Author Topic: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (The End Again: post-roulette Train)  (Read 77737 times)

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Offline Train of Naught

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (THE END)
« Reply #1365 on: October 04, 2018, 05:29:23 PM »
WINNER: Train

Gunship – Gunship (2015)

First impression: Probably the best thing I’ve heard in this specific genre.

Final opinion: According to RYM, I’ve listened to precisely zero synthwave albums. Even the wider label of synthpop, which seems to get applied to a lot of different stuff (Alan Parsons? Ulver?!) I’ve heard few albums within, and those that I’d consider vaguely close to Gunship in genre (i.e. not Ulver) I don’t normally rate highly. This is terrific, however. Great vibes - with a nice sense of energy yet really chill as well, and gorgeously atmospheric at times. Some of it reminds me of the poppy end of Everything Everything, in a good way. The Martin Grech collaboration caught me by surprise and I’m not sure his vocals 100% work, but it’s pretty interesting. There’s not a great deal of variety across the album, but there doesn’t need to be as it’s not a long album, and there’s enough to keep it engaging. And actually the consistency of style helps to keep it feeling coherent - it’s definitely a good album experience.
Score: 8.5

Slice The Cake – Odyssey to the West (2016)

First impression: This is damn epic. Takes elements of two particular bands I like and fuses them together well. I dig it.

Final opinion: Good lord, this is intense. You described it as “deathcore” which sounded a bit scary although I don't know what it actually means. I’m not sure it’s as heavy as Parama was making out though. I mean, a lot of it is pretty damn heavy, but there’s nothing here that is heavier than some stuff I listen to. Indeed there are a whole load of moments that remind me of a cross between Between the Buried and Me and The Human Abstract. And in terms of balance, ok I do find it gets a bit much in some stretches that are very full-on, but when that happens, it’s inevitably not long before a melodic or even calm section appears and provides the necessary reprieve. In addition to the heaviness, it’s also narratively intense as well. But despite it occasionally getting a bit much (and the album length doesn’t particularly help in that regard), it’s really well balanced overall - good mix of calm moments, clean heavy sections, harsh but still melodic stuff, and then yeah the manic intense stuff, particularly as the album reaches its emotional climax and the character seems to lose his mind. It’s an incredibly immersive and cathartic experience, and the quality is consistently very high throughout.
Score: 8.5

Variety score: 4.5/5

I think to get a 5/5 here, the Gunship would have needed to have been ambient electronica with no vocals. So you weren’t that far off! But yeah these are as different as any roulette submissions really. One is heavy, intense, aggressive, with huge mood swings and really focused on organic sounds. The other is chilled, atmospheric, consistent in tone, very synthy, and generally rather pleasant. Pretty much nailed the theme!

Total score = 8.5 + 8.5 + 4.5 = 21.5

So there we have it - congrats on the victory, you are now bathed in glory forever. There wasn't a huge amount in it in the end, but you did enough. And you do have the highest average score of the roulette, plus the only person to hit 9/10 twice so this feels pretty deserved. Good tactical play as well, holding back some of your strongest stuff for the knockouts! Thanks for all the awesome music and also for totally getting into the spirit of sending me such varied and unusual stuff all with such high quality. I had no idea what to expect when starting this roulette in terms of who would do well, but you dominated from early on and managed to hold on. All hail the great Train of Naught! :hefdaddy
Wow! I did not expect this at all man, Slice the Cake in a roulette final might have felt like the biggest risk ever for me in a roulette. :lol Your comments about TAC's knockout album were enough to convince myself I just wanted to send you them because this album is the epitome of extreme metal that is also very grand/epic. Like I said, my favourite album period, so winning a roulette with it is insanely cool.  I'm sure you know Novena since you are so invested in Haken and its members, so I was curious if you are actually aware that the growling dude from Novena is actually Gareth Mason, the main composer and vocalist for Slice the Cake I mentioned in my write-up. StC broke up on the same day they released Odyssey to the West and Odyssey to the Gallows (the 30+ minute prequel track to this album you definitely have to check out), but I'm glad he is still putting out music cause that man is a poetic genius in my mind.

I discovered Gunship through the "What album are you listening to?" thread because BH included the cover in his classic 6-album-grid a couple times and it caught my eyes, and Bolsters sent them. They're extremely different from most music I listen to, but got me into synth stuff like M83 big time, and it has its place for sure, especially love listening to it during work.

