Xanthul's boring and unimaginative Roulette - Zantera wins!!

[Gorille85]

OKKKKKKKKKKK

[Xanthul]

[Gorille85]

 

[Ultimetalhead]

I guess not. 

[Xanthul]

Round 7 results! INCOMING WALL OF TEXT

UMH - The Devin Townsend Project - Bend it Like Bender (8 points + 1 bonus point for DTP)
FUCK YOU. The intro riff reminded me so much of another song and I was trying to figure out which for a whole fucking hour (it was I Couldnt Do It Alone from The Dear Hunter). Anyway, a very energetic song and like you said the female vocals add a very nice touch. 8 points.

UMH - Dog Fashion Disco - The Hitchhiker (8 points)
I was going to make a joke about these guys being best pals with Polkadot Cadaver given the stylistical similarities but I already knew they're some of the same guys, so fuck jokes. I liked this better than Polkadot, the first and last sections are pretty good (especially the quiet piano parts with almost whispered vocals) and the middle section is just batshit crazy. 8 points.

UMH - Foxy Shazam - Oh Lord (9 points)
Fun fact: I listened to this the first time without watching the video and I thought they had a female vocalist (now it sounds totally male to me and I can't understand how that could have happened). Anyway a very nice song, terribly hard to classify in a genre (which isn't a bad thing) and very upbeat. This was an 8 on the first listen but now is a nine, you really did bring out the big guns like you said in your PM.

Zantera - Kayo Dot - A Pitcher of Summer (7 points + 1 bonus point for Kayo Dot)
It took me three listens to even start thinking what could I write about this song - it's that difficult to judge. The first calm section is pretty nice and it already shows glimpses of the weirdness that is to come with the different tempos, spoken words and other tricks. The vocals are somewhat weird, like he's running out of breath or something, I can't describe it. Sometimes I like them but and some other times they bother me. On the third listen I found out there was something similar to a chorus behind the distorted guitars of the middle section. The last two minutes are just a big WTF for me. I'm not sure if avant-garde is my thing. 7 points.

Zantera - Brand New - Luca (8 points + 1 bonus point for Brand New)
Excellent song all around. I love the singer's voice and the instrumentation is also very good though it takes a bit to get used to the squeals and high pitch sounds in the background in the middle section. Repeated listens made this better, I got used to that section and I continued enjoying the rest of the sections - the awesome quiet verses in the second middle of the song, the surprising heavier section that closes the song... 8 points

Zantera - Agalloch - Fire Above, Ice Below (7 points + 1 bonus point for Agalloch)
I wasn't expecting any black metal vocals, I thought they had turned into a non-metal band kind of like Anathema. Anyway these vocals were very limited so they didn't really bother me. It's a quite long song so it's hard to judge in three listens but I know I enjoyed the vocals (non harsh part) and that the instrumentation had a nice ambient feeling to it while being very guitar-driven. 7 points, could be higher with more listens but that's what I think of it right now.

Gorille - Ulver - Providence (9 points + 1 bonus point for Ulver)
I've been reading people raving about Perdition City for ages so I was kinda hoping someone would send something from that album, but this works too. I love the ambience on this one and the female vocals which, as you probably know by now, are a big turn on for me. I like how the song evolves from ambient to heavy and oppresing, back to ambient with a different touch to keep it from being repetitive and so on. This is another song that's probably enhanced by listening to it in the right context - anyway, it still deserves 9 points.

Gorille - Ferry Corsten - Ain't No Stoppin' (10 points)
Trance time! Never in a million years I was expecting this kind of song in a DTF roulette, it goes to show what a great, varied place this is. When I was younger I had my electronic music phase, going to dance clubs and all that stuff. While I no longer do that I still enjoy electronic a great deal and trance is the subgenre I love the most even though I don't know any artists by name. Anyway, this song was very awesome with very good melodies and a lot of variety (for a trance song). Truth be told, at first it had me dancing in my chair like a retard... then it had me dancing all over the room like a retard. 10 points.

