SuperNiceDog
10/07/22 11:24:00 PM
#201 | rwlh posted... 16. Umineko: When They Cry - Question Arcs | hope
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83AKXyvMSHA
VGMC4 winner
Total ranking score: 549
Average ranking: 10.76
Standard deviation: 4.68
First place votes: 2 (Chaeix, ZaziGuado)
Last place votes: 11 (deo, DragonImps, Haste, KCF, Prince46, sergio, skulltrumpet, Snake5, SSBM_Guy, Ulti, vaati000) (tied for most last place votes)
1st quartile votes: 8
2nd quartile votes: 7
3rd quartile votes: 13
4th quartile votes: 23
Haste (16/16): Ah, new age pretty piano music! (actually I dont know what to call it) My family loves this kind of stuff. That kind of music can be nice if Im in the right mood, but it all kind of sounds the same so I dont tend to seek out music like that. Anyway, my favorite part is the delicate beginning: the water-drop piano chords, growing synth pads, and what sounds like a mix of harpsichord and bells. The piano chords that mix I and IV (at various spots) are pretty nice. I think the main hook of the music is the two musical lines in counterpoint - one voice is mostly the melody, but the other adds bits of pieces of melody, as well. Pretty simple stuff, but it works.
vaati000 (16/16): I wish I could win GameFAQs Video Game Music Contests by typing "video game soft piano radio" into Spotify and posting the first four-chord diddling that shows up
Pablo Smith (14/16): 5.5/10
A few years back when RTVGM was still active I remember getting into a joke conversation about what ratio of Umineko music was actually good. About 1/3rd of all Umineko tracks are good. A majority of the tracks I wasn't huge on were songs like hope. I get it, you need these more emotional songs every now and then to set the mood for a scene but hope just doesn't do anything for me. It sounds nice and calming, and the seagulls are a nice touch too but that's it really. It it memorable? Yeah I guess, I definitely remember this being an Umineko song, but unlike other memorable Umineko songs I can't remember any impactful moments where this track plays. Maybe I'll remember an impactful moment where this song played in my dreams tonight.
rwlh (12/16): 8/10
#1038
tags: caw, caw
Hope is a lovely song. Soft but strong, calm but invigorating. Everyone loves a good piano piece, right?
dowolf (10/16): This song says "Come what may, we're going to find a way through it." There are days when I need to hear that. The seagulls/umineko crying at the very end is a brilliant touch.
loweffortmemes (10/16): As iconic as Hope is as a motif found all throughout Umineko's soundtrack, it's still a bit amusing to me that of all the Umineko songs that have gone on to retire, Hope is one of the two that became a champion. Not that I mind at all though! Hope is a great song that brings a calming and relaxing mood. Aside from really energetic songs like Final Answer, I think some of dai's best work is on these kinds of emotional (by this, I mean conveying emotion generally) piano tracks.
azuarc (9/16): I remember in the days where I ran Best OST, which is a double elimination contest, and Hope was seen as one of the big anchor songs for Umineko. And then it lost. TWICE. Umineko literally got eliminated because Hope wasn't good enough to compete with its competition. I could hardly say it's not a good song, because I can certainly appreciate a pretty piano song, and the music box-esque vibe carries the tune surprisingly well. Hope is great background music for chill listening, but it's hard to place it very high on a list where I'm actively listening, and also simultaneously waiting to get to the next track to evaluate that one, too. As such, I predict it's going to struggle to escape the bottom three even though there's nothing I dislike about it.
Hb (9/16): :). Thats it, thats my thoughts on this song. It just makes me smile. Please dont get last.
Janus (9/16): Not much to say about this song, but I've always had a soft spot for sadvnpiano.mp3
Waveshine (8/16): This is a very beautiful piano piece. The irksome seagull cries at the end ruin it a little (yes, I know umineko is supposed to mean seagull, but that doesnt change the fact that I dont like those noises at the end) and prevent this piece from being A tier (9+), but its still great overall. Rating: 8.4 (like it a lot)
Andylt (6/16): My first thoughts were 'oh sadpiano.mp3, cool I guess'. But the more I listen to this one the more I like it, it's an emotionally resonant piece that doesn't overreach or overcomplicate and there's really nothing to fault it for.
tazzyboyishere (6/16): This is a weird winner. Umineko has so many more complex and engaging songs, it just feels a little odd that the board settled on the mellow piano piece. I mean, its a really fucking good mellow piano piece but still. Wild to me that dreamenddischarger didnt win. Hope is great and dai is really good at creating pretty piano songs. Good representation of what he can offer for sure.
pyresword (3/16): Ok so I really feel the need to defend this song for whatever reason. Or at least explain why I personally love it as much as I do. Two things I believe about music are that music is about expressing something, and also that expressing an idea with something simple is more praiseworthy than expressing an idea with something complex. From that point of view I think this song is an absolute A+. The title is short and to-the-point but feels profound, and the composition of the piece seems almost perfectly fit to that idea. The harmonies are mournful and sad which gives the listener a sense of catharsis. In contrast, the driving rhythm of the piece makes it feels like it's never dwelling on the present and is always looking forward to the next melodic phrase. A lot of people probably associate this with low performance/recording quality, but I especially love how you can practically hear the pianist slamming their hands on the keys in the second half. Makes it feel very raw and emotionally charged. Anyways yes I love this song. Very straightforward and yet very compelling and effective. AW man I liked Hope A lot... --- Azuarc is the 2020 Guru GOTD 2 Contest Champion! |