Lurker > Haste_2

New topic.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/79243737#1

Thanks for your interest and participation so far.

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

I forgot the link to The Moon:
https://youtu.be/KF32DRg9opA

...This will take you to the moon, literally!

27) GITADORA OverDrive - Douwa Kairou
Series ranking: 2 of 6 (bemani)
https://youtu.be/IEhGUmXcG2Y
Composer: DJ Totto
Prelim score: 9.7/10
Score: 9.3/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (Lost R5 to Innocence and Emptiness)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/IEhGUmXcG2Y?t=50

Not the most complex music around, but this music is so HAPPY!!! Its perfect to play if you win the state basketball championship or something! :) :) :) I cant get over how it makes me FEEEEEEEELLLL!!!!! DJ Totto does such unique things with seemingly ordinary harmonies! Guitar is really adventurous too so it reminds me of prog in that sense.

Okay, now to talk about the details of the music. Starts off with a DELIGHTFUL unique harmony (love how it goes from major to minor to major), with an extremely natural 5/4 meter, too,... for quite some time I didnt even notice it. Joyful, but subdued piano theme doing arpeggiated stuff that modifies just enough to fit the neat harmonies (I LOVE stuff like that) , crazy guitar stuff, and then it suddenly drops back to calmness again with a WONDERFULLY placed bII with a 4th at 0:20. Then the main theme comes in so JOYFULLY in a 6/4 for example, when the melody descends from the climax its minor because it hits the major-sounding leading tone!! Great use of nat-VI at 0:27 that only maintains that feeling. ;) Back to the main melody at but a bit little modified and comes in at 0:53 before the phrase is supposed to end...just one of many tasteful details in this track! LOVE the major-sounding end to the phrase there partly because DJ Totto decides to stick a nat-VI between the b-VI and bVII before it resolves (1:01 - 1:04)! The next part at 1:05, the harmonies start losing some stability here, and the bass does cool chromatic movements there. Interesting that the final chord is used to modulate to B-flat. The guitar continues to have fun, including some virtuosic stuff starting at 1:34!! All this time its in the key of B-flat still, but then at the last moment it decides to refer back to the home key with one final ambiguous chord the way the guitar and piano do that at the end is SO tasteful!!! WOW.

DJ Totto is awesome~! (and this is not the last time youll see music from this artist in this topic, even if this is the only retiree by DJ Totto)

26) Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica - The Second Tower
Series ranking: 3 of 6
https://youtu.be/HxgnX8ulK-g
Composer: Ken Nakagawa
Prelim score: 9.0/10
Score: 9.3/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 2 (Lost R5 to MGS2 theme)
Favorite Part: All of it.

I keep forgetting that Exa Pico has been known among the vgm community almost as long as the contests have been going. Im guessing this plays near the beginning of the game? (turns out its early in the OST, so thats probably correct) Absolutely everything in this is beautiful~ and folksy~!! Nature and magic. So many little details in this it is STAGGERING.... Starts off with rain drops in an echoey chamber then cool whispering/electronic sounds combining artistically (kind of imitating a radio broadcast?), culminating in Ar Tonelico!!! Well, now I know Ive been pronouncing the games name correctly!

Ahhhh. Then you got the flute marking the breaking of dawn! Man, the scoops and mordents the flute does are SO TASTEFUL. Makes me want to learn wooden flute. Nice supporting sounds there, like the synth pads, the way they emerge and taper so gently! The VI7 chord at 0:40 might be my favorite bit there! More weird whispering at 0:58 , but it just WORKS for whatever reason. 1:10 got that nice light xylophone and ocean waves! 1:18 the pan flute sounds so primitive, the way its slightly out of tune.

The 1:26 melody is absolute GOLD. such a sweet sound! The sitars countermelody bits make this MAGICAL, to with its reverberating brilliance and non-triadic note choices! Melodious chorus after that!! (exclamation, exclamation, exclamation) Beautiful rattles at 2:18, etc. At 3:06 this section is full of neat subtleties soft horns, piano, harp, and electronic sounds everywhere. It becomes more ambient at 3:36 Choir synth ideas separated by light xylophone off-beat patterns (WOW!). Even at the very end when you think there's nothing new you get some french horns added (4:26).

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

28.5) Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Cross-Examination ~ Allegro 2007
Ace Attorney ranking: 1st
https://youtu.be/ZSUD7ccpZx0
Composer: Toshihiko Horiyama
Score: 9.2/10 (Amazing)
Favorite part: 0:43 - 0:46
VGMC History: (none)

Surprise! Why would I share my old rankings if my #1 didnt change? ;) Allegro 2004 = best cross-examination theme? Its super awesome, but nah! Apollo Justice has a pretty dark soundtrack in general, and this is no exception. The atmosphere in this is simply amazing for being on the regular Nintendo DS. So very dark and climactic, as if youre directly confronting the devil itself (pun intended, if you know what I mean ;) It also makes VERY good use of stereo panning!

This theme (Allegro 2007) is very simple, in terms of melody. Like most Cross-examination themes, it copies the idea, from the original game, of the melody going back and forth between the top line and the bass (well, not exactly, but close enough). But the feelings it evokes MAN. Plus, when it finally does something different at 0:14, I LOVE the use of Lydian (#4) there!!!! (technically its related to the scale step below the home key but it ]anticipates the home key, so its sounds" like Lydian) The portamento synth eighth note notes repeating the tonic underneath is really cool, and their hairpinning subtly infuses the music with such ambient intensity! And then when the main idea repeats at 0:15, gotta love all the reverberating bell-like soundsit sounds like it's physically bouncing off different walls....it gives me the CHILLS!!!! And then you got that ringing chord just before 0:29 wow! The ending section is nice, but I absolutely LOVE the dissonant crescendo/reverse effect at the very end of the loop (0:43 - 0:46).... CREEPY, but its perfect for this kind of music! All in all, it has some of the best sound production I've ever heard on the Nintendo DS.

28) DuckTales - The Moon
Composer: Hiroshige Tonomura
Prelim score: 9.3/10
Score: 9.2/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R1), VGMC 3 (Lost R3), VGMC 2 (Lost R2), VGMC 5 (Lost R5 to Love Song of a Certain Dragon)
Favorite Part: The moon ostinato

What a charming piece of work. But man, the repetition on top of the music is simply WONDERFUL I will call them the moon patterns because they are what make this theme sound like the moon! Each one of those notes sound like a little shooting star! Between them and the other stuff in the intro, its so much fun to listen to how they fit together using the 15/8 meter! Also,, the moon pattern getting its own measure a capella at the start makes me so happy--its such a literal cool feeling thats hard to describe. ;) The theme simply wouldnt be the same without that opening measure! And it works over a lot of chord changes, too!

Nice happy-go-lucky theme (contrary to the level itself, I imagine) at 0:15! Id love to get into the rhythmic structure here, but it would take too much spaceIll just say that it has nice symmetry to it. In each of the four it does something different (A,B,C, and then D). In the next four little sections it borrows two of them (D and C), then adds two new rhythmic ideas!! Finally, at the end of that I love the delay of the tonic at 0:34 - 0:35 via bVi-bVII-major I, and the way it bounces three times on the tonic so very charming!! Plus at the same time the moon patterns finally resolves by moving down. YESYESYES!!! Then a fun little gliss up to the next section. 0:36 is very catchy...its like Scrooge bouncing on his cane, and again, some nice rhythmic structure here, too (such as a three-note syncopation getting repeated three times at the end). And the timing of the moon patterns coming back BEFORE the end of the loop is just great!

All in all, this is maybe my #1 NES theme ever, but in my top two at worst!


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

Finally in the 20's!

29) Xenoblade Chronicles - Unfinished Battle
Series ranking: 2 of 6 ("Xeno")
https://youtu.be/QeW_ycTXtVY
Composer: Yoko Shimomura
Prelim score: 9.3/10
Score: 9.1/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 5 (Lost R7 to The Extreme)
Favorite Part: Key change at 2:00

Huh. All this time I thought it was ACE+ who did this track, but only a few days ago I found out it was SHIMOMURA!!! The feelings this music evokes is really something else. This is OVER-THE-TOP dramatic and climactic unlike anything Ive heard for a battle theme. Swelling emotions, too. Those accented STRING PATTERNS! Theyre constant (making the piece rather minimalist, which is fine), but under the changing harmonies they exude so much of the emotions and INTENSITY that Im talking about.

Its amazing that i-VII-VI-VII-i can sound so good here, because progressions like that I often make fun of. But the string patterns fit in with it beautifully!!! The more powerful parts tend to be when it alternates VI and VII, though. Love the relatively slow melody on top, as if theyre stopping to soak in the atmosphere. LOVE when the piano joins them, too. Then theres the key change at 2:00 - SO GOOD, how it moves up chromatically to the VI of the new key. Then horns join in!!! Electric guitar effects are used in some interesting stuff throughout this to add some additional feelings, too. (0:48, 1:22) All in all, very exciting and strongly emotional stuff!

Oh, and is this really supposed to be called Unfinished Business? Because that would be a TERRIBLE name for music like this!

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

30) Bravely Default - Wicked Flight
Series ranking: 1 of 2
https://youtu.be/UeGV3MUlSpU
Composer: Revo
Prelim score: 9.7/10
Score: 9.1/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 7 (Lost R4), VGMC 8 (Lost R7 to Pappiliones)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/UeGV3MUlSpU?t=31

I was in awe when I heard this for my first time, and it still awes me. This music is the epitome of me and I would have composed music a lot like this in an alternate universe where I actually had creative talent. Bravely Default music has always appealed to me, even generic stuff in it. Something about the way they get put together.though the sound of the brass is definitely a big factor.

It starts off fairly standard, but with a lot of intensity in a way I like (LOVE the trumpets in this game..again, its a group led by Eric Miyashiro!) Nice instrumentation in the intro, particularly the fairy-like sparkling sounds in the background they add magical aura to the mix! And they get to be used a LOT throughout the loop. I especially like them at the semi-conclusion at 1:55. Catchy rhythmic idea laid out by the strings I like because thats so Bravely Default.

But the REAL magic happens at 0:31!!! It aligns with my kind of nerdy musical preferences SO PERFECTLY. Its those WEAVING TRIAD OUTLINES that are CONSTANTLY ADJUSTING. I CANT GET ENOUGH of it, despite the fact that most of the music is spent playing those! Ill first mention that the beat (quarter rest, dotted quarter, dotted quarter, dotted quarter, dotted quarter, quarter) is one of my favorite simple beats, but ONLY if the stuff on top avoids syncopated rhythms, and the main melody is almost 100% straight rhythms, so I LOVE this rhythmic ostonato!!! To make it more awesome, theres that SURPRISE key change from B minor to D minor as the main section begins! (listen from 0:28 to 0:32 to understand what Im talking about) Not just that but the sounds used there, too! The soft piano and bells combining gives this ethereal feeling in the midst of intensity *SPOILER* The boss in this fight is apparently a fairy who betrays you Oh, and the electric guitar joining in on the theme is just an afterthought, you could say.

Ooh, At 1:05 the electronic beeps add to the atmosphere nicely 1:14 - Tasteful descending chromatic 16ths there! Regardless, I enjoy at (1:56) musical direction with it switching over to major temporarily, and the harmonies moving up the circle of fifths is very nice here! Then those resonant and warm trumpets that I love so much finish it off! Nothing new until 3:19 where it re-iterates past material not much else I want to mention, really. But needless to say, this battle theme is great!

Oh, yeah..

ELIMINATED: VGMC 9 (fourth elimination)
32) Umineko no Naku Koro ni 4 - Endless Nine (9)
48) Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song - Battle With Saruin (8.9)
49) Final Fantasy X - Someday the Dream will End (8.9)
53) Granado Espada - Rapal (8.9)
56) Shovel Knight - Strike the Earth! (8.8)
64) Ao no Kiseki Evolution - Seize the Truth (8.7)
71) Popn Music 18 - Kurokami Midareshi Shura to Narite (8.7)
73) Beatmania IIDX 21 SPADA - SP DARK LEGACY Hyper (8.7)
77) Deemo - Evolution Era (8.6)
113) Tales of Zestiria - Flaming Bonds are Being Tested (8.1)
137) Umineko no Naku Koro ni - system0 (7.7)
160) Metal Masters - Metal Beat (6.9)
161) BALDR Force - Face of Fact (6.9)
177) Tales of Symphonia - Starry Heavens (6.3)
182) Tales of the Abyss - Meaning of Birth (5.9)
193) Persona 3 - Memories of You (5.4)

Average score: 7.9
Average rank: 102.9

With the lower scores revised, Starry Heavens is actually in last place, though...

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

I'm raising the bar a little bit more for 9.0. Flash Frost is the new benchmark, and I'm pretty sure this is the last time I'm raising the bar! Stuff before that will have their ratings dropped slightly as a result.

32) Umineko no Naku Koro ni 4 - Endless Nine
Series ranking: 2 of 15
https://youtu.be/6Qs9EiK_JJE
Composer: dai
Prelim score: 9.1/10
Score: 9.0/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 4 (Lost R4), VGMC 7 (Lost R2), VGMC 9 (Lost R5 to Seize the Truth)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/6Qs9EiK_JJE?t=123

Interesting how early this one appeared in VGMC and to think that it was in a match just last year in the ToC. This ones cool! It has a very serious tone, in a unique way. Its full of good melodies, emotionally it reaches out to me, and it doesnt have long boring edm trance segments that have hardly anything going on! Funny how this ended up exactly at 9/10 given its name.

Im liking those harmonies and xylophone rhythms (SO FUN) near the start. as well as how the flute gets put on top (I like the chromatic parts of it!). Then the big chimes come in, one epic strike at a time! Then the violins take the theme, which is good stuffl, but I like some parts more than others. theres that dissonant chord at 0:41, a good thing! I LOVE the note choices at 0:57 - 1:01...so quirky how it does a sort of chromatic neighbor-type king!!!! Then come the chords at 1:14. Its simple, but surprisingly fun. Such a graceful bounce to it! And perfectly placed, too! But the best part has to be at the two minute mark such great harmonies, such great melodies! Oh, the FEELINGS from this section! Also, at 2:16 the amazing 1:15 piano chords are now in the background, OMG HOW DID I NOT NOTICE THIS UNTIL [when I made this writeup]?! For the next couple of minutes its mostly familiar repetitions. 4:31 gives us a new cool piano idea, and HEY, those 1:15 piano chords at 4:43 again, aw yeah! Except I actually dont really like all the strings being added it doesnt mix very well.

I wonder what those words spoken are about something about Satan? =O

31) Civilization IV - Baba Yetu
Translation: Our Father
https://youtu.be/5e0Qelqp-Cc
Composer: Christopher Tin
Other credits: Soweto Gospel Choir
Prelim score: 9.4/10
Score: 9.1/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R7 to Scars of Time)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/5e0Qelqp-Cc?t=76

Finally we're moving up the Amazing Tier ladder! Yay for grammy-winning vgm! (But everything ranked above this should also win a grammy) This is, like, the ULTIMATE feel good music. This is pure, unadulterated, African folk dance music at its best (well maybe not exactly, but I like to think it is!). More specifically, it is in the Swahili language (Hakuna Matata, yo). Music is so ridiculously charming.

Nice open pure sound in the intro. Then you got the timeless melody!! And the timeless choral chords. Charming harmonic progressions (for example, the way it moves between I and vi). Gotta love those male solos with those catchy off-beat rhythms and the sudden crescendos at the peaks. African mallet percussion, aw, yeah (reminds me of Lion King again, which is my favorite movie soundtrack by the way!). At 1:17 it gets more cinematic with the way the harmonies change IV,V,vi,V(G major), ii,I (F major), vi,V (Db major), vi (E major)... hugh. All that sounds AMAZING! BIG horn rip near the end there is BIG. 1:39 uses one THAT chord progression so annoyingly overused in popular music these days, but it works SO WELL here I didn't even notice it for a long time! At 1:58 we get another cinematic intermediate section epic horns! Strings and horns make some nice patterns and countermelodies at 2:19. Relatively calm ending makes me feel SO GOOD.


