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

(+) Yeah! (+)

Three more cuts, including two from Haste, as we proceed to the snazziest section of the list:

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#544: Racing Lagoon - Zeko Battle 4: (4:13):
https://downloads.khinsider.com/game-soundtracks/album/racing-lagoon-original-soundtrack/1-31%2520Zeko%2520Battle%25204.mp3

Nominator: NFUN: [23/31 Remaining]

First Score: 58.29
Revised Score: 59.12
Final Score: 58,29

(First Reaction: Future jazz battle! Pretty snazzy song--dare I say the snazziest nominated song thus far??--though it still goes a bit harder than I usually like my instrumentals to go.

[LATER: I seem to have forgotten how I format the score list and entered "First" instead of "Initial"... well, not like the difference matters at all, so that's another error that I'm keeping.)

!Jazzy death battle in the future is definitely an interesting sound... not quite something I enjoy enough to reach the 60 point tier, but definitely interesting enough that it's *close* to that point.

[Final Thoughts: Jazzy car battling is still pretty neat.]

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-it's so very, very late-

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#543: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe, Noriko Murakami - We'll Definitely... Take You Down!: (1:19):
https://youtu.be/X_qeZNCQpSY

Nominator: Haste [13/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 58.24
Revised Score: 58.24
Final Score: 58.30

(First Reaction: A song that is both dramatic and inspirational, it perfectly nails the feelings it needs to in the context of getting you hyped for a dramatic boss fight.)

!It's got a really good build to it, but it ends before the battle actually starts which leaves the track feeling vaguely unfinished... you get hyped up and then fade to complete silence.'

[Final Thoughts: Great ambiance, but a bit too short with an ending so abrupt I don't quite want it to reach the next level.]

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-Wind, Rain, Shadow, Wood....-

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#542: Kenichiro Fukui - Bloody Battle (3:23):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdeTbcnPock

Nominator: Haste [12/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.62
Revised Score: 57.606
Final Score: 56.3007 [Upgraded to 58.333]

(First Reaction: *before listening* This song title is suddenly giving me flashbacks to Bloody Bride, the obscure PSX RPG/Dating Sim/Visual Novel/stat building simultation thing. You're a vampire and you have to seduce one of the game's female characters because you need them to give you their blood willingly. IIRC, the main part of the game was choosing what activities to spend time on which would raise & lower your various stats, with you needing to reach certain stat thresholds depending on which girl you were going after. But also there were turn-based RPG battles at times? And a lot of VN dialog and some anime cutscenes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6LrIOWPuhs

...this isn't related to your nominated song at all, but I can't see "Bloody B" without having flashbacks to that game. I know I finished it once, long ago, but it really wasn't worth it... I don't even like those stat-raising simulation type games in the first place, so I don't know how I forced myself through it. I also can't tell you the names of any of the characters (other than Vampire Hunter REO, who I only know due to that cutscene), so it didn't leave much of an impression.

Aaaanywho...

*after listening* Anyone picturing a very snazzily dressed tap-dancing skeleton boss fight when they hear this? No? Just me?)

Still sounds like a skeleton boss fight to me and apparently that's worth points? It is a pretty neat visual to imagine and the song's significanty better than Bonetrousle which is the only other "skeleton boss" song I can name at this exact moment. Megalovania isn't really "skeleton-like", "Skeleton Lord" from Dark Souls II bores me and doesn't sound fitting for a skeleton, "song that might play when you fight sans"... ehh, I don't feel like getting into that song and its remixes at the moment.

Either way, this song has a unique feel to it and I think it's a few points better than the original score indicated. Not quite an entire tier's worth of points, but it's fun and novel, even if I'm not going to rave about it.

[Final Thoughts: Still skeleton-y, still neat.]

[Later: *looks back at Zeku Battle 4* Apparently we're at the snazzy PSX-era Squaresoft section of the list. Anyway, most of this song doesn't do much for me, but that part starting at 1:17 is fantastic. I really like that segment... I don't think I like it enough to move it up a tier, but this elimination did give me a lot of pause.]

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And our final three drops, featuring one song that was predicted to fall much earlier on the list & the song that had its elimination delayed the most times thus far in the topic.

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#541: Franchouchou - Sensei! Alive Sensation (5:16):
https://open.spotify.com/track/3CJhgWv9BLOdAfse9L8l3n?si=7c76c65ac12d4e4f

Nominator: Player_0 [18/33 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.27
Revised Score: 51.82
Final Score: 52.27 [Upgraded to 53.27] [Upgraded to 53.40] [Upgraded to 53.72] [Upgraded to 53.774] [Upgraded to 58.3333~]

(First Reaction:

To live is to be smooth
If you get over it, the bloody meat will also dance dance

I doubt that's an accurate translation, but the comedic nature of that line elevates this song to the positive half of the scoring system.)

(Technically the song is credited to Sakura since she is singing by herself, but I'm still going to credit the song to Franchouchou as a whole for organizing purposes.)

An average j-pop song that's only memorable due to what's presumably a poor translation job on the wiki, "Sensei! Alive Sensation" feels--to me--like the definition of a filler song. It doesn't have much to say with the themes of wanting love and not giving up being as generic as they come. I don't feel like I have any greater understanding of the character, no attachment to the themes or story, and no particular interest in the music itself which is also fairly generic. it's not a bad song, just... relatively pointless..

[Final Thoughts: Eesh, that was another really brutal writeup. I really didn't need to be that mean... I don't think it does much to really stand out compared to other anime songs, but it's fine enough. Giving the bloody dancing meat back it's fraction of a point back to where it started on the list.]

[Later: A less botched translation of that line is "It's hard to be alive; if you get over it, the dead will also dance dance". Personally, I like calling zombies "bloody meat". Also, I must admit the "chouchou!" exclamations always make me smile. But do they make me smile enough to make it to the next tier? ....I don't know, but I suppose I'll put this in the 53 point zone and spare it for a day or two while I think about it.]

[Still Later: Just a tiny boost at the moment to push this over two more eliminations; may or may not move this up again tomorrow.]

[Again, Later: One more little boost, but I'm pretty sure this is the last one. Most of the song has a rather pronounced beat in the background... not exactly thumping, but enough that I can't see it getting to the 55 point tier and adorable exclamations can only carry this song so far.]

[...: Alright, ONE MORE TIME, but this has to be the last boost because if I listen to this one more then I'll likely start getting sick of it. Listening to this song and refusing to cut it has been a daily ritual for a while now, but if I haven't moved it up a tier yet, then it's safe to assume that I'm not going to.]

[.......: Well, now I no longer need to listen to this song each day, as the repetition has caused it to become drilled into my skull. I don't know if I like it. I don't know anything anymore. Just... just go up to 58 point level, so I don't have to think about you for a week or two, alright?]

[Later: It's been so long since the 53 point section of the list... way back before the Wall was even formed... it's taken a long time to get to this point, but I think I'm finally willing to cut the song. Now, before it has a chance to raise from the dead again. I've already listened to this 11 or 12 times for ranking purposes. I'd like this song to stop now.]

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-Sword, Thunder, Power, Sleep-

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#540: Slaughter to Prevail - Baba Yaga (4:15):
https://youtu.be/Niaw3Ez0YLU

Nominator: BlackDra90n [19/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.02
Revised Score: 56.293
Final Score: 55.00000001 [Upgraded to 58.34]

(First Reaction: Always nice to see Alex Terrible again and I kinda like this song. The lyrics don't really do much for me, though I do appreciate parts of the song being in Russian. Not a language that gets much representation in these topics. While the song is a little milder than most metalcore songs, it's still a bit too intense for my blood and there aren't any real moments or lyrics that I feel drawn to to make up for my bias against the intensity... still, I do kinda like it, enough that I'd say my reaction is more positive than negative.)

Definitely a fun, evil song. Eating flesh,, drinking blood, trapping people in Hell, it's all the over-the-top levels of darkness that I find very appealing. The first verse after the intro is just too much for me though; that rapid-fire drumming....blegh. Thankfully, the drumming relaxes a bit afterwards... or more accurately, the drums are mixed down a bit or something? The drummer's still going crazy, but the volume is reduced enough to give more prominence to the vocals and allow one to hear the guitar occasionally, so the song stops being painful quickly enough to be enjoyable for... like... 95% of its runtime or so? Not bad. It's still not my favorite example of the genre, but it does enough things that I enjoy and restrains itself that it's a fairly easy listen (after that ten second burst or so anyway).

[Final Thoughts: Still keeping this in the "kinda like" tier, but moving it down a peg or two. The dark lyrics are definitely great, but the drumming is a bit much.]

[Later: My spreadsheet can only display so many digits--unless I expand the cells--so this is the smallest amount of points greater than 55.00 I can offer. Considering how many songs wound up at exactly 55 points, that tiny fraction of a point wound up making a world of difference. Of courae, this wound up being moved up even further anyway... I've been in a bit of a metalcore mood the past couple days & this angry, evil song is pretty close to being what I actively want.]

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-expect the unexpected now-

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#539: Bump of Chicken - Karma (3:19):
https://open.spotify.com/track/1sbvIp94XFJcdndOqQgNh6?si=ea5d471fcb4e4d4a

Nominator: @Raka_Putra [27/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 58.20
Revised Score: 58.20
Final Score: 58.369

(First Reaction: Above average anime intro song.

Something that we need to know, somehow, lies on the space between one and zero

I like that lyric a lot more than I probably should. I still haven't played Tales of the Abyss, but I plan on getting to it this year, probably. Though i've been saying that for many years now...)

!I'll get to it someday.

[Final Thoughts: Well, not playing it this year obviously, but possibly next year. Song is good. I like that one lyric... or at that one translation of it, as there are a few ways that it's translated, and I don't really care which is the most accurate.]

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Finally, definitely scored a lot higher than I'd thought it would.

Tales of the Abyss is the greatest video game ever made so yeah you should definitely make time for it when you can.

Still a long way to go before the next tier... for now, three songs because I don't have room to post the fourth in this message:

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#538: Kohigashi Hitona - Gunjou / Ultramarine (4:05):
https://youtu.be/TO5eIv7gySE

Nominator: UF8 [19/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.18
Revised Score: 54.07
Final Score: 58.49

(First Reaction: These are the type of lyrics that could hit me really hard, but something's off; either this isn't the best song to go with the lyrics or I'm just not really in the mood for the message right now. Perhaps both. We'll see how I feel on a different day.)

This song is definitely something that feels like something I should love. True selves, inner voices, I can say that the lyrics are right up my alley... but I fiind it impossible to connect with her or the song in any meaningful way. Doing a quick listen to YOASOBI's original, I think part of the problem is that Hitona's voice feels much more distant--like the way the audio is mixed (or possibly just the way her voice is, let's not pretend I know anything) makes it feel like she's far away from the listener. The entire performance feels off as a result.

My apologies. I'm sure she's a fine singer, I just don't believe the audio on this track is doing her any favors.

[Final Thoughts: The lyrics are fantastic and resonate strongly, but something about how energetic the song is & how distant she feels prevents the song from hitting as hard as it should. I still kinda like it, but it's a long way from the absolute top tier something with these lyrics should be. (Mind you, I'm actually not positive I'd rank the original any higher; this is just how the song is.)]

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-yearly reminded that the Hub's Care Bears series included a joke about suicide-

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#537: Star One - Prescient (6:47):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff4dFzMXYsM

Nominator: Ark [15/17 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.19
Revised Score: 56.19
Final Score: 58.57

(First Reaction: It's a good Prog Rock song, though I think it's a bit too busy to really focus on. By the point everyone's lyrics are overlapping, I find it impossible to concentrate on anything and blank out completely. Which is, as usual, a personal flaw with me and not the song. Also, the only thing I know about the film Primer is that it's complex, so i'm doubly lost if knowledge of the movie would help any.)

!The first part of the song is really quite good. A progressive rock time travel story is a pretty easy sell and the singers' styles work well together, but around the halfway point where the voices completely overlap and the instruments intensify, I lose the ability to focus on what's happening. The song does briefly go back to the simplicity of the intro, but then doubles down on the parts I dislike with the outro.

