Non-Gamer Hears Video Game Music for THE FIRST TIME

[@MarcoMeatball]

🌍 Get exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ nordvpn.com/marcomeatball It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! ✌ Sponsored by NordVPN I use it. Genuinely, I love it. The full video link is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKjdpZiFaKuFa8k - features NieR: Replicant and LOTS of talking.

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

I'd use it if I didn't already have a two year deal on Nord, LOL!

[@otto1449]

How does Garth Bardsley look like he's your father and a younger older variant from a parallel universe of yours at the same time?

[@unlimited971]

29:39 nani Edit: Alright. You know what? Frak it. Doom eternal you know which ones. He hates jazz? Some sonic mania God shattering star Shara ihvalda to creep him out ( ir safie jiiva) Fatty treatment. Ofc. Dancing mad. Classic at this point

[@caseylp7121]

Thank you for this awesome video!

[@metalfingers2129]

I love when these professionals actually dive into and dissect these songs instead of the "yeah this was good" or "eh, this was bad". Garth really gives an in depth analysis. He actually takes notes during the songs. Love it!

[@Jakco808]

Yeah I love that. A like the open minded analysis approach

[@nicolivoldkif9096]

Well, it is also what real reaction channels are supposed to be. People listening/watching something and either providing professional analysis or commentary on how people like them like/think about it. Half of reaction channels are just over exaggerated acting.

[@NGBH]

@@nicolivoldkif9096 well being honest,its what most people come for,they wanna see reactions with as much passion as they had when they first experienced it (which is very hard to replicate,so many reactors act it out) but it is what it is

[@StarboyXL9]

Teacher's habit

[@envee_ee]

​@@StarboyXL9true they cant stop not telling you whats bad straight to your face and give a compliment in the most non-noticable way possible

[@araragisenpai4088]

God yes, praise be to Marco for inviting Garth here, this was SO refreshing to get some strong, unfiltered opinions about the sounds we love. It brings nuance to the KZbin ecosystem when it comes to these, where it's mostly all evangelized reactions. Even more so with someone who has such background about music. Thank you to the both of you!

[@Jakco808]

Well said

[@princeapoopoo5787]

I liked Garth's reactions because they were unfiltered but not in a way that felt spiteful or antagonising. As much as I dislike echo chambers of circle jerking praise, I'm also particularly leery of attitudes that seem to criticise just for the sake of meanness and edge.

[@NuiYabuko]

The implication that any positive opinion is dishonest is actually really troubling and toxic.

[@araragisenpai4088]

Which part of "mostly" and "nuance" didn't you get to reply with "any positive opinion"? If you're just here to be vitriolic, you got to the wrong place my friend.

[@CrusesFear]

For half a second I felt he would simply dislike 'videogame music', but I must say his criticisms were really meaningful and well-thought. Much like his chef analogy, it was interesting of hearing the opinion of someone who has a very clear idea of what they like/dislike, and explaining why very clearly. At least we got a strong victory on the extra lap with our good ol' Fischl!

[@ecyor0]

It also makes perfect sense too - he clearly enjoys music that breaks away from templates and gets creative with its timing and arrangements, and since video game music needs to be made on a timeline to evoke specific emotions and more importantly *evoke those emotions consistently in most people* , it leans more formulaic by necessity.

[@bloody4558]

HIs criticism of Phantilia's theme was literally just "not to my personal taste" though. I for example dislike Jazz music and find it even more boring than the repetition of common rock music, for example. I greatly prefer heavy metal because it doesn't repeat as much and when the track adds key changes, those changes are always meaningful, unlike Jazz who keeps trying to just evolve one same concept, as if musicians were trying to see how many different attempts they could have on that one theme. That is my personal taste. and so was his opinion also a matter of taste

[@branthall1787]

@@bloody4558 What "jazz" are you listening to if you think its repetitive lmao Free form jazz is called free form jazz for a reason lol

[@howitzer551]

Not saying your other content isn't great, it very much is, but I love the guest videos. They are always fun to listen to, and I think having two people who know about music discussing it is more engaging than one person just talking into a camera (says the guy that literally watches history lectures on KZbin). At least for me as someone who's knowledgeable enough about music to know that I don't know nearly enough about music, I greatly enjoy these!

[@MarcoMeatball]

it is for me, too! And I end up learning quite a lot as well. I think the video essays are good too. I love reaction content don't get me wrong but i think this and my video essays are my fav videos i do now

[@howitzer551]

@@MarcoMeatball Hey man do what you like the most. Content is always better when the creator wants to do it.

[@erter3222]

This video in particular was really a joy to watch, because there's so much chemestry between you too, and Garth is a very energetic person, and not only that, but he was really trying to discuss and understand us, the gamers, what it feels like playing a game and hearing this kind of music. I would like to see Garth again on this channel, you two are great when together, it's just on another level@@MarcoMeatball

[@howitzer551]

@@erter3222 I also love the fact that one of the guys that helped Marco sing better literally has "Bard" in his last name. Fitting!

[@benns9673]

​@@MarcoMeatballKnow that I really enjoyed it too despite having a VERY limited knowledge on music overall. And even if I didn't understand everything you two talked about , I sat trough (and really enjoyed) an entire English video talking about music. It was fascinating!

