Results! still more than half an hour left in today here ;p
Twosuitsluike: Earthbound Papas - Octave Theory ~ The Forest of a Thousand Years 6,75 + 1 (Piano)
This song starts quite simple with some nice but too special melodies. The thing I do really love in this song is that part at 5:07. It just makes me smile every time and probably increased my rating for this song by at least half a point, I love humour in a song like this. I am not a big fan of the digital piano sound, sometimes it works great (like in Scorpion’s song) but I think I would like this a lot more with a more organic sound. Perhaps I am too picky because of playing piano for almost 10 years though. Also I do guess they were perhaps going for that vintage videogame sound? I’ve probably just not played enough games to really appreciate that… I really hope I don’t sound too negative it’s not a bad song by any means. Overall it’s a pretty piece that’s just not too memorable for me
Luoto: Amendfoil – Amoebas 7.25
This song has a nice modern, almost progressive, metal sound. The first minutes of song don’t really grab me, but I do really like this song from three minutes on. The atmosphere is slightly darker and the heavier part at the end has a nice rhythm. I do find it really hard to say much more about this song, there’s isn’t anything I dislike but also nothing I really love either. Overall it’s certainly a very enjoyable song but it doesn’t stand out too much
Train of Naught:
Closure in Moscow – The Church of the Technochrist 7,5
Going for that disco bonus ey? Well I can say this song grew quite a lot on me, at first I quite liked this up until the disco part. I do like the song a lot better now but that part after 1 minute is just too damn cheesy
, I mean it isn’t even good disco! It also reminds me a lot of a certain song I can’t remember the name. of but don’t really like. I do love the singers voice however, and can definitely see why you compared this band to The Mars Volta. The part from 4 minutes on with the weird voices in the background is pretty good. While I don’t particularly like this song, I am definitely going to check out more songs from this band. I am at least quite intrigued by this song, it’s pretty solid besides the disco, not all of their songs have these cheesy disco vibes right?
Elite:
Girl Band - Paul 7,5
This is probably the most unique song in this round, I don’t know anything that sounds similar.(but I don’t really know any Indie rock besides Neutral Milk Hotel) The singer is almost speaking instead of singing, reminding me a little of the spoken word style of La Dispute’s singer. It works great in this song though. The song is getting very noisy sometimes, but at some parts I really dig the noise. This song is making me feel a little tense, perhaps just because all the soft piano songs in this round, putting me in this relaxed mood. I don’t think I can listen to a whole album in this style, but this was a pretty interesting listen, thanks!
Tomislav95:
Chroma Key – On the page 7.75 +1 (Spoken Word)
The piano sound, the samples, this reminds me a lot of Space Dye Vest (no coincidence of course since Kevin Moore composed both songs) which is not a bad thing at all since I love Space Dye Vest. However because of the similarities I can not not compare it to Space Dye Vest, and although it guess in some ways it’s a little better composition wise, it just doesn’t have the same emotional value of Space Dye Vest (no doubt partly because I know Space Dye Vest for a long time and it is tight to some memories) It’s still a very good song, and I am going to check out some more Chroma Key songs!
Tyrias: Agnes Obel – Dorian 7.75 +1 (Piano)
I like how this song starts with someone subtly knocking the rhythm. The piano playing is pretty basic through the whole song but it does work, mainly just playing three chords over and over in slightly different ways. The timing of when the chords change is slightly unpredictable but nothing too ground-breaking. I do love the singer’s voice though, she makes me feel really peaceful and I keep wanting to sing the chorus along. The whole song has this peaceful, slightly melancholic, atmosphere which makes this kind of music is perfect for chilling after a busy day, you know when you don’t want too much at your head. I am definitely going to save this song for moments like that and am going to check the album sometime.
Sacul:
Nils Frahm - More 8,25 +1 (Piano)
First of all the sound of the song is gorgeous, it feels very fragile and personal. The piano combines beautifully with the percussive sound. Thanks for sending me that little bit of text explaining! The first part of the song is very repetitive which would probably bore me normally but I’m somehow not bothered by it at all in this song. The whole first part just feels so beautiful! I do feel that the different sections feel a little disjointed, more like this are three separate songs or perhaps one beautiful song broken up by a middle section that’s just not as unique as the two amazing sections around it.
Parama:
Ólafur Arnalds - Sudden Throw/Brim 8.5 +1 (Piano)
This starts with some very subtle piano playing and strings almost floating around it in a very beautiful way. I love how Sudden Throw just keeps getting more and more intense for four minutes long and then climaxes into the quite simple intro of Brim. I also love how Brim then builds up with the addition of electronic drums to create quite a unique sound. My original response was : “I really love the first part, but my mind starts to wander of near the end” . I do kind of agree less with this now than I did a few days ago, but I still feel that the main theme in Brim goes on slightly too long without adding too much. The quiet part near at the end is a really beautiful way to end this song though. I am really looking forward to checking out more songs from this artist!
Scorpion: Susanne Sundfør - The Brothel 8,5 +1 (Piano)
I dig the sinister intro, it directly sets the mood for the rest of the song. The singer’s voice fits the music perfectly and carries a lot of emotion. The vocal harmonies in the chorus part are great and with the addition of the strings they form a really intense sound. I even really love the digital piano, it just works great in this song and really adds to the atmosphere. This song is in some ways quite similar to the song Tyrias sent, as they have both relatively simple piano with a woman singing beautifully over it. I like this song slightly more, it feels a little more unique and also it hits my feelings a lot more.
Evermind:
Iamthemorning – Lighthouse 9.25 +1 (Piano)
This is just pure beauty, wow! This song immediately grabbed me from the first few notes. The piano sound is just gorgeous and played with a lot of skill and dynamics. The person playing it also knows exactly when not too play too much and keep quiet, something Jordan Rudess should learn to do ;p I love the singing too, she has a great voice and the melodies are beautiful. I really love how they mix with Mariusz Duda’s vocals after four minutes. Seriously no complaints about this song it’s pretty perfect, easily the best song from this round. I don’t dare to score it higher than a 9.25 yet since I don’t know what’s coming in the next rounds but wow, this hit me hard! Thanks Evermind!
Final thoughts:
So many songs in this round which are just plain beautiful! In the end six people decided to go for the piano bonus which is great since I love the piano. I guess it’s probably the easiest bonus point to find a song for. I really enjoyed listening to this round, and can’t wait to listen to the next rounds!
Score
10 Luoto: 7.25
9 Train of Naught: 7,5
8 Elite: 7,5
7 Twosuitsluike: 7,75 X
6 Tomislav95: 8.75 X
5 Tyrias: 8.75 X
4 Sacul: 9,25 X
3 Parama: 9.5 X
2 Scorpion; 9,5 X
1 Evermind 10.25 X