The Bolsters™ v3 Mini Roulette ★ [2017 Edition] ★ THE CONCLUSION

[TAC]

$10 says I wouldn't be able to get any even if you posted the whole cover.   

This. I don't even see mine.

[Train of Naught]

Oooooh, C3 is the new Paramore album (don't know the name), that definitely seems like something Bolsters would like.

[TAC]

Oh. I see it!

[Bolsters]

For the new page.


  1 2 3
A
B
C



A1: Converge - The Dusk In Us
A2: ________ - _____ ____
A3: Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface

B1: _______ ___ _______ - ______ _______
B2: _____ ______ - ______
B3: Shade Empire - Poetry of the Ill-Minded

C1: Voyager - Ghost Mile
C2: Dirt Poor Robins - The Raven Locks Act 3
C3: Paramore - After Laughter

[soupytwist]

Just to say I contributed :

The Paramore album is 'After Laughter'.

[Tomislav95]

EDIT: Didn't see there was another page

[soupytwist]

Goin' need dem clues I thinks.

[Bolsters]

I'm surprised no one tried guessing a letter.

[Crow]

give me A
give me B
give me C
give me D
give me E
give me F
give me G
give me H
give me I
give me J
give me K
give me L
give me M
give me N
give me O
give me P
give me Q
give me R
give me S
give me T
give me U
give me V
give me W
give me X
give me Y
give me Z

[Bolsters]

  1 2 3
A
B
C



A1: Converge - The Dusk In Us
A2: ________ - A____ ____
A3: Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface

B1: _______ ___ _______ - ______ _a_____
B2: _a___ __a___ - ______
B3: Shade Empire - Poetry of the Ill-Minded

C1: Voyager - Ghost Mile
C2: Dirt Poor Robins - The Raven Locks Act 3
C3: Paramore - After Laughter

Guessed: A

Waits 3: Parama

[soupytwist]

I'm surprised no one tried guessing a letter.

 

'D' please.

[Bolsters]

  1 2 3
A
B
C



A1: Converge - The Dusk In Us
A2: ________ - A____ ____
A3: Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface

B1: _______ ___ _______ - ______ _a_____
B2: _a___ __a___ - _____d
B3: Shade Empire - Poetry of the Ill-Minded

C1: Voyager - Ghost Mile
C2: Dirt Poor Robins - The Raven Locks Act 3
C3: Paramore - After Laughter


Guessed: A D

Waits 3: soupy
Waits 2: Parama

[Bolsters]

So I was planning on doing the results for this round tomorrow afternoon but something has come up, so I'll be doing it Sunday instead. I am sorry that the last couple of rounds have really dragged, but I'm confident that the final round will go uninterrupted (hopefully).

This round is actually very consistent, perhaps the most consistent round so far, and I will definitely regret having to give some of these songs pink/bronze stars.

[TAC]

I'll regret having to get a pink star. Again.

[Crow]

i'm incredibly excited for my upcoming pink star 

[Sacul]

R

[Bolsters]

  1 2 3
A
B
C



A1: Converge - The Dusk In Us
A2: __r_____ - A____ ____
A3: Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface

B1: _______ ___ _______ - _r____ _a_____
B2: _ar__ __ar__ - _____d
B3: Shade Empire - Poetry of the Ill-Minded

C1: Voyager - Ghost Mile
C2: Dirt Poor Robins - The Raven Locks Act 3
C3: Paramore - After Laughter


Guessed: A D R

Waits 3: Sacul
Waits 2: soupy
Waits 1: Parama

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'll take a B

[Bolsters]

  1 2 3
A
B
C



A1: Converge - The Dusk In Us
A2: __r_____ - Ab___ ____
A3: Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface

B1: _______ B__ _______ - Br____ _a_____
B2: _ar__ __ar__ - _____d
B3: Shade Empire - Poetry of the Ill-Minded

C1: Voyager - Ghost Mile
C2: Dirt Poor Robins - The Raven Locks Act 3
C3: Paramore - After Laughter


Guessed: A B D R

Waits 3: Puppies
Waits 2: Sacul
Waits 1: soupy

[Crow]

E

[Train of Naught]

I only know this band name because I've seen it pop up in some threads and always thought it's a funny sounding name

B2: Harem Scarem

[Bolsters]

soupytwist: Dirt Poor Robins - Welcome to Lady Hell (The Raven Locks Act 3)

• After a rocky previous round you've made quite the comeback.
  
  I really appreciate what the orchestra does for this song, those big, intermittent string chords in the chorus give some real sonic depth, and I like how the brass instrumentation appears for the last few bars of a verse to lead up to said choruses. But instrumentally the piano is my favourite element, from the bouncy rhythms of the chorus to the acending runs in the second verse, the piano is the life of the song and what holds it all together.
  
