Sorry folks, last night I took my pills then fell asleep quite early
Results 1/3TAC: Hothouse Flowers
First impression:
Dad music, but the good stuffOk I thought this was a little older than the 90s hence my dad music comment, but these are a pretty cool bunch of pop rock tracks. Isn't It Amazing is quite soulful and emotional, with a wonderful atmosphere. Although it's not the most original sounding track ever it's very well written, and I just love the constant vibe going on and the sax. Lovely vocal harmonies too. Then there's a chance of pace with Love Don't Work This Way, a funkier tune with more sax and other brass instruments. Some of the vocals sound like something Moby would definitely sample (and maybe has?). Don't Go doesn't hold my attention so well, I feel it's more of a by the numbers kind of track than the previous two, but still has some cool moments here and there. Luckily Spirit of the Land makes things interesting again, with some pretty sick piano playing. Then some weird vocal chantings near the end, very cool.
So this is an interesting entry - very well-crafted songs, wasn't expecting such solid songwriting and playing from these guys at first. Well done.
4/5The Walrus: Mariusz Duda
First impression:
Pretty much sacul music, but is it good enough?This is some clever, massive cheating - I love Riverside, and Mariusz' solo project Lunatic Soul. And I was planning on checking out this record eventually. So, the songs, they do vary in quality quite a bit. There's certainly a sense of isolation and almost claustrophobia here, which fits the theme quite well. Isolated is a nice instrumental piece, albeit a bit too long for my taste. Lockdown Spaces is an interesting experiment but it's also kind of annoying with the sounds he chose and repeating "1,2,3,4" all the time - at least it's a short track. Then Thought Invaders is another instrumental but uuhhh it's ok, there's not much of interest going on tbh. I can barely remember it once it's over. Pixel Heart has some lovely synths overall, I think it's my favorite of these tracks. It doesn't do that much but it's pretty pleasing. Finally Screensaver, well, it certainly exists.
I've got a feeling Mariusz put all of this together in a couple of days and released it, since everything feels so underdeveloped unlike his usual output. Sorry to disappoint you Mr Walrus, but these songs ain't doing much for me despite being in theory up my alley.
3/5Nekov: Polyenso
First impression:
Expected something else, ain't disappointedWhen the first song kicks in I almost thought I was listening to Radiohead, there's quite a similarity in style of singing. But then it slowly turns into something of its own, with the pianos and the lush atmosphere, closing with some cool robotic vocals. Then Neon Mirror has these lovely guitars and a pretty ethereal atmosphere. Bastard is more of a regular art pop track with nice electronics and trumpets I think?
I'm sort of conflicted, these tracks nail the diverse and creative instrumentation I dig in this sort of music, but I think they sort of fail at making compelling, memorable melodies. I can't even recall any of the choruses once these songs are over. At least they're quite pleasing to listen to.
3.5/5Buddyhunter1: Kauan
First impression:
Maybe a bit too long? We'll seeWell seems that people really want to get me into Kauan, since I was sent a song on my previous roulette
. This is like doom metal with hints of post-rock and nice violins. Äidin Laulu is an 11 minute piece with an interesting atmosphere, heavy guitars, and both harsh and ethereal vocals that feels qutie like winter. It goes through various sections and ends with a mix of serene and heavy. IV follows in a similar fashion but in a more folk-ish fashion rather than going heavy, although there are some harsh vocals near the end. It certainly has a cool atmosphere it mantains throughout the 8 mins it lasts but it never feels like it drags.
I feels that long songs don't catch my attention that much these days. Dunno if it's just me falling out of taste with them or my ADHD getting worse with time
. But while these tracks were very enjoyable and I don't have much to say about them, I don't feel the need to check this band out further, hence the score.
3.5/5Puppies_On_Acid: AFI
First impression:
Sounds mostly like something you'd hear on the radio in the 2000sAbout the first impression, I say that mostly as these songs have that distinct 2000s punk rock sound to them, mostly on the choruses, but with some interesting twists. The Prayer Positions gives me Refused vibes in general, which is always a good thing, although I find the chorus to be kinda generic and not as interesting as the rest of the track. The Days of the Phoenix sort of reminds me of early Brand New, it's a cool track, with some interesting buildups here and there but along with Girl's Not Grey, they feel like the more generic songs of the bunch. Not bad, just not feeling in a rush to listen to them again. However Death of Seasons is like the opposite of that, starting quite raw and heavy, and then going into a short electronic breakdown that's cool as hell, wished it lasted longer. The chorus is ok, he does that sort of dumb voice that seemed popular back then, but at least it doens't last too long. Then in the second half it goes into this very interesting ambient section with strings and distant screaming, very cool. The Great Dissappointment certainly doesn't follow it's name, as it is a pretty cool song, going into a more melodic hardcore route.
I've never been too big on punk rock, not even during it's peak while I was growing up. However these tracks have a pretty pleasing and interesting twist to them that make them stand out from that era.
3.5/5Anguyen92: Big Wreck
First impression:
I'm definitely not interested in 2000s alternative rockWait I confused your first impression with Rise Against, sorry
. Yeah these tracks sort of remind me of Alter Bridge but with some folk to them I think? They're pretty cool for what they are, post-grungey tunes with some hard rock mixed in, mostly following on Soundgarden steps. I don't have much to say, they're pleasing to listen to but not quite memorable to me tbh.
3/5
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