ariich's DARK TO LIGHT roulette (v8) - Post-roulette updates (ongoing)

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

That too. I've heard both. Besides, it's Tim. Lol

[Glasser]

I believe that was a question. Sentences don't have question marks, Faizshmegland.

Damnit this is why I don't like posting from the phone, it was meant to say 'A show' not 'A sentence'


Maybe I'll just answer in gifs from now on.

[Glasser]

That too. I've heard both. Besides, it's Tim. Lol

I'm right all day long!

[Lonk]

[Glasser]

[faizoff]

That's impressive, even King doesn't tend to accidentally write completely different words that are twice the length.

That's what you get for just swiping on the phone keyboard rather than typing. 

[faizoff]

I believe that was a question. Sentences don't have question marks, Faizshmegland.

Damnit this is why I don't like posting from the phone, it was meant to say 'A show' not 'A sentence'


Maybe I'll just answer in gifs from now on.

[Glasser]

I believe that was a question. Sentences don't have question marks, Faizshmegland.

Damnit this is why I don't like posting from the phone, it was meant to say 'A show' not 'A sentence'


Maybe I'll just answer in gifs from now on.

That's excellent! 

[Buddyhunter1]

 

[Sacul]

[ariich]

[lonestar]

[King Postwhore]

[ariich]

Results should be in the next hour, before I go to bed. Just got two final write-ups to do alongside final listens to those submissions, then some quick proof-reading and formatting etc.

[ariich]

ROUND 2 RESULTS

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jingle – Rik Emmett
1. All Thumbs
2. Unconditional Love
3. The Way That You Love Me
4. When A Heart Breaks
5. World of Wonder

First impression: Not sure I was expecting anything quite this cheesy, but you know what, it’s not unpleasant.

Final opinion: You’re very unfortunate to come last in the round with this - indeed in all my roulettes I’ve only ever had one round with a higher lowest score. Definitely lots to like here. The opening acoustic guitar tune is really nice, and then the four substantive songs are attractive pop/soft rock. It’s definitely pretty cheesy in an “80s music still being played in the 90s” kind of way, and a few years ago I might have been more put off by that, but these songs are all very enjoyable. The more upbeat ones have some catchy hooks, and World of Wonder especially has a very nice pop groove. The slower songs don’t grab me much and do stray into slightly cheesy love song territory for my tastes, which is ultimately why this doesn’t score higher. But When a Heart Breaks at least has a nice warmth to it, including in Emmett’s vocals.

Score: 7.7

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Litho – Phil Keaggy
1. Castle's Call/Pilgrim's Flight
2. Nellie's Tune
3. Del's Bells
4. Fragile Forest
5. Passing Thought
6. Legacy

First impression: Might be slightly noodley and narrow to be the sort of thing I’d want to listen to regularly, but it’s full of great playing and lovely music.

Final opinion: This is another that feels unfairly low in rank despite a solid score because of how strong this round was. I have nothing against solo instrumental music like this (same goes for piano music) and indeed can like it a fair bit, but the inherent narrowness of the scope does mean that it needs to do something special to stand out to me, and I don’t think this quite does that, at least not consistently. You made the right call on including that low-bitrate version of the first track because it’s my favourite here, just really gorgeous, melancholic and elegant music. And because it’s simply an acoustic guitar, the sound quality doesn’t really hurt it. If the songs had all been at the quality of that or even Fragile Forest and Passing Thought, it might have got over the 8/10 mark, although I do appreciate the other tracks bringing in a slightly more energetic and upbeat tone. All in all, extremely pleasant music that I like listening to but don’t see myself wanting to revisit much.

Score: 7.8

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luke – King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
1. Ice V
2. Iron Lung

First impression: Jazzier than I was expecting, which is a cool twist, although in other regards this is pretty much what I was expecting.