Gorille - Nekrogoblikon - Bears (7 points)
After the surprising trance song this is even more surprising if that's even possible. Could it be that you're playing it safe? Sending three very different song hoping for a 10 in one of them to go with the "Best" scoring method? Anyway, for an extreme metal song this was quite nice, the raspy vocals don't bother me much which is weird for me and the mix of black, death and regular vocals is a nice one. The instrumentation in the background is very uptempo (excellent drumming) which also helps to avoid getting me bored or focusing too much in any specifics. I was tempted to give this 8 points which is weird for such an extreme metal song but I feel the second half is a bit worse than the first so I will give it 7 points. I might check these guys out though. BTW, they have no Wikipedia page so I searched them in google, this is what I found (from metal-archives): Genre: Symphonic Folk / Death Metal. Lyrical themes: Goblins

kári - 65daysofstatic - Radio Protector (7 points + 1 bonus point for 65dos)
It's nice to see a piano driven post-rock song, as you already know by now I love the sound of classic piano. The song has a nice crescendo which is par for the course within the genre and good upbeat drums, especially after the calm section in the middle of the song. However, I feel like the first half of the song is clearly the best and after that it becomes a bit repetitive. All in all, not really much to write about but it's a nice song. 7 points.

kári - Portishead - Roads (10 points + 1 bonus point for Portishead)
Great, I already had this album in my computer in lossless format but I hadn't listened to it so it's good to have an starting point. This reminds me a lot of the Massive Attack submission in the first round, I love the downtempo, dreamy electronics with the delicate female vocals. I recently saw these guys in a list of artists with small discographies that were a must and if this song is representative of the rest of their work, I can see why they made such a list. Very good song, 10 points.

kári - Kyte - These Tales of Our Stay (9 points)
Another hard to pinpoint song - is this shoegaze? is this ambient? is this post-rock? I don't care, it's awesome. After a very quiet intro the vocals and the bass pick the song up and start moving it in a more dynamic direction before they stop in the quiet instrumental break in the middle of the song. The second half of the song has a very cinematic feeling to it and I love how the drums keep the nice groove right until the very end where there's only a xylophone? keyboard? repeating the main theme of the song. It's weird how this main theme and its variations are repeated throughout the whole song but it never feels repetitive because of said variations and because half of the time it's in the background letting other instruments do their thing. Very good song, 9 points.

LLTWM - Can - Sing Swan Song (7 points + 1 bonus point for Can)
I added these guys to my list of bonus bands since I saw a lot of people in RateYourMusic raving about them and what a visionary band they were. When I saw in YouTube that this is from a 1972 album I knew they were right, it's incredible how music made 40 years ago can sound as modern as if it was made today. Regarding the song itself, it's nothing that rocks my socks off but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It has a very ethereal feeling, almost eastern sometimes and the little noises and squeals in the background give it a nice touch. I don't think this is something I could listen to regularly but I wouldn't mind checking out a whole album to have some background and knowledge in bands that changed the musical picture. 7 points.

LLTWM - maudlin of the Well - Geography (8 points + 1 bonus point for motW)
Another quiet song by Toby Driver, I get the same feeling about his voice that I did with the Kayo Dot submission but it has less of the "whiny" moments in this one. Truth be told, I was expecting some weird song with growls, weird tempos and breakdowns and stuff like that, which I think is what motW usually does, right? Regardless, this was a nice dreamy song with the right length to avoid boring the listener. I guess I need to check these guys out further if I want to see what the fuss is all about. 8 points.

LLTWM - Neutral Milk Hotel - Ghost (9 points + 1 bonus point for NMH)
That's some powerful intro riff and bass there. I think I've heard a song by these guys at some point in my life, the voice sounds familiar. I love the intensity on this one, especially for a mostly acoustic track. The drums and horns are also very intense, joining the bass to buryi the initial guitar riff as soon as they have chance. You said some people can't stand the singer - I love him, I think he is at least half of this song. It seems like the song segues right into another one so I guess this will be even better in the context of an album. Still, as an standalone track, 9 points.

Elite - maudlin of the Well - Gleam the Ranks (9 points + 1 bonus point for motw)
Nice to see a heavier song by these guys - still no growls though, I get the feeling you guys are hiding the big bad guy from me fearing growls might turn me off Anyway, some very awesome drumming and keyboards on this one and the singing is a notch above the other two Toby Driver songs I have received. I feel he does better this kind of singing than the whiny quieter parts (though I have to admit I'm warming up to those too). The riffing is also awesome so really, there's nothing objective to complain about, the only thing keeping it from a 10 is that I don't really feel like it's one of those songs that keeps wanting me to listen to it. 9 points.

