Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKIdR_JYxTg&hd=1
A beautiful and somewhat strange piano piece, to my ears at least. It starts out rather typical (though I do really like that intro regardless), but by about 20 seconds in it definitely becomes something a bit different from the other piano pieces I've posted. It's also probably my favorite track from SotC, or at least I like it more than the ones people usually talk about. I don't feel like it has the sort of contrast I usually look for in music these days; instead, all the instruments complement each other quite well, which works out in its favor, I think, creating a rather distinctive sound.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
New Moderator
Liberal Arts Major
This reminds me of... something. But I can't place what. In any event, I find nothing notable about this at all. Other than the fact that I feel like I know this style from somewhere. 5.0.
Threads of Fate - Reunion
Yes, this is very repetitive. 5.0.
Shadow of the Colossus - The Sunlit Earth
Not the best Shadow of the Colossus song! 5.0.
Pok
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ7PgoG-ytU&hd=1
Now A Lone Prayer is a song I find interesting on a few levels. First off, I'm not entirely sure I'd correctly guess "normal battle theme" on hearing this, but that makes a bit more sense given some other Persona battle themes (I'm looking at Mass Destruction/Wiping All Out mostly.) Another thing though is that this is one of those songs where I think the vocals aren't really helping. I'm not sure they're actively hurting it, but the strongest part of the song, IMO, is the very beginning. The first 30 seconds are great, IMO. Then the vocals start to completely take over the song, and I think it's a step in the wrong direction. I still like it overall though, as it recovers from time to time, but eh.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCYHCmjGqs8&hd=1
Once again posting music from games I should probably actually play first. ...Whatever. I forget when exactly I first heard it, but Living With Determination has been on my radar for... at least a year, I think.
This song originally caught my attention because I didn't think it sounded very much like most other Persona tracks I'd heard. Not sure if that applies to the whole soundtrack or not, but it's definitely unique when compared to the more popular Persona tracks. ...It's also probably not too hard to see why I like this, considering it really only has two major elements and they're both ones that I tend to like. The percussion is really cool and the best part of this, and it's something you might recall me liking in songs like Dense Fog Today. The piano is also great and works really well opposite to the percussion (and is something you might recall me liking in songs like literally 9/10ths of what I ever post). Overall, pretty good song.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Liberal Arts Major
Yeah, Living with Determination -Iwatodai Station- is a good song. Better than the original Living with Determination, but overshadowed by the superior January P3 song Memories of the City (and probably Memories of the Garden too), plus, the song it replaces isn't that bad. Unlike Memories of the City. Still it's a good song. 6.0.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tICKoZ18zHk&hd=1
This is a pretty different sounding Umineko piece from the others in this topic, IMO. Which makes sense (to me) because most of them so far have been either zts or dai songs I'm pretty sure, whereas Dread of the Grave is from neither. Dread of the Grave is a pretty neat song filled with tons of energy, and also some just neat sections that always keep me interested in it. I feel like it does loop in here, but I'm not 100% positive.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvHVDvPgBQc&hd=1
Another one of the songs I found while skimming through the Armored Core OSTs. This one is... fairly different in tone, intentionally or not, from most Armored Core music, or at least it feels that way to me. Precious Park seems much more lighthearted -- in fact what it sort of seems like to me is the kind of music that might play during a "wacky antics" montage on anime or cartoon or something. ...In the best possible way. The instrumentation is pretty cool, but the vocals make the song, rounding it out perfectly. The vocal segments are spaced out really well, too; each one shows up at just about the exact moment I want it to, including an extended section at the end. The vocals are extremely unique, too, and contribute to, if not create outright, that lighthearted feel I mentioned earlier. Better than Remember? Ehhhh, I dunno, but still quite good, and probably less safe, for whatever that's worth.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Liberal Arts Major
This is like totally supported by the instrumentation for me because the vocals are pretty much... hidden behind it and even if I cared to figure out what the lyrics were, I just have no chance here. 5.0.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9qiKKexGpE&hd=1
Another pretty good area theme from Final Fantasy XIII, although Gapra Whitewood is still the champion of those, IMO. March of the Dreadnoughts is pretty high up there though. It's another one of those songs that I would probably say "cheerful" if you made me pick, or at least upbeat, and yet I still like it. A fair amount too. It constantly keeps up a nice amount of energy, and is good throughout, but my absolute favorite section comes towards the end at 1:57 - 2:14.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6izKDfTrW3w&hd=1
I was going to post this on April 19th because I got an early birthday present in the form of a beautiful Okami artbook. Then I went and saw Sweeny Todd performed by my college instead. "Whoops." In any case, I feel this track gets overlooked way too much. It is a pretty piece that makes me actually feel a bit... sad, if anything. Melancholy, yet lovely. I guess that's the best I can say.
