Round 5 Results
Group ASacul: David Bowie – “Lazarus”
Taken the theme to its logical, if perhaps extreme, conclusion; why didn’t anyone send this last round?
This is really fantastic—a top song in the roulette, very nearly a 9. That saxophone is haunting, the lyrics are gripping, and the vocal performance fitting for a 68-year-old man nearly on his death bed, but also excellent. There’s not a note wrong here. The bass and the organ do a lovely job of filling space. I mean damn, if the closer from this album is anywhere near as good as this song, then why didn’t anyone send me Bowie for the career closers last round? I won’t go into it anymore because I can’t. Perfect song for the theme. 8.5
Lethean: Subsignal – “Finisterre”
Run of the mill modern prog rock, albeit with a couple lovely moments
Of the more typical prog rock submissions I received this round, across all the groups, this was probably the most underwhelming. But there’s quite a bit to enjoy here, too. That little interlude around the 4:30 mark is really lovely and the chorus melodies are memorable enough to nudge their way into my head, even if they never really got stuck. 6
Stadler: Frank Sinatra – “It Was A Very Good Year”
Not sure how much I like the black and white texture of this
I was a little disappointed when you chose Sinatra. Like so many of your songs, this one is hard to find fault with. In fact, it’s pretty lovely. The strings, the smooth Sinatra voice, the way it all wraps up at the end with a nice little twist on the lyrics. Still, this is not really my cup of tea. Or rather, it’s like you insist on serving excellent tea despite my preference for smoothies. I relate to this song a lot like a Casablanca or a Citizen Kane—good works of art, but not really what I’m into. Still, it was better than I was expecting, and not my least favorite song of the group. 5
Cyril: fun. – “The Gambler”
I don’t like his voice or singing style so far, which is of that conversational variety that reminds me of artists like Ben Folds (no, I do not like Ben Folds)
I feel bad sticking you down here again, but I didn’t enjoy this song much at all. This is going to sound stupid, but it’s a little too fun for me. I generally prefer pop that sounds a bit more lost and tortured, or at least hinting at the possibility of torture. So, the combination of that piano melody and his Ben Folds-style vocals rubs me the wrong way. And the result is less tortured and more like a begging, petulant performer who’s very conscious about how he enunciates out from the stage that is his life. 4
Group BJingle.boy: Lords of Black – “Insane”
Soaring and emotional vocals — the comparisons you made are on point.
Yes, this has RJD and Diego Valdez comparisons written all over it. And when given a singer of that quality, I’m a real sucker for this kind of stripped-down performance. The piano does a great job of framing his range, and the little (surprise) guitar solo is really nice, too. I’m really looking forward to checking this album out. Your best offering yet. 8.5
Tomislav: Low Roar – “Give Up”
Decent on first listen, but relatively sedated compared to some of your other submissions in this genre
I wasn’t really wowed by this song on the first couple of listens, and I still wouldn’t quite put it up there with Elliott Smith or Andrew Bird, but it definitely grew on me after a few listens. It’s really soothing, for sure, and I find myself wanting to close my eyes every time it comes on. There’s a strong feeling of loneliness and nostalgia knit into the music itself, and the lyrics match that pretty well. You said there was some interesting story about how the album came together… What is that? 7.5
TAC: Michael Schenker – “At the End of the Day”
Tight playing, but not one of my favorite instrumentals of the round
You sent me a live UFO song in my first (or second?) roulette and I remember being really wowed by the Schenker guitar solo in that one, which was relentless. So, I was excited to hear this one, and while I’m not nearly as impressed by it, this is still a really nice piece. Kind of circles around the theme in a gentle way—and it’s not nearly as raw as that UFO song—but it’s a nice theme and I can’t find too much fault with it. It does feel a little safe though, and I’m curious to know how it might have expanded into something else. Kudos for meeting all the themes, though. 6+1.5=7.5
FlyingBIZKIT: Little Tybee – “A Dog Waits in the Doorway”
A little impression of a song, barely enough for me to latch my teeth onto.
This is a nice little song, but there’s really not much here for me to play around with. It feels like the first track or last track on an album, set there for the sole purpose of setting or leaving the stage. Unfortunately, then, despite enjoying it alright, I’m left looking for some kind of payoff. How can I say this in a way you’ll understand… Ah, here you go—this song is all foreplay and no penetration. Nice and gentle foreplay, sure, but still just foreplay. 5.5
Group CAriich: Karmakanic – “Who’s the Boss in the Factory?”
There are traces of the “bigger” band from which this guy comes, but unlike the other submissions in this group, I think this song is a clear improvement
My relationship with The Flower Kings isn’t great, but I do own and enjoy a couple of their albums (and really enjoy a couple songs in particular), so I was curious to hear how this one would compare. I’m glad to say that I rate it as highly as the best of TFK, and better than most of their music that I’ve heard. It’s definitely got a similar feel to it, though. The spacey tone of the bass feels very much like Space Revolver. The vocals are an improvement on TFK though, I think. Maybe not. Hasse has his moments, I guess, but I enjoy the melodies in this one more, especially that chorus. The solos here are really on point, and the most important thing is that despite being the longest song of the round, the time always flew by. 8
Romdrums: Chris Squire – “Silently Falling”
It seems my education was cut short! I found myself wanting to turn the volume up to immerse myself in this immaculately constructed song.
