Technically it's Friday again, but I really don't care.
Round Two ResultsJust a note: I had originally planned on maybe engaging with y'all a little bit more via PM to talk about the songs you sent in past rounds. I don't know if that's a thing roulette organizers do, but I thought about doing it at first. I quickly realized that I will have neither the time nor the inbox space to keep up that many PM conversations, so I'm going to do my best to engage you all on a more individual level in the writeups in hopes of trying to be more personal than just an inbox you send songs to and get sterile reviews out of a week later.
lonestar: Kingcrow - The HatchThis is a very solid prog rock/metal piece. The first few minutes of the song are quite awesome and easily the best part of the song. The acoustic guitar is complimented well by the singer’s powerful voice and those flairs of electronic influence. The electronic influence is one of the most notable aspects of this piece for me. It’s combined well with the metal aspects. I really wish that Dream Theater would go a little farther with the electronic bits they teased on Outcry and Build Me Up, Break Me Down to do something like what Kingcrow does in this song. It really is a nice touch.
The heavy section is very good, though not as good as the intro for me. The chorus is pretty memorable, and the solo section is also quite good. All in all, there’s not much to dislike about this song. The main weakness is that the lyrical subject matter is a little bit strange in my opinion, but that really doesn’t take much away from it. It only falls down towards the bottom for me this round because there is such a consistent height of quality here.
lonestar, you’ve shown me two really good prog songs from two bands that I have every intention of looking into further. The songs were pretty similar in quality, as well. This one will end up with a slightly lower score, but the reality is that Juggling Knives was a low 8 and this is a high 7.5. The reason why you haven’t scored quite as high as some others is a) probably that prog rock/metal is more in my comfort zone and therefore less surprising to me, and b) that both your songs, though good, didn’t really “wow” me as much as some others. I look forward to your future submissions and am confident that you’ll send something that will score higher than an 8 for me.
Score: 7.5TAC: Fates Warning - The Eleventh HourThis song was actually remarkable similar structurally to the song lonestar submitted, which is kind of amusing to me. Both are similarly strong prog metal entries that I really enjoyed quite a bit.
The calm opening is my favorite part—I really am a sucker for calm openings in prog and metal songs. The singer’s soft singing on this part is excellent and pretty expressive.
The heavy part is also good, just not as much so for me as the opening. For me, the main reason is that I’m not a supremely big fan of the Rob Halford/Geoff Tate high-pitched wailing vocal style. It doesn’t necessarily bother me most of the time, but it doesn’t really do much for me. I find that type of singing to be technically impressive but not very emotive. A trend you’ll notice in this roulette is that I prefer a technically simplistic or imperfect singer who is very emotive and passionate to a technically impressive singer who I find to be not very emotionally expressive.
Still, this is a very good song. The guitar riffs on the heavy part along with the non-wailing sections there make up for the weakness I perceive in the wailing. This was one of those prog meta bands that I kind of never got around to checking out; I hope to remedy that soon.
TAC, you’ve done quite similarly to lonestar in this roulette, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you’ve both sent me prog rock/metal songs that I like fairly well but am not overwhelmingly impressed by in both rounds. I do feel that I would firmly rank Prisms ahead of this entry, though both were good. I do think it’ll be possible for you to score better in the future, I think it’s just a matter of finding where your preferences overlap with mine.
Score: 7.5kingshmegland: This Day & Age - More of a Climb, Less of a WalkAn entry of a song from an artist that I’ve never heard of, but nevertheless sounds like exactly the kind of band I’ve been looking for lately. This is a really good pop rock song.
The dual guitar approach is somewhat unusual in this style of music, but I think it’s used to great effect in this song, particularly during the instrumental break near the end. The guitar tones that both these guys use is really pleasing and perfectly suited to the music. The one used by the guy in the left channel reminds me of Jonny Buckland’s tone on Coldplay’s
X&Y, which has one of my favorite guitar tones of any album.
The singer might be the best part for me. As is necessary on a poppy song of this nature, the vocal melodies are excellent, and the singer executes them very well, with a fairly emotional delivery. Ultimately, the whole package here is a really nice song from what sounds like a pretty talented band. Shame that they broke up.
kingshmegland, you’ve earned two natural 7.5s with two good entries that have unfortunately been outperformed thus far. This song is the one I liked better of the two; this is a high 7.5 while Fading Pictures was more of a low 7.5. I wouldn’t say there’s anything you’re doing wrong, per se. Hopefully you’ll send me an entry that breaks through the 7.5 barrier pretty soon.
