This was an interesting round with only a couple clear duds. Most everything else was a real knockout, though. I was very surprised with the submissions this time and how much I enjoyed them considering nobody has to worry about eliminations. Honestly, it is very fun for me to discover what your favorite albums are, whether I love them or not (though of course, appealing to my taste is part of the roulette and obviously a big plus). I can't wait to hear what you all send for round 2. There's plenty of room for change in the ranks, just because you're at the bottom doesn't mean you can't rise (and vice versa)
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1. Sleep Party People - Floatingsent by home2014; dream pop
home knocked this one out of the park by picking some extremely relaxing electronic music. I have listened to this while cleaning, cooking, showering, working out, lounging on the couch, doing my job - this is great. At times there's even the spacey atmosphere that Kings of Leon seems to paint with their music and that's a massive draw for me. No, seriously - this is like taking Tycho's beautiful synth work and blending it with Kings of Leon's simple melodies, guitar parts, and song structures. I hear a little Chroma Key in there, too... It's very pretty and relaxing. I never know where to look for music like this, yet I crave it. Sometimes you just need to get away from all things rock and metal and this ticks every box on the list. I've played this numerous times from start to finish without even looking at the tracklist, and then I get disappointed when it ends. Inoffensive, curious, entertaining - I've never heard of this group before but I love what I'm hearing. I need more!
9.5/10FAVORITE TRACKS: Floating Blood of Mine; I See the Sun, Harold; I See The Moon
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2. Leprous - Coalsent by Lethean2013; progressive metal
There was a lot of discussion about Leprous earlier in this round. Unfortunately, I've heard Bilateral, and this album is way better. I'm not sure how this ranks so low with so many of you! This is some incredible prog metal. It feels like every song is about a negative emotion - isolation, loneliness, mental illness, darkness. Sometimes it's like Opeth meets Katatonia with a blend of their own unique sound. Overall, I absolutely love this album, with songs like The Valley and Foe being solid from start to finish, and the singer has a really interesting voice that I like. I don't like when he growls or does rougher stuff, but his cleans are amazing, and his high notes - Foe, for example, what an awesome way to open this album! - are really good and have a lot of character. The Cloak is a beautiful piece of music too and not what I expected from this group. What I don't like are the repeated chorus in Chronic - it is annoying and goes on way too freaking long. Contaminate Me ruins the whole experience and should be removed from the album. I can't stand growls like this, and the last 3 minutes literally sound like someone dying, and are a waste of space on the record. It should have ended with Echo, because that is a cool song that isn't grating. That said, this is a marvelous record outside of Contaminate Me (and Chronic's chorus). I was extremely surprised since Bilateral was good but not mindblowing. Despite my complaints about the growls, this ranks very high with me.
9.0/10FAVORITE TRACKS: Foe; The Valley; Echo
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3. Caligula's Horse - In Contactsent by ariich2017; progressive metal
Oh man, now this is some tasty stuff. It's smoother than the one Parama sent me. Almost has a jazzy vibe at times, and it's heavy without being dark or sounding like it's trying too hard. I really like the vocals and the harmonies, and how the songs manage to keep... almost a positive vibe? even when it's in rock/metal mode. This whole album has a vibe that I'm really attracted to. Love Conquers All is criminally short, however and is the most beautiful song here, it's just a real work of art. I enjoyed just putting this on and letting it go from start to finish. By the time I got to 'Intertia and the Weapon of the Wall' I was actually returning to my apartment so it was playing while I was lighting candles in the dark, and I think that added to the weight of the words. Very interesting piece to throw into the mix and I immediately replayed it a few times. While I like the other album sent in this round, this one is more my speed, for sure. I can't do the 15-minute epic Graves justice in this write-up, but it's the shining star on this album, and that includes the saxophone - big plus for that. On the list of bands to check out after this roulette, Caligula's Horse now ranks pretty high, and In Contact has some priority on my list of purchases to make. Their sound is just perfect.
