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

(+) Yeah! (+)

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#500: Sarah Barrios - Thank God You Introduced Me to Your Sister (2:45):

ohmigosh it's a bop

A BOP

kateee posted...

ohmigosh it's a bop

A BOP

EXACTLY

wow. It's been so long (Since I've been on gamefaqs) 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.

Anywho, like the ranking progress!

CJones posted...

Check out "Why?"...

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

Officially added to the post-ranking listening session, thank you.

kateee posted...

this link is the edited version -_-

I did also listen to the uncensored version on Spotify at least once, but I personally didn't find the difference especially notable.

https://open.spotify.com/track/33MpATo5CCG2ennj6LAlYq?si=14aee123ecea46dd

Also, I almost said that I thought you'd like Hot Mess & Thank God You Introduced Me to Your Sister, but it felt a bit presumptuous since I don't really know you. I am oddly pleased that you did enjoy them though!

Xtlm posted...

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"

Nominations were open for, I think, a couple months after the original deadline so you would have been more than welcome! ...But considering all the unforeseen delays due to a suddenly limited typing schedule, perhaps it's just as well that we didn't add another hour of music to this.

Either way, thank you for your support!

-

I didn't notice we past the 300 eliminated songs mark yesterday. That's pretty cool!

-

Three eliminations for now and three songs that have had scores increased, so 14 songs remain until the next tier after this post:

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

#483: Subterranean Masquerade - Wolf Among Sheep (Or Maybe the Other Way Around?) (6:26):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZOONIDAGV8

Nominator: Ark [13/17 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.489
Revised Score: 57.71
Final Score: 59.76

(First Reaction: I'm surprised at how little I have to say about this.)

!Perhaps the highest scoring song that I have no reaction to. I like what the song is doing, shifting between an almost monotonous quiet to metal and find the singer's deep voice well-suited for all aspects of the track, but I just kinda space out and lose focus on everything while listening to it. It's incredibly well made and I like it, I just lack any strong or specific reaction to it other than "this song am good".

[Final Thoughts; A great song that gets better with every listen, and yet...?]

[Later: I wish I liked this more than I did because everything here is great and yet, I... don't feel any real inclination to move the song up any further than this.]

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

-another day, another time where I'm running late-

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

#482: Tyler, The Creator - SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE (9:48):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKjIHQxG_3Q

Nominator: Dragon66116 [9/12 Remaining]

Initial Score: 76.13
Revised Score: 63.95
Final Score: 59.768

(First Reaction: The YouTube vid cuts to commercial before the second verse, so I listened to this on Spotify for ranking purposes. I love the first part of this track--the chorus gets a bit old, but hey, it's still a 90 point song at least. The second part is not nearly as amazing, as I find myself kinda bouncing off of the backing music (it feels elevator music-esque, but I thought I liked elevator music, so...I 'unnno) and it repeats the song title a few too many times... it's still good, I do like it, it's just many tiers below the first part of the song.)

!Tonight I find myself liking both parts of the song roughly the same amount--SWEET has those low notes that I love, but the repetition is slightly bothering me (at least more so than it did originally); DANCE loses the notes, but is less repetitive and has a mellow hip-hop groove that's pretty neat. So I like both parts... but I'm not completely in love with the first half of the track as I once was, which unfortunately knocks the song down a few pegs.

[Final Thoughts: Both halves of this song have a magnifique groove to them, but the lyrics feel a bit repetitive and I'm not quite as into either part of the song these days.[

[Later: A good song that I once loved, but drops down a bit with each listen. I can still see the reasons I loved it, but we don't really connect anymore and it's here near the top of the "kinda like" tier instead of the great heights it was once at. Also, I now prefer the second half of the song and YouTube didn't play a commercial between the parts this time, so nothing about the First Reaction feels true at all anymore. This has been a weird year.]

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

-poit-

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

#481: Linkin Park - Cure for the Itch (2:37):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7-zw7IDVmU&list=PLSZnrWBCBT3ng1xEWEkXC91StoZjD8BP3&index=11

Nominator: Mega_Mana [22/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.00
Revised Score: 53.00
Final Score: 59.80

(First Reaction: I feel like this song should have been played earlier on the album. It's an interesting piece of electronic music that barely has any lyrics which doesn't really seem to fit on the album; moving it towards the middle and having it work as a sort of intermission might be interesting, but having the break/injection of something completely different as the next-to-last track doesn't feel like the best use for it.

Other than that, it's a nice enough track?)

It has a pleasing sound to it, but like many instrumentals, I don't really vibe with it or feel it conveying any experience other than "good music". And yes, I know it's obviously not an instrumental because there's a spoken word introduction for Mr. Hahn, but so much of the song is just the instruments & it's difficult to call the intro dialog "lyrics", that it's practically an instrumental. Or at least close enough for my purposes. Still, it's a fairly neat idea for a change of pace, and it's close to greatness... you can get a bit of those low, bwooming sort of tones I like from this song occasionally, so it's not all that far off the mark.

[Final Thoughts: Actually, I'm kinda vibing with this instrumental tonight. I don't know if I'd say I'm into it to say "I like this" without any reservations, but yeah, I'm fairly into this right now.]

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

Five more eliminations in this post, plus several songs that were moved up mean there are only five songs left after this post.

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

#480: Serj Tankian - Deafening Silence (4:16):
https://open.spotify.com/track/62evKO7yVne4wWqWMHLRKF?si=4e0532b0f9574fda

Nominator: Murphiroth [16*/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.01
Revised Score: 59.90
Final Score: 59.804

(First Reaction: A ballad performed with his wife which serves as a nice change of pace from the earlier songs in the album.)

!It's nice, but the lyrics just keep repeating so I start to lose interest before the end of the song. I like it & think the album is much better off for its inclusion, but I'm not sure I like it enough to put it at the 60 point tier.

[Final Thoughts: Having one verse which is frequently repeated doesn't do the song any favors, but it's still rather enjoyable and unlike anything else on the album. So a good change of pace, but not one I feel strongly enough about to move up another tier.]

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

-I'll follow you down 'til the sound of my voice will haunt you-

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

#479: Yelle - La musique (3:39):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BngkrToA7WY&list=PLR2ATVrSGTX91hJXNoWIHovzSIqVNBM8u&index=6

Nominator: hotdogturtle [9/14 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 59.86
Final Score: 59.86

(First Reaction: I like the sound, but I have no personal attachment to the lyrics or style of music... feels like it fits right at the cutoff between very high 50s & low 60s, so I'm going to take the lame way out and add it to the clump of exactly 60 point songs.)

!I have no interest in the lyrics, but the instruments have a nifty sound to them on this track. Moving this down *slightly* because I prefer the other songs that are still at the exactly 60 point level, but I do like this.

[Final Thoughts: Definitely one of the better dance songs with some damn fine instruments, but I think it works best as one of the highest 59 point songs.]

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

-blue-green colors flashin'-

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

#478: Erwin Beekveld - Taking the Hobbits to Isengard [2:09]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE-1RPDqJAY

Nominator: paulg [27/52 Remaining]

Initial Score: 54.39
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 59.87

(First Reaction: It's a classic meme and one I have a fair amount of nostalgia for, as 2005 was the best year of my life & this song is bringing back pleasant memories from that time... but my nostalgia is more for circumstances around the song and not the song itself, which is a bit too repetitive with its sampled lyrics.)

I'm going to move this song up a tier because it's a pretty nice shot of nostalgia in a fairly charming package. It's not high art, but it doesn't pretend to be and there's something endearingly charming about how simple and silly the song is. So... yes, yes I do like this enough to bump it up to the "I like this" tier.

[Final Thoughts: Well maybe I should have it just before the 60 point tier. The memories are nice, but the song itself is a bit repetitive and not as funny as some of the gag tracks that remain.]

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

-and now, the song with the largest drop from Initial Score to Final Score-

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

#477: Smashing Pumpkins - Eye (4:52):
https://youtu.be/kmqS01NMips

Nominator: Metalmind [18/25 Remaining

Initial Score: 100
Revised Score: 59.87
Final Score: 59.90

(First Reaction: I may regret giving this a perfect score when it does that whole "repeat one line endlessly" bit for its outro, but... I want to experiment with letting this song be at the top of the list for a while.

...to myself be damned
Turn away from light

Little bit on the nose in terms of lyrics, but hey, I like what I like.)

!That is a great line that highly appeals to me, but unfortunately, I'm not nearly as into this song as I was at the start of the list and this song might have the biggest drop between First and Second listen; not that this isn't a fantastic song, but there are definitely several other songs I enjoy more at the moment.

[Final Thoughts: It's a good song that I like, but I still feel like it's a step below the 60 point songs.... which is weird because I loved this song so strongly that I actually toyed with having it in first place for a while, but I'm not getting anywhere nearly that strong of a connection with it on repeat listens. Not really sure what happened there.]

[Later: Alas, poor song. From a tie for first place to falling over 470 places... still, not many songs can say they were that high up the list, even if it was for but a brief moment.]

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

-not relevant to anything, but I'm suddenly remembering that Sega CD boxing game "Prizefighter". The second disc consisted only of the final match and the used copy I bought had a damaged second disc, rendering the game literally unwinnable because you could never load the final fight to try to win the game.

Not that it was good or worth playing, but I'm still oddly bitter about that.-

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

#476: Volbeat - Heaven's Descent (4:10):
https://youtu.be/dCUzOLl5IKM

Nominator: Snake [20/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 62.11
Revised Score: 62.103
Final Score: 59.94

(First Reaction: Considering the lyrics with creatures of the night and armies of the dead, along with clean lyrics & a somewhat cheesy rock vibe which is almost infectious, this is one of those songs that's basically guaranteed to get at least 60 points. Like, were someone to Google the lyrics to this song and the band's genre, they could accurately predict that it's impossible for it to score less than 60 points because this is quite emphatically the definition of things I like.)

