Board 8 > Raetsel continues ranking 631 songs (+ extra songs) [Rankings]

(+) Yeah! (+)

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Re-tag of course

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Snake5555555555 posted...

Re-tag of course

Snake5555555555 posted...

Re-tag of course

Going to try and get through the now standard 15 songs, even with the late start. Heres the first batch:



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129: LINKIN PARK - LYING FROM YOU:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjdgcHdzvac&list=PLlqZM4covn1EbvC_6cuERQ59QaMbPkUyE&index=4

Nominator: Mega_Mana (9/18)
Source: Meteora (7/13)

Initial Score: 74.15 [#72]
Revised Score: 77.35 [#140]
Final Score: 78.50 [#129]

(First Thoughts: Its no I Think Im OKAY, but it kinda fills the same space lyrically and Im a bit tired of the former song from having listened to it on an endless loop for a while last year... good song choice.)

Not sure why past me felt the need to compare every single song in existence to I Think Im OKAY, but alright.

Either way, this is a good song that (like almost everything on this album) is roughly along the lines of what I was looking for. Very lonely and depressing, but not soul-crushing... (well, the song itself isnt. The singers death makes all the songs even bleaker, but Im trying not to dwell on that.)

[Final Thoughts: Definitely one of the better examples of what i was looking for, yes.]

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128: CRAYON POP - RA RI RU RE:

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

Nominator: LOLIAmAnAlt (4/15)

Initial Score: 49.27 [#433]
Revised Score: 50.05 (upgraded to a 68.55) [#216]
Final Score: 68.59 (upgraded to 78.60) [#128]

(First Thoughts: The obvious MGS joke here is too obvious, so I guess Ill just leave it there.)

Not a fan of the verses or the rariru parts, but the bouncy kiss me tonight choruses get high marks for being cute, fun, and making me think of anime ending themes. Somehow it almost feels Cardcaptor Sakura-esque; like, I know it isnt similar to any theme on that show, but I can still kinda picture this song playing over that shows credits.

The combination of things I like and things I dislike averages out to...slight enjoyment, Ill say?

[Later: I think Im going to raise this song up to the 60 point level. The choruses are too addictive to let this song have a lower score.]

[(Not) Final Thoughts: I love the choruses, but the high 60s is as far as I want to carry it. Judged based only on the parts I like, itd probably be in the high 80s... but theres definitely parts of the song holding it back.]

[Later: Another song moved up at the last possible moment, messing up all the counting.]

[Final Thoughts: This became one of several pet songs that kept getting moved further and further up the list, but it falls here in the high 70s. A fun and cute chorus makes the song enjoyable and memorable, but its not quite at the next tier level.]

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127: EX NORWEGIAN - PAGE TO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doRB60taV8s

Nominator: Mega_Mana (8/18)
Source: Mega Manas Extra Songs (2/5)

Initial Score: 60.22 [#231]
Revised Score: 73.06 [#179]
Final Score: 78.70 [#127]

(First Thoughts: Its nice and I wish I had more to say about it than that.)

I wouldnt mind hearing...two other songs by this band. This song has a retro classic rock vibe to it, like a song that came out in the 70s and got lost for several decades. Also, like usual, this is reminding me of something that I cant quite place...

Dont know if this song is the slightest bit typical for this band, but theyre strangely nostalgic for being so new, and its an interesting feeling. Quite like this song.

[Final Thoughts: Nothing else to add. Its good, retro, oddly nostalgic, and I want more of it.]

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126: MARTY BAGS - YOURE NOT ME:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4nhY_A3cg8

Nominator: @GavsEvans123 (6/15)

Initial Score: 59.97 [#261]
Revised Score: 57.89 [#324]
Final Score: 78.80 [#126]

(First Thoughts: Certainly not my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh! related song, but I like that you tried it. Best part is the outro where you can hear actual Seto Kaiba instead of the singer.)

Id complain about this not being Im Back (the far superior song about Kaiba), but I know that one by heart and it woulde been R#d, so I guess this is a better pick because its not nearly as familiar to me.

This song is odd because it tries to make Kaiba out to be a tragic figure, who is all alone and sad in spite of all his wealth:

You think Ive got it all
Everyone thinks Ive got it made
Well, how come my only friends are the ones I pay?
No one understands
What I would do to change my life for just one day

And Im not convinced the characterization really works for Kaiba? Hes a selfish and arrogant antihero. There are points that paint him in a somewhat tragic light (Mokuba saying he never sees Kaiba smile and that he keeps growing colder), but its a long way from antihero with tragic past is unable to smile to the All I really want is a fwiend ;.; sadness this song tries to give him.

The song is fine, I like it well enough, it just doesnt feel very Kaiba-esque.

[Not-Quite-Final Thoughts: Well, I guess I do like it, and it kinda hits the right levels of sadness and anger if you squint hard enough? I also like the outro of Kaiba summoning the Dragon, but I think that was added in just for this video, wasnt it? None of the other uploads of the song seem to have it... not that it matters; its a largely inconsequential addition and nothing says the songs cant be altered in some way.

We do still have a song I alluded to in the nomination phase as having a very...glitched upload which is still a long ways from dropping because I love the effect.]

[Later: Up to the 70s, sure, I like what this song is doing. Still dont think it works for Kaiba, but whatever.]

[Final Thoughts: Another pet song. Im tempted to move it up a bit further, but honestly, this is still quite a high score. Were 1.8 tiers above the I like this tier, which feels appropriate for this track.]

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It's because I Think Im OKAY is an amazing song! Coincidentally Lying from You is I think my favorite LP song but there's a few other contenders.

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Snake5555555555 posted...

Re-tag of course

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125: YUJI OHNO - WANDERING DAYS:

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

Nominator: @Snake5555555555 (6/15)

Initial Score: 72.46 [#89]
Revised Score: 78.78 [#127]
Final Score: 78.90 [#125]

(First Thoughts: This has a surprisingly strong JRPG feel to it for something non-game related. I wish I could place what this is reminding me of... my first thought was Suikoden IV, but Im certainly not finding anything similar on that soundtrack. Possibly almost Chrono Cross-esque in places? Probably not, but I feel JRPG, aquatic, and town or town-adjacent location quite strongly from the song and that association is probably based on something I heard somewhere at some unspecified point in the past.)

Well, now it sounds like a beach romance scene from a movie of some sort, but it still always makes me think of some sort of water-adjacent scene. And like always, I do like water-adjacent music, so I continue to like this.

[Final Thoughts: Another dead link, replacement posted.

Not a lot to add to the previous comments. Its another in the long line of very pretty instrumental songs that arent quite beautiful enough to reach the very top tiers, though it has a very nice aquatic feel to it.]

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124: BRING ME THE HORIZON - THRONE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bGNP1nzpDY

Nominator: @BlackDra90n (10/21)
Source: Live at Royal Albert Hall (10/14)

Initial Score: 65.29 [#167]
Revised Score: 77.57 [#138]
Final Score: 79.00 [#124]

(First Thoughts: Sgood.)

Not directly related to anything, but I just learned that this playlist is missing Antivist from the setlist. Though I dont see any high quality uploads of the Royal Albert Hall version of the song and, looking at the lyrics, I dont think Id have been a big fan anyway.

Song is great as always, this type of orchestral music is wonderful and if their albums were more like this concert, Id have to go listen to more of their discography. (As is, I suspect theres probably another one or two songs that Id love somewhere in their albums, but most are probably too metal)

This song reminds me of Endurant from last years topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfjTbY2NzsM

In that theyre both tamer subgenres of metal dealing with becoming stronger when people try to break you down and what not. I prefer Endurant, but this song is still pretty great too.

[Final Thoughts: Mew.]

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123: THE WEEKND - HIGH FOR THIS:

https://open.spotify.com/track/5fohLPNqO6TqwrZ7BoUWUT

Nominator: Player_0 (3/30)

Initial Score: 72.13 [#102]
Revised Score: 66.24 [#235]
Final Score: 79.11 [#123]

(First Thoughts: Complicated. I like the dark, buzzing sound of the musica lot. I also kinda like the singers voice. But I hate the lyrics. Right now... Id say my love for the tracks atmosphere greatly overpowers my hatred of the lyrics, but I could easily see this song dropping into the bottom ten on another day.)

The first song on the album, this one actually got my hopes up. Sure, I completely hated the lyrics, but I loved the backing music and he clearly had enough talent that it was easy to imagine a song that I absolutely loved coming from him. I was actively excited to hear the rest of the album.

Suffice it to say my opinion dropped very sharply after that.

This song is still good and its relatively tame, by Weeknd standards, but its still all sex and drugs and I still cant possibly care about the lyrics any less than I already do. (And spare me any explanations about how hes telling you to get high to listen to his music, or how its about how hes going to sex you up musically, or whatever. That type of metaphor does not get you anywhere with me.)

[Later: Ohh, that buzzing quality to this song though... I suppose I cant let it get less than 70 points.]

[Final Thoughts: Does so many things I like musically and does them perfectly that it gets a very high score, in spite of its...Weeknd-ness.]

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122: LINKIN PARK - FROM THE INSIDE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLHpvjrFpe0&list=PLlqZM4covn1EbvC_6cuERQ59QaMbPkUyE&index=10

Nominator: Mega_Mana (7/18)
Source: Meteora (6/13)

Initial Score: 80.36 [#46]
Revised Score: 85.49 [#87]
Final Score: 79.22 [#122]

(First Thoughts: Another nice song that is occasionally a bit too shouty.)

The bridge is just shouting and drags the score down a bit, but not as much as you might expect. Its a rather short section that only comes up towards the end, so its easy enough to forgive and/or ignore.

As good as the song is, I dont have any personal connection to it. As far as I can tell, Ive actually never been betrayed by anyone, so this doesnt really resonate with me as much as some of their other songs. Still great, still in the right genre and emotional tone, just not exactly right and a bit too shouty near the end.

[Final Thoughts: Another very close to greatness song.]

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Love your comparison to the beach/water. It actually kind of reminds of the Ecco soundtrack and I can picture it playing over underwater caves with crystals especially.

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121: LIVE - TOP:

https://open.spotify.com/track/58QWceo4iT5BFycK4DojHy

Nominator: Azuarc (7/28)
Source: Throwing Copper (5/15)

Initial Score: Unscored (treated as a 0) [#578]
Revised Score: 41.96 [#514]
Final Score: 79.33 [#121]

(First Thoughts: Im not going to deal with this now and am just leaving everything blank.)

Right... objectively good song that is too serious for me to spend any time caring about. Blah blah blah, really makes you think, blah blah blah, bloopity bloop bloop, were done here.

[Not-So-FInal Thoughts: I always take a break after this song comes up... and often try to rest before listening to it as well. Theres a very strong Im not going to deal with this song aspect where I actively dread its arrival and Im always too spent after listening to it to continue anywhere else. Still, 41 points feels far too low for this... lets move it up to the high 40s or something for a bit.]

[Still Not Final: You know, I think I do kinda like this a bit. Its got a good Pop Rock beat and hes got a nice voice on this track. Im still not thrilled with the subject matter, but... well I dont think I can let this get less than 51 points.]

[Still Going: I think I like this.]

[You Think Its Final, But It Isnt: ...I cant believe Im doing this, but Im actually going to move this up to the 70 point tier.]

[Final? Thoughts: I dont think this is actually the largest jump in placement from Initial Score to Final Score, but 450+ rankings is still quite impressive.]

[Final Thoughts: Much like Selling the Dramas refrain of we wont be raped, this songs Hitler in a robe of truth line was a tad much at first. Yeah, its about rejecting false idols and everything, but I find I prefer not thinking about Hitler in my free time. Kinda hard to have a fun writeup once his name has been invoked.

The thing is that Ed has a really fantastic voice and once I get past the initial aversion to the subject matter, I find that Im usually drawn into anything hes singing. Also, it has a really infectious chorus which helps.]

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120: LINKIN PARK - SOMEWHERE I BELONG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsCD5XCu6CM&list=PLlqZM4covn1EbvC_6cuERQ59QaMbPkUyE&index=3

Nominator: Mega_Mana (6/18)
Source: Meteora (5/13)

Initial Score: 73.00 [#86]
Revised Score: 80.81 [#113]
Final Score: 79.44 [#120]

(First Thoughts: I think I prefer some of their less optimistic songs, but I do still like this.)