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

In the past I've had a hard time getting my mind in the music listening mood at times. It seems to be connected to stress. If I've been stressed out recently, music doesn't get me the same satisfaction. Okay, that's probably obvious. But I improved my music satisfaction the same by watching a funny video (hello thar TwoSetViolin) to relax the stress, running at the gym, and listening to some of my favorite classical music. In fact, it made a HUGE difference. That may seem obvious, but I'm surprised at how much I was able to change my enjoyment of music.

34) Okami - The Sun Rises
Series ranking: 1 of 2
https://youtu.be/ya3yxTbkh5s
Composer: Rei Kondoh
Prelim score: 9.1/10
Score: 9.0/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 2 (Lost R1), VGMC 3 (Lost R2), VGMC 4 (Lost R3), VGMC 5 (Lost R8 to The Extreme)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/ya3yxTbkh5s?t=81

Ahhhh. it sounds so Japanese traditional, but so cinematic orchestral) at the same time. I cant get enough of those flutes (at least two different kinds) the stylistic details they add and how the higher ones sound slightly metallic. Very thick orchestration works great here giving you plenty of sounds to hear. This is another Heres another example of feel good music I dont see how anyone could dislike it. It makes me sad that Reset ~ Thank You won a contest rather than this one, as this has by far the better melodies, harmonies, instrumentation, mood.

Nice harmonies at the beginning you wont notice them if you dont pay attention, but theyre subtly beautiful! Very traditional scale usage at the start sets the right mood. At 0:25 and 0:29, ahhhh Shamisen insertions, so tasteful!!! More highlights include that resolution to major at 1:18, and then the new section at 1:21 the way it goes from the VI7 chord to the V min 9th chord to IV and then back up again, but ESPECIALLY I love way the harp outlines them there(including a change in the 6th scale degree).... YEEEEESSSSS!!!! And the lyrical ornamental flutes on top of that... woooooo. Oh MAN, the FEELS so EPIC. Virtuosic little harp flourish at 1:51!

EDIT: OH, wow. So this is who lost to The Extreme in the finals!

33) Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Flash Frost
Series ranking: 3 of 5
https://youtu.be/s9fOwF7-yZ4
Composer: Ken Nakagawa
Prelim score: 8.6/10
Score: 9.0/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 12 (Lost R4), VGMC 13 (Lost R5 to XBC2's Battle!!)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/s9fOwF7-yZ4?t=31

Flash Frost if thats about the weather, that does not sound like something you want to drive in. Im totally into the violin It has so much warmth and soul at the start, especially with the piano backing it. LOVE how the piano and electric bass combine afterwards I really love unique ways of using electric bass!!! This theme is so girly... but hey, I like it that way! Thats precisely why this tracks so endearing.

Regarding the melody, its interesting that its in minor because it sounds so HAPPY! The guitar solo at 0:31 is absolutely GORGEOUS.the style is very artistic and the percussiveness of the plucking is just perfect. Impromptu sounding, too! it does so many subtle things (for example, the way it incorporates triplet rhythms at certain spots). Some unique beautiful harmonies in there, too, especially right at the start! And the note choices for the guitar are spot on tasteful, avoiding the obvious harmony outlines.

I love how the violin and piano combine in the climax--a nice bright sonorous sound!!!! Plus the chimes, viola (I think, it could be another violin), acoustic+electric guitar, squashy snare, etc. make it sound very full. Is this what you call girly metal?! (oops, I mean, of COURSE thats perfectly normal) Nice surprise key change at 1:34. Plus that active synth at the very end is cool.

Rorolinas outfit is incredibly cute, too.

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

2) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies - Apollo Justice ~ A New Chapter of Trials! 2013
Retiree Ranking: 35.5
https://youtu.be/Y_EfUOJlBGY
Composer: Toshihiko Horiyama, arr. byNoriyuki Iwadare
Prelim score: N/A
Score: 9.0/10 (Amazing)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/Y_EfUOJlBGY?t=67
VGMC History: (none)

Honorable mention: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice - Apollo Justice ~ A New Chapter of Trials! 2016 (8.9/10)

Okay, the 2016 version of this has been in a contest!! It lost pathetically in VGMC 14, sadly, but it won THREE matches in alt bracket two years before!!! It even beat the awesome Exec Sublimation! I love the 2016 version of this, but I still prefer this one. Its not as fleshed out as 2016, but I like more of the focus on the string samples and chimes as opposed to being more synth and electronic drum-focused. Anyway, this is a remix of the original objection theme from Apollo Justice ~ Ace Attorney, which you can listen to here: https://youtu.be/SR6JTUWn_yE

On to the theme itself; its catchy, though not particularly hummable because of all the leaps. The leaps are what make it cool, though! The rhythms are really catchy, too, between the cluster piano and the melody itself.
Particular details in 2013 I like include the FIERY synth octaves on the very first chord and the string chords in the intermediate section at 0:38. But when the synth gets added in the recap, its just YEAH (very smooth~ and groovy ~!) Understandably, some people prefer the original its got more of an electronic pop sound to it, if thats your thing. I gotta go with 2013 as my favorite, though, mainly because of the added ending, which is flat out amazing! That alone increases my rating significantly. Anyway, the guitar solo at 1:07 is AWESOME.. It was definitely worth saving it for the end! Why do the key changes sound so good?! Anyway, dont know how to describe it its very climactic but in a laid back sort of way? And it adds a ton of depth to the theme as a whole It re-uses the rhythmic motif (syncopated three-note rhythm) in such a RADICALLY different way. Now, 2016 itself has an excellent ending with its plucked synth thing which is really epic!

Lets pretend the actual ending at 3:07 doesnt exist its just weird. its not used in the actual game, anyway.


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

Mery Christmas, y'all! All this time I realized I could have put in the preliminary ratings just for fun. Might as well just mention prelim ratings for the 9/10 ones so far.

Kimera II: 8.5
Floater Land: 8.1
YOATI: 8.6
Battle!!: 9.2

I plan on adding a prelim rating for everything else so far in the rankings, too.

36) Terraria Calamity - The Filthy Mind (Theme of the Hive Mind)
Series ranking: 1 out of 3
https://youtu.be/1NbQFGnQaCE
Prelim score: 8.1/10
Score: 9.0/10 (Amazing)
Composer: DM DOKURO
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (Lost R5 to Moonstruck Blossom)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/1NbQFGnQaCE?t=47

Doom metal!!! (if I got that right there are way too many subgenres) The 5/4 gets utilized very well here with lots of variety in rhythms and phrase transitions! ! Its got some real thick and grindy electric guitar/bass orchestration, and I just LOVE the folky sound when the flute gets added to the mix. Depending on the day, my favorite TCM track is either this or Murderswarm. I feel lucky this one retired because its likely weaker than Servants or Crabulon, and this was probably the weakest VGMC 14 retiree. (And to think that Murderswarm literally lost a likely retirement by one vote)

It starts with a muted/glitchy sound ( for no real reason except to be random), with a catchy rhythmic ostinato set up right away. It then gets repeated louder by the HUGE bass (SCARY @NFUN) and violins introduce a new idea, the actual melody I guess, but honestly, thats not the main attraction. =p It turns into Halloween at 0:27. Oohs are nice when they come in (GLOOMY @NFUN), and the piano gets some fun stuff with some rhythmic interaction with the bass, though. The drumming in this section is also LOTS of FUN!!! At 0:47 we get a subtle crescendo into my favorite section! Gotta love that flute! Its such a great counterbalance to the electric stuff. Yummy phrygian way to end the section. The little flute break at 0:56 is TOO cool with the unison stuff. Then we finally get at 1:21 the electrics go ALL OUT, aw yeah!!! Mmmm, so dirty, so rough, so intense!!! At 1:26 it gets displaced by an eight note, too, what fun!!! The loop concludes similar to the half-way point, but with the electric guitars going at it even harder!!! Awesome. A total headbanger, this one! Listening to it with headphones is a bit much for me, so Im rating this based on use of regular speakers.

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

What a shame my favorite VGMC 4 rep had to lose to my least favorite one. ;_;

37) Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country - Battle!!
Series ranking: 3 of 6
https://youtu.be/1weNnjzaXbY
Composer: Kenji Hiramatsu
Score: 9.0/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (Lost R7 to Class:EXPHERE_NOSURGE;)
Favorite Part: The intro and1:11 - 1:46

Confession: I voted Despair of Elferia over this in the ToC, which gave Elferia the win by like one vote, IIRC? To think the true final should have been Battle!! Vs. EXPHERE, apparently. On to the music. I never thought such a pure jazz piece could work as a battle theme. It seems to be one of the hottest new ideas for such music! Makes me want to play XC2 so badly. (one of these days I plan to try the series) Seriously, in almost every phrase theres something interesting going on. Sounds like some kind of Latin. This uses a REAL professional jazz combo, and Im a sucker for real pro groups! To have a real pro jazz drummer, man.

The intro piano line is so SWINGING, so CATCHY, especially how it leaps from the low E to the chords (and the chords are missing the E, interestingly)... I LOVE THOSE CHORDS!!! The drums come in to enhance the feel, likewise the really tasteful string bass. The violins play slow, soaring line on top, a perfect complement to the energetic rhythm section. Then the piano takes over the same idea at 0:29 BRILLIANT! What beautiful pedals! Also, 0:43 music starts moving forward, all the parts pretty much united, and then culminating in cool Latin offbeat rhythms! Wind chimes! We get a new upbeat melody at 0:54 more fun rhythms, yay. Good violin countermelodies in here. Loving those piano embellishments between 1:07 and 1:10.

1:11 brings back the first theme.but a lot of cool changes this time around! Nice bluesy string bass right off the bat to enhance the feeling. Strings have more a dramatic flare this time around. Likewise with the piano, e.g. those AWESOME patterns at 1:31. Then at 1:33/1:40 the piano does a fake tripletized delay echo!!! Cello now gets a little spotlight! The drummer has a lot of fun in the section right after. 2:31 decides to extend the second theme idea I have no qualms with that. 3:02 turns into an improv jam session. (except that, well, given the unity in certain things, it may have been planned out) Still, fun rhythm section stuff stylish string bass at 3:18. I like the chord at 3:23. Phew, okay Ive said enough. This track is awesome!

---

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

I certainly agree that there are multiple Galaxy tracks worthy of retiring. I admit I haven't heard the soundtrack in a long time (nor played the game, though I think I bought it used a couple of years ago....?), and I never really fully digested it. But I can say I absolutely love Gusty Garden Galaxy!

Confession: to be frank, Kimera II and Floater Land really should have been an 8.9. But now we're truly in the 9.0+ territory now! Before moving on to #38, though....

ELIMININATED: VGMC 4 (fourth elimination)
1) G-Darius - Kimera II
2) Gran Turismo 2 - Moon over the Castle
3) Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream - Wild Wind
4) Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 - Trombe!
5) Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru - discolor
6) Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - The Price of Freedom
7) Grandia II - FIGHT!! Ver. 4 ~ The Final Battle
8) Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal - Ratchet & Courtney Battle
9) NieR - Shadowlord
10) Umineko no Naku Koro ni Anime - Happiness of Marionette
11) Sonic 3D (Saturn) - Rusty Ruin Zone Act 2
12) Ragnarok Online 2: Legend of The Second - Din Don Dan Dan Fo
13) Umineko no Naku Koro ni - Hope
14) Barkley, Shut up and Jam Gaiden - Johnathan Taylor Thomas
15) The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC - Silver Will (Super Arrange)
16) Dark Cloud - Dark Cloud Main Theme

Average ranking: 115.9
Average rating: 7.84

Note that Silver Will was revised upwards a bunch.

38) Atelier Ayesha - Yesterday's Opponents are Today's Ingredients
Series ranking: 4 of 5
https://youtu.be/aPuaHfnZ9D0
Composer: Kazuki Yanagawa
Score: 9.0/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 8 (Lost R4), VGMC 11 (Lost R3), VGMC 13 (Lost R5 to Invitation Flower ~ Autumn)
Favorite Part: The first 30ish seconds

Yay for intense battle themes! The second of the three retired Ayesha theme falls! Melody-wise its pretty simple, but theres a lot of added complexity. The first melody itself is intriguing.its so wicked intense, barbaric with how the guitar sounds. It sharpens one of the notes creating a sort of chromatic neighboring effect for extra tension. Then a grand pause! Then repeat. Brilliant! Odd little "percussive" effects add to that tension.

That reverse piano effect is awesome the way it leads into a louder section. We got some cool hemiola string patterns added as it moves to moves to relative iv just like a blues tune! Once again, cool note choices outside the minor scale, too! I cant forget to mention those RIDICULOUSLY awesome piano ideas between each phrase around here, too...! Then at enters a relatively tame melody at 0:24 in yet another key before it finally moves back to the tonic again. From there both ideas get expanded upon. Melody 1 gets played in 4ths now at 0:48, cool. Gotta mention again between every phrase when theme #1 plays is some BRAND NEW effect be it accordian, guitar, etc! I really enjoy the sudden change to the serene piano before it finally climaxes (with instrumentation at its fullest) to the very end of the loopeverything just kinda comes together at the end. .gotta love those odd chalkboard scratching sounds at 1:47, too. >_> Overall, we got some solid artistry of sounds with only a few simple ideas.

---

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

40) G-Darius Kimera II
https://youtu.be/MC62uO7hPto
Composer: Hisayoshi Ogura
Score: 9.0/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 3 (Lost R3), VGMC 4 (Lost R5 to Dark Cloud Main Theme)
Favorite Part: The first minute

I initially didnt like it very much because of how incredibly STRANGE and quirky it was, but its grown on me a LOT. I cant believe Dark Cloud beat this. Dungeon-like atmosphere, yet its beautiful at the same time. This very well be the most unique music of all the retirees.

I love those low-pitched percussion instruments that sound almost like growls. The first minute alone is enough to satisfy my unique music curiosity. Bubbly beginning, a very awesome set of percussion from the get-go, along with some very weird melodic and percussive fragments going on everywhere (and the timing of these is very tasteful), except that these things actually unify the whole track. The low sustained synths are perfect. SUCH an artistic use of sounds. An operatic female voice starts off fragmented, as well, but then it flat out takes the lead a little later (and it works GREAT combined with that synth). 1:30s syncopated thing is awesome. Pop-style singing/chords/echoes used in very interesting ways. 2:04 gets calmer while re-using some of the same sounds, but violins are added. Some of the main theme enters really quietly at 3:08 just before the loop finishes neat! Oh, theres actually some new stuff around the 5:00 mark thats really nice, too--funny how I assumed otherwise for SO LONG.

All-in-all, its amazing that we had a gem such as this on the PS1. Its probably my favorite theme from this game, well, either that or H.G. Virus. But from the same series, I am in LOVE (moreso) with Suite Photoconductivity ~Third Tune: Bolt and Sword~ , which unfortunately lost R1 last contest, but it didnt do too bad in retrospect. Only 8 net votes behind GOSU. But it absolutely blows me away, so here it is again or your listening pleasure. https://youtu.be/w9Pho3INsN8

39) Super Mario Galaxy - Floater Land/Buoy Base Galaxy
Series ranking: 1 of 4
https://youtu.be/fE0Thp3wjXU
Composer: Mahito Yokota
Score: 9.0/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 2 (Lost R7 to Dragon Roost Island)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/fE0Thp3wjXU?t=34

SMGs soundtrack :). I love the epic orchestral style of the OST in general (it was a good idea to get a new principal composer, though Koji did have a few works in it), and this track showcases it in spades.

