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

(+) Yeah! (+)

tbh. given that the theme of my noms was my favorite artists that hadn't been nominated for you before. at some point after i'd picked something else Steve Reich i believe, fairly last minute iirc i was like "wait a minute...are there any steve reich pieces that are centered around saxophone?" since you requested saxophone stuff in your first post this year. and then i remembered that one, immediately picked a random recording last minute, i'm not necessarily attracted to that specific version or anything. and there's definitely ways that piece could be played in a way that feels more like the sounds you want out of the instrument

NBIceman posted...

Been curious to see which of the songs from Swagger and Stroll would be the first to fall. Malign Monologues is fun but definitely not among my favorites on the album.

Me too. I'm actually surprised it was this though. Malign Monologues is my favorite song off Swagger and Stroll, so wasn't expecting it to come in last. However, that has more to do with the music than the lyrics. My least favorite would be Out Came the Hummingbirds.

Anyway, so much for my perfect list. It was a nice run :)

I definitely did want to hear more examples of saxophones and I'm glad a variety of saxes were nominated so that I could try to pin down exactly what I liked about them. ...Unfortunately, my interest in the instrument is apparently rather narrow and... well I go a bit more into the topic during a song that was supposed to be eliminated tomorrow, but since the song is relevant *now* & everything in the Wall is tied so the order is meaningless, I suppose we'll add a surprise 11th song to the Wall:

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#???: John Coltrane - Giant Steps [4:47]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwIC6B_dvW4

Nominator: Lasa [10/14 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.998
Revised Score: 50.23
Final Score: 50.98 [Upgraded to 54.60] [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: A very snazzy type of jazz that is enjoyable, though I personally would've liked it to be a bit more subdued and laid-back. It's fun and energetic, just a bit too energetic?)

!Yeah, I don't think I'm a jazz... pony... I think I can appreciate how complex this is (and at least partially improvised from what little I can understand of people who know what they're talkjing about say about this) & it's definitely a style of song I wanted to be nominated so I could get exposure to it, but it's just not clicking for me.

[Final Thoughts: Yeah, I'm afraid I'm just not big into most styles of jazz. Also my saxophone love seems to extend entirely to... whichever type of sax was featured in the end credits of various Disney Afternoon shows, such as Darkwing Duck:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOtDV2gBmM8

Ahh... there's that particular set of notes that triggers the good shot of nostalgia... it's a bit of a lower pitch and much smoother (and poppier) than standard jazz. Either way, this nominated song is ummm.... "not that", obviously, which I'm not holding against it--it's just a general 'oh yeah, when I thought I loved saxes, I think it's this one particular type for reasons that I didn't know were nostalgia and furry based, but like everything else is my personality, is very much related to nostalgia & talking animals' type statement.]

[Later: Moving this up a few points for being so snazzy.]

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Rescue Rangers End Credits (Version 1):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVENK16xPoQ

(That sax solo also plays in the full version of the theme)

So.. uhh... it may be less "I love saxophones" as "I love things that remind me of furry cartoons and a specific type of sax does thanks to the Disney Afternoon". Which I hadn't realized at the time, but... yeah...

Still, thank you to everyone who helped me come to this realization.

It's possible the Simpsons has also influenced my opinion of saxes thanks to Lisa, but that has yet to be determined.

Song #12 in the Wall. Half because I'm running really late, again (this time it's because I didn't have time to listen to BOST last night and had to squeeze in a listen to all of those songs first thing in the morning), and half because we're already one song ahead thanks to the surprise #11 elimination yesterday afternoon anyway.

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#???: Closure in Moscow - Happy Days (5.38)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq0DOBZa_S4

Nominator: Xtlm [10/13 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.39
Revised Score: 57.44
Final Score: 54.492 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: Ah, I believe I expressed an interest in hearing more from this album in my comments on Pink Lemonade (nominated by NBIceman), but I hadn't recognized the band name to realize you had given me another track from the album. Neat!

I'm afraid I don't like this as much as Pink Lemonade since it's so happy, but it's not bad and I'm glad it was nominated.)

In retrospect saying Pink Lemonade was so good that I wanted to hear more songs was perhaps more of a spoiler than I should have openly said, but I did say that and we're here now.

Good band and I'd still like to hear more from them, but the lyrics just aren't what I'm here for at the moment. Happy days and learning to appreciate where you are and... eh, I'm bored of this writeup. Well performed, quite nice, just not quite the type of thing I'm personally interested in,

[Final Thoughts: ...In further retrospect, it's weird that the two songs nominated for this album were the second track & the second from last track. Not the first or the last, nor anything in the middle. Either way, song is fairly neat, though it's probably not a good sign that I got bored halfway through talking about it and just left.]

[Later: I do kinda like this, but I don't know that I'd say I definitely like it more than everything else in the Wall. If it weren't such a rough decision between all the songs, we wouldn't have a Wall in the first place.]

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Fluttershy_Pony posted...

(and at least partially improvised from what little I can understand of people who know what they're talkjing about say about this)

i mean, like most jazz, it's almost entirely improvised. the only prewritten parts are the theme - the main melody that's played at the beginning and the end. everything coltrane and tommy flanagan (the pianist) play in between is made up on the spot.

anyway, yeah, didn't expect this tune to last long when i discovered you're not particularly into jazz.

Ahh... there's that particular set of notes that triggers the good shot of nostalgia... it's a bit of a lower pitch and much smoother (and poppier) than standard jazz.

yeah, seems like the jazz you enjoy the most is smooth jazz, which most people agree... isn't actually jazz. in jazz for dummies, there's an entire chapter about smooth jazz that explains why it doesn't qualify as "real jazz." that's not to say it's bad music, though - in fact, i love smooth jazz! too bad i didn't nominate any songs in that style for this topic. though you talked about spyro gyra in the previous topic, which is very much a smooth jazz band, so you've already heard some of it.

i like those disney afternoon songs too, though they're a bit too short for my taste.

Ooh, cool, sounds like I can look forward to a solid Pink Lemonade placement! That's one of my favorite noms this time around so that's fun.

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

yeah, seems like the jazz you enjoy the most is smooth jazz, which most people agree... isn't actually jazz

Fair enough. Again, let's not pretend I know what any genre actually is. >/.>

And there are undoubtedly better examples than short end credits sequences, but as they seem to be where the nostalgia comes from & get to the sax really quickly (by virtue of being so short) they seemed... relevant at the very least.

#13 & 14:

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#???: Kimihiro Abe - Abandoned Building [3:49]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeBDUmldtjw

Nominator: @TunnelScene [23/27 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.43
Revised Score: 57.43
Final Score: 54.57 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: This isn't the type of song you'd expect to hear from Bleach, fighting games, or from something titled "Abandoned Building" but it's got a sort of... "beat-em-up stage set in the burned out remains of a jazz hall" groove to it that's nice.)

!Hell Jazz is certainly a different experience.

[Final Thoughts: Slightly less interesting when I'm prepared for it since it loses most of its unexpected surprise value, but it's certainly a unique audio environment to fight in so it's still fairly neat.]

[Later: ...Well this elimination wound up being more topical than I expected and those short reactions are coming off far more dismissive than was intended. We're getting to the part of the list where I was less able to type & one to two sentence responses are going to be more and more common.

This is an intriguing sound to it and I do like exploring the musical environment it creates, though I'm unable to articulate what is intriguing about it other than vague "not like the other nominations" and "hell jazz".]

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-burn it down!-

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???: Architects - Dying Is Absolutely Safe (Orchestra Version) (4:38) :
https://youtu.be/OnQhVL1o2CU

Nominator: BlackDra90n [25/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.10
Revised Score: 54.00
Final Score: 54.60 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: I want to like this, but it just feels... "fine". Which is a brutally harsh and unfair way of putting it because everything about the song is certainly more than fine, but I just have no reaction to this. I certainly don't dislike it, but I have a hard time saying I liked it either. Definitely needs to be above the Exact 50 tier, but... not nearly as far above it as one would expect.)

Something is off here and I'm not figuring out what it is... the singer's voice is pleasing, the lyrics are alright--not my favorites, but "angels with anhedonia" is a great metaphor and I don't particularly dislike any of the other lines, the softer & more controlled orchestra is definitely my thing (and I also like how it picks up during the outro, it's a very nice ramping up in power without becoming epic or pushing too hard). By all accounts, this song should be somewhere in the 70 to 80 point range because it's literally doing everything right and I have no specific complaints about it or negative associations with the song to pull it down.

And yet, I actively do not want to give it more than 54 points. When I ask myself if I like it, the answer is a pretty definitive "not as much as everything in the 55+ level" which is an unpleasantly mean way of putting it, but also an inexplicably bizarre take because I am quite certain where I want to place this in terms of scoring & completely unsure of why. It's not a song with an unknown value or a highly volatile value, it's one with a known value for unknown reasons, which feels like an important distinction.

...Reminds me of "Oak - False Memory Archive" in a way. I never figured out why that song's score was as low as it was either:

https://oakinoslo.bandcamp.com/track/false-memory-archive

Which I definitely like, but not as intensely as one would expect for all the praise I have for it. Alas, I suppose I'll have to leave this writeup at this... I've now listened to the song three times in a row in hopes of finding some indication as to why it has this score (as well as False Memory Archive once), so I've already spent a lot of time on this one writeup without making any real progress... oh well.

[Final Thoughts: Wait, I compared multiple songs to False Memory Archive? For a low scoring song I certainly won't shut up about it.

...Though I get the comparison because I don't know why any of these songs fail to obtain the scores it feels like they demand. It seems like this song is far too great to fall at one of the "it's fine" tiers, but that's where my reaction is at.]

[Later:

Oak - False Memory Archive: A song nominated at the second annual ranking topic. Came in 191st place out of 300 songs, with a score roughly equivalent to 65 points (though we were more liberal with giving very high and low scores back then), that I desperately wanted to give a high score to:

I'm trying, I just listened to this five times in a row practically begging the song to give me SOMETHING I can use to justify giving this a very high score too, but I still have no emotional connection to it. Which is unfortunate because I really, really want to love this--it's a modern progressive rock band fronted by someone that could be Gordon Lightfoot's successor if he wanted to be, singing a song with an amazing title!!--but...no.

It has since become the Ur Example of a song that should be getting a very high score, but isn't. I still go back to it occasionally, wondering if today will be the day I finally love the song... but I never do. This isn't the first or last time I'll be comparing a song to it.]

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If nothing else, I'm apparently very good at nominating songs that are later used as comparisons for others!

NBIceman posted...

If nothing else, I'm apparently very good at nominating songs that are later used as comparisons for others!

Funnily enough, I didn't even check to see who nominated False Memory Archive. That is an interesting coincidence.

(Apologies if this winds up double posting. Internet went out while I was trying to post it and it looks like it failed to go through.)

#15 & 16:

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???: dingerbox - unashamed (3:03):
https://youtu.be/-Ir-wbOpzs4

Nominator: UF8 [26/30 Remaining

Initial Score: 54.61
Revised Score: 54.61
Final Score: 54.61 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: An instrumental created to show off the bass and it definitely succeeds at that goal.

(Google Translation of the video description:)

Well, this time I got such a ridiculously wonderful instrument, so I couldn't help but use it. It's one of the most obscene songs I made to make the bass stand out. The key is set to Bm so that the lowest note can be heard. I love the deep bass of an instrument because it has a different appeal than a synth.

I do like low tones, so yes, I do appreciate the deeper bass on this track. I'm also a bit irrationally pleased with myself for having been drawn to that sort of sound before reading the description. It was like: "I like the way this instrument sounds!" and the description is all "I created this song entirely to show off that instrument!" and it almost feels like I actually understood something in a way the artist actually intended for once.

...I know it's not a particularly complicated revelation, but for me, it was an oddly coherent and topical train of thought.)

I can't think of anything I want to add to that, actually. It's a nice instrumental that shows off some very fine bass playing. It's neat, but for me personally, never rises beyond the "oh hey, this is neat!" level which I guess is around the mid-50's.

[Final Thoughts: Some very fine bass playing. Not a track that I love, but it's pretty neat.]