Honestly, I know that it's purely a personal thing on my end, but while the track is *objectively* great and does things I enjoy, the parts I dislike are frequent enough that I have a hard time saying I like the song without some heavy caveats.

[Final Thoughts: Adding a few extra points because this is a highly memorable song that's closer to the 60 point tier than the first two scores implied,]

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-the Hub's Pound Puppies series also included a cannibalism joke; that network got away with quite a bit during the brief time it was around-

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#536: Bjork - I Miss You (3:59):
https://open.spotify.com/track/3MWqudu2oIERgRqu5MOMbB?si=85fe67287121487e

Nominator: Bane [23/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 19.30
Revised Score: 62.22222
Final Score: 58.5870

(First Reaction: I've never cared for this sort of 'I miss you even though we've never met' type of sentiment and I apparently dislike salsa music, making this song an absolute miss on every possible level. I wouldn't say I hate the song, but I really do not care for this track.)

Well, I'm not sure why I had such a strong dislike of this song the first time around. This is rather harmless; mayhaps not a genre or style that I'm much of a fan of, but I wouldn't say I really disliked it...

*a few hours later*

Alright, so I shouldn't leave the actual writeup that barren. I don't think I have anything to add here, but lets at least make it apparent that I tried:

I'm not really sure where my distaste for this type of sentiment comes from. I obviously have nothing against destiny in general, even soulmates seem fine--Kesha's Past Lives did incredibly well two topics ago (which reminds me that I haven't listened to that one in a while, I should make a point of playing it next time I'm just randomly listening to music), so souls that are destined to meet is perfectly fine. It's something about this specific way of putting it:

I miss you, but I haven't met you yet
So special, but it hasn't happened yet
You are gorgeous, but I haven't met you yet
I remember, but it hasn't happened yet

That I find mildly agitating. Not something I hate, but a general "bah, I disliked that" sort of grumpy brattiness. Which is certainly curious... *turns into a cat and paces around the song lyrics* It's an oddly specific type of wording to be annoyed by, wouldn't you say? I could understand if I were arguing against the repetition of ending every line with the same word, that would certainly be "on brand" for me, but this... this type of complaint is a rather new experience. And I certainly like what this has done to my inner monologue and sense of self....

*ponders if there's a way to snap her fingers while assuming a form that doesn't have fingers*

Hmph. I was going to dramatically send this to the "I like this" tier with a snap, but that would rather shatter this fantasy.

*rummages in search of a finger snap sound effect*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb638HsA57w

Ah, there we go. How nice of someone to upload a sound just for this sort of situation. And so, it is done; this song is promoted to 62.22222 points, where I'll hopefully be able to explore these conundrums and new feelings in more detail later.

[Final Thoughts: Well, I definitely don't have the time or physical ability these days to do as deep a dive into this song and my emotions as I'd like. The song still sets me on edge and while I like having something that's bothering me in novel & new ways to give me something to inspect, I'm not sure I'd say I actually "like" the song... but then I definitely don't want to move it below the 55+ point level because I, at the very least, kinda like these new feelings the song is sparking.

I think I'll try having this at 58 points for a bit? This is another of those songs that can place anywhere, but "fairly high on the Kinda Like level" seems like it's probably an acceptable position.]

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-still bitter that their G.I. Cartoon was cancelled in part to avoid conflicts with the second live-action movie-

I always appreciate how much detail you go into with each song. It really feels like you're giving every song a fair shake and a lot of attention.

You're too kind... especially because there's going to be lots of short writeups in the future. But thank you!

Four more for now:

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#535: Spiritbox - Sun Killer (3:47)
https://open.spotify.com/track/2glEXDEzubpETiDRXfC4oX?si=1756e59aa5ca4be2

Nominator: BlackDra90n [18/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.00
Revised Score: 56.89
Final Score: 58.60

(First Reaction: I don't really know how I feel about this track. I understand less than nothing about the story the lyrics are trying to tell (which, judging by the way the band has referred to their lyrics as a musical Rorscach test, is likely intentional) and I don't seem to mind the outro? I know I usually hate any song that repeats the same line over and over, but the way the message starts off with slight vocal distortion & gets progressively angrier until the line is practically screamed at the listener keeps it from actually feeling repetitive.

So... I typically like mysterious lyrics, but I don't quite like this as much as I probably should ; I typically hate repeated lyrics, but I don't even dislike the outro here. It's all a bit of an odd reaction on my part that I haven't worked out how to score... going to start with it at 57 points, see where we wind up on future listens.)

!I don't really get the track, but I kinda like it.

[Final Thoughts: Definitely on the higher end of "kinda like".]

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-Moo Moo Meadows-

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#534: Sphere - Avatar [4'43]:
https://inpuj.bandcamp.com/track/avatar

Nominator: Kopazzynth [11/20 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.74
Revised Score: 59.30
Final Score: 58.64

(First Reaction: Ooh, there are those low tones like "bwooommm" that I'm into. This song has a fairly strong start. And then it kinda goes for beep-boop future-y-doo bop music with some glitchy sounding BRAMMMMs thrown in, which are kinda avant-garde & what i was into a while ago, but not what I'm really into right now. While it doesn't live up to the potential of its intro or go in a direction I wish it did, it's still interesting enough with enough positive qualities that I generally liked it.)

!The outro has an *almost* static like quality to it, which is almost enough to push this song up a tier... I definitely feel better having this as a very high 50's song than mid-50's.

[Final Thoughts: Very nice, though it's also in the "doesn't inspire any specific feelings" category... very mechanical and glitchy though, so those are definite high points.]

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-Girls In Cars-

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#533: Made in Heights - All the Places (3:37):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbuUTV-6Xzk

Nominator: ZaziGuado [25/28 Remaining]

Initial Score: 61.14
Revised Score: 61.14
Final Score: 58.66

(First Reaction: Ah, reversed lyrics. This nomination pleases me.)

!This continues to please me.

[Final Thoughts: I still like it a fair amount, though apparently not as much as the first two times. And since I never gave any particular reason for liking it before, it's kinda difficult to guess what I was so attached to in the first place.]

[Later: an all-around nice song, though I never feel anything too specific when listening to it... I enjoy it, but I'm missing that spark or personal connetion to keep it up at the next tier. (Though it is pretty far up the list for the current tier.)

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-that 8-bit version of "GIrls In Cars" from the NES WWF Wrestlemania that they used as Ted DiBiase's theme for some reason:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF5xOcWM4nQ

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#532: Jun Fukuda - Pleather for Breakfast (4:14):
https://youtu.be/DeTvEpDj0D8

Nominator: NFUN: [22/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.63
Revised Score: 61.00
Final Score: 58.663

(First Reaction: Odd. It's definitely too thumping and has too many parts where an instrument or vocal is stuck repeating one note endlessly, but the virtually incomprehensible whispered lyrics add a weird twist to everything and I wind up kinda liking the song.)

This song is officially weird enough that I'm moving it up an entire tier. On paper, I probably shouldn't like this at all, but I'm getting fairly into this song tonight--certainly more into it than any song that's still in the 50 point range. So hey, let's go ahead and inflate the score, even if I don't have much to say & can't articulate why I'm raising it up a level beyond a general "I'm giving more points because I want to give more points" response.

[Final Thoughts: I think I overvalued this a bit because it was just so much better than all the other 52 point songs; moving this back down a peg to the 58 level, though I still like this a fair amount considering that I can't identify any reason that I do like it.]

[Later: One of the most intriguing examples of whispered lyrics that really elevates this song above the usual "this is too intense for my taste" writeup.]

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Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#537: Star One - Prescient (6:47):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff4dFzMXYsM

Nominator: Ark [15/17 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.19
Revised Score: 56.19
Final Score: 58.57

(First Reaction: It's a good Prog Rock song, though I think it's a bit too busy to really focus on. By the point everyone's lyrics are overlapping, I find it impossible to concentrate on anything and blank out completely. Which is, as usual, a personal flaw with me and not the song. Also, the only thing I know about the film Primer is that it's complex, so i'm doubly lost if knowledge of the movie would help any.)

The thing you dislike about it is pretty much what makes me love it so much! I'm a big fan of overcomplexity in music, though, if the amount of prog music I nominate wasn't enough of an indication. The vocal layering is an nice fit for a movie in which there are at least two Abes and three Aarons.

(Also I'm pretty much guaranteed to like any song with both Ross Jennings and Michael Mills in it.)

TheArkOfTurus posted...

The thing you dislike about it is pretty much what makes me love it so much! I'm a big fan of overcomplexity in music, though, if the amount of prog music I nominate wasn't enough of an indication. The vocal layering is an nice fit for a movie in which there are at least two Abes and three Aarons.

That's fair, I'm just not usually into that layering effect. It's not really something I'm often against, though I haven't entirely worked out why some songs bother me and others don't. I think it has something to do with the intensity, though I obviously can't be positive & trying to analyze my subconscious reactions seems kinda foolish.

For a song that typically bothers me, I'd go back to "Fiona Apple - Hot Knife" from my first ranking topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG1VVFfOnYQ

Honestly, I got pretty triggered and almost had a panic attack the first time I heard it. Something about her voice overlapping with itself while out of sync, in combination with that type of drum, creates something overwhelming. I had to pause the video and take a moment to recover before I could finish listening to it the first time because it was just too much for me to handle.

I don't recall what placement I wound up giving--I think it had a halfway decent one for provoking such a strong reaction and I'm liable to give points for things that trigger new types of intense reactions--but it was a bit much.

(For what it's worth, I haven't been triggered in that way by any song since then & I can listen to the song now that I know what it's going to do.)

-
And for a song with overlapping voices that's completely harmless, let's go with "Walk Through the Fire" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iyM6nDt5g8

It's a very minor aspect of the song (only really occurring towards the end when the demon sings his own verse over top of everyone else's lines), but I've never thought anything of it. Likely because it's so very tame. There's nothing intense or overwhelming at all--it's possible that having a video that clearly showed when a character was going to start singing helped dull things even further (there was that one song from Rent that I couldn't stand until it had a video attached to show the performers), but that could also just be a coincidence.

Either way, Prog Rock Time Travel song is somewhere between those songs in intensity which... works out to whatever score it got? I guess? *shrugs*

-

Aaaanywho, three more songs to end the day:

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#531: Calliope Mori - Live Again (3:23):
https://youtu.be/h-LOlueKCtk

Nominator: Metalmind [21/25 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.09
Revised Score: 58.24
Final Score: 58.6654

(First Reaction: It's nice.

...that's it, that's the end of the thought.)

!A charming farewell song. It's not nearly my favorite song of hers, but it's enjoyable.

[Final Thoughts: A sweet and charming goodbye. It doesn't inspire any strong feelings and there's not a lot to discuss here, but it's nice.]

[Later: Definitely one of her sweetest songs.]

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-lost in the net-

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#530: Of Monsters and Men - Visitor (3:27):
https://open.spotify.com/track/0z3Sa7vtRfn4ywaHzZzBLK?si=-hsgHIuuRfexIVWRY53jjg

Nominator: Jesse Custer [23/29 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.31
Revised Score: 60.05
Final Score: 58.68

(First Reaction: I still enjoy both of their voices and their style of lyrical metaphors, but it's not quite one of my favorite songs of theirs and the outro is a bit too much of an infinite loop for my tastes. And yes, I am aware that it's intentional and symbolic--a meaningful loop is still a loop.)

!The repetition kinda works, now that I'm prepared for it and I do enjoy hearing this band... yeah, on second thought, I do like this song.

[Final Thoughts: I kinda find my reaction somewhere between the first two thoughts. Averaging them gives 58.68, which feels right for this song now.]

[Later: Metaphorical drowning and ghosts, the song has some very compelling lyrics and I do generally like the band, but I'm not quite clicking with this enough to keep it up at the next tier.]

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-timey-wimey-

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#529: XoArK - Starfish_foam [3:44]:
https://xoark.bandcamp.com/track/starfish-foam

Nominator: Kopazzynth [11/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.95
Revised Score: 58.37
Final Score: 58.70

(First Reaction: I don't know why I'm not as into this. There's some nice atmosphere in parts, but... shrug emoji?)

