LogFAQs > #971974721

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

interesting how you also go against the consensus opinion that zappa played his best guitar solos in the late '70s (based on the two examples i gave you, at least). in this era, he played in a more straightforward rock style, which i guess a lot of people liked the best. but like i said, i prefer his more "out there" solos from the early '80s, like the one in truck driver divorce.

My tastes do seem to be growing almost distressingly mainstream & boring these days, so preferring a straightforward style does sound about right at the moment.

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Four more songs; two mystery songs & two vtuber songs:

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Frank Zappa - Duprees Paradise (Live From Edinboro, PA - May 8, 1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLlsWpxvmgc

Estimated Score: 53.29

My first thought is that the live performance doesn't sound as clean as the nominated version did? I don't know if that makes sense, but there's this sort of dirt and grit feel to the instruments here which is different. It's not bad, but for a 22 minute long song, I'm not finding any parts of it that I'm drawn to either. When you compare it to something like Suite Photoconductivity, another 20+ minute instrumental, I just don't feel as inclined to analyze all the different sections on this track. It's fine, but I'd say it's a few points behind the officially ranked version.

Still, it is nice to try one of the many other versions of the songs, so I'm glad it's here. I also enjoy the end where he addresses the crowd--something fun about the way he grudgingly consents to playing old songs for them.

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Lacrimosa - Alleine zu zweit:
https://youtu.be/D_Jh6upswd0

Estimated Score: 70.22

Ooh, I really like this one. His deep voice in the slow-paced intro gives that section an almost funeral-like quality as the relationship is already dead; but once the female singer joins in things really start to pick up, building to a frantic level of desperation that is intoxicating. Definitely something I really like and would look forward to hearing again... it feels like it might be one of those songs that keeps avoiding elimination because I can easily see this getting a lot of "[Later: I don't know that I want to move this up a tier, but the pure rush of emotion towards the end of the song... I do kinda love that part... ehhhh, moving this to the Void for a bit while I think about it]" type bonuses.

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Natori Sana - Amakamisama:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uvosnOrKoc

Estimated Score: 57.39

It's fairly nice and the video is rather cute, but it never quite resonates. The lyrics are kinda nice, but missing something... I suppose there is one auto-translated line that I rather like:

but i want to see you again
'Cause I want to bite you a little

But I wouldn't say I like it enough to start throwing out a bunch of extra points. Likewise, there's a line about things being like professional wrestling, which is... nice. Everything about the song feels nice, so I kinda like it.

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Natori Sana - Mondainai Tripper:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5HQFrSk4OA

Estimated Score: 55.00

It's been a while since a song's lyrics have broken the auto-translator this badly.

If you smartly sound the whistle (alert), you'll be hired
Oh, my physical strength (battery) is not enough!?
Well then, today is Kyou, yes Oyasumi!
[...]
Hula France!? From an artistic point of view, bandages are also art!
[...]
It looks like it's going to be a big bang with a big alligator!?

...'Kay. I also don't really understand the music video either; most images whiz by so quickly that I never process anything that's happening; there's a (digital?) nurse traveling the world and going on weird adventures (like running hand-in-hand with a mummy?) & doing a lot of running and/or falling over, while some sick girl watches the adventures -but- also watches herself watching herself watching herself watching herself? It's all very busy and not particularly clear.

The intro before she starts singing is fairly nice. It's all computerized beeps & boops that I somewhat enjoy. There's also a very brief section starting shortly after the two minute mark which is very swirly, invoking images of spirals & and 16-bit games & dreamscapes in a very trippy way that I quite like. The main parts of the song are a bit too busy, like the video. It's not *exactly* a musical journey, but it feels disjointed... like it wants to showcase a feeling of traveling the world so it has a variety of sections, but each section is only like ten seconds long?

I don't know. I suppose it's baffling enough enough that I kinda like it, so I'd start it off at The Wall & then decide if I wanted to move it anywhere.

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