An important song and I imagine Ill be more into it some point in the future, but its not fully working for me at the moment. Partly because I just want sadder or angrier songs than this one and partly because I just dont find it very healing.

Like when it comes to healing music, I dont think a song like this compares favorably to something like Return to Innocence with its mystical sounding chants and everything. That is healing. The meditative trance that that one Namco Museum track I love and wont shut up about, I find that healing. NASA from last years topic, I found that song very healing and restorative (after the first listen where I completely hated it at any rate). This... doesnt for me and Im not entirely sure where the disconnect is coming from. I suppose its just that what other people find healing and what I find healing are quite different.

[Final Thoughts: Good song, I love the idea of it, but its not quite what I want right now... I think the high 70s is a good spot for it.]

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119: BRING ME THE HORIZON - AVALANCHE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07TiJoPIzR4&list=PL1djAjAZEwIaB0KaDGDu8uF99OV2Q4FA4&index=4

Nominator: @BlackDra90n (9/21)
Source: Live at Royal Albert Hall (9/14)

Initial Score: 70.03 [#132]
Revised Score: 83.69 [#97]
Final Score: 79.55 [#119]

(First Thoughts: I choose to pass on this writeup.)

Right. So, obviously, great song. I actually fully enjoyed the concert (even the lower scoring ones), so any song of theirs that made it this far up the list is great.

I just... actively dont want to talk about it?

[Uhhh.... space filling song, space filling song... lets click one of Spotifys Daily Mixes for me and take the first song I dont recall hearing before.]

INXS - Communications:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUmEJZ9uNzc

Well, its from the same album as Not Enough Time, so thats potentially a good sign?

...And its an anti-news song. Joy. Alright, I dont like the modifications to his voice on this track, his singing is actively unpleasant to listen to here. It does have some things I like (mostly samples out of context and some beeping), but its far from being my favorite subject matter and I do not like this sound... and, oof, Im only 2:09 into an over 5 minute long song? Nope, Im out, this was a space-filling song and Im not required to listen to all of it.

[Final Thoughts: Slightly too far into the soul-crushing territory on this one. I feel like suicide is a bit... a bit much, honestly. Still a great song and very close to being what I wanted.]

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118: LINKIN PARK - BREAKING THE HABIT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H4l9RpkwM&list=PLlqZM4covn1EbvC_6cuERQ59QaMbPkUyE&index=9

Nominator: Mega_Mana (5/18)
Source: Meteora (4/13)

Initial Score: 73.18 [#79]
Revised Score: 76.69 [#146]
Final Score: 79.66 [#118]

(First Thoughts: Another good song.)

Good, but perhaps a bit too far towards the soul-crushing side of things.

Ill paint it on the walls
Cause Im the one at fault
Ill never fight again
And this is how it ends

Sounds very... suicidal. I know that its about drug abuse and wasnt even written by or about Chester, but that is a really, really overwhelmingly bleak verse. Which... I still like it, but prefer the songs that are a bit easier to deal with than this one.

[Final Thoughts: So, I know this is a horrible opinion to have (were all used to that by now, yes?), but I think I prefer this song when mashed-up with a Miley Cyrus song than I do the original version.

Breaking the Midnight Sky:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W81OL2X39ts

Its just the lyrics of Breaking the Habit playing over the backing music from Midnight Sky (they, thankfully, do not actually use any of Mileys vocals) and it somehow works really well. I think the poppier backing music from Midnight Sky (which I love) takes a bit of edge off the lyrics and Breaking the Habits lyrics are so much better than Mileys that they compliment the backing music far better. It makes both halves of the song stronger than they are individually.]

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Avalanche is one of my favourite BMTH songs. I definitely understand if the lyrics feel a bit dark though.

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And by pure coincidence, the last three songs of the night are also the last three songs in the 70 point tier:

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117: SAVATAGE - GUTTER BALLET:

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

Nominator: NBIceman (8/22)
Source: NBIcemans Extra Songs (5/7)

Initial Score: 67.98 [#159]
Revised Score: 76.58 [#147]
Final Score: 79.77 [#117]

(First Thoughts: Technically impressive song; yeah, yeah yeah. Still not getting a great score; no, no, no.

Also apparently it causes me to burst into old Honeycomb commercials (best remembered these days for being parodied on Futurama), so that is a thing that has happened.)

I think Id like to hear another song or two from this band. Theyve got a great sound and I think theres probably an 80 or 90 point song by them, somewhere.

This song: Very well made, quite impressive, like the general concept... could live without the metaphorical killing of unicorns, but it doesnt bother me enough to lower the score. There just arent any specific lyrics Im in love with to elevate this up to the next tier.

[Later: Still not at the 80 point levelits incredibly well performed, but I need some type of lyric that I want to latch onto (with exceptions for purely instrumental tracks, obviously) to convince me to pull it up to the next rank. Great song though.]

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116: COLLIDE - FREAKS ME OUT (BLUE STAHLI REMIX):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyYrHjyA25w

Nominator: LOLIAmAnAlt (3/15)

Initial Score: 80.00 [#53]
Revised Score: 82.07 [#106]
Final Score: 79.88 [#116]

(First Thoughts:Does a lot things I dont normally like: its...not exactly club music, but club adjacent? And the lyrics are on the repetitive side. But it clicks with me somehow; I suspect the lines you cant change me and you wont stop change give me some bias in its favor.)

I shouldnt like it, but I do, so meow. Something about the lyrics and how distant her voice sounds lends a certain ethereal quality to the song that... probably doesnt actually exist and isnt intended, but works incredibly well for me.

[Final Thoughts: I feel like this song works best as one of the highest ranked songs in the 70s section.]

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115: GIRLS GENERATION - CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (KOREAN VERSION):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b09U0KLv6I4

Nominator: Djungelurban (7/15)

Initial Score: 60.54 [#227]
Revised Score: 61.32 [#276]
Final Score: 68.95 (upgraded to 79.99) [#115]

(First Thoughts: Im conflicted. Theres a lot to like in the lyricstalking about changing every minute, every secondyes, so very much yes.

But theyre not exactly my favorite band and I actively dislike the parts where the beat drops... its like lyrics with parts that go up to 95 points attached to a song that drops as low at 24 points when the beat drops. I... guess like overpowers dislike to get into the low 60s, but I could see dropping this song way down the list on a relisten.)

I want to love this song and at times I almost do. With those lyrics, I come so close to fully connecting with the song... and then that beat drops and pulls me out of the song so completely. I still like the song, of course I do, I could never dislike a song that comes SO CLOSE to being what I need... but... eesh, those parts are really doing their best to ruin the song.

[Not Actually Final Thoughts: I love that chorus and some of the lyrics, but the backing music really lets the song down.]

[Later: I love the chorus enough that this should be more in the high 60s than the low 60s; going to move it up a bit here.]

[Non-Final Thoughts: Like RA RI RU RE, the song is a test to see how far a perfect chorus can carry things with the rest of the song trying very hard to drag it down.]

[Later Again: So, Ive gone to Spotify and added this to Liked Songs so that I can find it later, which feels like an action that puts this well beyond the 60 point songs. Going to try 75 points for this?]

[Final Thoughts: Wonderful chorus. Rest of the song is good enough to not really get in the way.]

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finally checked the numbers and it looks like it's getting close to a point where it's statistically impossible for me to not end with the highest average score

honestly considering how well those Megas albums did, i didn't think i had any chance

I'm- genuinely surprised by what made it to the 80 tier. ...Well, two of them. I'd hopes for Stand Out and Starlight Scene, and had a decent feeling that of the lot Starlight might be one of the highest scoring. I didn't expect any of them to get to this point, though. ...I'm most surprised by Lee Brice's Rumor, but that was mostly because I wasn't sure how you'd like country, even one I consider a pretty good example of what it can be like when it's done well.

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SNSD songs have good lyrics? I didn't know that was a possibility... I learned quickly that looking up the lyrics to their songs will only result in my palm connecting with my face... And also, you know, I spend not an insignificant amount of my music listening time listening to music without any lyrics so I guess lyrics aren't the most important thing to me in the first place... So I had no idea about Catch Me If You Can... Gonna look them up now...

*looking and reading*

Huh... That was more insightful than I expected... A far cry from their days of singing things like "Oh-oh-oh-o-ppa I love you. Ah-ah-ah-ah Many Many.". So yeah, that's interesting.

In semi-related news, I'm very pleased to see so many of my noms doing so well.

In a rare attempt to avoid spoiling something, Ill respond to CPU whenever those songs are eliminated. For now, the start of the next batch of 15 songs:



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114: FRUMS - MDRQNXTAGON:

https://frums.bandcamp.com/track/mdrqnxtagon

Nominator: cakophon (7/26)
Source: vignette (6/20)

Initial Score: 80.00 [#53]
Revised Score: 86.03 [#84]
Final Score: 80.00 [#114]

(First Thoughts: A very high chaos song, which is goodthe nomination list has been severely lacking songs like thisbut it doesnt have the same impact as something like Credits EX did.)

To think there was a time that I had swallow SMOKE anywhere near this track. This is far more chaotic, which gives it some easy bonus points, and it doesnt give me a massive headache like SMOKE which is also worth some extra points.

I cant find much to say about the song; its very busy and complicated and hard to tell whats happening at any given point in the song, as it tries to completely overwhelm the listener. Which is fun, but not easy to talk about.

[Final Thoughts: Nothing to be said about it. You either like these type of highly chaotic songs or you dont.]

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113: SKE - FRAGUGLIE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AArsreUbYI

Nominator: @Toxtricity / Mycro (3/15)

Initial Score: 80.00 [#53]
Revised Score: 86.93 [#79]
Final Score: 81.50 [#113]

(First Thoughts: This song fluctuates between the low 60s and a perfect 100. The first part with the bells at the two minute mark hits me so hard emotionally that any song that could maintain that feeling for a whole track would definitely win; the outro of the song is the most unsettling to ever be nominated, its like being hacked to death by a hatchet... I know Ive said in a bunch of write-ups that I wanted more unsettling instrumentals, but you may have actually found a song that goes a little too far. Still a great section though.

And then there are other parts which are less good. Im going to start the score at 80 points and see where things wind up; I might move it up, might move it down, Ive got enough justification to put it just about anywhere thus far.)

Today, I feel less attached to each part of the song. The bells arent really connecting and the outro is more the fun type of scary and intense (like Dark Tube and Bleached Coral from your nominations last year) than being too terrifying like it was the first time around.

...which strangely kinda works out, because it was too intense the first time around, so now that things have leveled out a bit, I like it a bit more than I did before.

[Final Thoughts: Not quite as into it as before, but its firmly in the style of songs that I need more of, so well done.]

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112: FRUMS - ABSOLUTE ZERO:

https://frums.bandcamp.com/track/absolute-zero

Nominator: cakophon (6/26)
Source: vignette (5/20)

Initial Score: 89.15 [#20]
Revised Score: 90.00 [#62]
Final Score: 82.20 [#112]

(First Thoughts: A song that does many things I love. Somewhat glitchy sounding, unpredictable, slightly dissociative (energy Ive spent on being you can be read in several interesting ways I doubt were intended, but amuse me anyway), properly sad (My bodys broken and my psyches doing worse), I could not ask this song to do any more for me than it already does.

And yet, I feel a greater attachment to the other songs at the 90 points tier. This could mean those songs were ranked too low... or perhaps Im just not quite as into this song as I should be. If a nomination is too on-the-nose for me, my opinion of it tends to drop a bit for some reason. Great song and I do like everything about it, I just dont want to give it as high of a score as it probably deserves.)

I really like this, obviously, as its quite the embodiment of things that Ive asked for. Itd be impossible for me to dislike a song like this. Im just...still not as into it as I should be, for reasons Ive never quite worked out. I feel like I want it to be at the 90 point tier, but definitely at the lower end of it. Sorry.

[Final Thoughts: Its one of those things created specifically for me, but Im still not quite as into it as I should be. (Though the slow fade out at the end with those low tones is truly marvelous).

Though, obviously, I still like it A LOT.]

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111: JET FORCE GEMINI - WATER RUIN:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zqXSkL9UgXU

Nominator: Shonen_Bat (1/27)
Source: Shonen Bats Extra Songs (1/7)

Initial Score: 68.14 [#156]
Revised Score: 74.49 [#166]
Final Score: 77.99 (upgraded to 82.55) [#111]

(First Thoughts: Nice enough atmosphere, still not oppressive enough, but it at least tries to do what I want from it which is still pretty good.)

