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

[King Postwhore]

I didn't expect A.C.T. to score this high with you. I'm happy you liked it!

[ariich]

I didn't expect A.C.T. to score this high with you. I'm happy you liked it!

Neither did I!

Either I heard the wrong album before, or you just picked out all the best songs. Maybe a bit of both.

[lonestar]

Sent something Japanese for your kid too.

[King Postwhore]

I didn't expect A.C.T. to score this high with you. I'm happy you liked it!

Neither did I!

Either I heard the wrong album before, or you just picked out all the best songs. Maybe a bit of both.

 . Sometimes lucky!  Lol

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Litho – Autumn
1. Liquid Under Film Noir
2. Skydancer
3. The Phantom Limb
4. Stacked Smoke

First impression: This sounded up my alley - punchy, emotive and slick, with great vocals especially in the choruses.

Final opinion: You started this submission with a song that really doesn’t waste any time, just jumps straight into a huge sound and a crunchy, dark riff. It develops as it goes though and does ease back with a mellower section later in the song. In general it was just such a great introduction to the band. These songs are all great really, although the production isn’t as strong on the last two. Oddly enough, I can’t really say the songs grew on me on subsequent listens. Normally I enjoy things slightly more or less with each listen and try and capture that in where I end up with the eventual score. Whereas I loved this straight away and it sort of refused to budge even slightly either way at any point. Skydancer has a fantastic chorus and some lovely ambience in the bridge section, while Phantom Limb is very emotive and includes some great proggy synth work. Stacked Smoke probably stands out the least, but it’s still a really nice song and, like all the others, features top-notch vocals.

To me the production is actually better on the later two songs in ways, but I see it as a relatively small difference.  I thought "Stacked Smoke" made the best closer with the way the drumming gradually gets more intense in the last couple minutes.  Did you have a chance to check out the title track from Altitude?  I'm definitely curious to see post-roulette when you get around to the full albums how that will shift your opinion.  I liked them right away, but it took years for everything to really unveil to me and to elevate them to their current status for me.  I didn't send anything from the album between those two because I find for most people and even myself that it's even more subtle and maybe not suited for a roulette.  The ones before the latest three will have the original vocalist (who you already heard in Dejafuse, and would be one of very few to hear them in such an order, lol), with My New Time more similar in style to the latest three, but the first two are quite different and possibly more of an acquired taste.  They also are well into the writing process and could potentially have a new album out within the next year, but they tend to take their time these days. 

[Glasser]

Wednesday. Bloody hell, I better get a move on!

My ep is bloody hell.

[Glasser]

Apart from Crow, it's all change at the top. Rare missteps from the previous 3 main challengers, but a strong surge from 3 others.

Any of the top 8 have a realistic chance of taking this, especially in the EP round with the extra points available for flow. But it's still Crow's to lose unless something special comes along.

I don't think its possible to beat the flow of my ep. I'm still getting shit on but this is fun.

[nick_z]

ROUND 6 RESULTS


nick_z – Saviour Machine
1. Carnival of Souls
2. Ludicrous Smiles
3. Legion

First impression: This isn't blowing me away so far - a little “of its time” perhaps - but it’s moody and melodic and pretty engaging.

Final opinion: I should start by saying that I was already very familiar with Eric Clayton's voice from Ayreon’s The Human Equation. I really liked him a lot in that, his voice was so different to all the others and indeed a departure from what you'd normally expect in prog generally. But I never got round to checking out his other work. Funnily enough, this is pretty much exactly what I'd expect it to sound like. 90s gothic rock with some proggy leanings, a very moody atmosphere and a very emotive approach and delivery. The melodic hooks don't entirely grab me - indeed after five listens I couldn't tell you how any of it goes - but the overall music and vibe and his passionate delivery are enough to still make it very engaging.

Score: 8.0

A bit of a sad panda here  :'(

 

...not so much for the score (respectable enough, plus it's the fun that matters), but mostly because I was hoping better for this particular album, as it's a big favorite of mine (as I was mentioning). I get, though, how outside of the particular context of the period I discovered them, the songs might not have quite the same impact. Yes, I did choose some of the more "gothic"-sounding ones, as I truly love those...but the album has some more classic metal-leaning tunes too (still very much imbued with that dark vibe). Back in 1993, it all sounded very unique and "arcane" to me, and Clayton seemed to have quite the fascinating presence.

If you have time and are curious, give the rest of the album a shot at some point. It's also very possible you'd enjoy their second (titled "II") more, as it's harder to categorize  its sound.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

My first ever roulette EP, here we go, sent!

[wolfking]

Bugger.  Ah well, was having a good run.

I'll try and send an EP within 24 hours.

[nick_z]

The slope of Puppies' line in the chart is phenomenal! 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

The slope of Puppies' line in the chart is phenomenal! 

I know right?

Glad you liked Mandroid Echostar almost as much as Kiss Kiss! I've been out of town, but will be back home Tuesday and should be able to send my EP then.

[jingle.boy]

Middle of the pack again. I’ll take it. I’m determined to land with some pre 2000s music for you.