9.0/10FAVORITE TRACKS: The Hands are the Hardest; Love Conquers All; Graves
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4. Marillion - Clutching At Strawssent by Stadler1987; progressive rock
Stadler keeps it old school. This is Fish on vocals, right? I like his voice. I actually wasn't aware this was a concept album until I was almost finished with my first listen, but that's good because all these songs seem to stand on their own. I adore the lead synth voice in Incommunicado, and the odd meters employed throughout the songs between standard 4/4. Stadler, you clearly understand I am a sucker for strong melodies, because they're all over this one, not only in the vocals but the guitars, keys, and even the bass. It says something that I still enjoy the music so much despite not caring about the concept. Perfect balance between all the instruments, the instrumental sections don't overstay their welcome. Did I mention how much I love the keys? I think those and Fish's voice are my favorite things about this one. Of all the classic prog bands, Marillion is far and away the one I enjoy most (there's room for debate about early Rush in here). I already knew a few songs - Ocean Cloud, Sugar Mice, Lavender, This Is The 21st Century - and loved this album so much I scoured YouTube for live videos of the band afterwards. I see lots of Marillion purchases in the future.
8.5/10FAVORITE TRACKS: Just For The Record; Incommunicado; Sugar Mice
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5. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoisesent by Sacul2005; folk / indie rock
There are some really small, stupid problems with this album, like the ridiculously short tracks, and the ridiculously long song names that aren't even titles so much as rambling descriptions of... something. But those are my biggest problems with it. I love the sound this has. It's soft, but grand - horns add a lot... It's so relaxing, though. The majority of my playtime with this album has been on the road, driving down the highway. Since I'm from Illinois, this was an interesting and amusing album to listen to. I wasn't expecting any flirting with odd meters or bells and horns, so I was surprised very early on. I've heard so much about this album, but only from hipsters. Are his other albums as good as this? There is something about this music... it doesn't sound like Illinois at all, and yet it has so much charm. Subject matter aside, it's just an hour of quirky, uptempo numbers mixed with some beautiful acoustic guitar and dreamlike vocals. I think it's too long, though, with too many tracks. I'm just disappointed there's no mention of how awful Decatur smells all day, every day. I wish I had listened to this years ago, but I think I'm only now able to appreciate it.
8.5/10FAVORITE TRACKS: Jacksonville; Casimir Pulaski Day; The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
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6. Evership - Evershipsent by jingle.boy2016; progressive rock
Finally, something old school and... wait, this isn't old school at all. This is from 2016! This is beautiful - old school, but not really. Strong Kansas vibe at times, you can really tell they're influenced by classic prog, especially with almost every track reaching 10 or more minutes. But it's not too much to take in. They balance heaviness with groove and melody, and the singer's voice flies above the rest of the band, as it should - this group has some really strong hooks and I'm surprised at how well they blend the sounds of classic and modern. I'm not sure if this is a concept album, but it seems like it. I absolutely adore the keyboard work throughout this. It's difficult to pick favorite tracks because they're all so long, but every one is solid. They just go for it. Inventive melodies, interesting riffs, fantastic work from the bassist and drummer keeping it all together, this album's got it all. Lovely surprise out of nowhere that keeps getting better the more I hear it. I would like to hear more music like this, especially Flying Machine, because it's not heavy at all, and despite being 13 minutes, goes by pretty fast. Gorgeous song on a gorgeous album.
8.5/10FAVORITE TRACKS: Silver Light; A Slow Descent Into Reality; Flying Machine
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7. Caligula's Horse - The Tide, the Thief & River's Endsent by Parama2013; progressive rock/metal
I've never listened to this band before, but I'm really glad you turned me onto them, Parama. This was the first of the two Caligula's Horse albums I listened to for this round, and it was a great introduction to the band. They can be heavy, but not in an overwhelming, dark way. This has all the smoothness and heaviness of Riverside, but with way more interesting songwriting to me. The guitars can shred - not sure if there's one or two guitarists, but they have a great grasp of melody and can still make a fast part memorable. Really cool riffs - is this djent? There are riffs that remind me of Voyager's later albums with a lot of staccato playing. I don't know if I've heard enough to say I like djent, but I really like this. The singer has a great voice, powerful and can carry a melody and in my opinion matches the sound of the band very well. The way the album ends, the last minute or All Is Quiet By The Wall, is a beautiful, almost Dream Theater-y way to close. I don't know how they have such a unique sound without experimenting too much, but it's really cool. I just wish Thief lasted longer than 2 minutes, because it's beautiful.
