Song of the Week - WEEK 80 Voting/WEEK 81 Nominating

Originally Posted by Kaleb

Fucking 13-hour workdays for the next two weeks

I feel your pain. Working tens plus weekends until Christmas, uhg.

Another pain I have is in my ears after listening to this week. Hope no one new to SotW decided to dive in on this one. The Super Monkey Ball entry was top drawer stuff, though, this week's gleaming bright spot. Sounds like a medley, makes me interested in the rest of the game's music.

3 points - Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Game Rip) - Staff Credit Game
2 points - Royal Blood - Flame
1 point - Genocide 2 Master of the Dark Communion (Sharp X68000 Game Rip) - Stage 3-2 - Enter Secretly

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Apologies for omitting 3 tracks from this post. I found them boring, if you must know.


F-Zero Climax - Illusion - there's a lot of energy here, but it kind of goes into nothing. Nothing comes out of it. It's like picking up a speed sneaker on Sonic and blazing through half of the level but ending up running right into a bottomless pit, which means you have to do the whole level again anyway. And you thought it would be fun.

Perfect Collection Ys IV - The Dawn of Ys Volume 3 - Illusion - Rad. It's like eating pop rocks with your ears. I can't remember the tune or anything else about the track after I've finished listening.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz - Staff Credit Game - A track can change too much. It's like a track is being too eager to please you. 'Do you like what I'm doing now? No? Well it's okay, I can do something else...don't like that either? Well that's not all I can do...'. Sometimes it doesn't give me enough time to answer and I say 'Wait, yes, I did like that bit just then', but it's too late, the track's already doing something entirely different now. As it goes, I only liked two segments of this track, at the beginning and the end. That is better than some of the other tracks this week, which had no good segments at all.

GunValkyrie - Killing Bedroom - I was thinking what to call this, becuase I'm not good at classifying music genres, and electronic is the worst of them with all of its subbranches. But electro-lounge turned out great when someone said that, so I'll go with that. I love these electro-lounge tracks. Although sometimes I like it to do a bit more than it's doing here, maybe have a stronger tune. If it had more of a tune would it stop being lounge? I wouldn't want that, or I wouldn't be able to say 'I love these electro-lounge tracks'.

Ancient Pyramid - There are countless egyptian themed levels in platform games, all with their own egyptian themed sound. But of them all, my favourite egyptian themed piece of Video Game Music is Sandopolis Act 2. Ancient Pyramid is also quite good however. I like the simplicity, I like how it has an intro, after which it pauses to give the signature superfrog croak, and then starts again more excitingly and with a beat. And then the excitement picks up even further for the final part of the track. Throughout, the track never betrays its simplicity, it's just a fun tune, man. This is my nomination and it gets 3 points.

3pts - Ancient Pyramid
2pts - Killing Bedroom
1pt - Staff Credit Game

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

Great Week, how anyone can dish out 3 Points is beyond me, but here goes:

F-Zero Climax (Game Rip) - Illusion
It's got the right mix of energy and melody. At least I can't say I was bored at any point.

Genocide 2 Master of the Dark Communion (Sharp X68000 Game Rip) - Stage 3-2 - Enter Secretly
This one is very similar to the one before. Good percussion, good melody, I can't complain anywhere.

GunValkyrie Official Soundtrack - Killing bedroom
A more ambient track. What I like about tracks like this is the streaming background. Nice, laidback atmosphere. Of course I don't expect any meaningful melody in these tracks.

Perfect Collection Ys IV ~ The Dawn of Ys Volume 3 - Illusion
Another good track. I primarily like the bright, pointy sound samples. Still the track sounds rather mysterious and wicked too. The nice break in atmosphere at around 2:48 is not less impressive, while the wickedness continues in the background in a more quiet manner.

Royal Blood - Flame
Well, the streak continues with a rather eccentric track. I am not sure why I like this track, but it sounds quite original on many levels. It's like "huh, what is this?"

Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Game Rip) - Staff Credit Game
In terms of variety this wins hard. It's good music, and very joyful. In terms of personal liking I couldn't put it above some others though. Yippon marks the end.

Superfrog (Amiga Game Rip) - Ancient Pyramid (World 4)
An ok track. While it's certainly catchy, expanding the egyptian theme beyond mere atmosphere by adding interesting jumpy sounds, it's generally too high-pitched for me. I am not talking about the the sound quality.

Timesplitters 2 (Game Rip) - Training Ground
Not a bad track, but a military theme always sounds a bit oppressive, monotone, drab and lengthy. I'd put it that way, people are not actively seeking out those kind of track, while they can be interesting in their own confined frame.