[@PebblesPlays]

Die Mittsommernacht-Fantasie being a limited time event OST is bonkers. We need that back in the game.

[@finding_aether]

MHY is insane. A whole ass orchastetra arrangement for a 6 week event.

[@devilsadvocate22289]

I really enjoyed his critique a lot! You can tell that his complaints about the pieces he didn’t like were because he wants MORE as if he could see the potential that these composers have. You can tell that simply because the pieces he enjoyed - the Fischl Theme and The Rain formerly known as Purple were all infusions of different sounds that blended into a unique tune. He reminds me of passionate movie critics like Roger Ebert or master chefs like Gordon Ramsey.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Yes I think that’s it right there. He knew the folks making them were good!

[@zelos666]

What potential? Most of these video game composers make music that people actually care about. It moves them, it brings them to tears and is probably way more popular than whatever it is compared against in these videos. There is a reason why people don't go to classical concerts and why they love video game music. Because one is filled with emotion and speaks to people on a personal level, while the other is dry and frankly boring as hell.

[@MarcoMeatball]

don't shit on one to defend the other. both are valuable and mean a lot to people individually. some people think video game music is dumb and meaningless and could say the same. be better! @@zelos666

[@scarletrhapsody]

41:10 Die Mittsommernacht Fantasie is mainly composed by Yijun Jiang, YuPeng Chen only composed the guitar solo. Moreover, the guitar is played by Jiang himself. Sadly all this information only exists in the Chinese music platform because Apple Music and Spotify don't provide space to fill in all the crew information for each track, so they can only fill in Hoyomix.

[@MarcoMeatball]

My bad!

[@azorailke6057]

I'm curious. Where do you get this information?

[@rickcooper4809]

@@azorailke6057 VGMDB

[@Fabio-ql5yf]

@@azorailke6057vgmdb I’d assume

[@Fabio-ql5yf]

@@azorailke6057Hello?

[@boat378]

His reaction to Awaken is surprising, I suppose the inconsistencies are represented by how chaotic the song is meant to be, like crashing waves. Big respect to Garth, he was fantastic.

[@tweetug3697]

Made sense considering its Specter's song, representing her personality slipping from one to another due to her amnesia.

[@dumbinternetmoron]

To Garth's point about repetition, comfort, and control - I think he's dead on! What he's sort of describing is the gameplay loop - the repetitive series of connected actions that the player makes throughout the game. In Final Fantasy the loop is something like story setup -> exploration and resource gathering -> battle -> climactic battle -> story development. Every iteration of the loop is aesthetically different in one way or another, but the loop is steady. That's why the experience of playing these games is so comforting - you know where you are in the loop and you have the agency to save the world at the very end. I know this video is more about music than about games, but I wonder if Garth would be more interested in games like Inscryption or Breath of the Wild, where the loop is disrupted or more at the player's discretion.

[@princeapoopoo5787]

Yeah there's something satisfying about that loop to me, that's for sure. Though, as a creative mind, I also love games that are more open ended too. (I honestly thought "I wonder how he'd react to a game like Minecraft or the Sims?" with lower stakes and a more open ended approach) Really depends on my mood tbh.

[@RedEyedAngel926]

I’m so glad you chose Die Mittsommernacht-Fantasie as the final composition. In all of these reaction videos, Genshin has NOT disappointed any of them. Just goes to show that Genshin’s music is truly *chefs kiss*

[@viviansytsui]

Yu Peng Chen doesn't miss!

[@scarletrhapsody]

@@viviansytsui Die Mittsommernacht Fantasie is mainly composed by Yijun Jiang, YuPeng Chen only composed the guitar solo. Moreover, the guitar is played by Jiang himself. Sadly all this information only exists in the Chinese music platform because Apple Music and Spotify don't provide space to fill in all the crew information for each track, so they can only fill in Hoyomix.

[@yharnamiyhill787]

@@scarletrhapsody tyvm for helping us give credit where it's due. Needless to say, these Chinese music composers are impressive. They are spearheading the classical music genre of many cultures. It's hard to do such a feat. What do we have? German, Chinese, Japan, Indian, and now France? (Many other cultural influence and instruments mixed in of course, but that just highlights their brilliants.) I'm jealous.

[@ubuu7]

I just wish he would stop ignoring some of the old kotor I/II themes kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppaopqqhd8agrpo kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXXXh3V6a7xolaM kzbin.info/www/bejne/oISup4Cvp9qDiqM or old dnd game themes kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZ-aY6iYaK6nZqc kzbin.info/www/bejne/onOahWmBmZ6Wj8k

[@MrProthall]

If only the game wasnt designed to exploit those vulnerable to addictions. Ah well, can't fault companies for ruining people's lives, after all, there is money to be made

[@DiabloDelMer1]

As a brief segway on the repetitiveness conversations, its interesting to note the importance a lot of videogame music being both repetitive, but not too repetitive. A lot of the less stand out music is there for atmosphere and is more or less intended to be heard but not listened to. Something that keeps the atmosphere going and helps keep the player from getting bored, while not being so in your face as to become apparent. That said, you still need just enough variation in the bgm so that it doesn't become apparenty/annoying by not changing enough. That's kinda the magic of most video-game music. Its equivalent a gallery hall for art. Everyone's meant to look at the art, but the gallery still has to look the part. An ugly gallery/sloppy gallery still leads to a unpleasant viewing.