Actually, I cant quite figure out what emotional tone the song is going for, as its rather varied. The booming opening notes are quite oppressive, but then the song tries to go for a mystical sort of feeling (with slightly dreadful overtones) ; then it turns into a prepare for war type song, where it feels like youre in your war room positioning troops on your map? And then we have a tragic outro, probably a result of all the dying due to the aforementioned war.

Its a complex song, one that could have stood to be a bit longer... certainly a journey through a variety of emotional states, but I feel like I dont get to stay with any one feeling long enough to fully appreciate it. Certainly much better than my initial not oppressive enough take described it.

[Final Thoughts: Definitely one of the better musical journey songs Ive listened to.]

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SHONEN BATS EXTRA SONGS:

Divine Madness: 50.00 [#472]
Satori Maiden ~ 3rd Eye: 50.13 [#469]
Mothivas Grand Stand!: 50.21 [#466]
Entrusting This World to Idols ~ Idolatrize World: 52.06 [#419]
Tor (Slap City): 62.48 [#290]
Ancient Stories: 74.70 [#164]
Water Ruin: 82.55 [#111]

Average Score: 60.3042857142



Actual Touhou music and Epic Battle Themes dont typically do well with me (lyrical remixes of Touhou on the other hand, those tend to do quite well), so a lot of your list was spent on longshots that didnt quite pay off.

Tor (Slap City version), while not as good as the Iji song you nominated last year, did offer some fun imagery though, so I did enjoy that. And the last two songs are the type of mysterious musical journey ambience tracks that I like, so those were much appreciated.

And you gave me time to relax and cool down with my two most listened albums of all time, which made things much easierI saved the first listens for the albums for when I felt I needed a break from everything and talking about songs I knew by heart was a great way to ease into the actual ranking.

=================

Player Averages

Shonen_Bat: 73.6884285714
Xeybozn: 53.3525
Hbthebattle: 53.0054545454
Pyresword + sergiocornaga: 50.2062698412

Unsurprisingly, the high scores from the History Repeating albums puts Shonens average over 20 full points above the last elimination.
---

==================

110: GORILLAZ - SLEEPING POWDER:

https://youtu.be/GzJGWAfmBco

Nominator: Jesse_Custer (7/15)

Initial Score: 70.06 [#130]
Revised Score: 73.50 [#175]
Final Score: 82.87 [#110]

(First Thoughts: Nice song, but Im going to leave the write-up to Future Me. Never do today what you can force your future self to do, because theyre probably a jerk and deserve the extra work, you know?)

It is a good song and Ive kinda wanted to listen to more Gorillaz songs for a while now, but its a bit too... obviously drug related to be something Id usually go for and I cant find any lyrics that Im really drawn to that would help get me past my natural aversion to the song.

So... high quality song that I like, but not quite my favorite or anything.

[Later, after the topic had started, but long before we ever actually got to the 70s: Oh come now, this is way too low. Up to the 80s, at least.]

[Final Thoughts: A unique sound that I like and appreciate, but not something I can say I honestly love.

Also, its probably just me, but Id like to flip the intros of this song and Third Eye. Bill Hicks speech about great music being created on drugs feels like it goes here and the harsher this is your brain on drugs message goes with PRYING OPEN MY THIRD EYE.]

===================



===============

109: MAMOMO - (Circumzenithal Arc) [mamomo #12]

https://s-mamomo.bandcamp.com/track/--56

Nominator: @FL81 (8/20)
Source: mamomo album (7/13)

Initial Score: 65.00 [#175]
Revised Score: 80.99 [#112]
Final Score: 82.90 [#109]

(First Thoughts: A song where someone confesses their love for the main character on a starry night. Nice ambiance, but not quite one I want at the moment.)

Well, tonight I learned the proper term for an upside-down rainbow. Neat, I guess?

Its quite a beautiful song, but its attached to feelings and images.I dont particularly want... but I do like it a lot more than that initial score indicated...

Grr. Argh.

...fine, go up to the low 80s for a bit.

[Final Thoughts: Its beautiful, but not quite the type of beauty Im looking for at this specific point in time. Which I guess is worth 80 points?]

===============



===============

108: MAMOMO - (AT THE EMBANKMENT) [MAMOMO #8]:

https://s-mamomo.bandcamp.com/track/--52

Nominator: @FL81 (7/20)
Source: mamomo album (6/13)

Initial Score: 87.00 [#25]
Revised Score: 89.45 [#65]
Final Score: 83.00 [#108]

(First Thoughts: Pretty, but the choir makes the song feel a bit too hopeful for my tastes.)

I stand by that; its very pretty, but just a bit too hopeful and optimistic to hit the very top tier of songs. Still great, still close to the top tier, just not quite there.

[Final Thoughts: Regrettably, Im less interested in this very hopeful choir song tonight than usual, though its still great.]

================



===============

107: MANJU - YAKUSOKU:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEJ1mpRmJyU

Nominator: UF8 (7/15)

Initial Score: 90.00 [#13]
Revised Score: 94.74 [#43]
Final Score: 83.30 [#107]

(First Thoughts: Oh no you dont, youre not getting first two years in a row with sad VTuber songs that remind me of dead relationships.

...also this isnt as good as Kaf an-y-way~.

.....also this really didnt need to go on for nine minutes...my sadness started to give way to boredom, which does not bode well for repeat listens. Still, it is pretty powerful emotionally, so its at least starting with a fantastic score.)

A wonderfully painful song that doesnt know when to end. Theres a point where everything fades out around the 3:20 mark and I really feel like the song should have stopped there; the following verses dont offer any new levels of sadness, or anything new musically, the song just keeps going three times longer than it needed to.

[Final Thoughts: A properly sad song that just goes on longer than it should have. It always starts off so emotional that I love it, but then it just...never stops. And then it has a second fake ending at the eight minute mark and....ugghh...

Still, I love enough aspects of it that Im not letting it slip below the 80 point mark.]

================
---

===============

106: FRUMS - THE DIVINE COMEDY:

https://frums.bandcamp.com/track/the-divine-comedy

Nominator: cakophon (5/26)
Source: metacontinues (1/6)

Initial Score: 74.17 [#71]
Revised Score: 82.79 [#102]
Final Score: 83.39 [#106]

(First Thoughts: Hey, a song that has some of those vocal distortions (modified sounds, skipping, etc) that I like! Good for it.)

I've wanted to do a musical adaptation of a non-musical work for a while, and now seemed as good a time as any. Here you've got three distinct sections for the Inferno, the Purgatorio, and the Paradiso. Can you spot all the little symbolisms?

I cannot, thanks for asking!

...honestly, I probably couldnt tell you where each part starts and ends, to say nothing about any attempts at symbolism. Thankfully, I dont need to understand it to enjoy it.

[Final Thoughts: One of the more incomprehensible musical journeys (for me), but an enjoyable one. Likely due to its incomprehensibleness.]

================



===============

METACONTINUES:

Sleepwalk Station: 46.35 [#499]
Gone_in_the_Morning: 59.85 [#342]
Infinityyyy: 67.25 [#255]
Restoration Lake: 69.50 [#216]
XNOR XNOR XNOR: 71.45 [#192]
The Divine Comedy: 83.39 [#106]

Average Score: 66.2983333333



I like Frums music, so I largely enjoyed this album. It kinda runs into the same problem as the Every Time I Die albums, in that I cant really recall which songs were which... like, I know all of them (except Sleepwalk Station) did something I liked, but trying to recall what they did or which individual song did it, is a bit difficult.

It was still a good time though.

================



============

105: FRUMS - GREAT FURY OF HEAVEN:

https://frums.bandcamp.com/track/great-fury-of-heaven

Nominator: cakophon (4/26)
Source: vignette (4/20)

Initial Score: 84.76 [#32]
Revised Score: 91.24 [#57]
Final Score: 83.40 [#105]

(First Thoughts: This song feels like Jevil from Deltarune. Like, this song is very much chaotic jester murdering you with chaos magic while dancing, to a point that its much more suited for that fight than Chaos Revolving or whatever the actual songs name is.)

Reminding me of Toby Fox games is pretty neat. This feels like a very chaotic battle theme and, while I usually dislike things that sound like battle themes, I quite enjoy this one.

(Actually, most of the exceptions to the I dont like battle themes rule (that arent Lufia) come from Undertale... so it makes sense that a song that reminds me of that universe would also be an exception)

Great song, one of Frums best.

[Final Thoughts: Still feels like a chaotic jester fight song, still pretty great, but I wouldnt really say I love it; its fantastic for what it is and I like it an awful lot, but I find myself wanting to give it a score closer to the Initial Score than the Revised one.]

============



===============

104: CARAVAN PALACE - LONE DIGGER:

https://youtu.be/UbQgXeY_zi4

Nominator: Jesse_Custer (6/15)

Initial Score: 51.00 [#383]
Revised Score: 63.00 (later upgraded to a 96.49) [#36]
Final Score: 83.50 [#104]

(First Thoughts: Id give credit for having an entirely furry music videoIm still not entirely sure how many extra points that Anastasia song got last year for having an adorable puppy in it to be honestbut then I dont care for strip clubs or dancing or mass murder, so the video is basically a wash anyway. Also, Im trying to not be as influenced by videos this year (I probably will be, but Im trying).

Songs got a unique sound, somewhere between 20s jazz clubs and modern dance music, but I very actively dont want dance musicas soon as.you start singing about booty shaking, Im going to tune out and stop paying attention to youbut it is interesting... ehhh... right now, Im feeling a very slight lean towards positive feelings towards the track. 51 points?)

A catchy, memorable song held back by my natural aversion to its lyrics. Its a good song, but far too focused on dancing for me to give it a very high score. So Ill admit that I undervalued it in the past and raise its score to the low 60s, but I doubt that its going to go any further than that.

[Later: ...Ehhh...I should hate this. I should really, really hate this.

...whatever, take your ridiculously high score, and never speak of this again.]

[Final Thoughts: Another massive overcorrection after it was originally ranked too low, I kinda shot it directly to the top of the list... but I think it fits in better with the 80 point songs. I still like it, a lot, but I have no connection to the lyrics or dancing in general.]

===============



===============

103: POPPY - DONT GO OUTSIDE:

https://open.spotify.com/track/1BvGuXxBmRTd5nVL8VOtZK

Nominator: Murphiroth (6/21)
Source: I Disagree (More) (4/14)

Initial Score: 80.01 [#50]
Revised Score: 85.31 [#88]
Final Score: 83.80 [#103]

(First Thoughts: Good song. Im glad I had the context of the entire album leading up to it because its loaded with callbacks to everything Id just heard and this would be overwhelmingly complicated if you just nominated this one song without any context.

I will say, I think the version of the album that ends here would probably get a higher score than this extended version with more songs (If I were actually rating albums)? This song ends the album rather perfectly and, while I do like that Im going to get to hear more of Poppy, I feel like there should be a solid break here.)

Apocalyptic imagery, callbacks to the rest of the album, all wrapped up in one of the least intense songs (if not the least intense) of the album (which certainly works for me). Great song and the best way to end the album.

[Final Thoughts: Kupo.]

===============
---

Don't Go Outside was the moment I knew I Disagree was a special album.

---

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

Songs got a unique sound, somewhere between 20s jazz clubs and modern dance music

The genre is known as electro swing. Im a fan because I appreciate blending genres that you wouldnt think would go well together.

And yes, the video is ... weird.

I feel Ive heard of Electro Swing before, but I think that might have been the first song of the genre I heard? Neat.



==============

102: BRING ME THE HORIZON - SLEEPWALKING:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6jWOzzvHVM

Nominator: @BlackDra90n (8/21)
Source: Live at Royal Albert Hall (8/14)

Initial Score: 63.22 [#186]
Revised Score: 66.48 [#233]
Final Score: 68.70 (upgraded to 74.15) (upgraded to 84.00) [#169]

(First Thoughts: Good lyrics, but I think Id prefer the song to be a bit more mellow.... I like the start of the bridge better than any of the main parts of the song.)

Fantastic lyrics to be honest. I know its far from being the only song to deal with depression and drug addiction (its not even the only one on this album), but they hit much harder...

