Round 4 ResultsTrain of Naught – “Living in the Shadows” – Matthew Perryman Jones
“Not very memorable. Bleh..”Man, you’ve had quite the ups and downs in this roulette. You’ve sent me two of the better songs, but also two of the least memorable ones. Unfortunately, this song falls into the latter. I can honestly say there is nothing about this track I really enjoy, though I really wish I could. It just feels extremely generic to me and like something I’ve heard about 1000 times through other radio-friendly artists, specifically the chorus. It’s a shame, too, because it’s such a short track that I feel like there is nothing here of redeeming quality. I could see this being a decent song to put on in the background, but I’m just really not into at all. I really can’t properly put to words what exactly I dislike about it, but I just don’t. That’s all I got for ya this time, dude. :/ Knowing your track record thus far, you’ll send something great next time I’m sure
5.5/10
Kattelox – “Come Healing” – Leonard Cohen
“I don’t know how I feel about this, yet. First impression leaves me feeling indifferent.”Now, I really hate to have this so low on the list, but I honestly just can’t find anything I really like about it. I know Leonard Cohen had quite the reputation, but I’m not sure this was the best song to send? To my knowledge, I’ve never heard anything from him, but I’m curious to know more about his earlier work. Though it attempted to deliver a feeling of relaxation and peace, I just didn’t feel that, at all. The juxtaposition of the two vocal styles, while potentially being a nice touch, just didn’t hit me in any way. Like another entry this round, it’s so short that it gives me very little to work with. I guess that’s the risk of sending something so short. I know it sounds like I’m being harsh, but I was disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this more. : (
6/10
Evermind – “Harbour Lights” – Lee Abraham
“I’d say this gets better throughout, but feels a bit bland to be honest. Might be his voice.”At the beginning, I felt this was a very promising track. With the introduction of the band’s instruments, I felt ready for what was to come. The soft delivery of the vocals were easy to my ears. Then, the mellotron comes in. Okay, here we go! And oh, what’s this? A tasty, melodic guitar solo, nice. But then comes the second half of the song, with the uplifting piano melody. Something here just doesn’t work for me. It just feels a bit cheesy and forced. And I know this basically contradicts my first impression, but I guess that’s that. Like your last entry, I just don’t feel emotionally moved. I can’t say I really enjoy his vocals that much. He doesn’t, at least in this song, seem dynamic. Again, it feels a bit stale and like something I’ve probably heard before, just recycled. I think the whole time I was awaiting this paramount climax, but then I get hit with something that’s rather lackluster and not appealing in any way. I’d be curious to know what the rest of this album is like, but if it’s anything like this song, I might just have to pass. Sorry : /
6/10
Stadler – “Secret Crowds” – Angels and Airwaves
“Yeah. This is something I probably would have enjoyed much more a long time ago. It’s decent but I don’t know much replay value this has in the long run.”I’ve always had a soft spot for Tom’s vocals. I grew up with Blink 182 and they were my favorite band for many years. Though I wasn’t totally into the genre, there was something about them that stuck with me, mostly Tom’s efforts. Eventually, they departed from my rotation and I only listened to them sparingly. After learning that Angels & Airwaves was another project involving Tom, I surprisingly never jumped on to check it out. By that time, I had already moved on to the progressive world with the introduction to Dream Theater. Though I’m mostly unfamiliar with Angels & Airwaves, I find myself feeling very nostalgic. As usual, Tom creates a memorable chorus where the listener can sing along. While I don’t think Tom was ever an amazing vocalist, he always struck a chord in me that really made me feel good. That sounds cheesy as hell, but oh well
. I think it actually gets better with each listen, too. This song went from decent on a first listen to being great. Sure, I don’t listen to this type of music much now, but sending this really brought me back to a place I haven’t visited in a long time
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8.5/10
Cyril – “Dark All Day” – Gunship
“A genre I’ve been on the fence about. Like a previous entry in this roulette, when I’m in the right mood, it’s surely fun.”I was originally debating banning this artist because I remember listening to their first album once or twice years ago, but never remembered anything from it. This caught me off guard. I’m not really much of a synthwave (I guess that’s what this is?) kind of guy, but this scratched a nice itch for me. I could listen to stuff like this all day. This song is really dark and I think that’s what strengthens it. Usually, when I listen to anything electronic, I tend to love the darker more atmospheric types over the upbeat, joyful tracks. I don’t really know how the rest of this album is since this song appears to have a few guest artists. I guess I’ll just have to find out on my own. Bonus points for the sexy sax, and the female vocalist.
