Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 27! NekoNabe/AnotherWinter, TunnelVis Remix/MorArdain, BlueOrb/CMYKFM

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 16, 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=475935
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80027411
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0xxfgkmGKvEyWfHvNZ53Kbn
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16XAaBMDuUnQ4c5AxQNL9ZhvD7VG5kQyrXWWZxnkrn-o
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

neko nabe

SWEETROCK
CLEVELAND BRASS
UDON

gutsu gutsu go away

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
Blue Orb

Match 3 is really tough

neko nabe neko nabe neko nabe neko nabe (i havent actually listened to the other song so dont count this as a vote)

Neko Nabe
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

gutsu gutsu nyaa nyaa nyaa nyaa gutsu gutsu (ok now i have so this IS a vote for neko nabe)

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

https://youtu.be/6OY4UD-fZP8?t=3846

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
Blue Orb

Neko Nabe
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Very close second match.

Neko Nabe (7.2 - 48th place) / Another Winter (6.8 - 51st place)
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix) (7.8v - 39th place) / Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes (7.3 - 45th place)
Blue Orb (8.3v - 27th place) / CMYK (FM Arrange ver.) (8.75v - 16th place)

Another Winter
Tunnel Vision
CMYK

Neko Nabe could have done without the kawaii overdose. Didn't need it.

Neko Nabe [5]
Another Winter [8]
Tunnel Vision [8]
Mor Adin [8]
Blue Orb [5.5]
CMYK [6.5]

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Neko Nabe
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Another Winter
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
Blue Orb

Another Winter
Mor Ardain
Blue Orb

No explanations today, for IRL, I lament, we truly live in hell.

Neko Nabe
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

I don't understand why I love Neko Nabe so much.

Winter
Vision
Blue

Neko Nabe
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Very interesting day. Excited for what comes out of this. Neko Nabe is a banger btw

neko nabe

Neko Nabe
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
Blue Orb

voting Jindo in the poll since his works are what got me into Falcom music in the first place, but every single composer listed has at least one song I'd consider 9/10 or above

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlURf3BST3c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrAjnVFhe84&t=909s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WII791VMcXo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AjeKKlstlM
alternate versions of CMYK (i hadn't listened to the original until now, damn i honestly regret not checking it before noms...)

mizuno is a secret god

also no votes for now this is a very scary day

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Another Winter
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
LOSTCOLORS - CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Neko Nabe
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
Blue Orb

Neko Nabe is probably my favorite song in the entire bracket. I don't know why

Another Winter
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Another Winter > Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix) Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes = CMYK (FM Arrange ver.) >>>> Blue Orb >> Neko Nabe

W(inter)
W(astes)
M(cyk)

Neko Nabe
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
Blue Orb

Match 3 very interesting and surprisingly difficult but Blue Orb is such a vibe I love it. Match 2 would have been harder if it was a song from the actual Battle Garegga soundtrack, this was neat techno but not quite on the same level as the in-game music. As for match 1... NEKO NABE NEKO NABE NEKO NABE NEKO NABE

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Cho Aniki: Seinaru Protein Densetsu - Neko Nabe
Battle Garegga Rev.2016 - Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
We Love Katamari - Blue Orb

Neko Nabe
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
Blue Orb

Match 3 is a really rough draw :-(
CMYK sounds like Light Crusader :-)

Another Winter
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

The first match sure is between inoffensive and actively offensive. At least I enjoyed the second match a good amount.

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

OK Neko Nabe is one of those where I don't understand the appeal in the slightest. If I didn't know better I'd be sure it was a joke nom but I gather people here actually like it. Another Winter is awesome, I can't imagine listening to it and not feeling happy!
Match 2 is a nice clash of styles, Tunnel is safely chill but it's outclassed for me by Wastes's tactic of Oops! All Hooks.
The high pitched squeaks in Blue Orb are legitimately unpleasant to my ears, the other stuff in there is alright but I'm not voting for something that I actually find painful lol. Please don't make me listen to this again, B8 >_> CMYK wins by default, it's fine.

Neko: 0.5/5
Winter: 4.5/5
Tunnel: 3.5/5
Wastes: 5/5
Orb: 1.5/5
CMYK: 2.5/5

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Another Winter
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
LOSTCOLORS - CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Another Winter
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Neko Nabe
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
Blue Orb

Everything is great today except Another Winter

Huh, apparently Neko Nabe has a 16-year-old Haruka Shimotsuki on backing vocals. Listening to it again it's totally her.

Neko Nabe
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
Blue Orb

Neko Nabe (already voted for this but reiterating)
Roaming the Wastes
Blue Orb

I love neko nabe but wasn't very optimistic about it's chances in bracket, but HOLY SHIT Another Winter is bad. boring boring boring. why would i listen to something BORING and INOFFENSIVE (another winter) when i could listen to something INTERESTING and OFFENSIVE (neko nabe)

hiramatsu king. OG battle garegga has some hot synths but im not really feeling this tunnel vision arrange.

ohhhhh this is rough. I love both of these for similar reasons. Blue Orb pulls ahead, but that's at least partially because I've listened to it more and can identify more cool things in it.

uhhhh ranking today is tough. everything else > Tunnel Vision >>>>>>>>>>>>> Another Winter

Tunnel
Noodles

10 i guess i dunno this song has destroyed me in every way
7
8.5
7.5
7.5
8.5

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
Blue Orb

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
Blue Orb

slightly more normal day. actually really like another winter, neko nabe gets the same fate as elephant's foot for me unfortunately

