Lurker > Fluttershy_Pony

Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra - Godsibb - 7

Nintendo 3DS eShop - January 2016 - 1

Metal & Lace 2 - Staff Roll - 5.5
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Juno First (Atari 2600) - Title Screen - 6.1

Sonic Generations (3DS) - Boss: Big Arms - 6

Boku no Te no Naka no Rakuen - Papiliones - 4.9
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Puchi Carat - mirage (C-Mond's Theme) - 3

The Ninja Warriors - Daddy Mulk - 5.2

DJMAX Respect - v o l d e n u i t - 5.3



Will try to get to today's songs tomorrow.
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DireKrow posted...

The top 10 is pretty much completely contrary to what I expected you would like, based on advice I had received from others during nominations. Completely.

On the one hand, I really don't want to know what anyone says about me and I'm not seriously asking any questions about this. On the other, I am curious who (aside from Mycro) thought trying to get into my head was a productive excercise in the first place and felt confident enough to offer advice.

Like last topic alone featured:

1: My declaring the Mentos jingle to not only be one of the most inspirational songs ever written, but being something so uplifting that I frequently turned to it throughout the ranking whenever I needed a pick-me-up from the more serious songs.

2: Bouncing off the walls squealing with joy over a Hamilton nomination because Lin Manuel was on the current DuckTales and it sounded like a character from one of the best cartoons ever was giving me a history lesson.

3: Excessive furry-ness, with multiple fursonas and an admission of loving The Chipettes--including what might be the absolute worst Chipmunk/Chipette song of all time because it involves tail wagging.

3A: A random detour into the Garfield blues/jazz album and a complaint that its song about tail wagging somehow manages to be even worse than the previously mentioned Chipettes song.

4: A bizarre CYOA in which you either listened to a song from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and a long speech from me about why I loved that particular track or died.

Like...someone read
all of that and not only thought they understood my thought process, but understood it well enough to advise other people on it?

Anyway, my advice would be to not waste a moment trying to pick something I'll like--it's a fool's errand. Just accept that basically anything can get an incredibly high or low score and just nominate whatever you want someone else to listen to.

If you want me to listen to any other songs you might have on file, feel free to post them. As I've said, I'll get to them eventually--a second topic where I continue listening to things before letting it purge is probably going to become a tradition, doubt I'll get to everything here before this one locks.

...also last time Dagothwave came in 5th place. A joke nomination getting an insanely high score in the top 10 is practically a tradition, so I'll say that Radical City's placement is perfectly on brand for me. The rest of the top 10 this time, maybe, maybe not, but Radical City is definitely my type of thing.
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Place posted...

Oh, I hadn't seen that Duvet was nominated! It's the soundtrack of my life right now; one of my very favorite vocal songs and also one of the most personal. If you're interested, I've nominated this remix for FL81's impending project, and I believe it retains the emotional burden of the original very well:

I noticed it, though I haven't had time to really get into it and didn't want to potentially interfere with someone else's topic by giving unsolicited opinions on the nominations. Several of them do have my attention though... off the top of my head I was excited to see that someone else liked Duvet, another song by Nas, basically anything posted by Ark or Mycro, probably everything posted by people I remember participating at either of my projects aside from them but I'm most immediately drawn to those two because I haven't heard any of Ark's picks in a long time and Mycro usually brings interesting experiences, and whatever Charles Mingus song was nominated.

I was this close to nominating the full version of The Sopranos theme with the spoken intro... had I known someone was actually going to nominate the sweet, sculptural rhythms of Charles Mingus, I would have had to made room for that on principle. </.<

...also I don't actually know who Charles Mingus is, but that song really hypes him up, so I've always been mildly curious.

Either way, I will quite happily listen to that at some point in the near future, yes.



UF8 posted...

Anyway, yes. I'm glad I earned my permit to clog up this project with my personal agenda (apologies, really!!!).

Again, nothing to apologize for. I like the participation and the attention. </.<

Apologies for not responding to any of your recent posts in detail, like I said, I will get around to listening to everything. Just taking a bit of time off following the end of the ranking before diving into things (also, I never actually got around to that "compiling links in an easy to locate area" step and I'm not sure where I left off--think the last posted links I commented on were Snake's additional Cancerslug suggestions? Which was at some unknown point in the topic; probably easy enough to find by just Ctrl+F Cancerslug on each page.)

Though speaking of that rating vgm topic, I may need to try to catch up on a bit of it... I'm too far behind for listening to everything to be viable, but I should try to rate at least a few recent songs. Especially if I wanted to nominate anything for the very rapidly approaching deadline... swear I had something I wanted to nominate. Possibly one of the Vanguard Bandits tracks I mentioned back at the Daffy Duck write-up to test my ancient theory about those being the most average songs imaginable?
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And that brings us to the end of the actual topic. There are a lot of posted songs that I need to go back to--I wasn't ignoring them, but once I started revising the list on a constant basis, I kinda had to repeatedly listen to every song facing elimination to make sure I agreed with it... I'm not saying I disagree with my decision to do that, but it left very little time to listen to songs that weren't part of the actual ranking. I'll start going through those tomorrow.

If there are any other songs you want me to listen to, for any reason, just add them to the pile. If need be, I'll make another short topic just for me to give little writeups to the newly posted songs I haven't gotten to.

Other than that: Thanks again for the participation, I do hope to do something like this again in the future--though obviously there needs to be a break. Need time to do other things, give other people a chance to do music topics instead of trying to flood the board with an endless stream of my odd opinions, etc, etc.
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#1 [#2]:

Name: Baby Bird
Origin: Kaf
Link:

Nominator: UF8 (1/15)

(10, 10, 11)

[...Later.]

......Maybe even later.

[Final Thoughts: Well, the good news is that you found the first breakup song that I was capable of fully relating to. That I absolutely love everything about this song and it hit me harder than quite possibly any song in history. That while there were some other contenders for first place (NASA & Credits EX for the relaxed state of mind they can induce ; Run Away With Me for the nostalgia and memories of places and relationships gone by), this song was likely the only one with any true chance of victory.

Other songs would fluctuate drastically. This one started at a very close second and only went up. It was always at the absolute highest tier possible, with other songs only briefly entering its orbit before dropping back down to Earth.

The bad news is...well, "first breakup song I relate to" doesn't exactly leave the possibility of a happy write-up, does it?

I also dislike what this placement says about me, as apparently everything at both ranking topics comes down to my memories and unresolved issues with that relationship.

maclir won last topic in no small part by reminding me of the beach near his place and the time I spent there. You may note that beach also came up when ranking "Kiss the Girl" because it apparently effects everything.

Sweet Victory fell early, in part because I first heard it with him and the memories of those specific days are...rougher than certain others.

Run Away With Me gets second place due to reminding me of the good times.

And this song wins by dealing with the aftermath of the relationship's death.

...I honestly hadn't realized it before. It's obvious in hindsight, but...that just sucks. 500-ish songs ranked in total and the only true path to victory is to remind me of one specific relationship? Perhaps the true winners of each topic were Duvet & focus tous, the highest placed songs from each topic that don't rely on any specific memories.

Perhaps, if there is a third ranking topic, all songs can be divided into three categories:

Songs that remind me of specific relationships

Songs that I've heard so many times that I already know them by heart.

Songs that don't fall into either of the previous categories.

Looking at it that way... Baby Bird wins the first category, Hopes and Dreams wins the second, Duvet wins the third. I think I like that better. More winners, it stops the "songs I already love" category from competing with brand new songs (and inevitably losing to them), and stops the overwhelming memories category from dominating everything as it has both years.

Yeah, I should do that in the future. But for now, this song is the definitive winner of this topic and I think I'm okay with that now.

======================

WINNER!

Lowest Ranked Song: Deriheru Yondara Kimi ga Kita (cover) (255th Place)

Highest Ranked Song: Baby Bird (1st Place)



...Seriously though, I love songs performed by fictional characters, so this outcome was almost inevitable, wouldn't you say? </.<
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And let's post the top two rapidly before I have time to think better about what I'm saying. </.<

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#2 [#8 {TIE}]:

Name: Run Away With Me
Origin: Carly Rae Jepsen
Link:

Nominator: Hannyabal (1/15)

(9, 10, 10 [later upgraded to an 11])

[This is close to greatness. The opening was one of the strongest intros in the topic and, for once, the main parts of the song didnt disappoint. I just wish the lyrics had a bit more ambiguity? Its so direct that I have a hard time losing myself in a fantasy... still, a very strong selection.]

What is that instrument in the intro and are there any other songs using it at that sort of pitch? There's something about that tone that makes me feel like melting...I'd go as far as saying the first part of this song, before she starts singing, is the best moment of any song in this topic.

I also fear this song may have officially made me a fan of hers. "Cut to the Feeling" was great, yeah yeah, but this song is a few steps beyond it. That's the problem with a 10 point system, I really need at least a "10.5" for this.

...oh it's my topic, let's just give this (and anything that gets a better rank) an 11. The system should only go from 1 to 10, but mine goes 0 to 11 because... look, just because alright?

The lyrics are a bit hard to get into, largely because I can't decide exactly how honest I want to be here... also because I don't want people getting the wrong idea. And it'd be incredibly awkward if certain people wound up finding this--they shouldn't, they don't know this account name at all and don't come to this forum, but... there's no sense risking it, right?