!Yep, still into this sort of thing.

[Final Thoughts: A very literal definition of things I like. It's not really a checklist song, but it does feel a bit too on the nose for me right now...]

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

And after moving another pair up, that makes these the final three songs that just miss the cutoff to the next tier:

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

#475: Stevie Wonder - Overjoyed (3:43):
https://youtu.be/cIhd5Yc5TCY

Nominator: Metalmind [17/25 Remaining]

Initial Score: 71.01
Revised Score: 84.11
Final Score: 59.96

(First Reaction: Not quite my favorite song of his (I've been obsessed with "If You Really Love Me" the past month or two), but it's certainly an above-average love song. I like the beach feel and wave sounds, those were a nice touch. Stevie does seem a bit too... overly possessive towards the object of his affection:

Over time, I've been building my castle of love
Just for two, though you never knew you were my reason
I've gone much too far for you now to say
That I've got to throw my castle away
Over dreams, I have picked out a perfect come true
Though you never knew it was of you I've been dreaming

So they have no idea that you love them, to a point that you have to point out that they don't know of your affection multiple times in the first verse alone, but you've "gone much too far" for them to turn down your advances? Eesh. Even by love song standards this is 'deranged stalker about to skin you and mount your skull on an altar' levels of crazy entitlement. And of course he has a perfect dream, Unnamed Lover's dreams don't really matter, because of course they don't.

...on the plus side, I like Stevie Wonder & this deranged entitlement could almost make this double as a villain song, so I'm not actually complaining. )

[Editor's Note: Somehow this song's revised score section was completely blank. We updated the score on the spreadsheet, but didn't actually put a score on that line & certainly didn't say anything about the song here. Whoops?]

[Final Thoughts: Nothing wrong with a stalker love song, though I'm apparently really not in the mood for it at the moment... I mean, I do kinda like it, but I'm not even sold on this being a "Neo Clump" level song--much less anywhere near the top of the charts like it was. It's not dark enough to be a villainous love song, but far too obsessive and "you don't get to say no" to be romantic either. I like hearing a song of his that's new to me, but whatever mindset I need to be in to appreciate this type of twisted love song, is not one I'm currently in.]

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

-two left-

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

#474: Howard Shore - Concerning Hobbits (2:56):
https://youtu.be/CL_3mlOPnGI

Nominator: Mega_Mana [21/38 Remaining[

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 59.97

(First Reaction: One of those "look at this beautiful landscape" type songs where you can practically see the rolling hills and flowers as it plays. It's quite nice, though not overwhelmingly beautiful... I'm rather torn between placing it just below the 60 point threshold (59.97-ish) or putting it right at said threshold, so I guess I'll throw it into the Clump of 60 point songs and figure it out next time.)

!Nice, relaxing atmospheric tune.

[Final Thoughts: There's some nice scenery associated with this song, but I think I'll be moving this down to just below the Neo Clump. It's pretty, but I don't have a very strong attachment to it--at least, not as much as to everything that has yet to drop, so this feels like a good placement.]

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

-determination-

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

#473: Arca - Ether (4:04):
https://youtu.be/iVavPRyLO_s

Nominator: Snake [19/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.97
Revised Score: 59.97
Final Score: 59.972

(First Reaction: It's a pleasant song and part of that "peaceful instrumental" category that I usually love, but I'm not getting as drawn into it as I'd like... good song, right type of ambience, but lacking some undefinable trait to jump the top of the list. Definitely in the right area though.)

!Still beautiful, still the exact right genre and style, still not quite vibing with it enough to raise it those last few fractions of a point to the next tier. Still not entirely sure why.

[Final Thoughts: Sometimes you can pick the right artist, genre, style, and still just miss the 60 point tier. I like it; it's very much in the style of songs I love. But... I just never get that spark to move it up any further than this.]

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

And we're here!

NOW ENTERING 60.00 TIER (NEO CLUMP)

Finally, the start of the tier where I like a song enough that I could just say "I like this" and move on. Which I do on far more songs than I should have, but we'll get to those non-existent writeups when we get to them.

Much like The Wall of 55 point songs, we have another massive pileup of songs coming up. It didn't start off as one, but I kept finding more and more songs that I liked but didn't feel strongly enough to properly evaluate and sort. So I kinda kept adding more & more & more songs that were scheduled to be eliminated by this point to this all-consuming Neo Clump. I'm not sure how many songs are in it, other than "a lot" & some of them may be moved further up the list... so much like The Wall, everything's going to be in ??? place until whenever Neo Clump ends and we can actually see how many songs were tied. Apologies and congratulations to everyone.

EDIT: Also, the Neo Clump songs are in absolutely no order. Whenever a song was added to Neo Clump, I just kinda scrolled until I reached "somewhere" in said Clump and added the song in a completely arbitrary position. So don't try to meta anything about where a song is in Neo Clump... besides everything being tied anyway, there is literally no reason for any of them to be in the order they are.

Standings update soon.

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

REMAINING SONG COUNT

Bane: 21/38 Remaining
BlackDra90n: 18/30 Remaining
cakophon: 11/20 Remaining
CJones: 12/18 Remaining
CPU: 15/30 Remaining
DoctorJimmy: 14/24 Remaining
Dragon66116: 9/12 Remaining
handsomeboy: 25/31 Remaining
Haste: 11/31 Remaining
hotdogturtle: 9/14 Remaining
Jesse_Custer: 22/29 Remaining
kateee: 17/21 Remaining
Kopazzynth: 11/21 Remaining
Lasa: 6/14 Remaining
Mega Mana: 21/38 Remaining
Metalmind: 17/25 Remaining
Murphiroth: 16*/32 Remaining
NBIceman: 17/22 Remaining
NFUN: 20/31 Remaining
paulg: 27/52 Remaining
Player_0: 17/33 Remaining
Raka: 23/31 Remaining
rwlh: 11/24 Remaining
sergio: 5/13 Remaining
Shonen_Bat: 1/2 Remaining
Snake: 19/32 Remaining
TheArkOfTurus: 13/17 Remaining
TunnelScene: 13/27 Remaining
UF8: 19/30 Remaining
Xtlm: 9/13 Remaining
ZaziGuado: 23/28 Remaining

*Reality TV continues to be un-eliminated. Will it escape Neo Clump or will I finally be able to rremove this asterisk?

And because I liked the percentage remaining chart NBIceman made and think it would be interesting data to post right before a new tier, I shall now steal that idea:

Zazi: 82.14%
kateee: 80.95%
handsomeboy: 80.65%
NBIceman: 77.27%
Ark: 76.47%
Jesse Custer: 75.86%
Dragon66116: 75%
Raka: 74.19%
Xtlm: 69.23%
Metalmind: 68%
CJones: 66.67%
NFUN: 64.52%
hotdogturtle: 64.29%
UF8: 63.33%
BlackDra90n: 60%
Snake: 59.38%
DoctorJimmy: 58.33%
Mega Mana: 55.26%
cakophon: 55%
Bane: 55.26%
Kopazzynth: 52.38%
paulg: 51.92%
Player 0: 51.52%
CPU: 50%
Murphiroth: 50%
Shonen: 50%
TunnelScene: 48.15%
rwlh: 45.83%
Lasa: 42.86%
sergio: 38.46%
Haste: 35.48%

And in total 60.2% of songs made it to the 60 point tier.

...*blinks*... well that's an interesting coincidence.

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

And while it shouldn't impact anything in this topic, I have finally finished assigning a Final Score to everything! While I'll continue listening to each song before they are eliminated and giving extra points as desired, there is a finished list. Took just over a year: Nominations started on December 18th 2021 & the final score was assigned on December 23rd 2022.

So the scores aren't quite as final as they claim to be, but it's still an important milestone.

Yeah ERBs tend to have clever references and smart lyrics, and that's why I love them. And you hit it on the nail that Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs in particular has some nice twists to it.

And as for Making It Up as We Go Along, it's also remarkable that the lyrics also lampshade the show's darker themes.

Raka_Putra posted...

Yeah ERBs tend to have clever references and smart lyrics, and that's why I love them. And you hit it on the nail that Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs in particular has some nice twists to it.

Haven't listened to ERB in years. My favorite is Alexander the Great vs Ivan the Terrible. Mainly because the guy playing Alexander is just phenomenal. Even more impressive if you watch the behind the scenes. They actually cut out quite a bit of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVbH1BVXywY

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

#491: Wonder Girls - Why So Lonely (3:38):

i was trying to think back to why i nommed this and i remembered it was because at the time i was impressed that the members actually learned how to play the song on instruments amid their transition/exploration period from girl group to band. not the most polished sound in live performances considering their relative lack of experience but i just thought it was fascinating watching a K-Pop group even try that type of concept

CJones posted...

Haven't listened to ERB in years. My favorite is Alexander the Great vs Ivan the Terrible. Mainly because the guy playing Alexander is just phenomenal.

I'll add it to the post-ranking list. I'm interested in trying another song of theirs anyway, but I had a brief fascination with Alexander the Great when I was younger... the popular legends around him portrayed him as a practically mythological hero, so I felt oddly compelled to study as much of his history as I could. It was probably the only history I ever studied, to be honest.

Not that I'm still interested & not that he was particularly worth reading multiple books about, but there are enough memories that make me somewhat intrigued.

kateee posted...

i was impressed that the members actually learned how to play the song on instruments amid their transition/exploration period from girl group to band.

That is a neat bit of trivia!