Final opinion: In absolute terms, I’ve heard quite a bit of Kingly Gizz already, although I recognise it’s a small fraction of their ludicrous catalogue (yet somehow not the most ludicrous catalogue in this round - I’ll come to that when I get to Buddy’s writeup). I have a lot of respect for the amount of the music they are able to write and produce at generally high quality, and for how they explore quite different ideas and genres in doing so. I’ve never disliked anything I’ve heard from them. But of the five albums I already knew, only one (Polygondwanaland) has interested me enough to want to actually purchase it. With these two tracks, I definitely dig the jazz influences which I’ve not encountered in their music before, and which they have incorporated to really good effect. The jazz flute infusions in Ice V especially are super cool. I can take pretty much any three-minute segment from this submission and listen to it and enjoy it plenty. And yet, compositionally I get little from it and no real draw to come back, which - that one album aside - has been my consistent experience with the band, regardless of what cool new thing they’re doing with each album. I don’t know if it’s affected by making so much music that they don’t take time to really refine any of it, or if it’s simply that my tastes and the way they like to write are not quite aligned. Cool as these tracks are, they ultimately just feel like jam sessions that go on a bit too long and don’t really go anywhere.

Score: 7.9

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HOF – The Pearlfishers
1. Even on a Sunday Afternoon
2. Flora Belle
3. I Can't Believe You Met Nancy
4. When the Highway Ends
5. Everyday Storms

First impression: There’s a nice mix of organic sounds and synthesisers, with some great moments, although my enjoyment at each point depended quite a lot on the strength of the vocals.

Final opinion: So, to a degree this suffers from a similar “middle-of-the-road” effect as your first round submission, but there’s more here that I find engaging. The general sound has quite a summery sort of atmosphere that’s very pleasant, and like I said in the first impression, I like the way they’ve mixed organic sounds (strings, clean guitars) with some synthesisers. The vocals do have quite a big bearing on the extent to which I enjoy each song though. The first track - while pretty straightforward - has a nice upbeat vibe that is enhanced by the vocal harmonies. Same with the more mellow chilled style of the last track. The album those are on will probably be the one I check out as it feels like it may be more my thing. The other songs have their nice moments and some strong ideas, but are held back by quite weak and/or pitchy vocals at various points.

Score: 7.9

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soupy – Lana Del Rey
1. Radio
2. Brooklyn Baby
3. Tomorrow Never Came
4. Did you know there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

First impression: I enjoyed these songs but they didn’t all jump out and grab me - as pop goes it feels quite subtle so I’m interested to see what happens with further listens.

Final opinion: This was one of the hardest of the round for me to rate. There are so many elements that I like about it, and none that I dislike. The general sound is lovely, the production is engaging and there are some fantastic touches (like some of the ethereal vocal effects in Brooklyn Baby). The music is pleasant, her voice has a nice quality and she does some interesting things with it. It has really felt as though I should enjoy it more than I do. The thing that I now realise is missing is that it never really makes me feel. There are different ways music can do that but these songs don’t really do any of them much - they never really pick up in energy, or go down a more emotive route musically. Even the vocals - interesting as they are - have little feeling in them. Tomorrow Never Came comes closest with some very pretty melodies, but overall I come away from these songs with a sense of “ok that was nice, what’s next?”

Score: 7.9

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Elite – Chano Dominguez
1. Skylark
2. Four
3. But Not For Me
4. All The Things You Are

First impression: Not a style I listen to much, but this is full of nice vibes and classy playing.

Final opinion: As I think I’ve said in past roulettes, jazz and especially more traditional styles of jazz are something I often love in a live setting, but can be less excited by when listening at home. This quite laid-back style is not something I would often listen to at home, but this is for sure a very nice example of it. Taking these standards (which I know, although some of them not that well) and making them into piano-driven latin jazz works great. Dominguez’s piano playing doesn’t particularly stand out to me as anything special, but it’s slick and the arrangements are really nice, especially the last track in which the sax work is lovely. The least consistent element of these songs is the vocals which are not a style I’m particularly into. They work pretty well in some songs at least, especially Four, whereas in But Not For Me for example they’re kind of distracting. But ultimately, this selection has enough great stuff in it - and a lovely overall vibe - that I could potentially see myself liking the album a lot.

Score: 8.0

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lonestar – Band-Maid
1. Manners (Acoustic)
2. Different (Acoustic)
3. Forward (Acoustic)
4. Catharsis (Acoustic)

First impression: Some nice hooks here, though I feel a lot more could have been done with the arrangements.

