---ROUND 6 RESULTS---
Ariich - Submotion Orchestra
Dat brass.
I didn’t dislike Caravan Palace or anything, but this still feels like a return to form for you, as both of these songs are quite good. Chrome Units is the more upbeat and groovy of the two. The main bassline / synth melody is really fun, and it plays off of the drum beat quite well; I love the accented hi-hats that fall on the offbeats. The song doesn’t truly come together until the second half though, which has a lot more going on and a much fuller sound. The standout instrument here is the brass section. It doesn’t sound at all out of place with the synths, and it gives the song a nice jazzy touch. It’s a pretty short song, but I don’t have any real complaints about it.
Hard To Stay is a bit of a 180, being a slow, delicate breakup song. The verses here are very quiet and minimalistic, maybe a bit too much for my tastes, but they’re complimented with some more powerful choruses. If there’s one part of the song that really pulls at my heartstrings it’s the sections directly after the choruses. Those trumpets sound great and convey a lot of sorrow, and they work incredibly well with the delicate, warm synth chords underneath them. And that trumpet solo at the end is just beautiful… probably my favorite moment of the round. Other parts of the song weigh it down a bit, particularly the verses, but they don’t do too much damage considering how great the best parts of the song are. It’s very hard to compare these two songs with how different they are, and Chrome Units is definitely the more consistent of the two, but overall I really like them both.
Chrome Units: 7.5
Hard To Stay: 7.5
Sacul - clipping.
I’m not entirely sure I’ll end up liking this, but I kinda wish I got more stuff like it.
It’s a bit late in the roulette at this point, but I’m glad I finally got some hip-hop! It’s a genre I definitely need more exposure to, even though I haven’t warmed up to a lot of it yet. I suppose then it’s not too surprising that I have somewhat mixed feelings about both of these songs. I can tell they’re very experimental and unique-sounding, and there’s plenty of things I like about them both, but neither of them quite clicked with me. The first thing about Story 2 I noticed (aside from the very short runtime) was the constantly shifting time signatures! Prog hip-hop! Well, not quite, but it is very cool. I’m sure there’s a ton of potential for killer 7/4 flows. The more the time signatures change the more tense the song gets, which lines up with the increasing sense of urgency and danger in the lyrics. The lyrics and the story they tell really are the star of the show here; they’re very evocative and well-written. The problem for me is that lyrics aren’t enough to carry a song for me, and apart from the weird time signatures, there’s not a ton going on in the beat here. It’s also very short; it’s just the right length for the story being told, but as a song it leaves me wanting more.
Body & Blood is a loud, noisy, abrasive banger with a really memorable hook. I like how the production gets more punchy and layered throughout, but I just wish it had any melodic elements to speak of. The bass drum is super thick, but it doesn’t leave any space for an actual bassline that’s more than the same note over and over, and there aren’t any synth melodies or anything of the sort that come in at any point. As such, while I do like the industrial production here, it does get a bit monotonous after a while. While I wasn’t crazy about either of these songs, I’m not writing this group off because they do have some qualities that definitely resonate with me. I was actually considering checking out their two more recent albums (and I was surprised you didn’t send anything from them) and I still probably will at some point.
Story 2: 6.5
Body & Blood: 6.5
The Walrus - Purity Ring
Such a lovely voice.
Looks like we’ve gone full circle from chill, atmospheric stuff back to bright, shimmery synth pop. I really like the vocalist here; her voice is very warm and sweet while still having a good amount of power behind it. Heartsigh is my favorite of the two songs here. It’s got a very bright and pretty vibe to it, and the chord progression created by those piano arpeggios in the chorus is quite emotional. Good vocal melodies and some thick percussion, as well. A nice little pop song that isn’t amazing but hits all the important beats. Begin Again is also a pleasant listen, but the vibe here is a bit more sedated and the vocal melodies don’t captivate me quite as much. There’s not much here I can really complain about, but I don’t find myself all that engaged listening to it. I do like the bright, shimmering piano and the deep synth bass, though.
Heartsigh: 7.0
Begin Again: 6.5
Cyril - Camellia
I’ve never even heard of this game but I’ll have to look into it; this goes hard as hell.
Video game music, especially tracks that loop like this, are a bit hard for me to judge alongside more traditional songs. That said, these songs are energetic and hype enough to be decently enjoyable without any additional context. They’re structured pretty similarly, with lots of intense, breakneck-speed passages that eventually give way to some anthemic, more melodic “choruses”. My main complaint about both of these songs is that the beats in the more intense, energetic segments can be a bit too much. Starting with Heartless Being, I’m not a big fan of how the dubstep bass works with the main string melody in the section directly after the intro; it’s a bit too over-the-top. Thankfully the rest of the song is better. The dubstep bass is a lot more appealing in the half-time sections, especially the bit right after the chorus melody. And speaking of that melody, it’s awesome as hell, both in terms of the melody itself and the synth lead playing it. That part alone is enough for me to give this song a thumbs up.
