LogFAQs > #950107573

16) Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;
Series ranking: 2 of 6
https://youtu.be/2AqaNl0pd38
Composer: Morrigan
Other credits: Noriko Mitose (lycrics and vocals)
Prelim score: 9.6/10
Score: 9.5/10 (Phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 9 (Lost R1), VGMC 13 (CHAMPION)
Favorite Part: 3:59 - 5:01

Oh, man, I cant believe this lost R1 its first time around. Now THIS is contemporary/edgy music! What utter craziness more crazy than any other retiree, probably? I wont be so great at explaining how it sounds, but whatever. It moves from one theme to another some are just wild, others more sane but still not normal in the way it's carried out Barbaric, glitchy, world music, odd note choices, MEGA contrasting of style and tonality this has it all, pretty much.

In the first section, you got that wild chant singing with very overt dissonances, and radio static kind of glitching things out. Then you got a wild atonal violin (+low string support) that does whatever she wants, and then some MEAN diminished chords, and then it ends on a more tonal note (hello thar, upward gliss). It moves into a more expressive melody (excellent acoustic guitar), and then its supposed to move on to another pretty section at 0:47 but then suddenly GLIIIIIIIITCH! Is the devil growling there? It sounds like something TERRIBLE just happened XD

You got a stark contrast between the chanting and the pure voices (what intriguing chords). Crazy drums and bass use. Then everything cuts out except the chants, then BAM BAM BAM chantings back again, but we get a new theme. It leads in nicely to that pretty theme that was cut off earlier , which finally sees the light of day. (were now at 1:44) 2:02 is a lot of fun we got the asymmetrically bouncy +4/8. Vocal chords are nice and thick. You got two different vocal sections going off each other for a while, cool. Awesome violin melody to accompany it. Weird barbaric sounds in the background. Add electric bass just because. 2:45 welcomes traditional tonality again. Very nice.

Then CRAZY GLITCH+STATIC. Now we get a new Persian theme. It has a groovy beat to it, and the violin gets totally into the style. It glitches again and keeps the same theme going, but now we got these strange conversations going on in the background wild voices GALORE, the electric guitars goes into their own WILD world, and then a music box (I especially love THIS) of all things gets added to it. UTTER CHAOS. Then everything drops out and we got that pretty theme again all by itself it was as if it was all a dream! Seriously, this moment is just amazing, ESPECIALLY WITH HEADPHONES (surround sound)!!!! :) :) :)

But then we get an icy/watery glitch again to remind us, erm, the music is NOT a dream. We get a repeat of the 7/4 theme again. At 5:45 the music finally tells us things are about to end with a well-balanced electric tonic note (w/ only a 9th added), mmmmmmm!!! You get those vocals like before but then you got that FANTASTIC violin flourish at 5:54. I love how that fits in with that chord YESYESYES. Finally ends with more of those insane chants, and then everything falls out out except for the chants again, just like before, which in turn kind of switches off.,....

6) Caravan Stories - Lauraras Dance
Ranking among Retirees: 15.5
https://youtu.be/NPOO2zcyy90
Nominator: @kaonashi1 (supporters: cakophon, Toxtricity)
Composer: Rikako Watanabe
Score: 9.5/10 (Phenomenal)
Favorite part: 0:21 - 0:24, https://youtu.be/NPOO2zcyy90?t=20
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (LOST R1 to Full Base)

Ah, another group of nominators that I can relate to! Sounds like some kind of area with enemies, out in nature somewhere. Nice combination of double-reeds and low strings very relaxing. Drop-dead gorgeous, too. So very engaging harmonically and rhythmically. Kind of hard to talk about, too sometimes when I try to discuss complex music I end up rambling on and on trying to gain a better understanding of it Oh, hey, heres yet another entrant that lost the first round! (Full Base is pretty awesome, though)

Accordion part is nice how it doesnt fit the meter Im really loving the use of the 7/16 meter (most of the time in the first half), 6/16, 10/16, 18/16 seriously all kinds of meters! Stuff like this really helps the music come ALIVE! And yet the music manages to be incredibly delicate at the same time. In fact, theres very few VGM on the PLANET that does that aspect better than this track does.

I especially like what the melody does rhythmically around 0:09 - 0:11 (3+3+4 subdivision is great there! Also, great final chord thereII9 chord aka 1st/major 3rd/sharp 9?)) and 0:21 - 0:24, also, xylophone usage!!! The general string rhythmic idea is great, too, with the break in the middle of it. The harmonies are SO GOOD, too...very complex, difficult for me to analyze without slowing it down (it seems that way for MOST Caravan Stories music)PLUS the harmonic rhythm is great, too. The tonal center can clearly be heard in the first main section, But the melody alters the scales notes a lot I like when it flattens the 7th!Plus, the harmonies never really make a clear tonic chord.you could say the beginning revolves around a fourths-based tonic with more dissonant passing-harmonies between them. Interesting how the bass does a lot of chromatic motion (Kind of like PERCY GRAINGER! :), while the strings move mostly whole-step wise. Oh, hey, something specific I can make sense of: transposed chord samples at 0:44! (root, 3rd, major 7th)... and the way theyre used to modulate is cool, too! Finally, later of the loop we get some STANDARD harmonies for once! It gets completely stable for a while. The motif from the start gets used by the piano and other instruments toward the end there is a nice touch and finishes it off on an unstable note again.

(sorry I just dont feel motivated to make this write-up better)

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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."