Round 9 Results:Tomislav95: Emancipator – First SnowFirst Impressions: Hmm. This kind of electronic percussion and the samples kind of take me out of this a little almost immediately. There’s a nice atmosphere to this with the synths and guitars throughout, and the upbeat section in the middle makes for a nice change of pace. I don’t have a ton to say about this other than “it’s pretty okay” and “samples are really a distraction” though.
Final Thoughts: I would definitely say this is far from a bad song. I think what gets to me the most is the samples. I just. Really do not like samples. It’s rare that they add to a song, and I don’t think they do here.
As far as this goes musically, it’s got a lot more going for it than some of the other more downbeat electronic stuff I’ve been sent. The song has a lot of distinct parts to it and it doesn’t get repetitive or stale in the least. The middle section has a more upbeat light rock feel to it than the more electronic first half, and I’d say that part of the song is my favorite, though it could also be due to having less samples.
Can’t say I’m a fan of the ending, with the stop/start sample and guitar, though. Feels a bit awkward, for whatever reason.
Far from disliking this, though, it’s an enjoyable enough listen and it doesn’t bore me, but the samples bring it down a bit and while it’s pleasant there’s nothing about it that really stands out.
Score: 7 (+.5 Bonus) = 7.5/10senecadawg2: Mazzy Star – Fade Into YouFirst Impressions: There’s some nice guitar and piano work going on throughout and the singer’s pretty decent too. It’s a pretty simple song at its core but it’s plenty pleasant to listen to. Maybe a bit lacking in dynamics, it does sort of hit one note the whole way through, but it’s bright and layered enough that it doesn’t feel empty.
Final Thoughts: More than anything, this probably suffers from being a “decent” song in a round of good or great songs, but I try to review each song ignoring my thought on every other song in a round, and on its own, there’s really not much to nitpick about. Yes, it’s got basically no sense of dynamics, but I wouldn’t say every song needs to, if it does enough to keep itself interesting anyways.
The vocals here aren’t amazing but they’re pretty good. And they definitely fit the music. The acoustic guitar strumming and the simple drums form the backbone of the song and they do well to stay in the background, but at the same time they’re not doing anything really worth paying attention to. The piano throughout and the slide guitar (?) are the more musically interesting parts here. The guitar has a few short solos and adds a bit throughout, and the piano tends to stay behind the other instruments but adds some flourishes of its own.
The song kind of just… ends unceremoniously, though. Fade out in the middle of a chorus and done. It doesn’t feel too short, and it doesn’t feel too long.
It’s just hard to have much to say about this, though.
Score: 7 (+.5 Bonus) = 7.5/10Sacul: Helios – Bless This Morning YearFirst Impressions: I always seem to get this interpretation that ambient is a specific thing but a lot of other things fall under the classification that are far outside of what feels like should be “ambient” to me; like, this seems like a light post-rock song with electronic elements more than anything to me. And for what it is, it’s fine, decent atmosphere and all, but it feels like something I’d put on the background and struggle to constantly keep focus on. I know I struggled even on first listen.
Final Thoughts: The other laid-back electronic-with-some-guitars song I got this round. This one has the benefit of not using samples, though. (Seriously, I will not stress this enough, I do not like samples, especially not in this kind of music.) This song has a ton more atmosphere than the other one, too, but at the same time it’s a lot less diverse. It’s easier for me to get lost in this track, though, but not as much as I’d like to.
I think my biggest issue with this one is that it isn’t exactly original or interesting… it’s perfectly serviceable for what it is, sure, but I’ve heard songs like it before and it doesn’t do anything to really stand out in the crowd. I certainly don’t dislike listening to it, but at the same time I don’t really ever remember it when I’m done listening to it or want to return to it.
Maybe that’s a problem with me more than it is a problem with this song itself, though. I can’t really fault a song for doing what it wants to do well.
