Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 4! Synapse/UtopiaShelter, Purna/GiveItAShot, VendMachine/WindScene

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 17, an annual celebration of the best of the best video game music according to the voters!

Important Links:
Bracket: https://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=477304
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SAJKYJmYhccLvbf_H-5uSA7-eMwXfW8k1q74Qho1bLU
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80433657
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0wlcxj-kHQRU1yHo-kpMxGe
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes
VGMC total stats sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K1XdLWiUKB2kX99qYBgnRbLU_sCz4dvZSByKKJHCT6o
Discord: https://discord.gg/WDvMS4a

Rules:
- Listen to both songs in a given match, at least through the loop time provided (to make sure you don't skip before you've heard the whole thing!)
- Please consider the loop point listed when judging the song; if a video loops one minute 5 times, don't treat it as if it's a repetitive 5 minute song
- If it's a match between your favorite song ever and a song you despise, still LISTEN TO BOTH! Votes can and will be disqualified if there is suspicion songs are not being listened to, and you may be discounted for the rest of the contest for repeat offenses.
- No alt accounts, no rallying or begging, etc., etc.... You only get one vote! Swapping votes is alright, just make clear that you've already made a vote and are swapping.
- Make clear what your voting options are! Please keep votes separate from any comments, and use the titles given in the topic post.
- Voting in all matches is not mandatory, feel free to skip matches you do not wish to vote in.
- Vote based on the links provided, and not other sources of audio. Links are specifically chosen for best quality and the like.
- Don't discuss vote tallies in this thread, or in other threads, as they may influence votes. Likewise, please refrain from looking at the running tally before voting.

Voting Period:
- Today's matches will last 24 hours from the time of posting, or 24 hours from 10pm Eastern, whichever is the later time.
- Please note this may mean that two topics will be active at the same time!
- If you anticipate being unable to vote in a given day, please send an absentee vote to @banshiryuu, or post your absentee vote in the discussion thread!

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Match 1

Deus Ex - The Synapse - Ambient
Composer: Alexander Brandon
Loop Point: 2:16
https://youtu.be/SA19x8bzTC8

Spark the Electric Jester 3 - Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Composer: Tudd
Loop Point: 5:07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

All this time I thought it was Puma....

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

With big apologies to Wind Scene, but the swagger of The Stupendium is too contagious, and that can pun can-demonium really twirls my ears.

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

Utopia Shelter
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

Rudest R1 match of the bracket award goes to match 1. Sheeesh. Also hi Wind Scene. Great six pack of songs.

Utopia Shelter >= Wan Chai > Wind Scene > Vending Machine of Love >= Purna = Give it a Shot

1. ???
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
7. ???
8. Mortal Kombat (Sega CD) - Techno Syndrome
9. ???
10. Spark the Electric Jester 3 - Utopia Shelter ~ In the Depths
11. ???
12. ???
13. Deus Ex - The Synapse - Ambient
14. ???
15. ???
16. ???
17. ???
18. ???
19. Chrono Trigger - Yearnings of the Wind
20. ???
21. ???
22. ???
23. ???
24. ???
25. ???
26. ???
27. ???
28. ???
29. Galactic Pinball - MOONMAN'S Fandango
30. ???

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

All 6 songs today are things I'd consider supporting.

The Synapse - Ambient
Give it a Shot
Yearnings of the Wind

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind GOD THIS HURTS WHY WOULD YOU PUT THIS AGAINST VENDING MACHINE OF LOVE. I LOVE THAT TRACK BUT IT COULD NEVER LIVE UP TO THE MAGNIFICENCE OF YEARNING OF THE WIND

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/8/7/AARWb-AAEevX.png
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/8/8/AARWb-AAEevY.png
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/8/9/AARWb-AAEevZ.png

Deus Ex - The Synapse - Ambient
She and the Light Bearer - Purna
Chrono Trigger - Yearnings of the Wind

Ambient
Purna
wind

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Give it a Shot
Vending Machine of Love

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

The Synapse - Ambient
Give it a Shot
Yearnings of the Wind

Ambient
Puma
Yearnings of the Wind

I would love to live in a city where this is "ambience." Or maybe not; cyberpunk worlds are traditionally dystopian. Doesn't really do it for me, but I like the aesthetic.