[@yotambraunshtein9786]

Yes

[@VaioletteWestover]

I think the important context is that here they are listening to the music for the music itself. In games as you pointed out a lot of repetition has a point. For example, in Nier, some pieces are extremely repetitive as they layer on more and more elements over the base melody and it makes sense in context. I think from a pure musical perspective it's more difficult to make a repetitive melody satisfying unless you are doing something extraordinary, like telling a time loop story where you need to vary each loop enough so that it doesn't become the same thing, and the shorter the loop is, the more challenging your task becomes.

[@DiabloDelMer1]

​@@VaioletteWestover Personally, I don't think that its difficult to specifically make a repetitive song satisfying. Often times, its the duration of a song that has the heaviest impact on its listening value and I've found the biggest 'sin' repetitive music can make when being used as music to actually listen to is it being too long. The longer any song lasts, the more deviation you need in it to make it satisfying to listen to from beginning to end. Music designed to be repetitive is much more limited in the ways it can perform deviation outside of a dynamic context like videogames. I think this is one of the reasons why a lot of videogame music doesn't last much longer then between 2 and 3 minutes. That's just enough time for you to add the musical quirks per subsection of the song to make it interesting, but not so long as to overstay its welcome within a bubble. Not to say extraordinary composers can't easily make a repetitive 8 minute long song that sounds wonderful to listen to. Mick Gordon in particular is quite good at this.

[@hellschatt]

I feel like your teacher would love Sumeru pieces, no? You have so many Oriental instruments that get combined with each other, from Indian to Greek to Armenian. I'm not sure if this is done often, and I would really love to hear his opinion on some of them.

[@VaioletteWestover]

Of course Yu Peng Chen comes through. This was so enjoyable to watch, Garth reflected many of the things that I felt was missing from videogame music that I couldn't quite put my fingers on and he really nailed it. A lot of Genshin music, some Undertale music, have that classical opus feel to them in that the melody extends far beyond a couple phrases like Garth pointed out. It's also why I was never able to enjoy Destiny music even though I acknowledge the high quality of the sound itself, but the underlying melody is very short. I'm a classically trained violinist and vocalist and for me Genshin music has an X factor that I couldn't put my finger on and it's always excited me to listen to it above others. I think after this, I understood also why I felt the way I do as well. So I took a lot away both in terms of criticism and appreciation from garth. I felt like I attended class and I was having fun to the whole time! What a fantastic and valuable resource this is. Thank you both for making this possible! I wonder how Garth would react to something like Jolt in the forest from Sumeru that is all about the repetition and the HUGEEE payoff. Will it be the boring kind of repetitive or the beautiful kind? Haha

[@MarcoMeatball]

I think musicians will absolutely understand his takes. He made a LOT of sense to me and helped me understand why something can be beautiful but shallow or beautiful and boring. It was really interesting.

[@scarletrhapsody]

Die Mittsommernacht Fantasie is mainly composed by Yijun Jiang, YuPeng Chen only composed the guitar solo. Moreover, the guitar is played by Jiang himself. Sadly all this information only exists in the Chinese music platform because Apple Music and Spotify don't provide space to fill in all the crew information for each track, so they can only fill in Hoyomix.

[@royjonzejr]

@@scarletrhapsody I'm actually glad they're bringing in other composers to do tracks for the game. I always worry about Yu Peng Chen suffering from burnout , needing to compose this huge amount of high quality music by himself. And I also worry about him getting stressed out from the pressure of outdoing himself with the next region's soundtrack or the next boss music because how do you even do that when the bar is already so high.

[@MoonDasher07734]

Mr Garth’s criticisms on these tracks actually awakened me to why I love video games, and by proxy its music. I tried for example to remove the songs from the context, and in a vacuum, you can start hearing or discerning patterns or repetitiveness, even as a total music noob. Then, I put something like Phantylia’s 3-phase boss theme into the context of star rail and its story. It is just beyond impressive how it captured the encounter, and the Emanator of destruction so well. Also obvious with the chinese-inspired leitmotif, since the battle took place in Xianzhou Loufu. These emotional attachments to the game, therefore its soundtrack, is what truly elevated vgm to the next tier. Technique is one factor of it. The track also needs soul and heart, even if synthesized/ created with assist from machines.

[@MarcoMeatball]

absolutely

[@uncleiroh5983]

This is interesting because while it’s ok to analyze the music in a vacuum, it definitely should be taken in with the other piece of art that it’s supposed to be enjoyed with, which is the game itself. The repetitiveness in xenoblade’s main theme has a reason behind it and the song overall fits the vibe it’s supposed to give the player

[@The_Blazelighter]

I'm impressed he picked up on the 4 note Risk of Rain motif. The entirety of the series' music is based off those 4 notes and variations of them.

