Board 8 > Board 8 Ranks Trails/Kiseki [{(-~-RANKINGS-~-)}]

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#302
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dowolf
10/23/20 3:14:39 PM
#303:


Yeah, Tree was the one I knew was going to disappoint people. I like the first half of both versions, Evo more than OG, but the second half is substantially worse (with the drums in OG straight-up overpowering the melody, in my opinion).
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dowolf
10/23/20 3:27:37 PM
#304:


also i had not listened to Whereabouts of Light Harmonica instrumental before.

what the heck is the performer doing?
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pyresword
10/23/20 3:50:57 PM
#305:


Harmonica is just a bad instrument tbh
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NFUN
10/23/20 4:06:57 PM
#306:


#88: Zero no Kiseki - Their Tomorrows
pyre: 7/6.5
NFUN: 7.3/5.5
Total: 7.15/6 (6.575)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=w26NupPepWk
https://youtube.com/watch?v=XVl4uOOmVHM

The beginning part feels a bit off, I think because the string part echoes a bit too much, but as more instruments enter the song really comes together. Lots of neat harmonies and diverse instrumentation. Evo version is mostly the same but it gets docked a bit because the instrument at 0:46 doesn't sound as good and also the trumpet player is a bit too excited or something.
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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon ending music

I honestly thought it was the same song at first. That brass... isn't great. The additions are overbearing in general. I don't remember where this places (lol), but it seems like it should be a moment of peace and reflection--not a moment when you want a brass quartet throwing their instruments at you. Some parts would be more powerful with just one additional instrument, but ugh. Whereabouts of Hope syndrome

#87: Trails in the Sky - Peace Bestowed by Twilight
pyre: 5.5/4.5
tgs: 7.8/8.5
Total: 6.65/6.5 (6.575)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7uop8Lcp2xs
https://youtube.com/watch?v=c7GyoXq8Hxs

The backing parts in the Evo version sound really weird for whatever reason.
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doot doot. doot doo-NO NOT THE PENGUINS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

#86: Trails in the Sky - Go in Good Cheer
Raetsel: 6.05/7.5
deo: 6.4/6.4
Total: 6.225/6.95 (6.5875)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3ddr6vgiQV8
https://youtube.com/watch?v=lSSbE68BYKk

Jaunty tunes. I'm pretty sure I've never described anything as "jaunty" before, but then I've never encountered songs as jaunty as this. Jaunty. Evo version feels more nautical, like you're visiting a seaside town and getting ready to go on a boatride to adventure--and apparently I like that sort of atmosphere judging by its good score.
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NFUN
10/23/20 4:07:13 PM
#307:


pyresword posted...
Harmonica is just a bad instrument tbh
hottest take of the topic

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tgs2
10/23/20 6:46:48 PM
#308:


Harmonicas are WONDERFUL when used correctly.

Also the doots are ace/fun in twilight don't @ me.
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NFUN
10/24/20 12:59:10 PM
#309:


#85: Trails in the Sky SC - Visions
Janus: 5/5.5
Mycro: 7.99/7.96
Total: 6.495/6.73 (6.6125)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=qNWNArktMvY
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WggNPIE4AHM

Spooky dungeon theme. The Evo feels a bit flat compared to the original and honestly that's about all I have to say - wow that WAS my writeup and then I relistened to the Evo to give it a score and actually this second half brings it up a bit. Probably above the original. god I almost Tsunami'd
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cool 90s chill tense music I like the GLASSY synth bell sounds which are more prominent in original, evo arrange also does some odd stuff with arrangement of other instruments that c omes across as "fake but not fake enough" so knocked down a slight bit

:(

#84: Ao no Kiseki - Demon's Yell
pyre: 6/6
dowolf: 7/7.5
Total: 6.5/6.75 (6.625)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=_2mgIDNqnZY
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nVp2rUfzXgI

I hate the part of the game this song plays in, but the song itself is reasonably good. Very sinister sounding. Evo version might be a bit better because of the neat reverb effects, but they're both getting the same score.
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This is the least metal song called "Demon's Yell" of all time.

