Song Contest 117 (Results posted!)

[Parama]

This contest already looks dire but we'll see

[Creature]

Just looking at the artist pictures, this contest should be good.

[Parama]

There are two kinds of people in the world

[Creature]

???

[Shadoweh]

Damnit Jordan now -I- can't do this!

[Harambey180]

For Iran: Main link doesn't work because the video is removed. The alternative link is Spotify and that doesn't work for me either... I might end up voting Iran somewhere near the middle because just cuz I can't listen to the song doesn't mean I should give it 0 points.

[Plotinus]

You could google the lyrics and vote based on that?

[Harambey180]

The lyrics are not my style so I think even when I'm gonna listen it if I can find it on YouTube I won't put it in my votes.

[Parama]

Czech Republic – A lot of this makes me think of a late 00’s Timbaland/Justin Timberlake song. Though the sing-rap is more like Ed Sheeran’s Don’t. Which is like one of the few songs of his I like. Dunno, this is sort of generic in a sense but at the same time it’s got a good groove and it’s pretty fun. I’m fine with it. (DECENT)

USA – Dunno, this just seems like… some pop-punk song. And that’s it. An okay one with a kinda sticky main riff during the chorus but that’s really all that stands out here at all, it’s just… fine. (AVERAGE)

Ecuador – Man you wouldn’t believe how uninterested in new APC and Tool I am nowadays. I didn’t even really like The Thirteenth Step that much. This just has no personality whatsoever though. Like it’s fine enough? I like the melodies on the chorus & the instrumentation is a lot more interesting than, well, the song I listened to just before this. But it sounds like friggin’ Viva La Vida with more guitar, that’s basically what it is. Again, fine enough but not giving a strong reason why the band should be revived after 15 years. (DECENT)

Burkina Faso – That’s a password, not an artist name, what the heck. Not even long enough to be a secure password either. This is both rap and very angry music and neither of those appeal to me much at all & the folk instrumentation isn’t particularly my thing either. Uhh yeah, not a single thing about this I like, honestly. (BAD)

Djibouti – Wasn’t really expecting to hear a folk ballad from a Queen song but, there it is alright. It’s… fine enough, I really don’t have anything else to say on it. Pleasant, sure, but not really striking in any way. (AVERAGE)

Italy – I sat through the entire thing for some reason but I really have no interest in this whatsoever. (BAD)

Slovenia – Ahh, Xandria, one of the many b-list nightwish clones. To be fair I actually dig a lot of the guitar work here, that chuggy riff is pretty punchy and the hooks on the guitar lines are pretty cool too. Vocalist is eehh, she sounds good enough tonally but really dry, not very emotive. Surprised at how low the strings are in the mix though, it feels a bit too low really. I can critique this all I want but at the end of the day this is still pretty solid enough, it at least has some flavor to it. I’m alright with it. (DECENT)

Iran – Honestly I’m tempted to just skip this outright as I am not the slightest bit interested in Kendrick but sure let’s go. Yeah no clue what’s going on here, it sounds like a mishmash of samples for the first 45 secs. Which was kinda interesting but that gives away to a less interesting beat with the samples just… there. And Kendrick is talented as a rapper, sure, but like I’ve said a hundred times in the past rap doesn’t do much for me. So ehh. It’s the best of the three rap songs so far but still not something I’m particularly interested in. (MEDIOCRE)

Chad – God, I hate this album cover so much. Rammstein’s vocal style is also one that’s never really appealed to me and their style is reeeeally damn basic too. Heavy, chuggy riff making up the core of the song. Low-pitch vocal style. The chorus of this is at least solid though I guess. The song basically doesn’t develop beyond either of those two moods though. Again it’s not bad or anything but it just evokes no interest from me. (AVERAGE)

[Parama]

Jordan – Haha yugioh? Okay. This is… sure is a song. I dunno. I guess it’s fine enough but it’s definitely a J-rock song, yep. (AVERAGE)

Seychelles – Okay, I vastly prefer Queen’s take at a folkier tune than this. I never like this style of vocal & the rest of the song doesn’t convince me I should, doesn’t really sound particularly unique either and it’s a live performance so there’s just all sorts of things about this I’m not interested in. It doesn’t sound like complete garbage but it’s not very good or interesting. (MEDIOCRE)

Latvia – Yup, that sure is some anime. I have literally nothing else to say. I feel like I’ve heard this exact song before a dozen times and it’s already a style I’m not interested in. (MEDIOCRE)

Hungary – Oh god another one. This is the best of them though. There’s like, some actual intensity and level of dynamic to this. The music is still functional and nothing more & I’m not hugely into the singer’s voice, but this actually evokes some degree of emotion so that’s like, something. (DECENT)

Brazil – Oh god don’t let this be another o- it is. Jesus christ people. Find something interesting to listen to for christ’s sake. Yeah this one’s generic too. Pleasant enough, I guess, but very much lacking in flavor. It feels kinda like a folk ballad version of Pompeii by Bastille. I’d rather just listen to that song, I like that song. (AVERAGE)

Iceland – Just my favorite song from my favorite game of the year so far. Excellent game, excellent tune. Enough said.

