Board 8 > Raetsel ranks 631 songs. [Rankings]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Not doing too bad so far.

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I've only lost songs I don't care about besides one I knew would do badly

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20/22 at 50 or above? I'll take that, especially since the two down are kind of as much album filler as they are anything.

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@Snake5555555555 Sex & Stardust is super cool! Nice find.

rwlh posted...

@Snake5555555555 Sex & Stardust is super cool! Nice find.

Awesome, glad you liked it! I was obsessed with it when it came out last year.

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Raetsel_Lapin posted...

UF8 & BlackDra90n still have all of their songs in play.

Really didn't expect this.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

Bring Me the Horizon - Live at Royal Albert Hall ... still have all of their songs in play; so well done to those four albums.

I did expect this though. Such a good one.


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Raetsel_Lapin posted...

UF8 & BlackDra90n still have all of their songs in play.

i see how it is

dragon was the only one that beat me last time (average score/ranking wise) iirc, but i can't say i expected the second part of that saga to play out here

I would still have all of mine in play if I didn't accidentally give Raetsel a song they already had a documented negative opinion on, so whoops.

Two of my four I was most concerned are out, and genuinely surprised they lasted as long as they did. ...Two of my instrumentals still being in are still surprisin', too, one of them being because of it's length. ...Not sure how the rest'll go, either ^_^''

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Raetsel_Lapin posted...

I believe Mamomos album (Uncles Forest in the Neighborhood if Google Translate is to be believed and I copied the right text), Bring Me the Horizon - Live at Royal Albert Hall, Poppy - I Disagree (More), and Linkin Park - Meteora still have all of their songs in play; so well done to those four albums.

I almost only just nominated one song from the Mamomo album, but I saw there was an option to nominate a whole album and figured "hey these are all pretty cool why not", glad I made that choice!

Actually surprised only one of my songs is out already!

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A quick addendum: I forgot that Frums vignette album has not had a song eliminated thus far. Honestly, I have a hard time remembering which of their songs is from which album and tend to think of them as one long, 26 song album instead of two separate ones. My apologies; that makes five albums with all of their songs in play.

Also all Exactly 50 Point songs are tied with each other. If I had enough of an opinion to properly arrange them, they would not all be in the Neutrality range.


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472 [TIE]: EVERY TIME I DIE - SATURNALIA:

https://open.spotify.com/track/3SizBpy0fkvyjGIJrg7iGY

Nominator: Bane (25/28)
Source: From Parts Unknown (13/14)

Initial Score: 51.00 [#383]
Revised Score: 50.00 [#425]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: Another very sleep-inducing song, I almost rolled off the bed listening to this as its so hard to remain sitting up while listening to it...)

As Ive said before, things that go too hard on intense action bore me so completely that I blank out entirely. This is legitimately the most sleep inducing song I have ever encountered. My eyes shut from the first note and it is a very real struggle to retain any level of consciousness at all, to say nothing of actually focusing on the song.

Its a shame because I actually quite like most of the lyrics on this one. Its like theres an absolutely fantastic song here, but it is being performed in the absolute worst way possible for me and I just literally cannot focus on this enough to have an opinion beyond Zzzzz.

[Final Thoughts: Well, if I want something to put me to sleep, I cant find much better than this song. Just trying to keep my eyes open enough to read the lyrics is a bit of a challenge. I need to do something to try to wake back up after this song each time because its just so, so... *flomps over*]

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472 [TIE]: CHELSEA GRIN - BLEEDING SUN:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy4dURJeQHc

Nominator: @BlackDra90n (21/21)
Source: BlackDra90ns extra songs (7/7)

Initial Score: 50.64 [#395]
Revised Score: 49.77 [#443]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: Good messages, but Im not sure incomprehensibly screaming is the best way to deliver them. </.<)

I know Ive criticized Every Time I Die for being too shouty, but I can usually at least decipher that Buckley is saying words. If Im not looking directly at some lyrics, Im lucky to make out one or two words during the entire song. And I think I appreciate the idea of wholesome deathcore, but I kinda doubt this is the genre for me.

[Final Thoughts: I keep going from slightly like to slightly dislike on this track, so I think Im going to leave it at the Exactly 50 point mark for now. Its always right in that area, never fluctuating a full point in any direction.]

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472 [TIE]: PIANO OPERA - TROIAN BEAUTY:

https://open.spotify.com/track/1x7Z3MSmtps59tpVW9iQo8

Nominator: Haste_2 (15/19)
Source:: PIano Opera Final Fantasy IV/V/VI (8/12)

Initial Score: 75.00 [#66]
Revised Score: 53.20 [#391]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: Pretty song, vast improvement over the original and DS versions. Id say Piano Opera > DS > SNES, though I dont feel like assigning scores to the game versions right now. Lets just enjoy this song and leave it at that.)

DID YOU KNOW: Spotify calls this song Trojan Beauty?

Im not sure why I was so into this the first time, but Im not really into any version of this song tonight. I guess the SNES version would be preferable, but thats just the bias in favor of 16-bit soundchips talking rather than a legitimate commentary on song quality. This version is kinda pretty, but doesnt do enough to make itself stand out or become beautiful.

[Final Thoughts: I dont know why, but I find my opinion on this song drops considerably each time. It started out as something I liked a lot, then something I kinda liked, and now were all the way down to neutrality as the song continues tumbling down the list.]

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472 [TIE]: LENA RAINE - LITTLE GOTH:

https://radicaldreamland.bandcamp.com/track/little-goth

Nominator: MetalmindStats (18/28)
Source: Celeste Soundtrack (14/21)

Initial Score: 28.72 [#543]
Revised Score: 21.99 [#573]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: Not a bad piano song, but not particularly memorable.)

Its just a slow, forgettable piano song. It arguably should have a higher score because its not actively bad, but its so unremarkable as to not really be worth talking about.

At least its a full length song?

....okay if I cant even get to 50 words on a writeup, Im just going to use shuffle to pick one of my most listened to songs on Spotify at random and talk about it for a few minutes:

THE BIG HOUSE:

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

Hey, this was written by one half of Flight of the Conchords! I think I knew that at one point, but its been so long since the movie came out that I forgot about it. Neat!

....Its harder to talk about this song than I expected. I like it, obviously, but its a comedy song and those are rather subjective experiences. And I imagine by now that if anyone wanted to see The Muppets Most Wanted, they would have, and would already have made up their minds on the soundtrack.

I briefly considered nominating this song at Johnbobs villain song topic, but the wardens not really enough of a villain for that to have worked. I could have nominated one of Constantines songs, but who would ever want to nominate one of those?

[Final Thoughts: ...In retrospect, openly praising Flight of the Conchords when they have a nominated song that hasnt dropped yet was probably not the best decision.

Back on topic, I think this song is the textbook definition of a 50 point song. Its alright. Never makes me think of anything or ever really stands out, but its alright. You can also tell that this song was moved pretty far up the list from its original spot, as this was one of the very first to get a random song thrown into its writeup.]

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472 [TIE]: LENA RAINE - GOLDEN:

https://radicaldreamland.bandcamp.com/track/golden

Nominator: MetalmindStats (17/28)
Source: Celeste (13/21)

Initial Score: 50.00 [#406]
Revised Score: 50.00 [#425]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: Im conflicted here. Im sure this was great in game and I kinda like it & kinda dislike it, to a point where I feel like dropping it anywhere in the 20~60 point range would be fair. The intro is very slow and it takes too long for the song to build up, but it does make the song more impactful when it does go places. For now lets...say the parts I like & the parts I dislike cancel each other out, so it winds up at 50 points? Close enough for a first impression at any rate.)

I think Im sticking with my first impression of 50 points. I like ambient tracks, but this is one of those that never brings any specific images to mind. Its interesting enough to hold my attention for the whole 8 minutes, but not impactful enough to leave an impression and a neutral score feels like the only appropriate one.

