Song Contest 103 (Results posted!)

[The Bulge]

Best contest in a while.

Hong Kong (Amorphis) -

Guy can sing, but this is the most 2006-sounding song ever and I can't get over it.

No points.

Spain (!!!) -

Pretty interesting. Very groovy.

Low points.

Syria (Dillinger Escape Plan) -

I don't remember liking Dillinger Escape Plan but this started very strong. High expectations but I sorta lost interest halfway through.

No points.

Ecuador (The Decemberists) -

Same old four chords guitar instrumental with an uninterest(ing/ed) vocalist. Cool video though!

No points.

Canada (Krystian Zimerman) -

Love me some Chopin. He certainly knew how to effectively build suspense up to a climax, and this guy's playing style reflects that very well.

Mid points.

Burkina Faso (Lafawndah) -

Not a huge fan of the chorus but the rest is great. Like really great.

High points.

Fiji (Risa Taneda) -

Important components of every anime song: an abrasive fast-moving string instrumental, an early 2000s electronic bass-snare-repeat pattern, and annoying layered vocals.

No points.

Albania (Ataraxia) -

The description had me hooked and then the vocals made me close the tab before I could finish reading :/

No points.

Central African Republic (The Kinks) -

Digging the brass sections. And the chorus is straight flames.

Mid points.

Equatorial Guinea (Nirvana) -

LOL. I really hope I don't end up having to give this points.

The Federated States of Micronesia (Cold War Kids) -

I don't know who this guy is, but his voice sounds like a SHEEP hahahaha

Philippines (Gallant, Tablo, and Eric Nam) -

I only recently got around to listening to Ology and GAHDAMN is it good. My one criticism is that his voice can sound like a generic pop singer most of the time, but this man makes some legitimately good music. Eager to check out more of Gallant and this does not disappoint.

High points.

Hungary (Etherwood) -

Ok. Not bad, but nothing at all special.

No points.

Chad (Halsey) -

Formulaic as all pop, but pretty good.

Low points.

Mali (Satellite Stories) -

See there's good use of brass, and then there's this.

No points.

Finland (Seventeen) -

I always wonder how these kpop supergroups decide who sings what part? Like there's a dozen or so guys there, who's the one who says "alright man, these two lines are yours"? Is it a free for all first come first serve type deal? A silent auction? Maybe a democratic vote? Anyway this isn't good.

No points.

Uruguay (The Rural Alberta Advantage) -

I like indie folk rock but I do not like this.

No points.

Cote d'Ivoire (Poe) -

Gem of a comment section.

Spoiler: lmao

No points.

Liechtenstein (King Missile) -

This is fucking great. But whoever said this was sonically their fav this contest, wyd?

Afghanistan (Rone) -

Cool, but it didn't really go anywhere but louder.

Low points.

Latvia (Project Pitchfork) -

Nope.

Thailand (Khun Narin) -

Wowww this is dope. Like a slightly less explorative southeast Asian Snarky Puppy. I have to agree with Parama that it could have been a little more dynamic, changes things up a bit, maybe a head to come back to every once in a while, but I will absolutely be coming back to this in the very near future.

High points.

Denmark (Lucki Eck$) -

Zach your weren't lying about this guy! Sick beat, sick flow. Pls recommend more.

High points.

Macedonia (Tom Maxwell and the Minor Drag) -

Not really feeling it.

No points.

Iceland (Thy Catafalque) -

Way too heavy. Barely sounds like music.

No points.

[Davsto]

yeah the comments section was fucking hilarious, I had an inkling that the comments to that would be great but I wasn't expecting something that good

[toolenduso]

Didn't find anything I was really into this contest, but oh well.

Burkina Faso - Lafawndah - Tan: The music is cool, especially the rhythm. Vocal rhythm fits nicely into it. I kinda feel like she took what Kanye tried to do with Yeezus and made it better. Man, that was really interesting! Definitely one I'll need to listen to twice to wrap my head around. GOOD. I really want to give this one points just on sheer uniqueness alone. Like, probably 12 points. GOOD.

Spain - !!! - Bend Over Beethoven: Funky groove, that's nice. Vocals are weird. I like the guitars. This song is pretty odd. It's kinda like a jam, I guess. The gradual buildup is cool. Kinda seems danceable actually. GOOD. Yeah I do like this one. It'll probably get high points. GOOD.

