Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 40! LetItDie Again/ReasonGvnr, DOB/Banbard, Rouge/MoonCanyon

(+) 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 th

They Who Govern Reason
sometimes i breathe
Moonlight Canyon

Octopath Traveler - They Who Govern Reason
Iseki-jima to Nanatsu no Mahou - Banbard (Piano Version)
Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Moonlight Canyon

Let It Die ~always see you there~
Banbard (Piano Version)
Moonlight Canyon

somtimes i breathe
Banbased
canyon

don't mean to self-aggrandize, but "banbad" -> "banbased" is probably the best character arc in b8 vgm history

OCTOPATH TRAVELER - They Who Govern Reason
Planet Dob - sometimes i breathe
Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Moonlight Canyon

Moonlight Canyon >> They Who Govern Reason > let it die > Fly In The Freedom ...Theme of "ROUGE" > sometimes i breathe > Banbard (Piano Version)

let it die is 100% my thing on paper but man the vocalist/s is/are not doing it for me. Instrumental's sick tho. They Who Govern Reason isn't my favorite Octopath song, but it's still great. Really need to get around to finishing this game sometime lmao. sometimes i breathe was an interesting song for sure, just not something I'd go back to. This version of Banbard has a lead instrument which really does not do it for me... something I recall being an issue with the other version. Huh. Fly In The Freedom is definitely not my favorite Sonic song, but it's not bad. Just really not my thing, especially relative to... most other Sonic songs lmao. Moonlight Canyon was the standout level theme from Forgotten Land for me, and has since become one of my favorite video game songs ever. It's hard to explain what about it is so good, it just... is. Fuck I love this song.

Let It Die ~always see you there~
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

Let It Die ~always see you there~
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

NFUN posted...

don't mean to self-aggrandize, but "banbad" -> "banbased" is probably the best character arc in b8 vgm history

shouldve been "banger" smh

Octopath Traveler - They Who Govern Reason
Iseki-jima to Nanatsu no Mahou - Banbard (Piano Version)
Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Moonlight Canyon

Let It Die ~always see you there~
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

sometimes i breathe
Moonlight Canyon

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard
Moonlit Canyon

i can't believe i'm literally voting against myself what is this world coming to.

They Who Govern Reason
abstain
Moonlight Canyon

Let It Die ~always see you there~
sometimes i breathe
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

Let It Die ~always see you there~
sometimes i breathe
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard (Piano Version)
Moonlight Canyon

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

They Who Govern Reason
sometimes i breathe
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

always see you there
sometimes i breathe
fly in the freedom

They Who Govern Reason
sometimes i breathe
Moonlight Canyon

Govern
Banbard
Canyon

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard (Piano Version)
Moonlight Canyon

Let It Die ~always see you there~
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

The Banbard theme is good even if it's inferior to Hayato Asano's version.

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

Match 2 is close. I'm really pulling for Rouge!!

Let It Die ~always see you there~
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

Let It Die ~always see you there~
sometimes i breathe
Moonlight Canyon

okay i'm like absolutely choosing sometimes i breathe bcos planet dob is like in my top 5 favourite game soundtracks i love it so much but like, i really wanna give credit to banbard here bcos this is really wonderful too, would have gotten my vote in ANY other matchup from this list but ig it was unlucky for me that this got paired with dob. as much as i would love planet dob to win this matchup overall, i think i'd be completely happy if banbard did too, so ig that might soften the blow of losing sometimes i breathe lmao.

as moonlight canyon progressed i found it harder and harder to choose between it and rouge's theme. i don't rlly wanna abstain so i'm just gonna have to think really hard about my fav lol.

Let It Die ~always see you there~
sometimes i breathe
Fly in the Freedom

This version of Banbard is better than the other one, but the dob song is just so good.

Let It Die always see you there: This is a fun indie rock song. Good vocalists and instrumental. Not much else to say on it.

They Who Govern Reason: I like this one mostly because of the solo violin part. The rest is good but nothing outstanding. Tough match to vote on.

sometimes i breathe: And we have the other match in bracket D that I hate. Two best songs of the day by a significant margin. sometimes i breathe has awesome vocals and synths. I really liked how do you think? from last year, and this one's even better. You don't even feel the length on this one. Definitely gotta put this album on the backlog.

Banbard Piano Version: I listened to all three Banbards albums after noms. Definitely a great decision. There's so many great versions of this song, including this one. Highly recommend going through them at some point. I can see why you might be aversive to the lead synth, but I absolutely love it, and the piano is so good as well. Once again, I really wish these two songs weren't against each other so I can vote for both of them (or I guess I could just do what NFUN did).

FLY IN THE FREEDOM ...theme of "ROUGE": I love Persona 5 mu... *is shot* This does feel like a cross between Persona 5 and that Papaya song from Katamari, which is a very good thing. Very fun song.

Moonlight Canyon: This is a good song, but it feels like super standard fare from Kirby. Nothing about it makes it really stand out. Melody's decent, instrumentation is decent, and that's about all I've got. Probably the weakest song of the day, which says a lot about how good today was.

Very, very good day. Why is match 2 a thing?

Votes:
Let It Die always see you there
Banbard Piano Version
FLY IN THE FREEDOM ...theme of "ROUGE"

Octopath Traveler - They Who Govern Reason
Iseki-jima to Nanatsu no Mahou - Banbard (Piano Version)
Sonic Adventure 2 - Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard (Piano Version)
Moonlight Canyon

Let It Die ~always see you there~
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

Boy today is stacked.

