Board 8 > Rank the Tracks 107: In Flames - Colony (+ Caroline Polachek results)

(+) Yeah! (+)

poll for Giggsalot's week:
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Exodus
vs.
Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come
vs.
Toots and the Maytals - Funky Kingston

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_2
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_3

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, March 26 at 4:00 PM Central Time; the future week poll will close earlier, when I am putting up the next topic
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle (a new user will be added to the end of the current cycle as long as there are four weeks remaining) - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).
7c. I have added a tiered vote structure - the least popular album will be removed and its backup votes distributed to the other two entrants.
8. Starting with the next cycle, every four weeks will be a competitive week where those listed choose a single album to face off against others.
9. Skits and tracks under 40 seconds will be excluded from the rankings unless argued otherwise

In Flames - Colony track list:
1. Embody the Invisible
2. Ordinary Story
3. Scorn
4. Colony
5. Zombie Inc.
6. Pallar Anders Visa
7. Coerced Coexistence
8. Resin
9. Behind Space '99
10. Insipid 2000
11. The New Word
12. Man Made God

Current cycle:
3/26: Johnbobb's bonus (Pearl Jam - Ten)
4/2: Giggsalot
4/9: RyoCaliente (The Smiths - The Queen is Dead)
4/16: darkx
4/23: Snake5555555555/Raetsel_Lapin/Seanchan
4/30: neonreaper
5/7: Great_Paul
5/14: jcgamer107
5/21: Giggsalot/MetalmindStats/rwlh
5/28: ChichiriMuyo
6/4: BlueCrystalTear
6/11: rwlh
6/18: NFUN
6/25: HBJDubs/firefdr/NFUN
7/2: StifledSilence

Future cycle:
7/9: MetalmindStats
7/16: HBJDubs
7/23: Raetsel_Lapin
7/30: competitive week
8/6: Steiner
8/13: Snake5555555555
8/20: Jesse_Custer
8/27: competitive week
9/3: ZaziGuado
9/10: firefdr
9/17: Johnbobb
9/24: competitive week
10/1: VeryInsane
10/8: FoolFantastic
10/15: Seanchan

Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come > Bob Marley and the Wailers - Exodus > Toots and the Maytals - Funky Kingston

Giggsalot's comment on the choices:
Even after 100+ entries, there are loads of types of music that we've never covered at all. My plan is to use my slots in the topic to try to fix that, and get some fun variety up in here. This week's genre: reggae! These are all incredibly accessible starting points for anyone that doesn't know the style well - Marley is obviously iconic, The Harder They Come is a great overview of the reggae sound of the early 1970s, and Toots is just as joyous and soulful as reggae gets. Any would be great choices for this thread!

bump

In Flames week! I'm thinking it's unlikely we cover them again, so I'll try to do some bumps with some of my favorites non-Colony songs.

First up, December Flower, from The Jester Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHas_OStwCY

This was probably one of the first songs that got me into In Flames. Practically incomprehensible vocals, but that solo just hooked me.

Caroline Polachek - Desire I Want to Turn Into You results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
Seanchan (22)
FoolFantastic (30)
Johnbobb (32)
Peace__Frog (34)
HBJDubs (40)
Raetsel_Lapin (42)

General Album Comments

Seanchan: I feel like my expectations for this album were a little off. This is a more mellow, slower album that I was expecting. Which isn't necessarily my cup of tea but we'll see what happens with a few more listens.

changmas: oh hell yeah finally another album from an artist i love

Peace__Frog: I adore polachek and every time I've listened to this album has been from start to end without really paying attention to the specific songs. I'll have to think on this.

Seanchan: A middle of the road album for me. There's stuff that I liked here but nothing I loved. I found the last few songs in my ranking to be kind of boring. Feels like an album though that I might enjoy more the more I listen.

HBJDubs: Pretty much spent back and forth the whole album questioning whether I like the vocals or not, and that includes flip-flopping my thoughts midsong, for pretty much every song. As Seanchan said, "middle of the road" seems like a perfect descriptor for this album.

track ranking

12. Butterfly Net (Track #10)
Score: 25 (Average Rank: 9/12)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#12)

11. Hopedrunk Everasking (Track #9)
Score: 28 (Average Rank: 8.5/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan, Peace__Frog (#12)

10. Crude Drawing of an Angel (Track #5)
Score: 29 (Average Rank: 8.83/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic (#12)

9. Pretty in Possible (Track #2)
Score: 37 (Average Rank: 6.83/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan, FoolFantastic, HBJDubs (#8)

8. Blood and Butter (Track #8)
Score: 40 (Average Rank: 6.5/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#12)

7. Smoke (Track #11)
Score: 43 (Average Rank: 6.17/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Peace__Frog (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Seanchan (#9)

