Hungary(Las Balkanieras)--I do not have the faculties to successfully judge this.
Spain(Hot Chip)--This had lots of cool stuff but also some bits that felt meh. I really like how the song changes over it's duration.
Republic of Palau(Kaleo)--Then we have this. Moving on.
Central African Republic(Jethro Tull)--Yeah,
okay
.
Cote d'Ivoire(FFS)--Goddamn this collaboration worked out well. It's insane and I've played it way too many times in the past 2 weeks.
Burkina Faso(Pumarose)--This was pretty cool!! I like when you submit more outlandish stuff, Snowstorm!!
Finland(Purfles)--oh oh okay
Uraguay(Westbam)--I think I need drugs to appreciate this song.
Iceland(east of the Wall)--A little overlong but decent.
Seychelles(Relucent)--
Tuvalu(Camera Obscura)--This is Camera Obscura.
Russia(Mild High Club)--Mild Low
Sao Tome & Principe(Charles Mingus)--So I was looking at cute pics of my favorite fictional anime girl families(shoutouts to Subterannean Animism!) and this was pretty good background music for that.
Latvia(Qntal)--You know, no matter where I go in music, the folkish-rock-metal continuum always holds a soft place in my heart, especially with that type of vocals.
USA(Saosin)--Bleeeh
Chad(Too Close To Touch)--this didnt really do it either
Republic of Kugelmugel(Chance the Rapper)--Pass
Phillipines(Cardiknox)--I won't say this is my favorite thing in the world but it was a good pallete cleanser.
Bhutan(Girl Talk)--This was great though.
Current Avatar: Dr. Contessa(OC, art by @pastelpuffin)
Yeah I'm not totally sure why we got so few entries this time. I guess the most obvious answer would be the site crash, but we'll see moving forward.
Also, I forgot to warn people at first -- in case you listen to the songs at work/around children or something, please note that the video for Uruguay (Westbam -- You Need the Drugs) contains some brief nudity, ie it's not entirely safe for work.
"Half of the game is figuring out who the scum is. The other half is convincing everyone else that you're right." -- PlaysWithSquirrels, in Newbie 437
Oh, Dear Parama. I know you won't finish my song, but make sure that you listen to 1:27-2:30ish if you're only gonna listen to a minute of it.(so listen to the second half not the first half if you're only gonna listen to half)
Oh, I haven't listened yet, but Bulge already has my 12. Sorry friends.
USA – I’ve only ever heard of Saosin but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to them? I know they’re some degree of post-hardcore though. Oh god I don’t like the singer’s voice at all. Sounds way too helium-y. The harsh vocals are as screechy as expected but thankfully they mostly seem to be used as background layers. Drummer’s pretty solid all things considered. Overall this is better than the Alexisonfire song from last contest, the instrumentation is at least a bit more interesting here even if the singer’s kinda blah. (AVERAGE)
Finland – The main beat of this feels like it was ripped from Psy’s Gentleman, which is already a pretty cruddy song on its own merits. I can’t tell if there are multiple singers here, the group image suggests that there’s probably three, but I can’t distinguish the voices at all, other than “they sound okay”. This is basically just radio-filler pop, but it’s not really that grating I guess, except for the aforementioned Gentleman synth thing. (AVERAGE)
Uruguay – Ahh, one of those kind of dry and “always sounding like it’s slightly offkey” low-voiced 80’s-ish singers. Or at least the best I can describe it. He sounds especially rough though. don’t really care for the vocals overall. I’m totally okay with the music here, it’s nice and atmospheric with enough of a pulse and some nice build that keeps it interesting. Could probably serve to be a bit shorter though, the last two minutes get pretty redundant. (AVERAGE)
Philippines – Man, she’d fit in on the radio perfectly. Which is a half-compliment I guess, she sounds fine enough but also maybe a bit lifeless. Sounds like Rihanna with slightly less of an accent, I guess. I’ll take this kind of bright, glittery pop production over the influx of dreary trap beats the radio’s been flooded with lately though. Really dig the percussion on the bridge too, gives it a bit of flavor. Nothing about this I really dislike but it’s not especially compelling either, just solid. (AVERAGE)
Hungary – Oh yeah, delicious autotune slathered all over all the vocals here, just what I’ve always wanted. Music here is too minimalistic to do much for me, it’s just… there. Too percussion-heavy. Has absolutely no power to it so the music just stays at a middling “meh” all song long and combined with the kind of monotonous vocals, just ends up really dragging a lot. It’s just, really repetitive and kind of pointless. (BAD)
