Board 8 > Raetsel (and Raetsel's alts) rank 784 songs! [Rankings]

(+) Yeah! (+)

ooooo 2 back to back. Yea, M'Lady serves more as a reinforcement/backing to Gentleman but I still like it on its own with the instrumentals and I actually like the repetition in the lyrics. I'd like to think it parodies the superficial nature of the incel, just repeating their fantasies of "their lady" on and on. Doesn't mean it has to work for everyone though!

Interesting choice for first drop from Radical. I'd say it's not my absolute favorite song from it, but I love the song all the same as I love the whole album. Things that stick out to me in it are the breakdown towards the middle, which is kind of a callback to a much earlier album sound from them they haven't done in a bit, and the passage with

" I thought my heart would break
I thought it would break but it started healing
It was more than I could take
So I gave it everything
I thought I'd never wake
It got so dark that I started dreaming
It was more than I could take
So I gave it all I had left"

I really like the vocal delivery and the riff that really supports it by giving it space to really hear. And of course the lyrical content itself I adore. Oh, also the "Imagine my surprise."

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

[Final Thoughts: In retrospect, ordering every Zelda's game Item Get jingles for no apparent reason was perhaps not the best use of time.]

Yes. Yes it was. I need to go and listen to them now. Minish Cap up that high? Need to listen again!

Triforce Heroes > A Link Between Worlds > Ocarina/Majora > Zelda > Zelda II > Twilight Princess > Hyrule Warriors > Phantom Hourglass > Breath of the Wild > A Link to the Past > Wind Waker > LA/OoS > Skyward Sword > Minish Cap

I'm sorry. I love Minish Cap as a game, but that grit... I don't want interesting if interesting is sandpaper, ;_;. I was really hoping to be wowed by something I forgot.

Edit: Realized you had many more entries, like Four Swords, so I listened to a second video. Instead of just isolated clips, it had a few seconds of context before and after so the music blends.

Minish Cap shot waaay up. I don't have a ranking, but it's definitely better in context.

Edit Edit: Aaaand that video ended up with different items being obtained so the music for them is different. Small keys, rupees, and swords have different tones.

Yeah, M'Lady and Distress Rehearsal both have definite high points. Just not quite what I'm looking for (though another song with M'Lady's harsher industrial sound would be quite welcome).

Mega_Mana posted...

I'm sorry. I love Minish Cap as a game, but that grit... I don't want interesting if interesting is sandpaper, ;_;.

Yeah, but you know how I love my static and really harsh computer tones. It gives me an edge that none of the other jingles do, though it still doesn't really come close to the nostalgia of the NES games.

Moving along: Some minor shuffling of songs going on in the background right now... I want to give the next three songs I had scheduled to be eliminated a few extra points and I need to work out how many & how that shakes up this part of the list & make sure I update all the new values on all the various sheets I've got going... for now, here's one more song:

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#758: Sonny Wharton - Raindance (5:19):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrTm69JMDJg

Nominator: rwlh [23/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.03
Revised Score: 52.90
Final Score: 47.54

(First Reaction: A respectable techno dance song. Still not one of my preferred genres, but I have no complaints about it.)

I dunno... I do kinda like the keyboard playing on this track, but it feels like every note and lyric gets repeated too often. Like, there's this beeping that just repeats the same five beeps endlessly; then it's replaced with one line being repeated; then the beeping repeats while the line repeats and the song rather loses me. I'm sure this is a great example of a genre I don't typically care for, but the things it is doing are often performed in a way quite contrary to what I enjoy, so I don't think this was the best example of whatever this is. Though I do like some aspects of it enough that I'd say my overall impression is generally positive, even if all I've done is complain unjustly.

[Final Thoughts: A bit too repetitive for my tastes tonight. I'm sorry, I'm just not really feeling this track right now.]

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Okay, I think I've got things arranged a bit better. Last two of the morning:

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#757: Serj Tankian - Weave On (4:07):
https://open.spotify.com/track/4mEZBhzaStP7nko0SngXIi?si=0a54654fe5a94c90

Nominator: Murphiroth [27/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.05
Revised Score: 53.79
Final Score: 48.11

(First Reaction: Allegedly this track was created for a musical based on "Prometheus Bound", which is an interesting piece of trivia. )

!An interesting concept for a song, but the chorus repeats so many times.... yeah, yeah, "endless weave of fate, the repetition is DEEP and SYMBOLIC". I'm not saying it doesn't have a point, I'm not even saying it isn't well made, I'm saying that's just not something I tend to enjoy even if it's thematically appropriate.

[Final Thoughts: This song feels like it goes on twice as long as it needs to... the endless weaving is *appropriate*, but just feels exhausting. By the halfway point, he's already sang "weave on" 14 times. Yes, they're sisters and they weave. They keep weaving. I am aware of the weaving. YOU CAN STOP SAYING IT NOW. PLEASE STOP.. And yet, and yet, the song goes on for another two minutes & another six weave ons.

...Okay, that's coming across way too mean-spirited. I don't even dislike the song, especially; ancient mythology is a fine well to take inspiration from, I like that it's from a musical that doesn't exist which leaves this song feeling like an artifact from another dimension, the music itself is *fine*. It's... it's fine. It's on a definite downward trend and has fallen almost ten full points from where it started, but it's fine.]

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-the moments in between-

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#756: Igorrr - Very Noise (1:47):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDHROtG2sXE

Nominator: rwlh [22/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.50
Revised Score: 52.29
Final Score: 48.12

(First Reaction: I was expecting more noise, but this was an actual song. Not bad; it feels like it goes on longer than it does, though not in a tedious way--more like a "messes with your sense of timing" way, which is interesting.)

A very confusing and disruptive track that distorts the listener's senses. It's a neat effect, but I'm not sure I really enjoyed listening to it... other than that, it's yet another in the pile of "instrumentals that I don't have a strong reaction to"; I neither feel, nor associate, the song with anything. Still, definitely a very neat experience and I encourage everyone to try listening to it at some point, even if it's fairly low on the list of things I enjoyed.

[Final Thoughts: Usually I like this a bit, but it feels like it's a bit more intense than I want *right now* and I'm not getting anything from the track other than "intense".]

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oh, i just now saw that one of my noms dropped. i've been really busy so i haven't been browsing board 8 as much lately.

well, if you're not that much into straightforward jazz, it's unsurprising that prince of darkness dropped quickly. at least you didn't give it a terrible score!

(also, yikes @ birds of fire being so low!)

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

oh, i just now saw that one of my noms dropped. i've been really busy so i haven't been browsing board 8 as much lately.

I could tag you when one drops, if you'd like a notification. I just don't like bothering people without their consent, so I try not to @ people without a good reason or permission.

Two more songs for the morning, including #754th Place which marks the first song to fall after having its "Final" Score raised:

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#755: DJ Earworm - Youtube Rewind 2013 (Original Version) (4:37):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3zaqO3SXPo

Nominator: Mega_Mana [36/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.50
Revised Score: 48.13
Final Score: 48.13

(First Reaction: I don't get many of the references because I've never been one to watch or notice the existence of viral videos, but it was a decent medley of songs that featured a cameo from Cookie Monster, so it was reasonably enjoyable.)

It's still nice seeing Cookie Monster. It's also kinda neat hearing "What Does the Fox Say"--not because I like the song, but because I've been getting into all the foreign language versions of Taskmaster & the members of Ylvis were on the first season of... Norwegian Taskmaster (Kongen Befaler), I want to say? *checks* Yes, they are Norwegian and did appear there, I remembered something.

But uhh.. featuring cameos of people & characters I like isn't really enough to count as a good song... and I'm afraid I have no real affinity for any of the tracks that are part of this mashup. Once the excitement of seeing Cookie Monster wears off, there's not much here for me and I could just.... watch Sesame Street or something. Nostalgia and memes are typically a winning combination, I just kinda don't have nostalgia for much in this video, so... yeah.

[Final Thoughts: Ylvis & Cookie Monster carry the song somewhat, but it's mostly a medley of songs I'm not a fan of & inside jokes I don't get. Definitely not for me, but not something I really mind either.]

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-Divided By Sheep-

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#754: Bjork - You've Been Flirting Again (2:29):
https://open.spotify.com/track/2lJSlVayNDdEZuPqlIPPcm?si=c0343573811d4968

Nominator: Bane [34/38]

Initial Score: 24.001
Revised Score: 30.00
Final Score: 47.00 [Upgraded to 48.15]

(First Reaction: Typically when I describe a song as putting me to sleep, it's usually a metal or EPIC BATTLE THEME that goes so hard it causes me to completely space out for a while. This song represents the other way of putting me to sleep, containing so little of interest musically or lyrically, that it's a struggle to focus on it at all.)

I do like the end of the song, when the violins and cellos come in. It's strikingly powerful and a definite highlight. Unfortunately, I still don't care for the early parts of the song; the lyrics, while fine, aren't especially gripping on their own & rely too heavily on repetition for my taste. By the time we get to the end, the song does transition into something that I really, really like... but that section is all too brief and arguably too late to fully redeem the track. I will apologize for the first reaction being so cruel though.