[Later: I definitely dig the instrument chioce and some of the deeper notes he's hitting. It's not quite a 60 point track, but I can pretty definitively say I kinda like this one.]

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-crack the world's shell-

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???: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country - Battle!!/Torna (7:45):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1weNnjzaXbY

Nominator: sergio [7/13 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.66
Revised Score: 54.66
Final Score: 54.66 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: Was this really not nominated before? Because I remember complaining about this and I don't usually complain about things at VGMC (I don't want to ruin anyone else's enjoyment and accept that my opinions don't line up with anyone else's) which implies it should have been discussed at one of these ranking topics ...

*checks*

Ah, I took a moment out of my writeup for Mor Ardain to complain about Battle!! for no valid reason:

(I think I had to vote for Tornas Battle often at VGMC, but that was always a case of the other track being worse rather than an endorsement of Battle.)

So, while this wasn't ranked, my distaste of the song was apparently so strong that I felt the need to state it at completely arbitrary times. Listening to it again though, I actually kinda like this now? It's got a sharp & ritzy groove to it that I see the appeal of. It's still long and certainly is battle music (battle music is my least favorite genre), but I'm starting to come around on this. I can't tell if that's just because the song is so familiar after all of these years or because my tastes are shifting enough to appreciate it, but this is definitely into the positive score section of the list .)

Quite a snazzy little tune, isn't it? Don't have much to add since it's not my style and my opinion hasn't completely changed, but it's a fine song and I don't mind listening to it.

[Final Thoughts: Right at the edge between "generally positive feelings" and "kinda like". The song has grown on me a bit over the years, but I think this might be as high up as it goes.]

[Later: Yeah, I kinda like this these days. It can join everything else in the Wall.]

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#17 & 18, if the internet will stay in long enough for me to successfully post them...

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#???: Roman Tam, Jenny Tseng - [Iron Blood and Loyal Heart] (2:53):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PCBWNMajKk

Nominator: Handsomeboy [28/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.36
Revised Score: 57.36
Final Score: 54.668 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: There are a lot of ways to translate the title, but I actually did some research and this seems the most accurate translation. Or at least, it's what Wikipedia goes with: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_the_Condor_Heroes_(1983_TV_series)#Soundtrack

Also, this show and its soundtrack were big enough deals to have their own English Wikipedia page, which is pretty neat. The song itself is pleasant, though perhaps a bit more classical than I'd like... of course considering that the story takes place in the early 13th century, it's not like a modern song would have actually worked in context, so please don't take that as a serious critique.)

It's nice and I like it a fair amount, It's a classic and timeless love song performed by two very capable singers, but perhaps a bit too old-fashioned and traditional for my personal tastes.

[Final Thoughts: It's interesting to compare this song with your follow-up nomination because that one is so radically different. This track is also nice; I mean, they're talented and it's a sweetly romantic song, and it has a very timeless style to it which is timeless for a reason. Just not *quite* a preferred style, though I am glad it is here.]

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-I can't remember which throwaway references I've already made-

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The Wizard of Oz (2011 London Cast) - Munchkinland / Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead (5:25):
https://open.spotify.com/track/3YHgfWTPEVeVf1y2n9xMRR?si=3b08d2b50421467a

Nominator: @Raka_Putra [28/31 Remaining]

Initial Score; 52.28
Revised Score: 54.76
Final Score: 54.76 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: I can't say I particularly like the Wizard of Oz or want to revisit those memories, but there is some humor in a joyous celebration of accidental manslaughter. Also, I like that the song ends with the boom of the Wicked Witch appearing--if you close your eyes and don't play the next song, you can imagine the boom as her killing everyone in an explosion.)

I do like Emily Tierney, the actress they have playing Glenda in this version of the show. She has a very soothing voice on this track and I wouldn't mind hearing more from her, but alas, she doesn't have that many performances. There's this album, the London version of Wicked (which doesn't seem to have any decent quality recordings I can find), and a random track from "Michael Bruce Unwritten Songs" in which she appears to be failing to portray a Russian opera singer.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3W2ZtFRX1xdxyNBZMxH5tQ

(To be fair to the song there's at least one glowing review of it, so it's probable that I'm just not ready for that type of music and it's perfectly fine)

Aaanywho... for a Wizard of Oz song, I'd say this is about as good a version of the song as there could ever really be? Everyone does fine with their parts, it's a funny concept for a song, and there's enough musical talent here that it's not just a comedy track. I have some issues with the source material as the Wizard of Oz is something I've seen far more often than I'd care to, making this a song that I probably won't be going back to much just because I'm tired of the music no matter how well performed it is. As usual, I'll stress that this is quite explicitly a *me* problem and not a comment on anyone involved in the song

[Final Thoughts: The coroner is the highlight of this song. His overwhelming exuberance at declaring her to be "really most sincerely dead" is quite funny.]

[Later: I already praised the coroner, but I'd like to reaffirm that his line & the cheering that follows completely make the track.]

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And these should be the last two of the afternoon, numbers 19 & 20:

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???: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe - Illusory Holehills (3:32):
https://youtu.be/brtdP3mKm2M

Nominator: Haste [22/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 54.79
Final Score: 54.79 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: I'll pass on commenting on this for now. Let's put it in the clump of 60 point songs and see where things stand on the second listen before I commit to anything.)

!Energetic and fun, though I'm not quite sure why it was all the way up into the CLUMP of songs when I'm not feeling a strong enough attachment to justify that... I mean, it's fun and I like it, but not quite at that level.

[Final Thoughts: Most of the song is a bit too epic adventure-y for my blood, but the flute (or whatever flute-like instrument it is) segments are pretty enough that they almost carry the song back up another tier. Unfortunately, those sections are all too brief and the majority of the song isn't working for me tonight.]

[Later: I believe this might be the first song to drop that was part of the Clump. Basically it was the same thing as the Wall we're currently building. There were a lot of songs that fit the "I can just say "I like this" and leave the writeup at that" category without inspiring any specific value greater than exactly 60 points. So I just threw everything into a Clump and figured I'd sort them out later.

....and I might as well define all the other groups while we're here.

CLUMP: A ludicrous mass of songs that had exactly 60 points for their Initial Score.

Cluster: A smaller mass of songs, I believe these were the ones at the 70 point barrier after the Initial Score.

Neo Clump: The newly forming mass of exactly 60 point songs that is being created. Basically, we'll be doing this whole "wall" thing again once we reach the next tier. </.<

The Wall: We are here.

Or to put it another way: I have a bad habit of gathering large number of songs at the starting point of a tier. Anyway, this song is fine... definitely too adventurous for me, but I still kinda like it.]

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-too lazy to make reference. Need break.-

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???: Grimes - laughing and not being normal (1:47):
https://open.spotify.com/track/0DnYvbdoVg88EF2ddh7Tn6?si=6e361bd7a2384433

Nominator: Player_0 [25/33 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.20
Revised Score: 57.392
Final Score: 54.796 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: A short song with a weird sounding outro that doesn't really establish what's going to come next on the album. Which is interesting, I do kinda like how uncertain I am about the future.)

Well, the track doesn't have laughter, but it's definitely not normal. So we'll say the title is accurate enough. And I actually really dig the outro; it's just so completely out there bringing the rumbling low tones I love, a quiet siren type effect, and different instruments that quickly build up tension that goes nowhere as the song just stops with a sudden abruptness & moves onto the next (completely unrelated) song without any time to react to what just happened.

Sadly, the fact that the song leaves me wanting so much more from it, rather limits how many points I actually want to give it... I love what it feels like the song is starting to do, but the way it just stops leaves me incredibly disappointed. And while it's probably best for a song to leave me wanting more than to overstay its welcome, my main takeaway from the song is still rather negative because of how it leaves me hanging.

I hear rumors that Grimes actually ran out of time for the album and had intended for this to be a full song before releasing it in this state; if so, there's a chance that the complete version may have been one of the greatest songs of all time. It's also possible she'd have edited out the part I did love or it would otherwise not live up to its potential. Sadly, we'll likely never find out.

As for the lyrics.... they're fine, but I have no particular attachment to them. I get that they continue metaphors from the last song on her previous album, but without any emotional connection to that story, they're just fine. Go collect your emotional leaves or whatever. Cool. The main part of the track is fine, but don't really compare to the "what just happened??" nature of the outro.

[Final Thoughts: The outro remains fantastic, but I think I had this placed a bit too far up the list because 27 seconds of pleasing insanity is not exactly a lot... even for a song this short, it's still a relatively small portion of the song.]

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Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#???: Roman Tam, Jenny Tseng - [Iron Blood and Loyal Heart] (2:53):

I like this song a good bit more than the other one by the same singers. The main character of the show grew up with the Mongols, so if you close your eyes and listen to the song you can imagine nomads riding on the steppes... I guess??

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

Something is off here and I'm not figuring out what it is... the singer's voice is pleasing, the lyrics are alright--not my favorites, but "angels with anhedonia" is a great metaphor and I don't particularly dislike any of the other lines, the softer & more controlled orchestra is definitely my thing (and I also like how it picks up during the outro, it's a very nice ramping up in power without becoming epic or pushing too hard). By all accounts, this song should be somewhere in the 70 to 80 point range because it's literally doing everything right and I have no specific complaints about it or negative associations with the song to pull it down.

Damn, really didn't think this song would be next in the list of eliminations. Would've really thought it would've been one of the heavier deathcore songs and this would be one of the last of mine to be eliminated.

I think I get it though, it's a nice song but it's not as "special" as the other orchestral songs I nominated.

i love that it only took one video to get you to notice dinger's unique video descriptions. they're always really funny or quirky in a good way

I keep saying that the theme of my noms was my favorite artists who hadn't been nommed for you before:
- if i had to answer the question of who is my #1 favorite composer, I would say Kimihiro Abe. HOWEVER i actually liked the Kimihiro Abe tracks Haste2 picked even more than the one i picked, so i'll be rooting for those instead now! (and sergio picked a cool one too!)

Stuff going on and my wrists are kinda shot today, so I'll be trying to aim for five eliminations today instead of ten.

handsomeboy2012 posted...

I like this song a good bit more than the other one by the same singers.

Yeah, the two songs are really different. I'll obviously get in to why I prefer the other one when it drops, sometime in the future.

TunnelScene posted...

HOWEVER i actually liked the Kimihiro Abe tracks Haste2 picked even more than the one i picked, so i'll be rooting for those instead now! (and sergio picked a cool one too!)

...Yes, I am an observant person who definitely noticed all of those were by the same artist before this exact moment. No one can prove otherwise. </.<

-

One elimination, running late, you know how it goes. :

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#???: Serj Tankian - Figure It Out (2:52):
https://open.spotify.com/track/07c2CEBwOGQJQRAO0UyY4P?si=ed3781d556ed4145

Nominator: Murphiroth [21*/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.409
Revised Score: 51.94
Final Score: 54.819 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: An allegedly "comical polical song about abusive capitalism" that's lacking in humor, which goes a bit too hard & repeats itself way too often for a song that's less than three minutes long... but it's hard to disagree with the song's point, calling CEO's a disease is amusing (even if it's not what I'd call comical), and the repeating chorus is memorable. I like it, but it's not quite my jam.)

!A high-speed track that goes incredibly fast, but runs out of things to say about twenty seconds in and just continues to scream CEOS ARE THE DISEASE as though it were some profound revelation. It's... really not for me, though I can't fault the general message and guess it's unique enough that I'd say my feelings towards it are more positive than negative. It's kinda close though.

[FInal Thoughts: I mean, I guess that I almost kinda like it because fuck CEOs.]

[Later: Well, it is a distinct experience from the rest of the album and I kinda like it.]

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Wall members 22 & 23:

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???: Besakai Youzan - YONA YONA DANCE (3:47):
https://youtu.be/j8MmeOpmMU8

Nominator: UF8 [25/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 42.73
Revised Score: 51.11
Final Score: 54.84 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: As far as repetitive songs about dancing go, this is fine? Not something I'd likely choose to listen to, but I don't particularly mind it. It's alright.)

Honestly, I kinda like the music and I can work with the lyrics, but something about the vocal performance is missing; not just from him, but from every cover I can find & the original as well. And I can't figure out what I want from them... it's almost like the song is caught in the middle between two extremes and I want it to go further in either direction.