She gently nudges you, practically begging you to ask a question and then sighs.

Yeah, yeah. Rule Number 2: Never drag anyone else into your fantasies. This is different. "You" aren't any specific person. You could be anyone who has posted in the topic, or any lurker, or anyone finding this on an archive in the future for some reason. I can't be accused of dragging you into this, because for all intents and purposes, you don't actually exist in any tangible form.

[Later, Final Thoughts:]

https://pastebin.com/Cm4TjC5a

Standard notes; it's up for roughly 24 hours and involves personal memories, which I'll likely deny ever writing if questioned on it.

Otherwise... great song that hits me right where the nostalgia is hardest. I've listened to quite a few other songs of hers, though I haven't found any that were remotely close to this song (though I've been listening to "Fever" fairly often). For a while, Spotify had my heavy rotation as Carly Rae Jepsen's artist page, Dedicated, Emotion, and Emotion Side B. So this song was always going to get a great placement; it started in the top 10 and only went up from there.

Also, this was the song that caused me to officially raise the scale to 11, as well as the first to make me really consider the pastebin option for sensitive write-ups.

...also, I'm still not sure if writeups is hyphenated or not, and have been switching back and forth almost at random.

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Second Place!

Lowest Song: Primadonna (272nd Place)

Highest Song: Run Away With Me (2nd Place)

Honestly, I didn't think you were going to do too well at these rankings. Current Pop Music isn't really my thing... or at least that's what I thought. Considering how many high placements you got, I guess I like modern pop more than I thought I did?
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#3 [TIE] [#46]:

Name: I Think I'm OKAY
Origin: Machine Gun Kelly, YUNGBLUD, Travis Barker
Link:

Nominator: Snake (1/15)

(9, 8.5, 9 [upgraded to a 10, then upgraded again to a 10.5])

[I'll try to find something to say about this when I have to do the actual writeup.]

Self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and rampant drug use. I'm honestly a bit amazed that I like it even half as much as I do. There's a certain raw honesty in the lyrics and the general messages are relatable, even if the specifics are wildly different. Ultimately, I think I like this song. A lot. Even though I really, really shouldn't.

[Final Thoughts: This song always had a respectable placement (46/300 is still impressive), but it did get a boost by being exactly what I needed to hear recently. I sorta destroyed a friendship by saying some really stupid things recently, so... there's a lot in the song that I obviously don't relate to, but there's just enough of the song that is relevant that it helped me process some emotions.

...and don't waste time worrying; we'd grown apart a long time ago and only spoke a handful of times a year anyway, so it wasn't a horribly traumatic experience, and it was a month ago so I'm over it.]

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Wait, the big match ended in a draw? BOO! REFUND! AEW! ETC!

Third Place [TIE]!

Lowest Song: I Hate Your Kids (257th Place)

Highest Song: I Think I'm OKAY (3rd Place)

You have a knack for finding songs that I want without knowing that I want them.

I wouldn't have thought horror games could have anything I like, but I keep rambling about "Walk On Vanity Ruins" to anyone who will listen.

I thought Alice in Chains would be too dark or violent, but played the entire album on an endless loop for months.

I never could have guessed a song like "Satan's a Woman" would even exist. And we just covered OKAY.

Our tastes don't overlap very often (I think you had quite a few mid-tier songs this time?), but you usually find one or two songs that are 10 or better.



As for the last second draw that I'm sure will be controversial, I didn't feel comfortable picking one at this juncture. Duvet was originally in third place when the topic started and is a song that I frequently went back to; OKAY was a late challenger for the title of third place, that probably wouldn't have been in the discussion were it not for changing circumstances making it more impactful than it was during the initial ranking process.

Both songs have valid claims to the position. Since I'm not content awarding a victory to either song, we get a non-finish.

...Huh, I'm just now remembering that I claimed way back at sign-ups that I could have a three way tie for third place if I wanted. I was half-joking and half-referencing last topic where I was tempted to have the Dagothwave/Mentos/Arcturus trio tie for third. Welp, guess that absolves me of any lingering guilt about this decision, I apparently warned you of this months ago.
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#3 [TIE] [#22]:

Name: Duvet
Origin: Boa
Link:

Nominator: CPU (1/10)

(9, 9.5, 10.5)

[I've always kinda wanted to see this anime, but never got around to it.]

I wish I had an explanation for you as to why this song is so high on the list, but I'm just not sure. I'm also worried that it may inexplicably take first place? There were some other songs competing for it, but right now, I'm not sure they have any real shot at winning against this song.

And yet, I don't think you're going to get an answer for why.

[Later Edit: I hate to admit it, but I fear that I'm drawn to it (at least in part) because of how direct the lyrics are.

I am hurting, I have lost it all, I am losing

No metaphors, no hidden meanings, the song just bashes you over the head with blunt sadness. And while I'm sure some critics would have a lot to say about this type of writing:



Took me a while to find that clip, as I remember Calculon being the one to say that line... well, not like my memory was ever the best, I suppose.

It's kinda what I wanted right now. It's not overly dramatic/violent "I slit my wrists to release the darkness from my soul" type misery, just the exact right amount of sadness.

(And yes I know there are actual verses to the song, but who cares about those?</.<)]

[Final Thoughts: This is another of the songs that I've gone back to listen to on a very regular basis.]

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Third Place [TIE]!

Lowest Ranked Song: Opus Number One (225th Place)
Highest Ranked Song: Duvet (3rd Place [TIE])

And once again, you came very close to winning, only to tragically fall at the very end--Duvet is a perfect nomination, but like Misery before it, being exactly what I wanted doesn't seem enough to win this year.
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And a more significant jump to 10.5 here, because I feel like it.

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#5 [#7]:

Name: Ordinary
Origin: Lee Shion
Link:

Nominator: UF8 (2/15)

(10, 10, 10.5)

[This song makes me feel similar to the same way last year's winner, Maclir, did. I...don't really want to discuss the feelings, but this is definitely going to be in the running for first place.]

That opening line gets me everytime.

"Hey, I wonder how far does this voice carry?"

I can't explain it, but something about that line--combined with her voice & the beautiful simplicity of the song itself--is almost overwhelming. This song has always been in the top 10 and only briefly fell out of the top 5.

I'm sure you want more of a write-up than that at the top 5, but what else is there to say? It resonates and connects with me in a way few other songs do and is absolutely a top tier nomination, notably a step above the many songs I gave ordinary 10s to.

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And now, because I refuse to limit myself to standard scoring practices, the scores go up--you were warned in the opening post that scores hypothetically went up to 11 (also "Write My Voice" briefly went significantly beyond that), so this shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

For now, just a small bump to 10.1

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#6 [#54]:

Name: Radical City (Short Version) - Sonic R
Origin: Siivagunner
Link:

Nominator: Flamander/Glacier (1/15)

(1, 8, 10.1)

[I love the Sonic R soundtrack, so this parody just reminds me of what Id much rather be listening to.]

...Seriously, am I a random number generator that's just pretending to be sentient? Because this ranking makes a lot more sense from that perspective.

[Final Thoughts: One of the songs that gets stuck in my head on a regular basis. Once I got past the initial hatred at one of my favorite soundtracks of all time being insulted like this, I was able to actually laugh and enjoy it. And while early on I was adamant that I wouldn't let something like this get so close to first place, the more I thought about it, the more I had to admit that there weren't very many songs that I enjoyed more than it. It's a hilarious earworm and deserves a lot of credit.]

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And the Panthers final member is eliminated!

In Memorium

Lowest Song: Hunger Strike (299th Place)

Highest Song: Radical City (Short Version) (6th Place)

Well, you definitely have the "largest gap between lowest & highest song", so that's impressive. I feel a bit bad that the two of your songs that got the highest scores were both kinda joke nominations, but I like jokes and no other one compared to Radical City.
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#7 [#5]:

Name: Back 2 Good
Origin: Matchbox Twenty
Link:

Nominator: dragon (1/10)

(9, 10, 10)

[I may be partially overrating this to make up for underrating Real World, but its a good song from the band that Ive never heard before, so it may fully deserve this 9. Well see on the repeat listens, but this is likely getting a high placement.]

Well, if anything I'd been underrating this out of fear of overrating it, which is confusing.

It's honestly a bit odd to have a song about cheating so high up on the list, but it has a few things going for it.

1: I think I just like the singer. Thinking of the band's greatest hits that I've heard because they're impossible to avoid, I don't think I've ever had any complaints about him.

2: Regardless of the specific subject matter, the lyrics are just vague enough to be easily relatable.

"Because everyone here hates everyone here for doing just like they do and it's best we all keep this quiet instead" is...perfect.

3: The quiet resignation at the end of the song, finally accepting that there's no way back, is also spot on. I like to believe everyone understands that feeling and it easily transcends any one specific scenario.

It allows me to forget the whole cheating angle and just enjoy the song. Well... not sure "enjoy" is the right word as it's obviously not happy, but enjoy feels like the right word and it's what I typed so that's what I'm going with.

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All of the annnouncers are down! Now who's going to comment on my non-existent wrestling match??

