Two draws this time, for I hear the same peaks and valleys in these odd couples.
Round One Results, 2 of 4:
ariich – Sexin'-You-LatersCaligula's Horse – Turntail:Bus Impression: One song my daughter would loveTimestamp Snippet: 4:45 - 4:58: It may be the first and last time I type this sentence in my life: vocals should have gone full screamo there. Just there.This tune came with the message: “You belong to an obsolete generation of rock lovers, system needs to be updated”. Of course, I can deeply connect with that relentless headbanging groove, I'm a fan of that crispy clearness flaunted since the first cocky drum fill, and the embracing melody flying over heavy pounding is certainly something perfected when I was 13. What's new and distant is the way those (and many others) beloved rock staples are brought to life by sound and articulation, and there's where I quibble a bit:
You have a monster drummer with top tier groove skills, but you drown his groove with fascinating mathematical bass and guitar lines and upstage his frequencies with buckets of low end. You have a gorgeous vocal line and a singer gifted with considerable emotional power, but you don't let him go berserk when the song begs for full throttle. Nonetheless, I am sure 50% of this is me not being confident enough with a new musical language.
Vote: 7.0 – A song undoubtedly balancing power and beauty. Maybe more power would have meant more beauty.
romdrums - Seedy Rom and the Hard DrivesKarnivool – New Day:Bus Impression: One song made me punch the dashboard in orgasm denial frustrationTimestamp Snippet: 4:47 - 5:11: The song could have definitely used more of that worlds-destroying monster of a riffI'd really love to meet those guys and ask: Nice to meet you, having a great classy delay driven verse, a greater catchy angsty chorus, and one of the best breakdown riffs I've heard in the internet era, what madness did possess you in order to play gratuitous stop-and-go? A couple of significant times I can appreciate, doing it systematically is a crime towards momentum. They would probably call the cops, but that's not the point.
The vocalist intrigued me, and deserves his own paragraph. Very particular timbre, perfect to hit you with a freight train of emotions at hig range and volume. I still can't decide whether his particular way of quivering during the soft verses is cringy or brilliant, and honestly I don't care, for that's a voice – if not a singer per se - I won't easily forget.
Vote: 7.0 – At least half a point more if it took a less winding path, but memorable.
Elite - Rich and The Poor TastesHaken – Atlas Stone: Bus Impression: One song made me aware of the perils of progressive music saturationTimestamp Snippet: 5:10 - 6:10: One minute of beautiful music, yet one minute completely compromising the otherwise perfect flux and showing lack of confidence.This is maddening, in a way. I can only describe the feeling – and concept – with a sequence: Excellent mysterious-to-epic intro / Good solid verse / Great hooky chorus / Solo – deebeedee – Solo / Nice twist on the verse / Great chorus, can't get enough / Glorious prog section / Victory chorus conclusion. What do you see? The recipe for a classic. Now imagine having a whole bloody extraneous minute of (very good) music wedged between the two last items, spoiling the soup. When the final chorus came back it was a stranger to me again, while I wanted to hug it like a good friend.
This band sounds and plays like few others this side of DT. They can afford to really be progressive, and not just a continous iteration of prog. I believe there is a band for the ages there, but a good chunk of potential is going towards genre involution, rather than exploding into something really new. By the way, the vocalist would make a great jazz singer, seriously.
Vote: 7.3 This could have been Pull Me Under for some 14 years old Indiscipline out there, with more confidence and less respect for the past.
:
Destiny of Chaos - The One Trick PoniesVanden Plas – January Sun:Bus Impression: One song made me giddy about 90's DT spirit carrying onTimestamp Snippet: 0:48 - 0:56: Every composition leaning on John Miles' Music side of things is doing it right.Speaking of Pull Me Under, some vibes here. And some southpaw John Miles piano. And an orchestra entering like a hurricane of awesome. And a cello, and 322 other classical instruments, and 783 different keyboard patches, and guitars with “crunch” turned to 11 swallowing everything someway. Then, closing the circle, a moment when I was sure the Pull Me Under solo was coming. And and and and.
In a funny frustrating way, this tune is a heap of wonderful elements asking for order. There are at least five-six great ideas worth five-six great songs losing power when crammed together in a single track. Nonetheless, those passages feature such pleasant melody and elegance that you just can't help but feel constant waves of pleasure, and maybe my perplexities are just a matter of mixing.
Vote: 7.3 – I don't believe less is more, but I believe too much is too much.
EDIT: Sloppy
Topic: Indiscipline's Roulette v. The Dirty Aftermath (Read 126234 times)