Im a sucker for live orchestra, really, especially if brass gets featured! But Im also really into spacey sounds at the start. What cool triplet areggio-like figures there (outlining non-triadic harmonies), and doing a major/minor thing near the end the intro is fun, too! The piano bass really fills out the atmosphere without drawing attention to itself. I the brass writing is GREAT. For example, I like how the melody is an octave above the top of the chords below. As for the main theme, its rhythmic structure works nicely it has a kind of militaristic march feel, but also dramatic! I like some of the melodic note choices (both b-ii and nat-ii get used). It goes to a cool spacey sound again at about 0:50, an addition that makes it sound so much like a Heroic Mario [RIP]! Then it switches to major!! Finally, that trumpet melody at would be a LOT of fun to play at 1:14, oh, and at 0:34, too.(honestly, if I had a chance to play SMG music in an orchestra it would be a dream come true).

The performing orchestra is... the Mario Galaxy Orchestra...okay, so basically a studio orchestra, but even studio groups sound pristine in Japan.


---

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

3) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies - Athena Cykes ~ Courtroom Revolutionnaire 2013
Retiree Ranking: 52.125
https://youtu.be/HmCF8txfZnQ
Composer: Noriyuki Iwadare
Score: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
Favorite part: 0:34 - 0:55
VGMC History: VGMC 8 (Lost R1 to Tomorrow), VGMC 9 (Lost R1 to Tuxedo Knight)

HM: Athena Cykes ~ Courtroom Revolutionnaire 2016 (8.3/10)

Yeah, this and the previous two are all really close together and the order could change at any time among them. Sad that it lost both matches, but its interesting how it lost to two tracks I recognize! I like this WAAAAYYYY more than either of those, though. ~_~ I guess this theme didnt do that bad in retrospect, though. Its probably capable of beating a weakling, at least. But on to talking about this theme. Phoenix Wrights objection themes are fine, and yeah, hes the boss/main character, but he gets overshadowed by his underlings in terms of their themes! =D Have you heard her original theme? It uses the same melody, but yeah, its way different! https://youtu.be/w9ep6aD7AQM Anyway, the way Iwadare modified it into an epic objection theme is just RADICAL! Its unmistakably the same melodic ideas being used, but the harmonies and scales used are completely different! Its not only epic, but its that kind of music that CUTS into (exposes) EVILS very core. I LOVE when it plays when confronting the (extremely evil) villain of DDs case three for that reason.

Still has some of that girly-ness to it, though, with the harps, bells and such. But yeah, really nice harmonies throughout, favorites being the vi7-diminished (the third chord right at the start), the brass chord changes (descent) at 0:34 leading to a neat key change, as well the chromatic downward movement from 0:42 - 0:52 with a surprisingly natural melody on top and wow, what a climax there with those trumpet chords! There are also some good details, such as the big orchestral sound shifting to bells through that big percussive chord at 0:05. I love the role of the piano here provides nice rhythmic accents. The percussive use of trumpet samples in the latter part are great, too. Anyway, overall, this is a good example of one of the more orchestral-esque themes in the game. Epic! I just wish it was used more often.

The 2016 version doesn't score as high because 1) I'm not a fan of putting the theme to electric guitar and 2) I don't like how it has to repeat my least favorite part four times at the end of the loop.

I won't post the top two yet because, well, they're at a 9.0+. In fact, I'm astonished at how high they scored based on my listens today... that's probably a fluke.

---

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

4) Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Logic and Witchcraft
Ranking with Retirees: 52.25
https://youtu.be/QLJtSws3rBs
Composer: Yasumasa Kitagawa
Score: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/QLJtSws3rBs?t=30
VGMC History: (none)

This one just barely beats out AAI's Confess the Truth. Yeah, the title of this track is kind of contradictory (excuse the pun AGAIN, eheh). But in this game Phoenix Wright is literally defending in witch trials, so yeah! But anyway, theres a Logic theme in every game in the series. The logic themes from Dai Gyakuten Saiban and Apollo Justice are more popular, but to me, this one tops them all. PLvPWs soundtrack tends to be very acoustic/orchestral compared to other games, and this is one of my favorite examples of that. Add it's filled with the kind of details that I love.

I enjoy the lightness of the theme, while at the same time its very serious and foreboding kind of a Final Jeopardy feeling...it accomplishes those feelings very well. The harpsichord is not supposed to be able to do accents or change volume, but hey, I like the accents it does here! It gets even better when it switches to the bells. ahhhhhh. But I especially love the way the strings get used ! Love the crescendos and pizzes the way they support the theme. The support gets even better at 0:30 with the pizzes and reverse piano effects working together such cool light ambient crescendos! Finally, Im just a fan of the melody its just so nice for reasons I cant explain! Well, it goes back and forth between nat-6 and b6, so that's one reason. All in all, I just feel like this theme is SO GOOD for what it's intended to be.


---

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

Time for some ACE ATTORNEY!!!! I created a top five, but then things changed, so I ended up with six write-ups. That means to start with an honorable mention!! I wish these all could do well in contests....

HM) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies - Ace Attorney 5 ~ Court Begins
Ranking within Retirees: 54.5
https://youtu.be/YD1ULJRRKxY
Composer: Noriyuki Iwadare
Score: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
Favorite part: The first 26 seconds.
VGMC History: (none)

I gotta call this one of the more criminally underrated tracks in the series (excuse the pun, hehe)! This trial theme is awesome because it can be used as both a regular trial AND for suspense. The Ace Attorney is known for having not-so-sophisticated music, but this is somewhat of an exception. The harmonies alone makes this theme compelling. The Phrygian feel in the first half is coo, but I love all the KEY CHANGES in particular I love how you get a standard tonic-bII-tonic in G, but then suddenly bII gets used to move to the key of A in the first section. The rhythm section does those cool sets of four-sixteenth notes that seem to highlight the off-beats rather than the downbeat rhythmic tricks like this are GREAT and add depth! Other highlights include that tritone on top of bII at :08 and other places, a very INTENSE/DISSONANT moment there, especially with the brass joining in right then, too =O. I love the placement of the percussive chords (a common thing in Dual Destinies OST) at 0:27 with some subtle reverb there. 1:12 is the simplest part of it all (just a few octaves, but the way it tags on to that dark ending is totally GROOVY =D! I could talk about more things--There is so much to love about this particular Court Begins theme!

5) Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Confess the Truth 2009
Ranking among Retirees: 52.5
https://youtu.be/Rz0IgN_MfmI
Composer: Noriyuki Iwadare
Score: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
Favorite part: All of it.
VGMC History: (none)

Back when I did an Ace Attorney music-ranking topic on this board (back in like 2015), this was 9th place back then. I'm 99% sure my top ten Ace Attorney music at the time was.

1. AAI2 - Pursuit ~ Wanting to the Find the Truth
2. PW:AA - Pursuit ~ Cornered
3. AAI2 - Confrontation ~ Presto
4. PW:DD - Athena Cykes ~ Courtroom Revolutionairre 2013
5. PW:DD - Apollo Justice ~ A New Chapter of Trials 2013
6. AAI2 - Gregory Edgeworth ~ A Defense Attorneys Knowledge
7. PW:T&T - Cross-Examination ~ Allegro 2004
8. PW:DD - Pursuit ~ Keep Pressing On
9. AAI - Confess the Truth 2009
10. AAI - Pursuit ~ Lying Coldly

Okay, you probably rate this 3/10 just because the violins sound ratty, and yes, that does hurt my rating. Anyway, this is no doubt my #1 in the series in mood-setting. Very dark/suspenseful/groovy ohhh, the powerful feelings! But it's amazing how odd time, even something like 5/4, seems to make the atmosphere even better here, more alive! Also, the slow tempo really magnifies the feeling, too... there's at least one VGMC retiree yet to appear that I adore for a very similar reason!

The basic idea is really cool with two lines interacting with each other, the lower line just focusing on one or two notes...this kind of thing is common in Ace Attorney, but I cant think of another track that does it better than one! Then you add the other stuff and the feeling gets upped tenfold! The strings then introduce the real melody, but it stays out of the way to milk that piano idea.the three ideas going on at the same time is SO COOL. CATCHY, too. Whats interesting is how certain notes you expect to hear in the piano are omitted, but because of everything else going on, you wnot notice it unless youre listening closely. The effect is interesting. Love the moments where the bass gets active, too. (At 0:47 we get a new contrasting section (a new dramatic feel), this time more chord/unified/percussion-focused ). I LOVE the way they do those syncopated rhythms, too, ahhh, the FEELINGS they exude! Great way to finish off the loop!

Perhaps the best way to describe this theme, though, is from a comment from a YouTube user named Miles Edgeworth (fitting name): Do you hear it? The sound of the truth being revealed!


---

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

PIayer_0 posted...

Haste can blame the Kuroi Ita on whoever filled out the retiree list in VGMC total stats

Nonsense. Everything in the total stats sheet is correct, even if they become incorrect when you copy and paste from it.


---

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

And that, my friends, finishes the Excellent tier! Congrats to the 40 that managed to get into the Amazing / Phenomonal / Godly tiers!

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - -(Isoleucine)-
Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE
Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica - The Second Tower
Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica - EXEC_SPHILIA/.
Atelier Ayesha - Yesterday's Opponents are Today's Ingredients
Atelier Ayesha - Invitation Flower~ Autumn
Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Flash Frost
Atelier Shallie - Flying Clouds, Drifting Haze
Baldr Heart - Innocence & Emptiness
Bravely Default - Wicked Flight
Civilization IV - Baba Yetu
Cytus 2 - Chocolate Missile
Drakengard 3 - Kuroi Ita ~ The Black Song (International Version)
DuckTales - The Moon
Fire Emblem Fates - Desire Below (Flow)
Fire Emblem Fates - End of All (Land)
G-Darius - Kimera II
Ginga Force - Zenith
GITADORA OverDrive - Douwa Kairou
Halo 2 - Halo Theme (Mjolnir Mix)
Idola Phantasy Star Saga - Endeavour
Kingdom Hearts - Hikari Kingdom Orchestra
Kirby Triple Deluxe - Moonstruck Blossom
Legend of Mana - Title
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Main Theme
Neotokyo - Tin Soldiers
Okami - The Sun Rises
Opoona - Partizans
Phantasy Star Online 2 - GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - Second Dark Matter Battle
Sound Voltex III: Gravity Wars - Preserved Valkyria
Super Mario Galaxy - Floater Land/Buoy Base Galaxy
Taiko no Tatsujin 7 - Burning Force Medley
Terraria Calamity Mod - The Filthy Mind (Theme of the Hive Mind)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC - The Whereabouts of Light
Umineko no Naku Koro ni 4 - Endless Nine
Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru 8 - Ricordando il Passato
Xenoblade Chronicles - Engage the Enemy
Xenoblade Chronicles - Unfinished Battle
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country - Battle!!

That's seven Gust tracks in the top 40! Happy, xp?

Let me know if there are any errors in the names of the games or the tracks here.

---

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

Back to work!!

42) Dra+Koi - Love Song of a Certain Dragon
https://youtu.be/a2kyr1S7Tfg
Composer: Ikuko Ebata, arr. by Toh Ohyama,
Other credits: Kanako Ito (vocalist)
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 5 (Lost R6 to Unfinished Battle)
Favorite Part: First 22 seconds

Haha, wow, this music BLOWS you away right off the bat! Man, that BEAT at the start the rhythmic chants, that double-reeded instrument (the pickup is GREAT), and theres the alternating between 2*3 beats and 3*2 beats...The low-pitched drums/claps/chants in combination are SO CATCHY. And the way it it quickly modulates to the major IVWOOOOOOOOWWW!!!! I wish I could say the rest of the music lives up to the intro, but. not quite. When the dynamics drop at 0:22, it doesnt give me that insane high anymore. The vocals are nice, though. But I gotta note that the main idea at the start is in five despite the meter, which allows for the seamless transition from 6/4 to 5/4. Good folk-like use of acoustic guitar here. The high comes back somewhat when we hear the starting material again!! Theres some electronic sustained sound that blends in with the guitars that I really like (such as at 1:44), too. 2:51 unexpectedly brings electric guitar to the forefront to give us a sort of folk rock sound for a little whilenot bad, actually! Not so sure on those synths after that, though. But anyway, It finishes off with an unexpected big low note (pun not intended because it ends NICELY :) :) :))!!! Anyway, this is some of catchiest folk dance I've ever heard!

41) 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - -[Deoxyribose]-
Series ranking: 2 of 2
https://youtu.be/mlmYYyzek48
Rating: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
Composer: Yoshimi Kudo
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (Lost R7 to Endeavor)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/mlmYYyzek48?t=96

Fact: the only way I could prevent myself from continuously getting Deoxyribose and Isoleucine mixed up is the fact that Deo nominated this one! Very convenient way to remember it, indeed. =p This is a bit tough to write about. Just spew some words. MAN the atmosphere on this is fantastic! Cool ambient electronic metal here. Very much a banger, indeed.

Those staccato 16th note patterns to start off are simply :) :) :), very 80s. (I dont really like 80s electronic stuff on its own, but I love music that borrows stuff from it) The electronic bass gives a similar feeling when combined with the percussion. String samples fit in this so well, too. At 0:50 comes the refrain, which is very catchy and you know things are serious! But what I LOVE about it are those POWERFUL 16th bass note runs leading into the melody EPIC! Ive never heard the bass done in that kind of way...but man, theyre overpowering if you use bass-heavy headphones! At 1:36 we get these STUNNING delayed voice samples that sound so distant and pensive. Yeah, its my favorite instrument in this track, for sure! Plus combined with the mellow bass and the soft string harmonies its really something else! At 2:33 we get a heavy dose of rock b/c of that HYPERactive bass! I admit I dont like this new feel as much, but its pretty fun! I enjoy the modified notes (such as in the bass) in the refrain the next time around. Honestly, the electric guitar melodies at 3:31 fall a bit flat. At 5:53 we get those lovely voice samples again, but it quickly leads into a quick path into the ending (which is apparently the victory music), my favorite part of the whole thing!

The only problem is that Im not sure if this should count as part of it! In the end I decided to exclude it, as its really not part of it, and Isoleucine didnt have its own ending attached to it when it competed. But I already wrote some notes on this and I dont feel like deleting them! We got those same sounds used for those 16th notes patterns, but now theyre 8th notes. Mmm, and the same bass and stuff as before. But yeah, at this slower tempo the atmosphere gets milked to the fullest extent! The harmonies here are really nice, too. Also, the subdued electric guitar is DEFINITELY the best use of the instrument, right here...REALLY great nuances in it. And when the voice samples get put on top of it with the same melody as before, OMG!!! The hair on my arms get raised everytime I hear that. Wow, what a way to make this piece wind down! Seriously, the ending section is a 9.5+/10! Ive listened to quite a bit of the 13 Sentinels soundtrack, and its excellent! I ought to listen to more basiscape music, though.

---

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

...

---

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

44) Ar Nosurge - Hidra Heteromycin
Series ranking: 4 of 6 (EXA_PICO)
https://youtu.be/O44aJ9Ywt7Y
Composer: Haruka Shimotsuki, arr. by Eiichiro Yanagi
Other credits: Haruka Shimotsuki (vocalist)
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 9 (Lost R3), VGMC 11 (Lost R2), VGMC 12 (Lost R7 to Sunshine Coastline)
Favorite Part: The first main section, as well as the ending

I wonder what such a name translates as? Those BASS GUITARS man very grindy, yet very smooth at the same time...also very unified. Reminds me of hellish music, and I figure the music is about that sort of thing. What a banger.

