Slovenia // Soju - RedHook ft. Sly Withers
Not my genre, although I'm never going to say no to a sax break. Felt like it leant too heavily on the swearing.
Lithuania // Bocanegra - Sonido Gallo Negro
Broadly thought this was alright, particularly enjoying the percussion, but found the high hook line a bit raspy and scraping against my ears. Comfortably too long for how repetitive it was, too.
Gibraltar // Raven - Kelela
I like a slow build, although I wanted this one to be a little bit less droney than it was. Feels like it suffers for transitioning directly into the next track on the album because it left this track feeling like a bit of an orphan - it still seemed unresolved to me, like we were missing the second half of the song rather than a separate track. I liked the greater ambition of this track compared to the first two, though.
USA // Idol - Yoasobi
Percussion, you're at a 10, and I need you to be at like a 4. Everything here's just a bit busy and exhausting.
Peru // Desire Lines - Deerhunter
I liked this a lot. Lovely gaze-out-of-the-car-window guitars, lyrical themes of possibility and the roads not taken which I always enjoy, solid vocals and it definitely earned that long, hazy outro. Shocked if I don't listen to this again.
Wales // Come On Mess Me Up - Cub Sport
I wasn't sure after the first 20 seconds or so but I really warmed up to it as it went along. I was worried that it might end up going super sad-sack for the chorus but I really liked the balance of emotions that it ended up striking - particularly that clear-eyed determination. Very affecting.
Chile // Hollywood - Cigarbox Man
Not sure that the voice completely worked for me but I quite liked that the instrumentation felt a bit wriggly and hard to pin down (outside of the "light it up" refrain which went on way too long doing not much of anything). Structurally a bit disjointed in an interesting way but I don't think that the result ever lived up to the chutzpah that went into it all.
Ireland // Heal - Tom Odell
I'm not normally a huge piano-ballad person but I thought this was pretty good. The sparseness of the lyrics was well supported by the emotionally drained delivery.
Israel // Lon La-bul - Joulez
I really wish that the bass thumping was turned down, like, a full 50% because it would have ended up with a song that I'd have enjoyed quite a lot. As it was, it just got way too overbearing for me, trampling over the rest of the song.
Yemen // Pirate Blues - As Cities Burn
It was really difficult to pin down what was going on in the lyrics here; seemed like it might be a mix of the genuinely interesting and the complete nonsense? Quite liked what was going on instrumentally, though; the drums were particularly cool!
Denmark // Dust in the Wind - Kansas
I liked this alright. When the gentle bongo came in towards the end, that really highlighted to me that I'd wanted something more than just the acoustic guitar.
eSwatini // Ready Now - Dodie
I really liked the gentle backing vocals but really bristled at the clipped, ASMR-y delivery of the leads.
Oz // Bible Black - Hortus Animae
A world of no.
Mali // Angel of Death - Manchester Orchestra
(my entry!)
I'm late to discovering Manchester Orchestra but they were my favourite artist introduced to me in 2022. 2017's spectacular A Black Mile to the Surface is my favourite album of theirs but this record, The Million Masks of God, runs it pretty close, and I felt like entering something from it.
Andy Hull's voice is one that I find incredibly emotive, and he's a fascinating lyricist, but this song is all in the guitars and the drums for me. That intro is such a thrill, the moment of pause before the drums crash back in for "sleeping with the angel of death", and then the build up for the bridge is absolutely electric. Woof.
Half meme, Half real, All Aristophanes ;)- JingleAri has appeared way too competent for me to even pretend to know what they're thinking