[Final Thoughts: I stand by my earlier impressions. The song does improve drastically at the end, but its not quite good enough for how long it takes to really get going.]

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472 [TIE]: PSO2 - SUPERLUMINAL ~ RUSH ~ ESCA FALZ MOTHER:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBOwm4PcmwY&list=PLeKaE-gusMmaq2FecWApCcMOVGJblcdrD&index=21

Nominator: NFUN (27/37)

Initial Score: 36.22 [#521]
Revised Score: 46.14 [#476]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: Wheres the rush? It should be faster; and more dramatic; and longer; and more fear-inducing; and more cacophonic.)

Id just like more everything from this song. Its decent, but doesnt make me think of anything specific or elicit any type of reaction.

If I have to try to picture this song playing anywhere... it sounds like a power-up theme from a kart Racing game. Like if there was a Phantasy Star character in All Stars Racing and they used their All Star power, the music would temporarily change to this theme. Its a temporary power boost racing song, not a....whatever this is supposed to be song, unless PSO2 involves a racing sequencelets not pretend I actually know what PSO is, other than action RPG that Im still bitter at for being action and destroying the turn-based RPG series it came from.

[Not-Quite-Final Thoughts: Not great, but not bad. Think Ill go ahead and let this move up to the Exactly 50 Point tier.]

[Final Thoughts: One of those songs that has jumped up a whole tier each trip through the list, so thats nifty.]

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It is a temporary power boost racing song

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Wait, my rambling thoughts were actually relevant for once? That...doesnt happen.



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472 [TIE]: THE WEEKND - THURSDAY:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4fiYSa6ln7h0scprgNEs0g

Nominator: Player_0 (16/30)

Initial Score: 46.00 [#470]
Revised Score: 48.67 [#453]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: ...Well, its....not torture.)

This song is okay. Its still a long way from being good and loaded with repetitive lyrics that I do not care for, but if we truly had to have a song about him being with a different girl every night of the week, then this is as tolerable a song as we could ever get from the premise.

...On the plus side, were almost to the 50 point tier for songs! Its been a long road, but very soon well get to songs I like territory and therell even be some songs from Trilogy left.

[Final Thoughts: Moving this song up to exactly 50 points feels comical after that writeup, but I think it makes sense. Im quite neutral to this song; its...competent and unobjectionable enough that I dont really mind it, but Im not finding anything I like enough to get it into a positive tier.]

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472 [TIE]: THE WEEKND - THE PARTY & THE AFTER PARTY:

https://open.spotify.com/track/0dcf0L6F1LUA1nE2zWH4J2

Nominator: Player_0 (15/30)

Initial Score: 0 [#587]
Revised Score: 25.99 [#565]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: Can I just have every song on this album tie for last place and be free from it? I dont want to do this anymore.)

If I did put every song onto a randomizer, I think it certainly wouldve benefited The Weeknd. Trying to get through several of these types of songs in a row was not a good idea. With a bit of distance, I can see that this song is... well, still a long way from what I want to listen to, but not the worst thing imaginable.

[Not-Quite-Final Thoughts: A bit long and I still dont like it, but its not bad. I dont think I mind listening to it. Up to the 40s?]

[Final Thoughts: Eh, exactly 50 points. I feel completely ambivalent about this track tonight.]

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Hmm, I didn't expect Chelsea Grin to be the first on my list to get eliminated. So much for having all songs in play though haha.

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472 [TIE]: EPIC BATTLE FANTASY 3 - DIVINE MADNESS:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_B6cjSk8kp4

Nominator: Shonen_Bat (7/27)
Source: Shonens Extra Songs (7/7)

Initial Score: 51.73 [#356]
Revised Score: 50.00 [#425]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: Another song that is fine, but unremarkable.)

*looks at game title*

*looks at song title*

...Like, we all know what my reaction to this is, right? Its fine for this type of song, but its a type of song that I have no interest in & which happens to be vastly overrepresented this topic in the first place. To be fair, its not this songs fault and there werent too many BATTLE MUSICS when it was nominated, but wow I am seriously burned out on this type of song now.

[Final Thoughts: Well, I dont dislike it and the choir certainly elevates it above most battle themes. Its just still not my type of thing though.]

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472 [TIE]: TOOL - LIPAN CONJURING:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8r5rnamdaI&list=OLAK5uy_l7KrE4YuWhZsfCdXlLJERHyk4YlwydukA&index=6

Nominator: Steiner (16/26)
Source: 10,000 Days (10/11)

Initial Score: 50.00 [#406]
Revised Score: 50.00 [#425]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: Well... I guess Im grateful to have experienced it, but not so grateful that Id say I actually liked it.)

I could give it a few more points: Its unique, I think its the only Native American related song to get nominated, and I appreciate songs that are unlike anything thats ever been nominated at any of my other topics.

I could give it fewer points: With all the debate about how the Lipan Apache would never allow their words (and especially a song) to be recorded and the very real possibility that this is just Bill doing a fake Native American chant, theres a chance this is complete garbage.

Lets just split the difference, say Im done trying to study this song, and leave it in the land of absolute neutrality.

[Final Thoughts: Yeah, 50 points works. Its where the song started before I tried to look anything up about it and where it remained afterwards.]

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472 [TIE]: THE EIGHTFOLD ROAD - VICTORS HOLLOW, JEWEL OF THE FOREST:

https://familyjules7x.bandcamp.com/track/victors-hollow-jewel-of-the-forest

Nominator: The_Mighty_KELP (23/32)

Initial Score: 51.04 [#376]
Revised Score: 50.00 [#425]
Final Score: 50.00 [#472]

(First Thoughts: Going to have this tie with The Cliftlands for now.)

Not the worst song on the album, but one that I have absolutely no reaction to. I guess I liked it a bit on the first listen, but now, I have nothing.

[Todays space filling song takes us to pinball music]

Creature From the Black Lagoon - Game Over:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nQi61c0Az0

The machine featured five versions of 50s hits for the main game, but the Game Over theme is allegedly an original creation thats just done in the style of 50s doo-wop music. It sounds an awful lot like Earth Angel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJcGi4-n_Yw

But not exactly. It also sounds a bit like Paul Ankas song Diana:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPw5WiABUOA

...which I do not like. I havent heard Diana in a long, long time and Id be quite happy to not hear it again.

>Aaanywho, back to the pinball song: Ive always rather enjoyed that one. It sounds so close to being a song I know well, but its just off enough to be an original experience, and its quite nifty.

[Final Thoughts: Victors Hollow is a perfectly fine song and has some decent guitar playing, doesnt really go for the whole overly metal trap that a lot of the album falls into, but I cant point to anything that I really like either. Its neat, but not neat enough to go up to the next level.]

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DING!

Now leaving the Pit of Neutrality.

Finally, after all this time, weve officially reached the level of songs that I have positive feelings towards. Weve still got a long way to go before we reach the 60 points tier of unconditional like, but were at least into positive values.
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Nice, I'll take only losing 4 songs so far

Although damn can't say I've ever heard an opinion about wanting to fall asleep to an ETID song lol

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471: PIANO OPERA - HOME, SWEET HOME:

https://open.spotify.com/track/6y29JSKEVxWwf4QuCiGEtd

Nominator: Haste_2 (14/19)
Source: Piano Opera Final Fantasy IV/V/VI (7/12)

Initial Score: 64.00 [#182]
Revised Score: 50.00 [#425]
Final Score: 50.05 [#471]

(First Thoughts: Song is relaxing in a good way. It doesnt make me think of anything, but its nice and I like it a fair amount.)

Regrettably, I do not find the song relaxing tonight, which removes the only positive thing it had going for it.

On the plus side, this is not the original version because I quite strongly dislike itprobably 20 something points. This song improves it enough to at least be completely neutral on and the original score proves that sometimes I might be in the mood for it.

[Final Thoughts: Well, I guess I do like this a bit. It never inspires any specific feelings or emotions, but its nice enough that I kinda enjoyed listening to it.