China – I feel like this entire contest has been custom curated to be my own personal hell. Not a fan of the sing-rap in the verses, the chorus is weak, the synth tone is obnoxious, and despite all this it manages to sound not the slightest bit unique. (BAD)

Lebanon – This has solid groove to it and pretty slick sounding production work. And compared to basically everything else in this contest it’s just leagues more enjoyable. Really all that I need to say at this point. (DECENT)

Central African Republic – I feel like Davsto ran out of the really good classic rock songs a while back and aside from the occasional cool track most of these recent ones have just been. Existing. Inconsequential. This is sugary and flat in all the ways I’d expect it to be and doesn’t challenge me as a listener in any way nor does it evoke any sort of emotion. It’s the most perfectly bland song I’ve heard in a while. (AVERAGE)

Greece – The only thing I know about this band is that a youtube review I follow has given this album his lowest rating ever. The lyrics, looking into them, are cringeworthy as heck but honestly the rest of this is fine? It’s pleasant enough, they’re not great singers but I’ve heard worse. I dunno. I was expecting something a lot worse and what I got is just… okay. Passable, even. It’s certainly more interesting than half this contest was. (DECENT)

honestly i'm not gonna enter any more contests, this is an obligation that's long felt tired and like a waste of my time and the absolute blandness of the last few contests isn't convincing me otherwise

[toolenduso]

For Iran: Main link doesn't work because the video is removed. The alternative link is Spotify and that doesn't work for me either... I might end up voting Iran somewhere near the middle because just cuz I can't listen to the song doesn't mean I should give it 0 points.

Did it say the video was removed or just that it wasn't available? Because it still works on my end, so if it's saying that it was removed then something very weird is going on...

That said, what country are you in? The song is in a few vids on YT and I just went with the one that had the fewest country restrictions, but it's possible there might be another one out there that would work for you.

[Parama]

That kind of vid only works in the US I believe, those - Topic vids are always a bad choice for sending bcuz of that

[toolenduso]

Unfortunately there wasn't much of a choice for this one. The only videos I could find on YT for the song were all topic ones, and this one in particular was not restricted in several european countries (other versions were restricted in those same countries).

[Tammy]

honestly i'm not gonna enter any more contests, this is an obligation that's long felt tired and like a waste of my time and the absolute blandness of the last few contests isn't convincing me otherwise

Nooooooooo

Your reviews are the absolute highlight of the song contest and you can't leave!

[Parama]

I already said several contests ago y'all were boring me to death with these and it hasn't gotten any better, I'm plenty competent at finding music I like by myself anyways & mostly only enter these to share music now but it ain't worth the effort

[Tammy]

I know you did. Doesn't change the fact that your reviews are the highlight and I'll miss them!

[Tammy]

You also share good music I like sometimes.

[Parama]

I got a YouTube playlist in my sig, haven't updated it in a while tho
Maybe should make a spotify one instead dunno

[toolenduso]

Man, I do not understand why so many people like Rammstein.

[Parama]

Incredibly same

[toolenduso]

All right, Jurgen and I have both run some numbers from past contests to see if shorter deadlines change behavior, and it was pretty much inconclusive. That is, either it has no effect, has very little effect or it's not discernible.

So for the next contest, SC118, we're going to have a one-week entry deadline.

We're doing this, basically, on a trial basis, and we'll continue looking at the data to see if any trends emerge. But we also want to hear your feedback, so over the next couple contests let us know how you feel (or don't feel) about the shorter entry deadlines.

[Aristophanes]

This is going to be my last contest. I thought about just letting this lapse but it's unfair to everyone else who submitted as well as to my song. So here we go.

USA - Fun song, I rather like it. A little more rock than I would normally go for but not in a bad way.
Vocals have some good emotion.

Jordan - Oh my god, I have not seen/heard anything Yu-Gi-Oh related in years!
I wish I were more wow'd by it. Pretty bland as anime songs go. Honestly sounds more like an ending song than an opening song.

