Finally, the so-awaited round 1 entries! Songs are ordered from worst to best
(sneakyblueberry)
Horse the Band -
CloudwalkerThe fuck is this
I'll give you credit for sending me something quite creative. But good ideas alone don't make a song good. See, while this song is enjoyable, I didn't find anything remarkable except the great synth/chiptune work. None of the other instruments really made something that stood out. Not even the use of samples saved this song. It's nice, but nothing special to me.
3/5(Parama)
Cursive -
Butcher the SongI prefer the song you sent biskit by a nice margin
It has an interesting dark circus vibe I quite dig tho. The dissonant guitars don't turn me off actually. But the vocal melodies are pretty lame imo. They fit the style, but I don't really dig them anyways. That's something I've found common in post-hardcore and in a lot of post-punk/punk related music, that their vocal melodies are fairly unmemorable. While this one is enjoyable, I didn't find it special, really.
3/5(Elite)
Jeff Buckley -
So RealWell this is not what I expected. For some reason I thought this guy made more straightforward folk music or something lol. This song is a bit weird, atonal at times, and pretty dark imo. Yet it doesn't appeal me that much. The guitar work and the drumming reminds me a bit of Slint and the vocal melodies to Mr Bungle, for some reason. In general these are some strange melodies. So none of the quotes you chose were yours, sorry - maybe we have different definitions of intimate music? This felt a bit creepy lol. But anyways, I'll end up checking this album.
+3/5(Mikemangioy)
Native Construct -
Come Hell or High WaterAfter all the hype this album generated last year I added it to the list, and I guess I can see why. While not reinventing the wheel, these guys combine several styles in a unique way, crafting a sound of their own, something I appreciate a lot. Yet uniqueness doesn't make for a good score alone. This tune definitely goes places, yes, but seems a bit unfocused. Like, for a moment it's pretty heavy and serious, and the other more playful, almost Disney-esque. Nothing bad with that, it's just that I don't feel it works on this particular song.
+3/5(FlyingBISKIT)
Chroma Key -
America The VideoAh, Kevin. Dunno up to which point this is cheating, considering my love for Blood and Kevin's work in general, but whatever. The song has some nice electronics, and great guitar work and production. The melodies in general aren't that good to be honest, they feel a bit chessy. Reminds me a bit of Surrounded in that sense, but not as good. Pretty enjoyable, yet not really memorable.
3.5/5(senecadawg2)
Damien Rice -
CannonballOh, folk. For some reason I should be really more into this kind of music. I used to think that it was too simple to me - just a person with a guitar, singing and playing. But I guess my issue is that the songwriting isn't really strong, at least not here. Well, maybe its strength relies on the lyrics? As you said, they're poignant ("Life taught me to die" lol), and it's not that I don't care about lyrics in purpose, but they don't really affect my enjoying of a song unless they're awful. I can listen so them, sing along them, understand them, but... for some reason, they don't leave much of an impact on me most of the time, unlike music. Weird thing.
So back to the song, this has some nice acoustic layering, and I like his voice how intimate it all feels. Yet it's nothing too special. I guess I just prefer more ambitious stuff (like Sufjan's Illinoise), or music with clearly different parts, for this felt a bit one-dimensional. Nothing bad, but nothing too remarkable.
3.5/5(Tyrias)
Nightwish -
Higher than HopeI was wondering how long would it take before someone sent me power metal
This is a nice piece, pretty epic at times but also dark, for the lyrics you described to me. Better than most power metal I've heard at least. Reminds me a bit of The Human Equation in the sense that it has nice songwriting and tight insturmentation, and very little cheese, enough for me to bear with it. It doesn't blow me away or anything, but it's more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Don't have much to add, other than I'm curious about this album and band.
3.5/5(Train of Naught)
Royal Blood -
Loose ChangeWell this is definitely something different - a bass so distorted it sounds like a guitar is a very intriguing idea, indeed, and it has a nice distorted sound. The riffs are pretty good, and this song has a great groove. But... nothing wrong with the tune, is short and catchy, and does its job well. I feel it's a tad bit too short tho, with that abrupt ending. And it sounds a bit too much like The White Stripes at times lol. Will check this album anyways.
