Board 8 > I rank 164 non-VGM songs [ranking]

(+) Yeah! (+)

One song left and a dream

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I'm surprised to see my in-the-moment 4th pick being even higher than Voyager. I also greatly appreciate the comments on the other 2, and how you're appreciating every song nominated in some fashion!

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NFUN posted...

how would this have done
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8_72NFyd-w

Probably in the bottom quarter but above Rosetta Stoned.

Kikoman589 posted...

I'm surprised to see my in-the-moment 4th pick being even higher than Voyager. I also greatly appreciate the comments on the other 2, and how you're appreciating every song nominated in some fashion!

Thank you for the kind words! To be honest this topic has been a bit of a slog because I really don't like talking about music all that much, so it's nice to hear that you're getting something out of the writeups. :)

Yeah, that's about the range I figured I'd be going down in. Glad I managed to get a couple in that you liked!

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NBIceman posted...

Yeah, that's about the range I figured I'd be going down in. Glad I managed to get a couple in that you liked!

You did pretty well! I got a very clear picture of your taste and I respect what you were going for. If I'm in the right mindset to really sit and listen to lyrics, maybe I'll give your songs another shot. :)

Planning to do another batch of ten soon.

Brace yourselves.

30. Curve - Unreadable Communication
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2RCytDy_Vg
@-hotdogturtle-- (ELIMINATED)
8.5 / 9 / 7 / 9.5 / 7
82

I am reminded of this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjaPEmpezaU

Very smooth and ominous. The vocals slide in perfectly. I love the deep bass and how the vocals seem to float above the rest of the song. At 2:20 washed out guitars overpower everything and it all just flows so seamlessly. Then at 3:25 the guitars abruptly cut out and it goes back to the softer style.

My only other exposure to Curve was a song of theirs from the PS2 rhythm game Frequency:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ethppALvAVA

Pretty different, but still features some of the same awesome elements: plenty of reverb, elements mixing together in compelling ways, a singular atmosphere. Will need to check out more of Curves stuff.

29. John Oswald dab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2iOvFvO8bE
@Collen (1 remaining)
8 / 7.5 / 10 / 8.5 / 7.5
83

Would this be considered avant-garde? That label gets thrown around a lot but Im not quite sure what the formal definition is. At any rate, this is a heavily mixed up take on Michael Jacksons Bad, with the original spliced into chunks that barely resemble the original song. Its not random dab comes in waves, switching in between more intense bursts of original song and more reserved parts where its mostly the beat from Bad. The part around 3:30 is a highlight, as the song moves back and forth between different bitesize chunks of the original with increasing speed. This was an easy 10 in Unconvention Ive never quite heard anything like this. It honestly would have placed higher but the last, like, three whole minutes dont really appeal to me: its much more ambient and monotone, which are not inherently bad things, but I guess after the excitement of the rest of the song, I wanted more.

28. J Dilla Workinonit
https://youtu.be/XuKUAySU8cU
@tazzyboyishere (1 remaining)
8 / 8 / 9 / 7 / 9.5
83

Workinonit is one of the songs Ive returned to the most from this topic. Ive said that a good beat is often all I need some songs, and the beat here is terrific, as is the play of workinonit that keeps flitting around. It feels like J Dilla dumped a bunch of ideas from different songs into this, and it all works so well I especially like the last third, which adds a very melodic chord to the mix. The song is chaotic but never feels aimless every beat and vocal sample and record scratch feels carefully chosen.

27. Pink Lady UFO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0cPknq3K6k
@handsomeboy2012 (ELIMINATED)
8 / 8.5 / 8.5 / 9 / 7.5
83

OOF OH

My notes for this simply say yo this is cool. This is a song that feels ripped straight out of the 70s, with its combination of orchestral and dance, and its classy female singers. There are a lot of little elements here I like the keyboard solo at 1:30, the spaceship sound effects sprinkled throughout, the Aah at the end of the chorus, and in keeping with my comments about the Love Live singers, the layering of the two vocal parts on top of each other. Lots to love!