In Memorium

Lowest Song: break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored (223rd Place)

Highest Song: Back 2 Good (7th Place)

I hope you'll forgive me for not finding much to say about here. You were the person with the highest percentage of songs remaining for quite a while, so obviously you did a pretty good job of picking songs while using only 10 noms.
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#8 [#59]:

Name: Supercut
Origin: Lorde
Link:

Nominator: Hannyabal (2/15)

(8, 8, 10)

[Its interesting to compare something this {serious? heartfelt? real?} to the far goofier Homemade Dynamite that was nominated last time. I think this is actually a big improvement.]

It's not just interesting, it's actually quite outstanding and unbelievable. I strongly dislike "Royals" as a song, so I was prepared to completely dismiss her work. "Homemade Dynamite" showed that she could be funny, but it didn't come close to convincing me to listen to anything else she did.

This song though... the raw emotion packed into every moment of it--particular the quiet sadness at 2:19 building up to a screaming breakdown--makes this one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard. And that outro, slowly distorting and fading away, is perfection.

...Honestly, part of me wants to give this song first place on principle, but I can't escape the fact that there are other songs I enjoy more, in spite of this song's overwhelming quality.

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#9 [#118]:

Name: A.D.H.D
Origin: Kendrick Lamar
Link:

Nominator: Dragon (2/10)

(?, "Ehh...I guess this is the 6.5 section of the list", 7 [upgraded to a 10])

[I havent decided how to react to this yet. I really dig the beat, his voice, everything about the song other than the lyrics. Like, change every single word in the song, this could be worth a 9. Ask my thoughts on the actual lyrics, uhh, no comment? This is probably going to average out to mid-tier placement, but for now, Im going to leave this unscored. Well see how I feel about it later.]

I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it and don't particularly wish to discuss it.

[Final Thoughts: Well, Dragon is the indisputable winner of the "most benefited by my decision to rearrange the list during the topic itself" award. Like West Coast, this song was scheduled to go out a long time ago--I don't remember the exact number on this one, but we were still at the 7's portion of the list & Dragon had only lost three nominations to that point.

The more I listened to this, the more I realized there was actually a lot about this I enjoyed. The low tones of the backing music is apparently very much my thing and while I can't really judge off of just one song, I think Kendrick might have my favorite voice out of the few rap artists I've heard? I just love his voice and the general flow of the song.

Last topic, I mentioned Gambino's "R.I.P." as the first real rap song I was able to get into, as it did so many things that I loved that it was like a 10/10 revelation. "A.D.H.D." is another song like that; something that does enough things that I'm wild for it, even though it isn't really my type of song lyrically.]

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#10 [#15]:

Song: Kimi to Koi no Mama de Owarenai Itsumo Yume no Mama ja Irarenai
Origin: Mai Kuraki
Link:

Nominator: handsomeboy (1/15)

(10, 9.7, 10)

[...The emotions and visions are too strong. You get no write-up today; take your high score and go.]

And so the last of the elaborate fantasy trio falls. Honestly, all three of the songs have spent time as being the highest ranked of the three.

"Are Spirits Delicious?" for providing the initial dream sequence that gave birth to the new form and identity, which would have the added distinction of being the only instrumental in the top 10.

"Golden Hour" for providing the most intense sequence of any song I've ever heard.

"Kimi to Koi..." for providing a fitting soundtrack to the fantasy? It seems like the least relevant step of the trio, but hearing her sing about eternal moons and what not, it always reminds me strongly of that image and puts me right back to that night.



It's a harder decision than their respective placements makes it seem. I think in the end, Kimi to Koi narrowly wins out because I think it stands better on its own than the other two? To me anyway; I've always loved the night, so the imagery the song creates works for me even without the relevant fantasies, and it's a love song that's sufficiently vague enough for me.

=====================

With the Aardvarks third member dropping, that makes all three teams down to their last member! Hippo VS Panther VS Aardvark; CPU VS Flamander VS Snake; Duvet VS Radical City (Short) VS I Think I'm OKAY.

In Memorium

Lowest Song: Preuens Gloria (296th Place)

Highest Song: Kimi to Koi (10th Place)



Mostly a good set of songs. The instrumentals and joke nominations didn't make it far, but all of the Tat Ming Pair songs were standouts (which may have been ranked too low in places, but let's not go down that particular rabbit hole)--trying to comb sites in other languages to learn more about the songs was actually quite enjoyable. While Iceman gave the songs that required the most thinking, you gave the songs that inspired the most research and effort.

...And then your highest ranked song turns out to be an anime song that reminds me of a dream I had while listening to some other song.
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#11 [#232]:

Name: NASA
Origin: Ariana Grande
Link:

Nominate: Hannyabal (3/15)

(2, 3.5, 6 [later increased to a 7, and then even later increased to a 10])

[Dont need to rhyme tonight.
Can just end all lines with tonight.
Dont need words tonight.
Or any actual lyrics tonight.
Gonna drive you mad tonight.
With repetition tonight.
Wish this song would stop tonight.
But it never ends tonight.
Gonna keep going until you understand tonight.
Cant actually recall a word of this song but tonight.]

The funny part is that she probably says "space" more than "tonight". </.<

I'm not sure why I've had such a turnaround on this song. I practically hated it the first time, but mellowed a bit on the second, and actually liked it by the third. I supposee the message about needing some alone time for self-discovery is...nice.

*sighs and swishes tail*

I'm actually going to have to bump this score up to a 7, aren't I? This list isn't going to be anything like the preliminary one by the time it's finished...

[LATER EDIT: I should hate this. That chorus is just so overwhelmingly repetitive that this is practically the definition of a song I don't like, but the way the rest of the song makes me feel is so wonderful... so warm, and fuzzy, and tail wagging-y... it helps me just relax and be myself for a minute. Until we hit the chorus anyway.

[Final Thoughts: Clearly one of the songs with the biggest increase between first and final score. I didn't care for it at all originally, but strongly considered putting this song in first place for quite a while later on. Any song that puts me in that happy, tranquil state where I can't stop wagging my tail is truly amazing. Unfortunately for you, there are apparently 10 songs that I'd still take over it--at this exact moment, anyway.

...Fortunately for you, two of those are also your nominations, so that hopefully eases the sting a bit.]

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Top 10 tomorrow, barring any further unscheduled delays.
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#12 [#51]

Name: Bleached Coral
Origin: Cryptovolans
Link:

Nominator: Mycro (1/15)

(8.3, 8, 9.3 [later upgraded to a 10])

[Something about the early part of the song makes me feel like Im drowning... it gets harder to breathe and brings back a lot of negative memories. I cant downvote it because its a unique experience and I should treasure them, but its probably a bit too physically painful to reach the top tier of songs.]

That seems to have summed it up pretty well. It's stressful and intense; which is good, but perhaps a bit too stressful to break into the 10s.

[Final Thoughts: This is an interesting track. Usually my deep water phobia isn't severe enough to effect me, but something about this track was really intense on the first few listens. Now that I'm more adjusted to it, it doesn't hit quite so hard--which is probably a good thing.

I can't find any words to describe the song itself, none that would mean anything at any rate.]

======================

Team Captain & Defending Champion Mycro goes down!

In Memorium

Lowest Song: Demon Lord's Arms (213th Place)

Highest Song: Bleached Coral (12th Place)

Well, you were the last 15/15 nominator to lose any of your songs, so that was a pretty big accomplishment!

Either way, while it didn't work out as well for you as last year, I appreciate the variety of musical experiences you brought. Dark Tube, Bleached Coral, and Pure Data were all clear standout tracks--you have no idea how many times I wanted to list Pure Data as an example of a long song I enjoyed, but had to keep quiet about (before backing myself into a corner where I had to admit it was getting a good score anyway).

Also, I came strangely close to nominating Bleached Coral over at FL81's topic. I think, more than any other nomination here, that's the one I'd be most interested in seeing other people's reaction to...
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#13 [#48]:

Name: Presumably Dead Arm (617 Sessions)
Origin: Sidney Gish


Nominator: mcflubbin (1/10)

(8?, 8, 10)

[Okay, so after this song YouTube started playing a (live, I think?) version of Imposter Syndrome and that song is perfect. That song gets me. And I wouldnt have found it without this nomination, but I cant actually recall the song Im supposed to rank? I must have liked it well enough. I mean, its not often I immediately go for a second song by an artist, so this one had to be good, right? Lets just start it at an 8 and see where it goes from there.]

The song in question:





Oh, how I truly love that song--I find this live version of it the best, though the song is good enough that the album version is still great--it is practically perfection. For me, anyway.

On the one hand, you didn't nominate that song; On the other, this song did lead me to that song and I almost want to give it a boost for that. I won't (thankfully I like this song enough that it doesn't need it anyway), but I feel like there should be a bonus for songs that directly lead me to other songs that I love.

...That gives me a terrible idea for a gimmmick ranking topic. I rank the nominated song & also rank the first two videos chosen by autoplay to follow that song. I have no idea how that would have impacted things here (and I would have to do a smaller number of nominations, because tripling the number of songs wouldn't work), but Imposter Syndrome would have been in the running first place. Or this song & Imposter Syndrome, in the event I'm supposed to average the scores together or something. The point is, Imposter Syndrome is great and I'm trying to find a topic idea in which I'd properly be able to properly give it credit, unlike now in which I technically can't even think about giving it first place because it wasn't nominated and I'm not supposed to randomly add YouTube suggestions to the list.

As for the song that has to be ranked here? I love her voice and style, it's almost got me convinced to try listening to all of her available songs. She seems like a recent artist, so it's probably an attainable goal.

