Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 32! Paradise v Working, Threat v Rocky Path, GlntGunshot v UrNotHere

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 15, an annual celebration of the best of the best video game music according to the voters!

Important Links:
Bracket: https://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=474630
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16XAaBMDuUnQ4c5AxQNL9ZhvD7VG5kQyrXWWZxnkrn-o
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/79443554
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0xt7lOF1eB-H4NpAaF1yAnU
Compatibility sheet (courtesy of Haste!!): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iGYWo_ifr_p2uYpD_I6TwBQS2tm7zJtPCxYZfRJcG8I
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VNrPnFRI7nJ4PqFiURBW0NWqxvXiuasoq8Sn_O169ss
VGMC total stats sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K1XdLWiUKB2kX99qYBgnRbLU_sCz4dvZSByKKJHCT6o
Discord: https://discord.gg/WDvMS4a

Rules:
- Listen to both songs in a given match, at least through the loop time provided (to make sure you don't skip before you've heard the whole thing!)
- Please consider the loop point listed when judging the song; if a video loops one minute 5 times, don't treat it as if it's a repetitive 5 minute song
- If it's a match between your favorite song ever and a song you despise, still LISTEN TO BOTH! Votes can and will be disqualified if there is suspicion songs are not being listened to, and you may be discounted for the rest of the contest for repeat offenses.
- No alt accounts, no rallying or begging, etc., etc.... You only get one vote! Swapping votes is alright, just make clear that you've already made a vote and are swapping.
- Make clear what your voting options are! Please keep votes separate from any comments, and use the titles given in the topic post.
- Voting in all matches is not mandatory, feel free to skip matches you do not wish to vote in.
- Vote based on the links provided, and not other sources of audio. Links are specifically chosen for best quality and the like.
- Don't discuss vote tallies in this thread, or in other threads, as they may influence votes. Likewise, please refrain from looking at the running tally before voting.

Voting Period:
- Today's matches will last 24 hours from the time of posting, or 24 hours f

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

Working
Threat
Gallant

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Working
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

Working
Battle -Threat-
You're Not Here

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

both of the first 2 matches are super mean wtf

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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot
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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
Gallant Gunshot

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Paradise Killer - Paradise (Stay Forever)
Oninaki - Battle -Threat-
Silent Hill 3 - You're Not Here
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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
You're Not Here

paradise is the kind of song that serves as a reminder that i'm more into songs that sound like this than ones that (almost) go all the way.

working's just a nice song that's very welcome listening, nothing more but nothing less, and that means a lot more than you'd expect. about the only definitive weakness it has is when it decided to go low budget young adult spy tv show soundtrack style around the middle. don't mind it but also don't care for it.

eh, it's ok i guess

eh, it's ys i guess

eh, it's gallant gunshot i guess. and that means it's a number of magnitudes better than both prior songs at least.

too bad you're not here is just, like, perfect to me. i blame my unreasonable degree of exposure to certain licensed songs in gran turismo games, which silent hill happens to completely align with

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
You're Not Here

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

Match 1 is rough. To be fair though; C4 in general is really nasty for the most part now that I have had a better look at it.

Paradise (Stay Forever) [9]
Working [9]
Gallant Gunshot [9]
Overcome the Rocky Path [8.5]
Battle -Threat- [7]
You're Not Here [6.5]

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
You're Not Here

I really like 1:47 of Gallant Gunshot but it's not enough to make the whole song.
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now THIS, this is truly a DAY

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
Gallant Gunshot

Ginga Force, famed game soundtrack of 2020! Gallant Gunshot is a hell of an earworm, just a wonderful house guest who is welcome to crash on the couch in my brain anytime! I really have to hand it to those PUNCHY chords in the middle range, they totally carry the song and get very close to stealing the spotlight from the melody, like an epic choir or backing vocals presented at the same level as the solo singer! I want to hear this song played on stage so I can stand in front of the speakers and have my face blown off.

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Working
Battle -Threat-
Gallant Gunshot

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Ughhhh today SUCKS because everything is so GOOD.