8.5/10
Puppies_On_Acid – “Not Unlike the Waves” – Agalloch
“I really appreciate how well paced this is. It allows me to patiently enjoy the unfolding darkness.”Though I am familiar with Black Lake Niðstång already, I decided not to ban them because that’s the only one I know and everything else was very unfamiliar to me. This album here has received so much praise on this forum and other sites, so I was hoping for something good. I mean, this might be the most hyped song of the roulette so far. And my thoughts… well, it’s really good! I don’t know if Agalloch is one of those bands where their songs work better in the context of the whole album? I’m sure they are. If that’s the case, I understand that’s missing from here, but I can imagine listening to this album in full and really enjoying this even more. The building tension throughout the song through ultimate riffage is fucking great. Though these aren’t vocals I’m totally used to hearing, I think they serve the song as well as they could and I’m sure they will grow. I’m gonna be honest and say it’s not my favorite song of the round, but I still very much enjoy it and cannot wait to hear more from them. : )
8.5/10
Sacul – “Desire” – Talk Talk
“On first listen, I felt like I missed so much. There’s actually quite a bit going on here that I imagine I’ll absorb with each listen. Pretty neat.”This song challenges the listener to be patient and to be mindful of all the sounds through its warm, anticipation-building introduction. The vocals come in softly, matching the other instruments. Then, we get a brief surprise appearance from the rhythmic instruments. Instantly, the bass line stands out to me. If you haven’t noticed already, I appreciate good rhythm that cements and drives a song. When hearing this, I can’t help but feel reminded of Lightbulb Sun-era Porcupine Tree. Is this group an influence for Steven Wilson? I have no complaints whatsoever with this one. It’s cohesive and sounds so full.
8.5/10
Elite – “Madeleine Crumbles” – Major Parkinson
“Somewhat odd and a very unique choice. There are things I enjoy here. Feels refreshing to me.”Out of all songs, this one has been stuck in my head the most, for good reason. You said yourself this might be a risky pick. I really enjoy this. It feels totally unique. On first listen, I already found elements I could really enjoy, such as the trade-off vocals, the use of classical instruments, and the odd lyrics. On the surface, this is a very weird song, but it’s also quite beautiful when you take the time to really listen. It’s quite busy, but taking the time to break it all down was super enjoyable for me. I’m always a fan of being sent experimental/risky stuff like this. It doesn’t always work, but I think it worked well here. Don’t be fooled, for being your third best entry, it’s still really good.
9/10
Kwyjibo – “Home of the Brave” – Toto
“When this song starts picking up, it gets really damn good. High energy chorus and I can’t help but smile when I hear it.”Okay, I’ll be honest. I’ve never listened to Toto much. I only actually know “Africa” and “Rosanna”, and these were only recent discoveries with the recent resurgence of “Africa”. I really didn’t know what to expect when putting this one on, but I had a feeling I might enjoy it. And I can say out of all the songs I’ve heard, this is the best one yet! Yes, that chorus is still ever so powerful. It obviously has some of that ‘80s cheese, but I think it’s done in the right way. The chorus is nearly perfect and undoubtedly the highlight. I can’t believe I’ve never heard this before, but it also sounds like something I would have listened to in my younger years. Sorry, not trying to make you feel old.
This is ultimate fun and packs such a resounding punch. I also lurked Kat’s top 50 albums page and I believe a Toto album was his favorite of all time? Gonna have to check them out. I’m sold.
9/10
senecadawg2 – “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” – The Smiths
“One of the better songs initially. Love the vocal style and I’m a fan of the production. Very pretty.”Surprise, surprise. Again, your consistency remains so impressive. This song is so beautiful and the vocalist is really, really good. I always love songs that have contradictory elements, such as a beautiful, uplifting melody with some dark lyrics that involve one of my favorite topics: death
. This one has been stuck in my head for a while now and it makes me so happy hearing it. I know this might sound weird, but as I start my clinical work, I need to engage in outside activities that allow me to take care of myself. Music like this is medicine. One side of me feels so familiar with this song, but the other side feels introduced to something that encapsulates so much grace and beauty which I never experienced before. All I can really say now (for the second time) is: good luck topping this one!
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9.5/10
Round 4 Standings:1st - senecadawg2 - 35.5 Points
2nd - Elite - 33 Points
2nd - Sacul - 33 Points
4th - Kwyjibo - 32.5 Points
5th - Cyril - 31.5 Points
6th - Evermind - 31 Points
7th - Puppies_On_Acid - 30 Points
7th - Train of Naught - 30 Points
7th - Stadler - 30 Points
10th - Kattelox - 27.5 Points11th - Lethean - 21 Points - ELIMINATED
12th - Tomislav95 - 19 Points - ELIMINATED
13th - TAC - 17.5 Points - ELIMINATED
The standings are bookended with Nelson creating a more comfortable cushion at the top and with Kat having to play a bit of catchup. Again, there are no eliminations for this round, but after next round, the bottom two will be eliminated. It will be exciting to see if Kat can find a way to get back in and where that three-way tie for 7th will lead.
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Topic: FlyingBIZKIT's Roulette V3. REFER TO ROULETTE TRACKER THREAD (Read 20114 times)