Thanks for all the congratulations guys. :metal This was my very last roulette for at least a while so I'm glad to go out with a bang.

If you're down in London though definitely let me know!
I am pretty sure the Pelagic Road Fest tour is heading to London soon and I might join them for a couple dates, line-up is Set and Setting/Future Usses/Abraham. If I go I'll let you guys know. If not, come to Berlin damnit!

Also gonna send some of that post-roulette goodness sometime soon
people on this board are actual music fans who developed taste in music and not casual listeners who are following current fashion trends and listening to only current commercial hits.

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (THE END)
« Reply #1366 on: October 04, 2018, 11:02:52 PM »
sent off my laundry list of cool stuff i couldn't/wouldn't send  :metal
still have some good ones pocketed for your next roulette, anyways

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (THE END)
« Reply #1367 on: October 06, 2018, 05:40:19 AM »
I'm sure you know Novena since you are so invested in Haken and its members, so I was curious if you are actually aware that the growling dude from Novena is actually Gareth Mason, the main composer and vocalist for Slice the Cake I mentioned in my write-up. StC broke up on the same day they released Odyssey to the West and Odyssey to the Gallows (the 30+ minute prequel track to this album you definitely have to check out), but I'm glad he is still putting out music cause that man is a poetic genius in my mind.
Cool, wasn't aware of that! Mason does pretty much all the vocals in STC right? Because his clean vocals are also awesome, really powerful and emotive. And yeah I'm very aware of Novena, I know Harrison (and Ross obviously) and I've met Moat once as well. I'm not particularly a fan of their debut, which was decent but lacked something for me. But I'll be following them definitely, they've certainly got promise.

And yeah I read up on STC and Odyssey in particular. Turns out Mason is the lyricist but that the music was mostly written by a guy who wasn't a performing band member, and that Mason and the other band member recorded it and released (with Mason's lyrics) without his permission, which was why they split. Pretty bonkers stuff.

Quote
If you're down in London though definitely let me know!
I am pretty sure the Pelagic Road Fest tour is heading to London soon and I might join them for a couple dates, line-up is Set and Setting/Future Usses/Abraham. If I go I'll let you guys know. If not, come to Berlin damnit!
Awesome, never heard of any of those bands, but if you are in London definitely let me know. :metal

Quote
Also gonna send some of that post-roulette goodness sometime soon
Woot, thanks! Got plenty to listen to, though it might be a week or two as I'm prioritising new albums by artists I already listen to that I've neglected for the last couple of months.

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette updates)
« Reply #1368 on: October 31, 2018, 05:06:38 AM »
I promised to report back on post-roulette submissions. This has taken me a while as most of my listening since the roulette finished has been exploring the catalogues (or parts of catalogues) of the artists from my favourite submissions - everything rated 8.5 and above, which you will recall was rather a lot. I've finished doing that for now, and I'll post some updates on that in due course (and later on I'll also start exploring the 8.0s and probably some of the 7.5s), but now I'm getting cracking on checking out albums that people sent me that weren't part of the roulette. So without further ado...


Post-roulette submissions, part 1

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romdrums: 22 – You Are Creating: Limb1 (2017)
Sent after elimination in round one
Had a bit of a weird journey with this one. After my first listen I thought it was really cool. Then on my second listen I found it a lot less interesting. Not sure why. But then on subsequent listens since then it's got better and better. Really nice alt-rock with lots of great hooks, some groovy basswork and nice use of synths. Staying Embodied and Sum of Parts are especially catchy. So yeah, you should have gone with this for round one, to be honest, but I'm glad you sent it to me still because it's great!
Score: 8.0

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King: For All We Know – Take Me Home (2017)
Sent after elimination in round one
You may have noticed that I'd already rated their debut, and hadn't been overly impressed giving it just 3 stars. It'd been quite a disappointment as I'd hoped for interesting stuff from Kristoffer Gildenlow. This new album is a huge improvement. Some really nice prog mixing old school ideas with some modern twists a la Frost. Unlike Frost, though, there's no real wow factor. It's all solid but none of it is desperately exciting. So sadly it has to settle for that dreaded 7.5, but it's got me more interested in checking out whatever they do next.
Score: 7.5

