ROUND 5 RESULTS--------------------------------------------------------------------------
romdrums – U21. New Year’s Day
2. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
3. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
4. One
5. Bullet The Blue Sky
First impression: Pretty much what I expected, and that’s a bit disappointing.
Final opinion: I’ve never found U2 to be especially enticing, and this hasn’t entirely changed my mind although there is enough here to at least make me want to check out an album or two. The submission starts reasonably strongly - New Year’s Day isn’t anything special, but it’s good. And then Pride (In the Name of Love) is easily the best song here, genuinely enjoyable and with some really nice hooks. But then the rest just sounds a little on the boring side I’m afraid. Like, I remember Bill Bailey poked fun at them in one of his standup routines, and these songs pretty much sound exactly like that to me.
Score: 7.4--------------------------------------------------------------------------
wolfking – Mercyful Fate1. A Dangerous Meeting
2. Evil
3. The Bell Witch
4. The Uninvited Guest
First impression: A bit disappointingly normal.
Final opinion: Ah mate, this was a real shame. You were scoring better with each round, but I can only assume you were thrown by my surprising love for the King Diamond you sent me. I did caution that I felt I should find his voice irritating, and suggested that it works well because of the theatricality. On the basis of admittedly fairly small samples of songs, I think I might have been right. Which isn’t to say that this is completely devoid of any theatrics, but it’s definitely much more straightforward metal. That’s also not to say I dislike it, it’s actually pretty decent. Evil, in particular, is a really solid tune. But for the rest, I don’t find the music all that exciting, and then his squealing over the top does start to become a little grating.
Score: 7.5--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ruba – Failure1. Macaque
2. Frogs
3. The Nurse Who Loved Me
4. Another Space Song
First impression: First half was ok, second half was a lot better.
Final opinion: This is definitely a submission of two halves. I can kind of see what they (and you) were going for with the first two songs, but they do very little for me. I don’t have much that’s negative to say about them, I just don’t get anything from them. The second half is so much better though. The Nurse Who Loved Me is easily the best, and is a genuinely strong song with some nice hooks and a really cool grungy alt-rock vibe. Another Space Song is kind of weird and cool - although it does drag a little despite not being very long.
Score: 7.7--------------------------------------------------------------------------
lonestar – Love and Rockets1. No New Tale to Tell
2. Sweet Lover Hangover
3. Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)
4. Sweet FA
First impression: Not a style I normally go for, but this sounded cool.
Final opinion: I'm not even sure exactly how I'd define this style, seems to be a mix of early alt rock, post-punk, even a hint of punk itself. I found that mix quite appealing from the start, and indeed I still think it works well. The songs haven't settled down with me as well as I might have hoped, they're all pretty good but I wouldn't consider any of them great really. But this still deserves a respectable score because I genuinely do enjoy the style and vibe of the submission, and it's not quite like anything else I listen to.
Score: 7.8--------------------------------------------------------------------------
king – Robert Plant1. Little By Little
2. Hurting Kind (I’ve Got My Eyes On You)
3. Big Log
4. The Way I Feel
5. Ship Of Fools
First impression: This all sounded nice but I’m not sure it all sounded exciting.
Final opinion: Ah I like this but I wish I liked it more. I appreciate how you sent me a mix of styles and stuff that's maybe not too ordinary for him (although to be honest I've not heard most of his stuff anyway), I just find the quality a little variable. It starts and ends quite strongly. Ship of Fools especially is a really nice song, quite a unique sound and great vibe. Little by Little also has some good hooks and ideas. The songs in between are all fine, I just find them lacking something. I've listened four times and couldn't tell you what any of them sound like.
Score: 7.8--------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOF – Toad The Wet Sprocket1. Are We Afraid
2. Butterflies
3. Pray Your Gods
4. Stories I Tell
5. Inside
First impression: Reminds me a little of a later band I like, if perhaps not quite as emotionally rewarding.
Final opinion: Ok so the band I was referring to was actually Blue October. They're not really the same style, but there's a bit of a similarity in terms of being fairly accessible alt-rock with an emotional edge, and that's what stood out on first listen. I like this a fair bit - a couple of songs aren't especially interesting but the rest have some good hooks and nice ideas, and I do have a soft spot for when music like this takes a surprisingly nuanced emotive approach (despite their silly name). It doesn't quite hit the mark, and I don't find myself quite loving it, but it's very close.
Score: 7.9--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sacul – Godspeed You Black Emperor!1. The Dead Flag Blues
First impression: Pretty much what I expected, and that’s generally alright.