On a semi-related note, I found a remixed version of this song and it's an interesting experience:

Bjork - You've Been Flirting Again (Flirt Is a Promise Mix)::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4Z6OBYjBrM

This remix of the song decides to go BIG, in every possible way it can. Louder vocals, more pronounced instruments (yes, please, give me more of that instrumentation that I love), and a haunting outro. It feels almost like a direct "fuck you" message to anyone like me who complained about the simplicity of the original mix. "Oh, I'm not doing enough am I? WHAT IF I'M LOUDER, AM I PUTTING YOU TO SLEEP STILL?? HOW ABOUT I JUST THROW ALL THE INSTRUMENTS AT YOU?! AND FOR AN OUTRO, I'LL JUST BECOME A GHOST AND HAUNT YOUR STUPID ASS, YOU HAPPY WITH THE SONG NOW?!/"

And yes, yes I am very happy with this remix, thank you for asking, you hypothetical banshee.

[Final Thoughts: The first two reactions were overly cruel. I'm not exactly fond of the song still, but it's harmless and not musically offensive or anything. The subdued instruments are nice. There's not a lot here lyrically and a bigger focus on the instruments would be nice, but what's here is fine enough and I don't mind it.

The remix is still a bit better (greater focus on the instruments like I wanted), but I was likely overvaluing it a tad... it's not an overwhelming improvement, though it'd likely place somewhere in the early-to-mid 50s.]

[Later: Adding a *slight* boost to this song's score. I do rather enjoy the last portion of the song, so this is a bit closer to the 50 point mark than the original value was indicating.]

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Raetsel_Lapin posted...

I could tag you when one drops, if you'd like a notification. I just don't like bothering people without their consent, so I try not to @ people without a good reason or permission.

no need, i'll try to keep up with this topic manually. thanks for the offer, though.

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#753: Yoshimi Kudo - Multitude of Colorful Flowers B (3:05):
https://youtu.be/eGrtRq8chL0

Nominator: NFUN: [30/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 48.93
Revised Score: 48.70
Final Score: 48.70

(First Reaction: Epic game music doesn't often work for me, but this is pretty okay.)

It's odd that I felt this song was epic, as it... isn't. As far as I can tell, it's not even trying to be, making that first impression even less sensical than my gibberish usually is and I have no idea what I thought I was listening to.

...Of course, I'm still not really into whatever the song is actually doing. I just listened to it again in the hopes of at least pretending I had something to say here, but I'm still not getting anywhere. It's just in this ill-defined "I'm not really a fan of this, but don't really mind listening to it" zone, in which it's slightly below the 50 point 'I have no reaction to this at all' tier -but- not far enough below it to inspire much analysis or introspection. And I think that's about as far as I'm ever going to get on analyzing this song, as unbelievably lame as it is to admit that.

[Final Thoughts: Oh boy, we've already reached the part of the list where I have nothing to say about the songs and will be here for the next 500 songs or so. So much easier to type when i have a strong reaction to something and, well, a lot of songs don't inspire a very strong reaction. This just happens to be one of the first to fall.

Like everything else in the 45~49 point range, this song is fine? It's aomewhere between ancient Japanese music and modern battle themes which is probably interesting to someone?]

[Later: 500 songs was an arbitrary and hyperbolic number, though we are a *long* way from reaching the 60 point tier.]

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-Inside Joke Goes Here-

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#752: Swamp Dogg - She's All Mind All Mind (4:33):
https://open.spotify.com/track/1bgb6xGLgJziol7e9SxQ1X?si=24d85faeba954eab

Nominator: CPU [28/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.00
Revised Score: 43.04
Final Score: 49.04007

(First Reaction: Blends together with everything else on the album into a sleep-inducing fog.)

Ultimately, I just don't think the heavy auto-tune and distortion do anything to help the song. At best, they contibute nothing of value; at worst, they actively go against the emotions and feelings of the song. What we have here is a rather tender song, one that portrays him at his most vulnerable. The lyrics aren't the most original, but portray him as someone willing to suffer and sacrifice just for a chance to be with his love interest--that he doesn't care if it's good, if it's bad, if it hurts. He even pleads with the listener to never tell him if she's cheating (She says she's a one-man woman... if you know better, keep it to yourself). What it lacks in originality, it makes up for with sincerity and vulnerability.

Also his voice is so distorted that he's apparently been transformed into a malfuctioning computer, ooOooHoOhHhOHhh. I can imagine a hypothetical song that takes mechanical vocals and uses them for something romantic or emotional, but this isn't it. It just seems distorted for the sake of distortion and because that's what we're doing on this album and it really pulls me out of the song. I feel a more "real" performance would have elevated the song greatly. Just picture it: after an entire album in which he's been very protected, synthesized, and distant he finally lowers all of his emotional walls & you can hear the pain in his very human voice as he confesses that she's the only thing she wants, a private and intimate moment that you are intruding on. That would be a hit. This is just... confusing to be quite honest.

[Final Thoughts: A good idea for a song, but I'm still not sold on this being the best way to deliver on that idea. The auto-tuning just makes it too hard to connect with him and yes, I'm aware of the irony of me being the one to say that.]

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And the fifth of today's eliminations:

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#751: HANABIE. - Reiwa dating apps generation (3:29):
https://open.spotify.com/track/41qfrjr1dy4R2KAPl2raZW?si=b15007f2e4804964

Nominator: Murphiroth [26/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.50
Revised Score: 50.76
Final Score: 48.96 [Upgraded to 49.00]

(First Reaction: I'm not really interested in a song about dating apps, even if it's not a serious one. It's just not a topic I have the slightest interest in or knowledge of, leaving the fact that I can actually find lyrics for this song to be a rather moot point.)

Ehh... lyrics I don't have any strong feelings about, on a topic I don't have any strong feelings about, in a song that's performed in a style I don't have strong feelings about. It's not a type of metal that I'll go crazy for, but I can't say I disliked it either. It's alright, I suppose it's above the exactly 50 point range, but once again it's not *far* above it because that would require me to have a reaction towards some aspect of the song.

[Final Thoughts: Not really much to add. It's fine, but there's nothing here for me and I think I'm moving it a step below all the songs in the low-50's. It's one of those songs that are so fine that it's just... ya know... fine.]

[Later: Okay, four hundredths of a point isn't enough of an upgrade to actually matter, but rounding up to a whole point *feels* significant.]

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#750: Kenichi Tokoi - Terminal Velocity [Act 1] (4:23):
https://youtu.be/IyFKFdTkzPg

Nominator: Haste [28/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 47.06
Revised Score: 49.369
Final Score: 49.22

(First Reaction: The song goes a bit too hard for me. I know, if you're running down a giant space elevator, the song is obligated to go hard... but the context still doesn't really make it more appealing to me.)

This is an intense running song, but I don't really like "intense" or "running"...

...

...

...Umm.. not sure there's much else to add here... it's a fine game and the song certainly conveys the feelings it wants to, it's just not a feeling that I''m really into experiencing. I suppose there might be other aspects of myself that might care if I were in their headspace, but it's not like I can flip at will... also, I suspect that part of me would rather "actually be running" instead of "listening to a song that simulates the experience of running" even if I could just toggle a personality switch.

*throws out a popular song as a distraction*

Gin Blossoms - Follow You Down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27S0DHkTp-g

The most popular song I've ever randomly started talking about? Probably. It's a fun, catchy song and I'm in love with the "So what the hell now, we've already been forever damned" line. I'd give a full writeup to the song, but eh, I'm sure you've already heard it and I've still got over 700 writeups for actually nominated songs to go.

[Final Thoughts: That is some next level laziness. To replace the song you're supposed to talk about with a different song and then not talk about the replacement song either? I'm not sure if Garfield would be impressed or ashamed with that commitment to doing *nothing*.

This song is fine? I think I'd enjoy listening to it if I were out jogging or something.]

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-I don't know why the number of equal signs is arbitrary for each nominator-

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#749: Rhythm Heaven Megamix - Final Remix (4:28):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ0Rg58wdZA

Nominator: Handsomeboy [30/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 47.02
Revised Score: 49.66
Final Score: 49.50

(First Reaction: I haven't played a single game in the franchise (though I may have played a few seconds of a demo in a store at some point, I think), so I can't really get nostalgic, no matter how many different minigames flash by. As is, this is just a montage of utterly random things happening while an adequate but not really memorable beat continues in the background. I'm impressed by the player's ability to keep up with everything going on, but from a musical standpoint, this just kinda existed.)

I'm not good at games that require actual rhythm, for example I've still never managed to finish Space Channel 5 and I've made a fair number of tries at it, so I have a lot of respect for anyone that can do this kind of thing. Just seeing the game award only 92 percent for a full clear convinces me that this game is absolutely not for me--there's brutally difficult games and then there are things like this monstrosity where I could practice for years and never be able to reach the perfection that it asks for.

Back to the song: On some level, I can kind of appreciate how many different songs from the series' history this manages to blend together & how seamless the transitions are, but the impact is largely lost on me, as I've never heard the majority of the songs in their original format. It's a nostalgic trip back through gaming history that I never experienced and each segment is so brief, that I'm not sure it'd even be worth trying to analyze which parts I liked the most. It's just a rapid-fire stream of things that I lack context about. So... impressive gameplaying, impressive concept, don't think it stands up entirely well on its own unless you can properly grok what it's trying to do.