Uruguay - The Rural Alberta Advantage - Don't Haunt This Place: This is fun. That drummer is sure something. This is the kind of indie I can get behind. I like the vocal harmonies. GOOD. Yep, I definitely like it. Not as much as Lafawndah, though. GOOD.

Kugelmugel - Freddie Gibbs - Careless: It's a little more radio-friendly than I typically like, but there's something cool about the way this guy raps. It's heavily edited but he's still making it raw. GOOD. I think I like this more than Lucki. GOOD.

Micronesia - Cold War Kids - Hospital Beds: Like this singer. Cool song! GOOD. It is a fine little song. Not as good as Lafawndah. GOOD.

Denmark - Lucki Eck$ - No Troubles: Cool track and backing vocals. Kinda like his flow, it's very chill but he's got talent. GOOD. I think I'm more into the track than the rapper. Which is fine, but I don't think I'd really look up more from this guy. GOOD.

Macedonia - Tom Maxwell and the Minor Drag - Blow Wolf: DAT. BASS. I like the instrumentation, and the song is definitely fun, but it's honestly pretty standard for the genre, so. GOOD. Didn't notice the piano solo the first time through. Still just good. GOOD.

Philippines - Gallant, Tablo and Eric Nam - Cave Me In: Mmmm, it's enjoyable. OK. GOOD. A good name for this would be "competent pop." It's pop that's clearly pop, and not as deep or complex as the best of music, but it at least demonstrates respect for the art. It's not a flat surface of vapid bullshit, and it's not the kind of thing you still discover new pieces of after listening to it for a year. And it's not as good as Lafawndah. GOOD.

Mali - Satellite Stories - The Trap: The main horn refrain is kinda cool, but it's also repetitive and simple. DECENT. At least it's enjoyable. DECENT.

Ecuador - The Decemberists - This is Why We Fight: Fairly standard indie right here. Singer's decent. It leans on the chorus a lot, and the chorus isn't particularly mind-blowing. DECENT. It's all right. I think it's a little better than the Amorphis song. DECENT.

[Zachstralkita]

Hong Kong - not really bad i cant front... 6.5/10

Spain - yo its 8 minutes.. was it good ? yes.. would I play it no 5/10


Syria - Oddly enough I preferred the first half and don't think what it transitions to goes well with it at least for the atmosphere 5/10


Ecuador - Yeah pretty smooth vibe 6.5/10


Canada - Yep its good.. I would not actually play it tho 7/10

Burkina Faso - Eh.. 3/10


Fiji - yea. 7/10

Albania - I'm actually fucking with this 8/10

CAR - Hey I really like this... 8.7/10


Equatorial Guinea - Lol I still like this song even ttho its popular ---

Micronesia - Pretty good 8/10

Phillippines - Ok this shit did slap 9/10

Hungary - Chill... 10/10

Chad - Yeah I've heard this it's nice 7/10

Mali - I like this 8/10

Finland - I can't get into this lol 4/10

Uruguay - Aye this gggggggggggoes hard fwyh 10/10

Cote d'Ivoire - LMAO nahh ...ima give it a 5 cause it could actually be catchy


Lichtenstein - ....


Afghanistan - Spacy. 7/10 I had a fleeting thought it would be Rone the battle rapper LMAO but this is good

Latvia - EHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh .. 5/10

Thailand- Yea this is good for the complexity 610

Macedonia - I can't imagine myself listening to this unless it was playing in a really old nightclub while I am smoking a cigarette moments before receiving a wide volley of tommy gun fire but the music isn't bad 6/10

Iceland - It's too much for me lol I know someone who would like this tho 3/10


Kugelmugel - Aye the boy Gibbs. 10/10



@Bulge(and tool): get Lucki's Alternative Trap mixtape it's pretty good... if you proceed then also his Free Wave and Freewave 2 tapes. There's a distinct style switch up after Alternative Trap tho, you can see where xans and lean started coming wayyy into play. But they're all still really good. you will probably like Alternative Trap though.

[Parama]

2heavy4me

tbh it's not even that heavy to my ears but I've gone off the deep end of heaviness in the past year so fair enough

[KuroiXHF]

Hong Kong (Amorphis) -

Guy can sing, but this is the most 2006-sounding song ever and I can't get over it.