Nice switch from 3/4 to 4/4 near the start. FUN violin duet if I ever get good at violin this would be something fun to play! CATCHY rhythms in the bass are SO FUN (e.g. at 0:10) ...yes, this a big reason the rating is so high. The vocals are slightly muffled, and that lets us blend in with the style that much better. At 0:35 you get the formal melody I LOVE the syncopated singing and the flatted second note in the scale 1:31 the guitars subside and you got more, um, angelic singers/piano patterns/synths, a good contrast. Good harmonies toward the end of this section, too. But then after that they decide to combine! Both heaven and hell simultaneously! Nice little G.P. at 1:56. 1:57 the guitars GO NUTS, and now angelic choirs make nice support. WILD guitar soloI love the fast rhythmic patterns that kind of get "crammed" in, my favorite part probably being 3:29 - 3:32 :) :). Big crescendo into even longer G.P. at 4:44. Im liking the way it starts to calm down a bit at 5:28, while still maintaining the basic sound. GREAT ending chords starting at 5:51, with major 7ths between the calm violin and the rabid bass as they move down to the resolution!

Eh, why not. Here's a list of all the credits for this track.
Lyrics: Nao Hiyama
Guitar: Eiichiro Yanagi (Astilbe x arendsii)
Violin: Reiko Tsuchiya
All programming: Eiichiro Yanagi (Astilbe x arendsii)

43) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddys Kong Quest - Stickerbush Symphony
Series ranking: 1 of 5
https://youtu.be/RR_ifniLcW4
Composer: David Wise
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R6 to Dream of a Shore Bordering Another World)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/RR_ifniLcW4?t=39

Sorry about the extended play of this, but it's the only upload of this track I could find that sounds right to me. My favorite in the DKC2 OST goes back and forth between Forest Interlude and this, but more towards Stickerbush with NO R AFTER THE B (even the spell-checker doesnt like it!) lately. Very atmospheric and emotional.

Theres the wind blowing (GREAT how it gradually rises in pitch), then theres the multi-channel echoes going on (with cool note choices AND rhythms), you got the synth pads weaving in and out.wow. Beautiful! QUITE the technical accomplishment, back in the day this was. Then you got little graceful melodic fragments carrying the music (a David Wise specialty), not the traditional melody+accompaniment. The electronic synth octave bounces are really awesome, because it plays more of an integral role with the music than youd normally expect. (the last part of each pattern is a BIT overpowering, albeit in a cool, panning fashion but its kind of endearing!! It gives a lot of buzzy oomph! Cool echo effects at random times (at 0:21, etc. with the plucked instrument). At 0:41 you finally get a full melody Ive always imagined that as being Dixie Kongs voice, actually (nevermind Dixie is the guitarist while Diddy is the vocalist normally). It sounds like shes out in an open canyon somewhere filling the empty space as much as she can singing her heart out about all of her innermost longings, knowing that nobody is around to hear it ;) I just love how it soars!!! It PIERCES my heart when it comes in!!!! Finally at 1:09 we hear some percussion to top it off. Harmonic patterns are very nice throughout, of course. Overall, this music is just greeeaaaattt!!!

---

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

Thanksgiving is coming up, which means I may not post any rankings next week. I decided I'd do a few more today, though.

I updated the rankings. I went through and revised the score for everything rated below a 7. I also adjusted the others down a bit to reflect my newer rating standards. Sometime I'll quickly go through the other music, too, and make adjustments if they are significant.

This one's next, huh....

46) Super Smash Bros. Melee - Mother 2
Series ranking: 1 of 4
https://youtu.be/Ij0HptqoBxI
Composer: Keiichi Suzuki, arr. by Hirokazu Ando
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 5 (Lost R5 to Life)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/Ij0HptqoBxI?t=76

Dont know if you all have heard the original Ness house theme, but MAN, this remix is so much better it is RIDICULOUS! Or did this theme originate in the original Mother in a track called Pollyanna? Oh, here it is, the very original theme. https://youtu.be/2w6siYk_Ge0 This is pure feel-good music. The melody is pure bliss!

Back to the remix itself. It pretty much revolves around the tonic, but harmonies get really active! I especially like the last part of the melody (at 1:07, etc., where it simply cycles through three a few times; however, sneakily, the harmony is doing a similar movement, but at 1/4 the speed! The piano writing is fun very catchy! I simply love the after-phrase add-ons the piano (plus other instruments) does such as at 0:21!!! So tasteful and jazzy the way it emphasizes certain notes! It makes the i-V7 there sound SO GOOD. 0:31 has nice string writing to spice it off. At 1:00 you gorgeous bell synth thingies! Charming accordian and jazz organ solos with nice simple modulations in the middle of those :). Plus the piano actively comping alongside them. ahhhh, I cant get enough of it, the way it throws in little ideas!!! At 1:45 a major chord on top of another one at the PERFECT time!!!! Piano switches things up at 1:46 its great how it starts each of its ascending arpeggios on the off-beat! (jazz-like) Ah, the thrice repetition of part of the melody at 2:24 feels SO GOOD!!! All in all, this is my favorite music in Melee!

45) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Dragon Roost Island
Series ranking: 1 of 4
https://youtu.be/FkwhtdCW5rI
Composer: Kenta Nagata
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R1), VGMC 2 (Lost R8 to MGS2 Theme)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/FkwhtdCW5rI?t=61

Two Nintendo series down back-to-back. Dude, this literally went from losing R1 (it lost to Blue Water, Blue Sky?!) to making R8. Really impressive turnabout, perhaps the best of any retiree! Man, I can't believe I didn't appreciate the theme back when I played Wind Waker way back when. In fact, I totally forgot about it!

But yeah, it is a WONDERFUL rustic, European style. The nimble plucked instrument patterns and pan flute work SO well together. The guitar has just the right amount of mildness to it, and the airiness of the flute is perfect. The nimble guitar tremolos have subtle and unpredictable things about them, so it sounds totally legit as a result, WAY better than any previous retirees with Spanish guitar playing! The harmonies, man the way the harmonies moves from G minor to the temporary B-flat major (0:15) in such a subdued fashion, and likewise to the bII and VI. Then theres the down-to-earth 3-on-2 interaction between the two key parts! (e.g. 1:01 is a WONDERFUL example of it) Then bass (not sure if the bass is a separate instrument) starting at about 0:47 moves such COOL harmonies that somehow fit perfectly with the simple melody and old, rustic feel ! Then those harmonies come back with even more to it after the first minute mark! (I especially like the major IVs) All in all, I can't get ENOUGH of the old-fashioned rustic sound here!

---

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

48) Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song - Battle With Saruin
https://youtu.be/V5wJMKmtbkU
Composer: Kenji Ito
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 9 (Lost R6 to Seize the Truth)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/V5wJMKmtbkU?t=112

You might be surprised I would like this one so much, but let me explain. I havent played much of the SaGa series, but years ago one of my friends got SaGa Frontier on the PS1 back in '98. I would watch him play it, and I thought it was the coolest game ever! The spell animations are jaw-dropping, too. And, of course, the music would have to leave an impression on me, right? But yeah, I think its cool that a Kenji Ito battle theme got retired (not saying its the best one, though).

The opening introduces a ferocious syncopated pattern at 0:07 (a kind that sounds very much like Ito) from which much of the track relies on. You could almost say they're the backbone of this track. The ascending scales in the strings also boosts that energy around those patterns!! Love when the synth comes in at 0:30...powerful. The first part of the melody is nice enough.. but it gets a lot better in the second half at 1:27 with the strings along with the responses with that syncopated pattern, what a BANGER!! Normally I dont pay much attention to guitar harmonics, but the one at 1:40 is WAY TOO COOL! :) :) Then immediately after that is my FAVORITE part of the theme you got some cool chromatic melodic things combined with unexpected secondary dominants, a very Kenji Ito-like sound here!!! Then at Guitar solo only increases the excitement. The 2:08 is a switch to a relaxed triplet feel, but the way he groups the patterns sounds SO ridiculously awesome there!!! Then at the very end where you got that clash on the second note of the scale. (actually, the clash happens in a few other places, too) That synth solo at 2:25, too! Bluesy repetitions, cool licks and chromatic stuff (2:41 - 2:43) typical of pro jazzers, a nice sync with the rhythm in the middle, and then cram as many notes in as possible toward the end, too! (again, you got that nat-II against Phrygian at parts) Low jazz organ crazy bit just before the loop ends is fun. But yeah, this is what a battle theme is all about!!

I'm curious about the original. Hm, I had a hard time finding the music on its own, here's a video of the final battle in RS3.

Romancing SaGa 3 SPOILERS:
https://youtu.be/MMukiBJwXFw?t=383

Oh WOW, these improv solos were in the original?! Totally didn't expect that! Makes me appreciate the original more and this one less. >_> Granted, the solos were adjusted in Minstrel Song (some of which I mentioned in the write-up) that make it better.

47) Gran Turismo 2 - Moon over the Castle
https://youtu.be/kQMlzcbfz0I
Composer: Masahiro Andoh
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 4 (Lost R7 to Trombe!)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/kQMlzcbfz0I?t=118

I dont know anybody else, but when it comes to music while driving I prefer classical music! Thus, the relaxed piano opening kind of speaks to me (not saying its classical music, though)! Gotta love use of major IV (melodic minor!). Its got some nice harmonies, such as bVII7 to help lead to the switch to its relative minor. Theme gets presented quietly at 0:35, yay. Very nice final synth pad chord at 0:59 it plays every possible note in the chord through the 11th! Pretty standard 90s metal comes in, but 90s generally means a style I like! Standard jazz organ is standard, but I love the way it revs as it comes in! Just like a race car. Then it hangs over (with a little fall) with such style as everything else is reverberating at 1:21! Rarely do I not think that jazz organ helps things! Oh, yeah, and I gotta add that the organ complements the beat very nicely. Standard electric guitar, standard melody, so its not TOO exciting at first. But things heat up at 1:59. Guitar goes up to the high register with such intensity especially when its that high D at 2:04, and then the harmonies hang around the #6 and dominant chordsahhh, the way the melody outlines that is SO AWESOME!! Oh, yeah, and that whole section has those harp arpeggios that are very nice! 2:11 I like the way the drummer does those triplets in the little break, the way they get split up. Finally, we get the climax at 2:13! More nice harmonies and altered scale notes and that shake in the middle make this so much fun =D! Jazz organ gets the spotlight for a moment nice outlines, particularly the diminished one at 2:43. Fun guitar solo. More of that revving I love at 5:00. Finally, nice way to wind down, similar to how it starts.


---

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

The 9.0 barrier is not yet.

50) Ar tonelico III - EXEC_REBIRTHIA=PROTOCOL/.
Series ranking: 5 of 6
https://youtu.be/0pxH6qjSZJQ
Composer: KOKIA, , arr. by Masumi Itou
Other credits: KOKIA (singer)
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 7 (Lost R5 to Potential for Anything)
Favorite Part: 1:58 - 2:57

I cant believe this ended up fifth out of six! An emotional/folk-dance combination? Im down! Its all about pure sounds at the start. Raindrop piano and bells! Singer rides on top of it nice and slow...vibrato is just right (not too much of it) on those long notes. In fact, this whole track is very, very slow going. Very little seems to happen, but what does happen is breathtaking! Main melody starts at 1:21 (wow, what a long opening), with folky drums (I like the guitars strict involvement with the drums here)! And it immediately starts building the guitar sounds perfect, and the string orchestra really makes it build I really like the moment where the soloists finish (the crescendo makes a big difference!) and the backups join in at 2:03. The chords the choir sings are YUMMY as they ascend one count, one step at a time, and that high note is just fantasti (the vi7 chord at the end at 2:16!) It repeats four times and somehow just gets better every time!!! Gotta love the chamber choir + soloist going back and forth The bagpipes at 2:57 make a nice (and unexpected) climactic section!! Love its note choices that keep it sounding folky. It ends similar to how it started...boy, is that string section pretty.

Hey, we're officially 3/4 of the way through! (assuming this finishes before VGMC XV)

49) Final Fantasy X - Someday the Dream will End
Series ranking: 1 of 7
https://youtu.be/AABvUTUTdcw
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu, arr. by Masashi Hamauzu
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R2), VGMC 2 (Lost R3), VGMC 3 (Lost R4), VGMC 5 (Lost R3), VGMC 6 (Lost R1), VGMC 8 (Lost R2), VGMC 9 (Lost R5 to Kurokami Midareshi Shura)
Favorite Part: The chords of the piano and string sections

And thats the end of it for Final Fantasy ;_;. Im happy this track was so persistent, and it finally did it! This is absolutely one of my favorite Final Fantasy emotional themes in existence. It has such a beautiful open, pure sound while still sounding sad. The opening oboe line is so sweet. Piano chords are great. The flute and piano gliss combine suddenly, atthen suspended cymbal(? Actually that may be wrong) and low strings (wonderful CHORDS ) climax to an outburst of emotion on a nice nat-VI7 chord. Wow. More like a brief modulation, actually, but I often like looking at modulations in terms of the home key. I Iove the final melodic bit there (cool chromatic movement in there), which then gets repeated by the sweet piano in half-time and slightly altered. I Love that radio static...! Makes it sound hazier. =p Piano is struck pretty hard at times I guess Hamauzu wanted some percussive effect (not a whole lot of percussion in this), which at first I wasnt sure how I felt about that, but when I think about it, its for contrast between sections. You got the really open sounding, longing parts, then you got the more upbeat sections. The low strings continue to provide fullness, yet not taking away from the open/pure sound (perfect fifths and such), while the piano adds a thicker texture in the opposing sections. The horn melody sounds really open, as well, in a way thats hard to describe. Harmonies are tonally ambiguous, too, because it rarely plays the tonic (kind of like Chloe which was listed recently). though the melody makes the key obvious. I especially like whenever the bass changes to the nat-VI. Anyway, the unique harmonies really bolsters the emotion. It would be kind of plodding otherwise.


---

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

Corrections for Chloe:
Series ranking: 3 of 6 (bemani)
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (Lost R5 to Revenger)

How did I miss those even though I tried to scan for errors?! Also, I said "materia" by accident, lolz.

51) Chrono Cross - Scars of Time
https://youtu.be/J46RY4PU8a8
Series ranking: 1 of 4
Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (CHAMPION)
Favorite Part: The first half

Ah, the original champion. Chrono Crosss soundtrack is full of amazing acoustic/folky instrumentation, this being one of the best examples. Ambient perfection right at the start. So melodic and beautiful and thought-provoking. The dance segment is catchy and folky and Celtic, but unlike most of the other folk dance VGMC retirees, this one is very "serious." At the start the guitar patterns that are so MITSUDA. Triangle. Wonderful little fall at 0:11. The flute has such elegance and sweetness, and the perfect use of vibrato. Honestly I cant think of better melodious flute-playing ANYWHERE. ...and the soft fretless bass underneath is so warm and buttery! Its practically counterpoint vs. what the flute is doing! Yummy suddenly harmonic change at 0:34, PHRYGIAN! (I didnt realize that until recently) Wow, Phrygian AND Dorian are being used~! :) :) :) Then it segues into folk-dance, executed brilliantly. Nice little drum ideas such as at 1:05 make a HUGE difference. Flute and violin combine. Wonderful ornaments. Then everything drops out and got a string quartet, very classical sounding, at 1:49 what simple beauty.

As of current ratings, this where the Excellent tier ends. I have to decide if I really want this to be where the Amazing tier begins, as 50 tracks is... a lot.


