Puppies: The Mars Volta - Cassandra Gemini
…as in six degrees of Kevin Bacon outside - WAY outside. Some parts of it were like TDH, which I always enjoy, but TDH just isn't something that I actively reach for. This tune even took it a step further - way too much … eclectic-ness ?? It reminded me of early experimental Pink Floyd... Zabriskie Point, Atom Heart Mother, Ummagumma - all the albums I deleted from my iTunes library because I just had zero fuck's to give for them. And jesus… 30 minutes of it. I gave it 3 sincere and honest listens, but had to pull the ripcord after that - it was a hot mess of music mush.
Apparently I do have something to say when I don't have anything good to say
Ranking: 10
Stadler: Kiss - Only You/Under the Rose
I've come to realize that there are certain 'classic' acts where I'm simply a 'best-of' fan at this point, and Kiss is one of those. There's just so much material, that I'm not going to take the journey to discover them, and there's a reason tunes like your submission are considered "deep cuts"... I sense you gotta be into the band deep to really appreciate it. The second tune was a little more enjoyable (though the chanting aspect to the chorus was kinda cringe-worthy). No one will ever accuse Kiss of being the best songwriters or the most talented musicians. There were some really nice elements across these two tracks, but by-and-large, this submission was a far too pedestrian for my tastes these days.
Ranking: 9Indiscipline: Glass Hammer - Nothing Box
Glass HAMMER??? There was nothing 'hammering' about this. Lots of keys and proggy guitars. Methinks that you tried to capture the same style of song as the top ranked ones were last round - but didn't quite take the meaning of my hint that I was surprised as hell that 5/7 songs weren't
. For all the reasons those songs did well - which I can't really tell you what they were - this one didn't grab me the same way. I can see why you'd think it would... big Mystery and Subsignal/Sieges Even feel to this, but it just didn't completely click (despite improving with every listen). Musically this was terrific, and a very well structured 11 minute song. I think I'll check this act out (HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!! 16 albums, and another one due in October!?!?!?!) ... maybe there's just something a little off vis-a-vis this song.
Ranking: 8.2
Kingshmegland: For All We Know - Take Me Home
Like Indiscipline, I can see how/why you'd think this would work, but something is just a little off, and I really can't put it into words. This is one of those instances where something should work, but it doesn't. As I type that (and am listening to this), this song sounds like it's got a little Haken going on, and you know how much I love Haken. Lots of talent on display here, and the individual elements and sections of the song are very nice, but when stitched together it just didn't click.
Ranking: 8.1Parama: Lorde - Liability
Like getting Taylor Swift last time around I don’t expect I’ll go back to this much, but in the context of a roulette, it - and this tune - worked really well. I'll file this away in my 'pop' playlist. She's a fantastic singer, that's for sure, but your whiny-assed attitude hurts my enjoyment of this. I want to like it more, but you make it really hard to let the music stand on it's own merits.
As an aside, I made it quite clear from the OP - MAKE IT FUN. Your call on whether you want to keep playing - if you do, sack up, and lose the fucking whiny attitude, ok? In the words of Winston Wolf... Pretty please, with sugar on top, FIFO.
Ranking: 7.2Train: Them Crooked Vultures - New Fang
So after 4 listens, I decide to Google them. Oh, FFS!! That's why I recognized the name! Definitely following the Jesse "The Body" mantra I always repeat.
No wonder this struck me as a classic blues-rock tune, heavy in the Led Zeppelin vibe!
Not sure why I didn't check them out when they formed - probably the same reason I never went to Chickenfoot or Black Country Communion - I just saw those types of collaborations or 70s/80s/90s stars as futile attempts to recapture their glory-days, and I'd already moved on to different kind of music. Nothing wrong with this - I loved the hell out of it, but like I said, I've moved on. It deserves a better ranking than it's getting.
Ranking: 7.1Lowdz: Rob Rock - Eagle
And excellent listen, albeit largely uneventful. Song sounds tremendously familiar - and (serious as a heart attack), I had that comment typed up before you clued me in that it was an ABBA cover
. I was struggling what to say about this song, until listening to it as an ABBA cover ... and it's like most ABBA songs - virtually a masterful composition, catchy as fuck (and not in the chlamydia way)... but most of all, simple - yet effective. This interpretation of the song is straight-forward, nothing flashy, just damned good rock 'n' roll.
Ranking: 6.2jjrocks88: Michael Shenker Group - The Desert Song
Nice enough listen, but this didn't quite grab me the way other classic acts have. This one lands back in your familiar zone of being a really great listen, nothing I'd consider wow-worthy nowadays, and wishing I'd had this on my radar 30 years ago. Very nice riff, and naturally excellent guitar work all around.
Ranking 6.1Wolfking: Shaman - Turn Away
Gateway to growls? Wut? I thought for a sec I had been listening to the wrong tune all week! Man, Matos can wail. What a voice. Straight-forward and balls-to-the-walls metal - nice riffs, pounding rhythm, and a quick and bitchin solo. Formulaic =\= bad. Excellent tune. Not much else to say
Ranking: 5.2Elite: Madder Mortem - Moonlight over Silver White
At first, I wasn’t sure how where this was gonna rate, but every listen I found a bit more of this song unique and very appealing. At first, I thought this was gonna be in 7th-sh place, and I was gonna feel really feel bad for the low ranking - but, then you went and and said Cassandra Gemini is an awesome submission, and I wasn’t going to feel so bad (
… jk). I’m totally digging the lead vocals here - it's like a blend of Grace Slick and Ida Haukalnd (Triosphere) ... at least, that's how it sounds to me. Well done.
