Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 38! Pearls/Cassiopeia, Drenched/Calling, Old L.A./Yet It Wanes

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 17, 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=477304
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SAJKYJmYhccLvbf_H-5uSA7-eMwXfW8k1q74Qho1bLU
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80433657
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0wlcxj-kHQRU1yHo-kpMxGe
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes
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 anticipate being unable to vote in a given day, please send an absentee vote to @banshiryuu, or post your absentee vote in the discussion thread!

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Match 1

Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade - PEARLS
Composer:

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Drenched in Air
Old L.A. 2040

Good day

Pokmon Scarlet/Violet - Battle! (Cassiopeia)
jubeat Ave. - Drenched in Air
Policenauts - Old L.A. 2040

PEARLS
Drenched in Air
Old L.A. 2040

Crying (part 2)

Cassiopeia
Drenched in Air
Old. L.A 2040

PEARLS
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Calling
And Yet It Wanes

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

Pokmon Scarlet and Pokmon Violet - Battle! (Cassiopeia)
The World Ends with You - Calling
Arknights - And Yet It Wanes

Battle! (Cassiopeia) >= Calling > Drenched in Air > And Yet It Wanes > Pearls > OPENING TITLE "OLD L.A. 2040"

Pearls was nice. Cassiopeia is one of few Pokmon songs I like, and it just gets better the further along it goes. Drenched in Air was better than I expected. Calling was very nice, I feel like that'd hit harder in context tho. Old L.A. 2040 is too drawn out, but given the name on the official soundtrack maybe it works in-game as a cutscene theme? Idk. And Yet It Wanes sounded nothing like I thought it would, but it's fine.

PEARLS
Drenched in AIR
Old L.A. 2040

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Calling
And Yet It Wanes

PEARLS
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

PEARLS
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

Pokmon Scarlet/Violet - Battle! (Cassiopeia)
jubeat Ave. - Drenched in Air
Arknights - And Yet It Wanes

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

holy shit i wasn't prepared for that poll though lol

PEARLS
Drenched in Air
Old L.A. 2040

Battle
Drenched
Yet

PEARLS
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Drenched in Air
Old L.A. 2040

with blue sanctuary gone basically whatever wins match 2 i want to win braket d i think lmfaooooo

From TunnelScene:

PEARLS (Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade)
Calling (The World Ends With You)
Old L.A. 2040 (Policenauts)

pearls is very pretty

I love the excessively crunchy dissonance of the beginning. it's even more absurd since supersaws like this are such a pitch-obfuscating instrument. pretty close match

I'm kind of amazed that this camellia song managed to feel less intense than the pokemon one right before it hahaha

ah yes Calling. the song I arbitrarily love way more than I am"supposed to" because I mishear the notes the same way every time in a way that makes it feel more like "Phantasy star online parallel motion chords that deviate from the scale that the tonal center would have you expect enforced" than it actually is. and I'm in love with the timbre of the synth pads. overall, still a big favorite even if one might not guess it

I was going to support this policenauts one with the message"wtf this literally just sounds like cryptovolan" but it locked too fast for me to get to say that. 5:30-6 especially is just like 90s stock music but more weird un-anticipatable chord movement than normal and stuff. and of course the rest of it is filled with cool similar [new age] <-> [superfake jazz fusion] middleground sequences on 90s synths that I adore

Jethro Tull aggressive flute is a nice bit

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Drenched in Air
Old L.A. 2040

Pokmon Scarlet/Violet - Battle! (Cassiopeia)
jubeat Ave. - Drenched in Air
Policenauts - Old L.A. 2040

the real big winner of today is the poll

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Old L.A. 2040

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Calling
And Yet It Wanes

PEARLS
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

PEARLS
Calling
And Yet It Wanes

PEARLS
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

Cowboy Bebop: Tsuioku no Serenade - PEARLS
jubeat Ave. - Drenched in Air
Policenauts - Old L.A. 2040

the fact that pokmon hardstyle exists is very much amusing to me, too bad the song's mixing & leads are both very terrible lol but it's nice to hear such hard EDM in a nintendo game but aside from that nothing compares to Kanno

PEARLS
Old L.A. 2040

abstain
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

PEARLS
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

PEARLS
Calling
And Yet It Wanes

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

PEARLS
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

PEARLS
Calling
And Yet It Wanes

Drenched in Air

PEARLS
Drenched in Air
And Yet It Wanes

Absurdly good day. And Yet it Wanes is probably my favorite discovery of the contest.