Final opinion: This write-up will basically be a longer version of the first impression as my opinion hasn’t changed since, other than the melodic hooks settling in nicely as I’ve got to know the songs. So let’s start with the good stuff, which is that this is a really nice set of tunes. The one regular Band-Maid album I’ve heard didn’t blow me away at all, but there were a few songs on it that had strong choruses and it didn’t surprise me at all that a small selection from their acoustic album would be great in this regard. The limiting factor is the arrangements. It’s almost the exact opposite of my reaction to Saiseiga from the first round, which was really engaging arrangement-wise but a bit lacking melodically. The slightly improved score probably reflects the increased importance I place on melody. Anyway, other than some moments in Catharsis, these songs basically sound like they were playing their regular songs but just didn’t turn on the distortion on their guitars. Which I’m sure isn’t the case but, as someone who doesn’t know the originals, that’s just how it comes across. And I mean fair enough, this was just a fanclub CD so I guess they wouldn’t necessarily invest lots of time in writing interesting new arrangements, but it feels like a missed opportunity.

Score: 8.0

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Vmadera – The Cyberiam
1. Interrogation Room B
2. The Historian

First impression: This is some nice elegant prog, if a little more traditional that I might have expected and possibly lacking a clear focal point.

Final opinion: This was one of those submissions where I had to recalibrate my expectations on my first listen. There was something about the band name and artworks that led me to think I might be getting something either quite futuristic sounding or otherwise synth-heavy. So my first impression was probably a little distracted by getting used to this being pretty straightforward neo (ish) prog. In particular, I don’t agree with past-me that there’s a lack of focal point here - indeed both songs flow quite nicely and have clear melodic themes. And those melodic themes are very nice too. Interrogation Room B has a strong chorus, if nothing mind-blowing. But the standout is the last few minutes of The Historian which was what ended up selling this for me.

Score: 8.0

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Glasser – Legacy Pilots
1. True Spirit
2. The Even Chance
3. A Little Differently

First impression: Modern music with very classic stylings and some cool vibes - I like it but I don’t know if I love it.

Final opinion: This is a good illustration that things can change a little even on my final listens. In this case it snuck in an extra 0.1 meaning your score didn’t drop from the previous round after all, as suggested by the indicative round comparisons. This has definitely been a grower. I know he’s not the main creative mind on this, but a lot of this does sound like fairly typical “John Mitchell prog”. Partly it’s his presence on the first two songs, but the general style and melodies are a big part of it too. I’ve never found his voice very interesting but it works well enough, and the singer on the third track has a bit more character. And crucially the songs themselves are really nice. There’s a warmth to them that I’ve found particularly appealing and which has improved my opinion on them with each listen. Looks like the rest of the album might be more experimental (in structure at least) so I look forward to checking it out.

Score: 8.1

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wolfking – Elegy
1. Equinox
2. Visual Vortex
3. Beyond
4. State of Mind
5. Loser's Game

First impression: Always found this singer quite bland, but the music here seems pretty engaging and more tasteful than other stuff I’ve heard him in.

Final opinion: So yes, Ian Parry’s voice is not one that I find especially interesting. I know him from a couple of Consortium Project albums that didn’t really do it for me, and I’m sure I heard him in something else but have no idea what. Anyway, these songs don’t especially change my opinion on that, but the music and arrangements here are much better than the other things I’ve heard him in and probably utilise his vocals better. Good call on including the intro track - it’s pretty over-the-top but sets up the rest of the submission nicely. The four substantive songs that follow are all strong. None of them blows me away, but they all have something engaging about them and some have genuinely excellent melodic hooks (especially Beyond and State of Mind, the choruses of which I’ve occasionally had stuck in my head).

Score: 8.1

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Reaper – Jakub Zytecki
1. Mandala
2. Opened
3. Sunflower
4. Somewhere Quiet

First impression: The broad style isn’t especially unique, but it’s done really well - great sound and lovely production with a mix of influences thrown in.