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NFUN
10/24/20 2:08:43 PM
#310:


#83: Ao no Kiseki - Seize the Truth!
pyre: 5.5/7.5
dowolf: 5/8.5
Total: 5.25/8 (6.625)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=s358AQzHMCU
https://youtube.com/watch?v=oxXfJR-6ry0

Ah the song that was a VGMC champion. The original version is serviceable but doesn't stand out at all. The Evo version is much better due to the larger variety in and expressivity of the instruments. (Could I get some vibrato or something in the original?)
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OG is a genuine mess here. Evo feels dynamic and fun, especially with how it tosses between solos in the extra minute

uh oh

#82: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Cry for Me, Cry for You
Haste: 8.7/6.6
Mycro: 5.4/5.9
Total: 7.05/6.25 (6.65)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=YiFqaTgjBbE
https://youtube.com/watch?v=aBVslKU3AQs

Cry for me, adjiakjfkajldjfkalfdfklj! The rhythm section is way catchy at 0:16, with fun unison rhythmic bit and ending on a cool chord! The synth/electric guitar mix are JUST the kinds of sounds I love (0:17 and 3:05). I love the guitar arpeggio holding notes extra long to harmonize with itself. Also, it's the kind of bass playing I like... strike every eighth such as at 0:51, Maybe some parts are "predictable", but other parts are cool. But I start liking it less when the refrain gets played again and again and AGAIN, ARGGHHHH. 2:09's electric crescendo is just...AW YEAH. Cool random loud dissonance that REALLY sticks out at 4:11-4:15 (oh, yeah, it plays earlier in the track too), LOVE IT!!!

EVO version: Singing is a bit more emotional at the start as it's a solo. It's similar but a bit softer rock, I guess.... the instruments don't come together in the awesome way like the original. They took out the cool dissonances.... The guitar solo is better in this version, though, aw yeah!
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i feel like i could become addictecd to or nostalgaic for this song if it were the op for an anime i watched, but because it is not, my reaction isn't all that strong. the evo version brings out weirder vocal harmonies more prominently and makes that version just a bit more distinct and interesting to me

...kimi no

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Janus5k
10/24/20 2:14:29 PM
#311:


Cry For Me? More like Kimi nOWNED!

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Hbthebattle
10/24/20 2:17:59 PM
#312:


luckily there are 50 other versions of this song still in so I can't get too mad

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NFUN
10/24/20 3:10:34 PM
#313:


#81: Zero no Kiseki - Firm Strength
Place: 7.8/7
tgs: 5.9/5.9
Total: 6.85/6.45 (6.65)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pmgApuXuBm8
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wqPus4GaU7g

at first it seems like there isn't much to separate these soundwise but og is more 'dense' on repeat listens. OH its in 'SEVEN' I LIKE 'SEVEN' yeah i enjoy th!s have cheeky nonstandard decimal rating (that does accurately reflect my feelings about the song)
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rip lasa and mycro probably

#80: Ao no Kiseki - Fateful Confrontation -Pomtto! Version-
Place: 6.5/6.5
Mycro: 7.13/6.5
Total: 6.815/6.5 (6.6575)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=dPZmonj2TDk
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CepJUAfJeuA

i'm glad there are chiptunes here otherwise i would not have known these songs were from a video game. parallels to capcom and konami can be made but within falcom's own library i wasn't able to find much dna linking this to their nes/nec pc releases. could definitely be missing something in like ys or sorcerian but yeah plundered around for a bit and came up empty. on an otherwise unrelated note i'm now aware that popful mail [hyperlink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp638gt4TOM] goes way harder than i ever thought possible
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trying to parse the differences between the Fake Limitations in this is funny. I'm adequately fond of the original Fateful Confrontation non-chiptune version. The difference here is i think the chip format almost benetifs it in Ao no Kiseki and hurts it in Ao no Kiseki Evolution. even if the evo version may be technically possible on some format, the extended decays/overlapping notes of some of the instruments give an uncanny feeling of inauthenticity, most things as "retro" as it is trying to sound would not do that, and the mixing clouds some important layers here, certain significant things are way too stuck in a low muddy register in that version compared to the non-evo version. The original is more plain, empty, which could be unappealing in itself to me in some cases, but i TRUST it more. either way still a fun tune with a fun 7/4 section in the ending bit

