Song Contest 203 (Results posted)

[Aristophanes]

Almost missed the thread! I'll be in

[Aristophanes]

Spoiler: Interesting uses of distortion this time around!

Mount Celeste: Ben Prunty - Old Site (Black Moonrise Mix)

This is a great track! It captures a mysterious aesthetic, probably sci-fi mystery, really well and it plays with the theme enough to keep from getting repetitive or boring.

The intro with the bells is solid and sets the tone for the rest of it to unfold in a really nice way, and the 8-bit sounds are perfect for the oversll feel as well as being set in just the right way to really punctuate the song.

Chad: Emarosa - I Am Waves

In the intro I was like "oh, this is the kind of rock music I could probably get behind!"
And then it continued.

I'm kinda stuck in the Big Shiny Tunes 8 era of rock, it was the first time I had a wider exposure to anything in the more modern era of rock, and I've never gotten into it otherwise, so that's about the peak of my style interest. That's probably part of why I don't get this. It was a nice first 30 seconds though.

Sweden: Ethereal Shroud - Chasmal Fires

Oh, this is the half hour long song. Well with the intro as it is, I have high hopes for it!

It has started off so dramatically. It makes me think of a battlefield, after the battle, with a rising up and looking at the calamity, the loss that has come from it. We transition then into the beginning of said battle, the pace picks up and we are thrown into the thick of things! Our main theme, our leitmotif maybe, on the guitar throwing us into the middle of this chaos, but remaining intact, not lost. I don't know if it will stay this way throughout the piece and anticipate it changing throughout.

As it picks up, I can't tell what is being yelled but I'm sure it is dramatic and I think I'm catching the words "smoke", "flame" and "break" recurring. The screaming here is muted behind the music and really adds to the intensity of it, as does the intense guitar. Normally those are two things I dislike but they work well here. It really knows how to put you on edge.

The break around 11 minutes is really nice. It slowly eases you from the pace and adrenaline and shows you some comfort. The singer has a nice voice. Of course, this peace is short lived and the intensity is upped as the drums go nuts behind a wall of sound. Going with the battlefield image, I'm seeing our protagonist patching glimpse of a friend across the battlefield, feeling some peace, and being dragged back into things. Back into the chaos of the world and the scene. Maybe the friend is hurt, ending the reprieve and leading to the blinded noise that follows.

In all honesty, the intensity goes on for a bit too long for my liking, especially without being able to parse what is being said. Given my history with the more intense music submitted in these contests, this is actually a really nice review and a compliment to it. Definitely didn't need multiple minutes between the parts of this though.

Oh, it dies out at 20 minutes in. The guitar comes in solo and pretty intensely, I'm pretty sure it's mimicking our leitmotif here. A lot more energetically and aggressively, but I'm pretty sure that's it nonetheless. Something did change in us, there is a rage that wasn't before. It's nice when it quiets down for a sec, but also sounds maybe off? Like something is wrong. It's really anticipatory. We then fly back into that wall of sound and yelling again. I think the yelling parts sound more strained though now. I'm definitely getting a sense of loss and rage, I'm thinking it's because of all the loss on this battlefield, especially of one's friend, but also of oneself.

I was expecting a revisitation of the original scene to appear at the end, and I think that would have been a nice resolution. As it is I think it ended somewhat unresolved, though I also get the feeling this is part of a larger story album and thus it is continued in the next song.

I would have been happy with a 10 minute version of the song. The intensity was too much for me for too sustained a time and it dragged in the parts that didn't change for extended periods of time. Overall it was not bad though.

Peru: Andy Shauf - Try Again

This is cute, I like it. Definitely feels like some friends getting together in a basement for some fun and drinks, making some music out of it.

"I missed this"..."actually I was talking about the coat" is a wonderful addition to things. I love it.

Wales: Raye - Black Mascara.

Great harmonies and cool distortion on the voices!

The "what you've done to me"..."you're done to me" is a great lyrical turn of phrase.

The rap portion is alright and highlights that this is drug related, which manes sense but I had missed to that point. Again, cool distortion both electronically and just in her voice. It's pretty captivating that way.

Chile: OK Go - This

Ooo! OK Go! I love their clever music videos!

The big sound of the brass is great, I always like that! It captures the song well too, as does the singer's voice. It all goes together really nicely.

Oh, and the centrifugal painting thing is fun!

eSwatini: Sinéad O'Connor & The Chieftains - The Foggy Dew

So, a few contests ago I said I was going to go into some more folky music from the British Isles, and I know that both Sinead and The Chieftains were on the docket. I just hadn't picked the right song. I decided this was the contest for it and this was the song that came up the winner. While I was looking, I of course stumbled on reports of her death. I was like 3 days after it had happened at this point.

It was very sad news. She led quite a life, I had no clue she had struggled so much recently. She was such a unique and skilled artist!

Anyway, I picked this song for its story and emotion. These are two powerhouse artists and they combined so beautifully. I actually didn't realize how many songs in my Celtic catalogue were from these two. What a powerful piece, and an unintentional, but hopefully fitting, way to set her legacy not in controversy, but in music.

Scythia: Nightwish - Deep Silent Complete

This is a pretty intro, it worries me...

Ah, the guitar enters. This is nice though still. Floating very nicely.

It's actually a pretty nice piece! I'm not as big on the operatic vocals as I would have anticipated, but they're very pretty.

Uqbar: Underscores - Spoiled Little Brat

This is interesting and I'm not sure what I think about it. The affectation on the second higher voice makes me think of that video with the jack russel terrier running around singing an Irish song..

Oh, I don't like those distortion pauses at the end, like a glitching video game or something. I'd pass on that part.

I found the video! It's not a jack russel though. It's linked in the next spoiler.

Wilber, Nebraska: Hardy ft. Jeremy McKinnon - Radio Song

I like the meta intro, talking about what is expected in a song for record execs. I mean, it's not a new concept. I tend to enjoy a good meta song though. Love Song by Sara Bareilles does it too, in a different way. It's fun though.

The sudden turn around on this one made me laugh. I expected it to be like "this is just another radio song" which would have been fine. But this is just funny.
I'm still not big on the yelling, but I like what they did there.

Vatican City: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure Cast - Nothing Left to Lose

I'm a sucker for a good Disney song. They're so clean, so crisp! I don't know what they do with their production but it is distinct.

They definitely were trying to capture Elsa and the struggles of power and consequence in this, and not just because the video says so, but the vocal is reminiscent of her.

Oh, the tension in the duet here is so good!!

Mali: Self Esteem - Prioritise Pleasure

This is interesting. It starts so driving, distorts, and seems to calm down.
The use of distortion in the guitars with the harmonies in the vocals is a really unique sound.
I don't know if I like it per se, but I like what they did and how they did it.

Spoiler: The dog video

Good contest! It may have been lighter on entries, but there were a lot of solid ones and some good variety here!

[Aristophanes]

I'm really glad Sinead was able to take this one home! She was a fantastic artist and a much needed voice for many. I was worried I'd make a blunder when choosing from her catalogue as this can be a bit of a niche listening space at times, but I'm glad that was not the case