[SotW] Song of the Week - WEEK 109 Voting/WEEK 110 Nominating

Song of the Week. 100 Weeks and counting.
Week 109 Voting is closed.
Week 110 Nominating is restricted.

Week 109 Voting
The rules for voting can be found here.

Results:
1). [29] Alphabet Planet - 1 plus 1 equal 1
2). [22] Faraway Moon - if it dies rather -short.rm-
3). [16] Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (Red Book Audio) - Stage 2 (AD1163)
4). [14/9] Sword Maniac - Shadow Devourer
5). [14/8.5] Oxyd (Atari ST Game Rip) - Title
6). [11] Cotton 2 ~Magical Night Dreams~ - The Castle in the Sky
7). [9] Ultima Online (Game Rip) - The Journey (Outtake)
8). [5] SILENT SCOPE TRILOGY Original Soundtrack - THE FLY -Valley-

Tracks:
Alphabet Planet - 1 plus 1 equal 1
Cotton 2 ~Magical Night Dreams~ - The Castle in the Sky
Faraway Moon - if it dies rather -short.rm-
Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (Red Book Audio) - Stage 2 (AD1163)
Oxyd (Atari ST Game Rip) - Title
SILENT SCOPE TRILOGY Original Soundtrack - THE FLY -Valley-
Sword Maniac - Shadow Devourer
Ultima Online (Game Rip) - The Journey (Outtake)

Notes:
The Journey (Outtake) was converted to an MP3 from a MIDI source. The original has been included in the extras folder, for people who want to hear their machine's own unique interpretation of the music.

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 110 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: surasshu (Steven Velema)
• Album/Game Title: Force Majeure (Demo Game Rip)
• Track Title: title
• Year: 2007
• Sources: Monokey » Games, game documentation

Regarding the odd album title on this one: the full version of this game has yet to be finished and released. It is possible that this track could be absent from the final version or the game could never be completed at all, although I'd rank those possibilities as "unlikely" and "who knows" respectively. If you're antsy about treating a demo of a game as an actual game (kind of like unreleased games), dude's got a bunch of VGM composition credits too, so just treat this as an original composition.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Here is my point spread:

3 points : Alphabet Planet - 1 plus 1 equal 1
2 points : Cotton 2 ~Magical Night Dreams~ - The Castle in the Sky
1 point : Ultima Online (Game Rip) - The Journey (Outtake)


And here is my nomination:

<> Composer(s) : Ken Nakagawa, Daisuke Achiwa, Akira Tsuchiya
<> Album/Game Title : Ar tonelico II ~Sekai ni Hibiku Shoujotachi no Metafalica~ Original Soundtrack
<> Track Title : Agni
<> Disc Number : 2 (of 2)
<> Track Number : 5
<> Catalog Number : KDSD-10027~8
<> Year : 2007
<> Source(s) : GMR Database
<> Download : Ar tonelico II ~Sekai ni Hibiku Shoujotachi no Metafalica~ - Agni

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

Originally Posted by CHz

• Artist: surasshu (Steven Velema)
• Album/Game Title: Force Majeure (Demo Game Rip)
• Track Title: title
• Year: 2007
• Sources: Monokey » Games, game documentation

Wow, does that mean that surasshu could vote for his own composition? That would be nifty on so many levels

Most amazing jew boots

I'm moving directly to the points this week.

2 Points: Oxyd (Atari ST Game Rip) - Title
2 Points: Sword Maniac - Shadow Devourer
2 Points: Alphabet Planet - 1 plus 1 equal 1

Overall, I'm feeling a bit disappointed by Week 109. It's always tough to follow a strong week but a lot of material here felt quite generic, even by usual standards. The tracks that received points are the only ones that did anything for me. Nothing was unlistenable, it just wasn't to my highly subjective liking, and I'll admit that the Alphabet Planet track received a point based purely upon its composer. (Yay, Kikuta!)

But there's always weak weeks to balance the strong. It's cylical and I'm not upset. Here's to hoping that I like more of next week's nominations.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

The rules for nominating can be found here.

This link is outdated (and probably has been for a while). It should be pointing at Nomination Phase - SotW Wiki.

Also, for the first time I recall, we had more votes last week than nominators in the queue.

(this means NOMINATE)

Additional Spam:
Also:

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (Red Book Audio) - Stage 2 (AD1163)

Left off a word in the album title; should be "Ginga Fukei ..."

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by CHz

This link is outdated (and probably has been for a while). It should be pointing at Nomination Phase - SotW Wiki.

FIX'D.