I could imagine this song working well if it was slowed down a bit and sung by someone with a bit of a darker, seductive edge to them. It begs to be performed by someone that draws you into their world of eternal night, where nothing exists but the two of you and the dance.

I could imagine the song going the exact opposite direction, speeding up slightly & sung by someone cuter. Let's party under the shiny disco ball and keep on rockin' forever, wheee!!!

Yet no version of the song does either of those things. It's a bit subdued and embraces the night, but it's not seductive or bewitching; it's kinda energetic and bouncy, but it doesn't really embrace that aesthetic either. There's this persistent feeling that there are two of the best songs of all time contained here, but it somehow manages to miss both targets and becomes just kinda... "fine". I suppose I like aspects of it, I wouldn't spend so much time listening to covers in hopes of finding a version I love, unless I already liked the basic song somewhat. It's just a bit lacking.

]Final Thoughts: Not much to add here. I wish this song went to a greater extreme in some direction, *any* direction, but I still like the idea of it.]

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-bread isn't necessarily flat-

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???: Ken Nakagawa - God's Garden [2:16]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mikg2FYYlKE

Nominator: @TunnelScene [22/27 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.00
Revised Score: 57.35
Final Score: 54.853 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: RPG advventure music. I should probably play the Atelier Iris series at some point; the first Mana Khemia is one of my favorite games ever (we don't talk about MK2), but I never went back to the Iris trilogy--I know they're not quite the same thing, but as traditional JRPGs from the same studio, it feels like the type of series I'm obligated to play at some point. [Coincidentally, I'm partially replaying Mana Khemia for about the sixth time and was already thinking of the Iris games when you nominated this. What a coincidence.])

!I suppose the Iris series and the Mana Khemia series are all officially part of the Aetlier Series. I thought they were all spinoffs. Either way, this writeup shows how much time has passed since I started the topic... I went back and did the entire Mysterious Trilogy of Aetlier games (Sophie, Firis, Lydie & Suelle)--haven't gotten to Sophie 2 or Ryza yet. Or the Iris series.

Aaanywho, song is peaceful and nice. I like listening to it.

[Final Thoughts: Still haven't gotten to any more Atelier games after marathoning five in a row there (I also replayed Khemia 2; I still do not care for that game in the slightest). Song is still adventurous and I somewhat like it, but I'm not quite as attached to it as I usually am.]

[Later: This does make me want to play the Iris trilogy eventually, but while this is fun adventuring/gathering ingredients in a field music, I'm not able to click with it as much as I did the first two times. I still kinda like it and wouldn't say no to listening to it again, but it's still a peg below where it started.]

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

Last two because I want/somewhat need to take a half-day:

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

#???: Color Therapy - Terrarium (feat. The Album Leaf) (4:17):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggUQ3H66Eqc

Nominator: ZaziGuado [27/28 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.62
Revised Score: 58.22
Final Score: 54.869 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: Mellow instrumentals can be very much my type of thing, but I don't find myself espeially drawn to this one. It's enjoyable enough, but not relaxing or atmospheric enough for my taste.)

I do find it interesting that this is a secret Adam Young song, but that's more of a neat bit of trivia and speculation than something that impacts my enjoyment of the song.

This song definitely brings the low tones that I love, I'm just not as enamored with them on this track as it feels like I should be. It's definitely the right genre and the right notes, but somehow I don't personally find this song to be relaxing... it's as though it is the type of song where you're supposed to lose yourself in the peaceful melody and let your troubles fade away, but it never actually inspires that strong of a reaction. It's close, it just never seems to hit its full potential.

Also while over four minutes isn't exactly "short" for a song, it feels like this track could have used a longer runtime? Like I'm always disappointed when it ends because I want more. I know that's better than the alternative of it going on for too long, but I feel this type of peaceful atmosphere could go twice as long without overstaying its welcome. Still, I do like the song more than it sounds like I do--I'd hardly complain that I wanted it to be twice as long if I didn't enjoy what was here.

[Final Thoughts: I don't know. It's the right instruments and genre, but I keep bouncing between having this at "kinda like" and "just before the kinda like area" where... I mean, I like it, but only about a third as much as I should for what it is.]

[Later: A peaceful song with the low tones that I love which somehow results in a song that keeps bouncing everywhere in the 50s. Below the 55 point wall, far above the wall, back slightly below the wall, and finally into the wall. It's a good song doing everything that I usually love, but right now it's in that kinda like area where a lot of good songs are falling.]

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

~two perfect lists remain~

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

#???: Archie Pelago - I Know About Robert's World [4:43]:
https://archiepelago.bandcamp.com/track/i-know-about-roberts-world

Nominator: Kopazzynth [15/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.16
Revised Score: 54.09
Final Score: 54.09 {Upgraded to 54.87] [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: Another in the list of instrumental songs that don't inspire a particular reaction.)

<scene>

*Toad runs into the topic*

"Hey, you better watch out! He knows about Robert's World."

</scene>

I know this song isn't technically an instrumental either since there's some spoken words at the start of the song, but it feels rather silly to refer to those as lyrics (especially when they're faint enough to be easily ignored) so the track is... "instrumental enough" or whatever. And I wish I had something of value to say here, but I'm not getting much of anything from the song. It's rather bubbly and futuristic, like a glass of cyber champagne distilled into audio form. Which is fine? I'm not mad at it, or about it, it's.. just one of those mid-50s "instrumental or very close to being an instrumental" songs, of which there are many.

[Final Thoughts: A few parts of the song have a bit too pronounced of a backing beat, but it also has a deep heaviness to the tune that it is somewhat pleasing.]

[Later: Delaying the elimination for a while.]

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

Not sure how many songs we'll be going through this morning & afternoon. The plan is to try to at least get over the Wall, so we'll work towards finishing that and see how many songs were posted at that point. For now, three songs because I'm actually on schedule for once:

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

#???: Bob The Builder - Can We Fix It [3:08]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8YWZm_YKoo

Nominator: paulg [39/52 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.07
Revised Score: 54.881
Final Score: 53.606 [Upgraded to 54.881] [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: I prefer non-human protagonists (or at least cute and/or princess-y ones) in my preschool music and this is overly optimistic, but the song's not without its charms and I appreciate you nominating something childish like this.)

Honestly, not sure I have anything further to add to that. I could really use more little and cute songs to offset some of the... other songs in the really high scoring range, but I don't think this is quite it. Likely because I have no interest in imagining life as an overly optimistic adult male construction worker or in being lectured by one, which rather kills any hypothetical fantasies or inspiration from it. I suppose there are sentient construction vehicles in the show, but none of them appear to feature in the song (I suppose they might be the background singers or something, but ehhhhhhhhhh....), and I'm not usually into talking vehicles... well, vehicles that don't turn into robots anyway.

There's a possible exception to that rule for KITT from Knight Rider, who has the advantage of having an animalistic name and association with David Hasselhoff. Also, even further off-topic, I ship KITT with Garfield the Cat for reasons long since lost to time; I doubt I ever had much of a reason, but Garfield/KITT is my OTP and indeed they are the only two characters I ship together. The crazy thing is that it's only half the ridiculous stretch you think it is as there was some Garfield book [a self-help parody book, IIRC, which I might not] in which Garfield expressly encouraged people to name their children after KITT. A throwaway joke that makes no sense or confirmation of a love that can never be??

I'm sorry, what we were talking about?

[Final Thoughts: Now, see, normally I would go back and edit that complete insanity which contributes nothing to anything, but since this is the last mega ranking topic, I don't really have to pretend to be normal anymore.]

[Later; Eh, let's move this back up to the high 54 point zone it came from.]

[Later+: The music video has a cat as the DJ. That's fun. Not fun enough that I move the song up purely because there is a cat, but I do appreciate that there is a cat associated with this.]

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

-it was much better than the Bugs Bunny Builders theme, even if that one had bunnies-

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

#???: Swamp Dogg - Sex with Your Ex (4:31)::
https://open.spotify.com/track/0novHxns6rW2fnhY4FeSKN?si=f0c1b06b2ad24645

Nominator: CPU [25/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 48.00
Revised Score: 48.00
Final Score: 54.90 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: There's only so far lyrics like these are going to go. The heavily distorted instruments are a draw, but using the word sex 31 times kinda makes it impossible to even willfully misintrepret this song. I'm not offended or bothered by it, it's just like... "welp, I'm unable to relate or connect to this in any way at all, and I don't particularly want to, and the specific distortions I'm drawn to aren't present for every part of the song..." which.... yeah. It's fine, not really worth complaining about, but not my jam.)

[REDACTED]

[Final Thoughts: Nothing too overly personal or depressing in the original writeup, but also not really on topic or something I wish to share, so let's just start over. This is a bit of a rough song to score. The instruments--when they are prominent--are doing things I definitely appreciate. Some smooth keyboard playing and some heavily distorted guitars combine in a chaotic sort of beauty. The lyrics definitely drag things down a bit though; not due to the sex, but it's just an unappealing thing to think about. A dead relationship with two people that can't stand each other but keep fucking just for the sake of fucking is... I mean, I'm sure it's a realistic story, but not one I care to spend much time imagining or discussing. I have enough dysfunctional relationships that need to be cut off for the sanity of everyone involved in the real world, thank you very much.

Still... the music and general vibe of the song is certainly on point. So I'm thinking maybe mid-50's for this track in retrospect? I apparently have nothing against the song itself, just personal insanities dragging it down, and the positive qualities certainly outweigh the negatives.... tonight, at least.]

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

-blurgh-

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

#???: Hideyuki Shimono - Nippon (4:28):
https://youtu.be/5TUHDcm8zgg

Nominator: NFUN: [25/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 58.07
Revised Score: 55.86
Final Score: 54.902 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: Yeah, this really is not a soundtrack for me... -but-, that stretch around the two minute mark, where we've got beautiful & etheral traditional music underneath the tedious future techno blahness that's most of the song? That bit is quite wonderful. So, like I've done on a few other songs, let's just average things out: The part I like would be in the low 80s, let's say 82.14--while the rest of the song is in the low-to-mid 30s, let's say 34 points exactly.

...yeah, 58.07 feels like a pretty good number to wind up at. I love that stretch of the song too much to let it drop below 50 points, but I don't think I wind it to go all the way up to the 60 point tier because that secction is a rather small part of the song. That number seems to actually work quite well.)

!I've mellowed a bit on all aspects of this song; the thumping beat doesn't feel like anything worth complaining about, but I'm not as in love with the best part of the song either. I think this is fairly solidly in the middle of the 50's tier.

[Final Thoughts: My views on the song continue to progress towards average. Most of the song is fine, I don't really mind any of it at the moment. The section I used to kinda love is also fine--a better, more pleasing fine, but still rather fine.]

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

And two more because, if anything, I'm oddly ahead of schedule for things this morning:

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

#???: Port Blue - Seagulls (5:04):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxGGqWes2_8

Nominator: ZaziGuado [26/28 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.56
Revised Score: 53.72
Final Score: 54.904 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: It's another in the long line of instrumental songs that don't really click for me. I have no complaints about it, but I also don't really remember much about it either.)

Ooh, this song is an unreleased demo and not meant to be heard in this format? Not gonna lie, knowing that this is *forbidden secret music* makes me more interested in it. Though now I feel we have to take a look at Wheels Down, the finished version of the song:

Adam Young - Wheels Down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7HqG7cLY8k

Ohhh, this version has those powerful low notes that I won't shut up about... I'd probably put Wheels Down a full tier or two above Seagulls, simply because it's doing things that I love in a way that Seagulls simply isn't. Which isn't to say that Seagulls isn't good on its own; while the songs use the same base, they go in fairly different directions. Seagulls, like its name, is much lighter & breezier. It's "opening credits music for a sequence with lots of sunshine and happiness" and you can almost feel the bright sun on your skin.

I'm not sure yet how I'd describe Wheels Down, but with its rumbling nature that reverberates through your soul, I'll tell you "sunshine" isn't the number one adjective. ...Alright, so sunshine isn't an adjective like that... uhh... "sunshiny". It's not sunshiny. That's a word. Seagulls should be less sunshiny and then I'd like it more, review over.