Final opinion: I’m not generally a big fan of instrumental guitar music, whether or not it’s of this “bedroom guitar” variety. Plini is an oddity in that regard but that’s because of the way he merges both very attractive guitar playing with pretty lush compositions and soundscapes (and even then I don’t love everything he’s put out). This guy Jakub Zytecki seems like he could hit some of the same sweet spots. On one hand, I don’t find all of the guitar work itself that interesting - some great moments for sure, but some of it is definitely quite noodley and slightly distracting (especially in the otherwise chilled-out last track). But the richness of the music and sound mean that the emphasis isn’t really on the guitar anyway. You described it as “EDM sensibilities” and while there’s not much electronica itself, I can definitely hear that in the compositional approach and sound design. Very nice stuff.

Score: 8.1

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romdrums – Monobody
1. Eighty Eight
2. Sylphina
3. Harvester
4. Phaon Crescent

First impression: Reminds me of a couple of other bands I like, if maybe with a little less of the features that most attract me to each of those.

Final opinion: OK so this is some very cool fusion/jazz-rock stuff. As far as the jazzy submissions this round go, it’s my favourite. In style and approach, it reminds me very much of a hybrid between Nova Collective (who you mentioned) and Kindo (who you didn’t name but you did refer to both the jazzy style and the indie background). I don’t feel it quite matches up to the best stuff from either of those - it has neither the harmonic and tonal variety and dynamism of Nova nor the accessible hooks (helped by vocals) of Kindo. But that’s ok, this is something different and it’s still pretty dang great. Nice spacey vibes at times, engaging guitar work, lovely use of synths and piano and some great build-ups. Harvester in particular is just such a lovely tune and on my last couple of listens it definitely pushed the score up a notch or two.

Score: 8.2

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[ariich]

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faizoff – Nine Inch Nails
1. Less Than
2. Satellite
3. The Day The World Went Away (Still version)
4. 14 Ghosts II

First impression: A little different to what I might have expected; a cool selection of songs that are moodier than most this round but with a nice groove to them.

Final opinion: My previous experience with NIN has been pretty mixed. Buddy successfully got me hooked on The Fragile after sending me a bunch of songs from it in my last roulette. I did revisit Downward Spiral as well, and I liked it more than I had when I originally rated it (many years earlier) but still not very much. I’ve sampled a couple of other albums and they didn’t grab me so I didn’t go any further. I know this is just a selection of individual songs from other albums but it makes me very much think I should have a proper explore of their discography. The first two, in particular, have a lot of what I liked so much about The Fragile. Moody industrial grooves, pretty melodic approach and interesting sound design. The Still version of a song I already know is pretty cool - starts kind of weird but has a great buildup in the second half. The last track is easily the least interesting but still has a cool vibe.

Score: 8.2

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Evermind – The Wishing Tree
1. Falling
2. Hollow Hills
3. Soldier

First impression: Very pretty and peaceful - not much stood out, but I’m not sure it needs to.

Final opinion: I really don’t have a lot to say about this, it’s just… so… so nice! I suppose I can understand why this doesn’t tend to do well in others’ roulettes, even with me it goes quite light on the things that normally excite me about music. It’s gentle and pretty, quite tonally upbeat but not in an energetic way, performances and production are pretty subtle and delicate. There’s music I’ve heard that’s very similar to this that would score in the mid-7s at best. I don’t even know why I like these songs a lot more. It’s almost the opposite to Rothery’s main band Marillion, who I’ve tried several times and never like as much as I feel I should.

Score: 8.2

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King – The Avett Brothers
1. High Steppin’
2. Ain’t No Man
3. Kick Drum Heart
4. Another Is Waiting
5. No Hard Feelings

First impression: This may not have blown me away, but it was a very pleasant and pretty uplifting listen - simple but effective.

Final opinion: This was one of the really nice growers of the round. It’s all pretty middle-of-the-road stylistically, but does blend styles together in a very enjoyable way. Kind of American folk-pop (or pop-folk?) - taking what is at heart country music but wrapping it in really accessible pop sensibilities and hooks. I liked the first and last song from the start, just really catchy stuff with an upbeat mood - even within the slight melancholia of the last track it has a nice hopeful tone. The others took a couple of listens to grow but I ended up liking them a lot. Another is Waiting is really lovely and heartfelt, while even Kick Drum Heart - which I found a bit corny at first - turned out really fun.

