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faizoff – Nine Inch Nails1. 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 Tree1. 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 Brothers1. 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 shroud1. 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 Killers1. 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 – Amesoeurs1. 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 Youths1. 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 – Whitesnake1. 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 – Meer1. 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 – Rioghan1. 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 – Lumsk1. 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 – Sohn1. 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 = 15.4Click the graphs to enlarge.