Song of the Week - WEEK 61 Voting/WEEK 62 Nominating

(2 points) Princess Banenn (Game Rip) - Music 04
Uh, no, it's NOT Japanese (big hint, orion). Nor is it Chinese but that's probably more accurate than Japanese. Actually, I'm not exactly sure what language the vocalist is singing in. :P But based on the game's context and country of origin, I think the vocals are done in a Taiwanese aboriginal tongue, probably something along the lines of the Alishan folk and what Enigma borrowed in "The Return to Innocence." I haven't played the game but according to stuff I read on the game's English website (I take no responsibility for bad grammer) and some Chinese gaming sites, the game is an RPG based on a Taiwanese aboriginal legend. Game notes strongly suggest that it's a love story of some sort that I think was quite tragic at some points. Which fits the mood of "Music 04," really. The folklorish vocals are very endearing and have that far away quality that typifies a lot of Taiwanese drama serials about lovers that could never be (at least at some point in the serial :P). But the real star of the piece is the piano. It's so beautiful and haunting that I never ever realise the track is 5 minutes long. Wonder if the game shop I used to frequent still has a copy of the game...

(2 points) Dark Savior (Game Rip) - First Parallel Theme
This is kind of like that other track from some weeks back... Can't remember the name but it has the same feel and mood I liked a lot. Very... 80s/early 90s. Now that I think about it, this track also makes me feel kind of old... urgh. But I still love it.

(1 point) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Master System Game Rip) - Scrambled Egg Zone
This is one very neat tune. Catchy melody and all, with good driving beats, I can't help but think it's like a Mega Man track in some respects.

(1 point) Beyond Good & Evil (Game Rip) - Fight Part 1
Nice choral work, ominous evil overlord-type anthem and all. A few bits almost remind me of stuff from a Tim Burton film for some reason. Would have liked more soaring techno-opera, though.

And the rest...

Super Monkey Ball 2 (Game Rip) - Staff Roll
Pretty cool track and great for easy listening. Very enjoyable groove there but I did think it could have done a bit more. In any case, it just missed on a point.

Thunder Force II (Game Rip) - Irrevocable Dream (Stage 5)
I rather like this one. It doesn't just end like most tracks of its ilk but actually evolves in small steps. Would have gotten a point from me in other weeks.

Arc Hound (Game Rip) - Stage 5
Would have been great if "Stage 5" was developed a bit more because I thought it was promising. It ends just when I was hoping for more.

Leisure Suit Larry - Love for Sail! (Red Book Audio) - The Larry Theme
Another track I'd have awarded points in another week. I can almost imagine Larry sauntering lazily about and being full of himself with this easy-going piece. Then again, I've never played the game, so...

Seriously, I wish I could give out more points.

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I'm guessing the somewhat poor attendance this week could be attributed to the EVENT of the year where most women suddenly find themselves very lonely whilst the men folk become enraptured with the invention called the television and start chanting the sacred war cry of OLE OLE OLE OLE... Could be wrong.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Er, you're not serious, right? The point tallies are really, really low in general, and I was expecting Princess Banenn to be totally trashed this week... Do SotW staff members want to consider having a minimum number of votes in before closing voting when the dateline's up to prevent misrepresentation of voters in the future? Or have particpants vote from scratch for Week 61? I'm now a bit worried that with the BSC AND World Cup, we might see even fewer votes in the coming weeks and witness history repeating itself.

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