Song Contest 97 (Entries up, votes due 8/5!)

Quilford · Post Post #50 (ISO) » Fri Jul 22, 2016 12:06 pm

psyche c'mon man there are better songs off the new album :p

Psyche · Post Post #51 (ISO) » Fri Jul 22, 2016 2:04 pm

don't expect normal people to respect the better songs

Empire · Post Post #52 (ISO) » Fri Jul 22, 2016 6:16 pm

My rankings:

Fiji
Central African Republic
---
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Zimbabwe
Sealand
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Cote d'Ivoire
Burkina Faso
Afghanistan
Iceland
Federated States of Micronesia
Macao
Wales
Finland
Greece
Latvia
Hungary
Andorra
---
Solomon Islands
USA
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N/A

Plotinus · Post Post #53 (ISO) » Fri Jul 22, 2016 9:35 pm

8 iceland - Ne Obliviscaris - Forget Not
7.5 fiji - Hinkstep - Aldrig Mer
7 uruguay - How to Dress Well - Set it Right
6.5 federated states of micronesia - Nothing But Thieves - Excuse Me
6.2 usa - Club Dogo - Fragili
6 spain - Destroyer - Painter in Your Pocket
5.7 greece - Rabbit in the Moon - Possession
5.5 latvia - Informatik - World of Wonder
5.3 zimbabwe - Oliver Mtukudzi - Wake Up
5 macao - Porter Robinson - Sea of Voices

DeathRowKitty · Post Post #54 (ISO) » Sat Jul 23, 2016 12:24 am

Spoiler: I listened to songs!

Natirasha · Post Post #55 (ISO) » Sat Jul 23, 2016 6:45 pm

Spain(Destroyer)--It took a little bit but this is strong.
Sealand(James Brown)--(insert generic comment here)
Hungary(BT)--It tried.
Iceland(Ne Obliviscaris)--I liked the instrument side of this more, but the vocals were good too.
Central African Republic(Brian Eno)--That went by quick.
Uraguay(How to Dress Well)--AESTHETIC
Fiji(Hinkstep)--Good background music
Vanuatu(As Tall As Lions)--I wasn't about this, sorry.
Finland(Royal Pirates)--As usual.
Federated States of Micronesia(Nothing But Thieves)--what was that howling
Wales(The Jezabels)--This was a little long but fine.
Macao(Porter Robinson)--Didn't this exist not too long ago in the contest?
Afghanistan(The Avalanches)--oh okay
Burkina Faso(Farao)--yeah this is dreamy
Latvia(Informatik)--Kinda darkwaveish so cool
USA(Club Dogo)--Odd.
Andorra(Yelle)--This was cool however.
Solomon Islands(Alex Band)--eewwww
Cote d'Ivoire(LAMA)--I don't have much commentary on this one, I just really like this song.
Zimbabwe(Oliver Mtukudzi)--This was comfy.
Greece(Rabbit in the Moon)--Sorry, Tammy...

Kinda average contest quality-wise.

Tammy · Post Post #56 (ISO) » Sat Jul 23, 2016 7:11 pm

In post 36, Tammy wrote:i read an article on rave culture and music in the 90s and due to nostalgia, I'll probably play something from then.

I know I know, mr, rightside looks just fine.

Parama · Post Post #57 (ISO) » Sat Jul 23, 2016 8:02 pm

Solomon Islands – I feel like I’ve heard this a hundred times before. This was famous on the radio around 2000-2002 probably 5 or 6 times. Same voice, same instrumentation, same lyrical themes. That being said, it’s pleasant enough to listen to, but wholly forgettable. (DECENT)

Latvia – I’m not a fan of the vocals, but everything else about this is pretty cool. The groove of the percussion, the bouncy synths, the roar of the guitar in the background, the build of the chorus. Probably not the most memorable song or anything, but I like it. (GOOD)

Federated States of Micronesia – I don’t know, I feel like I should like this more than I do, but on first listen it just has… absolutely no impact for me. It’s vaguely enjoyable, I guess. I appreciate that it’s a rock song that actually kind of rocks. (DECENT)

Macao – This is like, the electronic version of Hammock and I kind of adore it, because I also quite like Hammock. I’m going to be so mad if percussion kicks in at all honestly. Just a lovely, escalating wall of warm sound. Okay, well, it did kick in but I think the song earned it by that point and it’s kind of a great climax too, so, uhh, yeah. Definite contender for 12.

