[SotW] Song of the Week - WEEK 130 Voting/WEEK 131 Nominating

may i partake??

Death Smiles (Game Rip) - Halloween Town Stage: If a song's got an exciting tempo and some exuberantly gothic elements, chances are I'll fall in love with it. Despite a really sucky rip quality (I can imagine some overzealous gamer holding a music recorder up to the arcade machine lol), the composition itself is striking. I love organ breaks, like the one at 1:13, and I actually think the song would benefit from much more of those, and more organ melodies in general. Didn't keep my interest for very long, but it's a really entertaining piece o' music nonetheless.

Forest of glass - Fly!: First time I've been exposed to a Forest of Glass piece. From what I've read, it's meant to be a fantastic album. It can potentially be incredibly difficult for me to get into a pure-piano track, so I know a song's a good'un when it draws me in on the first listen. This one does just that; it has a lively nature, which is nicely elaborated upon by the joyous melodies and solid development. Some parts remind me of a battle theme, while other parts make me think of Peanuts. Definitely a keeper; I think it's about time I give Forest of Glass a whirl. Not the best piano stuff I've heard, but the overall feel appeals to me immensely.

KAROUS original soundtrack SPRING RAIN - 1000 clouds - solid mix -: I've heard some Daisuke Nagata pieces before, and have been fairly impressed. I ain't a huge fan of this one though; I appreciate the upbeat chillout style of electronica showcased, which makes the whole track uniquely accessible. On a musical level though, it suffers far too much from electronica-induced repetitiveness. The variety of instruments and sounds adds a decent harmonisation, but ultimately it's not the sort of track I like.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii Game Rip) - Athletics - Track, 110m & 400m Hurdles: I was expecting the worst when I put this on to play. The cheesy "Wii" melody and the predicable albeit fun developments is admittedly really exciting, however even excessive cheese doesn't mask the underwhelming nature of the melody. Not really a memorable piece of music, but it's wacky and entertaining enough to receive some respect~

Messiah Original Soundtrack - sacrifice ~marionette~: Blah nominated this, huh? I've noticed him and I (and a select few other people) share similar music interests. What do I mean by that specifically? We can appreciate good h-game music. (And I'm always searching for good h-game music, 'cause when it shines, it shines.) This is a subtle example of why I find the genre so immediately accessible and appealing; the melody joins with some appropriate instrumental features etc, making the end product feel really...wholesome and hearty. Not demanding, not superficial, just a great piece of music to listen to. Also, the violin does wonders for this piece (it's kind of Agematsu-ish, not surprising considering the composer's Elements Garden connection); as a result, it's probably my favourite track from this week.

OZ Original Soundtrack - Feel's Theme: Ohh yeah, Michiru Yamane did the music for this game. You can so tell it's her, and that's a really good thing. The clean guitar passages have a great character and attitude to them, fitting in with the intended purpose pretty well I would imagine. The up-and-down flourishes at 1:31 are pretty damn climactic, but still doesn't really "blow me away". Great piece, though.

PSYVARIAR2 ORIGINAL Sound track PLUS - Weakboson~GorgeCity: Sounds like a shmup piece, or something similar at least. I'm notoriously hit-and-miss when it comes to shmups, and I'm afraid this one doesn't do much for me. The delicate piano licks contrast nicely with the rapid rhythms, but the overall track feels somewhat unstructured to me. Maybe my ear just isn't mature enough to appreciate some hidden goodness here?

Venus & Braves - The Witch Goddess and the Alchemist of Destruction (Game Rip) - Swords of the Guardians: (This is the sort of quality a game rip should be done in!) I sense harpsichord, powerful brass and some other pleasant symphonic adornments; all sounds pretty good! The harpsichord sounds kind of weird in comparison to the rest though. Regardless, these instruments complement the main melody wonderfully, with brief yet emphatic developments and catchy, toe-tapping rhythms. It doesn't suck, nor does it rule; it's a nice, yet ultimately fleeting, listen.

Points

2 points: Messiah Original Soundtrack - sacrifice ~marionette~
2 points: Forest of glass - Fly!
1 point: Death Smiles (Game Rip) - Halloween Town Stage
1 point: OZ Original Soundtrack - Feel's Theme

5th: Venus & Braves - The Witch Goddess and the Alchemist of Destruction (Game Rip) - Swords of the Guardians
6th: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii Game Rip) - Athletics - Track, 110m & 400m Hurdles
7th: PSYVARIAR2 ORIGINAL Sound track PLUS - Weakboson~GorgeCity
8th: KAROUS original soundtrack SPRING RAIN - 1000 clouds - solid mix -

A nice even point spread to go with a reasonably solid week of music (as far as I know; I personally don't know if this is a good week or bad week)

Nomination #1

Artist: Yoshitaka Mihara
Composer: Konami Kukeiha Club
Album: Tokimeki Memorial Sound Collection 2
Track Title: Straight Decent of Love (Skiing BGM)
Track Number: 1
Catalog Number: KICA-7701
Year: 1996
Source: VGMdb

Uploaded to da FTP of goodness, yo.

lol tl;dr aye

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Bigblah

Gonna hold my nomination until next week since a Shinji Orito track is coming up.

<3

I've just this moment realised how awesome the voice sample in Halloween Stage is. That alone is worth the price of admission~ (Hell, the first 13 seconds make a fantastic opening)

There's nowhere I can't reach.

1000 clouds got a placing? *shock*

1st and 2nd placers are definitely deserving. Can't wait for the OST release of "Halloween Town Stage" like omg.

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