-

First two songs of Neo Clump:

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

???: Cynic - The Space for This (5:49):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-6IIBXNSQ

Nominator: Ark [12/17 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.97
Revised Score: 53.00
Final Score: 54.5454~ [Upgraded to 55.00] [Upgraded to 60.00]

(First Reaction: Progressive metal tha

*for unknown reasons,, the first reaction ended there, in the middle of a word, without a closing bracket. It is possible something went wrong when saving the writeup or it got accidentally deleted. It's also possible that Past Raetsel was actually just that lazy and left things blank, but *typically* we leave a note admitting we did that when it's intentional.*)

Metal and its various subgenres tend to be hit-or-miss and I haven't found any connecting thread to determine what songs will fall into which categories. I don't know if I'd say this song is a "miss", but it's not a hit either... and any hypothesis I come up with as to why it isn't more successful are easily disproven:

I thought I might have wanted a harsher vocal performance from the singer, but plenty of my favorites from the genre have clean, melodic vocals so that wouldn''t make any sense; and skimming through Cynic's more death metal inspired debut album didn't reveal any songs I honestly prefer to this. Synthetic vocals, growling vocals, clear vocals, this band can do it all! And I... don't have any real strong feelings about any of it.

...I had other theories, but after listening to most of that debut album and then getting bored and going to listen to "Number City" on repeat for reasons I've long since forgotten, I'm now kinda in a "hey, let's drop everything and go listen to the entirety of the album Number City was from, it's only nine songs and we already listened to one of them" mindset which is not helpful to anything. In point of fact, it is somehow less helpful or relevant than "Progressive metal tha" and I thought it was impossible to do worse than that First Reaction.

So... it's a progresive metal song that doesn't really appeal to me for some undefined reason and I'm officially out of time to type anything, so we'll see if I come up with anything when it's time for the Final Score. Spoiler Alert: The odds aren't good.

[Final Thoughts: I don't really get anything about this song, musically or lyrically, but it's actually pretty neat.]

[Later: The metaphors go completely over my head, but I still like them:

Out of ruins
We've haunted like owls
The future druids
Drop the crystal goblet forming spells

Non-human metaphors and magic? Yes please.]

[Later: The opening is magical. It's very minimal with just a few simple notes that linger in the air in an incredibly pleasing way. And the lyrics are also, at the very least, intriguing. I could have some fun intentionally misrepresenting them by taking "I am now the space for this " literally and talking about spacekin for a while... it's fascinating to me that the otherkin community in general does not accept them. Such is how it goes though... no matter how "other" a group may be, there'll always be some type of people who are too other even for them. But I suppose we're getting too deep into serious ruminations on the nature of humanity for this topic & I suppose I have no pressing interest in denigrating the otherkin community--there are a seemingly infinite amount of sub-communities and I'm sure some of them are more open-minded and tolerant than others. Also the main otherkin subreddit seems to have mellowed a fair amount over the years, so perhaps they're less exclusionary than they once were. Not really my business either way, I suppose.

Aaaaanywho..., back on topic, this song can go a bit too hard in places. I'm still not a big fan of drums in general and this song is a bit much. But it is making me think and reflect on things, including my own biases & how I've been as exclusionary and intolerant as the groups I criticize (mind you, I never said I was *better* than them, I'm well aware of my hypocrisy. I at least want to be better). ...Granted, I'm having to completely twist the lyrics beyond any reasonable interpretation to get here, but this is still helping me work through some issues. Curious.

Hmm... perhaps I'll go as far as moving this up to the 60 point tier?]

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

-enin rebmun, enin rebmun, enin rebmun-

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

???: Frums - olin en pakala [4:36]:
https://strlabel.bandcamp.com/track/olin-en-pakala

Nominator: cakophon [10/20 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 61.00
Final Score: 59.79 [Upgraded to 60.00]

(First Reaction: The vocals feel a bit higher pitched than I liked, but the backing music is pretty great and I think I'll add this to the all-consuming Clump.)

!I'm still not really into the vocals on this track, but the instruments are great and I really do like this song.

[Final Thoughts: The background music is exactly something I really like--just listen to those bwoom-ing almost static like effect after the 3 minute mark, those are the good notes--but the vocals (or vocalizations? I'm not sure if this is a language auto-translate is failing at or just syllables that look like a foreign language) are... off-putting enough that I'm going to experiment with moving this song down a bit.]

[Later: Oh yeah, there's that good static that I'm here for... could we just have an instrumental version of this track? Ehhh... alright, alright, I enjoy this type of sound enough that I'd be sad to let this have less than 60 points. Neo Clump, away!]

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

And another four shots:

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

???: Kotaro Nakagawa - God Only Knows (2:22):
https://youtu.be/-NSZJAWpk7o

Nominator: NFUN: [19/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.019
Revised Score: 61.01
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: I feel that I should like this. And I suppose I do like this. But I haven't quite grasped why or what this is yet. It's not really "film noir-esque", but it is mysterious. It's like this dramatic build-up, looking over the darkness and depravity of the city, before focusing on our main character who is probably a detective. Yes, this is detective music with an italicized font for mysterious reasons.)

!Song would be perfect if I lived in a skyscraper, so I could gaze out at the CITY FILTH while drinking EXPENSIVE LIQUOR and brooding.

...Wait, I think I'm just describing LARPing as Jack Donaghy now. Shut it down.

[Final Thoughts: I'm sure it's not meant to be brooding music, but it certainly feels dark and brooding to me.]

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

-meow, meow meow meow, meow-

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

???: Digable Planets - Jettin' [4:39]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZJDtS_DejY

Nominator: Lasa [5/14 Remaining]

Initial Score: 56.61
Revised Score: 56.90
Final Score: 56.90 [Upgraded to 58.193] [Upgraded to 60.00]

(First Reaction: I'm learning that I do not like songs that rapidly bounce the audio from left-to-right and the intro is tedious (saying the title of the song 17 times before the first verse is certainly a thing), but I enjoy the chorus on this song.)

!i quite like the chorus, it's a type of funk that I don't usually hear and I like the groove, but the bouncing audio is... significantly less appealing, especially during the first verse. I think I'd like the song a lot more if I could just skip past the intro & opening verse, which are definitely the low points of the song.

[Final Thoughts: Damn fine groove on this track.]

*this song was moved up at some point without any note of having done so*

[Later: Sure, let's add this one to the Neo Clump as well.[

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

-SSSS Gridman-

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

???: Chimeratio - Desert Ruins (3:59):
https://soundcloud.com/chimeratio/desert-ruins?si=d1c328bca94a49498428b4268518582e&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Nominator: Haste [10/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.90
Revised Score: 58.14
Final Score: 55.19 [Upgraded to 60.00]

(First Reaction: I think I appreciate what it's going for, but it's not quite abnormal in the ways that most appeal to me if that makes sense (it does not).)

The song feels more mechanical than desert to me. Like I expect desert music to be more desolate and minimalist, but this feels like climbing the wreckage of a giant,, decayed machine. Which is a neat thing to imagine, don't get me wrong. (One commenter thinks the opening sounds like a "sitar from space" which also feels appropriate... I can definitely see a space level for this track). Though most other commenters say it fits the desert, so it's probably just me and the other guy being wrong about what it sounds like.

Either way, it is neat. I do like songs that create a type of atmosphere and we can at least all agree that it's creating *an* environment. Still not one of my favorites, but definitely several points better than I thought it was.

[Final Thoughts: Still feels very mechanical to me, but since this song is for ruins, I suppose they can be TECHNOLOGICAL RUINS THAT ARE BOTH ANCIENT AND FUTURISTIC, that's a common trope that this song could work with, also I just noticed that I'm really abusing commas in this run-on sentence, which wasn't intentional when we first started but is now a running gag, and I'm not really sure how it ends--most likely the sentence just stops abruptly in a manner that leaves everyone feeling unsatified?

....Wow, that sentence turned into a question, that's like... "wow". It started as one thing and then became something else. That could be, like, deeply symbolic. It isn't, but it could be, and isn't that what's really important? No, no it is not. What's really important are Mrs. Pell's Fishsticks:

https://youtu.be/6i7ycxiog40?t=90

Skip to 1:30 if the timestamp doesn't work. Or don't. The choices are yours and yours alone. Good luck!

Oh God, we're trapped in a loop of 90's references that aren't even tangently related to whatever the topic started at and I'm not sure how to escape this. Abort! Abort!

[Fluttershy's Note: ...You really want to squeeze in a Bort License Plate joke here, don't you?]

So very much, yes. Unfortunately this writeup is out of them.]

[Later: Oh, let's go ahead and jump this one directly into the Neo Clump.]

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

-Super Sonic Search & Smash Squad-

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

???: Ephel Duath - Praha (Ancient Gold) (5:17):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xebUoYr5wBU

Nominator: Ark [11/17 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.41
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: This is an "avant-garde jazz metal", or so I'm told. The song opens with a rather pleasing noir feel to it, for the first minute and a half or so but it kinda loses me once the more metal-inspired elements come in.)

"High octaine noir" is definitely an odd sort of mood,, but the song goes for it and I'm totally here for that. The moody atmosphere of the opening gives the feeling of walking down a dark alley at night and I am all about the night; then it picks up and becomes COMBAT MUSIC with 'noir overtones' which makes it "acceptable combat music".

Acceptable. Is that how it's spelled? Accep Table? Sounds like a villain from a failed DBZ spinoff. Vegeta's brother returns, but he's been possessed by an EVIL FORCE and has transformed into the terrifying Accep'Tarble! He can only be defeated by Goku's new form which... *rolls* gives him divine spiritual powers and causes his hair to turn *throws a dart at a color board* neon orange. DRAGON BALL SUPER - UNACCEPTARBLE, only in theaters November 10th, 2027.

...Aaaanywho, I like this song now, so that's neat.

[Final Thoughts: The Neo Clump grows too large, but I like this at the level where I say "I like this" so that's where it's going too.]