#79: Trails in the Sky SC - Strepitoso Fight
FL: 6.7/6.2
Mycro: 7/7.1
Total: 6.85/6.65 (6.75)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=onogsnnLe2o
https://youtube.com/watch?v=AzLOflKSxZk

Solid JRPG battle theme, although I do prefer the gokinjo jazz of FC's normal battle theme. Still, any jazz for a battle theme is a respectable idea. Evo version decides to go for something completely different. This sounds oddly similar to Sega arcade racing game music. This is almost good, but the electric guitar sounds too detached from the rest of the melody and overall sounds like a straight downgrade. Good ideas, executed poorly.
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although i do love the original SC for it's instrumentation choice, I think the evo arrange handles a jazzy style like this a bit better

bye worst battle theme sorry unisuga

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Toxtricity
10/24/20 5:47:02 PM
#314:


oh whoa Firm Strength is COOL
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azuarc
10/24/20 5:51:56 PM
#315:


RIP Seize the Truth...though I don't disagree. The original is pretty whatever.

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Hbthebattle
10/24/20 6:14:54 PM
#316:


Two regular battles gone in one day, sheesh

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pyresword
10/24/20 6:17:29 PM
#317:


Normal battle music is generally on the weaker end of the RPG music spectrum for me so I am okay with this.
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dowolf
10/24/20 9:21:41 PM
#318:


Their Tomorrows Evo -- gotta agree with NFUN here, that trumpet or whatever it is sounds out of tune.

Go in Good Cheer Evo is a nice improvement, probably 5/6.5 for me there.
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PIayer_0
10/25/20 1:39:22 AM
#319:


NFUN posted...
#92: Zero no Kiseki - Geo-Front
player0: 8/7
dowolf: 6/5
Total: 7/6 (6.5)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=TsP7WSySVfk
https://youtube.com/watch?v=KONPZj5l0VM

#91: Ao no Kiseki - The Tree at the Farthest End
player0: 7/9
dowolf: 4/6
Total: 5.5/7.5 (6.5)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7LCTZuJrk8Y
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ihZ4SWh4Les
MY BABIES NO

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NFUN
10/25/20 1:41:48 AM
#320:


PIayer_0 posted...
MY BABIES NO
Look on the bright side. As far as I'm aware, Geo-front was the first sequential-score song (8 7 6 5), so at least it died for a good cause

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FL81
10/25/20 2:24:32 AM
#321:


I can't see Geofront without thinking of Dungeon Geofront 4

thanks VGMC

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NFUN
10/25/20 2:33:32 AM
#322:


it's a sign for us to nominate the theme of Dungeon "Geofront" 4 times next year

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Janus5k
10/25/20 2:50:04 AM
#323:


Trails from Zero - Geofront
Trails to Azure - A Trap Lurking in the City
Trails of Cold Steel III - Unplanned Residue
Trails of Cold Steel IV - Synchronicity #23

there, four Geofront themes

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NFUN
10/25/20 2:35:20 PM
#324:


#78: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Something Precious
Raetsel: 8.1/7.11
deo: 5.5/6.3
Total: 6.8/6.705 (6.7525)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=f2OPgbugd4Y
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zKNn23f2ols

Both very nice versions of the song, but the Evo version has less of an emotional impact than the original for some reason.
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#77: Zero no Kiseki - A Light Illuminating The Depths
Janus: 8/9
Mycro: 5.11/5.09
Total: 6.555/7.045 (6.8)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=PB9xkXuHquo
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9SJr3t7pHi8

You know I'd never thought about it before but this is one of my favorite titles for a final dungeon theme. The melody isn't very intricate, but it has a certain determined feel that makes you want to keep pressing on.

So the guitar at the start of the original is a bit sudden, and it feels a bit moreso in the Evo, but I don't hate it. Despite adding some stuff like the chugging guitar and solos this actually keeps the feel of the original almost in tact, I feel, and it expands on it in a nice way. I like this quite a bit.
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oh no it's NOryiukyi kamikura of BASISCAPE who arranged this evo version; will there be BASISCAPE BIAS?!?!?! NO because i prefer the original because it sounds more "90s" even though they both sound 90s; nice guitar work and additional synths in kamikura's arrange though, which is what i would expect from him

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. at least the best version is still alive. getlucky.mp3

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pyresword
10/25/20 2:42:26 PM
#325:


A Light Illuminating the Depths might be my favorite final dungeon theme of the series? Either that one or Hollow Light of the Sealed Land.