[Final Thoughts: Well Imposter Syndrome might not have won, but it'd be top 20 at least. Either way, this is another great song and an 8 was undervaluing it.

Also, that terrible gimmick topic would never work. As soon as anyone nominates a song that doesn't have any other songs on Autoplay or Related Videos, the topic kinda implodes on itself.]

====================

The hippos third member falls! Can Team Captain CPU carry the team to victory by himself??

In Memorium

Lowest Song: Salted Caramel Ice Cream (288th Place)

Highest Song: Presumably Dead Arm (13th Place)

You had a variety of very low and very high placing songs. Salted Caramel & Only Child didn't work for me, but Thanks 4 Nothing & Presumably Dead Arm were great. And I'll probably never forget the music videos you posted. </.<
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#14 [#6]:

Name: Rats
Origin: Ghost


Nominator: Murphiroth (1/15)

(9, 10, 10)

[I like this and think I want to hear more from this band. Its...theatrical without being old-fashioned, dark without being vulgar, catchy enough to dance to (were I the type of creature to dance) without the banality I associate with dance music. This might not be my favorite track, but this band seems to have a lot of potential.]

It's a fun song. It's kinda nice to debate what the titular Rats represent (Bubonic Plague, Christanity, his former bandmates that are suing him) and I stand by everything I said in my initial thoughts. Theatrical, dark, and a lot of fun.

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One half of the English announce team has been knocked out!

In Memorium

Lowest Song: Teostra's Theme (294th Place)

Highest Song: Rats (14th Place)

I think you had the widest variety in terms of song placement on the list? I can't be sure exactly what numbers I gave your songs (much less how they compare to everyone else's), but I feel like your songs placed everywhere--some incredibly low, some throughout all the middle, and a few very high ranks.

I'm a bit surprised you didn't expect Rats to do as well as it did. It hits a lot of the right notes for me, so it was one of the few songs to have been consistently in a relatively high placement.
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#16 [#8 {TIE}]

Name: Golden Hour
Origin: Kacey Musgraves
Link:

Nominator: dragon (3/10)

(10, 10, 10)

[Well, that gave me a really intense dream sequence. For a few minutes, I...was someone new. I doubt Ill give you the full details, but this transformed me and I dont think I can thank you enough for the experience.]

https://pastebin.com/PJdVr8JT

If you want to intrude on my personal fantasies, then once again, they will be available for one day.

Or to keep things vague (and to leave a write-up that will actually be archived somewhere): This song inspired some incredibly vivid fantasies and led me to experience emotions that were (and still are) completely foreign to me, so I feel I owe you for that.

Song itself is nice. She's got a pleasing voice and while I typically shy away from any songs rambling about the light in people (see: the Il divo song that dropped so long ago), this song was inexplicably good enough to get by my natural aversion to it.

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#15 [#36]:

Name: Misery
Origin: Creeper
Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/4FNc69n63w5mulCWpc76zH?si=mPH6sOGNQh-QbIo7biwLyw

Nominator: Bane (1/15)

(8, 9, 9.5 [later upgraded to a 10])

[Another song that's close to what I was looking for.]

It's sad and somewhat dark, without actuallly being miserable. There are some truly depressing lyrics in some of these nominations, but this song never really goes beyond "if you could see the wreck I am these days, you'd have new reasons to stay away".

Which, sure, is a sad lyric but not actually depressing. I think a somewhat sarcastic reviewer put it best:

Creeper... throw all their sadness at "Misery" and that sadness sticks, resulting in the sort of track that you would listen to when you're taking a self-indulgent walk in the rain hoping that people will notice you've left the house and be worried because you're a huge attention seeker

As someone who absolutely adores walking in the rain and occasionally wants attention, that's actually a really good description of this song's feeling. Pretty much exactly what I wanted. It's emo (I think, let's not pretend that I actually know what emo music is; Wikipedia lists one of their genres as emo--of course they list Coheed & Cambria as part emo, so I guess everything is emo these days? But I digress), but fairly tame--no wrist cutting, no talk of suicide, just...ya know...mild sadness, slight melancholy, and what not. It's nice.

Another band I should probably try to look into later... I could use an entire playlist of songs like this one.

[Final Thoughts:

Me: I want a hundred songs exactly like this one!

Also Me: *still doesn't give it a 10*

Yeah, this is the song that was upgraded to a 10 at the last possible second, back at 41st place. After I joked about how ridiculous it was that I wasn't giving it a 10, I realized that it really deserved one and that I was pretty sure I'd take it over some of the songs that already had 10s. It threw the list into a bit of a tailspin, as I had to frantically go over everything to see what other soon-to-be-eliminated songs were going to be moved up to 10s.

Either way, I was serious about wanting an entire playlist of songs with this sort of feel to them. Exactly what I was looking for.]

====================

And the teams even out, with two members each as the second Panther drops.

In Memorium

Lowest Song: Highway Jones (232nd Place)

Highest Song: Misery (15th Place)

Me: This song is exactly what I wanted!

Also Me: *puts 14 other songs ahead of it anyway*

I don't really want to drop this yet, but we're getting close to the end. The competition between songs #8-#20 is rather intense... honestly, I could justify shuffling every song in that range into any order and it'd work.
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#17 [#83]:

Name: Build the Cities
Origin: Karma Fields
Link:

Nominator: DireKrow (1/15)

(7, 7, 10)

[Catchy song with a good video.]

I like everything about the song except for the drop. Having some random dude call out the drop is...odd and the instrumental portions don't really work for me. Just too much of a dance song at that point. It's a shame, because the intro is perfect, but the song never goes in the direction I want or expect.

At first, it really feels to me like a fire princess counterpart to "Let It Go"--the parts about being in the open and quitting the illusion, along with all the obvious references to fire and ashes, it feels very Magical Princess-y. Which I love! Whenever I turn this song, for that first minute and a half, I just...feel like a princess and really want to give this song first place and question how it's down so low. But that drop feels like it's from a completely different song (or, perhaps more accurately, a remix of the song I want to be listening to) and hurts the immersion a bit. The song is still great enough to get a 10, obviously, but it's not exactly what I wanted.

[Final Thoughts: I love the song so much, I actually listened to all the remixes available on Spotify--this felt like the best version.

Best part is the intro. There's a slight oppressive feeling to the opening as she sings about her world crashing down, then shifts to a happier song with a snap after she sings "I'm moving on". That transition is really on point and makes the song.]

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The Ragged Panthers' undefeated streak comes to an end, as their first member falls.

In Memorium

Lowest Song: Q (277th Place)

Highest Song: Build the Cities (17th Place)

I apologize if I came off too harsh on some of your nominations. I truly wanted a topic where anyone could feel comfortable enough to nominate anything, but I could have been nicer to better foster that feeling.

At any rate, you did nominate one of my absolute favorite songs of this topic. I'll probably never be wild about the dance beat interlude, but that first minute and a half is arguably unmatched by any other song.
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Downstait - I Came to Play


BitBurner - Don't Shoot Food


Leonard Cohen - It Seemed the Better Way


The Chipettes - Put Your Records On (Cover)


Alice in Chains - Red Giant

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Apologies, but some minor things came up today and I'm running very late today. Ranking will resume tomorrow.
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Tag, I should be able to get noms in later tonight.
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#18 [#195]:

Name: The Mighty Echo
Origin: The Family Crest
Link:

Nominator: NBIceman (1/15)

(4, 5, 9 [later upgraded to a 10])

[I may have this tie with False Memory Archive, as Im not having any reaction to either of them.]

I honestly can't believe I didn't have any reaction to this the first time. A technically outstanding song with a ludicrous amount of complexity (one article claims there are 55 instruments in this song) and the fourth verse might be the single best verse out of all 300 songs. I may not have much to say about it, but one would hope its greatness speaks for itself.

[LATER EDIT: The score is a bit variable based on if I'm able to properly able to immerse myself in the song. Sometimes, even now after I've already given it a 10, the song just doesn't click for me and it's closer to the low end of the 10s.

Other times, I just feel it. The sense of being on an airship, flying over the massive city and shouting into the night as you let everything go:

Throw fear, sadness, and love, dear
Into a void that will swallow up the sun, the dark, the silence

It's truly wonderous... on the days I get into it. Other days, it just barely gets past the 9s. And I still don't know what the blazes happened the first two times, where I apparently did not care about this in any way.]

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And the second member of the Permissable Aardvarks goes down!

In Memorium

Lowest Song: Lady Fantasy (222nd Place)

Highest Song: The Mighty Echo (18th Place)

You definitely had one of the more memorable sets of nominations. It didn't always pay off with high scores, but it was unique and filled with interesting experiences. I think your nominations forced me to think harder than anyone else's, which is a good thing... even if I tend to grumble about it.
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#20 [#16 {TIE}]:

Name: Cut To The Feeling
Origin: Carly Rae Jepsen
Link:

Nominator: Hannyabal (5/15)

(9, 9.7, 10)

[Good song.]

As I'm reasonably certain I said on one of the other writeups, I'm kinda easily manipulated by any song dealing with being honest about repressed feelings, so this was pretty much guaranteed a high placement as soon as she decided to directly say "I've been denying how I feel".

...A bit too on the nose, I suppose, but it's what I want to hear.