In the frozen depths of the heart? In the depths of tomorrow? In the depths of my soul? In the depths of 20k leagues under the sea? In the depths of 20k leagues under the sea but you're going sideways, not downwards? In the depths of despair? In the depths of how did I come to this? In the depths of I need to get out from under this boss? In the depths of this getting dark fast? In the dep of ths? In the depths of one of the things I prefer in this tournament is that we usually don't pair similar songs together so why am I in ambient techno hell? In the depths of you didn't need an 11 minute video for this? In the depths of this is a hate crime? In the depths of looping a 5 minute song isn't a hate crime? In the depths of well I hated it a lot? In the depths of what makes something like Electric Power Building incredible is that it electronically builds up to something powerful? In the depths of yes I know that's not where the name of the song comes from I don't care? In the depths of MADE IT TO THE LOOP POINT WE DONE HERE.

There's a girl. She's sitting on the beach, rocking back and forth. You don't know why. You go over, you sit down next to her. Don't say anything, just sit. And together, you remember what once was. You remember what always will be, so long as you still draw breath. So long as the story is told. So long as the sun keeps coming up tomorrow. You know it will. It's just easy to forget that, sometimes, easy for you both. So you remind her, as she's reminded you so many times before. Eventually you walk back, hand in hand, the knowledge that you're not supposed to smile right now warring against the electricity from her fingertips until finally the electricity wins and you see it's won over her too and everything is whole again.

I gave it a shot. But it's hard to follow something absolutely magical and transcendent, and this is... not a replacement level platformer level theme, it's better than that. It's honestly something I could learn to love. Kinda hungers for another instrument though, maybe vocals, maybe something else. But "close to greatness" doesn't cut it in this matchup, sorry.

Rap is fun. Musically, this isn't exceptionally exciting. Lyrically, it makes me smile. But it's also kind of cringy? I realize it's on purpose but I dunno. I had more words here but they were dumb.

We have traveled to the past / The teleporter broke, so / now we have been left to roam. We're wandering the woods. And searching for a portal. Maybe it will take us to our homes? <--Dowolf's Official Unofficial Lyrics to Yearnings of Wind Scene, Part 1

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

< P0's Top 16 >
9.3 (1 left):
9.1 (1 left):
8.9 (1 left):
8.8 (1 left):
8.7 (0 left): Purna
8.4 (2 left):
8.3 (4 left):
8.2 (4 left):
8.1 (1 left):

This was my favourite "discovery" from my search for potential nominations! That chord at 4:48 hits me in the soul, it's introduced earlier in the song but the extra weight gives it such a different feeling (my half-trained ear is telling me B7sus2). Please enjoy my silly phone recording: https://vocaroo.com/18zwDAVVF2nZ

Try translating the Indonesian in Google or DeepL, you'll get some really wonderful lyrics! (add https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache: before the URL if you can't highlight) https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Pathetic-Experience-feat-Masdito-Bachtiar-Christabel-Annora/Purna-feat-Christabel-Annora
And if you liked it but felt it was too long, the in-game version is only half the length https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wPgBXw6P_E

Hope people enjoy it, this was supposed to be my Crocus of this year sooooo it works if you ignore Crocus being on the other side of A

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

Deus Ex - The Synapse - Ambient
Give it a Shot
Yearnings of the Wind

Deus Ex - The Synapse - Ambient
She and the Light Bearer - Purna
Chrono Trigger - Yearnings of the Wind

The Synapse - Ambient [ ]
Utopia Shelter - In the Depths []
Purna []
Give It a Shot [=]
Vending Machine of Love [X X]
Yearnings of the Wind [=]

Man, I do not get the appeal of Wind Scene? It kinda hurts to listen to even, which is probably rich coming from someone who happily doubled on CrazyBus. I'll still take it over whatever that soda sex thing is.