Weird and varied enough that I don't have a lot to say about any specific section and, even trying to take it in as a whole, I'm not sure how to react... parts of it sound like something by Frums, but parts of it are unique in a more fun way--there's a stretch that's kinda like "flying a ship through a dimensional rift" which is neat and the end of the song does have traces of "slowly sinking into the darkness" which is really a top-tier atmosphere to convey. So there are definitely some decently-sized chunks of this song that I thoroughly enjoy.

And... I think I'll leave it at that until the Final Score.

[FInal Thoughts: Alien spaceships, aquatic exploration, robot invasions, eternal nothingness, this song covers a lot of musical environments. I'd still likely prefer a song that focused on one aesthetic and performed it perfectly instead of bouncing around like this, but this is still really neat.]

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And we're actually on time for once, with three songs to start the day:

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#528: KIT - No Mercy [2:16]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSq5RzfN7VY

Nominator: paulg [29/52 Remaining]

Initial Score: 68.00
Revised Score: 76.44
Final Score: 58.71

(First Reaction: The first verse is pretty great. It's slow, dark, and gritty like an outlaw strolling into town for a big showdown; the second verse ramps up to being more theatrial, which is fun and enjoyable, but I wanted to enjoy the "old west gunslinger" vibe a bit longer than the song allowed. Still quite a nice song and the WWE connection certainly doesn't hurt.)

!Short, but fun. I can appreciate the rush of energy the second verse brings when I'm prepared for it. Like first, it was all "grr, this energy is ruining my brooding cowboy musix" but now I can actually enjoy what it's doing and bump the song up a tier.

[Final Thoughts: I dunno... I still really like the opening of the song, but I suddenly resent the second half of the song that goes away from the brooding-ness & takes the song in the exact opposite direction I'd like it to go. I still kinda enjoy it, but it's fallen a long way from where I had it on both of the first listens.]

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

-Earth-

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

#527: Chicane - Poppiholla (3:02):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8oEUhXTloU

Nominator: ZaziGuado [24/28 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.30
Revised Score: 58.76
Final Score: 58.76

(First Reaction: Trance still isn't one of my favorite genres, but this is fairly nice. The backing beat is still a bit more pronounced than I like, but it's softer and not really pulsing or any of the other derogatory adjectives I tend to throw around.)

A fairly relaxing instrumental that doesn't bring to mind anything specific, but is remarkably pleasant to listen to. I like it, though I don't think it's quite at that 60 point level.

[Later: Doesn't make me feel anything specific, but it's definitely one of the best instrumentals that I've given that short & generic writeup to. I'll refrain from comparing this song to Hoppipolla for now; to avoid spoilers, if nothing else.]

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

-*as you ponder if she's going with an "Eartth, Wind, & Fire" reference or a "Captain Planet" reference as the follow-up to Earth, you realize that she's doing neither and has gone with a lame fourth-wall breaking interlude. You sigh.*-

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

#526: HANABIE. - Bukkowasu!! (2:43):
https://open.spotify.com/track/2DLxu9A5cqmipwtVf2ziH9?si=032e1e3cbf4540cf

Nominator: Murphiroth [19*/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.18
Revised Score: 52.74
FInal Score: 58.799

(First Reaction: A slightly better J-Metal song.)

Another song where it seems impossible to find any lyrics... even all the Japanese lyric sites have nothing to offer, though I do find an interview with the band about the album which was mildly interesting (though, sadly, it had no real information about the music. Did you know the dating app song was about a specific dating app? Because that's the only trivia I've dug up about anything.)

This feels like a song that would do better with some added context. The translations of the song title all involve breaking stuff, so that sounds promising, and the rapid shifting between growling & clean vocals that the singer is known for are on full display in a fairly good display of her talent... but this isn't exactly one of my favorite genres and it doesn't really do enough things I like for this to fall into the "I don't actually care what is being sung and love this regardless" category.

...which reminds me I haven't listened to "lynch. - SORROW" in a while... ooh, that song's on Spotify, BRB taking a break from working to relisten to a criminally underranked song from the first ranking topic.

[Final Thoughts: There's a very fun energy to the song. I'm still not quite ready to move it to the 60 point level, but it's getting closer and closer with each listen.]

[Later: A fun energy and anger make this a head-banging thrash bop. The drumming is a bit too monotonous with its thump-thump-thump in places and it kinda loses me at the bridge/transition/whatever just before the 1:30 mark... it drops all the aspects i love for that stretch & the only thing left after that is another reprise of the chorus. BUT the first minute and a half of the song is great and I like it, enough so that I almost moved this up to the next tier.]

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

Three more, including Dragon Number's first drop:

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

#525: J-Live - Braggin Writes (3:12):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmCVT5BZPIk

Nominator: Dragon66116 [11/12 Remaining]

Initial Score: 64.50
Revised Score: 53.37
FInal Score: 58.935

(First Reaction: Cool. I don't have any favorite moments or lyrics from the track, but J-Live's got a good flow and a clear voice along with a style that oozes coolness. It's not over-the-top or anything, because he's just cooler than everyone else without even trying.)

!J-Live still oozes coolness effortlessly, but I'm not nearly as into this the second time around; without having a single lyric or moment that I want to focus on or talk about, I'm just unable to really connect with or completely enjoy the song. I'm sorry, it's still obviously quality & he's great, but I think I'm moving this down to the early 50's.

[Final Thoughts: Well, second reaction was a bit too mean. I do kinda like this--or perhaps I should say I like him (or the version of himself that he presents on this track) enough that I kinda like the song even without a favorite part. Since I feel like my reaction is kinda between the first and second listens, I think I'll average their scores. A very high 58 points sounds accurate; right at the cusp of the 60 point tier, but missing that one killer line or note to get over the edge.]