6. Billions (Track #12)
Score: 44 (Average Rank: 6.33/12)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#11)

5. Bunny is a Rider (Track #3)
Score: 44 (Average Rank: 6/12)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#10)

4. Fly to You (Track #7)
Score: 48 (Average Rank: 5.67/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, HBJDubs (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Peace__Frog (#11)

3. I Believe (Track #6)
Score: 51 (Average Rank: 5.17/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#10)

2. Sunset (Track #4)
Score: 53 (Average Rank: 5.67/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan, Peace__Frog (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#12)

1. Welcome to My Island (Track #1)
Score: 68 (Average Rank: 3.33/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Peace__Frog (#7)

Those were...unexpected results. Every other music circle I spend time in treats "Bunny is a Rider" and especially "Billions" as two of the greatest pop songs ever written, and here they're treated as middle of the road on their own album. I feel like I heard a completely different album.

someone remind me to do this tomorrow night because I did listen but wont have time this weekend like at all

FoolFantastic posted...

Those were...unexpected results. Every other music circle I spend time in treats "Bunny is a Rider" and especially "Billions" as two of the greatest pop songs ever written, and here they're treated as middle of the road on their own album. I feel like I heard a completely different album.

Well we did only have 6 rankers, which is lower than our normal 8-10. But I think it also points to the differences between music people and non music people. Im sure your other circles are listening to albums many more times than the few listens our regulars are giving in a week. Certainly I know that many times the more subtle songs are lost on me when compared to the more immediate pop(ish) hits.

Sorry, been too busy this week to post!

Also, bump

Seanchan posted...

Well we did only have 6 rankers, which is lower than our normal 8-10. But I think it also points to the differences between music people and non music people. Im sure your other circles are listening to albums many more times than the few listens our regulars are giving in a week. Certainly I know that many times the more subtle songs are lost on me when compared to the more immediate pop(ish) hits.

I was never big on Bunny, but Billions seems to grow on me more with every listen.

I think it's interesting that b8 strongly disagreed about what songs were good, to the point where multiple songs were in one person's top 3 but another's bottom 3.

Ordinary Story
Colony
Man Made God
Zombie Inc.
Pallar Anders Visa
Resin
Embody the Invisible
Behind Space '99
Insipid 2000
Coerced Coexistence
The New Word
Scorn

Marley > Cliff > Toots

Man Made God
Colony
Zombie Inc.
Pallar Anders Visa
Coerced Coexistence
Insipid 2000
Ordinary Story
Behind Space '99
Resin
Embody The Invisible
The New Word
Scorn

In a genre that is extremely hit or miss with me, early In Flames is consistent with releasing solid albums, and Colony is no exception. There is one thing In Flames is really good at, and that is making fantastic instrumentals; Man Made God fits the bill here.

HBJDubs posted...

There is one thing In Flames is really good at, and that is making fantastic instrumentals; Man Made God fits the bill here.

Heck yes! THE reason I nominated Colony is because of Made Made God, which I rank among my very favorite songs. I love the way the song seems to tell a story.

This also gives me a chance to share Dialogue With the Stars, from Whoracle. It's another one of those great In Flames instrumentals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhH-R75LHSM

1: Ordinary Story
2: Colony
3: Pallar Anders Visa
4: Embody the Invisible
5: Insipid 2000
6: Coerced Coexistence
7: Behind Space '99
8: Resin
9: Zombie Inc.
10: Scorn
11: The New Word
12: Man Made God

Sorry, but this just isn't a style of metal that I find appealing.

1. Man Made God
2. Embody the Invisible
3. The New Word
4. Behind Space '99
5. Pallar Anders Visa
6. Scorn
7. Zombie Inc.
8. Ordinary Story
9. Colony
10. Coerced Coexistence
11. Resin
12. Insipid 2000

A fairly arbitrary ranking overall. I feel like I've gone through many phases of liking different parts of this album. It's solid overall, though what I always take from it, and In Flames in general, is just certain solos and instrumental bits. I'll have some of those stuck back in my head for weeks!

1. Pallar Anders Visa
2. Zombie Inc.
3. Man Made God
4. Ordinary Story
5. Embody the Invisible
6. Colony
7. Coerced Coexistence
8. Resin
9. Behind Space '99
10. Scorn
11. The New Word
12. Insipid 2000

The vocals are definitely not my thing on this album, but I really like the guitar work throughout this one, especially in the first 7 songs I listed above. Nice album overall.

Also, I'd like to be added to the user cycle for this. Thanks.

this is good In Flames but not the best In Flames. I'll probably not be able to rank but Ordinary Story rocks. Here's the best In Flames song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IOk2ptODtc

Yeah, Clayman (both song and album) is very good.