Hmm, JUSTICE wants me to use the shotgun again. Ahh, screw justice.

2 Points - Perfect Collection Ys IV ~ The Dawn of Ys Volume 3 - Illusion
2 Points - Royal Blood - Flame
2 Points - Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Game Rip) - Staff Credit Game

sorry^3: Illusion, Stage 3-2 - Enter Secretly, Killing bedroom

How ya doing, buddy?

(Semi-)Important site notice
http://wiki.sotw.info/ goes live.

sotw.info is now the primary domain, and songoftheweek.info is the parked domain. The wiki should now work for both, as each domain now has a "wiki" subdomain. However, if in doubt, use wiki.sotw.info

Contact me if you have promblems/questions.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Good stuff all around. This week was an explosive mixture of win. Well, something like that. I actually just wanted an excuse to use that smilie once.

I suppose the first Illusion, from F-Zero Climax, is standard F-Zero synth rock fare? It's good stuff, although the tune isn't particularly memorable and doesn't really strike me as original. An enjoyable listen, but nothing more.

Stage 3-2 - Enter Secretly is decent stuff, too. In some ways, it's similar to Illusion from F-Zero Climax, and in some ways it differs. On the whole, this track also provides for an enjoyable listen but doesn't do too much to wow me.

Heh, when I saw the track title for Killing bedroom, I was expecting something pretty morbid. Interesting that the track actually ends up being "electro-lounge" stuff. I wonder what context it plays in. In any case, the track's alright, albeit a bit on the bland side. It makes for some nice easy listening... But it's one of those tracks that, for me, are much harder to enjoy.

The second Illusion of this week, from Ys IV, was an interesting surprise. I'm a big fan of Falcom's rock tuneage, and seeing Yonemitsu as the composer heightened my expectations for some good old rockin'. This track turns out to be much different than I expected, and frankly it's a little tough for me to enjoy as well. It has some awesome moments (the portion with the spanish guitar near the end makes me melt), but the rest of the track feels a little too unusual for my tastes. Maybe it will grow on me with time, though?

Flame is interesting too. I enjoy the track for some reason, although I'm not entirely sure why. To be fair, it's a pretty repetitive one (not that this is really a bad thing - the repitition supports this track, I think), and many tracks of similar nature can be found in the wide world of VGM. I'm not sure what it reminds me of, though. It's good stuff, and also one of the most memorable tracks from this week (if only because of how repetitive it is).

Staff Credit Game is easily one of the strongest tracks of this week. It took some getting used to at first - as Kolba mentioned, it seemed like the track was doing too much. Now that I've listened to it a few more times, I have to say that I really enjoy the combination of various melodies. It keeps the song fresh throughout its duration. Awesome nomination. Oh, and that random monkey yelp (?) near the end always startles me or surprises me.

Ancient Pyramid (World 4) is typical Egyptian stuff, but as such it's pretty enjoyable. I've always enjoyed Egyptian/desert themes, and this track isn't an exception. It's a very simple song, but it's also probably the most addictive of this week's batch, and it goes down like butter to boot. Great stuff. I'll probably need to check out more of Brimble's work in the future, too... Looks like his compositions are worth looking into, if they're anything like this track.
Oh, and the frog ribbits are an awesome touch.

Training Ground is undoubtedly pretty good at what it does, but these militaristic tunes have never really provided much enjoyment for me. An okay listen, but nothing about it really stands out in this week. Probably my least favorite of the bunch, unfortunately.

3 Points ~ Superfrog (Amiga Game Rip) - Ancient Pyramid (World 4)
2 Points ~ Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Game Rip) - Staff Credit Game
1 Point ~ Genocide 2 Master of the Dark Communion (Sharp X68000 Game Rip) - Stage 3-2 - Enter Secretly

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Good stuff again this week.

2 points: Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz - Staff Credit Game
1 point: F-Zero - Illusion
1 point: Genocide 2 - Stage 3-2 - Enter Secretly
1 point: GunValkyrie Official Soundtrack - Killing bedroom
1 point: Superfrog - Ancient Pyramid (World 4)

Glad to see some of you are enjoying the Monkey Ball track. Those interested in a mostly complete gamerip can get it from here:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/mxhqsf

The higher bitrate tracks were ripped by myself...don't know who ripped the rest.

FELIPE NO

Ok, I'll make a 4 hit combo (1 point each) and an special finish move (2 points - massive damage!):

Superfrog (Amiga Game Rip) - Ancient Pyramid (World 4)
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Game Rip) - Staff Credit Game
Genocide 2 Master of the Dark Communion (Sharp X68000 Game Rip) - Stage 3-2 - Enter Secretly
Perfect Collection Ys IV ~ The Dawn of Ys Volume 3 - Illusion

:giant crab: Royal Blood - Flame

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

Thanks, DH. I'll be grabbing that rip sometime soon.