26. Bjrk - Vertebrae By Vertebrae
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqxYw5jIneA
@Toxtricity (ELIMINATED)
8.5 / 7 / 9 / 9 / 8
83

Bjrk is a singular artist. There isnt quite anyone like her. Every time I listen to a Bjrk song, its like Im transported to a new soundscape. Vertebrae by Vertebrae isnt my favorite song by her, but it still offers a lot. Bjrks breathy range of a voice is always a highlight. Those ominous, monotone horns in the background are a huge selling point; they fill the song with this undercurrent of menace, like at any moment Bjrk herself will leap out of the song to save me? Or kill me?

I prefer the second half of the song, which adds industrial percussion (always a hit with me) and some long, tortured vocals. As Ive said before, Im not much of a lyrics guy, but theres something unnerving about the repeated line My arms come out of my shoulders.

25. Art of Noise - A Time for the Fear (Who's Afraid)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oKYY0j0wBI
@Collen (ELIMINATED)
9 / 8 / 8.5 / 7 / 9
83

The big selling point for me with this song is its heavy percussion. Its so distinctive. There are also vocal samples about war (which is how the song memorably opens) and a big drop where all the heavy elements of the song disappear and a voice asks So what happens now? I dont always love things like that, but here, it works so well. I found myself returning to this one a bunch too, particularly the So what happens now? sections. The song overall feels like a meditation on the cruelty of war and uncertainty that comes from conflict.

24. Thomas Bergersen Fearless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SePx4QzzmY
@dowolf (ELIMINATED)
9 / 9 / 9.5 / 8.5 / 5.5
83

Big point discrepancy here: I loved listening to this, but remembered very little about it, hence the low Obsession score.

When the vocals kick in Im reminded of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh2kSs89Xxw

This is even in 7/8 time, like Who Am I! Its a very cinematic song, like something out of a film. There are bagpipes, and possibly a lute of some sort. The overall presentation is just stellar I feel like Im being swept into a grand adventure, like something out of epic fantasy. Reading up on some of the comments, it seems like this is a modern take on a folk song. Very cool!

23. The Band's Visit - Omar Sharif
https://youtu.be/wCrmltUqjX4
@Raka_Putra (ELIMINATED)
8.5 / 8.5 / 8 / 9 / 8
84

Here it is, the first song with all 8s or higher. Now were really getting into the big leagues!

Omar Sharif rounds out Raka_Putras nominations from musicals. This feels like the least stereotypically musical of them all, a ballad about (what I think is) cultural awakening. Theres such an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia from this, singing of a simpler time. I love the singer very powerful, always in full control of the notes. I feel like I have a passing grasp on what the song is actually about (and Im apparently too lazy to look up lyrics), but those are my emotional responses to the music.

22. Melissa Etheridge - Like the Way I Do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p33tgPzHek0
@azuarc (ELIMINATED)
8 / 9 / 7 / 9.5 / 9
85

Ill just come out and say it: Melissa Etheridges voice is a national treasure. Just the perfect addition of raspiness that gives her songs an edge. Like the Way I Do is a visceral gut punch of a song about a woman whos competing with another woman over her partner, and the fact that it conveys this while still being a catchy, singable piece of pop-rock is impressive. The focus here is on Etheridges vocals the rest of the instruments stay in the background to give her more focus and she shines so thoroughly. Its kind of funny hearing that right after Omar Sharif, which has a very different female singer, but both songs are so gripping and compelling and different ways with such different styles.

21. Hal ft. Gillian Anderson - Extremis (Download Mix Edit)
https://youtu.be/uhfKyHiZ1K0
@Place (2 remaining)
8.5 / 9 / 9 / 9 / 7
85

Hey, Place is finally down to two! What an overarchiever. :P

This checks off a number of my boxes:

• glitch
• spoken word overlaid on top
• sudden transition to BREAKBEAT which is not necessarily a box for me but it works really well here

The overall vibe reminds me of the Perfect Dark soundtrack, even as I know thats a bad comparison because it sounds nothing like that. It feels eminently British in some hard-to-quantify way. I know Place was going for a dystopian future feel with their nominations, and they certainly pulled that off with this one. And that transition to breakbeat isnt so much a transition as it is a jump into a different style, and its so abrupt and shocking that it always takes my breath away.