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TAC: Seven Eyed Crow – Dark Ways to the Sun (2015)
Original submission for round three
You initially sent this for round 3 but quickly replaced it with Kaelling. And that was the right call, because as solid and enjoyable as this is, it would have got you another 7.5. Different genre but as with King's submission above, this is all good but it lacks any wow factor. I've given it a few spins and while it was enjoyable enough while listening, I can't really remember anything about it.
Score: 7.5

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I've just started listening to Sacul's post-roulette submissions, so that will be next, probably in a few days but I'm not holding anything up so it'll take as long as it takes. :P

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette updates)
« Reply #1369 on: October 31, 2018, 06:01:15 AM »

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TAC: Seven Eyed Crow – Dark Ways to the Sun (2015)
Original submission for round three
You initially sent this for round 3 but quickly replaced it with Kaelling. And that was the right call, because as solid and enjoyable as this is, it would have got you another 7.5. Different genre but as with King's submission above, this is all good but it lacks any wow factor. I've given it a few spins and while it was enjoyable enough while listening, I can't really remember anything about it.
Score: 7.5


I forgot I did that.  Yeah, I was really struggling to nail down your tastes. I'm still not sure TBH. :lol

The 7EC is fine, but it was missing something, and that's why I pulled it back.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette updates)
« Reply #1370 on: October 31, 2018, 06:09:07 AM »
Yeah, I was really struggling to nail down your tastes. I'm still not sure TBH. :lol
In fairness, I'm not sure either.

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette updates)
« Reply #1371 on: October 31, 2018, 11:15:50 AM »
I promised to report back on post-roulette submissions. This has taken me a while as most of my listening since the roulette finished has been exploring the catalogues (or parts of catalogues) of the artists from my favourite submissions - everything rated 8.5 and above, which you will recall was rather a lot. I've finished doing that for now, and I'll post some updates on that in due course (and later on I'll also start exploring the 8.0s and probably some of the 7.5s), but now I'm getting cracking on checking out albums that people sent me that weren't part of the roulette. So without further ado...


Post-roulette submissions, part 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
romdrums: 22 – You Are Creating: Limb1 (2017)
Sent after elimination in round one
Had a bit of a weird journey with this one. After my first listen I thought it was really cool. Then on my second listen I found it a lot less interesting. Not sure why. But then on subsequent listens since then it's got better and better. Really nice alt-rock with lots of great hooks, some groovy basswork and nice use of synths. Staying Embodied and Sum of Parts are especially catchy. So yeah, you should have gone with this for round one, to be honest, but I'm glad you sent it to me still because it's great!
Score: 8.0



Glad you dug it!  I did lead with a track off of this album in 425's roulette, so I learned fast!
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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette updates)
« Reply #1372 on: October 31, 2018, 05:44:53 PM »
I promised to report back on post-roulette submissions. This has taken me a while as most of my listening since the roulette finished has been exploring the catalogues (or parts of catalogues) of the artists from my favourite submissions - everything rated 8.5 and above, which you will recall was rather a lot. I've finished doing that for now, and I'll post some updates on that in due course (and later on I'll also start exploring the 8.0s and probably some of the 7.5s), but now I'm getting cracking on checking out albums that people sent me that weren't part of the roulette. So without further ado...


Post-roulette submissions, part 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
romdrums: 22 – You Are Creating: Limb1 (2017)
Sent after elimination in round one
Had a bit of a weird journey with this one. After my first listen I thought it was really cool. Then on my second listen I found it a lot less interesting. Not sure why. But then on subsequent listens since then it's got better and better. Really nice alt-rock with lots of great hooks, some groovy basswork and nice use of synths. Staying Embodied and Sum of Parts are especially catchy. So yeah, you should have gone with this for round one, to be honest, but I'm glad you sent it to me still because it's great!
Score: 8.0



Glad you dug it!  I did lead with a track off of this album in 425's roulette, so I learned fast!
I never could get in to this album. Not sure why. It does receive fairly high praise from most.
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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette updates)
« Reply #1373 on: October 31, 2018, 08:31:47 PM »
I've just started listening to Sacul's post-roulette submissions, so that will be next, probably in a few days but I'm not holding anything up so it'll take as long as it takes. :P
Don't post results until you love them, even if it takes years  :metal

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette updates pt 2)
« Reply #1374 on: November 09, 2018, 03:11:22 AM »
Post-roulette submissions, part 2: SACULSTRAVAGANZA

