Song Contest - BOTB 8 (Results posted!)

[Cyril]

can you please reformat the BotB table to have wider columns it's practically unreadable atm

[Cyril]

yes that. excellent

[Cyril]

I don't feel like I have an immediate barn burner of a song this contest that isn't a repeat of an artist that's already been submitted in BotB before, which is a bit disappointing. But also: the two artists in question were in BotB's that happened a long, long time ago. so who cares, actually

[Cyril]

armenia is after my heart (also can we please use the unofficial names for that album, just call it vaka it's fine)
hell yeah OWEL (would probably have picked The Unforgiving Tide off that album but this would've been my second choice)
that's maybe the second worst song to pick off Red tbh. i like the harder prog stuff more on that album this one's just. i forgot about it tbh
notification in advance that i'm skipping nicaragua but if you want my thoughts on it they're contained on this post on another forum k bye
update italy has my 12 god damn chandelier is such a good song
bad pick from panama. well okay not really that's one of the better tracks off that album but we could be sending stuff like helena and disenchanted instead tbh. i considered MCR but they were sent too recently so e h h
32 submissions in total, which might be a new record. also 6 songs i can already comment on without even listening to them lol excellent

[Cyril]

we're having a really heated debate about objectively the least important & most disposable aspect of song contest i see

[Cyril]

Canada – It’s pleasant enough and the marching band percussion gives it a bit of flavor but it never quite feels like it comes together in any way that it becomes more than pleasant background music. (AVERAGE)

Bhutan – Uhhh… hmm. Aside from some kind of interesting guitar work nothing about this really did anything for me. Another one that’s pleasant but beyond that? Nothing. (AVERAGE)

Panama – Oh that music video intro is really embarrassing. Like I said before this is a fine enough MCR song but they have so many better ones I don’t know why you’d single this particular one out. I’ll correct this in a future BotB I guess, maybe. (DECENT)

South Korea – This would otherwise I guess be a perfectly fine example of the K-pop sound but the bing bing bing on the chorus is actually super annoying and the fact that they named the song after its worst aspect… ok, sure (AVERAGE)

eSwatini – Some clunky elements in this one but on the whole I’d say it’s a Mumford and Sons song. (DECENT)

Gabon – Never found Clean Bandit better than “okay” as a producer and never found Demi better than “okay” as a performer but…. what the actual hell is this? The production is generally stiff and lifeless but actually no the real problem here is what the hell is that chorus? Also I cannot unhear “quack quack quack”.

Iran – I feel like the rhythm can get a bit lost in this sometimes but other than that… yeah, it’s pretty cool, I like the swell and the general sound of this a lot. (GOOD)

USA – This isn’t as fun or colorful as the last time you entered them but I still like it well enough, I guess. The –core bits don’t do much for me though. Ehh. (DECENT)

@Mina Chandelier never went to #1 in the US (peaked at #8, even) but it did go to #1 in some other countries so "fair enough i guess"
i do agree it feels like a bit cheap of an entry but it's also gonna be my 12 so w/e
also sorry for totally hating specifically your song apparently LOL

[Cyril]

Greece – One of those songs where I like the general sound but I’m not sure how much emotional impact it has for me. It’s nice but it’s… just kind of there, too. All the same I like it well enough. (DECENT)

Australia – I have just never been that fond of this strand of garage-y indie rock. This band, The White Stripes, probably a third similar band I can’t think of at the moment. I don’t like the vocal style, I don’t like the guitar tones, the general vibe doesn’t do it for me. It’s not like I dislike it either but it’s just not what I’m looking for in rock at all. Ehhh. (AVERAGE)

Azerbaijan – I saw at 2:30 that there’s still a minute and a half left and I’m like… how. That was just the last chorus you played, after the bridge. Didn’t these guys used to be a symphonic metal band? This is more like trance metal or whatever lol. Uugh. I dunno I’m inclined to just meh this but something about this really rubs me the wrong way. (MEDIOCRE)

Spain – I don’t think there’s fundamentally anything wrong with this but it’s just nothing but elements I don’t enjoy. Don’t like his vocals. Don’t like the production. Some of the melodies are kinda catchy I guess? The overall vibe of the song didn’t do much for me though. It all works for what it is but what it is isn’t something I care for, I guess. (MEDIOCRE)

Cote d’Ivoire – Well, there certainly was a lot going on in this one. I’m not sure I’d say I’m on board with all of it, but I did like a decent chunk of it. Will definitely be one of the more interesting songs to relisten to. (DECENT)

Iceland – Half this album is kind of meh but then the other half is just? Incredible? Fun and powerful and pretty dynamic, this song, the previous contest winner Oh Lord, and the first and last tracks mostly, just fantastic. This is the best song on the album though but Oh Lord really is close.

Egypt – God I don’t even know what to say about this. It’s fine I guess. Don’t really like the vocals, do like some of the guitar work. It sure is a song. I feel like I’m getting too old for this lol. (AVERAGE)

Central African Republic – Tbh I think my initially comment about this was made based on only really remembering it was the ballady track of the album but actually this goes some pretty cool places after its kinda slow start. I just kinda forgot about it, I guess? This is cool actually. (GOOD)

[Cyril]

Also I would like to propose a rule to prevent identity-guessing: Players may not choose the same country they applied as in the previous 5 contests.

this rule would get me to quit the song contest permanently so i'm 100% in favor of it

[Cyril]

Belgium – Yeah I think the reason Bastille never sustained their popularity was because nothing else they’ve ever made had as much of a hook to it as Pompeii, which, fair. This is enjoyable but it’s a bit repetitive and not particularly special. EehhHH. (DECENT)

Germany – Probably on record that anything remotely industrial is an instant turn-off for me and YEP that’s still true. S H R U G

Armenia – Honestly I’ve listened to this song in particular so many times over the last decade that I’m not sure I’m even qualified to judge it. I’m skipping it for now ‘cause like, I know it. It’s okay. (GREAT)

Sudan – This felt like three minutes of cluttered noise mixed with lots and lots and lots of stereotypes from what I could make out. Not quite sure how insensitive this is but it’s definitely at least some degree of insensitive.

