That's a lot of writing..
SoundscapeMN - Distrails – Virgin Creeper 7 points
Lovely. Really lovely. I loved the song from the beautiful little reverse piano that comes in near the beginning. The vocals are absolutely lovely on top of that, and god, the strings! Lovely! The song does not overstay it’s welcome at all, and ends perfectly. The percussion is also a very nice touch. Overall, this was just fucking beautiful, that’s about all I can say.
Sonatafanica - Yazuka Heart Attack - Bionic Boiz 6 points
This is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for from you. Mostly, it was just really fun , energetic, and funny. The song itself was actually a very well written piece of music, and it had its fair share of surprises thrown in. The drums are also a very nice addition, they add a lot of energy and drive to the song. It’s kind of funny to here the different synth sounds interact, but in an awesome funny kind of way.
Gorrile - Dir en Grey - Vinushka 6 points
Jordan streamed me an album of this band a few days ago and I loved what I heard. This only reaffirmed my faith that I really must get more into them. Unlike a lot of modern metal, I feel that they actually understand what metal is for, as they’ve got a lot of emotional anger and frustration in their songs. The vocals are probably the standout part for me right now… the guy is fantastic, especially in the field of communicating emotions. I’m going to pick up an album of theirs sometime soon.
Voxyn - Tiger Lou – Functions 5 points
This was a really fun song. I have a thing for catchy, simple songs that are well done, and this was that. The vocals and instrumentation and melodies are typical, but it allows the focus of the song to be direct. The bottom line is that I really enjoyed the song!
SneakyBlueberry - Big Runga with the Christchurch Symphony – Precious Things 5 points
Definitely one of the biggest surprises of the round. Nonetheless, a lovely surprise. The singer-songwriter love song is often butchered, but not here. The backing instrumentation was sparse and reserved, which really left the focus on the vocals, which were lovely! Plus, it was a fair risk, and I appreciate that.
Jsem - Kaizers Orchestra - Knekker Deg 4 points
Here’s another really surprising submission. I like surprises. Anyway, this song is sort of a balance between an irregular oddball and a catchy rock tune. They have a definitely oddness to them. The vocals are rough and unconventional, and the music follows suit at times. Anyway, a really original and odd submission,
Kingshmengland - Slow Motion Reign 4 points
The delay-guitar intro was awesome. I was excited to see where the song was going to go. It went to fantastic places, too. The guy’s voice was great, and near the end the song really concluded very nicely. Overall a very awesome submission, really fun and enjoyable. Also, Indie credit for the obscure band.
Zlhkzkho - Red Queen – Cire 3 points
This worked very well as a sort of alt rock/prog rock fusion. The rhythms are nice and original, and the music sounds fresh for the most part. The vocalist sounds exactly like another whom I can’t put my finger on. Somewhere along the guitar break section the song sort of lost its momentum a slight bit, but it was quickly regained when the vocals came in. Overall solid submission! I wish I could give it more, actually.
MG – Deerhunter – Earthquake – 3 points
As I’ve said with others, I’d really vote this higher if I could. I liked the atmosphere the band had going. I’ve heard a bit of Deerhunter already, but not this song, and it was probably the best one I’ve heard from them yet. They’re still the second best “deerhunter/etc.” named band I know, but this was a very nice song. So many nice songs! Shit!
Lielow - Birds Flying Into Buildings - Birds and Buildings - 2 points
I feel bad ranking this one lower, because I realize how hard it must have been to write and perform it. This song is all over the place as far as timing, melody, and soloing is concerned. My gripe is that nine minutes of proggy solos and progness was more than a bit much. I understand that to call it “unfocused” would be missing the point of the song, but I can’t imagine myself listening to something this long and bombastic often, it gets a bit tiresome. But remember that the rounds are up to seven, so it will be very easy to get back ahead!
Dethklok – Nevermore – The Heart Collector - 1 points
Well, to be honest, I’ve tried them before and it’s just not really my cup of tea. This is not bad for a typical metal ballad, but not really anything special either, I find. It’s a little too cliché. The vocalist is talented, but I feel he’s trying a little too hard. Still, I know you have a really diverse taste and music and I think you’ll get the hang of my taste soon.
As I said earlier, the diversity presented here was amazing! I'm hoping for more of that as it goes along!
Round two:
Energetic/lively/raw
Take this however you want it to mean. The only request is that I’d like it to have a lively and energetic feel to it in a raw sort of way. Any genre is acceptable.