As always, I feel bad about anybody who may be disappointed with their scores, but I do plan on following up with almost everybody sent in this roulette, so you're still getting me to check out your submissions. That makes you all winners to me
HOWEVER, we can see who's got the best chances at coming in first. And it's still up in the air for a number of you. Hit me with your best shot for the final round, ya'll. I want all home runs!
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TAC: Crazy Joe and the Variable Speed Band [5.0]1. Little Puffies
2. Ice Cream
3. You
4. Stranded In The Jungle
5. Eugene
Man, honestly dude, I don't have anything good to say about this, I'm literally still not sure if this was supposed to be a joke or not. It gets points simply because Ice Cream left me holding my head in my hands crying laughing for the entire duration and tbh that's a hell of a feat. I really don't mean to be insulting but it is truly that bad.
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kingshmegland: Squeeze [7.7]1. Hourglass
2. Another Nail In My Heart
3. Tempted
4. Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
5. Black Coffee in Bed
I really can't rank this any higher for a few reason, chiefly among them being that it's just pretty generic rock. Stadler sent me Mussels in a previous roulette and it wasn't bad but didn't impress me, and honestly I think I like it less now than I did back then. I don't dig this much at all unfortunately, sorry man! I guess they do a good job of creating some lighter, fun rock, but it's just not engaging me. It's so corny! Okay, look, I said I don't like the singer, but he can sing. Kind of a Damian Wilson situation here, I don't like him, but he's far from bad. He certainly fits the band at least. And I do like Tempted! But it's such a plain radio rock song that I already knew.
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Train of Naught: Drab City [7.7]1. Entering Drab City
2. Working For The Men
3. Hand On My Pocket
4. Another Time
5. Devil Doll
6. Just Me & You
Honestly it sounds like Massive Attack took some pills and got all fucked up. Seriously, though, it's so - dare I say it - drab. Been trying very hard to get into this but it's not doing much for me. It all sounds very bleak and kind of puts me in a funk. The beats are chill and it's nice for being low key type of music but with the competition this round it is what it is. I'm still interested in checking out the full record which I might as well do soon because it's their only album (and it's from this year, which means it'll join my 2020 listening collection!). To be totally honest, this is a submission with one of two outcomes a year from now: I will either totally forget about this artist, or it will grow on me and I'll feel bad about ranking it this low. Who knows!
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Sacul: Massive Attack [7.8]1. Safe From Harm
2. Euro Child
3. Teardrop
4. Voodoo In My Blood
Oy vey. Okay. Relatively speaking, yes, a 7.8 is a poor score in this roulette. But - BUT! - I did like some of this. It just fared poorly against the competition. That said, I think Voodoo In My Blood has more going for it than the normal Massive Attack tracks here. I think that song has some creativity and momentum to the beat that the others lack in my opinion, there's an energy I dig to it, something about it makes it more memorable to me than the rest. And it's all pleasant enough, but after all the Massive Attack I've heard, I think I'm comfortable banning them from roulettes and exploring them on my own, when I get around to them. Something tells me they don't ever kick up the tempo or energy, which is a disappointment, but I'm getting a feel for their sound and maybe I'll like it more if I just immerse myself into a full album? Would love to know what their best is so I can start with that.
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Evermind: Julien Baker [7.9]1. Over
2. Appointments
3. Everything to Help You Sleep
4. Hurt Less
Man, this has a beautiful sound to it. Kind of feels like the clouds parting after a gentle storm. The problem is these songs all sound exactly alike to me, and they're very sleepy. They're pretty and I can feel the emotion in them, though, which counts for something, and she has a great voice. But I do hope there's a bit more variety when I check Julien Baker's music out later. From this assortment, it just seems too one note, but as always I'm not going to write them off just from an off batch.