Elite - Mastodon - Black Tongue (9 points + 1 bonus point for Mastodon)
You should have sent this for the drumming round, it's amazing. This is probably the kind of metal I've been searching for to expand my library: excellent riffs, powerful drumming and good vocals. I love how they keep the song short and to the point without adding unnecessary solos or over-repeating any riffs. Again, this would have fared awesomely in the drumming round, I love it. 9 points.

Elite - Alcest - Écailles De Lune (Part I) (6 points)
This was a pretty difficult song to judge, it's pretty long and I found myself losing attention too often. The first part is a bit too "thick" for me and the vocals don't do much for me. The instrumental sections in the middle were OK I guess and there is a nice riff here and there, but overall the song felt too long and I kept losing attention. The calm guitar before the outro is also nice but the outro itself is again very thick with the blast beats and quick guitar. I don't know, it's not a bad song or anything but it didn't really grab me at any point and force me to listen to it. 6 points.

ReaperKK - Devin Townsend - Down and Under (7 points + 1 bonus point for DT)
This is more folkish than UMH's submission though it does become heavier towards the end. Even though I like the different riffs in the song none of them stand out to me, the thing I like the most about the song is the soft intro and the bagpipes or whatever it is during the middle section. Once the heavy stuff starts I feel overwhelmed with the sound, it sounds too thick for me and I lose interest. I've heard a lot of good things about Terria so I keep wanting to like this but it's just not happening for now. 7 points.

ReaperKK - God is an Astronaut - Post Mortem (10 points)
Looks like post-rock library is going to grow quite a bunch after this roulette. I haven't heard much of Mogwai so I might be way off but this song reminded me a bit of Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. It's very rythmical, it's got lots of nice guitar riffs and keys supporting the whole thing in the background. I like how they take the opposite approach to standard post rock and instead of building up a crescendo they kind of break it apart, deconstructing it for five minutes until it becomes just a loud hum. I was sure they would bring the whole thing back with full force after that but they surprised me by just letting it die slowly. Beautiful song, 10 points.

ReaperKK - 65daysofstatic - Retreat! Retreat! (8 points + 1 bonus point for 65dos)
More post rock! This is more energetic and upbeat than kári's submission and also a tad more noisy with the buzzing bass and heavier guitars. Like in Radio Protector, the drums here are pretty good too so I think I'm going to like these guys if only for the drums. There's a certain feeling of grandeur during the first couple of minutes that I enjoy and the calmer section adds enough of a twist to keep me from getting bored. A little bit better than the other song in my opinion, 8 points.

black_floyd - Days of the New - Whimsical (9 points)
I could get flamed for this comparison, but after Unplugged in New York this is the direction I think Nirvana would have taken if it weren't for the death of Kurt Cobain. Excellent, dark acoustic guitars with gritty vocals, nice melodies and heaps of emotion - it really reminds me of Unplugged and that's a good thing since I love that record (fuck the haters). This is really is a great song, my only grip is that it could have been one or two minutes shorter. Still, good enough for 9 points.

black_floyd - Lush - Ladykillers (7 points)
Infectious riff plus fast vocals, very energetic song. I like the vocal harmonies during the choruses and that they keep the song short at to the point. Very power-poppy, there used to be a band here in Spain a while ago that had tunes very similar to this and they achieved some short-lived popularity. This is basically the same formula - female vocals with catchy melodies, power chording to the max and short songs. It is a nice song and though I believe I would quickly get tired of this kind of music I have to be fair - I'm judging songs by their impression in three listens, and in three listens this is an 7.

black_floyd - Jimmie's Chicken Shack - When You Die You're Dead (7 points)
Another catchy riff, you've really gone the alt-rock way this round. This one has a little bit of crazyness added to it though, for a three minute song it was incredibly hard to get into it and start appreciating what's going on. The riff in the chorus was surprising, I thought the whole song would be upbeat but they turned somewhat heavy in that section. All in all, a rollercoaster of a song and I seems like the main riff is stuck in my head, I can't help it. 7 points.