Mad Rat, Die sounds like a really hype nightmare. I’m not sure if it’s the same sample but that demented, filtered “EEEeeee” sound is a lot like that slowed-down Beach Boys vocal sample that was used in EarthBound and later pilfered for the Undertale soundtrack. Either way, it sounds really crazy, especially when it’s layered on top of that driving trance beat. Some of the sections here are a bit overly-chaotic to the point of being disorienting, which was probably the point but it’s still a bit much regardless. There’s a handful of times where I wish the song jumped around less and focused on certain ideas a bit more. Like with Heartless Being, the “chorus” melody is quite good, though not quite as awesome as the one from that song. I like that section and the bit I mentioned earlier; the rest is alright. Overall these are some pretty good songs, but I think the best thing about this submission is that it made me aware of this game, which looks like a platformer version of Crypt Of The Necrodancer and that sounds super up my alley.
Heartless Being: 7.0
Mad Rat, Die: 6.5
Puppies_On_Acid - Shpongle
I’m really hoping this doesn’t become too tedious to get through each time I have to listen through this round.
I was initially a bit worried about this submission, not gonna lie. Not only is it the longest one I’ve gotten yet with both songs totaling 19 minutes, it’s also got those new age / electronic world music elements that historically have not done very well in prior rounds. Between those two things, I was worried I’d hate these songs. Well, the good news is that’s not the case. Are they drawn-out? Maybe. Are they boring? A little bit. But there’s more here I like than I was expecting. Compared to other artists I’ve gotten like this in prior rounds, I think this artist is easily the best at tastefully mixing electronic elements with traditional instruments and world influences. There’s never any synth tones that feel cheesy, and the production leaves a lot of space between everything while still sounding warm and enveloping. Once Upon The Sea Of Blissful Awareness has a swingy groove to it that is nice to listen to, and that subtle electronic organ that comes in a couple times is real swanky. There’s also a pretty great synth solo towards the end. My only real complaints here are that it could have maybe been a bit shorter, and that the breathy vocals don’t do much for me and seem oddly loud in the mix for some reason. I do mostly like it though, and it’s certainly not difficult to get through.
Around The World In A Tea Daze (har har?) is quite long, and also less consistent than the previous song, I feel. The extended intro is actually quite good. Damn good, even. Normally a 3+ minute intro would feel super drawn-out to me, but this one’s done so well that it’s actually my favorite part of the song. I love the layered guitar lines, the soothing strings, the gradual introduction of layers, and the pulsing beat underneath everything. I almost wish it went on for longer. Once it’s over though, the song gets a lot less interesting to me. There’s some memorable melodies between the flute and the vocals, but nothing that really resonates with me that much. Like with the previous song I’m pretty indifferent about the vocals, both the operatic female ones and the deep male ones. Things do get wrapped up decently well at the end, with some cinematic-sounding strings and a somewhat more energetic beat. That being said, half of the song being largely unremarkable for me is a bit problematic for a song this long. It’s still a decent listen, but if a big chunk of the middle were cut out I think I’d be enjoying it a lot more.
Once Upon The Sea Of Blissful Awareness: 7.0
Around The World In A Tea Daze: 6.0
Shadow Ninja 2.0 - Susanne Sundfør
I was expecting some chill stuff based on the cover art, but instead I got a banger and a pretty solid-sounding pop tune. A pleasant surprise.
Another artist where the two songs feel quite different from each other. For whatever reason, I remember liking Accelerate a lot more the first time I heard it than repeated listens. I like the production a lot; the percussion is quite energetic and the bass goes pretty hard. That church organ that appears towards the end is a nice touch as well. That said, I find the melodies here to be weaker than they should be, especially in the verses. They all sound like they gravitate around the same two notes that are very close to each other, and the vocal performance is pretty cold and stoic as well. Things certainly get more lively in the choruses, but they’re still a bit weak. I still think the song’s okay but I wish it went a bit harder, which I think it would have if the lazy melodies didn’t drag the energy down.
Kamikaze, despite being a more relaxed song, is far stronger from a melodic and emotional standpoint. The vocals are great throughout, especially in the choruses. She really makes those high notes hit hard while still conveying a strong sense of vulnerability. The production feels quite detailed, and I absolutely love the use of bells. The synth melody that comes in after the choruses is a bit basic, but I do really like the verse melody that starts the whole song off. The harpsichord outro makes for a nice little coda, as well. I quite like this song, actually. Ironically, Accelerate went down the more I listened to it and Kamikaze went up.