Final opinion: There are some things I really like about this, and it did grow on me. Actually I think it’s my favourite thing I’ve heard from GYBE, as I’ve not previously been much of a fan. What I really like is the delicate sound and the lush use of strings that makes it feel quite distinct from a lot of post-rock (and certainly the post-rock from that time - I think there’s more overlap of that genre and “modern classical” these days). Ultimately, I just wish there was a bit more happening to get my teeth into, not necessarily in terms of instrumentation (as I said, I like the delicate sound) but it’s just very long and it doesn’t feel to me that there’s enough musical content to warrant it. Indeed, it seems like it completely stops a couple of times and starts up again.
Score: 7.9--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puppies – The Cranberries1. Dreams
2. Linger
3. Promises
4. Daffodil Lament
First impression: Very pretty, although I liked it more when the production had a bit of punch.
Final opinion: When you sent me this, you expressed your love for how jangly it is. To be honest, I can’t say that I find “jangly” a particularly desirable descriptor, but thankfully I don’t find this especially jangly anyway (so I guess maybe we think of that word differently). To me this music all sounds pretty and rather elegant, and I like the slight celtic vibe that’s somewhat present in the music but especially in her voice. I definitely like Promises the most - the production is much stronger and I think it really helps make it more exciting, but possibly the songwriting is a bit tighter and punchier as well. The other songs are all nice too, though.
Score: 8.0--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kwyjibo – Thunder1. Backstreet Symphony
2. Laughing on Judgement Day
3. Ball and Chain
4. This Forgotten Town
First impression: Liking the rocking vibe and performances, not yet sure about the melodic hooks.
Final opinion: This ended up being one of the biggest growers of the round. I'm not sure why the vocal melodies didn't interest me on first listen, I guess some tunes are just more immediate than others. I liked the rocking energy from the start though. Not quite the same but these songs remind me a little of Guns n Roses. Not up there with GNR's very best songs, but comparable with the next level down of solid album tracks. If all their stuff is comparable, I could see myself getting into them a fair bit. Standout songs are Laughing on Judgement Day and This Forgotten Town.
Score: 8.1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAC – Michael Kiske1. Shadowfights
2. The Calling
3. Do I Remember A Life?
First impression: Pretty much what I expected, and that’s no problem at all.
Final opinion: If you’d asked me what I thought solo music by Michael Kiske would sound like, this is exactly what I would guess. Is it cheesy? Yes. But is it too cheesy? Well, probably also yes, at times anyway, but it doesn’t really bother me. I’ve never been a super Kiske fanboy, but the man obviously has talent and his voice works really well on all three of these songs. The music is all pretty grandiose, but I like how you’ve included three slightly different styles. Shadowfights is the one that probably borders on the too-cheesy, but it’s fun and a nice contrast to the other two. The Calling is solid power metal, and Do I Remember A Life is nicely sincere and heartfelt.
Score: 8.1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nekov – The Waterboys1. Rags
2. A Pagan Place
3. Old England
4. The Return of Pan
5. Glastonbury Song
First impression: Sounded nice but wasn’t at all what I expected, so I’ll need to listen again having recalibrated.
Final opinion: That first listen was quite weird. I've seen the Waterboys described as folk rock before, and indeed I've checked Wikipedia and it does describe them that way. But, in these songs at least, I'm not hearing any folk at all, but rather somewhat poppy post-punk style rock music. So I had to completely recalibrate and listen again, and I found myself very much liking what I heard. Some bands I've heard in this general style from this era tended to be a bit dreary, but these songs are full of life and energy. The vocal melodies aren't anything special (except in Glastonbury Song which is terrific), but they're enjoyable enough to contribute to the overall sound which has a lovely richness to it, especially in the way piano is used throughout.
Score: 8.1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evermind – Mark Knopfler1. Rudiger
2. Done With Bonaparte
3. Are We In Trouble Now
First impression: Super cool and rather nice.
Final opinion: My previous experience with Dire Straits has been fairly mixed. I initially knew Brothers in Arms quite well, loved a couple of the songs but found the rest dull. Indi turned this around by sending me some excellent songs from Love Over Gold in my last roulette and I ended up loving that album. These Mark Knopfler songs are thankfully comparable with that upper end. The sound and style is really smooth, and the music is rich and elegant. If the rest of this album is as good, it'll be another one to add to my collection.
Score: 8.2--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luke – The Wildhearts1. Caffeine Bomb
2. Suckerpunch
3. 29 X The Pain
4. I Wanna Go Where The People Go
First impression: This energy is kind of infectious.