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

~~~~~~~~~~~

Reality TV would be re-eliminated at this exact point, but I'm moving it up a bit further to the all-consuming Neo Clump of 60 point songs. So I guess it's un-eliminated twice now.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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

#524: Frank Zappa - Dupree's Paradise [15:54]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zE26YV7ofk

Nominator: Lasa [6/14 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 57.14 [Upgraded to 59.00000005]

(First Reaction: I like the guitar part that starts not too long after the nine minute mark the most. There's also some nice, deeper bass (or whatever instrument it is) tones added in around the 12 minute mark which I enjoy, though the song doesn't really focus much on them. The rest of the song is pretty nice as well,, I don't think I actually had a least favorite moment or anything, which is fairly impressive (especially for an almost 16 minute long track).)

!I'm curious why "this" version of Dupree's Paradise, as it seems to have a variety of performances of assorted lengths--all the way down to 8 minutes or all the way up to 24. And that's just from the first page of Google results. Apparently they're all quite different as well, I believe there's a fair amount of improv going on here? Either way, I do like this version of the song (and lack the motivation to try all the assorted variants to compare them)... none of this song's sections make me feel anything, but it's all very high quality playing that never drags on or feels like it's being pointlessly long.

[Final Thoughts: I'm a bit less into this one this time around because the parts I like don't come in until we're 9 minutes in... I do quite like everything from there until the end, but it's an awful lot of waiting to get to the parts I want to hear & feel like it's a peg below the 60 point tier. Still something I like a decent amount and I like the chance to listen to one of Zappa's longer tracks, but this is a bit below where it was the first two times.]

[Later: Let's move this a bit closer to where it was.]

[Latest: I do fairly like this, but I'm not quite connecting with any particular moment enough to say I want to move it back up a tier; it's still pretty close to that 60 point mark though.]

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

-not sure I see the connection between "perfect police officer" and "turns into an ambulance"-

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

#523: GIRLI - Hot Mess (3:51):
https://youtu.be/z-2Mrws6zGc

Nominator: Snake [24/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 48.00
Revised Score: 48.00
Final Score: 48.00 [upgraded to 55.334] [Upgraded to 55.38] [Upgraded to 58.14] [Upgraded to 59.00000006]

(First Reaction: Ehhhhhh... I like the lyrics, I like the message, I like her look, I probably like her, but the song is... not really something I want to listen to. The chorus is incredibly repetitive & reprised too many times before the song ends and I'm not really fond of the backing music either, it's a bit too abrasive for my tastes.

...well considering that I sometimes listen to literal noise for fun, I suppose abrasive isn't the right word. For example, I'm slowly working my way through this Noise of Crimea album:
https://elmusik.bandcamp.com/album/noise-of-crimea-1

Which is just painful, but a few years ago I really wanted an entire album of static and I feel obligated to listen to every track at least once now that I've found it. Even if my tastes grow increasingly dull and mainstream every year & I'm no longer in the right headspace to enjoy it. Point being, I don't think I'm allowed to call something abrasive if I actively have this album saved under my bookmarks.

...so let's just say Hot Mess is too [blank] for my tastes and just pretend I found an appropriate word to put there.)

*adds a note to come back to this writeup later*

[Fluttershy's Note: She did not come back to this.]

[Final Thoughts: It's just not a song I click with for some reason. It's fine? Like I don't have a tangible complaint about any of it, but it just feels fine? It's fine.]

[Later: ...Why do I remember this song being at the 55 point level when it's apparently never been close to that point? Oh well, apparently I'm rearranging the list to move this song up.]

[Later: I don't know, but I don't want to eliminate this yet, so let's try the 58 point level.]

[Later: I don't know, but I guess I'm adding another point here.]

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

Last four for now:

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

#522: Kazuki Yanagawa - Everything Will Get Distorted Soon [2:15]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxgz3GPnkwA

Nominator: @TunnelScene [16/27 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.00
Revised Score: 53.89
Final Score: 55.0994 [Upgraded to 59.03]

(First Reaction: Not as distorted as I might have liked, but still nice.)

A short song that, while technically impressive, doesn't make me think of anything specific and seems to end too quickly. I keep waiting for a serious breakdown where the song flips out in a particularly chaotic way, but everything here is a bit restrained... well actually, I'm not entirely sure if I think this song goes too hard or not hard enough. Starting around 50 seconds in, the song slows down a bit and there's pleasing melody with some added chimes going off in the background and I like that part; once the song picks back up in intensity, it goes away from the part I enjoy and doesn't go bizarre enough for me to enjoy it on a different level. Putting aside the contradiction of "this song is simultaneously too hard and not hard enough", the stretch that i enjoy the most is really brief and the song leaves me wanting a lot more--but having something I enjoy and wanting more of it is certainly enough to keep this on the positive side of the scoreboard.

[Final Thoughts: The transition to and from the softer, pleasing chimes is quite interesting. It's like the light of hope breaking through only to be quickly subsumed by the darkness. I quite like that bit, though it is a relatively small portion of the song as a whole.]

[And Also Later: Part of a block of 5 songs that are being moved up to the 59 point level because I do not want to eliminate them.]

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

-never slow down-

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

#521: Swamp Dogg - I Love Me More (3:35):
https://open.spotify.com/track/6z0DbuIpFcF8DLi6rFX9z0?si=e03575a90fc64bf9

Nominator: CPU [16/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.13
Revised Score: 54.13
FInal Score: 54.13 [Upgraded to 55.14] [Upgraded to 59.035]

(First Reaction: Not a bad song, but there are others on that album that do far more for me lyrically & musically, leaving this to just kinda get lost in the shuffle. It's nice enough to listen to that I don't mind it being here, but it's not something I'd go back to the album for.)

I feel like this is the most "average" song on the album, in that there's a fair number of songs on it that I like more and a fair number I like less. I'm not positive, but at a quick glance, I think this song actually is in the middle with four better & four worse songs around it. That's an interesting detail, if it's indeed true. Unfortunately, I'm not finding much interesting to say about the song itself... I like it somewhat, but my reaction is rather subdued because it's harder to comment on a song that's perfectly in the middle enjoyment wise.

[Final Thoughts: Feels a bit like filler. He has better songs and worse songs, with this being fine but fairly unremarkable.]

[Later: Actually, with the deep tone of the backing music, I'm kinda digging this right now.]

[And Also Later: Part of a block of 5 songs that are being moved up to the 59 point level because I do not want to eliminate them.]

[Sidenote: I'm only seeing four songs with that exact "block of 5" note, so either one has vanished or (hopefully) I just didn't tag the fifth song.. Either way, of the four songs that DID have the tag,, two have been moved up--we'll see them later on.]

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

-sleep-

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

#520: Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi (3:30):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMV850rhcQM&list=OLAK5uy_mDCT4_Ky0CAnSs7AexWupMqE4qQRsnc7s&index=1

Nominator: sergio [5/13 Remaining]

Initial Score: 35.62
Revised Score: 54.03
Final Score: 57.19 [Upgraded to 59.036]

(First Reaction: The instruments are quite pleasing (low tones, yes, easy points there), but repeating the title over and over as the only lyric triggers my typical "grr, me hate repetition" reaction.)

I do still wish this had less of the chanting; have a few "Koyaanisqatsi" early in the track & then bring them back in at the end of the song. It'd give a lot more focus on the instruments & feelings of impending doom. Relying on the non-stop repetition can make the song a bit of a chore to listen to at times, though as usual, I'm more tolerant towards the song on repeat listens where I'm prepared for what it's going to do.

This song really does do a lot of things I love: Lower tones are one of the things I'm super into these days and this song has them in spades; I like songs that try to embody a specifc emotion and you can really feel the dread coming from this song, which is pretty neat; I'd even say I like the chanting itself, it's very deep and ominous itself in a way that would perfectly compliment the song if it were just a bit less frequent. Other than that, I do wish the song had a stronger ending to it--this is one of those tracks that just stops rather suddenly... honestly, I think a generic "song slowly fades out" ending would work best here, to create the sense that the feelings of dread will carry on forever in the background. I know, I know, it's hypocritical of me to complain about songs fading out & complain when one doesn't, but I swear this is one of the times that would've actually worked! Ah well, like I said, the song does do a lot of things that I enjoy, so I'm probably just being overly harsh as usual.

[Final Thoughts: Well I'd say I kinda like this song. I like the dread, I like the instruments, I like the power and gravity of the chanting. A slight reduction in the number of chants & a less abrupt ending would go a long way towards moving the song up a tier, but I generally enjoy this as it is.]

[Later: I like this tense, ominous ambiance. Going to move this up a couple points.]

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

-special effects-

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

#519: Tech 9ine, Eminem, Krizz Kaliko - Speedom (Wwc2) (4:55):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdklBYKY6Rc

Nominator: rwlh [13/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.77
Revised Score: 55.142
Final Score: 55.142 [Upgraded to 59.04]

(First Reaction: All three of them are impressively talented and I kinda want to hear more of Tech 9ine (I like his voice), but there aren't any lyrics I have any strong feelings about, leaving it as one of the many "very impressive and technically outstanding, but unlikely to reach the 60 point tier" songs.)

Not relevant, but all the results I'm seeing refer to the artist as "Tech N9ne", but I'll leave the name as submitted.

I do like this song, but not as much as I probably should. Everyone here is fantastic; 9's got a great voice, I should probably listen to an Eminem album at some point as i always seem to welcome the songs of his that get posted (and he's especially on point here, allegedly rapping at 13 syllables a second--not that I'm willing to try and count them), and... I don't mind Krizz Kaliko, though I do feel his performance isn't as compelling as the other two. The song's chorus is also especially catchy.

But there still aren't any lyrics that I'm drawn to or very interested in... it's a fantastic track, sure, but I'm left wanting something else from the lyrics. Fine song that does a good job of making me interested in hearing other songs by the artist though.

[Final Thoughts: Three very talented artists in a damn impressive song, but it's missing a lyric or hook that I get obsessed with to carry it onto the next tier. Still pretty great though, even if I can't connect strongly with it.]

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

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

https://elmusik.bandcamp.com/album/noise-of-crimea-1

Nice

Oh I didn't know Tech N9ne did a second Worldwide Choppers, the first one is really fun! (and has way more features) lol at it being submitted as Tech 9ine

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

!I'm curious why "this" version of Dupree's Paradise, as it seems to have a variety of performances of assorted lengths--all the way down to 8 minutes or all the way up to 24. And that's just from the first page of Google results.

because this is my favorite version (at least out of the officially released versions - google will also give you bootleg versions and stuff like that)! well, i also love the zappa/erie version but that one wasn't released yet when i nominated songs for this topic. the 8 minute version is a classical music version without any improvisation. interesting take on the song but i don't care too much for it.

anyway, this is another song i didn't expect to do too well because of its length, so i'm glad you somewhat liked it!

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

well, i also love the zappa/erie version

by which i mean the first of the two versions on that album.

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

by which i mean the first of the two versions on that album.

Do you have a link on hand? I'll probably try to listen to that after the ranking, for comparison's sake if nothing else.

-

Four quick drops this morning:

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

#518: Every Time I Die - The Whip (2:30):
https://open.spotify.com/track/25cyFjNtKNRdp3Gn22JPvW?si=893f850110ee4e85

Nominator: Bane [22/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.06
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 59.049

(First Reaction: I've tried three different ways of starting this writeup and have deleted them all, so let's just pass and come back to this on another day.)

Uhhh... I officially pass on this for the time being, much as my previous self did.

[Final Thoughts: Yeah, I don't think there's going to be a writeup for this, but I think I liked it.]

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

-no time for references-

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

#517: Little Shop of Horrors (Original UK Cast) - Little Shop Prologue (2:08):
https://open.spotify.com/track/6fdQMflFp3LnXqVe8XOjvQ?si=618a30da4d6b4a00

Nominator: @Raka_Putra [26/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.50
Revised Score: 57.28
Final Score: 57.28 [Upgraded to 59.05]

(First Reaction: I don't mind revisiting old nominations, but this feels like an odd one to go back to since I expressed an interest in hearing something from later in the show since nothing really gets to happen in the prologue. I know this is a new cast performing it, but since I didn't have anything negative to say about the other cast, I'm not sure how a new cast really changes things.

(On a semi-related note, I'm wondering why I know the Dentist song so well. I distinctly remember saying I liked it for being a villain song, but that "evil dentist" wasn't my favorite gimmick and that's never been officially ranked anywhere... ah well.)

Either way, my thoughts on the song haven't changed much since 2019.

[It's fun and a decent introduction, but by necessity, it ends before anything actually happens. It does make me interested in hearing a song from later in the show, which is all a prologue needs to accomplish, but I don't know that it works well entirely on its own like this.]

That's basically it. The sixties inspired music quickly tells you when the show is set and the tone of the lyrics immediately sets the genre at "comedy horror", but nothing actually happens during the song itself. I know you can't kill anyone or do anything during a prologue, but it keeps the song from standing on its own merits.