Ranking: 5.1Kattleox: Voyager - The Meaning of I
From that opening riff, I was in love with it - very much the exact vibe from one of my top albums a couple years ago (not saying which, as it'll be on a shortlist of submissions for your next Roulette) … and then the vocals kicked in. Estrin's voice just doesn't do it for me - there's no vibrancy or oopmph to his voice - in this song at least (stealing from a lyric in the song… “I *hear* grey”). I come away with the same feeling I had after seeing them live; the music and his voice just don't gel together for me. I like both individually, but the combination of is somehow off. Despite all that, this was quite an enjoyable listen, and I might give the album a shot.
Ranking: 4.2Lethean: Madsword - Time in the Ice
Choppy and dysfunctional … but it works none-the-less. Absolutely fantastic instrumental breakdown and solos. Vocally, it sounds a lot like an obscure band I have in my library - Ivory Tower (I had to check to see if it was the same vocalist... it's not). Not a huge fan of the voice, but musically it was all kinds of excellent. This also has a WDADU (Status Seeker/Afterlife particularly) feel to the writing and production too. Really nice track.
Ranking: 4.1TAC: Crystal Gates - Shadowborn
Evermind described his as female/symphonic, and forgetting that he also mentioned his was a ballad, I was 100% sure this was his song on first listen. You nailed the submission musically, but I think I was spoiled by having my first introduction to female operatic/symphonic-metal were Tarja, Anneke and Floor. Everything else is pretty much second rate to them - Simone/Epica; Diane/Xandria; Christina/Lacuna Coil; Sharon/Within Temptation. All great music, but for me they're just B-list players compared to the other 3. This tune also suffers from having a "B-list" vocalist. Yes, it's a totally BS bias, but it is what it is.
Ranking: 3.2Evermind: EnkeliNation - Last Time Together
So, everything I said about TAC's tune vocally, totally opposite here. I was genuinely impressed with the vocals here - since they are front-and-center on this tune, they had to be impressive. This had a very real chance of being a dud, but somehow managed to slide it's way into a zone that was fired on all cylinders. This was absolutely formulaic as well, but my love for power ballads is rooted in being a teenager from the mid-80s when EVERY album/artist in rock and metal had to have a *power* ballad.
Ranking: 3.1lonestar: Graphite Symphony - Divided Entity
Some of you know my struggles with depression over the years, and a few others know how that extended into some marital issues - no one moreso than RJ. That's water under the bridge now, but this song is all about a couple who are growing apart after '20 years' (it's our 20th anniversary next April), and who are empty nester's (by Sunday, both jingle.kids will be moved in to Residence). Normally I don’t catch much on the lyrics the first listen, but they just jumped out and slapped me sideways here, and I’m like “who the fucking hell sent me this??”. When I saw it was lonestar … “Are you fucking kidding me!?!?!” were the exact words that came to mind. Seriously dude… those lyrics!
20 years gone by, we wonder why; <we feel so empty>; Like there’s nothing left at allAND
Now that the children have gone and we’re all alone; <and we realize it’s ending>; Like two roommates moving on 3-4-5 years ago, this would have been a VERY difficult listen for me. But, having come thru my struggles (with myself, and with mrs.jingle), it's more of a reflective story and being grateful that this isn't our story. Thor may have just come to the battlefield, because this was a killer tune... nearly a flawless power-ballad with an absolutely killer instrumental breakdown.
Ranking: 2Bolsters: The Ralph - Next in Line
This is like top shelf prog/melodic metal. But what the fuck is with the band name? Great guitar tone, fantastic melodies - musically and vocally. Main riff is just fucking killer. The music did all the talking here - love their Bandcamp description “Disclaimer - The Ralph is a progressive pop metal soundgasm that may cause sudden discharges of dopamine even at low levels of consumption resulting in both rhythmic and polyrhythmic muscular contractions around the general neck area”. Seems pretty accurate - except I’d replace “pop” with “melodic”. I’m not hearing anything ‘poppy’ about this one.
Ranking: 1Puppies... you get to handicap one of Bolsters/lonestar/Evermind/TAC
Standings (which I'll post in the OP too):
Evermind*: 4+3+1+3=11
lonestar*: 2+5+5+2=14
Bolsters: 5+4+5+1=15
TAC: 2+5+5+3=15
jjrocks88**: 4+2+4+6=16
Kattoelox: 1+7+4+4=16
wolfking*: 2+4+6+5=17
Lethean*: 4+8+4+4=20
Lowdz: 6+1+8+6=21
kingshmegland: 4+9+1+8=22
Indiscipline**: 6+7+6+8=27
Puppies_On_Acid: 8+8+3+10=29
Stadler: 7+6+7+9=29
Parama: 9+6+9+7=31
Elite: 10+7+10+5=32
Train of Naught: 9+10+7+7=33
Topic: jingle.boy's 4th roulette: That's all she wrote folks - another happy ending (Read 100467 times)