RESULTS – ROUND 3: HappyWow so this was a really hard round to rank, there was lots of good music, but there’s such an interesting range of styles and moods. I think some people got what I meant by “happy” a lot more than others. Still, the songs were all strong enough that I didn’t give a 1.
6 points: LLTWM
Moon Safari – Yasgur’s FarmYou really tapped right into my love of Flower Kings here – this is such nice, harmless but still engaging, whimsical prog! It’s funny, I know this is a style that was pioneered in the 70s, and maybe it’s just my preference for more modern production, but I think modern bands do old-prog better than the original bands. TFK are a perfect example and one of my favourite bands, and with this song Moon Safari remind me very much of a similar style. Really lovely music, thanks for introducing me to it!
5 points: Raven
VNV Nation – Resolution This song makes me so happy, I can’t even explain it. The beat and the cheesy synths are
really infectious and the music is so toe-tapping, and then when it gets to the uplifting chorus it really does evoke such a good feeling. This was a strong contender for the top spot, but the one thing that held it back slightly for me is the guy’s voice – it’s just really not at all interesting. Other than that, fantastic submission!
5 points: Sigz
Battles – AtlasWhat the hell did I just listen to? I’ve heard it a few times now and it’s still completely bizarre, but really cool at the same time. Similar to Zander’s entry, it’s got a rhythm that’s really infectious and even though I find the music really weird, I find myself bobbing along and enjoying it tremendously. I’ve heard of Battles but never really bothered to check them out properly, but I feel I owe this album a listen now, just to see what on earth is going on.
4 points: Gorille
Foxy Shazam – Wanna-be AngelFirst things first, I really really enjoy this song. It’s fantastic pop-rock – catchy, fun and very easy to sing along with! The music itself is very upbeat as well, the only downside for this round is that the lyrics are actually a little depressing. Not that they completely clash with the music or anything, I just think it fits the round a little less well than the songs that came above it. Definitely going to check the band out further though!
3 points: Ytse
Magic Elf – ScrambledeggsI can’t say this is the sort of thing I’d listen to regularly, but I’m really enjoying it for what it is, although “what it is” is also something I’m trying to figure out.
Some kind of fusion between country and blues rock maybe? Either way, it’s terrific fun and the guitarist (and lutist…) plays really nicely!
3 points: Jingle
Iggy Pop – Lust for LifeSongs with an infectious beat seem to be a very common theme this round.
I enjoy this song a lot, definitely a fun, upbeat feel-good song and very fitting for this round. Only issue for me is Iggy Pop’s voice – I’ve never particularly been a fan of it, and this song hasn’t changed my mind at all. Shame really, I think with a stronger vocal this song would have scored a lot higher!
2 points: DTVT
D.C. Cooper – Angel ComesI’d never heard any D.C. Cooper before and what I’ve heard of Royal Hunt I haven’t been a huge fan of, so I wasn’t sure I’d like his solo stuff, but I actually rather like this song. Sure it’s fairly cheesy, but the melodies are really really good. Biggest problem for this round is the fact that I don’t really get much of a happy vibe from it at all. It’s a pretty upbeat song in terms of energy, no doubt, but not exactly happy, motivational or uplifting. Funny thing is, if you’d just submitted the cowboy love song, which is really funny, I might have been inclined to bump you up to 3 points.
2 points: King
Ligaments of Cooper – Underwater Birthday PartyMeanwhile this song definitely fits the round, and is very entertaining. The music is lots of fun and the ska vibe in the verses in particular had me bobbing along to it. Main thing that drags it down for me is the singer’s voice which is a little unusual and just doesn’t seem to really fit the music for me (I hope that’s not your brother!). Also, I really dig the second saxophone solo, but the first one sounds a bit out of tune.
Can’t see this getting many listens from me, but I still enjoyed it.
The ScoresGorille: 5 + 6 + 4 = 15
Raven: 6 + 3 + 5 = 14
LLTWM: 3 + 4 + 6 = 13
Sigz: 2 + 5 + 5 = 12
King: 3 + 4 + 2 = 9
DTVT: 4 + 2 + 2 = 8
Ytse: 4 + 1 + 3 = 8
Jingle: 2 + 3 + 3 = 8
ROUND 4: So Bad it’s Good – As we’re at the mid-point of this generally tricky roulette, I figured it was the perfect time to inject a bit of fun. This time we’re taking a 180 degree turn away from the whole song roulette concept, and indeed any kind of common sense. I’m a pretty optimistic listener in general, and it’s rare that I find music that bad, usually I just don’t’ find it very interesting and never listen to it again. However, on occasion I will come across something that is so fundamentally terrible its very existence offends me, and yet because of this the experience of listening to it is enjoyable because it is so damn funny. The perfect example of this is True Symphonic Rockestra, which my brother and I play for giggles on occasion but is otherwise basically unlistenable.
Send me something that you think I will find so terrible I’ll find it hilarious. It can be anything within my usual rules but has to be by a professional band/artist (i.e. no random covers by kids in their bedroom or anything).
And to spice this round up I’m also going to introduce a wager on the point scoring. The songs will be ranked and will each get an individual score of 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1, -2 or -3. When you submit the song, I want you to also tell me whether you are wagering the points as they are, double points, or half points. THIS IS THE CHANCE TO TURN THE TABLES! THE UPPER HAND COULD BE ON THE OTHER FOOT! ETC!
GO!
Topic: ariich's roulette of wonder, part II (Final results, PLUS AWARDS CEREMONY) (Read 25240 times)