20. Shnabubula - All Blues (Kind of Bloop)
https://shnabubula.bandcamp.com/track/all-blues
@sergiocornaga (ELIMINATED)
8.5 / 8.5 / 8 / 9 / 9
86

This is such a clever nomination. It effectively combines two things I said I liked chiptunes and Miles Davis in a very literal way. Shnabubula here has made a chiptunified cover of Daviss All Blues, with their own spin throughout. There are so many little flourishes throughout that give the song its own personality and make it not just a cover, like the odd time throughout, or the periodic Follin-esque arpeggios. Ive always been impressed with Shnabubulas amazing way to make these covers or format restrictions work in such an organic, unique way.

If I gave out bonus points for effort, sergio would be near the top for this lol. Also I just realized "Kind of Bloop" is a pun too lol

19. Lena Raine Momodani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlels7wG1Wk
@MetalmindStats (ELIMINATED)
8.5 / 10 / 8 / 9.5 / 7
86

Our first 10 in Immersion! This is a song that just swallows me up. Its got that big Portishead sound I tend to really like. Big chords, big synths, everything is big and cozy. But its cozy in a creepy way Momodani is an unsettling song. I could see this playing in a scene where a character is exploring a foreign environment, turning around twisting passages to see what lurks around the corner. I also love the tinny loudspeaker voices in the background. This is a song with a lot to offer, and given how I tend to have poor focus, it sustaining my interest like this is very impressive.

18. Santa Esmeralda - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hwiCkU73NA
@NFUN (ELIMINATED)
9 / 7.5 / 9 / 8 / 9.5
86

Silly Caucasian girl likes to play with samurai swords...

Oh how I wish this song was half its length. I love love love the bridge (aka the part that plays in Kill Bill), but the whole package, taken together, just doesnt sustain my interest as much as it could.

But man, what a song. Ive sung along to this many a time. Ive gotten huge bursts of energy from listening to this. Dont Let Me Be Misunderstood is a song I can safely say has objectively enhanced my life. Would it be as strong for me without the Kill Bill connection? Maybe not. But I cant judge this in a vacuum. (Its dusty in there.)

Oh right, I should talk specifics. The obvious thing I like is the methodical clapping, but the Spanish guitar is also great, as are the horns. This is very nebulous, but the song just has this energy about it that sustains it even in the parts where my focus wanes. I think the vocals are the weakest part actually if this were instrumental, it would be peerless.

17. Blood Stain Child Stargazer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjTXeJZM8wg
@SovietOmega (ELIMINATED)
9 / 8.5 / 7.5 / 9 / 9
86

Is this the highest ranked metal song? I think it might be. Maybe its a testament to my opinion of metal vocals that its one of the only metal nominations with a female singer. My initial listen of Stargazer put it much lower, but a relisten made me appreciate its qualities more. The melody is very catchy, particularly the chorus, and I like the intense guitar work. I also really like the part at 2:20 when it randomly decides to become EDM for a few bars. 2:55 is also great, with lightly distorted vocals that make my heart skip a beat. If I ever do a topic like this again, I might use Stargazer as an example of rock/metal I genuinely like.

16. Osamu Sato DONE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0ubiiXlCJ0
@DoctorJimmy133 (ELIMINATED)
8.5 / 9 / 8 / 9 / 9
87

Troll nominations, or secret recipe for doing well? You decide.

Ive always meant to get into Osamu Sato. I generally like a lot of what Ive heard, so naturally a song of his had a good shot of doing well. DONE is very trippy, with lots of glitch and chopped up vocal samples (two things I generally like). The experience is almost meditative in a way, with a drone-like, hypnotic beat. Its certainly, maybe more than anything else in the top 20, a song I need to be in the right mindset to appreciate, which is true of a lot of the Sato songs Ive heard too.

15. Ben E. King - Stand By Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZNL7QVJjE
@GavsEvans123 (1 remaining)
9 / 8 / 8 / 9.5 / 9
87

I dont think its possible to dislike this song. Its just so earnest, such a straightforward declaration of trust and faith in another person. Ben E. King (despite loving this song, I can never remember the artist!) has very emotive vocals, and there is terrific backing vocals, and the overall presentation is just solid all around. I also love when the 60s-style strings surge in.