Central African Republic – I’ve barely gone back to explore late 60’s/70’s prog much, never been able to get too into most of it. And I listened to Thick as a Brick once a few years back but it didn’t really do a lot for me. I quite dig the sound of this though, the flute adds some nice flavor, the guitar/bass lines are strong, the noisy drumming creates a nice frantic feel, the vocals have a lot of personality. It’s aged quite well too, doesn’t sound particularly dated to my ears, so. Yeah, can definitely dig this. I should probably look into more Jethro Tull at some point, alongside Yes and Genesis and all the other early prog bands I’ve barely explored the discography of. (GOOD)
Chad – Oh yes, some more post-hardcore, there’s been a lot of this in recent contests it feels like. Prefer this singer over Saosin’s pretty easily. The guitar riffing here has some nice rhythmic flair to it and the drums are pretty solid as well, maybe not quite on the same level as Saosin’s drummer but more than serviceable enough. Harsh vocals here are better, as in, “pretty standard core-ish vocals, so, pretty indifferent on them”. I think this is probably less musically interesting than Saosin by a little bit but the singer’s a lot more tolerable, for sure. Not gonna make me go and listen to more of the band, but, I’m okay with this. (AVERAGE)
Spain – Right out of the gate I really dislike that synth sound. Neither the synth bass, though the bassline itself is pretty cool, there’s some solid groove to this track. 80’s throwback tracks are one of my least favorite things though because it seems like everyone feels obligated to use very dated-sounding synths all over the place and it’s just. Agh. You can recreate the sound of the era without mimicking its worst aspects. The synths just really drag down what would otherwise be a really fun and upbeat track. Feels like it maybe goes on a little long but the very end is pretty cool. Even despite the synths this is a solid track overall, yeah. (AVERAGE)
Sao Tome and Principe – Maybe some day I’ll “get” jazz, but for now I find myself generally struggling with it. I do like that this is pretty upbeat, and of course the instrumentation is nice. Clearly all the players here have a lot of talent and they play off each other really well. This is pleasant overall, I guess, and I’d take it over most of what’s in this contest thus far, but it doesn’t really blow me away either. (AVERAGE)
i really should split "average" into two tiers bcuz finland and sao tome are at least a level or two apart in quality lol
In post 56, Parama wrote:Central African Republic – I’ve barely gone back to explore late 60’s/70’s prog much, never been able to get too into most of it. And I listened to Thick as a Brick once a few years back but it didn’t really do a lot for me. I quite dig the sound of this though, the flute adds some nice flavor, the guitar/bass lines are strong, the noisy drumming creates a nice frantic feel, the vocals have a lot of personality. It’s aged quite well too, doesn’t sound particularly dated to my ears, so. Yeah, can definitely dig this. I should probably look into more Jethro Tull at some point, alongside Yes and Genesis and all the other early prog bands I’ve barely explored the discography of. (GOOD)
For the record, the particular album this song is from (Stand Up) isn't really a prog rock album, this was before Tull really became prog rock and is just more of a rock album - they became prog around Aqualung.
Burkina Faso – Always like this kind of drum rhythm the intro has and the noisy guitars play off it pretty nicely. Song kind of loses me a bit after that though, the calmer build to the verse is okay but not really that interesting. Vocalist sounds like she’s oversinging a little bit, I dunno, something about her is bothering me. The electric violin that comes in near the end is nice though, the song definitely ends on a pretty strong note. Yeah, I dunno, as a whole this is just kind of “there”. Wish the rest of the song was as interesting as the intro and outro. The entire middle is just very “okay” but I like this as a whole, I guess. (AVERAGE)
Republic of Palau – Right from the start I’m pretty much expecting “something pleasant enough but not very unique or interesting”. And yeah, that’s what I got. The singer’s alright enough, fits the music well and has a nice slightly rough voice. I dig the guitar work in the second half and the build at the end though. It’s okay.
