Song of the Week - WEEK 87 Voting/WEEK 88 Nominating

Originally Posted by arch_slayer

I'm surprised that no ones actually nominated any of the songs from either the asian or celtic albums from Genso Suikoden. They're some amazing themes that I've enjoyed for a long time.

I can only nominate one track at a time. But yes, I've held a track from that same album in reserve for nomination. I've never been sure how well it'd go over, though, so other tracks always seem to supercede it in priority.

Surprisingly, the one you picked is one I never considered for nomination. Different strokes, different folks, I guess.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

This week was pretty cool. Lots of synth nominations, it seemed.

Kameo: Elements of Power (Game Rip) - Trainer Cave: Somewhere between the usual tribal rhythms and standard oriental melodies lies this track. This is the sort of nomination that screams "safe", as it manages to be predictable while still possessing no glaring flaws. I can't say I was awed by "Trainer Cave" but it was still enjoyable.

Madara Mouryousenki - Ones of Serenity (Town Theme): The beginning is rather uninspired, having that standard "sleepy town" vibe that's found in pretty much every B-list RPG in history. But the tempo picks up and some better synths come in to improve it a little. These aren't quite enough to avoid that "cookie-cutter" feeling, however. A little less predictability would work here.

Namco Game Sound Express 2 - Burning Force - Sarinuka Sands (2nd Day): This one sounds like just about every other "filler" track I've ever heard in the arcades. Nothing distinctive to it, really. Sorry, but it's rather forgettable.

Nekketsu Oyako (Sega Saturn Red Book Audio) - Mega Tokyo 2064 - Outer City Road: There's a slight "MegamanX" flow in this one. Could be the metallic-sounding guitars and reverbed synthy-bits, likely. It's an okay track, standing out slightly more "Sarinuka Sands", though not a whole lot more.

Out Run Europa - Main Theme: I had high hopes for this track, since Jeroen Tel is usually dependable. Unfortunately, the new-wave sound sampling is more annoying than anything else, especially in mono. If the title didn't indicate otherwise, I'd think that was a poorly recorded and unreleased track from an "Earthworm Jim" game. I'm as nostalgic as anyone but the erratic nature of all those sampling hits overwhelms the melody too much for me to really get into this piece.

Project Sylpheed Original Soundtrack - Operation Nebula Blaze: Yeah, this is pretty much the 300 lb. gorilla of Week 87. I downloaded this album one day before arch_slayer nominated this track and had only just become acquainted with its awesomeness. Had he not picked it, I surely would've done so myself soon. I came into this week knowing that "Operation Nebula Blaze" would be the track to beat, and so far, it still is. Great nomination.

Ridge Racer 64 (Game Rip) - Cruise Control: Somewhat lacking in the forward melody department, but the meat and bones of the track - it's ambience - is pretty good. Sometimes I can appreciate that mechanical, industrial vibe and it works here. Pretty decent.

Sega Simulation Best ~Advanced Daisenryaku Original Soundtrack~ - Opening: Okay, that synth-vocal at 2:00 is freakin' weird. Kinda threw me off. In the end, this track is merely okay. It doesn't do anything wrong but it didn't particularly excite me either.

Guess I'll throw down some points:

3 Points: Project Sylpheed Original Soundtrack - Operation Nebula Blaze
2 Points: Ridge Racer 64 (Game Rip) - Cruise Control
1 Point: Kameo: Elements of Power (Game Rip) - Trainer Cave

Operation Nebula Blaze is, hands down, the best track this week, in my opinion. I was hoping something could compete on its level, but it was a difficult mountain to overcome. But if it wins, and it should, it'd be a well-deserved victory.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Drakken

No one appreciates greatness.

Anyway...there's a song from Atelier Iris Eternal Mana 2 that I've wanted to nominate for awhile. What do people think about that? Has the Atelier series reached its limit here, or would an AIEM 2 nom still be OK?

I, myself, was considering a nom from an AI game and it had never once crossed my mind that the series, as a whole, had been overexposed. There's plenty of work to be heard within its breadth, so I say to go for it.

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

Originally Posted by Drakken

Ugh. Most boring SotW winner in a long time. Gave me a "WHAT THE HECK THAT WON?" feeling.

I voted for Cruise Control, but noted its lack of surface melody. It was good ambience and not much else. "Operation Nebula Blaze" and "Trainer Cave" had much better variations and I'm disappointed that both were snubbed. I sincerely believed that the Project Sylpheed track had the goods to go all the way.

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Ones of Serenity and Mega Tokyo 2004 are at least decent, though still nothing really special.

I dislike picking on the winners, because everyone who nominates deserves a chance to enjoy victory. However, I do agree that the silver and bronze finishers are pretty lackluster this week. I love seeing new faces in SotW, but sometimes I wonder if a few of them have any sense of musical adventure. It does seem as though there's been a predilection toward "average" tracks earning medals lately.

I know there's some really amazing stuff out there (because I'm sitting on a pile of twenty or more future nominations, and this list is always repleneshing itself), so you'll never convince me that we've mined out all that there is to be heard. I want to hear good music. Not "good enough" music.

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I'm disappointed that more people didn't like Out Run Europa's Theme. I genuinely thought it had a good chance of taking 1st, as I think it's the coolest song to grace SotW in quite some time.

It wasn't a bad track, and I still like Jeroen Tel's work as a whole. I just found the sampling hits to be a bit too much. If Tel had focused less upon the idiosyncracies and more upon crafting the underlying melody that bound it all together, it would've been a stronger piece, IMO.

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

Originally Posted by Darkcomet72

Whereas NATF-4 sounds like pure action music, Operation Nebula Blaze sounds like an ending theme/final cutscene with an action packed beat.

What, per se, is wrong with ending themes that have strong melodies and beats? Is it bad to be triumphant?

I was speaking idiomatically.