Song of the Week - WEEK 60 Voting/WEEK 61 Nominating

Bionic Commando (NES Game Rip) - Area 5 Area 5? Must be another Darkcomet nomination. Nice old-school sound on this one, but it's a little dull. Reminds me of Mega Man (of course)--the Wily Stage 2 tracks, that is, the ones that are always more subdued and less melodic than the hyper-popular Stage 1's.

Delicious Selection / Gamadelic - The Sword of Delight (taken from CD: Dark Seal) Chalk this one up as "most disappointing." A nice sinister intro, good bouncy synth, all ruined by horrible singing and talking. If the caterwauling could only be removed, this track would definitely be in contention.

Kagero ~ Deception 2 Original Soundtrack - The World is falling into Ruin Moody piano and synth strings. It does what it sets out to do--create a dour mood--but little else. I can't help but feel that a little more on the composer's part might have produced a melancholy masterpiece.

Mr. Driller Sound Tracks - Balance I might have heard this one earlier; it sure sounds familiar. The violin is excellent, the guitar less so. Some nice melodic action, but also some rather nasty interludes. I guess you could call that a balance of sorts...

Street Fighter EX -Arrange Sound Trax- - Strange sunset I guess I must have an anti-Street Fighter bias, since the songs never seem to do much for me. There's a decent psuedo-melodic part in the middle, but the rest is essentially lounge jazz with heavy improvisation--elevator music. Street fights must be a lot more laid back than I remember...

The Music From and Inspired by Gran Turismo 4 - Machine Gun (Gran Turismo 4 Pop Rox Remix) There's a catchy rhythm here, but a lot of distracting stuff as well--the sampled vocals, SFX, and wakka-wakka all detract from the package. I can see what the artist was going for, but if you don't like the ingredients, chances are you won't like the sandwich.

Treasure Hunter G Original Soundtrack - Emperor of Balladry Ah, Treasure Hunter G, the Game of 1000 Composers. I'm not sure which of them did this one (I seem to remember that John Pee did the most), but it is one of the more traditional and straightforward tracks this week, not to mention being lovely and understated. I only wish it were longer and/or looped.

Wonder Project J2 (Game Rip) - Josette of the Colro Forest Sounds like SNES synth to me, somehting that's been surprisingly rare in SoTW. Another traditional-type track, this one has some pleasant variation to go along with a nice melody even if it does sound a little familiar at times.

A lot of the tracks this week were "gimmick-based"--they incorporated a certain musical idea as their defining characteristic. If you like that idea, the track is destined for your iPod. If not, the trash.

The Point Spread
3 pts. - Emperor of Barbzerdry
2 pts. - Josie of the Colon Forceps
1 pt. - The World Is Falling Into Ruin And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
Just missed - Mr. Drillbit

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Djinova

It's been two years almost and I don't think this change will hurt any of SOTW premises, or driving it away from its unique route. Care to risk a thought?

Okay, but you asked for it! A few concerns:

1. If a doujin arrangement exists, why not simply nominate the original song?

2. Aren't many doujin rearrangements of tracks that would be considered too popular for SoTW (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, etc.)?

3. Isn't the difference between OCRemix/VGMix and "doujin" simply semantics? After all, the OneUps could be considered "doujin." A catalog number doesn't seem like it's a magic solution--heck, bootleg CD's have their own catalog numbers even if there's no catalog! If anything, Djinova's definition gives preference to Japanese remixers when they and their western counterparts are engaged in the same business.

4. By broadening the definition of "VGM" still further, aren't we getting away from what the SoTW concept is all about? After all, if doujin were allowed, works would show up that weren't produced by VGM composers or anyone involved in the industry. If a song were sufficiently different from the original to merit consideration, it would essentially be an original work by a non-VGM composer that was only "inspired" by VGM.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Djinova

It’s for the same reason a lot of people nominate arranged songs. They prefer the arrangement over the original.

Fair enough, though by nominating an original obscure track, rather than a doujin remix, you could get a track similar to the one you want to nominate into SoTW without changing the rules.

Originally Posted by Djinova

No, that’s what I am trying to explain to you. There are really obscure works featuring music from obscure games, not only Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest and the Moon and what not…

Such as? I think some examples are in order.

Originally Posted by Djinova

Not it’s not simply semantics. “doujin” is not a site and doujin is not free. Actually, “doujin” is used very loosely, but it often only means that the production quality and quantity are not high, but I am talking about the exceptions here.

Well, the stuff from the OneUps isn't free either--they sell CD's (even if they're on hyper-sale right now). Most importantly: who decides what's "quality" doujin and what's not? Simply limiting the selection to works offered for sale doesn't address quality issues.

Originally Posted by Djinova

What kind of industry are you talking about? Nominations are allowed already, when a composer touches his hands on one track in a game, all his past and future nominations. Gracefully, people are not exaggerating there. But there have been quite a few tracks, I personally would not regard as VGM, but then we’d come to the question of what VGM is and should be… and I dare not dictate this. Non-VGM-Composer’s work with inspiration from VGM is admittedly half the truth of VGM, but so is Non-VGM-work by VGM-composer. Why even lie, more than half of the best tracks from SOTW have come from arrangements of some sort..

I mean the VGM industry, of course. The "non-VGM by VGM composers" rule has been bent quite a bit, you're right. But why open the door for further abuse by loosening the rules even more? I'd actually like to see them tightened.

I'm opposed to the idea of doujin in SoTW mainly because it would further muddle the rules and create a lot of headaches out of proportion to the benefit. I don't doubt that you'd be scrupulous in screening your doujin, but others may not be. There are tons of tracks I'd like to bring in SoTW that aren't allowed by the rules, so I sympathize, but I can't see the inclusion of fanmade works as a good idea.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Djinova

Hey you see, I would agree to shut the door completely as well. But I honestly don't think this is a suitable option after all this event has been through. Also, sorry about the last EDIT paragraph. People surely noticed I was more being "rantish" than "reasoning". But don't let this distract you from the points I have mentioned before. As far as arrangements are concerned they are valid in my opinion.

I think you're still in the green. After all, you're arguing for something you seem quite passionate about! Being a tad "rantish" is the very heart and soul of SoTW.

Originally Posted by CHz

And orion_mk3, if you're interested in learning more about the scope of doujin arrangements, I suggest you talk to Dhsu, who floats around here and pitches in the occasional nomination (like the Narcissu track from a little while back). There might be a lot of Square arrangements and the like out there, but there are many arrangements of more obscure tracks out there as well. There is a LOT more out there than you think.

Oh, I don't doubt that there are legions of 'em. Might give it a shot, though my own taste in remixes tends to be of the "I-want-the-same-notes-just-with-better-synth" variety.

EDIT: While I'm posting, I might as well nominate something:

Game: Beyond Good And Evil
Song: Fight Part 1
Artist: Christophe Heral
Year: 2004
Source: Gamerip

This song is known by many names; I'll upload my personal copy to make sure everything's on the level.

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