Best version of Light Illuminating the Depths is definitely the Super Arrange version though, which I don't think is in this project at all even if it does technically play in Ao.
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NFUN
10/25/20 3:42:25 PM
#326:


#76: Trails in the Sky SC - Feeling Danger Nearby
hb: 6.5/3.9
tgs: 9.1/7.7
Total: 7.8/5.8 (6.8)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=218gzYmAx3c
https://youtube.com/watch?v=RpffuZWs6s0

A frantic, jazzy rhythm, this one's surprisingly cool, especially the flutes that come in later on. And then Evo is buttmetal.mp3, with an added dose of bizarre synths. All the cool intsrumentation from the original is gone and replaced with things that aren't as pleasant to hear.
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Me -> Any remotely jazzy sounding battle theme that slaps hard -> Is this (as good as) Battle!!/Rude Buster? I have mixed feelings on the sax used in the evo version though. They leaned way to hard into trying to make it more jazzy sounding. It's still good, but it is yet another evo song screwing around with the original too much when it did not need to.

#75: Zero no Kiseki - Get Over The Barrier! -Roaring Version-
Haste: 7.9/8.8
dowolf: 3/7.5
Total: 5.45/8.15 (6.8)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=_qYYetCVBko
https://youtube.com/watch?v=e8O1e3YJ_dk

Sounds like a mini-suspense/battle theme. The static at the start is a subtle thing, but makes the atmosphere more intense. Not a fan of the violin in general, playing stuff that's too "familiar", but it doesn't bother me so much anymore. That seems to happen a lot with music like this on vs. first listen vs. later listens. It's only 2:37 - 2:51 that bothers me at this point. The slightly dissonant chords at 1:03 - 1:10 are cool. It sounds too "bluesy" and with the WRONG rhythms at 1:27, argh, so that's actually two sections I don't like. The final chord is nice, the way it doesn't sound resolved. Overall it's really good with a great atmosphere.

EVO version: I really enjoy the addition of the synths, actually. Choir adds a LOT of suspense, WOOOOOOWWW!! but I also love their fantasy-like use in the quiet section at 1:53, too. Big, active drums make :) Brass use is more intense (crescendos, etc.). I like this one a lot more than the original... yeah, it's amazing what altering the instrumentation can do! LIttle piano patterns descending starting around 2:00 adds depth. Buildup is really good towards the end.
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hi chanting. OG just isn't nearly as hype.

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pyresword
10/25/20 3:48:25 PM
#327:


Looks like we're getting into the tier where one person ranks a song really highly but then the other ranker tanks it.

Not looking forward to my one example that's going to fall into this. (where I am the high ranker)
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Hbthebattle
10/25/20 3:48:28 PM
#328:


dowolf why

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Congrats to azuarc for winning the GotD Guru!
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FL81
10/25/20 5:14:32 PM
#329:


more like

nowolf

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NFUN
10/25/20 5:25:14 PM
#330:


#74: Zero no Kiseki - Between Forgotten Visions
azuarc: 5.8/6
Mycro: 7.7/7.75
Total: 6.75/6.875 (6.8125)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=gMMZ125bsTg
https://youtube.com/watch?v=E5sszGrHvRU

Fancy mystical support track is fancy mystical support track. Evo version feels extremely different just due to the instrumentation. The panflute is the most shocking and noticeable choice, but the net result if a track that works surprisingly well, even if it creates the mood in a completely different way. Strangely has a bit of a SoM vibe to it, too.
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i barely percieve a difference here, but the flute and plucked strings in the evo arrange brings it up, they feel way more alive and present. slightly prefer the instruments otherwise, in the original, but those two layers add so much character that my preference flips to evo

#73: Trails in the Sky SC - Gospel Project
Haste: 8.7/8
Mycro: 5.3/5.25
Total: 7/6.625 (6.8125)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8BYFvC0VDD4
https://youtube.com/watch?v=UM4uAORHVYY

Classic diapason, outlining of ugly intervals (except it's a type of ugly I like!). Reminds me of that scary theme from FFVII that also uses slow quarter a capella notes. I enjoy how dark this one is, and I especially like where the low strings get featured to really flesh out that feeling. Strange harmonic progressions/dissonances as it moves up chromatically is a nice Halloween-ish feeling. I also like the more diatonic section, the arpeggiatting downwards... good contrast. At 2:38 we get the stuff from the beginning but now it's climactic, cool.

