Board 8 > [VGMC] d93: G-O-S-U vs Kanata no Rafflesia, Endless Desert vs Megaraph Fleet

(+) Yeah! (+)

Yesterday's topic was posted at 10:08.

Links:
Contest info - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VNrPnFRI7nJ4PqFiURBW0NWqxvXiuasoq8Sn_O169ss/edit#gid=320804650
Bracket - http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=473292
Discussion and results thread - https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78714595
Bracket playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW9O9mntH1REnVI_W6yELaDP6Zac8b0Wq
ToC playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW9O9mntH1RE-TQMj19D0k5nm-0zeH12J
VGMC compability sheet - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lpX4faqnn_geI0y4i6MrZ2AXpV6SWXoWrIA6_eyx-yM/edit

Rules:
- Listen to both of the songs. Links have conveniently been provided for both songs. Even if Song A is your favorite of all-time and Song B is from a series you hate... Listen. To. Both. (If I have suspicions your vote is not based on a fair and impartial preference, it will be disqualified.)
- Obvious contest rules apply (no alts, one vote per person, no rallying, etc.).
- Please make your voting options clear, rather than burying them in text.
- Each set of matches lasts 24 hours, even if the new one isnt up by then. (Matches do not begin until at least 10:00 EDT.)
- Always vote on the versions of the song provided, not versions from different sources.
- If you know ahead of time that you're not going to be around and you want to vote in advance, post your choices in the discussion/bracket topic.
- Please do NOT post tallies/score updates in the middle of the match, as this has a tendency to directly influence matches.
- You don't have to vote in all the matches, but it'd be cool if you did!

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Match 1

Phantasy Star Online 2 - GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTBCuuojyos

REFLEC BEAT The Reflesia of Eternity - Kanata no Rafflesia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT-fjE66WNY

Match 2

Alto's Odyssey - An Endless Desert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia4CTx-Zi7o

Spark the Electric Jester - Megaraph Fleet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvA5kk3MQMI

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Easy vote form:
GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE / Kanata no Rafflesia
An Endless Desert / Megaraph Fleet

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REFLEC BEAT The Reflesia of Eternity - Kanata no Rafflesia
Spark the Electric Jester - Megaraph Fleet
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REFLEC BEAT The Reflesia of Eternity - Kanata no Rafflesia
Spark the Electric Jester - Megaraph Fleet

yep

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Kanata no Rafflesia
Megaraph Fleet
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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE (21st) vs Kanata no Rafflesia (52nd)
An Endless Desert (60th) vs Megaraph Fleet (50th)

today is very good!!! (saying that and one song is not in the bottom 16 of the top 64 wow

REFLEC BEAT The Reflesia of Eternity - Kanata no Rafflesia
Spark the Electric Jester - Megaraph Fleet

Kanata no Rafflesia > Megaraph Fleet > GOSU > An Endless Desert

GOSU
Desert

I feel like I should like both songs in the second match more much than I do. Another day where both match one songs are much better than either of the match two participants

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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

The best Bracket A set of R3 matches is this one!

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Kanata no Rafflesia
An Endless Desert

it is kind of surprising how much the Kanata song grew on me after set 1, though it's not like GOSU was a particularly strong song for me. Well I guess it -sort of- was in set 1 but it's fallen since then. I guess Megaraph technically grew on me a little bit too but not enough, which in a way is a shame because An Endless Desert isn't all that strong for me either. Honestly of the 8 different divisions the bracket is currently set up in for set 3, this is pretty easily the weakest "division" for me, as things won't get much better tomorrow either. But that's okay.

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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE (22nd) / Kanata no Rafflesia (4th)
An Endless Desert (51st) / Megaraph Fleet (NR)

Ughhhhhh. Can we just move on to B already?

That violin in GOSU is phenominal, but Rafflesia's pure unadulterated mood of " :D " is unmatched. The infectiously happy vocals on top of that beat alongside the piano bits that occasionally pop up in the background of the song are what makes the song work so god damn well for me.

GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

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Kanata no Rafflesia
Megaraph Fleet

Kanata no Rafflesia
Megaraph Fleet

totto I missed you

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Phantasy Star Online 2 - GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
Alto's Odyssey - An Endless Desert


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REFLEC BEAT The Reflesia of Eternity - Kanata no Rafflesia
Spark the Electric Jester - Megaraph Fleet

Match 1 closer than I expected today but the gap didn't close enough to keep me from voting for Kanata no Rafflesia. Megaraph Fleet continues to be too good.