Also, yes, all three of my reactions are quite different. Make of that what you will.]

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470: FRUMS - MEMORYFACTORY.LZH:

https://frums.bandcamp.com/track/memoryfactory-lzh-2

Nominator: cakophon (25/26)
Source: vignette (20/20)

Initial Score: 57.31 [#287]
Revised Score: 51.45 [#416]
Final Score: 50.10 [#470]

(First Thoughts: Ehhh.... that is the kind of vocal skipping I usually love, but Im not clicking with this song tonight.)

Yeah, this song still just isnt working for me. Im not entirely sure why as it definitely feels like my sort of song, but I never make a connection with it or have any point in the song that I can point to as something I actually like. Its just like oh hey, its doing that stuff I like, neat I guess??

Credits was so overwhelming that I kinda just melted into a puddle of goo in a weird trance and it was so wonderful... this song never feels overwhelming. I wouldnt say it feels like a normal music track, but its certainly not overwhelming chaos. Its just a little weird.

[Final Thoughts: I do appreciate how unique the song is and I really want to go distorted vocal skipping, TAKE ALL OF THE POINTS BECAUSE YOU HAVE WON FOREVER NOW, but I...dont think I actually like this that much. It feels like something Im obligated to give a high score to and its good, but not quite something I want at the moment.]

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469: TOUHOU 11 - SATORI MAIDEN ~ 3RD EYE:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=12AHLzW4kks

Nominator: Shonen_Bat (6/27)
Source: Shonen_Bat Extra Songs (6/7)

Initial Score: 50.00 [#406]
Revised Score: 50.00 [#425]
Final Score: 50.13 [#469]

(First Thoughts: There are a lot of songs I feel like giving exact 50s to. This is one of them.)

I always thought Touhou music was hit or miss, but this song found a way to make me feel nothing. I guess thats impressive in its own way.

[Its time once again for: talking about unrelated songs to fill space!]

Tekken 2 - Be In The Mirror:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkKAbEmjPa8

One of many songs that Ive come close to nominating at the VGM rating topic, but never pulled the trigger on. Its got a very sad sound to it and is not at all what I would expect for the theme to a fighting games final boss. But its not a song I love (Id probably only give it somewhere between 7 & 8 points at the ranking topic) and I doubt itd inspire much discussion or interesting ratings, so its always felt like itd be a waste of a nomination.

Of course its a waste to talk about it here, too...

[Not-Quite-Final Thoughts: I guess I like this a little bit, so it can go up slightly to the low 50s.]

[Final Thoughts: I suppose its battle themes in general that have a hard time getting high scores from me, not just RPG related ones. Which makes sense, but I never really gave any thought to it until right now.

Other than that, I cant find anything beyond the usual song is fine, but doesnt make me think of anything writeup thats going to be incredibly common for the next... however long this tier goes on for.]

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468: MAZEDUDE - ZOMBIES ATE MY TRACKER:

https://mazedude.bandcamp.com/track/zombies-ate-my-tracker

Nominator: sergiocornaga (12/18)

Initial Score: 53.07 [#332]
Revised Score: 51.10 [#421]
Final Score: 50.16 [#468]

(First Thoughts: I like the sounds used to create the music, but Im not as into it as I probably should be.)

Good concept: I like the idea of him revisiting his earlier styles and seeing how far hes come as an artist.

Good sounds: I like low-quality samples, so this does seem to be my type of thing.

But when I ask myself if I actually like it, I can only answer with something noncommittal like I guess?. It just never fully clicks for me; possibly because Ive never had any interests in Zombies Ate My Neighbors from a game or soundtrack standpoint, so I have no particular thoughts on the song hes trying to remix? Or...some other reason, I dunno.

[Final Thoughts: I still dont get why I dont like this more than I do. Its a great idea, it just...never gets beyond the low 50s.]

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467: CHIP TANAKA - PLASMA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4bd0kAkKlo

Nominator: @Toxtricity / Mycro (14/15)

Initial Score: 61.48 [#209]
Revised Score: 50.89 [#424]
Final Score: 50.19 [#467]

(First Thoughts: Nifty.)

Kupo....

...its certainly strange, but Im not feeling anything from it tonight...

[I need a break from all these songs Im supposed to listen to, so lets find something random and bring back the talk about a random song feature!

...okay from your perspective thats been happening constantly, but from my perspective its been days since Ive typed one up.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DIxwagq1kc

......Perhaps I should try finding songs I have something to say about instead of making the most arbitrary selections possible.

[Final Thoughts: Well, thats not a very random pick. Id already picked songs from pinball table I know from Pinball Arcade and licensed pinball game, so song from a licensed pinball table I know from Pinball Arcade is not arbitrary in the least. Lets find something actually random... well arbitrarily pick a foreign language (lets try Italian), scroll through Google results, and click one without looking at the title:

Andrea Bocelli & Ariana Grande - E Piu Ti Penso:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8SYtmvEI9U

Pretty song. Not really my thing, but I cant fault anything about it. Also, it doesnt feel like a random pickAriana Grande had at least one high scoring song last year (I think it was more than that, but I cant be positive without looking back at the list) and Bocelli has worked with Placido Domingo before and I talk about Placido often enough that this still feels exactly like the type of song Id be talking about... but I suppose that doesnt matter.

Back to Plasma: I can find surprisingly little that I want to say about it. Its different enough that I like it, but I have no real response to it.]

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466: BUG FABLES - MOTHIVAS GRAND STAND!:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G9mY227DoJY

Nominator: Shonen_Bat (5/27)
Source: Shonen Bats Extra Songs (5/7)

Initial Score: 65.79 [#164]
Revised Score: 47.68 [#462]
Final Score: 50.21 [#466]

(First Thoughts: A very well done boss battle theme.)

Im surprised I was so generous to this song originally. Traditionally battle themes dont do well with with me and I can find no reason this would be an exception. Its very...forgettable and not something Id ever recall, in or out of context. I dont hate it because Im just completely incapable of caring about it in the first place.

Apparently I liked this the first time around, so... I dont know.

[Not-Quite-Final Thoughts: I dont know, I dont dislike it this time around... maybe exactly 50 points? I guess Ill move it there and figure it out later.]

[Final Thoughts: Well, I slightly like it this time, which results in this song landing somewhere in the early 50s.

...of course this means the song has wound up on a different tier each time I listened to it, so I cant say I have any confidence in its score remaining consistent. Ask me in a few days and itd probably start bouncing around the list again.]

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465: PSO2 - SACRED CORRIDOR PROBE ~ INNER EARTH:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvADdNsIIg8&list=PLeKaE-gusMmaq2FecWApCcMOVGJblcdrD&index=27

Nominator: NFUN (26/37)

Initial Score: 52.13 [#349]
Revised Score: 51.31 [#418]
Final Score: 50.24 [#465]

(First Thoughts: [insert generic noncommittal praise here])

Nine and a half minutes of adequacy. It feels like an acceptable final dungeon (or penultimate dungeon, possibly) theme. Time to use our very high level characters to run through the whatever and stab whoever needs to be stabbed type song. Which is fine. I have some amount of like for it.

[Final Thoughts: Well if the high 40s were overwhelmingly adequate, I guess this is slightly above adequacy? Sure. Well go with that.]

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464: PSO2 - NEON NIGHTS ~ THE EARTH (BATTLE):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRweU1FPCQI&list=PLeKaE-gusMmaq2FecWApCcMOVGJblcdrD&index=8

Nominator: NFUN (25/37)

Initial Score: 54.371 [#314]
Revised Score: 51.17 [#420]
Final Score: 50.27 [#464]

(First Thoughts: Honestly, same reaction as Neon Days Earth Scenery; Not bad, but no moments really stood out. Though it is.a slight improvement.)

Changed my mind, like Neon Days Scenery more now.

