Lurker > Haste_2

Not sure if I'm ready for this to purge yet.

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

I went and fixed the duplicated titles and now it's actually alphabetized properly, too, thanks.

xp1337 posted...

A consensus Top anything would be hard to determine because VGMC's "tastes" have changed a few times over the course of its run.

I was going for what the regular VGMers would likely choose as of the present, but your list would compromise with other eras better, true.

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Here is the link one last time for the complete set of rankings!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RyUmpY7s3MZeuSDaN3vYEJXtS9BlR0GJ--7sapMOnaA/edit?usp=sharing

It also contains a tab that compares the VGMCs, as well as for Pokemon/Ace Attorney/VGMC 13 rankings. Pokemon and VGMC have a list of HM's that scored a 9+, as well. Man, I really think I need to raise the bar again for a 9 rating, given there are 28 of them from VGMC 13 non-retirees alone. Maybe a 9.2 should be the new 9....

Thanks for your participation! Hope you had some nostalgic reminiscing!

What would make the best top ten that everyone could kind of agree on? Maybe something like...

(in no order)
Isoleucine
Endeavour
EXSPHERE
Time's Scar
worldenddominator
Kimera II
Baba Yetu
MGS2 Theme
Sphilia
Despair of Elferia

Something like that? Oh, wait, there's Sphilia, as well. Maybe take out XBC2 Battle, then?

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Part 4: 10/10

But 1:16 is CHILL-inducing, the way the snippet from near the beginning gets cut in half (tempo-wise) to set up the second half of the track. And then the CHANTS I love so much join in the background (as well as more traditional choir samples but I dont care about them as much), and the strings are aiding the rhythm section with their punctuated patterns...and along with the electric rhythm section still going at it the overall sound cant POSSIBLY be more epic now OMGOMGOMG!!!! In fact, this section practically makes me cry, oh the FEELS!!! At 1:33 trumpet samples join in for the climax, and I just LOVE how the dominant at the end of the previous section doesn't resolve normally, but instead we move harmonies a 3rd away instead, and its POWERFUL!!! The rhythm section gets more rhythmic here to increase the intensity. Easily the highlight of this part, though is when the trumpet SOARS to the climax of the phrase (1:39-1:42), and I like how the music delays the tonic a while longer to really finish this thing off strong.

Part 5: 9/10

And then everything drops out save the violins (LOVE the ambience within the silence) to transition to the final tension/release...GREAT final tonic at 1:50, chimes play standard descent-from-climax which is a typical stepwise descent but it works GREAT here, and hey, my favorite chants are back to finish this off! Then it finishes the loop like the opening, but not quite as exciting, though still nice.

As a whole, this music pretty much blows me away with the intense/charming mixture of sounds, thick chords, chants, and dark epicness!

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

1) Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - Second Dark Matter Battle
https://youtu.be/XeXGr9WerPg
Prelim score: 10/10
Score: 10/10 (Godly)
Composer: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe, and/or Noriko Murakami
VGMC History: VGMC 12 (Lost R1), VGMC 14 (Lost R6 to -(Isoleucine)-)
Favorite part: 0:00 - 0:34, as well as 1:16 - 1:32, https://youtu.be/XeXGr9WerPg?t=76

Wow, what a surprise! Not~! It was no secret that it was my favorite entrant in VGMC 14. Im not claiming SDMB to be objectively the best retiree. But it IS my clear #1 piece of vgm of all time! Its also on a tier of its own, the one and only piece of vgm to maintain the elusive 10/10. Oh, wait, there is linkage alter Im still trying to decide whether that should be a 9.9 or a 10. There are some favorites that are competing with linkage alter, so Im not sure if I want to lower the standard for a 10 because otherwise I might find myself with like fifteen 10/10s!

PSMD will forever be among my favorite OSTs because of what I term the invincible trio: Second Dark Matter Battle, Gentle Slope Cave, and Fire Island Volcano. All are 9.8+ out of ten! But it also has numerous other tracks in the mid-9 range, PLUS some tracks that I havent discovered yet.

A mere two years ago I didnt think much of the Pokemon series in terms of music. I like DPPs soundtrack, sure, but I had little exposure to PMD or later games in the series. I vaguely knew Sky Tower, and that was it. I didnt even know the game PSMD existed until the game got nominated in BOST 5. Anyway, after being introduced to SDMB in BOST 5 eighteen months ago, I just knew I had to get this in the formal contest. However, I was kind of bummed to find out it was in VGMC two years ago and to make matters worse, it lost in the first round on the first day of the contest. Sixteen to twenty nine you gotta be kidding me ;_;. (Spiral of Erebos isn't bad) But that only made me want this in a contest even more I was determined to redeem SDMB once and for all., you know, by at least winning one match. I also had a goal to try and help Pokemon music get retired, cause after 13 years of this contest, still nothing from the series. But yeah, I was pretty nervous about how it was going to do. Not only did it retire, but It went one round farther, enough to nullify any potential argument that it retired only because it had an easy path. Oh yeah, and it somehow managed to survive an 11-2 run in the latter part of SDMB vs. Burning Force Medley to get there--haha, awesome! But yeah, Im ECSTATIC about not only Pokemon retiring, but that my favorite in the series received that honor. Thank you, @DireKrow, for introducing me to PSMDs soundtrack! I may never have gotten into PMD music otherwise.

If you REALLY want to know why I like this so much, in just a few words dat bass!!! in conjunction with the standard PSMD sound production. Its a lot more than that of course, but thats probably the single biggest factor.

It starts off with some chanting...its almost as if some cute Pokemon are doing it :) Perfect way to set up a final boss theme. But you know, I came across a funny coincidence relative to those opening two chords: I was listening to Secret of Mana 2018 OST the other day. I got to The Oracle (the battle against Dark Lich), and https://youtu.be/5jEnB5Zx7vk?t=8604 (PSMD was released in 2015) Yep, way to copy this track almost almost exactly. But the REAL reason its such a funny coincidence is that (because I havent yet completed PSMD) I imagined the final boss setting in PSMD to be like the battle against Dark Lich... =p Off on another tangent, but the 2018 ARM version of Danger in SoM 2018 is really good, IMO! (Even if most of the others are questionable)

Intro: 10/10

Anyway, those chants are just the greatest, with just the right tone to them, and the way they linger over the chimes and these epic piano descending octaves is just. *_* It gives off an exotic vibe. Actually, the tonality is ambiguous here, like its first the key of G but then C gets established right after but it mixes major with minor... always a plus! At 0:13 you get these really cool ascending triplets with ascending in unison (oh MAN I love the crescendo and cymbal), leading into 16th-note stuff (I love how rhythmic subdivisions get switched up here!) But yeah, this intro is just...epicly dark.

Part 1: 10/10

Gotta love the string writing in their little soli, and the way they bridge the intro and main section is awesome, HOLY CARP. That little bit is taken from Partners Theme, but it also sounds like Sophisticated Fight! Anway, after that it kind of follows the feel of the final boss theme from Gates to Infinity, but ups the intensity a bunch. But I am in LOVE with the sound mixing Oh, MAN, that underlying rhythm section mmm, that BASS!!! So darkly electric. It almost sounds like two instruments covering it. Love those percussive sounds on beat 2. The orchestration is so thick I have a hard time identifying everything. Do I hear acoustic guitar chords in there, too? Actually, no, it must be an electric guitar.

This is compositionally my favorite section! The opening chords are really great, so thickyou got a D minor melody vs. a G major movement in the bass that I really like, but yeah I especially like the natVI9 chord at 0:20, a nice dissonant rub in there. Oh, yeah, and the melody here is GREAT, taken from Partners Theme, one of multiple excellent emotional themes in PSMD! But all the stuff supporting it really makes it so amazingly intense. :) Then at 0:27 THIS MUSIC IS TO DIE FOR, taking the intensity up a notch AGAIN. What MONSTER chords here as everything gets unified.. Some of my favorite chords anywhere.

Part 2: 9.3/10

You got a bit of Persona! with those string trills next. Got flute on top doing the Tree of Life theme now! And we get to hear the deep rhythm section sound here, and especially when its highlighted at 0:53!!! But yeah, I just love that bass in conjunction with those hard percussive hits...makes me happy.

Part 3: 8/10

At 1:03 electric guitar takes the center stage, which I used to have a problem with. Yeah, I dont think it fits in with PMD music very well in general, but it actually fits okay here, and its just one little part! I love those ambient sounds at e.g. 1:05. But yeah, the guitar plays the first part of Partners Theme here, and I like that! Nerdy thing I like is, again, triplets --> 16th note rest resolution here! And then the one and only thing I DONT like about the music occurs the way the guitars crescendo and cut off there it doesnt sound good :(


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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

The average score is 7.61, not 7.24! I averaged the wrong column. My bad.

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

You know, I forgot about doubles! 50 users nominating and doubling their PSO tracks could get 40 representatives in the contest!

Looks like VGMC 7 was the most polarizing contest. And probably THE lowest rated ...yikes.

ELIMINATED: VGMC 7
2) Neotokyo - Tin Soldiers (9.9)
15) Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica - EXEC_SPHILIA/. (9.6)
50) Ar tonelico III - EXEC_REBIRTHIA=PROTOCOL/. (8.9)
91) VVVVVV - Potential for Anything (8.4)
96) Digital: A Love Story - Paper Dolls (8.4)
101) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Staff Credits (8.3)
119) Umineko No Naku Koro Ni Chiru 7 - The Executioner (8)
121) Solatorobo: Red the Hunter - Re-CODA (8)
132) VVVVVV - Pushing Onwards (7.8)
150) Sol Survivor - Oil & Sweat (7.2)
156) Alan Wake - The Poet and the Muse (7.1)
158) Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru 8 - lastendconductor (7)
171) Jets 'N' Guns - Shop Music (6.6)
183) Ys Seven - Desert of Despair (5.9)
188) Lamento -Beyond the Void- - When the End (5.8)
195) Super Castlevania IV - Bloody Tears (4.8)

Average score: 7.24
Average ranking: 120.5

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

I wonder if I should have just done a traditional user-nominated vgm ranking topic, because that would have been more useful. Doing this topic doesn't provide a whole lot other than giving users a chance to reminisce.

What I had ranked my favorite VGMC 14 non-retirees, as well? Well, there are four contenders for the top spot: Suite Photoconductivity: Third Tune ~ Bolt and Sword, Thermosphere, Hinagiku, and Fire Island Volcano, which is a bit different from my ratings during the contest. It's hard to say which one is really the #1, but probably SPTTBS.

2) Neotokyo - Tin Soldiers
https://youtu.be/VPUp2PiCYBY
Composer: Ed Harrison
Prelim score: 9.2/10
Score: 9.9/10 (Phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 5 (Lost R4), VGMC 7 (Lost R6 to EXEC_SPHILIA/.)
Favorite Part: 2:58 - 6:10, https://youtu.be/VPUp2PiCYBY?t=178

Man, this originally wasnt supposed to be anywhere near #2. Even recently most of my listens were favoring IF~Autumn to Tin Soldiers. Two days ago, however, Tin Soldiers was the clear winner. And the following day, Tin Soldiers was the clear winner...again. Two days in a row is hard to refute when its decision-making time, so Autumn dropped at #3 that same day! But today I prefer IF~Autumn again. Figures! I was looking at the past results, and TS lost to SPHILIA by a mere four votes. To think this likely would have won a championship if it wasnt for that.

So basically it starts off with one simple two-measure idea, and then it expands from there. Sounds post-apocalyptic, like the rest of the OST. Yep, its ALL about exploration of sounds through small ideas. Theres not a whole lot of actual melody, so I guess you could say its quasi-process music. But its all done so tastefully its staggering. Its so chill and atmospheric and edgy and dissonant and full in all the right ways! Interesting to note is that thick chords are not used much in this almost everything relies on two-note voicings. (It's just that you often get a whole bunch of those simultaneously. :) It sounds even better with headphones!