After a stumble last round, you’ve recovered really well. This song has everything that I’m looking for in a classic Yes song—it’s engaging, dynamic, and it feels really focused on delivering a full journey. Chris Squire, as always, is on point, and the musicians he gathered for this album are all swell in their own way. It’s hard to pick out favorite parts, because it’s pretty consistently special, but I’d probably go to the last four minutes, starting when everything drops out except the keys, bass, and the mantra “silently falling.” Great outro and great song. 8
Kattelox: Lauri Porra – “Rhapsody of Consequences”
This one felt very visual to me, like a wonderful sequence of scenes snatched from several different popular film genres
The good news for you is that this is big improvement on Tuca Turilli’s Rhapsody last round; the bad news is that all the songs in this group were an improvement on last round, so you’re not really gaining any ground… What I really like about this song is that it does a lovely job of weaving a certain atmosphere together and then moves on to something else and yet the transitions are impressively smooth. First minute and a half, for example, the song is blossoming into this epic dreamscape, and then it just kind of seamlessly shifts into a spaghetti western scene. So it’s got that going for it—the careful movement—but importantly, each section is also strong in its own right. And they really do feel like little scenes, each of them, all the way until that wild finale, iron birds cawing and all the rest. 8
Nekov: Gleb Kolyadin – “Kaleidoscope”
This piece built up toward more than I was expecting, especially when the flute entered
This one grew on me after a couple listens, and I’d say it’s one of your better submissions of the roulette. Obviously, the musicianship is impressive. As a lapsed pianist, I really enjoy the technical aspect of this song, but thankfully it’s not just non-stop showing off either. Like I said in the first impression, I really like the flute bit. Same goes for all the different effects that he blends together throughout the song. Strong tapestry effect. 7.5
Group DLordCost: The Unwinding Hours – “Solstice”
I’m pretty sure I’ve heard this song before. Okay, not this song specifically, but close enough.
Like the Monica Heldal song, this song has all the parts of a party, and it’s really lovely the way they string them together into this delicate little idol. Also like the Monica Heldal song, it sounds like pretty standard early-evening café playlist music. Romantic background music. I do like this one slightly more though, probably because the vocals are a touch more strained and fragile here, the musical equivalent of an empathy booster. 7.5
Evermind: Amethystium – “Autumn Interlude”
Dreamy, spacey, and not one of your better submissions
I think if I listened to this another dozen times I’d probably score it even higher because it seems to keep growing on me. It’s like a lo-fi mash-up of Ecuadorian flute music, Boards of Canada, and Enya, with some MDMA thrown in. It really pulls me into a certain headspace, which turns out to be a headless space populated with verbose fireflies and humming flowers. It’s not my favorite submission from you, but that’s more to do with the strength of your other songs, not this one. And this is not one I ever expected to receive from you in this or any other round. I’m glad the theme forced you into this corner and I’m looking forward to checking out the album (or should I maybe try another one first?) 7.5
Puppies: Monica Heldal – “Boy From the North”
I’m pretty sure I’ve heard this song before. Okay, not this song specifically, but close enough.Nice fingerpicking and an organic sound, a really nice female voice, and mysterious lyrics that I can’t quite decipher? Sounds like a recipe for success, and it mostly is. Only problem is that, while I enjoy all those elements, the song is missing that “wow” moment that makes me want to drop what I’m doing to rewind ten seconds. Not every song is going to have that, granted, and I guess I’m being greedy, but some kind of vocal climax or dead zone may have done it for me. I’m not sure. That’s not really a big problem though—ultimately this is a good song for me. 7
Ruba: Royal Blood – “I Only Lie When I Love You”
Maybe a bit repetitive and angsty, but I think I might grow to like this.
We just haven’t been in sync this roulette, which is a shame, because I think at a different time, in a different mood, I might have enjoyed this song more. Like the Little Tybee song above, I think the biggest issue I have with this one is that it’s maybe too short, repetitive, and formulaic. The overall sound of the song is also a bit crunchier than I typically enjoy, but that didn’t end up turning me off as much as I might have expected. I just wish it was a bit more dynamic and gentler, I guess. Not bad, not great. 5
Standings(Italicized contestants are those who still have the option to send two songs in one of the following two rounds, and only have the better song scored)
Group A Sacul 8.5 + 8.5 = 17
Lethean 8 + 6 = 14
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Stadler 8 + 5 = 13
Cyril 5 + 4 = 9
Group BTomislav 8 + 7.5 = 15.5
jingle.boy 6.5 + 8.5 = 15
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FlyingBIZKIT 8 + 5.5 = 13.5
TAC 4.5 +7.5 = 12
Group C Ariich 6 + 8 = 14
Kattelox 5.5 + 8 = 13.5
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Nekov 5.5 + 7.5 = 13
Romdrums 4.5 +8 = 12.5
Group D Evermind 8.5 + 7.5 = 16
LordCost 7 + 7.5 = 14.5
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Puppies 7 + 7 = 14
Ruba 4 + 5 = 9
Round 6 Themes will be selected by:
Lethean, TAC, Nekov, and
LordCost
Poll
Topic: Seneca v3 results (Read 78259 times)