[Final Thoughts: Clear blue skies and rays of sunshine distilled into instrumental format. Quite pretty and I appreciate it, though it's not exactly my type of ambiance.]

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

-still not the song you expected-

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

#???: Jinjer - Vortex (4:02):
https://youtu.be/AiaOSGZTwtY

Nominator: BlackDra90n [24/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 49.14
Revised Score: 54.39
Final Score: 54.92 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: Pretty nice song, though I don't have much reaction to it. It is nice to give Jinjer another shot and I appreciate that the lyrics are much easier to deal with & there's a pretty good video to accompany the song. Wish I had more of a reaction to it, but it's good and I certainly don't mind listening to it--maybe it'll go up a bit on repeat listens.)

Past Raetsel: *says nothing but positive things*

Also Past Raetsel: *gives less than 50 points*

It's still impressive how the singer is able to transition from melodic vocals to the incredibly deep metal growling/roaring, espeially as she's practically doing a duet with herself towards the end of the song. I'm still not actually into the growling though... as fantastic as she is at it, that's just not something I typically like. Nekrogoblikon seem to have the most consistent success on that front and I still haven't felt the need to try a full album of theirs... though a new one just came out (from the timeframe in which this is being written; it'll be quite old news by the point any of these writeups are posted), so maybe I should give that one a chance someday? Or I could go with the album that had "Darkness" on it, that's an absolutely amazing song and really should have been in the Top 10 songs that year...

....right, we're not even meant to be talking about them. Apologies, we do get carried away at such times. Anywho...., the song has some real high points. Her clean & slightly dark vocals are something I enjoy and could learn to love. I also think the song had a good concept for the lyrics, though the metaphor is a bit odd...:

[Vortex is] dedicated to all those people like me who spend so much time thinking about their inner world that they start to be devoured by the dark thoughts. Their head is getting heavyso heavy that it turns into a steel ball and falls off and makes a hole in the floor and then a hole in the ground and then a hole in the earth and then sucks you in. So, please dont dive so deeply into your thoughts. Its a bad habit.

Depression and being consumed by darkness isn't exactly new territory for music, but it's a topic that traditionally does pretty well for itself. The metaphor is a bit too absurd to emotionally connect with and I dislike the way the lyrics feel targeted towards someone else, who is referred to with male pronouns:

The man in the room looks so dramatic
...
The man is wandering around
Where's the way out he never found?

For being dedicated to people "like her", the lyrics create a separation between her and the subject, which makes it harder to vibe with. It's about darkness, but also it's about this unnamed dude with a metal head that destroys things---but like a metaphorical dude with metamorphical metalic head inside a metaphorical house and at some point, you've covered the song in so many layers of metaphor that I've lost the feelings of darkness and despair entirely. I think there are enough high points and things to think about in regards to the song that I enjoy it, but between my issues with the other half of her singing & the metaphors missing the mark, it's not at that 60 point "I can say I like this without any qualifiers" tier.

[Final Thoughts: Well, I suppose she does switch to first person lyrics for the last section of the song, so it's really not accurate to imply there's *always* a space between her and the lyrics. Also, the song eschews repetition and traditional design choices, continuously ramping up in intensity and progressing through different phases, which I really should have praised somewhere in those paragraphs up there.]

[Later: ...I know I misspelled "metaphorically metallic", but I like the way "metamorphical metalic"]

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

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#???: Bob The Builder - Can We Fix It [3:08]:

bob the builder can he fix it
bob the builder yes he can
scoop muck and dizzy and ollie too
lofty and wendy join the crew
pilchard and bud travis and spud
playing together like good friends should
bob the builder can he fix it
bob the builder yes he can

now to watch to see how much my memory got right
i dont think i ever saw a full ep but i came across the song at some point and it just got stuck in my head for a time

wtf this show was british this whole time

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#???: Port Blue - Seagulls (5:04):

this is hitting right at 5 in the morning

There melody on Seagulls was also adapted for the Owl City song "Vanilla Twilight" which got a music video (featuring Shaquille O' Neal!).

https://youtu.be/pIz2K3ArrWk

It's one of my favorite melodies in existence so I love that there are various iterations of it. I love it in all forms, but if I had to rank the songs it'd probably go Seagulls > Wheels Down > Vanilla Twilight, though that could potentially vary depending on the day.

kateee posted...

now to watch to see how much my memory got right
i dont think i ever saw a full ep but i came across the song at some point and it just got stuck in my head for a time

That's actually impressive, remembering that much of it. Funnily enough, Google doesn't even try if you search for the lyrics:

Loftey and wendy
Join the crew
Blah blah blah

So you both remember more & are more professional than lyricfind.

And yes, the show appears to be very, very British. (Though I've never seen an episode myself either).

ZaziGuado posted...

There melody on Seagulls was also adapted for the Owl City song "Vanilla Twilight" which got a music video (featuring Shaquille O' Neal!).

That is cool! I do like seeing different interpretations of songs; my first thought is that I do prefer Seagulls over Vanilla Twilight, but it is fun to compare them.

-space-

The next drop is the last song that specifically upgraded to 55 points to join the Wall! We've still got a few songs that were tied at 55 points before everything was thrown together onto this level & joined them, but we're almost through.

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

#???: Isekaijoucho - Moonflower Confession (3:45):
https://youtu.be/WeHvkBrgcpk

Nominator: UF8 [24/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.11
Revised Score: 52.61
Final Score: 54.96 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: There was a line about killing the sun and, as last year proved, that's worth some extra points. This is no "Snuff Out the Light" or even about literally killing the sun, but hey, I'll take what I can get.)

The backing beat is a often a bit too "thump thump"-y, but I have no complaints about her performance and the lyrics paint an... intriguing picture, albeit one I can't pretend to understand:

I vomited up the indigo feelings infecting me
and at the mercy of the helix, everybody is the nourishment of its creation.

In the immortal words of John Oliver: "...Cool."

But while I find the song intriguing, it's not one I get really drawn into for whatever reason. It's fine and I'd love to read more about the song's history, but it's not quite something I want to listen to on a regular basis.

[Final Thoughts: A song that has a lot going for it lyrically and musically that I can't quite bring myself to actually elevate to the next tier, even as it's right on the cusp of it.]

[Later: Well, I suppose it did wind up getting nudged up to that 55 point tier in the end.]

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

-almost there-

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

#???: Franchouchou - Adabana Necromancy (Album Version) (4:08):
https://open.spotify.com/track/3vb4Nf83BJraPAIPuqpj59?si=e0807a726c494c18

Nominator: Player_0 [24/33 Remaining]

Initial Score:57.48
Revised Score: 53.86
FInal Score: 53.86 [Upgraded to 54.076] [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: Fairly good anime jrock song. Some of the lyrics, like "Slay the darkness even if you are made to cut through your own bones" are fairly nice, and I don't have any real complaints about the group... but I also don't have much in the way of a specific reaction to it either.)

!There are a few good lines in the song, besides the aformentioned one "who are you calling an affront to God?" is pleasing as a fellow abomination, but it feels like a very typical anime pop song which likely didn't need to go on for four minutes.... it feels like they almost assuredly started with the shorter, TV version of the song & then stretched it out into a full-length song (as opposed to being a song that was actually meant to be full-length from the beginning)... or at least, that's how it feels to me, I obviously have no idea of the production history of these tracks.

[Final Thoughts: Good performances and lyrics, but I'm not sure extending this song to a full length version worked out that well.]

[Later: Slight edit for organizational purposes.]

[Still Later: Hmm... suddenly, there is something oddly infectious about the energy of this pumped-up action group song. I... I may move this up to the "kinda like" level as well, actually.]

[Even Later: Of minor interest is that this song was added to the exactly 55 point level before the Wall was created.]

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

And by pure coincidence, three more songs brings us to the end of the Wall & 10 eliminations for the day! There were 13 songs in the Wall when I started the day, but on relistening to them all, there were three that I wanted to increase the score of...

EDIT: Which means these songs--and everything posted after Take a Breather--are officially in 645th Place!

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

#645: Dorothy - What's Coming to Me (3:46):
https://youtu.be/WJSEkBx8H_M

Nominator: Snake [29/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.90
Revised Score: 56.92
Final Score: 53.798 [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: The song has a good atmosphere to it and I have nothing negative to say about her performance, but the backing music is a rather tedious two-tone DUN-dun-DUN-dun rhythm and I still occasionally have a low tolerance for instruments stuck playing the same one or two notes in the exact same rhythm for a prolonged period of time--it's irrational and it's not fair and there's really no consistency for when I'll be complaining about it & which songs I'll like anyway, but I feel the backing music is really dragging this song down.

Still, a decent score because I do like the vibe the song is giving off and her performance in it, this is very much in the "things I like more than I disliked" category but I can't quite say I like it without reservations like I would on the next tier level.)

!A great voice trapped behind an almost literally one-note song. Probably a case of "right artist, wrong song", though I don't have enough knowledge of her work to be certain that I'd love anything else she did... she certainly sounds like an artist with a lot of potential though.

[Final Thoughts: Nothing to really add here. The backing music is aggressively not for me, though her performance is enjoyable enough that it almost carries the song to a high score anyway.]

[Later: ...Well, now I kinda like this. Which is unfortunate because, at the time of writing this, this is the day where I needed to eliminate 7 songs instead of just 5 to finish the bottom 100 songs & it'd be really nice if I didn't make more work for myself by rearranging things after I already had said 7 songs ready to eliminate.]

[~Later~: This is another of the songs that were added to the exactly 55 point marker before it became a Wall.]

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

-still not Baba Yaga-

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

#645: We Butter The Bread With Butter - 20 km/h (3:19)
https://youtu.be/R8orEh7v1ZQ

Nominator: BlackDra90n [23/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.044
Revised Score: 49.24
Final Score: 49.83 [Upgraded to 50.044] [Upgraded to 50.49] [Upgraded to 50.95] [Upgraded to 55.00]

(First Reaction: Ehh... I do really appreciate getting to listen to German Metal, but the song doesn't do much to stand out compared to other metalcore songs and the lyrics about e-scooters aren't funny enough to make it as a novelty song. It was a good attempt, but it didn't quite work out.)

I have no feelings about scooters, or people who use them, in the least. The fun of this track is completely lost on me. It's neat that they don't take themselves too seriously and I can always use more comedy nominations (& German noms. & genres I don't really listen to noms), but I feel more apathetic than anything else. I want to enjoy it because it's actively something I asked for, but this... not quite something I like. It's bouncing between "very slightly enjoyed", "have no opinion on", and "very slightly dislike"--which are three different tiers, but it's still moving less than two full points in any direction... so it feels like the song is very volatile and changing tiers constantly, but it's not really moving an appreciable distance either direction.

[Final Thoughts: Not the right choice of subject matter, I'm afraid. Song is fine and I like listening to more German music, but it's... it's fine.]

[Later: I suppose the :E-Roller, E-Roller" chorus is catchy and memorable enough that I want to move this back up the positive side of scoring.]

[And Later: It is definitely an infectious chorus and the song is on a decidedly upward trend, but I think I'll be dropping it here.]

[Later: I guess I do kinda like this. I wouldn't keep delaying the elimination so much if I didn't.]

[And Later: This is another of those few songs that were at exactly 55 points before the Wall started.]

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

-and a song that was once off by itself, before all of... this.-

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

#645: Ornette Coleman - Ramblin' [6:36]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n5VrP4dZew

Nominator: Lasa [9/14 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.92
Revised Score: 50.18
Final Score: 55.00

(First Reaction: Not bad, but nothing I really want to say or comment on either.)

One of those songs where I very aggressively have nothing to say about them. We're going on twenty minutes since I listened to it for the Revised Score and it took me that long to come up with a sentence about how I don't have anything.

*after listening to the song two more times...*

It's an odd reaction, but my first thought is that the song is very "polite". It's a very tame, easily approachable type of jazz. I know nothing about Ornette Coleman, but based on this song, I suspect that he was a very nice gentleman. I see lots of talk about how he was controversial and avant-garde, but it either doesn't come across in this particular song or his style was so influential that what might have been abnormal in 1960 is traditional & old-fashioned today. It also feels happy--again, I'm told this is a blues-y type of song, but it just feels too... fizzy or something. Which just isn't what I'm looking for at the moment... I'm not really getting any emotion other than "nice" and it doesn't feel like an experience or anything but nice. I'd say my feelings towards it are vaguely positive, but I'm not in a headspace where I can properly appreciate this type of pleasantry.