((At least, I'm pretty sure I mentioned something about liking songs about being honest about feelings earlier? Or did I just plan to say it and quickly erase it to avoid saying too much? It's hard to say what was in some of those REDACTED writings.

And those are just the ones I admitted to deleting. During one write-up I got distracted by a show on in the background and went on about it for quite a while, before deleting the entire thing, listening to the song again, and forcing myself to at least try to stay on topic.

Anyway, the point is, I've lost track of what I actually said, what I started to say and deleted, what I thought about saying, and what I probably said in alternative realities. And I should close these parenthesis, but I kinda don't want to? *sighs*))

Anywho... it's incredibly catchy and one of the best mainstream pop songs I've ever heard. It's quite close to greatness, but I still can't fully connect with it. Too happy, too dance-y, too obviously about sex-y.

[Final Thoughts: Well, I know I definitely mentioned that bit about being drawn to lines about honest feelings before--at least on Darkness & Bad Chick, and probably multiple times. I repeat myself frequently this topic.

As for the show in question, it was Pup Academy. I had Disney Channnel on quietly in the background so I wouldn't miss the new DuckTales and Pup Academy's pilot episode was being shown as the lead-in. The show is somehow dumber than it sounds, but I have a weakness for animals... so I got kinda caught up in it. To an embarrassing degree. And since I had to actually pay attention to the songs, I scrapped the entire thing and went back to work after the shows ended.

Aaanywho..., this is a good song.]

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#19 [#39]:

Name: The Louvre
Origin: Lorde
Link:

Nominator: Hannyabal (4/15)

(8, 9, 9 [later upgraded to a 10])

[My reaction to this is all over the place. The lyrics are too direct to fantasize with, and the chorus is one line repeated endlessly, but... I actually really enjoy the pre-chorus and the dream-like outro to a point that I didnt want it to end. Its complicated.]

Let's just say I like it and move on.

[Final Thoughts: I find the lack of an actual writeup to be almost offensive. At this point, any song that managed to get this high up the list deserves something. And yet, I can't find anything I really want to say about it. It's apparently great? I gave it a 10, I've listened to it for fun multiple times, I have it placed higher than multiple songs that I've admitted loving. I just can't find any words to explain or justify it.]

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#21 [#3]:

Are Spirits Delicious? Part II - Tyler Sontag - https://tylersontag.bandcamp.com/track/are-spirits-delicious-part-ii

Nominator: GameBopAdv (1/9)

(7, 10, 10)

Okay, so... I don't actually have a write-up here. To be perfectly honest, this song gave me a particularly vivid fantasy sequence and gave me a chance to be someone else for a few minutes. It was wonderful, but I'm not entirely comfortable letting people into my fantasies?

But I'm as tired of keeping secrets in these write-ups as you are of getting write-ups about it...

https://pastebin.com/6w44zURC

New experiment: Leaving write-ups on a paste that should automatically delete itself after a day. So if you want to go into my mind and deal with dream sequences where I use the term Fursona unironically, then there's a link... for a little while anyway. And if you don't (or miss the chance to see it), then I can just leave things on a generic "thank you for the experience" message. Thank you.

...There are two other songs with related fantasies, sort of like a continuation of that one. They also don't have writeups and I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with them either.

======================

The positions were randomized, but there is something appropriate about the Spanish announcer being the first non-wrestler casualty. Sometimes, random.org seems to know exactly what it's doing.

In Memorium

Lowest Song: TOBACCO (297th Place)

Highest Song: Are Spirits Delicious? Part II (21st Place)

Another big gap between lowest and highest song, though I do regret dropping TOBACCO so early. Way back when this started, I was determined to not rearrange the list... that song was in 297th Place, so it was going to stay there. That rule didn't stay in place very long; I wouldn't say TOBACCO would have gotten an outstanding score or anything, but should have at least escaped the Absolute Zero zone.

Also, I think you and Se7en are the only two participants to have only nominated instrumental songs? More impressive restriction for you, since he only had one song.
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And thank you for the support!



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#22 [#4]:

Name: Hopes and Dreams
Origin: Undertale
Link:

Nominator: Raka (1/15)

(10, 10, 10)

[I find it difficult to be objective when it comes to Undertale. Thankfully, its my topic and I dont need to be.]

Oh, Undertale. My favorite game of all time. I played through it six times in a row when it first came out. I was completely in love with everything about it: every character, every song, every line of dialogue. I couldn't stand for it to be over, so I kept firing it up in search of something new. Checking the subreddits every day to see if anyone else found anything new. Running HATE the Undertale Corrupter to disrupt the game and see what would happen. I've listened to the entire soundtrack, and DM DOKURO's versions of the soundtrack, countless times. Even now, I still love the soundtrack as much as I did when it was new.

But... well, you know how hard it is for songs that I loved before the topic. This is obviously the one I loved the most, so you can take that as a partial victory--not the ultimate winner, but definitely the winner of the "songs I already loved" category.

====================

Oof! The Permissable Aardvarks lose their first member as Raka falls; looks like the Panthers are the only completely intact team.

In Memorium

Lowest Song: Candyman (300th Place)

Highest Song: Hopes and Dreams (22nd Place)

Raka is the only person to nominate a song featuring a squirrel, 10/10 best user of all time.
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#23 [#27]:

Name: Past Lives
Origin: Kesha
Link:

Nominator: Hannyabal (6/15)

(7.5, 9.5, 10)

[Its a nice song. Basic concept, but Im drawn to reincarnation stories and I find the outro with its mild distortions kinda soothing.]

What can I say? I like stories about reincarnation, she's got a nice voice, and the outro helps calm me down. It's not the greatest song or my favorite, but it's...well I've said "nice" too many times, but I can't think of any appropriate synonyms right now.

[Final Thoughts: Very good song, though it likely got a fair boost due to the subject matter being so appealing to me.]

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#24 [#94]:

Name: Write My Voice
Origin: YuNi
Link:

Nominator: UF8 (3/15)

(9, 7, eleven thousand [later reduced to a regular 10])

[Infectiously catchy.]

...I don't feel like talking about this right now. Once again, just take your absurdly high score and go.

......on a related note, I'm not sure what score I'll be giving to any song that gets a higher placement than this, nor am I sure if anything will. This song was barely in the top hundred when I started, so it wasn't even remotely in consideration for first place before this moment.

[Fine, I guess there are still songs I prefer and this can't be above 10 if it's definitely not winning. I'm not entirely happy about admitting that though.]

[Final Thoughts: There was a brief moment where I felt completely connected to this song. I didn't know any of the words, so I just tried to imagine what it meant. ...Then I found the lyrics and, naturally, had things completely wrong. I was expecting the lyrics to be closer to something like "Connected World":



Whether you're virtual or real, Our memories are definitely real

Like that; something about her connecting with everyone in spite of the whole "virtual" thing. The song I envisioned was quite powerful, easily first place material. But it turned out "Write My Voice" wasn't anything like that at all, really.

Still a great song, though I apparently didn't connect to it as much as I thought I did.]

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#25 [#226]

Name: Retrograde
Origin: Maggie Rogers
Link:

Nominator: Underleveled/darkx (1/7)

(5, 4, 8 [later upgraded to a 9.3, then upgraded again to a 10])

[Nice voice and pleasant enough song, but not inspiring any strong feelings after a first listen.]

Ha! I'm sitting here too overwhelmed with emotion to type anything, go back to my old notes in hopes they say enough that I won't have to, and past me felt nothing?

*sighs*

Of course she didn't. Well this is being moved far enough up the list that it'll likely be a long time before I need to finalize the write-up. Perhaps on another day, we'll find a bit of a middleground. Feel enough to type something, but not so much that we can't?

some time later

...Nope, not tonight either. Let's give it a third try some other day.

even later

Where to start... Well, this got a massive boost because Google had the lyrics wrong and I loved the version they gave. Somehow, it thought the line "And I know we've both been here before" was "And I know we've both been me before".

Which is stupid and obviously not the right words, but it felt like it meant so much more than the correct ones. While it could just be a slightly more metaphorical take on the basic line (telling the other person that they've been in the same position), it could also imply a slight split personality or disocciation; like she's talking to voices in her head, acknowledging that they've both been "her" before. It was some powerful imagery and gave me the Dissociation that I ironically didn't get from "Disocciation".

...But no, no, that's not only not the way she meant the line to be taken (which I always knew, but it was fun to imagine), it's not the line at all. It's still good and I can still appreciate the Stevie Nicks reference and stuff, but it's amazing how much difference one little word can make.

[Final Thoughts: Trying to rank this song objectively has been difficult. After a lot of internal debate, I decided that even if the line I loved most isn't what I thought it was... well, I still remember the way the song made me feel. And even if the connection I felt is false, I don't think I actually care? It still inspires the type of feelings I want it to.]

[Even Later: Yeah, I love this song anyway. Let's bump it up to a 10.]

[Still Later: The funny part is that the correct lyrics were in the video's description all along and we wouldn't be here if I saw those before trying to Google the lyrics.]

====================

Not a good night for the Combative Hippos, as darkx is the second to drop.

...Again, not that that means anything, but it certainly saves me the effort of trying to come up with unique elimination descriptions.