  The vocals are strong too of course, standout parts being the chorus itself, the melody on the last line of the chorus and the way it starts ahead of the beginning of the bar, and the interplay between her and the brass and guitar during the post-second chorus section.
  
  Definitely a strong entry and one that puts you back in good standing in terms of score as we go into the final round.

Parama: Shade Empire - Anti-Life Saviour (Poetry of the Ill-Minded)

• I don't listen to much black metal and I'm sure there's plenty of symphonic black metal that might be as good as this, but if there is then I don't think that I've heard it.
  
  Firstly, this is the kind of black metal that I can get into. There's plenty of dynamic shifts between sections so it isn't full-on the entire time and has plenty of variety and atmosphere, it isn't overly repetitive, the vocals aren't horrible (actually don't mind the styles in this song at all), and the production doesn't suck (which is rather important).
  
  I think the mix is pretty damn good too, they made sure when mixing that it wasn't so compressed that the guitars and drums in particular during the heavier black metal sections wouldn't just drown out the strings completely. I feel that's something they had to be careful not to do because this sort of music often pushes the limits of volume and ends up lacking dynamics, if it were a typical production and the string sections added to it, they'd just be this annoying high-pitched background noise for the majority of the song, and thankfully that doesn't happen here.
  
  But the song itself is really strong structually too. The string sections really elevate what would be just a decent and maybe even somewhat generic black metal track to something much greater, and the extended instrumental sections in the second half of the song with clean guitars give the song a lot of varying dynamics. I like the subdued vocals here too and that they're still very much black metal style vocals despite that subdued sound, and there's some cool textures created with the vocoder. The buildup towards the climax is pretty great too, I like that the lower register string instruments are brought in here to add depth before the metal kicks back in.
  
  Yeah, this is pretty cool overall, you've done well so I can't wait to find out if you fuck it all up next round.

home: Manchester Orchestra - The Grocery (A Black Mile to the Surface)

• I think you've struggled more than anyone else so far, so I'm really glad that you were able to send something great this time.
  
  I like the thick texture in the chorus of this song, with a fuzzy almost post-rock sound to it and non-verbal (until later) vocals but it's contrasted well with the verses which contain and are driven by the singer and drummer, with this almost cheerful-sounding acoustic guitar providing the tone despite being less prominent. Strong vocal performance and great overall atmosphere to this song, and definitely a really good pick.

Puppies_On_Acid: Paramore - Rose-Colored Boy (After Laughter)

• I actually received a Paramore song in my first roulette, but it looks like I listened to that album once and then never followed up with this band. I actually liked that song (That's What You Get) and I was curious to see how this would compare.
  
  This definitely leans more towards the pop elements of their sound, but there's still some prominent guitar, I like the mostly melodic almost-lead-playing sound in the verses juxtaposing the fuller chords played in the chorus that flesh the sound out more. There's some cool little interplay between the guitar and synths in places as well, giving the song a playful sort of tone that I like. Vocally a strong song too, catchy melodies and very rhythmic at times too.
  
  Certainly a song that was destined to do well with me, it's just not another round-winning song.

TAC: Horisont - The Hive (About Time)

• You know, if you'd sent me this in a normal roulette I'd probably have thought this was from the late 70's or something; they have nailed not just nailed the style of 70's rock but also the production.
  
  Verses are cool, I like the prominent hi-hats and bright organ sounds. Chorus is nice too, I like the retro guitar work and the high-register vocals. I almost can't believe that this is from 2017. Pretty good instrumental section that gives me Zepp/Purple vibes.
  
  I think my only real gripe is that there's this cool little organ section after the first chorus that I really wish was fleshed out and built on more later in the song, it just appears for a few seconds and then there's only some brief allusions to it here and there.
  
  So this is definitely one of the better things I've gotten from you thus far, and I do wish I could have given you silver for it.

Elite: Voyager - Misery is Only Company (Ghost Mile)

• I'm passingly familiar with this band but the few songs I've heard before didn't really do all that much for me. I always thought that the music itself wasn't that bad, if perhaps a bit generic as far as prog metal goes, but it was always the singer that really put me off this band. There's just always been something about his pronunciation and/or his accent that rubbed me the wrong way.
  
  Now, this song is slightly different. While there are still moments I can hear that accent cut through, it does not seem to be as thick, at least not enough to bother me anymore, and there are more areas where I actually don't mind this guy. So I think he's either improved from the last songs I've heard or you just lucked out and picked the least offensive song you could have.
  
  I still get the generic prog vibe from this song for the mostpart, but this song has an excellent chorus and I think that alone might be the biggest reason this song was enjoyable, the ascending vocal melody really stands and is very catchy, and I find myself liking it despite the incredibly obvious autotune. It's also less riff-centric which is in contrast to the verses where the guitar and drums are busier.
  
