With first place getting 16 points, there is still *always* time for people to make up. But this is a cutthroat roulette - 2 people have to go each round until the open rounds are done. It's tough for me to eliminate anyone. This was a surprising round.
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1. Stadler
Blue Murder - Jelly Roll4. Sounds at times like a certain album by an artist I am gaga for, in a good way - right down to the vocals. This song slaps16 points
Ding ding ding. Here we have something that sounds like it came straight off of Toto's "Kingdom of Desire" record. This song has a tasty vibe that I find particularly interesting. It SCREAMS that 1990s rock vibe between the groovy guitar part and that straightforward drum beat. I love that. The singer is a dead ringer for Kingdom of Desire-era Steve Lukather, it's uncanny. And then halfway through, it transforms itself into something else entirely, developing a huge Marillion sound with the slick, audible bass and sugary repeated hook. Fantastic song!
2. Cyril
Foxy Shazam - Killin' It3. Instant love - catchiest song of the round15 points
I LOVE singers with some character to their voice and this guy's definitely got that, but he's also carrying very strong melodies and sells them with gusto. This is easily the catchiest song in the round, that hook is wonderful and the beat just keeps going. The horn solo is short and sweet, and I really like the "little bit louder now" part and how it gets right back into the hook. I love the whole song but the singer is certainly my favorite thing about this group based on this song. Given the stuff you sent me in my first roulette I'm amazed at the two songs you've sent so far. Can you keep it up?
3. jingle.boy
Arion - I Am The Storm9. This is kickass. Love the energy of the vocalist in particular14 points
Risky submission that paid off in the end. Like with Foxy Shazam, I really like the singer here because he not only has chops but has real character and his delivery matches the lyrics he's singing. I love that little bit of rasp he throws in here and there, especially in the chorus. The riff in the verses reminds me of new-era Stratovarius (Matias Kupiainen-style riffing) and that synth lead is tasty and whoever's behind the keys has some mad chops. Love the frenetic energy of the solos and the ominous vibe the main motif of the song has. The cherry on the sundae is the seamless transition to the key change at the end. Badass song.
4. Tomislav95
Bon Iver - Beth/Rest2. This is so god damn pretty and I wish I had dug into this group for real years ago13 points
This is such a beautiful sound. It's a delicate mixture of the warm, bright, 80s-style electric piano and the singer's strangely muffled but charming voice. The little saxophone and guitar flourishes - oh my. Really tasteful playing. This is a great companion to the only other Bon Iver song I know, Holocene. This is a big mood. Lovely song.
5. Elite
Major Parkinson - Night Hitcher13. I'm not sure what I expected going into this but it sure wasn't this. First impression was shaky halfway through, but turned out to be very positive in the back half12 points
This is a weird song, in a good way. I don't think I've ever heard anything quite like this. This one went all over the ranks - I first had it low, then I had it super high, then it just hung out in the middle for a while. I think it does a great job of building organically and with the heavy synth presence at the end it becomes this towering dark beast of a song with an impressive, almost chaotic final 30 seconds. Rather than having an individual favorite part, I like how this song is more or less a single idea that is expanded upon from start to finish. I enjoy the dark energy very much, the combination of the machine-like synths and that creepy (but enjoyable) singer is really cool. Curiosity piqued.
romdrums
The Comet Is Coming - Super Zodiac6. Sounds like aliens on cocaine. Hooray! This is sick11 points
This is definitely aliens on cocaine. The drums and synths combine to make this burpy rhythm section that's right at home with the active sax line overhead. The moments where the synth sections enhance the melody, like around 3:00, are gorgeous. That last minute is an awesome, relentless synth-jazz-groove assault. Man, this is just a weird track, and I love that. It's adventurous, it's out there, it's fresh to my ears. Very cool track.