Final opinion: I've heard one or two Wildhearts songs before, and I'm sure I've caught them live at a festival a while back. I was never particularly enthralled by what I'd heard, but this was perhaps in error. Or maybe you've just sent me all their best songs. Either way, I really like these. I'd always seen them as a punk rock band and that's definitely a part of their music, but not the whole. The benefit of giving them a proper listen here is that I'm really enjoying the mix of influences between punk, pop rock and good old fashioned hard rock. That, combined with a ton of energy, charm and catchy tunes, makes for some damn enjoyable stuff.
Score: 8.2--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cyril – New Radicals1. You Get What You Give
2. I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore
First impression: You’re showing me up by sending me loads of stuff I like and should really have known already.
Final opinion: It's a little embarrassing how obvious some of the stuff is that you're sending me. In this case, You Get What You Give is a really iconic song that I know fairly well, and like quite a lot. I had no idea it was by the New Radicals, and am not 100% sure I'd even heard of them. This sort of thing is exactly what I wanted from this roulette. I Don't Wanna Die Anymore I didn't already know, and it's also excellent, in some ways even better - the powerful vocal delivery later in the song just really gives it some that bit more excitement.
Score: 8.2--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elite – Duke Ellington1. It Don’t Mean A Thing (If I Ain’t Got That Swing) Medley
2. In A Sentimental Mood
3. Caravan
4. Take the “A” Train
5. Blue Pepper (Far East of the Blues)
6. It Don’t Mean A Thing (If I Ain’t Got That Swing)
First impression: Some of this was good, the rest was great, all of it was familiar.
Final opinion: The best jazz you've sent me so far, this is great stuff. It would have been slightly cheating if you'd known that I liked Ellington already, but you had no way of knowing that I don't have any of his albums, just a bunch of individual songs. Interestingly it includes half the ones you sent me, but none of these recordings, so most of this was new to me. The vocal version of “A” Train is kind of cool, although to be honest I much prefer the instrumental I already know. Whereas for It Don't Mean A Thing, it was great that you included both and I preferred the vocal version (which Ella performs with so much energy and charisma). The others all range from good to great too. Clearly I'll have to dig into his stuff a bit more.
Score: 8.2--------------------------------------------------------------------------
jingle – Tesla1. Edison’s Medicine
2. Modern Day Cowboy
3. Paradise
4. What You Give
First impression:
Final opinion: Yeah this rocks. It's been interesting to see the reaction to Tesla in this thread, sounds like a lot of people who you might expect to like this style are lukewarm on them. I can't yet comment on their wider work, but this selection of songs at least is great. Real energy that got me headbanging along, top notch performances including the singer who I find really convincing, and crucially some great and memorable hooks. Not particularly unique or exciting in its overall style, but I really can't fault it in its execution.
Score: 8.3--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buddy – Afro Celt Sound System1. Release
2. Lovers of Light
3. Big Cat
First impression:
Final opinion: I'm surprised you found my first impression ambiguous, as in my experience the
emoji has pretty much always signified something cool. And this is definitely cool. Your comparison to Shpongle was spot on, and while what you’ve sent doesn't seem quite as majestically vibrant as Shpongle’s very best stuff, it does have the same qualities I love about their music. The whole mix of groovy electronica with international folk music creates such a great sound and style and these guys seem to do it really well. The specific mix of African and Celtic folk is also pretty unique, I can't say I've heard anything like it before but it ends up working surprisingly great.
Score: 8.6--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stadler – Jellyfish1. The King Is Half-Undressed
2. Calling Sarah
3. Joining A Fan Club
4. The Glutton Of Sympathy
5. Bye, Bye, Bye
6. He’s My Best Friend
First impression: This might be the best thing you’ve ever sent me - unexpectedly excellent.
Final opinion: Alright, so first up, I demand to know why you have been keeping this from me in all my past roulettes.
This is just brilliant, and beats your previous score in any of my previous roulettes by a massive 0.7 points. This is one of those bands I’ve heard of, seen their logo and album art, but didn’t know anything about them. Even your description didn’t really give me much sense of what their music would be like. I love it. It’s so dynamic and creative, full of energy and great hooks. While they may have taken influence from older acts, they clearly created something quite new and seemingly influential - different parts of these songs remind me of various artists, almost always more recent ones. These songs are all quite distinct, but all bloody good in different ways. Can’t wait to give these two albums a listen.
Score: 9.1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Topic: ariich’s fogey roulette (v7) – FINAL RESULTS (Read 64692 times)