[Final Thoughts: It's a nice, fizzy song. Not like a Coke or Pepsi, but some store brand soda. This is the "Big K Cola" of music. Not really my first choice, but I kinda like it.]

[Later: I think this is the only song that started with a Final Score of 55.00 points. Obviously many, many songs were revised up to this level, but this is the only one that started here. It was a nice, clean list at that point...]

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

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

I see lots of talk about how he was controversial and avant-garde, but it either doesn't come across in this particular song or his style was so influential that what might have been abnormal in 1960 is traditional & old-fashioned today.

the latter statement is probably close to the truth. back in 1960, it was unusual for a jazz group to not feature someone playing a harmonic instrument. and coleman played a plastic saxophone, which was also unheard of at the time. but yeah, it's funny that this easy listening jazz tune was seen as super controversial free jazz. coleman did make some pretty extreme free jazz later on in his career, though (which i suspect you would actually like better than this!).

anyway, i'm glad you somewhat liked this in spite of your indifference to jazz and dislike for trumpet playing!

I wonder if you would've liked this better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsUiy_5dzuY

Aw man, Adabana was the song that got me into the show (and idol music by extension). This does not bode well for the album!

I can see how the fast drums give it a J-rock feel, but there's almost no electric guitars in there! It's more based on old sentai and tokusatsu openings with the big trumpets and dramatic lyrics (Psycho Soldier from VGMC 15 is also a great example):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czwr7J2lXuQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf8on3mHc5Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDKCJHe4lUM

They're very cheesy but it's hard not to love them.

Snake5555555555 posted...

I wonder if you would've liked this better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsUiy_5dzuY

It's not bad, but I'm not connecting with it... I'd say the backing music is an improvement, but the lyrics & her vocal performance are a serious step backwards. A bit too hopeful & spiritual, with a chorus that repeats often enough to take up the majority of the song's runtime (or at least feel like it does), but she is talented enough that I don't really mind it... first reaction would probably be over 50, but below 55. (Though considering the extreme variation in songs' scores from day-to-day, I wouldn't place too much stock on a first reaction.)

PIayer_0 posted...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf8on3mHc5Y

I like his voice here. The song does feel a bit long, as though it didn't need to be a full-length track, but there's a pleasingly smooth quality to his voice that might be able to carry the song fairly far. I'd be surprised if it dropped below the 55 point Wall, but I'd have to hear it a few times on different days to see if I'd take it far above that line.

The other two songs, I'm not as sold on... they're kinda funny, but it depends on if they wound up being the type of thing that'd randomly get stuck in my head or not. I think it's too soon to guess how many points they'd wind up with.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

Final Score: 49.83 [Upgraded to 50.044] [Upgraded to 50.49] [Upgraded to 50.95] [Upgraded to 55.00]

Damn, lots of upgrades haha.

I may be busy on Wednesday, so we'll see what happens that day. Could be a day off, a half-day, or I could wind up with more time than expected & post a full day's worth of songs anyway. Not going to know which until then. For now, I should be able to get in the full ten songs today and tomorrow, so let's just start with the first three songs above the Wall:

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

#644: Yelle - Safari Disco Club (3:35):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6Pyvm-80hE&list=PLR2ATVrSGTX91hJXNoWIHovzSIqVNBM8u&index=1

Nominator: hotdogturtle [10/14 Remaining]

Initial Score: 49.92
Revised Score: 50.00
Final Score: 51.90001 [Upgraded to 52.31] [Upgraded to 55.00000001]

(First Reaction: I want to like this since it has French lyrics & I can have my fun pretending this song is about literal animals dancing at a club [I'm sure this probably has some metaphor I'm not grasping, but it'd hardly be the first time I chose to be willfully ignorant in order to have more fun with a song], but it's a bit on the repetitive on the side and doesn't really grip me. It's certainly listenable and I wouldn't object to it, but it's a bit below average in my tastes.)

Ehhh... "so adequate that it's rather average" is the sentence that immediately comes to mind. It's just so very, very adequate. It resembles a dance track, but so quiet and scaled back that I have no complaint about it. The choruses only repeat the line "Les animaux dansent dans le Safari Disco Club", but the song is so short that the lyric only appears a total of 8 times & it ends before the repetition can become annoying. The second verse is almost pleasingly dark with its references to sin and poisoned apples, but it doesn't really go far enough for me to get into it... it's fine. I can neither like, nor dislike it, vanishing into the pile of exactly 50 point songs. While it has its share of pros and cons, all of them are so minor that they either cancel each other out perfectly or are not worth the effort of discussing in the first place. It could probably serve as the defining example of a 50 point song.

[Final Thoughts: Ehhh..... imagining animals disco dancing is kinda fun. Enough that I want to give this an extra point for novelty value, whether that's the intended image or not.]

[Later: Standard "stuck in my head, bump up to the next tier" message goes here.]

[Final Later: This song has grown on me quite a bit from the earlier impressions with its chorus being surprisingly enjoyable and memorable Also, while it doesn't mean anything, that score is the most zeroes I can add to a song's score and still fit them onto the spreadsheet's cells.... I suppose I could expand the cells if I really wanted to, but I think this is enough decimal places.]

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

-we find in favor of BIG AMERICAN PARTY! Yay! Everybody disco dancing! Lots of fun, good time for all!-

*continued with two songs in the next post; not enough room for all three writeups and the next two come from the same nominator, so I'd like both of them in the same post.*

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

#643: Mats/Morgan Band - Banned Again: [5:07]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lkjiKCLBNo

Nominator: @TunnelScene [21/27 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.17
Revised Score: 54.62
Final Score: 50.38 [Upgraded to 54.62] [Upgraded to 55.00] [Upgraded to 55.00000002]

(First Reaction: Novel and strange, though not exactly in ways that I enjoy... I suspect that I'm just not really a fan of the instruments here, or at least the way they're being used in this piece to be a bit more fair about it,, which makes it curious and off-putting at the same time, though I think I come down slightly more on the side of "like" than dislike.)

There were way too many commas in that first impression thing that calls itself a sentence..

As always, it is rather difficult to type up reactions to instrumental songs that don't bring any specific visuals or emotions to mind; with more... psychologically impactful songs, I can fill time discussing my reaction to them. Without that, we're stuck in a sort of.... "I liked that, though not strongly enough to say much" area. And we quickly devolve into the same inane platitudes I give to any unique song that I don't really get--it's intriguing, unique, yadda yadda yadda, not impactful enough to break the 60 point barrier, blah blah blah.

I'd love to say I heard Frank Zappa's influence on the song, but I probably wouldn't have noticed if every single person talking about the band didn't feel the need to point it out. I guess the Mats/Morgan Band started as a Frank Zappa cover group before moving onto their own creations and some of their songs are still very Zappa-esque? I assume this to be one of the "Zappa like" tracks from the album because I think this feels like an expanded version of "Navanax":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PfSX0GEHbM

...well not exactly, but they feel similar enough that I feel Banned Again could probably have blended in with a Zappa album well enough that it wouldn't seem out of place.

I'd say I like Banned Again a bit more than the original reaction. Not enough to go up a whole tier, but it's interesting enough that I generally enjoyed it.

[Final Thoughts: ...I have no idea why I compared this to Navanax, nor how I even remembered Navanax to begin with because it's been a long time since I listened to Civilization Phase III and I can't recall anything specific other than a general "I liked that" feeling. And they're obviously not particularly comparable songs, but I can.... almost kinda sorta see what I meant even though no one else will. I guess. (It is probable that I just started clicking Zappa songs arbitrarily until I found one even vaguely similar in terms of notes, but I honestly have no memory of it that's how it happened or not.)

Unfortunately, I think my opinion on this song is much closer to the first reaction. I should listen to more Zappa inspired music (and more Frank Zappa music in general), especially considering the influence he had on Duckman which was tremendously influential on my development, but this track feels a bit flat and I'm not able to connect with it.]

[Later: Okay, I do kinda like the last bits of this song where it goes a bit wild. Moving this song back up where it came from.]

[Later-er: Particularly around the 3:50 mark and until the end of the song. Once we get the spoken words and then that... plinking sort of instrument joins in, things become quite pleasing. I think I'm going to try moving this up just above the Wall and revisit it then.

And yes, I know, I need to stop calling things that have vocals as instrumentals. The spoken words and cheering mean it's not instrumental, but it also doesn't exactly have lyrics so in my mind it kinda... sorta... almost counts if you squint hard enough.]

[L: I do rather like the song once everything comes together at the end, but I'm not that into the earlier parts of the song. I'm glad I moved it above the Wall to better highlight the song's strengths, but I think this is where I want it to be.]

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

-not Pikachu, please don't sue-

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

#642: zebra - module 2 [13:04]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtSiL7TwY9I

Nominator: @TunnelScene [20/27 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.06
Revised Score: 56.39
Final Score: 55.00000004

(First Reaction: Alien spaceship ambiance. Seems like it should be my thing, but something's off... it feels like being on an alien ship, but nothing really happens and I mostly just stare at a panel on the wall? It's too "glorpy" and "autopsy"-y to be a chill vibe, but not intense enough to work as an unsettling horror track either. It doesn't really commit to any specific emotion or experience, leaving it different but not as impactful or memorable as I'd expect.)

"Glorpy alien ship" is worth a few more points than I originally gave it, as it's a unique experience that is rather unforgettable and pushes the definition of music in bold, new directions that should be rewarded. And I do like it, I just don't quite want to move it up to the 60 point level... while it is rather fascinating and a fun experience that continues to mutate itself in odd ways as time goes on (most notably a portion with heavily garbled voices I can't make anything out of towards the end), it still doesn't bring out any specific emotions or do anything where I'm like "I really want to listen to this over and over again", leaving it as a treasured experience that I probably won't revisit too often. Definitely something I'm glad was nominated though.

[Final Thoughts: Keeping this in the "kinda like" tier, but moving it back down a bit. It's definitely a unique experience, but most of it really does feel like "staring at an access panel on an alien spaceship" to me which is not the most thrilling atmosphere possible. So strange and unique that I would never let it go below the "kinda like" tier (err... never let it go back below the kinda like tier, I suppose), but not quite an ambiance strong enough to carry it up to the 60 point tier.]

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

And we continue with one more fairly long song for the morning, which drops another perfect list:

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

#641: Opeth - Reverie/Harlequin Forest (11:39):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIo3lpXrc5A

Nominator: Ark [16/17 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.40
Revised Score: 56.36
Final Score: 55.00000006

(First Reaction: Another song that decides to play a commercial in the middle of the song, right around the 5 minute mark. Sadly, I just got a generic Domino's Pizza commercial:

Nocturnally helpless and weak in the light
Depending on a prayer
Pacing deserted roads to find a seed of hope

Order Domino's Pizza!

Ah well, we can't always get the brilliance of mashing up Mozart's Requiem with "Return of the Mack". Sometimes we just get a completely bland ad for completely bland pizza. I'll switch to a Spotify link for the future listens, so we won't have to worry about a commercial distracting me from all listens.

Slightly on-topic: i like the melodic parts, the metal growling pulls me out of the song entirely. It's somewhere between the mid-40's to mid-60's, so I'm going to kinda average the score at place it in the mid-50's for the Initial Score. I'll hopefully talk more on topic during the Revised Score.)

!Unfortunately, I'm not really pulled into the story they're telling here. Most of the song is spent on a type of symphonic metal that I enjoy, but without any attachment to the story or lyrics this is just eleven and a half minutes of pleasantly pleasing music with occasional growling thrown in. Definitely a mid-50's type song; it's far too pleasant and of an appealing genre to drop any lower, but I don't connect with it enough to say that I really like it. It's just...really nice.

[Final Thoughts: A good band and a good genre of song, but it never hits me in a way that elevates it beyond the "kinda like" tier. Though making it this far is still a decent accomplishment.]

