Board 8 > The Board 8 Song of the Week Club - Week 3

(+) Yeah! (+)

to be clear the only person i'm interested in attacking is tera

and mycro

and shad

and bane, cokes, mcflubbin, snake, seg, VI and brohan

hm

but that's almost entirely the full list of people i'd like to attack
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^_^
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He said almost.

You just weren't important enough to remember.
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Nomeansno - Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed
Whoa, Daddy-o. Throw some snaps and bongos in there and the gen-x beatnik poetry comes alive, no jive *snap*. I enjoyed this more than most punk I've heard, the minimal approach has its appeal and the vocalist makes it fun though it's a bit dry for seven minutes. I liked the slow parts best.

Creeper - Misery
Can't do it bro, I'm allergic to this emo vibe. It's too clean, straightforward, melodramatic. There's no spirit of exploration, no unpredictability. It doesn't offend the ears but it does nothing that interests me.

Josh Cottam - A New Family Robot
Well that was scattershot. Total 180 from the last song, it feels like saxbot is trying to reprogram my brain. I can't retain half of it but I will note that the bit at 3:30 is really nice, I like to think that's the moment the kid bit into his bomb robot pizza.

Chon - Checkpoint
Woof, that's gorgeous. Yuuge energy in the instrumentals and the progression never got stale. The bass at 1:29 is worth a stank face. I'm gonna have to check out their album because I could listen to this type of thing all day!

Hippo Campus - Buttercup
Strong beat and great buildup, I loved how they leaned into more tense chords toward the end. Very catchy and dynamic with a full sound.

Jem - 24
Interesting setup, the drums n' strings loop to me suggest hip-hop but then she comes in with that distorted guitar and gives it a Cranberries kind of sound. Her voice is appealing and the tune ends up being more than the sum of its parts, though I do wish the strings has something different to do after a while. Quality alt-rock feels.

The Strike - Atom Bomb
I'm a sucker for brass and fun. Kinda hate the guy's voice but the positive energy in the tune had me won over before he opened his mouth and his showmanship in the hype video made up for it anyway. Basically this is 95% up my alley, righteous pick bro.

Waxahatchee - Sparks Fly
The blurry low-end production gets a nice rich sound of this. I really like how her voice is treated, not an overbearing effect but there's a peculiar aura to it. The song itself is fairly standard but it grows on you as its texture slowly unfolds.

Shania Twain - Life's About to Get Good
Oh SHIT, Shania Twain is on the market and she's a real life Disney princess and she's no longer making country music? I'm smitten. The track feels a little too factory-made to engage me but the video is cute. I wonder if her voice just isn't what it used to because it sounded pretty autotuned and she wasn't flexing it much. But I've never listened to old Shania Twain so I wouldn't know the difference.

I am just now realizing that Jem's 24 was not a hit single that everyone has heard. My sister played the hell out of this track in the mid 2000s and I just assumed it was hugely popular this entire time. I still know every word despite not having heard it in at least 10 years.
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Soen - Purpose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqvBX3EQQwQ
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Alex Cameron - Candy May

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0kRgAEjJ9A

digiiiiiiiii posted...

Jem - 24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVMU6h8PP2U
https://open.spotify.com/track/48d62MvdaC4lTjI0x4U4ij

Loved the instrumental work and vocals, really driven track.

Seginustemple posted...

Esperanza Spalding - One

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGqmoWH-t1c
https://open.spotify.com/track/0YskOa9EvglK9wLQvtHtXD

Glad y'all enjoyed the Organ Freeman, they put out a new record earlier this month if anyone's interested. You can find it on their soundcloud

Well done performance but not very memorable.

Shaduln posted...

The Strike - Atom Bomb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui-_IUylvoA
https://open.spotify.com/track/6v3Z306LbfKb6tkO2hr5xw

This was really jammin'! Just nice and upbeat for the right occasion.

CherryCokes posted...

Waxahatchee - Sparks Fly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2coFgZ1qpmI

Good vocals, boring instrumentals.

Terastodon posted...

So Shania Twain's new album came out literally today. However, it's really mediocre so don't bother if you're not a big fan. Have the lead single anyway.

:/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we-VfNnbzzY

Really amazing pop rock, I'm in love with the lyrical content here and the perfect dynamics between vocals and instrumental.