[Final Thoughts: A decent medley of decent songs that I have no knowledge of or particular affinity towards.]

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oh hey this started
Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#769: Sabu - Choferito - Plena [4:05]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_M9Bv1FmwM

Nominator: Cakophon [19 Remaining]

i don't remember a good few of my songs without listening to them again, but i do remember that i was going for a "non-english vocals" angle with most of them, picking artists from different genres and languages. hope you enjoyed dipping into different varieties, if anything.

(also please don't capitalize the c in cakophon! thank you)

cakophon posted...

i don't remember a good few of my songs without listening to them again, but i do remember that i was going for a "non-english vocals" angle with most of them, picking artists from different genres and languages. hope you enjoyed dipping into different varieties, if anything.

(also please don't capitalize the c in cakophon! thank you)

Yeah, variety is nice and it's good to try a variety of things & see if any of them click. Name should be updated on all relevant pages now, barring any Find & Replace errors.

-space filling gap-

Going to cut things short this morning at only four eliminations because we're officially at the end of the tier! There were a few other songs scheduled for elimination before that point, but I kinda feel at least "slightly positive" towards them today and have revised their scores upwards.

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#748: splitradix - Melody Cube [3:39]:
https://splitradix.bandcamp.com/track/melody-cube

Nominator: Kopazzynth [19/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 49,84
Revised Score: 43.700001
Final Score: 49.84

(First Reaction: It's fine, but it's one of many instrumental tracks that don't inspire any specific feelings.)

The revised sccore technically has approximately a million zeroes before the one, but four should be enough to convey the idea in a format that can be posted & easily understood.

...so... this is a very electronic and computerized song, but the only aspect I'm getting from it is "computer". I don't feel like I'm using a computer, or trapped in a computer, or much of anything really. This song is just the concept of computers in general distilled into music form. Which should be impressive? I certainly don't know how one converts physical concepts into melodic sounds. I just don't get any real emotions or experiences from the song.

Skimming the rest of the album, I think "Short Wave Supers" is probably the one I like the most. I think it'd probably be in the low 50s, but it feels like "taking a stroll through a computer city" which is something! It's an experience of some sort, at least.

[Final Thoughts: Computer jams are a neat idea musically. This one isn't my favorite, obviously, but I appreciate the attempt with it and I'm moving it back up to its Initial Score. it's pretty close to the 50 point tier, so I'm not sure why it fell so far the second time around.]

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-and the final below average song:-

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#747: Bob Crosby & The Bob Cats - Dear Hearts And Gentle People (2:13):
https://open.spotify.com/track/4hmKe6YigInvKIPFd1xT03?si=d6a9fd94acdb4fa4

Nominator: @Raka_Putra [30/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 49.90
Revised Score: 49.90
Final Score: 49.90

(First Reaction: A step too old-fashioned--there are certainly 50's pop songs I enjoy, but they may be a bit later than 1951... or this song is just a bit more old sounding due to it having been written at the end of the 40's... or the fact that I actively hate my home town and the people in it (see: how much I enjoy Live - Shit Towne) that I can't possibly disagree with the song's message anymore than I already do. Probably that last one.

More seriously, Crosby has a deep & reassuring voice, and the song is distinct from everything else nominated thus far. There's probably a decent scoring song somewhere in his discography and I don't have anything against listening to the song itself, but I would very much prefer the song to say the exact opposite in every lyric, which is a pretty big drawback to how much I want to listen to it and I'm sorry about that. Anything negative I say is about me and where I'm from, not really with the song itself.)

Great voice, very nostalgic sound to it, a pretty solid idea for a nomination (not many nominations play on my nostalgia for oldies from the 50s and 60s), but boy do I wish the lyrics to this song were completely altered. I want someone with a superior vocabulary than mine to put into words how much the people in this town s-u-c-k.. It doesn't even really work as a hypothetical 'try to imagine if you lived in a place with better people' type song as Crosby goes on-and-on about how much they love the Bible; a community that spends every single weekend doing nothing but reading scripture is arguably even worse than my town, so this is not something I'd really fantasize about.

...oh hey, this song appeared in some Fallout games I never played. That's kinda neat, I guess? Either way, my issues with the song are definitely my issues, so don't take that as a critique of the song itself. (Though to offer an attempt at an actual criticism, this song could really use some more variety to the lyrics... the song practically repeats itself in full and it's never a good sign when I could chop a song in half & not lose much),

[Final Thoughts: With my noted bias against the Bible & hometowns, this is a miss lyrically. He's got a good voice that I won't complain about listening to it (unless in a topic like this in which I am required to actually respond with more than "it's fine", but not something I can actually enjoy due to personal issues. Definitely a good artist and timeframe to have nominated something by though.]

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Whoo, still perfect!

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Okay, my song counts for paulg & Player 0 were off which is why the math never checked out. Here is a correct count:

REMAINING SONG COUNT

Bane: 34/38
cakophon: 19/20
CPU: 28/30
handsomeboy: 30/31
Haste: 28/31
hotdogturtle: 13/14
Jesse_Custer: 28/29
Kopazzynth: 19/21
Lasa: 13/14
Mega Mana: 36/38
Murphiroth: 27*/32
NFUN: 30/31
paulg: 49/52
Player_0: 31/33
Raka: 30/31
rwlh: 22/24
sergio: 10/13
UF8: 29/30
Xtlm: 12/13

*26/32 for Murphiroth if you're counting Reality TV which has a posted score, but was retroactively un-eliminated.

And those with perfect scores:

BlackDra90n: 30/30
CJones: 18/18
DoctorJimmy: 24/24
Dragon66116: 12/12
kateee: 21/21
Metalmind: 25/25
NBIceman: 22/22
Shonen_Bat: 2/2
Snake: 32/32
TheArkOfTurus: 17/17
TunnelScene: 27/27
ZaziGuado: 28/28

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Aww yea perfect score gang.

Probably not for long though.

Sweet, perfect score! I at least made it into the 50s :)

I forgot to check in on this until just now, but I will endeavor to go back and read all the write-ups so far. We used to do something similar to this on the Rifftrax forums, which I ran several times. I'm well aware of how much time and effort it takes. The least I can do is read it.

Oh yea, you should check out Dorian Electra's music videos for songs on their album. They are an experience.

https://youtu.be/lq9PJsS3-EY

CJones posted...

I forgot to check in on this until just now, but I will endeavor to go back and read all the write-ups so far.

I feel like I should apologize in advance for the madness you may be exposed to. I have a tendency to neglect the fact that someone might actually read any of this. </.<

Bane_Of_Despair posted...

Oh yea, you should check out Dorian Electra's music videos for songs on their album. They are an experience.

I've looked at one or two, but I'll try to watch more of them before those songs drop.

-beep-

NOW ENTERING THE 50.01 TO 54.99~ TIER

Nothing ended in the Exactly 50 point tier this year. There were a few songs originally, but not too many & those were moved slightly up or down in scores to avoid ending up in the neutral zone.

...Somehow I thought it would take longer to reach this point. This part of the list is very much in flux at the moment; we've got hundreds of songs between here and the 60 point level, all of which are divided with only 9 whole points between them. Relatively minor scoring changes can upend the entire list and I'm a long ways from having assigned a Final Score to everything in the 50 point tiers.

We'll be dropping the five songs that currently have the lowest score each day and *hopefully* that will work out, but some placements may need to be retroactively corrected as more work is done on the tier. Such is the nature of a "work in progress" list. As usual, thank you for your understanding.

Aaanywho..., this marks the ascension to the Positive Half of the scoring chart. While the previous tier were songs I had a slight negative lean on, these songs are slightly positive. They're still songs I would describe as "fine", but in a slightly happier tone.

-a gap between Tier Description and First Eliminated Song is placed here-

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

#746: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe, Noriko Murakami - Cave of the Deep (5:02):
https://youtu.be/3hGm54mLZcI

Nominator: Haste [27/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 43.13
Revised Score: 50.076
Final Score: 50.076

(First Reaction: I enjoy the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, but there are very few songs from them I like. They're just not any of the types of VGM I enjoy and I think there are only two or three exceptions across the franchise)

It's too dramatic to be a fun hiking song and too happy to be a dramatic song, but I guess it's pleasant enough background music? But that's all I can think of from it; it doesn't convey any emotions or experiences to me, it's just... ya know... background music. 'Here you are, at the.... whatever, go walk and fight the whoever or don't, I'm not paid enough to care what you do" would be the message I take away from this song.

...still, I guess I lightly like it? It's inoffensive and fades into the background easily enough, as well as being so vague that you could justify playing it for just about any environment or mood. It's fine.

[Final Thoughts: This song is the personification of an apathetic tour guide, but a few parts of it do sound kinda underwater cave-y, which is nice enough.]

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

Youtube Rewind 2013? Let's kick it.