I have to admit the very beginning on its own is not why I like this music. Note choices are boring initially. But my interest gets upped very quickly! The buildup in this is amazing, even better to me than Innocence & Emptiness! Already Im getting interested in the rhythmic placement of the harp chords, so I have stuff getting Then pitch-bending synths are artistically placed by itself its boring, but its fascinating to see everything start fitting in! Okay, but 0:58 the new synth stuff is really awesome by itself! They introduce a glitchy sliding synth idea with weird sputtering on the left side more or less imitating the tempered keyboard beeps moving all over the place on the right! What a cool bouncing polymetric effect, what a banger! This ultimately is the biggest reason I love this track so much. Cool Earthbound-esque fall to lead into a section with more of a buildup this time.

And now theres zillions of things going on at the same time! I really like the vocal samples (blended with violins?) taking over the main when it gets loud it simply works! Wow. And then bird-of-prey squawks take the place of the harp really c00001111!!!! Seriously, who in their right mind would use bird squawks in music like this?
Finally comes down again at 2:58, with many of the same ideas but as usual, presented very differently. This time the piano takes on the previous electronic beep keyboard stuff! But it expands on it even more, OMG OMG :) :). Just two or three piano voices, but theyre only partly unified really, really cool counterpoint stuff the way it utilizes minor 2nds and octaves and things!!!! And it's got this sort of sycnopated "delay echo" effect in octaves... And rhythmically mixing up 3/4 and 2/4 while putting a lot of emphasis on the 2nd and 4th beats is cool. But okay, turns out that on certain key moments (the 4th beat) you get a few chords that are a bit thicker. AND other stuff comes in (I LOOOOOVE the matching timbre of the xylophone) to thicken the crazy harmonies even more even the BIRD SQUAWKS are fitting right in the harmonies o_O. Also a bit in you got the big piano bass really filling things up nicely, woooow. And then finally you these HUGE synths totally raising the volume to the max at 4:15, EPIC EPIC EPIC!!!!!! And just when you think youre beyond the climax, the big VOCALS come on top of it all at 4:57. Now were at the REAL climax~~~~!!!! Man, hearing those voices soar above everything and slide between the notes is just the great thing ever!!! Its just amazing how everything comes together.

But hey, its not done yet! It kind of symmetrically refers to an earlier section to close things out, and the placement of the intercom announcer is fun. Love the way the vocals/synth combination dies out after the 7 minute mark.

Again, to get the most out of this track, USE QUALITY HEADPHONES!!! :) Really, what makes this my favorite track in the game is the buildup.(Imbrium is really amazing, though)

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

I've never heard the remastered Moon theme. I like it! ...Wait a minute, I "liked" that video sometime in the past! What a terrible memory I have!

Hamauzu is my boy, too, but I haven't listened to nearly enough of his stuff, shame on me.

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Oh, that's right... our 12th elimination! Oh, and I forgot to mention that I was pretty pleased to see Autumn make the final four in the ToC.

ELIMINATED: VGMC 13
3) Atelier Ayesha - Invitation Flower~ Autumn (9.8)
14) Cytus 2- Chocolate Missile (9.6)
16) Ar nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE (9.5)
22) Baldr Heart - Innocence & Emptiness (9.4)
27) GITADORA OverDrive - Douwa Kairou (9.3)
33) Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Flash Frost (9)
37) Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country -Battle!! (9)
38) Atelier Ayesha - Yesterday's Opponents are Today's Ingredients (9)
52) jubeat Prop- Chloe (8.9)
60) Crystar- Revenger (8.8)
76) Terraria Calamity Mod - Servants of the Scourge (Theme of the Sentinels of the Devourer) (8.6)
95) Demon Truck - Dead Neon Hell City (8.4)
116) Terraria Calamity Mod - 1NF3S+@+!0N (Theme of Crabulon) (8.1)
144) Granblue Fantasy - New World Order (7.5)
168) Pinball Fantasies - steelchambers2 (6.8)
173) Steins;Gate - Skyclad Observer (6.5)

Average score: 8.64
Average ranking: 67.1


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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Ah, yes, of course--PSO2. If we have, say, 50 users ALL nominate two PSO2 tracks (nomination limit per game), that means 100 nominations. And let's say you need five nominations to make the bracket, that means only 20 PSO tracks would make the bracket assuming no wasted noms! What's the most tracks we've ever had from one game, I wonder?

Ah, I'm really disappointed in this write-up, but that's how it goes.

3) Atelier Ayesha - Invitation Flower~ Autumn
https://youtu.be/PZhjh-DME3k
Series ranking: 1 of 5
Composer: Kazuki Yanagawa
Prelim score: 9.8/10
Score: 9.8/10 (Phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (Lost R6 to Class:EXPHERE_NOSURGE)
Favorite Part: 0:42 - the end of the loop, https://youtu.be/PZhjh-DME3k?t=42

Yes, this is certainly one of my all-time favorites when it comes to music with relatively sparse instrumentation! I dont know how to describe it but it has this sound of sparseness and nature, but in the best way possible. It gradually builds and the instrumentation thickens, but it never really disturbs that sparse feeling. Thats part of the genius of this track. Its not meant to be high energy or epic, in fact its not really meant to be one of feature presentations! And this track has my FAVORITE melody of ANY retiree on the list...possibly my favorite melody ever.

The combination of the one-line piano and xylophone two-note chords ahhhhh, so wonderful and complementary!!!! That piano stuff is something SPECIAL its such a fun little ditty. Especially when it does the wild descending three-note patterns... And then it does it again, but the patterns are inverted!!! Fun. So very satisfying, practically by itself. Very dry, but very beautiful. Then comes the growls. I don't know about you, but I like it for sure! It fits right in! The new theme makes a good contrast good stuff! Its not nearly as fancy, but the tritones/9ths and stuff make it pleasing to the ear. And the additional light instrumentation makes me just want to lay down and bask in it. It all evokes this sound of nature, as if youre in the midst of a sunny forest.

The trumpets introduce themselves via a sudden crescendo at 0:42 (along with, um, tam-tam? If so, very soft considering!). Yeah, I just love everything going on here, because it sounds like a bunch of wild animals have all joined in, in sync with each other its unlike anything Ive ever heard in music. Despite all the things going on, it maintains that somehow. The flute sounds PERFECT, too has that perfect lightness without being overly sweet. and it ornaments those 7ths/9ths that I love!!! Then the piano from earlier gets put on top of it all, OMG OMG OMG goosebumps! I cant get enough of those trumpet crescendos! And then the climax at 1:11 trumpets finally get the theme! AMAZING climactic chord at 1:13 Little intermediary bit of the theme borrowed from the beginning sneaks in there, and then another AMAZING chord adjustment at 1:20!!! Then it kind of winds down to the lovely simplistic sounds of the beginning.(the soft low synth is lovely, too.) Hey, the second time around it throws a grand pause, with a cool effect in the middle of it! (1:46)

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Actually, I meant that before VGMC 14 was run, Engage the Enemy was my top retiree. Since then, two pre-VGMC 14 retirees have overtaken it, so it's really only my #3 retiree excluding VGMC 14.

NFUN posted...

you'd better get cracking soon before another fifty songs (officially) drop in a few months

What? I'm almost done here. And 50 songs?

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Spyro the Dragon

(Why did I think about Spyro before Crash? Because earlier today I recalled some contest matches connected to Spyro... for example, how strong Spyro looked last contest when Chun Li exceeded expectations against Ganondorf, and that recolleciton came because I was listening to a playlist on shuffle that happened to have some music from Spyro games)

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

I love vgm.... *_*

4) Phantasy Star Online 2 - GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
Series ranking: 1 of 2
https://youtu.be/GTBCuuojyos
Prelim score: 9.5/10
Score: 9.8/10 (Phenomenal)
Composer: Hidekuni Horita
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (Lost R5 to [-Deoxyribose]-)
Favorite part: The intro as well as 1:15

...and that finishes the highest-ranked series with two or more reps! Oh maaaaan, this one is so exciting! What a blend of folk, fantasy and cinematics. It knocks your socks off the moment it starts. So many asymmetrical rhythmic things and fun harmonies make this one of THE most engaging tracks on the whole list! And the strings joining the rhythm section is fun when it happens, too. The thing about this music is that it pretty much requires you to pay close attention to get the most out of it.

The rhythmic pulse of the opening is so catchy!! I cant get enough of it really, it doesnt sound like 6/8 at all. And the stuff next at 0:09 complements it so well! And I love how the melody sounds like its in a different key vs. the harmonies. I love the way the melody lands on the tonic at 0:11 (9/8 at 0:14), but the harmony decides to delay things a bit before establishing the tonal center (7/4 around here). And now its in 7/4, ah, the rhythm section is SO blood-pumping here, especially when they align with the flute (melody) at the phrase end and this sort of thing happens a lot during this track, actually!!! At 0:28 I guess is when the main theme formally starts. It trips up my rhythm here because of that added beat at the start! I like stuff like that. The accompanying alternating triple and duple stuff makes this SO MUCH FUN, too, and I LOVE when they switch things up like at non-pivotal moments like 0:35 (the cymbals!). At 0:42 we get 5-on-6 OMG OMG! (it took me a number of listens to notice) Then at 0:48 everything lines up again with a temporary meter-change here... so awesome! I love the double-neighbor tone thing the bass does at 0:46 - 0:48 (not to mention other dissonances there)! @0:51, parallel fourths are fun :) Then cello gets to solo while everything else joins the backup At 1:05 the orchestration is really thick...lots of stuff going on thats hard to hear.

At 1:15 were back to the intro material/switch up in meter feel, YEEEESSSSSSS!!! At 1:26 harmonies are at their best OMG OMG OMG!! Like it takes advantage of the ambiguous melody coming into this part and at 1:23 its really cool how different scales get used to transition into a new key :) :) :). It relaxes a little bit here, too, but then the intensity ups again at about 1:43, where we get the opening material again used really creatively EPIC! And you got a primitive horn call underneath it. And a choir blends in, too cool. And following that you got one final triple-meter dance Then when it loops it plays pretty much (if not exactly) the same thing, but just a half-step higher.

But yeah, this is among my favorite styles of music! I would also rate this one of the highest ones objectively... but man, I hope to explore some more PSO2 music soon. I've only listened to maybe a few dozen tracks, but a disportionate amount of them are really awesome...


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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Oh, yeah, and we now have our eleventh VGMC elimination! Just three left!

