Round #2 - Poll #2

Vote for up to nine videos!

Five of these will be eliminated, the rest will move on to round 3!

Entries:

1. POW
   
2. Phantasmagoric Heart
   
3. Volatile
   
4. Evolution
   
5. Of Cabbages And Kings
   
6. Centrifugal Force
   
7. Abandon 2
   
8. Metamorphic
   
9. Sahasrara
   
10. Do What You Love
    
11. Jam
    
12. Vision
    
13. Happily Ever After
    

Rules:
- Watch all tracks before voting (if you've seen them before, a re-watch is recommended but not required)
- Please don't vote for yourself
Exception: You can vote for 'yourself' for large collabs (e.g. community scenery projects, clan projects, or LCC projects)
- No begging/bribing/duping or otherwise cheating
- We will not change your vote after you cast it - make sure it's accurate

Embedded videos:

Spoiler:

Both BHCS tracks, both Leomur tracks, and both Opal tracks in the same poll? Who was the idiot who scened this?

What I said about these tracks last round:

Spoiler:

Thoughts after watching them this time:
POW - uninteresting & unfinished. X
Phantasmagoric Heart - beautiful concept, bad execution. X
Volatile - Flow doesn't click with me. X
Evolution - Cool environment, top-notch drawings. But is there any purpose behind them? And why does the track take such a backseat? X
Of Cabbages and Kings - flow doesn't click for me. Maybe another reason I'm not a fan of these Leomur tracks is they just start and go until they stop, without much care for what comes first or last or in the middle. X
Centrifugal Force - solid showcase of a variety of styles in line rider. Good execution and presentation. √
Abandon 2 - I dig that flow and that green line aesthetic SO HARD man. Love it. Wish the ending was less awkward. √
Metamorphic - Hard one. really a tossup but I went with no because I don't think one amazing aspect (the rocks shading) should outweigh all the problematic aspects (covering the track up at the start, how boring the start is, major detail inconsistencies, difficulties with seeing bosh, and the random ending)
Sahasrara - Flow doesn't click with me. Just goes until it stops. X
Do What You Love - hate the zoom but dig the flow. Not as good as abandon 2 but I still love it. √
Jam - It's gosh dang impressive how long this thing is but it just doesn't read as a cohesive whole to me. X
Vision - Also a toss up. I like it, but I don't think there's any underlying structure. Groundbreaking experimentation and has had a lot of influence but no vote from me this round. X
Happily Ever After - Minimalist style that works beautifully for scenery in Line Rider. Love the intention behind it as well as the execution. √

OBOYO TIME FOR REVIEW YO

POW
I have a hard time watching this. It feels like the music and the track are playing in two different tabs. The manuquirk is all right, but it clearly isn't planned, and the music doesn't reflect the aesthetic of the track in the slightest. It's just weird, jangly, and unfinished.

PHANTASMAGORIC HEART
Honestly, super emotional. I often wonder what Kramwood could have done if he'd have worked more with these ideas. It didn't always line up perfectly, but I'm willing to look past some flaws in execution for this round if the idea is conveyed well enough.

VOLATILE
Feels very full-circle. Lots of neat moments, but I end up feeling a bit "eh" about it at the end. Like, it was a bunch of really cool stuff, and it all looked really neat, but there's a distinct lack of structure that makes just a little harder for me to enjoy this track. It's good, but it's struggling in ToL.

EVOLUTION
It's so painfully short. I wish there was more. Realistic scenery aside, there are lots of parts here that are also really messy if you take a closer look. Lots of parts that are good, but it definitely gets better as it progresses. Doesn't get my vote this round, sadly.

OF CABBAGES AND KINGS
The other Leomur track in this poll is another animal altogether. It's so controlled, but Leo is so good at making it seem effortless. He plays around with all these different ways of flipping, and each recycle shows you of how much more aware Leo is here of structure. Good stuff.

CENTRIFUGAL FORCE
Actually holds up reasonably well. Even though things like the kramanual were gimmicks made at the time to establish the idea of "look at this cool new thing," it also stands up reasonably well on its own and is a pretty good omni. Gets my vote for this round.

ABANDON 2
Does a good job of playing with stops, and has lots of neat multiline moments, but honestly, in my opinion, it doesn't do ENOUGH of either of those. I would have liked it a lot more if this track had fully explored those kind of stops or messed around more with multiline.

METAMORPHIC
Beautiful scenery, but suffers from a similar lack of cohesion as Evolution. In the beginning, the scenery doesn't interact with the track at all, and then after that it becomes this mashup of cliffs and weird topographical maps. Lots of cool stuff, but it just isn't arranged well.

SAHASRARA
I really, really dig this track. It feels, to me, like the essence of a saxophone solo. It just looks and plays so raw and powerful. I feel this one in my bones, is what I'm saying. It's a visceral and totally subjective bone-shaking, but it's mine and I love it.

DO WHAT YOU LOVE
Very few tracks capture the groove I get from this one. It's a lot of cool stuff, yes, but it's also very spatially aware and has a particular commitment to aesthetic that I happen to like. Abandon 2 didn't have that same awareness of space. Relaxing, and a good watch.

JAM
Yes, I know, it's a big blue track and a lot of work went into it and it's got syncs all the time. But man, let me tell you. This track is exhausting to watch. I'm not usually one to let length dictate my watching experience ("hur hur u made a 45 minute line rider video you dingus") but "exhausting" as the main feeling I get from the track is kind of unfortunate. Sorry.

