Song of the Week - WEEK 82 Voting/WEEK 83 Nominating

Happy New Year, everyone. Great way to start 2007 with a selection of great songs this week. Since I can find the time now, think I better start getting those votes in. But this is admittedly a really tough week...

(2 points) The Elder Scrolls - Daggerfall (PC Game Rip) - Winter 1
I was kind of hyped about this RPG when it came out, after being wowed by an hour or two of the first game in the series, Arena. But Daggerfall's labyrinthine, multi-level, trap-filled dungeons were such a turn-off I sort of gave up on the game. :P However, one thing I did enjoy was the in-game music. "Winter1" is an arrangement of the main theme you hear in Arena (easily one of my favourite pieces of game music). It has a great melody with a strong quality of adventure. This particualr arrangement manages to incorporate the usual winter trappings in an admirably coherent and effective way. The second half with the strong string lines especially bring to mind strong, bitterly cold winds beating on a lone adventurer trudging through the streets of a grimey walled town. Fantastic.

(1 point) Mushihimesama Original Sound Track - Shinju Heading to the Forest - Stage 1 Arranged
And when I just thought this week couldn't get any tougher along comes Mushihimesama... This particular arrangement is somewhat less synthy than the original but retains the same infectious quality, thanks to an incredibly catchy, uplifting melody. Very, very nice.

(1 point) Gauntlet - Seven Sorrows (Game Rip) - Unknown 14
I always thought the music (at least a number of selections) was one of the saving graces of this particularly disappointing Gauntlet instalment and this track is certainly one of the better ones. It's a very beautiful and haunting choral piece that sends the occasional shiver down the spine. The music box bits are suitably eerie and full of disqueitude. Great pity this track didn't appear to be used in the game.

(1 point) Ape Escape 3 (Game Rip) - Wintersville
Oh, another winter song. Very neat. I like the nice mix of instruments used in this piece. The lovely flute/wind melody worked very well with the pleasant guitar strums, and the techno-ish beats add some interesting variety to the song.

(1 point) Let's Make a Pro Baseball Team! ~ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK~ - Forty Year Plan, are you finished
This is one prettty nifty song. The trumpets, saxophone and piano solos are a real treat and, further more, work surprisingly well together. Much credit to the really groovy percussion.

And the rest...

Rudra no Hihou (Game Rip) - Strange Encounter
I really quite like the upbeat quality of this track, thanks to some great percussion. I imagine this to be a battle theme? The melody is appropriately purposeful and urgent. Very close to getting a point.

Space Invaders '91 (Game Rip) - Rounds 2, 11, 14
Interesting chip-tune. It has some really cool sections though I always hoped that it could go a step further like developing the bit from 0:52 to 0:57.

Gyakuten Saiban Orchestra Album ~GYAKUTEN MEETS ORCHESTRA~ - Oo-edo Soldier Tonosaman
To be honest, this is a pretty good song. It has a nice Japanese 80s quality to it and develops very nicely. But I must admit it's not quite as infectious and dramatic as I'd hoped given the strong competition this week. Still, it's definitely a song I'd likely give points to in other weeks.

Feeling a bit nostalgic so I'm going with another old PC RPG nomination (I really should get down to playing Ultima IV, V and VI someday ):

* Album Title: Ultima VI: The False Prophet (Game Rip)
* Artist: Kenneth W. Arnold, Todd Mitchell Porter, Herman Miller, David R. Watson & Kathleen Jones
* Track Title: Bootup
* Source: http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/ul...rophet/credits; http://www.grandgent.com/tom/ultima/
* Disc Number: NA
* Track Number: NA
* Catalogue Number: NA
* Year: 1990
* Note: This track was rendered using the Roland SCC-1 sound card.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Drakken

PUnknown 14 - 2 pts. - My nom. A beautifully haunting piece done by Alexander Brandon. I'm not used to this style from him (I know him from Jazz Jackrabbit 2 and Tyrian mainly), but then again, I haven't heard most of his recent work. I still have to check out Unreal and Deus Ex, believe it or not.

Drakken, do you happen to know the composer breakdown for the Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows game rip? I'd be very interested to know who did what tracks. :P

There's nowhere I can't reach.