Score: 8.2

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Buddy – death's dynamic shroud
1. What? To Be Human
2. Spirit Of Loneliness
3. In The Clouds Hearing Voices

First impression: Not convinced by all the vocals, but definitely feeling the music, the downtempo vibe and the creative use of different sounds and styles.

Final opinion: OK so you’ve somehow found a group that produces more music than King Gizzard. And not just more, but a lot more (11-12 full-length albums a year, in the years they’ve been actively producing music anyway - 46 albums in total so far). I’ve no idea how varied their stuff is from album to album and whether it gets samey after a while, all I have to go on is these three songs all from the same release. And yeah, it’s great stuff. Really cool electronica with a downtempo vibe throughout but also lots of other infusions, like nice symphonic moments, cool use of samples, even some cute moments like the middle of Spirit of Loneliness. Some of the vocals work well and really add to the music, like in the first song which is fantastic in general really. The other two songs are still great overall, but do have some vocal moments that are a bit weak or have weird effects that I don’t feel quite work. But all in all, really nice stuff.

Score: 8.3

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seneca – The Killers
1. Quiet Town
2. Cody
3. Sleepwalker
4. In the Car Outside

First impression: This is rather different to what I was expecting based on your description and what I know of the artist - I suspect these warm mellow vibes are more my thing.

Final opinion: Here we have the first of two very pleasant surprises this round. The Killers were of course huge at one point. I’ve never actually given Hot Fuss a full listen but the singles from it were super popular and Mr Brightside is still a karaoke staple. But personally, outside of karaoke, I never found anything I heard from them especially interesting or felt compelled to check them out properly. You’ve sent me songs from their latest album - released 17 years later - and evidently the band has developed a lot in that time. I don’t know if their sound has morphed generally or if this album had a different focus, but these songs are just great. They’re not really poppy (despite how you described your light submissions) and there doesn’t seem to be that much of the indie-ish post-punk sound either, much more in a very emotive folk-rock style which they execute really well. Really warm sound and heartfelt style, and some great melodies. I’ll definitely be checking out this album and should probably dip into a few others to see what I’ve been missing.

Score: 8.3

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Puppies – Amesoeurs
1. Les Ruches Malades
2. Faux Semblants
3. I XIII V XIX XV V XXI XVIII XIX – IX XIX – IV V I IV
4. Video Girl
5. Amesoeurs

First impression: The music is rich and gorgeous at times, though I think - and I rarely feel this way - that I might have liked some of it more without the vocals.

Final opinion: This might have been the biggest grower of the round and I’ve been liking it more with each listen. I’ve not been that into things you’ve sent me before that have a jangly aspect to them, and same goes more generally for things I’ve that might be described as shoegaze. I liked the music here right from the start, but at first some of the vocals were a little off-putting, feeling either disconnected from the music or in a couple of places simply sounding a little thin. I’ve really come around on the whole thing though. There’s still a couple of pitchy moments, but I can live with those as part of the atmosphere that the songs create, and the good moments really do excel. Faux Semblants and Amesoeurs especially both have these wonderfully immersive segments, while the instrumental interlude in the middle is really gorgeous.

Score: 8.3

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Crow – Gang of Youths
1. You in Everything
2. The Kingdom is Within You
3. The Heart is a Muscle

First impression: Nice upbeat indie that seems to avoid getting too sappy with interesting instrumentation and warm vocals.

Final opinion: I wouldn’t say this has grown on me that much, as I loved it from the start, but with each listen and as I’ve got to know the lyrics, my appreciation for it has solidified. The songs all deal with difficulty and sadness, but in a way that is hopeful and forward-looking and the music supports this wonderfully - it’s upbeat but it’s not corny or too sappy (which a lot of indie of this type can end up being). Even the performances are perfectly pitched - energetic and yet mellow at the same time. I really do come away from each listen feeling emotionally boosted. The other thing they do is avoid sounding too bland or middle of the road - again a not uncommon pitfall in this style - with thoughtful and varied instrumentation such as strings, pizzicato strings and horns at different times to create different effects. Really lovely stuff.

Score: 8.4

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Stadler – Whitesnake
1. Love Ain't No Stranger (Live in Tokyo)
2. Don't Fade Away (Live in Tokyo)
3. Soldier of Fortune (Live in Tokyo)

First impression: This is a very pleasant surprise - unexpectedly delicate, warm and emotive.

