Alas, I read that too late, Tim.
Mullet Round Results, 2 of 2:
kingshmegland - King Kongshmegland:World Trade – Open the Door:Couch Impression: “What If Trevor Rabin wore the Infinity Gauntlet?”
Time Travel Snippet: My brother always considered this “brain-hurting” music.
Peaks: The intro is the very definition of lush and epic, promising way more than eventually delivered, but it's a grandiose piece of music nonetheless. The “crossing over” double tritone section is like an irresistable spice whose aftertaste you just can't stop coming back to. There is a painstakingly crafted depth of textures resembling an alien mosaic filling up every second. Someone must have spent a whole year planning this cut.
Valleys: The majestic opening trot never becomes a galop, but it settles on a comfortable parade pace, sometimes too enamored of its gorgeous sound to care about flow. Black Light Machine had the same musical and production DNA, but it actually moved with a distinct sense of direction this tune could really borrow.
Vote: 7.3 – E.R.
Evermind - Cockroach Sympathizers:Savatage – Labyrinths / Follow Me:Couch Impression: “What If science finally realised Italian-American guitarists have the highest % chance to sport the Virtuoso DNA?”
Time Travel Snippet: I was into full Image and Words discovery/obsession. This was just obsolete.
Peaks: The Labyrinth section is simply the way I would have loved every post-Seventh Son Maiden album to begin. Follow Me is a beast of contrasts, creating a sort of lucky fascinating mix. We have the most abused chord progression in pop and rock history kept alive by enchanted arpeggio islands and impressive moments of genuine '80s Metallica rage. Beauty of the ball is the pure heavy metal section, featuring a uniquely toned solo I'm kicking myself for not knowing when I actually had the chops to have fun with it.
Valleys: Well, the most abused chord progression in pop and rock history, plus a vocalist juggling soft storyteller and berserk thunderer identities, often fumbling.
Vote: 7.5 – NYPD
ariich – Sexin'-You-Laters:Michel Camilo – Not Yet:Couch Impression: “What If someone built a Tower of Power in the Caribbean?”
Time Travel Snippet: My father had already stopped checking out new music, otherwise he would have loved this.
Peaks: The main leading phrase is absolutely the best riff of the roulette so far, dramatic, funny and spunky at the same time. A pianoman I could describe as the optimist Petrucciani, a great second sax soloing “outside” with rare levity, and a bassman from Titan. The big band is incredibly tight and I love the way it makes me realise it's “big” only when strictly needed (the dedicated brass ensemble unison spots are a joy).
Valleys: In order to make the leap to a superior tier of rankings, this one really needs some smooth vocals, specifically when it goes on that soft groove Jamiroquai have built a career on. And, of course, more main riff, always, all the time.
Vote: 7.8 – The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
TAC - The aTACkers:Shooting Star – Last Chance:Couch Impression: “What If Steve Harris were born in Kansas?”
Time Travel Snippet: My brother was too young and my father too old to buy this. They would have loved it.
Peaks: Deep Purple is my favourite band on odd days, and I'm here stating this is what DP should have done in the eighties. An introductory violin (and later main) melody giving life to a couple of Neal Morse daydreams, definitely PieceofMindish guitar riffing, a classy progressive veil drawn upon a solid hard rock core. Why the fock I know Journey, Styx, Boston and hear of this guys only now? Heads are gonna roll.
Valleys: In order to make the leap to a superior tier of rankings, this tune needs a wee less confusion in the keyboards/orchestral instruments sound department and, above all, a Schenkeresque showstopping guitar solo detonating at the song's climax.
Vote: 8.0 – Cheers
Elite - Rich and The Poor Tastes:Cardiacs – The Duck and Roger The Horse:Couch Impression: “What If the Joker were into The Mothers of Invention?”
Time Travel Snippet: There is no chance my brother would have liked and brought home this album.
Peaks: Batshit crazy in the best possible way, hiding a cold evil brilliant method. Everything looks like chaos, but nothing is casual. There's an invisible manipulative grasp dragging our senses from anxiety to ecstasy, from punk milkshakes to ice-creamy melodic openings. Giants like Patton and Claypool would have never attained their cult statuses (stati?) without songs like this, and old Frankie would have killed to groom these madmen inside his circus.
Valleys: Without real dynamics, this monstrous blow to musical conventions stays a two-dimentional assault. With real dynamics it would have changed the world.
Vote: 8.4 – Twin Peaks
jingle.boy - Boston Bruins Blow:Triumph – Magic Power: Couch Impression: “What If the Sunset Strip were populated by hard-working, good natured dudes?”
Time Travel Snippet: A dozen years later, I would have loved to dedicate this to girlfriend#1.
Peaks: This gets the Kiske treatment, because when a song catches my heart I stop giving a fock about mundane aspects and I proceed by sketches of sense. Thank you for an intro channeling Thank You, thank you for a ton of The Who hidden inside, thank you for THAT three-notes descent. The rest is tear-inducing musical honesty turning hair metal into heart metal. How the fock the world audience chose to idolise, say, U2 over these guys is proof of human race being a colossal mistake.
Valleys: I still have to listen to my brain, and it says a change-of-pace rumbling middle-eight would have made this tune perfect.
Vote: 8.6 – Beverly Hills 90120
Puppies_On_Acid - West Coast Lost Marbles:Anglagard – Kung Bore:Couch Impression: “What If Howe, Rutherford, Hammer, and Giles formed the Justice League?”
Time Travel Snippet: I suspect this wasn't even distributed in my neck of the woods at that time. And, again, Images and Words monopolised everything.
Peaks: What DT was doing in '92 with Rush and Maiden is exactly what these guys were doing with classic brit prog. Hell, you can tell some passages are not Genesis only by virtue of not English vocals. A million astounding melodies never letting their grip on noble classical references, movements joined with religious responsibility, a central flute theme straight from heaven. This is how prog should have instantly reacted to Hiroshima (early punk) and Nagasaki (disco).
Valleys: Cut that damned spoken segment messing up the final's flow and you've got yourself a fat 10.
Vote: 8.8 – Seinfield
Aefenwelg - The Uhhhh.. Wildcats:Yezda Urfa - Tota In The Moya:Couch Impression: “What If Fripp, Squire, Palmer, and the Shulman Bros formed the Avengers?”
Time Travel Snippet: If they had published it when they actually recorded it, this album would have definitely had its place of honour among my father's best.
Peaks: My favourite song in the roulette so far. Classy instrumental choices, myriads of details worth great songs, a robust '70s vinyl feel, perfect essential arrangements (almost like a jazz ensemble), a magical introductory theme (imagine Bruford mixing the best of his two main bands' melody catalogues), a crazy part featuring one of the best bass melodic lines ever heard, a Bach interlude, a majestic Yessish grand finale. This is what Haken should do.
Valleys: Despite trying to ignore the issue for at least ten listens, I can't help but notice the mixing is a clusterfock here and there. Me still ranking this over nine really goes to show how great this song is.
Vote: 9.2 – The Simpsons
My body is ready for your all-star submissions.
Topic: Indiscipline's Roulette v. The Dirty Aftermath (Read 125517 times)
