Song of the Week - WEEK 74 Voting/WEEK 75 Nominating

Okay, let's try this again. Sorry for the inconvenience.

-Nomination-
Artist: Tsuneo Imahori
Album: Gungrave O.S.T.
Track Title: an ulterior motive
Disc Number: 1/1
Track Number: 16
Catalog Number: VICL-60845
Year: 2002
Source: chudahs-corner.com/soundtracks/index.php?catalog=VICL-60845

How ya doing, buddy?

Eh, I apologize for the fuming. I have to stop keeping expectations for my noms, but when I have them and they fail miserably I take it kind of hard. From comments, it seems like the field is strong, so whatever the front runners are probably deserve it, although I've yet to have time to listen to everything yet. I'll just shut my trap until I do.

Quote:

I actually have to say Battle Force is one of my lesser favorites from the album. While variation is great, I feel that the variation this arrangement has is nothing exceptional (that is, if the variation is not simply superfluous).

Granted, I've only gave the album a single listen, but Battle Force was the only track on the disc that made me stop and take notice. As for the rest, they made me wish that I was listening to the originals.

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

Ok, I took a minute off PSU to post this real quick:

3 points - The King of Fighters '96 Arrange Sound Trax - Saxophone Storm 2 (Yagami Team Theme)
1 point - an cinniùint - Battle with the Devil
1 point - Aegis: Guardian of the Fleet
1 point - SEGA Touring Car Championship - Sonic Drive <--- This kind of music gets too much hate here.

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

Vexxon: correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Gungrave O.S.T. an anime soundtrack, not a game soundtrack?

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Originally Posted by arch_slayer

Vexxon: correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Gungrave O.S.T. an anime soundtrack, not a game soundtrack?

There is a Gungrave game as well as an anime, though I suppose we'd best be sure that the music is original and not recycled from the anime.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

The game actually spawned the anime.

From the the wikipedia article on the gungrave anime:

Quote:

Gungrave is an anime adaption of the third-person shooter video game created by Sega with original characters designed by Yasuhiro Nightow.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gungrave_%28anime%29

Here are links to the soundtracks for the anime:
answers.com/topic/gungrave-uno-righthead
answers.com/topic/gungrave-o-s-t-2-lefthead

And here is the link to the video game soundtrack:
chudahs-corner.com/soundtracks/index.php?catalog=VICL-60845

(you'll have to copy and paste them into your browser since I still can't post links)

As you can see, though all three soundtracks are composed by Tsuneo Imahori, each song is mutually exclusive, and indeed, the video game came first, so there is no chance of the songs from the game even being based on the songs from the anime.

FELIPE NO

(2 points) an cinniùint - Battle with the Devil: And I'm docking a point because it's Mitsuda. A real fave of mine from Tsugunai (and for those interested, there's a second track with this theme in the game. Not surprisingly, it's called The Devil, and it's a delightful down-tempo rendition of the theme without the manic bagpipes or whatever those are).

(2 points) Serious Sam II (PC Game Rip) - Continuous: Lovely buildup. The second half of the song is the best part.

(1 point) Dark Chronicle (Game Rip) - Rainbow Butterfly Wood: It's there, it's lovely, and like everyone else said, it doesn't blow you away. That's a point.

(1 point) AEGIS: Guardian of the Fleet (Red Book Audio) - Track 5: I'm agreeing with everyone -- it's a little messy, but it's also quite purdy.

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AEGIS: Guardian of the Fleet (Red Book Audio) - Track 5
What regards orchestra, this one is 2xslightly above the average, forgettable kind. It actually maintains the same structure (some good parts some bad parts), but does everything a bit better.

an cinniùint - Battle with the Devil
Good or bad sign, I immediately recognized Mitsuda. In my opinion, this is him on autopilot. He did a good job glueing several single melodic parts together, but it's too obvious and he has been more intuitive before. The atmosphere is well done though.

Dark Chronicle (Game Rip) - Rainbow Butterfly Wood
It's a bit short, but doesn't fail a note for me, so I guess this is my winner. I don't really have anything else to say about it.

SEGA Touring Car Championship - Sonic Drive
I like this track allright. The beats in 1:11 are cool for example, otherwise it's a repetitive affair. Not that I personally mind repetitiveness, but then it has to sit and stick. It was not sitting in a bad position, but it didn't stick so much.

Serious Sam II (PC Game Rip) - Continuous
While the first half bored me, the second half (kind of) made up for it. I am not sure how to rate this track. Even if the second half is good, it's still standard march music with a monotone triumphant direction.

Symphonic Poem Argos no Senshi Original Soundtrack - Wish
"Unusual" is the word I would use. The song flows but doesn't flow at the same time. The emphasis of certain parts sometimes disrupt the natural flow, at the same time makes it "unique" though. Another track that borders on well done, but doesn't quite deliver it.

The King of Fighters '96 Arrange Sound Trax - Saxophone Storm 2 (Yagami Team Theme)
I am kinda allergic to long saxophone parts, so the first half isn't so much my cup of tea, but it actually was better than I thought. There is this single melodic line, that's quite catchy and reminds me of some shooter + the second half is actually good.