I feel like Stand by Me is just classic Americana, a part of our culture. John Lennon did a cover that I dont like as much, but I normally add in to this version the spoken-word intro he gave. This is just an all-around classic.

14. Shohei Amimori - Climb Downhill 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2PRoOcg5m4
@cakophon (1 remaining)
9 / 8 / 9.5 / 8.5 / 8.5
87

Really amazing intro, this series of extended notes that gradually gives way to a much bigger soundscape. The song then, befitting its title, escalates in speed and intensity, picking up bits and pieces as it goes along. It gathers jazz, world music, piano, spooky Halloween, all this great stuff, with a solid glitch underpinning. At 4:45 is really when the song starts to lose its mind and everything coalesces together and globs into a surround sound experience. I feel richer having listened to this.

13. dinger ontario
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j1eNxWIt4c
@UF8 (ELIMINATED)
9.5 / 9 / 9 / 10 / 6
87

Absolutely terrific song held back by that pesky Obsession score. That being said, I love a good piano-centric tune. I really like the arps at 0:50, and then the flighty melody at 1:05. The melody floats around and increases in intensity as it goes, before dropping off again at 2:05 and then picking up shortly after. Its a wonderful progression Im happy to go on this journey every time I listen to the song. Like I said, its only held back by the fact that I dont remember it that much.

12. Mystic Marshmallow Konemelu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJMUrsCmeYE
@GameBopAdv (1 remaining)
9 / 8 / 9 / 9.5 / 8.5
88

I think more than any other song on this list, Konemelu feels me with dread. There is nothing conventionally listenable here no melody, no traditional instruments, nothing. Theres a beat of sorts, an off-kilter, repetitive, horror movie organ thing. There is only strange, somewhat unpleasant noise. It eventually does this especially creepy thing where it swells up like A Day in the Life by the Beatles, and then eventually after that the anxiety subsides somewhat and the song ends on a more subdued note. The evil has been vanquished...for now.

11. Aimer - Haru wa Yuku (From Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel III. spring song)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTWqCwB6JQQ
@pyresword (ELIMINATED)
9.5 / 8.5 / 9 / 10 / 7.5
89

Speaking of piano-centric songs! I get a strong vibe from this of Gentle Hands from .hack//GU, at least the beginning part:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehh5Df7opn0

I love the piano, sure, but I also love the singer, Aimer. The song is packed full of emotion. Theres something to be said for the simplicity of a singer, a vocal, and maybe a violin or a guitar backing them up. What a classic formula. Everything comes together so perfectly here, all the different song pieces combining into one cohesive whole. Very much enjoyed.

can't believe bjork's drakengard 1 x g-darius crossover cameo song managed to get 26th place

glad you liked it!!! i'm a huge bjork fan, like she's up there with "yasuhisa watanabe" and "mitsuhiro kaneda" and vgm composers i talk about all the time as being my favorite musicians (as is oneohtrix point never actually). she's like a top 3 vocalist for me, but the actual composition AND production of her music is so perfect for my tastes too

not ashamed to go out at 26th place when you clearly found some cool stuff you liked in my picks! thanks for listening!
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Today's (large amount of) eliminations!

...Part 1!

Thank you for nominating.

Eliminations part 2!

*gasps for air*

Eliminations part 3!





Goodness, that's a lot of eliminations. That's what happens when we're down to the top ten (and also when I do 20 songs instead of 10).

More coming in the next post!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2pzTTD6e80

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We have finally reached the top ten! Thanks for sticking with me this long (assuming you haven't run away by now). Every single song left is at a combined score of 90 or higher, which is huge. The top song even scored a perfect 100! Dang!

