Song of the Week - WEEK 97 Voting/WEEK 98 Nominating

NOTICE: VOITING EXTENDED ONE WEEK DUE TO BSC
Week 97 Voting is closed.
Week 98 Nominating is closed.

Week 97 Voting
The rules for voting can be found here.

Tracks (links):
Black Belt (SMS Game Rip) - Boss
Carnage Heart Portable Original Sound Track - Moonwalk (BATTLE BGM5)
Kameo - Elements of Power (Game Rip) - Chillin' in the Trainer's Hut
Lennus ~ Memory of the Ancient Machine Original Album - Chiezuni and Midia
Love Escalator Original Soundtrack - Rocket punch
Melty Lancer Original Soundtrack - Charge
SUDEKI Original Soundtrack - New Brightwater
Within a Deep Forest (Game Rip) - Diamond Meditation

Tracks (streaming):
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: - Boss
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: - Moonwalk (BATTLE BGM5)
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: - Chillin' in the Trainer's Hut
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: - Chiezuni and Midia
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: - Rocket punch
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: - Charge
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: - New Brightwater
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: - Diamond Meditation

Notes:
If you are a member at more than one of the forums which this event is being held at, please nominate and vote in only ONE of the forums. You may, however, comment in the threads at any of the other forums.

Week 98 Nominating
The Nominations Queue can be found here.
The rules for nominating can be found here.

Here is the link to the corresponding thread in the other forum:
- Soundtrack Central

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by CHz

Dragon God changed his mind and is now going seriously retro.

• Artist: Yellow Magic Orchestra
• Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto
• Album/Game Title: Solid State Survivor
• Track Title: Technopolis
• Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
• Track Number: 1
• Catalog Number: ALCA-288
• Year: 1979
• Additional Information: Ryuichi Sakamoto composed the game L.O.L. Lack of Love. (All three members of YMO have VGM credits, actually. )
• Sources: http://www.discog.info/YMO-discog.html

Originally Posted by orion_mk3

I think that that nomination is really stretching it, to be honest. Yes, Sakamoto wrote that game, and contributed a title track recently, but a piece from 1979, before games even had music to speak of?

I might as well nominate something from Danny Elfman's Serenada Schizophrana. Oh, he wrote one track for a video game, so it's in! Nevermind that it has absolutely nothing to do with VGM, and couldn't pass for anything other than a concert piece, but the rules allow it!

I might as well past this in so it doesn't get lost with the change of voting weeks. If no one agrees, I will nominate "I Forget" or "Quadruped Patrol" from Serenade Schizophrana in protest

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by CHz

Seeing as he has composed a grand total of one VGM track, the main theme to Fable, I submit that Danny Elfman's quantity of scores composed seems lacking.

I wouldn't really nominate that except to make a point. But you have to admit that, under the current rules, it would be technically eligible. And I'd definitely put Sakamoto in the same boat as far as quantity of scores, seeng as his contributions were few and widely spaced.

Originally Posted by CHz

I do get your point, though. Do you have any ideas for general solutions besides outright banning all original compositions*? One thing I've tossed around in my head a couple of times is that only original tracks written after the first VGM composition would be eligible; after all, the person certainly wasn't a VGM composer before that, were they? However, that criterion has always struck me as being arbitrary for some reason that I just can't place my finger on.

I don't know if I'd ban original tracks altogether, but you're right in noting that's another discussion. I would submit that, in general, original tracks should be made during or after a composer's VGM career, or should be directly linked to it in some way.

I also think that the quantity of scores someone has composed is an issue. Sakamoto composed one OST and one main theme, but that technically makes his considerable output as a solo artist eligible, when I think most people would agree that he only moonlights in VGM and rarely at that.

Perhaps a rule change isn't even in order--if people speak up when something this far out of bounds comes up, that is. Letting a single track or a single OST make solo works by an artist who isn't primarily a VGM composer eligible seems counter to the spirit of SoTW, after all.

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

Originally Posted by CHz

That's just a quibble, though, because the point still stands that, out of his sizable discography, the fact that he only has two major and two minor VGM credits compared with eighty-four albums means that maybe the guy's just a composer who ocasionally writes VGM music instead of a VGM composer proper.