Sorry about that, but the song still leaves me wishing something would actually happen during it, instead of just establishing that things will happen at a later date, in a different song.)

Well, this song is starting to win me over by becoming so familiar. The spoken word intro is neat, I have nostalgia for 50's-style doo-wop music, and I've now heard it so many times that it's starting to become nostalgic itself. This (or rather the Broadway version of this) is from way back at the second ranking topic, during that period where I was in pony-mode for several months straight... that was an interesting time..

Anywho, I think this song is kinda neat now. I still wish something happened narratively or we went with a different song from the show, but it's a two-minute blast of nostalgia and there's something charming about that.

[FInal Thoughts: Yeah, I kinda like this now.]

[Later: This track is now hitting on multiple levels of nostalgia--my memories of the songs this in the style of & my memories of the first version of this track you nominated are combining in a way that further distorts my perception of time. It's... interesting and I do kinda like it, but I'm having a hard time saying that I really want to move it up any further. ....Ehhh... alright, let's try somewhere in the 59s.]

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

-or inside jokes-

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

#516: The Gourishankar - In the Hope [2:21]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6By6P-DMDWs

Nominator: @TunnelScene [15/27 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.06
Revised Score: 59.06
Final Score: 59.06

(First Reaction: *this space left blank*)

!This track feels like it's only about half the length it should be; like something really amazing *should* happen, but then the song just kinda stops before it actually get to that point. Would like to hear more from this [person/group], whichever is an appropriate term for them].

[Final Thoughts: I like this, but it still feels like it's merely the lead-in to a much longer and more intense track. Like the song ends before it even reaches its halfway point.]

[Later: I do honestly like what's here, I just really want more of it and can't shake the feeling that this needs to transition into another song. Actually, let's go ahead and see how this sounds when it does transition to the next song, "Wind of night":

https://gourishankar.bandcamp.com/album/close-grip-remaster

Well, it's not a bad song, but it doesn't quite work out like I hoped. There isn't a very smooth transition (which is to say these are very much "two separate songs" and not "one song that was split in half" as I would have liked) and the addition of very prominent vocals make "Wind of night" feel less progressive & more like a traditional rock song. Which isn't a bad thing, don't get me wrong, I also kinda like this song! it's just not the direction I had hoped the album was going & doesn't particularly enhance my enjoyment of the nominated song at all...]

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

-

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

#515: Made in Heights - Death (4:29)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f99LASHuqYw

Nominator: ZaziGuado [23/28 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.39
Revised Score: 57.399
Final Score: 59.08

(First Reaction: Great sound & vocals, but missing something to put it over the edge & into the next tier.)

!This should be something that I love because the choir-like vocalizations, dreamy backing track (when the drums aren't as pronounced, at least), and distant vocals are all absolutely incredible. It's just one of those songs that's great and does everything right, but fails to escape the mid-50's deathzone for unknown reasons.

[Final Thoughts: I wish I felt more strongly about any of this so that I had something to say here, but it's still just... generally great in a way that somehow doesn't get 60 points.]

[Later: An objectively great song that I just never click with strongly enough to move up a tier, even though I'm aware of the reasons to do so.]

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

The Whip is a real interesting one to me with the lyrics, especially towards the end. "Fear is a fetish and I am a masochist. I'm not ashamed of my shame, now that I gave it a name." Can't say there are too many other songs with the subject manner which is neat.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

Do you have a link on hand? I'll probably try to listen to that after the ranking, for comparison's sake if nothing else.

sure!

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

it has a very long zappa guitar solo (possibly the longest one i've ever heard). since you liked his guitar playing in the other version, i hope you'll enjoy this!

Bane_Of_Despair posted...

The Whip is a real interesting one to me with the lyrics, especially towards the end. "Fear is a fetish and I am a masochist. I'm not ashamed of my shame, now that I gave it a name." Can't say there are too many other songs with the subject matter which is neat.

It is interesting, I just... haven't exactly found a way to approach a writeup that I'm happy with. Even now, I'm not really getting anywhere, no matter what angle I try to approach from.

Which is a different reaction, though not exactly a thrilling one from anyone else's perspective...

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

it has a very long zappa guitar solo (possibly the longest one i've ever heard). since you liked his guitar playing in the other version, i hope you'll enjoy this!

Thank you! Added it to the list of extra songs, so I should get to it after this finishes.

-

Four more for now, including another double drop for someone:

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

#514: Burial - Archangel (3:58):
https://youtu.be/8k_f2QK77ew

Nominator: Kateee [19/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.99
Revised Score: 55.09
Final Score: 59.09

(First Reaction: If only I'd found this song a few years ago... I was obsessed with vocal distortions and I think the harshness of the instruments & distorted vocals would have made this a big hit then. I'm not as into those things now, but I do kinda get it; the music is slightly oppressive (though not to the overwhelming level like some Minotaur Shock songs) and it's a distinct enough experience that I'm not as bothered by the repeating lyrics, but my reaction is more "that was kinda neat!" than a rave review. Still, neat.)

Definitely neat. I don't think this style of electronic music is one of my favorite genres and I'd personally like something with a bit more lyrical variety to it, but the track is fairly unique in a rather engaging way that I generally enjoy the experience anyway.

[Final Thoughts: While the sampled lyrics are repetitive, the way they are chopped & skewed & pitch-shifted leaves them pleasingly ambiguous and corrupted. Definitely a unique experience that I kinda like, particularly the repeated refrain of "tell me I belong" (or at least that's what I'm presuming that line is).]

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

-If you leave tonight, keep running-

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

#513: Peter Gabriel - San Jacinto (6:41):
https://youtu.be/uOqaWkJ6iNU

Nominator: Metalmind [20/25 Remaining]

Initial Score: 72.00
Revised Score: 64.06
Final Score: 59.096

(First Reaction: [REDACTED]

...Whatever, it's a good song, let's just leave it at that.)

!]REDACTED]

So yeah, let's just stick with "good song" and move on.

[Final Thoughts: I'm grossly unqualified to speak on the topic of cultural appropriation and there's really no way to touch on the song without jumping headfirst into that topic. I've tried approaching it a few different ways and I'm really not happy with how any of them came out. Let's just say I like the spiritual journey of the song and it's performed well.]

[Later: It's time for aonther standard disclaimer that I do not have anything against serious subject matter, they're just not often subjects I'm qualified to speak of and I treat the topics with enough respect that I try to keep my nonsense in check. I'm not a Native American and I do not have any business, at all, getting into the conversation of the way their culture has been treated. It's an important conversation, but not one I should be involved in.

Musically, I like the idea in the song. Spiritual journeys are nice and I tend to enjoy what I've heard from Peter Gabriel. I think the synth used on this track is a bit too high-pitched and artificial--it's not that I don't like the instrument, but I don't feel it has enough gravitas to fully suit the story. I'd like to briefly point out the version of the song from 2011's New Blood album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJgJ7jph9Z4

The orchestra,, along with his aged voice, I feel add a greater weight to the song that more properly accentuates the song's themes. Though, while I am being fairly cavalier with switching links when I feel it improves my enjoyment, I think this is way too different of a song for me to justify going with this completely different remake. I'm just showing it as a contrast in musical styles between the versions.

Either way... while I did initially really like this song (Synths! Peter Gabriel!), it's dropped off lately & gone down a tier with each successive listen. With apologies, while I'll always likely always kinda like the song, it's not quite working for me as of late.]

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

-and you need never look back again-

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

#512: Muppet Treasure Island - Shiver My Timbers [2:24]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WWdOjxoQro

Nominator: paulg [28/52 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.02
Revised Score: 59.10
Final Score: 59.10

(First Reaction: It's not the best song, but it's got the type of hook that will drill itself into your brain & it's impressive that the song openly references alcohol, murder, and the devil... There is absolutely no way Disney would ever allow the Muppets to perform a song like this ever again (any hope of the Muppets being allowed to do anything died when Disney gave in to complaints about the sitcom), which makes the song a bit of an interesting curiosity.)

!By pure coincidence, this is the last song to get a second listen. I started at the bottom of the rankings and climbed up... until I got bored & switched to the top of the list and started working my way down. This happens to be the song that was ranked exactly one place above where I got incredibly bored & stopped ranking 50 point songs.

Not much to add about the song. As a sailing tune, it's got a heavy and monotonous quality to it that's not the best... but it is memorable and it's fun to remember when the Muppets could actually sing things like this.

[Final Thoughts: I don't think I want to move this up to the next tier, but it is an oddly enjoyable look back at what the Muppets were able to say and do in the past.]

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

-...did we really just jump from "a serious look at the cultural appropriation of Native American culture tp tjhe Muppets?-

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

#511: clipping. - Body & Blood (4:29):
https://youtu.be/3ZAPtFRpuu8

Nominator: Kateee [18/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.13
Revised Score: 58.96
Final Score: 59.13

(First Reaction: Well, I think you're the first nominator to make me admit that I'm squicked out by cannibalism. So. That's a conversation I guess we're having now? Cool. Cool cool cool.

So, this song is the answer to "What if B.T. Dutch was a rap song about a serial killing cannibal?" which is not a question I think anyone ever asked or really wanted an answer to, but I do enjoy the dark ambiance and villainous songs in general. I'm not as creeped out by this as I probably should be, which is kinda interesting.)

!Not exactly what I'm looking for right now... kinda wish I'd thought about listening to this track when I was in that phase where everything I was voluntarily listening to was all angry & violent nonstop for a few weeks... might have gotten a really high score when I was in that mood.

[Final Thoughts; Well, it's definitely a unique song. I'm not into horror, but this is interesting and far more enjoyable than I'd expect given the subject matter & the heavy, industrial feel to the music. It's also impressive how different this song is compared to the other clipping. song that was nominated.]

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

Wow, Archangel and Body & Blood. I really like both of those songs! @kateee has good taste.

Four more songs to get to 12 for the day, as I'm in a good space to fit in a pair of extra songs and we're still so far away from the next tier.

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

#510: Rob Hubbard - In-Game Theme (from Delta) (11:39)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOpIbm_XX-k

Nominator: rwlh [12/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.11
Revised Score: 56.61
Final Score: 53.82 [Upgraded to 54.087] [Upgraded to 54.72] [Upgraded to 55.00] [Upgraded to 55.00000002] [Upgraded to 59.14]

(First Reaction: It's an impressive technical feat and manages to change itself to stay fresh through the entire runtime.)

!There are quite a few of those deep bwoom-ing notes that I tend to love, an astounding amount of variety over the song's length given the limitations of the technology, and it's neat that you can hear so much of the Koyaanisqatsi inspiration in the music... sadly, there are a lot of Koyannisqatsi songs that I'm not really into, so converting them into retro computer music doesn't exactly result in something that I love. I still like the sound and the concept, and it's kinda mindblowing that Rob Hubbard could do this at all back in the day.

[Final Thoughts: It's definitely an interesting experience hearing an abridged version of the Koyannisqatsi soundtrack in a chipetune, and some of them really impress--the part starting at 9:06 is a definite highlight. It's vaguely sinister and kinda forboding, somehow feeling to me like a jungle warfare scenario. Like the earlier sections felt "helicopter"-y, with their mechanical ascension feeling, this section feels like the copter has crashed and you must proceed further into enemy territory on foot. It's really cool!

Unfortunately, most of the rest of the song doesn't work as strongly for me. The aforementioned helicopter ascension section is a bit higher-pitched than I'd like and goes on for a while. Ultimately, I do still feel mostly positive to the song, but I'm moving it down a bit because I feel like I'm more invested in everything else at the 55+ point tier.]

[Later: Just reogranizing a few songs.]

[Later-later: A bit more substantial of an increase this time.]

[LATER Later later: Some parts of this do drag, but a fair number of its segments are better than the Wall... going to move this up to the "slightly better than Wall" territory.]

[later, l.a.t.e.r...: Well, this was actually really neat tonight. I kinda didn't want the song to end. Going to move this up to 59 points & see how it feels up there.]

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

-I feel g o o d-

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

#509: HANABIE. - Our 7days War (3:19):
https://open.spotify.com/track/5Ev5n3A6vIsdI1kOzQtKbx?si=a4bc5cd268434538

Nominator: Murphiroth [17*/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.00
Revised Score: 56.11
FInal Score: 59.15

(First Reaction: An improvement over the other songs from the album thus far since a fair amount of the song is more Anime J-Pop which appeals to me more than the heavier metal from the other tracks. Not that the song doesn't have metal parts as well, it's just much tamer than I'd come to expect from the album.)

Unable to find lyrics to this (as usual for the album), but the interview with the band confirms it's about menstruation and that it is a slower song than usual for the band, so I can say that knowing the lyrics wouldn't likely help much (if at all) & it's not just my imagination about this song being dialed back a bit. It's still not one of my favorite tracks, but I like the clean vocals and the fact that it's a more approachable type of metal (except for a bit around 1:50 that still goes too hard for me)... worth a few more points than the original score at least.

