Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 1! 1stThing / Nefertiti / NatPark / RFTM(?) / Coll.Express / Heritors

(+) Yeah! (+)

The First Thing
Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
Collapsed Expressway

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The First Thing
(I will abstain from voting on match 2)
Collapsed Expressway

Toxtricity posted...

his was PROVED by haste's analysis last year

i just realized, i think i've 2-3 times now miscredited haste for doing that thing when it was actually player0? oops? i can't remember actually. i'm not even sure if anyone knows what i'm talking about. where they focused in on the group of people who voted fairly similar to each other and then pointed out the exceptions
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Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
National Park
Collapsed Expressway

The First Thing
National Park
Collapsed Expressway

So, Nefertiti, to me, is just an "okay" song -- There's nothing I really hate about it, but nothing I really like about it either. Like it's kinda cool at 3:20 but otherwise, it's just, a song, and one I wouldn't really be compelled to listen to on my own. Meanwhile the first thing is...also a song I wouldn't really be compelled to listen to on my own, but it's also a very interesting experience that I can appreciate! And I do love those atmospheric synths and sounds going on in the background. Plus, I don't really -despise- hearing Mr Bones talkin at me the way he does like I would with a lot of other vocals like a certain other song up for vote today. I can kinda tune him out if I want and passively focus on & enjoy the aspects I love. Hm I am selling myself on this song more and more...

2nd match is pretty difficult for because these songs appeal to me in two very different ways that wind up almost balancing out! RTFM 14.5's got some real neat energy with plenty going on, though I'm not feeling this instrumentation. National Park hits a very strong emotional level for me, but feels kind of weak-ish in other ways in that it doesn't really do much else for me. But it doesn't always need to.

3rd match is very easy, fav vs. least fav of today's set.

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The First Thing
Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
Collapsed Expressway

Wow I ended up enjoying collapsed expressway way more than I expected. might be because it reminded me of a few nonvgm tracks that I hold dear to my heart but even still goddamn what a beautiful piece!!! love how it all adds up and builds on itself yadda yadda I'm going on for a bit but this is really nice
Reach for the moon, immortal smoke also suprised me quite a bit, and the first thing was pretty nice as well, despite being a bit long. Pretty good songs all around!

Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
National Park
Collapsed Expressway

The First Thing
National Park
Collapsed Expressway

Not the best at putting my thoughts about music into words, so I probably won't do these little write ups every day, but thought I should for at least the first day.

I quite liked both The First Thing and Nefertiti, but I do think the earlier is the stronger track. Nefertiti is nice to listen to for sure and I like how it sounds, it just doesn't really do anything that interesting to me. I got a bit bored listening to it even though I knew I was liking it, it just didn't really stick with me. Mr Bones on the other hand I found much more immersive. The monologue alongside the music gives the track this sort of ethereal feel that I can't really describe very well. Not to mention of course that backing guitar is just plain pleasant to the ears.

On the other hand, I don't overly care much for Reach for the Moon or National Park. I am a fan of the original RftM, but I just feel this remix does not come close to it. The added energy to the track is definitely nice, but I really am not big on some of the instrument choices. National Park has always been a song I have thought is a bit overrated. It is not a bad track by any means, it is rather nice. I just see it mentioned a lot for what I honestly think is a bit of a forgettable piece of music.

Like I have seen some others say, Heritors of Arcadia has grown on me quite a bit. I still think I prefer the Japanese version, but the English one is still pretty cool. Definitely a high ranking song when it comes to FE Vocal Tracks. With Collapsed Expressway I do really like the upbeatness of this track. As I said, I am quite poor at describing how I feel about songs but I just have a smile on my face while listening to this.

Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
National Park
Collapsed Expressway
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The First Thing
National Park
The Heritors of Arcadia

I enjoyed Nefertiti more than I expected, though I feel like it was probably a high coming off of Mr. Bones's Wild Ride.

National Park I think I heard from my Pokemon ranking - really nice melancholic chiptune, which I tend to really enjoy. I originally gave it a 7 but I'm bumping it up to a 7.5!