ELIMINATED: VGMC 8
5) Xenoblade Chronicles- Engage the Enemy (9.8)
30) Bravely Default- Wicked Flight(9.1)
55) Sonic Generations [3DS] - Boss Battle: Big Arm (8.9)
58) Boku no Te no Naka no Rakuen - Papiliones (8.8)
66) Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals - The Last Duel (8.7)
87) Ys: Memories of Celceta- False God of Causality (8.4)
90) Silent Hill 2 - Theme Of Laura (8.4)
106) jubeat knit - Shining Wizard (8.2)
115) Bravely Default - Serpent Eating the Ground (8.1)
124) Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - Zero Two (7.9)
136) Ace Combat: Assault Horizon - White Devil (7.8)
145) Donkey Kong Country - Fear Factory(7.5)
146) Ys Seven - Innocent Primeval Breaker (7.4)
163) Xenogears - Small Two of Pieces (6.8)
166) Air - Summer Lights (6.8)
181) Ougon Musou Kyoku Cross - Tomorrow (5.9)

Average score: 8.03
Average ranking: 104.6

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

5) Xenoblade Chronicles - Engage the Enemy
https://youtu.be/xi0M9SIaLb4
Series ranking: 1 of 6 (Xeno)
Composer: Ace+
Prelim score: 10/10
Score: 9.8/10 (Phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 7 (Lost R1), VGMC 8 (Lost R5 to Serpent Eating the Ground)
Favorite Part: 0:23 - 0:46, as well as 0:57 - 1:08, https://youtu.be/xi0M9SIaLb4?t=57

Here it is, my #1 retiree prior to VGMC 14, originally the only one to make the Godly tier! Ive never even played Xenoblade or know anything about it. (Ive played Xenogears, though one of my very favorite games!) Yet every time I listen to this I am in complete awe. EVERY. TIME. (too bad my write-up sucks in comparison Toxtrcitys write-up has so much higher-level thinking) I dont think Xenoblades OST is that great in general (some of its good!), but this track its too good to be true! The way it incorporates somber with ambience with rock with classical over a WIDE range of emotions is truly one-of-a-kind. Subtle details everywhere. The music is relaxed in such a way to allow oozing of emotion. Yes, its the EMOTION that really makes this great, and if you dont feel that, well Oh, yeah, and it took time for this one to grow on me, by the way. The first couple of listens I was just like ok its nice.

At the beginning, you got the ambient synth pad(ish sounds) like an alien visitation and then you got these stately, succinct chords (+ a bit of chime!) for a beautiful intro (and chimes that blend in). Electric guitar call (and fall) and cool glissandos and trills randomly under a simple rock beat thats ordinary on its own, but effective in how it sets up the rest of the track. New feel at 0:23 - the ostinato rhythms continue, but it has a more ambient feel now Im LOVING TO DEATH the relaxed tempo, the deep plucked bass sixteenth notes kept constant under the changing harmonies (as well as throwing other notes on the weak subdivides) along with the keyboard bell sounds, and the exceptionally electro-sounding guitar playing so dramatically... MAN, this is something else. This stuff right here is a big reason it got such a high score. I like those two little electronic notes before they turn into piano at 0:45

With the next section, the piano plays a similar line to the guitar from before, but in a more somber manner, with beautiful little rhythmic additions. Warm low strings really fill things up. Im liking the inverted 7th chord bass pedal tone at 0:49 and the buttery synth right after. Then at 0:57 low strings transition into the crowning melodic moment of the entire piece (vi7, bII, and V7)... oh MAN, the note choices on top of those, the odd chromatic movements...GORGEOUS. Oh, hey, why not quote from Toxs write-up for a better description on that? my favorite part is the chord change right at 1:00. that part is a WHOA because i think it's going to go somewhere dramatic but tthen it goes somewhere MORE dramatic than i expect and i start floating in the air. </TOXTRICITY>

Nice drop to piano + crescendo there, too... the violins and low strings milking the feeling for all its worth. Then a moment of silence and time for a new contrast! More upbeat now at 1:09, but the violin trio is now over-the-top dramatic the syncopated part would normally be awkward, but with the tempo as slow as it is, it only helps maintain that atmosphere. 1:27 is a BEAUTIFUL elongated resolution coupled with grooviness, and I LOVE how the suspension resolution lines up with the rhythmic ostinato cut off to assist in that long final note! :)

Stylish piano syncopation at 1:36. Then you got such pure voices with that ethereal sound againneat reverb thing and nice counterpoint with the violins. More yummy string writing with lots of bottom to it and the subdued drums are nice. 2:00 More intense (and the strings join the rhythm section for the first time) and the singers get more of a central role and turns into a group duet. 2:26 back to the stylish guitar with its wild ornaments from before and strings go a bit crazy rhythmic! And hey, its back to the calm stuff from before at 2:37! I like the little bass addition at 2:52-53. For a moment it all stops. Then you got the super long 32nd-note ascent into the climax:) :) :) This time with vocals and up a step! I cant get enough of the last part of the phrase with the lengthy tonic resolution (except the suspension doesnt resolve this time...good decision ACE+)... and finally it ends with stately descending piano w/ a tasteful 4th on top of the final chord, a bit like the beginning.

To sum it up, the brilliance of the music has less to do with stuff that can easily be measured objectively and more to do with instrumentation, style and emotion...

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Well, Beethoven's Pathetique didn't get last place as I thought it would. That's good.

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

6) 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim-(Isoleucine)-
Series ranking: 1 of 2
https://youtu.be/p-MUwawZrfw
Prelim score: 9.2/10
Score: 9.7/10 (Phenomenal)
Composer: Yoshimi Kudo
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (Lost R8 to Endeavour)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/p-MUwawZrfw?t=191

Ah, the most recent champion! Oops, I mean, erm, how did I forget so quickly? It was supposed to be the champion. >_> I dont know how to precisely classify this other than its...like, orchestral edm if such a term exists? But yeah, its amazing that music like this is actually beloved by board 8 VGMC music fans these days! A few years ago this probably couldnt have gotten anywhere. Anyway, the music largely relies on a single ostinato thick chords doing a repetitious danceable rhythm for 8 bars. And yummy chords, they are! Cheerful! Ambitious! Confident! And its fun hearing how they change...like, the top line might stay the same (it stays static the whole time, mostly), but tonally things are interesting because they get used over two, three different keys!l! And then an endless array of ideas get used in conjunction what a joy to listen to.

Okay, theres definitely stuff about the chords I definitely CANT hear, but theres generally contrary motion between the top line and bass at the start, which is fun to hear! Same basic idea continues at 0:39 but now Im hearing cool parallel ninths!! I love :52 when the violins get involved, and then you get those COOL synth far away key [scale] at the end of the phrases. Then the bass gets a lot more active. Also, nice way to modulate into 1:44, and now its like totally ORCHESTRAL!! Oh WOW, the violins go CRAAAZY at 2:03! Nuh uh uh uh uh! Then its kind of not my cup of tea for a little while, but then the ostinato returns, yay, and strings keep finally At 3:15 when it starts to have some fun with rhythms, swapping out syncopation in favor of streams of dotted eighths, and it utilizes those to stretch out the end of the phrase in a way thats AWESOME. ESPECIALLY THE LAST THREE NOTES OMG OMG (approx. 3:28)! After that it repeats some earlier material, but then the gorgeous violins take the center stage, ah, its absolutely BEAUTIFUL LYRICAL stuff! THIS SECTION is finally where the acoustic aspect of the music hits the apex!!!

This is one of those times where doing a write-up helps me appreciate the music a lot more! Strange, but true. I originally wasnt sure which 13 Sentinels retiree I liked more, but theres no question now this is my preferred track from that game. All in all, this music is so good its SICK! I always thought it was amazing, but its grown on me.

P.S. if everyone had delved into this music just a little bit like I did maybe it could have beaten endeavour!
Another P.S. It sucks that The Last Location of Mankind plays next on the VGMC list... >_<


---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

7) Opoona - Partizans
https://youtu.be/96h3TkiXdqA
Prelim score: 9.4/10
Score: 9.7/10 (Phenomenal)
Composer: Hitoshi Sakimoto (Arranged by Noriyuki Kamikura)
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (Lost R5 to Endeavour)
Favorite part: The intro

I didnt expect this one to make R5. I thought for sure it would fall to IDOLA ~ The Strange Fruits (which is amazing music, by the way! I hope it comes back next year and retires). Wonderful light synths and bells are used liberally all over the place and often very subtly. That means feel-good happy music! Also its one of my favorite emotional themes. Sakimoto and Kamikura are both amazing!

It kicks off with a charming polymeter, basically 3/4 with dotted eighth notes vs. 4/4, or basically 2.25/4 vs. 4/4, I think. >_> Chords at the start are yummy..like, even the very first chord putting the 7th on top is cool, plus I love those pedal tones after that, and the bass gives it such a full sound. And the light synth melody sounds so wonderful at 0:14, especially when so many other sounds make an entrance after the pickup.... The next section we get jester music, the main theme of this! (Was it GameBop who called it that? Made me laugh and now I cant help thinking of jesters every time I hear this part) Love the little intermediary transition here at 0:46 with all the different little sounds here (nice crackles as well as a buildup of sustained soft synths).

The next section at 1:01 is energetic, but feel-good simultaneously! Piano chords arent overly dense and yet pick just the right notes to provide a schmaltzy harmonic crunch (I love that dissonance at 1:04, really a lot of the melody notes are not used at all in the piano chords) not that the music is schmaltzy at all, as the synths and bells totally offset that feel. And the active bass leaping everywhere along with a somewhat Christmasy melody is awesome. The 16th piano patterns at 1:24 combined with the bell synths and other sound effects are so :) :) :). Gotta love 1:32 the way it heads to the resolution (heads to a new key), and the way it gradually descends AT the resolution (1:40 - yummy adjusting 7th chords!) with SO MUCH EMOTION here. Also, sparkling 16th notes in the background!!! The following section is so sweet and happy and feel-good with that choice of soft synth and crystalline sustains, and what a sweet way to recall the material from the jester part, wow :) :) :). I love how it winds down so softly, too...

But yeah, its really hard to fault this track Such sweet emotion. I need to play this next time I feel down.


---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Oh, yeah, it's our tenth VGMC elimination!

ELIMINATED: VGMC 1
8) Legend of Mana - Title (9.7)
31) Civilization IV - Baba Yetu (9.1)
43) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - Stickerbush Symphony (8.9)
51) Chrono Cross - Scars of Time (8.9)
72) Final Fantasy V - Battle with Gilgamesh (Clash on the Big Bridge) (8.7)
79) Chrono Cross - Dreamwatch of Time (8.5)
97) Final Fantasy X - To Zanarkand (8.4)
107) Chrono Cross - Dream of the Shore Bordering Another World (8.2)
128) Mega Man 2 - Dr. Wily Stage 1 (7.9)
159) Metal Slug 5 - Windy Day (7.0)
170) Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits Von Gut Und Bse - Communication Breakdown (6.6)
184) Touhou 8: Imperishable Night - Lunatic Eyes ~ Invisible Full Moon (5.9)

Average score: 8.15
Average ranking: 94.08

I forgot the VGMC 10 stats:
Average score: 8.31
Average ranking: 83.9

VGMC 1 is probably considered to have one of the best groups of retirees, but I say they're kind of overrated! And VGMC 10 is underrated....

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

8) Legend of Mana - Title
https://youtu.be/Y1PnieCgVyY
Composer: Yoko Shimomura
Prelim score: 9.9/10
Score: 9.7/10 (phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R6 to Baba Yetu)
Favorite Part: 0:51 - 1:21

I rented Legend of Mana many years ago. I remember little about the game itself Apparently I didnt enjoy it very much as I never played it again. There was one thing that DID stick out to me, and it was this mind-blowing intro theme. This is THE track that seals Shimomura as being one of the great JRPG composers in my book (other great stuff in this game, too). Theres little doubt Angels Fear served as inspiration for this.

Gotta love the open-4th interval hairpins with the beautiful, windy, mysterioso piano at the start and the haunting low piano strikes. I tend to be critical of piano music where the bass outlines triads and such, because its way too common, but here everything is just perfect. Not really complex, but its just PERFECT.

