Train of Naught: Psychonaut - All I Saw As a Huge MonkeyTheme: Instrumental Prog MetalFirst Impressions:I hereby award you the "most interesting song name" award for this round. With instrumental prog metal it can really go any way, I've had albums where I really loved the sound, others where I didn't like it at all, and still others where I found it boring or at least not as memorable as I'd have liked. My immediate first impression here is that the sound itself is good, toeing the line between melodic guitar work and dissonant leads and riffs pretty well, which is what I like to hear. It doesn't really feel like there's any "core" to the song though, in that it basically just feels like a stream of music ideas with no main motif tying it togther, or any kind of recurring theme in general, at least that I can pick out.
The lack of focus here might mean this one has trouble sticking with me on repeated listens, but I do like what I'm hearing here.Final Thoughts:Apparently, the rest of this album isn't instrumental, just this one song? Well I can see why you'd send this one instead then, considering the themes and all, but on the flip side I also feel like a song with vocals may have performed better, depending on what style of vocal that is anyways. At the very least that makes me curious to check out this album on that premise alone.
And I mean, on principle I do like the sound of this well enough. Prog metal that noticeable takes a bit of influence from sludgier tones and some dissonant chord hits and melodies along the way. It's just the lack of focus that I initially called out in my first impression that really holds this one back. Not only is there no real core to this song (or at least, I still haven't been able to find one even after repeated listens), but there doesn't even really seem to be a strong sense of direction. The song builds a tiny bit, meanders about for a few minutes, goes to a quiet break (that it doesn't even really feel like it needs), then continues to meander on for a few more minutes. I guess you could squint and say there's some buildup towards the end, but it doesn't have a strong sense of dynamics to it and the ending does feel a bit abrupt.
There's decent diversity in the sounds on display though, to the song's credit. Some quieter moments that end up more bass-driven. Some noodly and frantic guitar leads. Some more measured, slower-paced melodic guitar lines. Some moments driven by big guitar riffing. I especially like the riff around 4:50 or so, headbanger of a riff right there. A few moments that are more jagged riffing, a style I'm always pretty into.
Like I initially said, the sound of this is here, I just am not a huge fan of the way it all fits together or lacks any direction. Moment-to-moment I enjoy listening to it but it also ends up feeling a bit "in one ear, out the other" when all's said and done. Like I said, I'll still probably check this one out, the sound itself is enough to warrant that, and the band is certainly proficient enough on a technical level to pull off the kind of instrumental prog I'd really enjoy (though really, the kind of instrumental prog I've been more into these days are the really jazzy math rock-influence acts like Poly-math and The Physics House Band, but I digress), but this just doesn't quite get there for me. Good stuff though, regardless.
Reward:
Bonus:
Nekov: Susanne Sundfor - Fade AwayTheme: Female-Fronted PopFirst Impressions:Immediate first impression is that I don't like synth tones like this in general, or at least the wave-y ones that pop in from time to time, though the rest are fine enough. This song is definitely pretty 80's, though. A synth solo in a pop song is also not something you see often, I appreciate that. There's a nice groove to this and I could see it being fairly catchy.
I do like this on first listen a fair bit, but how well it ranks overall is almost definitely going to come down to how memorable I end up finding it on repeat listens.Final Thoughts:First thing to say: this is memorable enough, to be sure, but it’s not as infectiously catchy as some of the best pop stuff I’ve been sent, so that’s pretty much immediately disqualifying it from top marks, or even close-to-top marks, because with this style of synthpop, that’s the one thing I want most. Cruel Summer was irreversibly lodged in my head after only like two or three listens max, this one I’m up to five and I know how it goes but I’m not playing the chorus or any melodies from it in my head repeatedly.
But I mean, yes, this is a good fun pop song. I think the most memorable element of it is that synth solo in the middle, which is using a tone I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything quite like, and especially not as a solo in a pop tune. It’s a fun solo grounded in a solid core melody and a very sparkly but somewhat atmospheric sound nonetheless, I really love it. Also, I think the thing I called a “synth tone” in my first impression was like, a processed guitar sound actually? The one that plays the bit that first shows up at 0:11. I am still not wild about that sound in particular but that’s about the only one that really gets to me.
