[SotW] Song of the Week - WEEK 167 Voting/WEEK 168 Nominating

Song of the Week. 150 Weeks and counting.
Week 167 Voting is closed.
Week 168 Nominating is restricted.

Results:
1). [26] LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape
2). [19] Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme
3). [17] La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
4). [14] Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris
5). [9] Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM)
6). [8/5.5] Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride
7). [8/4.5] Paper Mario (Game Rip) - Sun's Tower
8). [7] Super Robot Wars OG Original Generations Original Soundtrack - TREUE

Tracks:
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM)
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Paper Mario (Game Rip) - Sun's Tower
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Super Robot Wars OG Original Generations Original Soundtrack - TREUE
Get the Flash Player to play this audio file: Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris

Notes:
A looped version of Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme can be found in the Extras folder for those who demand looping wherever possible
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please remember to upload your nominations to the SotW server! Uploaded noms mean a faster, smoother SotW experience for everyone.

Week 168 Nominating:
The Nominations Queue can be found here.
The rules for nominating can be found here.

Most amazing jew boots

Alright, time to nominate something.

Artist: Mathias Rudsengen (cycerin)
Game Title: Castle Crashers
Track Title: Winterbliss
Year: 2008
Sources:
Castle Crashers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Castle Crashers
Winterbliss (will start streaming automatically)

Note:
The developer of the game hired some of the artists at the Newgrounds Audio Portal for their music. They licensed some of their older works and also asked some of them to produce custom tracks for the game. As far as I know, Winterbliss was one of the licensed tracks, but since it's rather obscure and hasn't been published anywhere else except for the Newgrounds Audio Portal, I think it's still eligible.

I'm a bit confused by the footnote on licensed music on the Nomination Phase - SotW Wiki page, so correct me if I drew wrong conclusions.

Also, I don't know how to describe the album, since it's neither OST nor Gamerip, so I guess I'll just call it Castle Crashers.

I uploaded it to the FTP.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

A new nomination!

* Album Title: Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer Original Video Game Soundtrack
* Artist: Rafael Dyll
* Track Title: Mercenary-X (Main Theme)
* Source: EASS-S001: Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer Original Video Game Soundtrack - VGMdb
* File Location: Nominations folder
* Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
* Track Number: 3
* Catalogue Number: EASS-S001
* Year: 2007

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

Originally Posted by Opfer

The developer of the game hired some of the artists at the Newgrounds Audio Portal for their music. They licensed some of their older works and also asked some of them to produce custom tracks for the game. As far as I know, Winterbliss was one of the licensed tracks, but since it's rather obscure and hasn't been published anywhere else except for the Newgrounds Audio Portal, I think it's still eligible.

I'm a bit confused by the footnote on licensed music on the Nomination Phase - SotW Wiki page, so correct me if I drew wrong conclusions.

I've actually been thinking about CC a bit lately, since I was looking to nominate something from it myself. The "no licensed music" clause is designed to keep stuff like the radio rock songs from GTA out. I think that one of the songs that was specifically made or modified for CC would be fine, but I dunno about an original song that was just needledropped in.

Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM) This is a nifty chiptune with a nice melody. A few of the extraneous blips and bloops could be dropped and the backbeats are a bit too loud but it's solid stuff overall.

Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme I AM SOOTHED! This is a great little pastoral piece, which seems like it would be the prefect companion for a game of Catan before things get too rough. Good stuff.

La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE This one has a bit of that latter-day Megaman flavor to it. the melody isn't super-strong, but I love the rhythm and the background synth figures.

LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape The second La of the week offers some decent bouncy fun, with some nice synth tones and an overall airy feel that I enjoyed quite a bit.

Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride Another one of the really strong electronic-influenced tracks from Mass Effect. This uses synth pulses and bass to create a really driving beat, overlaying it with a great melody.

Paper Mario (Game Rip) - Sun's Tower I can't say I remember this from playing Paper Mario; the only things I really remember from the game were the battle theme and my disappointment with everything else. Like most N64 tunes, the synth is horrendous and tinny; the basic structure is nice (sort of a downbeat Latin-style thing) but interestingly it's anything but sunny.

Super Robot Wars OG Original Generations Original Soundtrack - TREUE Another entrant from perennial candidate Super Robot Wars, this isn't too bad--decent tempo, but kind of bland. There are a lot of songs like this and there's not much to set this one apart from the pack.

Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris Starts out a little dull, but gets much more interesting as things speed up and additional layers are added. Won't be toppling the Teris songs we all know and love anytime soon, but it's not bad.