Neko Nabe
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

1. PowerOne
2. You Were There
3. Scroll Stage
4. ???
5. Staff Roll (Super Mario 64)
6. Dreams in a Pie
7. ???
8. Abstract Map
9. CHAMPION RITUAL
10. Passing Through the Forest
11. ???
12. ???
13. ???
14. ???
15. A CYBER'S WORLD?
16. ???
17. ???
18. Kusanagi Village
19. ???
20. Calling
21. LIN NE KRO NE
22. Egg Reverie
23. Battle! (Arceus) ~ Phase 4
24. ???
25. The Glittering City of Yusnaan
26. ???
27. ???
28. Sky Tower
29. ???
30. The Elephant's Foot of Obnoxious Music
31. Time Moves Slow
32. The Apex of the World (Rain)
33. Radical Dreamers ~Unstolen Jewel~
34. Interwoven Stories
35. ???
36. ???
37. Blue Orb
38. Home Sweet Home
39. The Wretched Automatons
40. It's Dangerous to Go Alone
41. Move Me
42. ???
43. xxxx/xx/xx (Remix)
44. Yggdrasil
45. stg_travel_2_3
46. ???
47. SaKuRa
48. The Rain Formerly Known as Purple
49. ???
50. Kaze no Ne

Not in the top 50, but I would easily take Neko Nabe over everything today that isn't Blue Orb (and maybe even that).

Neko Nabe
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
Blue Orb

Neko Nabe has some parts that I like-ish but never gets to the level of being great. Also the talking parts in the second half are really bad. Another Winter isn't the best but it's pretty okay. I like the start. The part that starts at 0:37 isn't good.

Tunnel Vision is a good song. I like it very much. Mor Ardain is also great. Could go either way on this one! Too bad the best two songs are in the same match.

I do not like Blue Orb! CMYK is not my thing either! Oh well!

Another Winter
Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes
CMYK (FM Arrange ver.)

Mor Ardain ~ Roaming the Wastes > Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix) > Another Winter > Neko Nabe > CMYK (FM Arrange ver.) > Blue Orb

Another Winter
Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
Blue Orb

Blue Orb a rare song that sounds better on speakers than headphones >_<

< P0's Top 16 >
9.1 (0 left): Labyrinth V - Forgotten Capital / Im Back (to Rise!) / Apex of the World (Rain)
8.9 (1 left): The Best Is Yet To Come
8.8 (2 left):
8.7 (0 left): The Wind's Blooming Mountain
8.5 (0 left): Move Me
8.4 (0 left): To a New Journey
8.3 (0 left): Don't speak her name! / Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke / Another Winter
8.2 (3 left):

Another Winter was really popular on YouTube when I was first getting into VGM! I remember not liking it much, especially because it would mess with my searches for Another Winter from Seiken Densetsu 3/Trials of Mana. I must've kept skipping it before the good parts, because 0:57 is one of the most uplifting melodies I've ever experienced! It sounds like running into the sunset with your friends anime OP-style, and always motivates me to go a little further when I'm out running IRL. No knocks against Neko Nabe either, considering I was a Bi voter!

< P0's Honourable Mentions In The 8.2 Tier That Barely Missed The Top 16 >
8.2: An Endless Desert / Times Moves Slow (Home) / Tunnel Vision (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)

I'm still coming to terms with how much I love this song! I would describe the genre as "chill yet treacherous space vibes," with active percussion layers weaving in and out over ambient synth textures. rwlh asked about the song in Discord, so I gave it some more thought in terms of non-VGM - as far as I know, the structure of long songs with subtle layer changes is well-established in "progressive" electronic genres like progressive house and progressive trance. Though personally, I acquired a taste for it through synthwave - see some of my favourite Lazerhawk tracks like So Far Away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmnp0xV2P3E and Interstellar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epgswsq4qXI. There's also The Field's minimal techno like They Won't See Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uamdRZLfxA0 ( @rwlh you used It's Up There in a list so you should know!). I would even make a cross-genre comparison to the indie hit Intro by The xx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFq6nnw7xg0.

In terms of the better-established EDM genres I mentioned, I had to do some research but there's Strobe by deadmau5 for prog house https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdW5McynGh8 and some prog trance song Xpander by Sasha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRqPeKbYoGw from...1999, wow!

So there are some elements of Neko Nabe that are alright, like the synths. But there are so many other elements that I strongly dislike that it completely negates the positives. The voices in particular aren't pleasant to listen to, nor is the straw-sucking effect, or the screaming towards the end.

Another Winter is a nice Anamanaguchi song, though it's certainly not a highlight. The melody is mostly boring, but the Anamanaguchi production is solid as usual. It being against what it is makes this an incredibly easy pick though.

Tunnel Vision is some pretty solid Trance/House stuff. Not much else to say about it lol

Mor Ardain is one of the better Xenoblade area themes. Great melody, great instrument choices, and an all-around great composition. Based Kenji Hiramatsu does it again.

Blue Orb has some really interesting production with the synths. The glitchiness and the vocals are quite intriguing. I like this song quite a bit.

CMYK has some interesting instrumentation in it. Particularly in the flutes and the SNES-style bass. Pretty good song too, but I'm leaning more towards Blue Orb in this match.

Votes:
Another Winter
Mor Ardain -Roaming the Wastes-
Blue Orb