As for Sundfor herself I’ve mostly heard her on more low-key atmospheric pop songs before this (or at least, the two instances I’ve been sent her before I vaguely remember both being in that lane). And I remember liking both of those well enough too. I don’t think I’ve ever heard The Brothel, even, I’m not sure where you got that from! If I have I don’t remember it. She fit the role well on those songs but she also fits in surprisingly well here too, which I guess just shows that she can be a diverse performer if she wants to be. I don’t think her voice provides a huge amount of personality on this one, and that may be the biggest reason why this doesn’t have a monster of a hook like the best synthpop, but I can’t fault her here either.
I don’t really have much fault with this song in general, I can say it’s maybe not necessarily my favorite kind of pop and I’m not sure I’d want an entire album of stuff like this (I really am biggest on the more atmospheric styles of pop in general), but I dug this.
Reward:
Bonus:
Buddyhunter1: Behemoth - O Father O Satan O Sun!Theme: NoneFirst Impressions:I'm almost certain I listened to this album before at some point, though I barely remember any of it. The start of this is fairly striking but what follows it up is a tad underwhelming in comparison, though pretty solid regardless. I think for the kind of groove this is going for, a bit cleaner production would've served it well. The moments of this that lean more heavily on a "wall of sound" approach with multiple layers of guitars and vocals are the most exciting parts of it to me.
I think going into this I wasn't quite sure where I was expecting it to go, but I am pretty satisfied with where it ultimately went.Final Thoughts:I can’t quite say this is the heaviest song of the round, given the presence of Infant Annihilator, but it’s the heaviest song here that I actually, y’know, like. From the first moments I like it a lot, even. The huge, pounding chords with so much audibly going on behind them, what sounds like screams of the damned and the drum rolls. It’s a really good guitar tone for huge, elongated chords. Tons of texture. Mmm.
On the flipside, I still think that texture does kind of bury the groove during some moments of this one. If you don’t listen closely enough you probably wouldn’t heard it at all, there’s so much going on during the verses. The same groove goes on behind the guitar solo later on and it’s a lot more clear then, too, so I don’t think it’s necessarily the guitar tone or production itself, just that so damn much is happening at all times in this song. It’s overwhelming in the best ways but it also kind of sabotages itself because of that.
It is also a bit colorless of a song, that first minute basically sets the tone for most of the rest of the song, in that there’s not really a ton of melody shining through on much of this, and when it’s a 7 minute song that can also get a bit exhausting. There is a shift to a bit more melodic of a riff past the 4 minute mark and the song does finally take a moment to breathe when it gets there but that break doesn’t last very long either before we go right back into the thick of it.
Also, a comment about spoken word/monologuing. Generally on its own and/or with extended segments of it, I don’t tend to like it, but it can be used well – and here ya go, a good example of that. Especially since I believe it’s the same vocalist throughout the rest of the song, so he knows the exact deranged tone of voice to use to nail the effect he’s going for. There’s also a sense of escalation as it goes on, which helps since it’s about the only element of build in the last few minutes of this one. It works here in a way that it doesn’t always work on other songs.
I’ve kind of gone back and forth on where exactly this one sits because it’s very much borderline between two scores, I feel. I think if I was in the wrong mindset I wouldn’t like this one as much, but it’s very consistently been a step above the last few songs before it on all my listens and I think that’s reason enough to go with the higher of the two scores I’ve been considering.
Reward:
Bolsters: All Hail The Silence - Broken SatelliteTheme: 2019 AmbientFirst Impressions:Don't think I didn't notice that this is basically just you sending BT again. I'm not particularly fond of the glitchy effects here, they always feel like an unnecessary element that gets in the way of the atmosphere of a song like this. I also don't really feel like this realistically fits the "ambient" theme (though I definitely would've given you pop?) but we'll see there. As far as pop goes, though, yes, this is definitely up the alley of the kind of stuff I dig. Very lush soundscapes & a strong vocal performance, the chorus in particular has a very satisfying swell to it. Also it seems like the song ends up just the 6 minute mark but goes on until 8, which probably works in an album context but I'm not so sure I want that in the song by itself. I guess this part could be considered the "ambient" part though. Regardless.
You pretty much know what I like with this style of music and you nailed it on the head, I'd say.Final Thoughts:I hate to do this, especially to one of my favorite tracks of the round, but I just can’t place this as ambient in my mind. Parts of it qualify, I guess, but the main meat of the song is very much synthpop of the atmospheric variety and too rigid and rhythmic to really qualify in my mind. So, I can’t give you the bonus here. I absolutely would’ve given you the 2019 Pop bonus, but that’s not the one you asked for, and as I stated in thread if I give the flexibility for a backup theme I might as well just let everyone submit every theme every round.
