Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 24! SnowRainbow/Bhavaagra, TrainCourse/Nrcolepsy, WrldMirror/noisemkr

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 17, an annual celebration of the best of the best video game music according to the voters!

Important Links:
Bracket: https://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=477304
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SAJKYJmYhccLvbf_H-5uSA7-eMwXfW8k1q74Qho1bLU
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80433657
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0wlcxj-kHQRU1yHo-kpMxGe
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes
VGMC total stats sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K1XdLWiUKB2kX99qYBgnRbLU_sCz4dvZSByKKJHCT6o
Discord: https://discord.gg/WDvMS4a

Rules:
- Listen to both songs in a given match, at least through the loop time provided (to make sure you don't skip before you've heard the whole thing!)
- Please consider the loop point listed when judging the song; if a video loops one minute 5 times, don't treat it as if it's a repetitive 5 minute song
- If it's a match between your favorite song ever and a song you despise, still LISTEN TO BOTH! Votes can and will be disqualified if there is suspicion songs are not being listened to, and you may be discounted for the rest of the contest for repeat offenses.
- No alt accounts, no rallying or begging, etc., etc.... You only get one vote! Swapping votes is alright, just make clear that you've already made a vote and are swapping.
- Make clear what your voting options are! Please keep votes separate from any comments, and use the titles given in the topic post.
- Voting in all matches is not mandatory, feel free to skip matches you do not wish to vote in.
- Vote based on the links provided, and not other sources of audio. Links are specifically chosen for best quality and the like.
- Don't discuss vote tallies in this thread, or in other threads, as they may influence votes. Likewise, please refrain from looking at the running tally before voting.

Voting Period:
- Today's matches will last 24 hours from the time of posting, or 24 hours from 10pm Eastern, whichever is the later time.
- Please note this may mean that two topics will be active at the same time!
- If you anticipate being unable to vote in a given day, please send an absentee vote to @banshiryuu, or post your absentee vote in the discussion thread!

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Match 1

beatmania IIDX 20 tricoro / jubeat saucer - Rainbow after snow
Composer: Naoyuki Sato (Master)
Loop Point:

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
noisemaker

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
noisemaker

it's difficult to avoid the fact that rainbow after snow's full version is one of my favourite songs to listen to on crevice (alongside honestly every other song in the first half of the album lol, would honestly have supported anything from world color to recollect.......... okay, and also very probably every other eligible song on it too, though they'd be at risk of being beaten out by other nekomatas to be fair) so I am biased towards it instead, but it's really good

while i am a fan of the tenshi's boss fight fight (especially since it's not nearly as annoying as the shion fight in the scenario before it, and tenshi's just fun) I really can't say I'm a fan of this arrangement. not a huge surprise, never liked tokyo active neets, but i mean really this feels like it's just appealing to skullgirls or cuphead vgm fans, and I just don't place those as high as touhou in general

prior to today that second match was definitely one of the closest ones so far for me, and I generally slightly preferred narcolepsist but training course really won me over today

mirror of the world's style, especially with its vocals, just doesn't gel with me, so noisemaker gets my vote by default. also just a solid song tbh

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
Mirror of the World

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
Mirror of the World

Jo'on: "How could you beat me? I have infinite money!"
Tenshi: "Well, I have a real band."

All that said, Catastrophe is my favorite Touhou song in competence, here's hoping it can have a great run, I love the touch Active NEETs can put into their songs. Rainbow is a strong opponent though, I could see myself voting it on second round.

Narcolepsist is a freaky ass song, I think I like Tenchu just slightly more. Match 3 has both great tracks too. The streak of good days continues. I think C1 might end being my favorite corner.

beatmania IIDX 20 tricoro / jubeat saucer - Rainbow after snow
Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea - Narcolepsist
FutureGrind - noisemaker

Rainbow
Training
Noise

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
noisemaker

Rainbow after snow
Narcolepsist
noisemaker

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
noisemaker

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
noisemaker

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
Mirror of the World

Touhou 15.5: Antinomy of Common Flowers - Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins - Training Course
FutureGrind - noisemaker

I was pleasantly surprised by Training Course

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Narcolepsist
Mirror of the World

Match 1 is by far the two best songs of the day.

