FF song bracket: Round 1, Group 8

[Flintlock]

Pick your four favourite songs from the selection above!

If you can't decide on just four, you can vote for as many as you want, but only in one poll of the 20 in the first round. The full list of upcoming polls can be found here.

You can listen to the songs in the playlist below.

This poll will be open for three days, and at least four songs will qualify for the next round.

Other popular names for these songs include:

Cute Little Tozas - "Tozas"
Wandering Under the Moonlight - "Moonlight Wandering"
Not Alone - "You're Not Alone"
Wandering - "Wandering Flame"

For more information on this event, visit the discussion thread.

Spoiler: Newer versions of NES songs

 

[Jason Tandro]

Annnnd here it is. I had to use my freebie to include Kuja and Not Alone and Blinded By Light...

Also voted for Theme of Love, Julia, One Winged Angel and The Landing. Quality songs in this list.

 

[RedFFWolf]

I really feel the need to use the wildcard here and vote for way more than four! But, I'm gonna keep to four throughout the competition 'cause I'm real masochist that way

Julia - Gorgeous solo piece with real class (and the first full FF song I learned on keyboard)

The Landing - An exemplar of FFVIII music

Not Alone - If anyone's never heard this before, listen to it. You will not be sorry

Wandering - One of the few FF songs I listen to when diving into the deeper realms of my own psyche. Indescribable

Shout-out to "Kuja's Theme", "Trail of Blood" and "Tifa's Theme"
(One-Winged Angel too, of course, but it wasn't as close to getting a vote from me)

 

[Ghost X]

One-Winged Angel (FFVII): One of the better boss themes out there .
The Landing (FFVIII): Being connected to some strong imagery probably helps this song.
Wandering (FFX): Soothing music . Music to walk alone to in the dead of night in some quiet urban environment . That, or in some arctic lab with your scientist love interest. Evocative of many a different scene this song.
Blinded By Light (FFXIII): Song from the FFXIII trailers that made me look forward to the game, but then... .

 

[Lex]

The Landing
Not Alone
Wandering
Blinded by Light

One Winged Angel will always win this type of thing and I've never really understood it (I prefer Birth of a God which it completely overshadows in the eyes of fans, so I have some bitterness there), so while I do like it and technically think it's a great song, I'll never vote for it.

I would have voted for the Crisis Core track if it hadn't been for Smooth McGroove's recent version of "Wandering" which I am fucking completely in love with still:

Not Alone has been in my top 5 of FF tracks ever since I first played FFIX back in 2000 so that was a given, and The Landing is one of my favourite underrepresented tracks from FFVIII.

 

[trash panda]

Mambo de Chocobo
Wandering Under the Moonlight
The Landing
Not Alone <3

 

[Carlie]

One-Winged Angel (Final Fantasy VII)
Tifa's Theme (Final Fantasy VII) This one should have more votes gais.
Kuja's Theme (Final Fantasy IX)
Not Alone (Final Fantasy IX)

 

[Flare]

Oh God this was definitely probably the toughest round so far (another one was tough for me too but I forget which it was )

One Winged Angel - First version of this that I heard was for AC, and I frickin love that electric guitar part. Enjoy this song a lot.

Wandering Under the Moonlight - I absolutely love the beginning of this song (the whole song too, but that beginning is just--), the almost twang in that guitar and the drums that pop in, love the atmosphere of this.

Not Alone - One of the best songs in IX by far, love the arrangement, the foreground and background and all the bits and pieces come together; also it plays at an emotional point in the game. I'll always remember this.

Blinded By Light - Really enjoy listening to this song when I fight battles in XIII. Very energizing, and I love the violin.

Runner-ups: Hey, Cid! (Really fun tune)
Theme of Love
Tifa's Theme
Julia (This piano is gorgeous)
Kuja's Theme (A somehow malicious piano sound that suits him)
Wandering (So calming and evocative of deep thinking and contemplation)

 

[Flintlock]

The poll will close in a little over 24 hours.