Scores:
UMH (Scoring method is "Worst"): 8 * 3 = 24 + 1 bonus = 25 points You chose correctly
Zantera (Scoring method is "Sum"): 7 + 8 + 7 - 4  = 18 + 3 bonus = 21 points You should have chosen "Worst" for 24 points
Gorille85 (Scoring method is "Best"): 10 * 2 = 20 + 1 bonus = 21 points You should have chosen "Sum" for 23 points
kári (Scoring method is "Sum"): 7 + 10 + 9 - 4 = 22 + 2 bonus = 24 points You chose correctly
LLTWM (Scoring method is "Sum"): 7 + 9 + 8 - 4 = 20 + 3 bonus = 23 points You should have chosen "Worst" for 24 points
Elite (Scoring method is "Worst"): 6 * 3 = 18 + 2 bonus = 20 points You should have chosen "Sum" for 22 points
Reaper (Scoring method is "Sum"): 7 + 10 + 8 - 4  = 20 + 2 bonus = 23 points You chose correctly
black_floyd (Scoring method is "Sum"): 9 + 7 + 7 - 4  = 19 + 0 bonus = 19 points You should have chosen "Worst" for 21 points

Ranking:



With this, our finalists are: Zantera and ReaperKK!! Incredible final round with some excellent submissions but sadly the lead built in previous rounds proved an invaluable asset for these guys. Still, I loved this round a lot and the fact that all songs were above 6 says a lot about how you guys have managed to pin down my taste - believe it or not, a six still means what it meant in the first round and everything you've sent has managed to spark at least some interest in me

[Xanthul]

Round 8: This will be a very straightforward round to judge the winner - finalists, send me an album and I will judge it over 20 points, no bonus for anything, score does NOT build on previous results (whoever wins this round, wins the game). Good luck to both of you!

Now, before everyone loses interest and doesn't even check the results of the finals, in a feeble attempt to thank you for all the music you've shown me, here are some farewell presents coming directly from Spain for all of you:

- For the metalheads: Crazy avant-garde from Spain, shitty production though since it's a local band that didn't last too much. I give you the whole album link, even though it's 16 songs it's pretty short so give it a spin if you can. If you can't be bothered, listen at least to "Positive" and "Heterogenea":
Album: https://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Love+Gastronomy/5651467
Positive: https://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Positive/3vMTY4?src=5
Heterogenea: https://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Heterogenea/3vMWJ2?src=5
- For the rockheads: One classic band from Spain, Heroes del Silencio. Their first albums are softer based mostly in very nice arpeggiated riffs and then they turned somewhat harder on the final stages of their career (but not much). The guitar and the vocals are something to behold:
The classic (modern re-recorded version, sounds better to me): https://grooveshark.com/#!/s/H+roe+De+Leyenda/3ZnDtX?src=5
The ballad: https://grooveshark.com/#!/s/La+Chispa+Adecuada+bendecida+3/4iIWhK?src=5
The rocker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bALV7vg3U2Q&ob=av2n
- For the progheads: I'm going to give you two choices: Triana, a flamenco-rock band with deep King Crimson influences (or so I'm told) and The Soulbreaker Company, a band that I really don't know except the song I will give you (a very good 10 minute song that reminds me somewhat of Transatlantic)
Triana: https://grooveshark.com/#!/s/Abre+La+Puerta/1VINCK?src=5
The SoulBreaker Company: https://grooveshark.com/#!/s/It+s+Dirt/3UJ3qO?src=5

If any of you tries any of this stuff please let me know in this thread what you thought of it (even if you thought it's shit).

[Xanthul]

You need to change your thread title.  This round is anything but "unimaginative".

Sorry, missed this comment earlier.

Xanthul's boring and unimaginative Roulette

You mean it IS boring then?

Thanks for the props, I'm following yours from the stands too, shaping up to be quite interesting with the matchups and everything

[Zantera]

A theme like this is pretty hard. Since choosing a full album is quite the task.
However I might have one, at least I think so.
Will send through PM.