So many songs on this soundtrack feel like kart racing songs to me: for this track, all I imagine is Casino Park from Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed. This song fits that level so much more than the actual Casino Park track does.

[Final Thoughts: Its a great racing theme and probably should be a bit higher on the list than it is, but I find that I prefer all the other upcoming songs more than it which... makes it a tad impossible to actually move it up any further.]

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haha i actually predicted right that plasma would be my lowest ranked in the main ranking i guess (tho i guessed it'd be aversion to a really pulsing beat, which you actually didn't mention at all!)
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Cant say I ever actually noticed the beat on Plasmaat least not to a problematic level.

Aaanywho, two more songs for the night:

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463: FRUMS - SWALLOW SMOKE:

https://frums.bandcamp.com/track/swallow-smoke-2

Nominator: cakophon (24/26)
Source: vignette (19/20)

Initial Score: 80.18 [#40]
Revised Score: 51.52 [#415]
Final Score: 50.30 [#463]

(First Thoughts: Like mdrqnxtagon, only slightly better.)

Well, I wouldnt say I dislike the song, but Im bouncing hard off of this track tonight. Its a very chaotic song, which I tend to love, but tonight is just feel cacophonic banging noises that are giving me a massive headache. Which I still kinda like, but its just barely avoiding being dropped down to the 40s.

[Final Thoughts: Im sorry, Im just not as into these types of songs as I was two years ago. I know there was a time I would have been ecstatic for this song, but right now, its...good but a bit too harsh.]

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462: TOOL - THIRD EYE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51fcG3sxvII&list=OLAK5uy_k_Z0-DYw0_cGPvZm6icNUGbefRT4wktdY&index=15

Nominator: Steiner (15/26)
Source: Aenima (6/15)

Initial Score: 52.16 [#347]
Revised Score: 51.94 [#409]
Final Score: 50.32 [#462]

(First Thoughts: This is the kind-of spiritual song I can get behind, but i still find most songs on this album more tedious than anything else. Much drum, very shout, such repeat lyrics, wow.)

Per usual for the Aenima album, Im far more into this song before Maynard starts singing. A variety of vocal samples taken out of context? Heavily distorted guitars creating a very surreal ambiance? I am so there! And then Maynard starts singing and the song loses, like, twenty points off the score because this song jumps off a cliff at that point and never recovers.

If anything, this song feels like an endless downhill spiral. It starts off fantastic and just gets slightly worse with each section. Never bad or low enough to drop the score below the low 50s and there are some good lyrics mixed in... but it never lives up to the potential indicated by that opening.

[Final Thoughts: Thats an overly harsh way to put it, but I stand by it.]

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Raetsel_Lapin posted...

A variety of vocal samples taken out of context?

Those samples are from the great Bill Hicks, brilliant stand-up comedian.

i love be in the mirror (as well as the tekken 2 soundtrack as a whole)!

---

the Neon songs, Race Through El Dorado (obviously), and Superluminal all have a racing theme in their gameplay to them. Neon Nights Battle is my first painful loss

---

Yeah, I at least try looking up some information on each songthough as weve already seen that doesnt often go welland Bill Hicks name comes up a lot on the Aenima album. Largely on Third Eye (which has some samples of him) and Aenema (Arizona Bay is a direct reference to one of his routines, or so Ive been led to believe); I dont know anything about Bill other than the references from this album though, so Ive largely steered away from talking about him because learning about him and developing an opinion on him would probably take more time than I want to spend right now.

(Also because I have an oft-stated fondness for spoken word sections and samples divorced from their context, I suspect you could replace Bills routine with just about any dialogue and itd still push the same buttons for me.)



Good to know someones at least reading the names of the random songs Im postingproves that its not completely pointless. Only, like, 90% pointless. </.<



I should probably praise the PSO2 composer more than I do, its so....rare for my ramblings to be relevant to anything that its impressive they successfully conveyed some gameplay elements through the music.

...It doesnt really make me like the songs any more than I did, but its definitely impressive.



==============

461: LENA RAINE - MY DEAREST FRIENDS:

https://radicaldreamland.bandcamp.com/track/my-dearest-friends

Nominator: Metalmind_Stats (16/28)
Source: Celeste (12/21)

Initial Score: 70.018 [#135]
Revised Score: 51.59 [#414]
Final Score: 50.34 [#461]

(First Thoughts: I like this.)

Another one of those many songs that I really liked at first, but feel nothing towards the second time around. Its a simple and peaceful track that is definitely very welcome after lots of platforming challenges, but is less interesting by itself without any context.

To be fair, sometimes I want something very tranquil like this song (see: the original score), but not something I want tonight which makes me like it only the slightest amount.

[Final Thoughts: Again, Im sorry. I know that this is a good track and I know why I liked it originally, but I find myself enjoying every other remaining song more... so again, I think this is about as far as the song can go right now.]

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================

460: OSAMU KAWAKAMI - GATLING CARAPACES:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vjurAtz2Pw

Nominator: @Toxtricity / Mycro (13/15)

Initial Score: 61.42 [#210]
Revised Score: 51.38 [#417]
Final Score: 50.36 [#460]

(First Thoughts: Its different, but Im not sure how much I really enjoy it.)

I feel that original score might have been a typo as that is definitely a low-50s writeup.

The description says something about this being a remix of various songs? Perhaps it would be more interesting if I knew anything about the 16 other things mentioned, but I doubt I could easily look them up if I tried.

[Final Thoughts: Now this is something I wish Id sent to rwlhs topic as I have the feeling hed have a far more interesting take on it.]

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===============

459: EVERY TIME I DIE - STARVE AN ARTIST, COVER YOUR TRASH:

https://open.spotify.com/track/6i9Z2WK8RNt0NVijiLue2Q

Nominator: Bane (24/28)
Source: Ex Lives (12/14)

Initial Score: 50.68 [#393]
Revised Score: 51.80 [#411]
Final Score: 50.38 [#459]

(First Thoughts: Avant-guardian angel is a clever line.)

Kupo-po-po...

There are some decent lines herelike usual, Ill always praise his lyrical abilitybut theyre not his best lyrics & I dont have any particular connection to them. Without a connection to the lyrics, its a bit hard to deal with how loud the song is and the overly aggressive drumming... its good enough that I do still like it, but its definitely on the low end of songs I like.

...also, Im not actually removing points for it, but Im pretty sure ending the song (and the album) with a belch didnt exactly help the score any...

[Final Thoughts: A bit too loud. I wouldnt go so far as to call it headache inducing, but I cant find any lyrics that I love enough to get past my usual I wish this was less harsh reaction.]

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---

===============

458: MAMOMO - (Sea Breeze Island) [mamomo #2]

[NOTE: Unable to decide how to list mamomos songs I elected for the actual name, the Google Translated name, and the track number which is largely how I kept track of which songs was which.]

https://s-mamomo.bandcamp.com/track/--46

Nominator: @FL81 (19/20)
Source: mamomo album (13/13)

Initial Score: 64.12 [#180]
Revised Score: 52.43 [#402]
Final Score: 50.40 [#458]

(First Thoughts: Not bad, but not super interesting either.)

Please stay on the line. Your call is very important to us.

I still like it, but its a rare misfire for this mostly stellar album andas usualIm not sure why this was originally so far up the list. This just feels like an endlessly waiting theme which never really goes anywhere.

*rereads that*

...okay, so I probably shouldnt be implying this album has multiple high scores, but its rather hard to talk about how disappointing this song is in comparison to the album without making certain implications and I have way too many writeups to spend the effort carefully skirting around certain topics.

[Final Thoughts: This is one of the better waiting themes Ive heard, but it still just feels like waiting. Either waiting on the phone, or waiting in the Lobby of some multiplayer game that hasnt started yet, or something to that effect. Its good, but a bit dull.]

