Floating Like a Feather#6: Evermind: Dark Tranquillity – IridiumFirst Impressions:I don’t know what Celestial Violence without Einar would be. Just the growly parts? That sounds very un-Evermind-y. Jokes aside. I feel like you meant that as a “contrast between quieter, atmospheric parts and heavier, more explosive ones”. Regardless, having growls at all makes for one weird entry coming from you.
There’s a grandness, a sense of raw power to this track. It’s a basic song but really effective in what it does. I don’t know what else to say about it.
Final Thoughts:I still kind of feel like you were bribed into sending something like this but whatever haha. I’m glad you did regardless, it’s a pretty rad song. Has the growlies instant 10/10.
Anyways. The quiet intro is solid but it doesn’t really have the emotional depth of the song you directly compared it too, but it’s solid nonetheless. When the song really kicks in though, that’s what I’m talking about. Just a pure power to it. Crushing guitars, booming drums, the synths providing a melodic background. It all sort of blends together into a wall of sound, but in a good way, the kind that overwhelms you as you listen to it.
The rest of the song is kind of just there in comparison to the chorus, really. The second verse has a bit more power behind it, the bridge has a solid guitar melody going on but it’s repeated a bit too much, and the outro is… well, a bit too long for sure, but there’s some nice, subtle melodic stuff going on there. It’s all okay, but the chorus really outshines the rest of this. I don’t dislike the rest but I find it all “okay” at best.
I think I had a pretty positive kneejerk reaction to this one, and then on relistens noticed how little it really had to offer as a whole… it’s solid, there’s no doubting that, and that chorus is killer, but not especially unique either. I definitely enjoy it, there’s no doubt about that, but I feel like if I keep listening to this one I’d start to lose interest in it. Kind of like what happened with Celestial Violence and most of Arktis, to be honest, so I guess hey the comparison works! Just not in the way you wanted it to, perhaps.
7.5/10#5: home: Biffy Clyro – 9/15thsFirst Impressions:This is the band that Mike Vennart played with for a bit, and also I’ve heard a few songs by as well. And is apparently djent, according to Evermind.
The intro of this is kind of haunting and when the vocals come in it definitely seems like it’s trying to veer in that direction. Okay, and when the heavy guitars kick in it’s just crushing and intense. The climax is utterly massive, too. Shame it’s so brief, though, but that definitely makes it concise.
Final Thoughts:I kind of saw this coming, but the main issue of this song is pretty apparent; repeating one line over and over makes for a repetitive song, no matter how much you build up that one line. It’s not a particularly deep or interesting lyric to begin with, either. I do get tired of it, I wish there was more variety to the lyrics. There’s like one bit that has different lyrics but it’s short and they go back to the main line right after.
Musically though this is great. The somber guitar in the intro and the unnerving strings backing it. The crushing and punchy guitar when the song really kicks in, The bass and drums synchronizing with the rhythm to give it that much more punch. The choir that comes in to back the vocals, and then takes center stage at the end. The way the first loud bit doesn’t quite go over the top so that they have something to top it later.
I really like the bridge between the two “choruses” of the song too, the crash cymbal rolls and fuzzy guitar and guitar noise creating this massive wall of sound that builds perfectly to the climax. And the screeching strings that come in over the final heavy bit to make it all that more powerful, just wonderfully epic.
I’m almost wondering if the song’s length works in its favor to some extent, as it’d be exponentially more repetitive if it were twice as long and I’d probably get tired of it, but at under 3 minutes it’s kept concise and relistenable, even if I’m slightly bothered by the lyrics. But it’s really only slightly, and overall this is a killer track. Maybe one day I’ll actually look deeper into these guys, I’ve known about them forever, so, yeah.
8/10#4: Tomislav95: Totalselfhatred – EnlightenmentFirst Impressions:Pretty distinctly getting a “nothing especially unique, but just rather well done” vibe from this one right away.
The wall of sound created by the guitars and strings is wonderfully dense and fuzzy, the drums aren’t destroying it by being too active and the vocals blend right in. It definitely fits in with the kind of black metal I enjoy; intense and beautiful, crushing and gorgeous, and not really concerned with being br00tal or dissonant.
Final Thoughts:I guess if I had to pick out a fault in this track, it’s that all the louder parts sound the same, as far as I can tell there’s not much variation outside of the vocals and the drums changing a few times. That being said, what gets repeated is plenty good and it’s atmospheric in a way such that I don’t really get tired of it, so that’s more of a nitpick than anything.
I think the MVP of this track are the strings that show up in the quieter places. They really help keep the song sounding dense and haunting, they provide a darker texture that plays well off the guitar and piano melodies, creating a chilling mood that I quite like. The guitar and piano lines during the quieter moments are both solid too, they serve their purpose plenty well.