Great week. It was tough to give out that last spot.

The Point Spread
Virmire Ride - 3 pts.
Soothing Theme - 2 pts.
Curse of Iron Pipe - 1 pt.

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

Just so everyone knows, I'm going to be on a trip for about two and a half weeks, starting Sunday the 19th. My internet access is very likely to be minimal, so I've made arrangements for people to cover for me. Hopefully things should keep running smoothly.

Originally Posted by Opfer

As far as I know, Winterbliss was one of the licensed tracks

The track was uploaded on January 15, 2008, and the game was released on August 27, 2008, so I think you're probably right.

My interpretation of the licensed music rule is that it's there to differentiate between music specifically written for a game and music written for something else that was later incorporated into a game, so I personally don't buy the argument that it should be eligible. Even if it was just some obscure track published once somewhere else, and it's much better known as being from that game, it still wasn't written for that game.

Again, that's just my interpretation, because we haven't really tested this. The closest we came was a nomination by Crash during Week 141, but since the composer had several definite VGM composition credits, it was admissible as an original work by a VGM composer, so the licensing issue was sidestepped entirely. I did a quick check and couldn't find any games he had definitely composed for, so I don't think that would be applicable here (although if you do know of any games, definitely let me know).

Other thoughts on the nomination?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Actually, the closest we've come was Week 60 - Machine Gun (PopRox Remix). (Also my nomination. WTF?) The song was originally written by The Commodores, but remixed specifically for Gran Turismo. In this instance, the composition was original enough for inclusion, as that remix had never been featured anywhere else.

But I believe this is a good issue to further clarify, as one of my upcoming nominations might skirt this issue...once again. I think it'll pass inspection, but it's nice to have everyone know where the boundaries lie. We should work on this.

How ya doing, buddy?

As far as I know, he didn't work on other video game soundtracks before, so I guess it won't pass by the "original piece of professional VGM composer" rule.

As being said, I don't really get where the rules are trying to go, whether it's

"keep out music that is mostly known by its original source rather than the game it appeared in"
or
"keep out all music that wasn't specifically composed or arranged for a game"

I interpreted them in the former meaning, but I might be wrong, and some people apparently interpret them the other way, too. So probably someone who contributed to the rules would know more about the original intentions behind them.

FELIPE NO

Listen up maggots, I'm taking over for CHz while he's sippin' Penis Coladas on the nude beaches of Hawai'i. I know I'm supposed to do something, and if I can figure out what, I'll take care of it. Reasearch, vote tallies... no probalo.

Also, since I haven't nominated anything in like a year, here I go:
=== Kaleb.G ===
* Album Title: Concerto Gate Closed Beta BGM
* Artist: Kenji Ito
* Track Title: battle 01
* Source: Internets
* File Location: nom folder
* Disc Number: N/A
* Track Number: N/A
* Catalogue Number: N/A
* Year: 2007

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

Vote:
3 points - Treue
2 points - Viridianscape
1 point - Curse of Iron Pipe

New nomination:
* Album Title: Segacon -The Best of Sega Game Music- Vol.1
* Artist: Hirofumi Murasaki, Morihiko Akiyama, Masayuki Nagao
* Track Title: SHINOBI (Super Shinobi 2)
* Disc Number: 1
* Track Number: 14
* Catalogue Number: SVWC-7092~4
* Year: 2001
* Source: SVWC-7092~4: Segacon -The Best of Sega Game Music- Vol.1 - VGMdb

Jam it back in, in the dark.

2 Points: Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride
2 Points: La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
2 Points: LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I think I can type some comments this week! ='D

(lol 3st??) Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM) is a pretty unspectacular dose of chiptune. Not much drive or melody to speak of, and the overall feeling I get after listening to it is definitely not one of satisfaction. A bit too mundane for me, without any real hooks to speak of.

Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme is lovely in the sense that it achieves such a soothing atmosphere by doing so little. Not much to comment on here, but it's a nice track without being too "run of the mill" or "over the top". Saved.

I don't remember being too impressed with the La-Mulana track in the Best Song Contest, and this track continues this negative impression of the game's music. La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE doesn't go anywhere or do anything for me; yes there are a couple of nice melodies, but on the whole it sounds a tad disjointed and clumsy. I'm sure I'm only one of the few who think that, though. I guess I just can't appreciate this game's music! *shrugs*

The soundtrack to La Tale is wonderful, and for me LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape is definitely one of the game's most accessible and bouncy offerings. The constantly moving melody engages and entertains me throughout, and the addition of the accordion and violin gives the track a nice sense of depth. Classic ESTi!