I was definitely in a mood when I nominated that. Huge nostalgia pops for me, and I wanted to throw something by DJ Earworm in. I don't think I'd ever nominate any other Youtube Rewind for anything and I think some of the DJ Earworm Year in Reviews are sometimes too busy. This was busy visually and referentially for sure, though I think the blend of the five or six songs was great and had tons of energy (especially compared to other years).

It's also the Original Version because they had to re-release subtracting all uses of Psy's "Gentleman" and it hurt the flow of the mix.

Enjoying the topic so far!

Mega_Mana posted...

It's also the Original Version because they had to re-release subtracting all uses of Psy's "Gentleman" and it hurt the flow of the mix.

I did think about trying to find the re-release to compare them, but since no one seemed to like the change it felt like it'd be a bit of a waste of time.

-movin' right along-

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

#745: Koji Kondo - Powerful Infant (0:56):
https://youtu.be/fRtlGyxcr_0

Nominator: Mega_Mana [35/38 Remaining[

Initial Score: 51.18
Revised Score: 50.74
Final Score: 50.20

(First Reaction: It's not the best invincibility theme in the Mario series, much less in all of gaming, but it's alright? A bit too subdued and relaxed for ULTIMATE POWER, but it's a bit of an interesting spin on the classic Starman theme.)

I didn't realize the song was remade to create the Wing Cap music from Mario 64. That's neat. I think it probably works better as a "flying" theme than an "invincibility" theme, but I don't really judge based on such things anyway.

...I like Yoshi's Island and Mario 64 well enough, but I can't say I have any particularly memorable experiences with the game or any real nostalgia for them. Just some good games I played before. Which is boring, even by "blatantly rambling for the sake of making the writeup longer" standards. But that's about all I have here; song is kinda tropical, kinda relaxing, and kinda flight-y but it doesn't really nail any of those vibes & is just mildly interesting for its less-than-a-minute runtime. It's fine, but not super remarkable.

[Final Thoughts: Not one of my favorite invincibility themes (not that I can really think of what my favorite would be), but it gets the job done and conveys some feelings even in its brief runtime. It's nice enough.]

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

-hitchhike, bus or yellow cab it-

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

#744: Franchouchou - Youkoso Saga e (2:13):
https://open.spotify.com/track/5pEEPLsr3HIk21DZaxrQ9n?si=e6548e5bdf9f4622

Nominator: Player_0 [30/33 Remaining]

Initial Score: 38.00
Revised Score: 50.68
Final Score: 50.22

(First Reaction: This is about as good as two minutes of screaming could ever be, I suppose.)

Actual transcription of lyrics found online;

AhAhAhAhAhAhah

AhAhAhAhAhAhah

AhAhAhAhAhAhah.

Which... eh, fine, I suppose I can imagine a scenario in which I'd find a song with just screaming to be helpful? It's the type of song that could be the perfect accompaniment to certain emotional states or trauma, so it definitely has value and I should make a note of it somewhere just in case. But it's still just two minutes of intense metal music and screaming, so it's not exactly something I'd want to listen to on a regular basis, and there's really not a lot here to discuss.

[Final Thoughts: I mean, I've heard worse songs that consisted of nothing but screaming.]

[Later: This one actually works much better in context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zows_Bbd2MM

But at the end of the day, it's still a fairly tame death metal parody that's literally just screaming for two minutes. Kinda cute and kinda funny, and I do occasionally enjoy just screaming, but I don't think I'll be giving this one any extra points.]

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

Link dead, Powerful Infant: https://youtu.be/fz1B59aNi64

Nominated wanting to do short songs, and I like the mix of Invincibility and Wing Cap.

I'm happy with 50+ for that one! For me, it's short and iconic enough that I don't even skip it as the first song on the CD.

Mega_Mana posted...

Link dead, Powerful Infant: https://youtu.be/fz1B59aNi64

Sorry about that. I thought I'd been remembering to update the broken links as I had to replace them, but I clearly missed a few.

PIayer_0 posted...

I'm happy with 50+ for that one! For me, it's short and iconic enough that I don't even skip it as the first song on the CD.

Yeah, it is a pretty cute scene in context.

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

#743: Dead Cells - Undying Shores (7:53):
https://youtu.be/NaxnJrrMVl0

Nominator: Shonen_Bat [1/2 Remaining]

Initial Score: 55.11
Revised Score: 55.0401
Final Score: 50.25

(First Reaction: Intriguing song that I can't figure out how to properly describe. It's not quite one of those "musical journey" type songs, but it certainly covers a lot of ground--ominous despair, quiet resolution, hope, "EpIc GaMe MuSicZ", etc ; there are parts of it that I really like, but I feel like the song gets a bit weak around the 5:20 mark--like once those choir vocals hit, all the parts of the song that I like are officially over and that just leaves two minutes of... fine-ness. Objectively a good song that would likely jump up two tiers if it ended two minutes sooner.)

Good concept, but it doesn't inspire particularly strong emotions... like, I do legitimately appreciate what the song is going for and it tries its best to cover a lot of emotional states in its runtime, but somehow it doesn't seem to fully embody any of those states & I'm left wanting to obtain a deeper connection with the song than I actually get. Could just be a flaw with me personally though.

[Final Thoughts: As much as I appreciate the musical depth and complexity on display here, I'm afraid that I'm in less of a mood for a prolonged journey & would prefer a song that perfectly encapsulates one of its emotional states over this smorgasboard of feelings. It's fine and I can see why other people would love it, but I'm kinda bouncing off of it tonight.]

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

Not really a surprise that the person with only two songs is the first to fall into the Danger Zone with only one song left, I suppose.

And the last song of the morning, featuring one of the more... unhinged commentaries:

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

#742: Caetano Veloso - Doideca [3:39]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_0EPA2UEBQ

Nominator: cakophon [18/20 Remaining]

Initial Score: 41.26
Revised Score: 50.50
Final Score: 50.29

(First Reaction: @.@

This feels as though I am Sylvester the Cat and being hypnotized, I can feel my eyes getting all swirly and glassy. It is a very unique experience, but not exactly a pleasant one? And why'd it have to be a boy cat, you should know furry fantasies are only automatic wins if they come with pink fur.

[Fluttershy's Note: We think she's trying to make a joke and not actually holding the gender of her fantasies against the song,.. Probably?])

Shame, I can't get back into that headspace at all. The song's all swirly and hypnotic-y, and the instruments generally feel old-fashioned cartoony--like it's easy to imagine a Tom & Jerry or Loony Tunes sequence set to the music, but I don't really get "Sylvester" vibes this time.... much less the impression of being him. Oh well. I definitely still get the swirly eyes and hypnotism effect though, that's at least a constant.

It's hard to score this. The hypnotic effect gives a mild headache and I don't think I particularly like the song, but it is a unique experience and I'm glad it was nominated. Which means that I do like it? Eh, let's try 50.50 points... I *think* I'm coming down on the side of liking the experience of the song enough for the score to be positive, but it's pretty close to winding up in the high 40s.

[Final Thoughts; "Swirly" still feels like the best adjective for this. What the heck that first reaction was remains unanswered.]

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

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

#741: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Diana Damrau - Queen of the Night (from The Magic Flute) (3:00):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuBeBjqKSGQ

Nominator: rwlh [21/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.90
Revised Score: 50.94
Final Score: 50.33

(First Reaction: I want to love this. I just find the high-pitched vocalizations to be vaguely off-putting, which is... unfortunate as this is exactly what I asked for and wanted to hear. How bothersome for both of us.)

Alright, alright, so high pitched vocalizations are a defining trait of many opera songs. I just suspect we'd need to ease into a song like this instead of going for it from the beginning... I'm not going to pretend I know the slightest thing about operatic singing styles, but a song focusing on someone with a lower vocal range (even if only slightly) and a greater focus on lyrics over vocal runs would probably be more immediately attractive to me--or at least a bit easier to listen to.

I'm trying to be less biased and say something about the song itself, but ultimately, I'm just not into this type of singing. I'm aware on some level that what she's managing to do with her voice is impressive and that she's incredibly gifted, but those talents are being used towards ends that I don't find very appealing. There's an interesting story here and in terms of "theatrical villain songs" it's hard to get any more theatrical than bursting into an opera song about the vengeance of hell, so there are definitely aspects of this that I enjoy and I can imagine a time in the future where I'll have learned to better appreciate this song... but I don't think it was quite the right nomination for this topic. I do appreciate it though.

[Final Thoughts: I'm happy an opera song was nominated, even though this one didn't quite hit the mark.]

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

-Great Divide Brewing Co.-

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

#740: Twin Temple - I Am A Witch (2:50):
https://youtu.be/SlFw7QuX6Oc

Nominator: Snake [31/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.60
Revised Score: 55.43
Final Score: 50.34

(First Reaction: It's a fun song, but I really wish there were another verse here. It quickly runs out of lyrics and just keeps going, endlessly... which kinda works because I do really enjoy it, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself to move it up a tier when there's so little there.)

!It feels oddly drawn out for a song with such a short runtime. What's here is nice enough, but it's definitely no "Satan's a Woman".

