I guess now would be an appropriate time to mention the point scale. Absolute maximum of 8, with 0 being rock bottom. The idea is that those two will be very seldom awarded, just to make sure that I have a high ceiling. I remember feeling a little restricted by a strict song ranking system from last time, so I'll be giving this a try.
Right, the song rankings. Here we go. Gave each two complete listens, would probably do more but I know how people sometimes react to extended periods between updates, and I'll be leaving for NY for 2 days tomorrow so this is probably for the best.
Gorille – Beck – Hell Yes
This makes for pretty cool instrumental electronic. Some cool nuances here and there. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling the song much beyond that. The spoken word/sampled vocal parts were pretty uninspired and didn’t contribute too much, and eventually the little nuances got repetitive. However, it was still a nice and enjoyable song, so don’t take that too harshly.
4 points
Ravenheart
Jill Tracy - Evil Night Together
I think you knew exactly what you were doing when you sent me this. Two things I’ll admittedly usually swoon over; jazzy piano and low female vocals, and this song has both of those in spades. And fuck, chamber orchestration? Get out of my brain. Anyway, the song was very nice and really nailed the feeling it was going for.
6 points
Antigoooon
Elbow – Lippy Kids
The strong pop sensibilities of this song were evident nearly immediately. I could tell that these are men who know exactly when to bring in the warm clean electric tones, when to sample the synthetic strings, when to take the singing into a higher register, etc. So yeah, it’s really well done for what it is. What surprised me was the lack of the crescendo into the main melody with distortion and crash symbols and what-have-you. Definitely counter to the normal direction to take a song of this type, and I like it. The little piano line near the end is my favorite part.
5 points
Ariich
Sia – Soon We’ll be Found
I know this melody! My friend recorded a nice cover of it not that long ago. The original version here is much more subtle and subdued. The girl’s voice is definitely nice and unique. Her pronunciation and style is almost awkward by the standards for such a song, but in a good and certainly intentional way. The orchestration is very synthetic and a bit bothersome sometimes, but that’s a minor objection against a very solid and memorable pop song.
5 points
Sonatafanica
The Blood Brothers – Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck
This song had me the most divided by far, out of any of them. This band has some really cool things going on, particularly vocally. The high, squeaky guy is great, and the “love love love” part is really nice. However, the instrumentation beneath was really lifeless, and some of the melodies were a good deal more grating than the aforementioned one (particularly the “back at the hospital” bit) and the screamo breakdown was way over-the-top. That’s why I’m so divided over this song. The score is a bit low for now, but I could see myself warming up to it more given time.
4 points
Sigz
The Body – Empty Hearth
Fuck. I’m not very good at putting words together to describe stuff like this, since it’s so far removed from my usual experience with music. This shit is cool, though. Mhm. It doesn’t get much more immense and dark than this. I like how it has electronic elements but still manages to sound really earthy.
5 points
Zantera
British Theatre – Gold Bruise
So this is what the Oceansize guy is up to, now? Cool, definitely seems like a logical progression from where Oceansize ended up. The music was very nice, the electro-organic sound seems very natural here. I like the vocals, but for a song so sparse and canvas-y they were a bit too lifeless and seemed to sink into the other textures a little too often. Just a minor mark, he still sounds great, as does his new output.
5 points
Orcus
The Big Pink – Velvet
A mid-tempo groove definitely seems to be a staple of this round. I think it’s been best put to use here, though. Unlike many other songs of this type, (personal experience) the electronic beat is put to good use and is an integral part of the song. And it’s a very good song, too. The fuzzy guitars and general loudness are always exactly where they should be, and I really like how the soft falsetto harmonies still manage to find a place within all of the distortion.
6 points
Current scores
Orcus - 6
Ravenheart - 6
Antigoon - 5
Sigz - 5
Ariich - 5
Zantera - 5
Sonata - 4
Gorille - 4
So, solid round. Lots of 5s and shit. As I mentioned earlier, I'll be up in NY for the next two days, but I'll be back by Sunday, so we can be in pretty good shape if they're all in by then.
Round 2 - maximalism. I'm leaving this term fairly open to interpretation, so don't think that it's necessarily some Toby Driver shit with over 100 layered tracks. I'm more looking for something that is intricately layered and has a lot to pick apart, if you catch my drift. These rounds are very "loose," though, and I won't be giving you too much trouble if you stray away from their constraints slightly.
Anyway, I think that's all. Man, I forgot how much goddamn writing goes into these things.
Topic: Clairvoyantcat's Roulette v. What is dead may never die (Read 16549 times)