Surprisingly, considering this is a black metal track, the bass is pretty audible throughout the louder moments of the track. Not that it does much special other than a few melodies towards the end of the song, but it’s nice to hear regardless. The drums also mostly change by adding double-kick bass to the same straightforward rhythm which drives the energy of the song up ever so slightly while not really breaking the atmosphere.
It’s really hard to describe this song in ways other than “everything works” and “it all sounds good”. I can’t say this is as spacey or easy to get lost in as Alrakis tends to be for me, but it’s a similar sound in a lot of the same ways and definitely a sound I can get behind. I’d definitely listen to a whole album of songs like this, absolutely. Not a standout track but certainly an enjoyable one regardless.
8.25/10#3: Bolsters: The Old Dead Tree – What’s Done is DoneFirst Impressions:A bit into this and I’m finding that while this isn’t really standing out as anything particularly unique, there’s some cool riffs going on and it’s far from boring. That weird disco guitar that pops up in a few places is a strange choice though. I’m not sure why it’s there or what it’s supposed to add. The calmer break in the middle is solid. This is one of those songs that doesn’t have anything really standing out on first listen but is just all-around solid, and I’m fine with that.
Final Thoughts:This song is kind of all over the place. The intro guitar tone is something straight out of some kind of mid 2000’s indie rock track. Then the song kicks in with a driving, slightly heavier pop rock style riff and death metal growls. And that random funk/disco guitar that happens on the chorus. And then 1:30 there’s the slower bit that has this feeling of impending doom about it, it’s macabre in a way. And THEN a cut to a quieter middle. And there’s a piano in there too, just for good measure?
Honestly as simple as the guitar riffs in this song are, I quite like them. They have a lot of groove to them but also a driving force when it’s needed. They keep the song’s energy high but they’re crunchy enough to have power too. The slower, heavily melodic parts are probably my favorite bits though, I just like the atmosphere they have, it’s dark in an interesting way. There’s not really anything new that shows up past the halfway mark aside from a guitar solo and an intense riff accompanying it as the song builds up to its climax, but there’s enough to the song that it doesn’t get stale either.
The growls are a bit underplayed here, only showing up a few times, but they’re pretty solid, and the song gets suitably intense to match them whenever they show up. The cleans are solid too, not exceptional but plenty serviceable and the vocal melodies are pretty good on the whole, no real complaints on that front. Really the only nitpicks I have are that disco guitar that I’m just not a huge fan of, same with the tone of the guitar during the intro. They’re both just too fuzzy and thin sounding, I suppose.
I still wouldn’t say that this is especially a “standout” song in any way, but one that covers all its bases well and has very little about it I find unappealing. It’s just a very enjoyable listen. I can dig it. Another case where I’m ping-ponging between two scores so I’ll just give you the higher one, sure.
8.25/10#2: 425: Spock’s Beard – ThoughtsFirst Impressions:I found myself able to predict some of the repeating melodies in the intro after hearing the first bar of the phrase, which isn’t exactly the greatest thing for something that’s trying to be unpredictable prog, but it’s not like I see most of it coming anyways. I can see where you’re coming from with the weirdness, between the noises in the intro and the a cappella-feeling vocal bits. Beyond that though it’s a fairly standard prog rock type of affair with a dark mood going through it.
It’s actually an interesting contrast between the bright instrumentation and the darker vibes here, and the instrumentation itself is solidly interesting on its own too. It definitely feels like you’ve really stepped up your game after the past two rounds, at the very least.
Final Thoughts:Out of all the songs in this roulette so far, this is probably the most memorable and the catchiest. Obviously that’s not a bad thing in and of itself, but if what’s catchy is something annoying or unpleasant then it can make a mediocre song awful. That’s an effect a lot of pop has, it’s bad but also catchy and thus way worse than it should be.
I’m going off on a tangent for no real reason though because this song rules, actually. There’s just something about… the goofy synth sound and the melodies, contrasted with the dark feeling the song has as a whole. It turns something bouncy and playful into something really unsettling, like it’s mocking the singer in some way or another. I don’t know. It works, but I can’t explain quite why. And it’s maddeningly catchy, but in a good way.
I like how they have multiple singers and all of them are doing something, even if the backing singers don’t really sound all that great, the way they all play off each other and interact makes the vocals more interesting than they otherwise would’ve been. And I guess the lead singer is Morse? I don’t actually know but I’d assume so. Whoever it is, they do a killer job selling the emotion of the song, both in the somber moments and the more intense moments, I dig their vocals especially. The only one who doesn’t really sound so great is whichever one is panned to the right speaker and starts out each phrase, I guess. Not a huge deal, doesn’t sound awful either.
Probably my favorite parts are the more straightforward and driving bits that bookend the song, that guitar line combined with that bass and those drums, it just all comes together in a really great way. Especially with how unhinged everything gets at the end of the track, drums and guitar both going off onto chaotic tangents. And the way every phrase ends with the brighter and jagged guitar line just to break things up and keep you on your toes. I dig it.