Fortunately the song itself is good enough to make up for that. Because yeeeaah this is right up my alley in terms of what I’m looking for in pop. Far better than the BT song you sent me previously, too. Tons of texture and atmospheric to the layered production, the synth tones are sparkly and glossy but also lush and dreamy, the percussion is electronic but not so harsh or soulless and fits right in with the synths, the layers of rain and thunder effects going on in the background help paint a more full soundscape.
And the vocal performance from Burns is excellent, he’s got the restraint necessary to sell a more somber tone during the quieter moments of this, but the raw power to deliver some soaring, belting performances during the chorus. His vocal tone also fits in great with the overall sound. The only, tiny thing I can really nitpick is that I don’t think the melodies are particularly memorable, at least not in the way something like Drive You Mad or Tech Noir were for me on the EP you won a previous roulette with.
Other than that though I really have no complaints, aside from that the start and end are a bit, full of ambience and all, but in the context of an album I can’t really see that being an issue, and the main meat of the song doesn’t feel overlong or dragged out in any capacity either. It’s just flat good. It’s not quite on the level of a favorite, but I’ll definitely be checking out this (86 minute long?? ouch) project.
Reward:
ariich: Bear Ghost - Sickness for Nothing/She-WrecksTheme: NoneFirst Impressions:Well I'll give you guts for sending something that starts out chiptune-y given how averse I was to a similar sound with Novallo. I don't know, it's just not a synth sound I particularly like outside of the right context. Everything else about it so far is pretty cool though. Guitar and bass sound is pretty good and the vocals are indeed a type I'm fond of. And the loud bit is even better, especially due to the chiptune synths going away. The second track is the half where I see the TDH influence for sure and yeah, I think nothing in it quite lives up to the first loud bit but it's all really cool stuff, aaand then the chiptune comes back in. Only for a moment but still. I could see this being the round winner easy if I can get past the chiptune though.
Really cool stuff that's unfortunately undercut a little by one element I'm particularly averse to.Final Thoughts:I think it flat out says something about the quality of this song(s) that despite my continued aversion to chiptune, this still quickly cemented itself as the most exciting and interesting song of the entire round and the one I was always most looking forward to revisiting. And I mean, yeah. I’m still not thrilled about the chiptune, but every single other thing here is wonderful.
Like, the first thing that comes in that I want to point out. Excellent bass tone for the sound they’re going for, not too stiff, not too rubbery, very warm and lush and it has the power to break through even in the loudest moments of the song with some tasty licks and melodies. The moment the heavy guitars kick in around the 2-minute mark is excellent, still probably my favorite moment of the entire thing even if the song gets “more interesting” after it.
Let’s talk about the second half of this, then. That riff’s got a ton of groove to it. What a monster of a riff. The palm-muted guitar variation that plays throughout the verse following it with the incredibly playful vocal delivery, it’s great. It’s tons of fun. It’s not tons of fun. however, I don’t quite see the fun. comparison you made here, this is all TDH to me.
Speaking of TDH, holy hell these guys love TDH. The whoa-oh’s on the chorus, the laidback break at 4-minutes, the fact that this song’s lyrics could come straight out of Act II’s later half (it’s basically their version of Red Hands?) And a sweet but not overly long guitar solo towards the end. Man, there’s just so much to this song I love.
This song is just constantly in motion that I kind of have a hard time keeping up with it, even five listens later I feel like there’s still a lot more here to unpack and I absolutely love that about this song, and music in general. Impress me up front with something memorable and striking, then have enough musical depth and motion to keep relistens still feeling fresh. It’s what Thank You Scientist have basically mastered.
There was basically never any question in my mind from even the second listen that this would be winning the round, and frankly? I think I’m gonna take back what I said, this is genuinely that good. Even with the chiptune, yep. Absolutely checking these guys out.
Reward:
Round Winner Bonus:
Current Standings:ariich: 7
Dacul: 5
Puppies_On_Acid: 5
Bolsters: 4
Buddyhunter1: 4
Nekov: 4
Train of Naught: 4
Evermind: 3
TAC: 3
Elite: 1
Topic: Cyril's Roulette v6 (Final Results) (Read 62348 times)