...but somehow this song doesnt quite land properly. I love his voice, I love the band, I love the genre, the lyrics seem like the type that would easily hit a 100... but while I like it, I cant honestly say I really like it to move it up a tier. And Im not sure where the disconnect is coming from exactly... I think its because hes a bit too angry on this song? Singing about being so emotionally dead that time has no meaning is powerful, but singing it angrily kinda kills the lack of emotion part. I feel you cant be completely dead inside and about to smash everything like the Hulk.

Meanwhile, in another universe...

Bruce Banner: Dont make me feel emotionally dead inside. You wont like me then... not that anyone ever likes me...

Moments Later

Hulk: HULK SMASH YOU UNTIL YOU AS DEAD AS HULK FEELS!!

[Not Final Thoughts: The record company has blocked almost all videos of the concert, but they finally uploaded copies of the songs themselves to YouTube & Spotify, which works for me. I wanted the album on Spotify anyway.

[EDIT: Actually, I think they unblocked the videos shortly afterwards, or at least some of them seem to have popped back up?]

This song... good song, I like it, but I dont think its one of my favorites from the album. Im still not sure why I dont like it more than I do, but I feel its a very high 60 point song rather than a 70 point one. Strangely, I feel the same way about the original version of the song: I expected it to be better or worse than the Royal Albert Hall version, but its still the same high-60s song it always was.]

[Later: Ehhh.... fine, up to 70 points, I guess: Yeah, the 70s feels right for this song. Its got too many positive traits for me to let it fall any earlier, but Im not quite in love with the song or anything.]

[Still Later: And a very, very last second upgrade to the 80s.]

==============



==================

100 [TIE]: AFRO CELT SOUND SYSTEM - THE SILKEN WHIP:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31had2EKoy8

Nominator: rwlh (6/15)

Initial Score: 67.51 [#160]
Revised Score: 83.87 [#96]
Final Score: 84.42 [#100]

(First Thoughts: I dont know why I like this song quite as much as I do.)

I still cant figure it out. At over seven minutes long, its one of the longer nominationsnot too long, and we certainly have longer, but it feels a long time for an instrumental track that never inspires any specific emotion. It also feels like it becomes close to a dance song later onit gradually ramps up and the ending isnt all that far removed from songs Ive given very low points to.

But I inexplicably like it, quite unequivocally in fact. Theres something about the way the song melds different styles? Parts of it feel like a medieval Japanese village, parts feel like... like a cartoons idea of an acid trip with lots of flashy colors in front of your eyes, parts feel like a rave (but a relatively tame rave). The song is all over the place in a way that is as pleasing as it is confusing.

[Final Thoughts: Still good, still dont particularly understand it.]

=================



===============

100 [TIE]: ALLAN HOLDSWORTH - THE DUPLICATE MAN:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa-7NUwkrwI

Nominator: @Toxtricity / Mycro (2/15)

Initial Score: 69.99999~ [#138]
Revised Score: 63.96 [#254]
Final Score: 84.42 [#100]

(First Thoughts: Your guess as to why this score goes so far over the decimal point is as good, nay better, than mine.)

[Note: 69.999 repeating was treated as 70 for ranking for purposes.]

Its a different song, alright. I cant define this song, so lets one of his fans hype the man:

[Allan Holdsworths] music represents the very pinnacle of human achievement. Holdsworth literally invented his own system, his own vocabulary, of music - John McLaughlin famously said If I could figure out what hes doing, Id steal every bit of it, but I cant figure it out

The [12-disc boxed set] in question is simply worth any amount of money, for what price can one put on the greatest art ever created?

Well, thats one way of hyping him up, I suppose.

Aaanywho... I dont know what genre this is, Ive never heard of a SynthAxe prior to a Wikipedia article about Allan Holdsworth, and I dont have enough education on music to even decipher other peoples attempts to talk about the song:

Holdsworth spins an electrics-classical perspective on The Duplicate Man. With his synthaxe, he emulates strings and horns with dusky chord-like voicings and employs a polyrhythmic digital drum groove that establishes a hearty momentum via a progressive-rock modality. With polytonal accents and instances of lament and jubilance, he injects trinkets of sound-sculpting maneuvers into this deceptively complex piece, paced with sinewy lines and his renowned legato phraseology.

At the very least, I can confirm that those are words. </.<

Right, well I think he has some interesting note choices that feel uncommon which makes it interesting, but I suspect it works better if youre capable of recognizing why theyre uncommon.

[Not Final Thoughts: Right, right... so theres obviously some weird duality stuff going on. Starting fairly early on in the song theres some traditional beauty playing along the not-quite-discordant unpleasantly flat notes and its an interesting effect. 70 points worth of interest? Yes.]

[Later: Oh, lets make it 80.]

[Final Thoughts: Imma just let this tie with The Silken Whip. Two songs in the 80 point range that I really enjoy but cant explain or quite figure out why? Easy tie.]

===============

And were officially 500 songs into the main ranking! Only 99 more to go.
---

If you liked The Silken Whip - and it looks like you did - Afro Celt Sound System has plenty of other new agey world fusion type tracks, though The Silken Whip is my favorite. I'd also recommend North for another somewhat long track, though North is sort of the opposite of The Silken Whip in tone (it's a bit darker and moodier):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtXyJ3DVp-o

Definitely expected The Line to go a little bit further considering how much you do seem to enjoy the whole dissociative aspect of Act IV's story, but it's such a mellow song in a lot of ways that I know it doesn't lend itself to being particularly memorable. I do agree that the vocals are much different on that track than they are on the rest of the album, too. "Spring had gone and clipped your wings/And the summer led astray/Autumn left a bitter sting/But the winter froze away" is a big lyrical highlight from the album to me.

And yeah, I was the one that nominated The Grocery. I can't believe you remember that with the amount of songs you've ranked and listened to over the past few years!

That whole-tier drop from Lighthouse sure is a bummer. Wonder if it'll turn out that my predicted placement for it would've been a little closer had it managed to keep one of its first two scores. I understand, though - it definitely does kinda feel like two completely different songs once the duet starts up. The whole Lighthouse album is pretty hauntingly beautiful from beginning to end; Post Scriptum is a gorgeous instrumental track if you're ever in the mood for that sort of thing and the two I Came Before the Water pieces feature some of my favorite vocals of the last five years. You'd probably enjoy them.

"Enchanting" is a great word for Mariusz Duda's voice. I'd like to give some recommendations for his main band Riverside as well since you liked him so much, but I can't say I'm much of a fan of theirs, so I'm afraid I don't have much to offer there.

Glad you liked Gutter Ballet so much. Savatage is one of the most underappreciated bands of all time in my opinion - they're more influential than a lot of people realize. They managed to go through a lot of different sounds over their history while always maintaining the general umbrella of blues-inspired metal, so I'd definitely expect you could find some things you really love in their catalogue. I'd recommend When the Crowds are Gone off the same Gutter Ballet album for sure, aaaaaand... Maybe The Hourglass off of The Wake of Magellan, off the top of my head.

Got one placement right out of three so far, that's fun. 7 songs left in the top 100, too! I'll take that anytime.

---

If you had told me a couple hundred songs ago that I'd have seven making it into the top 100, I'd have scoffed and called it extremely unlikely. Interestingly, despite giving you an album that was half radio singles, the only track that saw airplay is from the other album, and it was not popular at all.

---

Sorry for the delay, wanted to update the list again before i lost track of anything:

ZALIST (in no particular order)

Achtung Baby (Album)
Emerson Lake & Palmer - Trilogy (Album)
Grind Session (Game OST)
Theodor Bastard - Volchya Yagoda Album
Utopia (Pathologic 2 OST)
The Golden Age (Woodkid Album)

Assorted Bring Me the Horizon albums, Ill figure out which ones later

Steve Reich (Artist)
Master Boot Record (Artist)
Gunship (Artist)
Hiroshi Miyauchi (VGM Artist)
Imami Pon and BA.M (VGM Artist)
Riverside (Band)

Live - We Deal In Dreams
Piano Opera - Terras Theme (Arr. Bill Dobbins)
Piano Opera - The Serpent Trench (Arr. Bill Dobbins)
Piano Opera - Welcome to Our Town! Music Box
Piano Opera - Theme of Love Music Box
Piano Opera - My Home, Sweet Home Music Box
Piano Opera - The Mystic Forest Music Box
Piano Opera - Terras Theme: Music Box
Shooter Jennings - The Low Road
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - Now or Never
Hive - Moves Within Time (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Movements)
The Moody Blues - In The Beginning/Lovely to See You
The Doors - Light My Fire (full version)
ZZ Ward - Ghost
Veracocha VS Axwell - Feel The Carte Blanche
Nina Simone - Dont Let Me Be Misunderstood
Down - Bury Me in Smoke
Down - Stone the Crow
Down - Eyes of the South
Corrosion of Conformity - Clean My Wounds
POWER TRIP - Executioners Tax (Swing of the Axe)
JINJER - Judgement
Jacob Collier - CLARITY
Somunia - last night (virtual cat remix)
Messgram - mother tongue (Bring Me the Horizon Cover)
Afro Celt Sound System - North
Iamthemorning - Post Scriptum
Iamthemorning - I Came Before the Water (Pt.1 & Pt.2)
Savatage - When the Crowds are Gone
Savatage - The Hourglass

And some songs UF8 PMd a while ago

And Im curious which Live song was unpopular, but I suppose it doesnt really matter. First batch of songs in next post.
---

===============

99: SUBSIGNAL - LA MUERTA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S-hTpKJoWo

Nominator: NBIceman (7/22)
Source: Icemans Extra Songs (4/7)

Initial Score: 74.18 [#70]
Revised Score: 85.13 [#89]
Final Score: 84.60 [#99]

(First Thoughts: Catchy and I like some of the lyrics, as well as the outrotheres a certain beep-y-ness to the outro that I find very appealing (if only there was something in the song dealing with robots to go with the feelings the outro brings out). Still, a nice song.)

Certain sections of the keyboard playing (mainly at the intro and the outro) remind me of The Protomens self-titled debut album, which is definitely a good thing. I also tend to like progressive rock as a genreI think, anywayso nice to get a bit more representation for this style of music.

Lyrics are going over my head, but singing about the lady of the night who paves a passage for the dead at least sounds cool.

[Final Thoughts: Cant think of anything else to add.]

==============



===============

98: KENT - DOM ANDRA:

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

Nominator: Djungelurban (6/15)

Initial Score: 87.10 [#23]
Revised Score: 96.74 [#35]
Final Score: 84.84 [#98]

(First Thoughts: Credit for being (I think) the first to nominate a Swedish song and the singer has a truly wondrous voice. I actually ran to Spotify to tell it I liked this song, so I can find it again later.)

Not really a fan of the lyrics, but I love the sound and feel of this track, to a point that Ive got it ranked over a lot of other songs. Hes got a great, slightly dark sounding voice that Im very drawn to... think I might try a few other songs by this band later; probably wont bother looking up what they mean though.

[Final Thoughts: Hes still got a good voice, but Im not as drawn into it as I was the first two times.]

===============



===============

97: PET SHOP BOYS - YESTERDAY, WHEN I WAS MAD (2018 REMASTER):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9HxLlZ8by4

Nominator: DoctorJimmy133 (3/27)
Source: DoctorJimmys Extra Songs (3/7)

Initial Score: 68.90 [#150]
Revised Score: 87.47 [#76]
Final Score: 85.10 [#97]

(First Thoughts: Much better and nicer song than I was expecting. After the bit about smiling with murder on his mind, I was expecting the song to go in a serial killer direction. Quite pleased it turned out to just be about the backhanded compliments of the press & that it ended on an optimistic note.

Song might go up a bit on repeat listens, now that I know what to expect from it.)

The Pet Shop Boys are a group that I seem to like, but not love. I had a brief obsession with West End Girls, I still listen to Its a Sin and Opportunities (Lets Make Lots of Money) on a somewhat regular basis, but Ive never felt like trying to find any other songs by them and I wouldnt really say I love any of those three songs. (In spite of how many times Ive listened to them).

[Later: What Have I Done to Deserve This is another Pet Shop Boys song I had a brief obsession with. I havent listened to that one in years, I actually forgot about it.

Now I kinda want to look up some Dusty Springfield songs, since she was featured on that song... but I fear Ive grown more off-topic than usual.]

Either way, this is another of their better songs. The pulsing beat is a bit much, but its soft enough that I can mostly ignore it.

[Final Thoughts: Pretty good.]