Iceland – I’ve listened to this probably a hundred times by now because I adore this. Violins in metal, and well-executed at that, a roaring climax in the back half of the song. Beautiful, titanic, majestic, crushing, one of the best songs I’ve heard in recent memory.

Hungary – The intro was slightly promising, but the moment this kicked into a generic dance beat, my hopes were basically dashed. Yeah, especially because of the wooden electronic percussion, I just cannot get on board with this. Also, I’m not one to talk this time, but, too damn long. Not that this one is “awful”, just that, I’m bored of it. (DID NOT FINISH)

Fiji – Oh god we all entered super long songs apparently. This just isn’t the kind of atmospheric music that works for me, I feel. Too noisy and all over the place. It’s hard to zone out and really get into it, there’s a lot of bits I’d cut out and even then it wouldn’t be great. Really prefer the more chill and straightforward stuff like Macao. (MEDIOCRE)

well this was a pretty good set until the long songs at the end, at least

itlepip · Post Post #58 (ISO) » Sat Jul 23, 2016 8:30 pm

Spain-backing stuff and lyrics are fine but that guy's singing doesn't let me appreciate anything
Iceland-ugh the first 5 minutes were so good and the next 7 were just silly. I don't like that genre at all but the main vocal was too weak, backing screaming didn't fit, and instrumentation was a mess especially compared to the beginning.
Hungary-honestly hard to get through feels really lazy to me
CAR silly but I had a smile the whole time
Uruguay - felt like a waste of time just to sit and listen to, if I heard this again sonewhere I wouldn't recognize it
Fiji solid mood music does great at what it is trying to do, though not best for this sort of competition
Vanuta-it works
Finland- Maybe the lyrics make this interesting? Feels formulaic down to the repeat of the title with no energy and the rampant autotune
Wales-meh
Micronesia- hit and miss

Psyche · Post Post #59 (ISO) » Tue Jul 26, 2016 10:42 am

hey guys did this die

Parama · Post Post #60 (ISO) » Tue Jul 26, 2016 10:49 am

I'll finish listening next weekend or so

Parama · Post Post #61 (ISO) » Wed Jul 27, 2016 7:23 pm

should i send this in the next contest
https://jutegyte.bandcamp.com/track/lug ... fronti-res

i bet chevre would love it

itlepip · Post Post #62 (ISO) » Sat Jul 30, 2016 8:44 am

Macau-decent ambient music, not my genre at all and doesn't really do anything for me, but it doesn't have anything obviously wrong with it besides it
Afganistan- I mean you know what this song is. The thing I can't figure out is why the second rapper (who has a good voice for it) decided to do a normal verse. It doesn't make the song good but it was suprising.
Burkina Faso-the song is masterfully done. It needs to be catchier or faster or something for me to really like it, but I have a lot of respect for it. Pretty sure if I listen to all of their songs I will find one I really like.
Latvia-all the parts are fine but it doesn't really coalesce together.
USA- the ohohohohs kinda straight ruined the song until we got until the 'breakdown' it doesn't work. The beat and the chorus are good until the ohohohs. I can't judge the rap well without hearing the lyrics. It rhymes fine, but doesn't have much interesting sound wise within the bars. He also raps super straight not ever changing when he comes in or what he does, just gets a little louder later in his verses. It feels like a Flo Rida ripoff,
Yelle-submitting a joke song in French is impressive. I had fun.
Sealand-does what it says on the tin.
Solomon Islands-WIGWAG also does what you would expect but ugh. This is going to be lower than it probably deserves to be because this genre is stupid. Also a song called Euphoria that is this lifeless is kinda sad
Côte D'Ivoire-nice song.
Zimbabwe-Really fun song. I thought this might beat out my song at the beginning but it kinda petered off/did the same thing for just enough time to kinda get tiring, but I still love the song, easy second place right now.
Greece-nope. When you remix a song that is passable and make it nigh unlistenable you are doing something horribly wrong.