Precisely. And I have a very hard time seeing a piece of independant electronica fron 1979 fitting in with the spirit of SoTW. The distance between the song and the dawn of VGM proper, coupled with the small number of tracks (mostly opening and ending themes) makes the connection to VGM tenuous at best.

Originally Posted by CHz

What do you mean by linked? Something like the composer arranged one of his earlier original works for a game, and you want to nominate the original piece?

By "linked" I was thinking of things like demos, rejected tracks, and whatnot, though I suppose a composer arranging an earlier work for the game would be reasonable within limits.

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

Originally Posted by Dragon God

Guess what ?

YMO influenced more than HALF of all major composers in the scene today. This was a catalyst to the VGM boom. When you hear the piece, you'll tunderstand.

That may be so, but I'm still not convinced. Star Wars influenced VGM too, as did The Beatles, but neither the "Imperial March" nor "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is appropriate for SoTW.

If you really want to show the track's influence on VGM, why not nominate something it influenced?

I was speaking idiomatically.

I think that GFF's been back long enough that I can start posting my points here again, though I think I will mirror the comments at STC to give the thread a bump.

Black Belt (SMS Game Rip) - Boss A cute bit of synthery with a nice melody. Not much aside from that can be said for it, other than it's a solid selection and I enjoyed it.

Carnage Heart Portable Original Sound Track - Moonwalk (BATTLE BGM5) If I had to characterize this track, I'd call it electro-funk or something of that ilk. There are some nice bass lixx and a decent melodic component, although the melody is completely buried by the bass (to the extent you can barely make it out). The forefronting of the rhythmic part of the track (a very poor mixing decision) brings the most repetitive part of the track to the fore.

Kameo - Elements of Power (Game Rip) - Chillin' in the Trainer's Hut I have nominated no less than two selections from the game, so if this places I will be both pleased and bitterly disappointed. The song is attractive, if a little sparse, and is a decent representative of the (terrific) OST's softer side.

Lennus ~ Memory of the Ancient Machine Original Album - Chiezuni and Midia My nomination. I've held off on it for a long time, as medley tracks tend not to do well in SoTW (and I wasn't sure if I should nominate the battle medley instead). Still there are only two themes represented here after a brief opening stinger--the game's gentle "love theme" and its soaring "ariship theme." The love theme is pleasant and melodic, but the airship theme is the real highlight--airy piano combined with swirling strings and new-age effects. A good representative of a terribly underrated OST.

Love Escalator Original Soundtrack - Rocket punch Another chippy selection, this one emphasizing jagged rhythm. Pleasant enough, but at its best when the melody takes center stage.

Melty Lancer Original Soundtrack - Charge They must be charging to the Barcalounger to melt some ice in highball glasses. This is the sort of laid-back funk that passes smoothly but leaves little impression on me.

SUDEKI Original Soundtrack - New Brightwater Another laid-back track, this one going for a new-age sound. I like the overall effect (especially the acoustic guitar, whore that I am), but nothing about the tune signalled it as anything other than easy listening.

Within a Deep Forest (Game Rip) - Diamond Meditation I think this can safely be classified as quirky, and it appears to incorporate a person saying "meow." It's a pleasant bit o'synth that does exactly what it sets out to do.

A nice week, overall. I hope we get some more voters, or we might have to delay the point count for a week, what with the BSC and all. I think I will be the first voter to put the shotgun away, though.

The Point Spread
Chezni and Midia - 3 pts.
Chillin' in the Trainer's Hut - 2 pts.
Black Belt Boss - 1 pt.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I don't know--CHz is the man what closes the votes. I'd say vote anyway and revise later if it stays open.

How ya doing, buddy?

NOTICE: VOITING EXTENDED ONE WEEK DUE TO BSC

And I'd like to put in a nomination:

Artist Tobias Enhus
Album/Game Spider-Man 3 (gamerip)
Track Title MJ Thrill Ride
Track Number n/a
Year 2007
Additional Info I may or may not decide to loop the song. Either way, I will upload it to the server personally.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?