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================

457: JO YEONG-WOOK - MY TAMAKO, MY SOOKEE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ek4rbmblbI

Nominator: Djungelurban (14/15)

Initial Score: 48.06 [#448]
Revised Score: 52.08 [#407]
Final Score: 50.44 [#457]

(First Thoughts: Its a nice enough orchestral track, but not nice enough to overcome my bias against it.)

Its kinda pretty? I guess I like it, a little. Its not quite beautiful or sad enough to make me really like it, but as far as orchestral music goes, I do like it somewhat and see the appeal.

[For tonights random filler song, we take a look at a bad piece of VGM that Ive never heard before tonight:]

Taz-Mania (Game Gear) - The Badlands:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAUGAd4C204

Described as the Crazy Bus of Game Gear music, this track seems to just be noise played at random. If you go watch some actual gameplay, you can hear the song change tempo based on how much is happening on screenthe game actually causes the music to lag, so these random noises arent even played in a consistent rhythm. And at no point does the soundtrack ever improve. Its always this chaotic mess.

This is terrible and I say this as someone who actually kinda likes Crazy Bus. (Theres at least one actually WORSE song in the game, but perhaps thankfully, the full OST isnt posted on YouTube.)

[Final Thoughts: The nominated song is pretty, but not so beautiful that Im overcome with emotions. Its more like an oh, thats nice type of song than a fantastic one.]

===============
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people actually speedrun the game gear version of taz-mania (there's only two runs posted on speedrun.com but still).

imagine listening to this soundtrack for dozens of hours to learn the speedrun.

---

GATLING CARAPACES, another one i wasn't expecting to be high; in this case mostly because i know you don't typically like this sort of instrumentation. but i felt like nominating it anyway because i've been addicted to listening to it hehe. i actually didn't read the description to know it was a remix of a bunch of different things, that's pretty interesting!
---

Well, I cant be positive that Gatling Carapaces is a remix, but the auto-translation says:

From the suite "Shell"
"Teppo Webbi" "Horse horseshoe crab" "Hanashako" "Fiddler crab" "Takaashi crab"
"Gazami" "Daphnia" "Caprellidae" "Frisode shrimp" "Eurypterid"
"Calappa" "Sea firefly" "Somen yadkari" "Uchiwa shrimp" "Red crab"
Remix song.

Which... doesnt quite give me enough information to search for, but seems to imply its some sort of remix or medley?



Id rather not imagine listening to the Taz-Mania soundtrack for that much time, thanks. @.@



=================

456: LENA RAINE - SCATTERED AND LOST:

https://radicaldreamland.bandcamp.com/track/scattered-and-lost

Nominator: MetalmindStats (15/28)
Source: Celeste (11/21)

Initial Score: 53.06 [#333]
Revised Score: 52.29 [#404]
Final Score: 50.48 [#456]

(First Thoughts: Its a fairly atmospheric track that does make good use of its runtime, but it never inspires any specific thoughts or feelings. So... high quality VGM thats probably not for me.)

I cant quite place any one feeling, emotion, or idea to the song. Its very...complicated, like it wants to be literally everything simultaneously. From background music for a random cutscene, to music for one of its platforming stages, to hey look! Ghosts!.

Which I suspect would give this song incredibly high marks from basically anyone thats not me, its just...I dunno, good enough & intriguing enough that I like it, but it doesnt do any one specific thing well enough that I want to keep listening to it.

[Final Thoughts: Cant think of anything else to say here.]

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455: THE EIGHTFOLD ROAD - BENEATH THE SURFACE:

https://familyjules7x.bandcamp.com/track/beneath-the-surface

Nominator: The_Mighty_KELP (22/32)

Initial Score: 55.10 [#303]
Revised Score: 52.36 [#403]
Final Score: 50.50 [#455]

(First Thoughts: It starts off like its going to be a very emotional piece, then the performer remembers that they want to be GRR METAL and the song loses most of its identity.)

Its fine, but you know how it is; doesnt make me think of anything and the more intense sections (while quite short) seem entirely pointless. I dont dislike it, but I feel like I had this somewhat overvalued originally for how... typical it is for the album it came from.

[Final Thoughts: Each time I listen to this, early on, I think theres no way I can let this song get less then 60 points... then just before the two minute mark the song shoots itself in the foot by trying way too hard (and failing) to be epic. This is neither the first, nor last, time youll be hearing that criticism about the album.]

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oh no my album is SPOILED

jk don't worry


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454: EVERY TIME I DIE - IF THERE IS ROOM TO MOVE, THINGS MOVE:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4fB7JqTWkRMC15MKlquHZo

Nominator: Bane (23/28)
Source: From Parts Unknown (12/14)

Initial Score: 52.04 [#352]
Revised Score: 52.99 [#394]
Final Score: 50.54 [#454]

(First Thoughts: *yawns* Cant keep eyes open anymore... Ive got to go to some other collection of songs to wake back up before I try to finish this album.)

The only song to actually put me to sleep, as opposed to just making me very tired. Thats something, I suppose?

This song might feature the best lyrics out of all the Every Time I Die songs at this topic.

[Later: ...Actually I say that about multiple ETID songs and honestly dont know which one Id say has the best lyrics, so...]

Schrodingers Cat is an interesting choice for a topic to open a song with, the answer is that theres no answer at all is...strangely inspirational if Im being honest, and for being someone whose lyrical work Ive praised, hes definitely at one of his highest points here.

All attached to a song where hes screaming so that youre lucky to make out even one word without staring directly at a lyric guide, in a very overly intense song. Its... not ruining, but as almost always, I feel like theres a perfect song here if it werent being done in this genre.

[Final Thoughts: I cant think of anything to add to that.]

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================

453: PSO2 - ICE-COVERED LOVE ~ KOHRI:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xzVQ2_iZ0w&list=PLeKaE-gusMmaq2FecWApCcMOVGJblcdrD&index=7

Nominator: NFUN (24/37)

Initial Score: 54.38 [#313]
Revised Score: 52.64 [#399]
Final Score: 50.58 [#453]

(First Thoughts: This makes me think of older space combat sims, with wireframe graphics (see: the original Star Wars arcade game)... though I picture the graphics in only black-and-white, so actually a bit more primitive than Star Wars arcade.

[the write-up seems to trail off into infinity at this point as it was missing its closing bracket. Did I type more here that accidentally got lostthis keyboard has a very sensitive Delete key that is prone to removing entire paragraphs if you so much as look at itor did I just forget to close it?

...Probably the latter.])

Still feels like space combat music to me. Now it feels more like Gradius V than first-person wireframe graphics, but still very shoot things in space-y. Which is fine? Certainly better than not imagining anything at all and I wouldnt mind listening to more Gradius songs, but its also not super compelling either.

[Final Thoughts: Definitely above average VGM and its kinda impressive how much the concept of space comes through here. Considering the songs title, Im going to guess that I couldnt be any further off track from where it actually plays, but that has no bearing on anything.]

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And one more for the night:

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452: THE DEAR HUNTER - AT THE END OF THE EARTH:

https://open.spotify.com/track/2sPBj0TLJXSfXT2bBmVQIB

Nominator: NBIceman (20/22)
Source: Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise (13/15)

Initial Score: 51.00 [#383]
Revised Score: 52.71 [#398]
Final Score: 50.60 [#452]

(First Thoughts: Fine, but I...dont have any particular feelings, positive or negative, to the story being told here. Leaving this as another okay track.)

The song occasionally comes close to being something I want

So give me death or set me free
Just return my soul to me

Is a fairly bleak line, but not quite what Im looking for. Possibly because the song itself never hits the right notes, possibly because the story thats being told of stolen identity doesnt really lend itself to feelings of abject sadness. Dont get me wrong, its still goodIm still rating it a step above neutralitybut not exactly what Im looking for and it doesnt have enough positive things to get it out of the low 50s.

[Final Thoughts: At least, I do still like that one line.]

