Would you believe it's really that time again? That time for the greatest competition in the entire known universe, where 26 songs butt heads with each other in order to see which one was the greatest of the year? That time where people toss and turn at night as they attempt to make a decision as to which song they should vote for, knowing it all hangs in the balance? That time that occurs at the beginning of every year for four years now? Though it may be a bit dramatic, this awards show has always been about the drama! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you . . . the Music Monday 2020 Awards!
Though we've been doing this since 2018, when we went over the songs of '17, I understand that we may have some fresh faces participating this time around, so let me explain. Every other week for a year, I take the opportunity to share songs that I love on my blog, in the hopes of expanding people's tastes and horizons. I then host the Awards, so that we can see much song shared the previous was the best one, according to the general consensus. That is done by voting through the process of elimination over the course of several weeks, in which there are three rounds. Each round lasts for two weeks, but once those two weeks are up, any further votes for that round will not count--unless I find some reason to make an exception, which does happen on occasion.
The first round focuses on bringing forth a best song for each month, and because it deals with the abovementioned 26 songs, I broke it up into three separate parts to make it easier for everyone. Simply choose a favorite for every month and leave your votes in a comment. Very simple and easy, yes? You might be tempted to think so, but this show has been notorious for giving people difficult choices to make . . .
I think that about covers everything, so enough blabbering on my part! Let's get to the nitty-gritty already!
January
"Toy Day" from Animal Crossing: New Leaf
versus "Echoes" from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
February
"Cherish" by EXO-CBX
versus "Atragon" by Audiomachine
March
"You Say Run" from My Hero Academia
versus "8PM" from Animal Crossing: City Folk
April
"Attack on Titan" from Attack on Titan
versus "Hope (Xavier's Theme)" from X-Men: Days of Future Past
It's officially begun, the fourth annual Music Monday Awards! Sunday, January 17th, will be the final day for voting in this particular round. I leave it up to you . . . and me too, I suppose, since I'm voting as well. Thank you in advance for your participation, and may the best song win!
Enjoy these first eight songs!
You know, initially I didn't think this matchup would be hard, but then I saw April's picks and panicked. Attack on Titan versus Hope???? How can I be expected to make this decision?? XD
ReplyDelete*sigh* Well, here we go anyways.
January: Echoes
February: Atragon
March: You Say Run
April: Attack on Titan
That's what they all say at first, but then that one decision shows up and suddenly they're in a tizzy trying to figure out what to pick. XD But yeah, that's not an easy one, for sure.
DeleteIn the end . . . you picked well! Though you honestly could've chosen any of them and I still would've said that. XD Thanks for voting!
Ah, 'tis the season of existential crises. Gotta love it! (Okay, but I really DO...even if it makes me question everything. *collapses*)
ReplyDelete*cracks knuckles* Let's do this thing!
January: Echoes (Oh boy, already having a crisis here with the very first ones! Animal Crossing music has been a favorite of mine for years and years. It's always just so relaxing and perfect. But I LOVE Echoes and the emotional depth it has. It's great writing music. So I finally had to go with it. But it was CLOSE.)
February: Atragon (As fun as Cherish is, Audiomachine will forever be some of my favorite music on this earth. And I LOVE the Magnus album!)
March: 8PM (Now I feel better about January's pick. Gotta get an Animal Crossing vote SOMEHWERE in there. ;D Although You Say Run is EPIC, and I'd probably appreciate it more if I ever watched My Hero Academia. I really need to do that...)
April: Hope (This is SUCH a gorgeous, emotionally tugging piece. It's one of my favorite finds you shared all year! It definitely gets my April vote!)
Whew! First round done. *wipes sweat off brow* January was definitely the hardest to pick between, but these all gave me pause!
That actually sums up the Awards pretty well. Might have to use that as an official tagline or something. XD (Oh, trust me, I feel that--especially in the later rounds.)
DeleteI can see why that would be a very tough choice for you, knowing how much you love Animal Crossing music. But you're right, Echoes does hit that emotion perfectly.
I mean, Audiomachine is pretty darn epic, and I also love Magnus! Probably my favorite album of theirs.
Fair enough, I understand wanting to see an Animal Crossing tune climb the ranks. And yes, you must start getting into some great anime!
Oh, wow! I didn't realize you enjoyed it so much! I'm happy I was available to share a song that you ended up really loving.
Yep, one down, four more to go. I can see why it'd be that way for you. I'm curious as to how easy or hard you'll find the next eight months of music.
All right, I'm finally getting around to voting! Let's do this thing!