My top pick is a tie between Mambo de Chocobo and Theme of Love. The former because I think we should have at least one chocobo song in our top 100, and this one is my favourite. It just feels so much fun, especially with that "huh!" at the beginning, which never fails to make me laugh (especially when I heard a choir of dozens of classically trained musicians sing it at Distant Worlds). And the latter because it's not only the first love song in the series, but it's still one of the best.

My other picks are Wandering and Blinded by Light.

Honourable mentions to Cute Little Tozas, One-Winged Angel, The Landing, Kuja's Theme and Not Alone. This was a very tough group for me, and if it wasn't for the fact that 9 is even tougher, I'd probably have used my joker here. I'd normally have voted for two of those five, but since they seem to be heading through anyway, I decided to vote tactically. So sue me.

 

[Monterosa]

This group is so tough. Damn. So tempting to use my 'joker'. Here are my top four:

• Tifa's Theme This is very much overshadowed by Aerith's Theme, but it's a touching piece in its own right. It's melancholic yet optimistic. I like the contrast between the alternating flute, violin, and, uh, what is that MIDI sample supposed to be? Cello? It's like three shades of light, some burning brighter with hope than others.
  
  
• The Landing A major standout from FFVIII. The Landing begins slowly, with a pulsating bass reflecting the focus of the assault party whose hearts beat with serious composure. This is joined by horns and makes way for dramatic staccato strings, later accompanied by a militaristic drum beat. I love the way the composition builds, especially in its call-and-response elements, which evoke military commands being made and repeated.
  
  
• Wandering Flame There's not much to this track, but it's astonishingly beautiful. Allow me to quote from the RPGFan FFX OST review:
  

  "Wandering Flame," which at first seemed kind of unremarkable and indeed, meandering, has become an impressively emotional atmospheric piece. The saxophone which comes in part way through is the track's most obvious characteristic, but the piece as a whole does a very impressive job of portraying a kind of melancholy which a traditionally melodic piece normally cannot.

  Play this song on a starry night and let yourself reflect. I've just broken down in tears listening to this, and for that alone it has to be my top pick of the group.
  
  
• Blinded By Light This track features my favourite motif from the FFXIII soundtrack most successfully. The first time I heard it, during the 2006 E3 reveal trailer, I was blown away. Blinded By Light is magisterial without being pompous, beautiful yet powerful. I think achieving such a balance is a sign of brilliance.

Honourable mentions
Theme of Love
Mambo de Chocobo This one came close. It's such a fun tune and I would love to see it qualify.
One Winged Angel I usually skip this song when it comes on because, well, it's not exactly easy listening. But boy if it isn't a masterpiece. Still, from a subjective standpoint, there are other songs that I enjoy more.
Trail of Blood
Julia
Kuja's Theme
You're Not Alone I almost voted for this. I don't particularly like the choice of some of the instruments, but this composition is too brilliant to overlook, so I hope it gets through (and I know that of course it will). I would love to hear this carefully rearranged. I think, if done correctly, this song could then fulfill its potential to be a true great.

 

[Kuroto]

It's joker time! Picked 9 songs alltogether. Here we go!

Cute Little Tozas - This one was so super fun that I absolutely had to give it a vote. Like the name says, this piece is super cute.

Theme of Love - I absolutely love this piece and it is definitely my top pick for this group. This one is one of my favourite pieces in the whole franchise. It's so calm and really beutiful and the melancholy melody is just so wonderful. To be honest, I prefer the

Spoiler: DS version.

Still, it's such an amazing piece that okay I'll stop all the praizing, I hope it goes through later.

Mambo de Chocobo - This is another great chocobo team. Like Flint said the huh part is so funny (and the concert was great ) and like Cute Little Tozas upbeat and very cute song fit for chocobos.

One Winged Angel - It was time to air conduct an orchestra this time. It's such a grandious composition and very fit for Sephiroth. A piece that didn't need my vote at all but as I can vote for as many songs as I like, I gave it a vote. I think it's a really masterful piece.