Steiner posted...

Soen - Purpose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqvBX3EQQwQ

Thought I was listening to Tool there for a second, but not as special. Still enjoyed it but the instrumentals could've been a lot better.

MysticBrohan posted...

Alex Cameron - Candy May

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0kRgAEjJ9A

This performance immediately grabbed me, so forceful and attention-getting.
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Steiner posted...

Soen - Purpose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqvBX3EQQwQ

i've commented before that i prefer it when bands that play this kind of music have a keyboard player - without keyboards i just feel like there's just something missing. good song, though.

MysticBrohan posted...

Alex Cameron - Candy May

listened to this on spotify because the YT video didn't work for me. as i mentioned before, i'm a massive synthpop fan. so i appreciate the effort this guy put into emulating stereotypical '80s synthpop, down to the usage of the saxophone. the song itself isn't THAT great but i still enjoyed this a lot.
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A New Family Robot

Checkpoint
Buttercup
Atom Bomb
Candy May
Purpose
One
Sparks Fly
24
Life's About to Get Good
Misery
Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed

best week so far! i thought the top 4 songs were all great, and the bottom 3 songs were the only ones i outright disliked. a new family robot is my favorite song in the entire topic series so far.
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Gonna be late with my review
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So is everyone else I guess
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I'm always gonna be late with mine because I work weekends
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yeah i haven't listened to anything yet

I'm waiting on the spotify playlist.
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https://open.spotify.com/user/steinershocker/playlist/5BlXJHKIkUVQkunz8xK9lh
not on Spotify:

NoMeansNo - Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YJmuPSLrbk

Josh Cottam - A New Family Robot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj_wbPpcbS0
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i'm out

this feels too much like work for me to care
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snake: NoMeansNo - Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed
this had moments but generally just kind of... made me uncomfortable.

bane: Creeper - Misery
i liked this from the start and by the last chorus i was super into it

mycro: Josh Cottam - A New Family Robot
this was certainly zappa-esque in the ways that i find zappa hard to really enjoy despite appreciating what it is. certainly never boring!

veryinsane: Chon - Checkpoint
i love this, this is some of my favourite stuff to chill out to, nice relaxed guitars with some cool stuff still going on

flubbin: Hippo Campus - buttercup
i really liked the voice but i kinda just forgot i was listening to it part way through, nothing memorable to me

digi: Jem - 24
christ i love everything about this. the instruments, the vocals, this is just shit i like.

seg: Esperanza Spalding - One
this had some real cool musical parts but i disliked the singing quite a lot

shad: The Strike - Atom Bomb
this was a lot of fun!

cokes: Waxahatchee - Sparks Fly
this is nice but i wish it had another gear. it's very much the same kind of all the way through.

tera: Shania Twain - life's about to get good
i remember nothing about this 30 seconds after listening to it

brohan: Alex Cameron - Candy May
i wasn't into this at the beginning but it grew on me by the end

24 > atom bomb > checkpoint
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dang we lost someone in week 3?

that said, time constraints and late reviews and everything considered, i'm totally loving this and want to keep going
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I'm sure everyone else is sticking with it, cokes just has the unfortunate timing of being in a literal other country for a bit to deal with. So I get that.

I'll get to listening very soon now that I'm home
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Yeah, like I might not get full reviews in every week, but my goal is to at least vote each week.

Which I failed week 1.
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I've been trying to contribute more and do more reviews, but I've been super busy lately. I can still vote though:

Checkpoint

Honestly, this is probably the weakest week so far. Most songs were pretty average. One is the only other song I'd consider voting for.
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My vote: Life's About to Get Good
Candy May
Purpose
Misery
24
Buttercup
Atom Bomb
Checkpoint
Sparks Fly
One
A New Family Robot

Honestly wasn't too impressed with this week's selection overall but I liked a few.
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Yeah, a lot of my reviews would be "This is music. It's... ok," which I see no reason to post 8+ times a week.
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Soen - Purpose
Dang that dude sounds just like Maynard and I'm always down for Tool's aesthetic but I feel like this is missing some element in the songwriting that makes Tool so special. It's a good sound but it ultimately it makes me want to listen to something from Lateralus and not more from Soen.

