Board 8 > I rank 300 VGM (2024 edition) [ranking]

(+) Yeah! (+)

ELIMINATION 42/59: GavsEvans123
Average rating: 5.4
Average ranking: 4415
Your lucky song: Etrian Odyssey IV - Labyrinth V - Forgotten Capital
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZzU1Z2y5A0

ELIMINATION 41/59: Arti
Average rating: 6
Average ranking: 4033
Your lucky song: Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland - Dark Domain (LOL)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X21ig41AFe4

Thank you both for nominating!

I am slowly catching up with the list!

What is the deal with the lucky songs, may I ask?

Can I request in advance that I also get the song directly above my highest ranking song (my 'unlucky' song)?

funny that my lucky song is actually my own upload

sergiocornaga posted...

Can I request in advance that I also get the song directly above my highest ranking song (my 'unlucky' song)?

Sure!

Arti posted...

funny that my lucky song is actually my own upload

That's why I added LOL, yeah.

TOKAKU=ALMiRAJ is so many things at once. I really like things that are that way, even if I'm not a big fan of some of the things it is.

Similarly, whatever the heck Fake-Bangla is, I might like it? It appeals to me a bit less right now, but I can see it growing on me.

Spell Breaker is what orchestral stuff should sound like. Though it just makes me all the more mournful that PLvPW dropped the ball in so many ways. Love the trumpet + timpani hits.

Can it be, a day without writeups?!

Hey, five is better than zero, right?

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70/1949
@MaxGalactica
inMomentum - Kinetica
Gareth Coker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyDngP0bJwU

A very uplifting song. Coker is really light on his feet here, dancing around with this joyous melody. This is one of the happiest songs in the ranking, and like all happy things, it comes tinged with sadness, or at least melancholy. Its another song that exists for me at the boundary of two seemingly competing emotions. Very impressive effort.

69/1937
@Disillusion
Kirby Air Ride - Sky Sands
Shogo Sakai, Tadashi Ikegami, Jun Ishikawa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TL6CqvvEAM

Speaking of weirdly sad songs, Sky Sands (woo alliteration) is both sad and haunting. Nothing happy here! I dont know what the context is in the actual game, but Im picturing traveling through an abandoned city, or even an abandoned civilization. Kirby games often have these pieces that are super melancholy and achingly beautiful at the same time.

68/1930
MaxGalactica
ESC - Machbeats
Lena Raine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVmL3-jfmYk

Sorry for double drop This is Lena Raine as Ive never heard her before, in full glitch mode. Many listeners would probably find this repellent, with all the crackling and glitching. It feels like the electronic version of mouth noises on a vocal track, very up close and unpleasant. But I really like it! The whole song sounds intimate, despite its electronic origins.

67/1914
@Anagram
Your Turn to Die - Kaisou
Nankidai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXFxUglf7Ck

This is my favorite of the YTTD songs, or at least its the one that wound up ranked the highest I feel like these songs are a little interchangeable and dependent on my mood when I listen to them. But theyre all pretty great! This one has percussion that sounds like a clock, so naturally Id put it in first~

66/1902
@Haste_2
Theresa - that goat only respects one man
I uh think this is zan-zan-zawa-veia
https://youtu.be/DREhTriwdI8?si=WdWcgPLJDJg-VAnb

I really like everything about this one. The off-kilter melody, the off-putting synths, the squeaking, the factory-esque background shuffling, and especially the cut up vocal samples. This is a song with immense character. I feel like this could fit right in on the GiFTPiA soundtrack, which is a huge compliment! I think this game, whatever it might be, got into a BOST some years back and I didnt pay it much mind. Now I kind of regret that

ELIMINATION 40/59: Anagram
Average rating: 6.4
Average ranking: 3375
Your lucky song: Suikoden II - La Mia Tristezza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnm7jfD8BHo

Thank you for nominating!