[Later: Good genre of song & it's performed well, I'm also more in the mood for metal growl yelling lyrics this month so I'll even offer some praise for the song's outro--it's difficult for most artists to pull off that sort of growl, while still having the lyrics be (fairly) easily understood as actual words. But while I don't have any complaints, it's another of those "I also don't have any moments that I want to specifically praise or focus on either" tracks, so it slots in a few spaces above the Wall.]

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

Which means that Dragon66116 is officially the last person who has not lost a song yet.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

[Later the Fourth: I don't know, just go up to the 54 point zone for a minute?]

XD, <3

The fourth and fifth songs of the Post Wall ranking:

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

#640: Mark Cromer, Roger Briggs - European Industrial Age (5:13):
https://youtu.be/PehzqNeNqwo

Nominator: NFUN: [24/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 64.815
Revised Score: 58.36
Final Score: 55.00000007

(First Reaction: A very slow starting song, but it transitions into "above average JRPG town music" which works. I have no idea why, but I'm picturing the town of Lahan from Xenogears [or some PSX -era RPG starting town], only Estelle (Trails) & Rudy (Wild ARMs) are standing on a cliff by a windmill for some reason??

That's a weird crossover to be thinking of and Estelle's not even from the right console, but I'm not complaining.)

!I still like the second half of the song once it picks up and becomes all "village windmill-y", but it takes around two minutes for the song to really kick in. I know that's not a lot of time, but I really wish the song got to the good parts quicker.

[Final Thoughts: I still kinda like this.]

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

-how dare we shotgun ice when we can chill and be merry-

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

#639: Bjork - The Modern Things (4:09):
https://open.spotify.com/track/5NWhPxiXYecrYrI9GbM7zL?si=402a6b0e5a814489

Nominator: Bane [30/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 47.66
Revised Score: 44.44
Final Score: 49.66 [Upgraded to 50.04] [Upgraded to 50.47] [Upgraded to 50.949] [Upgraded to 55.0000009]

(First Reaction: It's an intriguing song, featuring half of its lyrics in Icelandic and some odd musical ideas (such as the final line skipping and repeating like a broken record), but I'm not really invested in the lyrics and I find the music a bit unpleasant. It's different and unique enough that I don't really mind listening to the song, but I'd say it easily falls into the negative point values.)

Another song where I'm pretty confident I already said everything I wanted to. There's some intriguing ideas and I like the outro, but I'm not really into anything else about the song. Sorry--it's certainly not bad and a good attempt at finding something I'd like, but this doesn't do much for me.

[Final Thoughts: One of those tracks where, after it ends, I stare at the tablet for ten minutes without saying anything. Then replay the song in hopes of inding something to say and still coming up empty.

Ultimately the song has a lot to say, all of which is vague enough to lead to countless interpetations, but they're just not subjects I really want to study. A crash course on Platonic idealism, global warming, genealogy, the march of technology, and a vaguely creepy Icelandic verse that feels like it's from a different song entirely--it's a very dense song. The type of thing that demands many hours of inspection, scholarly research, and philosophical debate.

Which I can appreciate on some level, sure, but they're not topics I'm really interested in & studying all philosophies deriving from Plato would take... considerably more time than I can invest on any one song, at least. And it's not catchy enough to be something I really enjoy in spite of being unable to properly grok what it's going for either.

...Though I will say I'm mildly amused by people who try taking the song literally:

Modern Things sounds like bjork was tripping hard

Bjrk: Br... what if like... all the modern things, like cars and tvs and trains, they always existed? Like, what if they were just in a mountain somewhere, waiting for the right moment?

Other person: Djude, you should totally make a song about that! That makes so much sense!

]

[Later: Well, I mean, I guess it's unique enough musically ; lyrically ; and conceptually that I have a very slight positive lean towards the song tonight.]

[Still Later: This track has grown on me a fair amount and been spared from elimination a few times, but I think this is as far as it goes. While I'm learning to appreciate all the layers of complexity to this song, I'm not seeing any other songs I want to move this over.]

[Even Later: Okay, clearly I'm' not actually going to eliminate this until the "kinda like" level. So let's just move it up there now.]

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

Numbers six through eight for the day, including one song that was predicted to go out much earlier than this:

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

#638: Star!Bear - AmaxHimexKawaxHano + Ribon (3:12):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yelXhnUTlXY

Nominator: UF8 [23/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.249
Revised Score: 43.26
Final Score: 43.26 [upgraded to 55.00000012]

(First Reaction: Well it's... very lively and memorable, I'll give them that much.)

!...Did this always have so much intense drumming? This is kinda painful... cute enough that I don't hate it, but it feels like it was ranked way too high originally.

[Final Thoughts: If you see a revised score writeup that starts with an exclamation point, like the above, it means that it was typed up after my wrists started causing problems and I had to be a bit more selective about what songs got a lot of typing. Ones without an exclamation point were back when I could type as much as I wanted.

This song is... umm... probably not their best performance, but their enthusiasm and determination to go all out really sells the song. It sounds like they're having a lot of fun with it which makes it fun to listen to.... occasionally. Very occasionally.

{The second song from this EP is probably the best of the four songs, but it definitely doesn't leave as strong of an impression, for better or worse.]

[Later: I'm back to kinda liking this tonight. I would never say it was "good", but it's cute (in spite of the drumming), and sometimes cute is good enough.]

[Latest: Oh hey, it's the song that was originally the lowest rank with the Exclamation Point writeups! Made things awkward when it got moved up, causing the explanation to be lost... anyhow, this song is oddly fun and enjoyable. It's the type of thing that can rise up in the list a fair amount when I'm in the mood for it, but it can also be quite overwhelming if I'm not. I think "kinda like" is where it places on average?]

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

-why don't we chill like ice, nothing incendiary?-

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

#637: Koji Kondo - Transform (0:07):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE_jXVuv_aU

Nominator: Mega_Mana [29/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 51.04
Final Score: 55.000002

(First Reaction: Surprisingly triumphant sounding little tune. I actually like this, short as it is.)

!Hoping I have the right version of the song up there, since the original uploader's account has been deleted. This is a reasonably inspirational and triumphant jingle, but it's rather short and I'm not getting too much from it tonight... I like it, but it's not quite as impactful as it should be.

[Final Thoughts: It is an impressively triumphant little tune, but definitely a bit too short... gonna say I kinda like this anyway and move it to that section of the list.]

[Later: This song has less than six zeroes after the decimal point, so it is placed above the previous song. Yes, it is very difficult to tell that a glance and I probably should not have used as many zeroes as possible earlier, but I did & this is where we are now.]

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

-what is dead can never die-

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

#636: Hayato Matsuo - Illusion mix forced ending [4:10]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0a-940n-ZM

Nominator: @TunnelScene [19/27 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.47
Revised Score: 57.69
Final Score: 55.0000066

(First Reaction: The opening feels odd in a slightly dark way, but then the song picks up and feels suited for a jive dance or something, like a jazzy dance party in hell kinda vibe. Not bad.)

!Still feels like a devilish dance party, which isn't exactly a bad type of ambiance.

[Final Thoughts: There's a pleasingly weird transition at around the 2:22 mark. I'm having a hard time placing the sensation... it's halfway between "haunted mansion" and "leaking catacombs"? It's weird and I really like that. I'm less into the main parts of the song tonight, which are still a devilish style of jazz, but it's not quite clicking and it's not like whatever that weird environment the transition was creating... so I dunno. Much stronger feelings towards that interlude/transition/whatever, weaker feelings towards most of the song, I think it probably still works out towards the "kinda like" zone.]

[Later: It's kinda interesting that I feel similar environments for this track and Abandoned Building, considering that the two songs aren't all that similar to one another.]

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

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

(First Reaction: Another song that decides to play a commercial in the middle of the song, right around the 5 minute mark. Sadly, I just got a generic Domino's Pizza commercial:

...Maybe I should listen to all my songs with adblock off, next time.

TheArkOfTurus posted...

...Maybe I should listen to all my songs with adblock off, next time.

Sometimes the commercials are absurd enough that it improves the experience & it's usually not too much effort to just find a different link if I need to, though you're free to check for commercials if you wish.

Last two of the day:

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

#635: Radiohead - Idioteque (5:09):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svwJTnZOaco

Nominator: rwlh [19/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.04
Revised Score: 53.64
Final Score: 55.0065

(First Reaction: It's rather unique. i like how it seems to tell a story about something apocalyptic (nuclear war, global warming, or both), even though the lyrics were drawn out of a hat and likely shouldn't make as much sense as they seem to. Unfortunately, the sampled electronic music feels rather discomforting to listen to--perhaps intentionally so, perhaps I'm just too weak and pathetic to endure it--where I don't think I can say I actually liked it. Different enough that I like it being here, painful enough that I probably won't listen to it outside of ranking purposes.)

Another song that is hard to rank. It's very interesting, but I have a hard time deciding how much I actually enjoy the experience. I don't think I'm much of a Radiohead fan in general, as I didn't care for "OK Computer" when we covered it at Rank the Tracks and this song isn't really inspiring me to revisit the band... (I do kinda like Creep, but that's mostly because it's my type of depressive and mopey).

Aaanywho... some of the instruments vaguely remind me of Venetian Snares (there's a vaguely mystical "vroom" sounding thing than I'm fairly certain I've heard in Snares' work) and it's impressive the lyrics worked out as well as they did, but I see the song more as something really neat to look at rather than something I truly enjoy.

[Final Thoughts: I actually kinda like the instruments this time. It's weird and unsettling in a pleasing way, as opposed to a negative way. The vocals do rather overpower the backing music a bit more than I'd like, but it's odd & mysteriously unnerving in fun ways, so I'd say I kinda like it.]

[Later: Yeah, I enjoy the instruments on this track these days.]

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

-math-

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

#634: Mystic Marshmallow - Tilemelter [5:46[:
https://samplepackcontest.bandcamp.com/track/tilemelter

Nominator: Kopazzynth [14/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 48.09
Revised Score: 57.04
Final Score: 54.836 [Upgraded to 55.00] [Upgraded to 55.0085]

(First Reaction: Not a bad selection of samples and I feel the composer used them well, but there are no particular moments that I really enjoyed... it's fine,)

Going back through the list, this is clearly a tier above all the other songs that started with 40 points. There's a lot of video game PEW PEW PEW lasers here that are vaguely nostalgic and enjoyable. This feels like the title theme for a video game collection, like if Namco Museum went for a more 'experimental remix' vibe with its soundtrack over the 'atmospheric' one from the PSX era games. This is a pretty neat idea with solid execution behind it, even if it's not quite one of my favorites.

[Final Thoughts: I think I overvalued this a bit because it was just so much better than the songs that were grouped around it in points originally; while this is still a very neat song with an intriguing set of samples, it feels like something that comes in just before the 55 point marker. Still, signficantly better than that abysmal initial score implied.]

[Later: I do kinda like this. Especially the opening to the song, which feels very Galaxian/Galaga-n to me & brings back lots of pleasant memories of that series and the Namco Museum series. The rest of the song is certainly nice, but it doesn't rely on the same type of PEW PEW PEW nostalgia for the rest of the runtime. Going to delay this elimination for a bit... not sure if I want to put it above the Wall, but I do want to think about it for another day or two.]

[Slightly Later: Yeah, this is a different type of nostalgia than any of the other tracks is giving me, so I'll move it a few places over the Wall; not quite where it was on the second listen, but it definitely deserves to be a solid peg above the Wall.]

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

I would just like to note that Bob the Builder had a full album released. I fill not post the full album, because I do not know if anyone wanted or still wants a full album of Bob the Builder songs and covers, BUT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6hNzbLbchY

(This was also a number one hit in the UK, along with the Bob the Builder theme. ...The Album as a whole hit #1 in Australia as well apparently. ...Also there was a follow-up 'Never Mind the Breeze Blocks', apparently.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uJH-jH4bmw

Mambo No. 5: Ehhh... it's a good attempt, in theory? I like that they changed the lyrics and it's an interesting novelty, but I'm not sure if I liked it. I'm also not sure I didn't. I don't know how to process what this even is.