No points.

Can you elaborate on this, please?

[ChannelDelibird]

Contest was shite save for the top three, even my entry was a bit shit (I'm running out of artists I'm excited about whom I haven't entered before!), sad times.

[Sesq]

I agree, this contest was much worse than 101

[Parama]

Personally I have a lot of new artists to be excited about but a good number aren't SC friendly

Which won't stop me probably but

[SnowStorm]

Hong Kong - Meh, pretty generic with no interesting notes.
Spain - Has a nice rythm.
Syria - Interesting, I kinda like it.
Ecuador - Nice.
Canada - Nice
Fiji - Ok.
Albania - I like the weird vocals, but meh.
Central African Republic - This is really nice.
Equatorial Guinea - Get out.
The Federated States of Micronesia - It's ok.
Philippines - Ok. Pretty chill.
Hungary - So this is one of those electronic with piano songs.
Chad - Don't particularly like this, but wooo Pop!
Mali - Reminds me of 2 Door Cinema Club. Too fast and too

loud

. eta: not the word I'm looking for, it just has an annoying rhythm.
Finland - They're only 13!
Uruguay - I liked this.
Cote d'Ivoire - Hmmm. Ok.
Liechtenstein - lol what.
Afghanistan - Ok.
Latvia - Idk what to think of this.
Thailand - Ok.
Denmark - Meh, ok.
Macedonia - No ty.
Iceland - PENETRATE MY EARS. LOUDER.
Republic of Kugelmugel - Meh, ok.

[ConManMick]

No Sealand, no passion

[Ser Arthur Dayne]

Use my second submission please

Looking back at the original list, I'm putting Chopin's piece in my list, as I have gained a recent interest in classical music. It was a fierce competition for who to cut but in the end I decided to actually cut my #9 and keep #10 where it is. Iirc I put Chopin at 6, so everyone at and under moves down a peg.

[Parama]

god, halsey is such a bad lyricist & not much better as a singer

i shouldn't have given that one an average, it's mediocre lol

[TheWayItEnds]

who hurt you parama.

[Parama]

halsey did

[Psyche]

it's true i wanna like her music but the lyrics are always so
i don't know the word for it besides bad

[Ser Arthur Dayne]

Uhh that song (by halsey) just sounded 3edgy5me which is prob why I didn't really enjoy it.

[Parama]

anyways votes are in

a little surprised at my 12 this time but, i like it the most out of everything here so sure ???

top 3 were all pretty great and the quality dropped off very sharply after that

[TheWayItEnds]

after 12 im gonna give an actual recommendation on a halsey song or two.

the song i entered is not the correct song for the song contest but its my favorite song on the album so.

[Sesq]

I'm gonna fuckin lose

[Errantparabola]

clutch vote.

top 10

Good

Afghanistan: Rone - Bye Bye Macadam. It was great. I almost want to DQ it for the end of the fucking video when my left ear started exploding and bleeding because of that fucking outro. Fuck.

Borderline good but idk

Philippines: Gallant, Tablo, and Eric Nam - Cave Me In. Hmm. Good. Chill. Like it. If I could make a new category that was the borderline between borderline good and good, that would be it. Won't listen again probably, but I enjoyed it.
Central African Republic: The Kinks - Shangri-La. There's something I liked about it. Something about the voice. The second verse was chill.
Uruguay: The Rural Alberta Advantage - Don't Haunt This Place. It had that vibe that I liked.
Macedonia: Tom Maxwell and the Minor Drag - Blow Wolf. Instrumental was good? Good.
Syria: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Mouth of Ghosts. Started off strong. Okay after that.

Meh but still better than the rest

Ecuador: The Decemberists - This Is Why We Fight. It wasn't like... super good, but I didn't dislike anything about it. Not bad?
Fiji: Risa Taneda - Wareta Ringo. The beginning was great. Everything else was... fine
Kugelmugel: Freddie Gibbs - Careless. Pretty good I guess
Hungary: Etherwood - Cast Away. I mean, it was good, but felt a bit empty to me.

[TheWayItEnds]

Rabble.

[Errantparabola]

someone please tell me if they felt the same pain as i did with afghanistan.
i would go back to confirm but i am afraid.

[TheWayItEnds]

yeah its real loud

[Psyche]

hm idk if i ever got to the end before