Ah, yes... Theresa. I picked that goat because it did remind me of GiFTPiA a bit, actually. By the way, Icicle has grown on me a LOT the past few years...like, I would totally pick it over Break the Limit now. I do wonder if #343 in my new vgm rankings is a bit too low? The composer of one particular track in Theresa was stated to be aanaaanaaanaaana, but I can't say for sure if that composer did the whole soundtrack. The mod itself was apparently created by zan-zan-zawa-veia. I tried looking at the BOST5 nomination topic, but it seems to be missing stuff... like, I couldn't find the Theresa nomination at all, but I saw posts supporting it. This is the only one of the seven Theresa uploads (from BOST5) with any info at all on Theresa: https://youtu.be/ukALJT8AKG8?si=KhYCFxBRteePCG-O

@TunnelScene

that goat only respects one man remains one of my favorite VGM titles

kinetica is chill. Good chill.

why is my desert in japan??? These are just not desert sounds to me. They're almost Western-esque too, especially with the trumpets. Like something out of Wild Arms. And then we have some chanting. It's all cool and I don't mind it, but outside of the first 5 seconds this is not a "normal" desert theme and as an Arab-esque music aficionado I am kinda oddly disappointed.

Machbeats is incredibly not for me lol.

Kaisou is !!! The layers coming in and just not caring about each other and yet still somehow forming a cohesive whole is so cool. I just wish there were more than three layers, or that it were longer before looping, or something. It feels like there was so much potential here and it owns its 45 second loop but what if there were more.

I wish Theresa clicked for me. I don't know why it doesn't; it almost feels like it should but shrug.

65/1859
@tgs2
Friday Night Funkin' Vs. Ace - Noreaster
Kamex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WAkEqKhO3A

A super chill FNF song, way chiller than the other FNF noms for sure. I like the Ace songs Ive heard; Ace has nice vocals that mesh well with Boyfriends. The backing is also nicely downtempo. Unlike other fast-paced FNF songs, this feels less like a battle and more like a conversation. Why cant we just talk it out, everybody?

64/1840
@Isquen
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - Torvus Bog
Kenji Yamamoto
https://youtu.be/Eo_09MsIVno

Torvus Bog uses some of the niftier Metroid Prime sounds I can hear Tallon Overworld mixed in a few places. The song is mostly nice ambience combined with a few parts that legit give me chills. 2:15 is especially great with how it switches to a slightly different melody. More than most other nominations this is what Id call background music, but theres nothing wrong with that at all. Ive put this on a few times already as Ive done other things and its always enhanced the experience.

63/1815
@Snake5555555555
Resident Evil 4 - Regenerador
Shusaku Uchiyama, Misao Senbongi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x36KdrjIio4

Now we get into some spooky/evil horror ambience. I tend to like this stuff significantly more than the average person here! This is a super short song, just under a minute, but its very effective at conveying a mood. The dull clangs and panning create a sense of claustrophobia. There isnt any melody to speak of; the effect is dizzying, like something unknown and horrible could happen to you at any moment. Thats good horror ambience!

62/1795
DeviDoesNothing
Sonic Rush - Bomber Barbara
Hideki Naganuma
https://youtu.be/L4KIxqTYGGI

This is the only Sonic Rush nomination I didnt know before, and its quite the treat! Naganumas sample mastery is on full display; I dont know what any of the vocal clips are saying but they add an energy to the mix thats just off enough to make the rest of the song uneasy. This feels like the theme for a final stage of some sort.

61/1774
@Place
Gunmetal - Nataflbrqzka
Keith Gillard, Craig Joseph Huxtable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAxqE0Xp9Ok

This is in contention for weirdest song of the ranking. I said that before, sort of, but its true here too (more than one song can be in contention!). It starts out relatively conventional, with a funky groove, but there are these long stutters and a huge burst of feedback starting at 2:05. Then at 2:30 it completely changes! Now its like being played backwards or some shit. Then at 2:55 its totally different again. Now it fully embraces its weirdness. Theres overt glitchiness and high-pitched beeping and all sorts of things that the average listener might find unpleasant. All throughout Im kept on my toes, wondering whats going to happen next. Its an experience only a few songs have managed to simulate for me in this ranking, so even though its just shy of the top 60, I have to salute it.