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

And the last four on this Christmas Eve, with a coincidental double elimination:

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

???: While She Sleeps ft. Simon Neil - Nervous (4:06):
https://youtu.be/xGInN7HGfDw

Nominator: BlackDra90n [17/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 61.00
Revised Score: 61.00
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: This is a good example of a song that does absolutely everything right, yet I inexplicably don't get attached to in the way I should. We've got great instrumentals, the singer's performance is of a similar style of Bring Me the Horizon's live album from last year's topic (which is probably my favorite album ever at this point), great subject matter of dealing with mental illness & depression without the song being really bleak... like, you look at this song on paper, and you think "oh yeah, this song's definitely getting a perfect 100" and yet, I'm not really vibing with it. It's fantastic and I do like it, but it's very much something I like and not something I love.)

!I still like the song, but it's definitely an "early 60's" type enjoyment in spite of all the things it has going for it.

[Final Thoughts: I do like it, but as I've said, I never really vibe or click with it enough... going to move this down to the Neo Clump; not dropping it very far down, but I'm not convinced that I enjoy this more than everything else in Neo.]

[Later: I do like this song, but with everything it has going for it, it really seems like I should love it. Sorry... wish I did, but somehow I just don't really connect with it.]

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

-long after the thrill of livin' is gone-

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

???: Darko US - Dragon Chaser [Live In-Studio Performance] (4:06):
https://youtu.be/_3seI3lwCIE

Nominator: BlackDra90n [16/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.17
Revised Score: 61.54
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: This is a rough song to score. I thought I was going to place it in the mid-30s scorewise, but I am strangely gravitating to that last verse.It's certainly not the most profound lyrics of all time, but there's no accounting for my tastes, and I have half a mind to give this a fairly decent score in the low-60s (at least). But then, I'm not really a fan of the song itself and it was pretty solidly in the "I didn't like this" tier until I read that verse and I can't even make out enough of his singing to appreciate said lyrics in the context of the song. I think I'm going to try putting this song just above the "exact 50" tier for now, kinda split the difference between "didn't liked" and "liked" to end up at the "kinda liked" tier?)

..."Didn't liked"??

[*insert standard disclaimer about how my support of this song should not be construed as specifically supporting the artist(s) or any of their views here*]

No expectations, only let downs
In a world with limited possibility
So when they find out you think different
There will be hell to pay

Yeah, I think I want to go ahead and officially move this up to the 60 point tier. The lyrics are kinda right at the sweet spot in terms of things I like and this is one of the tracks where the intensity works for me--a very addicting level of energy here and something about the backing music gives a "distorted reality" vibe which I could learn to love, even if it's *technically* doing things I normally dislike. Good song, much better than I thought at first.

[Final Thoughts: I still want this at the 60 point tier, but I'm going to try having in the Neo Clump; it's definitely something I like, thanks entirely to the lyrics, but I'm less convinced that it should be above everything else in the Clump.]

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

-war were declared-

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

???: The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy - Season 1 Title Card Music [0:10]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu69Tm6t1aw

Nominator: paulg [26/52 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: The song feels rather mysterious and outer space like. Feels like the type of theme a comedic alien antagonist might have in a Paper Mario style game; like they're clearly not from this world and going to shoot you with their lasers,, but in a FUN way.)

!Funny and mysterious, though not quite memorable to make up for how short it is. I like it and want it at the "I like this" tier, but can't see myself giving it another point.

[Final Thoughts: Definitely more "space" than "grim", but I like it.]

[Later: I was never a big fan of the show. I've certainly seen a fair amount of episodes and somewhat enjoyed what I watched, but there's no real nostalgia or any episodes I really want to talk about. It was just kinda nice whenever I arbitrarily turned it on. Much like this song itself.]

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

-Sitemap, Partnerships, Careers, Terms of Use-

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

???: Elis Regina & Antnio Carlos Jobim - Brigas, nunca mais [1:42]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYVwJkIsj7M

Nominator: cakophon [9/20 Remaining]

Initial Score: 70.00
Revised Score: 66.77
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: A short & sweet song that I like quite a bit! I think I'll add it to the 70 point songs. What was I calling the 70 point group of songs... the Cluster? Exactly 60 points is a Clump & Exactly 70 is a Cluster. Maybe. I'm definitely calling them a cluster now at least.)

!Short, sweet, romantic song from the mid-70's with a rather pleasing singer & rather tranquil instrumentation which is actually quite nice. I think the original score was a few points too high, but this is still quite nice.

[Final Thoughts: A very brief moment of sweet romance. I definitely like it, but there's not enough here musically or lyrically to really sink my teeth into; it's very pleasant,, sweet, and happy -but- I feel that level of pleasantry & simple enjoyment fits in with the Neo Cluster.]

[Later: Definitely sweet, but not quite as sweet as some other songs yet to fall.]

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

Alright, slight change of plans: This topic shall take Christmas Day off; I personally don't celebrate, but it feels *wrong* to eliminate something on such a major holiday. And I'll be reorganizing Neo Clump so that all of a nominator's eliminated songs are clumped together--it just feels like it flows better if every song a nominator has that's inexplicably tied with each other goes out simultaneously, instead of this overly convoluted jumble of songs.

Happy holidays and we'll resume on the 26th.

Damn, Dragon Chaser and Nervous in the same group of elims. I'd think Nervous would've done a lot better.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

We've got great instrumentals, the singer's performance is of a similar style of Bring Me the Horizon's live album from last year's topic (which is probably my favorite album ever at this point)

Also damn, glad to see BMTH made an impression haha.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

???: Cynic - The Space for This (5:49):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-6IIBXNSQ

Nominator: Ark [12/17 Remaining]

Initial Score: 50.97
Revised Score: 53.00
Final Score: 54.5454~ [Upgraded to 55.00] [Upgraded to 60.00]

Finally, something I recognize. I actually own this album. It's one of those things where I can tell that it is objectively good, and it seems like I should like it, but to be honest I don't really. It's been a long time since I listened to it last though, so maybe I'll give it another go.

I will say that this track is a good choice.

i kinda like the bouncing audio in jettin', it's an effect i haven't heard much in hip hop. but yeah, i can see how someone could find it annoying.

if you want to hear a version of the song without bouncing audio, you could check out this live version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTVumbwP7pU

BlackDra90n posted...

Also damn, glad to see BMTH made an impression haha.

Yeah; favorite album & favorite band at the moment. I'm sure I talk about that more somewhere--since they have a song nominated here, it'd be odd if I didn't. </.<

-

Going to go through everyone's CLUMPED songs in alphabetical order and see how many are left. This time I left plenty of room for songs to be moved above the Neo Clump & properly organized (as opposed to the 55 point section where the smallest possible point value above The Wall was already in use) so... hard to say how many songs will still be tied by the time this ends.

ARK

Has no more songs in the Clump. All of his, by random chance, came up on Christmas Eve.

BANE

Has one song:

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

???: Every Time I Die - Desperate Pleasures (3:11):
https://open.spotify.com/track/3enHRbci0ErX5CDS5omrZh?si=0be26166353f4a7c

Nominator: Bane [20/38 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: Every time I think a song has hit peak levels of blunt depression, someone finds a way to go even further:

Try still believing that some good will happen
Though nothing ever has
And nothing ever will
'Cause nothing ever can

I look forward to seeing how someone almost inevitably found a way of toping that, because good Lord, that is bleak--exactly as bleak as I want it to be, yes, but still bleak. And so this song joins the glorious Clump.)

!Good lyrics in this song.

[Final Thoughts: It's ironic that this is meant to be the optimistic song in comparison to "A Colossal Wreck". Song is, as usual, a bit more intense than I'd like -but- there are a few more subdued parts of it that I really like & the lyrics are good, so I like this.]

[Later: Eh, I'd rather not imagine talking to my mother (she's... not someone you can talk to, about anything, ever) & the opening ending every single line with "these are desperate times" is quite repetitive. The song picks up drastically after the intro with some great lyrics that are incredibly bleak but almost vaguely hopeful (There's nowhere but up from a canyon in Hell) where I do like the song.. but the intro probably keeps this from moving above the Clump.]

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

-

Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to take care of (such as eating breakfast) and will resume when I return.

EDIT:: I shall try listening to the other version of Jettin' later, hopefully in a day or two. Since I'm supposed to be comparing it to the nominated version, I'd like to listen to it while I still remember said version instead of saving it for the post-ranking listening session.

Ah yes! Lyrically might be one of my favorites on the album, on an album just packed with amazing lyrics. That one you highlighted is one of my favorite parts along with:

Despairing is painless and peace is a lie
You should try loving man while fucking hating mankind
It rips you apart

And the ending breakdown hits me hard

Buckley does always have great lyrics, seemingly regardless of what track it is.

-

BlackDra90n:

Has two more songs in the Clump:

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

???: 257ers VS Eskimo Callboy - Hypa Hypa (2:08)
https://youtu.be/nesvALoSjII

Nominator: BlackDra90n [15/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 52.11
Revised Score: 58.93
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: Props for nominating some German rap, but there really isn't anything in the lyrics or music itself that I'm drawn to. There's a general "oh, this is a first for the topic series, that's neat" and "I do rather like the way the German language sounds, even though I can't speak or read it", but there's also a feeling of "I know these lyrics are trying to be funny, but McDonald's food is garbage and I don't want to listen to anyone sing about it" and "I'm not sure I have much to say about the song itself" which kinda limits how high of a score I want to give it right now.)

Overly explicit lyrics AND food. Bold combination. "I know you don't like sexually explicit or food related lyrics, but what if we COMBINED THEM??" and... I can't say I like it, but I appreciate the courage it takes to submit a song like this. And you know, if I ignore the lyrics themselves, there's a fair amount to enjoy here--good flow, I still want to hear more German music, I'm starting to love the Hypa Hypa chorus from how often I've heard it... you know, this song isn't really that far off the mark. Very bold choice and I like it far more than one would suspect from a translation of the lyrics.