Final opinion: Alright so what on earth is going on here and why do these songs work so well as delicate emotional ballads? Admittedly I’ve not really given Whitesnake a proper listen before, only really being familiar with a small number of their hits, so it’s quite possible I’ve been missing something. Either way, these arrangements are really lovely. Compared with lonestar’s submission, which sounded a bit like they just played the originals but turned the distortion off their guitars, these have been thoughtfully adapted to the shift in style. On its own, that could have turned out a little narrow or simplistic, but the clincher is Coverdale’s voice which just has so much warmth and charm to it that it really holds these songs together and makes them so emotionally engaging.

Score: 8.4

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nick_z – Meer
1. Picking Up The Pieces
2. Beehive
3. Honey

First impression: This ranges from really rather lovely to quite dramatic, all of it very engaging and elegantly produced.

Final opinion: Yep this is fantastic stuff. I mean, in a way it was a pretty safe submission like your first round. In this case it’s that emotional blend of indie, prog and pop sensibilities that tends to speak well to my tastes (thinking of things like Owel, Manchester Orchestra, a lot of The Dear Hunter’s stuff). This does a bit more to carve out its own identity than what you sent last time, though. And more to excite me. As you say, it’s adventurous in the ideas they explore and the instrumentation they use, and indeed there are aspects like the vocal interplay that are reminiscent of Pure Reason Revolution which lean a little away from the indie rock and into prog stylings. And it’s all held together with really nice melodies. Just all-round great music.

Score: 8.5

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Luoto – Rioghan
1. Sight
2. Breath
3. Bruises
4. Time

First impression: Taking advantage of the theme’s caveat to send something surprisingly punchy and dramatic, although it was some of the lighter moments that I found most compelling.

Final opinion: In absolute terms this is among the heavier submissions of the round - it’s gloomy, has heavy moments in most songs and even some screams in Bruises. But it’s also demonstrably lighter than probably anything else you’ve ever sent me, with almost entirely clean singing and quite a lot of calmer sections (and even one whole acoustic ballad!). And that’s, I guess, the point of the way I’ve defined the theme for this roulette, because it’s drawn out from you one of the best things you’ve ever sent me. I’d even go so far as to say she could end up being my outright favourite, depending on what the album as a whole is like. Her voice is wonderful - emotive and versatile and really compelling, sounding like an indie singer at times and belting out screams at others. The music is rich and engaging, gloomy yet vivid. Bruises is probably my favourite single song of the roulette so far, I just love everything about it.

Score: 8.7

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TAC – Lumsk
1. En Harmoni
2. Trolltind
3. The Day Is Done

First impression: Pretty different to anything else you’ve ever sent me but still hitting a lot of the right notes - quite thoughtful, grand and harmonically rich.

Final opinion: You’ve sent me folk metal before, but nothing that leans this hard on the folk part of that description. These songs at least aren’t even metal really, other than in a few moments here and there (which is why it fits the theme just fine based on what you normally send me). All of it, though, is so wonderfully rich and adventurous. En Harmoni starts strong and just gets better from there - by the end it’s built up into some gorgeously melancholy folk rock. Trolltind is almost avant-garde folk in the way the singer explores all these different styles and influences, and it’s probably my favourite of the three because of how unique it sounds. The Day is Done is the most straightforward stylistically, but ultimately just a really excellent and emotive prog rock song.

Score: 8.7

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Sacul – Sohn
1. Tempest
2. Lessons
3. Veto
4. The Wheel
5. Tremors

First impression: Trippy, experimental and gorgeously soulful - what’s not to love?

Final opinion: What even is this? I’ve no idea how to define it really (I checked RYM and they’ve no idea either, listing Alternative R&B, Art Pop, Alt-Pop, Downtempo, Future Garage, Indietronica). I just know I love it. Alongside Bruises from Luoto’s entry, Tempest makes a serious case for my favourite song of the roulette so far and it hooked me into this submission right from the very first listen. What an incredibly unique, captivating and beautifully produced song. But that’s just my favourite from a really wonderful collection of songs that are all soulful and pretty downtempo, but explore a range of styles and moods within that - some focus on experimentation while others focus on mellow vibes. Other artists use this general style but this is easily the most interesting and melodically rich music I’ve heard in it. The sound of all of these songs is just so lush and warm, as is his voice which has a sweetness to it that complements the music perfectly.