Here are the ten remaining songs, should you choose to listen and/or make predictions:
Christopher Young - Sinister
https://youtu.be/TGWZiWW4rTM

Dvorak - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCYvoOEBbw

John Cage - Rozart mix
https://youtu.be/ICxG_o50y2E

Laura Marling - Soothing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCS4OTgaHeM

Necry Talkie - You Should Head North
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l-qw9yRFOA

Owen Pallett - I Am Not Afraid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KNDXQUJ9BI

salyu salyu - Jibun ga Inai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qM2s3l9Ca0

Sonny Wharton - Raindance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrTm69JMDJg

The Microphones - I Want Wind to Blow
https://youtu.be/5WvWkUhszeE

- endleSSStation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7C74BoQtAc

And here are the last-hour standings!

2 remaining (!!!):
kaonashi1
Place

1 remaining:
cakophon
GameBopAdv
GavsEvans123
Kikoman589
Not_an_Owl
tazzyboyishere

Whew, I think that's everything for now! Enjoy!

Thrilling! Can't wait to find out what the perfect rwlh song is.

rwlh posted...

14. Shohei Amimori - Climb Downhill 1

there's actually a second song in the climb downhill series and though i don't like it quite as much as 1, it's rpetty close: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_S1TFihr4M
i find that the sounds get a little too harsh for me in this one, and it doesn't tie together nearly as nicely. the speeding and slowing of the tempo is much more of a focus and i'd have to check again but it might have to do with its placement in the album overall

also there is a live version of climb downhill 1! i love it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjJb0hvZqkA
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rwlh posted...

But I cant judge this in a vacuum. (Its dusty in there.)

lol

rwlh posted...

Our first 10 in Immersion! This is a song that just swallows me up. Its got that big Portishead sound I tend to really like. Big chords, big synths, everything is big and cozy. But its cozy in a creepy way Momodani is an unsettling song. I could see this playing in a scene where a character is exploring a foreign environment, turning around twisting passages to see what lurks around the corner. I also love the tinny loudspeaker voices in the background. This is a song with a lot to offer, and given how I tend to have poor focus, it sustaining my interest like this is very impressive.

I'm glad you got so much out of Momodani! I really do feel like it's an experience of its own, one for which your description seems apt.

Based on your comments here and throughout this topic so far, I bet Oneknowing in general would be up your alley. Have you listened to it (and/or Lena's non-VGM work in general), and if so, what do you think?

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Ah dang, was wondering when I was gonna bite it. I'm quite happy to see Stargazer rated as highly as it did, especially after seeing so many metal nominations fall around the 50's and below.

This song, and the album it came from, was something I just stumbled into one day. I was just looking for some background music for some gaming and wanted to sample some songs in my collection that I hadn't previously listened to. I was a little uncertain about the album at first with mediocre tracks 1 and 2, but then this beast of a song played on track 3 and I was pretty instantly captivated. I could definitely recommend the rest of the album too, but this one will always be the one to stand out for me.

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Toxtricity posted...

can't believe bjork's drakengard 1 x g-darius crossover cameo song managed to get 26th place

glad you liked it!!! i'm a huge bjork fan, like she's up there with "yasuhisa watanabe" and "mitsuhiro kaneda" and vgm composers i talk about all the time as being my favorite musicians (as is oneohtrix point never actually). she's like a top 3 vocalist for me, but the actual composition AND production of her music is so perfect for my tastes too

not ashamed to go out at 26th place when you clearly found some cool stuff you liked in my picks! thanks for listening!

I can certainly see the Drakengard/G-Darius comparison. I imagine the same creepy production and effects I love in G-Darius appealed to me with Vertebrae by Vertebrae too.

NFUN posted...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2pzTTD6e80

But this cuts out the best part. :(

cakophon posted...

there's actually a second song in the climb downhill series and though i don't like it quite as much as 1, it's rpetty close: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_S1TFihr4M
i find that the sounds get a little too harsh for me in this one, and it doesn't tie together nearly as nicely. the speeding and slowing of the tempo is much more of a focus and i'd have to check again but it might have to do with its placement in the album overall

also there is a live version of climb downhill 1! i love it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjJb0hvZqkA

I actually saw Climb Downhill 2 as a related video from Climb Downhill 1 and I had the same reaction. Too harsh for me.

Why is the live version Youtube Kids lol

MetalmindStats posted...

I'm glad you got so much out of Momodani! I really do feel like it's an experience of its own, one for which your description seems apt.

