[SotW] Song of the Week - WEEK 214 Voting/WEEK 215 Nominating

Uh, I dunno, let's try...

• Album: BANGAI-O SPIRITS Audio Collection Plus
• Artist: NON (Norio Hanzawa)
• Disc #: 1 (of 3)
• Track #: 4
• Track Title: Exploding Bounce
• Catalogue Number: FVCG-1001
• Year: 2008
• Additional Info: THOSE DRUMS
• Source: FVCG-1001 | BANGAI-O SPIRITS Audio Collection Plus - VGMdb

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Just a reminder, this is the second week of the two-week period, so we'll actually be closing this week!

3 points: Marching Grass on the Hill - Waterfall
2 points: Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (Game Rip) - Battle Fanfare
1 point: Transport Tycoon Deluxe (Game Rip) - Road Hog
don't let zircon know I'm not giving any points to: Fittest - Original Soundtrack - Dreams of Cobalt

I like Acoustic Asturias a lot, more because of the ensemble than the actual compositions I think. I enjoy pretty much all of their tunes, but a lot of them come off to me as, I'm not sure how best to put this, kind of schmaltzy? Drop dead gorgeous, of course, with very pretty melodies, but not really terribly interesting beyond that. That previous Asturias nom, Ryu-Hyo, suffers a little bit from that, but I like the buildup around the melody a lot.

Yoh Ohyama, the bandleader and composer/arranger, actually has a background in prog rock: Acoustic Asturias is a side project of his solo project, Asturias. (Ryu-Hyo from Birds Eye View is an arrangement of the track of the same name from the first Asturias album, Circle in the Forest.) Waterfall has always been my favorite Acoustic Asturias piece because it's the most overtly prog-influenced of their tunes, which is an odd sort of thing to say about chamber music, but then it's an odd sort of piece. Obviously the dance of the clarinet and violin is a highlight, but I find the rhythms to be an absolute joy.

I don't really think Woods and Angels going into SUPER UPLIFTING MODE at 1:15 was the right development choice, but I really digging the odd phrasing in the track up to that point.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Voting is closed and nominations are restricted!

1). [24] Marching Grass on the Hill - Waterfall
2). [18] Fittest - Original Soundtrack - Dreams of Cobalt
3). [8/5.5] Deadly Premonition (Game Rip) - Woods and Angels
4). [8/5] Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (Game Rip) - Battle Fanfare
5). [7] Oboromuramasa Original Soundtrack - Tacit Understanding
6). [6] Transport Tycoon Deluxe (Game Rip) - Road Hog
7). [4] OutRun 20th Anniversary Box - STEP ON BEAT [Original]
8). [3] The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang (Game Rip) - Foreboding Desert Temple

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