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
You're Not Here

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have you noticed how in the 2nd half of the A melody the rhythm guitar is also playing the melody
in between mutes
(harmonized)
0:35

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Working
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

Some parts of Paradise are real good, even though they don't sound that different from the rest of the song. Namely around 1:00 - 1:30 or so? Sounds nice and Persona-y. Too bad the rest of the song doesn't sound like that. Working is much more consistent if not as good at its peak.

I supported Battle Threat and I can't remember why. Hmm. I mean, I kinda enjoy it, but not that much? Rocky Path is much more my thing and I probably just skipped it because it's not one of the best Ys. Still freaking great though! Ys 8 OST so good. The part at 1:10 is amazing! So much emotional energy! Why are Ys 8 tracks so good when Cold Steel tracks are so okay? I do not know.

Gallant Gunshot is cool. When I listen to it I feel like Homer at the BTO concert wanting to hear the chorus because the chorus is instantly in my mind the second I start hearing the song and it's so fucking good. The rest of the song is good too though! And then the second chorus is even more hardcore! AHHHH WHY ISN'T THERE MORE CHORUS!? IMO this is the best of Yasui's songs by a lot. Nothing else comes close. I do not care about You're Not Here.

Overcome the Rocky Path > Gallant Gunshot > Battle -Threat- > Working = Paradise (Stay Forever) > You're Not Here
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Write in for poll: Heading Back to Town

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
Gallant Gunshot

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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
You're Not Here

I hope everyone has been enjoying the North American release of PHANTASY STAR ONLINE 2 NEW GENESIS by SEGA, available for free on PC and Xbox One

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i would be if i didn't keep lagging out

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Working
Battle -Threat-
Gallant Gunshot

Paradise (Stay Forever) (7.2v - 39th place) / Working (8.0 - 26th place)
Battle -Threat- (7.2 - 40th place) / Overcome the Rocky Path (5.3 - 58th place)
Gallant Gunshot (8.8 - 13th place) / You're Not Here (8.3 - 18th place)

Working's got that punchy bass that reminds me of Engage the Enemy, so that counts for a lot, even if it's not really that impressive compositionally! I love Ginga Force! The style has appealed to me for quite some time now, and all of the little dissonances and odd rhythmic interactions always seem so much more powerful (compared to other kinds of music doing the same) because of the sound design. You're Not Here is so good, too, though! Those guitar chords at the start are some of the most memorable of any vgm I know of. Love the singer, too.

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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
Gallant Gunshot

Paradise (Stay Forever) (210th) vs Working (150th)
Battle -Threat- (186th) vs Overcome the Rocky Path (133rd)
Gallant Gunshot (19th) vs You're Not Here (250th)

working is growing on me and this is NOT the type of song that can usually do that wao

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

Paradise is definitely trying to achieve a certain sound, but I think it does it pretty well. Neat song.

Working kinda has that faux-nostalgia feel where it (again) sounds like one of those mid '00s PS2 FPS menu themes. The piano reminds me of the Halo theme.

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More Celtic music, but with ELECTRIC GUITAR this time! Battle -Threat- sounds like music from the Cladun soundtrack, if they decided to play it on real instruments.

God dammit lol, it's up against Ys rock music. The issue here, is that Battle -Threat- is really cool and all, but OtRP just does it better! Good match, and actually very close!

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And here we have another contender for least close R1 match. I very much like GG and very much do not like You're Not Here.

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Working
Battle -Threat-
Gallant Gunshot

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Working
Battle -Threat-
Gallant Gunshot

Forever
Threat
Gunshot
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Working
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot
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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
You're Not Here

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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
You're Not Here

Spacechem - Working [7.0]
Oninaki - Battle -Threat- [7.5]
Silent Hill 3 - You're Not Here [8.0]

Paradise Killer - Paradise (Stay Forever) [6.5]
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Overcome the Rocky Path [4.0]
Ginga Force - Gallant Gunshot [6.0]

I should enjoy Paradise Killer's send-up to city pop a lot more than I do, but it doesn't quite hit on any of those highs. Maybe it has something to do with the production?