Love the way the piano bass moves by steps and fifths its EXACTLY the kind of thing I love. Im usually not crazy about bII, but here its.GORGEOUS OMG OMG (0:32). The 3-on-2 hemiola also works well here, giving the bass some room to shine. It starts off wonderful, but the second half is even BETTER, wow especially 0:51 - 0:55..! Love the way it switches to sixteenth notes at the last moment (on top of triplets).wow, the FEELS!!! Then a lush string orchestra joins in! We get a repeat of the first part of the melody (with piano chords! And the lower piano part switches to triplets now. Instead of the second part repeating, we get .VI7, VII, #VI7,#VII (IV, V in new key), then VI, VII, I in new key (1:11 - 1:21)! But yeah, the bolded part is fine on its own, but its the MELODY on top (scale alteration) that makes it chill-inducing. Wooooooooowwwww!!! Gets more intense after that(nice low piano syncopation, once again those hard strikes!) Ahhh, the way the strings soar with that little bit of theme (elongated) at 1:42 is pretty cool. Everything drops out at 1:58, with ambient open chords and wind chimes and the mysterioso

All in all simply phenomenal. When I think about it, this is THE highest rated video game music of my youth, in retrospect. I cant think of anything else that beats it.


---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

spades

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

9) Kirby Triple Deluxe - Moonstruck Blossom
aka Fatal Blooms in Moonlight aka Queen Sectonia (Phase 2)
Series ranking: 1 of 3
https://youtu.be/N_Q8sy9PmeA
Prelim score: 9.6/10
Score: 9.7/10 (Phenomenal)
Composer: Hirokazu Ando
VGMC History: VGMC 8 (Lost R2), VGMC 14 (Lost R6 to Endeavour)
Favorite part: The first 40 seconds

When I found this I thought I had found a new gem that hasnt seen the light of day in any contest. Sadly it had been in a contest a few years before, just under a different name. Its pretty obviously a late game theme, and its clear it uses a bunch of motifs from earlier in the game. (turns out its a <spoiler>final boss theme</spoiler>) Yeah, parts of it sound like it for sure, but other parts dont necessarily. But wow, what a combination of pretty atmosphere and Kirby quirkiness! Im totally in love with ALL the melodies here and the way they get laid out and build up.

That opening! Mostly it relies on a three-note figure thats really pianissimo in an echoey chamber! That high ritardando leading into the next piano segment (sounds like a music box)... *_* Then the motif continues, but with gorgeous chords and chimes that make me feel like Im floating, they blend in so perfectly... :) As beautiful as it is, theres definitely a feeling of urgency... Then comes a cute, whiny voice supported by reed staccatos and strings I LOVE those pizzes doing that three-note motif as they really fill out the sound and add such fun RHYTHMIC pulse)... Brass joins in to ups the energy leading into a more upbeat feel(cool falling gliss)

The percussion leads into the brass taking the spotlight doing another theme I love that Ive heard in other tracks. We get more Kirby-esque sounds involved with that theme, as well.the way the theme gets passed between all the different sounds is flat out charming :) :) Lots of beeps. And that piano is just going NUTS the entire time. Love its RHYTHMIC complement... and its going over such a wide range.. So clustered with cool note choices..ahhhh, I cant get enough of it! WOW at the end-of-phrase extension at 1:10, OMG OMG EARGASM, EXPLOSIVE emotions, wonderful diminished chords the piano does! Finally, the finale at 1:13 that its building up to for a long time.so emotional.! Back to classic Kirby sound mixing here (the beep syncopations are so great), which makes me so happy. HEY the whiny voice comes back for a bit, and underneath we get classic Kirby-isms from the violin sample16th notes :). 1:32 we get nice oboe, and then some MK:DD whistling after that! Violins get to stay (love those note choices, as simple as it is) for when the music winds down with the incredible piano/chime combo from the earlier part.oh, the feels, and I love how the piano fills in between each use of the main motif.

The style and flavor of Kirby music hasnt changed at all over the years, has it? Its just gotten more epic and complex. Oh, yeah, and it would be nice if we could combine Queen Sectonia 2 with Moonstruck Blossom on the Results of Past Contests worksheet.

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

I messed up! Not on the VGMC 12 rankings, but that rhythmic/percussive part in EoLL. There are no 16th-note triplets--they're exclusively regular 32nds.

10) Sound Voltex III Gravity Wars - Preserved Valkyria
https://youtu.be/jGiKTPgINy0
Series ranking: 1 of 6 (bemani)
Composer: penoreri
Prelim score: 9.5/10
Score: 9.7/10 (phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 10 (Lost R5 to Ricordando il Passato) + CHAMPION of VGMC 12 alt bracket
Favorite Part: The long intro as well as and 1:04 - 1:22, https://youtu.be/jGiKTPgINy0?t=64

The first time I listened to this I was overwhelmed with how much was going on and didnt like it much at first. But once I became acquainted WOW!!! Piano, piano, piano I LOVE PIANO when its used creatively. The enhancements from supporting synths make it even better, but its still all about that PIANO!!! This has an INSANE amount of energy, possibly more than any music I have EVER heard, and that makes this very near a 10/10 if Im in the right mood. Constant non-triadic note choices/dissonances. This was originally like #3 in the rankings, but Ive decided it doesnt leave the lasting impression some of the other remaining tracks have....

Starts with a big bass chord and thick cluster chords used in a tasteful rhythm Love the sounds in the background, they way they drop out at 0:04, then the way they crescendo, and then out again at 0:13. Nifty 16th note passages theyre SO explorative in the first 20 seconds of this thing I love the sextuplets at 0:19. 0:23 you chords with cool note choices (root, 4th, 5th, 7th) inverting on itself on an EPIC ascent on top of bII in the bass and the top one gets repeated like six times OMG OMG OMG!!! Really, all the rhythmic variety in the first 30 seconds makes it so EXCITING. Then you got these insane piano runs (almost a glissando), then these big musical statements with chimes, low piano, choir voices, etc on tonic. Way cool electric guitar gliss at 0:38, then on bII again.

0:45 the celeste references back to the melody at the very beginning to transition into the next exciting section! 0:47 - artificial (reverse effort) piano crescendo that Ive stated so many times that I love! 1:03 - LOVE the fast notes moving into the next phrase, with a WONDERFULLY placed pretty pop-style tune. 1:18 has another one of those bIIs that works SO WELL with this music. Synth and piano join forces at 1:22! At 1:30 the piano and synth go WILD with those insanely fast sextuplets, OMG OMG. CHIMES. 1:40 I like how the melody resolves on the 9th, and then we get a nice recap of the material of 0:48 to close this thing out, with thicker orchestration. 1:49 the violins do the theme while the piano continues its texture. Nice synth+piano descending into the final tonic with a VI in the bass!! Tasteful.

Finally got our ninth elimination...

ELIMINATED: VGMC 10
10) Sound Voltex III Gravity Wars - Preserved Valkyria (9.7)
13) Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru 8 - Ricordando il Passato (9.6)
23) Drakengard 3 - Kuroi Uta ~ The Black Song (International Version) (9.4)
68) Rivals of Aether - Luna Ascension EX (8.7)
70) Beatmania IIDX 22 PENDUAL - Despair of ELFERIA (8.7)
152) Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk - Slag Dance (7.2)
157) Undertale - ASGORE (7.0)
178) Undertale - Megalovania (6.2)

This is yet another list people will probably want to invert....

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

11) Fire Emblem: Fates - End of All (Land)
Series ranking: 1 of 2
https://youtu.be/b4F7MhS1ATU
Composer: Hiroki Morishita
Vocalist: Rena Strober
Prelim score: 9.9/10
Score: 9.7/10 (Phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 10 (Lost R2), VGMC 11 (Lost R2), VGMC 12 (Lost R6 to Hidra Heteromycin)
Favorite Part: 1:16 - 1:43, https://youtu.be/b4F7MhS1ATU

All this time I didnt know you can set a Youtube video to auto-loop just by right-clicking! Now that I know that, it makes doing write-ups more convenient, yay! >_> (Why do I deal with inconveniences for such long periods of time and I never even have the thought maybe theres a way to fix this?)

It took only twelve VGMCs for an FE track to retire! Im glad this is one of them, as its definitely one of the best ones to me. Morishita always manages to present a common theme in multiple unique ways, eh? (comparing this to Lost in Thoughts, All Alone and Lost in the Waves) Theres simply way too much to talk about here! (Mycro could probably write a 100-page dissertation on this) This is one exceptional video game track in terms of scope and depth, with really thick orchestration/harmonies.

It starts off with a whispa You are the oceans grey waves, then two of the lower singers slide into a different note in such an eerie manner. Meanwhile, multi-layered/channeled electronic/piano notes come in, as if each one is popping out in different coordinates within 3D space, in duet fashion. WOW!! (also, it just barely occurred to me it sounds like ocean waves moving up and down) .and then you got the piano bass getting added to it.yuummmmmm. Nice vocal chords get added to it, then at 0:37 the brass finally move the music forward by presenting the theme majestically (love the counterpoint here).

Then you get this absolute BANGER of percussion patterns at 0:56 32nd note militaristic sputters!!!, (+ triplet 16ths), and I absolutely LOVE the off-beat hits there, too. AHHHHH!!! (the voices on top are great, too) The multi-layered sounds in 3D space comes back, too, yaaaay. Then you at 1:16 you got the piano so SWEETLY moving the music forward with the second part of Lost in Thoughts, and then you got some FANTASY harmonies using other instruments until 1:28all this is absolutely GORGEOUS, ahhhhh I need to study everything note in this part its SO AMAZING OMG OMG. Then its beautifully harmonically unstable and then you got a swashbuckling piano section... what cool writing, in fact it would be LOADS of fun to play on piano, lots of open-sounding intervals I think :)

Then at 2:00 you got a BIG change in meter and style. I like this not so much because of the section itself, but it's more like, the first two minutes did an excellent job prepping for it! Then again, this section is FILLED with beautiful details. LOVE the percussive involvement of the low piano as well as the bells used that are hard to hear without good headphones. Then the horns convincingly take the theme, and then Rena Strobers singing from Lost in Thoughts gets spliced in (or so it seems) at 2:23, which actually works...haunting, but pretty! Love the different sounds you hear its hard to hear some of it Its sort of half-way between march and rock. 3:09 we finally hit the apex of the whole thing that brass writing, Yeeeesssssssssssssss!!! (THE FEELS) also the soft piano countermelody is simply WONDERFUL three, too.

We now have our eighth VGMC elimination! Only six contests remain.

ELIMINATED: VGMC 12
11) Fire Emblem Fates - End of All (Land) (9.7)
21) Ginga Force - Zenith (9.4)
44) Ar Nosurge - Hidra Heteromycin (8.9)
83) Persona 5 - Last Surprise (8.4)
111) Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Sunshine Coastline (8.1)
153) NieR: Automata - Amusement Park (7.2)
175) Granado Espada - Laguerra del Mundo (6.5)
179) Persona 5 - Rivers in the Desert (6.0)

Average ranking: 97.1
Average score: 8.03


---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Well, yeah, Umineko swept the last BOST! Meanwhile Umineko Chiru lost its minimum two matches. Right? (I'm going off of memory)

You might think I have the top twelve all planned out, but not even close. o_o Certain tracks continue to impress me that I thought would have fallen long ago.... like one of them may very well be top five by the time all is said and done.

12) Idola Phantasy Star Saga - Endeavour
Series ranking: 2 of 2 (Phantasy Star)
https://youtu.be/74TocPKiNCs
Prelim score: 9.3/10
Score: 9.6/10 (Phenomenal)
Composer: Kenichi Tokoi
Vocals: Shaylee & Florence McNair
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (CHAMPION)
Favorite part: The refrain, off course!

Aaaaaand the last champion finally drops! Thats right, even though Im still angry that it beat Partizans, Moonstruck Blossom, and Isoleucine >.<, its still my favorite champion! (congrats, @dowolf on this!) Weve got here a VGMC Cinderella based on its close early round matches! Oh, yeah and we FINALLY see the first Phantasy Star rep! (thus it goes without saying that PS did the best of any multi-rep series in my rankings!)
It starts off relaxed and ambiguous its hard to say whats going to happen. Once that piano comes in, it sounds very foreboding (the piano writing there is simple, but GREAT. Its one of my favorite things about the whole track.). Then the violin comes in with maximum force, and the music lets everything loose for quite some time! I love those ascending piano chords. Then in come the trumpets at 1:02 WOW, what energy! I normally dislike ridiculously high trumpet lines that are sampled, but it accomplishes exactly what it needs to do!!!!!