Trail of Blood - I nominated this piece because the way it really made my hair stood up while playing FFVII. It's so creepy it is almost fit to be in a horror game. It just reminds me so much of walking through the Shinra building with blood everywhere. One of my favourite pieces in VII just because of the feels.

Julia - This one was a surprise to me. I never got very far in VIII and so I didn't know this song before. Even though it's basically just Eyes on Me on piano it is really beautiful. So much so that it would have most likely been in my four if I hadn't used my joker.

Not Alone - Very much a given. This one is once again one of those themes that almost makes me cry. It made me ridiculously happy to see it on the new Distant Worlds album. The song fits so well in the scene that it plays in and this one is most likely my favourite piece in IX.

Wandering - This one was one of the songs I nearly didn't vote for. But because there is no limit I'll let my X bias show. Not so much fan of the sax part which is probably one reason I wasn't going to vote for it. But the calm and atmospheric nature of the song is lovely. And I have to say that I was absolutely sold when I saw that Smooth McGroove's video. Damn that is so good.

Blinded by Light - Last but definitely not least. I really love this theme. I think I heard it first in the Distant Worlds concert, and I've listened to it a lot after that. I really love the blend between violins and electric instruments and drums. Not a typical fighting theme but I still adore it. Should actually learn to play it on the violin. This song is also on the new Distant Worlds album, which also made me very happy.

Now let's see how many times I'm going to complain that I don't have my joker anymore.

 

[Monterosa]

Kuroto, that DS version of Theme of Love is so good. Now I wish I'd voted for it rather than Tifa's Theme... >_<

 

[Kuroto]

I think you still can? I hope you still can.

 

[Flintlock]

I don't mind people changing their votes as long as they do so before the poll closes, and as long as they don't "abuse the system" for tactical reasons. Monterosa's post was made a few minutes before the end, but I'm not sure whether to interpret it as "I want to change" or just "I wish I had voted differently". I'm asking on Facebook now.

Edit: He wanted to change. That puts Theme of Love on 7 votes, Tifa's Theme on 6.

To everyone: Please be very clear if you want to change your votes in future. The first time you do it I won't ask for a reason, but after that I'll only accept it if you've genuinely made a mistake - mixed up songs, clicked the wrong box or something.

 

[Monterosa]

While I hope this doesn't set a precedent, now that I know that it's permissible to change one's votes before the deadline, allow me to clarify:

I'm removing my vote for Tifa's Theme in favour of Theme of Love.

I've just heard

Spoiler: the Tour de Japon orchestral performance

and it's blown me away. At the end with the piccolo and then the strings come back in... That is stunning.

 

[Flintlock]

In that mix-up I forgot to post the final results.

The songs that have qualified are:

One-Winged Angel
The Landing
Not Alone
Blinded by Light

And the song with the best chance of qualifying as a runner-up is (now) Theme of Love.

Thanks for voting!

 

[Kuroto]

While I hope this doesn't set a precedent, now that I know that it's permissible to change one's votes before the deadline, allow me to clarify:

I'm removing my vote for Tifa's Theme in favour of Theme of Love.

I've just heard

Spoiler: the Tour de Japon orchestral performance

and it's blown me away. At the end with the piccolo and then the strings come back in... That is stunning.

I think that's the same arrangement as in

Spoiler: the Distant Worlds album.

The video that you put on your post doesn't work for me for some reason, but I've listened to the Tour de Japon version many times.

I'm glad you really like it. In a way it is a very typical love theme with a lot of strings and the very soft sound, but I think it's so unbelievably beautiful. The melody is so beautiful and even though the sound on this piece is really soft the piece grows very grand near the end. I'm really surprised that it didn't do better on the poll really.

I'm not sure if you found this yet, but there's a version of this theme with

Spoiler: lyriscs too!

Before I wasn't too sure if I liked this version or not, mainly because I didn't think that the song needs lyrics because it's beutiful already as it is. But now that I've listened to it again I actually like it. I thought you might appreciate it too.