[Final Thoughts: 28 repetitions of "I am a witch" and a pair of "I'm a witch"-es for an added bit of redundancy. The subject matter and performance are on point, and usually I kinda like this, but right now it's... a bit much.]

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

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

#739: HANABIE. - L.C.G - 2019mix (3:56):
https://open.spotify.com/track/3fjykMfkMOhraNnnD7jthc?si=e0f9577feaa44343

Nominator: Murphiroth [26*/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 34.00
Revised Score: 28.17
Final Score: 50.45

(First Reaction: I'm going to put this in a tie with "We love sweets" for the moment. On the one hand, this song isn't about food, which is a vast improvement; on the other hand, I feel like it's... less enjoyable than Sweets from a music stand point, which means it should probably be lower, but there's at least a vague hint of lyrics I might be interested in:

I want to forget tomorrow
I want to disappear even now

Like, those are the type of lyrics I care about, so that might be enough to put it above Sweets on the ranking? But, eh, let's just call it a draw for tonight and come back to it later.)

Well, I do love those two lines that I quoted (though they are auto-translated and thus might not be too accurate), but the rest of the song feels like it's fairly standard for jmetal music. I'm also not hearing too much different between this 2019 mix and the original version... I honestly hoped I could fill space by comparing the two different versions, but other than the 2019 mix feeling louder, I'm not hearing anything different enough to comment on.

*long silence*

Sooo... there's really not much for me to say here. It's a very metal song that doesn't have a killer hook or enough lyrics I love to really get past the "this is a more intense style of music than I usually enjoy" aspects. Which is dreadfully short and boring, but I'm afraid that's rather all I have to offer.

[Final Thoughts: For such an aggressive metal song, it's not too bad & I like some of the lyrics. It's enough that I'd say I kinda like aspects of this? There's some clean vocals, some nice lyrics, it's not overpoweringly intense... it's not bad. At least, it's several places above Sweets.]

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

-the 11th episode of The Last Airbender-

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

#738: Ramon Braumuller - Level 5 (2:08):
https://youtu.be/Ap7lMYDalc0

Nominator: NFUN: [29/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.62
Revised Score: 55.93
Final Score: 50.46

(First Reaction: Hey, I remember this song. I was really into it back at...whichever VGMC this appeared at was. That was me at my peak "into weird things" and "into chiptunes" phase, so a weird chiptune that I'd never heard from a game I'd never heard of was basically the greatest thing ever.

...Sadly, I'm not as into weird things (though I can still be enchanted by them if it's a type of weirdness I haven't experienced before, like Dux Mix 1 from last year) or chiptunes & I kinda listened to this a lot back whenever I supported it at whichever contest. Still, there was a time this would have been an easy 80 to 90 point song, so it's not a bad pick and I do still kinda like it... just not quite what I'm into these days.)

I remember actually checking out gameplay videos of Hoi after this track was nominated for VGMC because I couldn't believe anything with such a weird, clacking opening would actually play during the game. I'm not really sure why I doubted it, particularly when I'm sure there were more abnormal songs nominated even then, but this track in particular seemed highly abnormal. But of course it did and it seemed reasonably appropriate for the stage... or at least, it wasn't as out of place as it felt like it should be.

Aaanywho, the song is still kinda neat, but as I said I kinda listened to this as many times as I wanted to over the years & I'm not as into the things this song is doing as I was when I first heard it. It's still interesting and a bit nostalgic, just not quite what i'm after right now.

[Final Thoughts: It is interesting to revisit something that I used to love, but I think I'd rather cut this song here and slightly delay the elimination of all the other songs that I haven't already played to death on an endless loop.]

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

A somewhat notable jump in points (almost a full .5 from the previous elimination) and a very short song to end the day:

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

#737: Neil Cicierga - Friends (0:10):
https://youtu.be/nEmyonfpsgI

Nominator: Mega_Mana [34/38 Remaining[

Initial Score: 50.00
Revised Score: 50.00
Final Score: 50.93

(First Reaction: Possibly funnier if I had the slightest clue what Down With the Sickness was, but without that, this is just a slightly edited version of part of the chorus of a TV theme song that was played out five lifetimes ago.)

...Okay? Nine seconds of the Friends theme and one second of a song I've never heard of is a thing, I guess, but my only reaction to it is blinking at the screen. So... "*blink blink*"?

[Final Thoughts: ...'Kay? I guess the chorus of the Friends theme song is catchy enough that I'll move it up slightly, but I still don't really get this one.]

[EDIT: And yes, of course I did one quick listen to Sickness to see if the added context helped anything. It did not.]

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

Well, was not expecting that to be my first song to drop! I figured since you loved Satan's a Woman you would like that too but I understand the complaint!

Well, I usually do kinda like it! It just.... kinda isn't clicking for me right now, I'm afraid.

One song for now:

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

#732: BLRG - Aqua Fluxus [4:36]:
https://immigrantbreastnest.com/track/aqua-fluxus

Nominator: Kopazzynth [18/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 49.13
Revised Score: 50.76
Final Score: 50.97

(First Reaction: Remember the original Playstation game "Spider: The Video Game""? This is the type of song that should have played in that game; it's very mechanical spider-y. Not that the spider in that game was fully mechanical, but you could pick up like FLAMETHROWER LEGS and stuff? This is very much the theme song for a flamethrower equipped spider. Like what did that game even have for music anyway??

Spider: The Videogame - Laboratory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBe8WOAuf5g

...well that backfired on me. I expected the song to be subpar and I could praise the nominated song for being so much better, but I actually like this Lab music. It's got ATMOSPHERE and a spoken word sample intro. this Lab song is far more to my tastes than I would have ever expected.

Back to "Aqua Flexus"... not bad, but the tippy-tappy spidery feely sounds aren't really to my taste.)

A very "tech-y" song that is also "basement-y" and "sewer-y", which I think is also why Spider: The Game comes to mind. Did you crawl through sewers in an early stage in that game? Because this feels quite specifically like 'mechanical thing climbing through a sewer' and I remember doing that in Spider before it got too difficult for me, but memories don't really mean much...

*checks*

Sewers were pretty far into the game, so I probably never actually got that far. That or I made it much further than I thought I did, which is hypothetically possible, though not especially likely. Also the sewer level themes in that game sound absolutely nothing like this song--I apparently like Spider's soundtrack, but I think this track would have fit much better than the more atmospheric tracks they went with.

*further checking*

Okay... the sewer theme from Spider played during the "Up the Well" mission, which was available on a demo disc, so maybe that's what I was thinking of. Not that it matters, I suppose. Anywho, I guess I like this track a bit; it's a bit of a different ambiance, even if Robot Spiders aren't really one of my things.

[Final Thoughts: This song does have an interesting type of atmosphere. While this particular track didn't do great from a scoring standpoint, I wouldn't mind hearing more songs by the artist--they seem unique enough that they might have something that tickles my fancy if I searched for it.]

[Later: Well, I guess I don't like the Spider soundtrack that much. I do like the two songs I mentioned, but that's about it. I had hoped to nominated it for BOST, but I really couldn't get 7 tracks that I'd endorse out of it. (Actually I couldn't find anything that wasn't in BOST 5 that had seven tracks I cared enough to nominate and don't think I ever hit a soundtrack with more than three such songs on it).

This song does create an interesting atmosphere which *almost* makes me want to give it more points, but I'm not quite vibing with this sewer-spider-crawly-mecha groove enough that I'd honestly take it over any of the remaining songs. I'm sorrry about that; it really is a neat experience!]

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

blarg

Not really sure how I typo'd #736th place as #732nd place... that's what happens when trying to rush, I suppose.

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

#735: Spiritbox - Silk in The Strings (2:57):
https://open.spotify.com/track/09egp10m2GLUAgNoutZQ7A?si=a8dd5169f6a242f4

Nominator: BlackDra90n [29/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 38.00
Revised Score: 48.77
Final Score: 50.99

(First Reaction: Perhaps it was to be expected, but the more pure metalcore-ness of this song doesn't work as well for me as some of the tamer songs did & while I wouldn't say I have a problem with the lyrics, I'm just not especially interested in them either. Ultimately, while the song is quite decent, I don't think it's going to leave much of a lasting impression or be something i come back to (especially when compared to certain other songs on the album). Sorry; on the positive side, I can say that it's nice that there are more intense songs like this one to add some more contrast or different styles to the album.)

Well, the good news is that I appreciate the lyrics a lot more this time around. "I escape, but I carry you with me" is... a more powerful and hard-hitting lyric than I gave it credit for. Or perhaps I'm just in more of a 'sad reminiscing' mood about certain things I'd rather not get into at the moment which is leaving me more vulnerable to such lyrics. Either way.

The less good news is that I'm still not a fan of how hard this song goes. It's got a nice anger to it, but the lyrics don't put me into an angry mindset... they make me want to drink, mope around, and question if one can ever truly be free. The song seems to say 'fuck it, let's smash stuff!' and while I can certainly appreciate the sentiment, I don't have the energy to rage. It's cool, you go rage, I'll just lay here for a bit and stare at the ceiling.

Naturally, this all makes the song remarkably difficult to score. I am having a strong emotional reaction, which implies I should give it high marks ; but I kinda.... sorta... don't actually like the song? I feel like anywhere from the high 30s to low 90s would be an appropriate placement for the song.