In Memorium

Lowest Song: Hold Your Head Up (268th Place)

Highest Song: Retrograde (25th Place)

A fairly good variety of songs, particularly for using less than half the available nominations. Retrograde was fantastic & Kiss the Girl has the distinction of getting the longest write-up, which is an achievement of its own.
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#26 [#10]:

Thanks for crashing me. - t+pazolite -

Nominator: GameBopAdv (2/9)

(9, 10, 10)

[This is good. Not my favorite, but it brings a reasonable amount of chaos layered over a peaceful song... it does get too loud for a while with the crashing, but with the title and peaceful bliss that follows, Im willing to forgive.]

I can't really accuse this song of not going far enough--between the buzzing noises and the song itself crashing, it certainly tries to push things. And I was pretty into it the second time around, where I had this song in the top 10. But...I dunno, it's another one of those tracks where it feels like it's missing something.

[Final Thoughts: This occupies the same general space as Credits EX. It's great, but it loses a little something when I know what's going to happen.

...I wonder how Rave.DJ would work if I asked it to combine the two songs? Perhaps merging them together would send the chaos to untold heights? ...Well most likely, this song would be too loud and completely overshadow Credits EX. One of the most important reasons Trielaughterer (and that mash-up of Disco/Get Down on It that I'm still proud of) worked is that you could still clearly make out both tracks.

*later*

Yeah, didn't think combining Credits & Crashing would work well. It didn't turn out as poorly as expected, but it wasn't worth posting either.]

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#27 [#26]

Name: Darkness
Origin: Nekrogoblikon


Nominator: Murphiroth (2/15)

(8, 9.5, 10)

[This song gets me. I enjoyed the two Goblin songs I got last topic, but Im fairly confident Id put this over both of them. Well played.]

*sighs* Cutting this song hurts.

Although we've come
To the end of the road
Still I can't let go
It's unnatural

...Don't ask, it just felt appropriate.

One of the things this song does that I enjoy so much is that while it's dark, it's not overly vulgar, violent, or wallowing in despair. It's...hard to wallow in despair when you're roleplaying a mythical creature for fun. </.<

The Alice in Chains album from last topic managed to walk the same line (albeit without magical creatures) and while they're very different bands, they appeal to me in much the same ways.

Also one of my things involve lyrics about dropping masks, stopping pretending, blah blah blah--"why do I even pretend?" is a very blunt lyric, but sometimes it's nice to just get to things directly. Like, why even pretend to be normal?

And it's also just FUN. I'm sure the band aren't otherkin (or would goblins fall under fictionkin? I'm rather behind on my definitions of all the assorted -kins and it feels like the terms have shifted a lot this past year), but it's nice to have a group that will play around as something non-human. There just aren't many non-human bands and after you've listened to all the Chipmunk albums for the hundredth time, it's nice to have another option.

((Actually about the only Chipmunk albums worth listening to are the Chipmunk Adventure soundtrack, the Squeakquel soundtrack, and the Disney cover album. ...Maybe the A-Files, their alien album (Venus & Men in Black are good), but I don't know that I paticularly enjoyed any of the other albums. Chipwrecked is occasionally amusing in an "oh god, this album is as much of a disaster as the film" way, but even I rarely make it through.

Which album had the Chipmunks version of Beat It? That's hilarious enough that it may have been enough to justify that album's existence...

...don't look at me, YOU'RE the one who nominated a non-human band and indirectly started this!))

...Well whatever; while this song can't win, it's still great and exactly what I needed.

====================

As close as we are to the end, I think I'm going to stop updating the Near Elimination List. No matter how many songs you have left, you already know you're going to run out either today, tomorrow, or the day after. So... not much point now, far as I can tell.
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#28 [#1]:

Name: Credits EX
Origin: Frums
Link:

Nominator: cakophon (1/15)

(10, 10, 10)

[*contented sighs*, you have no idea how soothing I find this type of distortion. I feel more at peace than I have in months... this has a very good shot at first place.]

This was easily in first place the first two times through the list, but it has had a bit of a dropoff here. While I still love it, now that I've gotten use to it, it doesn't have as intense of a calming effect anymore. It's like I'm already starting to build up a resistance to it, which is unfortunate.

I can't be entirely sure what it is, but very unpredictable songs are very soothing for me--it's like if my mind can't predict what's coming next, then it just spaces out or something? And this felt like pure chaos the first two times; I could never be sure when it switch to a weather report or to PBS messages or when it would say the full message instead of breaking down in a stuttering loop.

That first time, it felt like the entire world faded away... no worries, no thoughts, just a swirling mass of chaos consuming everything. So beautiful. But now that I've heard it a few times, I have a general idea of when each part of the song comes in, so it's not surprising anymore. I'll save the song somewhere--I need an entire playlist of songs at this level of chaos minimum--but I should take a break from it, try to give some time and hopefully forget how it sounds so I can go back to being fully into it.

===================

And the combative hippos are the first team to suffer a loss, as Cakophon goes down.

In Memorium

Lowest Ranked Song: Lawn Wake V (289th Place)
Highest Ranked Song: Credits EX (28th Place)

For a while, it seemed like there wasn't any chance of Credits EX coming in anything other than first place. I wanted more chaotic songs and, out of those that were nominated, it was the only perfect one. And I'll probably regret having this as low as it is (the former first place song not even getting into the top twenty?), but... well, the fact that it was in first place for as long as it was, is still quite an accomplishment either way.
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#30 [#12]:

Name: Untitled PHYZ company song contest entry
Origin: Virtual Neko x Osanai Mei
Link:

Nominator: UF8 (5/15)

(9, 10, 10)

[It's so cute.]

This song is a total overload of cuteness, which is just cheating. I've actually gone on to watch some other random videos of hers--one in which she teaches her sister about BlueStacks and plays some game with her, and one that's inexplicably her attempting to mimic Pokemon moves for no reason. (Her performance of Covet is the cutest, and thus greatest, thing in this universe.)

At this point, I should probably just go watch everything uploaded to her channel and get it over with.

[Final Thoughts: I love this nomination, but to be honest, it only gets this far due to the video. It's just so overwhelmingly cute that I positively adore it and I'm officially a fan of Mei's now.

But... if I forced myself to judge only on the quality of the song itself... it's not outstanding. She doesn't have the best singing voice out of all the Virtual Idols (from what random videos I watched, I'm going to guess that singing isn't her main gimmick?), the song is rather short, and it's dedicated entirely to praising PHYZ so the lyrical content isn't the best (though not bad). It relies heavily on her being so adorable that she could sell anything. And it works! I just think that, today, I'd rather put all the songs that can stand on their own merit ahead of the one that needs the video.]

======================



====================

#29 [#237]:

Name: Chikatto Chika Chika (Cover)
Origin: Fukuyamaster
Link:

Nominator: UF8 (4/15)

(3, 3.5, 7 [later upgraded to a 10, then downgraded to....I dunno, 9.5? 9.7? Somewhere around there. Then downgraded again to a regular 9, then re-upgraded to a 10.])

[I think this is a parody of some anime song, but without any context, this is just weird.

[Later: I see the handsome one countered by nominating the regular version of the song. Thats convenient.]]

I may regret giving this a good score later, but right now, this song is just so adorable that I kinda love it? Something about his mature and grown-up voice singing a goofy song like that, it makes him feel very...dad-like. It comes off like a father playing around to make his little kid laugh (even the popping up and down is kinda like peek-a-boo) and it just gives off such a warm, fuzzy feeling that it's just...wonderful, really.

Or such is my interpretation tonight. My first two interpretations were not nearly so favorable, but for now, it's adorable in a way no other nomination is and gets a good score.

...Actually, can I bump that score up to a 10?

[LATER: Ehhh, I guess I like every other song that's getting a 10 more than this and it should be a peg below them. Let's say it's a nine-point-something.]

[LATER STILL: Fine, just a regular 9.]

[MUCH LATER: Another song with a massive jump in position from the Beta List.]

[Final Thoughts: Well, this song certainly bounced around the list. It somehow managed to lose points on multiple occasions and then get them back later on.

I don't care what anyone else says, this might actually be the most adorable song on the list (Mei's the only real competition). Unfortunately, like Mei, this one is also rather reliant on the video... without the goofiness of him bouncing around to sell how playful and childish is, it loses most of its impact.]