I like the dark electronic nature of Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride, but sadly I don't think it develops the ideas established well enough. There's no real climax to speak of, and while the piece is good at setting up an atmosphere and mood, it falls a little flat musically.

Paper Mario (Game Rip) - Sun's Tower has a distinctive Latin sound to it which I enjoy, but the synth is grating and the tune isn't developed enough to extract any real compliments from me. If this one where given a synth upgrade and a bit more melodic depth, I'd really enjoy it, but as it is it's simply a very average N64 tune.

Super Robot Wars OG Original Generations Original Soundtrack - TREUE's opening quickly got my interest, but the cliches which followed soon made the track have a "through one ear and out the other" effect on me. It's decent, but I think it's way too dramatic for its own good. It needs a bit more flair to accommodate that drama, methinks.

Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris is a serviceable morsel of chiptunage. It doesn't break any boundaries, and sits happily among the Famicom's pre-established compositional conventions. But despite this mundaneness, I enjoy it somewhat. Enough for a point, at least.

the POINT of short duration (is that it's too short?)

3 points: LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape
2 points: Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme
1 point: Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris

4th: Super Robot Wars OG Original Generations Original Soundtrack - TREUE
5th: Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride
6th: Paper Mario (Game Rip) - Sun's Tower
7th: La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
8th: Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM)

I didn't like this week very much at all. =/ Sorry folks!

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

2 points - Viridianscape
2 points: Super Robot Wars OG Original Generations Original Soundtrack - TREUE
1 point: Paper Mario (Game Rip) - Sun's Tower
1 point: Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM)

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

3 points: Paper Mario (Game Rip) - Sun's Tower
2 points: Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM)
1 point: LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape

Alien Soldier is one of my least favorite Hanzawa works, but that still manages to be better than a lot of the music that mere mortals can come up with. Love the bizarre way 3-PRAYERS loops.

I was very disappointed when Curse of IRON PIPE didn't actually turn out to be Thunderbolt from Life Force.

Not a big fan of the selection this week below the top two. Last point could have alternatively gone to Technotris.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Opfer

As being said, I don't really get where the rules are trying to go, whether it's

"keep out music that is mostly known by its original source rather than the game it appeared in"
or
"keep out all music that wasn't specifically composed or arranged for a game"

That's a valid concern... But I think it's pretty well defined by the rules on the Wiki (rule 4 and footnote 2) that since the original source would not be eligible for nomination, it would not be eligible when later included in a game. It may be somewhat unfair in the case where a guy makes a song, posts it online simply to share it, and later decides he wants it to be part of a legitimate game soundtrack. But is this really the case here? Even so, we'd need to update the rules to allow for such a lenience, and that would take some further discussion.

Until we can agree on a decision, CHz and I are going to put this nomination on hold. However, you're free to change your nomination for now while we decide if this track should be accepted.

Most amazing jew boots

With regards to the debate on licensed works being used for a game, it might be best to set-up a poll to decide if opinions are divided?

Currently (unless a sound counter argument surfaces), I'm not inclined to support licensed material that finds its way into game soundtracks even though it was only previously released on the artiste's website and not sold unless the musician in question happens to be an established video game composer.

The reason being that there is no presupposition of a video game in the music's creation in the case of licensed music used in a video game. Exceptions being stand-alone, non-video game music tracks by video game composers - higher correlation, I feel, of the music's creation being influenced by bona fide video games.

In any case, here are my votes for this week!

(3 points) Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme

(2 points) LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape

(1 point) La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE

Special mentions to Paper Mario. It sounds uncannily like a midi-tune (props to the trip down memory lane!).

FELIPE NO

Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM)
Heavy chiptune with some good melodic sections. It's not bad at all, but I think the heaviness drags the piece down a bit.

Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme
Quite soothing indeed! Not bad, yet it didn't hook me.

La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
Interesting chiptune, reminding me of Konami. I've heard better ones, but also many that are worse.

LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape
It's a good light-hearted RPG tune. I don't see myself listening to it on a regular basis since this isn't my favorite kind of VGM, but I can't find much negative points to say about it.

Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride
Nice dark electronic vibe, but it seems to be missing a strong melodic hook for me to make it a three-pointer.

Paper Mario (Game Rip) - Sun's Tower
I like western music in general, but I really can't get into "Sun's Tower". Is the tower locked? The instruments sound very bad and the composition is not something I'd consider as great. Sorry.

Super Robot Wars OG Original Generations Original Soundtrack - TREUE
It's a good Japanese pop/rock tune, but I'm not in the mood for this genre these days.

Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris
A fun NES tune with a lot of emphasis on rhythm. It reminded me a little of Marble Madness. Simple, but I enjoyed it.


(3 points) La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
(2 points) Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris
(1 point) LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape

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

2 points: Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme
2 points: La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
2 points: Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris

3 points - La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
2 points - Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme
1 point - Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Average-ish week

<<2 Points>> Paper Mario (Game Rip) - Sun's Tower
<<2 Points>> LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape
<<1 Point>> Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris
<<1 Point>> Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM)

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

Originally Posted by Kaleb.G

That's a valid concern... But I think it's pretty well defined by the rules on the Wiki (rule 4 and footnote 2) that since the original source would not be eligible for nomination, it would not be eligible when later included in a game.

Yeah, that's pretty clear, the thing I don't understand though, is that if only tracks where the original source is eligible get through, then why do we even need this footnote, since the nominator could just nominate the track from the original source in the first place.

I'm pretty sure I'm missing something here, a concrete example of when this footnote would apply would be greatly appreciated.

Originally Posted by Kaleb.G

Until we can agree on a decision, CHz and I are going to put this nomination on hold. However, you're free to change your nomination for now while we decide if this track should be accepted.

Sounds good to me, here we go.

Nomination

Artist: Lee Barber (The Orichalcon)
Game Title: Ioncross Freelancer: Total War
Track Title: Rochester Base Bar Music
Year: 2005
Source: Total War Music Soundtrack by TO and FIDGAF

This is neither a game rip nor an official soundtrack, as you can just download the files from their site. I uploaded it to the FTP. Also, this is probably as obscure as it gets.

Voting

Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM)
The instrumentation is pretty cool, it doesn't even sound too chiptunish and the melody is even a little catchy after a few listens. It's still a bit too dissonant and in-your-face for my taste.

Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme
Well, the title says it, and I really like it, especially the part near the end. Although subtle, the melody really flows in this one.

La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
I like the part starting at 0:41, although I don't find the other melodies too engaging and the instrumentation doesn't fit the tune so well either.

LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape
It has a few very catchy parts, it's nicely varied and the instrumentation is superb.

Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride
I like the dark feeling of this track. It varies just about enough to keep it from getting boring, so that's nice, but I think it could've been quite awesome if it did go further from the primary tune.

Paper Mario (Game Rip) - Sun's Tower
In-game, this one really stood out for me, since I find the track that plays in the area around it ("Clouds Over Flower Fields") to be absolutely horrible. On its own, it doesn't sound that great anymore, and the not-so-great synths are also rather noticeable in this particular track. Still, it sets a pretty nice mood and is sort of catchy in some parts.

Super Robot Wars OG Original Generations Original Soundtrack - TREUE
This one is pretty nice, although it doesn't really stand out in any way either. It gets a little repetitive by the end.

Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris
The main melody is extremely catchy, and the piece doesn't even rely on it too much.

2 Points: Tetris (Famicom Game Rip) - Technotris
2 Points: LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape
1 Point: Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme
1 Point: Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride

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

3 pts. - Soothing Theme
1 pt. - Virdianscape
1 pt. - Curse of Iron Pipe
1 pt. - Technotris

Soothing Theme was my nom. Not surprisingly, I find it very soothing; it's probably one of the nicest vg songs I've heard. As for the rest, I have to say I didn't care for this week at all. Figuring out which songs to give one point to was based on which ones were least uninteresting. No idea why Sun's Tower was nominated. Also I'm not sure what 3-PRAYERS is.

How ya doing, buddy?

(2 points) Alien Soldier (Game Rip) - 3-PRAYERS (3st. BGM)
(2 points) La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
(2 points) LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape

Why no Runner/AD2025??!! ;_;

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

(2 points) Catan (XBLA rip) - Soothing Theme
(2 points) LaTale (Game Rip) - Viridianscape
(1 point) La-Mulana (Game Rip) - Curse of IRON PIPE
(1 point) Mass Effect Original Soundtrack - Virmire Ride

FELIPE NO

Update. Voting is still open for now, but I'm restricting noms. Unfortunately, I have a ton of work to do right now and this is not as important as my salary. I'll get back to this ASAP.

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

Originally Posted by Kaleb.G

Update. Voting is still open for now, but I'm restricting noms. Unfortunately, I have a ton of work to do right now and this is not as important as my salary. I'll get back to this ASAP.

No rush, Kaleb. CHz hasn't closed voting on a Monday in months

Jam it back in, in the dark.