EVO version: I gotta prefer the original organ stops to these ones... the ones here sound so dull in comparison. Really, kind of the same thing with the orchestration at certain parts like at 2:01, but otherwise not too different.
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brand of tension music i typically like; but this one doesn't hit the buttons for me too strongly

#72: Ao no Kiseki - Mystic Core
player0: 8/7
dowolf: 6/6.5
Total: 7/6.75 (6.875)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zDy1DhTAXD4
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CpSnzqJbKIg

A full-on EDM/trance battle theme, and it's super catchy! The synth chords have some fun rhythms, unfortunately they take a backseat in the remake, which also adds heavier bass and electric guitar for some reason.
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Those opening piano hits with the echo are so cool. A bit too minamilist for me.

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Janus5k
10/25/20 5:32:13 PM
#331:


I cannot believe "Sneasel in 11/16 Time" dislikes Light

also rip Mystic Core

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dowolf
10/25/20 5:39:30 PM
#332:


a light illuminating the depths ;_;

this! this is what my hubris has cost me!
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pyresword
10/25/20 6:15:58 PM
#333:


Can't listen to it right now to confirm but iirc Mystic Core is a dungeon theme?
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banshiryuu
10/25/20 9:37:09 PM
#334:


what the FUCK ALItD, Roaring GotB, and Mystic Core in one day this low???

oh god what have we done
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NFUN
10/26/20 11:37:13 AM
#335:


#71: Zero no Kiseki - Heiyue Trade Company
Janus: 6.5/5.5
NFUN: 7.9/7.6
Total: 7.2/6.55 (6.875)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=OqvWLGPs3C8
https://youtube.com/watch?v=uk8SGCnZ8wM

Oriental song. The bars in the first half with an extra half beat give a nice element of intrigue to what's otherwise a pretty simple line, and the second half has a nice subtle energy to it.

Hmmm, it's not as sharp, but doesn't seem too much worse.
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To quote Dr. John Dorian: "You're China!"

Sorry for not giving the evo version an appropriately lower score, pyre

#70: Zero no Kiseki - Special Support Section
tgs: 5.7/5.7
NFUN: 7.5/8.7
Total: 6.6/7.2 (6.9)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=TbPi3zO-y5g
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FA4m3vThOF4

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having fun and hanging out with friends!!!

now one of your friends has a flute :D

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pyresword
10/26/20 12:00:51 PM
#336:


Absolutely trash song. (the evo version that is)

Heiyue Trading Company is a generally chilling theme song that serves the introduction to imo one of the most sinister characters in the entire series. Evo version takes the main line that contributes to this (around 0:40) and absolutely butchers it, turning it into a happy Chinese festival theme.

Divorced from the context they aren't too different, but honestly if I was rating this I'd probably have just given it a 0 and said "fuck it DQ my rating if you want".
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NFUN
10/26/20 12:40:27 PM
#337:


#69: Ao no Kiseki - True Bonds
Haste: 8.8/8.8
dowolf: 5/5
Total: 6.9/6.9 (6.9)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pdDDBdTDKV0
https://youtube.com/watch?v=GbRMc3_1Dkw

Sounds a bit like TIfa's theme at the start (but ultimately, this track is way better!). Very delicate. The harp countermelody is gorgeous near the start. I LOVE the harmonic direction at 0:39 heading into foreign keys.. how poignant. Love how it thickens with the big string section later... ahhhh, how heavenly. The flute and oboe sections make for a sweet/bouncy/happy contrast to the heavier stuff around it :), like it could have been taken straight out of, like, PLvs.PW, or something.

EVO version: Just like the original... the differences are minor. I like the use of Bassoon at 2:07.