Honestly at some point this was my favorite song of the round, and I have no clue why I’ve never looked into these guys before considering I’ve known about them forever, but I probably will give them at least a listen or two following this.
8.5/10Forgot Their Parachute#8: Train of Naught: Projected Twin – You Threw the StoneFirst Impressions:It feels to me like the singer can’t really hit those long notes very well. They sound a bit off and a bit drab, not even the slightest vibrato on them. Right now I’m waiting for this to really kick into full gear and I’m worried it’s not actually going to do so at over halfway into the song. It builds up and finally does at almost 4 minutes in, which really does feel a bit too late.
There’s not much about this that I find myself interested in, and with how long it takes to really get going that’s not a great sign. It’s just… a song that exists.
Final Thoughts:I think my problem with the song kicking in so late was only a first listen problem. I was anticipating something that seemed like it didn’t want to happen, and by the time it did happen it didn’t feel satisfying. But having a better grasp of the song’s overall structure, it’s fine the way it is. Just a little offputting on first listen.
What has not improved is the vocals, unfortunately. The singer does most of the notes just fine, but he absolutely cannot sustain those long ones. There’s no vibrato on them and they always end up veering slightly flat. It’s weird especially because there’s light vibrato on some of the shorter ones? But the end result is that the long notes just sound grating once they’ve gone on for two or three seconds. I really can’t get past that.
Musically, it’s certainly solid. It’s again mixed nicely, everything comes through pretty clear. The bass doesn’t really do much more than double the guitar a lot of the time but it’s audible enough to hold its own weight. The drums are all-around pretty solid, they help with the build later in the track and there’s some neat stuff during the climax. The guitar lines I do like, the very dreamy main guitar melody that goes on through a lot of the song, and the riff at the end is actually quite strong, I dig it. And there’s even horns that creep in around 1:30 for a little bit, it’s a nice touch.
I would definitely say that on the whole this song did grow on me, and I don’t really think anything about it got worse; the vocals I wasn’t much a fan of at all on first listen but by my final listen I was only really bothered by the long notes, and even then not as bothered. But bothered nonetheless. It’s just a bit too much to get past. As well, it’s not like the song is anything particularly fresh or unique, just a solid song for the most part with a bit of an issue regarding the vocals. But it’s hard to be too harsh on it, it’s still an enjoyable track, just a bit flawed.
7/10 #7: Sacul: Nils Frahm – MoreFirst Impressions:“Zantera / Sacul Music” this definitely is. About half this song is holding on the muted sound created by that weird recording technique you mentioned, there’s a twinkly feel to it. But also a kind of stunted one. I’m not sure I like how wooden it makes everything sound – literally wooden, I mean.
The back half has a more standard sound to it and inevitably a sound I like a lot more, it’s very spacey and ethereal. This song is destined to stand out from the rest of the songs this round by sheer virtue of not being rock or metal, as well. I’m not sure I’m a huge fan but it’s certainly pleasant to listen to, and easy to listen to as well.
Final Thoughts:Honestly, I’m having trouble finding much to say about this. It’s calming, relaxing music. Music to zone out to, music I’d honestly enjoy more in the background than as the main attraction. But when you sit me down and force me to focus on it, all that ends up happening is that my mind starts to wander while I’m listening to it. And while I generally would say that I do indeed like this I can’t say I feel too strongly about it. I’d rather be listening to Hammock. I always want to be listening to Hammock, though, so maybe that’s a bit unfair.
The first half of the song is basically just one idea played for four and a half minutes. It evolves slightly and in subtle ways, with new layers of texture coming in and out, but I can never really say it noticeably changes or moves forward in any real way. I’ve warmed up to the sound, I think it does add a nice layer of texture to the whole thing and that the first half wouldn’t be as interesting as it is without it, so yeah, I guess it works in that regard. I guess though, the pacing is just too fast for me to really find this that calming, but it’s certainly pleasant.
At about the halfway point the song cuts out for some melancholic piano. I like this part. It doesn’t go on for too long and it’s a nice melody. The piano sounds a lot more full and organic here too, which is definitely a sound I appreciate. My favorite phase of the song though is probably the ambient last few minutes, with a gorgeous, thick soundscape and some gentle piano going on under it. That’s a sound that I really find I like. It’s relaxing.
I do find this pleasant to listen to, obviously, but it just doesn’t really stand out in any way. The recording gimmick is kind of neat and unique, but the sound it creates isn’t really that new, just a bit different than what you’d expect a piano track to sound like. It’s hard for me to really “love” this, though I definitely at least “like” it. And it’s probably something I’ll put on in the background at least a few more times in the future.
7.25/10