ReplyDeleteJanuary: This is not an easy choice for me, because I adore New Leaf and its soundtrack. Probably one of my all time favorite games and game OSTs. But that Fire Emblem track, man. That just hits me right in the feels. Like, it's giving me this churning, emotional sensation inside. So simple, yet so sad--and I love what it does within the span of a minute. Which is why "Echoes" gets my vote.
February: ARGH! WHY DID I MAKE THIS SO DARN HARD FOR MYSELF??? I absolutely love "Cherish," but I also love "Atragon." This is way too difficult, but I think I'll vote for . . . "Atragon," because it also has this emotional tone that resounds with me. Definitely good story material. But I only love it a very small, small smidgen more than "Cherish!" *collapses*
March: I hate to do Animal Crossing dirty, but this was a pretty easy decision for me. "You Say Run" is just about as perfect a superhero song as you can get. It has this whole "let's do our best to stand against evil and help others" vibe to it. Plus, it's insanely motivational. I've thought about how, if I worked out, this would be on my exercise playlist because it gets you revved up. I couldn't not vote for it!
April: If March's choice was obvious to me, this one is practically a slap in the face. Don't get me wrong, "Hope" is quite the stirring song. But my heart is with "Attack on Titan." Not only is it my favorite anime and all time favorite story, but the soundtrack is probably #1 to me. Hiroyuki Sawano created something remarkable, something special. The music is so effective in whatever emotion it's trying to convey, be it anything from fear to dread to sorrow. I think this particular track is a great introduction to the show's OST, as well as the show itself, and is a solid representation of the story and characters within. Love it!
Well, that's finally over . . . until round 1.2 next week. Yikes.
Here are my votes! I'm sure you've all been waiting to see which songs I like the best!
ReplyDeleteJanuary: "Toy Day" from Animal Crossing: New Leaf
February: "Cherish" by EXO-CBX
March: "8PM" from Animal Crossing: City Folk
April: "Attack on Titan" from Attack on Titan
Oh yes, I've been eagerly waiting to see what your votes are! There are definitely some unexpected choices from you, but I love it. You have great taste, sir. Thanks for voting!
DeleteJanuary: "Toy Day"
ReplyDeleteFebruary: "Cherish"
March: "You Say Run"
April: "Hope (Xavier's Theme)"
-Mom
Thank you for participating, Mom!
DeleteJan: Echoes (So pretty!)
ReplyDeleteFeb: Cherish (Sorry, Audiomachine--you're epic, but I can't let down CBX.)
Mar: You Say Run (MY HERO ACADEMIAAAAA!)
Apr: Attack on Titan (Although Hope is SO close to snagging my vote!)
Echoes is indeed a very beautiful song! Also very simple, but that makes it no less effective.
DeleteI mean, fair enough. That one was quite close for me.
I love AC music, but yeah, it can't beat MHA, especially when it was such a powerhouse of a track.
I get that, and I might be tempted to say the same thing . . . but I'd be kidding myself. AoT was the only option for me.
Thanks for voting!
January: Echoes (I was gonna pick Toy Day, but the vocals got me here. 👌)
ReplyDeleteFebruary: Cherish (EXO-CBX will always have my vote. 😂)
March: You Say Run
April: Attack on Titan (emotions, man. This was too packed full of emotions to NOT pick it. 😭)
This was fun! Thanks for hosting it, bro! 👏
Yep, totally see where you're coming from. The vocals are hauntingly gorgeous. I need more stuff like that.
DeleteCan't say I didn't see that one coming. ;P
Oh yeah, that AoT song was quite the range of emotions and memories. It was the obvious choice.
Glad you enjoyed it! You're welcome, and thank you for participating!
Ahh, it’s this beautiful time again! I’m excited to see how these Music Monday Awards will go!
ReplyDeleteJan: Echoes (This one is gorgeous?!)
Feb: Cherish (Well, that was easy. Duh, of course, CBX. XD)
March: You Say Run (AHH, my feels. This song is just so good and gets me pumped up.)
April: Attack On Titan (DANGIT. The feels. This is one of my favorite AoT tracks ever.)
Haha, it is indeed! I'm anticipating that, too. Should be interesting as always!
DeleteI think you pretty much summed up Echoes: short, but very sweet.
Something inside me knew you and Chloe would pick CBX . . . wonder why. XD
Yes, yes, all the YES. That track has a lot of motivation and emotions behind it, for sure.
Ooh, really? I didn't know you considered it one of your favorites, but I can totally see why! It's nothing short of amazing.
Thank you for voting!