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Shadow Ninja 2.0: Homestuck [8.1]1. Pumpkin Party in Sea Hitler's Water Apocalypse
2. October
3. Moonsetter
4. 24 Even in Death (T'Morra's Belly Mix)
This is curious. There are things I like a lot about this, but also some parts that grate on me, and parts that go in one ear and out the other. Most of the last song leaves no impression with me unfortunately. October has a really nice rag feel in the middle there, but I don't like that chromatic descending motif at all. Pumpkin Party and Moonsetter have some fun synth lines and I like the tonal qualities of the electronic sounds. Those two pieces have me curious if there's, like, an album or more music. It's an eclectic batch of music. There is this mysterious fog around the music like perhaps I'm missing something by not reading the comic, but some of the music was pleasant enough. But, just like the comic, it seems very quirky, almost too much at times for me.
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jingle.boy: Hamilton [8.2]1. My Shot
2. You'll Be Back
3. Satisfied
4. Cabinet Battle #2
5. Washington On Your Side
Okay... so... I admire this a lot. It's fresh, unique, and ballsy to mix Broadway with hip hop. And it's super cool that they're using legit, actual singing while rapping. But that's also why it's so freaking corny. Rapping with such clear diction about American historical figures is just super cheesy to me. I'm not really a fan of the hooks either. It's pretty interesting to listen to and has a lot of artistic merit but it's not quite good enough to convince me to watch the musical.
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Buddyhunter1: Pendulum [8.4]1. Watercolour
2. Crush
3. The Island, Part 1 (Dawn)
4. The Island, Part 2 (Dusk)
I'd be lying if I said any of these come close to being as good as The Fountain, honestly. That said... Can't believe I slept on the rest of this album if these tracks are any indication of what I've been missing out on. This is fun and easy to bob my head to. They're active and engaging. I kind of miss that extreme drum & bass element of The Fountain, though - was hoping to hear more of that. The first two songs are close to that, but not quite as crazy. Good stuff though, there's a watery texture to the songwriting which I like, all the synths flow well and complement each other. Going to revisit this album now, so thanks for this.
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Puppies_On_Acid: Kate Bush [8.5]1. King of the Mountain
2. Cloudbusting
3. Night of the Swallow
4. Breathing
Okay so hear me out, I avoided Kate Bush for many years because Wuthering Heights is an abomination and her singing in that song is like nails on a chalkboard to me. King of the Mountain isn't bad. Has kind of a weird vibe to it but I can dig it. Cloudbusting is the diamond here, something about that simple string motif just works, man, and her singing is fantastic here, I really like it. Night of the Swallow however is almost unbearable, and Breathing doesn't hold my attention very long. So it's about half and half here but it's honestly better than I expected. I'm very curious (but also very skeptical still) about more of Kate Bush's work. She seems like a very weird, eccentric musician and there's gotta be something 'more' to her work that I'm eager to discover. Plus a couple of my friends stan her something fierce so it'll give me something to talk about.
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Elite: Snarky Puppy [8.7]1. Binky
2. Lingus
I'm probably going to get murdered for this comparison but I hear some bits of Thank You Scientist and Moon Safari in here. I think the Moon Safari comes from the brilliant keyboard playing (the piano at times in Binky gives this euphoric sonic quality to the music that I typically don't hear in jazz and makes it sound a bit more proggy imo, and the synth work on Lingus is wonderful). The Thank You Scientist comes from the steady rhythms in Binky and the simple lines the horns are playing over them. Hell, I hear moments in Lingus that remind me of Levin Minnemann Rudess's records, that prog/jazz/improv-heavy sound. And it's really good! Hard to say if it's memorable, per se, but it's very fun to listen to, so I think the score is fair. Everything I've heard from Snarky Puppy is pretty darn good, although I'm still waiting to hear 'that song' that blows me away, but don't misinterpret that as me disliking them, I consider myself a fan for sure.