VISION
This track is so well-structured, and does a lot of little and big tricks to make you aware of it. Technical innovations aside, I personally think it's aged rather well, and shows how well Hedge handles enormous-- nay, ludicrous-- speeds. A classic.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER
Tells a story. Tells it well. While this is not the only track of its kind, it's one of the first to do it so effortlessly. A masterwork in narrative by CC.

Wow, I'm a bit surprised to see JAM getting such a bad rep. I really like the track and the ending just does it for me. Gives me chills every time. That said, I'll need to watch all the other tracks first before voting, but I'd be sad to see JAM out of the running.
Out of all the tracks, JAM and Vision bring back the most memories for me, but we'll see.

JAM is outdated in its syncing ability, all there is to it. I still voted for it, however.
I think Phantasmagoric heart was by far my favorite out of this list, with Happily Ever After and Do What You Love following at a close second.
The reason I say that is because of how well the style of the movement of PH syncs up with not just the music, but with the lyrics and the emotion of the music. As the technique gets more complex, it compliments the more complex, albeit perhaps more melancholy (an emotion we typically associate with a LACK of movement), emotions expressed. As the lyrics become more triumphant, there are well controlled mini transitions between thoughts and concepts while the actual realization of a single emotion is highlighted by a distinct trick.
The way I've come to interpret quirk plays on the subconscious mind of the masters, like KW. Imagine that each fling or trick is actually a particular style of movement. Now go back and watch PH again. I had my mind blown. Such a gentle, gradual introduction to a fantastic concept, perfectly executed. I give this track a 10/10.
The other two track show a similar amount of control, but to concpets already played with. DWyL just happens to be a standout, one of a kind. The best omni since Handlebars. I feel like there's less intent than DWyL in than there is in PH, and even less from HEF than there was from DWyL.
But what HEF has that neither track (except for a very concrete monument from KW, which was a very smart idea to use in that track to distinguish it from the rest of his works.) is scenery. Moving scenery, that is. And that's as applicable as butter. Clear as day. I can see what he means with the scenery, everybody can. It's scenery. That's the point. It shouldn't have to be as hard as becoming a quirk master to be able to adequately interpret the emotions and meanings of a trackmaker, as is required to get the full effect from PH. So, PH is less accessible.
Just my opinions. gao, I love you. So much.
KW I miss you. So much.
CC you are such a sly dawg

All of that was just discussion on previous matter from my perspective. I didn't tell anybody they're wrong for not thinking the same, and I'm not asking anybody to even consider my perspective. I gave them the tools they need to DO SO should they feel the desire.

That being said, my full votes were the bottom six and the 1st, 3rd, and 5th options (can't remember all nine names at once lolol)

Huge thanks for typing up your opinions dap! Could you clarify a couple things though?

Dapianokid wrote:DWyL just happens to be a standout, one of a kind. The best omni since Handlebars.

Do What you love is the best omni since handlebars? O.o I wouldn't describe it as an omni at all personally?

Dapianokid wrote:gao, I love you. So much.

Do you mean Rafael or Opal? gao didn't make any tracks in this poll...

Dapianokid wrote:my full votes were the bottom six and the 1st, 3rd, and 5th options (can't remember all nine names at once lolol)

Protip: open one tab with the poll options and one with the post. refer to the poll options as you write the post.

rabid squirrel wrote:

Dapianokid wrote:gao, I love you. So much.

Do you mean Rafael or Opal? gao didn't make any tracks in this poll...

I think he thinks Do what you Love is This is Love.

Oh, lol

This is why you gotta watch the tracks before voting rofl

Ahh goddamnit, I was completely mistaken. Ah well, I put myself out there in that and you guys really responded well
DWyL still deserves a vote. :3

rabid squirrel wrote:
Vision - Also a toss up. I like it, but I don't think there's any underlying structure. Groundbreaking experimentation and has had a lot of influence but no vote from me this round. X

OTDE wrote:
VISION
This track is so well-structured, and does a lot of little and big tricks to make you aware of it. Technical innovations aside, I personally think it's aged rather well, and shows how well Hedge handles enormous-- nay, ludicrous-- speeds. A classic.

I thought the exact opposite opinions on structure was kind of funny. Shows how different people can view that aspect of a track  

Personally, I still remember the exact feeling I had after watching Vision for the first time. So ahead of its time. I can't believe it's 6 years old. I'm in shock honestly. haha it easily rivals (and far exceeds imo) most of the other quirks in this poll for me, plus was much more influential. I had a look at the YT comment section and it was awesome to see the inspiration that came out of it.

Volatile, Of Cabbages, Vision, and Happily Ever After.

^ we actually chatted about our opinions and how they were polar opposites in places on skype after we posted them. Critique is never going to be perfect and sometimes something one person says is going to seem downright stupid to another person. (e.g. I think claiming vision is well structured is just dumb) But I think it's good to put our thoughts out there and thoughtfully compare them to other people's thoughts whenever possible so we can learn and grow.

(I should clarify that I'm not attacking you - just expressing some rambly thoughts on your observation)

I think we're all going to grow as people throughout this process.

POW, Phantasmagoric Heart, Sahasrara, and Do What You Love are eliminated. Abandon 2 and Metamorphic enter into a tiebreaker poll.