Crocodile Rock: Obviously not as good as the original, but it is oddly charming. The way that one fellow can't really sing but is obviously having fun makes it vaguely inspirational. I kinda like this one.

Doesn't seem like a bad album.

First three of the day, featuring three songs that were going to be eliminated yesterday afternoon but received a minor boost to delay things until now:

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

#633: Frank Zappa - The Jazz Discharge Party Hats [4:28]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgWbbegTQtw

Nominator: Lasa [8/14 Remaining]

Initial Score: 12.16
Revised Score: 52.11
Final Score: 53.96 [Upgraded to 55.00002] [Upgraded to 55.025]

(First Reaction: I was happier before listening to Zappa describe his bandmates' (and a t-shirt guy's) fetish in great detail, but I wouldn't say I hated it.)

So... I do kinda like Steve Val's guitar work on this track. Apparently he had to actively de-tune his guitar in order to hit the..."notes" Frank is "singing". Perfectly mimicking Frank's cadence and tone was probably a challenge and it's certainly... something out of the mainstream, shall we say? I can even, on some level, appreciate the song's vulgarity on a "fuck censorship" type level. And I wouldn''t say I'm offended* by the story--"it's not normal but what the fuck, whatever you can do to have a good time" is...almost inspirational--I just don't particularly wish to hear it. So I kinda get why this would be nominated: spoken word lyrics, abnormal sounding guitars, a nice message about enjoying yourself even if no one can understand your interests, there is a lot more good in this song than I want to give it credit for.

...Urrgghhh.... fine, I'll put this into the positive score column. Barely.

*...Okay so stealing clothing for sexual purposes without consent is kinda fucked up, but I -really- do not want to get into fetish related ethical debates, and I choose to remain willfully ignorant & believe that Frank was comedically exaggerating things to mess with the band and that everyone involved consented to everything.

Of slight interest is that Steve Val did this type of guitar work later in his career on the track "So Happy":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfx0puLvzEY

I don't honestly suggest listening to that, it's a bit... *trails off* well, it certainly helped me appreciate the nominated song much more, let's put it that way.

[Final Notes: Well, this was certainly a *unique* nomination. I guess I almost kinda like it, but not enough to get it into the 55 point tier.]

[Later: ...I guess my appreciation of avant-garde music and Zappa makes me kinda like it, but I'm really not that happy to admit so publicly.]

[Slightly Later: A very minor boost to move this above a couple songs. Also, while this isn't the largest increase from Initial Score to Final Score, this had the third lowest score of all the First Impressions so it's risen quite a bit over the year.]

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

-Yeah Yeah Beebiss-

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

#632: Every Time I Die, '68 - All This And War (3:10):
https://open.spotify.com/track/7jVIx7ZsUvKxtj5tetUf5R?si=47e3a32926c6433f

Nominator: Bane [29/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.02
Revised Score: 56.045
Final Score: 55.0006 [upgraded to 55.027]

(First Reaction: Most of this song doesn't particularly appeal to me, coming off as yet another 'okay metal song that doesn't do much for me'--but there is one line:

As we make believe fate will land with the coin it's
Heads, it's in our blood, it's in our blood
Or it's tails, who we become, who we become

I'd try to explain it myself, but for once there's actually a reasonably well-written part up on Genius, so I'll let them say it:

Because the section starts with As we make believe fate, it implies that we are only pretending the two outcomes- both of which are not exactly ideal. For the unquestioning, our actions are either our blood (and an uncontrollable result of either a genetic/biological drive), or who we become (and thus not responsible for the results of our actions, since we were taught this way). In both conditions, the person relinquishes responsibility for atrocious behavior, either because we cannot biologically control it or because we were taught incorrectly.

Reducing the nature vs nurture debate to a metaphorical & irrelevant coin flip is something I find myself rather drawn to. I don't entirely know why, but I don't have to know why--I like it, thus I can give it a positive score reflective of that and move on.)

Besides the previously quoted lines, there's also one other part I'm naturally drawn to:

These symptoms I don't understand
They're just echoes of a broken man

What can I say, I like lyrics about being broken. It's not breaking any new ground, but it's very much one of my things, so points for that. I also kinda like that Buckley eventually just screams--there's a lot of "metal screaming" in this topic, but there aren't many songs where I feel the screaming actually contributes anything positive. This certainly isn't one of my favorite songs on the album, but it's pretty good and has a fair amount of things I like about it, so it's neat.

[Final Thoughts: The song definitely has its place & the lyrics are definitely on point, but it's a bit heavier than I'd like at the moment. As usual, the thoughts and feelings the song inspires in me kinda clash with the hardcore nature of the song, but there are enough high points that I think I'll keep this at the "kinda like" tier.]

[Later: Slight upgrade to the scoring. The literal screaming makes the song, but the song's a bit heavier & louder than I might like.]

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

-speaking of a Broken Man... honestly, it's unintentional, though kinda funny it worked out this way.-

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

#631: Fox Stevenson - Broken Man (3:06):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVvqTSXOIng

Nominator: DoctorJimmy [19/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 56.03
Final Score: 55.00539 [Upgraded to 55.028]

(First Reaction: The lyrics are a bit on the repetitive side, but I find myself refusing to give it less than 60 points and thus it shall join the CLUMP of 60 point songs.)

!Catchy but repetitive... feels more like a mid-to-high 50's song than a 60's one.

[Final Thoughts: A song with a rather volatile ranking, this one kinda varies wildly depending on my current mood. There are times where this song's high energy "dancing in the sun" vibe, combined with these lyrics, actually works quite well for me. Other times, I just don't really click with it, though it's nice enough that I'd say I always kinda like it. Tonight the song is about as low as it goes, but still kinda nice and placed ahead of a fair number of other songs.]

[Later: The chorus repeats a few more times than I'd like, but it's still a nice song. Minor boost to spare this song for a day.]

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

fun fact: most zappa fans hate the jazz discharge party hats, as well as the album it's from. i certainly expected it to get a score closer to the initial score!

another fun fact: we still have no idea who the band members (and t-shirt guy) frank was talking about were. all we know is that arthur barrow denied he was involved.

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

fun fact: most zappa fans hate the jazz discharge party hats, as well as the album it's from. i certainly expected it to get a score closer to the initial score!

Yeah, I can imagine this song being a hard sell for most people.

Two more songs; running a bit late this morning, obviously:

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

#630: Philip Glass - Pruit Igoe (7:04):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF-YT5UhB9g&list=OLAK5uy_mDCT4_Ky0CAnSs7AexWupMqE4qQRsnc7s&index=4

Nominator: sergio [6/13 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.41
Revised Score: 54.60
Final Score: 55.04

(First Reaction: One of the rare songs that actually gets better when it increases in intensity. It's still not really one of my favorites, but it's dramatic & foreboding in a fun way. Outro is nice "look at the world's destruction" music.)

!The outro is a definite highlight, but the track feels like it goes on a bit longer than I'd personally like... it probably works better when accompanied with some footage.

[Final Thoughts: This has probably the slowest opening of any of the nominated tracks, as nothing really happens until after the two minute mark. Thankfully, it really picks up once things get going. There's a chaotic and dangerous feel to the "ascension" vibes this time, like being trapped in a house that's caught in a tornado. Very dramatic and intense. And the outro is still a nice, "everything is destroyed" feeling, which ends with a deep bwoom-ing tone that I love. Definitely enough things here that I'd say I kinda like it.]

[Later: Considering that said footage is right there on YouTube, one wonders why I didn't just pull up the video at any point before right now:

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

Which is well-made documentary footage, but doesn't really improve my feelings towards the song. The music always felt more spiritual in its doom & less "the social and political effects of racial segregation and low-income housing" in my view. It's definitely important and something I should study, but it's not the type of video that inspires some new found connection towards the music & has no discernible impact on my views at all.]

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

-a lovely bunch of coconuts-

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

#629: Sonic Colors - Drowning [0:15]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUOMZNEzXw

Nominator: paulg [38/52 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.36
Revised Score: 54.19
Final Score: 55.0808

(First Reaction: Why the Colors version specifically? I suppose all the themes are similar enough that it doesn't really matter, it just feels like an oddly specific choice. Either way, it's fine? I've never been frightened or disturbed by Sonic drowning music and tend to avoid songs that are very intense, but it's a memorable sound and appropriate for when it plays. I guess I like it, but it's not a track I've ever had any real feelings about.)

Okay, I'll give some bonus points because it sounds like you can hear his heartbeat as the panic sets in. It's a very nice touch. Still, this isn't exactly a song I have any strong feelings about... it does its job and is cooler than I ever noticed, but still not something I'll choose to listen to or develop any real attachment to.

[Final Thoughts: The heartbeat is a neat touch, I can see why you chose this version.]

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

Three more songs to get us to 8 for the day, featuring three tracks that started off with terrible scores & managed to rise up a few tiers:

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

#628: Hiroyuki Sawano - CODENAMEZ (5:13):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwTebN-QCq8

Nominator: DoctorJimmy [18/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 24.11
Revised Score: 56.00
Final Score: 55.104

(First Reaction: Ah, overly epic music that places me to sleep which... is not correct English, but I can't bring myself to even look at the screen while typing while this song is playing because I lack the energy to open my eyes. *yawns* Much ellesss even spend the effort to think of a correct sentence and yes I know I botched the spelling of "less", I'm trying to type this with my eyes closed to proove a point I forgot some time ago. ...Ohb other, I'm making typos all over the place now.)

The reversed intro is nifty, even though it's only a few seconds long. And while this song is definitely epic & trying to get the listener all pumped up to...do whatever to whoever, the DRAMATIC ORCHESTRA and backing choir are pleasingly epic tonight. It's never going to be one of my favorite genres, but I see the appeal to this song and I'm kinda digging it tonight. I still can't find a whole lot I want to say about the song, and I'm sure everyone here already knows how they feel about "epic Xenoblade musix" that a writeup would be ultimately pointless anyway, but I am enjoying this tonight.

[Final Thoughts: Surprisingly enough, I sitll kinda like this one.]

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

-pick it up, pump it up, the bad boys are back-

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

#627: Swamp Dogg - I'm Coming with Lovin' on My Mind (4:05):
https://open.spotify.com/track/5mLAya5AhQQiu8vIF2ZjWG?si=f69acc2a662f4b97

Nominator: CPU [24/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 38.90
Revised Score: 46.70
Final Score: 55.09 [Upgraaded to 55.105]

(First Reaction: A bit on the dull side, just another in the long line of "singer wants sex and says 69 a lot songs" (well, only twice in this song, to be fair). It's alright, but it doesn't really do anything for me and it's a massive letdown after the previous track (I'll Pretend).)

The song definitely fares better when it's not immediately following a much better song of his. I'm still not exactly thrilled by most of the lyrics, but if you remove the multiple 69 references, it's almost a sweet song? Like it's not great, but it's not as though the song completely misses the mark and some of the lyrics are kinda sweet...

Gonna hold you in my arms
Feel your body heat
[..]
I've only been gone 10 days
But it seems like a million years
[...]
I haven't thought of anything
But the love I have for you

Sure, i have to skip some lines and ignore both main text & subtext, but there are some enjoyable lines here. And I have no complaints about him or the style of music. So I wouldn't say I dislike the song, it just misses the mark and doesn't compare favorably with his best songs.

[Final Thoughts: Most of the lyrics are sweet enough and it's kinda nice to listen to... yeah, I'm kinda liking this tonight.]

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

-yeah, this is our life-

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

#626: Verb T - Lie Low (3:45):
https://open.spotify.com/track/0BdTegECCHt6Yevfcm7jB3?si=kPGi6FFWT36v4qc8o0OXuQ

Nominator: Jesse Custer [27/29 Remaining

Initial Score: 29.46
Revised Score: 46.00
Final Score: 47.705 [Upgraded to 48.30] [Upgraded to 49.60] [Upgraded to 54.303] [Upgraded to 55.00] [Upgraded to 55.114]

(First Reaction: T's verse is good, but Ocean's verse is a bit too sexually explicit for me personally,)

That's an abysmal first reaction even by my non-existent standards, considering that some songs with even more explicit lyrics got higher scores. [...Well actually some of those songs had scores lower than this originally but jumped several tiers up on the second listen, unlike this song which has had a more modest increase in points.]