Score: 7 (+.5 Bonus) = 7.5/10LordCost: Cave In – Innuendo and Out the OtherFirst Impressions: The drum work on this is pretty good throughout, is the first thing that catches my attention. I think I like how this sounds like it’s on the brink of exploding into something bigger, but it never quite gets there; it stays in the right range to remain pretty laid-back and middling in volume but dynamic within that range and it goes through a lot of different moods to keep from getting stale. It’s got both bright moments and dark moments, softer moments and louder moments, and damn that drumwork is just great. Amusingly I think this would’ve worked well as an entry for round 7 too, haha. The ending is not exactly my favorite thing ever though, could’ve done without that.
Final Thoughts: This is the rare instance of a song I can never remember much about after I’m through listening to all the songs, but at the same time I enjoy quite a bit while I’m listening to it.
And honestly, I find it hard to say much about this beyond what I already said in my first impression. Uhh… the atmosphere is pretty solid? The build-up of the pre-chorus section with the darker guitar line and the snare role works pretty well. The “whoa oh” vocals that are pretty buried in the mix are pretty cool, kinda wish they were a bit higher in the mix though, it feels like they should be.
But yeah that ending is still… no. I don’t like having my ears hurt in that way.
Score: 8/10Elite: Frost* – Experiments in Mass AppealFirst Impressions: A nice interplay of acoustic guitar and piano going on at the start here with some nice vocals on top, yeah. I’m not sure if I’m huge on the vocals though, not that great but not bad either. The song kicks in a bit abruptly perhaps, at least considering the theme. I dunno, I reeeally don’t feel like this fits in with the theme, personally. I really am struggling to have much to say about this, even with that aside. I imagine this is the kind of song you’d need to be somewhat familiar with to really get into. The big group vocals and the somewhat epic feel of the song as it builds at the end are pretty nice, at the very least.
Final Thoughts: Congrats, you sent the most unfitting song of the round! I can see where you’re coming from, I mean, but I dunno how well this fits into “relaxing” music territory. But for what it is, it’s good, yeah.
The alternating soft/loud throughout creates some nice contrast and the group vocal sections are cool and kind of epic. The guitar solo in the middle of the song isn’t amazing or anything but it’s pretty buried in the mix and it’s far from bad. It adds to the frantic feel of the section constantly getting noisier, and a sudden shift back to calmness after.
The build at the end is great, for sure. Exactly the kind of buildup I like.
One thing is that nothing about this is fresh in the slightest to me, though. Like, really nothing at all. That’s more a result of “I have listened to a ton of stuff like this” and less “this is nothing special all on its own”. It’s very solid for what it is, and by the end of the build with the massive wall of vocals I’m really into it, but at the same time nothing about this strikes me as something to check out further.
Really struggling to rate this one properly, honestly. Maybe I’ll come back to this later and it’ll get an extra half-point or something.
Score: 8/10Shadow Ninja 2.0: Múm – Green Grass of TunnelFirst Impressions: Oh hey, another Icelandic artist, great. The instrumentation is pretty interesting and there’s a lot of subtleties thrown in there to add some texture. There’s a nice long build up to when the vocals come in that I like, and it keeps building past that point too. The singer sounds a little on the breathy side, but pleasant enough and it fits with the bright tone of the song. On the whole I’d say it’s a pretty enjoyable song that probably needs a few more listens to sink in.
Final Thoughts: Straight out of the gate: The biggest weakness here is the singer. He’s no Jonsi, he’s no Bjork. His voice is nice and pleasant enough, but not the kind of voice you’d put as the focus of a song, and not very powerful.
Fortunately, I think this band is at least somewhat aware of this, because the vocals don’t even show up until halfway through and they aren’t the only interesting thing going on even when they do show up. The vocals are definitely mixed a bit louder than the rest, though, which maybe wasn’t the right choice; I think putting them a bit lower and letting the backing instrumentation be a bit more prominent would’ve benefitted this song.
