Round 1 results! This was a good round overall, and if the standard stays this high, then I'm reasonably happy.
Elite: Schizoid Lloyd - Suicide PenguinOk, this song is really weird. You put "Mr. Bungle" as a genre in your PM, and I think I am forced to agree with you. Spastic changes, weird vocals and an awesome saxophone interlude definitely put this into the "whacky avant-garde" category. Luckily, this a category that I have begun to appreciate a lot over the past two years, so it was definitely a good choice. It's also somewhat of a grower, specifically the vocals, which take some time getting used to, but I find that it only improves on repeated listens, which bodes well for my future appreciation of this song and band.
8.5 points.
mikemangioy: Steven Wilson - The Birthday PartySteven Wilson is somebody that I've never been quite as fond of as most people seem to be. Sure, moments of genius pop up on pretty much every one of his albums - "Dark Matter" on Signify or "Drive Home" on Raven, to just name two - but as a whole, his music is something that I'm fairly indifferent towards. Sadly, this is the case here again. There's plenty of cool stuff, don't take me wrong - I really dig the bass and drum work is excellent - but the song just doesn't really come together for me, and while I can appreciate it while hearing it, I also wouldn't sweat it if I never heard it again.
3.5 points.
Shadow Ninja 2.0: Justin Cross - Drink the WaterWhat are you doing to me? I don't normally dig this style at all, but this was surprisingly amazing. The twangy guitar, the backing strings, that percussive interlude...
Plus, his voice is amazing. Seriously. One criticism here is that it doesn't have a lot of replay value, but that doesn't diminish the song's initial value in the slightest.
8 points.
senecadawg2: Kauan - Aidan LauluHow can a mixture of post-rock, funeral doom, black metal and neo-folk not be amazing? Spoiler: it can't. Everything about this song is great. Both the cleans and the harsh vocals are awesome, and while I don't understand a word that's being sung, Finnish just
sounds beautiful. And that violin is to die for. Gah, I'm rambling, ain't I? Yeah, this is awesome. Anybody who thinks that black metal can't be beautiful should listen to this song and shut the fuck up afterwards.
10 points.
Tyrias: Wanda - BolognaYeah... this isn't really my cup of tea at all. Musically, there's not much to it - it's not even all that catchy - and the lyrics aren't really all that interesting either. I'm not averse to German stuff, or to pop music, or to short songs, but just like long prog songs in English, they can be crappy as well. And that's kinda what happened here. Don't despair though, I know that you have a good taste in music and there's still seven rounds during which you can regain lost ground again.
2 points.
kingshmegland: Beardfish - Destined SolitaireI'm not a big fan of progressive rock most of the times - I find that a harder metal edge is often needed to balance out prog's meandering nature, lest it become boring. This band, however, avoided that pitfall quite deftly, due to a great singer, original song writing and a lot of diversity to keep the song interesting, while still managing to make the whole things cohesive. Also the growling section is pretty dang awesome, not gonna lie, though it kinda scared me on my first listen.
Another highlight is probably the calm section with some cool guitar melodies going on close to the end. My only criticism of this song is that it takes a little to get going in the beginning - the intro section could easily be shortened by a minute or so. Still, this is a great song.
8 points.
Sacul: David Maxim Micic - Where Is Now?"Okay, I like Destiny Potato, so this should be good, right?" That's basically how I approached this. And I was right. Sort of. There are many of the elements here that make Destiny Potato so awesome, but I feel that it doesn't really gel as a song. I'm not sure how to best explain it, it's weird. I feel like I should like it a lot more than I do, but the way that the sections follow each other doesn't really work for me. Like I said, plenty of cool stuff - that violin part! - but it doesn't really feel like a song, more like a collection of ideas. Maybe this will grow with future listens, I'm definitely not giving up on this. At the moment, however, I can't give this more than
5 points.
Standings:
senecadawg2: 10 points
Elite: 8.5 points
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 8 points
kingshmegland: 8 points
Sacul: 5 points
mikemangioy: 4 points
Tyrias: 2 points
This means that Tyrias' number chooses the next round's theme. His number is 14, that means it's acoustic time everyone! Please keep up the awesome pace and send within 48 hours. I'm looking forward to your submissions. Here's the updated list of possible themes:
1. Unusual Instrument (any instrument that is not guitar, drums, bass and keyboards counts)
2. Instrumental
3. No Drums
4. No Guitars
5. Under 3 Minutes
6. Over 10 Minutes
7. On the Radio (any song that has received radio airplay - internet radio does not count!)
8. Awesome Solo (doesn't have to be guitar!)
9. Dark and Dreary
10. Upbeat and Lively
11. Female Vocals
12. Ballad
13. Insane Stuff
14. Live Song
15. Folky Stuff
16. 90s
17. 80s
18. 70s
19. Pre-70s