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Narcolepsist
noisemaker

< P0's Top 16 >
9.3 (1 left):
9.1 (0 left): Apex of the World (Rain)
8.9 (0 left): Crocus
8.8 (0 left): The Best Is Yet To Come
8.7 (0 left): Purna
8.4 (1 left): Journey To Candle Hill
8.3 (1 left): Duel in the Mist / Another Winter / Narcolepsist
8.2 (1 left): Nilah, the Joy Unbound / SHAKE YA BODY / Shutoko - Spiral Maze
8.1 (0 left): Waltz of Meditation Part2

I feel a bit guilty for nominating this, because it deprives you of the album experience leading up to the song! I truly can't describe how it felt to be fed two and half hours of cheerful Atelier vibes, then hit this madness on disc 3. All while this anime girl smiles innocently in the video thumbnail??

Who is this mysterious Sen, whose VGMdb credits consist solely of Atelier Shallie and "NieR Tribute Album -echo-"? Apparently they're the producer of a duo called matryoshka, which explains why they have multiple Shallie credits as "Recording, Mixing, & Mastering Engineer." And Narcolepsist very much sounds like a production-led song. There isn't much to the composition; it's the arrangement+mix+sound design that forms the core of this incredible musical journey. Somehow we get a delightfully hellish atmosphere that's strangely catchy! I guess it helps that it brings me back to one of my favourite synthwave songs (0:54) https://youtu.be/H3lwn_luLeI?t=54

How does it even work as a final dungeon theme. The second half completely overwhelms your emotional capacity! Can the player hear sound effects over all that, or even perceive them? What in the world is 3:37 supposed to represent?? This is the kind of VGM that stays with me and keeps luring me back for those dark vibes.

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
noisemaker

PIayer_0 posted...

How does it even work as a final dungeon theme.

from playing the game I can tell you it doesn't - because it's going to be interrupted by Stella or Sweep part 3 every 30 seconds and will never get to the back half

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
noisemaker

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
Mirror of the World

Rainbow after Snow
Narcolepsist
noisemaker

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
noisemaker

Touhou 15.5: Antinomy of Common Flowers - Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea - Narcolepsist
FutureGrind - noisemaker

Rainbow after snow
Narcolepsist
Mirror of the World

I miss Love the Subhuman Self.

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
Mirror of the World

Rainbow after snow
Narcolepsist
noisemaker

Narcolepsist

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
Mirror of the World

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
Mirror of the World

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Narcolepsist
noisemaker

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
noisemaker

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
Mirror of the World

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
noisemaker

Training Course is my highlight for today.

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
Mirror of the World

once again i forgot to jot down my notes until a minute into narcolepsist.

today was a weird day in that i didn't really have high hopes (mirror of the world is the only song i remembered beforehand due to listening to it for unrelated reasons about four or three days ago) before choosing to listen, but i suddenly remembered that yeah, i like 5/6ths of today's songs.

training course is VERY MUCH my thing, too.

narcolepsist really ought to be my thing, but i don't really gel with it. i really want to know what the science is behind that. i love slow burns and "scary" music a lot of the time ... i still appreciate it, and in the end of the day i would much prefer interesting stuff i don't care for over boring stuff i don't care for, and i did not think it was boring.

Rainbow
Training
Noise

Touhou 15.5: Antinomy of Common Flowers - Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins - Training Course
Guilty Gear -Strive- - Mirror of the World

round 1 hurts
bignic can suck it

Rainbow after snow
Narcolepsist
Mirror of the World

Ah, the one really good cold song. Thank you, Nekomata Master. Bhava-agra is fairly solid too.

Training Course vaguely reminds me of Footfalls from FF14 for some reason. Doesn't quite get there, alas. Wow, Narcolepsist is pretty interesting. Neat stuff.

Mirror isn't a top GG song for me (;_; subhuman self), but it is good stuff. Noisemaker's solid too.