---

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

53) Granado Espada - Rapal
Series ranking: 1 of 2
https://youtu.be/mrPb_QX-eyM
Composer: S.F.A.
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 9 (Lost R5 to Metal Beat)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/mrPb_QX-eyM?t=134

I bet you werent expecting Rapal to be so much higher than Laguerra del Mundo!! I really enjoy the folky violin, the way its used alongside a more new age open piano chords (going back between 4th and 5th notes in the scale). Its a cool sound even if it may not be overly complex. I really, really like the basic harmonic progression (with the piano idea on top) as demonstrated in the first 14 seconds. The violin comes in utilizing Dorian when theres nothing in the harmonies that even suggests that! (yet if fits right in) I love the very rhythmic, dance-like feeling. 1:30 introduces yet another new violin melody that is simply WONDERFUL, and thankfully it gets used again later on. 2:00s simple hemiola makes for a fun and effective transition into the full, grindy electric guitar sound at 2:14 its certainly an interesting way to boost the energy. And the way it switches to major.!!! *______* I LOVE the use of the minor 7th in a major scale through those piano chords there! FINAL FANTASY PRELUDE sound!!! The chord change at 2:37 is so yummmmmmmy. Overall, I love this piece, pretty much every moment of it.

52) jubeat Prop - Chloe
Series rank: 3 of 6 (bemani)
https://youtu.be/A2eycCQQLfQ
Composer: DJ Totto(riott)
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: Wherever the flute plays, along with 0:57 - 1:10
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/A2eycCQQLfQ?t=56

Very folky, but it has a tight electronic-like production to it. Fast-moving flute duet lines are lots of fun as an intro the writing for them is loads of fun with all the 16ths at the end of their solos! 5/4 meter! The main melody is, um, an accordian, I guess? Im not entirely sure, as it sounds a lot cleaner than what I would expect from an accordion, in fact, I love its sound! Then harps continue a similar stuff to the flute materia to counteract the main melody, filling in all the holes of the melody! Yeah, that harp adds a REALLY nice texture in general. 0:42 is nothing but fascinating harmonies throughout (piano makes it sound nice and thick). It would seriously be fun to analyze that part of it! For example, the first chord there is major tonic, yet the music is in minor! Then drops a third a bVI, then drops a third again to iv, but has a 4th in it. 0:57s intermediate section sounds SO GREAT, too I cant get enough of the bass alternating the flat and natural 6th scale degree there, especially the way it interacts with the top voice!!! Final chord is not triadic, but based on 4ths... Mmmmmmmm. Anyway, this is MY kind of dance music.

---

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

Well, VGMC3 being eliminated when it did was probably not terribly improbable given there's less than 4 tracks per contest left, and that's assuming every track has an equal probability spectrum. As for VGMC6... well, that definitely goes against all odds under those same assumptions!

Pretty soon I'm going to be adjusting the ratings across the board. Expect 6.6 to be the new 6, 7.2 to be the new 7, and 8.3 to be the new 8. Also, I kind of... revised the rating of everything near the bottom of the list. Things changed drastically. Daddy Mulk will no longer be at the bottom, actually. These aren't going to replace the original ratings, though--a separate column will be used.

Also, I finished write-ups for my top ten VGMC XIII contestants, which, as you recall, was the first VGMC I was a full participant in. That just leaves Pokemon...

---

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

54) Final Fantasy IX - You're Not Alone!
Series ranking: 2 of 7
https://youtu.be/KKAoSY5bhSw
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R2), VGMC 2 (Lost R4), VGMC 3 (Lost R7 to Reset ~ Thank You)
Favorite Part: The first half

Heavy stuff. Synth pads and bass make it very ethereal. Simply fantastic! The chromatic movements in there work SO GREAT with that sound. Possibly my favorite chord progression by Uematsu right here, too. The shaker really helps with the atmosphere, as well. The banjo melody comes in, which isnt special in and itself, but man, oh, man. Both top AND bottom parts really get amplified very emotional. Hopeful and triumphant, too, when the electric guitar comes in! Still heavy, but cooler now. What bugs me about the section is the drum (trash can) plays on the 3rd beat of the measure, which is all fine and good, but then its like Uematsu decides to say Hey lets change it to the 4th beat every four measures! , except that it sticks out badly, ARGH. Some of the instrumentation is kinda meh to me, but still, the sounds used at the beginning are flat out amazing!!!

ELIMINATED: VGMC 3 (2nd elimination)
54) Final Fantasy IX - You're Not Alone! - 8.9
59) Super Mario 64 - Dire, Dire Docks - 8.8
67) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddys Kong Quest - Forest Interlude - 8.7
78) Waterworld - Diving - 8.5
89) Okami - Reset ~ Thank You Version - 8.4
105) Chrono Trigger - Enhasa (Time Circuits) - 8.2
117) Mega Man X5 - X vs. Zero - 8.1
118) Umineko no Naku Koro ni 2 - worldenddominator - 8
120) Umineko no Naku Koro ni 4 - dreamenddischarger - 8
122) Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation - Liberation of Gracemeria - 8
125) Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Shin Onigashima - 7.9
127) Professor Layton and the Unwound Future - Theme of the Last Time Travel - 7.9
138) Guilty Gear Isuka - Riches in Me - 7.7
162) Umineko no Naku Koro ni 3 - miragecoordinator - 6.9
186)The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Gerudo Valley - 5.9
190) Donkey Kong Country - Gangplank Galleon -5.7

Average rank: 116.1
Average rating: 7.85

VGMC 6 was eliminated some time ago, but I never posted the full ranked list. That's a lack of preparation for ya.

ELIMINATED: VGMC 6
93) Final Fantasy X - Seymour Battle - 8.4
99) Subarashiki Hibi - Yoru no Himawari - 8.3
103) Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Bramble Blast - 8.3
108) Shikkoku no Sharnoth - Dorchadas - 8.2
110) VVVVVV - Piercing the Sky - 8.1
123) Cladun: This is an RPG - Slicing the Wind - 8
131) White Knight Chronicles 2 - The Battlefield Flower (Violin Version) - 7.8
140) Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War - Zero - 7.7
142) Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra Godsibb - 7.6
149) Sonic the hedgehog [2006] - Solaris Phase 2 - 7.3
164) Shenmue - Memories of Distant Days - 6.8
167) Homestuck - Sburban Jungle - 6.8
180) Baldr Sky - Ruins of Silence - 5.9
185) Castle Crashers - Winterbliss - 5.9
189) 7th Dragon 2020 - The Last Location of Mankind - 5.8
192) Sora - Rendezvous - 5.6

Average rank: 142.2 (ouch)
Average rating: 7.28

---

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

56) Shovel Knight - Strike the Earth
https://youtu.be/wqAYMZSOQao
Composer: Jake Kaufman
Score: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 9 (Lost R5 to Dark Legacy)
Favorite Part: The intro

WOW this is like Mega Man music on steroids. I first heard of Jake Kaufman through one of my favorite vgremixes: The Impresario, an FFVI remix. https://youtu.be/Ln9Sq7IOP3o Its cool to hear him compose chiptune music Theres so much great STYLE in all the details of this music in the intro alone, I DIG (excuse the PUN) the super low bass notes, the dissonant chord at 0:01, the little duet at 0:03-04, the arpeggio flourish (reverb?) at 0:09-0:11 , the fall at 0:10-0:11.MY GOODNESS, the cool stuff never ends. I DIG (excuse the PUN again) the fact that it highlights so much of that Dorian note, too. Along with the main theme we got the offbeat drums that are SO VERY MEGA MAN! And the theme itself is RIDICULOUSLY catchy. Gotta love the slurred 7ths/octaves near the ends of the phrases, and the COOL accidentals at 0:41 - 0:43, and the vibrato on the long notes. Fun rhythms in general, too the endings of all the bits almost all end on three consecutive eighth notes, the last one on the offbeat! Also, those little 16th note computer bits moving all around, AW, YEAH (MM3 Shadow Man, anybody?!) ! As for the following section, I DIG (excuse the pun a THIRD time) the stylish call-and-response at 1:18! The drum moves out of the way for a neat two little two-note insertion at 1:20. The low countermelody is cool, but more especially near the end of the section at 1:32 love how it double-strikes each note and never resolves the fourth of the dominant (among other things)! Sorry this write-up is terrible (like many others), but if any theory-literate users are reading this they might enjoy it.

Which one next...this one or that one....?

55) Sonic Generations [3DS] - Boss Battle: Big Arm
Series ranking: 1 of 4
https://youtu.be/MVQjrIcwyEg
Composer: Michael Jackson (just kidding!!!!....I think) , Arranged by Cash Cash
Score: 8.9/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History:
Favorite Part: 0:00 - 1:06

Not sure who the original composer is, but The Sonic 3 version isnt bad (https://youtu.be/kY47bNAryPk), but the improvement with this version is massive!! Holy banger! A lot of the dissonance has been taken away, though (some of it for better, some for worse). You got this big tam-tam-like crescendo (heh, just like Solaris Phase) , then this BIG grindy mix with LOTS of bottom presenting the primary material, a simple three-note chromatic descent.. I just LOVE the grindy contrast of sound between the 3rd on top and the root below there (and how it keeps going!) A synth flourish gets put on top with LOTS of vibrato. The sound mixing is just...WHOA. Synth flourish comes again! Then you got an extra beat, then two pick-up beats (with percussive hits) to get you into the next part GREAT transition. Oh, wow, were only 20 seconds in.

And then the synth plays around with the previous chromatic idea in such a FUN way, the way it leaps around. Great stuff at 0:41 it takes the material before and plays around with it.. the many repetitions are SO TASTEFUL (thats hard to do!), especially the way the way they dont neatly fit in the meter (plus the percussive hits there are great)!! 1:02 has ANOTHER awesome transition, the way it cuts out and lands on a couple of notes as if time has stopped. 1:36 does more of that stuff, but it adds some impromptu stuff. More tastefulness! The CONSTANT changes in patterns and orchestration keep things fresh the whole time, even when material gets repeated later It switches to pure guitar mode for a while at 2:09. From here on out the guitar does more rhythmic stuff and the orchestration has more treble, it seems. Love that little joke at 2:34. What was meant to just be support at 2:34 ends up taking the lead in the final section for a bit, but this also gives a chance for that one melody to get played around in the final seconds. Nice.


---

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

Figures there are still pieces for which I have the wrong version! My first impression is that I would not rate it any higher, though, as the abridged version seems to have preserved the best parts of it. In this case I don't feel a need to re-evaluate it, so I'll just move on.

---

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

58) Boku no Te no Naka no Rakuen - Papiliones
https://youtu.be/jz9PlYJXVjk
Composer: Yoh Ohyama
Other credits: Vocals: Kanako Ito / Lyrics: Ikuko Ebata
Violin: Teisena / Acoustic Guitar: Yoh Ohyama / Chorus: Kanako Ito, Ikuko Ebata
Score: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 7 (Lost R2), VGMC 8 (CHAMPION)
Favorite Part: 0:35 - end

Ill never remember such a long Japanese name like that for a game (I just call it Boku >_>) but at least I can remember the track title! Starts off nice and calm. The chords outlined by the harp create some nice major 7ths. Then suddenly a folk dance beat (nice violin duet) and then the singer joins in WHOA EXCITING all of a sudden. Thank you, singer, for telling me how to pronounce the songs name! Drums are loud, but its good Celtic fun so thats okay! The chanting lye-lye-lyelyelye is fun too! Nice Violin fiddling accompaniment. I like how the choice of bass, guitar chords, and lyrical violin that give this a deep, full sound. Highlight of the singers line is doing a triadic outline down to 9th/minor 7th (0:43 - 0:45). Likewise a similar thing at 1:03-1:05! 1:23 = nice major IV put in (as I always say a well-placed raised submediant is great!)

57) Deltarune - Rude Buster
Series ranking: 1 of 3 (Displacing ASGORE as #1)
https://youtu.be/_k0qYU29K0U
Rating: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
Composer: Toby Fox
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (Lost R6 to -[Deoxyribose]-)
Favorite part: The intro, as well as https://youtu.be/_k0qYU29K0U?t=54

IN YOUR FACE awesomeness. SO COOOOOLLLL, those groovy chords!!! Funny how this has grown on me over time I didnt think that would happen. I was originally kind of angry that this barely edged out Scars of Fauna and TIGAR, but Im more okay with that now! I absolutely adore the opening chord sequence here. The fake piano sound is low but robust (crunchy) and the rhythm is off-beat focused in a way that is groovy to the max. Between the simple drum loop, the low piano octaves, and the separate higher three-note piano notes, its really amazing what such simplicity can do. Well, harmony-wise its really normal, but I just LOVE the note placements...you got the 3rd/4th dissonance (full step apart) in the first chord and the 2nd/3rd dissonnance ( step apart) on the 3rd and 4th chords. Then some familiar themes from Undertale get put on top of it! But I think they are generally portrayed better here than in Undertale. Mmm, theyre off-beat focused so it just fits the style of this track better. Anyway, I don't have much more to say, but the way the synth goes wild at 0:54 is wooooooooo, omg omg! Toby Fox is very talented, not just in programming and designing games, but composing, as well.

---

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

th3l3fty posted...

VGMC9 was a dark time

Come on, now, if VGMC9 wasn't ran, we might have lost VGMC forever!!! Give yourself at least a little credit....

60) Crystar - Revenger
https://youtu.be/GFCi2UonT4k
Composer: sakuzyo
Score: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (Lost R8 to CLASS: EXSPHERE_NOSURGE)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/GFCi2UonT4k?t=208

This one has grown on me like CRAZY! It was probably like 6.5/10 when I first heard it? (I even voted Its Alright over it, are you [myself] kidding me?!) I hate to put this one down already, but...yeah. It feels so modern and tech savvy. I like to think of the meter as a slow two (compound duple meter) rather than a fast six. In that sense it never feels that fast-paced to me, but thats perfectly okay! The instrumentation is quite chill! There are short crescendo effects all over the places. its the kind of stuff I LOVE! Transitions between sections can be weird, how it seems to warp between them.. Computer beeps that sometimes play in the background (0:21), but other times they take a bigger role (1:27). Other cool effects like static and what sound like meteor strikes, plus reverse piano effects that I didnt notice until recently. But yeah, the way the piano, the computer sounds, and guitar interact is really nice. It starts off kinda electronic rock, then goes until an uber-relaxed mode at 0:26. Then intensity goes WAAAAAYYYY up with that refrain that lasts from 0:41 until 1:27 (three parts to it with its own relaxed middle part). Yeah, the contrasts really make this good! The chorus itself is cool: the string intervals are nice (just two voices), also it changes to triplet feel....okay, actually it feels very fast-paced whenever this feel is used! Moving a ways ahead, The electric quality of the violins allows them at 1:27 gets more relaxed, but the strings paradoxically go wild! Then that synth of madness makes it REALLY go wild! Fun, BUZZY stuff 2:12 relaxes again. I love that soft stuff in the background :) :) , whatever its called. At 2:43 we get that synth of madness again, but this time its all relaxed! (It seems a lot of instruments get used in a both styles, thats just the way this piece is!) Just about as the chorus is about to end at 3:43 like earlier, it heads into a brief climax which kind of crams material from all three sections! Yeah, the way it all comes together at the end is WAY cool! Then the music kind of. bids farewell in 3l3ctr0n1c 5p34k. Goodbye! Honestly, if I were trying to rate everything objectively, this would be quite a bit higher.