ELIMINATION 39/59: tgs2
Average rating: 5.9
Average ranking: 3832
Your lucky song: Lunistice - Forest (Melancholy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ9XoO6G2Uk

ELIMINATION 38/59: Place
Average rating: 7.5
Average ranking: 2471
Your lucky song: Castlevania - Wicked Child
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byRbiPxNuA8

Thank you both for nominating!

edited in lucky songs

Noreaster is so sweet. It feels like two lovers cuddling together on a porch late at night, the one nervous and spilling his heart out and the other consoling him and insisting everything's going to be okay.

Barbara is an honorary bee song.

I really don't like some of the sounds in Natal. Especially since I am at work and currently wearing earbuds. Owwwww

I love Torvus Bog for hitting that sweet spot between ambience and melodious that can let you throw it on for an hour, have it cut out, and you wonder where the hour went.

I swear every Metroid Prime game has "that one song" like that.

60/1720
@Xtlm
Doom II - Running From Evil
Bobby Prince
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuHay9AIhPU

Eyyyyy a classic. Ive heard this before a bunch but never added it to my sheet. I love the build from the ominous bassline with the drums on the eighth note, to a bare-bones melody with some chords and a few twists and turns, then back to the bassline again, then to a big ol guitar solo. What a journey. I like this considerably more than At Dooms Gate.

59/1685
Revolver
Scarlet Nexus - Ensemble Curtain Call
Hayata Takeda, Masato Nakamura
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luaJe1K5Ma0

Its been a while since weve had a good evil laugh song. I am happy to provide you with this, which prominently features an evil laugh in the actual beat of the song. The song is very bouncy, very new jack swing. I do believe Rev found the perfect intersection of our taste, so good job to them for that . Side note: this is a song I had to relisten to all the way through during the writeup, thats how much I was enjoying it.

58/1677
@GameBopAdv
Die in the Dungeon - Be Queen
AFRODISIAQO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sskQo_LY824

The main melody feels pretty minimalist theres other stuff happening around it, such as what sounds like Velcro opening and closing, but the main sequence of slow, repeated notes is pretty minimalist. The song evokes very tactile sensations. Then it totally changes to something more fast-paced before turning back to the original pace. Fun song, would go on this journey again.

57/1676
DeviDoesNothing
Sonic Rush - Metal Scratchin'
Hideki Naganuma
https://youtu.be/oo9pylkO42w

Its been a while since weve had a good evil laugh song. I am happy to provide you with this, which prominently features an evil laugh in the actual beat of the song (2). This reminds me of the Naganuma classic Grace & Glory from Jet Set Radio: both are big, climactic songs, darker in presentation than his standard fare. Metal Scratchin also has a cute gerbil sound effect (or whatever that is), so thats a plus.

56/1666
@Not_an_Owl
Guilty Gear -Strive- - The Roar of the Spark
Daisuke Ishiwatari feat. NAOKI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLu9KQ5rWvs

This one went up from 6 to 8! Pretty impressive. The Roar of the Spark is a typically hot-blooded number by NAOKI, working his incomprehensible singing magic. The guitar solo in this is really neat. Not much to really say about this one except that hard rock songs like this can be very take-or-leave for me, so Im glad I meshed with this one!

ELIMINATION 37/59: Kopazzynth
Average rating: 6.4
Average ranking: 3464
Your lucky song: Yume Nikki - Haunted Forest World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNR4F5qyEFI

Thank you for nominating!

Last five for the night - sorry for all the writeups, I'll explain why after this!

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55/1613
@Disillusion
Rose Guns Days - Seedy Prayer
xaki
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7TjJb8ci8A

EVIL JAZZ lets go. That horn is cutting a wide swath of terror across the whole song, buffeted along by the drumwork. This doesnt quite feel like a live recording, yet everything works together to create a dense, oppressive sense of sound. I didnt realize this was xaki at first but I can hear some of his compositional hallmarks on closer notice.