Then finally at 1:59 comes the peak of it all, Shaylee + Florence joining forces belting out WILL WE EVER FIND FOREVER!!!! Yeah, if this part doesnt impact you, NO music will! Harmonies here are excellent, too, and love how they often change while the vocalists sustain. For example, the minor 9th vs. the bass at at 2:07, and 2:09 - 2:11 you got tritone then a major 7th, I LOVE THE CHOICE OF CHORDS UNDERNEATH!!! Trumpet and drumming is really high energy and makes it all even better! 3:58 I love how the drums drop out and its FAT BRASSY goodness. At 4:24 we get an unexpected bebop harmonized trio cool contrast =O. Then its back to the amazing piano feels from the beginning. WHOA placement of those reverse piano effectsits like the time/space itself just got warped and its very haunting :) :). hey seem to work well almost anywhere, haha! Then we got the refrain once more, yay! (that might be the wrong term) Then it gets happy for a bit! Then it ends again with the solo duet, mirroring the beginning with that calm, ambiguous feeling.

But yeah, what I love about this piece is that it covers a wide spectrum of feelings, which gets all put together in such a beautiful way! Also, the lyrics are great! I often dont listen for the lyrics in songs, but I cant help but do it in this one. Its great to have not one, but two Phantasy Star tracks retired now from VGMC 14! :) This music has grown on me over time, even after the contest ended, so Im not AS annoyed about its path of destruction as before.


---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

My discovery of an Mario Kart 64 glitch where you can do the AB+spin on the banks of a river is probably far less known than this discovery

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Game Boy

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

P0 is too kind :)

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

How sweet of you two to provide feedback anyway :) Gates to Infinity is my very clear #1 soundtrack at this point (I haven't explored a ton of vgm yet), which shouldn't be a surprise. I was going to post a list of 9.0+ rated Pokemon HM's, but after seeing how massive the list is because of Gates.. um, I decided it's better not to post it. o_O

15) Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica - EXEC_SPHILIA/.
Series ranking: 1 of 6
https://youtu.be/aDBQbWTESMM
Composer: Daisuke Achiwa
Other credits: Noriko Mitose (lyrics), Noriko Mitose (vocals)
Prelim score: 9.3/10
Score: 9.6/10 (Phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 5 (Lost R3), VGMC 6 (Lost R4), VGMC 7 (CHAMPION)
Favorite Part: 2:05 - 2:32, https://youtu.be/aDBQbWTESMM?t=125

Interesting how this took three tries to get its championship. I thought this would have been an instant contest winner! I love this kind of a capella singing at the start (electric quality).The beeps are really cool... that along with the cut-off stacatto makes it all sound like one big computer... Its all just a big warm-up for the main material...somethings gotta lead up to it. Gets even neater when the intensity jumps beeps are even better now, hehe. When it suddenly transforms into such dark/suspenseful metal (for lack of a better word), it gives me the CHILLS. Furthermore, this track makes AMAZING use of mixed meters...not that theyre super fancy, but they really make it that much more of a banger!

And its not just the style thats great the harmonies, man! i-i7-IV is one of my VERY FAVORITE mini-progressions, particularly when the music highlights the i-vii-#vi notes in that order! (also done in FF7s You Can Hear the Cries of the Planet). Cluster chords in the chorus really make a difference, too! Add the 6/8+5/8 meter on top of that and its just.amazing. Too much awesomeness piled on at once!

As far as the vocals, they certainly can sound relaxed and static (like at the start) but also put a ton of energy behind the voices, too, when the metal begins. At 1:10, I love how they utilize legato-to-staccato articulate to bounce around, repeat that same idea two more times, then join the bass on the last two measures... The bass with its legato, but punctuated stuff through there aw, yeah! The singers calm down a bit at 1:38, back to 6/8+5/8 (good acoustic guitar textures) Finally, the CLIMAX of the vocals at 2:05 I cant get enough of how they draw attention to the meter as they unify with the bass again! :) :) :) Everything drops out at 2:32 so crescendoing computer beeps (6/8+5/8) there is a nice artsy way to give a little bit of a reprieve. (And, um those strings being pulled I know Ive heard something like this before OUTSIDE Of music, but I cant put my finger on it! >_< But I like it!!) The ending does something similar, too, adding satisfaction to the ending. As for the guitar solos, parts are cool but later on it feels like the soloist has run out of ideas.

=I wish there was more of a contrast in volume between the beginning parts and 0:43, though. It should go from piano to fortissimo! (Granted, that would perhaps break the speakers of unsuspecting new listeners >_>) You could always fake that by upping the volume at that point, hrhrhr!!!

Oh, hey, that was my second highest-rated champion! That means only... that one remains. =O

14) Cytus 2 - Chocolate Missile
https://youtu.be/j2FRjbvb60Y
Composer: Yuni Minami (also lyricist)
Other credits: Nene Akagawa (vocalist)
Prelim score: 9.7/10
Score: 9.6/10 (phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (Lost R6 to XBC2 Battle!!)
Favorite Part: 0:36 - 1:01,https://youtu.be/j2FRjbvb60Y?t=36

At first I wasn't happy when it beat Murderswarm by one vote, but now I'm glad it did! There are a ton of subtleties here that make a HUGE difference in the score (pun very much intended). Stunningly beautiful and sparse at the beginning what a wonderful singing voice. The real name of the vocalist is Nene Akagawa , so Alice Schach an alias, I guess? Actually, it seems like shes just a character in Cytus? (Hm, interesting, the language is made upAlician) The initial vocals are very diatonic, but harmonies can be hauntingly adventurous...I like the ambiguity of that chord at 0:13. Great uses of piano/acoustic vs. edm, etc. (contrasts as well as mixing everything together).

Bells are nice and pretty, with a cool transition (crescendo) to the next section (now a duet) at 0:37. REALLY cool electronic sounds effects here...I wish I could adequately describe them. I like those fast staccato lines such as at 0:51. Way cool piano delay echoes at 0:44!! (also reverse effects?) Yeah, the piano really dominates the effects doesnt it? Love how the phrase ends suddenly the two voices split into THREE on this SUPER intense/dissonant chord similar to at 0:13. And then, ah, back to the beautiful sparseness..! Piano and string pizzes (+violin) are absolutely gorgeous how they blend in you wouldnt even notice them if you arent listening carefully. Happy feeling from the key change at 1:12 :). Organ reserved just for the key crescendo at 1:24.!!

For the new section, Im liking the flatted 7th with the major 3rd. I would expected the same electronic effects here as in the previous section, but theyre way different this time around! Its amazing how both the acoustic and electronic stuff blends so perfectly. At 1:49 we get these AMAZING chords underneath the singers repeated notes. We get some Middle Eastern spice for a bit, and then it suddenly EXPLODES at 2:07. Haunting voices in there, too, what on earth, its Nene Akagawa (er, is Alice Shach the alias name? doing that! Creepy. Then suddenly a stark bit of chiptunish techno.LOVE IT! Then back to the totally pure piano+vocals--what a contrast! And we get those some more amazing chords at the conclusion again, yesyesyes!!! Then you got the Kit Kat Bar being broken and shared at the end. ;)

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Ahaha... maybe it's better that I didn't ask. Not a big deal.

CLARIFICATION Asking for feedback on TEN pieces of music is too much, I've decided (wish I realized that sooner). Let's just move on!

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

I know I said a "few", but I'll be more specific: I need two more people to rank those five tracks. Then it will finally be complete and I will be asking no more favors, EVER, and we will move on immediately to the top fifteen retirees! >_>

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

What happens if two options end up with zero votes like it is right now? Probably not likely to happen, but still.

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

With that done, it's time for my final request of user input! I'd like a few of you to rank #5 through #1 on the list, just like what was done for #10 through #6. One last chance to explore some new music!

(Open Pass got last place on the previous list, as expected, but I was surprised to find Malie City end up fourth place)

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - Daybreak Ridge
https://youtu.be/GaoDiAagj7g
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - Glacier Palace - Eastern Spire
https://youtu.be/ShQrSdLbRI4
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - The Frism
https://youtu.be/hcKpJh6wsg0
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Vast Ice Mountain Peak
https://youtu.be/hIXGRb7Gb7E
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - Gentle Slope Cave
https://youtu.be/Olzv7Js_hyk


---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Let's finish this off.

1) Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - Gentle Slope Cave
https://youtu.be/Olzv7Js_hyk
Composer: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe, Noriko Murakami
Score: 9.9/10 (Phenomenal)
Favorite part: 1:17 through the end of the loop, https://youtu.be/Olzv7Js_hyk?t=77

@Toxtricity, even if youve only posted once and it's hard to say if you're interested in this topic, at all, but this is probably the one write-up you should read! Oh, yeah, and I readily acknowledge your positive influence on my write-ups that would have been even more mediocre otherwise!

Oh, wow this is long. I just had so much to say about this one because of my passion for it, plus this one is relatively easy to talk about This took probably three hours, but to me it was worth it, and this may be the only write-up Ill be saving for myself.

To tell you the truth, I would have nominated Gentle Slope Cave last year If I went strictly by the rule of nominating all my very favorite eligible music However, I had to go Second Dark Matter Battle and Fire Island Volcano because they appeared stronger. Again, last year my goal wasnt to get a ton of Pokemon music in the contest It was to try and get something retired for that series. It was for the best to save this track for a future contest, if I can get the support for it These three tracks alone propel PSMD to very high ranks among my known game OSTs.

This track I just cant believe this music, its very existence. Its, like, it defies physics. Or, its like theres a complete paradigm shift, some new theory in the physics of folk dance music creation, when it comes to THIS track. The craft is amazing and every last thing about this really resonates with me to an insane degree. Great variety of melodies as a whole that really make the most of 5/4. Cheerful stuff, too!

A little story: Last summer I was working on this game (its been on hold for a while, but the plan is to DEFINITELY complete it shortly). When I reached Gentle Slope Cave, I was absolutely flabbergasted by the music. I mean, there was some great music before this, but...not at this level. Not even close. I even had a hard time progressing through the dungeon at first. I have NEVER had such a good musical experience in a video game in my LIFE! It even beats out my Ultimecia final form experience in FF8.... Oh, yeah, and there were these huge Onixes in this dungeon that were more bark than bite, honestly. Otherwise I dont remember much else, haha.