Wild Arms Music the Best -rocking heart- - Battle Force
I didn't remember so much about this track, but it probably had the most variety out of this week. Is it composed by Naruke? Yeah, because there were some emphasis parts, that doesn't sit well with me again, but the piano run was sleak.

Pizza Delivery:
Hueg Pizza: Dark Chronicle (Game Rip) - Rainbow Butterfly Wood

Small-Size Pizzas:
Symphonic Poem Argos no Senshi Original Soundtrack - Wish
The King of Fighters '96 Arrange Sound Trax - Saxophone Storm 2 (Yagami Team Theme)
Wild Arms Music the Best -rocking heart- - Battle Force

I really thought the seven other tracks didn't differ so much from quality, but so shall it be.
EDIT: now that I have read the other comments, I'd just like to point out that I didn't think at all that his week was better than last.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by AWACS Eagle Eye

The doujin distinction is only for artists; if it's a song that was composed for a game, then it's eligible, whether the game was professionally released, fan made, etc.

Hmm. Well, in light of that, I'm considering changing my nomination. Yeah, kinda fell out of love with my current nom before it went up. Happy Beach is still nice, mind, but lately I've been listening to ZX Tunes (which I'm going to assume is taboo for being Megaman related, though if not I'd nominate the completely-awesome Trap Factory in a wink) and this catchy little gem:

Megamari: Marisa no Yabou <Aki Yamani & NKZ> - [07] Izayou Sakuya Stage

Pending acceptance and verification that ZX Tunes is off-limits, I'll post a link to it shortly.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Very nice week! Not much time so on to the points:

(2 points) Symphonic Poem Argos no Senshi - Wish
I fell in love with this song when I first heard it in a very beautiful CG sequence from Rygar (the PS2 game) with just the first two verses performed a capella. Ever since, this song has always been very stunning to me. The lyrics could have been a touch better but those vocals and the great accompaniment more than make up for it. Special mention must definitely be given to the guitar.

(2 points) An Cinniint - Battle With the Devil
Admittedly, "Battle With the Devil" is a guilty pleasure. Very nice, especially the sublime piano solo that plays the theme from "The Devil". The ending before the loop is also great atmospheric stuff.

(1 point) AEGIS Guardian of the Fleet - Track 5
Nice mix of electronics and orchestra work. I have a weakness for songs like these so quite hard to not overlook this song, especially since it makes for a good listen with its rousing and uplifting melody.

(1 point) Dark Chronicle (PSF2 Game Rip) - Rainbow Butterfly Wood
Very pleasant and serene. Was hesitating about giving it a point but relented; the melody is too beautiful to pass up.

"Continuous" just missed.

EDIT: Just changed my point distribution.

Feeling kind of morose this week so decided to nominate this:

* Album: Divine Divinity (PC Game Rip)
* Artist: Kirill Pokrovsky
* Track Title: Whispers From A Council Past
* Source: http://www.mobygames.com/game/window...vinity/credits
* Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
* Track Number: 24
* Catalogue Number: NA
* Year: 2002

Have uploaded the .ogg file to the ftp; will convert to mp3 at a later time.

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Originally Posted by SonicPanda

Hmm. Well, in light of that, I'm considering changing my nomination. Yeah, kinda fell out of love with my current nom before it went up. Happy Beach is still nice, mind, but lately I've been listening to ZX Tunes (which I'm going to assume is taboo for being Megaman related, though if not I'd nominate the completely-awesome Trap Factory in a wink) and this catchy little gem:

Megamari: Marisa no Yabou <Aki Yamani & NKZ> - [07] Izayou Sakuya Stage

Pending acceptance and verification that ZX Tunes is off-limits, I'll post a link to it shortly.

Izayou Sakuya Stage is short, but sweet. Gotta love the organ.

I recall two MM tracks previously being in SotW, Esperanto from RTRZ Physis (placed second in Week 63) and Steel Massimo from RX Command Mission (didn't place in Week 14, even though it's boss). We tend to be a little warier on new releases, since an album's not having been heard only because of a recent release date doesn't necessarily imply obscurity, but ZX Tunes might be fine. Depends on how many other people have heard this one (I personally have only heard a couple of tracks from it, and not Trap Factory).

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

Originally Posted by AWACS Eagle Eye

We tend to be a little warier on new releases, since an album's not having been heard only because of a recent release date doesn't necessarily imply obscurity,

Fair enough. Enough people probably will (and should) hear ZX Tunes on their own accord that it doesn't need a spotlight to make it known. I'll leave it that Trap Factory is a damn fine listen and go instead with the equally-fine Sakuya.

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You filthy heathens.

THREE points of righteousness absolute: Wild Arms Music the Best -rocking heart- - Battle Force

A respectable 2 points: Symphonic Poem Argos no Senshi Original Soundtrack - Wish

The best of the rest, a track that's doing much better than what should be winning even though it's suffers from all the same complaints as my nom but has way better sound quality, hmmm - The King of Fighters '96 Arrange Sound Trax - Saxophone Storm 2 (Yagami Team Theme) - 1 point

The other five were meh.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Seems like the rule of thumb on MM music has been to only accept tracks from little-known side games in the franchise. If ZX Tunes is going to accompany a major new release and will likely be featured in an av/sig week, I'd oppose it. I'd also be against it if the music in any way remixes previous MM tunes.