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Sacul: DJ Shadow – Endtroducing (1996)
Sent after elimination in round five
There's some nice stuff here definitely, but also some kinda annoying stuff too. Feels like the sort of thing where in a song roulette if you sent me one or two of the best tracks it'd do really well. The chilled atmospheric stuff is mostly really good and surprisingly modern sounding for an 22 year old album. And some of the more upbeat stuff is cool too. But some tracks I find pretty boring or even actively irritating - I'm not really a fan of the DJ-style “channel skipping” type sounds, for want of a better term. So yeah, it's good overall, but not great.
Score: 7.0

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Sacul: Massive Attack – Mezzanine (1998)
Sent after elimination in round five
I remember Massive Attack from my teen years. They're one of those moody late 90s trip hop groups that I heard stuff by but never really got into (the other big one being Portishead). I think I definitely appreciate the style more now than I did then when my listening habits were less broad, genre-wise. There's lots to like here. Still not sure I love it though. Like the Seven Eyed Crow album in my last update, it's all solid stuff while I'm listening, but I couldn't tell you anything about it afterwards.
Score: 7.5

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Sacul: Burial – Untrue (2007)
Sent after elimination in round five
This feels like it should be so much my thing, it's totally a style of electronica that I dig. Similar sounds and approaches to Maribou State in particular, and some other influences I can't quite put my finger on. But there's something lacking. It's like, the vibes are amazing, but there isn't really anything on top of the vibes. It's great having it on in the background, but every time I pay attention there isn't really anything interesting happening. So it's very nice stuff, but I can't see myself putting it on unless I want some background music with no risk of distracting me.
Score: 7.5

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Sacul: Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come (1998)
Sent after elimination in round five
To be honest I wasn't very keen on this on first listen. It felt like the punk/hardcore stuff didn't have much in the way of hooks, and the other stuff seemed like a bit of a jumbled mess. But damn what a grower. I was enjoying it a lot more after a couple of further listens, and so read up on the album. Understanding what they were doing with it definitely helped me appreciate it, although in a way I'm glad it was already growing on me by that point. Closer to post-hardcore than anything else really, and it's raw but it's also exciting and unpredictable. Just goes to show that unless you actually hate something, it's always worth giving it a chance.
Score: 8.0

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Next up will be one album from Luke (his initial 4th place match submission before he realised he was meant to send 2 albums), and then I'll start making my way through the Paramarathon.

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette updates pt 2)
« Reply #1375 on: November 09, 2018, 04:49:13 AM »
Dacul Attack

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I was obsessed with Endtroducing.... in the summer of 2015 for some reason, despite having already been familiar with the record before that. I think it still sounds modern because DJ Shadow didn't really try to pursue any particular genre, but to rather explore the possibilities of sampling - it has the Guinness Record for being the first album fully composed with samples. You should check out the tracks Six Days and Blood on the Motorway from his second album The Private Press if you want to avoid the annoying stuff :P

I'll admit that Mezzanine is quite a grower - took me a few years but I feel now I'd put it in my top 15  :metal . I just can't get enough of that thick atmosphere, the pulsating beats, and the great hooks.

I get you about Untrue, it's kind of hard to find people that really like it. I personally love the unique atmosphere it has - some people have called it an album of 'ghosts' since Burial did sample many of his late 90s, early 2000s, childhood and teenage's songs. Overall it evokes a strong feeling of nostalgia with the distorted vocals, the broken beats, and the layers of vinyl grain and pads. It was the first proper electronic album I listened to, and at a time in which I only knew Skrillex and crappy brostep/EDM, it confused the shit out of me  :lol . But with time I ended up revisiting it over and over, and it's sitting on my top 5 right now.

Yeah Refused was another grower to me, and it's certainly a mess, but what a beautiful mess it is - it's a shame they got so much shit and broke up back then. I have to explore the rest of their catalogue.



Thanks for listening to some of my favorite records and giving your thoughts on them  :D

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Endtroducing is a landmark record. I don't listen to it often, but I always enjoy it when I do. It is THE plunderphonics record.
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I loooove Endtroducing, didn't know that about the first fully composed with samples fact, that's mindblowing. Building Steam with a Grain of Salt is my absolute favourite hip-hop song.

Review my albums :angry:
people on this board are actual music fans who developed taste in music and not casual listeners who are following current fashion trends and listening to only current commercial hits.

