Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 87! Lost City/Gusty Garden Galaxy, Prophecy/-[PROTEASE]-

(+) 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 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 from 10pm Eastern, whichever is the later time.
- Please note this may mean that two topics will be active at the same time!
- If you

Super Mario Galaxy - Gusty Garden Galaxy
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - -[PROTEASE]-

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Protease

The Lost City
-[PROTEASE]-

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

The Lost City
Prophecy

Gusty Garden Galaxy
-[PROTEASE]-

Gusty Garden Galaxy
-[PROTEASE]-

Match 2 is good, but not terribly close. Match 1 is close, but a borderline tragedy

The Lost City
-[PROTEASE]-

The Lost City
-[PROTEASE]-

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

Gusty Garden Galaxy
-[PROTEASE]-

The Lost City
Prophecy

Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City - The Lost City
Secret of Mana (2018) - Prophecy

Today's foliage:

[9.5] The Lost City
[9.0] Prophecy
[8.5] -[PROTEASE]-
[7.5] Gusty Garden Galaxy

Gusty Garden Galaxy
-[PROTEASE]-

The Lost City
Prophecy

Gusty Garden Galaxy
-[PROTEASE]-

The Lost City
Prophecy

I'm feeling more Prophecy for tonight, but Match 2 is tight. Protease is very respectable!

#altosweep

The Lost City
Prophecy

Land's End - Island Awake (Todd Baker)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4vdNxLed6c

Here's something that showcases something slightly different from Todd Baker. He weaves warm analog synths with a slow, staticky beat to create a dreamlike soundscape that's reminiscent of watching old films, an aesthetic that's somewhat similar to Impossible Worlds but more downtempo. It's more purely atmospheric and less melodic than the entries that have shown up in this contest, but has its own beauty and charm. I love his measured, thoughtful approach to the sounds he uses, a craftsmanship that always shines through.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Flip-Swap Galaxy (Mahito Yokota)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9__oBoracQ

Mahito Yokota is an excellent orchestrator, but he's also not afraid to try some adventurous compositions that aren't as immediately appealing but really cool in their own way. This is a very short track, and it's probably not the first thing one might think of when considering music from this series, but it's such a mesmerizing piece-- 0:40 is as rewarding to me as any segment of any track I posted. Part of why I picked this is to highlight that Nintendo composers have, in fact, always written tracks with some really unique sounds and progressions, were never afraid to feature them in their biggest games, and I'm just extremely grateful for that-- that among their more catchy, melodic stuff they also make room for this, or for Salmon Run music in the Splatoon series, or for the musical risks they take in Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild and so many other games.

Secret of Mana (2018) - Mystic Invasion (Hiroki Kikuta arr. Noriyuki Kamikura)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fGH7sG5lvU

While the remake soundtrack got a decidedly mixed reception, and not all of the tracks click with me, I'm thrilled that they tried what they did-- that they took some musical risks when they had the opportunity to. Mystic Invasion actually isn't a dramatic departure from the original, but it adds a very pretty bridge that I think elevates the track, that resolves a bit of the tension of the main chord progression before returning it-- the track is more approachable but doesn't lose its overall spirit.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Remix & Arrange Album -The Branched- - Mornin', Sunshine! -Branched- (Mitsuhiro Kaneda)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT6HjHvgm5w

I can think of no better way to end this set of round 4 writeups than with this beautiful arrangement by Kaneda, one of my favourite VGM composers. I love how he recognizes the musical ambiguity that made the original so intriguing and amplifies it just a bit with chords that express the track's melody in a much more wistful way, lowering its cheerful energy and giving it an idyllic sepia tint without feeling saccharine or dull. It's wonderfully understated in its approach and shows a composer who really knows what he wants to do, and how to do it.

And that's the last of Round 4! If you've been following along with these writeups even a bit, thanks so much and I hope you found something worth listening to, something to check out even further later. It's been an exciting retirement round and I appreciate the music that made it this far.

Super Mario Galaxy - Gusty Garden Galaxy
Secret of Mana (2018) - Prophecy

The Lost City
Prophecy

City
Tease

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City - The Lost City
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - -[PROTEASE]-

Gusty Garden Galaxy
-[PROTEASE]-

Super Mario Galaxy - Gusty Garden Galaxy

The Lost City
Prophecy

15. The Lost City
28. Gusty Garden Galaxy
2. Prophecy
30. -[PROTEASE]-

Votes:
The Lost City
Prophecy

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

The Lost City
-[PROTEASE]-

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

The Lost City
-[PROTEASE]-

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

As good as The Lost City is, it's hard to beat something as well-crafted as Gusty Garden. An underrated aspect of Gusty Garden (and the SMG soundtracks in general) is how well mixed they are. Mixing a full orchestra is quite difficult, and for every instrument to clearly stand out in its own space in the mix like it is here is such an impressive feat.

Match 2 is significantly weaker than match 1. Prophecy is still pretty cool though. -[PROTEASE]- is ok.

Very good first match and an alright second match.

Votes:
Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

Gusty Garden Galaxy
-[PROTEASE]-

The Lost City
Prophecy

The Lost City
-[PROTEASE]-

Match 2 is hard. Could conceivably flip!

Gusty Garden Galaxy
Prophecy

Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City - The Lost City
Secret of Mana (2018) - Prophecy

city of the lost
teasing pro

The Lost City
Prophecy

--
The Lost City [9]
Gusty Garden Galaxy [7.5]

Prophecy [8.6]
-[PROTEASE]- [7.8]

My picks are pretty clear here, but damn has PROTEASE been the one to slowly grow on me since last round. I still prefer Prophecy for now, but Kudo's been doing a good job getting me to like him even more.

Also, I'm sorry Mario -- you're good and all to me, but I just can't call you great in this matchup. Lost City just sounds so much more magical to me.

The Lost City
Prophecy

Flipping on a match for the first time! New vote:

The Lost City
Prophecy

The Lost City
Prophecy