===============



================

96: JASMINE THOMPSON - RUN:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnh3xu16cCA

Nominator: Djungelurban (5/15)

Initial Score: 72.13 [#102]
Revised Score: 79.00 [#125]
Final Score: 74.80 (upgraded to 85.30) [#96]

(First Thoughts: Im so close to connecting with this song... that last verse... looking forward to trying this on another day, good easily hit up to the 90s. If it properly resonates with me anyway.)

Wait, she was only twelve when she released this song? Thats really impressive. Another one of those generally all around good songs that I have no complaints about.

[(Not) Final Thoughts: Still very close to resonating, but not quite there...]

[Later: One of those songs moved up at the last moment, messing up all the numbers and plans for the night.]

===============
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================

95: LIVE - SHIT TOWNE:

https://open.spotify.com/track/5Tkrz3KSoAOGN4Y97TUqZU

Nominator: azuarc (6/28)
Source: Throwing Copper (4/15)

Initial Score: 44.98 [#477]
Revised Score: 41.19 [#521]
Final Score: 85.50 [#95]

(First Thoughts ...)

Feels like an angsty teenage song: Yeah, this town is shit! Fuck you, mom and dad!

Its just so...petty? Sad? Something like that. Its also dreadfully repetitive, like there should be a second verse or something, but the song just pointlessly extends itself longer than it needed to.

[You would think I wouldt fill space by talking about an unrelated song to fill space mere seconds after criticizing a song for pointlessly extending things, but you underestimate both my stupidity and my hypocrisy.]

Talisman: The Horus Heresy - Aftermath:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBaDGRvP2L4

This is a track that Ive wanted to nominate somewhere for a few years now, but Ive never been able to find the right place. Since its just a bonus track and not actually in the game itself, it doesnt actually count for most VGM topics. And its not interesting enough to be worth nominating at the few topics open to every song in existence.

Its unfortunate because this is actually a decent track and, I think, better than anything on the actual soundtrack. Its probably a bit too ambient for most people (Id probably only give it a 7/10), but its a nice song for quiet reflection on...whatever atrocity you want to quietly reflect back on. Not great, not the sort of thing anyone on this board would care about, but good in its own way and deserving more than the complete obscurity its been relegated to.

[Not-Quite-Final Thoughts: Well, you were right about this originally being the lowest ranked song on Throwing Copper at the least. But its got a catchy chorus andas stupid as it isIm sorta in the mood for this song. Been seeing too many confederate flags, and thin blue line flags, and Blue Lives Matter shirts & bumper stickers, and shirts about how you cant get COVID if youre a Christian...

Like, I know its petty and sad, but Shit Towne kinda speaks to me at the moment.]

[Later: I just had the misfortune of dealing with a COVID-supporting [expletive deleted] and having to hear how COVID has been sent to eradicate the non-Christians. He felt the need to point out that a lot of members of his church have died to COVID, but that proves that they werent TRUE CHRISTIANS.

...I shouldnt like this song. It just repeats the first verse instead of coming up with a second one and...other stuff. But I find the chorus of gotta live in Shit Towne getting rather stuck in my head lately and Im actually going to go ahead and jump this song up to 80 points.

Youll probably argue that I cant give this song an extra 40 points as a pathetic protest about my town somehow being pro-COVID, but I once again remind you that I have no interest in pretending to be objective at my own topic.

...Almost tempted to jump this all the way up to the 100 point tier on principle, but I suppose 80 points is enough to get the point across.]

[Final Thoughts: Inexplicably, this song wound up being something I actually needed, so I like it a lotbut I cant really say its some super top-tier track or anything. It just repeats the first verse instead of coming up with a second one and its not the singers best performancenothing wrong with it, but Im not completely drawn into his voice as I am in certain other songs. ]

================



===============

94: THE WEEKND - TWENTY EIGHT:

https://open.spotify.com/track/1FJrsh1NbV9eRw5JQt3M4e

Nominator: Player_0 (2/30)

Initial Score: 60.00 [#242]
Revised Score: 80.63 [#114]
Final Score: 85.70 [#94]

(First Thoughts: ...I guess Ill give this a decent score, for now.)

I still cant find any lyrics in this song that I actually like, which is unfortunate because I think I love this song in all ways other than the lyrics which Im rather neutral on. Its definitely quite close to greatness though, so I think this is probably my favorite song from the album now?

[Final Thoughts: Well, its not quite my favorite song from the album anymore, but its close.]

===============



===================

93: BEYOND - THE LAND:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwUWc1kw2T4

Nominator: handsomeboy (3/15)

Initial Score: 60.15 [#233]
Revised Score: 84.05 [#95]
Final Score: 85.90 [#93]

(First Thoughts: Well, I managed to find an article about the song and while Google Translate is still spotty, it explains enough to get the general feelings. Also it did a decent job with the lyrics Looking at his fathers smile, speechless; Let the sunset seep with tears.

Also, the article even explained that the writer was writing about his uncle instead of his actual father, so I even know a bit of trivia on this one.)

At least, I really hope the pages I found are about the right song. Its not exactly easy to tell when youre just grabbing search results at almost random and running them through an automatic translator in hopes of getting something decipherable.

Theres also a lot of notes about the song commemorating Taiwanese veterans being allowed to return to the mainland to visit their relatives? [Again, presuming Im on information about the right song]. Seems like a powerful topic, though one Im grossly unqualified to speak on as I know exactly nothing about the history involved.

The singers got a fantastic voice that draws me in and the backing music is also quite interesting. I dont know quite how to put it; its like a combination of traditional Chinese music, 80s pop music, and a military march all blended together with a powerful & wistful vocal performance that works together in ways that are incredibly appealing. Like, even if it turns out I had a completely wrong set of lyrics, this is still hitting 80 points because I like what this song is doing to a point that I dont think it actually matters what hes singing.

[Final Thoughts: Nothing else to add.]

===================



===============

92: BEN FOLDS - THE ASCENT OF STAN:

https://youtu.be/jeWZhuzFMM8

Nominator: Jesse_Custer (5/15)

Initial Score: 48.12 [#444]
Revised Score: 66.00 (upgraded to an 88.55) [#70]
Final Score: 86.00 [#92]

(First Thoughts: I dont much care to discuss hippies selling out their values to make it in the corporate world & I dont much care for anything the song does musically either. Its fine enough that I doubt the score will ever drop below 40 points, but I seriously doubt Im going to start liking it enough for it to even reach 50.)

I was too harsh on this song originally, as this was one of the tracks that really stuck with me. I could remember it rather clearly, in spite of having only heard it once back when it was first nominated near the start of the topic. And I eventually had to admit that while its never going to be my favorite in any aspect, it was certainly memorable and i did actually like it enough that I wanted to hear it again.

[Later: After having this song stuck in my head for two straight days, I am forced to admit that your songs arefor better or worseinfectiously catchy. Moving this up to the high 80s for a bit; might move it back down a bit later, well see.]

[Final Thoughts: Very catchy and memorable, but its still not exactly my favorite song... having a hard time deciding how many points I want to give it, but it seems to have wound up here-ish?]

===============
---

===============

91: WHITE MOTH BLACK BUTTERFLY - TEMPEST:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpKz_pb4NLU

Nominator: NBIceman (6/22)
Source: Icemans Extra Songs (3/7)

Initial Score: 87.04 [#24]
Revised Score: 88.91 [#68]
Final Score: 86.20 [#91]

(First Thoughts:

I was fading out
Like a whisper in the wind
Wishing I was someone else, somewhere else

Nice lyrics there, attached to a beautiful song.)

Very good song, but Im finding it difficult to find anything I want to say about it. Its very pretty, it has one verse in particular that I love, and Im taking it over hundreds of other songs... but Im not completely in love with it and feel like theres still two tiers above it. That probably says more about how ridiculously high my standards are than anything about the songs quality.

[Final Thoughts: A great song that does almost everything I could ask of it, but Im finding myself a bit more drawn to the other 80 point songs tonight.]

===============



===============

90: MAMOMO - (On the Main Street of the City in the Morning) [mamomo #7]:

https://s-mamomo.bandcamp.com/track/--51

Nominator: @FL81 (6/20)
Source: mamomo album (5/13)

Initial Score: 65.13 [#172]
Revised Score: 83.33 [#99]
Final Score: 86.40 [#90]

(First Thoughts: It feels like a dancing in the village square type song. Very celebratory. ...I dont like that, but Ill give it a respectable score for making feel something.... even if that something is rather antithetical to my existence and making my fur stand on end. *twitches*)

Its a very beautiful song that perfectly captures a certain atmosphere. Its just an atmosphere that makes me rather... twitchy. Its certainly a new experience and one I should cherish, but I cant quite bring myself to move it up to the 90s (or even the very high end of the 80s), but it is... new.

[Final Thoughts: Nothing else to add here.]

=================



===============

89: THE EIGHTFOLD ROAD - ENVELOPED IN KINDNESS:

https://familyjules7x.bandcamp.com/track/enveloped-in-kindness

Nominator: The_Mighty_KELP (4/32)

Initial Score: 60.14 [#234]
Revised Score: 84.95 [#90]
Final Score: 86.60 [#89]

(First Thoughts: Pretty, but not...like so beautiful that Im required to give it an extremely high score.)

Much better than I originally thought. It comes so close to being so warm that its overflowing with emotion... but not quite enough to be overwhelming. Really great song though.

[space filling song go!]

KELPs username always makes me think of Mighty Quinn, specifically Manfred Manns version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K13hH0pJx5s

So Ive basically had this song playing in my head on an infinite loop for months now. At least its catchy enough that I dont particularly mind it being stuck in my head.

[Final Thoughts: Another in the line of beautiful instrumentals that arent quite top tier levels of beauty.]

===============



===============

88: PSO2 - LIGHTS END (EPILOGUE VER.):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTdmRjD3OAQ&list=PLeKaE-gusMmaq2FecWApCcMOVGJblcdrD&index=37

Nominator: NFUN (3/37)

Initial Score: 54.25 [#317]
Revised Score: 86.57 [#81]
Final Score: 86.80 [#88]

(First Thoughts: And we close out the soundtrack with...acceptable jpop. Kinda catchy, kinda cute, but not outstanding.)

This feels like a fairly typical anime love song and its basic enough that I think Google Translate conveys enough of the song: Lots of rambling about the Door of Hope, blue skies, holding hands, singing, changing the future to what we dream of, you get the idea. (Presuming I found lyrics to the right song at any rate, which is far from being a guaranteed thing)

But I like generic happy anime songs, so yeah.

[Final Thoughts: Nothing else to add.]

===============
---

That's got a translation (there are a lot of generic anime vocal PSO2 songs, and basically all have dubbed versions). I could just link the song, but it'd be criminal to include a video of the concert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNc9XH3qTCE

they were weirdly well-behaved in this one. usually the concerts look more like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UbkNMDJZ7g
---

Ooh, thanks for that! No big revelations there and some of the lines are pretty close to the Google Translated ones, but its nice to know I did have the general idea.

(Japanese version of the song is better)

Last three of the night:



===============

87: LENA RAINE - IN THE MIRROR:

https://radicaldreamland.bandcamp.com/track/in-the-mirror

Nominator: Metalmind_Stats (1/28)
Source: Celeste (1/21)

Initial Score: 70.02 [#133]
Revised Score: 87.65 [#75]
Final Score: 87.00 [#87]

(First Thoughts: It starts off with a properly dreadful atmosphere and the backwards talking is brilliant, but the latter part of the song is too...hopeful and ordinary. I like it, but it could be improved.)

Sooo.... I wanted songs with an oppressive atmosphere and this is certainly oppressive.

I wanted dissociation and we have backmasked vocals dealing with that.

I kinda like songs that have a falling into the abyss feel and this is definitely like sinking into an ocean in places.

Itd be pretty hard for me to claim this song isnt the literal definition of what I wanted. And I like it quite a bit, but when I compare it to the absolute top tier tracks this year, I feel like its still a step below them. Still, thank you for giving me what I wanted.

[Final Thoughts: I mean, its exactly what I wanted, so... also, I think this is the song that got me really interested in the game. I remember hearing about the hidden backwards talking on this track and its symbolism, which was enough to sell me on the game.]

