking. I can't pinpoint the missing element right now, but there's something preventing me from enjoying this track as much as I feel I had ought.

Raystorm - LUMINESCENCE (AREA5) - full take: The voice sampling is just downright irritating. The rest is a moderately techno-ish piece that feels as though it should be heading toward a climax but never manages to arrive. It has some nice parts, like the intro and outro, but there's a lot of flat territory in between.

SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds: I wanted to like this more, but as orion pointed out, several sections are troubled by a muddled quality. For instance, at 1:30, a light bongo comes in, but it's difficult to discern because it's woefully overshadowed by the strings. The concertina only further obscures the otherwise enjoyable percussion line. This track is in need of better sound balance. With that, it could be a contender.

The Gods Awaken - Jooli's Song: This is a slightly unusual nomination for me, in that I usually stick with energetic or highly melodic tracks. But I'm hopeful that others can see what I see in this piece. It definitely takes a few hearings to fully appreciate. This makes for a risky nom, but I stand by the quality of Bjorn Lynne's highly underappreciated sound. There's an underlying intensity throughout the piece, punctuated by the ebbs and flows in textural layering and rich cymbal splashes. The Middle Eastern guitars are downright spectacular and the atmospheric effects are almost without peer. I could go on for days about the subtle complexities within "Jooli's Song".

I really encourage everyone to give "Jooli's Song" a full, attentive listen and to try and absorb everything that's going on in this track. It's an investment that I promise is worth every second. I mean this.

Top Gear (SNES Game Rip) - Las Vegas: I'll spare my usual SNES sound card hatred by saying that the sound samples aren't as tinny as usual. But this track is extremely repetitive, especially the bassline. I got tired of the same pulsing rhythm after a couple minutes. Seven minutes of it is a lot to endure. I mean, Leitch couldn't change it up, even once?

What's with the flood of Barry Leitch noms lately, too?


This week was just strange. Oddities abound.

3 Points: The Gods Awaken - Jooli's Song
2 Points: DELIGHT in DAYLIGHT - Cielos de agosto
1 Point: SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds

How ya doing, buddy?

3 points : Radiata Stories Original Soundtrack - Devote for Nature
2 points : Be filled with feeling - Blind Kiss
1 point: : SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds

Jam it back in, in the dark.

3 points: Top Gear (SNES Game Rip) - Las Vegas
1 point: Raystorm - LUMINESCENCE (AREA5) - full take
1 point: SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds
1 point: The Gods Awaken - Jooli's Song
Just missed out I.Q. Final Perfect Music File - The 1st Tide

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

What's with the flood of Barry Leitch noms lately, too?

What flood? It's only this and Utopia back at Week 90. I wish there was one though, as Leitch is one of my preferred VGM composers.

Hey folks,

First time poster, first time voter, first time nominator, long time VGM listener. I'm not gonna bore you with my life story..just ask if you wanna know. I just discovered this little game a couple days ago, and I think it's a fine idea. Here's my comments and stuff:


Blind Kiss - This song is right outta Level 42..I could swear Mark King is playing the bass line. I'm not a particularly big fan of them, but the added catchiness/cheesiness of this song more than compensates! Great Selection.

Ceilos - Not much to say about this one really..kinda aimless & boring

1st Tide - I liked this one on the first listen, but it lost its lustre after a couple plays. The B section seems to need a bit more "umph" to better contrast the mild A.

Devote for Nature - Nice little tune. I thought it was kinda funny how the intro suggests (to me) some sort of progressive build, but abruptly dives right into the A section after 8 bars. Good, but not a keeper.

LUMINESCENCE - Nah. That drum timbre just kills this one for me. BUT the background piano fills are nice.

Bonds - Cool! I'm always a sucker for noble themes. And I loved the repeat of the theme by the accordion, to give it a dash of "yarrrrrr!".

Jooli's Song - The opening melody reminds me of the SMS version of Rampage! (however irrelevant that may be ). Anyways, I found the pacing of this track to be a tad of a drag after a while. ****How the pacing matches that of the gameplay, I have no idea.

Las Vegas - At first I thought this one was beyond my cheese threshold (the opening arpeggios are a mix of some kid who learned how to execute/abuse sweep picking.. and Philip Glass music ). However, I got to thinking that, in the context of Las Vegas cheese capital of the world, what better? Knowing the context of the track makes it much easier to evaluate a composition IMHO (see below).