===============
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kohri is the best song in that list and it has absolutely nothing to do with what you described at all

---

tbh knowing the context of kohri i would have never guessed it plays to what it does based on the music lol. (i'm with nfun on it being my fav song from vol 6)
---

Dang, I figured that one would stick around a little while longer.

Is a fairly bleak line, but not quite what Im looking for. Possibly because the song itself never hits the right notes, possibly because the story thats being told of stolen identity doesnt really lend itself to feelings of abject sadness. Dont get me wrong, its still goodIm still rating it a step above neutralitybut not exactly what Im looking for and it doesnt have enough positive things to get it out of the low 50s.

Just to clarify, the stolen identity is only part of the story here. You're right that the protagonist has assumed his half-brother's name and identity after his death in the war in Act III, but the main driver of the song is that the Mother, who's actually the one singing, is trying to get over the death of her husband in the same war. Those two lines you shouted out, along with the rest of the end part of the song, are her acknowledgement that even though she has doubts about whether the man that appeared before her is really her son (which in fact he isn't), she'll go along with it, because if she doesn't, she has nothing left. The soul she wants returned is hers, previously lost with the deaths of her family.

It's her way of moving on until she sees her husband again "at the end of the earth" - harmony, or rather necessity, instead of actual belief.

By the way, we're still 3-for-3 as far as being step-in-step with our respective rankings of Act IV songs. AtEotE is another one that I love even more now than I did when the album first came out, but 13th place out of 15 is where it still remains.

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451: LINKIN PARK - SESSION:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1KqQYsUYIk&list=PLlqZM4covn1EbvC_6cuERQ59QaMbPkUyE&index=12

Nominator: Mega_Mana (17/18)
Source: Meteora (13/13)

Initial Score: 50.92 [#388]
Revised Score: 52.78 [#397]
Final Score: 50.64 [#451]

(First Thoughts: Well, it definitely stands out in comparison to every other instrumental song ever nominated, but Im not super into it.)

I love the way they describe this song:

It's just this nice evolution of digital simplicity to complete chaos and two and a half minutes later, you've been thrown off a cliff.

That sounds exactly like the type of song that I need in my life. Unfortunately, I dont think that actually comes through on the track? In comparison to songs that are actually high chaos, this song feels pretty tame. Like, the most chaotic thing about it is repeated record scratching, which... okay? Im not going to complain about it, but I certainly wouldnt use chaos to describe the song at any point.

[Final Thoughts: I feel that the song is good and probably undervalued here (a side-effect of so many songs being moved up), butlike so many songsit doesnt really inspire any specific feelings or emotions.]

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450: EVERY TIME I DIE - TYPICAL MIRACLE:

https://open.spotify.com/track/0GAtTt7CgIdiRoq1GnsXMt

Nominator: Bane (22/28)
Source: Ex Lives (12/14)

Initial Score: 52.04 [#352]
Revised Score: 52.85 [#396]
Final Score: 50.68 [#450]

(First Thoughts: This reminds me of a Daniel Craig James Bond film. When a movie is all just ACTION, ACTION, ACTION, I pass out rather quickly. This is the musical equivalent of Daniel Crag punching people on an airplane, in the worst possible version of that metaphor.)

Yep, this is a song by Every Time I Die alright. Its not the most sleep inducing of their songs, but I do find it hard to keep my eyes open while listening to it. There are some good lines (Im bored as hell in Sodom and Eden is just another dry county, while not my favorite lyric, is still good), some less good lines (blah blah drugs, blah blah dance), all wrapped up in a package of such high intensity that I struggle to stay conscious.

Between the overly intense nature of the song and complicated lyrics, this may be the most Every Time I Die song theyve ever made, for better or worse.

[Final Thoughts: Ive got a complicated relationship with this song. There are other good lines here (besides the mentioned line, You cant take two sins off of one ox, is also niftyan animal metaphor and sin references, yes, more of that please), mixed with lyrics that I decidedly dont care about. It all seems to work out to the song dropping.... here. Ish.]

[Slightly Later: ...I messed up the counting on both ETID Albums, so lets see how its supposed to look.

Quick Audit:

From Parts Unknown:

The Great Secret (14/14)
Moor (13/14)
Saturnalia (12/14)
If There Is Room To Move (11/14)

Ex Lives:

The Low Road Has No Exists (14/14)
Starve an Artist (13/14)
Typical Miracle (12/14)

Okay, that should be accurate.

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449: THE EIGHTFOLD ROAD - SUNSHADE, CITY OF PLEASURES:

https://familyjules7x.bandcamp.com/track/sunshade-city-of-pleasures

Nominator: The_Mighty_KELP (21/32)

Initial Score: 57.41 [#286]
Revised Score: 52.99 [#395]
Final Score: 50.70 [#449]

(First Thoughts: Ehhh... Ive run out of things to say here.)

This song does certainly feel like the theme to a seedy city, filled with crime & corruption. So the song definitely accomplishes its goals and nails the feelings it wants to convey. I just dont know that its the type of ambience that I want to listen to very often. Like, it does what it wants to do perfectly, its just not exactly something I really enjoy out of context.

[Final Thoughts: Its got a good beat to it.]

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===============

448: THE EIGHTFOLD ROAD - DARK CAVERNS:

https://familyjules7x.bandcamp.com/track/dark-caverns

Nominator: The_Mighty_KELP (20/32)

Initial Score: 51.19 [#368]
Revised Score: 53.06 [#393]
Final Score: 50.75 [#448]

(First Thoughts: Not bad, but I wish it were more ominous? As is, I dont think the song really has a cohesive tone.)

Too EPIC METAL!!!!! to work as an ambient track, but its a cover of a very subdued ambient track so it cant actually be as epic as it wants to be. The song is trapped between both worlds and fails at being either one.

I mean, its interesting what they tried to do with the track and I feel it was a very tough song to try doing in this style: This is a soft, mysterious, orchestral piece about exploration... now EPICLY ROCK OUT TO DA MAX!!!! and I think they did everything they could to try to bring in the metal remix flavor while staying fairly true to the originals spirit, but I dont think the combination actually worked out.

[Final Thoughts: Well, its certainly not too metal (especially in comparison to certain tracks) and better than the score actually reflects, but.. I dunno.]

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447: GLADIATOR SOUNDTRACK - THE BATTLE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdJ5dWYwIn0&list=PL49ACFB62969F2203&index=4&t=0s

Nominator: paulg235 (11/15)

Initial Score: 52.00 [#355]
Revised Score: 53.27 [#390]
Final Score: 50.80 [#447]

(First Thoughts: Ten minute long orchestral tracks are never going to be my favorite, but the last little bit is pretty and I respect the risk in nominating something like this at all.)

Part completely forgettable orchestral song, part EPIC BATTLE, part song I actually like at the end. I honestly have no feelings or opinion on the first 8 minutes & 45 seconds of the song, but the ending of the song is pretty good. It feels almost operatic at that point, very...

*searches for a word*

...very...

*gets out thesaurus*

Mournful. Very mournful outro. I like it, its emotional, but in a way none of the other 630 songs are. I just dont know that I want to sit through almost nine minutes of a song I dont care about to get to it.

[Final Thoughts: Regrettably, Im less interested in sitting through the parts I dont like just to get to the part that I like. Which is unfortunate because its a very emotional outro that I want to give a bunch of points to.]

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446: PIANO OPERA - BATTLE ON THE BIG BRIDGE:

https://open.spotify.com/track/5yNv4J9v5t9rM4PTSRBx2H

Nominator: Haste_2 (13/19)
Source: Piano Opera 4/5/6 (6/12)

Initial Score: 56.99 [#293]
Revised Score: 53.48 [#387]
Final Score: 50.84 [#446]

(First Thoughts: This song sticks closer to the original version than most other songs on the album, doesnt it? I think Theatrhythm loved playing this song because Ive heard the original version a lot, to a point that Im a bit burned out on it. Still a nice battle song, and its nice having such an aggressive piano song after some of the other tracks on the album, but I wish it were changed up a bit moreif I know every note before it plays, then its a bit disappointing as a nomination.)