Score: 7.5 + 0.5 bonus = 8.0Parama: Ronald Jenkees - Disorganized FunOne thing I’ve noticed in following multiple roulettes, Parama, is that you love to take risks. You’ll send something you like and just hope the host likes it too. So I can’t say I was surprised when you took a risk here, but I was a bit worried. The name of the artist and the song suggested the possibility that this would be something just way too weird that I wouldn’t get.
Well, this time, the risk paid off rather well. Yeah, it’s a bit weird, but this is a really fun song, and listening to it again reminds me of part of the reason why I did this roulette. I never would have found this artist on my own, he simply would not have even been on my radar, but I really enjoy this song a lot. Really like these synths and the beat. That main melody is super catchy and really enjoyable, and all the variations he puts on it keep it fresh throughout the song’s duration.
Ultimately, this song holds at this ranking because it’s on the less serious side. I have a slight bias against less serious music, for some reason, so a rather non-serious, outright fun song has an upper limit for me. However, I definitely enjoyed this quite a bit and found a new artist I never would have expected to find.
Parama, I like that you took this risk and threw an artist that I might hate instead of playing it safe after getting off to a great start. You’ll lose a little ground compared to your fellow leaders from the first round, but it’s only round 2. And I can’t say for certain that you even play these to win
. Still, I have to say, well done so far!
Score: 7.5 + 0.5 bonus = 8.0Big Hath: Redemption - Love Kills Us All/Life in One DayIn the interest of full disclosure, let me just note that I actually own this album and have heard this song once before. However, it was probably about a year ago, and the album didn’t impress me at the time (which is why I only heard it once). So I left it un-banned and decided that anyone who wanted to (unknowingly) take the risk by asking me to give one of the songs a second chance could take it. There’s at least one other album in a similar position, I don’t know if there are more as well.
Luckily for Big Hath, this is a song that I should have given a second chance a year ago but didn’t. This is just way better than I remembered it being. Though it’s a two part song, the parts segue seamlessly into one another. Love Kills Us All is a pretty good, pretty emotional ballad section that give way to the heavy and progressive Life in One Day.
There’s a lot of instrumental goodness here that I didn’t give this band credit for the first time through. The keyboard player does not play a dominant role in the mix, but he adds a lot to the general vibe of the song.
Also, I believe this is the same singer from Fates Warning. I like him a little better here because, even on the intense parts, he maintains a warmer, more emotive style instead of going to the wails, which I don’t particularly enjoy. The vocal melodies here aren’t exceptional for the most part, but there are some pretty solid ones, like the first verse of Life in One Day.
In the end, this is a really well-written and well-performed song. It’s also an 11-minute epic that gets its money’s worth. It doesn’t have as big of an impact on me (emotional or otherwise) as a number other songs do, which is what holds its score back (along with the fact that it ends pretty suddenly for an epic of its length), but it is a really good entry.
Big Hath, you’ve sent me two very different entries, which I appreciated. You’ve shared a band with me that I’m interested to hear more from and that I would not have found otherwise, and you’ve convinced me to give another chance to a band that I’d (probably unjustly) neglected. You’re not quite among the leaders, but you’ve been a really valuable presence in this roulette.
Score: 8.0Scorpion: Devin Townsend - Deep PeaceI have to say, at first I was a little worried, because I simply did not get this song at all. The weird noises in the background at the beginning and the highly unconventional song structure greatly put me off of this at first. But it really did come roaring back over the next few listens—this is absolutely the comeback song of the round.
The first part of the song is actually a really lovely buildup that highlighted to me which I’m already really liking Devin Townsend as a singer. He has a really pleasant tone and his voice built well with the intensity of the song.
Then there’s the really sharp left turn in the middle with a guitar solo that I have to say is quite strange. But once the full band comes in to back the guitar, things actually get pretty awesome. The combination of the choral stuff with the guitar solo is a really cool segment of the song that builds quite a bit of intensity going into the final vocal parts. Which, by the way, are really quite fantastic. I love Devin’s soft, soothing vocals that become more and more intense and then… wtf growls? I really do think the growls here are an unexpected but excellent touch. This is, in my mind, the best case scenario for use of growls. It’s not a full-throat metal piece and the growls are not used to the point of numbness. The growls just add some intensity to a short part of the song and do really well at doing just that.
I like this song, for all it’s oddities. The oddities bring it down a smidge for me, but this is still a strong entry. Scorpion, you’ve done quite well just trusting your gut, so perhaps you should keep going with that strategy! Well done thus far.
Score: 8.0Sacul: Janelle Monáe - Cold WarThis song is really unlike anything I’ve ever heard, while still being fairly poppy. I have to say, I really like the energy of the song, as well as, of course, the music and her voice.
You pointed out that there’s a lot going on musically behind her voice, and of course you’re right. There’s a lot of excellent percussion going on here, in addition of course to the really good synth work and that well-placed guitar solo.