Anyway, the very start is a bit uneventful if you dont know whats coming. It introduces little ideas to be used a bit later, but its pretty uneventful, well, except you know theres going to be non-duple meters. I love it, though! The sampling quality of the pizzicatos is good, very rich. Honestly, the orchestral sampling quality in PSMD is for the most part fantastic! Percussion is very mild and sounds fitting for a gentle cave, indeed! But once the strings come in tutti, a capella, a new world completely opens up. You got some of the yummiest chords all in one big block, presented in such a VERY simple, very repetitious, but catchy rhythmic manner (5/4!) and just hearing the note changes through it all is seriously a delight! (Fourths-based chords in parallel among other things!!!) That big combination of simplicity vs. complexity presented right here at the start is REALLY something!! And the exciting thing is that this becomes a glue that holds everything together!!! Oh, and its cool how the low pizzes actually add harmonic depth to the chords, too, OMG OMG OMG MOG!. (0:24 - 0:27, especially)

Anyway, that leads into the new section. You got this super nimble/frantic tune. nimble melodies are precisely my thing if theyre done right! If theyre folky, well, even better! The breathtaking pace is fantastic and brings out an INSANE amount of energy. But it also sounds classical music-oriented, to me. For example, utilizing the melody in creative ways like intentionally avoiding syncopation or stuff to make it catchy. Rhythmically the melody is the antithesis of the big string block chords we heard before this. Specifically, I like how the melody uses great use of space (really, the space includes a note being held) and its especially cool in an irregular meter!! And the underlying pizzicatos give a surprising amount of fullness to it all, in a really fun way, WOW:) Then theres the non-traditional folk instruments that add some additional rustic flavor to it I seriously love all the nuances of the double reed, and it even decides to do a childish taunt for a bit at 0:48, lol. ! But seriously, I love humming this stuff in my head while paying attention to the precise length of all the use of space in the melody :) :) :)

And then the material repeats. What more to make it better than by inviting the whole orchestra to play the fun stuff now? =) And its full of witty calls and responses now, like a big group conversation constantly interrupting itself. And FINALLY, this part concludes, through here it comes, the first recurrence of the big block chords with that all-too-familiar rhythm!!! Wow, a mninute and seventeen seconds has taken us for one HELL of a ride. But were not done with this thing yet. Not even CLOSE!

Got a total contrast in feelings here, like you stepped into a dark spot of the cave (forget the fact that caves are normally 100% dark). The pace is still as fast as before, LOTS of 16th notes still :) but somehow it just feels relaxed. The thick textures of low strings/woodwinds is a completely new feel. At the same time, its still definitely upbeat folk dance. Interesting idea to insert some accordion into this. Nice major 7ths between the top line and bass just before 1:24 and 1:29. Bittersweet feelings (key changes) at 1:30 is actually really important to the overall form, plus its very warm orchestration makes love this part SO MUCH!! :) :) :) At 1:36 here come the chord blocks(!!!) again to take us out of this reprieve and back into full-on action! Those harmonies, omg OMG!!! Stacking of fourths, but the melody on top (sometimes bass, too) gives us all these COOL dissonances like minor 2nds and stuff, kind of the same idea as...well, FFIVs Battle 2 came to mind first, haha. Oh, yeah, and tonally the melody is itneresting, sounds kind Phrygian....

Hey, were in the final section at 1:42 and like, its a race to the finish, the best part of it all!! And now the string block chord rhythms are permeating everything!!! It multiplies the energy of the already AWESOME flute melody, and its just...holy carp. And then you have the INGENIUS idea of adding TAM TAM to the mix, OMG OMG OMG MOG MOG!!! The tonal center is fairly stable, however, the music dabs into DELIGHTFUL little harmonic ventures. For example, there are certain note choices in relation to the harmony that are GREAT, too, like the two flute notes at 1:47-1:48 because neither of those notes fit in the triad, and the way it moves to a VERY distant key in such a NATURAL way. Also, 1:52 - 1:55 - talk about CLIMACTIC harmonic shifts, holy carp again!!! :) :) :) Meanwhile, the string bass have fun going root/5th/root 5th/root 5th it really fills it out, hehe.

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

3) Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - The Frism
https://youtu.be/hcKpJh6wsg0
Composer: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe
Score: 9.8/10 (Phenomenal)
Favorite part: The first 45 seconds? Most all of it really.

This it the last Gates to Infinity track on the list! Chances are you will not agree, but this is one of my favorite emotional themes in any game ever! In fact, a big reason I rate Gates OST so high is BECAUSE it has so many great emotional themes :). It starts off simple enough, but it has big sweeping emotional parts that really hit me right in the heart. Harmonies in this aren't super complicated compared to other tracks, I suppose (chords are well filled out, tho), (l but the few powerful moments/details make a world of difference, and hey, its an emotional theme with SEVERAL key changes IMPOSSIBLE! >_> Strategic orchestration, too, waiting for just the right moments for certain instruments, as Ill mention.

The OST is largely orchestral, but the soft synths are a fairly common way to add some flavor. Anyway, it starts with a super simple iteration of the Hope theme (oh, wait, the harmonies are deceptively deep), but once the strings take over, it already starts hitting home taking some unexpected YUMMY harmonic direction (reminds me of...Link to the Past? Not quite sure why).... Especially that chord at 0:25, absolutely gorgeous! Then at 0:35 OMG the horn writing, and my favorite use of part two of the Hope theme in the game, maybe!. (Cinematic epicness...(wonderful switch from E minor to B minor, too *_*) What a shame this whole intro doesnt repeat when it loops :/.

Goes back to thin orchestration, but its all part of the form to make the big parts that much more powerful! At 1:26 the piano sneaking in there under the oboe is gorgeous! Another powerful moment at 1:42 leading to the BIG climax (BRASS ENTRANCE!) thereafter the minor iv chord in conjunction with the deceptive modulation afterward MOVES me, especially with the choirs that are clearly heard, but are thankfully not overpowering. *_* And again that moment at 2:27 when it heads to a more formal key change, which just makes me so so happy.! Bells finish bring up the Hope theme again but in a very bittersweet fashion of harmonizing to contrast before finally doing one final little crescendo.it ends without any formal-sounding resolution that you might expect, but it just makes me like it that more! (I really like that harmonic adjustment at 2:47-2:50, OMG OMG OMG!)

But yeah, I love Gates to Infinity emotional themes, and this one probably has the most variety of any of them.

2) Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Vast Ice Mountain Peak
https://youtu.be/hIXGRb7Gb7E
Composer: Keisuke Ito
Score: 9.8/10 (Phenomenal)
Favorite part: 0:18 - 0:35 and 1:11 - 1:29, https://youtu.be/hIXGRb7Gb7E?t=71

You know, Im really glad Keisuke was the sole composer of the new tracks in Explorers of Sky, because now I know who the composer is for one of my ALL-TIME favorite Mystery Dungeon tracks! (Vast Ice Mountain is also really amazing) Sadly, nominators preferred NINE Pokemon tracks over this last contestoh, well. Its my favorite in Explorers, barely edging out Temporal Tower.

To me, this is the ultimate atmosphere to come from any Pokemon track, even beating out Temporal Tower. No other track in the series can give me quite the same feelings as this one. I have hard time describing it, but its very dark and hopeless (actually, more like a FORCE of despair blowing at you in the wind) on one end of this, but its also sparkling and clear, and also very climactic. This IS the latter part of the final dungeon in Explorers of Sky after all. Oh, and obviously wintry, I almost forgot to say that ;) Im sure there are better words to describe whats going on in the music! Like most of my favorite Pokemon tracks, there are moments where the harmonies are just powerful.

The accompanying bells are so perfect they are truly a delight to my ear and really give off that sparkling, wintry vibes, and i just LOVE paying attention to EVERY SINGLE NOTE. The strings parts meanwhile give off a hopeless, barren vibe. Up to this point its been minor, At 0:18 we got one of the BEST parts of the whole thing the choirs joining in on a I-II-III-IV harmonic progression. Its a fairly standard progression in some form, but not when its ALL major like it is here. *_* The juxtaposition of that against everything is simply AMAZING! Cant you feel it like I do? And then hearing the marimba adjusting its supporting melody as those harmonies change. :) :) :) Really, every single instrument here work in tandem perfectly.What an absolutely GENIUS Keiseuki Ito moment!

At 0:35 we got another key moment the chime entrance. Holy SMOKES, that dark feeling from that ONE single note. (and it keeps doing it on beat 1, but its effect is strongest the first time) And here we finally get the fantastic VAST ICE MOUNTAIN theme but with completely new harmonies! The responses done by the LONGING flutes fit so PERFECTLY what a GREAT way to recycle the Temporal Tower theme!Awesome major 7th dissonance just a hair before 0:45, by the way! And then we got those YUMMY VI (tonic substitution) harmonies underneath at 1:02, allowing for MORE major 7th dissonances. And then the energy gets upped at 1:11 with some strong percussion (I especially like the Timpani use!), and then the energy gets upped AGAIN at 1:19 with those FULL-sounding octaves THE CLIMACTIC moment of the whole thing, OMG OMG OMG!!!!

Anyway, we just reached the most climactic and strongest WINDS of despair part, but at you got a nice contrast of hope *_* i n the following section as the energy of it winds down more great harmony/melodic interactions here that help provide that hopeful feeling. . and the temporal tower theme responds in such a brilliant way (the way it gets transposed) to end the loop ultimately a feeling of despair by the end. beautiful ending.

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

5) Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - Daybreak Ridge
https://youtu.be/GaoDiAagj7g
Composer: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe
Score: 9.7/10 (Phenomenal)
Favorite part: The first 53 seconds

Woah, talk about an intense dungeon theme. Im guessing this place is more than just a dungeon to go through sounds really perilous. But yeah, its very cinematic and reminds of John Williams in certain ways (oh, thats right, Great Spire sounds like E.T., too, I forgot to mention that), honestly. And it does odd tonal things at its very CORE that makes it one of my all-time favorite Pokemon tracks!!!

First and foremost THAT MELODY. Or is it better described as THOSE CHORDS(?). Really, its an inverted major triad thats moving in parallel (top line doubled an octave below, too), which basically means three melodies that are the same, but in three different keys Plus the shaping of the lines (rolling around) and the chromatic choices. yeah, that sounds strange but I LOVE IT SO MUCH >_> It sounds so tense in a mysterious way Theyre some of the coolest sounding things Ive heard in Pokemon! ts very ambiguous tonally, too, if it werent for the bass which stays static...But it doesnt stop there. These parallel triads keep going over CHANGING harmonies starting at about 0:36 ...and when the trumpets join in on the melody its very tasteful way to finish it off the first half! And the 5/4 meter really magnifies those feelings, too. And then the way they get interrupted by the chimes...wow, WOW, WOW, a new dimension of intensity! POLYMETERS !! THE PLANETS (SATURN)!!! 6/8 thats put on top of the 5/4 and the way it fits is so yummy :) :) :)!!! Also a minor thing but I like how it starts an eighth note late, too.

The second half I dont have as much to say about, but its still got that perilous feeling and its got enough variety in it to keep my attention, typical of almost all the music in Gates to Infinitys OST...and the harmonies at 1:01 - 1:10 and such are awesome (love when it goes to the nat-III...interesting feeling)! At the end, those trumpets, man POWERFUL stuff right at the end of the loop! (would be really fun to play)

4) Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - Glacier Palace - Eastern Spire
https://youtu.be/ShQrSdLbRI4
Composer: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe
Score: 9.8/10 (Phenomenal)
Favorite part: 0:53 - 1:24, https://youtu.be/ShQrSdLbRI4?t=53

This one probably has the best atmosphere of any of the Glacier Palace dungeons. I cant get enough off the harp/crystal combination here (is there a third instrument in there too?)... What great crystalline ethereality feelings this gives I mean, those note choices in their 16ths patterns are really, really great Sure, The strings chords are nice, but its the way those 16th notes change over it are just FANTASTIC!!! Its kind of a hybrid use of triads and fourths, it seems (including some dissonances) and it GORGEOUS! In a way it reminds me of the intro to Raging Spirits. The way this piece gradually builds throughout is really great, too!

At :35 we finally get a bleak, thought-provoking melody with beautiful intervals inside the string section. Woodwinds get added at as the intensity gradually heightens and OH WOW the harmonies! (I sound like a broken record talking about PMD music because great chord changes are everywhere in the Gates to Infinity OST!!!) =) But anyway, 0:53 - 1:23 is just FANASTIC!!!