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Endtroducing is a landmark record. I don't listen to it often, but I always enjoy it when I do. It is THE plunderphonics record.
I loooove Endtroducing, didn't know that about the first fully composed with samples fact, that's mindblowing. Building Steam with a Grain of Salt is my absolute favourite hip-hop song.
:metal

Since I Left You by The Avalanches goes total nuts in terms of sampling tho - around 3500 are estimated to be in that record, and it's pretty fun. Might send it in your roulette, Puppies, since I've got nothing to lose  :P

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Review my albums :angry:
I'm going through in order of when they were sent. So I've got like 17,000 albums from Parama before I get to yours.

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I can't even remember what album I sent you so this will be interesting  :corn

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I just checked and I sent 3 albums:

Parius - The Eldritch Realm
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (really curious about this one)
Cult of Luna - Vertikal (this is like one of my favourite albums ever but I wouldn't ever send it during the actual roulette cause it's kinda risky)
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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette pt3: Quick Luke)
« Reply #1384 on: November 19, 2018, 05:01:21 AM »
Keep forgetting to update this thread! Here's Luke's, and Parama's first update will be soon.


Post-roulette submissions, part 3: A Quick Luke

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Luke: Ihsahn – Arktis (2016)
Original submission for 4th place match
Damn dude, you should have sent this for the semi-final and you’d have beaten Parama with black metal. Well, ok not wholly black metal, lots of proggy elements too, but it’s clearly black metal based. I really like it, and indeed it scores better than any black metal that’s actually been sent in a roulette. It’s helped a lot by Ihsahn’s vocals - raspy black metal vocals don’t always do it for me but his are good, and his clean singing has great character (plus some top notch guest performances). And the music is really exciting at times too - there are a couple of duds for me, but most of the tracks are great and the album is helped by the really strong stuff being spaced nicely throughout the album. And I love how there’s atmospheric, moody stuff interspersed throughout - Crooked Red Line is a particular favourite in that regard (dat sax solo!).
Score: 8.5

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Glad you liked it dude  :metal

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt1:pop)
« Reply #1387 on: November 22, 2018, 12:50:15 AM »

Post-roulette Paramarathon part 1: Too... pop?

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Parama: Lorde – Melodrama (2017)
Sent after the roulette was over
This ended up being your only “too pop” album as you sent me the Julia Holter in my last roulette. I like this more than that though, and it's definitely not too poppy. Lorde is obviously a big name but I've never heard her stuff. It's great though. Very reminiscent of Regina Spektor at times (especially in the piano songs), who's one of my absolute favourite pop artists. This album doesn't have the richness and variety of Regina's best albums, but it's comparable with her last couple. A few tracks aren't particularly interesting but they're all pleasant, and overall this is a really nice album.
Score: 8.0

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt1:pop)
« Reply #1388 on: November 22, 2018, 12:58:02 AM »
even after the roulette's done...... 8's all the way down

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt1:pop)
« Reply #1389 on: November 22, 2018, 12:58:31 AM »
even after the roulette's done...... 8's all the way down
That's what you think...

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt1:pop)
« Reply #1390 on: November 22, 2018, 01:02:57 AM »
oh i know for sure just looking at some of the other stuff i sent you, there are a few that are gonna get really great (read: low) scores but idc  :corn it's why i didn't send these during the roulette proper

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt1:pop)
« Reply #1391 on: November 22, 2018, 02:53:03 AM »
Well yeah I guess part of the whole point was to send me stuff you weren't confident of and thought was too risky. I've listened to about half so far and some of it is rather good though (like the Lorde).

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt1:pop)
« Reply #1392 on: November 22, 2018, 09:16:38 AM »
emphasis on "some"

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt1:pop)
« Reply #1393 on: November 22, 2018, 12:01:16 PM »
Narrator: It was just the Lorde.

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt2:instr)
« Reply #1394 on: November 25, 2018, 02:58:54 PM »
Post-roulette Paramarathon part 2: Too... instrumental?