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I will read some of that later... also, I didn't get around to gathering links tonight. Sorry; finalizing the order of the next 10 songs took longer than anticipated.
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MycroProcessor has 1 song:

Name: Bleached Coral
Origin: Cryptovolans
Link:

NBIceman has 1 songs:

Name: The Mighty Echo
Origin: The Family Crest
Link:

Raka_Putra has 1 song:

8) Name: Hopes and Dreams
Origin: Undertale
Link:

Snake5555555555 has 1 songs:

Name: I Think I'm OKAY
Origin: Machine Gun Kelly, YUNGBLUD, Travis Barker
Link:

UF8 has 5 songs:

Name: Untitled PHYZ company song contest entry
Origin: Virtual Neko x Osanai Mei
Link:

Name: Ordinary
Origin: Lee Shion
Link:

Name: Baby Bird
Origin: Kaf
Link:

Name: Write My Voice
Origin: YuNi
Link:

Name: Chikatto Chika Chika (Cover)
Origin: Fukuyamaster
Link:

Underleveled / darkx has 1 song:

Name: Retrograde
Origin: Maggie Rogers
Link:

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Hannyabal has 6 songs:

Name: Run Away With Me
Origin: Carly Rae Jepsen
Link:

Name: Cut To The Feeling
Origin: Carly Rae Jepsen
Link:

Name: NASA
Origin: Ariana Grande
Link:

Name: Supercut
Origin: Lorde
Link:

Name: The Louvre
Origin: Lorde
Link:

Name: Past Lives
Origin: Kesha
Link:

IHateThisCPU has 1 song:

Name: Duvet
Origin: Boa
Link:

MC_XD / DireKrow has 1 song:

Name: Build the Cities
Origin: Karma Fields
Link:

mcflubbin has 1 song:

Name: Presumably Dead Arm (617 Sessions)
Origin: Sidney Gish

Murphiroth has 2 songs:

Name: Darkness
Origin: Nekrogoblikon

Name: Rats
Origin: Ghost

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Bane_Of_Despair has 1 song:

Name: Misery
Origin: Creeper
Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/4FNc69n63w5mulCWpc76zH?si=mPH6sOGNQh-QbIo7biwLyw

cakophon has 1 song:

Name: Credits EX
Origin: Frums
Link:

Dragon66116 has 3 songs:

Name: A.D.H.D
Origin: Kendrick Lamar
Link:

Name: Back 2 Good
Origin: Matchbox Twenty
Link:

Name: Golden Hour
Origin: Kacey Musgraves
Link:

GameBopAdv has 2 songs:

Are Spirits Delicious? Part II - Tyler Sontag - https://tylersontag.bandcamp.com/track/are-spirits-delicious-part-ii

Thanks for crashing me. - t+pazolite -

Flamander / Glacier has 1 song:

Name: Radical City (Short Version) - Sonic R
Origin: Siivagunner
Link:

handsomeboy2012 has 1 song:

Song: Kimi to Koi no Mama de Owarenai Itsumo Yume no Mama ja Irarenai
Origin: Mai Kuraki
Link:

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#31 [#119]:

Name: Applause of a Distant Crowd
Origin: VOLA
Link:

Nominator: NBIceman (2/15)

(6.7, 6.5, 9.7)

[Very technically impressive how they show so much variety in style during such a relatively short song.]

There was a time I didn't really think I wanted this song. Social media and break-ups aren't exactly my jam, ya know? But the song is so unique, so full of variety, so full of talent, that I can't help but love it.

I think I want to try another song or two from this album later. I know none of their other songs are quite like this one, but I think the band has earned a few chances.

======================

...Okay, I know this looks suspicious, but I swear it wasn't intentional. @.@

Shuffling the last four participants in danger randomly and getting one more random Team Name...

THE COMBATIVE HIPPOPOTAMUSSES

CPU (Team Captain)
cakophon
mcflubbin
darkx

VS

THE RAGGED PANTHERS

Mycro (Team Captain) DireKrow
Flamander
Bane

VS

THE PERMISSIBLE AARDVARKS

Snake (Team Captain)
Raka
handsomeboy
Iceman

And then those not in imminent danger with randomly assigned roles:

Ref: Hannyabal

Play-by-Play Announcer: Dragon

Color Commentor: Murphiroth

Spanish Announcer: GameBopAdv

General Manager: UF8

The stage is set. WHO WILL SURVIVE??


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#32 [#212]:

Name: The Bitch of Living
Origin: Spring Awakening
Link:

Nominator: Raka (2/15)

(4, 4, 7 [upgraded to a 9.7])

[The chorus is great. Cant even begin to get interested in any of the verses though.]

This song has been particularly brutal to judge.

When it comes to the verses and subject matter, I really want to give this song a 0 and possibly bury it in last place. Way too sexually explicit -and- underaged kids -and- religious schooling? I just...like, you are seriously making me miss the days when "too many songs about suicide" was my main complaint about the nominations because, good lord, those were easier than this song.

But then you have the choruses. Everyone's voices are wonderful and once the lyrics stop being so specific, I can start enjoying things. Some of those sections are easily worth a 10, if not more than a 10.

...so if a song is caught somewhere between "negative infinity" and "perfection" for its score, where does it wind up? Honestly, I kinda want to have it off the list entirely--leave it forever unranked. Or say that it places in all 300 ranking slots simultaneously. In the air, it is everywhere, nowhere, somewhere, so I'm gonna have to say:

Why (Is it there)
Tell me why (Is it there)
I don't ever wanna say good-bye (Do you ever wonder why)
As I look into an empty sky
Somebody tell me why (Somebody tell me why)

...wait that's the lyrics to that one song from Street Fighter: The Movie. We should all go listen to that! Like right now!



Not the greatest song, but it's still pretty catchy. I recall spending a lot of time trying to beat the Saturn version of "Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game"--I'm absolutely terrible at using Guile or any charge character, so trying to clear an entire game while only being able to play as him was...rough.

So I eventually force my way through the game and my big reward for the ending was...this music video. It was simultaneously the most anticlimactic and greatest thing ever. I worked so hard, messing with the game on and off again for years, and then we...go to a dark club to listen to an obscure pop song. YES. This is the greatest ending to anything ever.

Aaanywho..., I really don't know what's going to happen to this song. I think I've got it in...215th place at the time this was written? Which again is both way too low and way too high.

[Final Thoughts: Random things...

1: Remember way back when I said I burst into song for one of your future nominations? Eesh, that seems like forever ago.

2: Obviously, my love of the group singing parts wound up winning out over my dislike of the verses themselves. I can't even decide on a best line from it.

The slightly emo "Just the bitch of living as someone you can't stand", giving that slight misery type of feeling I want?

The slightly regretful "Just the bitch of living, asking what went wrong?"

The slightly anti-religious "It's the bitch of living and sensing God is dead"?

So many lines, so many perfect lines...

...attached to a song which opens with masterbation. -.-']

====================

Huh. One more person in jeopardy and we'd have enough for a third team...

CPU
cakophon
mcflubbin
darkx

Mycro
DireKrow
Flamander
Bane

handsomeboy
Snake
Raka
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Posting things a bit quickly tonight, but... well right now the top 30 all have 10s (or higher) and I want to post an update of everything left once we get to that point. More convenient for me to post that now than later, so... deepest apologies, but let's just get the last three songs that missed the cutoff out of the way now.

One last slight increase as we near the end...

===================

#33 [#42]:

Name: Satan's a Woman
Origin: Twin Temple
Link:

Nominator: Snake (2/15)

(9, 9, 9.7)

[Who would have guessed that there was a song that would appeal to my nostalgia for 50s music, Satanic music, and villain songs all at the same time? Sometimes you do know exactly what I want.]

It may not be in serious consideration for first place, but this is one of the most perfect nominations in history. It pushes a lot of different buttons for me and does so in such a unique way--I never knew there was a "Satanic Doo-Wop" band, much less that I needed them in my life. Were I to pick one nomination that perfectly represents my interests, it would have to be this one.

...And yet, I still don't quite want to give it a 10. It's close, but not quite there for reasons I've never worked out.

[Final Thoughts: Pretty sure that Cancerslug song about Satan would have gotten a 9.Something too, but if I openly praised songs about Satan back then, it would have spoiled how high a placement this song was getting.

...Or alternatively given you false hope about it getting an even higher placement than it did. Though I suppose trying to avoid rating that specific song gave the same impression, didn't it? Sorry.]

===================

You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.

CPU
cakophon
mcflubbin
darkx

Mycro
DireKrow
Flamander
Bane

handsomeboy
Snake
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====================

#35 [#44]:

Song: (Dan Tou Ji)
Origin: Tat Ming Pair
Link:

Nominator: handsomeboy (2/15)

(9.3, 9, 9.6)

[Very interesting. While it seems like itd be too traditional for my tastes, its pretty and I do enjoy it quite a bit. I also rather like that the lyrics are abstract enough that they dont translate easily, giving it some added mystique; and the one attempt I find at explaining the lyrics paints it as rather sad (with the singer realizing that happiness, sadness, and everything else are false), which combined with the beauty of the song itself, I find myself drawn to. This is definitively the best of the Tat Ming Pair songs nominated and it was well worth seeing the bands variety if it led to me finding this song.

...Well it was always worth it, but you know what I mean.]

A beautiful and mysterious song, whose exact meaning has been lost in translation. I find it slightly amusing that the only person I see even trying to translate the song basically gave up and declared that it just doesn't make much sense in English--I can't be sure if the song really is just that impossible to translate, but it's an A+ song either way though.

====================

One jump ahead of the hitmen

CPU
cakophon
mcflubbin
darkx

Mycro
DireKrow
Flamander
Bane

handsomeboy



===================

#34 [#41]:

Name: Phantom
Origin: Mr. Lif ft. El-P
Link:

Nominator: dragon (4/10)

(7, 9, 9.6)

[Another returning artist I was happy to see and this song delivered. Also I loved THUG, so that leaves me some fun things I could discuss if I wanted to ramble off-topic for a while. Good nom.]

I really loved THUG at the time, but I haven't played it since it was new. I'm not really sure how well the game would hold up these days.

Song is great, it shows why Mr. Lif is one of the few artists from last topic I decided to listen to an entire album from. Honestly, I'd say this song is better than anything from that album--not that it wasn't good (if it weren't, I probably wouldn't have listened to the entire thing), but this song is better. Can't find anything specific I want to say about it though.

[Final Thoughts: While Mr. Lif is fantastic, I think the parts with other people are the true highlights of the track.