*has to pause and listen to some other songs to recover for a bit*

In particular:

Michael Bolton - You Wouldn't Know Love:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0WZzhoTOsA

Sunspot - You Wouldn't Know Love:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2zb5QvTx1g

Both are angrier covers of the same Cher song, but not too angry. It's more bitterly calling someone out for hurting you type anger than the more brutal, smashing anger of "Silk In The Strings". These two covers really help process certain feelings... they're not entirely applicable to my situations since they're blatantly about someone cheating in a romantic relationship, but the bitter rage directed towards a pathological liar that's incapable of love is immensely satisfying.

I'll try listening to this an extra time soon because I don't really know what I want to do with this right now....

[Extra Listen: Wanted to give this song another chance before starting the Final Score portion of the list. There are some top-tier lyrics here that could let the song get first place, but I still find the song's pure anger at complete odds with the emotions the lyrics inspire. So I still overwhelmingly love and rather dislike the track, simultaneously. It gives me a lot to think about, but I think I'd have better luck just reading the lyrics in silence...]

[Final Thoughts: One of the rougher songs to score. I guess since I love the lyrics and I'm giving it extra listens in hopes of finding a reason to move it up, I can say that my feelings towards the track are positive enough to reach the positive feelings tier? I... don't think I'd say I liked it, but I care enough about the track that I clearly don't dislike it, and the feelings are strong enough that it's not an "Exactly 50 Point" dud track.]

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

I was feeling an elimination coming up.

It's definitely a heavier metalcore song, so I get if it doesn't vibe with you that much.

Sorry; I do love the lyrics though, as I said. Moving along, two more slightly late eliminations (apologies, busier day than usual):

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

#734: COSIO - Templed Battle (4:37):
https://youtu.be/VS77GeY6N8w

Nominator: NFUN: [28/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.27
Revised Score: 48.14
Final Score: 51.00

(First Reaction: An overly thumping, head banging, battle theme... but you know, this is okay. It's got this "techno future wizardry *bzzt bzzt*" type quality that makes up for it.)

I wish I knew what I was getting from this song the first time around, because right now this sounds like one of the most THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-ing songs of the entire ranking and that's... still something I have to be in a specific mood for to enjoy and whatever "buzzing wizards of the future" traits I thought existed here (and whatever that even meant) isn't really coming through today. I can't say I dislike it--at least trying to figure out what past me was babbling about is amusing--but this isn't my genre and I can't get past the beat to try enjoying it.

[Final Thoughts: I still don't know what I meant with that first reaction, but I'm in something resembling a battle theme mood right now, so this is pretty decent.]

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

-running late divider-

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

#733: Gustav Holst - First Suite in E-flat for Military Band, II. Intermezzo (2:53):
https://youtu.be/OEoGjQD1hLU

Nominator: Haste [26/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.13
Revised Score: 51.13
Final Score: 51.05

(First Reaction: Jovial tune, though this still isn't one of my top genres.)

A short little tune that brings to mind blimps slowly floating through the sky. It's fine, but perhaps a bit too... something-or-other. I was going to say "slow", but I like plenty of slow songs and fail to see how that could really be the answer. I suppose it's not the speed, but how almost bland the images feel? It's like it conjures some interesting imagery, but the song doesn't feel excited about it. And the lack of excitement, by itself, is fine--you can show the beauty of a peaceful day or whatever--but the song feels utterly bland and devoid of interest in its own subject matter. I don't feel passion. It's like some guy saying "here's some blimps or whatever,'" before wandering off to smoke behind the tent because he can't be bothered to care about his job or anything that's happening.

...still, points for conveying an image of some sort.

[Final Thoughts: Short, happy blimp and/or hot air balloon tune. It's nice enough.]

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

Another notable jump in points and another perfect list loses its first song to close out the afternoon:

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

#732: Bjork - Crystalline (5:09):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8Y8OVYBRUo

Nominator: DoctorJimmy [23/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.07
Revised Score: 51.436666666667
Final Score: 51.44

(First Reaction: An overwhelmingly complicated song where I can't even begin to process what it's doing musically. Most (if not all) of the verses are this... "wide open, minimalist" aesthetic that is oddly irksome--something about the tinny sounding music sets me on edge. But there's a bit towards the middle which felt like a more traditional song and things devolve into an intriguing chaos at the end, which I enjoyed. I think it all works out to a song that I kinda like, though there's a solid argument to be made that there are enough parts I dislike to drop it below the 50 point threshold. So... I don't know what this song is or how I felt about it, but we'll try placing it slightly over the 50 point barrier to start with.)

Let's just score the three sections separately and average them.

The first section (about a minute long): 39.76 ; Not a fan of her vocals or the weak chimes that provide the music here. Thankfully, it's a relatively brief segment before the song becomes more interesting.

The second section (lasts until around 4:12): 58.44 ; More instruments and notes succeed in creating a cave-like atmosphere, which is rather pleasing. The lyrics and vocals still aren't doing much for me, but it's a fun environment to imagine and explore. I'd say I like this part.

The ending (less than a minute long): 56.11 ; rapid, experimental drumming that doesn't just feel like it's from a different song but a different artist entirely. I'd like to have heard more of this because it's fairly neat!

Average Score: 51.436666666667

That feels low considering less than a fifth of the song's runtime is dragging it down, but I'll stand by it for the Revised Score.

[Final Thoughts: I'm both less interested in the main part of the song and considerably more interested in the end, so let's just round the score up slightly and call it a night.]

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

"737. Friends" was two things combined into one

1. Wanting to nominate a Neil Cicierga song
2. Wanting to nominate a super-duper short song/jingle

I don't know if I nominated another Cicierga song, and won't be surprised if I had. I listened to the four albums nonstop searching for the best bit of fun and dumb. The Alanis Morrisette song that descends in the Full House theme; the Tears for Fears/Marilyn Manson/Chili's Baby Rack Ribs meshing; a long series of 80s/90s television production company jingles; or a very strange rwisting of a Johnny Cash song where he could've been a good car. All were on a constant loop as I gave up and lost interest in nominating a bunch of Fast & Furious songs. And, I'd say close to the end of the nomination phase, I felt I was being just too silly and should nominate things I'd hope you'd really enjoy.

I still kept the ten second bit of fun~

Mega_Mana posted...

I don't know if I nominated another Cicierga song, and won't be surprised if I had.

I don't think you did; at least, I don't remember another one being nominated and it's not on my song list, so if there were a song, I'm afraid I've lost it.

I did listen to whatever his most recent album was once when it was new. I do kinda recall the Johnny Cash one... I don't know how much I liked it, but it was certainly memorable. (That's not to say I didn't like it. I heard it once a long time ago and do not recall enough to make any particular judgments, positive or negative).

I also remember Sleepin'. That one still gets stuck in my head on a regular basis after only listening to it once. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad sign.

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

#731: Lorna Shore - To The Hellfire (6:05):
https://youtu.be/qyYmS_iBcy4

Nominator: BlackDra90n [28/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 44.44
Revised Score: 43.06
Final Score: 50.70 [Upgraded to 51.444]

(First Reaction: Too intense for how long it goes. The more subdued opening is a treat and the lyrics are definitely my type of thing--I'm as easily manipulated by lyrics about darkness, night, and demons as ever--but it's really difficult to make out any of the lyrics, even when I have them written in front of me & the drumming is just... excessive. I can't say I dislike the song because it does have enough things in its favor that there are definitely aspects I enjoy, but a bit more restraint would certainly have moved this up considerably.)

Fantastic lyrics of darkness, damnation, and death. Shame that most of the lyrics are in that "metal growl yell" style that leaves them bordering on incomprehensible. And I just cannot focus on "epically intense" songs for more than a minute or two, so six minutes of breakneck ferocity is... not to my liking. Everyone here is quite skilled at what they do, but what they're doing is a textbook example of some things I'm not fond of.

I still can't say I dislike it, the fact that there are aspects I enjoy--namely the repeatedly mentioned lyrics & intro--remains constant, but it's not likely going to be one of my jams or anything anytime soon.

[Final Thoughts: It's actually kinda impressive that I don't mind the song because I've come down much harder on songs with epic drumming for far less than this song. I think it's because the audio on the drums has been lowered a bit, so while they're intense and constant, they're not overpoweringly loud which goes a long way. And the lyrics are definitely something I'm into, but the fact that I can't make it a single word without actively reading along makes it hard to enjoy this song on any casual level.

Still... for doing some things I'm not into in a way that I find accessible this song should receive some commendation. And I think I might kinda sorta partially maybe like this song a tiny bit? So... yeah, I'll move it up a tier.]

[Later: Just a tiny little boost to move this ahead of a few songs.]

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-Canyonero-

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

730: John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra - Miles Beyond (4:41):
https://youtu.be/8dj9KB89-OQ

Nominator: Haste [25/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.00019
Revised Score: 51.33
Final Score: 51.33 [Upgraded to 51.447]

(First Reaction: I guess I might like this a very, very small amount? I don't want to put it at the exactly 50 level, but it's ridiculously close to that point--close enough that if I didn't afford myself an infinite amount of decimal places, it'd probably wind up there anyway.)

