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

[Crow]

fair 
excited to see a score
think i know what i'm sending for round 6 but a little stumped on round 5 rn, i'll figure it out

[ariich]

By the way I've added the Spotify playlists to the OP now, in the Results section (along with the links to the various stages of each round).

[Sacul]

3?

[nick_z]

Am I 17?

[ariich]

3?

Still no. You'll get there eventually, possibly once everything else has been guessed.

Am I 17?

You are!

[ariich]

New page!

So, how about some...

Round 3 first impressions

1. You have a knack for sending me very epic music and this is no exception - cheesier than some but very richly melodic.

[Glasser – Nospūn] 2. Closer to your first submission but probably even more my thing - proggy yet crunchy and quite a few moments that remind me of a particular favourite band of mine.

3. This mostly sounds pretty standard for the genre, although there are a few nice flourishes here and there.

[Vmadera – Prototype] 4. Not sure if there's any specific aspect of this you thought could be risky - if anything it might be a bit too normal with nothing to really stand out, unless that was the issue?

[romdrums – Jaga Jazzist] 5. For the first few minutes I wondered if you’ve made a rare misstep, but it picks up a lot after that although I do wonder if I’ll end up finding it a bit too “thinky”.

[lonestar – Rolling Quartz] 6. Seems like this might be a happy middle ground between your first two submissions.

[soupy – Fellowship] 7. In sending the polar opposite of your last round, you’ve hit upon some great melodies but possibly a bit too much cheese factor.

[luke – Coheed and Cambria] 8. Don’t know whether it’ll wholly win me over, but this was both poppier and more dramatic than I was expecting and more engaging as a result.

[jingle – Nuclear Power Trio] 9. I’m pretty picky when it comes to instrumental rock but this is eclectic, super melodic and so full of energy and charm that my first listen was an absolute blast.

[Litho – Dejafuse] 10. The melodic approach isn’t that immediate, but I can already see this being a grower because every time I started feeling unsure about it, something exciting came along and cast away any doubts.

[HOF – Dim Gray] 11. You’ve been holding out on me! Rich, emotive, gorgeously arranged and produced - this is probably the best thing you’ve sent me.

[Elite – Wes Montgomery] 12. Exactly what I expected - talented playing and nice energy but perhaps lacking a bit of pizazz.

[faizoff – Van She] 13. Mmm warm vibes and synthy goodness - not mind-blowing maybe but a really nice listen right from the off.

[King – Our Lady Peace] 14. I’ve said before that this genre needs quite a lot of hooks and/or emotion to work - these songs seem to do rather well at both.

[seneca – Emma Ruth Rundle] 15. A little more minimalist than I’d normally go for, but it’s nice stuff and has some great moments.

[Crow – Vylet Pony] 16. I’ve heard all the individual elements of this before but the overall effect still feels really unique and really rather great.

[nick_z – Eneferens] 17. Vocals are a little weak and some of the production isn’t that great, but some of the music is so gorgeous that those things hopefully won’t matter too much.

[TAC – Castleway] 18. The use of strings stops this sounding too generic, and each track seems more interesting than the last.

19. This mostly sounds like a slightly modernised take on a popular 80s artist, if perhaps not quite as melodically rich.

20. Sounds pretty much exactly like I would have expected based on the people involved - not sure whether that familiarity is comforting or bordering on generic.

[Stadler – Asia] 21. The overall sound was very unsurprising, but there were some really warm and emotive moments that elevated this over what I might have expected.

[Puppies – Echolyn] 22. This was some nice warm prog - with each song, I wasn’t wowed at the start but was won over by the end.

[Buddy – Blanck Mass] 23. There was some very cool stuff here but the sound is very full and dense, I think it’ll be hard to form a proper opinion before getting in a listen or two on earphones.

[Evermind – Lords of Black] 24. I feel like I’m either going to find this a bit too straightforward or I’m going to love the melodic hooks and big sound, and after one listen I’ve no idea which is more likely.

[Glasser]

I'm hoping for 2 but I'm afraid of it being 3.

[ariich]

You're in luck!

[ReaperKK]

I'm guessing 3

[Sacul]

19 then?

[Glasser]

You're in luck!

[ariich]

Here are the completed first impressions. Might be in a position to post comparisons this evening, or otherwise tomorrow. Results will be early next week, hopefully Monday. Managing around 9 days per round so far!

So, how about some...

Round 3 first impressions

[wolfking – Brymir] 1. You have a knack for sending me very epic music and this is no exception - cheesier than some but very richly melodic.

[Glasser – Nospūn] 2. Closer to your first submission but probably even more my thing - proggy yet crunchy and quite a few moments that remind me of a particular favourite band of mine.

[Reaper – From Monument To Masses] 3. This mostly sounds pretty standard for the genre, although there are a few nice flourishes here and there.

[Vmadera – Prototype] 4. Not sure if there's any specific aspect of this you thought could be risky - if anything it might be a bit too normal with nothing to really stand out, unless that was the issue?

[romdrums – Jaga Jazzist] 5. For the first few minutes I wondered if you’ve made a rare misstep, but it picks up a lot after that although I do wonder if I’ll end up finding it a bit too “thinky”.

[lonestar – Rolling Quartz] 6. Seems like this might be a happy middle ground between your first two submissions.

[soupy – Fellowship] 7. In sending the polar opposite of your last round, you’ve hit upon some great melodies but possibly a bit too much cheese factor.

[luke – Coheed and Cambria] 8. Don’t know whether it’ll wholly win me over, but this was both poppier and more dramatic than I was expecting and more engaging as a result.

[jingle – Nuclear Power Trio] 9. I’m pretty picky when it comes to instrumental rock but this is eclectic, super melodic and so full of energy and charm that my first listen was an absolute blast.

