I realize that since weeks have passed and any momentum we might have built up is all spent now, this is probably pretty anti-climactic, but I want to thank everyone who played along with my wonky photograph themes, chose their own themes and fought enthusiastically. I had a great time and as always recieved some fantastic stuff. Ive already dug into some of the submitted artists and enjoyed them a lot, but Im looking forward to going back and taking my time. Theres not a single one of you who didnt send something that Im looking forward to returning to.
Anyway, the results for the final round...
Nekov - Dream the Electric Sleep
A strong batch of songs here, and although I'm obviously not qualified to say this, it does feel like a good set to represent the band's entire career and various styles.
I could perhaps exaggerate the differences between the longer and the shorter tracks here and say that the shorter ones, in which category I include Sounds Like Magic, Father Francis, and Fist to Face, are a bit hit or miss for me, and that the longer tracks are the big winners, but I think that distinction fails in a couple cases. The strength of all these songs is precisely in the balance -- between accessible and complex, between light and heavy, between delicate vocal melodies and ocassionally, surprisingly sludgy riffs. The shorter and longer songs both incoporate this balance well, and they are all of them better as a result.
That being said, it's true that the biggest winners are the longer tracks. The Joneses is my favorite of the early tracks. I quite like the slower tempo, doomy bit there in the middle. Based on the rest of the songs I wouldnt exactly have expected that sound, but it works really well, and the final minutes of the song (rain on the ground...) are also really satisfying, even if a little bit repetitive. I like Canary as well, and it makes for a good introduction, though I feel the final couple minutes drag on just a touch. The biggest winner of all though, and one of the best songs I recieved this whole roulette, is Elizabeth. It has a loping, galloping thing going on that feels to me like a playful, lucid dream alternative to Maiden. The mood of the song is certainly epic and triumphal, but also somehow frail, like its just barely holding everything together. I love the chorus, the rhythm section, and the dreamy bridge into guitar solo. Seriously, if all the songs were on this level, you would win this matchup without a doubt.
Of the longer tracks, Listen to Me does the least for me. It is by no means bad, I just dont find it as memorable or rewarding -- a shame considering that its the closer. I'd also point to the songs from The Giant's Nest as being somewhat underwhelming. Again, not bad, but Father Francis and We Smell Blood in particular feel somewhat generic. Sounds Like Magic is a mixed bag. It's my favorite of the three from that album, but the chorus falls completly flat for me, to the point where I find it slightly irritating.
Im not surprised that you chose Black Wind for the voting. Although i prefer Elizabeth, the distance separating them isnt that great, and Black Wind does strike me as the safer choice. It's really hard to find fault with anything here. It feels like a really good distillation of what DtES is all about, without ever becoming simplistic. For what its worth, I agree with the majority opinion that this is the better track compared to Nils Frahm.
Elizabeth
Black Wind
The Joneses
Fist to Face
Canary
Sounds Like Magic
Listen to Me
Father Francis
We Smell Blood
Sacul - Nils Frahm
I'm not sure what I was expecting from Nils Frahm, or why I initially found this underwhelming, but once I gave it a solid chance or two and accepted these pieces for what they were and took the time to actively engage with them (its so easy to let music like this fill the background and daydream without actually listening to whats happening), this grew on me a lot.
The biggest difference between this compilation and DTeS is consistency. His has higher highs (not much higher, but higher all the same), but also much lower lows; in fact, I cant identify any lows in these 8 tracks. As well as consistency in quality, this is more cohesive in terms of mood. Although you incorporated both simpler and more complex pieces, longer and shorter, more melodic and more ambient -- it all comes together really well, almost to the point where I could see these tracks all appearing on the same album. And it would be a very good album. Perhaps not my favorite of all the wonderful music you submitted to me throughout the roulette, but certainly up there.
The first couple of tracks remind me of the music of another contemporary composer whom I like a lot, Ludovico Einaudi, but these are perhaps even better than most of Einaudi's work. Unter is proof of that old cliche that sometimes less is more, Familiar is wonderfully introspective, and Keep sets the tone really well. The minimalist Talisman reminds me of the Stars of the Lid song I recieved earlier, for obvious reasons, and again I really like it. It feels to me like Im drifting in space waves -- a wonderfully calming experience. Additionally, it transitions really well into the next track, Some, which I appreciate for getting back to the more organic sound.
It's not really worth me picking favorite tracks, as they are all excellent and serving their purpose really well. The final three tracks, from Says onwards, is maybe the peak part of the listening experience, but that distinction doesnt quite do justice to the earlier tracks and especially Familiar and Talisman, which are so gorgeous. One thing I will say is that Im surprised you chose Keep for the voting. I feel it works really well within the context of the whole, but it's a little less satisfying to me as an individual track than some of the other options. Personally, I wouldve gone for Says, which I rate higher than anything this round except for Elizabeth.
Overall, on the balance of things, Nils Frahm is the better submission for my tastes, but Dream the Electric Sleep is really solid as well, including a couple masterful songs. I suppose thats reflective of both of your submissions throughout the roulette - Sacul very consistent and Nekov less predictable but with some real gems thrown in. I award 8 and 6.5 points for your efforts.
Which only leaves the matter of the mob. 6 people voted for Black Wind and 3 for Keep. If each vote equals one bonus point then the winner is... Nekov!
Congratulations Nekov. I dont know how you managed to survive to the end, much less win the thing, but you did send some fantastic songs throughout the roulette and I would say on the balance of things you deserve it.
Sorry Sacul. I know you'll probably be the last person to see this, but you really caught me off guard in this roulette. Great stuff all around.