Music Appreciation Game

4/10 for several reasons; I am not a Tolkien fan so the fan factor doesn't exist for me. Additionally, the sample he uses that's been heavily stretched, warped and reverbed across the track is dissonant and distracting. Also, points subtracted for heavy focus on vocal samples at the exclusion of instrumental melodies.

If we're going to hit up SoundCloud, I'm going to pass out this here link to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] which at this time only contains the OST for the Adventure Time game. If you're going to give this a listen, you'll need to understand three points that are central to enjoying what this soundtrack is trying to do:

-encapsulating the feel of the Adventure Time universe musically
-aping retro nostalgia for the 20-years-and-up crowd
-having fun with music

So, I'm going to recommend the following tracks and I'm going to urge listeners to let themselves enjoy the sounds (much like I did when I posted that piece from Psapp last month):
The Theme Song - you'll get it when they start singing very silly alt rock
Chillin' with My Bro - excellent blend of acoustic melodies and very light synth
Grassland Action - this track's just fun to bump to, and extra points for what sounds like a mandolin playing at a low octave
Candy Kingdom Action - also very fun to jive to thanks to a fun ukulele sample and jumpin' synth
Boss Theme - the heavy brass intro gets you pumped and the melody does the rest
The Choose Goose Jam - "I take credit cards, and cash~."
Party in the Clouds - not an Anamanaguchi tune, but you'd be forgiven for thinking it was
Boss: Ice King - bringing that theme tune full circle~
You Just Leveled Up MEGAMIXX - "Uuh, CHECK PLEASE!?"

*Sigh* Okay, so I'm just gonna rate the best and worst.

Party in the Clouds: 8.8/10. I liked it.
The Choose Goose Jam: 4/10. What. That's not even a question. I don't even. There aren't words.

And now I'm gonna fix this thread's lack of 3 Doors Down.

9/10 I actually really liked that. ^_^ The shaky camera made a nauseous, but I just changed tabs and listened to it. Lyrics are probably the high point. A bit short, but really good still.



I needed new game music to listen to, so I opened my steam library and saw Bastion and good things happened.

10/10 - It's not that I particularly like this song (my favorite pieces from that soundtrack are Mancer's Dilemma and Setting Sail, Coming Home), but the entire Bastion soundtrack stands out as a strong and eclectic selection of music bubbling to the top of a vast sea of generic game composition. So few developers seem to understand that the emotional experience of music compliments the beats of a game (both in play and in narrative). This is why we remember Marty O'Donnell's Halo soundtracks and Nobuo Uematsu's work on the Final Fantasy franchise.

So, after this, I don't want to rate any more songs. I'm tired of this rating nonsense. That's not the point of sharing music. First someone posts something I dislike and they ask me to express it with a metric? That's just a p____ing contest. I'm not interested in that. Let's share what we like and let the audience reaction be damned. To hammer the point home, I'm posting two game-related pieces that managed to elicit a strong emotional reaction from me when I encountered them in the games they're from. Without further ado, from Asura's Wrath, I present Furueru Kokoro ("Trembling Heart") and from Fire Emblem: Awakening, "Don't Speak Her Name!"...





As a general note, I encourage listeners who own the platforms these games are on to pick them up and actually listen to these tracks in context. If you have a PS3 or 360, go check out Asura's Wrath. If you have a 3DS, go check out Fire Emblem. Please, do not go digging up gameplay videos or read spoilers on a wiki. It will never be the same as actually playing the game and putting in the work for yourself (especially the Fire Emblem tune, considering the circumstances in which you hear it). As much as I'd love to spoil stuff, I won't because FEELS.

Forte wrote:

So, after this, I don't want to rate any more songs. I'm tired of this rating nonsense. That's not the point of sharing music. First someone posts something I dislike and they ask me to express it with a metric? That's just a p____ing contest. I'm not interested in that. Let's share what we like and let the audience reaction be damned.

Forte, if you feel that way, then how about you go make a separate thread where you can feel free to share your vast and clearly refined musical tastes. Part of me means that sarcastically, as something about the way you post has always annoyed me (not just on this forum, but since the DbM days), but part of me means that sincerely, as you clearly know what you're talking about when it comes to music.

This forum game was made with ratings in mind, and I for one enjoy handing them out, as I'm sure others do as well. I see no point in changing the format of the thread because you have a problem with it.

Someone else can listen to Forte's tracks and rate them; I don't feel like listening to them right now. Also, can we all keep in mind a limit of one song per post? It would really help keep the thread on track.

BiO wrote:

Forte, if you feel that way, then how about you go make a separate thread where you can feel free to share your vast and clearly refined musical tastes.