Latvia – Disclaimer: Live versions are never my thing, always prefer studio recordings, anyways. 2 minutes in and I feel like I’m still waiting for this to really start. Sure it’s pleasant enough, the female vocals here aren’t my favorite but they’re nice and I always dig me some strings. I still am getting the impression that I’d be enjoying the texture of this more if it wasn’t so muddled by being a live recording. But I mean, sure, I enjoy this. (AVERAGE)
Republic of Kugelmugel – As far as I’ve ever heard, I’m supposed to like Chance the Rapper, hate 2 Chainz, and be perpetually disappointed in Lil Wayne. Chance sounds like he’s trying to imitate Fetty Wap. Badly. 2 Chainz sounds more alive here than I’ve ever heard him. Lil Wayne sounds awful though. Shocker. The music is what sounds like nonstop looping samples under a basic drum beat and bassline and it never really changes or goes anywhere. It ends up sounding really noisy without any sent of melody to it. I don’t really like any part of this but it’s kind of fascinating in a weird way. (BAD)
Tuvalu – Well, this definitely exists. The strings and horns are nice enough but everything else about this is incredibly unremarkable. Reverb-drenched vocals, basic drum beat and basic bass playing off it, nearly nonexistent guitar. Sort of just drones on and on, at 3 minutes in I’m going “there’s still a minute and a half left, really?”. It’s vaguely pleasant but pretty flavorless and forgettable on the whole. (AVERAGE)
Bhutan – I mean, obviously, this isn’t gonna be something I’m gonna return to, but as far as songs made up of samples go it’s about as good as I’ve ever heard it done. There’s a decent variety to what they use, and it’s pretty constantly on the move. It’s just that I’d rather listen to original songs written by an artist rather than one constructed of chunks of other songs. Oh and rapping being the primary drive of the vocals doesn’t help either. (AVERAGE)
Seychelles – Well, I liked how it started at least. Then it just devolves into electronic glitchiness that doesn’t really appeal to me in the slightest. I guess there’s a solid energy going throughout this and it isn’t grating or anything, but you better believe I’m not listening to a whole 7 minutes of stuff like this. Skipped ahead out of curiosity and whatever was happening around 5-5:30 sounded okay enough but it seemed like the song was gonna stay pretty samey throughout. (DID NOT FINISH)
Cote d’Ivoire – I was already a little turned off by the intro but daaamn can I not stand those vocals at all. Can you please sing without a hundred layers of effects on your voices? Even the tone of the vocals kind of irks me. Apparently this is Franz Ferdinand with a few extra people involved. I’ve heard probably like 2 songs from them before, never really were a fan. And I mean it’s not like this is awful or anything but there’s not really anything here for me to like. The instrumentation is decent at a few points, I guess? Meh. (BAD)
Russia – I’m trying to figure out what band this makes me think of. Kind of The Beatles, but not quite. Definitely not Pink Floyd. I’unno. I like it though. The bass is really bright and loud, the drums are nice and laidback, the organs kind of intentionally create this wall of slight dissonance, there’s a lot of texture courtesy of the layers of vocals. Doesn’t really ever feel like it goes anywhere by the end, I guess, but it makes me happy. Sure. (GOOD)
Iceland – I doubt this is going to be particularly popular since growly vocals and all that, plus it’s just kind of generally weird and the crowd who digs growly vocals more than I do is going to be turned off by the lighter sound of the song, but. There’s just so much about this song I love, it’s almost like it was hand-crafted to appeal specifically to me. Really the album as a whole feels like that, definitely one of my favorite discoveries in recent memory. Sludge metal and post-rock and prog all thrown into a blender for a really potent result. Bass > Vocals > Guitar > Drums here for the record but they’re all great. Also always kind of feels incomplete to me without the two instrumental tracks that follow it up but that's mostly because I tend to just listen to the whole album, which you totally should.
overall this contest was fine. no real standout songs but it was a lot less boring than usual, i actually don't think i'll feel too bad giving 10 of the 18 songs points lol
Iceland -- East of the Wall -- The Apologist: Oh snap, that is a cool bass line. Love their use of 3/4. Rhythmically this is just exactly what I love about metal and metal-like music. Also am I crazy or does this kinda sound like a cleaner version of Norma Jean? There are flashes in this song where I really love a part, and then it doesn't last very long. Which makes it a little harder to love the overall track. But it is still very good and I am going to say 8/10. Mmm, yeah, this one is good on many levels. Maybe I like it more than the Jethro Tull one? Idk...yeah, I think I do actually. 8/10.
Central African Republic -- Jethro Tull -- For a Thousand Mothers: Ah, Jethro Tull. One of those bands I always meant to check out. I've gotta say, I am very surprised that there is flute (pan flute?) in this. But that's pretty cool. Respeck. This seems like inspiration for Rx Bandits in many ways. Well, this was pretty awesome. It didn't blow me away, but it was pretty awesome. Gonna lowball it and then reevaluate on second listen. 8/10. There's a lot to like about this. It makes me think I could get into Jethro Tull. This is probably getting my 12. 8/10.
Burkina Faso -- Pumarosa -- Cecile: Weird. I often find that overly breathy singers are not great, but this woman clearly has range and control over her voice. Guess she just wanted to sing super breathy. The quirky little keyboard call-and-response is fun. Can't believe I'm saying this but the bass is actually too high in the mix. Like if I put this in my car I might have to turn the volume down from where I like it in fear of the bass doing some damage to the speakers. Guitar solo is pretty cool. Liked this a lot actually. 8/10. Yay! Low 8/10.
Republic of Kugelmugel -- Chance the Rapper -- No Problem: Yay Chance! I kinda wish they'd just leave his voice alone in the studio, his vocal style is what makes him stand out. I mean, the track is pretty cool too. HOLY CRAP 2CHAINZ DIDN'T SAY HIS NAME BEFORE HIS VERSE. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING. Not really. He's still a mediocre rapper. Also, Chance is old enough to drink in a bar now? I thought he was still a teenager. Lil Wayne's good. He usually is. This is enjoyable. Don't like it as much as my favorite stuff off Acid Rap, but it's better than the stuff I liked least off that album if that counts for anything. 7/10. Above-the-bar stuff here. High 7/10.
