Here we go! Please remember that 5/10 score means it's a perfectly alright song. Anything higher than 5 I liked for some degree. I'd gladly answer any questions about your songs because I spent ~6 hours totally on these today and tomorrow and I feel I didn't cover most of it honestly.
Round 1 Results:Shadow Ninja 2.0: Heilung – OthanFirst impression: Is there a condensed three-minute version of this?Man, I stand by my first impression in this instance. Maybe not a three-minute version, but a six-minute version would’ve absolutely sufficed. There’s not enough in there for me to justify a ten-minute runtime, not at all.
There are some absolutely fascinating parts in this piece. The slow build in the beginning is good, and the first vocal section begins fairly well; the solo sections where only the woman is singing are probably my favourite parts of the song. If it was up to me, I would’ve probably shortened the “chanting” parts of the song (4:04 – 5:20 section feels like a good candidate to cut half a minute from it), and anything after 6:30 I didn’t in particularly care for as at this point the song overstayed its welcome.
This is in 9/8, right? I did like how rough, wild and tribal it felt in parts, and the rhythm definitely played a bit part in that I think. However there were really no sharp turns in this song, and as I alluded before, the second half was a chore to get through. By my fourth listen, I was not looking forward to the next ten minutes whenever this song came on. Sorry man.
Oh, and with such a wildness and nature-inspired sound, this was a no-brainer for the “frostbite” theme.
Score: 3.25/10 + 1.01 = 4.26
Stadler: Alice in Chains – FlyFirst impression: With this band name I was sure it'll be metal. I was promised nothing yet I feel misled.I remember you playing in my roulettes before and I kind of know what to expect from you in general, so I’m not sure why I thought this would be a metal song—maybe I subconsciously thought of Alice Cooper in chains which sounds pretty metal? I really liked the blistering guitar playing, the way they get into that solo at 2:17 is fantastic. Shame it’s so short, I would’ve really liked to hear it going to another thirty seconds at least.
The vocals and the rest of the arrangement I was a bit ambivalent towards—it’s like a regular meal in a sense it’s sufficient, but nothing really stood out. In my first draft of this write-up I wanted to say this sounds like a hard rock song that my best friend’s dad would love, then I deleted it, but I’m bringing it back to this final draft because it’s the truth!
He’d definitely love that one.
That being said, pretty much middle of the road tune for me. I can see how the lyrics apply to the “despair” theme but the music doesn’t feel like it at all. For the next round, maybe something with a little bit more kick to it?
Score: 5/10
Lonk: Bonobo – The Keeper (Banks Remix)
First impression: All I can remember is that keyboard lick. I think there were vocals too.I must’ve not paid any attention during my first listen at all.
Imagine my surprise when I found out there was an acoustic guitar in the intro, and yes, a lot of the song actually had vocals—although I wish they were more on the forefront, as I felt they were a bit under-utilized in this song. I think the overall lack of focus on vocals this may be my main grip with the electronic/trip-hop music in general (or, at least, from the limited range of the artists I’ve listened to).
My favourite sections here were probably the acoustic/stripped down intro and the choruses. Surprisingly, the memorable keyboard lick has worn out its welcome pretty fast, by the third listen I was a bit done with these sections.
Overall, no offense, this was serviceable but rather forgettable in the big picture.
Score: 5.25/10
jingle.boy: Jani Liimatainen – Who Are WeFirst impression: Strong start but quickly proceeded losing me as it got more and more uplifting and positive.This was a frustrating listen—I like Jani’s work with Sonata, Insomnium, Arion and probably more bands I don’t even know he was involved with (oh, The Dark Element too), but something about the whole “I’m standing on the top of the mountain” approach to the chorus took me a long time to warm up to, and I’m still on the fence about this. While I’ve grown used to them and I do feel they fit the song, they don’t quite fit the direction I wanted the song to go. The slower, melancholic verses were right up my alley, however the pre-choruses—especially the first one where Timo sings in a lower key—feel absolutely out of place in this song. The ascending chromatic (I think) vocal runs on the words of “riverbank” and “mountaintop” sound a bit awkward with his timbre.
I think this song might’ve been better with a different singer, a different pre-chorus, and maybe a couple of vocal melody changes in the chorus. The decision to end the song on a guitar solo is a classy one though, I liked that.
Score: 5.5/10
twosuitsluke: Every Hell – Freaking OutFirst impression: There was chaos and I think a trumpet? This flew by.As I said there was no trumpet, but man these saxophone parts were fun and stood out even during the first listen.
Funny to know that this band is half ex-Black Peaks, because from my limited experience with Black Peaks (I only know All That Divides and King), this is nothing like Black Peaks—they are way more somber than that from what I’ve heard. This probably has the second best hook of the round in the “I know the way to the riches” vocal line.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that the song is fairly short, and with all the excitement it packs, you don’t really notice how fast it goes by; however I wouldn’t be honest if I said this is a sound I particularly enjoy. I do like the chaotic random saxophone, and I do like the chorus, but that’s about it. The guy can definitely scream though, and I’m kinda intrigued enough to check out the album when it comes out.