Nomination time.

Artist: Masaharu Iwata
Composer: Not sure... I can't seem to find any information on the composers right now, but this soundtrack was published not too long ago by CAVE. It's probably not a stretch to say that the composers were from CAVE, in any case. Darkcomet72 mentioned a list of composers over at seanne's journal, but since I'm not sure what the source track was for this arrangement, I'm not sure which composer it was.
Album: Pink Sweets Ibara Original Soundtrack
Track Title: Sweets Nerd
Disc Number: 2
Track Number: 10
Catalog Number: CVST-0005
Year: 2006
Additional Information: I figured that Dragon God would probably make a nomination from this awesome album sometime, but since I'm lacking in tracks to nominate, I thought I'd take the initiative and nominate before him!
Source: Game Music Revolution

Jam it back in, in the dark.

F-Zero Climax (Game Rip) - Illusion
Energetic, invigorating, a good listen. Competent in its field, but it is a long way away from being outstanding.

Genocide 2 Master of the Dark Communion (Sharp X68000 Game Rip) - Stage 3-2 - Enter Secretly
May be the first Sharp X68000 nom? Well, the composition sounds so 80's pop that is hilarious. Average and forgettable effort.

GunValkyrie Official Soundtrack - Killing bedroom
This one is much interesting than the previous one, but it was easy. It's pretty good at establishing a laib-back atmosphere, cool wave sound effects. The bad part is the repetitive drum work and the lack of development.

Perfect Collection Ys IV ~ The Dawn of Ys Volume 3 - Illusion
Odd track to nominate from this album. The electronical approach allows a good number of complex manipulations of the sound, which brings depth and maturity to the arrangement. Awesome manipulation, indeed.

Royal Blood - Flame
It's a pity that isn't reaping much positive comments, I really like it. However, I can understand the underappreciation of this unusual composition, it's hard to get into it. It features gorgeous violin passages, and some other peculiar instruments (maybe asian ones), an incredible instrumental diversity. This piece is impregnated of dramatism and dark figures, it's very intense and dense, overwhelming.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Game Rip) - Staff Credit Game
A new nomination from the most successful sotw nominator! It's excellent in the melodic aspect, although the fragmentary condition of this track makes inevitable several cohesive issues.

Superfrog (Amiga Game Rip) - Ancient Pyramid (World 4)
Yeah that eqyptian sound/vibe is overexploited in the gaming scene, therefore it doens't count with the originality factor. Nonetheless, it's good enough to supply its lack of creativity. Addictive and fun.

Timesplitters 2 (Game Rip) - Training Ground
Neither this one is going to pass to the history as the most creative military music. Well, the most curious thing about it, is the incursion of a modern drum set, it's something unexpected.

Point Distribution:
(3 points) Royal Blood - Flame
(2 points) Perfect Collection Ys IV ~ The Dawn of Ys Volume 3 - Illusion
(1 point) Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Game Rip) - Staff Credit Game

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The Staff Credit Game from Banana Blitz is indeed a medley, one featuring a portion of each of the 10 world themes, though for some odd reason completely lacking anything from the World 3 (Smooth Sherbet) tune.

0:09-0:47 - World 1 Monkey Island
0:47-1:14 - World 9 Sinking Swamp
1:14-1:33 - World 6 Cobalt Caverns
1:33-1:47 - World 2 Jumble Jungle
1:47-1:59 - World 4 Detritus Desert
1:59-2:25 - World 10 Ultra Heaven
2:26-2:51 - World 8 Space Case
2:52-3:17 - World 5 Pirates Ocean
3:17-END - World 7 Volcanic Pools

The intro is the only original part in the entire tune, and besides the instrumentation, there is no melodic hook or anything that could give it coherency. It's still pretty cool, and I gave it a point

Also I heard SMBBB's music was remixed from Touch and Roll on the DS, can anyone confirm this.

How ya doing, buddy?

Wow, this is a very good week with many strong tracks. I actually feel bad not giving the other tracks points. And _DH_ returns with style. Not sure if I'll change my point tally but here goes nothing:

(2 points) Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Game Rip) - Staff Credit Game

(2 points) Perfect Collection Ys IV ~ The Dawn of Ys Volume 3 - Illusion

(1 point) Royal Blood - Flame

(1 point) GunValkyrie Official Soundtrack - Killing bedroom

Genocide was that close to grabbing the last point.

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

Very nice week overall...