Not really anything to add to that; its a perfectly fine rendition of a song that Im burned out on listening to because it played all the time in a game I spent quite a bit of time on.

[Final Thoughts: I think I actually prefer the Piano Opera over the original, so this is a very good remix.]

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Sorry, Bane.

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445: EVERY TIME I DIE - TOUCH YOURSELF:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4ZfLSWAxMHfSizSmj2w7j4

Nominator: Bane (22/28)
Source: Ex Lives (11/14)

Initial Score: 50.00 [#406]
Revised Score: 53.69 [#384]
Final Score: 50.90 [#445]

(First Thoughts; One of those songs that I had so little reaction to, I had to immediately listen to it a second time in a desperate attempt to have any thought about the song to give it a score. I still have nothing.)

Not sure how I had no reaction to this at all the first time. Probably just another casualty of listening to too many similar songs in a row, like so many other albums.

Im a little conflicted on the score here because I actually really like some of these lyrics:

I got a weak heart
So I've heard
I wouldn't know because it hasn't said a word
All these winters
Not a sound
It probably never had a chance to thaw out

You don't touch what you want to survive
So this distance is keeping me alive

I will say Buckley has a way with words.

But I still dont like having these lyrics shouted at me. I feel that I really want him to write songs for other people or for someone to take his songs and do them in a different style or genre. As is, its hard to decide how much I like or dislike the trackreally like the lyrics, but want someone else to be singing them... going to say that works out to slightly like?

[Final Thoughts: Fairly standard ETID writeup here. Very good lyrics, but not quite the way I want them delivered.]

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443 [TIE]: EVERY TIME I DIE - HOLY BOOK OF DILEMMA:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4cqgFrtZvT2k2AZZxcrnMg

Nominator: Bane (21/28)
Source: Ex Lives (10/14)

Initial Score: 50.01 [#404]
Revised Score: 53.55 [#386]
Final Score: 51.00 [#443]

(First Thoughts: I guess that I technically I like this a very small amount.)

A Random YouTuber said...

It always blows me away when I load up this song and it's only 2 minutes long. So much content packed in.

Then my mind is blown again when I remember that the second minute is basically an extended outro, and the majority of the lyrics wrap up by the one minute mark.

This is the definition of fast and furious.

That person is absolutely right. This song is incredibly fast, blitzing through 21 lines of lyrics in about a minute, then dedicating almost half of the entire song to an extended outro. While some musicians spend what feels like an eternity on the same song, Buckley speed-blitzes you with a fully complete song before you can even react to it.

But, Im not exactly thrilled with the lyrical content. Yeah, its well-written, and I wouldnt say I have any complaints, but theres nothing I want to point at and say Oh, I really like THIS lyric and Ive never been a fan of outros that just repeat the same line over and overthough I will say this song is short enough that the outro never feels dragged out or particularly repetitive (very impressive when he literally dedicates half the song to one line...), its still not something I actively want.

Song is technically impressive enough that I should give it a lot of points, but as Ive said, I care not for objective quality and this shall probably fall into the very low 50s.

[Final Thoughts: Out of every song cut thus far, I think this is the one that impresses me the most and I feel the worst about cutting. I can tell why its great, but something that hits this hard and fast isnt quite my thing.

Definitely see the arguments for it being the greatest song the band ever wrote though.]

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443 [TIE]: EVERY TIME I DIE - PELICAN OF THE DESERT:

https://open.spotify.com/track/7J7tAx9isUTVOD7Qs3FNJz

Nominator: Bane (20/28)
Source: From Parts Unknown (10/14)

Initial Score: 56.17 [#296]
Revised Score: 53.62 [#385]
Final Score: 51.00 [#443]

(First Thoughts: Well.. I do like the message... its just... so loud...)

This song is about surrendering completely to whatever it is that you love and the idea that it can only harm you if you doubt it. Unfortunately, I am not capable of doing anything wholly and without doubt which is why the end of the song is about the heartache of knowing I am entirely responsible for my own despair.

Good message, good lyrics, delivered in such a loud and aggressive manner that Im lucky to make out half of what hes trying to say. I do still like it, just wish it was less...this genre of song than it is.

[Final Thoughts: I find it difficult to choose between these two songs. Theyre both high quality, very fast, very intense tracks that finish in under two minutes. Pelican has the better lyrics, Holy Book is somehow even faster and more impressive... think Ill just call it a tie between them at this point.]

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I was starting to wonder if I was gonna make it past 300 with how things were going, and now this! Well I'm still glad the lyrics are getting through even to someone who doesn't listen to this genre, that's about the most I can ask for

---

A bit early, but lets go ahead with two more eliminations tonight

==============

442: KEISUKE ITO AND/OR YASUHIRO KAWAGOE - GLACIER PALACE:

https://youtu.be/iilFdYfLoyk

Nominator: Haste_2 (12/19)
Source: Hastes Extra Songs (7/7)

Initial Score: 53.40 [#323]
Revised Score: 53.90 [#381]
Final Score: 51.04 [#442]

(First Thoughts: Pretty decent dungeon theme. Its upbeat without being annoying, but doesnt inspire much of a writeup.)

Its a fine dungeon theme, but Id be lying if I said any real reaction or thoughts about it.

[Todays arbitrary song selection is another dungeon theme!]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Slayer - Dungeon IV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXV5kDrULwg

I was listening to a best 3d0 music video compilation in search of something to nominate somewhere (Id decided I was going to nominate a 3d0 song, in spite of not being able to name a single 3d0 song I cared about in the least) and was instantly blown away by this songs opening. That intro, why, Id convinced myself that it was going to be the greatest song of all time and frantically searched for a complete version of this song.

Imagine my disappointment when I learned that the track was less than a minute long and it never really went anywhere after that intro. Still, I love the opening moments of the song enough that I do come back and listen to it fairly often, in spite of it being so short and never really going anywhere.

[Final Thoughts: Im afraid I still dont have any further reactions to the song. Its obviously good and I like it, but I cant find anything to talk about with it.]

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441: RABBIT JUNK - T MINUS EVERYTHING:

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

Nominator: LOLIAmAnAlt (12/15)

Initial Score: 60.00 [#242]
Revised Score: 59.01 [#308]
Final Score: 51.06 [#441]

(First Thoughts: Not bad, but a bit too shouty and I dont have much reaction to it.)

It feels like a song about Doom. In Armageddon without a weapon, pushing forward to the next level. Very doom-y and first person shooter-y.

I dont like Doom.

I want to like this song. Its got references to demons and what not, but its a genre I dont usually love attached to a song that feels like it came directly out of a series I dislike, so I dont really like it all that much... I mean, its good, its quite close to being at the level where I can say I like this without any added caveats, but its just too Doom-y.

[Final Thoughts: Im afraid that this is one of those songs where Im just bouncing off of it on the last listen. ]

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158 songs down and only two of my noms have been mentioned, I feel pretty good about that. And the songs already ousted, Prodigy is a bit of an acquired taste I guess and regarding the second one, you did say you didn't love orchestral music so it showing up was somewhat expected it so with that in mind, an ambivalent reception almost feels like glowing praise.

Sorry for the delay tonight, running behind on things but we should still get through the next ten songs... just, ya know, slightly later than usual.

...also Im sorry about the unfortunate timing on this elimination, but rearranging the list to avoid awkwardness would be cheating.



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440: VERACOCHA - CARTE BLANCHE:

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

Nominator: Djungelurban (13/15)

Initial Score: 28.72 [#544]
Revised Score: 44.49 [#491]
Final Score: 51.08 [#440]

(First Thoughts: Well, its not the worst example of this genre Ive ever heard, but that beat... can we just stop with the repetitive THUMP THUMP THUMP beats? Theyre the type of thing that doesnt get high scores or manage to be so triggering they get last place either and I cant imagine anyone enjoying me complaining about pulsing beats for the 500,000th time.)