Rating: 7.5/10
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Editor
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - One They Fear
This is... okay. It sort of reminds me of songs like Dominance and Unicorn, which is a good thing until it reminds me of how much better Dominance is. Feel like it would be better if the instrumental sections (which... I'm not sure if there are any strict instrumental sections, but there are definitely sections where the vocals are much quieter) were more pronounced, in order to better break things up.
5/10
The Seventh Seal - Rhythm of Red
The only other piece I've heard from Seventh Seal, also. ...It isn't as good as Melody of Aqua. On really any level. The vocal whispers are not a good addition here, though the guitar-work is solid. It has kind of a tropical flair to it, which is nice, but it's just not doing it for me overall.
5/10
Panzer Dragoon Orta - Anu Orta Veniya
I wonder how many people will hate me for posting this?
I won't! I'm super-okay with Panzer Dragoon vocals. This isn't the better one of the few I've heard, though. If someone wanted to claim this song was awful I probably wouldn't argue too hard. also wtf is with you and posting songs with jew's harps in them. at least it's used way better here than in welcome to slaughter gulch.
But yeah, I know what I hate, and I don't hate this. It does go on a bit long for my tastes, though.
5.5/10
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjuEh9_kUvA&hd=1
Another one of those sort of background-y, electronic pieces. To be fair, Star Seeker is a really exceptional one of those, and I'm not going to be able to do it any sort of justice in my writeup, except to say that it's one of those songs that is just incredibly pleasant to listen to. If I had to level complaints against it, I might say it's repetitive, but I think that's sort of the point. It's one of those borderline trance-inducing pieces, and this particular one works really well in that regard. It manages to pull off sounding at once peaceful, spiritual, and powerful.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UVMEHiA9sg&hd=1
My second choice from this soundtrack would have been Remnants, but xp already posted that. So here, have this instead. I never hear anyone mention this track when talking about Final Fantasy Tactics, which makes me sad since I like it a lot. It went with one of the better fights story-wise and really fits the atmosphere that occurs for it. The bells are nice too.
Rating: 7/10
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeFY2i2QO54&hd=1
In other news, I also really like G.U. music, especially battle themes. Green Oath is the arena battle theme for Vol 2, and my favorite of the 3 Arena themes. While it maintains a lot of energy in the beginning, my favorite part, and the reason Green Oath is my favorite of the arena themes, are the parts where it slows down. Most notably 0:48 - 1:15. I don't think that section would work as well on its own, but with the rest of the song, it's pretty great, IMO.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-Ba7H_gg8Y&hd=1
So Ace Combat. I've heard people say that it has some pretty good OSTs, but I can't say I've been a big fan of what little I've heard. Eyes is pretty neat, though. It has too much build-up, I think; about 45 seconds worth, which is a not insubstantial portion of a 3 minute song. After it gets going, though, it gets good fast. The strings and brass instruments capture a nice sense of urgency, and the occasional punctuations from the percussion add another dimension to it that works quite well. Unfortunately, I feel like it suffers from never really going for it; the whole thing feels a bit subdued and safe, which is a shame.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Liberal Arts Major
This might actually be better than most Okami music because it doesn't sound like typical Okami music whatsoever. Like I probably would not have called this Okami music had I not been told that, because it avoids all that stuff. This is a good thing. The less good thing is that this is still about average at best. But that's probably still better than most Okami music, so yeah. 5.0.
Let's Tap - Star Seeker
Oh man, this had a chance to be excellent, but it made the wrong decision at a critical point and that was the end of that. It's still above average, but it was so close for a while there that I thought for a moment this was going to be great. 5.5.