I like this slightly more this time. Enough to get it over the "50.Whatever" zone and into the 'this is at least one full point better than neutrality'

[The writeup was accidentally left unfinished and trailed off at that point, without any punctuation or an actual end to that sentence.]

[Final Thoughts: I'm aware that it's technically impressive, but it's yet another of those "technically impressive instrumentals that don't inspire any particular feelings". It's nice enough that it's still above the 51 point marker, but this is about as far as I want to take it.]

[Later: Another tiny score boost.]

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

I saw Lorna Shore yesterday and they performed To The Hellfire live. Was amazing.

Will (the vocalist) is just as good live as he is in the studio.

It is impressive that he can do that with his voice live.

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

#729: Dorian Electra, Rebecca Black - Edgelord (2:10):
https://open.spotify.com/track/4Y5qUEDkvoNErVJj2evomM?si=2313eb4413614d01

Nominator: Bane [33/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.33
Revised Score: 51.68
Final Score: 51.68

(First Reaction: Comments later. Probably. Maybe. It's not inconceivable that at least one sentence about this song will be written at some point.)

It's nice hearing something else featuring Rebecca Black because she's actually really talented. I also like the repeated Joker references; I can't say he's one of my favorite villains, but *most* versions of the character are fun enough to be enjoyable. That being said, this song does feel a bit redundant... we've got another song from the perspective of random incels and that's still not a topic I care to discuss.

[Final Thoughts: I wish Rebecca Black featured more heavily on the track and I'm not sure this song adds much to the album, but it's not bad. Her performance is as good as always & the "we live in a society" reference is kinda funny.]

[Later: I have remarkably little reaction to the video. The Joker cosplay is kinda nice?]

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-Space Channel 5-

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

#728: DEMONDICE - Hellbento (3:22):
https://open.spotify.com/track/7yDon3zajJbKJVGI4UXu8S?si=c98585f863794c0d

Nominator: Murphiroth [25*/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.83
Revised Score: 51.83
Final Score: 51.865

(First Reaction: Eating souls, om nom nom nom.)

This is a rather interesting idea for a nomination. There are a lot of references to food, but it's not exactly a "food song" and singing about eating someone's soul and Satan could let this pass for a villain song/satanic song (not really, but again, one takes what one can get) & it's performed by someone I like. Would all the positives be enough to allow this song to escape the dreaded 'food song curse'??

Turns out "no, not really.". I mean, I guess I like it more than not and it definitely does things I like, but I think it's definitely on the lower end of songs she's performed and I seem to just functionally tune out whenever anyone mentions food. Even metaphorical food in the context of metaphorically devouring souls. That feels like an interesting data point, even if the score wound up being rather lackluster.

[Final Thoughts: Eh. Food songs. You know how it goes.]

[Later: The chorus is catchy enough that I've considered moving the song up a bit, but... ehh, I think I'd take every remaining song over this one, though it is high quality enough to give me pause.]

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

And the day's last song:

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

#727: SiIvagunner - Final Fantasy VII - One Winged Angel [3:47]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgPKfbKIR7A

Nominator: paulg [48/52 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.61
Revised Score: 52.29
Final Score: 51.90

(First Reaction: Another song that likely would have gotten a much higher score a few years ago. This feels almost cacophonic, like the song is very fundamentally wrong in a "this should not exist" way... which does still amuse me a little, but isn't quite what I'm after these days. And "Sexy Sephiroth" is kinda funny, but not like, super top-tier funny.)

It's vaguely interesting, but I don't have much interest in One Winged Angel or Gangnam Style--I don't dislike them, I just lack any emotion or feelings towards them at all--so I think the novelty of this song is lost on me. It's obviously odd, but without an attachment to either song, it feels like more of an intellectual curiosity than something that stands out on its own as something I want to keep listening. Still, it is neat enough to fall into the positive point category.

[Final Thoughts: An interesting idea for a song combination that does kinda work, but neither component of the song appeals to me *that* much so it's not quite a track for me. Still, it definitely has a few good moments and I would say it's fairly easily on the positive side of the scoring system.]

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

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

#726: Yelle - Comme un enfant (4:14):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLMLkWVeIY0&list=PLR2ATVrSGTX91hJXNoWIHovzSIqVNBM8u&index=4

Nominator: hotdogturtle [12/14 Remaining]

Initial Score: "Somewhere between 70 and 90 points" [treated as equal to 80.00]
Revised Score: 56.33
Final Score: 51.52 [Upgraded to 51.92]

(First Reaction: There are a lot of strong feelings associated with this song that I don't want to get into. I also have no idea how I want to score this, but memories and feelings like this should be relatively high... so just somewhere in the 70 to 90 point region, probably.)

!Not bad, but wow, I think this song might have had the most dramatic drop in terms of how much I enjoyed it from one listen to the next. I hesitate to say it's too... dance-music-adjacent, but the pulsing beat is certainly not helping the track any tonight. I still like it, but there's a lot of asterisks there, more like I "like***" this song...

[Final Thoughts: Well, this song has been on a significantly downward spiral. The lyrics about being like a child do have a fair amount of appeal for me right now, particularly in the last chorus section:

I sing and I cry, like a child
I scare myself for fun, like a child
I think about anything and everything, like a child
I dance, my heart is upside-down, like a child

But the song itself is... really not working for me at the moment, I'm afraid. It's got a very overly pronounced beat and I'm... I wouldn't say I don't like it, but it's a long way off from the Revised Score (and a million miles away from the original).]

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-spacebar-

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

#725: Stephen Weigel - 1536edo, 1700edo, 1728edo, 2460edo, 3072edo, 3125edo, 4296edo, 6144edo, 8539edo, 10600edo, 12288edo, 24576edo, 30103edo, 31920edo, 36829edo, 46032edo, 49152edo, 58973edo, 98304edo, 196608edo ...: [2:02]
https://tinyurl.com/1536edosong

Nominator: Kopazzynth [17/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 47.60
Revised Score: 50.30
Final Score: 50.95 [Upgraded to 51.46] [Upgraded to 51.93]

(First Reaction: That was a rather abrupt end to the song.)

*before clicking the song a second time*

...Once again, thank you Past Raetsel, for such deep insight into this track.

*after a second listen*

Wow, that was abrupt. It's just weird for two minutes and then stops

...I''d really like to just leave things there, but I need to at least make an effort. Parts of this song feel alien and "goopy", which is an interesting adjective to use for music. I'd like to dive into that and analyze the feelings, but the song is so very brief, that I'm not really sure where to even begin with it. The aspects I most enjoy are brief background elements of a track that is itself too brief. It makes it difficult to analyze or get an understanding of because it all just... stops before you have a chance to enjoy or process even one aspect of the song. I suppose it's intriguing enough that I want to give it a positive score, but I'm mostly left unfulfilled and wanting so much more.

[Final Thoughts: Alien and bizarre in ways I'm very intrigued by, but without enough time/space to really dive into those feelings. I think this song needs to be twice as long, so that you can really take your time and enjoy the soundscapes--that'd also give it a bit more freedom to linger and experiment with each phase of the song.]

]Later: It's an interesting experience, so much so that I keep delaying its elimination, but the competition is heating up and I'm running out of songs that I can definitively say I don't enjoy as much as this track.]

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

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

[Final Thoughts: With my noted bias against the Bible & hometowns, this is a miss lyrically. He's got a good voice that I won't complain about listening to it (unless in a topic like this in which I am required to actually respond with more than "it's fine", but not something I can actually enjoy due to personal issues. Definitely a good artist and timeframe to have nominated something by though.]

Aww man! So close to a hit! But OTOH we get to read more about your personal thoughts on this topic, which is quite interesting I must say! I do agree that lyrics can make or break a song, so no hard feelings there.

And yes I knew about this song through the FO games.

Raka_Putra posted...

But OTOH we get to read more about your personal thoughts on this topic, which is quite interesting I must say!

Thank you.

Moving along, we have our next "losing two songs in the same post" event:

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#724: We Butter The Bread With Butter VS Eskimo Callboy - Hypa Hypa (4:01):
https://youtu.be/vctA7thyC5M

Nominator: BlackDra90n [27/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.00
Revised Score: 54.17
Final Score: 52.00

(First Reaction: ...Do I want to know why the metalcore song turned into German polka for a few seconds? Well, it's definitely going to be a hard song to forget, though I kinda wish it kept that strangeness going for a bit longer. I kept waiting for it to either go back to that style or jump the rails into another unrelated genre, but after the first bizarre interlude ends, the rest of the track is played rather straight.)

*okay, I still have no idea what metal genre anything is, but a few comments on the video called it metalcore so I'm just going with them*

It is a fairly unique track. Switching from metal, to 'techno-polka-esque-thing', back to metal, to whatever's happening at the bridge (it's interesting, whatever it is), back to metal... it gives it a bouncy vibe that creates the feeling that the song could be literally anything. And the pop-esque lyrics--very familiar lyrics due to the nominating strategy--make the metalcore sections actually a bit neat even at their most intense.