8.0/10FAVORITE TRACKS: Water's Edge; Thief; All Is Quiet by the Wall
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8. Beyond the Bridge - The Old Man and the Seasent by Evermind2012; progressive metal
Evermind really hyped this with his dissertation
- Wasn't sure I'd like this at first. It's occasionally overwhelming, and a bit too long, but it does this kind of music better than other artists I've heard. This was described to me as 'the Ostura album done right' - I have to agree. This is very similar in a lot of ways, but there is just stronger songwriting here. There's always something catchy to latch onto and the songs rarely meander into territory that ruins the memorability of the song. Triumph of Irreality was the one that made me really focus. Those keyboard runs! THAT is my kind of prog/power metal instrumental. Everyone take note of that. That is some straight-up technical wankery in a melodic style I can't get enough of, right down to including some piano amongst the shred. And I have to mention the drop dead gorgeous electric piano on World of Wonders, which I don't hear enough of in music. I can't say I'm interested in the concept, unfortunately, so sometimes the back-and-forth between the male and female singers disinterests me, but this is a fantastic album and I'll be honest, I enjoyed it way more than I expected to. It's one I'll have to return to over time to fully absorb, but there's enough on these first few listens for me to remember and know this is some good prog metal.
7.5/10FAVORITE TRACKS: Triumph of Irreality; World of Wonders; The Struggle
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9. Thy Catafalque - Rengetegsent by Tomislav952011; avant-garde metal
Oh, Tomi. You did so well in round 1. This album... Half of this album is unbearable, but the other half does some great things. Most sections with growls remind me of black metal. I do not hear any resemblance to Agalloch, rather, during the growl sections I am actually reminded more of Burzum's Filosofem than anything else. The low production quality adds to that association... I have no idea what any of the songs are about, but I've listened to bands who sing in foreign languages before (and still do occasionally) so that is not a knock against them. But this album is best when it isn't following the first two tracks. Songs like Trilobita and Ko koppan got me interested in the album, and I was really hoping the majority of the album would be like those. Sadly, it's kind of half and half. It's like listening to two different bands. 'Holdkomp' is the centerpiece of the album in my opinion. As an instrumental, it just has to create a mood and carry it, and it does so perfectly. Az eso, az eso, az eso - that's another great track. The album should've opened with that! I wish the whole album was as cool and fun as those songs - and it is for a couple of tracks - because most of it is a real chore for me to listen to, unfortunately. Make no mistake, though - what I enjoyed, I really, really enjoyed. But the lows really brought it down.
6.0/10FAVORITE TRACKS: Ko koppan; Holdkomp; Az eso, az eso, az eso
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10. Tool - Lateralussent by Puppies_On_Acid2001; progressive metal
Sorry, Puppies, but this was a bomb. And you were doing so well with Sieges Even!
I do not get Tool, unfortunately. Maynard has a slightly more interesting voice than, say, Soen or Riverside's singers, but listening to him wax intellectual about human nature and the mind does nothing for me, and there seems to be absolutely no emotion on this record. The riffs are... proggy? but there's no feeling behind anything here. It all sounds completely mathematical, and apparently this is the album where they use the Fibonacci sequence for the title track, which proves my point: this is an album that is constructed scientifically rather than musically. I can't say anybody here is anything but great at their instrument - the drumming at the start of Ticks and Leeches is impressive, no doubt, and while I don't find the riffs interesting the guitarist has some serious chops - but when it all comes together, there's nothing that I find interesting about the whole. It's too long, it never strays from the midtempo groove it finds in the beginning, and that oppressive, brooding atmosphere isn't fun. I can totally see why some people would dig this... and I wanted to like this, I really don't like being 'that guy' who people think is just a contrarian... but this was a dud for me.
5.5/10FAVORITE TRACKS: Schism, Parabola, Lateralus
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Scores
1. home - 18.0
1. jingle.boy - 18.0
3. Evermind - 17.0
4. Stadler - 17.0
5. ariich - 17.0
6. Lethean - 17.0
7. Sacul - 16.5
8. Parama - 16.5
9. Tomislav95 - 14.5
10. Puppies_On_Acid - 14.5
Topic: Kattelox's Album Roulette - Party Time! Excellent! v. FIN (Read 105371 times)