Based on your comments here and throughout this topic so far, I bet Oneknowing in general would be up your alley. Have you listened to it (and/or Lena's non-VGM work in general), and if so, what do you think?

Momodani was great, yeah. I don't know what Oneknowing is but if it's similar, I might enjoy it. I'm not a huge fan of the Celeste soundtrack honestly, so maybe I wouldn't like it, but it's certainly worth checking out.

SovietOmega posted...

Ah dang, was wondering when I was gonna bite it. I'm quite happy to see Stargazer rated as highly as it did, especially after seeing so many metal nominations fall around the 50's and below.

This song, and the album it came from, was something I just stumbled into one day. I was just looking for some background music for some gaming and wanted to sample some songs in my collection that I hadn't previously listened to. I was a little uncertain about the album at first with mediocre tracks 1 and 2, but then this beast of a song played on track 3 and I was pretty instantly captivated. I could definitely recommend the rest of the album too, but this one will always be the one to stand out for me.

I love finding music by happenstance like that. Related videos, random searches, songs you hear in a store. Music is everywhere~

I kept reading this topic on my phone and then forgetting to post when I got to my computer.

I chose Unreadable Communication for this topic specifically after I read your description of the "Unconvention" category. The part at 2:22 is unlike anything that I've heard before (though apparently you recognized some similarities). Actually, looking back at it, Unconvention wasn't even your highest category. But you made it for it with the other categories, so I'm glad you liked it.

I too was introduced to Curve through Frequency. Worst Mistake was my "favorite song that I discovered through the game from an artist that I didn't already know", so I ended up listening to a few of their albums out of curiosity. I would say that Cuckoo has a slightly darker/edgier sound than the other ones (which makes it my favorite from what I've heard), but their style is distinctive across all of them.

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rwlh posted...

I don't know what Oneknowing is but if it's similar, I might enjoy it.

Oh sorry I should have clarified, Oneknowing is the album (of Lena's) that Momodani comes from. I'd say the other songs in it hit on quite a few of the aspects you enjoyed from Momodani and that you've said you like in music more generally.

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okay let's do this

10. Christopher Young Sinister
https://youtu.be/TGWZiWW4rTM
@Place (1 remaining)
9 / 9 / 8 / 9.5 / 9.5
90

I love the intro to this. Its dark, ambient buildup with some glitch and sharp keyboard stings.
Sinister sets a mood thats, well, sinister, maybe more than any other song in the ranking. The melody is light but haunting as played back on the keyboard. The whole time the song feels like its ready to open up like a thunderstorm even with the melody it feels like its holding back, operating with restraint. Then 3:15 happens and it goes heavy glitch, finally fulfilling its promise, albeit briefly. The last few seconds are also delightfully creepy, with some kind of Metroid noise in the fadeout.

9. endleSSStation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7C74BoQtAc
@GameBopAdv (ELIMINATED)
9 / 9 / 9 / 9.5 / 9
91

Really solid glitchy breakbeat with lots of musical ideas and compelling weird time signature. Im reminded of some of the darker Kirby songs throughout, like eldritch horror boss fights. Theres chiptune, theres screaming, theres all kinds of things blended together. There are quieter moments and moments of manic frenzy. In my notes I wrote this feels like a song that plays when you die. I dont...really know what I meant by that, but it feels very appropriate.

8. The Microphones - I Want Wind to Blow
https://youtu.be/5WvWkUhszeE
@tazzyboyishere (ELIMINATED)
9.5 / 9 / 8 / 10 / 9
91

A very different song from endleSSStation! I Want Wind to Blow is an intimate acoustic piece where I feel like Im right next to the singer. I love songs like this, where I can hear every crack in the singers voice, every string being plucked on the guitar. Theres even some feedback! I also love that rattling instrument that sort of like maracas. The song really picks up around 2:30, when the melody turns plaintive and sad and powerful. Like I said, I dont really pay attention to lyrics too much, so I dont know what the song is about, but it feels plaintive and sad and powerful. I get an overwhelming sense of emotion, of intimacy, from this.