But if you're confident the game is and will remain obscure in the series along with its music, I see no problem.

FELIPE NO

Fine.

(2 points) Symphonic Poem Argos no Senshi Original Soundtrack - Wish
(2 points) Serious Sam II (PC Game Rip) - Continuous
(1 point) an cinniùint - Battle with the Devil
(1 point) Dark Chronicle (Game Rip) - Rainbow Butterfly Wood

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

3 points: an cinniùint - Battle with the Devil
2 points: The King of Fighters '96 Arrange Sound Trax - Saxophone Storm 2 (Yagami Team Theme)
1 point: Dark Chronicle (Game Rip) - Rainbow Butterfly Wood

"Battle with the Devil" is one of the many source tunes for one of my favorite OC ReMixes, "Static Wonderland". Check it out if you liked that track.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Liontamer

3 points: an cinniùint - Battle with the Devil
2 points: The King of Fighters '96 Arrange Sound Trax - Saxophone Storm 2 (Yagami Team Theme)
1 point: Dark Chronicle (Game Rip) - Rainbow Butterfly Wood

"Battle with the Devil" is one of the many source tunes for one of my favorite OC ReMixes, "Static Wonderland". Check it out if you liked that track.

That's a pretty awesome mix. Reminds me of Masashi Hamauzu's SaGa Frontier 2 score in several places.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Voting is closed and nominations are restricted!

1). [23] an cinniùint - Battle with the Devil
2). [17] The King of Fighters '96 Arrange Sound Trax - Saxophone Storm 2 (Yagami Team Theme)
3). [16] Dark Chronicle (Game Rip) - Rainbow Butterfly Wood
4). [15] Symphonic Poem Argos no Senshi Original Soundtrack - Wish
5). [9] AEGIS: Guardian of the Fleet (Red Book Audio) - Track 5
6). [7] Wild Arms Music the Best -rocking heart- - Battle Force
7). [6] Serious Sam II (PC Game Rip) - Continuous
8). [3] SEGA Touring Car Championship - Sonic Drive

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

I had a feeling it would go this way. Battle With the Devil isn't really Mitsuda's best work, in my opinion. It's decent but I know I've heard better. Fair is fair, however, and the track made it here on its own.

I'm personally disappointed that "Wish" didn't squeak into 3rd place. I thought it was one of the better true vocal tracks SotW has seen.

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

I was torn on Wish. I thought the vocals were particularly good, but I wasn't feeling the instrumentation. I liked the first minute of the song more than the remaining three and a half, to be honest.

How ya doing, buddy?

Ironically enough, I was feeling the instrumentation, but not the vocals for "Wish." In any case, I voted most appropriately given how the results turned out. It should end up that way every single week!

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by SonicPanda

Hmm. Well, in light of that, I'm considering changing my nomination. Yeah, kinda fell out of love with my current nom before it went up. Happy Beach is still nice, mind, but lately I've been listening to ZX Tunes (which I'm going to assume is taboo for being Megaman related, though if not I'd nominate the completely-awesome Trap Factory in a wink) and this catchy little gem:

Megamari: Marisa no Yabou <Aki Yamani & NKZ> - [07] Izayou Sakuya Stage

Pending acceptance and verification that ZX Tunes is off-limits, I'll post a link to it shortly.

lol, I thought I was the only one who plays the game (since it's pseudo-Touhou). I actually don't remember much of Sakuya's Stage, but it's always different in contests like this. Personally I found Reimu's Stage to be most memorable.

Megamari is a Mega Man clone as the name suggest, but it features Touhou characters, and the music has really nothing to do with Mega Man.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by AWACS Eagle Eye

We tend to be a little warier on new releases, since an album's not having been heard only because of a recent release date doesn't necessarily imply obscurity, but ZX Tunes might be fine. Depends on how many other people have heard this one (I personally have only heard a couple of tracks from it, and not Trap Factory).

Whoa. I thought I remembered there being a 6-month waiting period before nominating songs from new games/soundtracks, but I can't find anything about that in the rules. Good to know.

And Battle with the Devil was my top pick this week. It was an ok week. I just never got around to getting my votes in.

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

Originally Posted by Drakken

Whoa. I thought I remembered there being a 6-month waiting period before nominating songs from new games/soundtracks, but I can't find anything about that in the rules. Good to know.

I don't think we've had any rule like that before, but it might've been discussed at some point. I remember a while back David Deluxe wanted to nominate Zero from the Ace Combat Zero game rip, but Kaleb put a hold on it until the soundtrack came out in order to gauge popularity, so maybe you were thinking about that too.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

This time around I also missed the votation, I am becoming really lazy with the time.

I'm not too satisfied with the results, as Wish is one of my favorite vg vocal songs ever, and AEGIS nearly was the only obscure track. Anyway, this was an enjoyable week.

There's nowhere I can't reach.