Score: 8.9

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Scores after Round 2:

 1. Crow     = 8.8 + 8.4 = 17.2
 1. Sacul    = 8.3 + 8.9 = 17.2
 3. Luoto    = 8.3 + 8.7 = 17.0
 4. TAC      = 8.2 + 8.7 = 16.9
 5. Buddy    = 8.4 + 8.3 = 16.7
 5. wolfking = 8.6 + 8.1 = 16.7
 5. nick_z   = 8.2 + 8.5 = 16.7
 8. Evermind = 8.4 + 8.2 = 16.6
 9. soupy    = 8.4 + 7.9 = 16.3
 9. Stadler  = 7.9 + 8.4 = 16.3
11. Puppies  = 7.9 + 8.3 = 16.2
11. Glasser  = 8.1 + 8.1 = 16.2
11. romdrums = 8.0 + 8.2 = 16.2
14. Litho    = 8.3 + 7.8 = 16.1
14. luke     = 8.2 + 7.9 = 16.1
16. Vmadera  = 8.0 + 8.0 = 16.0
17. seneca   = 7.6 + 8.3 = 15.9
17. jingle   = 8.2 + 7.7 = 15.9
19. lonestar = 7.8 + 8.0 = 15.8
19. Elite    = 7.8 + 8.0 = 15.8
21. Reaper   = 7.6 + 8.1 = 15.7
22. King     = 7.3 + 8.2 = 15.5
23. HOF      = 7.5 + 7.9 = 15.4
23. faizoff  = 7.2 + 8.2 = 15.4

Click the graphs to enlarge.

[HOF]

Re The Pearlfishers, David Scott has a voice that works best for harmony, but I enjoy the quality of it well enough by itself. The two albums you mentioned possibly checking out are my favorites, but all 3 of the albums those songs are from are great.

[lonestar]

Gets higher score...goes down in rankings.

I guess it's a fair assessment of the songs without knowing the originals, I rather like their simplicity. The first two tracks are just the guitarist and lead vox, and Catharsis is the only one with all five members. I love how the album played around with their traditional roles.

Sending more Asian stuff now...

[TAC]

Nice, I'll take it!

You have my Round 3 already. You'll have Rounds 4-6 in the morning.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Ouch.  Oh well. 

[ariich]

Ouch.  Oh well. 

It's only ouch in relative terms, honestly. I did like it. Just not enough!

[TAC]

Wow, Whitesnake killed it!

[ariich]

Wow, Whitesnake killed it!

I know right, wtf

[Glasser]

Ready for round 3!

[King Postwhore]

Nice!  You check out that live video I sent you Rich?

[ariich]

404 image not found you say?

Nice!  You check out that live video I sent you Rich?

I did indeed, it was a really nice performance!

[King Postwhore]

It is autobiographical.  The lead singer was going through a divorce and this saw his swan song to her snd him, ready to move on and being positive towards the future. 

[Crow]

would highly recommend both album those songs come  from tho especially angel in realtime, one of my faves from last year and it's just that good start to finish, tbh

i didn't even include brothers which is proooobably my favorite on the album but it's, not really representative lol

[Glasser]

404 image not found you say?

Nice!  You check out that live video I sent you Rich?

I did indeed, it was a really nice performance!

.

[TAC]

Nice!  You check out that live video I sent you Rich?

The Avett Brothers were in Providence this past week.

[Glasser]

[King Postwhore]

Nice!  You check out that live video I sent you Rich?

The Avett Brothers were in Providence this past week.

It's a different but great experience seeing them live.

[TAC]

Nice!  You check out that live video I sent you Rich?

The Avett Brothers were in Providence this past week.

It's a different but great experience seeing them live.

I wasn't sure if you knew. I saw the show was up on Dime.

[wolfking]

That's a fair score for mine.  Didn't feel as confident in that submission as KOK so fair play.

[wolfking]

Sent.