First, EL-P's section--it nails the quasi-philosophical sort of thing I love perfectly and the slightly odd echoing of his voice gives it just an edge of distortion that makes it even more appealing.

Second, the outro, with all the people invisible to society calling out. <3

Great track.]

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#36 [#161]:

Name: Dark Tube / Kudu Chopped
Origin: Cryptovolans [Furret's Field]
Link:

Nominator: Mycro (2/15)

(5.3, 6, 8 [later upgraded to a 9.6])

[Not unsettling enough.]

While it could have been creepier or more intense, it still succeeded in creating the feeling of being very small & furry and trapped in a dark, narrow area that you desperately wanted to escape from.

Good feeling, much closer to the level of oppression and ominousness that I was seeking.

[Final Thoughts: This song begs to be listened to in pitch darkness. When I'm in the right mindset and in the right place, this is overwhelming in the best way possible. But...it's kinda short and like The Twyncyn, it requires a bit of prep work and being in the right mindset to fully get into.]

====================

Wait, 8 Players? WE DID IT! WE GATHERED ENOUGH PARTICIPANTS FOR THAT SURVIVOR SERIES MATCH!

Randomizing team names and members we get...

THE COMBATIVE HIPPOPOTAMUSSES

CPU (Team Captain)
cakophon
mcflubbin
darkx

VS

THE RAGGED PANTHERS

Mycro (Team Captain) DireKrow
Flamander
Bane

Who will be the first to fall?

[Editor's Note: Try not to read anything into this running gag. "Teams" are not actual teams and have no impact on anything in any universe. It's a joke.]
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A slight increase to 9.6 as we get ever closer to the 10s...

====================

#37 [#139]:

Name: Dissociation
Origin: The Dillinger Escape Plan
Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/451DWPJkMcBSldujDEfgwR?si=tsTu9m1SSjW7WCbGYAFCmw

Nominator: Bane (2/15)

(7, 6, 7 [upgraded to a 9.6])

[Good, though Im still not entirely sure how I feel about it.]

Having listened to it five times in a row in search of something to say here [EDIT: Eight times by the time I'm finished as I have this playing on an infinite loop], I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I also don't really get other people's thoughts on the track; one review of the album lists this song as the one spot of brightness on an otherwise dark album.

I'm trying to hear that, but I just can't. This feels like one of, if not the, bleakest song on this entire list. The outro is literally "Finding a way to die alone" being repeated over and over as the song slowly fades to nothingness. Not that I have anything against that, I just can't even remotely begin to fathom how someone can listen to this and think it is a happy song.

Putting that aside, I was a bit surprised to see this band pop up on the nomination list. I know I looked into them at the end of the last topic, but wasn't immediately drawn to them for...whatever reason. Listening to some other songs from this album, I'm going to guess they were too metal for my tastes? This is certainly a more subdued song and it works better for me than the other songs I sampled from the album and whatever I listened to last year, so that was a nice surprise.

Great voice, very good band, good name for a song though I don't feel anything dissociative about it. But I'm still unsure how much I like it? That outro might be a bit much...

[Final Thoughts: Well as many times as this got moved up, I'd say the answer is "I like this a lot". Glad we cleared that up.]

====================

7 Players in danger... the cursed number.

DireKrow
darkx
cakophon
Flamander
CPU
mcflubbin
Bane
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#39 [#52]

Name: Fast Slow Disco
Origin: St. Vincent
Link:

Nominator: mcflubbin (2/10)

(7, 8, 9.5)

[I really like most of the song, but the outro keeps repeating one line endlessly as the song slowly dies. Its creepy and I dont think the rest of the song was, so its a jarring shift in tone.]

Fast Slow Disco > Slow Slow Disco > Slow Disco

So, I guess you indirectly found an acoustic song that I prefer over the original. Bravo.

Also, it took me way too long to realize that this is the woman featured in the video for Half Love, but I did catch on just before making this writeup.

Song is good; it does have a bit of a throbbing dance beat, but it's subdued enough that I don't mind it. Like, I'd still never go to a dance, but... well I'd at least acknowledge their taste if they were playing music like this. Still dance like, but subdued and mysterious by a singer that I'd like to hear more of? Can't really top that for dance music.

====================

(and yes I know I already used a low-health sound effect, I'm running out of things to say here)

DireKrow
darkx
cakophon
Flamander
CPU
mcflubbin



===================

#38 [#20 {TIE}]

Song: (Unruly wind... I think)
Origin: Leslie cheung
Link:

Nominator: handsomeboy (3/15)

(10, 9.5, 9.5)

[*high-pitched squeal* Oh my god, you actually nominated one of the songs referenced in that one nomination of yours from last topic! I could pounce and hug you so hard right now! I mean, I wontI dont really know you and I try to keep my furry actions to myself. Tail wagging and barking are one thing, but forcefully involving someone else (even with pretend pouncing) is several steps too far. Still! This nomination made me so happy I could barely contain myself!]

That exact moment when I realized what was happening--when the on-screen lyrics displayed "Baby" and I knew exactly what you'd done and what was coming next--has to be one of the greatest moments from either topic. I don't know that I could ever overstate the joy I felt at that point.

...Unfortunately, the thing about a surprise is that it stops being a surprise on repeat listens. I can remember the joy, but I can't experience it again. For better or worse, I'm less...that at the moment. Not that it isn't still a good song, obviously! Just, once you've removed the surprise factor, you're left with another pop love song and (as far as I can tell) there's no real twist or mystery to the lyrics. Which is fine, nothing wrong with a straight to the point love song.

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#41 [#14]:

Name: Endurant
Origin: Bloodywood


Nominator: Murphiroth (3/15)

(9.5, 10, 9.5)

[I think the high score speaks for itself.]

Good song, good message, quite unique ("Indian Folk Metal" isn't a combination of words I'd seen before). Not much I want to say about an anti-bullying song though, regardless of quality or relevance. It's another of those 'you have to be an absolute monster to criticize this' songs; on the plus side, I actually really like it, so I don't have to try to criticize it!

===================



====================

#40 [#182]:

Bats - Minotaur Shock -

Nominator: GameBopAdv (3/9)

(4, 5.3, 9.5)

[Blegh, makes my skin crawl, like Im covered in insects. I usually like experimental music like this, but its so unsettling... and it changes so drastically near the end (anyone else see an Ice Cream Truck turn into a flying motorcycle and rocket into space? No?) that its like two songs stapled together.]

I may not think the two parts go together well, but they're both amazing on their own. The early parts are unsettling in the best way, then it's like a relaxing trip through space as you leave everything behind. It's a great experience.

[Final Thoughts: The more I think about it, the more I love the sheer creepiness of the early parts of this song. I still like the outro, obviously, but part of me wishes this was two separate songs.]

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Links are appreciated and I will get around to listening to them after this ends (I'll try to make time to start compiling the links that have been posted tomorrow).
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Snake5555555555 posted...

found it by complete accident using Alexa, she misheard Call Me the Breeze by Lynryd Skynyrd for this. One of my favorite accidents ever!

Ohhh, thank you for that story. I was rather wondering where you found it.



====================

#42 [TIE] [#86]:

Name: (Roller skating)
Origin: Tat Ming Pair
Link:

Nominator: handsomeboy (4/15)

(Unscored)

[*most Initital Thoughts redacted*

The song is... too wrapped up in my memories to judge fairly.]

Well this is one of the songs that triggered the most vivid flashbacks for me. Not going to get into them for personal reasons, but it's rare for a song to hit me so hard or for my memories to be so clear... it puts the song in an awkward position.

[Later Edit: Not bad memories, just personal ones.]

Song is both good and interesting, I know I overuse those terms, I hope you've gotten used to that by now (...was it "used to" or "use to" when used in this context? I know I looked it up about a hundred write-ups ago, but I can never remember. Also, didn't we just have this conversation? I feel like I just wrote that awhile ago...). Everything I can find paints this as being a very bleak song--the few articles that reference it both maintain that it's about the helplessness of youth & the automatic translations, while far from perfect, give refrains about "follow[ing] the illusion" to "forget the loss".

...well based on everything you nominated, I don't think Tat Ming Pair ever did happy songs, but these lines seem to be more...direct than some of their work. Which works! It's definitely the type of song I want right now, so that's good. I'd like to believe this song would get a similar placement even without the overwhelming emotions associated with it, though obviously, I'm in no position to judge that.

====================



====================

#42 [TIE] [#85]:

Name: Just be Friends
Origin: Luka Megurine
Link:

Nominator: Raka (3/15)

(Unscored)

[Well this is certainly one heck of a callback! There was a Japanese song with a similar name at my last topic, with someone I cant recall saying that the name always made them think of this song. So its not quite a returning nomination, but its also not entirely new.

Song is good.]

[several write-ups redacted]

Ehh... let's just say this song is far more relevant to me now than it was at the time you nominated it. And while I'm positive the other person involved doesn't come to this board, it would be...uncomfortable if I confessed certain things here and they somehow stumbled on it.

Song is good, obviously. I usually like Vocaloid songs and this isn't an exception. The fake happiness of the song goes well with the depressing lyrics.]

====================

And we stop here for the night, as the 10th song that was supposed to be eliminated has had its score upgraded to a 10 at the literal last second (I had the write-up copied here, added some Final Thoughts, then changed my mind at the Preview Message screen). So, 11 eliminations tomorrow. Probably.
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