Some of these writeups came naturally to me, others I struggled to put my thoughts down, so sorry if they're not very helpful
Kattoelox:
Dark Rooms -
I Get OverwhelmedThis track is conflicting - on the one hand, it's creative, blending symphonic and electronic sounds quite well plus other neat little sounds. On the other, I don't really like the lyrics nor the vocal style at all, they're just the dumb hipster stuff that's popular these days.
It's got a pretty interesting style overall, and hadn't I been annoyed by those things I mentioned, I certainly would have enjoyed this track a lot more.
+3/5home:
Eefje de Visser -
ScheefInteresting track, I like the atmosphere set by the gentle, pulsing beat, and her gentle voice, plus those marimbas (I guess?) are a nice touch. There are some very nice harmonies here and the vibe's pretty nice, up my alley almost, reminds me a bit of Alt-J's last record.
However, I think my main grip with the track is how busy it feels for the most part, she barely having a break for the most part, thus making it difficult to me to identify what the different sections of the track are. So it's great when the last two mins are some instrumental bliss, I really like those synths.
On a side note, at first the foreign singing bothered me a bit but quickly got used to it, I wonder what the lyrics are about.
3.5/5Train of Naught:
IDEK -
Approaching StormsBefore I forget, if you meet the band, would you ask him to kick their mastering engineer in the ass? This is way too compressed, which is sad since it sounds well recorded and mixed, and that's a waste of their money.
So to the song, it certainly has strong BTBAM vibes, with the clean/harsh vocal style, the quirky and funny sections, but really lacking that strong unique sound and variety. Sure there's a solid songwriting here, it's not too derivative, and gladly don't fall into some prog self-indulgence, so there's hope the band will go places in the future if they manage to carve a style more of their own. I can definitely feel why you're into them tho.
3.5/5
kingshmegland:
The Pineapple Thief -
Tightly WoundI've listened to some songs by these guys here and there, and although I get the "Porcupine Tree copycats" vibes from their first records, this song feels pretty much a product of their own. The mood at the beginning almost seem to hint that this will be a Halloween-themed track but seems it isn't. Vocals have a style somehow reminding me of Gorillaz, but they also feel lazy, and the guitars have this peculiar sound to them, I like them. The chorus is the weakest part of the track tho, melodies are pretty bland, and breaks the mood. I like the instrumental ending, it's a surprising and pleasant change.
So, all in all, it's... ok, I think? Like, this doesn't do much to me, and I feel they might have better tracks.
3.5/5Parama:
Cleric -
The TremeOh boy, this song was such a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, there are lots of very cool and creative ideas up my alley, like the spoken samples on the background, some of the jazzy drumming at times, vocals are interesting and add up much to the song, even the djent-ish riffs were pretty cool, and the variety on this track is great, I dig the use of piano overall. Then there's this amazing section that begins at 6:30, damn.
On the other hand, this song just feels too random for no good reason, and while I don't mind that approach as long as every part, every idea is good at least, half of those here just are bland, too dissonant, or completely breaking the mood, like the ending, which is very anticlimatic, making the last minute of the track quite a waste of time and not a proper resolution to the great section I mentioned before.
Yet all in all, I enjoyed it more than I was really expecting to.
+3.5/5ariich:
Kiasmos -
BlurredI think it's a little obvious I've been digging lots of chill music lately, and my favorite roulette tracks usually are on the softer side. That means I've taken my time to explore and understand what I enjoy in this stuff, but I'm also open to more things. Take for instance this track, starts with some nice electronic beats along with simple piano chords, slowly building up with the synths and the strings... just to not reach any sort of climax, which is a bummer. It repeats this approach again without the beat, and it's odd because using the same ideas for a building on what sounds like a sort of bridge feels weird to me.
But not everything is lost, there's a very nice atmosphere here and despite its shortcomings, it's quite a relistenable track, possibly making for some nice background music. Olafur Arnalds is a guy I need to explore yet (really liked his collaboration with Nils Frahm), so this was an interesting entry into one of his, I think, multiple facets.
+3.5/5
Elite:
Losers -
ChainsawFor being a "random song", this is actually pretty decent. Heavy, catchy, highly digitalized industrial guitars and drums, almost like Pendulum but heavier and less electronic. Vocals feel closer to alternative rock than what's typical on this genre, and that's refreshing. Style has lots of energy and somehow reminds me of 2000s NIN instead of their 90s output, that's cool. Also appreciated is the use of real, dynamic drums instead of some lame drum machine.
And since it's a short and simple song, there's not much more to say about it - I like it quite a bit.
4/5Tomislav95:
Maybeshewill -
He Films The Clouds Pt.2I think I've heard some other tracks from these guys that just felt like boring, generic post-rock. So this is a pleasant surprise when the electronic beat kicks in, and it's not some generic preset, it actually fits the piano quite well. Although the first half of the track is a buildup, it does so in a very interesting way, but it's the second half of the song that really grabs me. The harmonies are simply wonderful, and the last buildup is well done, feels with more impact than it if were only the guitars throughout the whole track like many crescendocore bands do. Melodies overall feel a little soundtrack-ish but I don't mind, the songwriting is varied and although a bit all over the place, it works. This track feels like a little journey.
+4/5Bolsters:
Hybrid -
Break My SoulI like Hybrid's debut, If I Survive being my favorite track, but it's a very consistent record so the band wasn't banned. This song however, is something different. Breakbeat electronics, many synths, strong female vocals, and symphonic elements. I like how it's structured, with a nice breakdown in the middle, separating these huge, bombastic choruses. It certainly has a very interesting, modern vibe that seems to be more aligned with my current tastes.
+4/5Nekov:
Jake Bowen -
City 1816I really like the piano on this track, somehow those simple melodies make me feel nostalgic, maybe they remind me of C148's wonderful Minecraft soundtrack somehow (got into the game back when it was Alpha, wtf I feel old). The electronic beats are simple and pleasing, I like how the track goes places and doesn't just loop them with little variation. Synths have this nice chiptune sound to them, and the multiple layers of effects and pads work pretty well. Overall I'd say it's a chill track, almost feels like the soundtrack to a game (vibe reminds me of 0edit's Neotokyo OST). Yeah it's a nice little song but one that falls into what I've been digging lately so props for that.
+4/5
Evermind:
John Cage -
4'33"I was about to give you a 5/5 for this masterpiece, but since you dropped off this roulette, a pink star should suffice.
Positions
Bolsters 30.5
Nekov 30.5
ariich 30
Elite 30
kingshmegland +29
tomislav95 +29
Train of Naught 28.5
Parama 28
home 27.5
Katteolox 27
Seems ariich has finally lost the lead! And there's three ties, damn
. Hope next round helps define who enters the EP round. And speaking of next round, time to send! Most of you still haven't used your up-to-18-mins song, so feel free to make this the unofficial epic round
Topic: Sacul's controversial roulette v3. Less frustration™️, A REAL WINNER AT LAST!!!! (Read 88201 times)