Well, first off: Fantastic round, guys. Every song has made me anxious to check out the rest of the material. So, huge props for that, especially with the wide variety of genres represented here. I wish I could give all these songs full marks.
5 Points - sonatafanica
Gregory and the Hawk -
Oats We SowI really don't know what it is about this song. The combination of the simple, catchy music and the vocals is just so amazingly uplifting. If a song makes me get that warm, fuzzy feeling, I know it's something extremely special. It's just fabulous. This girl's voice has to be one of the most soothing, cute voices I've heard in my life. Absolutely spell-binding.
4 Points - DTVT
Kevin Gilbert -
Shadow SelfThis is one monster of a song right here. It starts off with such a great, catchy melody, and then it brings on a great groove. The groove pretty much holds through for the rest of the song. One of the things that really surprised me about this song was the vocals. There's quiet vocals, harsher vocals, and full on chanting. Then, at the very end of the song, there's an incredible layer that just sounds amazing. This one fought with sonata's song quite a bit.
4 Points - ariich
Bad Religion -
21st Century Digital BoyWay to take note of my Offspring influence and run to the hills with it.
This song just grabbed me by the face. I can't really explain it. It's one of the few songs that just instantly clicks with me and just gets better the more times I listen to it. The chorus manages to be so catchy, but it never sounds cheesy at all (much like how I feel about The Offspring's material). Oh yeah, and it's got a killer guitar solo. Awesome.
3 Points - AcidRainLTE
The Pineapple Thief -
Shoot FirstAwesome band name, first off.
This is a song with the ultimate combination of proggy and catchy. I love the atmospheric textures in the background, especially during the main riff. Lots of really great bass too, always a plus. The singer's voice is great. It has that ethereal, ghost-like sound to it, and it works well with the song's atmosphere. The chorus, like pretty much all the other songs, is probably the best part of the song. Great vocal melodies.
3 Points - lateralus88
Flogging Molly -
Tobacco IslandI don't really like to refer to songs as fun, because it's a pretty dumb description that doesn't really tell you anything about what the song sounds like, but this is a case where I think that's pretty much the only way to describe it. Having heard and loved several Dropkick Murphys songs, I knew I was going to enjoy this one. The Irish feel, the banjo, the fiddle, it all works so well with the punk sound that I can't believe that more bands don't play around with it. Oh yeah, and it's catchy as hell too.
2 Points - Sigz
Giraffes? Giraffes! -
When The Catholic Girls Go Camping, The Nicotine Vampires Rule SupremeAnother A+ band title, with an even more A+ song title. I love the technical aspect, all the wonky time signatures, and the guitar solo. The bass is a nice addition as well. I really wanted to give this song three points, but I think I like it just a hair less than the Flogging Molly song. This is still a song that I would give 5 points if I could though. We're still at the top of the pile.
2 Points - KevShmev
The Postal Service -
The District Sleeps Alone TonightThis song is great too, but I'm not a big fan of the verses. When the synths come in and the female (I hope) vocals show up, that's when this song really got my attention. Then, as is the common theme with this round, the chorus made me happy inside. Great song.
1 Points - skydivingninja
Mew -
Am I Wry? NoDon't get me wrong, here. It's definitely a good song. I'm just really not a fan of those types of vocals. I'll still explore more of their discography, but this one just didn't do too much for me. It's not quite as memorable as the others.
Round 2: Another Open RoundLike I said, themes aren't going to be a very big part of this roulette. I want people to send me stuff that they think I will like, and if they don't get to send me a song that they want to send because of the themes, I'd feel pretty bad. So, yeah.