Alex Cameron - Candy May
I tell you Leonard Cohen did not die, he lives on in Alex Cameron! Super standard tune but there's enough passion to the performance and the singer's huskywhisper vocal works really well here. I wish it had more of a climax because the buildup is so gradual but I guess the slow burn angle works too.

Checkpoint - Buttercup - Atom Bomb - Sparks Fly - Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed - Candy May - 24 - Purpose - A New Family Robot - Life's About to Get Good - Misery

And just now one of my brothers friends walked in and started playing "For the Damaged Coda" on my piano, which of course I recognized immediately thanks to Digi's recommendation. These topics are already paying off

Steiner noooooooooo I like the original Misery version on the album more, not the single version

I guess it doesn't make much of a difference but I'm still kind of surprised you chose a single version instead of from the album
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Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed- I don't mind songs that challenge the listener and experiment but I couldn't really get into it too much. I also like when songs do that start,stop sort of thing but only briefly and this had it filled with it so it was a bit off-putting. I did like the vocal delivery in sections though.

Checkpoint- I have no idea why but I'm annoyed by its....upbeat quirkiness? I dunno, I realize that's a really fuckin weird and dumb critique. Instrumentally fun and impressive though.

A New Family Robot- it's kind of so ridiculous and over the top I can't help but admire it even if I would never actually listen to it on my own. It actually tells a story of sorts in all its bullshit which is nifty.

Buttercup- I like the verses more than the chorus. Like wow the verses are way more interesting than the chorus.

24- string instrumentals are really really cool. Song seems like it might fit at the end of a stylish thriller movie. Very cool. Wish there was a BIT more variety maybe but still very very nice.

One- great voice, chorus is catchier than I thought it would be. Bridge has interesting part in it.

Atom Bomb- feel like it would fit pretty nicely in the theater. Quite fun.

Sparks Fly- I'm not sure how I feel about the production choices. It technically fits with the song but eh, kinda makes the song as a whole blend together more and not stick out. The melody isn't too shabby.

Life's About To Get Good- not liking how much of her voice is covered in effects. Especially in the verses. Chorus is acceptable.

Purpose- oh yea this definitely screams "hey remember when Tool was a thing". It's very surface layer comparatively but it's cool. I can dig it.

Candy May- it reminds me of a lot of other songs I can't think of right now. It's fine. Doesn't really change much.

24 > One > Atom Bomb > Purpose > A New Family Robot > Checkpoint > Candy May > Buttercup > Sparks Fly > Life's About To Get Good > Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed
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for the record, based on how much i was able to tolerate them before stopping

1. Esperanza Spaulding
2. Hippo Campus
3. Jem
4. Chon
5. Alex Cameron
6. The Strike
7. Soen
8. Shania Twain
9. Creeper
10. Josh Cottam
11. NoMeansNo

the fact that I couldn't finish any of these is the brunt of why I'm out. having enjoyed almost no songs in the two weeks I was here for, there's not any real compelling reason to continue to subject myself to things I'm probably not going to enjoy, especially when the likelihood of some of you guys picking something I like is much closer to 0% than I assumed it might be (this isn't meant to be an insult, it's just a fact that I hadn't considered before today). I felt like I at least owed a ranking, though. May whoever replaces me find more enjoyment in this than I did.
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Bleh, rankings

24 > Sparks Fly > One > Buttercup > Candy Man> Misery > Purpose > Atom Bomb > A New Family Robot > Life's About To Get Good > Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed

Too tired to do a cool write up so here you go. I found them tolerable from top to bottom though I only found the first two particularly interesting and in my "Check them out" list

(Although I did listen to the Creeper album beforehand though I don't actually like Misery there)
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Wish I had stronger thoughts on some of these so I could actually do reviews, but I really don't.

Vote goes to Checkpoint this week.
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I'm going 24 here, in a generally weak week.
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[4] 24 - steiner, bane, veryinsane, tera
[4] checkpoint - mcflubbin, seginus, mycro, nbiceman
[1] life's about to get good - snake
[1] one - cokes
[1] a new family robot - lasa

anyone wanna break that tie

go checkpoint
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damn
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24

tbh not super into anything this week but between the 2 ill take 24

good choice
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Jokes on you Bane you could have made me the Vivi of this thing
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fuck
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