[Litho – Dejafuse] 10. The melodic approach isn’t that immediate, but I can already see this being a grower because every time I started feeling unsure about it, something exciting came along and cast away any doubts.

[HOF – Dim Gray] 11. You’ve been holding out on me! Rich, emotive, gorgeously arranged and produced - this is probably the best thing you’ve sent me.

[Elite – Wes Montgomery] 12. Exactly what I expected - talented playing and nice energy but perhaps lacking a bit of pizazz.

[faizoff – Van She] 13. Mmm warm vibes and synthy goodness - not mind-blowing maybe but a really nice listen right from the off.

[King – Our Lady Peace] 14. I’ve said before that this genre needs quite a lot of hooks and/or emotion to work - these songs seem to do rather well at both.

[seneca – Emma Ruth Rundle] 15. A little more minimalist than I’d normally go for, but it’s nice stuff and has some great moments.

[Crow – Vylet Pony] 16. I’ve heard all the individual elements of this before but the overall effect still feels really unique and really rather great.

[nick_z – Eneferens] 17. Vocals are a little weak and some of the production isn’t that great, but some of the music is so gorgeous that those things hopefully won’t matter too much.

[TAC – Castleway] 18. The use of strings stops this sounding too generic, and each track seems more interesting than the last.

[Sacul – The Black Queen] 19. This mostly sounds like a slightly modernised take on a popular 80s artist, if perhaps not quite as melodically rich.

[Luoto – Cain's Offering] 20. Sounds pretty much exactly like I would have expected based on the people involved - not sure whether that familiarity is comforting or bordering on generic.

[Stadler – Asia] 21. The overall sound was very unsurprising, but there were some really warm and emotive moments that elevated this over what I might have expected.

[Puppies – Echolyn] 22. This was some nice warm prog - with each song, I wasn’t wowed at the start but was won over by the end.

[Buddy – Blanck Mass] 23. There was some very cool stuff here but the sound is very full and dense, I think it’ll be hard to form a proper opinion before getting in a listen or two on earphones.

[Evermind – Lords of Black] 24. I feel like I’m either going to find this a bit too straightforward or I’m going to love the melodic hooks and big sound, and after one listen I’ve no idea which is more likely.

[wolfking]

Woah missed all that.  You guys are quick.

Yeah, thought Brymir was up your alley.  I wouldn't have thought the word cheesy though.

[ariich]

Woah missed all that.  You guys are quick.

Yeah, thought Brymir was up your alley.  I wouldn't have thought the word cheesy though.

I mean it's not the cheesiest metal this round or anything, but there's definitely a power metal influence in there.

[soupytwist]

Woah missed all that.  You guys are quick.

Yeah, thought Brymir was up your alley.  I wouldn't have thought the word cheesy though.

I mean it's not the cheesiest metal this round or anything, but there's definitely a power metal influence in there.

Go with the cheese, embrace the cheese.

[ariich]

This is me listening to soupy's submission:

[wolfking]

Woah missed all that.  You guys are quick.

Yeah, thought Brymir was up your alley.  I wouldn't have thought the word cheesy though.

I mean it's not the cheesiest metal this round or anything, but there's definitely a power metal influence in there.

Oh yeah, no doubt there.

[nick_z]

Woah missed all that.  You guys are quick.

Yeah, thought Brymir was up your alley.  I wouldn't have thought the word cheesy though.

Loved Brymir's latest.

[ariich]

Round 3 comparisons
Comparisons to the previous round, indicative and subject to change.
As ever, ups and downs show only direction, not scale. Could be 0.1, could be 1.0.

Sacul v
TAC v
Luoto v
nick_z v
Crow ^
Stadler v
Buddy =
Puppies =
seneca v
Evermind ^
romdrums =
King =
faizoff ^
wolfking ^
Glasser ^
Reaper v
lonestar ^
Vmadera v
Elite v
soupy ^
luke ^
HOF ^
Litho ^
jingle ^

More orange than usual! But as always scores can shift on my final listens.

[faizoff]

Round 3 comparisons

faizoff ^

Damn does that mean I'm not last anymore? Maybe 2nd to last now?

[ariich]

Round 3 comparisons

faizoff ^

Damn does that mean I'm not last anymore? Maybe 2nd to last now?

It means I expect you to get a higher score than you did in round 2. Whether that means you get off the bottom depends on how big the movements are for you and others.

[Buddyhunter1]

Ariich a confirmed brony

Congrats Crow!

[lonestar]

 

[ariich]

Ariich a confirmed brony

I genuinely had no idea there was apparently some huge fan community around My Little Pony until Crow sent me these songs and I looked the artist up. I don't know if it's even a thing in the UK or whether it's mainly an American thing or what. A week ago all I knew about MLP was that there was a cartoon and a range of toys that my sister liked when she was pre-teen.

Learning things like this blows my mind.

[Crow]

ooh baby now we're in business 

[Glasser]

[ariich]

[senecadawg2]

Not too surprising considering last round's submission did quite well. Hopefully we're talking small margins.

[nick_z]

nick_z v

ruh-roh 

[Buddyhunter1]

Ariich, you should just post this gif as your write-up and nothing else.

[jingle.boy]

After being the caboose last round, I had nowhere to go but up.

[lonestar]

After being the caboose last round, I had nowhere to go but up.

Your point differential is going to be huge. NPIII is such a fuckign amazing EP.

[TAC]

I'm starting to think that Glasser is actually an orangutan.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

After being the caboose last round, I had nowhere to go but up.

Don't look at the latest set of comparisons for people in my roulette.   

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

More orange than usual! But as always scores can shift on my final listens.

Oh boy, I read this as "scores can shit on my final listens", and wasn't sure how to take that