54/1608
@Tked
ESPKetsuda - Stage 4
trap15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfOixtwcW2M

This is another qualifier for weirdest song in the ranking. My understanding is this is a mixture of the soundtracks for ESPGaluda and Ketsuibut that doesnt account for how off-key everything sounds. I honestly thought this was corrupted audio at first, and I still sort of think that. My initial note for this was turn off the alarm Mom, youre drunk, which I stand by. This song is an assault. I love that.

53/1582
@UF8
Karaoke JOYSOUND - Watashi Ronri
Kanzakiiori arr. HIdeki Ataka
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6wEJLnNxMs

I love this vtubers voice. Its very smoky. She sounds like shes just run up a flight of stairs! It melds perfectly with the rest of the song, which is another lonely/wistful vtuber experience (its even in the title). I enjoy the little bits of English she peppers (dont stop, lets go, baby youre number one). I think I genuinely enjoy the little genre of songs that sound like walking down a city street at night, alone, thinking about how Id rather be anywhere else, and nowhere else, at the same time.

52/1425
@handsomeboy2012
Old School Runescape - The Militia
Adam Bond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxdCXJxGwJ8

These Runescape songs were a nice surprise, particularly this one, which goes beyond the standard tinny MIDI sound (not that theres anything wrong with that) and coalesces into something a bit more epic sounding. A grand, sweeping melody, with flourishes like big timpani samples and string samples. The whole thing really comes together, particularly the end, with an extended outro. Really cool, thanks for sharing!

51/1395
@xx521xx
Bomberman Tournament - Dungeon
Koichi Seiyama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTMqmG6tr_c

Pretty simple melody, and a very effective use of the Game Boy Advance soundchip. Ive said before that GBA samples can be hit-or-miss for me, but this track nails it. Theres even gasp a key change that I didnt dislike (maybe because it comes in the middle of the loop and not at the end?). I always like discovering new Bomberman music, so this was a nice find.

ELIMINATION 36/59: handsomeboy2012
Average rating: 6.5
Average ranking: 3653
Your lucky song: Pinball Dreams - Light of Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dErnfo6eyew

ELIMINATION 35/59: xx521xx
Average rating: 7
Average ranking: 2969
Your lucky song: Ragnarok Online - Not So Far Away
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDkdyEWQY3U

Thank you both for nominating!

We have reached the top 50! Big congrats to everyone who made it this far!

First off: apologies if you think Ive been moving too fast in the topic. The whole reason for my speed is that Im going away for the rest of the week, and I wanted to leave off on a big, important number. The top 50 sounds better than the top 65. I wont be back until Sunday, so you all have plenty of time to catch up on the songs (playlist got buried but its here if you want it: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9FyX-bNcVjNDqgefrKF0BsrsFvAIzVp1). Feel free also to discuss, predict, commiserate, or hold out hope, in whatever order you see fit.

These are the top 50 songs from my 2024 VGM ranking topic:
The Disappearing of Gensokyo - Far Oriental Resonance
Alwa's Legacy - Rose Garden
Azur Lane - Inochi
Billie Bust Up! - A Million Gruesome Ways To Die
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk - GET ENUF
Bully - Art Class
Caves of Qud - Golgotha
Cyberpunk 2077 - You Shall Never Have To Forgive Me Again
Donk! The Samurai Duck - Main Title
Donkey Kong Country 2 - Forest Interlude
Feeble Light - Black Holes
Final Fantasy VII - The Chase
Friday Night Funkin' Tricky Mod - Expurgation
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Amiga) - Title Theme
Guwange - Underworld Cherry Blossoms
Hardcore Pinball - Retro Table
Heaven Burns Red - Tower of Memories
ICO - Castle in the Mist
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - Factory Inspection
Kirby's Dream Land 3 - Pop Star
Last Command - Judgement.exe
Left 4 Dead 2 - Swamp Fever Horde Theme
Lobotomy Corporation - Neutral03
Mad Rat Dead - MAD RAT, DIE
maimai DX BUDDiES - raputa
Mary Skelter 2 - Rave of Nightmare
Minecraft - The End
Napple Tale - The Snow Queen
Path of the Abyss - Lightning Strike - -
Path of the Abyss - Warcry - -
Phantasy Star Online 2 - BATALLURA
Pokemon Platinum - Battle Factory
Pork - Boss
Sakura no Uta - Tenkyuu no Shita no Kiseki
Shadows of Cairn - The Thief
Silent Hill 2 - Blank Fairy
Sonic Rush - Wrapped in Black
Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion - Splattack! (Octo)
Super Producers - Protocol
Tarot Mystery - What is Your Birthday
The Jackbox Party Pack 10 - Fixytext: Menu
The Medium - The Ruins
Tribal Hunter - Dance of Wind
Turbo Outrun (C64) - Intro Main Theme
Undertale - Core
Void Stranger - Voided
Wario Land 4 - Tomorrow's Blood Pressure
We Love Katamari - Beautiful Star
Who's Lila? - Steam Melody
Yoshi's New Island - Title Screen