At 1:24 gets more intense and less stable as strings have fun moving in kind of a waltz fashion gotta love the dissonant stuff (1:42 - 1:55) Meanwhile the harp/crystal cominbation keeps pervading :) :) Then finally the music kind of sneaks up on you (hard to tell when it starts honestly) and next thing you know the music is ascending and growing until we hit the climax, yay! (harmonies make it all happen, AGAIN) I really like the way it was done without really relying on melody, and Im really impressed with the woodwind sampling in this game even the forte stuff sounds like an actual forte woodwind timbre.

Pretty much if you want to get the most out of this track pay close attention to the... you know.


---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

I don't know my history while azuarc doesn't know his video games

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

1) Rose Gun Days (Season 3) - linkage-alter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCW8lV-htEo
Nominator: @loweffortmemes (supporters: cakophon, kaonashi1, TheArkOfTurus)
Composer: xaki
Score: 10/10 (Godly)
Favorite part: 0:00 - 1:31
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (LOST R1 to Shonen wa Sora wo Tadoru)

Yeah, this is one that nobody guessed correctly! This was the one I hinted was in a "battle of weaklings". loweffortmemes, do you forgive me now for ranking your VGMC favorites poorly? >_> (okay, I got the @ to work now)

One. Stinking. Vote. Just one vote swing and it would have won a match! For some reason I had not even heard this track until its match. I was completely blown away the first time hearing it, unlike some others of my highest-rated music. Like, absolutely flabbergasted. On a side note, can you believe it? I did not support a single one of (whats now) my top ten during nominations! But I only listened to maybe 10% of the nominations that year?

How this originated in Rose Gun Days, Ill never know. Wow, this music is CRAZY I dont know what youd call this music, but its, um, industrial-sounding? Does a lot of weird tonal things. Theres not a lot of melody in this music its more about electronic/percussive effects. I LOVE that big deep, buzzy electronic sound production of this!!! And its full of short 32nd-note passages that get passed around everywhere. Every time I listen to it I hear something I didnt notice before.

Regarding the intro, already the music is blowing me away! Those three-note piano patterns the way they do melodic minor is so WEIRD, because melodic minor is usually associated with being really diatonic, but not here to the contrary! You got those electro-trash can sounds that are SO AWESOME and PHAT!!! Groovy! And you got this big crescendo that REALLY hits you, culminating in HUGE low piano octaves with such cool note choices. Plus theres a second application of piano doing these dissonant fast runs (augmented arpeggios in this case), which is EXACTLY the kind of thing I love, OMG OMG. :) :) : Then you get the same stuff again but its all moving UP instead of down! And now we got new percussion doing new crazy stuff like, it has some of those 32nd-note sputters that I love thats used in Dark Man Stage, and that mixes in with some traditional drum set, and then you got this ascending gliss that is SO TASTEFUL, OMG OMG. Also the strings playing (dissonant) unison notes in the background adds a nice touch to it.

Okay, that was just the first 15 seconds. We finally get to the main part. Its relatively stationary... its not really going anywhere in particular. Instead its focusing on a cool CHAOS of sounds! We got one DEEP lead synth here yeah, that's right. It's lead AND bass at the same time. Anyway, it's working with the drums and the piano are all working together here and its SO snazzy how they do it! I cant get enough of those piano runs and the way they finish off the "phrase"! I love when the synth goes wild impromptu at around e.g. 0:23 - 0:26.(well, theres a lot of impromptu stuff in other places, too.) At 0:30 the music starts to move forward a bit. Piano gets a lot more spotlight in the following section GREAT chords here.

Places like 0:43 - 0:45 make my GIDDY!!!! You get that three-note motif (From the intro) sneakily added to the madness is something I didnt notice in the section at 0:45. OMG OMG. (you have to listen closely to hear it) Harmonies start doing stuff here, too, (very dissonant) and its awesome, plus violin adding to the piano is a nice touch :) :) :). The climax section at about the 1:00 is great love the way it ends on those unresolved suspensions and then one FINAL crazy piano run.!!!! 1:16 - 1:31 provides a bit of a break from all the madness, but the industrial drumming there is so artistic the way it builds into the next part of it :), yay more of those sputters and synths as part of it. Also, the (also the lowest note on the piano at 1:31, mmmmmm) From there it gets a bit less crazy, though it still sounds great! (But its really 0:00 - 1:31 that blows me away) There are still great moments, though. Plus I love the very gradual crescendo in this part, what a great subtle buildup there, plus the subtle dissonances in the piano (after 1:38) are great, too! Oh yeah, and odd synth beeps that kind of mix in the piano (as I was saying, I hear something new everytime I hear this piece!!!).

All in all, linkage alter is simply the ultimate artistry of sounds, to me, anyway! Also its a SERIOUS contender for my favorite vgm of all time.

Oh, yeah... anyone know what genre(s) linkage alter is?

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

azuarc posted...

You know Janus is a member of the Roman pantheon, right?

Does the 5k part of the username imply the original Janus? Otherwise I'm not sure why you would ask that(?)

Time to finish this.

2) Crosscode - The Ultimate Experience
https://youtu.be/vYr8sLskgfk
Nominator: Toxtricity (supporters: DragonImps, loweffortmemes, TheArkofTurus)
Composer: Deniz Akbulut
Score: 9.8/10 (Phenomenal)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/vYr8sLskgfk?t=234
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (LOST R1.5 to FULL STEAM VENGEANCE!!)

482 (now 532) likes and no dislikes! =D Where to even begin? I dont know how to broadly describe the music, but its full of prog, obviously. Sounds very 70s, too. Tasteful electronic effects everywhere. Lots of harmonies that evoke all sorts of emotions Piano and organ writing is just.amazing. But yeah, the sound production is really, really tight. :) Also refreshing about this is that it doesnt use any traditional electric guitars, except for the bass which has a very smooth timbre. And this battle theme communicates a ton of different feelings, too. Really, this track is practically a suite with like seven different sections (too lazy to count them). With all thats in here I cannot understand how it lost its one and only match >_< other than bad taste, erm no, I mean, if you voted against it, obvious you thought Full Steam Vengeance was the greatest piece of music ever! Yes of course. But please dont ever vote against this again.

The opening piano is so thick and suspenseful (plus its impressive how those synths beneath it blend so seamlessly), and I especially love its final chord before the music moves on (nat-vi7 chord with a ii in the bass!!!) and that warbling in the background is GREAT! Then you got that sort of siren-y synth thats just way too cool, it raises the intensity like CRAZY! At 0:47 it sounds like AXELAY (especially that bass!!), my favorite obscure SNES soundtrack! The patterns put in to 7//8 stuff meter cool for words, tooso fun! 1:13 that nimble melody wow, so cool and impromptu! I have to slow that down to hear its details...ah, its fast sextuplets doing a bunch of fourths!!! 1:31 just goes crazy rhythmically, a TRIO of rhythmic craziness/ JAM SESSION (synth, organ, and DAT ACTIVE BASS~!!!) even if its put into a 5/4 mold, but it doesnt really sound like 5/4 at parts. Then the second synth joining the first in various intervals is just too much fun!!! Does that really last more than 40 seconds? Time FLIES there! Then how that leads into epic slow majesticness at 2:14 OMG OMG! It sounds relatively normal by itself but the way its placed is GENIUS. And then when it climaxes at 2:39, WOW those descending harmonies (Were in C minor, but it suddenly moves to Gbmaj7 with Ab in bass to start off, and then they move in sort of parallel downard).!!!! Then it gets a lot more tense and frightening after thatthose sitar-flourishes at the end of it!!!---> 3:26 haha WHOA those dissonant notes it does.. Amazing how well that instrument fits in, but they have a brilliance that works FANTASTICALLY with the chosen synths. Anyway, It moves to chillness at 3:34 (perfect set of sounds). Then when the fake piano comes in after that combined with that synth it reminds me of SUPER TRAMP! Those piano chords...thick and cool!!!


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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

3) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Dark Man Stage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7fdQgcKNWg
Nominator: @PSI_NESS (supporters: tennisboy213, Janus5k, Hbthebattle, banshiryuu)
Composer: Mari Yamaguchi (arrangement supervisor - Hiroki Morishita)
Score: 9.7/10 (Phenomenal)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/d7fdQgcKNWg?t=53
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (LOST R1.5 to Dead Neon Hell City), VGMC 14 (DEFEATED Night Gale, LOST R2 to Infinite Dungeon 2)

Janus5k is like me when it comes to "dark" music. He supported not only Dark Man Stage, but Second Dark Matter Battle, as well. That makes sense because Janus (Magus) uses sShadow ("dark") magic!

You could say that this is the first piece from VGMC 13 that I fell in love with. (I did not run into this during nominations because there was so much I DIDNT listen to) This came as a shock to me because I never really thought of Smash remixes as being particularly amazing. Seeing it lose its very first match was crushing to say the least, especially since my expectations for it were actually kind of high I thought, Well, if King Dededes theme can retire, shouldnt this, too? The sound production is STAGGERING to me, to say the least. Its got a clear hard rock sound to it, but hardly any instrumentation associated with rock is found here. No electric guitars anywhere in this!!! Its got somewhat of an inside a computer quality (to borrow the phrase from Mycro) that really captures the spirit of the Mega Man, yet it manages to sound so very unique, MUCH different from most of the other remixes in Ultimate.

Anway, to talk about the original theme from MM5 (https://youtu.be/_ipPeVc0i7I) , Dark Man Stage is technically not a robot master theme. Its the first of many final stages in the game. If you want to be spoiled, <spoiler>Dark Man is, in fact, Proto Man, IIRC...granted, the use of the altered Proto Man whistle kind of gives this away!</spoiler> But yeah, this is one of my favorite themes from the original MM series. It displays three contrasting feelings in three different sections: sinister, chill, and groovy (thats the best I can come up with). But yeah, I LOVE the contrast between the sections, for sure, and it works well for a middle-stage type level! In terms of composition, I love how it goes back and forth between dorian and natural minor a lot, which I feel like Ive talked about dozens of times by now in other write-ups, haha. Also, the modulations are GREAT in how they give off that chill feeling in the second part of it. Oh, yeah, and the arpeggiations are done in part 1 in such a way that its a real banger! Its, in my mind, a great composition achieved through subtle musical decisions.

To talk a bit more about the Smash remix, gotta love the insertion of the actual altered Proto Man Whistle, and they even bend the pitch up at the end to get it in tune when the actual music starts! Very classy! Anyway, we first hear the Get a New Weapon theme which works really great as an intro... I never liked it in the original game, but its placement is PERFECT here! Love how the drums kickstart the entrance of the main part of the music, and MAN does it sound great. The fake drums are so stylish, ahhhhhhhh, normally percussion is the last thing I think about in music its hard to talk about since I dont know what youd call the individual percussive sounds. But yeah, its kind of industrial/computer-esque sound while sounding like rock, not edm or something..

SO MANY great little details, SO MANY layers and subtle effects that its hard to really single out individual things going on. For example, fast lots of 32nd-note sputters really make a difference and well-placed snare hits at not-so-obvious critical moments like at 0:40... Other cool details like a backup melody joining in at 1:06-1:10. Now onto the synths THOSE SYNTHS, man. Both lead and accompaniment synths turn this into pure magic! The synths were also carefully chosen in order to maintain the contrast between the three Dark Man sections. THANK YOU Morishita for being so faithful to the original theme in this regard. LOVE the robust sound of the lead synth in the first section and the chill backup portamento synths of the middle part, but its the third sections trumpet-like synth thats EASILY my favorite its my favorite synth ever, and WOW, the feelings of this third section in general. Love the syncopated stuff culminating in... four descending quarter notes. It moves on to MM5 intro (great harmonies here!), and then finally (HEY THE TRUMPET IS BACK) the title screen. The flow through all of this is really great, and it doesnt really sound like a medley to me impressive.