[@Soulferno]

I understand the criticism for repetitiveness but as a rebuttal, the conext for the music is meant to give you something to recognize and latch onto as the player. In a battle scenario for example, just one repeated segment can be enough to cause players to further engage and go wild with the combat for any game. Sometimes, players may even look forward to the repetitiveness because more often than not, those repetitive segments sound pretty good. They may not evolve the piece but imo, they keep the player grounded and reminds them of why they're even playing to begin with. Just like the question brought about the constant battling perhaps getting tedious, a good music theme will often push that tedium back and make almost every encounter feel new which is something that should only be theoretically possible through gameplay. That's where I think the genius of game music lies. For me, I never once got tired of entering a battle in FF16 or Persona 5 because the battle music was good

[@RaidOfStorms]

Man internally said "why is the sky speaking latin" without knowing the meme for archange lmao

[@darthplagueis13]

I think making another video where you show him more video game music might be interesting because you know a bit more about his taste in music now. Your selection of songs had a lot of MMO stuff in there from my understanding and that often tends to be a bit formulaic because well, the game needs to get regular updates to keep its playerbase active. I think a video where you focus more on experimental and indie stuff might both be more interesting to him and interesting to watch.

[@27455628]

Just a little correction, die mittsommernacht-fantasie is actually compose by 姜以君 yijun jiang and Yu-Peng Chen, while the arrangement is actually done solely by Yijun Jiang.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Sorry!

[@spcraftsman2656]

I love this man! He is insightful while also being a delight to listen to. I vote for another episode!

[@shelbyherring92]

Now here's the dissenting opinion I want: worldly, understanding, slightly snobbish but with a point. He clearly articulates why he finds the tracks lacking, but also acknowledges the work and care into the vision these composers and arrangers have done. Can we get some more Iga era Castlevania tunes in there?

[@jonasvendlermusic]

This has to be one of my favorite interviews thus far. Garth has some very good points about criticism that I feel are important for growth. You have to be able to both give and take it to become better at what you do and gain the perspective you need.

[@tsukikaktus]

I'm really happy I joined this channel a few months back. While I might not know a lot about music, I've always cherished it more than anything else. None of my friends really understand this, so I've often felt quite alone. I've never had the chance to meet musicians or genuine music enthusiasts before. Discovering your channel (along with some other awesome music channels) has significantly improved my life ❤️. I love watching you enjoy the music, just like me (even though I'm not familiar with all the technical details). Garth's sincere thoughts made the experience even more enjoyable, and I'm completely on board with that! I'm hopeful that as your popularity grows, you'll invite more guests from various music backgrounds so that we can delve into your discussions. Sending love from Poland!

[@flauscheballchen2855]

So sad that Mittsommernacht fantasie was in last years summer event and not permanent its such a good piece * w *

[@MrJip953]

That is definitely a teacher of music, love how he can say what is good, bad, repetitive, I love hearing critique on music that I love to hear or grew up on

[@ChenAnPin]

This is was a fun "If you had to pick one piece of music from each of these games to share with someone" to sort of introduce them to the world of video game music Also ending on Die Mittsommernacht-Fantasie and it genuinely piqued his interest was cool to see, that piece was so good!

[@gyaradospm]

Having die mittsommernacht-fantasie as the last piece is absolutely perfect!

[@lazyknowledge6286]

That was awesome! :D Thank you so much! And I am very glad that he enjoyed Genshin so much. XD What a ride! And what a great teacher! Sometimes they come along and you have the chance to learn from them and you remember those people all your life because they had such an impact on you. And it is lovely to be able to say thank you after several years for their time and effort when one can look back and see what an amazing teacher they were.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Lionotus]

Always like to see what other people in the industry's thoughts are on the music we enjoy in video games! Seems like Garth has been there and done it all, and really enjoyed the experimental infusions like Genshin. Thanks for the video!

[@tobiasprasetyo4638]

16:36 this question reminds me of a youtube video called "gaming for the non-gamers" for us, Marco is "the Opera singer guy", but maybe for his colleagues, Marco is "the gamer guy"

[@HHH-rf2hv]

As much as i like that battle music in video game as the next guy, i must say the regional or city tracks are my favorite. For example in Genshin, the battle is hype and all but the main city theme always has something special about them, wheather its the grandiose of Inazuma or the busy daily life of Liyue or the upcoming mysterious Fontaine, the main region theme always encapsulated their feeling so well.

[@StarboyXL9]

Growing up, none of us kids paid attention in music class because we thought "when are we ever gunna use any of this knowledge in the real world? Music is for weird people." Little did I know I'd be a gamer by the time I entered high school and music would become a love of mine by the time I graduated. I wouldn't love music without gaming.

[@HouseOfHagnos]

For your videos I don't even need to see them before I press like anymore. Love your reviews and analysis of game OSTs and definitely love this format.

[@MarcoMeatball]

[@SuperMac2007]

I love the point Garth made around 37:00 about how channels like yours lead people to stop for a moment and think about the brilliance of the artistry of the music. So much about how 'Ludwig the Accursed' and 'Ludwig the Holy Blade' made me feel began to make sense once I saw someone point out that the songs are a waltz. As someone who grew up doing traditional Scottish dancing, the songs were hitting a rhythm that was deeply familiar to me but in such a twisted and awful way that I couldn't fathom what I was hearing. That rhythm to me is one of joy, connection, and letting loose - the exact opposite of Ludwig.