This is everyone who still has skin in the game. If you want more specifics, check the spreadsheet.

3 songs:
azuarc
Collen
FL81
skulltrumpets

2 songs:
-hotdogturtle--
dowolf
Isquen
KecleonFan352
Prince46
Snake5555555555
Waveshine_2001
Xtlm

1 song:
-Chaos-Zero-
andylt
Bane_Of_Despair
bea
cakophon
DanKirby
DeadTaffer
DeviDoesNothing
Disillusion
failgirlema
Haste_2
JONA
loweffortmemes
MaxGalactica
Not_an_Owl
Paratroopa1
Prody_Parrot
Revolver
sergiocornaga
Tked
TunnelScene
UF8

-

Thanks for following along so far. See you in a few days!

One more bump before I leave.

woo top 50!

rwlh posted...

Donkey Kong Country 2 - Forest Interlude

Wow I'm very surprised this wasn't on your list already. It even retired in VGMC, didn't it?

rwlh posted...

Guilty Gear -Strive- - The Roar of the Spark

Fun fact - this is Ky Kiske's theme, and Ky being a longtime Guilty Gear character has had multiple other themes throughout the series, probably the most iconic of which is a tune called Holy Orders:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGetImTgyFA

Daisuke included a musical throwback between these two - the guitar riff that appears at 1:36 and 3:15 in Roar of the Spark comes directly from Holy Orders (first appearing at 0:16). To the best of my knowledge none of rest of the Strive soundtrack includes this sort of thematic link; it's just a fun little nod to the series's history.

Not_an_Owl posted...

Daisuke included a musical throwback between these two - the guitar riff that appears at 1:36 and 3:15 in Roar of the Spark comes directly from Holy Orders (first appearing at 0:16). To the best of my knowledge none of rest of the Strive soundtrack includes this sort of thematic link; it's just a fun little nod to the series's history.

Neat! It sounds more like Awe of She to me, but I can hear it if I listen carefully.

rwlh posted...

Neat! It sounds more like Awe of She to me, but I can hear it if I listen carefully.

this also likely is intentional - Dizzy, whose theme is Awe of She, married Ky.

Oh cool. I don't know anything about Guilty Gear lore.

Off I go, play nice while I'm gone!

rwlh posted...

Off I go, play nice while I'm gone!

rwlh isn't home; time to see where he hid the cookies and horde them all to myself hehehehe

Thanks for answering our question on discord, Tunnel!

Writeups will resume sometime in the next days. I will probably be posting fewer writeups per day from here on, so if you were put off from following along by the rapid pace, you may be in luck!

finally starting to catch up lol

and i'm out! i thought for sure cain's battle theme would end up placing even higher, and the comment about the crackly bit at the start tells me that at least i wasn't completely off-base. between that, ricochet, and vis:cracked, im gonna think more about melody when selling you on anything too noisy.

rwlh posted...