Score: 5.5/10
Puppies: Rannoch – The DevouredFirst impression: Is this loss? Mick Moss? Wait no, is this the guy from Wolverine? Wait no. Do I know this guy? I don't remember anything about the song.The “Mick Moss” guess was entirely off-base, the singer sounds nothing like him, but he does sound like a guy from Wolverine, or at least until the growls part came in.
I’m not sure if it’s my attention span these days (people just don’t have the time for music anymore) or if you decided to send a completely inaccessible song in the first round of this roulette. I do like most of it when I listen to it, but if you asked me to sing any of it, I’d come up blank after these seven or eight listens. In fact, I think the guitar runs from 2:36 to 3:09 are the only part I could hum. They’re like the underdog chorus of this song. Oh, and I remember the spoken word in the end, because apparently the guy died.
I’m torn because on one hand, I did like, as Tim would call them, the dreary first five minutes; on the other hand, I did not particularly care for the heavier doomy section in the end.
Score: 6/10
wolfking: Sworn – Visions of FireFirst impression: Is this the metal version of the same keyboard lick? And then the song just ended.You weren’t lying when you said this album had some unusual song structures, if this song is any indication of that. I’m still not sure how exactly this is supposed to make sense really, perhaps it does in context of the full album? Because while I enjoy the atmosphere and the growls here, the song doesn’t quite work for me as a song. It goes all out early in the first half, and then… just peters out with the instrumental section in the second half? I feel a little bit blue-balled here.
It probably didn’t help that another song in the round had a similar keyboard lick; but my main issue is absolutely the song structure. It didn’t need to be the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus, I honestly don’t know what it needed to be, perhaps it’s simply the case where the fadeout made the song feel incomplete, I can’t quite put my finger on it—but the structure here didn’t work. I gave this seven or eight listens and each time I was caught off-guard. Like, is that it?
I did like the overall sound though and I’m interested in checking this out in context of an album.
Score: 6/10
King: Mile Marker Zero – Best Is Yet to ComeFirst impression: I agree with the message and the philosophy, but it's possible that Scorpions had a better take on this.I’m usually wary of these positive progressive rock bands, because while once in a while there’s an album I really enjoy (Karmakanic – Who’s the Boss in the Factory?) comes to mind, there are a lot of bands and albums out there that are beloved on DTF and do nothing for me.
Honestly I thought this song would go into the same basket as on my first listen I didn’t think much about it—even though I do in general agree with the message that there are better times ahead somewhere around the corner, and you can’t quit, you’ve gotta make the best out of your life, endure the struggles and emerge stronger—however it kept growing on me. The vocal melodies went from being “uninspired” to being “subtle”, and the chorus definitely became quite a bit infectious, especially the way they kick into it the last time with the backing vocals. I do think they could’ve used a stronger hook on the “but the best is yet to come” line, and I do think they shouldn’t have rhymed “inside” with “outside”, but I don’t have a lot of complaints about this one. It doesn’t quite strike right chords with me, but it was a pleasant experience and it kept getting better.
This was also a huge contender for “blossom” in my book, missed the mark just a bit with the Nemophila song.
Score: 6.25/10
Elite: Nat King Cole – L-O-V-E
First impression: 4 is for the amount of points you'll get with this song. 10 is for the amount of points you can get with a better song.Really couldn’t resist with that first impression. From the first listen I knew the song was quite a bit better than that.
I know next to nothing about jazz, so for me this seems like a really standard run-of-the-mill jazz song (with the saxophone too!). However it just kind of feels infectiously positive and romantic and I can absolutely see how it could work for the purposes you used it. You can even feel it in the way he sings the words and the first letters, blurts them almost playfully, sometimes holding the note and sometimes just dropping it. I do like the premise with using each letter of the word “love” to write the lyrics too.
It was a very short song, but quite an enjoyable one nonetheless. And I thought this was the closest anyone came to the “blossom” theme, so congratulations on your point!
Score: 6.5/10 + 1.01 = 7.51
TAC: Celene – Gray SkylinesFirst impression: This is more like "wilt" than "blossom", my friend. Do you actually listen to this?In fact, if I had to assign a one-word theme to this song, it would be something along the lines of “unease”. I’m not exactly sure what makes me feel this way. It could be the overlay of harsh vocals over the piercing female ones during the heavier sections; it could be the bright-sounding guitars, making these heavier sections feel oversaturated; it could be the discrepancy between the music and the album art. Something about this just didn’t sit quite right with me, however it made each subsequent listen feel interesting. Felt like kind of like poking a hole from a missing tooth with your tongue.
I did enjoy the somber and contemplative sections with quiet guitar soloing over them, and I do especially like the trade-off between female and male vocals in the second half of the song. I’m also surprised you found Katatonia’s discography so drab and difficult to get through—if you like this, the slower sections especially, I would imagine some of their stuff would’ve been right up your alley.
The aggressive, heavier moments of the song were a little bit too jarring for my taste though.
Score: 6.75/10
lonestar: Nemophila – AdabanaFirst impression: Maybe I should do a mandatory female scream vocals round. I wonder what Stadler will send.This is swinging right out of the gate and I like how bolsterous it is. It’s short and goes straight to the point too. This sounds kinda like a happy metalcore and for once I don’t mind how flashy and positive this is.