FELIPE NO

I will nominate the first qualifying track that comes up on iPod random. After a Wild Arms track, a Megadeth song, a Van Halen song, another Wild Arms song and a doujin remix of Heatman's theme, the bastard nomination will be:

Hamel...From Legend of Heroes VI SC
Discs: 1 (of 2)
Track 20
Composed by: Falcom Sound Team JDK
Info: Chudah's Corner - Legend of Heroes ~ Sora No Kiseki SC Original Soundtrack
Add. Info: Totally random pick from my "songs" pool on my iPod (ALL songs, not favorites). Doesn't even sound like something I'd nominate (though it's actually a reprisal of something I've nominated in the past...go figure). Hopefully it will do well.
YouSendIt - Send large files - transfer delivery - FTP Replacement

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

3 points: Alphabet Planet - 1 plus 1 equal 1
2 points: Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (Red Book Audio) - Stage 2 (AD1163)
1 point: Faraway Moon - if it dies rather -short.rm-

Was feeling Kikuta's track to some extent. Too syrupy for my personal tastes, but definitely a good representation of his style for more upbeat tracks. The rest were poo on a stick. :-)

Most amazing jew boots

(3 points) Faraway Moon - if it dies rather -short.rm-
(2 points) Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (Red Book Audio) - Stage 2 (AD1163)
(1 point) Alphabet Planet - 1 plus 1 equal 1

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Album: Giftpia Title Music + Nanashi-FMGiftpia Title Music + Nanashi-FMGiftpia Title Music + Nanashi-FM
Track: 19 - The Grown-up Game
Catalog Number: GIFT-0305
Released On: July 14, 2003
Composed By: Taniguchi Hirofumi, Akino, the Travellers, snoweffect, Cignita, MUMU, 6in, Six Squares, REDNECK TRIO, Komachi, Aprils, Kaimii Plants, FUZZ PROPOSAL, Kako Yuuzou, THE WINSTONS, Bossa5, yet, ECHO MOUNTAIN, Shibari Youtarou, Machiko Komatsu & Tango cristal, moai, oscillator
Arranged By: N/A
Published By: Enterbrain, Famitsu 'Cube
Recorded At: Unknown
Number of CDs: 1

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

First time nominating

• Album: Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito Image Sound Track
• Catalog Number: ROOT-0008
• Track: 06 - Brilliant Marks of Heat Haze
• Disc: 1 (of 1)
• Released On: December 20, 2002
• Composed By: Noriyasu Agematsu (feel)
• Arranged By: Noriyasu Agematsu (feel)
• Published By: ROOT
• Source(s) : ROOT-0008: Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito Image Sound Track - VGMdb beta
• Download : 06 - Brilliant Marks of Heat Haze.mp3

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

2 points: Alphabet Planet - 1 plus 1 equal 1
2 points: Cotton 2 ~Magical Night Dreams~ - The Castle in the Sky
2 points: Ultima Online (Game Rip) - The Journey (Outtake)

A pretty low-profile week. Faraway Moon and Oxyd just missed out. The former was a good listen, even though it was bordering on acceptable. And I wanted to give a point to the latter, only for the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy reference at the beginning.

Alphabet Planet - 1 plus 1 equal 1 A light and airy track with Kikuta's stylistic fingerprints all over it, and a great melody. It has a little more in common with his later h-game efforts than his work for Square, though not so much as to sound repetitive (which is something Alphabet Planet suffers from as a whole, unfortunately).

Cotton 2 ~Magical Night Dreams~ - The Castle in the Sky A nice techno/synth track with a decent melody and rhythm. Maybe not the best of its ilk, but pleasant and satisfying overall.

Faraway Moon - if it dies rather -short.rm- Another track with some techno elements, though the piano really sets it apart from the pack. The two elements don't gel as nicely as they could, and the piano kicks in rather late (and is absent for a fair bit too), but the melody's good enough that it doesn't matter so much.

Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (Red Book Audio) - Stage 2 (AD1163) The song has its moments, but there's a lot of unpleasant guitar thrashing to counterbalance it.

Oxyd (Atari ST Game Rip) - Title Some interesting moments in this one, with a few almost baroque moments from the melody--impressive given the synth limitations. On balance, though, there's a fair bit of meandering aside from the best parts of the melody.

SILENT SCOPE TRILOGY Original Soundtrack - THE FLY -Valley- I never got very far in Silent Scope, so I doubt I ever heard this in-game. It's too chaotic for my taste, with percussion and synths playing seeingly random, improvised notes. Might work well in the game, but not so much as a stand-alone listening experience.

Sword Maniac - Shadow Devourer After the last Sword Maniac track placed, I downloaded the SPC set, so I'm familiar with the track. It has a very strong 80's cop show vibe, which is a tad odd in context. Still, aside from the inherent drawbacks in the 80's cop show genre, it's not bad.