[Final Thoughts: Yeah, let's go ahead and move this one up a tier. Lyrics aren't really my thing, but the song itself is on point.]

[Later:

I am full blooded romantic, girl
we'll dine in MC Donalds
60 nuggets, MC Rib
apple turnover, a kilo [of] fries

I know the song is ironic, but thats still an entire verse of food. And irony hasn't gone over terribly well either--look at how many Dorian Electra songs have fallen. The song is also rather short. On the plus side, I like the idea of German rap getting nominated and the Hypa Hypa chorus is on point, so I generally like this song. Not enough to move it out of the clump, but enough that I'm glad that it's here.]

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

-Now, fall into the darkness-

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

???: Architects - Doomsday (Piano Reprise) (4:06):
https://youtu.be/RgWIeWQoyuI

Nominator: BlackDra90n [14/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 58.19 [upgraded to 60.00]
Revised Score: 66.11
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: This is a nice song, but I feel like it's missing a bit of anger... to a point that I'm actually going to drop everything and listen to the original version of this song because, while I do love me some sad piano remix, these lyrics leave me wanting some anger. So let's take a detour to the other version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvWbcK3YQ_o

It's an interesting comparison. The instrumentation here really works for me, especially the drums--even the intense drumming sections are a bit softer and less headache inducing than I'd expect from "epic metal drumming". And the lyrical performance is... good, though just a little more metal than I'd like (yes, I'm being difficult, but if we had the anger of the original version & the clear vocals of the Piano Version, the song would be close to perfection.)

...also I went ahead and listened to a live version of the song, but I'll refrain from posting a link to it--it's also good, but I feel like it's the weakest of the three versions I've heard tonight and there's nothing interesting to say about it that couldn't be said about one of the other two versions.

...Though I think this proves that my initial score is underselling the song a bit. If I care enough to listen to multiple versions of the song then it seems pretty safe to say that it should be, at least, at the "I like this" tier--let's go ahead and bump the score up to 60 points.)

!I'm more into somber piano music at this moment than before, so this is getting some extra points this time. Not quite enough to move it up a tier, but I do like it more than just the standard 60 points.

[Final Thoughts: Song goes up, song goes down. Song goes up, song goes down.]

[Later: Somewhere between Standard Doomsday & Piano Doomsday, there likely exists a perfect song. I think I may have a *slight* preference for the original, but it's close enough that I can't imagine the choice having a notable impact on anything.]

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

-I'm alright-

cakophon:

Also has two more songs in the Clump:

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

???: moussa - lou ferrigno [2:53]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bafi1FtU66I

Nominator: cakophon [8/20 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.64
Revised Score: 59.87
Final Score: 57.69 [Upgraded to 58.534] [Upgraded to 60.00]

(First Reaction: ...I don't understand this song on any level, but it's doing some interesting and weird things, so I think I like it? It's all "echo-y voice", then "heartbeat-esque", then "computer start-up sound-ish" which... okay, sure, those are things alright.)

!This song is definitely comprised of things. That much is proven.

[Final Thoughts: I'm surprised this is the same artist as the other moussa song you nominated, as they feel quite different in tone. They're both neat (I especially dig the trippy outro on this track), though I find myself preferring cabrioli with its greater focus on his vocals.]

[Later: This song has a lot more singing than I remembered. The instruments definitely left a much greater impression, but I'm surprised by how many lyrics there actually are on this track.]

[Later: I do prefer the instruments here as there are a lot of low tones that I enjoy and weird, experimental sounds that are quite enjoyable... I think I'll go ahead and add this to the Neo Clump.[

[Later: I don't know if I want more vocals or less vocals; I don't know what this is; I don't know anything. But I like it.]

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

-don't nobody worry 'bout me-

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

???: Sheena Ringo - Doppelganger [3:54]:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2PU2wMGZo8eg3Y16eedzKe

Nominator: cakophon [7/20 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 66.644
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: This is definitely one of the most unsettling music tracks I've ever heard. I can't really parse how my mind is reacting to this, but I think I'm going to add it to the Clump as my first move... evaluating it in the context of a bunch of songs I like might help work out which tier this song should be in.)

!Creepy and unsettling song. It's a rather neat result, one that I'll be moving towards the upper end of the 60 point tier for the unique emotional response it provokes.

[Final Thoughts: It's uhh... it's certainly something and I suppose I'll say I like the unique experience it offers, but I think I'll be moving it back down to the Neo Clump. It's a bit... *mumbles*]

[Later: Incredibly creepy and unnerving track. I don't know if "like" is the proper term for this, but the experience is novel enough that I'm glad it is here.]

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

CJones:

Has two:

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

???:: Diablo Swing Orchestra - Overture To A Ceasefire [4:-05]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMRihpIhtzg&list=PLbqs-W3v0JokCip1yCvbDS5Diki_yhvvC&index=13

Nominator: CJones [11/18 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 48.90
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: "Sad parade music" is certainly a different genre.)

!I don't know what it is, but I'm not feeling this track tonight... some of the lyrics are intriguing

Will I be sane tomorrow?
If I pretend it isn't real
A nightmare through dcades of time

But I'm not in the mood for parade type music, even with these lyrics accompanying it.. I'm sorry.

[Final Thoughts: A tragic tango set to a parade marching to hell. I like it. Tonight, anyway. This song is bouncing between "I like this" and "it's fine", so the score is fairly volatile, but it's coming out ahead at the moment.]

[Later: Some fun lyrics and an intriguing concept for a song, but it seems to be staying consistently at Clump Level.]

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

-the cheese is the best character on the show-

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

???: Blind Guardian - And Then There Was Silence [14:05]:
https://youtu.be/yCKLXy8l5nY

Nominator: CJones [10/18 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.02
Revised Score: 62.00
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: A sprawling, epic retelling of the Iliad's version of the Trojan War. It's very impressive and I like it, but it is a bit hard for me to pay attention to something this intense for the song's full duration. I think it'd be hard for me to listen to this on a regular basis because it's just an awful lot to take in. I do like it though.)

!A very impressive song that I enjoy, but this is symphonic metal at its most epic & a massive story... I like it and appreciate it, but it's not something that you can choose to listen to on a whim. This length & this intensity practically demands you arrange your entire schedule around listening to it--which isn't a bad thing, it just is what it is.

[Final Thoughts: I still like this, but I'm going to move it to the Neo Clump with everything else where it's hard to decide exactly how much I like them in direct comparison to one another.]

[Later: Perhaps too epic for my blood, but should you be interested in epic symphonic metal (and I mean epic in a sincere, literary way) , you should certainly check this out.]

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

CPU & DoctorJimmy:

Have nothing:

handsomeboy:

Has two:

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

???: M83 - Midnight City (4:03):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX3k_QDnzHE

Nominator: Handsomeboy [24/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: Another song for the clump.

Nice saxophone at the end of the song, lyrics are a bit repetitive -but- I like cities at night so I at least like the idea of the lyrics, and it's simultaneously both so popular that I have a passing familiarity with it (most likely from The Mindy Project, as I watched a few seasons of it) -but- never actively chose to listen to the song so it's still relatively new to me. It's an interesting choice.)

!Pretty good modern pop song (if 2011 still counts as modern, time is passing too rapidly), I like it though have nothing much to say about it.

[Final Thoughts: No lyrics or moments I want to specifically praise, but the song has a good vibe to it that I dig.]

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

-and now the song with the longest "Final Score" section thus far-

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

???: Tat Ming Pair - [Everything's a Mess] (4:18):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZtOI9FuJRU

Nominator: Handsomeboy [23/31 Remaining]

Initial Score: 58.12
Revised Score: 58.12

Final Score: 54.23 [Upgraded to 55.00] [Upgraded to 55.165] [Upgraded to 55.2095] [Upgraded to 58.12] [Upgraded to 59.3402 (almost immediately upgraded to "59.3409" because I repeatedly typo''d the score as that and then felt like giving it those tiny fractions of a point instead of editing the score on every other sheet)]] [Upgraded to 60.00]

(First Reaction: A page that I think has an attempt at translating the lyrics, so I can find it again later:
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/%E5%A4%A9%E8%8A%B1%E4%BA%82%E5%A2%9C-or-tian-hua-luan-zhui-everythings-mess.html

It's not a literal translation of the song title, but it's an attempt by someone to convey a similar meaning which is good enough for my purposes.

The song seems to be criticizing pop music, along with those of us who are blatantly using music to avoid properly dealing with real feelings:

Follow the song and sing, Follow the song and dance, be happy
Follow the song and sing, Follow the song and dance, be sad
...
In fact this song substitutes your feelings

As someone who listened to Bring Me the Horizon's "Doomed" around 80 times last year, I feel personally attacked by that. </.<

And of course there's a bit more to that with layers of sarcasm and the possibility of the first verse calling out specific songs--"Who is casually missing Linda or that girl named Sara?", that could easily be a shot at some specific songs (personally, I had to go listen to Starship's Sara after that line), but which ones??--but I fear I've spent too much time on the song for a First Impression. Perhaps we'll talk about it more in the future.)

!A fine song, though not one of my favorites from the Pair.

[FInal Thoughts: Usually I really enjoy their songs, but I'm just not clicking with this one as much as I'd like. It's nice to hear more songs from their prime, but... not exactly my favorite.]

[Later: Moving this one over the wall.]

[Later: Minor boost to reogranize part of the list.]

[Later: Had this song stuck in my head last night, so I'm going to move this back up where it came from.]

[Later: Minor boost to reach the 59 point level,]

[Everything's Later: I suppose I've started to like this enough to add it to the all-devouring Neo Clump.]