[Final Thoughts: I actually like this song until we hit that actually hardcore section... well, let's say it's closer to the 60 point tier than the Revised Score indicated, even with that brief detour. Let's try moving this up to the 59 point range.]

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

-you are now picturing Giygas singing covers of James Brown songs-

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

#508: Norio Hanzawa - Mad Machine [4:12]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rt0QQsN2Qo

Nominator: @TunnelScene [14/27 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.01
Revised Score: 54.01
Final Score: 54.01 [Upgraded to 54.11] [Upgraded to 55.00] [Upgraded to 55.16] [Upgraded to 57.903] [Upgraded to 59.226[

(First Reaction: It's like a robot that dreams of working in a club decided to test a beta version of his one man laser & music show for me. It's nice and I should be happy that he values my opinion, but I think he'd be better off demonstrating it for someone that might actually go to a rave at some point in their life or could offer constructive criticism.)

Tried listening to this a few more times, but I'm still not geting anything other than "robot rave" from listening to it. It's nice and better than all the instrumentals that didn't inspire any specific reaction, but it still feels "middle of the road 50's" scorewise to me.

[Final Thoughts: It's a flashy and interesting rave that's right on the edge of reaching that 55 point status, but it's not quite there I'm afraid.]

[Later: Minor bonus to re-order the list.]

[Later: Oddly, i've had this stuck in my head a lot tonight lately--wouldn't have thought this would be an especially catchy song, but it is and I'm going to move it above the wall.]

[Late R: Let's try the 57 point zone for this song.]

[Latte: Let's try 59 points, see how it feels up there.]

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

-Select Ally Unit-

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

#507: Cyndi Lauper - All Through the Night (4:36):
https://youtu.be/ZONKoKIQ9RY

Nominator: Metalmind [19/25 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.26
Revised Score: 54.38
Final Score: 59.26

(First Reaction: Not a bad song, but one I've heard hundreds of times on the radio & in the background and never once did I ever think about finding the song to listen to it voluntarily. My reaction when this song started playing was pretty much just "oh yeah, it's this song," and kinda spacing out for its duration. It's not that it isn't good or that I don't like 80s pop music (I love 80s pop music), it's just a bit overplayed and not even half as good as "Time After Time".

...and now I need to take a break from this ranking to go listen to Time After Time because it's now stuck in my head and I won't be able to focus on anything until that plays.)

!I like that the link starts with ZONK. ZONK!

Song is nice enough, but it's definitely something I've heard more than enough times over the years and it was never a track that I was super into even back in the day. So... I like hearing Cyndi Lauper & it's a good attempt at playing on my 80's nostalgia, but this isn't quite the right song for it.

[Final Thoughts: Moving this back up to where it started because I don't really know why it fell so far down the list. Well, only a bit less than five full points, but that's a pretty drastic drop in ranking positions in this part of the list. It's got a good sound, she has a good voice, and the lyrics are close to being great--"we have no past" is a line that plays rather well with me. I just don't think I want to move it up to the 60 point tier because I have no personal attachment to it and I've never felt the need to seek ti out. I mean, I'll always kinda enjoy it and wouldn't turn it off if it came up on the radio, but it's not something I like like.]

[Later: Hey, we just covered the album this was from at Rank the Tracks! Neat; I can now say that this track is only mid-tier even amongst the album it is from. This song is... fine, I kinda like it, but I don't think I've ever more than kinda liked it (as happy as I am that a Cyndi Lauper song was nominated).]

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

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

I'm grossly unqualified to speak on the topic of cultural appropriation and there's really no way to touch on the song without jumping headfirst into that topic. I've tried approaching it a few different ways and I'm really not happy with how any of them came out.

I have to admit that, in what I now realize is a great lapse of judgment on my part, I had never thought about cultural appropriation in the context of San Jacinto until I saw your post. IIRC, I chose that song to nominate out of Peter Gabriel's discography because it was my gateway song from lots of exposure as a kid, and then its lyrics felt like hidden depths when I finally perceived and understood them as an adult. ...But that latter bit probably just makes it sound worse, mea culpa. Sorry for forcing this conversation to come up.

The alternate version you posted is nice, thank you, and I agree that it's better at doing justice to its subject.

Oh no, I didn't mean to make you feel bad about the nomination. Let me be more clear: I like that this topic covers a lot of lyrical ground and that there is a balance between very childish & fun songs (Me Like Snow) and songs that directly bring up the holocaust (Lead Me On). From a personal standpoint, it's good to confront myself with serious topics occasionally & I want a massive ranking like this to cover as much of the musical spectrum as possible. If I did not want to be challenged, I could just do a "cartoon music only" topic or "commercial jingles only" one or something. The point of allowing everything is to allow everything.

I'm just saying that it's not a subject I can do justice to. If you want a serious conversation about the impact seeing Native Americans reduced to vapid caricatures to shill steakhouses has had on people, I would very much implore you to look for a better source than me. Not because I don't want to understand their pain, not because I don't want to listen to the song, but because I am not educated enough to discuss the historical treatment of native tribes -nor- am I part of any of their communities to offer a personal perspective.

That being said, I did kinda like the song. And there are some very heavy songs that are getting good scores.

Aaanywho, I'm glad you enjoyed the more modern remake of the song! I thought it was a neat contrast in styles. I'm sorry my poor communication led to you feeling like you needed to apologize.

-

One song for now.

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

#506: Lacrimosa - Am Ende der Stille (8:08):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIz4E11pvpE

Nominator: Ark [14/17 Remaining]

Initial Score: 55.41
Revised Score: 57.39
Final Score: 59.28

(First Reaction:The gothic classical style is a bit intriguing, but I find the lyrics a bit lacking; I like the lyrics themselves, I like that they're in German, and I like the timbre of his voice but the singer himself doesn't really feature very prominently on this track. And the rest of the song is nice, but as far as classical style songs go, it doesn't really stand out beyond "oh hey, this is kinda nice". It feels like a song that should I enjoy more than i do as I like all the components and the idea, but something's missing.)

!I still enjoy every component of this song, but for whatever reason I still don't quite see it as a 60 point song. Fairly close to it though. Wish it had more of his vocals because I find his deep voice pleasing.

[Final Thoughts: Original link was privatized and replaced with this new upload for whatever reason, so the link has been updated. This is a neat Mozart-inspired modern classic song which is strangely enjoyable, but it's primarily an instrumental track and the powerful voice that I'm here for only features in the opening moments of the song. So while I kinda like this and it's right at the edge of reaching the 60 point tier, personally, I wish there was more of him & this track leaves me slightly unfulfilled.]

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

Five to reach top 500:

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

#505: Chimeratio II - Bonus Stage 2 (2:17):
https://youtu.be/0wKNKe4Dd5k

Nominator: NFUN: [21/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.17
Revised Score: 57.17
Final Score: 59.37

(First Reaction: It's fine? I don't have much reaction to it, but it's half a step above the last song I said this about, so that's also on the positive half of the scoring system.)

Song is kinda trippy in a way I like. I don't quite want to move it up to the 60 point level, but I'll say it's at least six full points better than the first reaction. I can't quite place any one feeling or image to the song. It's got "falling through a weird dimension like Sonic 1's special stages" vibes, but also "ancient ruins" vibes, and "tape rewinding sound effects" which makes it a wibbly-wobbly mixture of different flavors that somehow neither blend nor clash. It is it's own thing and rather definitively above the "I have no reaction to this" void of the low-50's.

[Final Thoughts: A highly enjoyable blend of various special stage concepts.]

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

-

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

#504: Astronoid - Up and Atom (6.17):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLZ0SHY3Ya8

Nominator: Xtlm [9/13 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 57.83
Final Score: 59.38

(First Reaction: I think it's the vocalists far-off & slightly dreamy vocals that really sell the song. For all the intense drumming and metal rocking out the song is doing, the singer actively keeps his distance from it and avoids falling into the "trying too hard to be epic and loud" trap. The contrast results in a song that I rather like and will be adding to the Clump.)

! *before listening again* Surprised I somehow withstood the temptation to make Radioactive Man references the first time around.

*after* The effects applied to the vocals are intriguing and I generally like this, but the drumming's a bit more "metal" than I'd personally enjoy.

[Final Thoughts: Please tell me someone released a song called "Up and Let's Go". *Googles*

Roadkiller - Up and Let's Go:
https://open.spotify.com/track/24RWR1jU8MDpx1z0jOEh0y?si=0204b67831e64441

YES! i am so unreasonably pleased that there is a much lamer song with that title. I'm not going to post any Bart Simpson memes here (there are more than enough Simpson memes coming in the future), but the fact that I could post the entire Radiation Dude critique to insult a completely unrelated song for no valid reason has quite literally made my night.

Aaaanywho...., I still really dig the vocals on the nominated track.]

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

-

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

#503: Joji - 777 (3:01):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLetFEpgPgY

Nominator: Dragon66116 [10/12 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.14
Revised Score: 59.39
Final Score: 57.204 [Upgraded to 59.39]

(First Reaction: It's not relevant, but triple sevens always remind me of being very young and at a 7/11. Our total came out to 7.77 and the cashier, some young man in his early twenties (if not even younger), started rambling about the divinity of the number and how we were blessed by God because 666 is Satan's number which makes 777 Jesus' number and blah-blah-blah-blah. He was a weird, crazy person, but the experience stuck with me because damn that was a weird thing to start rambling about, dude.

I'm kinda sad that there are other people who believe that and are somehow crazier than that dude:

The Christ said: "I am the resurrection". In Greek, resurrection is written "h anastasiV", numbering 777 = 8+1+50+1+200+300+1+200+10+6.

Fun fact, I now hate the concept of math.

[a decidedly less fun and even more unrelated flashback has been redacted.]

So, this song that has absolutely nothing to do with ANY of those flashbacks. It's got a "synthetic chill" feeling to it, which is kinda neat. I'm not really vibing with the lyrics, but the sound is intriguing enough that I'd be interested in hearing another song of his.)

!I like the backing music and I enjoy his voice well enough, but I still don't have much interest in the lyrics; pretty good standard for a song in the high 50's.

[Final Thoughts: I'm not quite as attached to this song this time, though the backing music track remains golden.]

[Later: Moving this song back up where it was.]

[Later: I do quite enjoy his voice here. It's the standout feature of the track.]

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

-

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

#502: jangler - sitting room 2 [1:54]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srLWsvppZkI

Nominator: @TunnelScene [13/27 Remaining]

Initial Score: 55.67
Revised Score: 56.119
Final Score: 59.3922

(First Reaction: It's like a lighter and softer version of a Frums track.)

!I'm sure it's funny to call a song with this much static & alien noise "lighter and softer", but considering some of the harsher Frums songs I've heard, I think I might actually be able to stand by that. It's a nice song, but I still prefer some of bunbleman's songs in terms of high chaos things that normal people are unlikely to appreciate. Thankful for the attempt at nominating a song like this.

[Final Thoughts: I do love static and this type of thing would have been an easy 100 point song back in the day, but I feel like this is right on the edge of the 60 point tier tonight. It's the right idea and giving me things that few, if any, other songs are this topic but I think I prefer everything on the higher tiers just a bit more.]

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

-

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

#501: Every Time I Die - Thing With Feathers (3:38):
https://open.spotify.com/track/4me59RjZINq8IDzrLrHaDE?si=01fbccf16c244f5f

Nominator: Bane [21/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.13
Revised Score: 59.40
Final Score: 59.40

(First Reaction: A massive departure from everything else on the album thus far, as Keith Buckley drops all of his anger & gives a moving tribute to his recently departed sister. This may be the tamest song I've ever heard him before, abandoning the usual genres in favor of trying to create something beautiful. While it's not my favorite song from the album, I am glad to see him attempt something different and I'm grateful for the chance to hear it.)

!An unexpected track from the band, but a good one.

[Final Thoughts: Definitely a different side of Keith and a very welcome addition to the album.]

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

----------------------

REMAINING SONG COUNT

Bane: 21/38 Remaining
BlackDra90n: 18/30 Remaining
cakophon: 11/20 Remaining
CJones: 14/18 Remaining
CPU: 16/30 Remaining
DoctorJimmy: 14/24 Remaining
Dragon66116: 10/12 Remaining
handsomeboy: 25/31 Remaining
Haste: 12/31 Remaining
hotdogturtle: 10/14 Remaining
Jesse_Custer: 23/29 Remaining
kateee: 18/21 Remaining
Kopazzynth: 11/21 Remaining
Lasa: 6/14 Remaining
Mega Mana: 24/38 Remaining
Metalmind: 19/25 Remaining
Murphiroth: 18*/32 Remaining
NBIceman: 17/22 Remaining
NFUN: 21/31 Remaining
paulg: 28/52 Remaining
Player_0: 18/33 Remaining
Raka: 26/31 Remaining
rwlh: 12/24 Remaining
sergio: 5/13 Remaining
Shonen_Bat: 1/2 Remaining
Snake: 24/32 Remaining
TheArkOfTurus: 14/17 Remaining
TunnelScene: 13/27 Remaining
UF8: 19/30 Remaining
Xtlm: 9/13 Remaining
ZaziGuado: 23/28 Remaining

*Reality TV continues to be un-eliminated. There are a few other songs I need to go back and revisit, but I'll likely wait until we're past the Neo Clump of 60 point songs before changing any scores.

----------------------

And that's... 499. Well that's not right.

*double checks*