78/2013
...
MYUKKE.

oh, MYUKKE! you would like myukke. myukke is like celtic anime naganuma. iirc AIUEO-ON was nommed for a previous vgmc, so you've probably heard that, but in case you haven't it's
https://youtu.be/QtvkQvNrNsU?si=dtXQ8qCrxVOBiSc0

the main other myukke song that ive heard is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhIFWX9vFyc because cytus lol.

I love AI[UE]OON! It's nestled between 65th and 66th place in this ranking. I'll listen to the other song at some point (as usual bug me if I don't).

Welcome back! Much fewer writeups per day from here on out. Enjoy~

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50/1383
Revolver
Mary Skelter 2 - Rave of Nightmare
Toshimichi Isoe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBkbmFqYSZ4

Apparently this is some sort of meme song? I had no idea, but I also didnt pick up on the loli bait song either. Rave of Nightmare gets this high exclusively on these fucking disgusting bursts of glitch throughout the song. I swear one has to last at least ten seconds. Every time I listen Im just blown away by how they long and unpleasant they are. Im thrust into an immediate state of disarray as a result. I love that. The rest of the song iswell, who cares about the rest of the song when I have delicious evil, awful glitch to sink my teeth into

49/1295
@TunnelScene
Super Producers - Protocol
Hidenobu Otsuki
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7_iTlcNk4w

Ah yes, the legendary combination of factory noises and telephone noises. Both audio effects are put to good use in this song, which heavily uses industrial percussion and nifty drum work and pairs it along with some kind of dial-up modem sound. The piston sounds are especially effective. Instead of building to the loop point (actually Im not even sure if it loops, I think it does), its actually very consistent throughout. A nice collection of things I said I liked in music, very tailored to my taste.

48/1289
@skulltrumpets
Napple Tale - The Snow Queen
Yoko Kanno
https://youtu.be/l0WS1vR_K2w?si=ApZKpyK2kTcdBvYQ

And now for something completely different! With violins and castanets, Yoko Kanno makes her grand appearance on the stage. This feels like abolero? I guess? For a song called The Snow Queen, theres a lot of heat and warmth lush, open strings, a frisky guitar, and those pesky dancing castanets. I placed this one high partially on principle because its a song I just think is great even if Im less inclined to come back to it, but listening to it now it just feels good to listen to, which is what I mean by heat and warmth.

47/1286
@andylt
Final Fantasy VII - The Chase
Nobuo Uematsu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FYsl5sQj4I

Only andy took me up on the bait I laid out in the OP regarding Final Fantasy VII (fewer spreadsheet entries than Friday Night Funkin, and I got five of those!). The Chase is a song Id never heard before. I really like the FF7 sound; those warbly samples all throughout The Chase are a surefire crowd pleaser. The bells featured in other FF7 songs like Jenova Absolute (a 10!) also blend well with the tense atmosphere. Good stuff!

ELIMINATION 34/59: Revolver
Average rating: 6.8
Average ranking: 3155
Your lucky song: Contact - Free Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4swxdYb5u0

ELIMINATION 33/59: TunnelScene
Average rating: 7.5
Average ranking: 2420
Your lucky song: REFLEC BEAT groovin'!! - Avalon no oka
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrPoROVMuzE

ELIMINATION 32/59: andylt
Average rating: 6.7
Average ranking: 3568
Your lucky song: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - Alicorn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZbWHIPMjqM

Thank you all for nominating!

rwlh posted...

Only andy took me up on the bait I laid out in the OP regarding Final Fantasy VII

I gave you a Final Fantasy 1, which you had none of!

If you ever do this again I shall have to recommend five FF7 songs to get it up to Friday Night Funkin' level.

Thanks for the write-ups! I am still catching up on the list >_> I like that Ace Combat tune, though.

46/1263
@azuarc
Turbo Outrun (C64) - Intro Main Theme
Jeroen Tel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hi0LJ_cVQs

Clocking in at over eight minutes, this is partially an arrangement of the classic Magical Sound Shower from the original Outrun for arcades. Jeroen Tels version goes to magical places (no pun intended...maybe), using the original as a springboard for other musical ideas. 1:55 gives us a totally new melody, with C64-style wave and screeching tire sound effects and Tels Yeah! that also shows up in some of his other work. Theres some record scratching and then it shifts into this heavenly melody that evokes some of Martin Galways work. The whole thing feels very ahead of its time, at least by vgm standards.