Oh, and Sass gets a little more mellow and bluesy after the 1994 Rats album. She just released a live recording from ‘94 out of a club in NYC. It’s a good listen.

Looking forward to the lil Arica round too.

I’ll send ya the EP in the morning.

[Buddyhunter1]

You make such a big deal out of me finally getting a green arrow and it’s a fucking 0.1 point increase. 

Oh well, glad you liked it. You’ve got my EP, right?

[Crow]

You make such a big deal out of me finally getting a green arrow and it’s a fucking 0.1 point increase. 

you have been, as they would have said in 2005, pwned

[Buddyhunter1]

You make such a big deal out of me finally getting a green arrow and it’s a fucking 0.1 point increase. 

you have been, as they would have said in 2005, pwned

This sux0rz.

[ariich]

I didn't expect A.C.T. to score this high with you. I'm happy you liked it!

Neither did I!

Either I heard the wrong album before, or you just picked out all the best songs. Maybe a bit of both.

 . Sometimes lucky!  Lol

Oh I totally forgot to mention that instrumental section in A Truly Gifted Man is absolutely brilliant, such an emotive melody.

To me the production is actually better on the later two songs in ways, but I see it as a relatively small difference.  I thought "Stacked Smoke" made the best closer with the way the drumming gradually gets more intense in the last couple minutes.  Did you have a chance to check out the title track from Altitude?  I'm definitely curious to see post-roulette when you get around to the full albums how that will shift your opinion.  I liked them right away, but it took years for everything to really unveil to me and to elevate them to their current status for me.  I didn't send anything from the album between those two because I find for most people and even myself that it's even more subtle and maybe not suited for a roulette.  The ones before the latest three will have the original vocalist (who you already heard in Dejafuse, and would be one of very few to hear them in such an order, lol), with My New Time more similar in style to the latest three, but the first two are quite different and possibly more of an acquired taste.  They also are well into the writing process and could potentially have a new album out within the next year, but they tend to take their time these days. 

I'm very much an album listener first and foremost, and roulette scores don't always translate exactly to subsequent album ratings. I can definitely see this being a case of the sound working great on the album but, out of context and alongside other songs, they sound a little less punchy. That does happen to me sometimes (my Borknagar submission to you being a great example).

Apart from Crow, it's all change at the top. Rare missteps from the previous 3 main challengers, but a strong surge from 3 others.

Any of the top 8 have a realistic chance of taking this, especially in the EP round with the extra points available for flow. But it's still Crow's to lose unless something special comes along.

I don't think its possible to beat the flow of my ep. I'm still getting shit on but this is fun.

Oh dear.

A bit of a sad panda here  :'(

 

...not so much for the score (respectable enough, plus it's the fun that matters), but mostly because I was hoping better for this particular album, as it's a big favorite of mine (as I was mentioning). I get, though, how outside of the particular context of the period I discovered them, the songs might not have quite the same impact. Yes, I did choose some of the more "gothic"-sounding ones, as I truly love those...but the album has some more classic metal-leaning tunes too (still very much imbued with that dark vibe). Back in 1993, it all sounded very unique and "arcane" to me, and Clayton seemed to have quite the fascinating presence.

If you have time and are curious, give the rest of the album a shot at some point. It's also very possible you'd enjoy their second (titled "II") more, as it's harder to categorize  its sound.

I get it, especially when it's a favourite. I'll definitely be listening to the whole album and sounds like I should at least check out II as well. If I like either even as much as these songs (let alone more) that'll probably be enough to want to grab myself a copy!

You make such a big deal out of me finally getting a green arrow and it’s a fucking 0.1 point increase. 

you have been, as they would have said in 2005, pwned

This sux0rz.

I'm sorry.  (EDITL Although in fairness, your red down arrows were also small and you got a couple of orange equals too, so really it's your fault for just being so consistent )

[twosuitsluke]

Wednesday. Bloody hell, I better get a move on!

My ep is bloody hell.

Scream Bloody EP

[ariich]

I've got 8 EPs in already, thanks!

While people continue working on them, it's time for...

OPTIONAL BONUS ROUND: Send a song to my 5-year-old son!

Alright so I get that I’m known for being efficient with my roulettes, but even I can only go so quickly in an EP round - there’ll be an immense volume of music, having more than one artist in each EP does require a little more focus, and some have themes or narratives that I’ll want to get my head around.

There’ll be the usual giant multi-stage hangman but I thought another fun way to pass the time would be to get you to send a song for my boy to rate and review as a bonus round. This is optional and won’t count towards the overall scores, but it should be fun so hopefully most or all of you will send something!

Caelan is 5 years old, reasonably bright and very excitable. Before he started at school I used to regularly drive him to my parents’ house and we listened to a lot of music together, some of which he really enjoyed. We still listen to some, but not as often and not usually for as long.

If we have music on in the car while driving somewhere then he’ll listen well, but otherwise his concentration is often diverted by other things, so I’ll need to keep the amount of content manageable for us. Submissions should therefore be as follows:

• One song only
• Maximum length 5 minutes
• Ideally on Spotify but as always an mp3 is manageable
• Don’t think too hard it about it, it’s just a bit of fun!