Italy – Considering that this is the best billboard hit in the US of the last decade or so I am not going to complain about it being here. I’m skipping it for now ‘cause, again, I know it lol. (GREAT)

Taiwan – On the list of “artists I’ve heard the buzz about but haven’t really checked out for myself” and I didn’t really have any expectations but, I liked it well enough. Got louder than I was expecting from the start. (DECENT)

Scotland – Kind of in the same vein as that Arctic Monkeys song from earlier in that I don’t necessarily mind it but god there’s just not really much appeal here. Felt way longer than it was ‘cause it felt like it was repeating the same musical ideas over and over endlessly too. (MEDIOCRE)

Belarus – Matthew Good? More like Matthew Not Available In My Country. Haha. Zing. I started listening to this and then I guess I spaced out until towards the end or something and I don’t know if that speaks to me finding the song uninteresting or if it just means I’m hella tired. (AVERAGE)

getting the impression that this is definitely way too much song contest considering i still have another 7 to go tomorrow

[Cyril]

it's cute that you think i actually put time and effort into my comments & research all the artists and whatever else

[Cyril]

if that's all you wanted to say it was framed pretty damn aggressively then

[Cyril]

also tbh when I wrote that comment I misread lim kim as lil kim somehow and am only just now realizing it. Oh

[Cyril]

Norway – June 2020: Not a good time to be Lana Del Rey, innit. Being mostly only familiar with her most recent album this is basically just the exact same thing except it’s more symphonic/maybe a little gothic. It’s… fine but lacking in surprises and I usually find her music a bit dry. I enjoy it well enough but it’s not gonna stick with me. (DECENT)

Djibouti – Well now this is just a slightly more technical/melodic version of Periphery if it’s gonna have the same djenty lean and the Actual Vocalist of Periphery. That’s fine though. Periphery are better when they’re more melodic and I like Sotelo’s voice more than a lot of similarly whiny djent/-core singers. (DECENT)

Hungary – Nice groove to this but that’s about all it has for me. The instrumental is pretty repetitive though and since I can’t understand the lyrics there’s nnnnot much really here for me though. I didn’t “dislike” it I guess but I don’t think I need to relisten to it. (AVERAGE)

Denmark – I get to be in a weird place where I have to provide commentary on a band I previously submitted, interesting. Like I said I prefer The Unforgiving Tide over this but this probably will do better in this contest than that would so yeah fair. Never was able to get as into their subsequent albums as much though. (GOOD)

Mexico – God if this is “best quality” then I’m scared of what worse qualities sound like, I feel like this sounds a bit muddy here and I can tell it was intentional too, they’re trying to play to a style and all. I did listen to this album back in 2015 when it was the new hot thing and didn’t get it at all but I don’t remember this one at all. It sure is a Ghost song. Actually surprisingly weak hook for them if I’m being honest. It’s still kinda fun but like, in an understated/less interesting way than I’d expect from them. (DECENT)

Argentina – That transition out of the orchestral intro to the proper power metal I was waiting for sure was rough, god. That intro made me think this was gonna be a bit more theatrical than usual for the genre but no not really. There’s some good lead guitar work and it’s got a solid hook but other than that it’s pretty much standard power metal fare which is to say… the junk food of metal. Enjoyable enough, but not too memorable or diverse and too much of it makes you sick of it quickly. This particular song is probably the second best of this set so far, though. (DECENT)

Portugal – And finally we come to an end… with a super short track apparently. This is alright enough but the only element of this that really gives it much flavor – those synths – are something I’m really not fond of. This also feels like it’s going to be a hell of an earworm though, that’s a real sticky hook. Hmm. (DECENT)

not sure if i'm feeling really generous tonight or if this batch just was above average in general
enough decent to good songs this contest to fill my entire ballot with but i'll probably revisit some of the averages anyways

[Cyril]

the rare contest where i actually had to cut back songs i genuinely wanted to give decent points to (not just rabble that would get 1 or 2 points in the average contest)
sorry to literally everything i rated average but i didn't even revisit any of them, just skimmed over all the song names and all of them made me went "eehhHHH that one okay nah"

[Cyril]

lord i was born a rabblin' man

[Cyril]

i probably have the most tbh because i switched accounts a while back (used to be Parama, see my sig) and have done something like a dozen more contests since then

parama has 121 contests (114 + 7 BOTBs)
cyril has 11 contests

so that's 132 in all

PEG has 131 contests (134 + 7 BOTBs)

so actually it's very close and i guess i'm not allowed to skip any more future contests if i want to retain my championship number

[Cyril]

*double checks what the top two are*

hmm yes this is not surprising

[Cyril]

g e e z can we set the record for highest scoring song ever?

[Cyril]

mafiascum agrees: dirt poor robins

can't really complain as it was a quite good song that made me wanna check out the album (which i'll get to soon)

my streak of placing in the top 5 in every BotB remains unbroken so i'm cool with that

[Cyril]

i'm surprised PEG isn't my highest compatibility tbh

[Cyril]

wait serious i was that snowflakey this contest? even with giving the runaway winner high points? ok

granted i think the snowflake scale is skewed a bit when there's this many submission