Song of the Week - WEEK 55 Voting/WEEK 56 Nominating

(3 points) All Over Xanadu - The Resurrection of Dragon
This nomination was meant to give you all a taste from one of the first arranged vgm albums ever released. As chuck mentioned, it was from 1987 which is why it has such a retro feel. I believe it was the first arranged album released by Falcom so you might say it helped to kick start their craze of arranged soundtracks to follow. The intro gives you the impression you're in for some kind of intense boss theme but it catches you off-guard by the switch over to a more upbeat tune with a great melody containing rock and orchestral elements. It's not overly complex but who needs that when you've got such a great tune?

(2 points) Battle Arena Toshinden 4 (Game Rip) - Track 21
Good synth melody with a nice piano solo in the middle. I liked the variety in the last minute which kept things from being too repetitive.

(1 point) Raystorm Neu Tanz Mix - Aquarium
A relaxing tune with a soothing melody which gets repeated over and over with minor variations through each iteration. The chanting was a bit of an odd addition but I thought the other sound effects were appropriate. I've got the video rip (from slightlydark) of Zuntata performing this track live during their 1997 concert so if anyone is interested, I can upload it though I must say their performance of this track was quite under whelming...they just stood there nonchalantly playing their instruments with blank looks on their faces.

The rest...

Lode Runner - The Legend Returns (Red Book Audio) - Abandoned Mines ~ Music
Nice rhythm with the layers of percussion but the melody is just average and doesn't have much variety in it. Still an enjoyable track to chill out to.

Metal Gear - Solid Snake Music Compilation of Hideo Kojima - Red Disc - Sneaking Mission
It took a while for this one to get going and when it did, it was a bit of a mess with the seemingly random guitar solos. I usually enjoy guitar solos but not when they're as erratic as they are in this track. The melody is almost non-existent and the electronic synth in the background is too overbearing. Despite all it's flaws, it's still listenable.

Tales of Legendia Original Soundtrack - Tomorrow Will Surely Be Sunny
The melody in this track is ok but it gets repeated way too many times with little variation. I did like the clarinet passages though.

The Sims 2 (PC Game Rip) - CAS
Sounds like this is a combination of the major themes from the game rolled into one track. All parts were easy to listen to and would fit well into a game like The Sims but I just couldn't get over the "background music" feel these tunes evoked. The tunes are decent enough to warrant playing but unremarkable enough to actually pay a whole lot of attention to which makes this track perfect for when you want to do something else like folding laundry.

Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None (Game Rip) - walkingaround01
The instant this track started up, I know it wasn't going to get much love from me or most others. I've read the novel this game was based on and I can picture a track like this playing while wandering about the mansion but it's not something I want to hear popping up in my playlist.

Jam it back in, in the dark.