[@samuisamu5626]

If a time comes that you can only keep one series on your channel then this is it. This is the one to keep! Its always a joy hearing what your guests have to say. On the other side I remember when you use to get VAs to listen and talk about voice acting and their process. These introspective and educational videos are what make you stand out from the other channels that just react. Love it, Marco. Great job with this one and it would be great to have your teacher back. Would love to see more.

[@ryankimbell8762]

Garth reminds me a lot of George RR Martin in the way he was so jaded and 'over' the conventions. On the one hand, it can make for a refreshingly different take (like the grimdark fantasy that Martin pioneered). But it can also ignore the fact that everyone loves the conventions for a reason. People are always going to love a Tolkienian 'good triumphs over evil' story or a repeated four-chord progression, no matter how bored of it your refined tastes become. Was still interesting to hear his perspective and the times that he was surprised and intrigued.

[@DZ-1987]

Garth's a good teacher. I wager this series was initially meant both for entertainment and to see the reactions of accomplished people in the music sphere. As well as the occasional insight from them. That's why i watch these, at least. It's a good thing i started learning how to make music this year, for Garth's lessons here, like the "developing" thing, is quite a valuable lesson. And i got it for free.

[@maxlewis5975]

Great episode, love his balanced criticism and how he really explains why he feels a certain way. I would love to see another episode where you show him some of the more experimental stuff.

[@amitgiri5075]

Marco bring Garth back I loved his insight and critiques. The knowledge he has and his way of explaining music is very interesting. This shows how good of a teacher he is.

[@evilsforreals]

It almost made me sad to hear Phantylia's theme referred to as "beautifully boring" but It just goes to show I'm listening to it with a rudimentary knowledge of musical history, and so in retrospect it's really cool to see a knowledgeable person able to add perspective to a song I like!

[@MarcoMeatball]

You can love it. It doesn’t devalue that feeling. It’s just an alternative perspective and why.

[@cloudwalker9572]

I have to agree with the expert here, it felt like any video game music when playing through the boss. Not amazing but doing the job, Wildfire packed way more punch and set the bar so high it will be more remembered down the line in my opinion.

[@KaiserZyr]

its not necessarily a bad thing. Im not good at music but from a gameplay standpoint, there is a necessity for HSR music to be somewhat ‘boring’ (which from my understanding refers particularly to the music having predictable and repetitive moments) because for turn based games there is a lot of thinking a lot of dead air so they have to account for that in the composition. This is my opinion. Loved this video by the way.

[@MrSignman65]

@@cloudwalker9572 True, I don't really like Wildfire musically, but damn if it doesn't pack a punch and set the tone. Dropping vocals after a large amount of the acoustic buildup and the entire storyline culminating into an incredible boss fight was Star Rail's current peak. Samudratha I think is the only moment that comes close. Phantylia's theme is better musically but doesn't have the same punch in the story, no particularly crazy drops, just a solid boss theme. All we need now is a boss fight as good as Phantylia (props to Hoyo for making the game actually challenging during story, I'm so tired of Genshin's story fights being medium difficulty at best) with moments as action packed and dramatic as Cocolia. Considering the Luofu arc isn't over yet, Phantylia's just the "Svarog" penultimate fight and there's more to look forward to down the line.

[@far4955]

@@cloudwalker9572 The main issue with Wildfire in-game is that the drop literally drowns out any dialogue between the characters and I had to decide whether I should try my best to ignore the banger drop and try to listen to Cocolia's dialogue or just turn my brain off and enjoy the music

[@ecyor0]

I misheard the name at the start, and now I want to know about Goth Bardsley, who I can only assume is a youtuber that does covers of Evanescence songs in old english.

[@yourfriendoverseas5810]

I love the savage critique this teacher gives these music pieces. It's a nice counterweight to how deeply some of this music seems to impact marco.

[@Matias-cx3wg]

Thanks for including Ascension. Such an amazing piece from FF XVI. Is living rent free in my head these past weeks

[@paddyknits]

I wish you would’ve played Nishiki’s works for him. As a musician myself I appreciated Garth’s candour. Need more critical interviews like this ! Have him on again please!

[@kevinrieder]

Upvote comment for Nishiki!

[@lenalalane]

Seconded!

[@Ishi112]

Garth talking about a piece being great for an unusual mix of instruments, then You giving him the Mittsommernacht 😂 perfect

[@AcaciaAvenue]

Loved the difference in Garth's attitude with Die Mittsommernacht Fantasie: prior to that one he was composed and professional, and then he started vibing XD But that's understandable, you can't not vibe to that song, that would be a sin.

[@chickeninvider]

I feel like you have to invite him again with the sole purpose of catching him off guard

[@eherden2169]

Marco saved his secret weapon for the end.

[@yharnamiyhill787]

I was thinking of that. I was like: "man this music teacher is strict, or old." 😅

[@berdish11]

Now I want to see another session with Garth where Marco will try to find soundtrack that will impress Garth. And as a result all of the tracks will get criticized again :D Really refreshing view! That might be my favorite video in this series now

[@mushroom4rain]

So far he's my fav guest you've had on your channel. I can really feel the love for music thru his commentary and energy.

[@pol1229]

"I've been working on my British accent. It's terrible." "Well, it's better than the American one." This man is a true Brit.