[Xanthul]

Don't play victim with me, I know your shady ways

[Zantera]

Took a bit of a chance, but I guess that's the point. Either it will pay off big time, or I will loose, but hopefully the first option. 

[ReaperKK]

ohh man, I'm going to have to give this some thought, I'll submit it tonight.

Damn this has been a great roulette so far.

[Elite]

Ah, I took a bit of a chance with that Alcest song.. and failed

Glad you liked Mastodon and maudlin of the Well though, and yes, I did intentionally send you a song without growls 
Check out Bath and Leaving Your Body Map by them, great albums!

Zantera & ReaperKK, good luck!

[Ultimetalhead]

So, I lost the roulette, but I won the round.

I'm okay with that. 

[Xanthul]

Yeah UMH that was a great comeback, you sent very solid songs and chose the best scoring method for your choices, very good job.

Elite, I really felt bad about giving a 6 to that alcest song because your other two submissions were outstanding but I really tried to like it and I did enjoy some parts but I kept getting distracted with something else.

You've all been great participants though, it's going to be HELL to catch up with so many excellent artists, I foresee a very busy musical future for me 

[kári]

Great! Congrats Zantera and Reaper. SO CLOSE

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

[Elite]

Elite, I really felt bad about giving a 6 to that alcest song because your other two submissions were outstanding but I really tried to like it and I did enjoy some parts but I kept getting distracted with something else.

Ah, well. I thought you would like it, that's why I chose the 'Worst' thing, assuming I would get at least 8 points for every song. Turned out I was wrong though, and that's no problem at all. I do agree on it being a little long, yes.

[Xanthul]

Elite, I really felt bad about giving a 6 to that alcest song because your other two submissions were outstanding but I really tried to like it and I did enjoy some parts but I kept getting distracted with something else.

Ah, well. I thought you would like it, that's why I chose the 'Worst' thing, assuming I would get at least 8 points for every song. Turned out I was wrong though, and that's no problem at all. I do agree on it being a little long, yes.

Those are some good calculations, with an 8 worst you would have obtained just enough points to match Reap and become the third finalist.

It was still damn close though, I'm glad most of you had a realistic chance to get into the finals, goes to show what a great roulette it's been.

[Lowdz]

I've been an interested lurker in your roulette and have found a couple of bands I'd not heard anything by but which I now enjoy (Gordian Knot and Diablo Swing Orchestra), so thanks to those involved.
Also thanks for the link to the Triana track. I've always been a sucker for flamenco and I really enjoyed that.

[Xanthul]

Thank you, it's great to hear there's been some interested people, honestly sometimes I've felt as if I was writing for myself. Good to hear you've enjoyed Triana too, they have some incredible songs though sadly they also were wildly inconsistent so they have their fair amount of turds too. If you're interested in checking them out, the album of that song is called "El Patio" and is considered their best work.

Also, just curious - who would have won the roulette if you were the judge?

[Lowdz]

Thank you, it's great to hear there's been some interested people, honestly sometimes I've felt as if I was writing for myself. Good to hear you've enjoyed Triana too, they have some incredible songs though sadly they also were wildly inconsistent so they have their fair amount of turds too. If you're interested in checking them out, the album of that song is called "El Patio" and is considered their best work.

Also, just curious - who would have won the roulette if you were the judge?

Just looking back, seems like Elite meshes most with my taste, and bonus points for recommending DSO.

[Xanthul]

Still cooking that album Reap?

[ReaperKK]

You'll have it by 8pm tonight

[ReaperKK]

Sent!

[jingle.boy]

Thank you, it's great to hear there's been some interested people, honestly sometimes I've felt as if I was writing for myself. Good to hear you've enjoyed Triana too, they have some incredible songs though sadly they also were wildly inconsistent so they have their fair amount of turds too. If you're interested in checking them out, the album of that song is called "El Patio" and is considered their best work.

Also, just curious - who would have won the roulette if you were the judge?

I lurk on all Roulette's.  Fun to see the interaction, submissions, and results ... even if the genres/tastes are about the last thing that I'd be interested in.

[black_biff_stadler]

j.b: Deathcore or GTFO!