My favourite parts here are how seamlessly the singer connects the clean vocals and the screams a few times during this tune; it adds the novelty to the song and works very well. The instrumental breaks are also solid: the short breaks are intense which fits the overall mood of the song, and the longer instrumental break is very well structured, with the first part being heavier and slower, and then breaking out into the solo.
My only complaints about this are the singalong “ooooh” vocals during the chorus—it seems like it building up steam with the singer going higher and higher and then loses it completely as the chorus takes a step back—and, on a smaller scale, the foreign language. I usually don’t mind songs in different languages—Solstafir scored really well in one of my roulettes—but I guess Japanese is a bit different for my ears’ expectations. Well, I know it’s not gonna deter you, so maybe I can adjust during the next eight rounds!
Oh, and by the way, this was a top-3 contender for the “blossom” theme and came very close to winning it.
Score: 6.75/10
Sacul: Peter Gabriel – Playing For Time (Dark-Side Mix)First impression: For its runtime, felt like the song was beautiful but ultimately lacked dynamics.The album art is Peter Gabriel while he’s reading this write-up.
For me, there are two distinct parts in this song: the first, quiet one that could’ve used at least a little bit of spicing up, or maybe could’ve been a little shorter, and then the second one when he kicks it up a notch. Obviously, the second one feels extremely satisfying after such a build-up, but on my subsequent listens I grew a little bit tired of the first four and a half minutes—I thought the song was basically walking in circles with sparse and not very interesting orchestration and the choices of vocal melodies. The pay-off is extremely cathartic though.
My other criticism here is that almost every stanza seems to be resolved with “everybody’s playing for time” regardless of what the previous lyrics were, and sometimes it feels a bit repetitive and out of place (and then there’s one time where he rhymed “time” with “sublime”).
Despite me grumbling like an old man, this was a beautiful song and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Absolutely not a “despair” entry, honestly was a contender for a “blossom” theme in my book.
Score: 7.75/10
ariich: Rioghan – BruisesFirst impression: Are there two singers or should I definitely do that mandatory female scream vocals round?I was a little bit afraid to pull a 425 here with mistaking a male singer with a female one, but it makes sense that it’s all Rioghan on this track; the ragged screaming chorus fits the song and the subject too well. Just wearing a façade, keeping it closely under the lid until it becomes too much and all that pent-up frustration finally gets out.
This is one of two songs I mostly liked right away and after that I was just mostly finding little details that enhanced it further. Appreciated the contrast between the verses and the chorus, unexpected and yet so expected. Enjoyed how the second verse had a new section and that reprised in the end. The raw chorus consisting mainly of two words, but telling so much in these two words. A little scream at 4:25 in the beginning of a vocal line.
My minor complaint about this song is how trivial the lyrics in the first verse sound (“I was bad again” is the main offender), but given the mundane song subject it kind of makes sense, although it still sounds a little bit jarring to my non-native ear.
No question about the “despair” theme bonus being yours, this is a perfect contender for this.
Score: 8.5/10 + 1.01 = 9.51
LithoJazzoSphere: Draconian – DisheartenFirst impression: I was one hundred percent sure there will be operatic vocals. Some clever songwriting there.I was some preconceived notions about this band because I’ve heard one track from them in the past and I did not like it enough to pursue this band further. You were totally right however, this track is indeed very different and ended up being my favourite song of the round.
Thankfully there were no operatic vocals, and more, the woman (Heike Langhans, I think?) singing here adds so much flavor to the song, she’s probably the reason this was my favourite song of the round, no question about it. The way they roll into the chorus with the three chords is massive, it’s the moments like this make me wish I could still see my favourite bands live. While ariich’s song contrasts the quiet verses with an angry, explosive chorus, this one contrasts cold and drab verses with a green and gold choruses, a sparkle of life in the autumn lifeless forest.
The ending here was very tastefully done—first they foreshadowed some wordless “ha-ah” singing from Heike and then went right back into the first stanza of the first chorus, but now sung with growls with her joining on the word “arms”—absolutely loved this. If anything, they cut the song too soon. I could maybe use another stanza with this epic ending.
My main complaint about this is the guy’s (Anders Jacobsson? Wiki has him doing “unclean vocals” which sounds dirty somehow) growls feel a little bit strained in the first half—not sure if it’s by design—however he completely slays it during the “we’re too tired to sleep” section.
Overall a cracking song. I want to listen to the album already.
Score: 8.75/10
Scoreboard:ariich - 9.51 (congrats ariich)
LithoJazzoSphere - 8.75
Sacul - 7.75
Elite - 7.51
lonestar - 6.75
TAC - 6.75
King - 6.25
wolfking - 6
Puppies - 6
twosuitsluke - 5.5
jingle.boy - 5.5
Lonk - 5.25
Stadler - 5
Shadow Ninja 2.0 - 4.26
Stadler (I hope your PM inbox is not full) and Shadow Ninja, I'll send you a PM in the next few minutes.
Topic: Evermind's artsy/deranged v4 Roulette - Round 2 Comparisons (Read 5562 times)