Board 8 > The Board 8 Song of the Week Club - Week 5 (Steiner is an utter failure)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Terastodon posted...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8twL7JbOVI

Awesome riffs and shredding, really well-composed and arranged.
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Steiner posted...

native construct - spark of the archon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfo4fFLKfdo

this was certainly never boring! very good song with great playing. maybe it's a bit overlong, though; i thought some of the sections were somewhat weak. if they had cut out some stuff i would have loved this even more.

MysticBrohan posted...

The Fratellis - Medusa in Chains

i listened to this on spotify because the YT video didn't work for me. i'd heard of the fratellis before but i'd never listened to them. i liked the melodies and the piano focused sound in this. a minor complaint is that i don't like the extremely simple, plodding drumming - i'm sure that was a deliberate choice but it didn't work for me. good song overall, though.
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Destiny Repeats Itself

Crystal Plains
Michael Praytor, Five Years Later
Annie
Monopoly
Spark of the Archon
Great Love
Medusa in Chains
Friend Like Me
Carousel
Treat Me Right
Harper Valley PTA

easily the best week so far imo! i loved all the songs in the top 6 and the only ones i disliked were the bottom 2.
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Mr Lasastryke posted...

this was certainly never boring! very good song with great playing. maybe it's a bit overlong, though; i thought some of the sections were somewhat weak. if they had cut out some stuff i would have loved this even more.

yeah i'm with you here. the opening riff makes me love the song every time but by the end i'm probably less hot on it
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Steiner posted...

native construct - spark of the archon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfo4fFLKfdo

Don't even know where to start with this. It was gorgeous throughout, a dazzling display of diverse instrumental prowess and storytelling. There was never a dull moment, always something new, fresh and interesting to look forward to and everything felt purposeful and not wasted.

MysticBrohan posted...

it was inevitable

The Fratellis - Medusa in Chains

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQH-kGItVqQ

Musically not the most interesting but Jon Fratelli delivers some nice vocals here.
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Spark of the Archon

Harper Valley PTA
Crystal Plains
Great Love
Michael Praytor, Five Years Later
Medusa in Chains
Friend Like Me
Carousel
Annie
Destiny Repeats Itself
Monopoly
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Treat Me Right- verses are stronger than the chorus, nothing iconic like some of her other stuff but solid regardless

Destiny Repeats Itself- was not expecting a song with actual normal vocals. Some parts would start and I wouldn't be sure about them but then they would turn into something cool. DESTINYYYYY

Michael Praytor, Five Years Later- wasn't super into it at beginning but started to vibe towards end of the song.

Carousel- Voice kind of made me giggle at the beginning. Feel like it should be doing a bit more, didn't reach a climax like I thought it might.

Annie- very fun. Only complaint I could say is that I would like if his voice was a bit turned up or easier to hear, but it doesn't ruin the song in anyway. Instrumentals are great.

Great Love- great love for a great voice aaaayyyyyy. But yea really dig the voice, I'm surprised instrumentals didn't do more, acted more as a straight support for the beat and her voice which is fine but they could have played around with them more.

Harper Valley PTA- right on for tackling dress code issues way back in the 60s, kind of sad we're still having these issues today. And fuck yea her mom dragged that PTA. Music is catchy enough, but was more into it for the story.

Friend Like Me- so this is one of those cases where like, of course I'm gonna like it because it's a fuckin aladdin song and who hasn't grown up with aladdin. Added material for the show is great, singing other disney songs. Very much in line with Genie.

Crystal Plains- goes on a bit longer than I think it should but solid nonetheless, especially the first half of it

Spark of the Archeon- I think it falls into the trappings I have with a lot of prog metal and prog rock bands in that it tries to be so unique and do so much that I kind of lose my caring for it a bit. Because it's like, yea cool there's some sick stuff all in there but like, hundreds of other bands go for the same thing of being this unique metal. I dunno, it's probably a weird criticism but I'm still acknowledging what it's doing is good? So yea still a cool song.

Medusa in Chains- I really really enjoyed this. I'll admit I haven't listened to much fratellis after costello music even with brohan's praise of this album in particular. But yea, a very subdued song that showcases Jon's vocals and they're great. Very simple song but it works well. I really like the rhyming couplings in it too.
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Medusa in Chains
Annie
Friend Like Me
Harper Valley PTA
Destiny Repeats Itself
Crystal Plains
Spark of the Archeon
Great Love
Treat Me Right
Michael Praytor, Five Years Later
Carousel
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week 5 playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/user/steinershocker/playlist/5zOSVGEdpgYHXKPSz6sYzE

missing mycro's which is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxvytzg8Cw0
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I'm gonna get to these in the wee hours, been busy this week but I have not forgotten

Neither have I

Monopoly

Danny Brown my kryptonite aaaaaahhhh

It's not 30 (or Ain't it Funny) but still pretty damn good!
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Annie > Crystal Plains > Destiny Repeats Itself > the rest
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This week is actually odd because I feel like I am positive towards everything but also I don't actually love anything.