*** I know it's kind of a bold move to shake up the system on the first post, but what can ya do. Personally, I think having a decent idea of the context of a composition allows for a much more accurate view of the intent (which is kinda what I'd say it's all about). When people listen to and admire Nobuo's music, I believe a major contribution lies in his great talent for musically illustrating a person/place/etc..
So, for example, if the song is meant to be a theme song for a particular character, one might describe the character when submitting the song. Or, if the song is meant to be more of a mood-setter, maybe describing the atmosphere, perhaps with a screenshot to accompany?
It's a far cry from actually playing through the game, but it would definitely help in evaluation if you ask me. What do y'all think?


Here's my vote (1=best)

1. Bonds
2. Blind Kiss
3. Las Vegas


Ok, almost done, but I have a nomination:

Artist: Katsuhiro Hayashi
Game Title: Black Belt (SMS game rip)
Track Title: Boss (not official..it's the music from the boss sequence)
Year: 1986
Additional Info: The boss theme to the old SMS game Black Belt...my fav SMS track, and I think it's a contender
Source: SMS Power! ..but you can download it here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/7ps8av


One last thing...what exactly constitutes "obscure"? ie does anyone mind listing some fundamental "do not touch" titles?

Ok, i'm done (phew)

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

Originally Posted by goldsac

First time poster, first time voter, first time nominator, long time VGM listener.

Welcome, goldsac! We love new blood around here--always glad to see new voters and nominators!

Originally Posted by goldsac

One last thing...what exactly constitutes "obscure"? ie does anyone mind listing some fundamental "do not touch" titles?

Generally flagship series titles like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Super Mario, or Metal Gear Solid.

That's not to say that obscure members of those series (i.e. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, Mario & Luigi) might not be eligible, though Final Fantasy VII and Super Mario Bros. 3 would be right out. If in doubt, nominate anyway, and the other voters will chime in on whether they think it's obscure enough.

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

3 points - The 1st Tide (NYEAAAHHH)
Actually I'm not just giving it three points because it's my nom. I really like it that much. A lot of people are saying they wouldn't be able to handle more than a couple listens, but I had this thing on loop for like thirty minutes. The melody is quite mellow and pleasant, and the whole section starting at 1:08 is just wonderful. Not to mention the little touches like the flute flourishes at 1:25 and on. Even if this track wasn't to your taste, I'd recommend checking out the entire soundtrack. You might enjoy the theme's other variations, such as the epic "Ecliptic" or the moody "Depths." I also recommend "Courage and Hope."

2 points - Jooli's song
I like the ethnic vibe this track has going on. It does go a bit long, but I think there's enough variation to justify the length. Although lol @ gratuitous guitar solo.

1 point - Bonds
What can I say, I have a soft spot for accordians.

I was speaking idiomatically.

(3 points) The Gods Awaken - Jooli's Song: On the contrary to Crash, it only took me a couple listens to appreciate it, though I already had my hopes up with SpinJam being one of my favorite SotW noms from the past. This slow-jam groove holds up well, and does enough in a rather weak field.

(And doesn't Jooli sound like Da Ali G's girlfriend? "Me jooli." Perfect).

(1 point) Top Gear (SNES Game Rip) - Las Vegas: Top Gear was the first SNES game I bought (with Street Fighter II). True story. Anyway, this was my favorite track from the game, and it's been burned in my brain from so much play-time, so why not.

(1 point) SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds: I can dig this type of orchestral. Not a chore to enjoy.

(1 pont) DELIGHT in DAYLIGHT - Cielos de agosto: It's the piano that saves the track. Pure and simple.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I haven't voted in ages, and was kind of disappointed in this week's selection. Ah well.

<3 points> SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds
I'm not much a fan for these kinds of songs, but this one was alright.

<2 points> Be filled with feeling - Blind Kiss
A light feel-good song that I found to be a guilty pleasure.

<1 point> Top Gear (SNES Game Rip) - Las Vegas
I can see how this would've been a decent tune for its time as one of the first SNES games.

FELIPE NO

Because Encephalon said I could.

Nomination:

Game Title: SSX Blur
Artist: Junkie XL
Track Title: Wanlong Mamoth
Track Number: N/A
Year: 2007
YSI link: http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.ph...9EE9C84114DEDB

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

(3 points) SYMPHONY GAGHARV TRILOGY - The Legend of Heroes III, IV, V - Bonds
(1 point) The Gods Awaken - Jooli's Song
(1 point) I.Q. Final Perfect Music File - The 1st Tide
(1 point) DELIGHT in DAYLIGHT - Cielos de agosto

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