The music throughout is bright and textured with interesting instrumentation, though when the vocals come in it does tend to stick on one note for most of the rest of the song, as opposed to the build of the first half.
This is a pleasant little piece that I’m glad I listened to, though, I should probably check out more Icelandic artists since I’ve liked all the ones I’ve heard thus far.
Score: 8 (+.5 Bonus) = 8.5/10mikemangioy: Premiata Forneria Marconi – Impressioni Di SettembreFirst Impressions: Okay, so, Italian prog rock from the 70’s? Sure. I am really digging the use of orchestration here. This is mixed very interestingly; you can really easily choose what you want to focus your attention on but no one instrument is drowning out all the others and you can listen to them all in balance as well. And considering every instrument is doing interesting things, I think that kind of mixing works; it all comes together very nicely. There’s some good peaks to contrast with the quieter moments, and the soft to loud buildup that happens near the end with some great drumming is definitely a highlight too.
Final Thoughts: Honestly, 70’s prog has been something I’ve always struggled to really get into. It’s all fine enough but at the same time never evocative enough for me to really get into. And this has the added struggle of the language barrier to overcome, too.
I can definitely say I like this song a fair bit, even still. The layers of guitar in the quieter parts, the bass-and-drums-driven swell of the louder parts, the flute accentuating melodies throughout, the passionate vocals. Each instrument is plenty technically proficient and you can hear everything all of the time without having to even direct your attention to something to make it out.
The band isn’t too caught up in making technically complex music, more in making emotionally potent music, and it definitely works. There’s a keyboard solo at one point and the drummer seems to be pretty talented too, but nothing about it screams “technical for the sake of showing off” which is basically how I like my prog.
And the build at the end is just, wonderful. All the instruments working together to produce a slow build with a nice, big climax at the end, not overpoweringly huge or anything but plenty big enough.
Really not much to dislike here. The production isn’t fantastic but it’s not bad, especially not for the time. I’m too lazy to look up the translated lyrics (or song title, even) so hopefully they don’t ruin the song or something, though I doubt it. But yeah. Good stuff, this.
Score: 8.5 (+.5 Bonus) = 9/10FlyingBIZKIT: Alcest – Summer’s GloryFirst Impressions: I mean, I’m already planning to check out some Alcest but it’s completely true that I’m not familiar with any specific songs so I’m definitely allowing this. Kind of low production quality aside, which doesn’t really matter so much here anyways, I dig this a lot, good sense of atmosphere and a nice bright sound. Nothing about this screams “unique” or “original” but it definitely screams “quality” and I can’t fault it for that. Kinda wish it was longer, actually, but it’s far from “too short”.
Final Thoughts: Honestly, any words I say about this song would be pretty pointless. I could try to rationalize this, but I just want to listen to this. I mean, yeah, I’ve already been intending to get an Alcest album or two for a while. Just very beautiful music.
The heaviness just deepens the atmosphere beyond what they’d be able to accomplish without the big wall of sound, but the cleaner guitar lines are what really bring out the atmosphere. Nothing about this is something I’ve never heard before but I just really enjoy listening to it and at the end of the day that’s what really matters.
Score: 9/10425: Marketa Irglova – This Right HereFirst Impressions: Immediately I’m struck with the thought that this is very pretty music. The piano playing is very dynamic which makes it sound very alive, adds depth on its own. The harmonized vocals only add to that, I’m not sure if it’s two different singers or one singer harmonizing with themselves, but either way the vocals are pretty powerful but showing restraint when they need to. There’s a good climax in the form of the strings and percussion coming in for the last minute, too. There’s not a lot to say really other than that this makes me quite happy listening to it.
Final Thoughts: The biggest debate here was whether or not to give this the bonus point. ‘Cause I wouldn’t say piano ballads are really out of my comfort zone… at the same time, they’re not something I’ve ever sought out before on their own, more as part of an album where they serve as a bit of a break, a cooldown period.