I guess I'm leaning slightly towards Spark of the Archon
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Michael Prayter, Five Years Later

I'll post thoughts tomorrow when I get home. Spark of the Archon comes close and I'd change to that if there was a tie

that is the first time I've heard someone complain that Ben Folds is "too happy"
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i like these top 2 a lot, kept going back and forth listening to both:

(1st) The Fratellis - Medusa in Chains
Damn I love Jon's vocals. Costello Music and Here We Stand are two of my favorite albums ever, but I was never able to get into We Need Medicine at all, and wasn't even aware of the album this song is from. The final song on Here We Stand was kind of foreshadowing for the more piano-driven sound the band would take on. This song has some interesting, quirky chord progressions, reminiscent of Jack White's "Hypocritical Kiss", which similarly has funny little piano noodling on the high end. White is obviously a pretty big influence for the band. Upon first listen I just longed to hear a classic, guitar-driven Fratellis song, but this quickly grew on me, the delivery of the title lyric has great feeling, and the chorus overall is memorable. Based on this, I should definitely check out Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied. Has a fitting tone for the last song of the playlist.

(2nd) Erin and the Wildfire - Great Love
Great classic soul feel with brooding organ chord progression. This chick almost belts out like, Amy Winehouse-level vocals. Shit, now I just really want to hear Amy lay down the vocals on this. The rhythm and delivery on "Lah-ove, lah-ove, lah-oooooo" is friggin' great though. It's so money that I initially didn't really welcome the 4/4 shift, but the.....muted trumpets(? maybe), vocals and guitar are very good there.

(3rd) The Helix Nebula - Crystal Plains
Love the harp, Zelda-y intro. I'd have preferred if it had gone in a more VGM direction than straight-up metal. I like when it locks into 6/8 briefly about 2 minutes in, and the 4/4 shortly after. The wandering guitar solo about 3:20 in is nice. Reminds me of this instrumental on Guitar Hero III, Endless Sporadic or something like that. Gets extra cool at around 4:30. By the end though, it lacks any core, memorable parts, and feels almost just like an exhibition of how good the guitarist is.

Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley PTA
I do like these Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash-style folk/rock songs that tell a story. There's better examples of them than this, but it's pretty good for what it is.

Aladdin Original Broadway Cast Recording - Friend Like Me
It's really weird and difficult to gauge a musical number against mostly rock songs. At first I was put off simply by it not being Robin Williams, and feeling like there's no reason to ever have anyone else sing it, but it won me over a bit when they got meta and the guy sang the excerpts from other Disney movies, that was good. Overall it's unnecessarily long though.

Bubblemath - Destiny Repeats Itself
Really cool syncopation throughout most of the first half. Unfortunately, to me it devolves too much into chaos and gets a little too dissonant, perhaps fittingly after the line "it just gets worse" at around 3:30. I do however, like the nihilist lyrics.

Neon Indian - Annie
Decent dance-pop. Falls short of like, early-MGMT or Junior Senior tier. Not especially interesting, but groovy nonetheless.

A Blaze of Feather - Carousel
Nice synth tones & drumming. Vocals aren't remarkable but suffice, I guess. I've heard worse hipster rock.

Native Construct - The Spark of the Archon
Thank you so much for submitting 9 minutes of prog-metal. The part at 3:40 is cool, nice strings, and 7:20's not bad, but a lot of the rest of it makes me not want to be able to hear. It's like the musical equivalent of rambling on and on without really saying anything of substance.

Pat Benatar - Treat Me Right
Standard, completely forgettable pop song
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Danny Brown - Monopoly
If you're going for like a hardcore distrack, the line between good and cringe is extremely thin, and this one's...pretty cringe in parts. There's also no attempt at any kind of melodic....anything. The one looped sample is obnoxious. I do like the line insinuating that whoever he's rapping at would have succumbed to suicide had they experienced the same stuff he has.
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Well guess who's the little bitch

dat's you
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brohan is 2/2 with me so far

so by my count:

Medusa in Chains 2
Spark of the Archon 2
Michael Praytor, Five Years Later 1
Annie 1
Monopoly 1
Crystal Plains 1
Destiny Repeats Itself 1

so we're missing.....3 or 4 people?
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jcgamer107 posted...