Ah, Murphiroth should be at 18*; minor hiccup since I got everything prepared to eliminate Reality TV as planned, then moved it up at the last moment and apparently didn't fix the numbering on all the records. Thankfully that was the most likely thing to have gone wrong, so it wasn't hard to find and fix.

Some more songs later this afternoon. Just wanted to hit the new milestone and check all the numbers before any errors had a chance to snowball.

I'm procrastinating on work so here's a ranking of nominators by what percentage they have still to be ranked.

kateee: 85.71%
Raka: 83.88%
Dragon66116: 83.33%
ArkOfTurus: 82.35%
ZaziGuado: 82.14%
handsomeboy: 80.65%
Jesse_Custer: 79.31%
CJones: 77.77%
NBIceman: 77.27%
Metalmind: 76%
Snake: 75%
hotdogturtle: 71.43%
Xtlm: 69.23%
NFUN: 67.74%
UF8: 63.33%
Mega Mana: 63.16%
BlackDra90n: 60%
DoctorJimmy: 58.33%
Murphiroth: 56.25%
Bane: 55.26%
cakophon: 55%
Player_0: 54.55%
paulg: 53.85
CPU: 53.33%
Kopazzynth: 52.38%
rwlh: 50%
Shonen_Bat: 50%
TunnelScene: 48.15%
Lasa: 42.86%
Haste: 38.71%
sergio: 38.46%

Interesting I'm neck and neck with CJones there since we seem to have similar tastes.

Woo top 500.

Wow I thought Thing with Feathers would land higher! Definitely the "chillest" song on the album, although lyrical still far from chill. Bringing in Andy Hull from Manchester Orchestra is cool too. Really love the ending with the "standing ovation" trail off.

Those are some interesting statistics! Somehow I never even thought about looking at the remaining songs from that perspective...

Four more songs for the day:

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

#500: Sarah Barrios - Thank God You Introduced Me to Your Sister (2:45):
https://youtu.be/RVck-gwJ7IU

Nominator: Snake [23/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 62.27
Revised Score: 62.66
Final Score: 59.4043

(First Reaction: A nice song, but the chorus repeats too much at the end--especially considering how short the song is. Still, it's a good song and that doesn't really lower the score much.)

!...Yeah, that kinda summed it up well enough.

[Final Thoughts: Kinda cute bop.]

[Later: It's a fairly cute relationship and I kinda like it, but I'm not finding anything I'm especially drawn towards... it's very nice and I do kinda like it, but it's at that same "just before the Neo Clump" level that so many songs are falling into.]

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

-Bwah?!-

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

#499: Keisuke Ito - Fortune Ravine (3:01):
https://youtu.be/3DdXpvykQjw

Nominator: Haste [11/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 58.24
Revised Score: 58.55
Final Score: 59.4048

(First Reaction: This song's got a pretty good beat to it, I actually like this one a fair amount. I don't think it's quite at the next tier, but it's pretty close to it.)

!Not much to add, but the song's getting a fraction of a point to move it ahead of a few songs.

[Final Thoughts: it's good adventuring music. Very... mountain climb-y.]

[Later: I do like instrumental music that creates an experience of some sort and this is close to being a true adventurous experience, but I never get a clear enough sensation of anything... it's kinda like climbing a mountain, but not so intensely that I want to move it up a bunch of placements. I do kinda like it, it's just not quite there.]

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

-Kweh?!-

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

#498: DEMONDICE - Dice of a Generation (4:17):
https://open.spotify.com/track/6AzEEkZUqkx5J2KDURDgEE?si=d1fb3354c64b4775

Nominator: Murphiroth [17*/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 68.29
Final Score: 59.4226

(First Reaction: A great choice of movie to sample for the intro (to a point that I'm almost tempted to watch it, even though it's not exactly my type of film) and a rather bleak commentary on society combine to make one of the most serious songs I've heard from her. The second verse, in particular, hits rather hard... I'm going to add this song to the ever-growing Clump of 60 point songs.)

!Not much to add, other than this being more of a "high 60's" type of song than exactly 60 points.

[Final Thoughts: Another song where I really liked it earlier, but I'm not connecting with it this time. The heaviness of the lyrics usually goes over incredibly well, but tonight it's... still something I kinda like, but way less than I usually do.]

[:ater: I don't know. This song started off with a high score, but I've only kinda liked it Existential dread, mental dystopias, suicide... there's a lot here that should appeal to me as dark depressive misery has been getting fairly high marks from me this year, but I'm just not really clicking with this song at of late.]

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

-Question mark?!-

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

#497: Wieteke van Dort - Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng (3:43):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB-mVj54PQg

Nominator: @Raka_Putra [25/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.20
Revised Score: 56.11 (increased to 57.00)
Final Score: 57.00 [Upgraded to 59.444]

(First Reaction: Thank you for updating the link on the sheet!

As usual, I'm not really into songs about food, but it's cute and enjoyable enough.)

Alright, it's definitely not fair to dismiss this as being a "food" song. There's a lot of history here, both personally for her (a longing for things from the place she was born and raised) and in terms of the historic events that led to such drastic changes in her life ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_New_Guinea_dispute ). I was vaguely aware of the song's context during the First Reaction, but I was in a rush to assign as many scores as possible & didn't put forth the effort to even vaguely reference anything about the song.

So, this is definitely better than the average "song about food". It's... ya know, important, both personally & culturally, and actually quite catchy. But even with all the positives and all the context, I kinda... sorta... still have personal hangups about a song that spends so much of its time giving a list of food. Which is a really, really weird thing to get stuck on, but here we are. Still, it's definitely one of the best examples of this type of song, and I actively feel bad about giving it a score this low.

{Later, though before the "Final Score" phase: ..Ehhh, let's round that up to 57 points.}

[Final Thoughts: An emotional and relevant song about food with a traditional, old-fashioned sensibility that is timeless for a reason. But... still not quite enough to escape the "kinda like" tier.]

[Later: Moving this up a bit. It is quite memorable and catchy, in a rather unique song that's not like anything else on the list. I want to delay this elimination a bit.]

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

I was addicted to that song like crazy! So catchy!

You know, considering you mentioning trying more German music was the main reason I picked a Lacrimosa song, I probably should have picked something with, you know, a bit more German in it. Not sure which I would have gone with, though. Maybe Alleine Zu Zweit? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Jh6upswd0)?

On Karma:
I haven't actually finished ToA lol. It's hard for me to get into Tales series because I don't really enjoy its combat system. But yeah the song's not bad for an anime opening style song indeed. I knew it through a friend who really loved singing it at karaokes and stuff.

On Geef Mij Maar Nasi Goreng: Yeah, I like that it's both catchy but also has a deeper meaning! And for me personally it's just cool hearing these Indonesian foods in a song lol, so there's that bias.

Added Alleine Zu Zweit to the list of post ranking songs to listen to. Which seems like a decent time to post the current version of said list:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ZA'LIST 2023 EDITION:

UF8: "there actually is another song i probably 100% would've picked had it been fully out then though that also has a harumaki gohan-esque music video, remind me to bring it up if/when the ranking ends in another year or so lol"

The Great Escape by Seventh Wonder

Try something else by Thomas Dimuzio and 5uu's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw6hANHeIaw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuRZYB9EEZM

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

https://youtu.be/D_Jh6upswd0

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Do let me know if I missed any other songs that were brought up, my record keeping isn't the best. For now three songs:

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

#496: Franchouchou - Mezame Returner (4:17):
https://open.spotify.com/track/1YebDWrDCjnZ9bTk2gQxxR?si=ed1aefad49d44bc7

Nominator: Player_0 [17/33 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 65.8429
Final Score: 59.47721

(First Reaction: I don't know with this song. It changes tempo and style a lot, with some parts of it being great and some parts (particularly the instrumental breaks) being rather unpleasant... I'm going to take a chance by moving it up to the 60 Point Clump for a bit; it feels a bit high for the song, but there might be enough high points to the song where I can justify it.)

!An odder song than expected for the album. It's mostly an overly optimistic & bouncy pop song (in a way that oddly works for me), but some of the interludes are a bit out there for the mainstream JPop feel the song typically leans into. Either way, I do like this quite a bit.

[Final Thoughts: Catchy and fun, but the optimistic lyrics aren't really gelling with me tonight, so this feels a bit below the 60 point mark. Still, it is several pegs above Electric Returner, so that's something nice.]

[Later: I do kinda like this, but I'm not sure why I was so strongly attached to it the second time around.]

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

-very, very late today-

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

#495: This Bike is a Pipe Bomb - Trains and Cops (1:55):
https://youtu.be/S0maccXyWm4

Nominator: Snake [22/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.72
Revised Score: 53.39
Final Score: 53.772 [Upgraded to 53.804] [Upgraded to 54.24] [Upgraded to 56.72] [Upgraded to 57.48] [Upgraded to 59.48]

(First Reaction: Not a bad little song. I'd prefer something more aggressive on the topic of corrupt police officers than an optimistic "I don't care about going to jail", but it's catchy and there's nothing particularly wrong with being optimistic about your ability to survive wherever as long as you've got your music... just not quite what I'm looking for.)

!Short, oddly carefree punk song. Not bad.

[Final Thoughts: A bit too happy and carefree for my blood, but it is a catchy little tune.]

[Later: Catchy enough to jump this up a bit more, at least.]

[Later Still: Nudging this a bit further up.]

[Beyond Later: Eh, why not, just go back up to the original score.]

[Beyond the Beyond: And just another nudge.]

[What Lies Beyond: Ehhh... let's add a couple more points, I suppose.]

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

-late, late-

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

#494: Swamp Dogg - $$$ Huntin' (5:30):
https://open.spotify.com/track/2nwXg9XaSDvLTAnAY8QoD9?si=36f4e8ab96dc478c

Nominator: CPU [15/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 53.12
Final Score: 58.22 [Upgraded to 59.5064]

(First Reaction: Implied prison rape is several steps too far into soul-crushing territory, but it's an interesting track. There's a lot of practically spoken word narration that gives way to an oddly toe-tapping groove for something this serious. As far as serious, mature drama goes... I do actually like this. Going to add it to the massive clump.)

!A heavier track than I'm looking for right now, though there are obviously times where I'm more open to its message & oddly compelling groove.

[Final Thoughts: Those were short writeups, but I think they covered everything well enough. It's oddly catchy and surprisingly real & heavy for something so artificially distorted.]

[Later: Ehhhhhhhh... moving this a bit closer to where it started, at least.]

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

I believe you had said you might want to check out Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball (Diablo Swing Orchestra) after the ranking as well.

Mezame Returner is so dumb and I hate that I love it so much

NBIceman posted...

I believe you had said you might want to check out Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball (Diablo Swing Orchestra) after the ranking as well.

Thank you! Officially added it to the list this time.

Four more songs:

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

#493: Neon Graves - Sanctuary (3;27):
https://youtu.be/2qCSGd3R0bc

Nominator: Snake [21/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 69.13
Revised Score: 67.11
Final Score: 59.51

(First Reaction: Great lyrics, but as usual, the more metal shouty parts of the song are a bit of a turn-off... so for my Initial Score, let's do something weird. I'll give a score for the parts I like and a score for the parts I'm not as into and set the score to the average value. The clean lyric parts would be.... 92.15 , while the louder parts would be around 46.11 ; calculator says the average would be 69.13. Alright, let's roll with that for now.)

!I'm not as into the lyrics this time around, but I still like the song a fair amount--it's good metalcore & I want more metalcore, so yeah, I dig it.

[Final Thoughts:

These days I'm my own worst enemy
...
Self doubt
I've been bringing myself down
...
There's nothing left

The lyrics definitely deliver the blunt suffering I seek, but the aggressively metalcore nature of the verses is a bit of a turnoff... there are definitely days where I'll only listen to metalcore, but this is not currently a metalcore day, I'm afraid.]

[Later: Good lyrics and the clean vocals of the chorus are quite appealing, but I think the verses themselves are a bit much right now... there are definitely times where I'll only play songs of this genre, but I'm not quite in the mood for it right now.]

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

-you don't know how strong my weakness is-

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

#492: Masata Kouda - With Faith and the Way of Justice (5:15):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqS1sLrM1G4

Nominator: NFUN: [20/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.00
Revised Score: 53.6702
Final Score: 56.71 [Upgraded to 59.55]

(First Reaction: I'm sure I'm just too poorly educated to understand what the song is doing, but I don't really get anything from this song personally. I mean, it's nice and all, certainly too nice to be banished to the Exactly 50 Point song area, but it also doesn't leave an impression either.

...on an unrelated note, seeing the Wild ARMs name has caused a town theme from the first game to get stuck in my head and I can't remember enough of the game to know which town to easily track down the song. I should go through the first game's soundtrack someday.)

This feels like "exploring a mysterious tower of some ancient but inexplicably high tech civilization" dungeon music. And apparently this actually is the music for a tower & considering Wild ARMs' love of ancient technology, I'll say it probably was a high-tech tower & this song probably perfectly captures the aesthetic they wanted. That's pretty cool. Though there are some parts of the song that feel a bit incongruous with the overall vibes; like at 1:15, they seem to add "early 90's dance party" feelings to the mysterious tower music. I can practically hear C+C Music Factory demand that EVERYBODY DANCE NOW! as we transition into that section and it's... it's a "thing" alright. I'd personally prefer more mysterious ambiance, but there are certainly worse ways they could have conveyed the idea of 'ancient but high technology'.

Still... very, very much a "thing", this song is.

[Final Thoughts: The random dance break is still a bit off-putting, but I could always use more songs that succeed at conveying a certain environment & "mysterious sci-fi tower exploration" is a pretty cool fantasy concept.]

[Later: Actually, I'm kinda digging that toe-tapping groove part of the song tonight. Have a few extra points.]

