LogFAQs > #970486241

Had some stuff to do, but I'm back with some late afternoon musics! Three to start with, including one that would have been posted three and a half hours ago if it weren't so large:

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#427: The Birthday Massacre - The NeverEnding Story (4:35):
https://open.spotify.com/track/5NvjRhxMdKnJFxahesT6Sd?si=6632a9230c1c420e

Nominator: CPU [13/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.86
Revised Score: 51.86
Final Score: 51.86 [Upgraded to 54.9004] [Upgraded to 55.00] [Upgraded to 56.17] [Upgraded to 59.001] [Upgraded to 60.00] [Upgraded to 60.241]

(First Reaction: I'll still always be happy to hear more from this band, but I don't think this is one of their better songs. It doesn't really showcase the power of her voice, it's completely lacking in darkness, and I actually have no experience with the film series for this to get any nostalgia boost. I did see the second film once, but I don't want to think of how much time has passed since then and I did not care for it in the slightest--considering the abysmal review scores it seems to have, it looks like hardly anyone else cared for it either..

(I know nothing about the first, other than it presumably being a better film & also, I think some animal dies tragically at some point?)

Aaaaanywho...., this song is serviceable. It's nostalgic 80s synthpop and I'll never pass up a chance to listen to something like that, but without any nostalgia for the original version of the song, I'm left with the impression that this is the weakest song of theirs that I've heard thus far.)

I think I'd prefer an instrumental version of this track. The synth here is doing some things I like a fair amount, but I'm not interested in the lyrics and I still don't think the song fits her; or more accurately the song has absolutely nothing in common with the The Birthday Massacre songs I love, causing a disconnect between 'what I want when I see a song nominated by this band' and 'what this song is'.

...well now that sounds like I'm judging it based on what it isn't, which I'm trying not to do and don't think I really am this time--I have a tendency to do that a lot, but "I care not for these lyrics or her performance, and I know she can do things I love" isn't *meant* to be that type of irrelevant critique. I'm just not wording it correctly. Either way, this is something that sounded like a good idea on paper: related to children's media, a band that has at least a few songs I love, a genre that's right up my alley... but it never comes together correctly: it's a media I don't have an interest in, it's not like their songs that I love, and the vocals overpower the instruments I like about the genre. It just kinda misses all three targets... though now this writeup is way too negative because I do have somewhat positive feelings towards it.

[Final Thoughts: A good nomination on paper that just kinda misses the mark.]

[Later: I... might kinda like this? It's relatively low-tier for a Birthday Massacre nom, but I do enjoy synths and this is a very 80's inspired synth track.]

[NeverEnding Later: Perhaps a tiny nudge to just above the Wall.]

[NeverEnding Later 2: This is growing on me quite a bit lately.]

[NeverEnding Later III - Escape From/Return To Whereever: Alright, this has enough synths that I like to make it to the Neo Clump.]

[NeverEnding Later IV: ERROR FILM NOT FOUND: This song is starting to win me over a bit from the repetition. I suppose I'll move it above Neo Clump, but I'm likely going to grow tired of listening to this so many times in the near future.]

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-followed, purely by coincidence, by one of the shortest:-

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#426: Masashi Hamauzu - FINALE (2:00):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkFVR-cHRPs

Nominator: Haste [8/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.26
Revised Score: 60.26
Final Score: 60.26

(First Reaction: A very beautiful intro that transitions to a happy victory theme. It's a very "character walks along as a montage of how super happy everything is now plays in the background" celebration song. Pretty neat effect, especially for such a rather short song.)

!Still a pretty song.

[Final Thoughts: Victory song is victorious.

...in terms of how it sounds, I mean. It did not win.]

[Later: I really like the intro! And I like the rest of the song too, it just loses some of its beauty when it switches to the more victorious type of sound.]

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-and then one of the earlier mentioned songs from Cats-

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#425: Cats (2019 Film) - Mr. Mistoffelees (4:41):
https://open.spotify.com/track/03K5t7aFbVR0Vz62fSZJJ1?si=fbf0a1d808fc497f

Nominator: @Raka_Putra [22/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 63.97
Final Score: 60.33

(First Reaction: I actually liked the film and, deep down inside, didn't we all kinda know that I would be the one lifeform in this dimension with the right combination of psychoses to not only think "I must watch this" upon seeing the trailer, but actually go see it in theaters more than once? Like, you kinda had to assume as much, right?

Aaanywho...., I think this is probably upper-mid tier for the film soundtrack? Macavity is the easy pick for first place, it's literally Taylor Swift singing an ode to Cat Satan, it's basically guaranteed to be the best part of anything ever. Skimbleshanks is second best, and... well, I can't honestly recall the rankings after that. Maybe this is actually the third best? Between it and "Mungojerrie And Rumpleteaser", probably.

Right, right, Mr. Misofelees. Steven McRae does a good job of selling his uncertainty and trying to build himself with false bravado, which is an uncommon emotion for a song to represent. It repeats the chorus far too often, but it is a catchy chorus; I'd also say it makes no sense how he (presumably) saves Judy Dench from Cat Satan, but at this point in the film, you just kinda go with it.)

!Catchy and impressive at selling the character's emotions, neat song.

[Final Thoughts: I do like it, but I'm moving it back down a bit because while I do want it to be ranked above the Neo Clump, I don't think I want it to be quite that far above it. The character work here is fantastic, but he doesn't exactly have the best singing voice & a full half of the song is dedicated to repeating the chorus. So... I mean, it is fantastic and I do like it, but I'm thinking it might fit better earlier in the tier.]

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