Good morning, bedlam.
Round Two Results, 3 of 4: ariich - Sexin'-You-Laters:The Reign of Kindo – Let It Go:Bus Impression: "Why isn't this a radio staple?"
Timestamp Snippet: 0:00 – 0:11: The way you tune your drums CAN make the difference
This rook was drafted for providing classy groovy sophisticated smoothness and didn't disappoint. “Simple” songs are often surprisingly satisfying, and said satisfaction just skyrockets when you realise their simplicity is a product of many complex details engineered into a pretty complex architecture masterfully disguised as, well, semplicity. The Beatles from Rubber Soul on worked this way. Hell, Mozart worked this way. In a perfect world, this should be torturing pop radio frequencies around the planet to the point of inflation.
The secrets to the recipe: 1) Beautiful voice in measured doses, surfing some catchy yet not banal vocal lines. 2) A rythmic section hell-bent on keeping the groove in the most essential way, choosing sound (that floor tom!) over crazy movement. 3) a piano man secretly conducting the whole business, playing into empty spaces when the song needs sugar, locking with the drums when it needs punch. 4) Great guitar sound, dripping licks as continuation of the vocals' tale, never intruding. Polished, efficient, memorable. Never gets deep or dirty enough to win my heart.
Vote: 7.5 – When a tune is extremely difficult to cover verbatim, but extremely easy to strum and sing on a beach, you are pretty close to the secret of pop music.
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DestinyOfChaos - The One Trick Ponies:Circus Maximus – Alive: Bus Impression: "There's a hair metal tune hidden here"
Timestamp Snippet: 2:36 – 2:46: Obviously, these guys have access to Kevin's '94 sad synth patch
This rook was drafted for providing '80 hard rock fun in noble '90 prog metal disguise and didn't disappoint. All in all, a solid hair power ballad (main and background vocals are one of the best cases of genre transplant I've ever witnessed) juiced up in power and velocity with devices heavy borrowed from both the best album of the nineties and its disappointing follow-up. The amazing thing is the brief ideas in high quantity work as teasers/embellishments, never enabling the song to lose its bearings.
As a result, you have an accessible prog metal piece and a enriched aquagel earpleaser in the same package: a virtous tug-of-war between Europe and early Dream Theater. You can't tell me with a straight face those vocal lines aren't in Joey Tempest's wheelhouse (not mentioning the totally Norum-inspired guitar soloing) and you can't tell me with a straight face that organ isn't patented Awake KevMo (not mentioning the Imagined and Worded runs). Sure, I can't tell you with a straight face I didn't enjoy this tune for those reasons. Polished, efficient, memorable. Never gets deep or dirty enough to win my heart.
Vote: 7.5 – A very funny experiment, exploiting sounds from niches too hastly criticised.
lonestar - Team Fuck Canada:Pyramid Theorem – Another Day Slips By:Bus Impression: "What WDADU should have been"
Timestamp Snippet: 4:47 – 5:41: And here I was thinking Elliott Randall's work on Reeling In the Years was the mixolydian golden standard
This rook was drafted to transform a two-three chords idea into a pure rock tale climaxing with the solo of the decade, and didn't disappoint. This isn't just influenced by Rush, it joyfully screams the band grew up eating and drinking Rush. Yet, the execution (of a very distinct Rush staple progression) is honest, straightforward, and higly personalised with original songwriting. Plus, I have a weak spot for uncompromising rock baritones, especially when they dick around with ballady sections very reminiscent of the best Metallica balladwork.
I need to spend a whole paragraph for the guitar solo, the main attraction and great payoff here. Its segment starts like a trite prog band excersise, but as soon as the traffic light goes green, we're into 70's guitar god abandon land. When you manage to rival Elliott Randall's masterpiece on a two chords vamp and quote Joe Walsh's patented laughing licks at the same time, you deserve a shot at knocking on guitar pantheon's doors. I'm following this axeman from now on to see whether he gets in. Polished, efficient, memorable. Never gets deep or dirty enough to win my heart.
Vote: 7.5 – You can't obtain more from one single simple idea, but you can do it with superb elegance and energy.
Puppies_On_Acid - West Coast Lost Marbles:Riverside – Loose Heart:Bus Impression: "Soul rending"
Timestamp Snippet: 1:21 – 1:45: No, I'm not hyperboling. This is one inch close to a perfect Gilmour '85 sound.
This rook was drafted to concoct the perfect simple emotional cresendo tune with surprising economy, and it didn't disappoint. This is a really fine example of submission course-correction achieved paying attention to the writeups and not just to the votes. Your round one song had the same beautiful sense of tapestry and storytelling through accumulation of subtle colours, but it compromised the crescendo project messing with the flow. This one nails it avoiding those mistakes, helped – ironically – by a beyond wise use of vocals.
It seems obvious to point out the excellent guitar work here, but I have to do it. Pure feel and sound in essential articulation. The textbook example of a solo easy to play, but impossible to play right for anyone else but its original author. Nonetheless, the hidden jewel prize goes to the intro's job on percussion sounds giving me the true feeling of a loosened cardiac chamber. The ending is perfect, and it may be the most appropriate use of visceral kobold voice I've heard this side of Mike Patton. Polished, efficient, memorable. It actually gets deep and dirty enough to almost win my heart.
Vote: 7.7 – Sometimes it's not the luck of the draw, but actually reading the writeup.