[@kevinpenayo4822]

I think the missed part of the analysis will be dynamic musics, which is the part when it differenciates of movies, is that is has to adapt to the player.

[@blazingmonolith4323]

Man! Arthas my Son always brings a little tear to my eye, its such a beautiful song. The childs voice singing is something majestic.

[@orangepotato2112]

Your music selection is impeccable too! Love to see the Xenoblade, Risk of Rain and just everything

[@khalifabinhendi6107]

Loved the nuanced, unfiltered criticism from Garth! Thank you for inviting him!

[@DN-jm8us]

0:20 I already love this man

[@benrex7775]

I appreciate his critical take on the music. I personally would get exhausted if I would listen to people like him on a regular basis in my freetime. As a teacher he would be great as he isn't a yes-man.

[@tasogarerubica]

I really did enjoy Garth's opinions on the pieces you choose. He didn't shy away from posing his thoughts on the pieces, and that's largerly from what he spoke about being critical. As a artist, I understand the importance of a critical eye and being able to voice them with reasons to back up those claims without it being slander. So for Garth its more of a critical ear. I'd love for him to come back and it also might be a great challenge for you to take this experience and see what kind of music might speak to him while also finding tunes that he might really enjoy breaking apart to find the good with in their composition.

[@_TestBot]

Absolutely one of the best music reactions you have had. Incredible to listen to a guest who not only has the background and knowledge of the topic but most importantly who is so well spoken and clear about his meaning and intent. The role and experience of a teacher was certainly felt and I'd love to hear more from him.

[@Executive14]

I dont know why but for me he is the Gordan Ramsey of music 😂😂😂😂

[@agustinkeim4557]

You think Garth wouldve like the "scaramouche boss" theme? because it has a lot of opera mixed with electronic music and is a bald aproach that i woukd like him to listen to and give a critic point of view to it

[@MarcoMeatball]

yes i do

[@VashimuXIV]

Is it weird of me to say this felt like an actual lecture piece from Garth? And I mean that in the best way possible. His criticisms felt very organic and was able to explain his thought process entirely to where I feel like I’ve gained more insight to go, I like this because, or I didn’t think this worked because this, and so on. Sure it is a matter of subjectivity, and at times it’s hard to explain our emotions over pieces, but I think I’ve gained more knowledge about how to judge the things I enjoy, and their faults. Nothing is perfect after all. Cheers Marco, this was lovely.

[@adrikiller360]

Never in my life I would have imagined someone talking about the city I live in on this channel. But here we are talking about Albi and the Saint-Cecile cathedral ! Always a pleasure to watch your videos and the guest are Always on point and so interesting to listen to.

[@thecommentguy9380]

fischl's theme always hit me like: it's a classic orchestra then suddenly someone get on the stage then whip out the guitar then proceed to start shredding it

[@fauxmahcloud1494]

PLEEEEEASE bring this wonderful man back!!! He was such a treat to listen to!

[@driftingnitro6490]

Loved this, he's absolutely right on the point about repetition and progression. Let's go for round two, really get some unique gems in there to surprise him with!

[@puchuchan8020]

I think what I love the most about this series is that it really shows how your background and relationship with music changes your point of view and how you experience a song. Not just how having played the game or not changes your impression because of context, or emotional responses, but because your different guests will focus on different aspects of the pieces depending on what the focus of their musical career and background (and listening history) is. I'm especially amused by Die Mittsommernacht-Fantasie, because if you have a classical background, you're hearing those references, and if you work in sound production, you especially enjoy the unusual instrument combinations and melodic changes, but... Y'all... y'all don't even know.... This piece is referencing the Japanese rock/pop genre and subculture visual-kei. It's kinda like a glam rock and goth mix that was/is especially popular with the chuunibyo/"edgy teen" crowd. I hear so much Malize Mizer in this track, and there's a playful kind of... unhinged quality to their music that works perfectly for Fischl. Fantasie always makes me want to hear Gekka no Yasoukyoku (translates roughly to Moonlight Nocturne) or Bois de Merveilles - the first being a tale of a child randomly wandering the forest at night and finding a jester doll in a dusty old shed that tearfully begs the child to bring it to the nearby mansion, where the child finds a girl doll, and then watches the two dolls dance in the moonlight all night; and the second boiling down to "imma sing to the fairies until my voice gives out to beg forgiveness for my sins". It is 100% her aesthetic, and the musical elements and combinations they chose in Fantasie are so on point. ...incidentally, I'm convinced that Squall's character design in FFVIII was inspired by Malice Mizer's Illuminati music video, the similarities to lead singer Gackt are uncanny. Don't, uh, don't look for this music video in public, though. It left a... lasting impression on me in middle school.

[@GugureSux]

I love the idea of these videos! What frustrates me to no end is knowing that there'd be THOUSANDS of killer soundtracks from countless games, and there's absolutely no way to cover them all in a video or two. Nor can I expect a single person to even think of all the favorites I have in mind; Silent Hill, Metal Gear, NieR / Drakengard, Persona, Yakuza ... just to name a few.