Not a fan of the squeaky recorder in Reach for the Moon, though I appreciate that it goes to a very different place than the original. However, upon relistening, I actually enjoy it a good bit more - the repeated staccato four notes go a long way toward establishing a great amount of energy. Pretty solid match!

The Heritors of Arcadia is another song that surprised me. There's a lot to like about this one - heartfelt vocals, clear production quality, an unexpected acoustic guitar in the bridge. That all gives it an edge over Collapsed Expressway, which evoked an immersive atmosphere but didn't grab me as much.

First day is full of surprises!

Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
National Park
Collapsed Expressway

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The First Thing
National Park
Collapsed Expressway

These were pretty difficult, and there aren't even any songs here that I feel strongly about (barring Collapsed Expressway kinda). Things are going to be tough, but I welcome the challenge.

Oh

Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
Collapsed Expressway

The First Thing
Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
Collapsed Expressway

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WOOOOOO VGMC SEASON IS HERE BAYBEEEEEEEE

Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
The Heritors of Arcadia

top slot = stronger seed is a LIE

Welcome to year 15, everybody! Finally, we have as many VGMCs as there are Final Fantasies...interestingly, FF songs have featured pretty often in the first three matches of the contest - 9 out of 15 times, in fact! Back in VGMC 1, it was To Zanarkand, who beat future finalist Trombe! 28-22 and eventually claimed the FIRST ever retirement slot over Lonely Rolling Star!

I'm using the first week to trial a new thing where I pick one song to highlight for the day; it'll be pretty arbitrary, whichever one I think "deserves" it. It's a good excuse to try writing about at least one song!

And with the #1 pick of the VGMC 15 draft, I select...The First Thing! This song is really interesting for making you think about "blues," but also music in general in a way that can only be achieved with spoken lyrics. I've had passing interests in related art forms - spoken word, slam poetry, guided meditation - but I can't say I truly enjoy them as much as familiar genres of VGM. I do love a good underdog though - rock on, you weird bone man!

Other tidbits:
Nefertiti just keeps on giving with the guitar solos!!! I had a hard time believing that 5:25 loop point
Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I thought Collapsed Expressway would have way more hype coming into the contest? I remember SupraDarky uploaded it, Lena Raine featured it on 140VGM, VGM Online gave it an award...okay, maybe I'm placing too much stock in obscure appearances
THE SEASONS THEY TUUUUUURN MEMORY FAAAAAADES (that "fades" is so good ugh)

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Toxtricity posted...

i just realized, i think i've 2-3 times now miscredited haste for doing that thing when it was actually player0? oops? i can't remember actually. i'm not even sure if anyone knows what i'm talking about. where they focused in on the group of people who voted fairly similar to each other and then pointed out the exceptions

that was me lol

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The First
National Park
Collapsed

oh no!


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Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
National Park
Collapsed Expressway

side note when i went to listen to the neferwhatever song i saw the thumbnail and went "oh it's gonna be one of These Songs" and then the guitar kicked in and i died. cool song

neothewoodman posted...

side note when i went to listen to the neferwhatever song i saw the thumbnail and went "oh it's gonna be one of These Songs" and then the guitar kicked in and i died. cool song

Atelier.mp4

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Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
Collapsed Expressway

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actually changing my vote from National Park to RFTM after listening like 3 more times to the match

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Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland - Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
Touhou 14.5: Urban Legend in Limbo - Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
Final Fantasy VII Remake - Collapsed Expressway
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The First Thing
Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
The Heritors of Arcadia

Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
The Heritors of Arcadia

Heritors has this folksy, old-timey feel for a ballad that makes it resonate with me despite its relative simplicity. Makes it feel nostalgic even though I've never played Echoes.

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The First Thing
National Park
Collapsed Expressway

Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
National Park
The Heritors of Arcadia

All matches pretty close, but the 2nd is a choice between evils, whereas the 1st and 3rd are both overall good.

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Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland - Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
Pokmon Gold and Silver - National Park
Final Fantasy VII Remake - Collapsed Expressway

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oh shoot i should've thought to have sceptile on the poll
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The First Thing
National Park
The Heritors of Arcadia

The First Thing is unique as hell. National Park hits me in the feels i shouldn't have because i've never played pokemon. And Heritors' lyrics are pleasant to listen to. Rest of songs are actually great but I resonated more with these.

Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
National Park
Collapsed Expressway

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Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland - Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
Pokmon Gold and Silver - National Park
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - The Heritors of Arcadia

MATCH 1

Although everyone certainly has their own reasons for liking one song or another, I like kaonashi's explanation of The First Thing's appeal. I think it also shows why I'm not really a fan of this song. It's hard for me to speak more technically about what I like about songs, but I guess you can say I'm very melody-driven, so I don't really focus on lyrics, for example. I do like some of the guitar bits of this song when it's soloing, but not as much when it's extending individual notes. Other than that, though, there's not a whole lot for me to latch on to here, unfortunately.

I'll never get tired of upbeat JRPG rock songs! There may not be anything particularly special about Nefertiti, but it just does one thing I like very well. I think I might side with deo on liking Mana Khemia's Nefertiti for similar reasons since I recall not wanting to hear the guitar solos go on for that long towards the end in past listens, but I don't mind that at all today.

MATCH 2

I'm not a huge chiptune guy, but I do like GSC's National Park. I'd probably wager that it's up there for favorite GSC songs. It's nice and relaxing.

I'm warming up a little bit to 14.5's Reach for the Moon, but I still strongly prefer the original version of it to this one. I admittedly do like the bouncy arrangement of its main melody, but I don't care very much for the intro leading up to it for the first minute and ten seconds or so. Especially when it comes to 0:32-0:45. Also, I'm not a huge fan of how the flute sounds here. It sounds a bit...harsh, for lack of a better word.

Seems like the difference between the two songs would be night and day based on what I wrote about them lol, but it's actually fairly close. I don't remember listening to a ton of GSC songs as opposed to the HG/SS versions, but I think Ecruteak/Cianwood City would be one of my favorite GSC songs that would make this match easier to decide.

MATCH 3

Don't have a lot to say about Collapsed Expressway. It seems like something that would interest me based on the instrumentation, but I don't care very much for how it sounds.

Haven't listened to a ton of Fire Emblem music, but this is definitely my favorite Fire Emblem song that I've listened to! It's definitely a bit of a contrast to some of the more orchestral songs that you hear from the series (though I may be thinking of mainly Three Houses when I say this). I love the soft, emotional sound to this. Kinda similar to how I felt about Kaine last year, maybe? But yeah, especially at parts like 0:59-1:17. Great piano melody and vocal harmonizing! This is one of those rarer occasions when I prefer the English vocals to the Japanese ones. The English vocalist here is great and makes all the vocal parts that much better--especially the chorus.

The Heritors of Arcadia > Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI) >> National Park > Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke (Touhou 14.5) > Collapsed Expressway > The First Thing

Nefertiti (Ver.MMXI)
Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
Collapsed Expressway

The First Thing
Reach for the Moon
Collapsed Expressway

First Thing is way cooler than it has any right to be with its mix of monologue and guitar. Nefertiti is better than I'd expected (didn't get around to this in noms; I anticipated it to be typical B8 bait like a lot of Atelier stuff) but it didn't grip me. I didn't want to listen to the full thing like I did with First Thing. Nefertiti did have some Touhou feel to it when there wasn't a guitar, so that's a plus from me... and likely a minus from almost all the rest of the board.

Speaking of which, second match time. National Park is pretty whatever. I can appreciate more placid themes, but the game boy instrumentation does this no favor. I'd love to hear a version of it with more updated production quality. Meanwhile, this version of RftM is fightan' gaem 2hu, which is gonna make it hard to top for me. Not sure about that Theremin-like trill in the background sometimes, even though I helped support this in.

I used to train to be a classical singer, so I'm way harsher on vocal tracks than I probably should be. I hated the breathy timbre of the singer in half the song and general lack of emotion throughout most of it, which is a damn shame because I think a good singer could've made this work. Collapsed Expressway is solid. Not amazing, but respectable, and more than enough to make R2

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Votes:
The First Thing
National Park
The Heritors of Arcadia

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