Her voice remains the centerpiece, and it’s really excellent. Very passionate, and with strong melodies. I like the use of backing vocals in this song, as well. The “bye bye bye bye, don’t you cry when I say goodbye” part towards the end is pretty haunting. As is the video, which is a bit strange but somehow quite fitting and, well, haunting.
Sacul, you got off to a bit of a rocky start with a song that I liked, but not as much as the other first round entries. This is definitely a big step up. I like that you stuck to your electronic guns, because I definitely felt that you had plenty to show me in that genre that I would like more than the first song. This is a really good entry and a nice improvement from round one.
Score: 8.0 + 0.5 = 8.5OpenYourEyes311: Christina Perri - Jar of HeartsThe second song this round that I’ve technically heard before—this was fairly popular a few years ago, I think. I definitely recognize the line “you’re gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul.” But I’ve never listened to the song that seriously.
This is a pretty straightforward piano ballad, but it’s made its way into my heart. The fact that she’s playing the piano and singing at the same time live in this performance probably enhanced the sense that her voice and piano playing are working in tandem—the piano melodies move and shift to compliment her voice and even change significantly on the last chorus to compliment her change in intensity.
And her voice is absolutely fantastic. She’s very vocally talented, very passionate, and with this amazing grit that just amplifies the passion here.
And speaking of passion… honestly, OpenYourEyes, you really have found the way to my heart these first two rounds, which is why you’re in the lead right now. Like last time, the thing I really love about this song, this video, this performance is the extremely high level of passion that the performer displays both visibly in the video and audibly in the song. I absolutely love that in any musical performance and it will definitely push a song up in my esteem if I can hear that passion. If you can keep putting in extremely passionate, well-written pop/pop-rock songs and getting out 9s and 9.5s, you might just win this thing.
Score: 8.5 + 0.5 bonus = 9.0Shadow Ninja 2.0: Santigold - The Riot's GoneYou say you sent this basically on a whim? Wow. This is a really spectacular song. I’d never heard of this artist before or anything, but this is just amazing.
This piece is supremely electronic and vibe-y. The electronic drums are absolutely awesome, especially the way they kick into a higher gear on the chorus. The synths are located to the back most of the time, but they play a key role, especially on that terrific instrumental bit. I also really like the way that an electric guitar is used pretty subtly in the background to add to the overall vibe.
Her voice, of course, is quite excellent. Very soulful and thick. Fits perfectly with the mood of the song and she absolutely nails those beautiful vocal melodies.
On the whole, this is one of my favorite entries this round and among my favorites of this roulette. Shadow Ninja, you’ve done very well so far at sending me songs with a general vibe that I really enjoyed. Last round’s song was good, but this was on a new level. I hope to keep getting some really good songs with really great atmosphere from you as this progresses.
Score: 8.5 + 0.5 bonus = 9.0 Evermind: Jon Lord - Pictured WithinThis is really excellent. Sometimes, all it takes is a piano and a voice, maybe with the help of a few string instruments.
The emotional power of a song like this is not to be underestimated. Here we have what I would call a really bittersweet song about all the joys of life. The piano and the strings create an absolutely lovely atmosphere of emotion, and the singer is perfectly chosen for the song. Just a perfect example of a singer not doing anything exceptional technically, but hitting the right notes and portraying a whole ton of emotion. Fantastic.
I don’t have a lot more to say here. This is a short writeup, but this song shows, sometimes, less is more.
Less is more has seemed to be your philosophy, so far, Evermind. I wasn’t absolutely dazzled by your first round entry, but I enjoyed it. This entry is a significant step up. I really loved this piece and I’m glad you shared it with me. I’m looking forward to more ballads or whatever other good material you want to send in future rounds.
Score: 8.5 + 0.5 bonus = 9.0All the artists from this round have been added to banned artists. I'm not super familiar with how the whole Devin Townsend situation works, but I'm guessing that I probably shouldn't distinguish between "Devin Townsend" and "The Devin Townsend Project" and consider them both to be banned?
StandingsOpenYourEyes311 - 18.5
Parama - 17.5
Scorpion - 17.5
Shadow Ninja 2.0 - 17.5
Evermind - 17.0
Big Hath - 15.5
kingshmegland - 15.5
lonestar - 15.5
Sacul - 15.5
TAC - 15.5
Please let me know if I've messed up the standings somehow. I'll go through them a little more thoroughly soon, but right now it's just my mental math at 12:45 at night.
Round Three: OpenThe last open round for a bit before we try some (hopefully fun-ish and largely non-restrictive) themes. Might be a good opportunity to pull a Parama and take a crazy risk. Or not. Your mileage may vary.