[Beyond Everything: Yeah, I like this now. It has won me over and the familiarity that's come from refusing to eliminate it has made it almost comforting in a way, with this song always waiting for me just around the corner,,, but I think I'm fine leaving it here in the Neo Clump.

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

-

And I think we'll stop here for the day. 9 songs eliminated and we've covered a fair number of participants Clumped Songs.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

I'm starting to love the Hypa Hypa chorus from how often I've heard it...

The plan is working.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

[Later: Somewhere between Standard Doomsday & Piano Doomsday, there likely exists a perfect song. I think I may have a *slight* preference for the original, but it's close enough that I can't imagine the choice having a notable impact on anything.]

The original is my favourite but I went against nominating it since it went against the theme of "alternate versions of Architects songs" that I wanted to go for.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

???: Architects - Doomsday (Piano Reprise) (4:06):

this is such a mood

the regular version too

looping

I'm more of a fan of Hollow Crown-era Architects but I do admire how far they've come and how popular they've gotten

The songs on their last two albums are really hit or miss for me. I definitely prefer their older stuff though.

feeling like i'm about to cry right now listening on repeat while trying to write something

maybe it's all the beer though lol

Doomsday is a pretty emotional song. It was their first song they released since their guitarist died from cancer.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

???: Blind Guardian - And Then There Was Silence [14:05]:
https://youtu.be/yCKLXy8l5nY

Nominator: CJones [10/18 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.02
Revised Score: 62.00
Final Score: 60.00

Ouch, AttwS only warrants a 60? Yeah, we definitely have different tastes in music. I used to listen to this pretty regularly. There are a couple different versions of this song. The one I nominated is the 2011 rerecorded version, which has substantially better sound quality. But some of the high notes have been dropped a couple steps in this version, which I don't like. Perhaps I should have nominated the original.

Blind Guardian are big fans of Queen, and this is their Bohemian Rhapsody. The album it comes off of is even called "A Night at the Opera", a clear reference to the Queen album of the same name. They said once that they spent about as much time writing that one song as the rest of the album combined.

I wonder if you would have liked Wheel of Time better. It's Blind Guardian's other "epic" song. It's only 9 minutes long, and is based on, you guessed it, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series of books.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCLsqg05boo

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

if you want to hear a version of the song without bouncing audio, you could check out this live version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTVumbwP7pU

My first thought is that I prefer the album version. The live one feels... faster? That could be my imagination, but the album track has a much more mellow feel while the live track is livelier.

Though first impressions aren't worth much and I'll admit I may be favoring the nominated one due to a familiarity bias.

kateee posted...

this is such a mood

the regular version too

looping

I'm glad you enjoy it!

...Or feel strongly about it, at least!

CJones posted...

Yeah, we definitely have different tastes in music.

That's the fun part: I'm fundamentally incompatible with everyone's tastes and anything that seems like compatibility can be dismissed as atmospheric noise.

I shall add that song to the post-ranking list. Fair warning though, I know nothing about the Wheel of Time.

...is that the one with Rand Al'Thor or whatever his name was? With that balefire thing? He was nominated at some Most Powerful Character contests, so I'm aware he exists.

Fluttershy_Pony posted...

That's the fun part: I'm fundamentally incompatible with everyone's tastes and anything that seems like compatibility can be dismissed as atmospheric noise.

I got 4 songs in the top 10 of the other one of these I submitted songs for, and I'd still say my taste is way closer to CJones!

(And yeah, that's the one with Rand Al'Thor)

Fluttershy_Pony posted...

I shall add that song to the post-ranking list. Fair warning though, I know nothing about the Wheel of Time.

...is that the one with Rand Al'Thor or whatever his name was? With that balefire thing? He was nominated at some Most Powerful Character contests, so I'm aware he exists.

I've never actually read any of the books. I have seen the Amazon adaptation though, which I thought was pretty decent. But yeah, Rand is the reincarnation of the "Dragon", the most powerful sorcerer ever, or something like that.

Fluttershy_Pony posted...

My first thought is that I prefer the album version. The live one feels... faster? That could be my imagination, but the album track has a much more mellow feel while the live track is livelier.

i just did an A/B with the two versions and i don't think the live one is faster.

but i do also prefer the album version because of the more mellow feel. their rapping is a lot more aggressive in the live version. seeing them perform the song with a live band is pretty cool, though.

TheArkOfTurus posted...

I got 4 songs in the top 10 of the other one of these I submitted songs for, and I'd still say my taste is way closer to CJones!

Really? I remember the song your signature quotes, The World Turned Upside Down from Hamilton, and Gethsemane from Jesus Christ Superstar (movie version)... I wonder what the fourth was.

CJones posted...

I've never actually read any of the books.

Ah, then knowledge of the books is presumably not required. Very good. (Song is officially added to the list, as I'm now at the tablet to actually update said list)

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

i just did an A/B with the two versions and i don't think the live one is faster.

but i do also prefer the album version because of the more mellow feel. their rapping is a lot more aggressive in the live version

Ah. Well at the least increased aggression wasn't entirely in my head.

-

Haste & hotdogturtle:

No songs in Clump.

Jesse

Has one:

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

???: KONGOS - Come With Me Now (3:37):
https://open.spotify.com/track/2kWowW0k4oFymhkr7LmvzO?si=81HjxFSvT1aLigfFHgHTFA

Nominator: Jesse Custer [21/29 Remaining]

Initial Score: 61.18
Revised Score: 63.35
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction:

I've wasted time, I've wasted breath
I think I've thought myself to death

Have we covered the part where I like blunt lyrics about regret enough times? Yes? Cool.)

!Soul-selling references are also worth a few extra points, to be quite honest. I'm also amused by a few people interpreting the choruses as being sung by Satan... not really what I think the song is going for, but I at least see where they're coming from. Also it's fun hearing an accordion that actually works in a rock song.

[Final Thoughts: Everything seems to be being added to the Neo Clump these days. So many songs that I like, but not quite as much as I once did, leaving everything to fall into the Neo Clump's gravitational pull.]

[Later: There are a lot of fun interpretations of the song and it is rather catchy, but I think this is as far as the track goes. Perhaps if it were explictly about Satan? Not much in the way of Satanic music this year.]

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

-

Kateee:

Has one:

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

???: John Talabot - Depak Ine (7:26):
https://youtu.be/q2D_D2lI02o

Nominator: Kateee [16/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.00
Revised Score: 53.26
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: A fairly long song with some jungle sound-effects. I do like the added sounds, though it doesn't make me feel like I'm traversing a jungle or anything... it's just some song with some sounds added? It's somewhat enjoyable.)

Another day, another overly negative First Reaction. This is a different type of electronic music and I'm not sure I've heard anything quite like it before. The track has a good sense of "build" to it, in the way it continually ramps up. It's like the song starts off as a very basic "night in the jungle" and then conveys a sense of grave urgency the exact nature of which is left as an exercise for the listener---are you running from something or towards it? Etc, etc. I'm afraid I don't feel any specific fantasies, just the generic "jungle" and "urgent", but I appreciate the concept and can imagine why someone else would have a far more powerful reaction to the experience.

Given the *slightly* abrupt ending to the track, I was hoping the next song on the album would continue the adventure... but while Destiny is a perfectly fine song, it's definitely not an adventurous or exploration type theme and the album seems to go in another direction at that point. Still, I skimmed through the other tracks, and it seems like a well-made album, I didn't have anything negative to say about the parts I heard. So a good artist and this is probably the best song from a good album, but I personally didn't vibe with the experience as much as I wish I did. Still fun and a good attempt though.

[Final Thoughts: Yeah, I'm kinda vibing with these techno jungle vibes tonight. Let's go ahead and officially move this up to the "like" tier. Not really sure why it had such a low score on the second listen anyway... if I actively wanted more of this song and sought out other songs from the album, that's a pretty good sign that I liked it.]

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

-

Kopazzynth:

Has one:

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

Sir Dupermann - Melkemannen [4:24]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdVwsbxZtjY

Nominator: Kopazzynth [10/21 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 62.003
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: The first half of the song is static-y and the second half is beepy. It's an interesting contrast and I think I like this.)

!Definitely in the "I like this" section of strange songs.

[Final Thoughts: Standard "Neo Clump" "I Like This" writeup. I'm not even sure which of the two halves of this song I prefer.]

[Later: Oddly, I wish it went harder on the static. For being a song with a lot of static and beeping, it feels like it's often toned down for a more mainsteam audience. It does pick up a bit shortly after the three minute mark, but it never hits me hard enough to really resonate. Still, I do like it and it's at least trying to give me the sounds I love.]

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

Lasa:

Has one:

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

???: Frank Zappa - Waka/Jawaka [11:17]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5UQEI1ojCQ

Nominator: Lasa [4/14 Remaining]

Initial Score: 57.04
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: A perfectly nice 11+ minute instrumental, but sadly one that doesnt make me think or feel anything specific and the drumming can be a bit much for my taste once they fully kick in--thankfully, the focus shifts away from them after about a minute or so, so the section I dislike is a fairly insignificant part of the runtime. Also, this song somehow feels a bit shorter than it needs to be, as it almost seems to just... stop instead of hitting a fulfilling conclusion. That being said, I did enjoy most of my time with the track.)

!Eh, let's go ahead and jump it up a tier. It's quite nice to just relax and slightly space out to, while being varied enough that it inexplicably feels too short even with its long runtime. Neat.

[Final Thoughts: It's remarkable how short this song feels. I don't think there are any moments I really want to focus on, but it's enjoyable from start-to-finish.]

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

-

Mega Mana & Metalmind:

0.

-

Murphiroth:

One, which isn't Reality TV which is getting a few more points. 63.something-or-other, we'll revisit it when we get there.