[@MarcoMeatball]

I really do try to think of others in making my choices. Both what I like and what I hope others will without just playing the fan favorites. It’s actually really tricky

[@CosmoOfTheKramers]

@@MarcoMeatball I do wish you'd change up the arknights candidate from time to time. You usually tinker around with mihoyo stuff, but awaken is pretty hard for people to appreciate without context. I get thaat awaken is your favorite of the arknights lot, but there are a lot of other amazing compositions from the arknights collection. Just a suggestion. Interesting video, although I feel like he doesn't really appreciate the functional aspects of a video game song (complement the repetitive gameplay loop, provide subtext to a character/event in game).

[@kevinrieder]

I feel the same. I'm so compelled when the guest isn't floored by VGM! I listen to Garth's preferences and I start playlisting for him like I'm John Cusack in High Fidelity. My playlist for Garth would definitely have AC Zero and For Redemption -> Decisive Battle 2 from the first Octopath

[@KapalAsin]

This is nice, its like two friends having a conversation sharing their passion and knowledge.

[@serafinw105r2f]

What an unique review, not only I got a different take on things that I like, I think I also learned about myself in the process. Also, it's refreshing to see someone who really knows what does he like and what he doesn't like, and not only that but the why is also really important.

[@brendanrisney2449]

"That was like... little mermaid on acid! I kinda hated it..." What he lacks in tact, he makes up for in perfectly accurate descriptions and wonderfully honest opinions. Yet another great addition to this series here, I was very happy to hear even the negative stuff. Especially, even.

[@darkomiku8902]

When everything fails we got Fischl to save us!!!!

[@ancalyme]

Marco's face at 38:15 sounds like "I wish I added Sumeru music to this playlist" :D Edit: Fischl's song pulled through!

[@realkingofantarctica]

It's very interesting seeing someone with such deep knowledge of music listening to a style that, by design, is meant to work in tandem with interactivity and the immersion of the person hearing it.

[@therikahime]

5 minutes in and i love this man, bring him back often. XD He really sounds like a teacher.

[@Noirpool0]

Yo, this was probably my favorite episode. I love it when the highly educated rip apart the music I enjoy with legitimate critique. I hope you hit with some weird stuff if you get him back on again.

[@Ben_Jammin94]

Ace Combat music is always so infectious. Whenever I hear ANY song from any of the games, I have to play it. And I'm happy Garth loved Anchorage. It's such an epic, grand piece that gets you pumped. This was very enjoyable to listen to two professionals give their honest opinions on these different songs. I hope you bring him on again because I'd love to hear his opinions on more (Ace Combat) songs.

[@Atoll-ok1zm]

The last final fantasy game I've played was 4. First played it with my dad as a kid and I'll never forget the opening scene of it with the March Of The Redwings. This powerful and proud almost imperial sounding march. With struggle and crisis but still just oozing power. It's kind of a shame actually, I've heard renditions of it but it always loses something when you remove the sort of 16bit or whatever it is sound.

[@ben-taobeneton3945]

Another unique interview. I love it when two professionals sit down and break down music - the good and the bad. It's amazing and very educational. Can't wait for more 🙂

[@Aoenias]

I want you to have him on more often to tear stuff apart. I really enjoy it.

[@cat6th363]

You need a round two. We both know you have unpredictable music. You went conservative this time, but now you know what to offer

[@MarcoMeatball]

yesssssssssssssss

[@tiffanysage3521]

Sumeru should do the trick!!

[@brianburke4989]

Love these guests. They're so freakin neat to listen to.

[@kraney195]

This is a cool perspective I hope you showed more of ace combat music and arknights, Mainly: The "Unsung War" and "Zero" from Ace Combat. "Requiem" or "Standschen" or maybe "夕照" from Arknights. Heck throws in some "Ludwig the holy Blade" from bloodborne in there too I like Garth's bluntness when judging music and it made me curious about other songs I like lol

[@Tohlemiach]

I'm fascinated by Garth's dismissiveness of the Xenoblade main theme, because I really like that piece, but I think this actually goes back to that community poll Marco put up about context and game music. As I think about that particular song, and when I think about Garth's comments about it being something unimaginative and repetitive, I realized that I actually like the song in *spite* of those things, which I think are technically true. I've heard a lot of music since I first played Xenoblade, and I like most of it far more than I like that song. There are a lot more unique, creative, and higher quality pieces I've found since that time that have eclipsed it in terms of my personal taste, and yet whenever I hear that song, I get extremely emotional. Here we get to context: I think the reason I still like that song is because I fucking LOVE Xenoblade Chronicles in its entirety. That song merely represents all of my positive feelings towards the entire game, and so I think a huge portion of my enjoyment of the song is purely contextual and has nothing to do with my appreciation of the music as such. For someone like Garth to come in and hear that piece, I am not surprised that with his experience and background he found it derivative and boring. For the record, I actually am not a huge fan of Yoko Shimomura in general because I do think a lot of her music sounds very safe and uninspired. However, because of that, if she writes a song for a game that I really love, because her style is so safe and consistent, it's very easy for me to fall in love with a piece of music that represents that game that I really love. She writes songs that are easy to love if the game is something you also love, in my personal opinion. I would say Yasunori Nishiki is also in this category. Octopath's music is very safe, very formulaic, and yet very satisfying if that's all you're looking for. Garth seems like he really is on the hunt for the cutting edge, and it's because his entire life is about music, so he really HAS heard it all before. I KNEW he would love the Fischl piece because that song is VERY creative and does things with instrumentation that you just don't see from other composers. Putting this altogether then, I think if you are a generally accepting person and not overly critical of the music you consume, then there's not any real "enjoyment gap" that context will help you overcome, because you can enjoy something fully without any context in the first place. For someone who IS more critical, though, having context can fill in that gap and bring your emotions more in line with the piece. I relate to Garth a lot because I'm similarly snobbish in a lot of my opinions about music, and I can recognize that a lot of the music I enjoy has very little to do with the music itself and more with the context surrounding the music and the memories it evokes. That's why I generally do not listen to music from games I haven't played, because oftentimes all I hear are the similarities and the motifs that I've heard a thousand times before and it doesn't sound very special. But once I've played the game, all bets are off. It becomes personal at that point, and it's just different. There are only a few occasions where I have heard a game's music first and then felt compelled to play the game afterwards, in fact I think it's only been Persona 5 and Tunic.