PEARLS
Drenched in Air
And Yet It Wanes

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Drenched in Air
And Yet It Wanes

Man, Pearls is just such a plain song. Doesn't have any of what gets me excited about VGM. Cassiopeia, meanwhile, is the brand of Pokemon music I enjoy. Good times.

Huh, pretty good voice for a Vtuber. Camellia can be a bit hit and miss for me, but his hits are awesome, and this is very good stuff. I don't think I dislike Calling as much as I used to, but it still doesn't do much for me.

Policenauts hasn't generally done too much for me. Fun when it has bits of the Konami theme (or whatever that is) in it. Arknights has a few cool tunes. This isn't the best or the worst.

PEARLS
Calling
And Yet It Wanes

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Calling
And Yet It Wanes

pearls was really good but cassiopeia battle is much better imo, sorry
drenched in air is absolutely my kinda thing but i love calling even more so it gets my vote
i originally thought old l.a. would win after hearing it and the whistle at the start of and yet it wanes, but then it actually started and i have to vote for and yet it wanes, that was SO good omg

PEARLS
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

i am a basic ass bitch when it comes to anime. cowboy bebop? normie? who cares this shit is fire, and part of it is the work of kanno. beautiful singing and i love how kinda smoky the accompaniment is. kinda goes all over but not in a crazy way. its just a cool pleasant little song.

i do not care for this one, sorry. can i revive mt. pyre (peak) from the dead instead?

not the biggest fan of the vocalist on this one, sorry v-tuber nation. but unlike with pearls, she's not the sole focus of the music. camellia is doing his thing as usual, so that's good.

calling isn't really my thing, but it's also a solid pick from the twewy games. i get the love even if it ain't my fav. i love the punchy beats.

this song is NOT afraid to take its time and i love it. really didn't know what to expect after that fanfare, but i am digging what we got. amazing atmosphere!

arknights is one of the most diverse osts ive heard especially in recent years. this song is a big bop. funky east meets west vibes.

wasn't really feeling today, especially with write ups. but there's some solid stuff today. match 3 especially is a winner no matter what happens.

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

really tough third match

Battle! (Cassiopeia)

PEARLS
Calling
And Yet It Wanes

While I dont like all of the synths in Old L.A., two of my favorite ones are those that come in at 2:51 and 4:58 which both have a nice jazzy feel.

Team Fortress 2 - The BLU Scout is Right Behind You and hes got a knife

PEARLS
Calling
Old L.A. 2040

Easy votes but I like all six of these songs today. Huh, I'm sure I didn't think that the first time I heard them all. I'm rooting for LA to go deep but Wanes may be my #2 of the day, rough placement.

Pearl
Calling
LA

I get more excited than I should for dowolf's writeups for songs like Cassiopeia

Battle! (Cassiopeia)
Drenched in Air
And Yet It Wanes

PEARLS: Man, PEARLS is such a wonderful song. It has everything that I love in music, from the soprano sax, to the cello soloist, to the piano, to the gorgeous Ilaria Graziano vocals. Everything about this song gives me chills. I said Flowery Wind was a top 20 Kanno song for me previously and also my second favorite song in the contest. This one is a top 10 Kanno song and is my favorite song in the contest. Thank you Yoko Kanno for dropping out of college to become a composer and thank you for finding Ilaria Graziano when she was 15 to start collabing with you.

Battle! (Cassiopeia): If you're gonna make an EDM song like this, at least mix it decently. But apparently modern Pokmon doesn't care about good mixing for whatever reason. Nice for Pokmon to try new things in its music tho. But yeah, this one isn't for me, and this match couldn't possibly be more lopsided lol.

Drenched in Air: I don't mind the vocals in this one too much. They're not great but not bad either. Pretty cool song all things considered. It's not so unhinged that it's overbearing, but it's unhinged enough to keep me interested. Cool song.

Calling: TWEWY songs are so volatile in a sense that they're either made or ruined by the vocals. These vocals are the good type of TWEWY vocals. It does feel like it should have another section, but it just ends, which is a bit disappointing. Still a good song and a very close match.

OPENING TITLE "OLD L.A. 2040": This does feel like an opening sequence that makes more sense in context because the intro feels completely estranged from the rest of the song out of context and also not particularly interesting. The actual meat of the song is super cool though. Very 90's fusion feel from it, which is always welcome. The synth solo at 4:58 is sick. Great song other than the first 90 seconds.

And Yet It Wanes: Another song that has a very misleading intro. Bass, sax, violin, flute, keys, trumpets, what a combo. This one's a lot of fun to listen to, and definitely wins my vote. Great song.

Really good day today, even without my favorite song of the contest here.

Votes:
PEARLS
Calling
And Yet It Wanes