Let It Die ~always see you there~
sometimes i breathe
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard (Piano Version)
Moonlight Canyon

Let It Die ~always see you there~
sometimes i breathe
Moonlight Canyon

Octopath Traveler - They Who Govern Reason
Planet DOB - sometimes i breathe
Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Moonlight Canyon

They Who Govern Reason
sometimes i breathe
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

let it die music is something i feel like i ought to like more than i do. i love the concept of a song rewritten in different ways, i like vocal rock, i love the aesthetic of the image that is used on these uploads (presuming it reflects the actual game). i have never not enjoyed a song from this game, but none of them that ive heard so far has actually stuck with me either.

i forgot which octopath song made the bracket so when i went to check last night, i was disappointed it was one of the battle themes. this is definitely one of the better ones from what i remembered tho. gorgeous and fucking batshit violin work and blood pumping rhythm. i may not revisit this track as much as something like primrose or flamesgrace, but man it's still fun as fuck.

i remember when sometimes i breathe came up in noms. i was all "wow this is a long one oh no" because time limits suck. but then when the song ended i thought "that it?" this song just does not feel its length at all. god god really love how it ends on a more intense and dramatic note before dropping to something kinda distorted? planet dob kicks so much ass.

banbards really feels so summery to me! not the biggest fan of the instrument that pops in at like the 20 second mark or so, the one that makes up the brunt of this song. kind of sounds a bit too squeaky to my ears. it isn't enough for me to dislike this track, but it is enough for me to want to immediately go back to planet dob. the rest of the track is amazing across the board. good piano, fantastic arrangement, just a little too squeaky 5 me.

ya rouge she sexy and smooth. a perfect fit for her theme. i love how slinky this song, so free and adventurous. chillax guitar and woodwinds backing to lovely vocals. the part that's like scatting(?) so sneaky! really love how it adds so much character in such a few seconds. this is honestly one of the more underrated sonic vocal songs, so im so stoked to see it pop up.

fun and adventurous but in a different way. very wild westy. a hero on a journey. this isn't my favourite katfl by a wide margin, but it's still good and bouncy. wish the guitar portion lasted longer tbh that's my favourite part and you barely get to hear it :(

great day. i vibe with most of these songs and still thought my least favourite was pretty alright.

Let It Die ~always see you there~
sometimes i breathe
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard (Piano Version)
Moonlight Canyon

I feel like I might've liked the first Let It Die we got in VGMCs best. Not that this one is bad. They Who Govern Reason is a great battle theme. Really gets you pumped to kill some baddies.

sometimes i breathe is solid as a song that sounds like a regular song, but it goes on way too long. Should've just kept this at four minutes or something. Not sure if this version of Banbard is better than the other, but it's pretty alright.

Fumie Kumatani's Sonic Adventure songs sure suck compared to her PSO stuff, huh. Sure would be nice to stop getting vocal Sonic songs some day... Rouge Theme in particular isn't terrible, but it's not something I'd really want to listen to. Moonlight Canyon isn't the greatest either. It kinda sounds like "generic adventuring music" to me, not that it's bad.

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard (Piano Version)
Moonlight Canyon

let it die always see you there
Sometimes I BREATHE
Fly In The Freedom ~theme of rouge

They Who Govern Reason
sometimes i breathe
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

Planet Dob is sort of a "cult classic" among B8 VGM, but I never listened to any of it until earlier this year (after a gameplay trailer was posted and I recognized "how do you think?" from a past contest). I found the playlist and started listening to the songs in order. But I had to take a break after sometimes i breathe to soak in what I just listened to. The song is absolutely entrancing. It builds up such a specific mood and I love how everything sounds. It hurts when it's over and your ears have to readjust to not listening to this song. This is easily my favorite old-song discovery that I've found in a long time. I think I was listening to this song 2+ times a day for at least 2 weeks after I first heard it.

Today's roses: 462,033 -> 503,001

They Who Govern Reason
sometimes i breathe
Moonlight Canyon

Match 1 is another hard one. Let It Die again delivers a fun breezy song about hopelessness, an appealing combination.

Seriously, you skipped D1. Put me down there for the epic dubstep that is Wecgas fore tham Cynge. For D2 I voted Dance Of The Daring whose echoey chimes are so satisfying.

They Who Govern Reason
sometimes i breathe
Moonlight Canyon

Let It Die ~always see you there~
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

Let It Die ~always see you there~
Banbard (Piano Version)
Moonlight Canyon

They Who Govern Reason
Banbard (Piano Version)
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE

totally thought id be going moonlight canyon but freedom hittin different today

From TunnelScene:

They Who Govern Reason (Octopath Traveler)
sometimes i breathe (Planet DOB)
Fly In The Freedom (Sonic Adventure 2)

reminds me of some Japanese math rock bands that I like even tho this isn't really mathy, but that association makes me happy

This match is pretty close but the more tonally adventurous stuff than I expect from this ost is swaying me here

there is some other avant-garde vgm ost this song is reminding me of and it's killing me that I can't figure out what it is. it's like exactly the same erratic synth note sequence and guitar strum. anyway I like stuff like that so I like this!

the fakeness of the 'real instruments" in mozell songs is always so fun to me. feels very gust

vibraphone : )

more vibraphone! kinda close match

They Who Govern Reason
sometimes i breathe
Fly In The Freedom Theme of ROUGE