Bolsters™ The Roulette, v2 ★ THE CONCLUSION ★

[Bolsters]

would a song that has a cello throughout count as a song with orchestral/symphonic elements or do you mean like a full orchestra

It doesn't have to be a full orchestra or symphony, but my preference is for ensemble. String quartets will also make the cut, or any song with more than one orchestral instrument.

As for single instruments, I may or may not accept them for that bonus. It depends on how "important" I think the instrument is to the song - if I get a fairly normal rock song with a violin that sounds like it's just been thrown in for the sake of it, I won't award the bonus to it. On the other hand if the song seems like it was built around the violin and that the song wouldn't work all that well without the instrument, I might let it pass. But if you want to be 100% sure you get the bonus, go with ensemble.

[Crow]

alright i'll play to the side of the cautious and bank on getting into the roulette and sending it to you then so you can decide for yourself, i wanna send it either way though

[Bolsters]

Here's a useful tip for anyone who wishes to look up artists in my Last.fm library. Since they updated the site with a beta design there's been no easy way to look up a particular artist in someone's library, but I discovered a trick to allow you to do it.

Essentially, you just have to take the following link and change the "Dream+Theater" part to whichever band it is you'd like to check up on, using + signs in place of any spaces.

https://www.last.fm/user/Bolsters/library/music/Dream+Theater

[bl5150]

Here's a useful tip for anyone who wishes to look up artists in my Last.fm library. Since they updated the site with a beta design there's been no easy way to look up a particular artist in someone's library, but I discovered a trick to allow you to do it.

Essentially, you just have to take the following link and change the "Dream+Theater" part to whichever band it is you'd like to check up on, using + signs in place of any spaces.

https://www.last.fm/user/Bolsters/library/music/Dream+Theater

it must be bad...........Kim Jong Il has come back from the dead to bitch about it on your profile.

[Evermind]

Alright, my bands are approved. Will send my song when I get home.

[Crow]

sent. plugging a hole on the banned list while i have the chance. will be disappointed if i don't make it to the main roulette but hey someone has to get cut so i'll be that someone

[twosuitsluke]

Cool, glad I'm in. This will be my first roulette 

Just a few quick questions, how heavy do you like your metal? What it is your view on punk/ska/reggae? I know you are a fan of The Black Mages but are you familiar with any of Nobuo Uematsu's other projects?

This is all assuming I get past the qualifiers!! I'm not planning on playing it safe though, if I do well I want it to be because I sent you something you like that you may never have been exposed to normally.

Oh, lastly, where in the world do you live?

Sorry for all the questions, still fairly new around these parts 

[Evermind]

Oh, I also got a question. Is there a chance to get straight into the main competition after the first qualification round? Or regardless of how awesome my song is, I'll have to participate in both rounds?

My choice for this round will depend on the answer.

[Bolsters]

how heavy do you like your metal?

Opeth is about as heavy as I get, and even then I prefer the stuff that has more atmosphere and melody than I do their truly heavier stuff. If you're familiar with them at all: I love Ghost Reveries/Watershed/Blackwater Park, but have never been able to get into albums like Deliverance. If you aren't familiar with Opeth I may have to revisit this answer.

What it is your view on punk/ska/reggae?

There were a few popular punk songs I didn't mind when I was in high school around 1998-2002 but otherwise it's a genre I haven't been able to get into and thus don't listen to. Ska and reggae even less so.

I know you are a fan of The Black Mages but are you familiar with any of Nobuo Uematsu's other projects?

I've heard some of the Earthbound Papas stuff, but I didn't really like the direction he took with that project, after The Black Mages. Other than that I'm just familiar with some of his Final Fantasy soundtracks, everything from FFIII through to FFVI in particular.

Oh, lastly, where in the world do you live?

I'm from Australia.

Oh, I also got a question. Is there a chance to get straight into the main competition after the first qualification round? Or regardless of how awesome my song is, I'll have to participate in both rounds?

Nope, to get in you will have to survive both qualifying rounds.