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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

another "i like every song day" but g-o-s-u is another like level of intensity of perfection to my tastes that has been achieved by very few other songs. I may even say g-o-s-u is the most emotionally moved i get by any piece of music in existence; there's other music I "like more" for other reasons (including the 5 songs i ranked above this in vgmc), but nothing actually "feels as cool to listen to" in terms of emotion/atmosphere exuded as g-o-s-u to me, so that is a pretty big deal (note: this title is contested...by mostly other pso2 vol7-8 music also by hidekuni horita specifically lol). Just nothing touches horita's style of constantly outdoing himself with run-on melodic lines, emotionally intense startling unpredictable chord changes that make me float in the air at every twist and turn, excessively dense parallel harmonized 4ths/5ths stuff that sounds like VIDEO GAme music inside the forest computer, I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH THIS SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's just an unrelenting rollercoaster of things that go not quite where i expect or hope at every other second, instead they always go somewhere even better

the past few weeks I've been going through all 34+ hours of pso2's music finally, slowly; at this point i've listened to all of vol 1 & 4-8, most of 2-3, and most of what's out there of the new stuff that isn't with an ost release yet. I can safely say pso2 is without a doubt my favorite soundtrack now, sorry sonic shuffle you had a good run of half a decade of being my #1. Hidekuni Horita specifically is also in my top 3 vgm composers of all time for sure now (too bad he has so little confirmed music outside of pso2) and fukuyama and kobayashi are certainly even higher for me than before too. Great set of music that's more than large enough a catalogue to keep me busy and entertained for a long time to come.
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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
Megaraph Fleet

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Toxtricity posted...

I can safely say pso2 is without a doubt my favorite soundtrack now

hell yeah

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Raffle
Fleet
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Kanata no Rafflesia
Megaraph Fleet

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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

Kanata no Rafflesia
An Endless Desert

Kanata no Wafflesia
An Endless Desert

i'm a horrible traitor and i'm sorry
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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
Megaraph Fleet

GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
Megaraph Fleet
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Kanata no Rafflesia
An Endless Desert

Alto's Odyssey is a breath of fresh air after all the loudness in the last two days!

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22.Phantasy Star Online 2 - GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
vs.
3.REFLEC BEAT The Reflesia of Eternity - Kanata no Rafflesia

What I had:
Kanata no Rafflesia > GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE

A3 was a pretty solid division for me. Quite a few 8+s, plus my Bracket A winner!

I said yesterday that PSO music can be hard for me to get into due to all the different pieces moving around at once, but I really like G-O-S-U! That stringed instrument that makes up the bulk of the melody is very pleasant to listen to, and the song has a nice sense of progression. Everything feels very deliberate, which is something I really like in music. Parts of G-O-S-U remind me of the breaking news sections of Apostle's Maraud that I really like. It's a nice ride to go on.

Kanata no Rafflesia though, now this is a song that I can jump into and get lost in for days. What people see in Chloe, I see in this. It's so lovely, a lush soundscape of "world music" that blows a lot of other examples of the genre out of the water for me. The rhythmic percussion, particularly in the second half, works perfectly alongside the other instruments. KnR is such a happy/inspirational/little bit sad piece. I keep coming back to the word "lovely," and I struggle to think of a better word for it. I have such a smile on my face after listening to this. I have KnR winning Bracket A over Imbrium. No regrets!

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30.Alto's Odyssey - An Endless Desert
vs.
23.Spark the Electric Jester - Megaraph Fleet

What I had:
Battle Tower > Class:EXPAJA (wildcard)

I supported An Endless Desert and helped get it into the contest. I was very taken with its sparse, almost minimalist composition. Subsequent listens have dampened its effect though, and I haven't actually voted for it once! That said, I'm very happy to see it do so well, as it seems like sort of the opposite type of song that would succeed in a setting like this. It's very unique, and I'm all about the unique.