7. John Cage - Rozart mix
https://youtu.be/ICxG_o50y2E
@Place (ELIMINATED)
8.5 / 9 / 10 / 10 / 9
93

As I was listening to this for the first time, my first thought was, Is it going to be like this the whole time? My follow-up thought was, God I hope so.

And it is like this the whole time. A bunch of edited non-musical audio clips: sped-up talking, squeaking, babies crying, what sounds like news clips. No discernible melody to speak of, except for the occasional clip of an orchestra. And yet I still perceive arcs, rising and falling, ebbing and flowing in intensity.

Appreciation was hard for this because I wasnt sure at first what John Cage wanted me to be experiencing. I couldnt decide between confusion, awe, and being overwhelmed. I realized I felt all three, and awarded max points.

Rozart mix is an experience. I imagine most people would listen to ten seconds and turn it off. But if you can get past the barrier of this doesnt really sound music, its certainly worth listening to. The last few seconds in particular made my jaw hit the floor I wont spoil it for you.

6. salyu salyu - Jibun ga Inai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qM2s3l9Ca0
@cakophon (ELIMINATED)
9 / 10 / 9 / 10 / 9
94

Oh hey its We Love Katamari Blue Orb I like that song.

What an attention-grabbing first few seconds. That rhythmic keyboard note keeps time and the rest of the song dances around it, adding more and more elements. Everything just works together so well. It feels effortless. Thats a hard thing to quantify what I mean by that is there arent any decisions the song makes that feel out of place. Everything flows perfectly. This isnt first place, but it might be a perfect song.

5. Dvorak - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCYvoOEBbw
@GavsEvans123 (ELIMINATED)
9.5 / 9 / 9.5 / 10 / 9.5
95

This is the last song on the list I knew beforehand, a category that consists of maybe like five songs lol. This is just...dang. BIG song goes BIG. I prefer the more bombastic first third (1 > 2 > 3) but theres a lot to love all throughout. I love how the main melody keeps getting worked in. I love how much softer and calmer the second part is, but how theres still this pounding undercurrent of intensity that comes out, like at 5:10. As one commenter on the video put it, its duality, the tension between good and evil.

4. Laura Marling Soothing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCS4OTgaHeM
@kaonashi1 (1 remaining)
9.5 / 9.5 / 9.5 / 10 / 9
95

If it wasnt very clear by now, a singers voice can really make or break a song for me. Here, Laura Marling has this amazing controlled voice that oozes personality. It reminds me of something that would be at home in a smoky 1920s club (though not this song specifically). I love the backing percussion, the echo effects at 3:00, the pop in the bridge everything is terrific, and Marling is the centerpiece.

3. Sonny Wharton Raindance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrTm69JMDJg
@Kikoman589 (ELIMINATED)
10 / 10 / 9.5 / 9 / 10
97

Obsession was the toughest category to earn points in, with only 55 percent possible points awarded total. (The highest, Appreciation, had 65 percent.) There was no denying, however, that Raindance would get a 10 in Obsession, one of only two songs in the ranking to do so. Whereas the rest of the top ten belongs to categories like serious glitch, moody singer-songwriters, classical music, and whatever the hell Rozart mix is, Raindance is just so much fun. Its a straightforward dance track that never ever fails to put a smile on my face. From the moment the main melody kicks in to the very end, this is, along with the actual ranking winner, the song Ive returned to the most.

It might be fitting that it sounds a little like video game music too, or at least what common perception of VGM is: catchy dance hooks. However you want to quantify it, its such a blast. :)

2. Necry Talkie - You Should Head North
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l-qw9yRFOA
@Not_an_Owl (ELIMINATED)
10 / 10 / 9.5 / 10 / 9.5
98

Speaking of fun! This is a delectable piece of pop rock. Music video aside, you can just tell the band was having fun making this bouncy, breezy track. I would imagine your enjoyment of the song is made or broken by your opinion of the lead singer. I find her vocals charming and fitting of the bubbly song. The chorus is so much fun, the keyboard runs are fun, the bridge at 2:35 when the band loses their minds is fun! Everything just screams good time. Now, for all I know, the lyrics in English might be some bittersweet rumination on love lost or something. But from my vantage point, Im having a great time. Thank you for nominating this. :)

(Also it didnt factor into my rating, but the music video is hilarious.)