notachipmunk · Post Post #63 (ISO) » Sat Jul 30, 2016 2:42 pm

Cote D’Ivoire – I have a weakness for anime songs. The weakness is kicking in. Ooh yes definitely kicking in. So prettywhimimysterious.
Hungary - That started off really cool, now it sounds like mysterious static and shaking stuff in outer space ooh fancy, I think I like this!
Fiji – Random pretty song appears! Oh gosh that middle part came out of nowhere but I don’t hate it. Well ok maybe a little bit. I really liked it a lot until the vocals appeared too! Except for the pretty female vocals those are cool.
Federated States of Micronesia – I jump back and forth between I don’t like the vocals and some of the vocals work really well for the song
Macao – I wish it did something else in the middle or something, very like woooo I’m floating in land of stuff in the sky where stuff happens like music!
Andorra – Oh yay the songs on the list went from Italian to French. I kinda like her voice. That helps. Catchy.
Finland – I don’t what what to say except that I guess I like it for no apparent reason!
Zimbabwe – That’s a peculiar mix of stuff happening. Kind of optimistic sounding.
Greece – *closes eyes because song told me to* I guess the remix helped here
Afghanistan- 0_______________0 Help me I’m scared, but this may get points. But seriously help.
Solomon Islands – I liked the very beginning, the vocals are not my thing but they’re not not my thing, I’m conflicted here!
Vanuatu – I totally involuntarily saw this band when they opened for a band I used to like in 2009. Neutral to this.
Wales – I don’t really like the vocals and the general pace of the song. Not bad though.
Iceland – 12 minutes gahhh. I thought I would like this a bit more than I do.
Spain- It has that vibe that I don’t like but I don’t dislike it as much as other songs I would associate with it until like halfway where I don’t like it as much but then it’s kind of ok again.
Burkina Faso – Don’t like vocals from the start of it. I have issues against certain types of vocals apparently.
Uruguay – hmm ok that started off strangely, oh it’s still strange lol, got a little less strange at some point but it re-stranged a bit.
USA – Italian rap oh jeez this seems like something my high school Italian teacher who tried to be cool would play in class maybe heh.
Central African Republic – It’s that kinda thing where I just can’t like it as a song more than like, oh hey I know who Brian Eno is and that’s about it.
Sealand – No

Parama · Post Post #64 (ISO) » Sun Jul 31, 2016 6:02 pm

USA – Glad to know that foreign pop-rap is just as bland as US pop-rap, I suppose. Musically, it’s… eehh. The synths are annoying but the piano is nice. The female vocalist is tolerable enough but she doesn’t have a unique voice in the slightest. God, this still has a minute and a half to go? Ugh. This song fails to ever reach any sort of peak, too, the chorus sounds like it’s just starting when it ends. Yeah, nothing about this appeals to me, like, at all. (BAD)

Central African Republic – At some point, I need to sit down and listen to some Eno ambient albums. This, however, is not ambient Eno. It’s schmaltzy, cheesy rock. And ooohhh boy do I have absolutely no use for this. The synth tones are grating, the really chipper sound of the music gets on my nerves quick… it’s like a throwback to 50’s rock in a way, or it feels that way to me, which is about the last decade of music I’d want to see a throwback to. (BAD)

Sealand – OH MAN NEVER HEARD THIS SONG BEFORE EVER AND DEFINITELY NOT SKIPPING IT NOW (DECENT

Greece – Well, it’s a remix, so it’s already starting off on the wrong foot with me. Okay, almost a minute in, and does this plan to do anything at all? Ahh, just looping one clip of vocals for another minute, nice. Like, the artist’s additions to this song are all… pure garbage. This is one of the most abysmally boring things I’ve ever heard. I looked up the original song and listened to a bit of it and it’s not like the greatest thing ever but, I mean, it was like, melodic and not a flat monotone the entire way through. Unlike this. (DID NOT FINISH)

Spain – I didn’t really notice this existed until it was halfway over. It’s pleasant in a nondescript way, and I like the thick bass tone, but musically it’s… a song that exists. I just, cannot think of anything at all to say about this. I don’t even know what to score this? It doesn’t annoy me but it doesn’t make me feel anything either. (MEDIOCRE)

Afghanistan – Ooohhh geez I cannot. Stand. Those vocals. No. Make him shut the hell up. The music being polka isn’t helping either. It looks like this is actually mostly (or entirely?) samples, too. Why would you pick all the most annoying samples you can find and make a song out of them. Isn’t this the same group that made Frontier Psychiatrist? I vaguely remember that being decent but I also haven’t listened to it in an eternity so. This though, it’s atrocious, honestly. (BAD)

Zimbabwe – I feel like there’s a definite culture gap here for me, because, yeah… while this is vaguely pleasant, I simply don’t “get” it. I don’t wanna be too harsh on it because I can’t really say whether or not it’s good or bad? Hell, it’s probably the most tolerable song in this set aside from James Brown, but it’s just, not something I’m going to have any desire to revisit. It’s… fine, I guess. (DECENT)

lol wow i remember the first set being unusually decent but daaamn was this one of the worst groups of songs i can remember hearing in a song contest. aside from james brown, which is cheating, i would not willingly revisit any of these. i'm gonna have to revisit at least some of them, too, which is the worst part

Willowmeadow · Post Post #65 (ISO) » Wed Aug 03, 2016 12:45 pm

Pretty terrible contest again. 3 really good ones, though.