However, at the end of the second qualifier I will be taking into account your submissions in both rounds. If you are right on the cut line in Q2 but killed it in the first round, I'll give you the edge. But that's the only advantage you get - if you send my favourite song in the first and come last in the second, you'll still get the axe. Still, if you do really well in the first qualifier this means you may be afforded some comfort for the second one.


Edit: since I haven't mentioned it yet: It appears that 17 is going to be the final number I have decided that I will eliminate three people after the first qualifying round, and four after the second.

[Evermind]

Fine, I'll just send two awesome songs then. I've got no shortage of those.

[Elite]

I have trouble deciding which of the awesome songs I have lined up I will send first. Expect my submission through your Spotify inbox in a few minutes.

[twosuitsluke]

how heavy do you like your metal?

Opeth is about as heavy as I get, and even then I prefer the stuff that has more atmosphere and melody than I do their truly heavier stuff. If you're familiar with them at all: I love Ghost Reveries/Watershed/Blackwater Park, but have never been able to get into albums like Deliverance. If you aren't familiar with Opeth I may have to revisit this answer.

What it is your view on punk/ska/reggae?

There were a few popular punk songs I didn't mind when I was in high school around 1998-2002 but otherwise it's a genre I haven't been able to get into and thus don't listen to. Ska and reggae even less so.

I know you are a fan of The Black Mages but are you familiar with any of Nobuo Uematsu's other projects?

I've heard some of the Earthbound Papas stuff, but I didn't really like the direction he took with that project, after The Black Mages. Other than that I'm just familiar with some of his Final Fantasy soundtracks, everything from FFIII through to FFVI in particular.

Oh, lastly, where in the world do you live?

I'm from Australia.

Ok thanks, that's all good to know. Yes, I'm a big fan of Opeth so I will use them as a guide to how heavy I will go.

I kind of agree about Earthbound Papas, but I still like some of their output.

I might not get far in this roulette but what I like about this forum is that there is a huge diversity of music that people are into. I'm just going to steer clear of Progressive Metal completely and instead go for just awesome music that I personally think has a little something for everyone, regardless of what genres are their favourite.

[jingle.boy]

Here's a useful tip for anyone who wishes to look up artists in my Last.fm library. Since they updated the site with a beta design there's been no easy way to look up a particular artist in someone's library, but I discovered a trick to allow you to do it.

Essentially, you just have to take the following link and change the "Dream+Theater" part to whichever band it is you'd like to check up on, using + signs in place of any spaces.

https://www.last.fm/user/Bolsters/library/music/Dream+Theater

It is.  It's been in "beta" for over a year?  And the "new" version removed a lot of basic features/functions.
it must be bad...........Kim Jong Il has come back from the dead to bitch about it on your profile.

[Train of Naught]

I might not get far in this roulette but what I like about this forum is that there is a huge diversity of music that people are into. I'm just going to steer clear of Progressive Metal completely and instead go for just awesome music that I personally think has a little something for everyone, regardless of what genres are their favourite.

That's always cool to see, even as a participant. I must say I'm not as big of a risktaker in these things, so if I don't know the persons tastes too well I end up sending some prog anyway just to be safe, I did not send prog for this round though.
Usually I do an okay job of picking the right songs from an artist according to the host's tastes, but I do a shitty job of picking the right artists 

I'm pretty relieved there's no way to get into the main competition after the first qualifier, I think I picked a solid song, but not a round winner. Still hoping to get that advantage though.

[twosuitsluke]

I might not get far in this roulette but what I like about this forum is that there is a huge diversity of music that people are into. I'm just going to steer clear of Progressive Metal completely and instead go for just awesome music that I personally think has a little something for everyone, regardless of what genres are their favourite.

That's always cool to see, even as a participant. I must say I'm not as big of a risktaker in these things, so if I don't know the persons tastes too well I end up sending some prog anyway just to be safe, I did not send prog for this round though.
Usually I do an okay job of picking the right songs from an artist according to the host's tastes, but I do a shitty job of picking the right artists 

I'm pretty relieved there's no way to get into the main competition after the first qualifier, I think I picked a solid song, but not a round winner. Still hoping to get that advantage though.