ariich
Ihlo - Parhelion1. This got more interesting as it went on. What a curious mix of sounds - familiar but fresh10 points
What I mean by that impression is that it has all the expected elements of a modern prog metal outfit, but the sound is curious and fresh. One thing this track does really well in my opinion is having colorful guitar chords. They're not just there to fill up space, they actually color the mood, almost in an Alex Lifeson kind of way. There's an off-kilter prog rhythm to the playing, but when they open up, they really let the song breathe, and they play so well with the synths, which create this gorgeous backdrop, but then the synth solo slides in so naturally I didn't even notice it came in the first time around. When I had my Korg Krome I would play with these styles of synth patches a lot, and they're so pretty. Right around the 4:30 mark is where this song really picks up for me, it heads into this emotional climax, this piece really makes me think of interplanetary travel for some reason. The song culminates in a very cool way as the singer hits a high note and the guitars and synths double up to bring it home. (Irrelevant to the music itself, but this also has the coolest album art of the round.)
TAC
Gary Moore - Cold Day In Hell8. Normally a song in this style is pretty blasé to me, but there's something that sets this apart and I'm not sure what it is. Beer me9 points
Years ago when I had different coworkers at the shop, this is the kind of music we'd play all the time, but I'd tune it out because it sounded, well, kind of generic and old. Like everything was Stevie Ray Vaughn-ish. Well this is actually really cool. Very nice use of horns and backing vocal lines, a groovy audible bass line, sick guitar playing, and a very catchy hook. Not sure when this song was released but this is another that gives me a big 90s vibe. I like the swell of energy in the chorus a lot, and the overall "gonna get on without you now" vibe is pretty relatable. I guess I should've expected this from Gary Moore but I can't really think of much else I've heard by him, so this was a treat, thank you.
Big Hath
The Dave Weckl Band - Like That11. I could categorize this both as 'easy listening' and 'holy shit listen to what they're doing here' - not sure which is more appropriate, but I really like it8 points
I'm really drawn to the rhythm section in this track. It reminds me of the last time I played jazz, which was my high school jazz band, holding down the rhythm section with my good buddies on bass and drums. Dave's drumming is really interesting to listen to. I think this is the first piece by Dave and his band that I've heard, so it's a cool introduction. I have to say this track gets 9 points because of stiff competition, there isn't anything I dislike here. I just think its nature lends itself to not having a hook or poppiness that's in your face, the nuances of this track are more subtle, and the playing is still top notch. Quality jazz, thank you for this.
Buddyhunter1
Afro Celt Sound System - Big Cat10. Wasn't expecting *anything* like this but I've always kind of hoped for stuff like this to pop up in my roulettes. This is really interesting and I have no idea where it will rank7 points
This was definitely one of the most difficult tracks to place this round and I damn near got a headache trying to figure out what to do with it. So, yeah - this is something totally bizarre and unexpected, but I'm glad I mentioned world music in my OP because it got you to send me this. This is so interesting and fresh, not like a lot of other stuff I've heard before. The beat is active but unobstrusive to what the instruments are doing above it. There is this bubbly synth pattern just plugging away that keeps the momentum going, the rhythm section in this track is really good at setting the mood. There's some eastern sounding wind lines with the bells and chimes, and I like the subtle vocal parts. I dig the back half as it gets a bit harder and louder, really pushing the dancey vibe this song has. Nightwish introduced me to the uilleann pipes and I love what they bring in the back half. I think the thing that kept this from ranking higher - mind you, I don't dislike this at all - is simply that the competition was fierce and most of the higher ranking songs were shorter and a bit more concise. But I really like this.
Ruba
Depeche Mode - In Your Room14. I'm not sure if I was just expecting a different sound from this artist or if it's just not doing much for me, but this one will take the most work to appreciate6 points
I've heard a lot about Depeche Mode throughout my life yet have never listened to their music until now. So this song... it's tough, I'm not gonna lie - I initially had this just above last place, but it managed to climb a little higher in the end. The beat tells me this is some kind of industrial 90s song, but the vocals tell me it's 80s pop, so this song is a weird mix of sounds to me that still manages to work. It took me a few listens to actually realize that the hook is meant to be subdued - but I keep wanting more. The last minute or so when it picks up and adds more layers are really fun, it just takes a while to get there. So I'm still interested in Depeche Mode, I guess I just wasn't sure what to expect going into this one. Again, not bad at all - but in the context of this round, against the other songs here, them's the breaks.