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makes me nostalgic for FF8, which is... weird. Not sure how I feel about the playfulness in the Evo version

Call 1-800-888-8888-8888

#68: Trails in the Sky SC - Shrine of Aidios
azuarc: 7.7/6.8
deo: 7.4/5.8
Total: 7.55/6.3 (6.925)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=4WH51t8SNmU
https://youtube.com/watch?v=KbylC1HSsEk

Original is a surprisingly beautiful piece. What makes it work, with the lone piano, is stomped on by the evo version, though. The backing strings are okay at times, but then there's stretches with brass? No no no. This treatment would work for a more uptempo outspoken rendition of the song, but the mood of this piece is somber and contemplative and these instruments here -- other than a one-measure harp cameo -- are too much.
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damn you evo...

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azuarc
10/26/20 12:43:58 PM
#338:


NFUN posted...
Call 1-800-888-8888-8888

I guess that last part is an extension? Or are you calling outside the US?

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NFUN
10/26/20 12:46:47 PM
#339:


azuarc posted...
I guess that last part is an extension? Or are you calling outside the US?
for whatever reason this is how i remembered whatever jingle got stuck in my subconscious. p sure you can tack on digits without it mattering, so maybe this is how it actually went and they made it unnecessarily long because it was catchier

i put in an extra 8 though. 1-800-888-888-8888

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Janus5k
10/26/20 12:47:20 PM
#340:


NFUN posted...
#69: Ao no Kiseki - True Bonds
Total: 6.9/6.9 (6.9)

nice


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azuarc
10/26/20 12:50:09 PM
#341:


Probably didn't have the 800, tbh. 888 also indicates a free number.

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NFUN
10/26/20 12:54:13 PM
#342:


azuarc posted...
Probably didn't have the 800, tbh. 888 also indicates a free number.
that doesn't flow right though!

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NFUN
10/26/20 2:11:02 PM
#343:


#67: Ao no Kiseki - Destruction Impulse
Raetsel: 7.2/6
Lea: 7/7.5
Total: 7.1/6.75 (6.925)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=jlBLyfet_jI
https://youtube.com/watch?v=1AzJInDSmXs

The original version sounds like a good Final Boss theme. It conjures images of someone gaining ULTIMATE POWER and demanding you acknowledge them as the TRUE GOD. Evo version sounds like a more generic crazy person who's going to slice you to pieces for fun. [spoiler tag would go here if I could add them to Google sheets: That means the Evo version is far more fitting in game, but far less interesting to me musically and since I'm expressly forbidden from taking in-game context into account, I'm obviously not going to award any bonus points to the Evo version for fitting the character better. Still felt like pointing it out somewhere though.]
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First one felt more destructiony.

#66: Trails in the Sky SC - The Fate of the Fairies
pyre: 6/6.5
NFUN: 8.7/6.5
Total: 7.35/6.5 (6.925)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3GB-xej4GFc
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5qpGSzkNgto

Whatever. RPG battle music yay. The violin part is nice but otherwise this song--while fine to listen to--doesn't do a lot for me. Evo version is a bit better because it has more impact.
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DIVE INTO YOUR FATE NANDO DEMO

First fifteen seconds I was pleasantly surprised. Seemed to be a take that I liked less due purely to personal tastes; a sidegrade rather than a bad direction. And then :20 hit. I guess it's not terrible; it'd be really difficult to ruin the original Fate of the Fairies. I'm getting pretty sick of unnecessarily worse Evo takes, though

#65: Zero no Kiseki - Schwarz Auction
azuarc: 5.8/5.4
NFUN: 9.9/6.6
Total: 7.85/6 (6.925)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=h4FhQ9CRE48
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ontpbkkGpKw

Evo version is certainly revamped, but while it's not miserable, I also don't think it was the right call here. This was not a track where grungy electric guitars were going to work. There's also a few notes and cymbals that are out of place.
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My favorite song of Zero (hot take). This just absolutely nails the theme it's going for. The ritzy opening is perfect to set the stage for a debonair spy before it transmutes fully into a spy thriller song. Honestly, I overrate this just on the intro. The song itself is really good, don't make a mistake, but the intro sets a really lofty expectation that manages to not be disappointed at all

yeah right off the bat this is dropping the ball. I respect what they're trying to do by adding the percussion to the beginning, but the intro was so good because it was pure. That could be added fine to the rest of the song, just not there. The way it's constructed kind of loses some gravitas. The guitar had potential... the synth and clap that comes in a minute in is really good though. The song is really put together here. The changes they made after the chorus are acceptable too, albeit not nailed as perfectly. In retrospect, as it turns out, the percussion didn't really fit the rest of the song. After the first minute I could see somebody liking this version better. They'd still be wrong, just not painfully wrong

azuarc determined to break my heart

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azuarc
10/26/20 4:02:14 PM
#344:


I could be persuaded the song is better than 5.8, but 9.9 is stretching the bounds a bit.

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Toxtricity
10/26/20 4:07:40 PM
#345:


whoa Schwarz Auction is not the kind of song i would expect anyone to rate 9.9, maybe not even nfun, but i think it is very good. i would have given it at least a 7
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NFUN
10/26/20 4:14:34 PM
#346:


gotta keep 'em guessing

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PIayer_0
10/26/20 7:32:18 PM
#347:


that's a hot take alright

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NFUN
10/27/20 3:25:49 PM
#348:


#64: Trails in the Sky - Leiston Fortress
hb: 6.9/4.9
dowolf: 8/8
Total: 7.45/6.45 (6.95)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=I9RYN4Os3qU
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cHPiGf8SymY

Another tense theme, but this one is a step up over its compatriots through its strong rhythms and pleasing soundfont. The Evo version's soundfont is for the most part significantly less enjoyable to listen to (though I do like the piano), which knocks it down quite a bit- its sorely missing something compared to the original, and its additions don't fill the gap enough for me to like it.
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Evo bells are cool.

#63: Trails in the Sky SC - The Merciless Savior
azuarc: 5.2/4.6
NFUN: 10/8
Total: 7.6/6.3 (6.95)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=V1GhOzlGXQk
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vJO4oJ0Uce4

Gonna expect some pushback here, but I've never liked Merciless Savior. Nothing about it grabs me, and it goes on for way too goddamn long. Evo version has the decency to be a minute shorter, but the sound and percussion choices are a bit head-scratching, and it doesn't get any better down the stretch, with a lot of the original melodic lines ruined by the improvised solos of the violin and then opera singers that really don't fit within the track's envelope.
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I'll remind you again that these assignments were completely random (and had I not blacklisted myself from Ao songs, I still would've gotten this). This is probably my third favorite Falcom song, and I'm glad I got this as the SC rep instead of Looking Up at the Sky because I have been avoiding hearing the Evo version of that for years, and I didn't want to stop now. The original of this is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's incredibly unique, has incredible energy, incredible emotion, and I'm still incredulous that it exists. It's dramatic, it has FEELS, it's the perfect sendoff to a JRPG of Sky's scale. I have no idea how it manages to pull it off in a style that most people would take as a proggy mess at first glance. I guess everything just comes together into a goulash of amazingness.

As for the Evo version... I love Jindo, but sometimes he leans too hard into his orchestral rock style of Ys Chronicles, which you'd think would be an incredible fit here. The beginning is pretty acceptable, but the main melody 30 seconds in feels like a step down. The original is a barely-contained mess. It's chaotic, but *tight*. This, over the next minute, gradually loses itself until it falls apart even more at 1:40. The electronic synth doesn't really feel appropriate, and the transition at 2:40 feels... uncomfortable? Thankfully, his operatic singers fit perfectly, and when he has a stronger melody and the Whereabouts of Hope motif as a firmer backing after this, Jindo manages to nail the second half, to the point where I'd begrudge I'm only not totally in love because of how much I like the original. As a whole, it's not transcendent like the original, but much of the evo arrangement at least does it some justice

azuarc just had to kill the Merciless Savior (and me) one last time

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Hbthebattle
10/27/20 3:33:50 PM
#349:


azuarc kills the merciless savior a second time

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pyresword
10/27/20 3:46:00 PM
#350:


Azuarc is truly merciless
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Janus5k
10/27/20 3:51:26 PM
#351:


NFUN posted...
#64: Trails in the Sky - Leiston Fortress
hb: 6.9/4.9
dowolf: 8/8

who's the murderer now hb


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