[Xanthul]

I will be posting the results tonight

[Zantera]

Cool. I would be so bummed if I lost, it's not the first time I've gone far in a roulette to lose on the finish line. 
Nah but in all seriousness, I feel happy that I've contributed with music that you've liked.

[Xanthul]

Nice Miss Universe speech there Zant but your jedi mind tricks don't work on me

[ReaperKK]

I'm happy I got as far as I did with my first roulette

[Xanthul]

Guys I know I'm sucking donkey stuff but finding an hour to listen to the album in full is quite a challenge... I already gave Zantera's submission 3 listens and did his writeup, I'm in 2 listens for Reaper now and trying to find an hour for a third listen while I do the writeup.

Best case scenario I post this tonight, worst case scenario tomorrow first thing in the morning.

Sorry again.

[ReaperKK]

Take your time man

[Xanthul]

Final Round Results!!

Zantera - Gazpacho - Night

The album starts with a 17 minute song - fuck the weak. This first track titled Dream of Stone starts very atmospheric and then quietly evolves going through several phases adding guitars, vocal harmonies, high pitched sounds and even a violin. This transformation (along with the fact that the whole album flows as a whole, making tracks somewhat irrelevant) keeps the song from feeling too long for its own good. The slow drums and fuzzy bass provide a very solid foundation that keeps it all tied together, allowing the sweet piano lines and cool guitar riffs and arpeggios to shine. The singer's voice is very soothing too and even when singing in falsetto it's never annoying. Despite its length, if I just put on the headphones and listen to it without worrying about track lengths I can't help but love this.

Chequered Light Buildings opens with an excellent, beautiful composition of piano and vocals with some excellent melodies before adding the rest of the instruments creating a relaxing canvas in which the falsetto voice paints its own picture. The song gets louder with a tension-filled riff that is resolved with a slower guitar riff and the vocals bringing back the chorus. Good song.

A short but excellent guitar transition gives way to Upside Down which is probably my favorite song in this record. The first half is driven by some excellent, very rhythmic drums that keep the theme consistent while the other instruments play around with different melodies and riffs.The second half contains some cinematic duets of violin and keyboards - I could picture the music playing in a war movie set 200 years ago, the camera panning over the battlefield, showing the corpses and smoke while the survivors walk around aimlessly. Excellent song.

Valerie's Friend starts off exploring the acoustic side of the band with some decent melodies that don't really manage to hook me. The song soon gives in to a more oppressing electric sound, channeling a feeling of unease that stays through the softer outro. I find this song the least interesting of the five - it's not a coincidence that this is the song with the least keyboard and violin in the whole record since in my opinion these two instruments are the ones that add the most personality to this band. Not a Debbie Downer, but not all that interesting to me either.

The album closes with Massive Illusion which clocks in at over 13 minutes. After another excellent ambientish intro this song contains some of the most upbeat (if you can ever use that word) sections of the album, such as the clapping and the electric guitar driven section in the middle of the song. Thankfully, for the last third of the song the band taps again into the well of musical bliss that represent the classic piano and violin duets, providing some of the best minutes in the whole record. Although the more uptempo sections aren't that great the excellent intro and outro make up for it, very good song.

All in all, these guys sound incredibly ethereal and dreamy while adding the right amount of electric guitar and louder sections to keep the album from losing the listener's interest. However, necessary as those sections are, I feel sometimes they aren't as brilliant as the electronic or the violin and keyboard driven sections which are clearly my favorite.

ReaperKK - Jeff Buckley - Grace

This is one of the albums that I've seen revered in a lot of places so I have some high expectations for this. Mojo Pin starts and it doesn't disappoint, Jeff's voice dominates the song with his incredible range and distressed vibrato. I particularly enjoy the softer parts here with the arpeggiated guitar while the choruses don't impress me that much - anyway, it's made clear from the start that this is an album in which Jeff's voice is the absolute protagonist and the instruments have a secondary role.

After an almost Sigur Ros-esque outro, the title track starts full of vibrant energy with a more uptempo riff that adds some folk touches while the voice remains somewhat more restrained than in the previous song. Again, there are some excellent arpeggiated guitar sections, this guy clearly knows how to play. Jeff then tickles Xanthul's weak spot with some excellent vocal harmonies before going full force with his voice to close the song at its peak. Nice song.