Kwyjibo
Robben Ford & The Blue Line - Rugged Road12. Wonderful, spirited playing all around, puts an enjoyable spin on a sound that I normally think of as background music at work5 points
Very spirited indeed. So, kind of like Gary Moore, this reminds me of stuff we used to play at work a lot back when I had older coworkers who were more familiar with this style of rock than anything else. But this has a bit more speed to it which I like a lot, and the main motif it goes back to is very easy to remember. And the players are top notch, they're relentlessly going at it (shout out to the bassist, he's got great lines in this piece). I like that this is on the shorter end, it just kind of gets in and does its thing and gets out without drawing out the ending. So unfortunately, the only reason this ranks where it does is because of the fierce competition. Almost anything under the halfway mark is due to that reason and it's my biggest headache when it comes to scoring because I end up feeling bad about where something ends up, but that's the game for ya. Make no mistake, I still liked this a fair bit.
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Sacul
Nicolas Jaar - Killing Time5. I have a lot of conflicting thoughts on this song. Is it great? Is it meh? Probably the hardest one to judge this round4 points
My man. My dude. My two-time roulette champion - I have been dreading this for a few days now. You sent a mammoth song, a risky song, and while I do not dislike it, it unfortunately does not cut the mustard. Why is that? Let's get the good out of the way. The most succinct way I can describe this track is that it's like an extended Nils Frahm piece if Nils Frahm suddenly started glitching in and out of reality while playing. I really admire the artsy glitches in the music, it's a small touch but it's an effect that greatly enhances the mood of the song. And I like how soft and gentle it is. I don't think this track is about finding a big hook or something up front, it's all about the little sounds and flourishes peppered throughout. It's more fascinating than entertaining, which brings me to the big flaw: its length. 11 minutes is overstaying its welcome by quite a bit, in my opinion, but I "get it" in a sense, because it's going for mood. But as a roulette goes, you never know what kind of competition a submission will have, and unfortunately it seems this time you're the victim of the competition. So I really do like a lot about this track, but unfortunately it's less about not liking it and more about the flaws affecting this track more than others. Very sad to see you go because you've always brought something interesting to send and I really like that.
EDIT: Sacul correctly pointed out that he has two-round immunity as a two-time roulette champ of mine, therefore, he is
not eliminated this round.
wolfking
Slipknot - Solway Firth7. Not exactly what I expected - this is better3 points
Who let the dogs out? This song is heavy as hell and has some great stuff going on, but I just want Corey Taylor to stop barking at me. I haven't heard anything by this band in over 10 years, so I'm not quite sure what I expected, honestly - but this is better than what I remember hearing back in the day. The hook is metal as fuck. I love the energy. But those kinds of vocals are just not pleasant. I'm sad you chose to flame out hard with this, but I also respect sending something you really loved. Thank you for playing, buddy - til next time.
Round 2 Results
1. Cyril / 16, 15 / 31 points
3. Tomislav95 / 14, 13 / 27 points
3. jingle.boy / 13, 14 / 27 points
4. Stadler / 8, 16 / 24 points
6. Buddyhunter1 / 15, 7 / 22 points
6. ariich / 12, 10 / 22 points
7. romdrums / 9, 11 / 20 points
8. Elite / 7, 12 / 19 points
10. Kwyjibo / 11, 5 / 16 points
10. Ruba / 10, 6 / 16 points
11. TAC / 6, 9 / 15 points
12. Big Hath / 5, 8 / 13 points
13. Sacul / 4, 4 / 8 points
14. wolfking / 3, 3 / 6 points
15. kingshmegland / 2 points
16. Puppies_On_Acid / 1 point
Banned During Roulette
Gunship
VOLA
Hank Williams, Jr.
Los Lobotomys
Vanden Plas
Foxy Shazam
Blue Murder
Arion
Bon Iver
Gary Moore
Slipknot
Poll
Topic: Katt's Roulette 3.0 v. post-roulette jingle concept playlist thing results! (Read 30773 times)