Ultima Online (Game Rip) - The Journey (Outtake) I was rather excited to hear this, as I enjoyed the Ultima IX soundtrack. Unfortunately, as with many MIDI-based PC tunes from the early to mid 90's, the sound is so incredibly tinny that it spoils whatever musical merits the song has.

Pretty good week. Only one track was really awful; the rest had merits that made them listenable if not enjoyable.

The Point Spread
Alphabet Planet - 3 pts.
Cotton 2 - 1 pt.
Faraway Moon - 1 pt.
Sword Maniac - 1 pt.

Nomination
Album: Children of Mana
Catalog Number: N/A (iTunes exclusive)
Track: Monster of the Forest
Disc: 1 (of 2)
Track: 13
Released On: May 9, 2006
Composed By: Takayuki Aihara
Published By: iTunes
Source(s): #gamemp3's

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I'll put my nomination here today, but I won't upload it until tomorrow as I'm really tired.

Nomination
Album: Battle Arena Toshinden 3 (gamerip)
Track: Sho's theme
Disc: 1 of 1
Track: 18
Composed By: Unknown*
Additional info: In Battle Arena Toshinden 3 (1996) (VG) - Full cast and crew, it says that there are 5 composers, so I don't know if we should just keep with the first name, or put Takara/Tamsoft, instead.

So now I'm going to sleep, ^^U

EDIT: Ok, Sho's theme uploaded.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

Nomination
Album: Children of Mana
Catalog Number: N/A (iTunes exclusive)
Track: Monster of the Forest
Disc: 1 (of 2)
Track: 13
Released On: May 9, 2006
Composed By: Takayuki Aihara
Published By: iTunes
Source(s): #gamemp3's

Hmm, so you'd object to something from a lesser-heard Megaman soundtrack, but would nominate something from a lesser-heard Mana soundtrack. That's...interesting.

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

3 pts - Stage 2
2 pts - Castle in the Sky (Cotton 2 had the weakest soundtrack from the main games in the series, but it still had some gems like this one)
1 pts - Oxyd - Title (probably more interesting than it should be due to the synth, which is nice...Definitely a grower)

Pretty cut and dry week. I remembered the name 1 Plus 1 Equal 1, but it wasn't among the Alphabet Planet tracks I saved...Like much of the album, it was indicative of Kikuta, but very generic otherwise. Wanted to like "if it dies", but the beat started getting on my nerves. Stage 2 is my 3rd favorite T's Music track (after "Dark City" and "Evil Monastary" from Gate of Thunder and Lords of Thunder, respectively).

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

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

Hmm, so you'd object to something from a lesser-heard Megaman soundtrack, but would nominate something from a lesser-heard Mana soundtrack. That's...interesting.

If you'd actually read my earlier post, you'd have seen that I didn't object to any of the more obscure Mega Man gaidens, just main classic/GB/X series entries.

In addition, the track "Longing" from the album was already nominated, so there's precedent.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

If you'd actually read my earlier post, you'd have seen that I didn't object to any of the more obscure Mega Man gaidens, just main classic/GB/X series entries.

Despite it being a total waste of my time, I read it in its' entirety...What's your point? You were the one that raised the stink that nominating from a familiar series would "open the gates" for more people to follow, so doesn't nominating from the Mana series indicate the same thing?

Originally Posted by You, from last week's SOTW thread

The one thing that would worry me is making Crash's track a precedent for getting widely-known tracks from the series snuck into SotW thanks to people seeing the "MM5" tag and nothing else.

Just pointing out a glaring discrepency. I could easily argue that it's not obscure enough based on association (much like you did), but I know better because it didn't exactly light the world on fire upon release. I don't care if anyone else objects to the pick and I won't demand a validation poll or anything, but you can't raise a stink about "Megaman" and then turn around and come back with "Mana" without drawing an eyebrow.

And it's worth pointing out that quite a few of those MM entries you just mentioned that you would oppose haven't gotten soundtrack releases and Children of Mana (along with every Mana game ever released) did and one (Rockman and Forte) wasn't even released in the US until long after the series' flame died out (on the GBA). And when was the last serious Megaman V GB discussion you remember?

Quote:

In addition, the track "Longing" from the album was already nominated, so there's precedent.

I assume whoever nominated it didn't openly object to another series based solely on namebrand the week before doing it. Unless you were the one who nominated it...in which case, I'll stand corrected.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

3 points - Oxyd (Atari ST Game Rip) - Title
Far and away the greatest thing this week. One of my favorite individual tracks in weeks, actually. I'm even giving it more points than my nom.

2 points - Cotton 2 ~Magical Night Dreams~ - The Castle in the Sky
Nom bias points blah blah but I've always enjoyed this track.

1 point - SILENT SCOPE TRILOGY Original Soundtrack - THE FLY -Valley-
Haha, this is Jimmy Weckl all right. A little hectic, but more exciting than the rest of the week.