To be honest as I'm still new around here I'm still trying to suss out peoples tastes. The song I sent was a bit of a knee jerk reaction, I was listening to it when I decided to join. It is one of my favourite songs and I doubt many people will know it but I might take my time to pick a second qualifier (if I get through that is). This all depends on the reaction Bolsters has to my pick.

I'm going to take risks with genres outside of progressive metal though as I'm using this site to discover loads of bands as it is. I'm not going to have that much that isn't well known around here in terms of progressive metal so I will send all my other favourite shit.

Like I said, tastes seem pretty diverse around here so if I can be obsessed with progressive metal but still love reggae, ska, punk and other random genres I know there's bound to be others like me. Plus the songs I'll pick will be ones that I genuinely think everyone will find a little something they like.

[jingle.boy]

WTH is "ska"?

[Evermind]

twosuitsluke, dude, I'm glad you didn't sign up for my roulette.

Sending my song in a few minutes.

WTH is "ska"?

We have a hockey team called SKA in Russia. Maybe that's it!

[Train of Naught]

WTH is "ska"?

A genre that doesn't need post- or -core to be described. 

[Evermind]

WTH is "ska"?

A genre that doesn't need post- or -core to be described. 

That doesn't mean it doesn't suck though. I mean, there are genres like shoegaze and dubstep.

[jingle.boy]

WTH is "ska"?

A genre that doesn't need post- or -core to be described. 

[Bolsters]

WTH is "ska"?

A genre that doesn't need post- or -core to be described. 

[Big Hath]

WTH is "ska"?

really? It had a pretty big "revival" in the 90's as ska-punk

No Doubt, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sublime, Reel Big Fish, etc

[twosuitsluke]

twosuitsluke, dude, I'm glad you didn't sign up for my roulette.

Sending my song in a few minutes.

WTH is "ska"?

We have a hockey team called SKA in Russia. Maybe that's it!

Each to their own guys. Personally I am the sort of person who will judge music on it's own merits and how it sounds, as opposed to pigeonholing it because of my preconceptions of what particular genres sound like. I would never rule out anything, and assume I wouldn't like it, because of the genre it is labelled as.

If I ever do a roulette I want a wide variety of whatever you guys can throw at me. I thought the point of a roulette was to potentially discover stuff out of your comfort zone.

Also for the record I wouldn't send all punk/ska/reggae, I was using it as an example because I like a wide variety of music.

Lastly part of the reason I decided to enter Bolster's roulette is because he happily admits to loving Taylor Swift (which could be considered uncool by some), I like people who are open about what they like regardless of what others think. It made me think he would be open to whatever I chuck his way.

[Bolsters]

I've got all but three submissions so far. I'm going to bed now, but I'm going to start listening tomorrow regardless of whether the stragglers have submitted or not.

Edit: Just two now.

[bl5150]

WTH is "ska"?

really? It had a pretty big "revival" in the 90's as ska-punk

No Doubt, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sublime, Reel Big Fish, etc

Can't say that I have heard of any of them.

King told me about a band called Ska Simmetry.........do they count?

[Evermind]

Each to their own guys. Personally I am the sort of person who will judge music on it's own merits and how it sounds as opposed to pigeonholing it because of my preconceptions of what particular genres sound like. I would never rule out anything and assume I wouldn't like it because of the genre it is labelled as.

If I ever do a roulette I want a wide variety of what you guys can throw at me. I thought the point of a roulette was to potentially discover stuff out of your comfort zone.

Also for the record I wouldn't send all punk/ska/reggae, I was using it as an example because I like a wide variety of music.

Lastly part of the reason I decided to enter Bolster's roulette is because he happily admits to loving Taylor Swift (which could be considered uncool by some), I like people who are open about what they like regardless of what others think. It made me think he would be open to whatever I chuck his way.

No worries man, I'm just fooling around.

Sent. I admit I will be thoroughly baffled if this song gets me eliminated.

[Big Hath]

WTH is "ska"?

really? It had a pretty big "revival" in the 90's as ska-punk

No Doubt, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sublime, Reel Big Fish, etc

Can't say that I have heard of any of them.

not even No Doubt/Gwen Stefani?

[bl5150]

I can picture Gwen Stefani but couldn't name a song.  Shameful I know      It's likely I would know a song or two if I heard them.

[twosuitsluke]

Each to their own guys. Personally I am the sort of person who will judge music on it's own merits and how it sounds as opposed to pigeonholing it because of my preconceptions of what particular genres sound like. I would never rule out anything and assume I wouldn't like it because of the genre it is labelled as.

If I ever do a roulette I want a wide variety of what you guys can throw at me. I thought the point of a roulette was to potentially discover stuff out of your comfort zone.

Also for the record I wouldn't send all punk/ska/reggae, I was using it as an example because I like a wide variety of music.

Lastly part of the reason I decided to enter Bolster's roulette is because he happily admits to loving Taylor Swift (which could be considered uncool by some), I like people who are open about what they like regardless of what others think. It made me think he would be open to whatever I chuck his way.

No worries man, I'm just fooling around.

Sent. I admit I will be thoroughly baffled if this song gets me eliminated.

It's ok, no worries  hopefully one day I will enter one of your roulettes and I'll give you the opportunity to eat your hat 

[Big Hath]

I can picture Gwen Stefani but couldn't name a song.  Shameful I know      It's likely I would know a song or two if I heard them.

yeah probably  Spiderwebs, Don't Speak, Just a Girl, Sunday Morning, etc

[Evermind]

It's ok, no worries  hopefully one day I will enter one of your roulettes and I'll give you the opportunity to eat your hat 

Either that or I'll give you 3/10.

[jingle.boy]

Each to their own guys. Personally I am the sort of person who will judge music on it's own merits and how it sounds, as opposed to pigeonholing it because of my preconceptions of what particular genres sound like. I would never rule out anything, and assume I wouldn't like it, because of the genre it is labelled as.

I'm with you there Luke, I'd just never heard of that style/genre before.  As for what it sounds like, I can dig it - hell, No Doubt/Tragic Kingdom made my first Top 50 list.  Great album.  And I do like the occasional thing outside of my normal comfort zone, but by-and-large, I know what I like, and I stick to it.

[twosuitsluke]

Each to their own guys. Personally I am the sort of person who will judge music on it's own merits and how it sounds, as opposed to pigeonholing it because of my preconceptions of what particular genres sound like. I would never rule out anything, and assume I wouldn't like it, because of the genre it is labelled as.

I'm with you there Luke, I'd just never heard of that style/genre before.  As for what it sounds like, I can dig it - hell, No Doubt/Tragic Kingdom made my first Top 50 list.  Great album.  And I do like the occasional thing outside of my normal comfort zone, but by-and-large, I know what I like, and I stick to it.

I thought you were trolling lol, have you seriously never heard of Ska??

[jingle.boy]

Each to their own guys. Personally I am the sort of person who will judge music on it's own merits and how it sounds, as opposed to pigeonholing it because of my preconceptions of what particular genres sound like. I would never rule out anything, and assume I wouldn't like it, because of the genre it is labelled as.

I'm with you there Luke, I'd just never heard of that style/genre before.  As for what it sounds like, I can dig it - hell, No Doubt/Tragic Kingdom made my first Top 50 list.  Great album.  And I do like the occasional thing outside of my normal comfort zone, but by-and-large, I know what I like, and I stick to it.

I thought you were trolling lol, have you seriously never heard of Ska??

I've seriously never heard of "ska".  I may have heard ska music, but I've never heard that term used to describe a style/genre.

[Nekov]

Actually, don't take those bands as a reference for Ska (at least no doubt)

Here you have some ska