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Stadler: Miranda Lambert [8.7]1. Runnin' Just in Case
2. Tin Man
3. Vice
4. I've Got Wheels
Never heard of Miranda Lambert, but this music reminds me of Monica Heldal so much. Almost like a slightly older, American version of Monica (Monica is 29 and from Norway; Miranda is 36). And wow, what a voice. And I love how low-key and relateable these songs are but they still have catchy melodies and steady, subdued rhythms. I really like Vice, as cliché as the subject matter is, it's one of those country drinking songs I really like. I think it's because restrained and a bit somber, not like that cookout party Red Solo Cup song. It's actually my favorite song here, along with Runnin' Just In Case. Finally, another comment on her voice: I love that she isn't leaning heavily into that southern drawl like so many country artists do, intentionally or not. Oh, and from the Wikipedia picture, she's a focking fox, too.
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ariich: Alkinoos Ioannidis (Αλκίνοος Ιωαννίδης) [8.8]2. All That is No Longer Here (Ό,τι Δεν Είναι Πια Εδώ / O,ti Den Einai Pia Edo)
3. In the Same Sky (Μέσα Στον Ίδιο Ουρανό / Mesa Ston Idio Ourano)
4. The Changing World (Ο Κόσμος Που Αλλάζει / O Kosmos Pou Allazei)
5. Return (Γυρισμός / Gyrismos)
Exactly the kind of adventurous submission this roulette called for. I went from not being sure I was into this to loving it. I love the sound of the Greek language, and the choice of instrumentation (especially with the percussion) makes for a really pleasant, interesting sound. The very rare time a distorted guitar appears, its presence is barely noticeable yet adds just enough spice to enhance the song. That's partially why The Changing World is my favorite song here, but it's just a really fun tune all around. I'm super interested in listening to more of this guy's music. Oh, and the guitars are delightful, they sound great in these songs.
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HOF: The Clientele [8.9]1. Last Orders
2. Monday's Rain
3. I Can't Seem To Make You Mine
4. Enigma
5. The Age of Miracles
I really, really liked this, and it grew on me big time. There's an emotional bite to this that appeals to me, especially on I Can't Seem To Make You Mine - but it doesn't try to be overly dramatic. It's catchy and keeps the beat and tune. Also the guitar lick sounds identical to a lick on one of my favorite Kings of Leon songs which is a huge plus. Last Orders is a stunning piece. Love listening to every second of that piano. Enigma is just kind of there but it's a nice little bridge. The Age of Miracles has that same catchiness I like about I Can't Seem To Make You Mine but it's more upbeat and pleasant. Super nice submission and I'd definitely like to hear more of this artist but it looks like they have a bunch of albums so I'd need some direction. Maybe the album that has the first, third, or fifth song would be a good place to start.
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wolfking: Owl Eyes [9.0]1. Closure
2. Crystalised
3. Love Runs Dry
4. Hurricane
You've definitely nailed what I like in synth pop with this one, Kade. Love her voice, love the melodies, love the sugary shimmery texture with all the synths. Warm and comforting and fun music. Each song has a fierce hook and beat and catchy melody somewhere in there but Hurricane is my favorite for sure. I have a hard time picturing you listening to this but it looks like she has a few albums that I'm REALLY curious about checking out, if by some miracle you have a recommendation. These are some super good jams, thanks dude!
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Podaar: Isao Tomita (Modest Mussorgsky - Pictures At An Exhibition) [9.1]1. Promenade I
2. The Old Castle
3. Promenade IV
4. Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells
5. Baba Yaga (Hut On Fowl's Legs)
6. Great Gate of Kiev
SUPER cool submission, dude. I love this synth re-imagining of a famous classical piece. It reminds me of when Emerson, Lake & Powell did a synth cover of Gustav Holst's "Mars" piece from the Planets Suite, or when Jordan Rudess covered ELP's "Tarkus." Now I'm not overly familiar with Pictures At An Exhibition, but I know a couple snippets like that choral bit in the Promenade I movement, and I like your selections because there's something interesting about all of them. I really like the Ballet of the Chicks and Baba Yaga because of how perfectly the synths are used in replicating the sound of little chicks, or the weird sounds of a witch's cauldron. The Old Castle - not sure if he's using a theremin here or not, but it gives a very "lost in space" vibe and I LOVE that. I'm very impressed by how each of the 6 tracks has a noticeable, memorable element to it, even Promenade IV as short as it is has something going for it. Definitely one of the most curious submissions of the whole roulette. Thanks for this!