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

???: Mori Calliope - The Grim Reaper Is a Live-Streamer (3:12):
https://open.spotify.com/track/6i3It0rVKEvoaTkzIxGOpg?si=74229022fea74dc8

Nominator: Murphiroth [15*/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 51.01
Revised Score: 60.00
FInal Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: It's fine, but I don't think it's one of her better songs.)

The good news it that I like this song today! The less good news is that I really need to get going for [reasons] and can't possibly type anything right now, which is really irresponsible on my end, but I'm moving it up an entire tier and will try to type something up during the Final Score portion. Thanks for understanding!

[Final Thoughts: Past Raetsel underestimates my ability to take the "this is the tier where I can just say "I like this" and leave things at that" literally and spam that response far more often than is healthy or interesting. But I like this.]

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

-

Iceman & NFUN:

Are safe

-

paulg:

Has another one:

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

???: Banjo-Kazooie - Jiggy Fanfare [0:06]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0KrcZL32-c

Nominator: paulg [25/52 Remaining]

Initial Score: 28.04
Revised Score: 10.00 (upgraded to 60 points due to a paradox)
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: I quite strongly dislike Banjo-Kazooie and this gibberish is exactly what I'd expect from that stupid bear.

...No, I don't know why I have this level of vitriol towards him. Comically enough, I think I may hate him more than Crash (who doesn't seem all that bad in comparison).)

An incredibly short jingle done in a style I don't like, from a game I don't like, with instrumentation that I don't like. Going to be honest, it's nice having a song that's so easy to put into last place; I don't hate it, I just quite dislike it and there's nothing to be particularly introspective about. None of this "ooh, this song is oddly triggering, let's listen to it a bunch and see if we figure out what that's about" soul searching, just basic and easy to understand dislike, all wrapped up in a song that's so short that there's not really anything to try to analyze in the first place.

[Fluttershy's Note: Umm... if we love how easy it is to dislike, then that means we liked the nomination. And if we liked the nomination, shouldn't we be giving this a good score, since enjoyment is the only factor??]

...

*about ten minutes later--like, literally, staring blankly at the screen for ten straight minutes*

Ow. Did we really have to go and turn the song into a bloody paradox? We had a nice, easy last place and now everything's all...

*uncomfortable silence*

...Fine. Take the 60 points. I like paradoxes, I suppose and numbers don't mean anything at all anyway.

[Final Thoughts: ..I don't know. I dislike the song, but I enjoy how much I dislike it, so I like that it's here, so I like it, but I dislike it, so just... take your 60 points and move along.]

...

[Later: *For those just tuning into this topic series, I expressed a lot of hatred towards Crash Bandicoot last topic. We never did quite work out why, but at least he's better than that stupid bear.

Soo... this song... I uhh... like laughing at it? Somehow? But I think this is as far as a paradox can take a song.]

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

-

Player 0:

Has one:

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

???: Franchouchou - Atsuku Nare (4:46):
https://open.spotify.com/track/6T6j2XDXleylWmBHoT8i6i?si=e30d1e1e703c4e90

Nominator: Player_0 [16/33 Remaining]

Initial Score: 59.46
Revised Score: 72.31
Final Score: 59.46 [Upgraded to 60.00]

(First Reaction: It's not the most complicated jrock anime song, but it's charmingly earnest in its enthuiasm.)

!Sometimes simple songs work quite well. I'm not entirely sure why i like this one so much, but it's one of the most overwhelmingly charming songs on the album.

[Final Thoughts: A song that bounces up and down wildly depending on my current mood. Today, the song is.... still something I kinda like, but I feel like it's much more in line with how the Initial Score was instead of the Revised Score that catapaulted it up several tiers.]

[Later: "I want to deliver noisy and delicious sensations,"I'm pretty sure that's not the right way to translate that line -but- it is amusing. Anyway, I find it interesting that the English dub has a completely different feel to the lyrics compared to other translations of the original lyrics. In particular, the first two verses of the dub makes this sound like a love song:

Was I just misunderstood?
Or was my affection too much
Never seemed to connect,
though you swore you were on my side
Still couldnt see eye to eye

Our pride always gets in the way (Gets in the way)
Our hearts fall into disarray (To disarray)
Have we thrown it all away?
I cant take it anymore!

Which is nice. While the Japanese version is more about making everyone smile & hope with lines like "We will resonate to the world with our voices" & "You should be able to make everyone smile" which is also nice, but doesn't at all feel like where we were going with the dub verses.

Either way, I think I like this again this morning. Not nearly as much as the second time around, but I'm fine with letting it be part of NEO CLUMP.]

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

EDIT: If you'll forgive me, I'll be taking a break here for the day. It is fairly late and I need to try to get in a listen of this week's album from Rank the Tracks; as I've been rather looking forward to listening to this one, I really need to make sure I get in at least one listen and have already reserved part of my day for it today.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

I wonder what the fourth was.

Pain of Salvation - Iter Impius

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80289509

For anyone who might be interested: FoolFantastic runs a series where we collectively listen to an album & rank the tracks from it. This week we're covering "Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica", a metal album that I think may be of interest to some people over here. Anyone can participate, so if you have an interest in the band, do feel free to pop in this week!

TheArkOfTurus posted...

Pain of Salvation - Iter Impius

Whoa, you nominated that one?! Awesome! I love that song and album! Sadly, the album is a bit too weird to be something I can nominate anywhere... which is why I love it.

Noooo my favourite song from the series

Fluttershy_Pony posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80289509

For anyone who might be interested: FoolFantastic runs a series where we collectively listen to an album & rank the tracks from it. This week we're covering "Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica", a metal album that I think may be of interest to some people over here. Anyone can participate, so if you have an interest in the band, do feel free to pop in this week!

I own Ecliptica. Not really one of my favorite SA albums, but I'll check out the topic.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

Really? I remember the song your signature quotes, The World Turned Upside Down from Hamilton, and Gethsemane from Jesus Christ Superstar (movie version)... I wonder what the fourth was.

Does this mean you like showtunes? I can sing pretty much the entirety of Cats from memory, I've heard it so many times :P

CJones posted...

That's from Be isn't it?

Indeed! It's a very strange musical journey, but one that was brought to my attention at the perfect time. I was at my peak of my "into strange things" phase & searching for something that evoked the sort of feelings that Be does.

Alas, it's hard to nominate it places because the very strangeness that compels me renders it quite impractical at something like Rate the Tracks... as much as I'd like to hear people's thoughts on it, it really isn't designed for people to judge each track separately.

CJones posted...

Does this mean you like showtunes?

Raka is the board's resident showtune expert, but they nominated quite a few musical songs (including two from Cats; one from the film, one not) that have yet to be eliminated so I'd say I at least generally like the category.

what i should have done before the topic is make predictions of my noms to see how wrong i would have been

^Yeah, I get that a lot.

Raka & rwlh:

No songs remaining in Clump.

sergio:

Has one:

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

???: Return To Forever - Medieval Overture (5:13):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB4roWRH6Bs

Nominator: sergio [4/13 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.78
Revised Score: 55.44
Final Score: 55.49 [Upgraded to 57.52] [Upgraded to...something.] ["Something" set at 60.00]

(First Reaction: It's a complex and enjoyable instrumental, but I prefer my instrumental tracks to be simpler and more focused on creating a certain ambience or conveying a specific emotion, where as this is... something which probably has more musical value to a normal person but isn't exactly what I'm looking for, though I do somewhat enjoy it anyway.)

...Wait, this album is from 1976? It feels so experimental that I thought it was modern, like the type of thing I'd stumble upon if I were better at searching through Bandcamp. Even the description of the album feels modern:

Described as an electronic symphony for the post-jazz age, the album was notable for casting a wide net across the musical spectrum, incorporating sounds from the Baroque classical period as well as contemporary rock and funk.

Okay, okay, I'm not saying people weren't experimental in the 70's. It's just not when I expected. Moving along...

This is a deeply complicated track that goes way over my head. I don't really get what musical styles are being fused to create this... and skimming some reviews, it seems like I'm not the only one. There are a lot of people who love this album (for what seem like good reasons), but there's also a lot of criticism about the music lacking emotion and instead focusing entirely on showing off with odd time signatures and extremely complicated arrangements. Which feels like overly harsh criticism? I prefer instrumentals that inspire strong emotions or create a type of atmosphere and this song, while incredibly impressive, is not doing either of those things -but- I do not list that as a flaw, just a "not what I personally look for" type statement.

[Final Thoughts: Around 50 seconds the song has a strong, retro gaming vibe, like a "Pac-Man being pulled into a vortex" type of sensibility. That part is really neat. The rest of the song is still well beyond my comprehension, but I kinda like that about it.]

[Later: Just a minor boost.]

[Later: I... don't want to eliminate this, but haven't figured out what that translates to as a score. This officially has the score of "something" and we'll see what that translates to whenever I eliminate it.]

[Later: Neo Clump? Everything goes to Neo Clump. Neo Clump is all.]

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

-

Shonen_Bat:

Is eliminated:

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

???: Doki Doki Literature Club - Your Reality (3:01):
https://youtu.be/CAL4WMpBNs0

Nominator: Shonen_Bat [0/2 Remaining]

Initial Score: 63.19
Revised Score: 62.19
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: I really did love this song last year. It got stuck in my head all the time, I listened to it repeatedly for fun, but I'm starting to grow a bit tired of it.... sorry. It's still good and I enjoy it, but I find myself wanting something different these days.)

!This is one of those songs where I've unfortunately listened to it so many times that the magic is gone... I still like it, but I doubt I'll ever be able to recapture the old feelings again.