Last Goodbye starts out more traditional - strummed chords, straightforward drumming, no vocal excesses. There really isn't that much to say about the song during the first half, but during the second half there are some nice strings added to the mix and Jeff again increases his vocal presence and strength. This song didn't do as much for me as Grace but it was still decent.

We reach contemplative ballad time with Lilac Wine, a song with very sparse instrumentation in which again the voice is in the driver's seat - and what a voice it is. From the quiet parts during the intro to the soft, melodic sections Jeff dominates the song like nobody's business. Again, decent song but I feel I was expecting something to happen and it didn't.

So Real is a quirky little piece - I love the guitar work and weird riffs on this one and the chorus is simple but effective. The song alternates between soft and intense for a while before ending with a bang with some excellent harmonies and even screams. Even though I appreciate this song it doesn't reach the "highlight" status of Grace.

However, the best song comes with Hallelujah, one of his most famous songs if I'm not mistaken, and not without reason. Like Lilac Wine, the instrumentation here is very minimal - however, it really works here because the guitar is excellent as it was during the first couple of songs and has a personality of its own. The vocals here are probably at his absolute best, fully submerging the listener in the experience and making him (me) beg for this song to never end. Incredible song.

Being the song that comes after the best one is never easy, but Lover, You Should've Come Over manages nicely. A more traditional ballad than Lilac Wine, the more fleshed out instrumentation (do I hear a Hammond over there? I love Hammonds!) gives it a better support to avoid relying only in Jeff's voice. This one joins the ranks of the highlight songs, taking over Grace as my second favorite.

Corpus Christi Carol brings back the contemplative ballad that relies only in the vocals and it does so with some melodies that don't really do much for me. Even though Jeff does a great job and sounds operatic at times, I feel he abuses the vibrato and there's too little going on. This is probably my least favorite song in the record.

The record tries to pick back some of the lost energy with Eternal Life with a very alt-rock feeling song. Highly distorted, dirty, fuzzy guitars and bass take me by surprise since I didn't think such a thing would happen in this kind of intimate album. Even though I feel like the song doesn't belong in this album (maybe in The Bends), it's a decent song.

The album closes with Dream Brother which starts with some eastern sounds before going into a very relaxing mood driven by a beautiful guitar and Jeff doing his thing, bringing the most soothing side of his voice. I somehow feel like this is the most carefully crafted song of the record - it has the right amount of emotion, the vocals do exactly what is needed in each section, the drums are interesting for once… Very, very good song.

Jeff really has an incredible voice and knows how to put it to use - sometimes he sounds quiet, others he dominates with his unreal range and high pitched falsetto. Sadly, as much as I love his voice I'm not a fan of this kind of songs as a usually prefer to have different stuff to focus in depending on my mood - drums, guitars, vocals… That happened in Lover, You Should've Come Over and in Dream Brother, but overall I felt like the vocals were the only thing I could focus on.

[Xanthul]

The scores:

Zantera - Gazpacho - Night (15 points)
ReaperKK - Jeff Buckley - Grace (14 points)

It was really hard for me to give them different scores since they're really similar to me. As you can read in the writeups, I enjoyed both albums but neither made me go crazy... Both have some exceptional stuff but they also have a couple of major aspects that keep me from loving them. Ultimately, Gazpacho won because the keyboard plus violin duets are something to behold and that's what could make me come back to check them once I've caught up with all the awesome bands I've received during this roulette.

Congratulations to Zantera, winner of Xanthul's Boring and Unimaginative Roulette!

Thanks again to everyone that has participated for letting me know about your awesome music and for the patience you've had (although a little over a month for an eight round roulette is not that bad, is it?)

Final standings:

[Zantera]

Awesome! Really great roulette, I enjoyed the write-ups and it's nice to see that you spent time on doing them.
As for Gazpacho, while Night is my favorite album, I could also recommend their latest album, "March of Ghosts" (came out this year) which is still them, but a bit different. Night is a concept album about dreams and the sound reflects that, March of Ghosts has another "sound" (while still having the keyboards and violin) so maybe it's worth checking out.

Still, awesome job at running the roulette!