[SotW] Song of the Week: WEEK 121 Voting/WEEK 122 Nominating

Next nomination:

Album: Real Bout Garou Densetsu 2 Arrange Sound Trax
Song Title: Get the Sky ~ With Your Dream (Alfred)
Track Number: 6
Year: 1998
Catalog Number: PCCB-00316
Source: GMR Online

Jam it back in, in the dark.

ABSOLUTE AREA -project THUNDER FORCE VI- - NIGHT SWEEPER: I don't think the body of this song is quite as smooth and seductive as its intro but it's entrancing enough. The tone is almost paradoxical; it's calm and collected, yet there moments of passionate intensity. I would've liked for the development to keep to the strong R&B precedent set by the intro, as I was deeply enjoying the sultriness. The warm electric guitar and soft organ pads somewhat make up for this, however.

G-Darius Future Perfect - Adam #2: This didn't really pique my interest until 1:42 when it took a more aggressive turn. It's not really something I'd listen to constantly but Adam #2 isn't without merit. For once, I'm not bothered at all by the dark tone of a nomination. I guess this is due to the strengths of the drums and the willingness of the composer to mix things around frequently. The drum solo at the end was a fantastic touch.

Mega Man Network Transmission (Game Rip) - GravityMan's Stage (Abnormal Gravity Area): I think this track represents what I've grown to dislike about the Mega Man series' music: the increasingly mediocrity. While it's not horrible, it collectively lacks the panache and memorability of the earliest compositions. The only moments of this track that stood out were the elements that were taken directly from the original Gravity Man Stage music; the rest is a mish-mash of overworked techno.

Quilt Original Soundtrack - Into the Yonder Blue Sky -from Greensleeves- (karaoke ver.): I've always been a sucker for lilting melodies with a strong ethnic polish. The Celtic vibe here is lush and vibrant without being a stereotypical entrant in its sub-genre. I don't mind the vocal backgrounds as they function more as instruments and not as an unintelligible lead. I discovered this track back in August and it hasn't left my rotation since. The reasons why should be obvious.

Super Monkey Ball 2 (Game Rip) - Billiards 2 BGM: I don't have many criticisms or praises for this one. It hasn't any glaring faults, yet neither did it cause me to sit up and pay particular notice. I'm planning to keep it, just the same, because I do like the harmonicas, but it's still overshadowed by stronger competition this week. Where was this track during Week 73?

Terminal Velocity (Game Rip) - Tame: I kept waiting for this to go somewhere. Nope, that ticket was for a bus that doesn't exist. This sounds like one of those ubiquitous "waiting around in a dimly lit corridor within the enemy's technological fortress" tracks, the kind that are there for mood only and are otherwise disposable.

The Golden Compass (Game Rip) - Jordan College: Full orchestral pieces need to be very special to capture my enthusiasm. In most cases, they're from movies-cum-video game, and I'm given toward thinking of them as being merely bastardized excerpts from an existent, non-VGM soundtrack. It removes any luster the track may have for me; the joy of discovery is gone and all I'm left with is a sample of the closing credits score from a movie I didn't care to see. And that brings us to 'The Golden Compass'...

The King of Fighters '97 Arrange Sound Trax - Rhythmic Hallucination (Mid Boss Stage): King of Fighters Arranged Nomination #472!! Much like the music from Guilty Gear, I expect a certain style with KoF, and boy, they never deviate. I heard this nomination once before and found that it left me with very mixed feelings. The percussion layer is great but the guitars came right from the cannery. The angelic choirs were strange and kind of dull until the awesome drums returned (along with the crappy guitars). And I hated that droning flatline part. How fucking annoying! I'll admit that this piece tries a lot harder than most KoF entrants but that only shows me what it could've been with some better sampling and more careful attention to arrangement. They laid out a solid foundation but didn't reach for the sky.


Ouch! Pointy!

3 Points: Quilt Original Soundtrack - Into the Yonder Blue Sky -from Greensleeves- (karaoke ver.)
2 Points: ABSOLUTE AREA -project THUNDER FORCE VI- - NIGHT SWEEPER
1 Point: G-Darius Future Perfect - Adam #2


This was an average week. Fortunately, those that got points were very pleasing to me.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I'm cool with it, as I've never even heard about the game until now.

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