In contrast, Megaraph Fleet is more conventional, a fairly standard big-marching-band-and-guitar "final stage theme" type piece. But there's nothing inherently wrong with conventional! Megaraph Fleet knows what it is and wears it proudly. The only major surprise here - and this is, interestingly, probably the most divisive thing about it - is the vocals. I love the vocals - I think they add a level of both intensity and playfulness at the same time, which is impressive. I especially love the "do-do-do-do-do-yeh" at the end of the loop; something about that just gets me pumped up. Megaraph Fleet doesn't move me like other epic-type songs of its ilk, but it's engaging and enjoyable all the same.

...hmm. This is a tougher match than I originally thought. I think I'll be voting against my ratings and my bracket and finally casting a vote for Endless Desert. Feeling the Des' more than the 'raph today.

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Votes:
Kanata no Rafflesia
An Endless Desert

Kanata no Rafflesia
Megaraph Fleet
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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

My bracket has Kanata and Endless Desert. I'm fairly neutral on these matches, but I think I lean the other way today. This, by the way, completely screws hb, who thought he'd be cancelling my vote. Now the late crew will vote against him, too! Mwahaha!

GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
Megaraph Fleet

hbthebattle votes:
GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
Megaraph Fleet

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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

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Kanata no Rafflesia
Megaraph Fleet

Megaraph Fleet > Kanata no Rafflesia> An Endless Desert >> GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE

Kanata no Rafflesia
Megaraph Fleet
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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
Megaraph Fleet

While not as amazing as I saw it as upon first listen, GOSU is nice and powerful, and stays pretty consistently solid throughout. Kanata constantly swings between mostly just cheerful (I don't like) and adventurous (I like) for me, and so I really can't tell if I like it or not, lol.

Endless Desert is nice and like natural and emotional, some really nice moving parts here, though I will say it gets a bit too empty for my liking on occasion. Overall does what it is out to do really well though. Megaraph Fleet, well, was my submission, and it's power, sense of finality, and drive is still exactly what I look for, including yknow guitar over orchestral. I think I probably like both in match 2 more though now, not sure between Desert and GOSU.

GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

guerrant-ofenza-supront-unne - first encountered: pso2 vol 7 listenthrough around the time it released - trend: steady
-this is another one of those tracks where the opening is what I remember best about the track prior to revisiting it but the part I like the most is completely different (1:26). just a really cool progression. anyway people who like this track should check out pso2 vol 7 and 8 and really maybe the rest of it too!

kanata no rafflesia - first encountered: this vgmc - trend: up
-I remarked in round 1 that this reminds me of a yoko kanno/maaya sakamoto track. to be more specific-- parts of this remind me of escaflowne's OP, yakusoku wa iranai, except with more energy and pace (the strong 6/8 feel led by the piano, the major key feel with the minor chord changes). the 'verse' sections feel more like different kanno tracks (though nothing specific I can name right now). overaggresive electronic kick notwithstanding, I'm always a little surprised by how much I like this song. one day that reaction will wear off but not quite yet!

endless desert - first encountered: linked by Toxtricity during a KCF guessing game; later re-encountered while browsing Todd Baker's soundcloud - trend: slightly up
-I wrote very extensively about this in round 1. its extremely measured use of instruments and musical figures, in direct contrast with many other tracks that have made it this far, really resonates with me. it's a track without excess, that knows exactly where it wants to go, what it wants to evoke, and what to do to get there. (bucket zero candidate. I once called it 'echelon zero', because younger me thought 'echelon' was a cool word. they're just buckets of fairly arbitrary distinction. a category by any other name, etc.)

megaraph fleet - first encountered: bost5 - trend: slightly up
-when I first heard the bost5 set for spark this was by a pretty large margin the standout track for me. the vibe is backed up with some genuinely neat composition and solid arrangement. (that's the descriptor that keeps coming to mind when I hear this track-- it's real solid.)

REFLEC BEAT The Reflesia of Eternity - Kanata no Rafflesia
Spark the Electric Jester - Megaraph Fleet
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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE > Kanata no Rafflesia
An Endless Desert > Megaraph Fleet

i'll be very sad if these lose!!!
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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

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REFLEC BEAT The Reflesia of Eternity - Kanata no Rafflesia
Spark the Electric Jester - Megaraph Fleet

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GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE
An Endless Desert

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Kanata no Rafflesia
Megaraph Fleet