But I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a piano ballad as evocative as this one before. Probably one or two. Everything’s Alright off the To The Moon soundtrack is in the same category, I guess, but that one misses something without context.
I don’t think this song really needs context. I don’t think the lyrics even matter (and they’re pretty abstract, from what I looked up.) What’s important is that the harmonized vocals are both really powerful on their own, and the dynamic playing of the piano serves to accentuate the emotion of the song.
I don’t even know if it needed the climax at the end with the strings and percussion, but it’s one heck of a great moment nonetheless and I wouldn’t want it to be cut, after having heard it several times over. If there’s one thing to complain about, I actually wish that the ending went on a bit longer, but I can’t say it feels too short either.
It’s a struggle where to place this, honestly, but I think for now I’m going to go with the lower of the two options and maybe on a relisten I’ll come back and give it another half point. Dunno. Sorry for no 10, though!
Score: 9 (+.5 Bonus) = 9.5/10Train of Naught: CHON – Can’t WaitFirst Impressions: Full disclosure; listened to this album a month or so back and it sent me on a bit of a melodic math rock kick, but I’m not specifically familiar with any songs on it and haven’t picked it up or anything SO I WILL ALLOW IT. Though actually I vaguely remember this one, huh. No wonder this album sent me on a kick if I can pick out a specific song after first listen. The guitar line is just strikingly potent on its own, it’s one heck of a line to build a song around. The vocals aren’t strong but they suit the music well. And in the short runtime the song still goes through plenty of different moods while keeping a bright and chill atmosphere throughout. Yeah, definitely getting this album…
Final Thoughts: About that strange exception; This is the second time where I did recognize a song when listening to it even though I didn’t think I would, though here I at least recognized the artist. I think what led me to accept this one while I asked for a resubmission on the other is that I liked this one a lot, and I’d heard it slightly less (one or two listens as opposed to like, three on the other one.)
Anyways, this isn’t my favorite from the round but it’s definitely the one that got most lodged into my head. Seriously, that guitar line is fantastic. There’s a ton of subtleties to it, but at the same time a strong melodic hook, and it evolves with the pace of the song.
The drums here tend to do most of the work driving the feel of the song, and it’s some great technical drumming that doesn’t overtake the rest of the band either. The vocals are the weakest link here, which is to say “still pretty dang good” though the lyrics are nothing special. The bass isn’t given as much attention but the basslines in the song are pretty cool.
And dang, for three minutes, this sure goes a lot of places. The more subdued verses, the faster chorus, the noodly guitar break, the extended bridge that introduces its own new guitar line, and a verse reprise for the outro. It’s a real experience of a song. Each part works well on its own and they all flow into each other just as well, making it feel like quite the cohesive, moody whole.
Every time I listen to this, I find myself just wanting to put it back on and listen to it again. If that isn’t a sign of a song I enjoy a heck of a lot, I don’t know what is. Really, really gotta get this album; shame it’s so short! What’s up with math rock bands and really short releases, anyways? From everything I’ve looked into that really seems to be a kind of disappointing trend.
Score: 9.5/10Current Standings:Elite - 76
Sacul - 72
mikemangioy - 71.5
senecadawg2 - 70.5
Tomislav95 - 70
FlyingBIZKIT - 69.5
425 - 69
LordCost - 67
Train of Naught - 66.5
Shadow Ninja 2.0 - 64
Honestly this round was really hard to rate and I can see a fair number of these going up on relistens. Definitely pleased with this round though.
I think the most frustrating thing is how narrow the point range is despite the big difference between the 7's and the 9's/9.5's. I guess it's more a normalized distribution sort of thing or something.
At this point Elite has pretty much clinched a spot in the final round, but the other two slots are pretty much anyone's game, with a mere 1.5 points separating 2nd from 6th. A need for a tiebreaker round feels really likely at this point
Topic: Parama's Coincidental Roulette! (FINAL RESULTS!) (Read 55144 times)