Which leaves...

1. Owen Pallett - I Am Not Afraid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KNDXQUJ9BI
@kaonashi1(WINNER!!!)
10 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10
100

Is there such a thing as a perfect song? I said that Jibun ga Inai might qualify because everything works together to produce a greater whole. I Am Not Afraid might not be a perfect song in that strict definition of the word, but it might be a perfect crystallization of what I look for in a song.

The song opens with these intense, somewhat discordant, repetitive strings that eventually Owen Pallett sings over. The tension generated by these strings is never actually released, even when they make way for a piano backing, and that compels me to keep listening (Immersion). The overall effect is something I cant easily find anywhere else, something very distinctive (Unconvention). When the piano comes in with the simple drum kick, Im swept along by the clarity of the singing, the way the subtle horns draw attention to the vocals, the swell of the strings as everything coalesces into an ending that still never releases tension (Appreciation). I feel something very profound listening to this, something that isnt easily replicated (Emotion). Ive listened to it, on loop, multiple times, and it never gets old (Obsession). Thats what I love in music the nebulous satisfaction of profundity.

Palletts lyrics which I even paid attention to! - are thought-provoking: gender-neutral pronouns, lamentations of not being able to have children, burning boxes of old love letters. It opens with the line, I am not afraid, ze said. Its an entreaty of living life in spite of obstacles, of turning those obstacles into strengths. Theres also the great line: Im not at all afraid of changing / but I dont know what good it would do me. This suggests a reticence to confront life wholly, that old habits die hard. The segue back into I am not afraid seems to suggest the character is aware of the futility of not changing, but ze is being stubborn, something I think we can all relate to.

So this is my number 1. A perfect song with a perfect 100. I dont know how many songs I can say that about. Months ago, I went through all my VGM 10s and 9.5s (in my VGM spreadsheet I only score based on Emotion) and tried applying the other four variables to them. Only two songs got 100. Two songs! Out of around 150 songs that I absolutely adore. That should give you some perspective. Thank you kao for nominating it, and for reminding me its okay to be afraid sometimes.

Thats finally it! Sweet Jesus, this took a while. Seven months? Something like that. Thanks all for sticking with it for so long. Ill post the final eliminations in a bit.

Final eliminations part 1!

Eliminations part 2:




And the winner...



Again, thanks everyone for tuning in and reading along and especially nominating! I found a lot of awesome songs through this topic.

I didn't expect Necry Talkie to make it this far, but I'm not disappointed!

From my understanding, in Japanese "to head north" is an old literary expression meaning "to give up". It's some sort of untranslatable pun where the character for "north" can also mean "surrender", or something like that. The lyrics of the song aren't exactly literal but are essentially about facing an extremely difficult situation and opting to just give up and move on with your life, rather than continuing to struggle and suffer.

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Epic thread

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Not_an_Owl posted...

I didn't expect Necry Talkie to make it this far, but I'm not disappointed!

From my understanding, in Japanese "to head north" is an old literary expression meaning "to give up". It's some sort of untranslatable pun where the character for "north" can also mean "surrender", or something like that. The lyrics of the song aren't exactly literal but are essentially about facing an extremely difficult situation and opting to just give up and move on with your life, rather than continuing to struggle and suffer.

That fits the upbeat lyrics, I suppose. Finding contentment in moving on with your life. That feels like a very un-Western approach to things, haha, but I love it. There's something to be said for the dignity of moving on.

Kikoman589 posted...

Epic thread

Thank you! :D Glad you enjoyed!

Bump in case you missed it!

i'm just now going through this topic, sorry for responding to a four months old post but...

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

I just kinda Googled "best saxophonist" to get to Kenny G and then spent an hour clicking through his channel, in search of something new to nominate.

this is funny to me because kenny g is not AT ALL respected as a good player in the hardcore jazz community. pat metheny (i think mycro might have mentioned this guy once or twice) in particular has gone after him hard on several occasions.

for the record, i personally love kenny g (well, some of his stuff).

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