45/1245
@UF8
Azur Lane - Inochi
Osamu Sena
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VQx0MtsvSQ

This song has a nice, soothing voice juxtaposed with a rock background. The singer is sweet but experienced; she knows secrets about life and she wants to communicate them. Maybe to you? If youll listen, sure. If not, no problem. I like the rock elements. Normally I can take or leave rock, especially in an animesque song like this, but here it works really well.

44/1215
@Bane_Of_Despair
Undertale - Core
Toby Fox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDuEWw648jo

One of the things I like about songs (vgm specifically) is when a song has force behind it, when you can feel the energy of the song pushing you in a direction. In Core, I get the sense that this is a story of climax and finality. I love how the second half of the song is basically the first half with more layers, which echoes the idea that youre growing and coming to a journey thats as much about personal growth as it is external growth.

43/1204
@Collen
The Jackbox Party Pack 10 - Fixytext: Menu
Kelly Shuda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuFlSrHPW7w

For a nine-minute-long ambient song, I dont really have a lot to say about this one. Some of the long stretches dont hold my interest as much, but then there are parts that are achingly beautiful; those are the parts stick out to me and justify the songs high placement. The song is pretty minimalist, with glitchy bits like stuttering and overly held notes. As with Torvus Bog, this is a great song to put on in the background and let your mind wander.

ELIMINATION 31/59: UF8
Average rating: 7.4
Average ranking: 2431
Your lucky song: Thousand Memories - Lord of the Returners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga1T4nEadUE

ELIMINATION 30/59: Bane_Of_Despair
Average rating: 6.9
Average ranking: 3172
Your lucky song: Chicory: A Colorful Tale - Wielder Temple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrBvPtVHxmU

Thank you both for nominating!

i like that my two songs with shibuya scramble visuals did the best here. clearly i should've considered doing this instead lmao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fad_0eQIlVo
granted i'm not sure if this is even in joysound

nice songs

rwlh posted...

And now for something completely different! With violins and castanets, Yoko Kanno makes her grand appearance on the stage. This feels like abolero? I guess? For a song called The Snow Queen, theres a lot of heat and warmth lush, open strings, a frisky guitar, and those pesky dancing castanets. I placed this one high partially on principle because its a song I just think is great even if Im less inclined to come back to it, but listening to it now it just feels good to listen to, which is what I mean by heat and warmth.

I kept wondering when this one would drop! This one out of all my nominations felt like it was more for "my sake". I will continue to nominate Kanno whenever applicable for "the meme". Though I admit the fact that some parts of it gave me "Zero" vibes was a deciding factor in choosing to nominate this one over so many of her other works. Great commentary!

Only andy took me up on the bait I laid out in the OP regarding Final Fantasy VII (fewer spreadsheet entries than Friday Night Funkin, and I got five of those!).

I'll be honest, if you opened nominations after Rebirth's release, I probably would have submitted Listen to the Cries of the Planet or Mako Reactor. Seeing how poorly Ghost House did, I probably should have taken the bait lol

One of the things I like about songs (vgm specifically) is when a song has force behind it, when you can feel the energy of the song pushing you in a direction. In Core, I get the sense that this is a story of climax and finality. I love how the second half of the song is basically the first half with more layers, which echoes the idea that youre growing and coming to a journey thats as much about personal growth as it is external growth.

First of all Bane you're a real G for submitting this one. This is one of my favourite vgm. And I really like your commentary rwlh, this very much expresses part of why I love this song too!

The Jackbox Party Pack 10 - Fixytext: Menu

I honestly didn't expect a 9 minute song from this game, let alone such a long ambient piece. This is what happens when all my experience with Jackbox involves healthy usage of Discord and Twitch ig.