The Synapse - Ambient
Give it a Shot
Vending Machine of Love

A guilty pleasure is still a pleasure

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

It's so friggin' cheesy though D:

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

man i was so prepared to vote for vending machine but the wind melody hit particularly hard this time, so powerful (plus vending machine's second half is noticably less funny than its first)

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

The songs in the first match feel very similar. Not really into Vending Machine but CT songs always miss with me.

Deus Ex - The Synapse - Ambient
She and the Light Bearer - Purna
Chrono Trigger - Wind Scene

The Synapse - Ambient
Give it a Shot
Yearnings of the Wind

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

Spark the Electric Jester 3 - Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
She and the Light Bearer - Purna
Chrono Trigger - Yearnings of the Wind

the ds version of yearnings of the wind sounds... kinda rough lol

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

The Synapse (Hong Kong Streets): The pentatonic melodies on this one are pretty neat. I'm a fan of the general soundscape of this one too. Especially the lead synth and the percussion samples. Good song.

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths: The production level on this one is so good. Excellent usage of panning in the mix and the synths are really cool. The loop is a bit on the long side, but I still like it enough for it to get my vote. Close match though.

Purna: This was one of my favorite discoveries during noms. The bass and guitar work are so good, and the vocals are just lovely. The percussion around the 3 minute mark is really good as well. It's a long song, but it's worth the journey. Lots of variation so it never feels stale. Great song.

GIVE IT A SHOT: Massive whiplash. The guitar and synth work on this one are pretty cool. The rhythms at 1:12 are nice. Fun song.

Vending Machine of Love: Catchy melody, and the instrumental is pretty detailed too. Fairly clever lyricism as well. Not a lot else to say on this one.

Yearnings of the Wind/Wind Scene: I highly suggest switching the link to the SNES version if this song moves on. It's a nice melody, but this one never really stood out to me much. The composition and the instrumental don't really do anything to interest me unfortunately. It's not a bad song though, just kinda there.

Good day. Match 1 was especially hard to decide on.

Votes:
Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

The Synapse - Ambient
Give it a Shot
Yearnings of the Wind

Deus Ex sweep

Yearnings of the Wind > The Synapse - Ambient > Utopia Shelter - In the Depths > Vending Machine of Love > Give it a Shot > Purna

The Synapse - Ambient
Give it a Shot
Yearnings of the Wind

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

Utopia Shelter - In the Depths
Give it a Shot
Yearnings of the Wind

Synapse has a delightful faux Asian feel to it. Utopia has a bit more going on that I like, though I prefer the more lively Spark songs.

Purna kinda reminds me of Nier or CC music, though not as interesting. Give it a Shot isn't quite a top tier MMX song, but it's a lot of fun regardless.

Vending Machine kinda tries I guess? Could be worse. It's not good though. Why is it not called Wind Scene here? So confusing...

Yearnings of the Wind > Give it a Shot = Utopia Shelter - In the Depths > The Synapse - Ambient > Purna > Vending Machine of Love /

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

The Synapse i guess
Give it a Shot
Vending Machine of Love

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Yearnings of the Wind

Synapse is super chill, I really like it. Depths is neat too in a similar way, Spark 3's tracks got rough bracket placement this contest.
Give it a Shot has all the ingredients of something I'd be fond of but I'm sadly not feeling it. Purna's strings alone are enough to win it for me, it's pleasant all around though.
Wind is one of the CT tracks I fully understand the high praise for. Vending is amusing enough.

The Synapse - Ambient
Purna
Vending Machine of Love

utopia shelter has a rough draw. i feel positively about it, but the synapse being catchy as it is as won me over.

give it a shot is a song i don't feel strongly about, while purna does not feel its length whatsoever. easy vote here.

i like yearnings of the wind well enough, but vending machine of love is so catchy and fun. sometimes music exists just to have a good laugh and if i am wrong for having this opinion, i don't want to be right.

Ambient
Purna
Love

The Synapse - Ambient
Give it a Shot
Vending Machine of Love

Match 3 hurts...

Deus Ex - The Synapse - Ambient
She and the Light Bearer - Purna
Chrono Trigger - Wind Scene

Day 4 woooow beezy day today

Utopia shelter
Purna
Vending machine of love