===============

===============

CELESTE SOUNDTRACK:

Reach for the Summit: 50.70 [R#30]
Confronting Myself: 82.50 [R#20]

Postcard from Celeste Mountain: 17.00 [#585]
Spirit of Hospitality: 32.00 [#569]
Awake: 40.40 [#551]
Resurrections: 43.45 [#536]
Checking In: 43.90 [#526]
Little Goth: 50.00 [#472]
Golden: 50.00 [#472]
My Dearest Friends: 50.34 [#461]
Scattered and Lost: 50.48 [#456]
Reflection: 52.12 [#416]
Anxiety: 52.50 [#408]
Starjump: 56.04 [#389]
Quiet and Falling: 59.95 [#332]
Madeline and Theo: 60.27 [#326]
First Steps: 60.98 [#318]
Heart of the Mountain: 62.23 [#294]
Prologue: 69.66 [#211]
Exhale: 77.00 [#146]
In the Mirror: 87.00 [#87]

Average Score: 54.6914285714

Well, this album certainly had a variety of scores. One song I hated (largely because its so short), two songs that I really really liked (Confronting Myself & In the Mirror), and then a bunch of songs in the middle.

===============

Player Averages

Shonen_Bat: 73.6884285714
Metalmind: 59.3499999999
Xeybozn: 53.3525
Hbthebattle: 53.0054545454
Pyresword + sergiocornaga: 50.2062698412



============

86: THE WEEKND - THE MORNING:

https://open.spotify.com/track/6u0dQik0aif7FQlrhycG1L

Nominator: Player_0 (1/30)

Initial Score: 0 [#592]
Revised Score: 0.44 [#590]
Final Score: 87.20 [#86]

(First Thoughts:

Im fucking gone right now

If only you were, Id be so much happier.)

This was another song set to be eliminated during the initial cluster of Weeknd songs. But I couldnt eliminate it then. Truthfully, I love the backing music and his voice. And for the longest time, this was set aside to be eliminated at some point in the 40s... but well, obviously that didnt happen. And I might regret this when we get to this in the distant future, but I do love the music and his voice here, so I think Im going to jump this all the way up to the 70swere looking at this song potentially raising 300 spaces from where it was supposed to be cut.

But I think I actually do have to move it up there. Ive said love too many times in regards to this song to drop it in the 50s and even the 60s feels low for that much praise.

[Later: High 70s. Im still not into the lyrics, but everything else about the performance is so perfect that its going to be rather high up the list.]

[Even Later: ....80 points.]

[Final Thoughts: Okay, I think this is the largest increase from Revised Score to Final Score. Theres only one other song it could be, but well get to that one eventually. Either way, an increase of over 500 rankings is certainly something.]

===============



==============

TRILOGY:

Initiation: 0 [#599]
What You Need: 0.02 [#595]
Life of the Party: 0.30 [#594]
House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls: 0.32 [#593]
Same Old Song: 0.70 [#592]
XO / The Host: 0.80 [#591]
The Birds Pt. 1: 0.99 [#590]
Gone: 3.00 [#589]
Coming Down: 39.20 [#555]
Rolling Stone: 43.50 [#535]
Heaven or Las Vegas: 45.30 [#508]
The Fall: 46.93 [#497]
Loft Music: 47.00 [#496]
Outside: 48.60 [#488]
Thursday: 50.00 [#472]
The Party & The After Party: 50.00 [#472]
Valerie: 51.28 [#437]
Montreal: 57.80 [#382]
Till Dawn (Here Comes the Sun): 59.55 [#353]
The Zone: 61.05 [#314]
The Birds, Pt. 2: 66.12 [#268]
The Knowing: 67.93 [#239]
Echoes of Silence: 68.15 [#235]
Next: 68.50 [#228]
Wicked Games: 68.83 [#221]
Lonely Star: 75.35 [#159]
D.D.: 76.50 [#151]
High For This: 79.11 [#123]
Twenty Eight: 85.70 [#94]
The Morning: 87.20 [#86]

Average Score: 44.991

Well, the good news is I like being exposed to things I have a strong negative reaction to, so having 8 songs with scores that abysmal is actually good from a certain perspective; much better than having eight songs at the exactly 50 level anyway.

And I did eventually start really liking his voice. Even without any lyrics that appeal to me, theres eleven songs in the I like this tier or better, so I actually like more than a third of the album. So, Id say this was probably a good nomination? I probably should have spaced listening to the songs out a bit more instead of going through so much of the album each sitting, but it was a good experience anyway.

=============

Player Averages

Shonen_Bat: 73.6884285714
Metalmind: 59.3499999999
Xeybozn: 53.3525
Hbthebattle: 53.0054545454
Pyresword + sergiocornaga: 50.2062698412
Player_0: 44.991

Some high scores at the end arent enough to salvage the albums average.



===============

85: DOM AND ROLAND FEAT. NATALIE DUNCAN - SACRIFICE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26JMNblFuL8

Nominator: DoctorJimmy133 (2/27)
Source: DoctorJimms Extra Songs (2/7)

Initial Score: 85.00 [#31]
Revised Score: 89.09 [#67]
Final Score: 87.40 [#85]

(First Thoughts: I think I like this quite a bit, but I need to make an attempt to transcribe the lyrics a bit to be certain. Also, feels like the song runs slightly too long.)

I dont really care for the intense drumming sections, but I absolutely love the incredibly low tones (which, considering the genre is drums and bass, i shall assume is coming from a bass of some sort) used throughout the song and Natalie Duncan has a very pleasing voice. Im very tempted to move this song up to the 90s, and I might by the end, but those drum sections are holding the song back.

[Final Thoughts: Does too many things right to get less than 80 points, but yeah, the drumming sections are really holding everything back. On the plus side, I love the booming low tones that vibrate through me and I really need more songs that do that.

...Just preferably with less intense drumming sections. Though considering that this song is two full tiers above the I liked this tier, the drums arent exactly a dealbreaker...]

===============
---

Looks like my noms have gone out in roughly reverse order of how "me" they are (though Sacrifice is a big exception) Don't really have a problem with that, though!

---

Well, if nothing else, I seem to be really good at nominating songs that fall a bunch of places at the last second.

My thoughts on Tempest are pretty similar to yours. They even kind of apply to the rest of the album. There's a lot of really, really good stuff on there, but it kind of misses the x-factor that elevates it beyond "beautiful, atmospheric, emotional prog pop." I love beautiful, atmospheric, emotional prog pop, but there's quite a bit of it out there and even the best examples of it like Atone are gonna have a certain ceiling to it, I think.

I almost nominated a couple of the duets from that album instead. Wonder how you would've liked those considering your thoughts on Lighthouse, them being somewhat similar genres and all.

---

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

Youll probably argue that I cant give this song an extra 40 points as a pathetic protest about my town somehow being pro-COVID, but I once again remind you that I have no interest in pretending to be objective at my own topic.

lol, whatever works. I'm glad it helped you at the time when you could actually use it.

---

Yay, I'm glad I could provide a wide range of ratings even though the songs follow such a similar style! I approve of Twenty Eight, High for This, D.D., and Wicked Games in the top ranks. He's grown into a bit of a pop and R&B icon (catch him at the Super Bowl halftime show in February!), but his first album remains a magical trip,..whether alluring or repulsive.

---

If you wanted to name the Duets in question, Id be happy to add them to the list. I always get around to listening to everything eventually.

Also, fun fact: were 21 eliminations away from the next tier, if I counted right and dont rearrange things again. Itd feel kinda silly to just do 15 eliminations and end so close to the 90s... so heres a surprise six song drop in the middle of the night, to set us up so we can go through the last 15 songs of the 80 point tier at our regularly scheduled times:



===============

84: MEG - SEARCHLIGHT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv084ZJKRhM

Nominator: @Snake5555555555 (5/15)

Initial Score: 80.00 [#53]
Revised Score: 86.75 [#80]
Final Score: 87.60 [#84]

(First Thoughts: This feels like a safe pick. Japanese songs have won two years in a row and this feels like the type of song that would have fit in with all the VTubers I was listening to, and the lyrics hit a lot of the right notesweve got oceans and waves (have I mentioned liking beaches this topic? Im contractually obligated to do so once per ranking), a bit about finding whats real... its very here is the type of artist you like, singing lyrics you like, in a very catchy song.

Im going to guess that after gambling on a risky pick like Sex & Stardust, you wanted to hedge your bets a bit with a song you knew would get a high score? Nothing wrong with that and I do legitimately like it.)

This is going to be terribly out of character for me, but I feel like theres too many modifications to her voice on this song? I feel like with lyrics like I want to see whats real, the song calls for a voice thats more...well, real, instead of sounding almost Vocaloid-ish.

Still a very good song of course.

[Final Thoughts: Nothing else to add.]

================



================

83: ELO - TIGHTROPE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rpLTRiJyRA

Nominator: NBIceman (5/21)
Source: Icemans Extra Songs (2/7)

Initial Score: 70.00 [#138]
Revised Score: 87.83 [#74]
Final Score: 87.83 [#83]

(First Thoughts: A classic 70s song that I dont know because its not one of their greatest hits that got played constantly (Dont Bring Me Down, Livin Thing, Evil Woman, Strange Magic, etc). Not a bad pick, but Ive never been the biggest ELO fan.)

Its also a rather optimistic song seemingly dealing with depression, but the singer finds help in the enda nice contrast with some of the other songs on the list. I also like how it eschews from using the traditional verse-chorus-verse structure, makes it more unique and avoids any risk of repetition.

And I do kinda like hearing more ELO... still not my favorite band, but there is some nostalgia in hearing new songs from a band you grew up with. Good pick that I wasnt giving enough credit for at first.

[Final Thoughts: Good song, manages to hit lots of nostalgia buttons while being completely new, which is pretty difficult to accomplish for obvious reasons.]

==============



================

82: BRING ME THE HORIZON - GO TO HELL, FOR HEAVENS SAKE:

Nominator: @BlackDra90n (7/21)
Source: Live at Royal Albert Hall (7/14)

Initial Score: 72.46 [#89]
Revised Score: 77.68 [#137]

[NOTE: This song was moved up to the 90s after the Revised Scores were finalized, but before the topic actually started.]

Final Score: 87.85 [#82]

(First Thoughts: A song dedicated entirely to screaming at a part of yourself that you want to kill. Well, thats definitely the dissociation I wanted, thank you.

Im not pleased by the intro instructing the crowd to jump. It feels... out of place. Im singing this personal song about how much I hate this part of myself, and also, theres a lot of people here and I really want them to jump!!!!!

Give me a live performance where the artist doesnt care about his fans and the fans are so disaffected that they just watch in silence. Thats my kind of concert. </.<)

Comedically out of place intro aside (it may be so goofy that I actually enjoy it), this is a good song, with great subject matter, but its far from being their best work. A bit too repetitive and a bit harsher compared to most of the concert (I wouldnt say its too metal, its just...less pleasing to listen to, for me personally), its got a very good score, but not a great one.

[Later, after phase 2 but before the rankings:

Yeah, Im going to jump this up to the 90s as well.]

[Final Thoughts: Great song, but I think I moved it up a bit too far... feel this song works better at the 80 point tier than the 90 point one.]

===============
---

================

81: THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE - BLUE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_960dUEVEs

Nominator: LOLIAmAnAlt (2/15)

Initial Score: 75.17 [#63]
Revised Score: 89.81 [#63]
Final Score: 87.99 [#81]

(First Thoughts: As usualdont really get the song, but Im pretty sure I like it.)

I like the way the song alternates between light and dark verses, it helps the song stand out and the kind of bipolar duality thing is...very pleasing to me. Also, I like that shes doing both voices; like usual, I thought there were two singers, but Im being told she does the growling voice herself and I have no reason to doubt that.

Also as usual Im not even going to pretend to understand the song... though doesnt seem like anyone else understands it either. Theories are absolutely everywhere on this one: split personalities, miscarriages, loved ones dying, loved ones cheating, Picasso, being manipulated into murdering people for no reason (...kay.), and anything really.

Which I also like, so well done again.

[Final Thoughts: Song is as great as it is confusing.]

===============



===============

80: FRUMS - JAM WITH PANCAKE:

https://frums.bandcamp.com/track/jam-with-pancake

Nominator: cakophon (3/26)
Source: vignette (3/20)

Initial Score: 64.20 [#179]
Revised Score: 60.00 [#283]
Final Score: 88.10 [#80]

(First Thoughts: An energetic cooking song... or do I only think that because of the food related title?? Curious.)

Apparently this was created as a hypothetical theme for a panda baker, so I get some of the puns in this song title.