Accelerate: 6.0
Kamikaze: 7.5
Elite - Sungazer
Where’s The Lick? Adam Neely, you hack. Apart from that gross oversight, this is pretty cool.
So if the first impression wasn’t obvious enough, I’m familiar with Adam Neely and watch his YouTube channel every now and then. I think he talked about Drunk on there once, so I had heard small bits of it before, but this is still very much my first real exposure to this project. Speaking of Drunk, that’s a really cool tune. The weird rhythm is interesting, and the zonked-out chords definitely convey the sense of, well, being drunk. But it’s the louder parts of the song with the triplet arpeggios that really elevate it to another level for me. Those parts sound almost proggy. That synth solo is also really awesome. I love how intricate and flashy this is; at its core it’s very jazz, but the thick layers of electronic production and detail really enhance the sound and make it into something far more interesting and unique.
Electro took a bit longer to grow on me but it’s also really fun. It’s generally more upbeat, and the thick, buzzing synth bass sounds great. Also, that synth at the beginning really reminds me of one I used in GarageBand all the time when I was a kid. The first half of the song is good, but things go off the rails in the second half in the best way possible. It suddenly switches up into a… 5/16 beat? Sounds like you could count it as a 3/8 beat as well? I have no idea, but it sounds awesome. We get a killer sax solo, and the drummer goes crazy here as well. Love the performances. I really liked both of these songs, and it’s hard to say which one is my favorite, but score-wise I don’t think it matters much for you; you’ve earned the bonus point and this is definitely your best submission yet. You can imagine my disappointment when I realized this project only has two EPs and the first one is less than ten minutes long… they better put out a full-length album one day!
Drunk: 7.5
Electro: 7.5 + 1 = 8.5
Romdrums - Machinedrum
You seem to have landed on a style I enjoy pretty consistently. I especially liked the first song here.
Stylistically there’s nothing here that’s too surprising or outside the box of what you’ve been sending recently, but this is still one of your more consistent submissions thus far. Boxoff is noteworthy for having a super-awesome buildup in the first half. There’s a really cool sidechain compression effect going on with some of the synths, lending them the same interesting rhythmic pattern the percussion has. The layers of sound keep building until this great crescendo in the middle, though the second half of the song is a little disappointing. The drop right at the halfway point feels less climactic and impactful than the rise directly before it, and the remainder of the song chills out a lot and feels a bit directionless. This could have easily been my favorite song of the round if the second half were as strong as the first, but oh well. It’s still a good listen.
Rise N Fall didn’t hit me as hard as Boxoff did initially, but overall I think it’s just as solid. I know I’ve said this at least once before but it strikes a good balance between chill and upbeat; the percussion is energetic enough, but all the layers surrounding it feel very relaxing and soothing. The vocal samples work really well here. The slowed-down samples reinforce the soothing atmosphere, and the looped samples enhance the rhythm. The track’s a bit on the repetitive side, but it’s still an engaging and enjoyable listen.
Boxoff: 7.0
Rise N Fall: 7.0
Evermind - Delerium
I don’t know if I find the sound all that interesting, but these are a couple nice little songs.
Someone should really let these folks know that they spelled their name wrong. It’s a little embarrassing. They at least seem capable of writing some good tunes though, so that’s what really matters. After All is certainly the weaker of the two. The verses don’t have much interesting going on instrumentally, and I don’t find the autotune on the vocals to be all that pleasant. The choruses on the other hand are quite catchy, and very lush. They pretty much carry the song, honestly. The acoustic guitars here sound especially great. There are some nice details in the production here and there, but nothing too standout.
Truly is considerably better and one of the best songs of the round, in fact. The chorus here is even better; the vocal melodies and harmonies are superb, and the strings underneath them are very pretty. I also love those quick little string melodies in the verses. Decent verses, great choruses, and the bridge is quite strong as well for many of the same reasons as the choruses. The sound here isn’t quite as interesting as other songs this round, but from a songwriting perspective I can’t say I have any complaints.
After All: 6.5
Truly: 7.5
---STANDINGS---
1: Ariich - 86.5
2: Sacul - 84.5
3: The Walrus - 83.5
4: Cyril - 82
4: Elite - 82
6: Puppies_On_Acid - 81
6: Shadow Ninja 2.0 - 81
7: Romdrums - 80
9: Evermind - 76.5
---ARTISTS BANNED THIS ROUND---
Machinedrum
Submotion Orchestra
Sungazer
Poll
Topic: Buddyhunter1's ELECTRONIC ROULETTE (v5) - FINAL RESULTS!!! (Read 26268 times)