Final Fantasy Tactics - In Pursuit
In Pursuit is one of the better FFT pieces, but FFT isn't exactly a killer soundtrack, so that doesn't mean as much as one might think! 5.5.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon - Eyes
This... was really strange. And probably a reason why I should not set expectations based on reading write-ups! I was told 45 seconds of build-up, and then somehow before I knew it, it ended and I was all "what the." 5.5.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUnM4ar94EY&hd=1
Probably my favorite song in Xenosaga II that wasn't in a cutscene. It's a little hard for me to describe why I like this song, I just kind of do. I especially like the section at 1:12 - 1:38. Also, this particular link cuts off very abruptly, and I apologize for that.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
Time to listen to more Okami music, IMO.
Oh man, this had a chance to be excellent, but it made the wrong decision at a critical point and that was the end of that.
I'm curious about this. Where?
This... was really strange. And probably a reason why I should not set expectations based on reading write-ups! I was told 45 seconds of build-up, and then somehow before I knew it, it ended and I was all "what the."
Uh, the part that starts at 45 seconds occupies the entire rest of the piece from that point on, and is pretty clearly something different from everything before it, and everything before it is about 45 seconds long, so... I think saying there's 45 seconds of buildup is fairly accurate.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Editor
...Is there a song in FFT that uses this same melody but is... faster, or something? It sounds insanely familiar, except super slow. (In case the answer is obvious: OBLIGATORY REMINDER THAT I CAN ONLY REMEMBER WHAT ABOUT 5 SONGS SOUND LIKE AT ANY GIVEN TIME.)
Anyway, I'd say there are better tracks in FFT, but... well, that's questionable because the game's OST isn't that great.
4.5/10
.hack//G.U. Vol 2//Reminisce - Green Oath
I guess you're right about the slower parts being better? In the same way that the best part of getting punched repeatedly is the brief moments in between punches. Obnoxious song.
3/10
Xenosaga II - Labyrinthos
...Not where I'd have gone with Xenosaga II. Even given that I, and also you and CG7, have already gone with Xenosaga II where I'd have gone with Xenosaga II if you two and I hadn't already gone there (with Xenosaga II), I'd still nevertheless have gone somewhere else. With Xenosaga II.
4.5/10
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK41AQNXhl8&hd=1
New Touhou - a credit to Touhou music everywhere. Also old Touhou. Middle Touhou, ehhhh.
Night Sakura of Dead Spirits isn't nearly as fast-paced or... complex (to put things charitably) as other Touhou tracks, maybe because it's the stage 1 theme, though I'm not sure if that's ever stopped the series before. What I find really interesting about the piece, though, is that one of the samples is used in such a way that it almost reads as an accordion to me. I'm not a big fan of accordions or anything, but it's a pretty cool effect here, and mixed with the piano work (which is far better than I've come to expect from this series), makes the song both unique and actually quite beautiful.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Liberal Arts Major
I've listened to the entire OST. Just not to completion! Okami music overrated, IMO.
I'm curious about this. Where?
Um, right around 0:39. It just starts to go off in a direction I personally would rather it not have. It's hard for me to describe. I much prefer the "sound" of it prior to that point and wish it stayed more in line with that.
I think saying there's 45 seconds of buildup is fairly accurate.
Maybe it is! But I guess I just had a different expectation because of it, and it's not really a big deal, I just personally expected something different!