You like chiptunes and furries, this is a chiptune created for a furry, therefore you have to like this!, you probably exclaim around this point.

And...I do like it. Its probably the best cooking theme Ive ever heard? I just dont entirely want or need a high-energy cooking theme song at the moment, though it is highly unique... out of every song from all my ranking topics, there are almost no cooking related ones (is it just this one and Haachama Cooking Rap?), so thats somewhat neat. This is at least the only instrumental cooking song, Im fairly certain.

[Not-Quite-Final Thoughts: Its very pleasant and is suddenly hitting me in the feels quite hard; going to go ahead and jump this up to the 70 point tier.]

[Later: 80 points.]

[Final Thoughts: I really do quite like this.]

===============



===============

79: STRAYLIGHT RUN - MISTAKES WE KNEW WE WERE MAKING:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Zm-kJg5Yg

Nominator: @Snake5555555555 (4/15)

Initial Score: 83.16 [#34]
Revised Score: 89.27 [#66]
Final Score: 88.50 [#79]

(First Thoughts: Good choice.)

[stares at screen for fifteen minutes]

...Yeah, I dont want to talk about this.

[Space filling song, space filling song....

...uhh... lets just enter song into YouTube and take the first result.]

Rachel Platten - Fight Song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbxNtPiCBK8

I know search results change based on who is doing the search, but apparently if Im looking for a song, this is what Google assumes Im looking for. Its fine, I guess? Terribly overplayed and a bit dull, but there are certainly worse popular songs it could have subjected us to.

[Final Thoughts: Fantastic song (the nominated one, obviously), but Im more into songs dealing with the destruction of relationships than the mending of them at the moment... still, I like it a lot.]

================
---

Ah, two drops! I knew you would like the MEG song but of course I did pick it cause I love it a lot too!

---

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

93: BEYOND - THE LAND

The background of this song is the Chinese civil war from 1945 to 1949. The Communists won and took over the mainland, and the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan. The soldiers who went with them are not from Taiwan and forced to start new lives there because they'd be killed if they go back. After around 40 years they were allowed to return to their old homes, but everything has become unrecognizable.

A poor translation of the first few lines (the lyrics are a lot less direct than this)

On those green roads
How much pain have been experienced
On that aged face
Has also been marked by wind and frost
...
At time of youth
Forced to leave, never said goodbyes
Looking back at yesterday's home
Feelings of sadness every year
But only the sunrise and sunset have never changed
Looking at the fathers smile
Unconsciously speechless
Let the sunset seep through the tears
On those open roads
How many hopes and dreams have been trampled
...

Long story short the song is about how war separates family and friends.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

The singers got a fantastic voice

Fun fact, for this song they got the guitarist to sing it instead of the usual lead singer because his voice was more fitting.

At risk of probably jinxing it, I'm shocked how long my last song has been staying in. Earlier on I thought I was gonna be totally out by the 300's or so, and even with my second to last going out I thought my last was gonna be quite soon after. Although Revival Mode being the last isn't the most surprising, it is one of their not quite as intense sounding songs.

---

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

Oh no you dont, youre not getting first two years in a row with sad VTuber songs that remind me of dead relationships.

well, i tried lol

i expected this to either end up at the top of my noms or the bottom for exactly the reasons you caught, so the fact that it ended roughly in the middle is a bit of a surprise even factoring in everything, though middle is evidently far from a bad thing here.

honestly, when i first heard this in a streamed live performance in vrchat when she got 1000 subscribers iirc, i was certain she was retiring. it certainly went on long enough to be a swan song and while i never cried during it, i had a very deep sense of respect for it.

still, it's also not a very groundbreaking or even good song on a technical level. this could've ended up with a sub-30 score and i wouldn't have been surprised in the slightest. manju is still a particularly inexperienced artist who is only now learning how to start pushing her boundaries. A song she posted the other day reflects this pretty well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzFqM70Zb2Y

hopefully by next time (if there is a next time, of course) she'll have polished her skills enough to have a better chance at contending for top honours

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about Kent's lyrics. There are those that feel they convey a deep and complex meaning, and also those that believe that the lyrics are just random hodgepodge that the singer has come up with without real rime or reason... In fact, the band itself have publicly claimed both of those things at various times, as well as anywhere in between. I think they just enjoy keeping people guessing. The truth probably lies somewhere in between anyway... And I'm sure you can figure out some kind of meaning from all of their songs if you try hard enough, but if you have to try that hard, can you be sure you just didn't invent something that wasn't there in the first place? Personally, I'm in the "don't bother" camp.

And Jasmine is just a little gem...

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

Give me a live performance where the artist doesnt care about his fans and the fans are so disaffected that they just watch in silence. Thats my kind of concert.

Haha that is unfortunately not this band or concert.

---

Thank you for more information on The Land. Since it deals with historical events that Ive honestly never heard of, it was harder than most songs to get any good information about.

Manju song added to the list, though Ill hold off on posting the whole thing again since it was just updated.

And this update will be awkward now, but Im still not rearranging things just to avoid awkwardness. </.<



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78: BOB CURNOWS L.A. BIG BAND - EVERY SUMMER NIGHT:

https://youtu.be/jTQBn2eVu1s

Nominator: Haste_2 (1/19)
Source: Hastes Extra Songs (1/7)

Initial Score: 70.01 [#136]
Revised Score: 84.77 [#91]
Final Score: 88.70 [#78]

(First Thoughts: Is this jazz? I keep saying people should nominate more jazz, but I kinda...dont so much know what it is...Im led to believe it often has saxophones?? That or Lisa Simpson has lied to me and, by extension, all of America.

...

Though I guess that might just be, like, a subset of jazz. Smooth jazz, perhaps? ...Yeah, lets not pretend I know what Im talking about and move on.

Right, so this so is pleasant to listen to. It doesnt inspire any specific feelings or fantasieswith instrumentals you need to find something that makes me feel like Im somewhere or someone else, establishing a soundscape that makes the real world fade away... this obviously doesnt do that, but its a fine song thats probably from a genre Ive explicitly asked for more of, so well done.)

This gives off vibes similar to Taxis intro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S23oaLAEUpo

Smooth, tranquil, and 70s nostalgia. Its an effective combination and I really like this one.

[Final Thoughts: I think I want some more of this type of jazz, though preferably with more sax.]

===============

=================

HASTES EXTRA SONGS:

Glacier Palace: 51.04 [#442]
The Drum Thunder Suite: 52.00 [#420]
Luwieras Forest: 52.23 [#414]
Ferry Poem: 59.22 [#359]
A Friends Decision: 62.12 [#296]
Love Song: 68.40 [#230]
Every Summer Night: 88.70 [#78]

Average Score: 61.9585714285

Not a bad set of nominations, nothing in the below 50 range. I can offer some praise to Drum Thunder Suite for being a genre I have no experience with (not really my thing, but its good to get some more exposure to that type of song) and these topics could always use more songs like Every Summer Night.

==================

Player Averages:

Shonen_Bat: 73.6884285714
Metalmind: 59.3499999999
Haste_2: 53.8109523809
Xeybozn: 53.3525
Hbthebattle: 53.0054545454
Pyresword + sergiocornaga: 50.2062698412
Player_0: 44.991

Piano Operas low scores drag Hastes average down a bit, but not quite as much as id expected.



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77: EVERY TIME I DIE - REVIVAL MODE:

https://open.spotify.com/track/33Pr2Mpw6XoQ19zUEZHXfQ

Nominator: Bane (1/28)
Source: Ex Lives (1/14)

Initial Score: 72.46 [#89]
Revised Score: 76.47 [#148]
Final Score: 88.84 [#77]

(First Thoughts: Hey, I like this song! Will explain why later.)

Im becoming increasingly convinced that the initial version of the list was an elaborate prank from past me because I have no conscious memory of this song or the slightest clue why she liked it.

...Which kinda makes me like it for being an unsolvable mystery as to why I originally liked it. Which isnt how anything is supposed to work, but this is hardly going to be the last time I give a high score for ludicrous reasons.

Maybe well get lucky and future me will figure out why this song is ranked here. Probably not though.

[Later: I have absolutely no memory of any aspect of this song, but it seems fairly straightforward in its appeal. In no particular order:

A. Thanks, Lord, but I dont need anymore poor advice is slightly blasphemous. Just enough to get my attention.

B. I think this is probably the slowest and tamest song from either of the two nominated ETID albums. Of course that would be the one I like.

C. I like gambling, even metaphorical gambling. So basically every choice of metaphor Buckley goes with is designed especially to appeal to me.

D. The metal yelling is used very sparingly here. Its still included, but only in a few places where it can be implemented to its best effect.

E.

So I thank you for bearing witness while I waste my fucking life

That is the exact level of sadness and angst without being soul crushing that I look for. So I think Im going to move this up to the 80 point tier? Its definitely not hitting 90 points (sorry, thats a step too far), but it has so many positive qualities going for it that its still pretty great.]

[Final Thoughts: Well, it took a long time, but I did eventually find reasons I like the song.]

===============

===============

EX LIVES:

The Low Road Has No Exits: 45.50 [#507]
Starve an Artist, Cover Your Trash: 50.38 [#459]
Typical Miracle: 50.68 [#450]
Touch Yourself: 50.90 [#445]
Holy Book of Dilemma: 51.00 [#443]
Grudge Music: 51.61 [#427]
A Wild, Shameless Plain: 53.34 [#404]
I Suck (Blood): 59.73 [#349]
Drag King: 59.81 [#344]
Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space: 61.25 [#311]
Business Casualty: 61.80 [#302]
Partying is Such Sweet Sorrow: 62.08 [#297]
Indian Giver: 66.80 [#258]
Revival Mode: 88.84 [#77]

Average Score: 58.1228571428

I dont really have anything specific about the album to say; hes still the best lyricist, I still have trouble remembering exactly which song was which (one song by this band featured a lean on the fourth wall moment when the song greatly slows down when Buckley screams Goddamn it, wait!which one was it? *cue Jeopardy thinking music*), and this is basically the same writeup from the other ETiD album.

They both have quite similar Average Scores as well, both starting with 58.1, and there isnt a definitive winner; Ex Lives had the highest placing individual song, From Parts Unknown has a slight lead on Average Score (58.17- VS 58.12-).

==============

Player Averages:

Shonen_Bat: 73.6884285714
Metalmind: 59.3499999999
Bane: 58.1471428571
Haste_2: 53.8109523809
Xeybozn: 53.3525
Hbthebattle: 53.0054545454
Pyresword + sergiocornaga: 50.2062698412
Player_0: 44.991



===============

76: THE DEAR HUNTER - KING OF SWORDS (REVERSED):

https://open.spotify.com/track/1ZoCfOodvufqooNDXliKxw

Nominator: NBIceman (4/22)
Source: Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise (3/15)

Initial Score: 71.198 [#109]
Revised Score: 84.59 [#92]
Final Score: 88.90 [#76]

(First Thoughts: I like the theatrical fall into corruption, but it repeats itself a few too many times towards the end.)

Overly theatrical falls into corruption are also good, yes. I also like how this song isnt like anything else on the album, suddenly becoming some... disco pop thing, which to be quite honest appeals to me more musically than most of their more normal songs.

Its also another fairly standalone song from the album, as the story of someone being tempted by fame and power is fairly straightforward. It did make me excited to hear the rest of the album, but its also something that doesnt really need the other songs.

[Final Thoughts: Not quite a theatrical villain song, but not terribly far removed from one either.]

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==============

75: SETSU X QUEUE - SIDE SETSU:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNFDizMImK8

Nominator: UF8 (6/15)

Initial Score: 71.11 [#112]
Revised Score: 92.49 [#52]
Final Score: 89.00 [#75]

(First Thoughts: I understand none of this and have no interpretation, but its unique enough that I have nothing negative to say either.)

I cant be sure why, but something about those distorted and whispered vocals in the background gave me a mild panic attack this time. It was a little hard to breathe for a while there.

I cant find anything about this song, likely because hardly anyone has watched it. Only 214 views and 0 comments, no ones left anything for me to even try Google Translating. Im unsure if this song would be improved with clarity though; the uncertainty of whats happening contributes quite heavily to the oppressive feeling of the track that I love. If I knew what was being said itd probably lose a lot of the tension.

[(Not) Final Thoughts: Fascinating, but im not really in love with its mysteriousness tonight.]