Well, Im not bothered by the beat at all tonight, so thats a drastic improvement. I still cant think of anything I particularly like about the song or want to talk about though.

[Not-Quite-Final Thoughts: I slightly like this tonight, so it can go up to the low 50s for a bit.]

[Final Thoughts: Not bad. It could use some lyrics or something to go along with it, but its not bad.

(Pulsing Beat Counter: 5.5? I stopped complaining about it by the second listen, but I did complain incessantly during the first listen... gonna half count it, I guess?)]

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439: PSO2 - ESCA FALZ MOTHER ~ DEATHBLOW:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIknnfwOHfg&list=PLeKaE-gusMmaq2FecWApCcMOVGJblcdrD&index=23

Nominator: NFUN (23/37)

Initial Score: 20.00 [#560]
Revised Score: 53.97 [#380]
Final Score: 51.11 [#439]

(First Thoughts: Guvf fbat vf fb grqvbhf naq qvfnccbvagvat gung zl ernpgvba pna bayl or cebcreyl rkcerffrq va n frevrf bs vapbzcerurafvoyr & vauhzna tebjyf, ercerfragrq urer ol rapbqvat n zrffntr va EBG13.

...V fubhyq cebonoyl tvir rkgen cbvagf sbe oernxvat zl oenva gb n cbvag gung Vz fcrnxvat va rapbqrq zrffntrf, ohg V qvfyvxr vg jnl gbb zhpu gb qb fb.)

Npghnyyl, guvf vfag fb onq va ergebfcrpg. Creuncf vgf nyy gur qvfnccbvagvat fbatf gung jrer abzvangrq yngre va gur gbcvp gjvfgvat zl cbvag bs ivrj, ohg guvf vf npghnyyl xvaqn avprsne gbb ercrgvgvir, fher, ohg vg qbrf unir n fhvgnoyl rcvp srry gb vg. Vg npghnyyl anvyf gur yrgf xvyy gur svany sbez bs guvf greevslvat fcnpr qrzba srry, juvpu vf vzcerffvir.

Ohg...gur fbat vf fgvyy gbb ercrgvgvir sbe zr gb npghnyyl snyy va ybir jvgu vg naq Vz abg ragveryl fher jul vg pbzcryf zr gb fcrnx va gbathrf... vf gung n tbbq guvat? Onq guvat? Vgf whfg xvaqn bqq. Fgvyy... zhpu orggre guna V vavgvnyyl tnir vg perqvg sbe, lrf.

[Final Thoughts: Short version of that mess: Its got a good atmosphere, I like how the song actually succeeds at being dramatic and intense, but the song feels a bit repetitive.]

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438: POKEMON 2000 - POKEMON WORLD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_SaRl12o7s

Nominator: @GavsEvans123 (10/15)

Initial Score: 58.27 [#278]
Revised Score: 54.04 [#379]
Final Score: 51.20 [#438]

(First Thoughts: Should have nominated the TV show theme instead of this extended dance remix. Taking a song I really like and making it worse in every way is not exactly a recipe for a high score.

*notices theres a full version of the TV intro version*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SeGoR8ZzUY

Surprised I never heard the extended version before. Though I think I might prefer the intro version? Songs neat, but I dont know that stretching it to three minutes really helps anything.)

Dont really have anything else to add to that. This just takes a song Ive loved for years and remakes it into a genre that I have no interest in. I love the original song too much to actively dislike this version, but its a big drop in quality (in terms of things I want to listen to, anyway.)

...Also its unrelated, but its funny you mention not nominating this as the Pokemon Music Topic. I came very close to nominating the version of this song from Pokemon Puzzle League, but held off because a MIDI remix of an anime song felt like it was stretching the definition a bit too far.

[Final Thoughts: {Pulsing Beat Counter: 6.5)

When the song starts, I fear that Id been too harsh on it. Sure, its not the version I know, but different isnt bad... but the choruses bring in that pulsing beat; its short lived and not so loud as to be really bad, but it does bring the song down a bit. The original intro has a very smooth feel to it (no, I still dont know what I mean by that, but I know it when I hear it) that this remix does away with.

...Inexplicably the nominated version of the song doesnt feel like it drags on, while the extended version of the TV theme feels like its pointlessly extended. TV Version > Movie Version > Extended Version.]

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437: THE WEEKND - VALERIE:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4fLnXd56RsWN4ZBtb9TegQ

Nominator: Player_0 (14/30)

Initial Score: 48.10 [#446]
Revised Score: 54.18 [#377]
Final Score: 51.28 [#437]

(First Thoughts: Well, its...an improvement in many ways.)

No drugs, no orgies, and hes actually referring to a woman by a real name? I didnt know he was capable of such a song.

This is also probably his best vocal performance, managing to sound as good as Michael Jackson ever did, and I like MJ enough to not make that comparison lightly. But for as much of an improvement as this song is, Im still not that into it; like the lyrics are an improvement, but still not any that I actually like so... no, still not great, but I do like it somewhat.

[Final Thoughts: Good song, even if I dont want to move it any further up the list.]

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436: RUNESCAPE - MASSACRE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_960dUEVEs

Nominator: handsomeboy (12/15)

Initial Score: 51.03 [#378]
Revised Score: 54.25 [#376]
Final Score: 51.31 [#436]

(First Thoughts: I should like this. A retro VGM cover of a song is totally my sort of thing, but... eh?)

Well, this is a lot better than the actual Nightwish song this is a.... [Parody? Remix? Homage? Rip-off? Please insert accurate term here] of. Planet Hell is just another in the long line of overly epic and thus mind-numbingly dull songs that Im not a fan of.

Moving along: So, I like the story behind the track (making it in honor of some popular fanmade music video about whatever happened), and I do like taking a traditional song & turning it into this artificial computer VGM thing, but considering my sheer dislike of the original song and my total lack of knowledge about Runescape, theres not a lot in the song itself for me.

[Final Thoughts: Sorry. It was definitely a good choice that seemed like it should be something I loved.]

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435: LIVE - THE DAM AT OTTER CREEK:

https://open.spotify.com/track/053lg6741LYiEHUKnG8y6c

Nominator: azuarc (23/28)
Source: Throwing Copper (13/14)

Initial Score: 63.00 [#196]
Revised Score: 54.39 [#374]
Final Score: 51.34 [#435]

(First Thoughts: Ehh... death is usually a bit too far on the soul-crushing side of things, but I do rather like this. This album has potential.)

And another song Im bouncing hard off of the second time around, sending it spiraling down another tier.

PROS:

The opening has some lyrics that appeal to me:

When all thats left to do
Is reflect on whats been done
This is where sadness breathes
The sadness of everyone

Thats definitely the type of sad lyric I tend to like.

Theres also some light distortion on the singers voice in places and the outro is also rather good; the slow fade out, like slowly sinking into the depths, is very well done and that slight buzzing sound towards the end is totally my sort of thing.

CONS:

Im not really invested in the story of someone drowning. Songs about real people dying tend to just be...too real for my cartoon-ish tastes.

It feels like a very loud and harsh song, almost unpleasant to listen to at times.

...well considering the subject matter it probably should be harsh and unpleasant, but that doesnt exactly make me like more.



It all works out to a rather slight like this time around.

[Final Thoughts: Good intro & outro, but the story is too grounded in reality (I feel I read that it was based on someone Ed knew who really drowned there, but Im not going to try to verify that story) for my tastes. The music is certainly differentId say it doesnt really sound like anything from either of their two nominated albumsbut I still prefer the more pop-ish songs of theirs over...whatever genre this is.

Since the original upload came from a Grunge YouTube channel, Im going to guess Grunge? Dont know what grunge actually is, but this song feels grunge-y.

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live is post-grunge rather than grunge.

that statement probably doesn't explain much if you don't know what grunge is but still!

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Awww, but I like Planet Hell

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