ROUND 5 RESULTSsenecadawg2: Clint Mansell - The Last Man
Sending me a song from a film soundtrack was an interesting idea, and while I can't say I've heard of The Fountain before, this song was nice. It's very melancholy and haunting, with some beautiful piano and string melodies. I would have liked a bit more piano actually, as it only shows up at the beginning and the end. The majority of the song is a pure string section, and while it contains some great melodies that lay over the chord progression, it does get a bit repetitive. It's still very pretty, though. Also, I like that little creepy bit at the very end. Very interesting choice; I like it, and it fits the theme quite well.
Score: 8.0
Lucien: Abyssmal Sorrow - Cavernous Sorrow And Worthlessness
Oh boy. With a band name and song title like that, how could you possibly go wrong?
Well, the song definitely starts off very well. The clean guitar melody at the beginning is fantastic; it's incredibly sad and beautiful, and when it gets reprised again towards the end it works very well. The rest of the song is slow, doomy black metal. While I like slow doomy metal and the song definitely has a cold and depressing atmosphere, it suffers from the problem that a lot of black metal has: it sounds like absolute shit. You can just barely make out the melodies from the dense, muddy production, and the vocals don't even sound like vocals at all, though that's probably the point… If this song didn't sound so terrible and had a bit more clean guitar (like I said, that clean guitar melody is amazing), I probably would have liked it a lot more. But hey, you could have done worse.
Score: 7.5
?: Sentenced - End Of The Road
I just knew you were going to send me some form of melancholic Scandinavian metal for this round.
This song definitely delivers in that department. The first song has a good contrast between the heavy guitar riffs and the soft verses, and while it's not incredibly depressing, it's certainly melancholy. It kinda reminds me of Type O Negative (have you ever checked those guys out? I feel like they'd be right up your alley). The second half of the song is really cool. It's a lot more energetic while still retaining a somber mood, and the guitar work is really nice, both in terms of the riffs and the soloing. Pretty solid song.
Score: 8.5
elefantStone: Radiohead - Videotape
This is an incredibly beautiful song. The atmosphere and mood it conveys is really emotional. It's incredibly sad, but kinda "light" and uplifting at the same time, which is a combination that's really hard to pull off, but works extremely well. It reminds me a lot of Collapse The Light Into Earth by Porcupine Tree, another sad but bright song that's extremely beautiful. The main piano melody is great, and the way the vocals follow it works really well. While it's a bit repetitive, the added instrumentation at parts and the overall atmosphere keep this from becoming an issue. There's really not much else to say; this is just a beautiful, emotional song that really pulls at your heart strings. Good job.
Score: 8.5
Lolzeez: Olafur Arnarlds - Ljosio
This is probably the most simple song I got this round. Like senecadawg's submission, it's entirely piano and strings. The piano drives the song, and the melodies are very pretty. The violins fit in perfectly, and really add a lot. The atmosphere is very peaceful; it's not that sad, but it's not that happy either. It sits nicely in the middle. Again, there's not much else to say. This song is simple but very pretty, and that's good enough for this round.
Score: 8.0
jingle.boy: Queen - Who Wants To Live Forever
I've obviously heard some Queen songs before, but I haven't heard this one before, which is unfortunate, because it's pretty damn great. You said this song can be uplifting, not just sad. That's definitely correct. The song starts out sad, but gets more uplifting and bright as the song goes on. The string section is used incredibly well in all parts of the song, and Freddie's vocals are obviously fantastic. The way the song transitions from the melancholy first half into the bright, powerful second half is really awesome, and the full band kicks in at just the right time. Also, that chorus is great, especially the final one. Great flow, great song. See? You actually can earn high points from sending me old-school songs! You just have to send the right ones.
Score: 8.5
Nekov: dredg - Cartoon Showroom
This is an interesting song. While it's relatively simple, it's very unique-sounding. The main guitar melody is what sticks out to me the most. It's incredibly beautiful, and it has an interesting rhythm to it. It's also used in the verses, which are also really great. The vocal melodies are really nice, and I like the second half of the verses when the vocalist goes up higher and that additional guitar line comes in. The song is filled with some nice atmospheric touches and some interesting instrument choices. I don't think the song is all that depressing, but that okay. It's a very pretty song, and I can't say I've heard very many songs like it.
Score: 8.5
Elite: Gov't Mule - Forevermore
Another simplistic, sad song. It's very emotional and on a very basic level; there's no crypticness or uncertainty, it's just a sad song about a sad topic. I can definitely appreciate that. The verses are bleak and somber, and the choruses are actually kinda catchy. There's not really anything to complain about, but at the same time there's nothing that really grabs me in particular. It's a good song, but I've definitely heard better.
Score: 8.0
LieLowTheWantedMan: The Antlers - Kettering
Well, this song certainly is depressing. There's nothing bright or hopeful about it, it's 100% cold, bleak, and lifeless. It's some really somber, dreary stuff; you definitely followed the theme well. While the atmosphere and mood of the song is wonderfully depressing, the song itself leaves a bit to be desired. The first half of the song is basically just a single piano loop with some sad but kinda weird-sounding vocals over them, and it gets a bit boring. Things pick up a bit for the second half when the full band comes in, but this section doesn't last for very long. The flow of the song is a bit strange; I've got a feeling that this is a song that works better within the context of the album as opposed to a singular track. But hey, kudos for sending me some of the most depressing stuff this round.
Score: 8.0
Scorpion: Pain Of Salvation - Never Learn To Fly
Sadly, this one didn't appeal to me that much. While the vocals are nice and I guess the song is kinda calm and soothing, I just found it to be a pretty dull and boring-sounding ballad. I don't find it to be particularly sad or beautiful, which is a pretty big problem for a ballad. Most of the song is just piano and vocals, which gets boring pretty quickly. Things start to pick up when the drums kick in, but then they just go away almost as soon as they come in. What was the point of that? Eh. I've heard lots of good things about this band, but this song didn't do anything for me. But hey, I'm sure they've got plenty of better songs, so feel free to send another one for another round.
Score: 7.0
THE SCORE SO FAR-senecadawg2: 43
-Nekov: 42
-elefantStone: 41.5
-Elite: 41.5
-?: 41
-Scorpion: 40
-Lolzeez: 39.5
-LieLowTheWantedMan: 39.5
-jingle.boy: 38.5
-Lucien: 38.5
ROUND 6: CO-OP ROUNDFor this round, you must pair up with another participant and form a group of two. There will be five groups, and each one must send me a single song. Both members of the group will receive the same score for their submission, and there will only be five songs this round. It's up to you two to decide what to send me; it can be anything. Heavy, sad, atmospheric, proggy, whatever.
You can choose your own groups. If there's nobody in particular you want to be with, I'll assign you someone if I need to. Once you've decided on what song your group will be submitting, one person in the group needs to PM me the song, it doesn't matter which one.
IMPORTANT: You must also give me a team name. It doesn't matter what it is, but you must have one.
Topic: Buddyhunter1's Roulette of Fun and Tears (But Mostly Fun) - The End! (Read 26763 times)