LogFAQs > #941475485

47.Terraria Calamity - Scourge of the Universe
vs.
49.Raiden V - Apostle's Maraud

What I had:
King Noah > Tonitrus

Scourge of the Universe goes on a bit too long for my tastes. I don't necessarily mind long songs, but Scourge just sort of...does the same thing throughout its run. Even this wouldn't necessarily be a problem, but what it does isn't very interesting to me. It does pick up around 4:00, which I think is the loop point (there are lots of times in songs where a good loop point can really make a difference for me). Of the Calamity songs I've heard, the ones I like are Infestation and Outcast of the Sulpherous Seas; the others aren't really my thing. Also, why do so many of these Calamity songs have undulating worms in their videos?

Apostle's Maraud is tricky for me. I like the BREAKING NEWS WEEWOOWEEWOO segments but most of the rest is just sort of there. It reminds me of my reaction to some Phantasy Star Online songs, where there's a lot happening at once (instruments, melodies, etc.) and it's hard for me to grab onto any one particular aspect. I don't know why I react that way to certain songs and not others; maybe it has something to do with the lead instrument. At any rate, there are other parts of this song I like, like the melody after the WEEWOOWEEWOO breaking news, but there are also parts I'm not a fan of, like the parts after that, where the song moves around at breakneck speed. Again, normally this isn't an issue, but here it is, and I suspect it might be because I'm not in love with the lead instrument. That makes a big difference!

This isn't my least favorite match by the numbers, but it's up there! Voting here is tough. Both have elements I enjoy and elements I dislike. Thinking I'll pick Apostle's Maraud, as it has higher highs than Scourge of the Universe and is generally more interesting, even if I do get lost a bit along the way.

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26.Blue Reflection - TIGAR (All Phase Mix)
vs.
6.Neotokyo - Imbrium

What I had:
Imbrium (wildcard) > TIGAR (heyyyy!)

TIGAR has a lot to offer. I love the slow buildup to the frenetic EDM beat around 0:40, and then the plateau onto the quieter piano section around 1:00. Then the breakbeat kicks in again, and it's this nice interplay between the instruments and styles. This is easily my preferred Blue Reflection song of the two remaining: it flows and swells so nicely, and it really lifts me up as I listen. For being an "All Phase Mix" everything is pretty seamless! Oh and then there are strings that come in, and then there's a dubstep part that I don't like as much. Comparing this to my opinion of Apostle's Maraud is interesting because the songs probably do roughly the same amount of "stuff," but I like TIGAR much more probably because it feels more varied. Apostle's Maraud is more melodically and rhythmically complex, whereas TIGAR is more "instrumentally complex" (is that a thing? Sure why not), and that generally appeals to me more. Honestly if I had to rerank everything again, TIGAR might get even higher. It's real good.

...and yet I'm still not voting for it! When I nominated Imbrium, it was a result of my dismay at seeing Scrap I/O get nominated again. Looking at VGMC history, there have been three Neotokyo entrants, and Scrap I/O always seems to get in, and I don't know why. I nominated one of my favorites from the soundtrack and I was very pleased that it got in! And I was extra pleased Imbrium won the wildcard, especially given its rough draw in round 1. Imbrium is just a delight to listen to. Somber, but with these dark "New Super Mario Bros. going through a goth phase" "ba"s noises that pop out of the song and do really nifty audio panning. The piece is very atmospheric; there is very little melody, yet I wouldn't call it sparse, as there's a lot to sink into, from the backing violin to the rapid-fire percussion to the big synth chords. Imbrium is one of my three remaining nominations and I hope it goes far! (That said, I have it eventually losing to a totally different song. I wonder what that could be...?)

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Votes:
Apostle's Maraud
Imbrium