I was digging rave of nightmare, and then it did... things. I don't like thinking my PC is crashing >_> I actually think I would've liked Protocol quite a bit more if I didn't hear it right after the Mary track.

Always fun to re-encounter a VGMC classic. My tastes have drifted away from Kanno over the years, but I still have good memories of it. It feels like a great song to just jam with in a quartet of friends.

INTEND YOUR PUNS YOU COWARD. <3 I wish C64 Outrun had started with new stuff rather than just as a crunchy version of the arcade, though.

"Kusaru" is such an interesting choice of words. The subtitles translate it as "tired" (the "I'll sing without getting tired" line) but it's really more like "decay," either in a mental (e.g. depression) or physical (e.g. rotting, crumbling, weathering) way. Honestly "rotting" is the word that first comes to mind in English. I might have done "No matter how much they hate/flame me (depending on the verse), I won't fall apart. I'll still be here, singing." But maybe actually saying "I won't rot away" would be best.

42/1183
@-hotdogturtle--
We Love Katamari - Beautiful Star
Yu Miyake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UABf1vJGTs8

A really lovely piece that evokes the feeling of being young and in love. Beautiful Star has hella accordion and knows how to use it. The song ambles along in bursts and spurts, ebbs and flows. The whole thing is just marvelous to listen to. Its the highest 8 and not any higher because I dont ever really want to listen to it? As with several of the lower rankings, I can really respect what a song does while still not retaining the urge to feature it in on my regular rotation. But when I do listen to it, its so evocative

hotdogturtle started a Katamari song ranking topic, so if you like this (presumably it will be on their list), check out the rest:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80733000

8.5/10

41/1172
@Waveshine_2001
Donkey Kong Country 2 - Forest Interlude
David Wise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5EgRk0mQM8

Our only retiree nomination is the first 8.5 out. An SNES classic, Forest Interlude has a stellar melody, excellent bass and drumming, and those blissful environmental effects. Its funny featuring this right after Beautiful Star, because I feel like those two songs are cut from similar cloth, but I very clearly favor Forest Interlude. Its not quite at the level of Stickerbush Symphony or Donkey Kong Rescued, quite possibly my favorite DKC2 track, but its still really, really damn satisfying to listen to. This is Donkey Kong Country at its mellowest and simultaneously most engaging.

40/1134
DeviDoesNothing
Sonic Rush - Wrapped in Black
Hideki Naganuma
https://youtu.be/MlCK5RWO54E

My favorite of the Sonic Rush nominations, and I guess my favorite from the game, since I think Ive now heard most if not all of it. Naganumas sampling combined with funk is at its zenith here, creating a whole world unto itself; here we see a master at the peak of his powers. Theres a reason this is the Sonic Rush song that keeps making the rounds (at least that I can see). DeviDoesNothing tried to metagame with my criteria. However, Naganuma alone isnt enough to win the list.

right?

39/1130
@Snake5555555555
Who's Lila? - Steam Melody
Garage Heathen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPT5aLLHPqg

This song is like the bizarro counterpart of the jazz club as seen in The Red Strings Club (#271). Where this song succeeds for me and that song didnt is the overall atmosphere. Steam Melody isnt content to exist in a jazz club. Its like a hell dimension jazz club, where everything feels off. The sax is off, the keyboard is off, the floaty, ethereal melody is off. Real uncanny valley stuff, yet this is the kind of music AI could truly never hope to replicate. What does a machine know of existential despair?

ELIMINATION 29/59: DeviDoesNothing
Average rating: 7.7
Average ranking: 2103
Your lucky song: Stonefly - Leaking Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyLoD3egO-I

Did you notice how one of the instruments is a backwards piano sound?

-hotdogturtle-- posted...

Did you notice how one of the instruments is a backwards piano sound?

Ooh, I did not notice that. That's really neat!

Wrapped in Black so good. I love that Naganuma swears up and down that it's strictly an ode to coffee, and that he wasn't aware of the context of the Malcolm X speech he sampled from.

To blathe. Two straw. To blathe. Two straw. To blathe. To straw, to straw, to straw.