59) Super Mario 64 - Dire, Dire Docks
Series ranking: 2 of 4
https://youtu.be/GBPbJyxqHV0
Composer: Koji Kondo
Score: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 2 (Lost R4), VGMC 3 (Lost R7 to Diving)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/GBPbJyxqHV0?t=87

You know, as much as I loved Mario 64, back when I played the game so many years ago as a kidI never consciously thought, Wow, Dire Dire Docks has great music. But I gotta say today it really is outstanding! Its among Koji Kondos best music, for sure! What I like about this track compared to other music from the same game is that it uses instruments that actually sound GOOD. The bells (I forget what theyre actually called) make me feel SO good they have just the right amount of reverb, creating the effect of harmonies as both the melody and bass move around. The intro is wonderful because its basically demonstrating the beauty of the I, bVII, and bVI harmonic mix and putting a simple ascending arpeggio/scale combination on top, with only certain notes modified through all of htat. The main melody comes in at 0:21 I love how the melody stays on the tonic, though, creating that yummy major 7th at 0:34. The second part of the melody sounds more major now because the harmonies are more diatonic great contrast! Up to this point, the music has followed specific patterns, but then at 0:52-0:54, the bass suddenly chooses to go down a step instead of the full step meanwhile, the melody stays diatonic creating that major 3rd vs. minor 3rd clash thats actually really beautiful! The string samples make the perfect support...I like the way they gradually come in out out nothingand the counterpoint that results is FANTASTIC!!! There is no need for percussion at all, but Koji adds some in gradually to add a pinch of intensity. Overall, its stunning music!


---

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

Ace Attorney write-ups are done... I'll start presenting them before we get into the 9.0+ rated music. Time to work on the VGMC 13 write-ups now.

---

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

The remaining music is so good!!!

62) Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 - Trombe!
https://youtu.be/BvbkVAnpcR4
Composer: ???
Score: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R2), VGMC 4 (Lost R8 to Hope)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/BvbkVAnpcR4?t=68

Sounds like a hopeful battle theme! Im liking the saxophone/brass-like synths for the main melody. Energy!!! (One way to spell trumpet in Italian is trombe) Gotta love those old-school Uematsu runs up and down in the intro. Whenever the melody splits into two parts, it adds a lot of fun energy, such as that tritone at 0:10! 0:34s circle of fifths + other harmonic stuff is unstable in a fun way a nice way to move things forward, for sure. Wind chimes are lovely at 0:57, if hard to notice. This part sure is lively, especially when it splits into a duet again at 1:03, I LOVE whenever it does that! Gotta love that final chord at 1:18 (Eb major 7 chord) everything is pointing towards a certain resolution (D major chord), but nope! Because the upward arpeggiating at that same moment never touches the D, the harmonic effect becomes that much better! (thats the best part) Pretty melody-focused overall (most background stuff isn't notable), but its still really fun to listen to!

61) Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream - Wild Wind
https://youtu.be/6ihGry7NT_8
Composer: Yoko Kanno
Score: 8.8/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 3 (Lost R2), VGMC 4 (Lost R5 to Rusty Ruins Act 2)
Favorite Part: The intro + anywhere the strings get featured

So light and cheerful :). Also, yay for a REAL orchestra, playing at a HIGH level! The intro sounds like something straight out of Appalachian Spring, with the arpeggios and chords being largely based on fifthsbut especially those strings doing the maj 7th 5th via contrary motion (very open sound) one of Coplands best chord changes! (actually, Ive never analyzed Copland music, so what do I know) bIII chord in a major key! Bluegrassy melodic bits make it just a bit wild ;) Then you got this cute pennywhistle awwwwwww!! I like how its not perfectly in tune makes the music feel more rustic. Im loving the string writing here even after the intro it fills me with such warmth! For example, the violas playing A-B-C#-B-A (D major chord) at 1:13! Reminds me of FF Origins overworld theme, IIRC. >_> LOVE when the strings so enthusiastically take over the melody at 1:31.so expressive!!! Gotta love whenever the starkly flatted 7th whenever its in the melody, very wild-west sounding ;) We get more of an upbeat dance at 1:46...very sweet. The very ends reverb, though I swear the bells played a wrong note.


---

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

64) Ao no Kiseki Evolution - Seize the Truth
Series ranking: 2 of 3 (Legend of Heroes)
https://youtu.be/oxXfJR-6ry0
Composer: Saki Momiyama, arr. by Yukihiro Jindo
Score: 8.7/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 9 (CHAMPION)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/oxXfJR-6ry0?t=22

Two champs in a row! Nine down, five to go! Time to reminisce about one of only a few things I remember prior to VGMC XIII: Anyone remember when this faced AAI2s Pursuit ~ Wanting to to Find the Truth? I certainly remembered the Pursuit theme losing...getting TRIPLED, in fact. That was not a happy day for me, especially since it was, for a long time, my all-time favorite Ace Attorney theme. I thought it was tripled by Magus Theme, but my memory was faulty. Magus Theme just happened to be in the neighboring match. happened to be in the other match.

Good quasi-electronic orchestration. Piano/string synth sound good on the opening stuff with nice soft synths behind that sound like echoes (but not really echoes). This one of those unusual times where I enjoy a simplistic beat, probably because I LOVE squashy snares(actually, maybe thats not even a snare...whatever!), and then at 0:22 everything drops out for pure electric guitar goodness! Talk about a classic melody among classic melodies! SO GOOD!!!! I especially love when the section finishes on the IV-->V at 0:43, nice! The next section makes a good follow-up, and the violin duet works nicely for that purpose, and the synth strikes at the end of it fill me with excitement! Next, violin and guitar combine for a third conclusive section score yet another good melody! (its kind of a mesh of the first two sections!) Violins take the theme again after with cool percussive hits as backup at 1:44! Cool. After that, its kind of a mixed reception from me. The repeats of the theme later arent as cool on the violins, but its alright. The exception is at 2:07 where the piano expands its idea from the start, it works really well acapella with those delay echoes! The guitar solos got some virtuosity to it, fun stuff! Oh, yeah, and being an Evolution remake, I might as well mention the older version wow, its a lot different! It feels a lot rougher around the edges, and the energy is less. Darker, too.

63) Mario Kart 8 - Big Blue
Series ranking: 3 of 4 (Mario)
https://youtu.be/obr-T3e_wY8
Composer: Naoto Ishida, arr. by Kenta Nagata
Soloists: Kazuki Katsuta (saxophone), Takashi Masuzaki (electric guitar)
Score: 8.8/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 9 (Lost R4), VGMC 11 (Lost R5 to Daddy Mulk)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/obr-T3e_wY8?t=81

[I really need to mention singers/soloists in all writeups] ...and now we have a champion killer! This beat Sunshine Coastline and EXSPHERE going off my unreliable memory. This had to lose to Daddy Mulk :[. Oh, hey, Mario Kart got something retired? Unexpected! Granted, this tune doesnt really belong to Mario Kart, even if . Okay, so F-Zero got something retired! Cool.

I actually prefer Mute City when it comes to the original and most arrangements, but THIS version of Big Blue is without question the best Ive heard. I love how it goes back and forth with the sax and the electric guitar, and then combines them at other times with a WONDERFUL blend and balance. The orchestration in general is clear and transparent, which is a big deal to me! Im absolutely FLOORED that such a great arrangement was ever put on Mario Kart 8. The source material is nice, but not amazing or anything. Now, about specifics within this track first off, the eighth notes in the bass sound at the start sound absolutely PERFECT. You got those little fill-ins between phrases (the triplets at 0:16/0:17 is COOL) Then you got 0:18-:20 where the bass does this totally unexpected "displaced by a 16th note pattern, WHOA. (Jazzy) When the main melody starts, you got an electric organ with this nice PURE sound. (out of time for today) Then at 0:53 you got tasty virtuosic patterns, continued by the electric guitar after impromptu sounding, except Im sure they were written out. Then you got some GREAT new harmonies starting about 1:21 (the only part with awesome harmonies I wish it did more stuff like that)

OMG I just learned ERIC MIYASHIRO PLAYS TRUMPET IN THE MK8 SOUNDTRACK. (but I'm sure the other trumpeters are just as good) Why haven't I checked out this OST?!


---

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

"Whoops" for saying Forest Interlude is in the "Amazing" tier, though I sometimes wonder if it should be.

66) Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals - The Last Duel
Series rank: 1 of 2
https://youtu.be/lsIXvHteoK0
Composer: Yasunori Shiono
Score: 8.7/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R1), VGMC 6 (Lost R3), VGMC 7 (Lost R3), VGMC 8 (Lost R6 to Wicked Flight)
Favorite Part: The harp and syncopated ostinato

Notably, this was the last SNES track to retire, and what a track it was! How magical and enchanting this, truly a theme for a fantasy RPG. Sounds like a final dungeon theme...oh, wait, I already know it is. Ive played this game. (though I never technically beat it... great game, though) The ascending/descending harp arpeggios sound like the amazing Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV. As far as those syncopated patterns, LOVE those note choices makes it sound so mysterioso! Also, that juicy trumpet.! I declare this game to have the nicest sounding trumpet in a 16-bit game! NImble melodies like this are ALWAYS a pleasure. Isnt 0:16 - 0:20 just great, how it majestically leaps up? :) :) :) The classic Lufia string-like synth instrument takes over from there. 0:40 ups the intensity in a way with those robust ascending whole notes that remind you that youre almost done with this game. (bitter-sweet feeling) It may only be #66, but honestly, its one of the best SNES themes around in my book. One of the better SNES soundtracks, too.

Hey, we're more than 2/3 of the way through now! Congrats to the remaining 65 in the top third! Still got a bunch before we hit the 9.0 barrier, though.

65) Final Fantasy VIII - The Extreme
Series rank: 3 of 7
https://youtu.be/RVkcmx2l3WA?t=258
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
Score: 8.7/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R1), VGMC 2 (Lost R3), VGMC 5 (CHAMPION)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/RVkcmx2l3WA?t=184

Sorry, Leonhart. But this made the top , at least! What an intro, huh? Creepy way to portray the very first words of the game Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec, especially how the winds pan across the speakers. Relaxed guitar patterns have some intriguing note choices themselves, but it becomes quite fascinating when because we have hemiola(ish) interaction between the two ideas. At 0:51 a subtly sinister piano (+ strings) join in, then finally a ghastly soprano. Its calm, but....at this point the music getting ready to EXPLODE. And EXPLODE it does with an old-school FF battle intro?! Back when I first fought Ultimecia I couldnt believe my ears. I thought Square had all but abandoned any old-school FF-esque. Epic to the max! Cool initial melody. I LOVE when we hit 2:30 when it shifts to iii, then shifts tits own relative iii, but now its major! From there, it gets SO GOOD and INTENSE. Love all the moving lines between 2:40 and 2:58!! I even like the use of the (goodness forbid) James Bond bass chromatic movement at about the 3:00, which I normally wouldnt like, but if its used in passing among other interesting things, so no problems! Next section at 3:05 is equally awesome.so very active with interesting chromatic twists, mmm, when two of them combine, especially. After that you got these AWESOME sextuplet arpeggios going on (in a manner similar to STILLMOREFIGHTING) that areand the way the harmonies change through there. OMGOMGOMG!. That is a CLIMAX if there ever was one. From there we get some of that nice piano from the start at 3:26, with some of that guitar hemiola again hiding in the background! This used to be my favorite music in the series, but, well, its not as satisfying these days to me because the sound production is meh, kind of an issue for most of the PS1 FF music. Still, theres a ton of composition merit, as Ive put down in a lot of detail. I <3 THIS THEME!!!! Also, the final battle in this game is awesome! But yeah, its great to have a VGMC champion from this series.


---

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

Finally back to it!

68) Rivals of Aether - Luna Ascension EX (aka OST 7)
https://youtu.be/4WLm3RX4hHI
Composer: flashygoodness
Score: 8.7/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 10 (Lost R5 to Despair of ELFERIA)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/4WLm3RX4hHI?t=25

This ones unique. Cheerful, yet smooth, electronic sounds, chimes blend in nicely in an oddly non-acoustic way, you got those 16th note runs up and down. I dont know how to describe the exact feeling, but its epic and celebratory, at least! Heh, what an appropriate pen name (er, alias) for the composer. The way the melody SOARS is great (big range!). Also, great lead synth sound. Great fast four-note melodic patterns , for example at 0:11 I LOVE those note choices (4ths intervals). Sixteenth note ascending/descending runs in the following section are :), and then the lead synth gets involved with the 16ths at 0:30!!! The way it flies up to a beautiful major 9th, and then glisses back down love it! From there it repeats. A bit later then get these cool NES PUNCHES to spice things up for a moment! (and they get involved subtly in the percussion following) It gets a little boring with follows...it merely starts repeating a relatively unimpressive part. The general feel is maintained, though. And the end cadence is relatively disappointing in practice no cool soars or runs anywhere there. :[

67) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddys Kong Quest - Forest Interlude
Series rank: 2 of 5
https://youtu.be/slKNBP7VEvI
Composer: David Wise
Score: 8.7/10 (Amazing)
VGMC History: VGMC 3 (Lost R5 to Dire, Dire Docks)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/slKNBP7VEvI?t=91

Okay, so yeah I finally found out that Gangplank Galleon was indeed created by David Wise. See a supposed recent interview with him (https://youtu.be/v_RNM2QlujU). Back to Forest Interlude, though DKC2 has the BEST soundtrack on the entire SNES! (IMO) I cant get enough of the ambient music from the game, especially. The chirp, chirp, chirps are used very artistically! Even the primitive drums (with a bit of musical pitch in them, typical of DKC) fit in. Different kinds of delay echoes. At the start you got nice crescendos and diminuendos among the synth pads, and you got what sounds like a mix of monkey chant and synth I like the way its tone changes subtly through there! Pan flute fits right in with the ambience. 0:27 - 0:30 is just WAY to cool cool note choices. At 0:38-0:40 you got this cool effect thats like the OPPOSITE of 0:27 - 0:30 (lets slow this down to speed). Ah so its basically three note patterns descending, except that each pattern gets repeated. It makes for a really interesting gradual, but bumpy fall (in a graceful way <_<) At 0:50 you got the nice call and response between the harmonica and its delay echoes a bit later! You got two added beats before it starts slowly ascending harmonies (by thirds) at 1:32, with MORE of those cool patterns from 0:38-0:40 at the end. AMAZING!!! This is my favorite part of it all!!!! Its here where I wonder if 8.7 is too low of a rating Anyway, The final section kind of winds down with more nice harmonies, except the bottom note descends chromatically beautiful! And then it seamlessly uses material from the beginning to end the loop. But yeah, if I ever wanted to learn to make electronic music, this would be near the top of my list as far as inspirations, for sure!


---

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

I'll get back to this next week.

---

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

I can understand not liking Kurokami. Certain things about it really resonate with me, though, mainly the intro. I would drop it to like an 8.3, though... my opinion of it has gone down as of late, certainly since the time when I voted it over YOATI in the ToC.

Whoops, I forgot the link to Kurokami:
https://youtu.be/24MZkwhD0go

70) Beatmania IIDX 22 PENDUAL - Despair of ELFERIA
Series ranking: 4 of 6 (bemani)
https://youtu.be/RNmTgi43zuo
Composer: Naoyuki Sato
Score: 8.7/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 9 (Lost R2), VGMC 10 (Champion after Megalovania fiasco)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/RNmTgi43zuo?t=16

Dont worry, theres still plenty of popular music left! Whoops, looks like I need to revise my write-up, since it was originally the short version I created this write-up for. Pretty epic Beatmania track, isnt it? But I gotta admit, listening to this with headphones is just.ugh. So. Loud. (pretty much it applies only to this and three of ZTSs tracks) I guess Ill have to rate this one on my laptop speakers, then. It starts off a lot kinda like Dark Legacy, yay, but its more folky/Celtic/danceable! The beginning sets up some of the main ideas in this track with two (soft) ideas going on at the same time the piano clusters (yum, one is a 7th chords 2nd/3rd dissonance, another has 1st/2nd/5th/octave) along with the low string triplets We got some nice two-on-three hemiola going on there, too. LOVE IT! It crescendos into chimes and brass and a weird scream?....whatever! But I really like the first grand chord at 0:30 :) :) :) Super energized! My [second] favorite part has to be when the xylophone takes over at 1:13...the rhythm pulse there is nice, as I like rhythmic pulses that avoid many of the strong beats ;) Fast playing too is epic! 1:42 is awesome with a more folky feel again, and I Love that flute fall!!! On the downside, the lead synth is a bit overpowering for my liking (even if its blended with other stuff), and a lot of the melody its assigned to I dont care for, either. The two endings, though epic final chords!

69) Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru: discolor
Series ranking: 3 of 15
https://youtu.be/pLJWV4rxVTg
Composer: zts
Score: 8.7/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 4 (Lost R6 to Dark Cloud Main Theme)
Favorite Part: The beginning

This is zts, huh? I guess that makes it my favorite zts retiree! That piano. Wow! Its got a nice coolness of tone. I love each one of those open-sounding chords (actually, two high notes plus a third way down low), plus the way each one diminuendos...gorgeous. The second and third chords are nice, especially. Man, those staccato/scattered electronic sounds make a wonderful contrast. Talk about clear, beautiful ambience. Man, for this type of music my write-ups are woefully inadequate. (and I cant think of any music to compare this to) 0:48 you got a ton of interactions going on, but still really transparent! I really like the violin-like additions heremakes it sound quasi-acoustic. At 1:12 you get harsher synths going a bit wild in the background, adding intensity but not intruding on the ambience. And finally, choo-----choo...it works somehow. But wait, were not done yet, it just keeps adding little things here and there! The pure guitar-like sound after that is simply wonderful, especially when it goes up an octave at the two minute mark...AWESOMENESS (the whistling high note at 2:41 tops it all off nicely!!. But yeah, part of the reason I like this so much is that there arent many chords, allowing all the different parts to be heard easily and the result simply sparkles :).

---

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

Whoops... I forgot to mention series rankings. Into the Wilderness is Wild ARM's series #1 ranking of three! And Dark Legacy is bemani's #5 ranking of six!

72) Final Fantasy V - Battle with Gilgamesh (Clash on the Big Bridge)
Series ranking: 4 of 7
https://youtu.be/wGFRwDG_d-A
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
Score: 8.7/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R5 to Baba Yetu)
Favorite Part: 0:00 - 0:32

Finally, the only old-school Final Fantasy theme to be retired makes its appearance. Im not sure if this is my top SNES Final Fantasy theme (other contenders are FFIVs boss battle and FFVIs Dancing Mad Part 4), but Im glad this one did well regardless. Love the overall feeling its a feeling of a big battle, but with a bit of quirkiness. There is not a moment in here that is NOT awesome! Its quite possibly the most flawless battle theme Uematsu ever wrote. My ability to write about this music is woefully inadequate, so Im going to talk about pure technical things! Man, I love how windy those up/down patterns at the start, the way they keep on going, as if theyre one of the main themes! ENERGY! Then you got these contrasting dissonant hits moving parallel down chromatically, whoa! (diminished chord with an added minor 2nd in the bass... ?) But yeah, those are some of my favorite chords in any SNES track! The same idea repeats, with a ridiculously catchy mini-conclusion with parallel fourths! Then the placement of the hi-hat by itself at 0:31 - 0:32 is absolutely PERFECT! Other highlights include the trumpet melody in general, the transition into the section at 0:45, the top voice landing on the 7th that never formally resolves (0:45 - 0:49), the countermelody at 0:49, and the fully diminished outline at 1:00. At about 1:06 we get some fun 16th note arpeggios (I love AGILE melodies!) The intro conclusion comes back at 1:11, cool, but the AMAZING thing is the way those chords roll off of that.OMG OMG! Some new non-triadic chords follow (alternating Db-G-C and Eb-A-D, with constant A in the bass) at 1:16... very interesting! But yeah, the structure of this track is really something special!

71) Popn Music 18 - Kurokami Midareshi Shura to Narite
Composer: TOMOSUKE
Score: 8.7/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 6 (Lost R2), VGMC 7 (Lost R3), VGMC 8 (Lost R2), VGMC 9 (Lost R7 to Seize the Truth)
Favorite Part: 0:00 - 0:19

Curse these long Japanese track names! I just call it Kurokami, cause I cant remember more than that. Anyway, it starts off with dramatic violins in triplets, and then suddenly wham! Guitar sixteenth punches! I cannot get over how awesome that rhythmic change-up is! Goes from dramatic to more dramatic! And then the piano takes part in the 16th note madness! And then the singer comes in, like, I like a subdued theme on top of crazy accompaniment if its done right, like here! I love how the guitar helps move the dynamics up for the next section at around 0:31. From there its just GOGOGO I absolutely DIG the super fast bass movements and violin flourishes. Even the singer gets involved with the breakneck speed. very rhythmic, too! (I love it when sung melodies are rhythmic!!!) Cool fancy piano chords near the end, and love how it ends with those fast punches. Oh, and the authentic Japanese instruments/styles subtly planted at certain times is nice, too. A lot of it sounds kinda muddy to me, though, but maybe thats just me.


---

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

I'm sure smoking weed is a valid answer!!!, but any other thoughts?

Man, is this one really next?

73) Beatmania IIDX 21 SPADA - SP DARK LEGACY Hyper
https://youtu.be/7zKVLq7Ub0s
Composer: BaSTeT
Score: 8.7/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 9 (Lost R7 to Evolution Era)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/7zKVLq7Ub0s?t=79

One can scarcely go wrong with a 1/2/3/4 minor melodic idea at the start (it's one of those patterns I love, as you will see in higher ranked music). It has a very similar feel to Despair in Elferia, thats for sure, and actually, it has a similar focus on those same four notes of the scale! Not the same composer, but this apparently influenced the other. It starts off militaristic orchestral before moving on to edm, but the style in the intro still gets many opportunities to really make this track shine. I like the sword sheathe sounds! I actually like the choice of sounds for the edm percussion; its much more to my liking than typical! Very dramatic. Theres a lot of subtleties that really makes this ear candy. I love the touch of french horns in certain parts, especially. 0:44 finally introduces the main idea on a light piano the harps and the strings really help it out. 1:19s stuff is SICK! I love rapid 16th passages like these. Fake piano cluster chords are great there (another similarity to Elferia), with a nice shift to a new key. And then suddenly everything drops out at 1:39 and then a light beat gets added a few seconds later and then a horn rip follows (I LOVE all that). Then we get back to the energized stuff again! 2:18 the edm stuff drops out and were back to a pure orchestral sound love the shift. Its softer, but the intensity is as fierce as ever, especially with those low horns. 2:37 is like the intro, but the cool thing here is that as it prepares to recap the theme, you get some of those cool rhythmic patterns from before, but before the theme comes in a few measures get added with an orchestral Fp complete with a sword sheathe. LOVE IT! At 4:19 as it climaxes the time signature is pretty thrown out the window ...fun rhythmic figures there. Then a grand pause and it winds down with some electronic flourishes reverberating (not really, but it has a similar effect). Overall, pretty much everything in this track is done very tastefully!


---

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

Does anyone besides me experience varying levels of satisfaction when listening to the same music? Some days music my favorite music sounds "great", while other days the same music literally can cause tears to well up in my eyes, it sounds (and feels) so amazing to me. Any advice to get the latter to happen more often besides just waiting for the right day? Would meditation or something help?

---

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

75) Wild ARMS - Into the Wilderness
https://youtu.be/jkcXV2jYqXI
Composer: Michiko Naruke, arr. by Kazuhiko Toyama
Score: 8.6/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 2 (Lost R6 to MGS2 Theme)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/jkcXV2jYqXI?t=64

Back in like 2008, this was my second favorite VGM of all time, second only to Shadow Hearts: Covenants 3 Karma. According to a rankings list I did, at least. (How times have changed) Aw, yes. I admit I never beat Wild ARMs (like zillions of other games), but this remains one of the major vg tracks of my childhood, and yes, I liked the game. Its not just the music thats special to me, but the FMV the music is set too, as well. Whenever Id turn on the game I would watch the entire FMV, I loved it so much. Great mixture of bluegrass, film, and symphony orchestra here. Guitar is slightly out of tune (rustic feeling). This has absolutely THE whistling melody of all vg whistling melodies (no, NOT Shadows theme)... but if you think theres a more iconic whistling theme somewhere else, let me know! I like the initial melodic idea, but I especially like how when it gets re-used the second time--it utilizes that Dorian note (natural-VI) to get to the dominant, the climax of the phrase! (see 0:22) This is one of those times when a dominant at the end of phrase (in minor) sounds GREAT! (I hope you agree here, Mycro!) Then a second idea is used to help the music calm down again (0:26 - 0:34) and ends with a piece of the first idea (0:34 - 0:38)! Also, I love how the orchestration gradually thickens until it begins to climax at 1:04, which is definitely my favorite part of the whole thing! EPIC! Its got some really yummy harmonies! NICE CRESCENDO as it leads into the concluding presentation of the main theme. I wish it were longer, though :[ Wonderful woodwind writing at 1:55 (Copland-esque)!

Oh, and I believe this is the ONLY case where I was the ORIGINAL nominator of a vg track that got retired! (I believe) Then again, it's very possible I nominated Spark Man Stage, too, as I was crazy about that theme at the time. P.S. I finally watched the FMV for the first time in years (see the link)!

74) Clannad - Nagisa ~ Farewell at the Foot of a Hill
https://youtu.be/7ptb-oQE9Hg
Composer: Jun Maeda (Key)
Score: 8.6/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 4 (Lost R2), VGMC 5 (Lost R5 to Positive Force)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/7ptb-oQE9Hg?t=75

This is one of those instances where Im glad vgm tastes used to be so different than they are now. This wouldnt stand a chance in VGMC today. Such simplicity. Such beauty. I like how empty it is to start out, with sweet ambient sounds added. As additional parts get added, the feelings of emotion increase. (6th added to chord) An extra piano line provides some means of harmony, but its a bit ambiguous note choices in the lower line are simple, but pretty. Love the bell-like sounds at 0:57...a nice melody foreshadowing whats to come. Up to this point its been quite diatonic, but the main piano line hits an unexpected note at 0:57 (bVII maj7?). I like the voice leading there, how it has open octaves, etc. Great effects 1:14 - 1:16 leading to the BIG MOMENT. Ah, what a sweet rhythmic structure (introduced in pieces back at 0:57...e.g. I love the part where the second part fills in for the melody) to put on top of the half notes! Horn synths at 1:56 work nicely in helping this theme wind down. Nice bass notes here too, the way it does the first and second inversions of the tonic before settling on the root. More bells at 3:12, yum! SO PRETTY. IM SO PRETTY! (oh, wait, this isnt West Side Story) Side note: interesting that Jun Maeda has two emotional tracks that are retired.


---

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

How do you pronounce Tigar, anyway? Like Tiger? Or do you have to say TI-GAHR?! =p

77) Deemo - Evolution Era
https://youtu.be/zNZ5pXtE1EA
Composer: V.K.
Score: 8.6/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 9 (Lost R8 to Seize the Truth)
Favorite Part: Anywhere with a key change + anywhere with reverse piano effects
Sounds like piano pop music from like the 80s? Anyway, I really do LOVE the super happy feeling In the intro, I especially like the leap up the octave at places like :04 and :09 that really convey that feeling. Love those effects starting at about :15! Theyre noticeable but they never get in the way. Beautiful contrasting lines by the cellos when they come in. More electronic instruments doing some nice counterpoint starting about 0:45. SO YUMMY. Key change at about 1:17! Again at 1:40 (they sound so HAPPY!) 2:06, too. Yeah, this piece wouldnt be what it is without the key changes! 1:42 has more of those electronic hairpins and such that I TOTALLY DIG. The section at 2:30 has some cool fast note repetitions! Also, I gotta love those soft synth counterpoint! At 3:25 you got those reverse piano effects EVERYWHERE!!!! The final chord (and the way it gets emphasized and played with) is like a slice of cheesecake...one of those I (tonic) chords that has a 4th added. Normally 3rd+4th together in a major chord doesnt work, but if the 4ths in the bass (which it is), thats different! One downside is that some of the syncopated rhythms (especially the ends of phrases) are kind of stereotypical and trite.

76) Terraria Calamity Mod - Servants of the Scourge (Theme of the Sentinels of the Devourer)
Series rank: 2 of 3
https://youtu.be/dt30jWRMjLk
Composer: DM Dokuro
Score: 8.6/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (Lost R5 to New World Order)
Favorite Part: First 18 seconds

This one knocks your socks off right off the bat, eh? Chiptune-ish flourishes, dark chimes, full sustained orchestration, infectious beat/bass, all within the first few seconds! Crazy-interesting cluster chords on top, too. Its dark, but in a groovy sort of way. Really, when you got all this, who needs a melody? At 0:19 you get an actual melody...synth and strings combined such a wonderful sound. 0:40 provides a supporting melodic line that works really nicely. Low how the chimes take over the melody at 1:00 great contrast. Nice bII chords in that part. Then the synth joins it along with nice arpeggiated blips added. I like the skipped beat at 2:51 where it throws off your sense of timing for a second there. Thats one groovy section. It turns off and then back on (cool way to transition). It finally climaxes (cool blips, percussion intensity peaks), with that awesome last note sloooooowly dropping in pitch. Stylish! Then it repeats some stuff, but with even more stuff later, including a change in meter which ups the energy a bit towards the end!

---

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

....do you mean 116 songs too high? >_>

I had to move the next two tracks in line up the ranks a little ways.... it looks like this one is next, then.

78) Waterworld - Diving
https://youtu.be/BP2oz6fSczM
Composer: Dean Evans
Score: 8.5/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 3 (Lost R8 to Reset ~ Thank you)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/Y4hqy02sxDI?t=19

Hey, its music from a game based on a movie! Is this the only one? Anyway, Wooooooooow. It has a definitive 16-bit sound, but what a way to use those sounds! Im loving those echoey sounds at the start as if youre in an empty abyss. Mysterious. What lovely note choices (Lydian scale) It sounds like youve come to the most gorgeous reef underwater, which is probably what they were going for! And then that bass slides in at 0:19 (and light chords) WHOA, electricity is flowing through everything now. That's gotta be my favorite part of the whole thing, honestly. A scale gets added at 0:38, aw, yeah, thats one good-sounding scale (buildup). Then theres 0:58 - EARGASM. Love how the original melody gets a boost of tempo or, rather, it goes from a slow triplet feel to a sixteenth note feel, and now its totally chill, as if light has completely filled the darkness. More stuff continues to be added, all memorable, too. Bass is hoppy and vibrato-happy. The timbre change at 2:21 is great. Then when you think the ideas are done, you got this sweeping new theme at 3:13.

---

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

The farther we get, the more fun it is! =D For me, at least.