Iceland - This piece has me intrigued right from the start! Mysterious and compelling.

Iran - Gotta use the alt link.
Wait, what is this?? I'm confused by the first 40 seconds, and am not really into the straight rap of the rest of it.
Yeah, I' sure some people like this, but not at all what I'm into.
Oh god, the more I listen the worse it gets!

Burkina Faso - I once again have no fucking clue what this is supposed to be!
But damn was that amusing! XD
It's getting great marks for intrigue and absurdity, that's for sure!

Hungary - I like this right off the bat!
I like this retelling of the story in a folk song! Awesome stuff!
It makes me think of an emotional ballad from a musical, and that's right up my alley!
It has the emotion of the end of Paradise by the Dashboard Light actually. I'm also probably the only person to ever make this comparison...

Italy - This guy actually is so fucking pleased with himself it makes me like him!
Like, I am not into the hard rap of earlier, but this has a good background, perplexing yet intriguing lyrics, and a fun video. It's going to rank a lot higher than I would have expected.
"Gurl I'm the barbecue sauce with the slaw" is probably one of the best rap lines I've heard lol
The two guest rappers detracted from it honestly, but the dancer and the chorus made up for it!

Seychelles - I mean, it's like if Mumford and Sons was told to ditch the sons...
It feels like they need more harmonizing and a dualing banjo line to make it good.
As is, subpar.
Oh lol, Mumford as Chamber Music is basically what I'm saying. I like it in theory but apparently not in practice.

Lebanon - Oh My God.
This is amazing!
The narrative in the video about the struggles of addiction, the bond that comes form helping people through it, the sacrifice made to help those in need. The continued fight even as it all seems so grim. Literally the best narrative I've seen in this contest and in any music video in a while! Just wow.
In every contest there is a song that sticks out as the obvious winner. This is it this time!

Ecuador - This is not at all what I expected when I saw the title! I was expecting very Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy stuff.
But I like this a lot! I would listen to this. It's very Bastille meets folk-lite. Right up my alley.

Slovenia - Very Metallica inspired with the vocals of Japanime at times. I like the mix more than I expected actually. Well chosen!
Honestly a better anime opening some than the Yu-Gi-Oh one.
I almost wanted to say Evanescence-esque but I don't think that's quite right. It has that SymphRock feel though!

Brazil - This is not the song I thought it was! I was thinking Philip Phillips tbh.
I like the driving beat and the Celtic Folk feel of it though! I love the style they employ!
I would probably go see this live tbh.

Czech - Trumpets, suspenders, and old cars. I am immediately won over!
Oh. When they went to colour the car was replaced by a hispter girl in a bathtub...
It's a goddamned good thing the trumpet continued or they'd have lost me!
And lol that camel!
I like this a lot actually This tune is a lot of fun!

Djibouti - I entered this, I don;t expect top results, but probably upper half judging by what I've heard.
Personally I love this song, With Kind of Magic, Hammer to Fall, and I Want to Break Free it is among the best of Queen IMO!

China - I mean, some fun in this song, and I listened to the whole song without caring it was on...but that's part of the problem. It became too background for it to scire well. I liked it, but it blended too well into nothingness,

Latvia - More Animu!
This is exactly what I want from an anime song though! It's nice, has feeling, has expression, I can picture the great graphics that go with it, the epicness and cute moments of the characters without any knowledge of the source material. This is what I want in an anime intro!

Greece - Ooooo this is nice yo! I really like this a lot!
Once again, the story gets me, and the sound is great! Nicely done all around.
It's kinda F.U.N.esque and I like that of it!

Central African Republic - Before clicking this, I am excited by ELO!
And they aren't disappointing! This is very 70s. Fun stuff! I like the harmonic backup inserts! It;s a fun song and not something I expect nowadays. Good throwback shit!7Oh, it's 1977, well I should expect this then! Did not disappoint though!

Chad - Uggh this shit.
I am giving it a chance, but not my things.
I am giving it the "Du hast micht" chance and it is alright by that regards. I will never appreciate this band as it should be, but they aren't bad honestly.
Hinestly not a bad song!


I might actually enter one more, I have a song I really want to see entered.
But maybe not Iunno.

Also I am excited to compare these with Parama's readings as I bet they differ by extremes!

[Aristophanes]

I apparently can't access the form atm so I guess I;ll do this tomorrow.

Oh well.

[Harambey180]

Aristophanes: Says good things about all entered songs
Parama: Doesn't say good things about almost all entered songs

[Parama]

congrats you've figured out why i don't have the drive to participate in any more of these