Native Construct - The Spark of the Archon
Thank you so much for submitting 9 minutes of prog-metal.

get used to it bitch
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@Steiner do I have permission to make an hour long doom metal song my nom this week
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no bitch dopesmoker is mine back off
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Danny Brown - Monopoly
i had a big ol' write-up ready, it was very funny and charming which i know you guys have come to expect from me so it breaks my heart as much as it does yours believe me but its time to move on. long story SHART i hate danny brown. i hate his voice, i hate his sound, he just feels like this huge joke in the rap game that im just not in on. i didnt enjoy this. that isnt to say he's a bad artist, i just cant stand him.
2/10

Pat Benetar - Treat Me Right
a solid classic rock song, but nothing really grabbed me, yknow? like i dont feel like i have a reason to ever come back to it.
5/10

Bubblemath - Destiny Repeats Itself
kinda like this actually, which i didnt expect going in. something about the delivery of the vocals is really enjoyable to me. it's the parts between the bits with vocals that kinda dont do it for me. they seem to drag and arent as interesting to me.
6.5/10

Ben Folds Five - Michael Praytor, Five Years Later
i was kinda bored throughout the track. it never really gripped me and held my full attention until the last verse, where it all kinda came together to me and sounded like a cohesive.. thing. idk, it was alright and i feel like i could really enjoy this band at another time, but right now for me this didnt really do it.
5.5/10

A BLAZE OF FEATHER - CAROUSEL
solid. i like the sort of ethereal opening and the subdued vocals. as it picks up the vocals dont really gain energy so much as they do.. potency? i never know if i make sense when i type these out cuz it's all stream of consciousness. w/e, point is i liked it.
7/10

Neon Indian - Annie
wow instant jam. i love the running water and nature sounds in the background at the start, gives it a whole other vibe on top of the funk, though i wish it carried out through the track. super funky and fun to listen to, great vocals and just an all around great sound.
8.5/10

i'm listening now
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Sorry I'm behind on listening, I'll have a vote in an hour or so
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Erin & The Wildfire - Great Love
definitely liked it more than i thought i would. she has a great voice, and i really liked that line about the bee hive. solid track with a feel good vibe, but i wasnt super into the end when she just starts vocalizing.
7.5/10

Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley PTA
enjoyed the story, though it was immediately obvious where it was going. i definitely cant say i didnt enjoy listening to this, but i also cant say i want to listen to more of this. kinda similar to how i felt about the Pat Benetar track; just nothing that makes me wanna come back.
5/10

Aladdin Broadway Production Whatever - Friend Like Me
great! aladdin is my favorite disney movie and ive been meaning to see it on broadway forever. i loved the little bits of other disney classics, really made for a nostalgic, enjoyable listen.
8/10

The Helix Nebula - Crystal Plains
like i said before, probably because im a lower lifeform, but instrumentals bore me. not only that, i dont get what makes this one special. like one of the comments says "Thanks for not being the Typical Harmonic Minor Metal band !!! Nice Unique Sound " (Lewis Lecea, 2014), and i just dont get that at all. it sounded fine ig, but like to me it was boring and unnecessary.
3.5/10

Native Construct - Spark of the Archon
i like the opening but a lot more than when it actually picks up. oh god 9 minutes thats so long. i mean this thing is just all over the place. is it over my head? maybe. but also maybe its fucking insane and weird and long and i dont necessarily want that in my music. there are some bits that i enjoy, there are some bits i dont. basically this is a long and drawn out "meh"
5/10

Annie

annie
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Danny brown - monopoly (bane)

Just good stuff in general imo. I like danny brown a long and this is one of his best. Reminds me of the harder childish gambino

Pat benetar - treat me right (snake)

I love me some pat benetar but this isnt even in my top five songs for her. Still, its a great song and id listen to it any time

Bubblemath - destiny (mycro)

I aggressively dislike the bass line and this just sounds like a bunch of noise to me. Theres a good song somewhere in here, but it has two or three other songs playing at the same time.

Ben folds five - michael praytor, five years later (jc)

This album is seriously underrated. This is prob my third favorite track on it. Just good stuff.

A blaze of feather - carousel (mcflubbin)

I really want to do longer writeups but gosh i really hate this persons voice and couldnt get through the song

Neon indian - annie (VI)

Really dig the bass line on this. Just nice and groovy and easy to listen to. Though i do wish there was a higher high, like some more action. Want more.

Erin & the wildfire - great love (seg)

I really like her voice and then she does silly things with it that are supposed to sound good but dont. Maybe id like it better if it werent live. But that awkward cooing at the end just grated on me.