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

About the previous Children of Mana nom: it was nominated by KyleDunamis (95% sure) and voted on an SotW year ago (Week 57). When he nominated it, there was no OST for CoM and the game was not released outside of Japan; he ripped the song from the game himself (and titled it "Town of Mana"). Weigh that as you will.

Most amazing jew boots

Alphabet Planet was a nice pleasant listen, but the song doesn't go anywhere. I still liked it though, so I'll score it.

Castle in the Sky was just a bit unexciting and the synth kind of droned in my ears. Barely missed a point.

If it dies rather was my fave. Started a bit like the previous track, but long enough to forget about that. I love trance, and since I don't think I've ever heard trance in a game (aside from DDR and maybe Rez), I'm thoroughly shocked.

Stage 2 starts off kinda messy, and the sound quality is a bit poor. I expect this with older stuff, but still. But at least it's rock.

Oxyd starts out horribly monotonous, which makes me not want to listen to the rest of it, which is tolerable.

The Silent Scope track isn't great at all. Dunno why it was nominated. Too random. All over the place. It works for in game, but to listen to it outside is...meh. The next track isn't exciting either. The Ultima track is a fun little listen though. I gave it a point.

3 points Faraway Moon - if it dies rather -short.rm-
2 points Alphabet Planet - 1 plus 1 equal 1
1 point Ultima Online (Game Rip) - The Journey (Outtake)

My first nomination, so I'm not sure what pushes the envelope and what doesn't. But I'm sure this will be safe.

Album: Climax Landers Original Soundtrack
Composed By: Hiroshi Kondo, Yasutaka Hatade, Michihiro Nomura, & Chamy
Catalog Number: MJCA-00053
Track: Lao's Theme
Track: 40
Disc: 1
Released On: August 18, 1999
Source(s): gmronline.com

I was speaking idiomatically.

~2 Cookies~ :: How do I math?
~2 Cookies~ :: If it dies rather -short.rm- : not in-game, arrangement, sir
~1 Cookie~ :: Oxyd (Atari ST Game Rip) - Title
~1 Cookie~ :: Ultima Online (Game Rip) - The Journey (Outtake)
~Nearly reached the Cookie~ :: Stage 02

Nom Nom:
Artist: Maybe
Track Title: Next Week

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

What's your point? You were the one that raised the stink that nominating from a familiar series would "open the gates" for more people to follow, so doesn't nominating from the Mana series indicate the same thing?

I said that might be the only possible concern. Judging from people's responses, it's not anything to be worried about. That bit about being a prophet was just a joke.

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

And it's worth pointing out that quite a few of those MM entries you just mentioned that you would oppose haven't gotten soundtrack releases and Children of Mana (along with every Mana game ever released) did and one (Rockman and Forte) wasn't even released in the US until long after the series' flame died out (on the GBA). And when was the last serious Megaman V GB discussion you remember?.

I don't see how the popularity of a game and an official release (or lack thereof) are related. I said that I'd oppose the GB series because I'm very familiar with it; if it turns out I'm the only one, then my opposition doesn't mean much and the thing will work itself out.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

I don't see how the popularity of a game and an official release (or lack thereof) are related.

A: No one plays the game because the game either isn't released in US or no one cares about the game because its' low-profile and/or terrible.

+

B: No official release, ensuring limited exposure to game's music. And even then, people might not care about the music.

=

You can't really call the game's music "well-known", despite any pedigree it may have. Hence, it is "not popular". Which is where the latter classic Megamans would fall into (especially 8 and Rockman/Forte and V on the GB)

Quote:

I said that I'd oppose the GB series because I'm very familiar with it; if it turns out I'm the only one, then my opposition doesn't mean much and the thing will work itself out.

I take it you're also familiar with the Mana series (in fact, I KNOW you're familiar with the Mana series). How does MM qualify for "too popular" and the Mana series not?

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

No one plays the game because the game either isn't released in US or no one cares about the game because its' low-profile and/or terrible.

There are plenty of counterexamples; Beyond Good and Evil, for instance. But it's a completely incidental issue; people can become familiar with a game's music by playing it, whether there's an OST or even a rip (BG&E is again a good example).

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

I take it you're also familiar with the Mana series (in fact, I KNOW you're familiar with the Mana series). How does MM qualify for "too popular" and the Mana series not?

As I said before, I think that the main series should be off-limits but gaidens are fine. Children of Mana (which I have never played) is a gaiden, not part of the main series, as is MM X Command Mission and the other MM tracks that have been put up for SoTW. Therefore, they're eligible as far as I'm concerned.

You obviously disagree; fine. If the issue ever comes up, our votes will cancel each other out and everyone else will decide what's eligible. Let's leave it at that.

Jam it back in, in the dark.