[Later: Original link is dead, hopefully the replacement link is decent enough. It sounds the way I remember the song sounding, so I think it's fine.]

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

-or how much it hurts me-

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

#491: Wonder Girls - Why So Lonely (3:38):
https://youtu.be/PYGODWJgR-c

Nominator: Kateee [17/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.56
Revised Score: 59.56
Final Score: 59.56

(First Reaction: Hey, K-Pop is a rather underrated genre in these topics, so that's a nice surprise. I'm not wild about it or finding anything I specifically like, but it's an enjoyable song from a genre I don't get a chance to listen to often, so it was fun.)

!Quite pleasant to listen to.

[Final Thoughts: A pleasing, toe-tapping beat ; a catchy chorus ; an underrepresented genre of music. Quite a few positives to this song. Standard "not really vibing enough for 60 points, but the song is close" message goes here.]

[Later: I do enjoy the mellow groove on this track. ]

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

-no matter how I try to convince myself this time I won't lose control-

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

#490: 808 State - Pacific 202 (5:38):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_bflG_-Q3c

Nominator: rwlh [11/24 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.78
Revised Score: 59.78
Final Score: 59.59

(First Reaction: The intro is especially strong, evoking the feelings of setting off on a jungle adventure... but once the main beat kicks in, it stops being a "fascinating soundscape" and becomes "good song" which is nice and there's some fine sax playing in the back half of the song, but I still kinda miss the more engrossing aspects from the opening.)

!Fantastic opening & good song all-around, though not quite emotionally impactful enough to jump up a tier.

[Final Thoughts: You know how it is. You hike through the jungle to some ancient ruins and wander into a bunch of birds holding a rave. We've all been there.]

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

Okay, right now there are 26 songs remaining between us and the 60 point Neo Clump. I would very much like to bring an end to this phase of the ranking and move on to the next tier, so I'm going to throw things into hyperdrive for a moment: Six more songs today and tomorrow we go through everything left with less than 60 points to end it. If nothing gets moved up, that means it'll be a ridiculous 20 song day (my apologies), but usually at least some songs get upgraded scores and moved up as I'm giving them one last listen before posting their elimination... so we'll wind up seeing how many songs get posted tomorrow afternoon when it happens.

For now, we end things with six songs that shall be divided into two posts. Starting with two of Raka's songs:

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

#489: Epic Rap Battles of History - Bill Gates VS Steve Jobs (2:47):
https://open.spotify.com/track/0pvBjNpFLSfKMeYg0DALBR?si=48e40293a7e44a8e

Nominator: @Raka_Putra [24/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 61.01
Revised Score: 60.00
Fiinal Score: 59.60

(First Reaction: Clever and funny, with an unexpected appearance by HAL to get some extra points for a non-human character & villain singing. Pretty neat.)

!Still neat.

[Final Thoughts: I'll see if I can type something up during the "Later" portion.]

[Later: It's weird how this song has been functionally on three different tiers (the Clump/Neo Clump of exactly 60 point songs is certainly massive enough to be a tier unto itself, even if I wasn't meant to abuse ties in that way) and yet has dropped less than two full points. It's simultaneously a very dramatic drop in placement, and also, one of the most consistent in terms of score.

I don't know that I've heard anything from ERB before this nomination. It's possible I've heard one or two at other ranking topics, but it's definitely not a channel I've frequented. Anyway this is quite a clever song, a lot of puns and references from the incredibly low-brow to surprisingly deep, and there's even an unexpectedly emotional hit with the "the whole world love you, but you were my friend" line towards the end. And HAL steals the show, which is also pretty nifty--like I've said, non-human villains are a pretty easy thing to sell me on.]

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

-Boom-boom, acka-lacka, boom-boom-

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

#488: WandaVision - Making It Up As We Go Along (1:42):
https://open.spotify.com/track/553Nw509Iu0IcU8z17kih3?si=209aa0669e184de7

Nominator: @Raka_Putra [23/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.33
Revised Score: 59.61
Final Score: 59.61

(First Reaction: A sweet and simple song, which manages to perfectly parody the intros of Famile Ties style sitcoms while still being cute & charming. Also, Baby Vision might be the funniest moment in the entire show. (I know this link didn't have the video, but how can you talk aboout this song without referencing Baby Vision? By actually staying on topic and having thoughtful commentary? ...Okay, point taken.))

!Probably not fair to call the song a parody because while the video is a parody, the song itself is quite earnest about being a loving homage to the themes of 80's sitcoms. Either way, it's sweet and fun.

[Final Thoughts: A surprisingly sweet song which perfectly nails the aesthetic it's trying to.]

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

And the last four, featuring someone else losing two songs in one post (with enough of a gap between the first and second elimination that splitting the post like this was the best way of keeping both songs together)

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

#487: Diablo Swing Orchestra - Sightseeing In The Apocalypse [2:18]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyhiCLYxU8g&list=PLbqs-W3v0JokCip1yCvbDS5Diki_yhvvC&index=1

Nominator: CJones [13/18 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 61.03
Final Score: 58.28 [Upgraded to 59.636]

(First Reaction: I like this.)

!I may just leave the writeup at the incredibly vague "I like this" and move along.

[Final Thoughts: Of course the problem with saying nothing is that when you're revisiting the song a year later & not connecting with it, you don't even have a clue what you liked about it in the first place...]

[Later: Take an extra point for reasons as unexplained as everything else about this song's everchanging ranking.]

[Later: Is it too soon to reuse the "song goes up, song goes down" meme? I kinda like this, but it's kinda weird that I never have any memory of this song... it's like a new experience each time & the running gag with no past version of myself talking about it leaves the track as this bizarre enigma. The backing music feels vaguely patriotic, with that marching band type drumming that opens the song, which I'd say isn't exactly my type of thing... but I guess some version of me likes this for some reason that they're keeping to themselves? Whatever.]

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

-Elvis landed in a rock-rock-rocket ship-

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

#486: Linkin Park - With You (3:23):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF4AQzguAR8&list=PLSZnrWBCBT3ng1xEWEkXC91StoZjD8BP3&index=3

Nominator: Mega_Mana [23/38 Remaining[

Initial Score: 79.25
Revised Score: 84.17
Final Score: 59.71

(First Reaction: The second halves of the second verse & the pre-chorus hit really hard.

When things go wrong, I pretend that the past isn't real
Now I'm trapped in this memory

Oof.)

I'll pass on writing anything here for now, though I'll probably say something eventually.

[Final Thoughts: The mentioned lines are still fantastic and I do generally like the band, so I enjoy the musical style & genre here--it's very much a Linkin Park song musically and I'm cool with that. But I'm not connecting with most of the lyrics here & the chorus starts repeating itself too often at the end, where I get mildly annoyed waiting for it to end. I do kinda like the song and I can see why i used to love it, but I'm not quite in the mood for this right now.]

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

-healed a couple of lepers, up and disappeared-

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

#485: Devin Townsend - Genesis [7:27]:
https://youtu.be/1n7uvokARQ4

Nominator: CJones [12/18 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.74
Revised Score: 59.74
Final Score: 59.74

(First Reaction: A strange combination of multiple subgenres of metal, to a point that I'm not entirely sure what I listened to or how to respond to it. I was prepared for the ol' "too much drumming" response, but then there were kittens & a surprise cow and I'm more confused than anything else. But confusion is good, so I probably liked this a fair amount? Probably?)

!I still honestly don't know what to make of this, but it's odd enough to be an enjoyable trip, whatever it is.

[Final Thoughts: ...Nope, I've got nothing.]

[Later: There is something comforting knowing that over the past year every version of me has been equally baffled by whatever this is. It's always right here near the end of this tier, standing motionless as everything else moves around it.]

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

-but where was his beard?-

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

#484: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Ballad of the Mighty I (5:15):
https://open.spotify.com/track/52lpRzbODGnuk5HglqioFk?si=h0CGtx2CTd29jstLGWNHlg

Nominator: Jesse Custer [22/29 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.30
Revised Score: 59.44
Final Score: 59.75

(First Reaction: A song that I should love, but feels like it's missing... something. Or I am. Probably me.

...Ooh, I think I get it! This song feels like "Live - Iris", but not quite as good! Good singer, slightly dark vibe that I kinda dig, it's not really similar but it is in that same general genre and now I need to go listen to Iris again. Whatever score I gave that song last year, it was probably too low. Unless it was in the 90s, in which case I just didn't remember giving it an accurate score.

Of course, Iris started off with a bad score and moved up the list, so maybe Ballad will find itself on the same upward trajectory? We'll see.)

!Standard "I like this, but not quite 60 points of like" writeup goes here.

[Final Thoughts: A good stalker song, but I'm not vibing with it enough to move it up that last fraction of a point.]

[Later: I like his voice and I like the backing music here, but I'm missing that special spark... the song is steadily climbing a little bit each time, but not quite fast enough to shake up the list in any notable way.]

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

-one day left and then we shall be free from this endless tier.-

Yeah, Swamp Dogg's legit, man's been around since 1954 and still going. I will be honest, I was, and still am, most looking forward to how you feel about 'I'll Pretend', but it felt right to include the entire album it was on for completion's sake.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#485: Devin Townsend - Genesis [7:27]:
https://youtu.be/1n7uvokARQ4

Nominator: CJones [12/18 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.74
Revised Score: 59.74
Final Score: 59.74

My first non-Diablo Swing Orchestra song to drop. I guess I'm not too surprised this ranked the lowest, though I thought this would at least make it into the 60s.

The album that this comes from, Empath, has been called "life metal" by some. It's very life-affirming and hopeful (mostly).

Devin Townsend has an amazing singing voice. Check out "Why?" if you get the chance. It's written in the style of a Disney song, and it is surprisingly great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT-uWOVP5q0

Thanks to you and NBIceman for the Dear Hunter recommendations. Unfortunately, I'm finding that it's very difficult to find albums of theirs earlier than Act V.

I'll try to remember to add that song to the list tomorrow.

I'm not sure where you need to get your music from, but you can find the Dear Hunter's albums on YouTube easily enough (if that is an option):

Act II:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5B95136021242104

Act IV:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-XbTEkQt3TbYBaBPpd0D6q59_neZtB5N

If you have Spotify, they can be found there as well:

Act II:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3bxQpENBvT3gHgM9Q7Z20K?si=8829d9fac1994c6e

Act IV:
https://open.spotify.com/album/0TCkVVN1AfEtMP3IjVD1Zi?si=2b458696e3c747bb

If those aren't an option, you can get the first three on Bandcamp--looks as though you can stream all three of those albums for free, with reasonable prices if you need/want to purchase some digital downloads:

https://bandcamp.com/tag/the-dear-hunter

I am unable to find further free options for Act IV, though if you somehow had a SoundCloud Go+ account then it would be available for streaming through them. ...I don't know that anyone has such an account and didn't even know there was a paid SoundCloud service, but... I mean, it's hypothetical that you could (you don't, but I'll post it anyway):

https://soundcloud.com/the-dear-hunter/sets/act-iv-rebirth-in-reprise-1

Sorry, what I should have said is that they're hard to find on CD. I know I can buy them digitally, but I still like to buy all my music on CD, if possible. I have a used copy of Act IV on order.

This is why I tend to listen to whole albums more than individual songs. I'm listening to CDs, usually while driving.

Thanks for the links though :)

That would make far more sense. Sadly, I don't have any good merch links... the albums are kinda old & they're not exactly the most well-known band so I wouldn't even know where to begin looking.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

Revised Score: 84.17
Final Score: 59.71

Shot through the heart

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#523: GIRLI - Hot Mess (3:51):
https://youtu.be/z-2Mrws6zGc

i love the aesthetic of this so much

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#519: Tech 9ine, Eminem, Krizz Kaliko - Speedom (Wwc2) (4:55):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdklBYKY6Rc

this link is the edited version -_-

kateee posted...

i love the aesthetic of this so much

Hell yeah!

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#514: Burial - Archangel (3:58):
https://youtu.be/8k_f2QK77ew

Nominator: Kateee [19/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.99
Revised Score: 55.09
Final Score: 59.09

(First Reaction: If only I'd found this song a few years ago... I was obsessed with vocal distortions and I think the harshness of the instruments & distorted vocals would have made this a big hit then. I'm not as into those things now, but I do kinda get it; the music is slightly oppressive (though not to the overwhelming level like some Minotaur Shock songs) and it's a distinct enough experience that I'm not as bothered by the repeating lyrics, but my reaction is more "that was kinda neat!" than a rave review. Still, neat.)

yeah i'm pretty sure i included this because that preference long ago is what i remembered. i do get into moods where i'll listen to the same song for an hour on repeat and this type of track is what it ends up being sometimes. just so haunting and comforting in those type of moods.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#511: clipping. - Body & Blood (4:29):

the only thing i want to say is

IF YOU A BAD BITCH LET EM KNOW YOU AIN'T OUT FOR THE DOUGH

wow. It's been so long I don't even remember what I nominated.
All's I remember is that I had another hour of nominations to nominate but forgot lol and didn't want to be like "Hey I got 15 more songs here even though it's like a month later"

I always get one of the bottom 5 songs in these things, so proud lol. Never thought it would have been the epic live version of a Pearl Jam song, but my streak continues! The song is aimless in the middle basically for Eddie to do whatever he wanted for 5 minutes live (at least in 92) lol. Now it's just to have a guitar solo and some improv/jam session.