[@melephs_cap]

I feel like this discussion helps me better see the gap between classical and jazz analysis and progressive music analysis, because the genres have very different purposes. I like how the repetition in progressive house, trance, and a lot of VGM emphasizes the little changes and the sound design/arrangement of the track. Repetition, comfort, and control are things I greatly enjoy in that music as a listener and creator, not just because they serve a video game. It's calming, yet when I want to pay attention to the details, there's still quite a lot to think about. I can't imagine them becoming points of critique, but then, I'm sure some people feel the opposite.

[@scarletcloack4853]

Really liked his commentary on the music you showed him. I wonder if he would have liked Gilded Runner, its one of my favorites and while im not musically trained at all i always enjoyed the surprise when ppl try to figure out the rhythm(??) Plus its got a bit of a Jazzy vibe right??

[@OtherwiseUknownMonkey]

Oh man i love these so much how has every guest so far been so stellar i love these people and their opinions

[@TheMetalfreak360]

Garth has an amazing personality, it was a blast to listen to him and you Marco talk.

[@brandoro]

This was so amazing and his deep dive into the image the music creates from his perspective is fascinating and so different. Surely would love to see and hear more from him!

[@UberNoodle]

The last track reminds me of the softer moments of Swedish symphonic operatic metal band Therion. In general, they have recorded with a very strong emphasis on real orchestras and male and female choirs as well as solo operatic singers. This is supported then by the band. And what's amazing about theory on is that all of the music is composed by the band. This is not a situation where they hire a composer to write complementary music. Theory on IS orchestra choir, opera and metal combined. ANYWAY, strongly recommend the live recording (video or CD) of "Therion: The Miskolc Experience". There are two sets. The first set is Therion performing popular classical music, and the second set is them performing originals. You can find both on KZbin in good quality. If you like the fusion of contemporary hard rock and metal with classical and opera, then you should give this a listen. I think it's a great starting point, because choosing a particular album otherwise can be difficult.

[@Commandant_Vermon]

God I could listen to these two talk for hours about this, please do bring him back on sometime Marco. Both of your opinions and conversations were quite pleasant to listen.

[@ShizukiShirano]

Amazing! Garth is so fun and have wonderful insight in the music world. Also cool to see more of you're world and how these people affected you, Marco.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Woolong742]

I'd love to see Marco put some music from more obscure or lesser-known games in these videos, too. For instance: Lost Odyssey. Composed by Nobuo Uematsu, it's a criminally overlooked JRPG still stuck on the 360, and has some of Uematsu's best work. The final boss theme especially, Roar of the Departed Souls, is arguably as good as a classic like One-Winged Angel.

[@obijuan__]

This was remarkably refreshing! Always love your content Marco and the guest as well. He had pin very articulate and precise commentary on the matter

[@Kanethedragon]

Another great video here. It's definitely interesting to see Mr. Bardsley's opinion on these. His thoughts are very much quite introspective and whilst in some ways fairly atypical of a traditional musician, it's interesting to hear an opinion that his personal taste is more geared towards the experimental side of things. Hmm, if you ever have another opportunity for this with him, maybe it might be good to gauge his interest with something from like Ar Tonelico or even Pokemon. That being said Pokemon music is usually on the more synthetic side of things so he may not like that, but as far as dynamic theming goes, he still might take to something like the Team Plasma Grunt (BW2) or Giratina's battle themes. As for Ar Tonelico, I'd say it'd be great to pivot out of what was in the games themselves but released separately while still being official music. Stuff like Ressikougi Raikoku no Tenshi, Shelanoir's Forest, Infelious Rhaplanca, or Afezeria Harvestastya might fit to his taste like a button.

[@PharaohofCulture]

Was just introduced to this channel and im happy to see video games music getting so much love and recognition. If i may, id like to propose Fate series music to be checked out. (This is a series that has ground in both anime and video game media, and its music has wide range and i think can be well appreciated in this channel.)

[@jamarswope2341]

This is great! I think this means we need to gather more challenging tracks for him next time, and see if we can shake things up a bit more. Fewer openings and standard battle themes, more special themes where the composers can really make the music complex!

[@dustyfairywingstoo]

Normally I wait until after I finished a video to comment, but I just gotta say you KNOW you're in for a treat when the music teacher's name is BARDsley. Perfect!