[A] First Round #1 (Nefertiti vs. Clap & Walk)

Listen to both songs and select the one you prefer.

Download Links:

Mana-Khemia - Nefertiti
Ragnarok Online II - Clap & Walk

Streaming:

Nefertiti: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file:
Clap & Walk: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file:

Mana-Khemia - Nefertiti

The number 1 seed, and amazingly enough, there's no ominous latin chanting to be found! Instead, it's pretty much a Guilty Gear song. That's okay with me, though, it has a good arrangement and some hot guitar playing.

Ragnarok Online II - Clap & Walk

One of my favorite tracks from the prelims, with plenty of accordion, shifting meters and really enjoyable chord progressions. I can't resist a combination like that.

Clap And Walk is gonna take it for me this time around. Really, no complaints either way.

Nefertiti does little of interest to me. By contrast, Clap and Walk is a pleasant little piece with cool instrumentation and good meter decisions (I'm a sucker for seven, even if a piece doesn't stay there). Harmonically it doesn't do too much, but that matters little considering the competition.

Listening to RO II - Clap and Walk again brings a good sound to my ears. Like it a lot more than i did from the prelims. Will be tough to beat this round I think. It seriosly lives up to its name. Its fun, joyful, and energetic.

Nefertiti is from an RPG I think. Surprised by its sound until the chimes came in at least. Got better at this point. However, I thought it could have been a little longer, but it didn't loop I don't believe so that's a good thing.

Clap and Walk

keeping both for sure

Mana-Khemia - Nefertiti
I don't know about you, but when I think of Nefertiti, Queen of the Eighteenth Dynasty, wife to Akhenaten the Heretic and step-mother to Tutankhamen the Golden, I think overblown and limp guitar thrashing. Very weak, though admittedly not my style.

Ragnarok Online II - Clap & Walk
What more can I say? Kanno's RO2 is chock-full of good tunes, and this is one of the better ones. Terrific drive, fine melody, beautiful emotional interlude, and a heaping helping of charm.

Easiest vote yet for Clap 'n Walk.

Somehow, I have a feeling that the #1 seed is taking a first round bath. Will there ever be a #1 that goes the distance? Probably not, everyone loves an underdog.

And Clap & Walk, you're a spiffy little underdog. <3

nefertiti-
Some really nice melodic phrases, and a pretty good power metal style feel. The drums sucked ass though, and were so boring. I think this would have been stronger if the synths and midi bass hadnt been so quantized. Combined with the weak drums, it sounded way more sterile than it needed to. Too bad, because the melody was really good.

clap and walk-
creatively this one claps and walks all over nefertiti.

Nefertiti: I absolutely love the current Gust Sound Team. "Nefertiti" is no exception. The battle themes they create are exhilarating and a lot of fun. I also like their rock approach to most of them. This is definitely a winner in my book!

Clap and Walk: For some reason, Yoko Kanno doesn't click with me that much. This is a very impressive piece of music, with it's variety of instruments and sounds, but it doesn't do much for me. I'll give her credit where credit is due. She's an excellent composer, but far from my favorite.

Being in the rock mood I am, "Nefertiti" it is.

: Ragnarok Online II - Clap & Walk
: Mana-Khemia - Nefertiti

Yeah, I actually just hate the Gust sound team, it's official. Well I mean the track rocks out so of course I love it, except for how the melody is boring and there isn't really anything else redeemable except for the fifteen second solo.

I wouldn't really call Clap & Walk an underdog when it trounces Nefertiti in every conceivable way.

Clap and Walk easily takes this match. I forgot what Nefertiti sounded like the second it stopped playing. How'd that get a one seed?

Apparently I didn't really need to help Nefertiti get in the contest, but I did so because I made a bargain to get one of my tracks in here. I hadn't heard it before, but it's OK.

ANyways, I <3 Kanno. So who's the retard that didn't renominate Dreams in a Pie like they should have?

I'm tempted to vote for the riff that starts around :12 for Nefertiti and goes on throughout the song. I wouldn't hesitate to vote this over a lot of stuff I've heard thus far, but Clap and Walk is pretty, energetic and catchy. It's pretty rockin' in its' own way and has more than a single riff going for it, so the numbers dictate I have to vote for it.

(wow, Nefertiti was the #1 seed?)

Nefertiti is pretty standard rock fare, not bad at all, but it takes more to crush Clap & Walk which is just irresistably sweet.

Nefertiti is energetic and rockin', but loses steam after repeated listens even with its short length. I dig the Gust sound team, but they've done better.

Being from a popular franchise and composed by a talented composer, I had high expectations of Clap & Walk and sure enough it takes the cake, topped with both quirkiness and festivity.

As an aside, it's kind of ironic how the top seed is getting pummeled by the lowest seed, but I suppose surprises are just what this contest is about.

Bah, getting the #1 seed doesn't necessarily mean a song is good, it just means more people have the same bad taste. Remember that time Communication Breakdown was #1? Yeah.

Both songs are alright.
Nefertiti sounds like one of the better standard Gust battle themes, but it's still standard. Nothing negative to say about this, it's just that the only positive I can find is the nice melody.

Clap & Walk was nice as well. Not material to win a contest, but it has it's moments (especially at 3/4 through the song). Since it's not as intrusive as the first song, it gets my vote.

I think it's pretty easy to couch both of these tracks in their respective archtypes. Maybe that makes it a genre preference at this point, but I find Clap & Walk a lot of fun to listen to. Nefertiti is competent, but doesn't have the chops to hold up against this sunnier fare.

Going with Clap & Walk here. I'll need to check out RO2's soundtrack, this isn't the first song to pleasantly surprise me. It's just really fun to listen to.

Nefertiti isn't bad at all, but there's just nothing that really stands out when I listen to it.

I honestly have no fucking clue how Nefertiti became the #1 seed of the entire contest. Yes, Gust Sound Team makes good battle themes, and just fyi, Toshinori Hiramatsu is performing the guitar work. The song is good, but there are definitely better songs both rock and not rock. Personally, I would rather have seen a song from Grand Fantasm to represent Gust.

That said, Clap & Walk doesn't really do it for me. It's the kind of background music I wouldn't mind hearing during a game, but not something I'd listen to outside of it.

Easy vote for Nefertiti.

As much as I loved Clap and Walk in the prelims, and despite how Clap and Walk is going to win, I'll vote for