  Yeah, not a bad song at all, although it's a bit of a shame you have to receive bronze.

jingle.boy: Harem Scarem - No Regrets (United)

• I think the risky thing about sending AOR like this is that it is often accompanied by that feeling of "been there, done that" and I definitely get that from this song. While it ticks a lot of the boxes in the good by being catchy, energetic, and strong memorable melodies, it does sound a hell of a lot like most other AOR I've heard. This was an enjoyable track and not a bad choice at all, I just didn't find much about it that made it stand out against a handful of the other songs this round. I'd have liked to have given this song a bronze star at the very least, infact it is comparable to that other bronze star song you sent, but I couldn't give you better that pink in this round, unfortunately.

Train of Naught: Nothing But Thieves - I Was Just a Kid (Broken Machine)

• I liked a few things about this one but overall not much stood out in this save the chorus and a few other brief moments, and this is definitely better than a lot of the other rounds' pink star songs, but in this round you'll have to settle for that.
  
  So, my favourite parts are the really light "something to believe in" part before the chorus, I'm not sure what this high register synth is exactly but I like the airy texture to it, and it works quite well filling out the sound. The chorus is okay too, if not anything particularly special either.

Sacul: Converge - The Dusk in Us (The Dusk in Us)

• I had some pretty mixed feelings to this song. On one hand there's some nice building up and cool atmosphere in the parts of the song with more sparse arrangement...but there were a few things that didn't appeal to me all that much as well, and there was a lack of anything that really made this song stand out in addition.
  
  The vocalist for example basically whispers during the verses which adds to the song's atmosphere, but when things get heavier he either maintains this really monotone, dull style or goes with a rather unappealing screamy style. I think the production of this song brings it down a touch too; once again it works decently for those verses but the chorus is muddy and compressed and in the first verse the vocals seem to be mixed far too low, like the level was adjusted for the verses and not increased for the much louder chorus.
  
  I wouldn't say this is a bad song per se but I failed to really get exicted by it, so it's the type of submission where I'll probably check out the album still but that I can't really rank all that highly.

Let's see if I can get this final round knocked out a little quicker, shall we? Send your songs when you can.

[Tomislav95]

There's just always been something about his pronunciation and/or his accent that rubbed me the wrong way.

Same it's really weird

[Bolsters]

There's also potential for a tie for first place happening at the end of Round 5, so I might outline what will happen in that event now.

Essentially, those players tied for first place will each send me three songs. It can be three songs from the same artist, two artists, or a song from each of three different artists - but you are still limited to music from 2017. This will not be an EP and so I will not take into consideration how well the songs go together, the transitions between them, or anything of the sort. I will probably listen to them all with shuffle turned on, so you pretty much just need to choose three strong tracks.

I will rank these songs and award stars to them like I have been (though with a different distribution), and use that to determine a winner. If there's still a tie after all of this, whoever received the diamond star in the tiebreaker round will win.


I'll link this post in the OP so if anyone needs to reference it again it will be easy to find.

[Train of Naught]

Nothing beats waking up to pink stars

If I wasn't out of the running before I definitely am now, oh well, time to send a risky R5 maybe?

[Bolsters]

If I wasn't out of the running before I definitely am now, oh well, time to send a risky R5 maybe?

I think you are unfortunately. But to give you an idea how close it was, you're tied with someone else and the person directly above you both still has a chance.

[home]

Nice! At least my score keeps improving 



So... Is anyone going to send Mastodon for this round?

[Sacul]

Nothing beats waking up to pink stars

[jingle.boy]

So... Is anyone going to send Mastodon for this round?

Not me.

So, predictions on rankings:

Elite
Puppies
Soupy
Parama
Jingle
Train
Home
TAC
Sacul

[Bolsters]

There are four errors in that prediction, so you did pretty well.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I thought I had a round winning song before I noticed Shade Empire and Dirt Poor Robins had been sent. Oh well, at least you liked it. I'm curious what you think of the song Hard Times because I basically had to flip a coin to determine which song I would send.

[Crow]

There are four errors in that prediction, so you did pretty well.

puppies is in first for sure, i'm pretty sure i'm the lowest score still in the running & in the right spot there meaning everyone below me is eliminated & i can only win if puppies & elite both get pink stars while i get diamond (and soupy doesn't get better than like bronze, too)

am i close? 

also i should probably change my song since the one i sent before i dunno if you'd like enough, but on the other hand i didn't know if you'd like this one that much either, so

[TAC]

and I do wish I could have given you silver for it.

Apparently, you didn't wish hard enough!

[jingle.boy]

and I do wish I could have given you silver for it.

Apparently, you didn't wish hard enough!

He didn't wish upon a star.

[Bolsters]

puppies is in first for sure, i'm pretty sure i'm the lowest score still in the running & in the right spot there meaning everyone below me is eliminated & i can only win if puppies & elite both get pink stars while i get diamond (and soupy doesn't get better than like bronze, too)

am i close? 

Reasonably. You could get ahead with just gold, though.


I have six songs in already.