Touhou: Ten Desires - Night Sakura of Dead Spirits
Touhou music is always a credit to Touhou music. And most other music. Sometimes. Anyway, I don't think this necessarily compares all that favorably to other Touhou music but then I think we usually like different things in Touhou music with only occasional overlap (most older Touhou, Fires of Hokkai, etc.) 5.0.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQQ4ME22Lx8&hd=1
An example of a song that I think is a lot slower and less "energetic" than songs I typically like. Heavy Price Paid is probably my favorite song from Halo 1 and 2 (probably 3 too) with the exception of Blow Me Away. It's just a pretty beautiful piece, IMO. I mostly strongly associate it with the title screen, but it's been so long since I've played Halo 2 that I don't remember if the title screen just cycles through different songs and it just happens that I have tied Heavy Price Paid to it or what. In any event, my absolute favorite part of the piece is the very beginning, that is just an amazing section, in my opinion.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
I don't even really notice a change there, except for added percussion and the whole thing becoming louder, but sure. Different strokes, etc.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUA40z9kT6w&hd=1
There aren't too many songs with lyrics that I feel can even be ambient; even vocals (without actual lyrics) have a lot of issues with that. Nepal is one of the rare songs that can pull it off. There's something about it that's insanely peaceful and calming. Part of it is the slow, rhythmic percussion, but I think the vocals add to it too, which is something that makes absolutely no sense to me. Admittedly, they aren't a huge part of the song, but they're definitely the most attention-catching part, and attention-catching things tend to break ambiance in music, for me at least. It might be because they're so much quieter than the rest of the piece, but I think another part of it is... Okay, an explanation of this is going to get weird fast, because I have to explain a thing about what happens when I listen to music.
The basic gist of it is that each... aspect? of a song has a method or direction in which it moves, a shape, and sometimes a specific color. So, take the most run-of-the-mill piano music - that would probably be a sequence of appearing and disappearing white circles. I usually don't "see" songs with vocals in the same way, but sometimes it happens and this one of those times. And, in this case, the vocals are a squiggly line, which moves up and down in a perfectly uniform fashion. Which... does not happen often, and is something that I apparently associate with being comforting. So... that's the best explanation I can give for why this works for me.
Alternative theories:
-Voodoo
-Lunar phases
-Voodoo lunar phases
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Liberal Arts Major
I, on the other hand, have nothing interesting to say here (do I ever?) 4.5.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md8tNuTBPjM&hd=1
So, one of my favorite things to talk about regarding this song is similar to Celestial Troupe. Person Who Brings End plays in a single room in the entire game. The last one. Which I find a bit funny/sad since I do like it. Although, in a weird way it kind of works, because by the time you get to the end of the room and start talking with a character there, you might very well have timed it so that the song really gets going during the conversation. Or maybe I was just lucky regarding that? Anyway, in general, the more going on in the song, the more I like it, and conversely, it's the beginning I like the least before it really starts up. Also, this link goes on like 20 seconds longer than it needs to, in the "dead silence" variety of going on longer than it needs to, I mention this because if you leave it there, towards the end of that there's a weird static-y noise, so I'm just putting out a warning there.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
This is very consistent with Halo's general musical style, which makes A LOT OF SENSE. I wouldn't normally bring up something that should be so obvious except that I think this is better than most of the music in Halo 1, as well as what I've heard from 3/ODST/Reach, despite being similar. Unfortunately it's still not a style that really grabs me, and it isn't particularly great as just an ambient track either. The first part probably is a bit better, but it's not that different from the rest, really.
5.5/10
Ys Seven - Person Who Brings End
Oh man, I don't know how I feel about that change halfway through. On one hand, it's sort of appreciated in that it shakes things up, but on the other I was sort of enjoying just kicking back to the more trance-y first half. At least we can agree that the very beginning is the worst part though.
...Yeah, I think by the end of the piece I'm pretty firmly on the side of the change up being a net positive. So yeah, I like it!
6.5/10
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCyZosHzAYo&hd=1
...I should probably investigate this OST further before jumping on the first song from it that I've heard that I like better than Hope Given "Dance of the Dog's Howl". Oh well. I'm nothing if not a maker of poor decisions.
...Actually screw it WE'RE DOING THIS NOW.
Okay, NOW I've listened to some of this OST, including most of the [Weird Phrase] "Dance of the [Adjective] [Animal]" tracks. This is still the best one. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess this is a battle theme, in which case a prudent question to ask might be, "Kenri, why does this battle theme get spared your ire?" Well, the answer is because I said so. If you think that makes me a hypocrite, that's because it does. More seriously, I think the instrument choice works really well, especially the leading violin, which sets this piece apart from a lot of other battle themes even if virtually nothing else does.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Liberal Arts Major
Not better than Hope Given "Dance of the Dog's Howl"/10. Oh, wait, that probably won't work with the spreadsheet. How about 5.5.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?