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Parama: El Drugstore – Plague Ship (2013)
Sent after the roulette was over
I don't think the issue here is “too instrumental” so much as “too annoying”. I get the style they're going for and I can completely see why you'd dig it, but it's not really for me and I think it's an area where our tastes diverge. Not that it's bad - in fact there's some pretty good stuff from time to time. The album starts pretty well but it gets samey pretty quickly, and there are long stretches that sound like a (talented for sure) garage band but without any interesting hooks. I don't dislike instrumental music at all - for “band music” like jazz, rock and metal, I have 18 albums rated 4.5 stars. But it's true that I tend to me more picky. This album feels too samey, and not enough of it interests me.
Score: 6.0

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Parama: Poly-Math – House of Wisdom / We Are the Devil (2017)
Sent after the roulette was over
Whereas this is much better crafted, more varied and works well as instrumental music. It's a very nice blend of prog/math metal with post-rock/post-metal elements. Some nice build ups and great energy. It still occasionally suffers from sounding more accompaniment than feature, but most of the album is pretty strong and there's a nice variety throughout to keep it interesting. The post-metal vibe also works in its favour - the atmospheric stylings and crescendos keep the music pretty engaging even when not much is happening. Turned out to be a bit of a grower too. Good stuff.
Score: 8.0

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plague ship would probably rank in my top 20 albums of all time so i'm glad you hated it  :metal
but nah i totally get why you wouldn't like it, it's... niche

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plague ship would probably rank in my top 20 albums of all time so i'm glad you hated it  :metal
Hey if I actually real-world hated it, it would have got a 3/10 at best.

But yeah by roulette standards I pretty much "hated" it.

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt3:HEAVY)
« Reply #1397 on: December 03, 2018, 01:51:14 PM »
Post-roulette Paramarathon part 3: Too... heavy?

A preface to this section, which you called “too… heavy?”. I don't think any of these are too heavy, in the sense that there's nothing on them that makes me think “this is too extreme for me”. But as you know I'm quite picky if there isn't the right balance or level and type of melodic approach in there, and to varying degrees these albums all suffer a bit from not quite doing it for me in that regard.

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Parama: Exist – Sunlight (2013)
Sent after the roulette was over
Well, I don't hate it, but I don't love it either, which is possibly the most disappointing result for you. In a way, I wish I liked this more, because it has some very cool moments. Some of the jazz metal stuff is pretty unique (to me anyway) and there's the odd nice melodic moment. But overall, I'm not a huge fan. A lot of it I just find a little boring, the heavier material in particular just not really doing it for me at all. Even among the stuff I like more, some of the jazzy bits feel like meander too much, and a lot of the melodies are not very interesting.
Score: 6.5

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Parama: Mithras – On Strange Loops (2016)
Sent after the roulette was over
This is good but there's still something lacking. They have an interesting and unusual harmonic approach which I kind of dig, but I don't feel like it really goes anywhere. It's pretty heavy instrumentally and the vocals are all harsh, so generally I need a good sense of melody. And a lot of it is sort of melodic I guess, but I don't really find any of it very tuneful, if that distinction makes any sense. After a while it all kind of blurs into one. I'm not sure it's right to say that I find it “too much”, at least in terms of heaviness, but it does stick pretty relentlessly with one style that never quite does it for me.
Score: 7.0

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Parama: Cryptodira – The Devil's Despair (2017)
Sent after the roulette was over
I'd say this is my favourite of the three. There's a real Opeth vibe in some of the heavy bits, some cool proggy stuff peppered throughout, and some good atmospheric sections. However, while it's pretty consistently solid throughout (certainly once it gets a few tracks in), it never manages to reach greatness territory. The heavy stuff doesn't quite get me headbanging or fistpumping, and most of the melodic and atmospheric stuff lacks the hooks to really grab me. Even my favourite songs here, like Gods of Epicurus and Longing Belonging, are probably an 8/10. So yeah, I like it but I think you're right that it's just outside my wheelhouse, as the phrase goes.
Score: 7.5

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EDIT: Oh yeah, just one more Paramarathon update, then Train of Naught, and then I'll probably provide some thoughts on what I've been digging into in terms of artists' discographies.

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt3:HEAVY)
« Reply #1398 on: December 03, 2018, 02:05:47 PM »
I think the Shining album would've gone in this category btw :P
I told you to listen to that one too I think?

But yeah I'm not super surprised by any of these, there's a reason I didn't sent any of these to you during the roulette

The next set should be interesting too because it's more me trying to get a feel for what kind of stuff you like in a certain genre I was hesitant to send  :corn

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Re: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (post-roulette Parama pt3:HEAVY)
« Reply #1399 on: December 03, 2018, 02:10:10 PM »
Yeah you mentioned the Shining album in one of the albums from the final category, so I've grouped it there. Haven't actually heard it yet. But yeah it does mean your categories have ended up with 1, 2, 3 and then 4 albums in them.

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I be am boner inducing.