The opening verse by Verb T isn't bad. It's not one of my favorites and I don't see any lyrics that I'm attached to, but the slow-and-steady beat has a nice vibe to it & I don't have any complaints either... it's probably around 52 points? nothing I'll rave about, but I like it well enough. Ocean's verse makes me roll my eyes; ooh, yes, a rapper singing about how he's fucking yo' girl. What a totally radical and original topic. Woo.

...that being said, Ocean's performance is well done. I'm not sure I'm a fan of the speed contrast between the two verses, as Ocean's high-speed antics go against the chiller musical vibe that I was digging earlier, but I'll acknowledge his skill. I'd say it's around a 40 point verse--I don't like it, but there's enough skill here & I want more rap nominations & I could certainly do a lot worse than this song. ? Much more so than the ridiculously low score it started with at any rate.

[Final Thoughts: That mellow groove from Verb's verse and the chorus is pretty great, but I still dislike Ocean's verse. I'm going to revise things to 58.41 for Verb's & 37 for Ocean's, averaging the score out to 47.705. Not fantastic, but still two tiers above where the song started and it's on an upward trend.]

[Later: Averaging the verses scores didn't quite work out properly for this song, so I'm adding a few extra points..]

[Yet Later: Ehh... I still don't want to move it up a tier yet, but I do like the vibe and flow on that first verse. Giving it a few more points.]

[Later, Yet Later: Going to give this a fairly significant jump this time, if only because I'm getting a bit tired of moving it up a little bit every day.]

[The Latest: The opening verse continues to grow on me, now falling somewhere in the 60 point range. And Wiz is... not bad. I don't know why I kept calling him Ocean when he explicitly uses Wiz as the shortened version of his name. But do I want to move this above the other songs in the wall? ...Yes.]

[Latest, Yet Latest-er: The first verse and chorus are strong enough that I kinda want to move it further up, but while I don't actively dislike Wiz's portion anymore, I'm still not really a fan of it either.]

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

And two more to end the afternoon.

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

#625: Swamp Dogg - Star Dust (3:48):
https://open.spotify.com/track/6xrc5tHxfGpy9W5OZ21lX0?si=34cd35d664e24822

Nominator: CPU [23/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.06
Revised Score: 53.06
Final Score: 55.13

(First Reaction: A sweet song with some slight bias in its favor for references to lonely nights and dreams. Not really a hit song, but it's very nice and probably deserves a higher score than I'm giving it right now.)

This is another track for the "songs that seem like I should like them more than I do" pile. It's performed well, doesn't have any real weak spots for me to criticize, and features a topic that should be worth all the points: Sadly reminiscing about lost loves in the middle of the night? I love sadness and night! But somehow while the song is quite nice and doesn't have any missteps, I'm not really into it. It's quality and I like it, but only in a low-to-mid 50's type of way, I'm afraid.

[Final Thoughts: The right notes and the right lyrics, but still firmly in the "kinda like" section of the list.]

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

-page went a bit crazy and posted before I was ready, so there is no reference here-

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

#624: Every Time I Die - A Colossal Wreck (2:28):
https://open.spotify.com/track/7K86TpV5LgA94SPV7SGU5A?si=dd3d652248bc4084

Nominator: Bane [28/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 63.04
Revised Score: 57.92
Final Score: 55.209

(First Reaction: I quite like the outro/final verse on this track:

Now I'm just killing time
Until time decides I've had enough

Simple, but something I really enjoy.)

!Good lyrics, but I'm in a bit less of a scream-y type of angry mood to properly appreciate this at the moment.

[Final Thoughts: Ow. Chronologically this writeup was typed up just after a really weird song caused me to burst into multiple 80's pop hits (we'll get to that particular song eventually) & the tonal whiplash of going directly from the Pet Shop Boys to ETID is quite physically painful.

This song's anger can be incredibly appealing when it's what I'm in the mood for (see: Initial Score), but when I'm not in the mood for rage-filled screaming then it's... it's all a bit much. I still kinda like it, and arguably should give a lot of points because it's perfect for what it's doing & there are definitely times where I'll really like it, but... yeah "a bit much" sums up my current take.]

[Later: The fun part is that I have no idea what writeup those Final Thoughts are referencing, nor which songs I spontaneously burst into, nor -why- that happens.]

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

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#628: Hiroyuki Sawano - CODENAMEZ (5:13):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwTebN-QCq8

Nominator: DoctorJimmy [18/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 24.11
Revised Score: 56.00
Final Score: 55.104

When I nommed this, XCX had not yet become so pervasive in VGM contests. Feels like a bit less cool of a nomination in retrospect!

Ahhhhh All This And War might be my favorite song from the album lol, but because the heaviness of it so that's fair that it wouldn't hit as much for you. When Keith switches off to let Josh Scogin (of Norma Jean/The Chariot/'68 fame) onto the track I get absolute goosebumps every time with the riff that gets played during it. And then the end with them going back and forth, so fuckin good.

And you actually cited my favorite lines from A Colossal Wreck too!

DoctorJimmy133 posted...

When I nommed this, XCX had not yet become so pervasive in VGM contests. Feels like a bit less cool of a nomination in retrospect!

That reminds me, I think I rather liked Don't Worry when it was nominated at some point for VGMC. It feels a bit too thumping for me this early in the morning, but I should give it more of a chance sometime in the future and see if I ever go back to liking it.

Bane_Of_Despair posted...

And you actually cited my favorite lines from A Colossal Wreck too!

Neat! It's always nice when my thoughts even vaguely align with someone else's.

-

I'm just going to drop 5 songs today and will get them out of the way very quickly; decided the best solution was to just wake up early and get the half-day taken care of quickly,, so I don't need to be concerned with finding time later. First three songs:

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

#623: Cut Chemist feat. Myka 9 & Deantoni Parks - Die Cut (Wrap) (6:32):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lWFFbvPNX4

Nominator: DoctorJimmy [17/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.30
Revised Score: 55.31
Final Score: 55.2091

(First Reaction: A very impressive song that is a tad exhausting to listen to. The constant drumming and unending, rapid-fire lyrics are mesmerizing, but the song never lets up for a second and the moment your concentration wavers for a second, you'll have missed a dozen lines of the song. I appreciate the technical proficiency on display, but it's a bit too intense for my blood.)

"Exhausting" is still the adjective I'd most use to describe this song. It's overwhelming, a non-stop barrage that leaves you no time to even breathe, much less process or react to anything that's being said. It's very impressive, but also not something I'd want to go through on a regular basis because it's just too much for me to handle.

[Final Thoughts: Overwhelming, but sometimes it's nice to be completely overwhelmed.]

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

-look over there, it's gold mine-

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

#622: Sabu - El Cumbanchero [5:39]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvlLqz7Urdg

Nominator: cakophon [15/20 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.15
Revised Score: 54.12
Final Score: 54.12 [Upgraded to 55.18] [Upgraded to 55.2093]

(First Reaction: Honestly, I kinda wish you'd nominated the Desi Arnaz version of this song. It's far more bombastic, gets quite a bit of bias for "I Love Lucy" nostalgia, and I feel like Desi has a more passionate voice that appeals to me... or said nostalgia bias is tricking me into believing I like his voice more, who can really say?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jbnss4rBnU

The nominated version feels more subdued and more heavily focused on the bongos, while Desi has a more theatrical flair that feels far more modern, which is impressive for how old it is. (Or perhaps it's the remastered audio quality tricking me into thinking it sounds more modern, again, who can say?)

But enough negativity and whining about what this song isn't; this is a perfectly fine classic bongo song and I do enjoy listening to it, somewhat.)

The song feels like it goes on a bit too long and the lyrics fail to say much of anything--I know what bongos sound like, you're literally playing them right now--but it's a nice change of pace for something to relax with.

[Final Thoughts: Not a style of music that I'm really into, at the moment, anyway. Still, it is definitely a different style of song and the list could always use more variety, so it's a novel experience that was worth listening to.]

[Later: Hmm... I was set to eliminate this, but I've had this song stuck in my head for the past hour and must admit, it is more interesting than I gave it credit for. Let's go ahead and bump this up to the next tier.]

[Later: Just a minor boost to put this over one or two other songs.]

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

-shattered dreams-

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

#621: Civilization 4 - You Have Founded Buddhism [0:13]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUGH7x-i6ww

Nominator: paulg [37/52 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.00
Revised Score: 53.70
Final Score: 54.00 [Upgraded to 55.22]

(First Reaction: There's the foundation of a good song here, but it ends too quickly to properly do much of anything. Still, a good start and welcome addition to the topic.)

What would be an intriguing way to open a song ends as quickly as it started. I like what's here, but like a lot of very short songs on this list, there's actually not that much of it... I do love the opening three or four seconds though, it's very deep and mysterious and amazing. Not quite amazing enough to go up another tier because it's so very, very short BUT I do love it.

[Final Thoughts: Easily the best of the six Religion Founding jingles from Civ 4, but I'd love for it to be so much longer than it is.]

[Later: I suppose I'd say that I do kinda like this, though I still wish there were more here.]

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

And two more for now. May or may not try to get in another five later, it depends on how some things play out this morning.

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

#620: Whitechapel - A Bloodsoaked Symphony (4:58):
https://youtu.be/4I9pSv9w36A

Nominator: BlackDra90n [22/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.057
Revised Score: 50.12
Final Score: 55.26

(First Reaction: There is an interesting story being told here, but this is in the "so intense I kinda start to fall asleep" category that a lot of very intense songs tend to fall into.)

The lyrics are great:

I set my soul ablaze, I crawled through the nether and left a suicide letter next to my own severed head
I think I should be dead but thats the beauty of selling yourself to sin

I wanted bleak and depressing, and this song gives it in spades. I just really prefer my sad lyrics to be delivered in a more...sad way. This is metalcore angry yelling, which can convey pain but I find they don't allow me to really get into the right headspace. This sort of voice can go for angry or demonic songs, but I'm not a fan of them with these lyrics or this sort of story.

The instrumentation is tense and foreboding, so that's another strong point for the song. It's close to greatness and I know it's stupid for "my problem with this metalcore song is that the singer is too metalcore" to be my only real argument against it, but... if I can't really get into the vocal performance, then I can't get into it. I'm sorry.

[Final Thoughts: The singer has a deep, powerful, angry voice which would be fantastic on the right song--I'm just not super fond of the combination of this voice with these lyrics. Still great lyrics and I generally like what the singer & band are doing, I'll also praise the drums for being in the "too intense for me, but done in a way that I actually don't mind"--the singer's ability to completely overpower the drumming actually lets the drums properly accentuate the song instead of drowning it out. A very well made song that I kinda like.]

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

-it's only forever-

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

#619: Serj Tankian - Ching Chime (4:05):
https://open.spotify.com/track/45gxkZ78jargpM0pf4nJwr?si=66096f1540ff4992

Nominator: Murphiroth [20*/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 55.37
Revised Score: 58.34
Final Score: 55.37

(First Reaction: I quite dislike the verses, but the choruses & post choruses are fairly good. The way the song rather argues with itself, with the pressimistic verses & the opimistic counterpoints from the chorus, also lends the song an air of dissociation or fighting with ones' self, which appeals to me quite a bit. Unfortunately, there's basically nothing in the verses for me to connect with or take an interest in:

Sucking seeds is pastime, gonorrhea overtime
Fuck that it's bedtime, no more pantomime
Over the ching chime, ch-ch ch-ching chime

...Like I'm not going to say I hate it or anything (outside of any the ching chime parts because I just hate repetition and rhyming ching chime with ching chime is about as repetitive as it gets), but... at best, I'm indifferent to these parts. So while there's a lot to love here in the concept, and the way the song switches between two different musical styles between the verses & choruses, it rather misses the mark for me.)

!Definitely a memorable song. I honestly find it hard to remember a lot of the songs that I've only heard once, but as soon as it was time to listen to this song again, I was like "oh yeah... this song", which is probably worth something. And the choruses are still pretty great.

[Final Thoughts: Moving this back down to its Initial Score because I really do not like the verses, but the choruses are fantastic enough that I do kinda like it.]

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