That's a fair suggestion. I agree with your point about the content of my posts and that I can sound haughty at times, but I've gotten tired of the one-upmanship in this thread (which I have participated in, by my own admission) because I don't think that sharing music should come to that. I'll take your suggestion and run with it, because I want to share and not compare. Thread will be up in a bit.

And Bio, don't listen to my songs because you want to rate them. Listen to them because you want to listen to some music. :/

So I'ma only rate the second one and I'ma give it 8/10. K? K. Bai.



What have I done...

YOU! You rickroller you! 7/10 because frankly, it's a decent song, if badly aged...

Hey look, music!

That was... Actually, that was pretty good. 8/10.

And the best thing about Rickrolling now is that by this point, most people have forgotten about it. Besides that, I actually like the song. 'S catchy.

9/10 - Because I love 90's alt rock. I've recently discovered Cake, the Smashing Pumpkins and Red Hot Chili Peppers and have concluded that the 90's were a very good period for modern rock. A shame we forgot those lessons.

I counter with an official Oasis remix.

7.8/10. It's alright. Not bad, not great, just sort of in-between IMO.

And some haven't forgot. For instance, this next one was recorded in a garage using only analog equipment. The whole album was, in fact. In 2010. And it's not some underground hipster band, either. Enjoy.

Anything Foo Fighters gets at least a 9 from me, and this is easily a 10.

And now, Imagine Dragons.

Hm... 8/10.

Was going to post something else, but I heard this on the radio on my way home from work and I just had to...



"DON'T LOOK, ETHEL!!!"

You want this here. I don't need to explain myself. Despite having produced soundtracks for over 20 films (including the score for the first Iron Man film under Hans Zimmer), Ramin Djawadi is only just now coming into his own. When metal fist crushed alien skull, the excellent editing had us all pumping our fists to the refrain from this very theme. Loop it while you build, it's the perfect fuel for making monsters of your own.

I note that you did not rate the song above your post... Oh well. I don't really care. It's a ridiculous song anyway.

For yours? 8.5/10. I usually enjoy orchestral music with electric guitar highlights and Pacific Rim's soundtrack definitely didn't disappoint in that area.


Of course, I can also see a totally epic mech battle going down to this song.



And just for the sake of informing anyone still using this topic, as of right now I'll be basing the appropriateness of songs (lyrical content-wise) on whether or not it can be aired on the typical radio station. If it can, then it's fine by me. But keep that in mind for the next song I have in my queue if you're sensitive to words describing female canines.

9/10. I was chewing an olive to the beat of this xD

Pokemon maybe?



Just saying, this guy is a genius with the Pokemon music, and I implore you to check out some of his other remixes.

I really have no connection to Pokemon (I'm probably the person on the internet with the least amount of knowledge of Japanese culture/pop culture/anything related to Japan at all), but it was still a good song. So you get 8/10.

And now, mo' Fuel.

NOTE: Language warning from my previous post stands.

Pretty good, not really my taste, but not too shabby. 7/10.



More people should listen to Savlonic. Electro-Retro-Pop FTW!

That... Um... That sure was a song. Not sure it was one I particularly enjoyed though. I'll give it 5.5/10.

I've gotta get back to procrastinating now, but In the Meantime (I'm so clever...  ), have some Spacehog.

That was strangely brilliant. 9.5/10

Knights of Cydonia time!



Don't be deterred by the video, as with any music Muse makes, the song is brilliant.

"Don't be deterred by the video???" That video was the best thing I've ever seen!

Also I remember jamming on this one in Guitar Hero, so 9/10. S'goooood.

So I was gonna post Goodbye Stranger by Supertramp, but then Warner Brothers said no because they hate people listening to great music for free. (I couldn't find an unedited version anydangwhere)
So you get this instead. Not that that's a bad thing...

Like it, really cool. 9/10

More Muse I'm 'fraid.

8.5/10.

Now here are two versions of the same song (studio and live) for you to enjoy and determine which you like better. Just pick whichever you like better and rate that one. Yeah, I know it's sort of cheating, but whatever because it's a good song (IMO anyway). Plus, you get to see Mark Tremonti play guitar which is always fun.

7.23/10, not really my kind of music...

10/10 because almost all classical music gets a 10/10 and because I'm pretty sure those dots hypnotized me into giving you a 10/10.

Not your kind of music, eh? Well I find that most people tend to not give Alter Bridge much of a chance for some reason and I also find that the cure for that is MOAR ALTER BRIDGE.
(And yes, this is going to be like that time Rich posted pretty much nothing but Cryoshell for like an entire page. Buckle in, folks!)

EDIT - Okay so that video got removed, but here's the same song: