Song of the Week - WEEK 62 Voting/WEEK 63 Nominating

CHAOS SEED ~Fuusui Kairouki~ GM-PROGRESS 6 - Alex's Theme A very nice jazz-light rock combo, and that means a lot coming from someone who isn't all that fond of either. The melody is nice, and the instrumentation has a vague Oriental flair. The wierd synth jam session near the end is annoying though--I would much rather have had another variation than random synth notes.

Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (Game Rip) - Pull Back the Bass I remember this game! We used to secretly play it on the band room computer. Really like the piano work at the beginning, and eventually matures into a more jagged and poppish bit of techno. Best of all, though, the piano remains throughout. A nice synthy treat.

Lagoon - Moonchild I remember this game too, if vaguely. The melody here is decent, but it's overlaid on a sickeningly generic drum machine/backbeat. I'm sure the basic melodic structure could have been used to make something much more creative--while not bad per se, the lack of this is both vanilla and disappointing.

Langrisser: Hikari no Matsuei (Game Rip) - Descendants from Elthlead This track combines rock elements with a melody much better than the lagoon track, with a nice woodwind melody and an accent guitar. Unortunately, it also has the bane of my existance--a horrible random guitar solo. Why do people feel compelled to put those in? They're not The Who; I don't want to hear their instruments shattering on the floor. The abrupt ending is also a minus.

Mother 1+2 Original Soundtrack - Eight Melodies I don't recall this track being in Earthbound or Earthbound Zero, but who cares? It takes a fragment of the "My Sanctuary" theme and twists it into something much more sedate and dreamy, with that sort of new-agey yet melodic feel that Earthbound tracks do so very well. I didn't dig the louder section as much, but at least the melodic core was intact.

Tobi Tsukihime Soundtrack - Stage 5 - amVirus : Avatar of Nightmare - Better synth, worse implementation. Generic guitar work plus generic drum kit equals something I've heard before more or less dozens of times.

Tyrian (Game Rip) - Tyrian, The Song Interesting bit of techno with som orchestral elements thrown in. It gets better and more unique as it develops, but is still a bit muddled and incoherent at times.

WILD ARMS the 4th Detonator Original Score - Yet Another Ex. File Wild Arms is SoTW material, huh? I would have thought it too popular. Despite being newerr than the other entrants, this is still synthy as can be--perhaps even synthier. Despite the fact that this synthiness was a conscious stylistic decision, rather than one of necessity, it doesn't really stack up. Very simple melody with a minimum of development and support equals a solid if not stellar track.

I think this should have been a theme week or something.

The Point Spread
3 pts. - Jazz the Jazzy Jazzrabbit starring in the Jazz of the Jazeraint
2 pts. - Yo Motha
1 pt. - Tyriansaurus Tyrex

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by CHz

I let this go through because we accepted a Tobal No. 1 track in the past, but if anyone else feels Toridon!! should be ineligible, please have out with it. SonicPanda admitted it might not be obscure enough, so you won't be seen as a big meanie or anything.

Also, while I'm on the subject of nomination obscurity, how about KyleDunamis's Suikoden I track? (forgot to say anything last week ) I'd say that, if Tobal No. 1 is out, that definitely should be.

Let's not forget that there have been several Suikoden nominations in the past too. If prior nominations equal grandfather clauses, both should be allowed.

I'm actually on the fence, since I have heard of but not heard the soundtracks in question.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Dr. Uzuki

Alexander Brandon does some great work. Did he have any other songs featured in SotW? His name sounds familiar. Last point was up in the air, Alex's Theme and Yet Another Ex File both came close.

Alexander Brandon wrote the Deus Ex tracks that were in SoTW aeons ago, as well as Unreal ("Shared Dig") and "Carpe Diem," which went fairly far in SoTY. Definitely one of the most underappriciated western VGM artists

How ya doing, buddy?

Bah, what a lousy result for the number one spot. I saw it coming in the last-minute votes, but I was hoping Jazz would still be able to pull it off. Rack up another victory for generic, uninspired rock!

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