But... even so, I'm not really into the intense sections and there are definitely versions of Hypa Hypa I enjoy more than this, so I have a hard time moving it any further up the list.

[Final Thoughts: Heavier and with a lot more drumming than I'd like, but it's still a bizarre enough take on the song that I consistently have positive feelings towards it. The bridge continues to be a highlight.]

[Later: The surprise polka is a real treat and some of the metal versions of the chorus are surprisingly good, but

*this note was accidentally left unfinished, including a lack of a closing bracket. It has been left in the state it was typed due to laziness.*

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-computer space-

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

#723: Spiritbox - Holy Roller (2:53):
https://open.spotify.com/track/3q7kMFce0TnDafVUzq8IpE?si=8c7252e7d1bc4d75

Nominator: BlackDra90n [26/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.93
Revised Score: 50.78
Final Score: 51.855 [Upgraded to 52.15]

(First Reaction: I like the anger on the track and--while I'm sure this is probably just my usual incoherent rambling--the chorus feels like a 'storm the gates of Heaven and burn everything to ashes' story.

Holy ghosts will fade into oblivion, like a blade falling slowly

That just feels like some JRPG, let's go slaughter some angels type stuff. Which I quite enjoy! But while I like the emotion, the energy, the general vibe... I'm not so sure I actually like listening to the song itself? It's quite close to greatness, but I don't know that it's something I'll really keep going back to in the future, Still, something I kinda like, and a rather good attempt at finding something I'd love.)

I'm not really in a mood for this type of metal song tonight... which isn't exactly fair, but is what it is. (Since the song isn't going down an entire tier and has a chance to impress me on the Final Score, I find this to be fair enough). The intro and less-metal-parts to this song are intriguing, they're very scaled back and feature a synthetic speaking voice that stand out a bit... but while I appreciate the energy and concept of the song, the parts of it that lean harder into metal territory don't really appeal to me. Sorry; this song does have a lot of things going for it, I just don't think it quite worked out in a way that I personally enjoy much.

[Final Thoughts: Still not exactly what I'm looking for, but not without its charms. I'm going to average the first two scores because I feel I enjoy it more than the revised score, but less than the initial score; 51.855 does feel about right for this.]

[Later: Perhaps still a bit too metal for me usually, but I'm giving it a 'slight' boost because the lyrics are rather neat.]

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And one more quick elimination for the day:

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

#722: Keishi Yonao - Circular Hell (3:35):
https://youtu.be/RxmGfwcLl-c

Nominator: NFUN: [27/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 44.39
Revised Score: 44.39
Final Score: 52.13 [Upgraded to 52.155]

(First Reaction: It's....unobjectionable.)

The track often features a very pronounced beat, relying on that head-banging "thud thud thud thud" dance aesthetic that... I am growing more tolerant of, but still isn't exactly a thing I enjoy. It's at best 'a thing I can overlook when it's part of a song I otherwise enjoy' than a positive trait. And while the song isn't especially intense (especially for a twin-stick bullet hell shmup), it definitely wants to get the listener hyped up for action. I don't really do hype. Or action. Or existence in general. I don't dislike the song, but there's nothing here for me either.

There aren't many songs that I've had a consistent reaction to, so it's kinda neat that the song's score isn't really going up or down? There's certainly something to be said for songs that are very consistent like that. I'm not sure what that "something" is, but there's definitely something. Probably. Beyond that, I'm just going to stick with "unobjectionable" as the best adjective.

[Final Thoughts: I'm still not quite into this getting amped up for action feel, but you know this ain't half-bad. It's not ridiculously intense and it's very approachable for a "locked and loaded" combat prep theme. I kinda like this one tonight. Not really 55 points of kinda liking, but... fairly positive at least.]

[Later: Just a minor boost to move this song up one ranking.]

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Double elims!

Had to expect that since those are probably the next heaviest songs. My guess is Baba Yaga is next.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

...Do I want to know why the metalcore song turned into German polka for a few seconds?

Both WBTBWB and EC are German bands that just like to mix in random stuff in their songs. There's some very fun elements in some of their other songs haha.

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#721: The Police - Synchronicity 1 (3:23):
https://youtu.be/rrEIosl7WKQ

Nominator: Metalmind [24/25 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.10
Revised Score: 57.10
Final Score: 52.156

(First Reaction: The song goes a bit harder than I'd like--it's not quite overwhelming, but it feels... loud. A bit hard to take in Jungian psychology and the collective unconscious when the song is so incredibly busy and loud. It's interesting and Sting is always a welcome addition, but it misses the mark a bit.)

!I generally like the Sting music that I've heard, but this isn't one of my favorites... I should probably listen to more of his work though. I only really know the hit singles, but he's had a lot of top tier songs & there's probably some really good, lesser-known hits in his discography.

[Final Thoughts: Well, usually I kinda like this for being a relatively new to me song from Sting, but I'm bouncing off of this one pretty hard tonight. An outro that just repeats the song title 10 times in a row is a "thing", but I'm also not connecting to the lyrics and it's just so overwhelming (somehow even more so than most of the metalcore songs nominated) that... while I'd still keep this on the positive side of the scoring chart, it's a far ways off from where it was the first two times I heard it.]

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-7 Perfect Lists remain-

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

#720: Franchouchou - Drive-in Tori (Franchouchou Version) (0:25):
https://open.spotify.com/track/1YUdtLhPwtp3RKh7kLIGiD?si=b2bab2550b1b48e6

Nominator: Player_0 [29/33 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.18
Revised Score: 57.18
Final Score: 52.157

(First Reaction: A fairly catchy commercial jingle that does a respectable job hyping up the place and its food. I'd probably visit, if I lived anywhere near Japan.)

!It is a good commerical jingle, but not unbelievably great like certain other commercial jingles.

[Final Thoughts: Fairly cute and it does actually make me want to try their food, but in retrospect, I don't think i quite want this song up as high up the list as it was. I suppose if I had an attachment to the show, I might be manipulated into giving extra points because Tae gets to perform on the track (she does the rooster crow. Allegedly.), but that's more of an interesting bit of trivia than a scoring factor without any personal attachment to her.]

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And the last three eliminations of the day, all in one post because the "writeups" are so short that it'd be wasteful to separate the third one into its own post.

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

#719: Kittie Brackish (3.02):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yev3JqH6TpY

Nominator: Xtlm [11/13 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.20
Revised Score: 57.20
Final Score: 52.302

(First Reaction: A metal song that goes harder than I'd like, but is still melodic and clear, which is nice.)

!Lyrics repeat themselves a lot... the same lines repeat themselves 13 times over the course of a rather short track. What's here is good--definitely an above average metal band--and I do like the lyrics, but personally, a bit more lyrical variety would have gone a long way.

[Final Thoughts: I'm just not really clicking with this song on any level tonight, I'm afraid. I guess the rapid-fire lyrics are impressive and it's nice having an "easier" metal song, but it just kinda keeps repeating the same things. I still feel generally positive towards the track, but it's definitely one of those that have fallen down quite a bit.]

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

-Computer Space-

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#718: Fraser Edwards - Stop Saying We Sound Like Dragonforce (4:43):
https://open.spotify.com/track/0XZKzRSvXLqLHT8AVfhZmE?si=161e8ae7dcba4d2e

Nominator: CPU [27/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.16
Revised Score: 52.40
Final Score: 52.40

(First Reaction: Perhaps if I knew this artist or much about Dragonforce in general, this would have gone better. But all I have of Dragonforce are some largely forgotten memories of Through the Fire and Flames from Guitar Hero 3 which I played so long ago that it might as well have been in another lifetime? It's a nice enough song, but the jokes or parody tend to miss without context.)

*skims list of Dragonforce's most popular songs* Ohh, alright so this nominated song is referencing a bunch of their songs. I assumed as much from context, but I suppose it's nice to have confirmation. Either way, I don't really care for Dragonforce--tried listening to a few more songs and, while the singing is fine, the band goes for EpIc MuSiX that kinda bore me for the most part--so a Dragonforce parody is not really for me (even if it's performed well). Though I willl say I like the instruments on this song better than actual Dragonforce since they don't go nearly as hard.

[Final Thoughts: Better than Dragonforce, though still not something I'm really into.]

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

-Backspace-

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

#716: WWF Attitude Era Intro [0:13]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OtmDtgrawI

Nominator: paulg [47/52 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.20
Revised Score: 56.41
Final Score: 52.43

(First Reaction: So much more intense than their recent intros and it does a commendable job of getting the listener pumped up, but it doesn't really work as a stand-alone thing. Like now I'm all hyped up for something to happen and stuck sitting here in silence, typing rather aimlessly as all that excitement amounts to nothing. It may be in fact be the most anti-climactic song to have been nominated.)

!Does a great job at hyping up the audience, but lacks enough of a payoff to work without any further context.

[Final Thoughts: It's a good build, but I think I need a bit more to my music than this brief and abrupt cutoff.]

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

the synchronicity 1 link doesn't work.

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

the synchronicity 1 link doesn't work.

Works fine for me. Probably a regional thing

oh. yeah, guess it's region locked then.