Anyway, the banned list for this bonus round is pretty simple, it’s just the artists or soundtracks he is or has been reasonably familiar with already. The ones he’s enjoyed most are female-fronted symphonic metal, but he’s also surprisingly enjoyed (and generally found kind of hilarious) some pretty extreme metal as well, as long as it’s melodic. He definitely likes catchy tunes, unsurprisingly. With all of these I’ve played him some similar artists that he’s enjoyed but not taken to as much.

I should say that he’ll also have heard a whole load of random pop songs and children’s songs at school, parties, etc. but I’ve no idea what he thinks of them.

Feel free to send anything within the rules above that’s not on this list, including things I myself know and love or that you sent to me earlier in the roulette.

Banned list (with stuff he knows or likes best in brackets):

After Forever (mainly the self-titled album)
Disney’s Frozen
Disney’s The Princess and the Frog
Gacharic Spin
Ghost
Haken (aka Uncle Pete’s band!)
Nightwish (particularly the Floor era)
Ninjago’s various theme songs
Nova Collective (aka also Uncle Pete’s band… I’m not sure I’ve even explained to him it’s two separate bands )
Queen
Sinergy
Soilwork (mainly Ride Majestic and Overgivenheten)
Stortregn (mainly Emptiness Fills the Void)
Within Temptation (and Sharon Den Adel’s “My Indigo” solo album)

[TAC]

Even Ariich’s kid has a banned list. 

[jingle.boy]

And naturally, Queen is on it.  FFS, my very first inclination when you teased this idea was Don't Stop Me Now.

Gonna have to noodle on this now.  Will send later today - got some errands to run.

[Evermind]

Can't wait to see Litho overthinking what to send to Rich's son.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I've keyed in on 83 distinct attributes and have it narrowed down to 645 bands to comb through...

[ariich]

Even Ariich’s kid has a banned list. 

Yeah but it's an incredibly short one. Just think it'll be more fun if he doesn't get anything he already knows, plus it helps indicate some of the music he likes which people might not expect from a 5-year-old.

[Lonk]

I sent a song

[King Postwhore]

If only I could send "Blame Canada."

[nick_z]

Wouldn't have expected to see Stortregn in there 

[lonestar]

Glorious... Sent.

[twosuitsluke]

Glasser sent Pizza Death

[faizoff]

faizoff – Run The Jewels
1. Legend Has It
2. Ooh La La
3. JU$T
4. Out of Sight
5. Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)

First impression: Not entirely aligned to my tastes when it comes to this genre, but there’s a cool mix of groove and tension to it.

Final opinion: When it comes to hip-hop, I tend to prefer the stuff that’s more melodic (even if that’s just in the backing music on the rap-dominated side of the genre). The Kendrick Lamar songs that Sacul sent me in round 1 were great, and English grime artist Stormzy is another strong example. This is a bit different to what I’d normally go for, in that it’s not really about melody but relies more heavily on the groove of the beat, the flow of the vocals and the nuances in the production. Thankfully it still does those things pretty well. The main chorus motif of Ooh La La is… kind of annoying, I could have done without that song. But for the rest, the groove especially is there, and there’s also an uneasy tension throughout that’s interesting and kind of compelling. Zack de la Rocha’s guest vocals are also cool. Can’t see myself wanting to return to this much, but it’s enjoyable for what it is.

Score: 7.7

I kinda dig it lol.


This scoring higher than Meshuggah is not what I expected.


Going to try and finish the EP tonight. Might send it tomorrow most likely.

[twosuitsluke]

Rich, what’s you stance on swearing? I’m obviously not going to send anything with loads of explicit language, but is swearing a complete no no?

[ariich]

Rich, what’s you stance on swearing? I’m obviously not going to send anything with loads of explicit language, but is swearing a complete no no?

If it's not especially noticeable to someone who doesn't know the word then chances are it's ok (it's certainly the case in some of the music I've listened to with him).

Wouldn't have expected to see Stortregn in there 

I know right? That was the first extreme thing he heard, having only heard the odd moment of growls in a few songs like from After Forever. But he said he wanted to hear something heavy, so I played him that album and he found the first song hilarious (I mean, it is pretty intense) but ended up really liking it all.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Luke sent Limp Bizkit - "Hot Dog". 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Luke sent Limp Bizkit - "Hot Dog".

[twosuitsluke]

Yea, I kinda meant if there’s the odd swear word that’s not too in your face and easily missable, are we good. Looks like we are.

I might just go the Disney route 

My son loves a lot of stuff your son obviously likes too. Maybe I’ll get him to submit for me, he’s bound to be better at this than I am.

Oh, also Dig a Little Deeper from Princess and the Frog is my jam. I sing that to my boy loads 

I've keyed in on 83 distinct attributes and have it narrowed down to 645 bands to comb through...

This is even more funny because it’s not even a joke 


One more Rich. Do we get bonus points if Caelan loves a song and you loathe it? AKA the Crazy Frog Rule.