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Working
Battlethreat
UrNotHere

the melody from 1:10-1:45 of Rocky Path is a lick I super associate with cold steel and it is annoying to see it in non-Trails games. And people wonder why I can't keep what series Falcom songs are from straight -- the motifs all overlap! grumble grumble grumble...
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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

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Working
Battle -Threat-
You're Not Here

-(i like 80s-90s synth presets that were most likely designed by "eric" especially synth bells the first 20 seconds are my favorite bit of any song today)-

-[i think without knowing this was an "akk song" i would have guessed because although it's way more fully produced, has a super "alexander brandon tracker music" vibe to it]-

-{cold ideas you please fuck off with your music "theory" bull shit toxtricity; it's not a real genre. the real music is when you are "feeling" the "Vibe" you inferior tron}-

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-(cvel;tic genius. this reminds me of some nonexistent atelier songs that i am pretending are real but aren't. the reasong i think of gust is because of the accordion and marimba)-

-[oh no!!! this song is too fast!! actually kinda like it melodically but when it comes to this kinda falcom battle theme the instrumentation is important to me, and i definitely have a strong preference for 2006 unisuga (or 1989 yonemitsu). i do like the rock organ tho. but the morgan is in his appendage. JOHN CENTER and please draw a picture of anime shrine to the spectrometer]-

-{close match}-

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-(massive x is a children's book aboutwhy we're here on this planet created by the artificial turf placed here by characters from norio hanzawa games. [secret information])-

-[i love all the horror game songs that sound like metal floors where you cant tell if the red-like stuff on them is blood or rust. really this is a type of music i used to hate but have grown to love so much the past few years; the imagery i associate it with is part of why, unclean production that is still "clear" is cool...it feels like a "bad place" that is "unsafe" and i love romanticizing dystopias and post-apocalyptic hell holes because i am so angry at the world. always imagine this song goes into 7/4 in the middle of it even though it doesn't]-

-{i love shmup music!!!!!!!!!}-

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You're Not Here (105th/190)
Working (119th/190)
Battle -Threat- (160th/190)
Overcome the Rocky Path (168th/190)
Paradise (Stay Forever) (169th/190)
Gallant Gunshot (184th/190)
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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
You're Not Here

Would easily take Working over the other four songs. Shame.

Working
Battle -Threat-
You're Not Here

Im just glad someone nominated Working honestly

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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
You're Not Here

Match 1 why were you so difficult? If this happened to be my first time listening to Paradise, I could see this vote swinging the other way, but that song sure stuck around in my brain for quite for a while, huh.

Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

Sure.

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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
Gallant Gunshot

i have NO idea why i love Paradise (Stay Forever) so much but i LOVE it. OH RED SKIES. WHERE LOVE DIES.

this match is tough, which surprised me. Battle -Threat- doesn't grip me as immediately or as much as Rocky Path, but Rocky Path really feels like it falls apart for me once I start trying to pay attention to the details (oh hey i think i said that about another unisuga song in this bracket :thinking:). Overall I think I have to go with Oninaki, but I won't be too sad if it flips the other way.

before i move on to talking about m3, i want to say: this group of four is STACKED. holy shit. if i made a favorites bracket, Battle -Threat- would barely make it through these first two matches, and then cruise through to retirement (possibly even top 4).

alright on to m3: singa force - sallant sunshot is cool. i don't think i actually *like* any of the details, but the main line is compelling enough, and everything else is good enough. meanwhile, you're not here reminds me of that part of that bill wurtz video where he says "lame, sad metal" except instead of metal it's... grunge? not a fan.
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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Overcome the Rocky Path
Gallant Gunshot

All the songs today were really cool, pretty tough matches overall.

Working
Battle -Threat-
You're Not Here

In the weeks leading up to this match, I was expecting to vote for Paradise, with Working offering minimal competition. Unfortunately for Paradise, Working really clicked for me today! I think it's great. I never liked this song until now.

Paradise Killer - Paradise (Stay Forever)
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Overcome the Rocky Path
Ginga Force - Gallant Gunshot

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Paradise (Stay Forever)
Battle -Threat-
Gallant Gunshot

Spacechem - Working
Oninaki - Battle -Threat-
Ginga Force - Gallant Gunshot

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(a) Working / Threat / You're Not
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Paradise Killer - Paradise (Stay Forever)
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Overcome the Rocky Path
Ginga Force - Gallant Gunshot
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