[Final Thoughts: Unfortunately, it's been less than a year since I listened to this song a ton until I got burned out on it... there are other songs on this list that I've listened to countless times, but typically it's been a while since I binged them to death. This song is just too recent of an obsession for me to be especially excited to hear it again; I'm sorry. I loved it once and I'll probably love it again in a couple years, but while I don't want to let it drop below the 60 point level, it's not quite something I want to listen to right now.]

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

ELIMINATED:

Shonen_Bat

Lowest Song:

Dead Cells - Undying Shore: 50.25

Highest Song

Doki Doki Literature Club - Your Reality: 60.00

Average Score: 55.125

Not sure if I'll keep posting Average Score updates when we reach people with a lot of songs, but since there's only two songs here then I can at least manage this much.

It's sad eliminating someone already, especially someone whose account is closed because that makes this contest one of the last remaining traces of someone who is now gone. Unfortunately, with only two nominations, it was just a matter of time. Still, he didn't nominate anything I disliked & I loved "Your Reality" once, so this was hardly a bad pair of nominations.

While this particular contest didn't end well for you, you shall be missed.

Snake:

Has two:

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

???: Body Count - Bum-Rush (3:23):
https://youtu.be/BBrGwB6cx7g

Nominator: Snake [18/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 68.13
Revised Score: 74.16
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: I really don't want to get political here, for a variety of reasons that I'm also going to not get into. Let's just say I generally agree with the song's view and I highly enjoy the energy in it. I also really don't follow current music, so while this may be an award winning song, I've never heard of the band or the song before... which isn't relevant, but does pad out the length of this write-up a bit.

I don't know why I felt writeup should be hypenated there, much less why it isn't in this sentence, but that also pads out the length!)

!I do quite enjoy the energy and anger from this song. I think when we covered "Rage Against the Machine" at Rank The Tracks, I was expecting something much closer to this song and that might be part of why I couldn't get into the album... feels like there's a lot more raging against political machines on this track then anything on that entire album.

[Final Thoughts: I like the message and the anger, but I'm not as into the actual music tonight as I usually am. Moving this one back down to the Neo Clump; I do like it and it needs to be on a tier above all the 59 point songs, but I don't think I like it nearly enough to be up this high.]

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

-

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

???: Dream Unending - In Cipher I Weep (7:55):
https://youtu.be/wudOvSzkUvY

Nominator: Snake [17/32 Remaining]

Initial Score: 49.96
Revised Score: 56.003
Final Score: 56.003 [Upgraded to 60.00]

(First Reaction: I'm still not the biggest fan of death metal in general and this song doesn't do much to change my opinion. It's certainly never bad--even at its most intense, it's still tamer than many, many other songs that have been nominated in the past--but it goes on a bit long and the only part I really liked was about twenty seconds around the 5:40 mark? And the rest of the song is... fine. Very, very fine. It's not too shouty, too intense, too overly long (I mean, almost eight minutes is a bit much, but it didn't feel especially drawn out), or anything. It's just fine.)

I think I'd prefer this as an instrumental. There's a resigned sense of dread to most of the music, a slow march to the grave, that is delightfully bleak. I'd love to quietly reflect on it alone, but his harsh growling voice rather keeps me from focusing as intently on the emotions & ambiance as I'd like. I'm also not fond of the end of the song--once the drums kick in, the song abandons all of its beauty and dread for an APOCALYPTIC BREAKDOWN which is something I know appeals to most other people, but does nothing for me.

All that being said, I'm rather certain I can say I generally liked the song this time around. It's far better classified as "a great song that does some things I dislike which knocks it down a few tiers" than something I didn't care about, so mid-to-high 50s is likely a fitting space for it.

[Final Thoughts: I still generally enjoy this song. The slow, dreadful march to the abyss is still fun ; there's a nice, quieter interlude around the middle which pleasingly contrasts the rest of the song; The end is too epically intense, but ya know, I like everything leading up to it enough that I kinda like the song.]

[Later: This song is appealing in ways that are unlike anything else on the list, so I'm going to just go ahead and add this to the all-consuming Neo Clump.]

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

-

TunnelScene:

Has one:

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

???: Bubblemath - Destiny Repeats Itself [7:24]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxnvk-y4K_s

Nominator: @TunnelScene [12/27 Remaining]

Initial Score: 58.93
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: It's certainly a different type of bleakness than I'm use to and I can't say I really relate to the desire to reproduce in spite of health issues (or at all for that matter), but it's fairly intriguing subject matter and one of the better math rock songs i've heard. )

!Not a subject matter that I can get invested in, but the track itself is good & a great example that there are mathrock songs out there that I can enjoy well enough. Going to go ahead and move it up to the exactly 60 point song level, though I know I'm already creating a new CLUMP there...

[Final Thoughts: I don't think I know a proper adjective to describe this song, but I like it.]

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

-

UF8:

One:

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

???: Ayana Nana - Rainy Magic (4:16):
https://youtu.be/jNonXYqU81I

Nominator: UF8 [18/30 Remaining]

Initial Score: 60.00
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: A song that deserves to be more popular than it is and the first (though almost assuredly not the last) song that I can't find anything about online. Presuming this song doesn't have severe lyrical dissonance (which it certainly could, but in this case I can only judge by what it sounds like), this is a rather cute & simple song. Quite nice to listen to, but not overwhelmingly amazing. Still much better than the abysmally low view count and complete lack of online discussion would imply.)

!I'll just continue presuming this song to be as simple and cute as it sounds.

[Final Thoughts: Cute and sweet. Presumably.]

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

Xtlm:

Has none:

Zazi:

Has one:

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

???: Port Blue - Silver Blueberry (1:19):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q6pONTLt8o

Nominator: ZaziGuado [22/28 Remaining]

Initial Score: 53.48
Revised Score: 60.00
Final Score: 60.00

(First Reaction: A short but relatively sweet instrumental. It's a nice, refreshing snack of a song that's not substantial enough to really love but will likely always be a welcome addition to any list.)

A great song that leaves me wanting so much more from it that I'm left rather disappointed by the end. It seems like it's gearing up to be a really beautiful and powerfully emotional song and... then it stops quite quickly, leaving me unfulfilled. What's here is fantastic though: It feels like waking up on a clear morning ('kay, I don't like morning, but I'll forgive it in this context) & walking through a futuristic city. Like something that could play in Deltarune Chapter 2, exploring the cyber world. It's bright, shiny, new, full of hope and... ends before it finished getting started. I like it enough to move it up a tier, definitely, but this song could desperately use another minute added to its runtime so the listener could properly experience all of the emotions.

[Final Thoughts: I like it, I just wish it was two or three times longer than it is.]

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

-

And we're clear!

NOW ENTERING THE 60.00000001 TO 69.99~ LEVEL:

...Unfortunate timing on my end as I don't have time to properly update until later, but we're here!

More songs and an actual update to be posted at my earliest convenience.

[Final Thoughts: I like it, I just wish it was two or three times longer than it is.

I have similar thoughts. It's another Adam Young instrumental and I'm hoping that someday it gets varied on and made into a full-fledged song like many other Port Blue compositions have.

nice to see medieval overture. one of my favorite return to forever songs.

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

there's also a lot of criticism about the music lacking emotion and instead focusing entirely on showing off with odd time signatures and extremely complicated arrangements.

there will always be people who say this about a jazz fusion track, yeah (just like there will always be people who insist that picasso could not paint).

Thoughts on stuff I missed over the holidays.

Sightseeing in the Apocalypse: Pretty fair spot I think, although I consider this one a really effective opener for how directly it sets up the overall feel and theming of the album.

Ballad of the Mighty I: At one time this was among my least favorite High Flying Birds songs, but as I didn't really care for most of Who Built the Moon? it's kind of risen in my esteem by default over the years. It's also a bit of a memorable one for me because Noel forgot the words to the second verse when I saw him live and, after the song was over, he proceeded to hilariously complain about how long and complicated it is.

Overture to a Ceasefire: And so my favorite song off of Swagger and Stroll does fall. The marching drumbeat is such a great bookend to the album alongside Sightseeing - "sad parade music" is a pretty good descriptor, actually. I just love that even when DSO writes a comparatively "normal" song they still find a way to make things bizarre and unexpected. Your first couple of times listening to this, you just never know whether the next note is going to be one of consonance or dissonance. And then it just kind of putters out right as it seems to be building to some grand climax. The vocals are fun, the lyrics are great, and it really puts a nice little bow on everything that the rest of the Swagger tracks had to say. This is just a top-tier album ender.

And Then There Was Silence: Straight up top-15 song of all time for me. Or, at least, the original version from A Night at the Opera is. This re-recorded one is still excellent but I agree with CJones that the loss of some of the high-note vocals, appropriately, drops it a couple notches - there's just so much more of an epic feeling when everything is completely cutting loose. I've always found it interesting that ANatO has two songs centering around Cassandra and that the second one is the most ambitious thing Blind Guardian ever attempted. Hansi Kursch must find her a really interesting character to center his magnum opus around her. This feels like the culmination of everything he ever wanted to write considering that nothing else in the band's discography even comes close to its scale and the fact that, as CJones mentioned, they put a significant amount of time and effort into it... Honestly, it's weird to think that there are even 14 songs in existence that I like even better than this one. It really is a triumph of music.

Come With Me Now: I don't really care very much about this song except that it holds a special place in my heart for being the goal song for a few years of the now-defunct minor-league hockey team in my hometown. Lots of great memories of doing a very silly arm-pumping celebration in rhythm with the melody alongside my dad and a whole stadium full of other fans. Fun to see it show up on this list.

Glad to escape the Clump myself. Have a feeling one or two of my noms aren't gonna make it much longer, though.

I see what you mean about the ending to In Cipher I Weep but I think it works perfectly with the passage that comes before - it's a violent and rude awakening, the dream-like lull and peace of death are abruptly torn away, illustrating that even in death ones' soul is subject to the pulls and demands of the afterlife.