+3.5/5(425)
Coldplay -
MidnightWell this is pretty nice. I dig the combination of robotic vocals with the real ones. It's both beautiful and relaxing, and pretty minimalistic too. Nice synths section at the middle. I can see why you love this song. Honestly, it took quite some time to grow on me - I think if it wasn't for the 5-6 listens I have given it, it wouldn't have clicked. I may not be 100% sold on Coldplay, but I really like this one, and will check this album.
4/5(Evermind)
Pain of Salvation -
Iter ImpiusSo after checking like half of these guys' discography, and not really digging it, I kinda liked this album so added it to the list to check it later. But forgot to do so lol. This is definitely the best PoS song I've heard so far, without annoying vocal noises. Great vocal performance, and nice solo. The instrumentation wasn't that good overall, with some great moments and a few meh ones. The ending is quite epic tho, and this would definitely be a great closer. Might finally get into these guys' music, or at least on this album.
4/5(Fluffy Lothario)
The Stooges -
Fun HouseWhat the hell
Dunno what's going on here, but this is a hella lot of fun - dat sax is awesome. And the singer, the mighty punk godfather Iggy Pop, bro, he's insane. I dig this one quite a lot, yet my complaint is that on the second half he does some weird noises/screams that turn me off a bit. But otherwise, this is excellent. Don't have much to say really, just that I quite enjoyed it.
4/5(splent)
Rush -
La Villa StrangiatoWell of course I've listened to La Villa Strangiato, but maybe just one or two times long time ago, so I let this pass. To be honest, although I have listened to little Rush, I definitely prefer their instrumental pieces - YYZ is excellent. And so is this, for it goes many places in almost 10 mins, both serious and fun, yet remains cohesive and interesting enough. Excellent production, too.
+4/5(Shadow Ninja 2.0)
Celldweller -
Gift For YouSo, you did it again
On my previous roulette you sent me a song by Assemblage 23, from the album Compass, despite having another of their albums on my list at the moment. Now, I have The End of An Empire on the list, yet you sent me something from another record
About the song - I do love me some industrial. I actually expected a heavier song, but instead this is a... ballad? Anyways, I really dig the atmosphere and the electronic sounds - reminds me a bit of OSI's Blood. This is a pretty interesting piece, with a fantastic production! I would have liked a more energic song in this style, but this tune has grown on me quite a bit, specially the vocal lines. This shouldn't happen, but you got a nice score!
+4/5(home)
Rishloo -
Just a RideSo, prog metal? I've gotta admit it's a genre in which I have tough time finding good bands that don't sound generic as fuck - totally the oposite of a progressive genre. This song is a more than welcomed breath of fresh air. The vocal harmonies at the beginning (and througout the song), and most of the vocal melodies remind me a bit of Gazpacho - not complaining though, I really dig them. Excellent how everything feels quite atmospheric. Yup, I dig this.
+4/5(Bolsters)
Kishi Bashi -
Philosophize in it! Chemicalize with it!>kishi bashi
>that cover
>song starts
>panic
>song ends
>hey that wasn't too bad!
So after like 6 or so spins, this one has grown quite a lot on me. At times, a bit too sugar-ish for my taste, yes. But man, this is just pure fun, and some excellent joyful stuff. Quite beautiful even. I'm definitely intrigued about this album, yup. My only complaint is that it felt a bit too short. Nothing more to be added, excellent track that didn't expec to like this much.
4.5/5
Standings:
4.5 - Bolsters x
+4 - home x
+4 - Shadow Ninja 2.0
+4 - splent x
4 - Fluffy Lothario x
4 - Evermind x
4 - 425 x
+3.5 - Train of Naught x
3.5 - senecadawg2 x
3.5 - Biskit x
3.5 - Tyrias x
+3 - mikemangioy x
+3 - Elite x
3 - Parama x
3 - Sneakyblueberry x
(x= one song sent from the list)
I'll later update the
Banned During Roulette list on the OP, but now you have 48 hs to send for the next round.