In post 207, quadz08 wrote:Ukraine – Five Man Electrical Band: Like, I don't dislike it or anything, it's just sort of dull. Same problem with most older music entered – feels too formulaic now. (B)
Greenland – Robert DeLong: I like Robert DeLong, but I don't think this was the song to pick. Fairly meh. (B)
Mali – Arthur Beatrice: This was pretty good. Not spectacular, but very nice. (B+)
Sealand – The Rumjacks: I'm enjoying this because I'm a sucker for Irish rock. Nice one. (A-)
Wales – Miriam Stockley: EXTRA-MEH (B-)
Estonia – Lucifer in the Sky with Diamonds: also meh (B)
Spain – Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet: Interesting, not super-special (B+)
South Africa – R. Kelly: You know, I didn't appreciate this song when I was younger. It really is pretty good. (B+)
Macedonia – Laura Stevenson and the Cans: I want to like this, but her voice is just slightly too jarring for me (B)
Laos – Twenty-One Pilots: Pretty solid, if pretty standard fare (B+)
Singapore – Sia: Reasonable. Sure sounds like Sia. (B)
Chile – Faada Freddy: You are probably getting my twelve (A)
India - Kemialliset Ystävät: I like what they're trying to do, but it doesn't quite stick the landing (B)
Iceland – Thank You Scientist: Ok, this is pretty sweet. The rhythms in this are excellent. A tad overlong, but that's a small complaint. (A)
USA – Deardrops: I find myself knowing I'd really like this a lot if it were in English, but not know what's being sang about bugs me with this style of music (B+)
Scotland – Supergrass: That was pretty entertaining (B+)
Turkmenistan – Grass Animals: This was pretty cool, I enjoyed it (B+)
St. Lucia – Charli XCX: yes I know everyone knows Charli XCX by now, but I'm pretty sure this song is a deep track – and I think it's killer. Plus, it's about masturbating. BONUS POINTS. (A+++)
Tuvalu – Badly Drawn Boy: This was pretty good (B+)
Belarus – Attack Over Grace: I remain completely unenthused by screaming as a vocal technique (D-)
Burkina Faso – OqueStrada: Pretty interesting, I can dig it (B+)
Gabon – The Kooks: I rather liked this one (A-)
Greece – Hungry Lucy: Interesting. (B+)
Isle of Man – Peter Evans Quintet: This is definitely freeform jazz – I just find it difficult to listen to, even realizing the technical prowess of the performers (C-)
Cuba – Rick Astley: You are the most clever, congratulations on your cleverness (C)
Italy – FENCES: Decent, not spectacular (B+)
In post 214, bv310 wrote:So, overall thoughts:
Ukraine - I knew I recognized the name, but it didn't kick in until later. Solid B just on nostalgia from listening to Classic Rock radio as a kid.
Mali - Not my cup of tea, but a really solid track. C
Sealand - I'm a sucker for "Irish Pub" music, and I love the piss-take of it. B+
Wales - Similar to Mali. It's not my favourite genre, but the vocal track is really talented. C+
Estonia - This is right up my alley. Thank you to whoever entered this! A-
Spain - Another one of those songs I plan to listen to outside of the contest. Solid A for me
South Africa - One of those songs I'm a little embarrassed to know all the lyrics to. Slightly shameful B+
Macedonia - I'm a fan of this one, but I can't imagine myself listening to it outside of here B-
Laos - Pretty standard alt-rock, but I like it. B
Singapore - Sia sounding like Sia. Solid B
Chile - Catchy as fuck. A
India - Solid miss for me. The concept is sound, but it doesn't appeal to me. C-
Iceland - It made it on to my Spotify, which is awesome. Reminds me a lot of Coheed and Cambria. A
USA - Enjoyable, but not a standout for me. B+
Scotland - I know this song from something, but I don't know what. B
Turkmenistan - The vocals didn't click for me, but the beat/lyrics were enjoyable. B-
St. Lucia - Charli XCX is up there on my "musical Big Mac" list, so you get an A-
Tuvalu - It's good, but nothing special for me. B-
Belarus - 16-year-old BV would have been all over this. 24-year-old BV not so much. C-
Burkina Faso - Digging the instrumentation, not big on the vocals. B-
Gabon - I'm a fan of The Kooks already, so this is just pandering to me. A-
Greece - Not for me, but it's still decent. C+
Isle of Man - Good old Jazz Noodling. B-
Cuba - Not clever, not worth my time. D
Italy - Solid track. B+
I feel insulted.