Anyway, Hiroki Morishitas arrangement supervising really shined here SO MUCH BETTER arranged than most of the other MM remixes. I wish the Smash community recognizes that, but they seem to be only crazy about the remixes from the fan-favorite MM2 and MM3 games If you want to know my second favorite MM Smash remix, by the way, its Ice Man Stage, which isnt particularly popular, either. https://youtu.be/PZYm9G_mwVE.I never appreciated the original Ice Man theme until I heard the remix, but its got REALLY fun rhythmic ideas, ahhhhhhh, SO GOOD. But somehow I dont expect most to like it....

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

...what on earth is going on? My post won't show. Did I break the TOS or something?

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

th3l3fty posted...

too lazy to re-listen to everything but Illusory Holehills was the best I guess

That's very helpful, actually. Anyway, for my top five on the list you now know you won't need to listen to them until I ask for them be ranked at that time.

Now to finish off the first VGMC I immersed myself in, VGMC 13!

4) Secret of Mana (2018) - Steel and Snare
https://youtu.be/5jEnB5Zx7vk?t=7000
Nominator: Toxtricity (supporters: banshiryuu, cakophon, DragonImps, Lord Bob Bree)
Composer: Hiroki Kikuta, arranged by Noriyuki Kamikura
Score: 9.6/10
Favorite parts: https://youtu.be/5jEnB5Zx7vk?t=7022, https://youtu.be/5jEnB5Zx7vk?t=7067
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (DEFEATED Portabellohead, LOST R2 to Studiopolis Act 1)

Hb guessed that my list had Smash Ultimates Gangplank Galleon as the SNES remixed track. Bzzzzt! Come on, the original Gangplank is in my bottom 10-15! =P Wow, this one has grown on me. Is it Secret of Mana fanboyism? Anyway, I dont know my specific genres/periods/major influences for most rock/metal, so all I can say is prog. Like, the very best prog remixing POSSIBLE!!! I love this style to death!

To talk about the original SNES track, its pretty much just a melody set to electric slap bass (could be wrong there) octaves with some ambient metallic noise and snare, but its great! It takes just one simple idea and plays around with it in a way that openly rejects traditional meter (theres that word again)... very impromptu-sounding, as if Kikuta created this solely by noodling on the keyboard. The best part has to be when the end-of-phrase keeps going a few extra measures at 0:29!! I like to think of this piece as having a free meter rather than saying oh, it goes 4/4, 5/4, 13/4, 127/4, sdafdafe/4!!!

But anyway, on to the PS4 version of this. Most of the updated tracks in this remake are questionable, but this is an absolute gem (there are a few other good ones in the remake, too). The improvement is STAGGERING. The synth chords and patterns provide such a chill start. The bass introduces the first two notes of the theme by itself and plays around with that. But when the motif gets passed on to the forte section at 1:57:02, its just WHOA!!! GREAT open-fourths chord on the resolution there, oh, wait, its been transposing fourth chords leading up to it, too, OMG OMG. Way to utilize the simplest motif possible ;) . Such a cool contrast to present the theme melody with the quiet bass alone groovy in such a laid back way! The ambient metallic noise sounds more ambient than the original and actually loudens/softens very subtle, but really effective. Then the bass idea gets presented again with GRINDY GRITTY OCTAVES GOODNESS, aw, yeah! The extended end-of-phrase crazy noodling sounds as good as ever! And those piano clusters add to the coolness. Gotta love the muted guitar to finish it off lots of great variety in this remix! I cant get over all the great stylistic things going on in this version!!!. And then we got brand new improv stuff + awesome rhythmic chords towards the end!!! All in all, not only does it add a ton of great stuff, but its VERY faithful to the original! Anyway, this is a serious contender for being my favorite Secret of Mana remix.

If you want to hear some other excellent Secret of Mana remixes, I would suggest Spectrum of Mana, easily found if you Google it. All sorts of rock/metal styles are done, including a lot of (how shocking) progressive rock. Honestly I think the album is better than most OCRemix albums. The opening track, The Rabbit Hole, left an impression on my mind the most, at least, back then its been a while.

P.S. Its a shame I my friend and I stopped playing PS4 Secret of Mana only like 5 hours in, because he had some sort of technical issue preventing us from doing multiplayer anymore. Then again, we had the SNES music playing so we likely would have missed the Steel and Snare remix entirely! But if we do ever play it again we know when to switch to the PS4 music!

Wait, and isn't this the only time Secret of Mana has won a match?

Huh, I couldn't fit two write-ups in. This is a first, I think.


---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Lush Forest is awesome. That's a mid-8, at least. It's a great example of why I like PSMD music more than Gates in terms of atmosphere. While we're on the subject of PSMD, though, the truth is that... I know very little of the latter ~40% of its OST, with the exception Tree of LIfe ~ Roots and Second Dark Matter Battle. I guess there are a couple of others I know bits and pieces of, but it's been too long. I fully explored the other PMD OSTs. Considering I am currently playing PSMD (er, on hold for the past nine months, but I really DO plan on finishing it), I wanted to leave the music as a surprise. But from the 60% of it that I'm aware of, Sheer Mountain Range came very close to making the top ten list!

Hey, I got more than I requested! Awesome, much appreciated!

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

That was unnecessary drama (EDIT: that I created), wasn't it? Forget I said anything.

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Sorry if my joking criticisms have offended you NFUN, especially since they may not have looked like they were in good humor. Really if there's anything you have against me, I would like to work that out. Also, sorry Toxtricity for using your own opinion that way if that bothers you. It was far more to defend Gates to Infinity than it was to defend myself >_>

Also, it seems some misconceptions still need to be dispelled! I know ranking Pokemon music was part of the VGMC Retirees topic, but I have no goal whatsoever of having any more Pokemon music retire. That was true for last year only, and I got what I wanted! Furthermore, if you guys think I have an extreme Pokemon obsession or something... that's not really the case. I just haven't explored much vgm this past year because of limited time, so Pokemon music is kind of going to be a part of my nominations by default. (EDIT: a bit late, but I forgot to say that I also have no intention of flooding the next VGMC bracket with Pokemon music, either... it's just that I happen to be nominating some from that series!)

Still waiting for two more rankings :) :)

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Thanks for the response NFUN. Did you know that Toxtricity ranked Gates' OST one spot higher than Explorers, making it his highest ranked Pokemon OST (or at least very close to it)? You seem to like the music from Explorers, so you might want to reconsider. Maybe my picks from Gates to Infinity were just bad!

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

And here comes my request Id like you to rank the five Pokemon tracks so far on the list! I need responses from just THREE USERS!!! :) :) :) And then we can keep moving along! (only once more will I ask anything from you guys!)

Believe me, I know its a bit inconvenient, and I know youre probably thinking Argh, why does he want me to rank music that has nothing to do with the main list being ranked? (among other things) I would have passed on asking you to rank the music normally (in fact, I never asked the Ace Attorney music to be ranked!). Im just WAY too passionate about these Pokemon tracks,though ! And that means I need some feedback on the music for nomination purposes! (Two will likely be nominated for the upcoming contest...)

But consider the fact that it only takes ten minutes to do this! You could even multi-task as you do it! (Even if I may not deserve any responses ~_~) Thats much easier to do than trying to guess my VGMC 13 favorites, right?

For your convenience, heres the list!

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - Glacier Palace - Great Spire
https://youtu.be/WYn1TveURos
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - Great Glacier
https://youtu.be/EDZWRcD3ZtM
Pokemon Sun/Moon - Malie City (Night)
https://youtu.be/6gXKNu9Etdg
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - Illusory Holehills
https://youtu.be/o4tkE4zXVMM
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - Open Pass
https://youtu.be/r5iZ8NqwpbA

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

Whoops. Malie City is a 9.6, not a 9.5 >_>

7) Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - Illusory Holehills
https://youtu.be/o4tkE4zXVMM
HM: Holehills
https://youtu.be/nLOIwv0kv08
Composer: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe
Score: 9.7/10 (Phenomenal)
Favorite part: 0:29 - 0:59, https://youtu.be/o4tkE4zXVMM?t=29

The regular Holehills theme is GREAT!!! (see the HM link) Im not sure if this version really sounds Illusory, but I still like this one a little bit more! And boy, this one is a rhythmic MASTERPIECE! The craft of this is just...amazing.
This ones so much fun you got a fun little woodwind ditty in 5/4, but by the fourth measure gets interrupted by a 12/8 triplet thing that just floats.! I love PMDs folky instrumentation! (xylophone always makes it better) And its so ridiculously catchy. Each 12/8 measure gets more heavenly each time, too, until it finally does two of them in a row coupled with trills and crescendos and going up and up. :) (see 0:25 - 0:29) And it leads to a nice key change!

This new section is a little more normal at first, but still catchy. But harmonies are awesome here, and are constantly moving forward in such a delightful way SOUNDS SO GOOD, omg omg omg!!! The brass and timpani get involved underneath...it starts small but then the timpani gets added...the syncopated stuff is top notch! But that stuff is especially great at 0:44 this four-bar syncopated pattern is one of the greatest rhythmic ostinatos I have EVER heard anywhere, OMG OMG OMG! And harmonies are constantly moving everything upward (modulations) , too my words fail to adequate explain this stuff, but the composers of this game are simply brilliant!! Then the chimes and bagpipes transition into the climax in such a cool way. But the chimes arent done yet they permeate the entire final section!!! (1:06) And the they nail the melody yet AGAIN! Rhythms are kind of based on stuff before but they sound much more conclusive and stable in 5/4 now. Nice soft mallet percussion underneath here, too. And the way it ends in major (aw yeah)

Seriously, how did the composers manage to cram so many tasteful things into one track?! The more I listen to this, the more flabbergasted I am! This originally missed out on the top ten somehow, but I'm glad I went back to this and changed my mind!

6) Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - Open Pass
https://youtu.be/r5iZ8NqwpbA
Composer: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe, Noriko Murakami
Score: 9.7/10 (Phenomenal)
Favorite part: The first 40 seconds

I wouldnt expect this to be the fan-favorite in PSMD by any stretch, but this one (to me) has so much charm its RIDICULOUS! This one gives off a strong Broadway vibe to me. Gives off some other vibes, too, like humor and mischief! Does some odd tonal things that are right up my alley. This is the opening dungeon in PSMD, by the way, which kind of explains why it sounds the way it does.

Anyway, the reason I love this so much is pretty much demonstrated at the very start. Strings staccato playing that kind of throws you rhythmically by an eighth note. Its got SUCH a great bounce to it while also sounding a bit, um, magical? The string writing here is just fantastic the intro is definitely my favorite where its almost 100% whole tone scale, and yet it doesnt SOUND that way! Then the main idea combines that a lot more with traditional major scale I dont know exactly why, but it just sounds AMAZING to me!!! And they start doing all sorts of scale alterations once the melody begins... And I enjoy the unsophisticated choice of flute...:) Finally, about the flute melody itself it kind of messes with altered scales related to whole tone use in fun ways. It raises the 4th scale degree for a while, then the 5th scale degree a bit later, so even the flute writing makes me happy :)

Later on its not quite as amazing, but its fun how the whole tone scale carries the music into the next section its still nice and light and now the composers decided to put some funny things in there it turns into a simple waltz briefly (strings on beats 2+3 is fun), and you got extremely jarring chords + pure tritones later that were obviously not to be taken entirely seriously (mischief?). But I like all of it!!!!

But yeah, for such light/thin instrumentation and silly music, to me this is top-of-the-line! Very few moments in music impact me like the first part of Open Pass!

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"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."

NFUN posted...

It was about .8 higher and then I realized I never wanted to listen to it

oh ok I guess that means this topic is flawless then

---

"Ah, a party! We haven't had one of those. It could be fun! So... what is a party?"
"You drink punch and eat CAKE! ...I think."