Rainbow after snow > Narcolepsist > Mirror of the World > noisemaker > Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven > Training Course

Rainbow after snow
Narcolepsist
noisemaker

Narcolepsist is very much a song I'm either going to really be into or really not be into on any given day. It gets the nod today over decent competition.

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
noisemaker

as much as i LOVE nekomata master (he literally made my fav game soundtrack ever lmao) i have to go for the touhou song
didnt really care for either second round song that much sadly

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
noisemaker

Rainbow after snow
Narcolepsist
Mirror of the World

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
noisemaker

Close match 1, Catastrophes climax just feels like its lacking some punch. Mirror of the World 1:56-2:39 has some of my favorite elements of the song with the vocals going from deep chanting to high.

DAx10 is tempting but I have to go with Duel in the Mist. I feel confident about Scream > Duel in the Mist > A Moment of Tranquility > Into the Storm. The best parts of Into the Storm may be my favorite out of these, but Scream has both consistency and some really good parts as well.

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Narcolepsist
Mirror of the World

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
noisemaker

Wonderful Heaven caught me a bit off guard; I knew Active NEETs had done music for this game in particular but didn't realize this was the song that had gotten in! That being said, I still prefer the general poppy dnb vibe that Rainbow after snow has. Both songs in this match are great, will be very happy regardless of which one moves on.
Training Course is another addition to my favorite discoveries from the contest so far. I had heard a number of Noriyuki Asakura compositions before, but this has a great vibe that I hadn't heard in anything else he's done.

-
Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea - Narcolepsist
FutureGrind - noisemaker

Rainbow after snow
Training Course
noisemaker

Rainbow after snow > Bhava-agra > noisemaker > Mirror of the World > Training Course >> Narcolepsist

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
noisemaker

Catastrophe in Bhava-agra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Training Course
Mirror of the World

Call me basic/biased for this, but come on - a Tokyo Active NEETs track? I can't do anything against this, as nice as the Nekomata Master track is.

Training Course is kinda weird where the beginning synth sounds melancholy and is the one part where I don't feel for all that much, but then it unexpectedly gets a lot groovier than I was expecting, and I'm definitely engrossed in it. Narcolepsist is definitely atmospheric, and I think I would prefer it if the whole song was just as quiet and moody as the first half was.

Mirror of the World is easily one of my favorites from the Strive soundtrack, but that's not to take away from the cool jam that is noisemaker, it makes for some real nice techno beats!

Rainbow after snow
Narcolepsist
Mirror of the World

Rainbow after snow is great. It reminds me a bit of Blue Reflection but without any of the particular things that bother me about that soundtrack. (Of course, I'm sure there are people that like Blue Reflection music because of those things I'd might say this is taking out the things that make BR music what it is, but I digress). Great vocals, and the backing synths are pleasant and interesting without ever trying to fight for the spotlight. The Touhou song is solid and has some good sax parts--I think I like the swing parts more than the parts that sound like a more traditional Touhou song though.

Training Course has a bit of a shaky beginning where there's not really much for me to grab onto, but once the guitar part comes in that is immediately fixed and then some, and the song becomes great. I don't know how to rationally comment on a song that sounds like it's supposed to be a musical representation of a panic attack but I definitely dig what Narcolepsist is going for. Powerful stuff.

Mirror of the World is not my preferred genre but this song is one of the better examples for me. The vocals are grating at some points when it gets a bit more screamo-y but sound pretty good at the other times, and the guitar is also great. noisemaker is catchy but a bit too repetitive for my liking.

Narcolepsist > Rainbow after snow > Training Course > Mirror of the World > Catastrophe in Bhava-agra > noisemaker

Pretty good day.

Touhou Hyouibana ~ Antimony of Common Flowers - Catastrophe in Bhavaagra ~ Wonderful Heaven
Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea - Narcolepsist
GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- - Mirror of the World

Mirror of the World > Catastrophe in Bhavaagra ~ Wonderful Heaven > noisemaker > Narcolepsist > Training Course > Rainbow after snow

The sax in Touhou won me over, though I did actually like the competition more than my ranking would suggest. Narcolepsist got really cool just as it was starting to get boring, so that's much appreciated. I just really like GGS music honestly.