Bad songs by the only two artists (excluding the obvious) I've heard of before and liked their other stuff, Brian Eno and BT. I think even then BT got a point or two.

Parama · Post Post #66 (ISO) » Wed Aug 03, 2016 7:01 pm

Wales – Hmm. I dig the laidback vibe of this, and especially her voice. Very emotive and pleasant to listen to. Kinda reminds me of Julia Holter to a degree. And the way this builds up… yeah, definitely one of the better tracks here. (GOOD)

Finland – I guess this is an effort to prove that not all K-pop is garbage. This actually has, like, melody and energy and a decent amount of power, even if the chorus is a bit repetitive and boring. Maybe it’s because they’re, like, actual musicians instead of pretty boys singing over a generic electronic track. (DECENT)

Burkina Faso – What’s up with the sudden influx of atmospheric, female-led pop whoa. I am not complaining though. The percussion on this when it kicks in is both kind of cool and feels like it clashes with the atmosphere. The way this builds up to its climax is nice though. Yeah, I can dig it. (GOOD)

Andorra – Yeah, I definitely agree, this set of songs had been way too tolerable up until now, I needed something absolutely garbage and vapid to break up the monotony of quality. Thank you for that. In all honesty though I have zero use for joke songs. Like, at all. (DID NOT FINISH)

Uruguay – It took me a while to realize he was actually singing in English because the vocals are so whiny and slurred that the lyrics are nigh impossible to make out when the music’s blaring behind them. And it’s a big, huge sound that I’m not quite sure is earned. It’s… pretty repetitive. There’s a quiet moment or two but otherwise it’s trying to stay on full blast the whole way through. It’s… passable to listen to but not doing a lot for me. (DECENT)

Vanuatu – Hmm, yep, this is definitely indie rock that exists. It’s passably upbeat and the drums are solid, and having more than one layer of vocals going on during the chorus is something I always am biased towards, but there’s not really anything particularly original or really that interesting here, it’s just solid. (DECENT)

Cote d’Ivoire – Not really a fan of how stiff the piano sounds here. It feels empty and hollow. I think it’s trying to be bouncy and playful but it sort of fails at that with how robotic it sounds. Nothing else here is really worth commenting on either, it’s just really bland. It doesn’t evoke any emotions in me, it’s just a medium volume white noise front-to-back. (MEDIOCRE)

i have 11 songs passable enough to even consider for points, but four of those are pretty solid songs at least

DeasVail · Post Post #67 (ISO) » Wed Aug 03, 2016 7:34 pm

I'm currently in rural NSW and internet access is less convenient than anticipated. I'll try my best to get votes in on time, but I'm not 100% sure that I'll be able to. Just a warning.

SnowStorm · Post Post #68 (ISO) » Thu Aug 04, 2016 1:13 am

My connection is really bad too, but because my town is overpopulated during this time of the year. Streaming is gonna be slow... Not looking forward to those 8min+ songs.

Song Contest · Post Post #69 (ISO) » Thu Aug 04, 2016 11:53 am

Friendly reminder that votes are due tomorrow at midnight!

toolenduso · Post Post #70 (ISO) » Thu Aug 04, 2016 1:15 pm

Burkina Faso - Farao - Hunter: This is p good. I like the percussion. Singer is decent. High 7/10. OK this song is actually really musically interesting. I must not've been paying enough attention the first time around. I kinda wish they would've gone the hi-fi route with the drum kit, but oh well. Not a big complaint. I'm feelin this. High 8/10.

Uruguay - How to Dress Well - Set it Right: HEY THIS GUY DOESN'T LOOK VERY WELL DRESSED. Jk. This is pretty interesting, the mixture of overbearing noise rock with hard-to-understand singing is a weird kind of enjoyable. I liked this! Gonna start with a low 8/10. It's good, but overall just kinda thin. Lowering this to a High 7/10.