Bhutan -- Girl Talk -- Smash Your Head: Disclaimer, I have high hopes for this one. I always liked the idea of Girl Talk, and apparently the album this is on is supposed to one of his best. Mmm, this is cool. There's a moment here that's essentially what I wish rap/rock was instead of bullshit like The Beastie Boys. AW SHIT JUICY. Nice. And it's over pretty piano, and then Tiny Dancer. See, that is a creative and good idea. I wish more electronic music was like this. I think I'd actually like to listen to the full album. This was a full 3 minutes and I still felt like it was short. High 7/10. Still like this a lot, still a high 7/10.
USA -- Saosin -- Control and the Urge to Pray: So not only is Saosin back together, but with Anthony Green as the singer again? Wow. That is pretty cool. God I love this man's voice. And they really are putting their instruments to work cooperatively here during the verses. This reminds me more of Circa Survive than Saosin, but that's OK. I've (mostly) always liked Circa Survive more anyway. I am happy this was submitted, and I am going to start with a high 7/10. Yeah, that feels like the right score for this. High 7/10.
Cote d'Ivoire -- FFS -- Police Encounters: This is a collaboration? Oh it's Franz Ferdinand and a band I've never heard of. And to be fair, I really only listened to two songs from Franz Ferdinand so I'm not super familiar with them. This is kinda sorta interesting but it's also not much more than your typical indie rock. I like the vocals playing off each other. I do not like the biddy biddy bom bom. I'm gonna do a 7/10. Yeah, this is actually all right. Mid 7/10.
Seychelles -- Culprate -- Relucent: The photo makes it look like a rapper, and the album art makes it look like prog rock or possibly metal. The track itself seems like something of a genre blend. The analog drums fit in surprisingly well with the digitally-tweaked instruments. Really cool rhythm. All that said, this track is a little too aimless for me to like it as anything more than background music. It's basically an electro-jam. High 6/10. Better than I remembered. Low 7/10.
Republic of Palau -- Kaleo -- Way Down We Go: I don't know why, but I've been growing to kind of hate this style of singing lately. Maybe just because it's trendy and I feel like it's an easy way to mask vocal shortcomings. Idk. It's a relatively minor complaint. I'm diggin' the vibe overall. Guitar and backing vocals are cool. Yeah I like this'n. 7/10. Gonna go with a low 7/10.
Spain -- Hot Chip -- Don't Deny Your Heart: Man this sounds like late Genesis or something. Which is pretty good for me, man. It's not really wowing me or anything, but I appreciate that they're making an effort to diversify the sound with well-placed instrumentation. This is OK. 6/10. Yeah, "OK" is a pretty accurate descriptor here. Mid 6/10.
"Half of the game is figuring out who the scum is. The other half is convincing everyone else that you're right." -- PlaysWithSquirrels, in Newbie 437
Burkina Faso - This got really pretty and catchy after that beginning part
Spain - Well, I kinda like synthy type songs sooo yeah
Seychelles - Freaky
Uruguay - I don't remember why I liked this but it seemed like a good idea at the time
Cote D’Ivoire - Cool parts in it, and parts I don't like as much
Iceland - I didn't like all of it, like a lot of the vocals, but the rest I did apparently
Republic of Palau - mysterious !
Hungary - I clicked on this at the beginning and was like what the heck is this and why, and somehow it ended up on my top 10. heh
Chad - neutral towards it
Finland - I probably wouldn't like this if it were in English
-------------
Central African Republic
USA
Sao Tome and Principe
Tuvalu
Russia
Bhutan
Republic of Kugelmugel
Philippines
Hungary - This is kinda terrible.
Spain - Groovy.
Republic of Palau - Reminds me of that guy who wants to go to church. It's nice enough.
Central African Republic - Flutes, cool! Pretty nice overall.
Cote d'Ivoire - It's fun.
Finland - Nana nananana no.
Uruguay - Not a fan of his voice, but I'm liking this.
Iceland - All was well until the screaming started...
Seychelles - It's ok.
Tuvalu - It's nice.
Russia - It's nicer.
Sao Tome and Principe - It's jazz. How many more 7+ minutes long songs are there in this contest?...
Latvia - Don't like the lyrical singing, but this is nicer than I expected.
USA - Nope.
Chad - Nope.
Republic of Kugelmugel -...Nope.
Philippines - Too generic and there's really nothing in it that I like.
Bhutan - This is interesting.
Didn't particularly like this contest. I'd like to think the missing entries would have made it better.