Aladdin broadway cast - friend like me (shad)

This is the kind of thing i like but i dont really like the singer soooo

The helix nebula - crystal plains (Tera)

Ahhhhhhhh that lead guitar is so good and the bass is so good and its all so good

The fratellis - medusa in chains (brohan)

Youre wrong about that album. But this is a good song. Not in my top 15 fratellis songs. But good.

Native construct - spark of the archon (steiner)

Damn this is really good. Just excellent prog here. I like the vocals a lot.

spark of the archon
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Spark of the Archon

I wish I had time for write ups. I enjoyed every song this week other than Monopoly.
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no im not

So if that's everyone I believe Spark wins which would make steiner our first double winner and 2 weeks in a row to boot
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Steiner stealth rallied like our GP match what a nub
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if you want an auto win nominate prog metal it's confirmed

If multiple people nominate prog metal then well oops I guess you have to be steiner
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or nominate the better song imo
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try nominating good prog metal tbh
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VeryInsane posted...

Steiner stealth rallied like our GP match what a nub

didn't i vote for you
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whatever i dont need you guys i have jcgamer

Yes

Couldn't you tell I was being facetious with my post
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VeryInsane posted...

Yes

Couldn't you tell I was being facetious with my post

no please feces more clearly in future
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MysticBrohan posted...

whatever i dont need you guys i have VeryInsane

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Bane_Of_Despair posted...

if you want an auto win nominate prog metal it's confirmed

can i get my first 3 weeks retroactively awarded
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aren't 2 wins enough for you you monster
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wait does this make you the Vivi of Board 8 Song of the Week Club
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unfortunately i can only ever be one final fantasy ix character of the song of the week club
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Zidane?
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zorn i am
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In order of least to most favorite:

Bubblemath - Destiny Repeats Itself
This sounds like it smells funny. Has some really cool sections (4:48 being my favorite) but I wish the journey had more destination than travel time - a lot of it feels interstitial. Vocals aren't really my type either. But it's very crafty and certainly never boring, which I think is the worst thing a song can do.

Jeannie C. Riley - Harper Valley PTA
This spawned a film with Ronny Cox? I'm intrigued. Seems like something I would be really nostalgic for if I had seen it as a kid but I didn't. My imdb sleuthing also leads me to conclude that this singer is in fact NOT related to actor John C. Reilly who...wait, that guy was in The Thin Red Line? You learn something every day on this site. Anyway, good on that lady for sticking it to those public education fascists. I'm not into this as a song but I can see it being fun as a movie.

Aladdin Broadway Cast - Friend Like Me
Now Aladdin I watched plenty as a child, but this number was never my favorite and even then I mostly liked the unique joy that Robin Williams brought to it. So this looked like a tall order, but the eventual medley put a smile on my face before it recapitulated and ended big. I can say my expectations were exceeded, that's for sure.

The Fratellis - Medusa in Chains
Healthy pop, almost stereotypically hip but well-stylized and just different enough to hold my interest.

Danny Brown - Monopoly
DB's voice grates on me but it's tolerable in small doses. I like Brohan's description of him sounding like an inside joke that you're not in on, I feel that way too. Slick Rick I get, this guy's appeal just eludes me. He's got decent bars and the beat is pretty sick but the clown voice seems like a total mismatch.

Pat Benatar - Treat Me Right
Classic rock station ammo with some spunk. I hate spunk! Never actually listened to Pat Benatar so it's nice to get some context for her, but this doesn't make me a convert.

A Blaze of Feather - Carousel
Eerie and slightly magical. Those pads! Great atmosphere but I think I'm more into the video than the song.

Neon Indian - Annie
Ah yes I remember these guys from the 'summer of chillwave', a style I'm still fond of. This song attempts the strategy of ramping up interest at the very end, leaving the listener wanting more. But when I replay it I realize the initial song doesn't quite scratch that itch and I end up lukewarm with it. I wouldn't skip it on the album though, its still worth tapping along to.

The Helix Nebula - Crystal Plains
Interesting textural blends, very flashy and satisfying outro, loads of technique and chops on display. Manages to avoid the cheese dimension that this sort of metal often veers into. It kinda fuckin rocks. In most other groups this would take the top spot but this week had some tough competition!

Native Construct - Spark of the Archon
Vibrant and colorful, adventurous and broad in scope. It actually falls ass-backwards into the cheese dimension and then navigates it with its eyes closed before moonwalking out the other end with cheddar scars and a new perspective, somehow victorious. I've never heard a song quite like this.

Ben Folds Five - Michael Prayter
Love me some Ben Folds and I don't listen to this record enough. Only other tune I remember is the one about drawing dicks on a wall. This one's got an effective chorus, Ben's voice always endears to me, and the bass gets some flashy licks in there at points. I can never put my finger on what's so special about their whole aesthetic, but theirs is one of my all-time favorites.