[Final Thoughts: I forgot this video had auto generated subtitles that could be downloaded and then auto translated. This is a bad idea, but its the only way to try to get any level of context.

Unsurprisingly, the result is almost complete gibberish. Between auto captions always being wrong & auto translations not working well, theres multiple levels of gibberish to get through. This results in such helpful lines as:

Platts rack boots while maintaining the best in the world
Ann
What is nesting
Kyu
Nome
6 inch size 6 e

But the line I always have an IV drip is coherent and establishes some of the tragedy. Theres also a line about a car, which ties in nicely with some of the lines from Queues part of the story (which well get to when her song drops). Continuing with Setsus part:

Forget everything
Tell me your favorite sound
Please listen to my support
If you sleep on the pedestrian crossing
I cant get out
By the way, with the knife in my left hand
A sacred tool that makes the attached black unforgettable
I want to put it away by the garden

...Creepy. Anyway, final guess on the songs meaning: there was a car crash, Setsus in the hospital, Queue is either in a coma or dead (leaning towards dead, her garbled text references a grave and the IV Drip Setsu is attached to implies hes still alive), and... eh, I cant get enough to make a guess at the rest of it, but I think I get the general scope of the tragedy.]

================



===============

74: LEE BRICE - RUMOR:

https://open.spotify.com/track/56eGOeSsqdg3FLxdo83TwV

Nominator: IhatethisCPU (4/15)

Initial Score: 80.60 [#43]
Revised Score: 98.49 [#28]
Final Score: 89.20 [#74]

(First Thoughts: I know, I should probably have this song lower. The lyrics arent terribly unique and it doesnt do anything extremely original. Its just nice, easy listening country. And since Ive been listening to a lot of Dolly Parton lately, its safe to say that Im in a bit of an easy country mood lately. I dont think this song would have done well at any past year, probably wont do well next year, but its a great pick for right now.)

Have you ever listened to Something to Talk About and wished it was a little less pop music and sung by a male vocalist? Then do I have the track for you!

Seriously though, song is absolutely perfect for what it is and I do love it. Strangely, the song title always causes I Heard a Rumour by Bananarama to get stuck in my head and I always have to go listen to that song immediately after the nominated one.

...This has had the bizarre effect of making me like I Heard a Rumour significantly more than I did before this topic started. Go figure.

[Final Thoughts: I still like this a lot, but I dont feel that I really love the song tonight... sorry, but its still quite a good song and I really did love it in the past & might love it again in the future.]

==============



===============

72 [TIE]: EMINEM - VENOM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CdcCD5V-d8

Nominator: @GavsEvans123 (5/15)

Initial Score: 73.16 [#80]
Revised Score: 84.23 [#94]
Final Score: 89.30 [#72]

(First Thoughts: Id have preferred the song to be more about Venom than Eminem, but theres enough references to the character that its good enough.)

Another song that was obviously undervalued as I was greatly looking forward to hearing it again, in spite of its relatively low score. (Well it wasnt exactly low, but looked forward to hearing again for a month is worth more points than the low 70s).

Eminems got a good flow going in this song, he raps very quickly but its still easy enough to understand him (which is harder for a singer to accomplish than I often imagine) and hes got an infectiously catchy chorus to go with it. It doesnt reach the top tier because there arent any specific lyrics that I really love or anything in the song that Im attached to, but its still a good song from a genre I need more songs from.

[Final Thoughts: Something I always look forward to hearing again, but not something Ill likely go out of my way to listen to a lot.]

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===============

72 [TIE]: ANGELIQUE KIDJO - AGOLO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlgESq5FAx4

Nominator: rwlh (5/15)

Initial Score: 71.17 [#110]
Revised Score: 84.41 [#93]
Final Score: 89.30 [#72]

(First Thoughts: Always nice to have more languages and cultures get some representation.)

I know translation is difficult, but Id like to take a moment to feel bad for the translation that thought she was repeatedly shouting the equivalent of TIN CAN TIN CAN TIN CAN! Like... you had to suspect that wasnt the correct meaning, right?

Either way, this is a spiritual song that I enjoy. Partly because its a chance to expand my world view (not that I ever actually do, but I like being offered the chance) and partly because it is legitimately a great song.

[Final Thoughts: ...Im just going to have this tie with the Eminem song because I dont see any possible way to put one over the other. Theres just nowhere to even start with a comparison.]

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---

===============

71: LINKIN PARK - FIGURE.09:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpC0SKU6O00&list=PLlqZM4covn1EbvC_6cuERQ59QaMbPkUyE&index=8

Nominator: Mega_Mana (4/18)
Source: Meteora (3/13)

Initial Score: 82.13 [#38]
Revised Score: 86.21 [#83]
Final Score: 89.40 [#71]

(First Thoughts: Neat. I get a bit of that self-loathing (I took what I hated and made it a part of me) & hatred of an unidentified person that is left just vague enough that you can apply it to who or whatever has wronged you. Ah, I knew this album would have things I wanted on it.)

Song is definitely along the lines of what I was looking for, though not quite top tier. It feels like its dealing with child abuse and the endless cycle with going on to abuse others too; which is...heavy, but somewhat along the lines of what Im looking for.

But everything this song does is done better in Numb from later on the album, so this feels a bit lacking in comparison.

[Final Thoughts: Again, very close to greatness and almost exactly what I wanted.]

===============



===============

70: POPPY - CONCRETE:

https://open.spotify.com/track/2l1AALoxljzoHVWmjpVfb1

Nominator: Murphiroth (5/21)
Source: I Disagree (More) (3/14)

Initial Score: 62.161 [#199]
Revised Score: 74.71 [#164]
Final Score: 89.50 [#103]

(First Thoughts: *long, awkward silence*

...

*opens mouth, as though shes going to respond*

...

*closes mouth*)

Well, poppymetal is a unique genre and I like this a fair amount, but....uhhhh....

[Later: Going to move this up to at least 80 points.]

[Final Thoughts: Im still not entirely sure what this was.]

===============



==================

69: POPPY - FILL THE CROWN:

https://open.spotify.com/track/5ZUShP1M9RF1iE7vXcVEqh

Nominator: Murphiroth (4/21)
Source: I Disagree (More) (2/14)

Initial Score: 61.10 [#219]
Revised Score: 73.28 [#177]
Final Score: 89.60 [#69]

(First Thoughts: A perfect chorus attached to...some guy doing a sanitized version of a Marilyn Manson impersonation? Its weird and the rather tame, inoffensive verses just make everything so much more unsettling. POISON THE FAMILY, MAKE THE CHILDREN CRY are...uhh...just a bit too far to be completely inoffensive, but too tame by heavy metal standards to be offensive, leaving most of the song as completely bizarre.)

Its wrong for me to be influenced by this, but if you reverse the song it sounds a lot like she sings everyone with the mark will live. Feel free to listen to it yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCdgk7tyzyw

And I love how whats probably a coincidence drives some people completely insane with hatred, screeching about how anyone who likes this song needs to be executed in the name of JESUS. The reversed version of this song just pushes all the right buttons for me.

...of course you didnt nominate the backwards version, but the original is still pretty good and has a great chorus. And I wouldnt have the backwards version without the original, so... yes, I like this quite a bit, I think.

[Final Thoughts: Lets move this one up to the 80 point tier as well.]

==================



===============

68: CALLIOPE MORI - EXCUSE MY RUDENESS, BUT COULD YOU PLEASE R.I.P.?

https://youtu.be/5y3xh8gs24c

Nominator: Murphiroth (3/21)
Source: Murphiroth Extra Tracks (2/7)

Initial Score: 51.01 [#380]
Revised Score: 54.11 [#378]
Final Score: 51.24 (upgraded to 58.13) (upgraded to 68.65) (upgraded to 80.00) (upgraded to 89.70) [#68]

(First Thoughts: I want to support this as its another song that does a lot of things Im supposed to like, but... its just mildly amusing.)

I know, I know. I like VTubers, I like villain songs, I want more rap songs to be nominated, I like comedy songs, this is supposed to be exactly my kind of song. But it just...isnt. Im not sure if Im just not into her personally or if its my tendency to get turned off when a song does too many things that I like (at some point they start feeling more like a checklist of things I like instead of actually being their own things). Perhaps both or none of the above & some other thing, who knows?

[This writeup is technically long enough without any detours, but I feel like listening to the nom you replaced with this one, so enjoy having two writeups in one.]

I listened to this before you replaced it and had it marked down as an exactly 50 point song, but I do not remember it in the slightest. Lets listen to it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N0ShfOOEq4

Its fine; chorus is nice enough, but the verses feel inferior to Every Time I Dies singing. Lyrics are fine, though not especially inspiring... honestly, both songs feel pretty close to each other in terms of scoring potential, so thats kinda interesting?

[(Allegedly) Final Thoughts: Well... I mean, I do like it, but only about half as much as you would expect considering all of the positives it has going for it.]

[(Still Not Really) Final Thoughts: Im still not as into this as I should be and its definitely not getting 60 points, but it is very memorable and deserves some credit for the originality and novelty value... think Im moving it up here, to the high 50s. Good enough to show it the proper respect without wildly overvaluing the score.]

[Still Later: ..Fine, go up to 60 points.]

[(You Thought They Were Final Thoughts, but it was Dio): I like Calliope herself, shes basically the only VTuber Ive actually caught a livestream from (twice even!) and was entertained enough to watch the full thing both times. But Im not really in love with her biggest hitdunno, in theory it does everything right, but for as memorable & perfectly tailored to my specifications it is... Im still not really in love with it. I keep moving it up, but... eh.]

[Later: ...Alright, fine, go up to the 80s.]

[Final Thoughts: ...Well, from a certain point of view, it definitely didnt get 60 points.]

===============
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Damn the triple combo.

Shocked that Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is still in.

Also some more for your list, my favorite Calli track and a collab between two bands on the list.

https://youtu.be/VYu3PvRPZR8

https://youtu.be/fKyXvNkGQKc

lol yea see told you I had a feeling!

Even though the albums weren't your favorite, glad you found some songs to like! The band is extremely near and dear to my heart, I've seen them in concert 5 times now (which isn't crazy a lot but a fair amount) and their shows are always super fun. Twice on a boat, one time on Halloween where they all costumed and played as a different fictional band they made up, once outside right next to a beach in summer, and once on the final Vans Warped Tour where I got to meet them and take a picture with them all after the show. The boat shows in particular were intense, it was EXTREMELY intimate and the band was playing right above us with no barriers or anything. The ceiling to the room on the boat they were playing would always break and get holes in it from people crowdsurfing and jumping by the end, that's how intimate it was. Also home to my favorite concert memory, when they closed the first boat show with the song Indian Giver (yep one of the songs here!) I happened to be standing near the side of the stage by the stairs towards the front the whole show, and for the ending section of the song they actively started wanting people on the stage and I was one of the first up there. Ended up going shoulder to shoulder with Keith and holding him as he sang out the last part and then I managed to get over to Jordan the guitarist and helped lift him up in the air as he played the final notes. It was insane and such a good closing.

Anyway, now to my further recommendations. I fought with myself on whether to nominate it but decided to go with these two albums, but you would probably like their most recent album the most. It also happens to be my favorite album from them too. They have 2 songs on it that have completely clean (sung) vocals, and the lyrics are as fantastic as ever. Two other ones that I'll put here that you might either absolutely hate or absolutely love because of the lyrics I think, one having to do with cults and the other being probably their absolute bleakest song lyrically having to do with Keith's wife (now very recently separated sadly) struggle with giving birth to their daughter and how they almost both died. I think checking out the whole album would be worth it, also you might like their more groovy Southern-riff songs so The Big Dirty is a good album for those things. Honestly every album of their has stuff to come to for it.

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

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

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Raetsel_Lapin posted...

probably a coincidence

I was thinking this going into listening.
But then they also have her saying it only as they show her forearm marked/unmarked in the video. Thats a coincidence on top of a coincidence. Little to much for me.
Seems intentional.

---

oh and comments on Revival Mode itself, yea I love the "So I thank you for bearing witness while I waste my fucking life" build up. Also his delivery on "I should have learned a more noble craft". And the chorus is very catchy.

Also I realized I've mostly been commenting on lyrics and stuff that Keith does, but I do absolutely love the riffs and instrumentals don't get me wrong. Jordan his brother on guitar and Andy the other guitarist are geniuses at coming up with fantastic pieces.

---