80) Blue Reflection - TIGAR ~ All Phase Mix
https://youtu.be/G9-NsUPcFFU
Rating: 8.5/10 (Excellent)
Composer: Hayato Asano
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (Lost R5 to Rude Buster)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/G9-NsUPcFFU?t=148

The big question here is this: is TIGAR the best Blue Reflection representative? What do YOU think? Well, like it or not, its the first one from the game to retire! Other entries very well could retire in future contests considering it did very, very well in BOST 2019. Im trying to remember.it got either third or fourth place, wait, or was it SECOND place? It feels like it faced Umineko in the finals, but dont quote me on that. All right, now to talk about the music! My affinity towards this one used to be pretty limited, largely because of those annoying edm sounds I associate with dubstep. For some unknown reason, my dislike for those sounds were neutralized beginning in R2 of the last contest. So now theres very little for me to dislike. The pretty piano chords and radio static at the start makes me happy :) But yeah, I like it as soon as it gets upbeat. I really enjoy the many different styles presented here, even if some of the melodies are a bit trite, for example, the piano melody from 1:02, but the stuff accompanying it I like more, such as the 16th-note synth lines. 1:46 uses the same chord progression as before, but we got this HYPERactive synth duet going on over the same harmonic progression. 2:07 is also cool love the note choices on those chords, the way it plays with chromatics! And they're all like uuuuuuaaaaaooooooo. Also immediately after are the BEST piano chords in the entire track! And hey, they get added upon right after! I used to hate 3:12, but Im neutral towards it now At 3:44 I have a hard time describing those weird percussive electronic chords, but theyre really cooL! Most of the latter part of the track isnt quite as exciting for me, relying on generic piano stuff from earlier. (even if it's the refrain melody! I know its important to the overall structure) I LOVE that little surprise key change near the end of the loop at 5:37, though! Overall, its a fun track that I like more than DNF at this point! The best in the soundtrack? Hard to say. Its close between several (Albireo Lake, Overdose, etc. are contenders).

79) Chrono Cross - Dreamwatch of Time
Series rank: 2 of 4
https://youtu.be/wMntblDX0Bg
Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda
Score: 8.5/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 1 (Lost R5 to Legend of Mana - Title)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/wMntblDX0Bg?t=66

This is truly one-of-a-kind. This has such a magical atmosphere. I never played much of CC (I stopped because I just couldnt stand certain things about the game), but this is obviously one of the major epic themes of the game. Combining one of the most classic Trigger themes with one of the most classic Cross (actually, Radical Dreamers) themes is simply too good to be true, except that it IS true! I enjoy the celtic-like melody on the harp, but more especially when the flute takes over nice and flashy. Then comes the Dreams theme (admittedly Im not crazy about this theme by itself), and then comes a sort of intermediary section with bright hemiolic patterns that just FILLS the air with musical joy at 0:40 I especially like 0:44 GREAT note choices on top of bII there) Then at 1:06 the music moves forward in such an EPIC manner as it gradually heightens with more great harmonies.(one of Mitsudas specialties is putting the melody a major 7th above the bass at key moments) I just love how it feels like one phrase whose ending just keeps getting delayed and delayed and delayed..it is ABSOLUTELY one of Mitsudas best compositional bits in anything hes ever done! And then finally it climaxes and suddenly its CHRONOS theme! Nice, but not quite as awesome as the previous stuff.


---

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

82) Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet- Dungeon - Geofront 4
https://youtu.be/tOsekzHN5m0
Rating: 8.5/10 (Excellent)
Composer: Kengo Tokusashi
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (Lost R7 to -(Isoleucine)-)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/tOsekzHN5m0?t=68

Okay, I lied. There were only fifteen tracks rated an 8.4. MycroProcessors all-time favorite music at this time. This not only retired, but won Bracket D good for him! Sorry I dont like this as much as most of your other nominations (stylistically it's not really my thing), but Im still happy to see it do well! (my previous rating of this turned out to be inflated, probably because of hype) I guess Ill just attempt to talk about the polymeters since I dont have a whole lot else to say, probably. This has an awesome array of sounds that all complement each other really well. Strings have a good punch to them at the start. At 0:13 we already get our first dose of polymetrics 6/8 on top of 5/8, well even though the subdivision in this case is actually a quarter note triplet. At 0:27 we get varied meters for the melody (4+3+3+3+3+4+3+3+3+3), but the beat subdivision is standard. We got these B.T. Dutch- like drilling sounds after 0:41 that I didnt notice until I started this write-up. 1:08 is possibly (actually, most definitely) the most intriguing part of it the way the music kind of floats and slowly rotates around and around. Love it! We get 5/4 unison rhythm but with the triplet as the subdivision (once again), but the note layouts between the strings and the buzzy synth are different, creating an interesting voice leading of sorts. At 1:21 it gets even better--we get these playful insertions that I couldnt have ever figured out the rhythms for. Unless I slow them down! Thank you Youtube for that option. But anyway, the subdivision of those seems to be a third of that of the strings/buzzy synth. Meter seems to be divided into (3+3+3+3+3)+(3+3+3+3) or something. But gee whiz, does that mean those subdivisions are a ninth of half note? But hey, there are nine groups of three as shown earlier in the writeup so maybe I got it right! It sounds so weird at normal speed, though. Now theres the bass to work out, too. Actually, no. Im done trying to figure out these rhythms! Ive spent 45 minutes on this already! Oh, wow, I didnt realize the intro stuff came back in at 0:27! But okay, Im done guessing rhythms! Anyway, its a very fun piece of music!

81) NieR - Emil (Karma)
Series rank: 2 of 5
https://youtu.be/9izExqTCFQg
Composer: Keiichi Okabe
Score: 8.5/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC V (Lost R4), VGMC VI (Lost R3), VGMC IX (Lost R3), VGMC XI (Champion)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/9izExqTCFQg?t=62

More of the standard NieR (tribal) drums! No complaints there. What can I talk about here? Nothing wrong with the instrumentation...nothing wrong with the singer. Nothing overly dramatic or surprising happening in it, but it overall sounds nice, like a good action fantasy movie soundtrack! This one isnt quite as suspenseful as some of the other music in the series, but I prefer this one in terms of overall sound! It's GREAT! I enjoy the subdued, distant singing style. The piano arpeggios are really good, take those out and it's just not same.


---

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

84) Aurora Memoria: Philosphical Data Session: 2093 - Classroom
https://youtu.be/8hcCTzUacA4
Rating: 8.4/10 (Excellent)
Composer: DV-i
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (Lost R5 to -(Isoleucine)-)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/8hcCTzUacA4?t=80

I gotta admit, I wasnt too happy about the fact that it slid by both EXEC_PAJA/.#Orica extracting and Merciless Savior by one vote in its R3 and R4 matches. Not that I dislike this by any means. I guess something from the game deserved to do well after the game lost early in BOST. This ones kind of hard to talk about, for me, anyway. Its grown on me (otherwise it would have been like 7/10) The appeal of this track is less about the composition and more about style and sound production. It sounds like 80s electronic pop music, which has never really been my cup of tea normally, but theres a lot more to it than that, it seems. The opening crescendo is appealing. The rhythms going on are a bit deceitful at the start. Once the other stuff comes in then you know what the actual downbeat is. Each layer here is meaningful and makes the experience better. The sounds at 1:05 really resonates me with! They sound like a mix of a synth and mallet percussion, with a few different timbres used for it, too. 1:16 is a nice surprise key change. At 1:20 you get a lot of little call-and-responses going on here between at least three different layers here pretty fun, I think it's my favorite part! Some voices come in, okay, whatever. 2:18 is cool I love the relative silence (not that its actually silent, just relax) Likewise with the echoes as well as the background melodies here. Random fact about how a track sometimes grows on me: it starts off with one section that I really like, then it kind of expands from there. In this case, it was the stuff at 1:05.

83) Persona 5 - Last Surprise
Series ranking: 1 of 4
ELIMINATED: Persona
https://youtu.be/Ec4YbVP9R-A
Composer: Shoji Meguro
Score: 8.4/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 12 (Lost R5 to Sunshine Coastline)
Favorite Part: The intro

Theres a surprising amount of funk elements among the music on the list. and thats good, as its one of my preferred styles among American popular genres. The chorus is great I dig the harmonies, and the hyperactive/chromatic bass movement, especially! Also, I dig the moving 7ths between the vocals and the bass (such as when she says too fast for eyes). Music is very rhythmic/off-beat focused, making it very catchy. The best chords have to be at 0:16, aw, yeah! The bass is also very active throughout candy to my ears, and without that, the score would drop at least a full point. The vocalist (Lyn Inaizumi) is great, as usual in Persona vocal songs. Honestly, Im not sure if there is a singer I like more in vgm.


---

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

Toxtricity will not outspeed me.

86) Cloudbuilt: Defiance - Monolith
https://youtu.be/kgBy_m3nRbs
Composer: Jacob Sebastian Soyer Lincke
Score: 8.4/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 11 (Lost R5 to Emil Karma)
Favorite Part: https://youtu.be/kgBy_m3nRbs?t=185

I like to think of this music as a kind of theme and variations. The theme is not so much a melody as it is a harmonic progression granted, its not the same exact set of harmonies all the time, but its always somewhere along the lines. Generally speaking it follows (A minor 2 counts , F major 2 counts, G major 1.5 counts, D major 2.5 counts), but its sometimes more like (A minor for 4 counts, F major 1.5 counts, D major 2.5 counts). Thats a good progression to me, since I tend to love most any time Dorian gets mixed in with natural minor. Um, kind of futuristic and industrial-sounding, and also a bit like MGS in terms of fake percussion. Almost every instrument gets a chance at melody at some point. To talk about specifics I like..at 0:26 I really dig the plucked strings in this section!! 0:56 has great marimba use, please other cool details. The variation at 0:56 is cool, in particular the marimba combined with the harp! My favorite variation is probably at 3:05 with the synth/BAGPIPE! pentatonic melody very catchy. I wish that was developed more. 2:26 has more marimba!!! (even if its a bit soft) 4:16 also sticks out to be with the muted guitar (melody and chords), chimes, and other stuff! At about the five minute mark the composer decides to change up things so we can reach a climax, so YAY, new harmonies are now used for a bit. Then it kind of winds down after that.

85) Mamorukun Curse! - YO-KAI Disco (Hell's Entrance World)
https://youtu.be/K-PZixk0UgQ
Rating: 8.4/10 (Excellent)
Composer: Yousuke Yasui
VGMC History: VGMC 6 (Lost R2), VGMC 7 (Lost R3), VGMC 8 (Lost R2), VGMC 9 (Lost R3), VGMC 11 (Lost R2), VGMC 14 (Lost R6 to Dungeon - Geofront 4)
Favorite part: 0:28 - 0:34, 0:41 - 0:53

Japanese disco! On the surface it seems kind of ordinary, but I really like this when put to the test. This thing grooves hard. In fact, its a banger! During the contest I inwardly knew I liked this more than I outwardly realized. I even voted for Solstice Title and Who Am I? over this, though I wouldn't anymore. Trying to think of what game(s) this reminds me of. I cant think of what it is, but it definitely sounds like something I know! It also has some appealing chords in here, for sure. I love the way theyre rhythmically laid out at the start, and I love those inverted nat-vi chords! Also, how the music goes up the octave at the end there at 0:09, YEEEAHHH!!! Drums really drive this thing. Also, the way it ends on the minor v chord is cool with a lot of emphasis on the flat 7th at 0:15 but especially how it adds those other synths as it glisses up to the note! Very stylish. Another similarly awesome chord at 0:21! Love how it goes into a surprise Dorian mode just a fraction of second before 0:31! And then it basically becomes a modulation to a new key. Yet another GREAT surprise chord at 0:52 kinda Dorian again. At 1:00 we hit the refrain, essentially, using some similar ideas playing around with that Dorian at certain spots, even though this is actually my least favorite part of it. More of those glisses at the ends of phrases here that are really cool, though! There are lots of soft things in the background that really add to the experience especiallythe whistling near the ends of some phrases. All in all, this track is a happy, energetic one and is a little bit cute, as well! It doesnt sound like the entrance to hell at all, what the hell!


---

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

In other words, Reset ~ Thank You is a loser no matter what.

88) maimai MiLK - Credits
https://youtu.be/5Z6gGfplhpk
Rating: 8.4/10 (Excellent)
Composer: Hiroshi Kawaguchi
VGMC History: VGMC 14 (Lost R2 to Dungeon - Geofront 4, then Lost R5 as a wildcard to, er, Dungeon - Geofront 4)
Favorite part: https://youtu.be/5Z6gGfplhpk?t=188

Can you fill a bottle up with Maimai MiLK for Link? I dunno, but even my least favorite R5+ track from VGMC XIV is still pretty good! It also happened to be the only wildcard to retire, even though it had possibly the easiest path to retirement of the sixteen retirees. Fun fact: I was going to vote Akeldama over Credits in round 4 because I like it more, but I ended up abstaining because I thought Credits was far more deserving of retiring. The match was close, so I didnt want to risk it. Now to talk about the actual music. How interesting it is. This might be the most hip-hop of any music on the list. It starts with some radio weather announcing on top of some buttery, somber electronic piano chords. Then it becomes more like hipoff with that beat coming in, okay, whatever. Then at 0:38 comes some mechanical stuff thats hard to describe. It sounds like. a conveyor belt or tape recorder or SOMETHING thats spinning really fast. Then it becomes the central ostinato of the whole track, how very interesting. But its cool! So very hippy and catchy. But they have actual pitches to them, too, also cool, and actually thats VERY important, imo. More radio announcing, but it goes WILD and twisted and warped. Funding for this program is made possible dah-you dah-you! 1:42 gets super rhythmic and off-beat focused honestly this part is pretty groovy! Piano comes back but its not the buttery chords like before :[, even though actually they do come back a bit later! 3:08 the ostinato comes back, but this time the piano gets mixed in, yummmm! False ending at 3:50, but then the music says hey the coolness is not over yet. It starts fragmenting the rap announcing, an artsy way to end it. I LOVE how the way the fast spinning things shuts off at the end, its my favorite thing of all! And then theres, uh, another drum hit? (Lets pretend that doesnt exist because if that was intended to be there, it RUINS the end) Overall, its really cool and artsy and original, but its not exactly my cup of tea, or at least, it didnt used to be. Its grown on me a lot. However, the more I listen to it the more I like it. Still, it makes me mad it had to beat Ar-ciel-ar-manaf, one of my favorite Exa Pico songs. :[

87) Ys: Memories of Celceta - False God of Causality
Series rank: 1 of 4
ELIMINATED: Ys
https://youtu.be/L4cC7CyaIm4
Composer: Yukihiro Jindo
Score: 8.4/10 (Excellent)
VGMC History: VGMC 8 (Lost R5 to White Devil)
Favorite Part: Dat intro!

Holy WOW, that intro. Its the best intro for a battle theme Ive ever heard! (oh, wait, actually no, but its up there for sure) WHAT KILLER-intense (literally? ) dissonant chords, and I love the pauses between them. Then you got these foreboding trumpet fanfares from way out in the distance (perfect fifth intervals), WOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW! Chimes on top of that, too! Talk about a premonition! This intros the hellish darkness of evil itself! Okay, time to continue. Yummy brass writing ( 0:18) leading into the main music. Im liking the horns tearing it up in the first main section..intense. (horns playing the tritone on the bII low brass chord at 0:24 sticks out to me) Got some spooky ascents after. Then the electric guitar gets added...yeah, it might be stereotypical for Ys music to set practically EVERYTHING to metal - for example, at 0:58- but I like the harsh electric guitar sounds juxtaposed against the rather mellow orchestral/choral sound here! Compositionally its not top tier here, through. At 1:50 you get more of the stuff like at the intro! (except not quite as intense, but I like the tapping) After that, you got a pretty nice concluding section that does its job chorus and trumpet (interesting surprise high note at 2:49), yay. At 2:58 the chorus isnt quite done, so they decide to really hammer an intense finale on you, and hey, some of those cool string chords (F, Ab, C, Eb,G, key of C). yeah. All in all, a very Ys-sounding battle theme. Overall, Im a little disappointed with the Ys retirees, though.

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

Reset the worst winner, huh? I ranked it 10th out of 14.

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