Iceland - Ne Obliviscaris - Forget Not: Wow, the name, the promo photo here, I am just expecting so much metal right now. Holy god it's 12 minutes. OK. Better get out my snacks. Enjoying the folksiness to begin with! Some noice violin-ing. And in come the drums, wow those cymbals sound a little washed out eh? Maybe it's just the types of cymbals because the bell tappies sound fine. OK 6 minutes in and now it sounds a lot more metal-y. And vocals, hey! I was kinda expecting this to just be instrumental. Gotta say, they're doing a good job of making me forget that I've already been listening to this song for 10 minutes. Which is to say it's not repetitive and the transitions also make sense (for the most part, the beginning of the double-kick bass drum felt a tiny bit out of place), but I am liking this overall. Yeah that was p good! Mid 7/10. Wild ass violin is wild ass. And cool. Gonna say High 7/10.

Wales - The Jezabels - Stamina: A lazily drifting tune that seems musically competent but not very gripping. When it picks up toward the end I like it some more. Low 7/10. OK yeah this was pretty cool actually. High 7/10.

Fiji - Hinkstep - Aldrig Mer: Wow another long one. Lots of 'em in this contest. Immediate impression is that this seems like the music you'd here in a mysterious puzzle-based flash game. This is pretty interesting! I like the vocals a lot, and the atmosphere of the song. Starting around 7:10 it begins to sound a lot like moments of Sky Eats Airplane haha. Liked this! Mid 7/10. Pretty good, actually. Gonna bump it up to a High 7/10.

Micronesia - Nothing But Thieves - Excuse Me: This is kinda cool, whatever that high-pitched thing is in the background, almost sounds like a distorted voice. I like. Low 7/10. Yep, looks like it's falsetto. That's pretty neat-o. This seems like the kind of band I could get into if their non-singles are more creative than this. I'm gonna bump this to a Mid 7/10.

CIV - LAMA - Fantasy: Ooh, nice piano. This is enjoyable, if a tad repetitive. I dig the beat, the piano obviously, the chorus is cool, just the sputtering of the instruments in general. I actually really enjoyed this. Gonna say high 7/10. Cool, but probably a little lower after the second time around because overall it's still a pretty simple little ditty. So, Mid 7/10.

Spain - Destroyer - Painter In Your Pocket: Hm, this is interesting. Nice guitar solo! Yeah this was pretty enjoyable. For now let's stick with a low 7/10. Yeah I do like this in a sort of don't-care-to-look-up-more-from-them sorta way. Original score seems about right. Low 7/10.

Zimbabwe - Oliver Mtukudzi - Wake Up: Immediate impression is DMB. Which is a good thing for me. Hey, I should enter DMB at some point. People might hate me for it but DMB is underappreciated. Anyway, the guitar work here is definitely cool. What is that popping noise in the background? Almost sounds like somebody making popping noises with their mouth. Could be, I guess. This is pretty pleasant. This is the sorta stuff I'd put on for like a backyard barbecue in the summer. Crack open a beer? Yeah, man. Nice stuff. Mid 7/10. Mmmmm, I wish this was like a minute shorter. But then would it be so good for the barbecue? Low 7/10.

Central African Republic - Brian Eno - Backwater: Cool, Brian Eno! Always meant to listen to him. Not what I was expecting at all! I thought he was mostly electronic. Maybe that came later or something. The melody structure is unique for sure, it sounds subtly "off" somehow. I like that. Also this sounds like something Weird Al would parody or put in a polka. This was decent but not all that interesting to me. High 6/10. It's kinda good. Still High 6/10.

Ya know, once I look at all the songs in this contest I realize that it was actually a pretty good one. Like the top five or six were all pretty awesome to me.

toolenduso · Post Post #71 (ISO) » Thu Aug 04, 2016 1:16 pm

Would appreciate recommendations on some other songs to check out for Farao and Nothing but Thieves.

toolenduso · Post Post #72 (ISO) » Fri Aug 05, 2016 12:02 pm

Also, we can continue this convo through the next couple contests, but does anybody have any thoughts on what to do for the 100th contest?

Parama · Post Post #73 (ISO) » Fri Aug 05, 2016 12:09 pm

Nothing special tbh

TheWayItEnds · Post Post #74 (ISO) » Fri Aug 05, 2016 12:40 pm

ive just been planning on entering my favorite song