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romdrums: Alberto Ginastera [9.1]1. Estancia - Ballet Suite, Op.8a (1943): 1. Los trabajadores agrícolas
2. Estancia - Ballet Suite, Op.8a (1943): 2. Danza del trigo
3. Estancia - Ballet Suite, Op.8a (1943): 3. Los peones de hacienda
4. Estancia - Ballet Suite, Op.8a (1943): 4. Danza final (Malambo)
5. Piano Concerto No. 1 (1961): 4. Toccato concertata (Presto)
I am very, very impressed by this. Each piece - okay, the third movement of the ballet suite is kind of an interlude but that's okay - has this sound that I'm all but certain influenced one of my favorite video game composers, Koji Kondo. Most of this sounds like the battle themes in the 3D Legend of Zelda games, and Zelda's my favorite series ever with some of my favorite music ever, so you can see why I'd like this. Particularly the piano concerto screams Zelda battle to me with the beefy low end piano riff and the battle-cry horns throughout. I love the energy and atmosphere this frantic kind of contemporary classical music creates and it's unlike anything else sent in this roulette. This is superb.
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Bolsters: LeBrock [9.2]1. Only the Brave
2. Runaway
3. Call Me
4. Real Thing
Dude this is awesome. This guy easily has my favorite male voice of any synthwave I've heard. He has an emo quality to his voice that's noticeable when he's louder or goes for the higher notes. Normally I might hate that but with this music it pairs so well. Actually at first I wasn't sure if I liked it on Only the Brave but I quickly fell in love with it. I think you've done a good job at picking synthwave groups that really connect with me. Those synth hits in Real Thing are everything. The chorus to Runaway is even better. This fucking rules.
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Big Hath: Dave Weckl [9.3]1. Festival de Ritmo
2. Tomatillo
3. Mesmer-Eyes
4. Like That
WOW. You sent me Like That in a roulette last year, and I thought it was VERY good, but I'm glad to see that wasn't just a fluke. This is some of the highest quality jazz/fusion stuff I've heard all roulette: see, it's got all the chops of the jazz greats that have been sent in this roulette, but Dave Weckl's skills behind the kit make the songs themselves that much more fun to listen to. It feels like each song has a beat that more easy to catch despite all the crazy shit he's playing, and the activity in the drums helps me appreciate the wild playing from the other guys a little more because the beat is so pronounced. He is so on fire in Tomatillo that it makes me smile. Now I can only reference what I know personally, but sometimes there are moments that remind me of The Rippingstons and Russ Freeman, a couple of my favorite smooth jazz artists. It manages to be complex, chaotic, wild, and free, and that's largely attributed to Dave being able to lay down a groovy beat and still go berserk with his playing. I really dig that.
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Indiscipline: Chess (musical) [9.3]1. One Night in Bangkok
2. Endgame
Man I thought this was the corniest thing at first. Someone really wrote a musical about *chess*? Seriously? But then my viewpoint changed. One Night In Bangkok is really interesting and threw me for a loop; I was all about the orchestral beginning but then it abruptly shifts into this sort of Alan Parsons Project meets... I don't know. But I like it. The hook is super catchy and there's even a flute solo. But Endgame is where it's at, dude, holy fock... this could be the most epic song of the whole roulette. The last few minutes have such a genuine heaviness to the lyrics and music that it really sells me on the drama. And that last minute is a focking belter, dude, it gives me chills just like the beginning does, and I want to watch/listen to this musical now so that's impressive. Thanks a lot for this, dude.
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Topic: The Walrus's Lead-Free Roulette -- now exploring every roulette submission ever (Read 97185 times)