Round 2 Results!
LieLow: Sarah Fimm - Virus
I've actually listened to Nexus once I think. I enjoyed it, but nothing really stuck with me. Virus is kind of the same way. On paper the dark electronics and brooding female vocals should be a grand slam for me, but it just doesn't quite resonate with me the way I'd expect it to. That said, it definitely hit the topic, and the song was still really good.
Relevance: 4/4
Music: 3/4
Being late as fuck: -1
Total: 6/8
Rich: Amorphis - Perkele (The God of Fire)
I've listened to Amorphis before, but much like Sarah Fimm, nothing really stuck with me. Unlike Sarah Fimm however, this song blew me away. Great riffs, solid chorus, and absolutely crushing growls. I mean, god damn. The singer's clean voice was quite impressive as well. I've already spun the rest of Eclipse once or twice, and really enjoyed it overall. The music was heavy as fuck though not exceedingly dark per se, however the lyrics were definitely topical. Great pick all around.
Relevance: 3/4
Music: 4/4
Total: 7/8
Lonestar: Marillion - Hotel Hobbies
I've actually heard Marillion before - back in the day Jen and I did a simulisten of Misplaced Childhood (which I loved at the time). However, I never really fully absorbed MC afterwards and never checked out Marillion past that, so it was cool to come back to them, especially considering how much my tastes have changed in the interim. Musically it was really good, and the musicianship itself was fantastic. Rothery's guitar work once again really rung with me, and I loved Trewavas's bassline. However, I'm not a huge fan of Fish's voice if I'm being honest, and the synth production, as with a lot of music of this style, bugs me. That said, it was still a fantastic song. The lyrics, however, completely blew me away. It's a shame their delivery didn't resonate with me as much but still, god damn.
Relevance: 4/4
Music: 3/4
Total: 7/8
Nekov: Florence + The Machine - Kiss With a Fist
I've never really checked out Florence before, but this was great. Awesomely fun song, though it feels like it's over too soon. Awesomely relevant lyrics too, and not at all the kind of song I was expecting for this round
Relevance: 4/4
Music: 3/4
Total: 7/8
ClairvoyantCat: Beau Navitre - “It’s Not An Art, It’s A Myth”
Hmm. Good song, though nothing really stuck out at me. I really liked the lyrics though - screamo bands do seem to have good lyrics a lot of the time.
Relevance: 3/4
Music: 3/4
Total: 6/8
Orcus: Your Sister’s Canary - Good and Alone
Much like the previous song, I enjoyed it, but nothing really stuck out at me. I really liked the whistling bit in the beginning, and the guitar line in the chorus was cool.
Relevance: 3/4
Music: 3/4
Total: 6/8
jingle.boy: Frameshift - This is Gonna Hurt
Weird song. It has a prog/power metal feel (mainly due to the vocals I think), but with a ton of electronics and a middle eastern flair. Musically it was really awesome - heavy, electronic, and the background piano added a ton to it. My main issue with it was actually the vocals. The singer was very talented, but I'm not a huge fan of the 'operatic' metal singer archetype overall.
Relevance: 4/4
Music: 3/4
Total: 7/8
Ravenheart: VNV Nation - Joy
I've listened to VNV Nation before, but never really looked into them a ton. This song was really good, though I’m not really sure what to say about it beyond that. Topical lyrics, great chorus, really good EBM-y vibe through the rest. Though it wasn’t mindblowing, me gusta.
Relevance: 3/4
Music: 3/4
Total:6/8
Current Rankings:Nekov: 15
ClairvoyantCat: 13
Lonestar: 13
orcus: 12
Rich: 12
jingle.boy: 12
Ravenheart: 11
LieLow: 10