3pts - Illusion (Ys IV) - I'm glad to see so many describe this as being "interesting"...It's not my favorite Ys arrange, but nominating any of the synth rock tracks that are my favorite would have garnered too many "generic synth rock" complaints. I love how Yonemitsu handles this one...The melody is understated, but still plenty bad-ass and the acoustic guitar at the end (a Yonemitsu trademark) seals things. One of his best overall arranging jobs.

2pts - Flame - Interesting indeed...Very nice mix of sounds without skimping on the melody.

1 pt - Enter Secretly - Tough call between this, Illusion and Staff Credit Game, but I ultimately went for this for its' overall melody/percussion.

I thought Killing Bedroom sounded a lot like one of the chill-out Megaten tracks...It inherits the strengths (the atmosphere) and weaknesses (too repetitive to really enjoy) of them. Didn't care for Training Ground or Ancient Pyramid.

And to keep my name from disappearing from the queue as fast as it has been, my next nomination:

Track Name: Dungeon Medley
Album: Phantasy Star Sound Collection 1
Disc: 2 of 2
Track: 1
Cat #: RS-1
Composers: Bo, Izuho Takenuchi, Ippo
Arranged by: Takanobu Masuda
Year Released: 1993

And on a side note: Great idea keeping SOTW week open through Sunday. I rarely find time during the week. All of my responses recently have been late Saturday nights during...uh, downtime.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I kind of forgot you nominated the Ys track, Goldfish. Colour me surprised! Certainly would never have expected you to nominate a track like that. It's very nice and beautiful in several spots. Kudos to the guitar at the end, too.

Thanks for the Super Monkey Ball game rip, _DH_. That Monkey Ball track was really great stuff and certainly raised my interest in the game's music significantly.

How ya doing, buddy?

The nomination I made in week 79 never made it into the nomination queue, while all the others from this week are already in there, so I'm gonna repost it.

Artist: Noriyuki Iwadare
Album/Game Title: Space Invaders '91 (Game Rip)
Track Title: Rounds 2, 11, 14
Track Number: 3
Year: According to gamefaqs, 1990
Source: http://www.project2612.org/details.php?id=285

How ya doing, buddy?

No time for comments. Enjoyable week, though.

2 points - Ancient Pyramid
2 points - Killing Bedroom
1 point - Illusion (F-Zero)
1 point - Staff Credit Game
----------------------------------
5th Flame
6th Enter Secretly
7th Illusion (Ys)
8th Training Ground

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

Closing to come shortly.

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

And to keep my name from disappearing from the queue as fast as it has been, my next nomination:

Track Name: Dungeon Medley
Album: Phantasy Star Sound Collection 1
Disc: 2 of 2
Track: 1
Cat #: RS-1
Composers: Bo, Izuho Takenuchi, Ippo
Arranged by: Takanobu Masuda
Year Released: 1993

As ungodly awesome as that medley is, anyone else have a problem with allowing Phantasy Star I arranges?

Originally Posted by TheKnightOfNee

The nomination I made in week 79 never made it into the nomination queue, while all the others from this week are already in there, so I'm gonna repost it.

Oh, bother. Sorry about that.

Double Post:
Voting is closed!

1). [24] Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Game Rip) - Staff Credit Game
2). [21] Perfect Collection Ys IV ~ The Dawn of Ys Volume 3 - Illusion
3). [19] GunValkyrie Official Soundtrack - Killing bedroom
4). [18] Genocide 2 Master of the Dark Communion (Sharp X68000 Game Rip) - Stage 3-2 - Enter Secretly
5). [17] Superfrog (Amiga Game Rip) - Ancient Pyramid (World 4)
6). [14] Royal Blood - Flame
7). [9] F-Zero Climax (Game Rip) - Illusion
8). [4] Timesplitters 2 (Game Rip) - Training Ground

Nominations will remain open because next week is Battle 10.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Dammit...ANOTHER second-place finish. So that's...3 SOTW 2nd places and 1 BSC 2nd place.

*holds up fist* One of these days!...

(sound of wolves howling in the background)

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Heh. It'll happen eventually.

Really great week; one of the best in quite some time. I unfortunately didn't get my votes in. I was having too much fun playing insane games of Wii bowling with the family.

Probably would've looked something like this:

Staff Credit Game - 2
Stage 3-2 - Enter Secretly - 1
Ancient Frog - 1
Illusion (F-Zero) - 1
Training Ground - 1

That was sweet (and unexpected) when the drum loop came in on Training Ground. I remembered the song from the game, but I didn't remember that happening.

The three that I didn't give points to were good, but I didn't like them as much the 2nd listen. Maybe I was just tired of listening by then; I dunno.

They really all could've gotten 1 point. All of them were quality tracks.

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