Author Topic: Gauging of interest on music review thingey (Read 50607 times)

Jo'ou Ranbu · « **Reply #50 on:** June 27, 2014, 01:49:07 PM »

Quote from: Grefter

Coldplay - A Sky Full of Stars

This is a song Snow should listen to on loop.

Listening to a full song helmed by Chris Martin's voice even once is a newtonian impossibility.

metroid composite · « **Reply #51 on:** June 27, 2014, 05:05:14 PM »

metroid composite · « **Reply #52 on:** July 04, 2014, 04:39:59 AM »

Ok, we have a real finals on our hands this week. I have one song that I'm slightly leaning towards, but I can definitely be influenced in other directions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms9vNOQgMqA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXrUOXxiGjw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wvhqdyi8xk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4CNQh-14xQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNroAK0by4g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDlofPAOZy0

Grefter · « **Reply #53 on:** July 04, 2014, 01:09:25 PM »

VALSHE 7th Single「TRANSFORM」

This is an anime opening song.

Paloma Faith - Trouble with My Baby

This is my kind of love song. IE one that is about broken people who don't work. It doesn't push any boundaries in what it is, but it does it well. Especially when I stop freaking out expecting Tina Turner to start informing me about the jurisdiction of the Ripley Police Department.

YELLE - Bouquet Final

So met and I talked about this one a fair bit. It was probably my favourite this week in a strong week. I talked a lot about genre stuff with it because I threw it in Dubstep because of the instrumentation with dirty processed samples, break beats and a dropping note to hit a bass tone (not a full blown bass drop that Dub is known for) where met placed it solidly in Electronica, which is absolutely right with the song construction. I am wrapped up too much in the instrumentation because this is absolutely more in line with Kraftwerk with minimalist use of a restricted range of samples put together elegantly to make a great piece of music. Put it together with a start black text on white background for French lyrics and it is absolutely up my alley. Loved it. Great stuff. Would probably have gone with it as a good place for people to start on that kind of instrument choice at least in that it is super palatable way to run into that style of sample and break beats. I am still debating whether to do a deep dive or not.

If you listen to one track I say pick this one.

DJ Paul Elstak & Mental Theo ft. Gin Dutch - Raving Beats

Is a super generic party track to me. It is a good one and as much as I enjoy big dumb party tracks that revel in being dumb, I can't really rate it against this competition.

한채윤 Han ChaeYoon - 파리를 걷다 Walking In Paris

This is good! I like it a fair bit. It isn't as good as 풋풋 - Freshman Song that met linked back earlier in the year, but is similar. In a shallower week this probably would be my pick pretty easily.

Lily Allen - URL Badman

Aaaaand while I wouldn't have picked it like mc has, this is a damned good pick. Lilly Allen has had a phenomenal year. Looking stuff up while discussing I saw that she had finished recording parts of Sheezus in November last year when she put out Its Hard Out Here and has been steadily releasing stuff from it up to launch in May and has had 2 singles at least out since then. Music videos galore and all have been really good strong songs. This one maybe slightly less strong to me than some previous weeks, but what the fuck ever, weaker than some other tracks is still astoundingly well put together rhymes from Lilly Allen. Kind of astoundingly strong album and she is really an amazing worker.

metroid composite · « **Reply #54 on:** July 04, 2014, 06:30:17 PM »

metroid composite · « **Reply #55 on:** July 11, 2014, 06:30:54 AM »

Either music was pretty bad this week, or I was unusually negative. That said, there were one or two I really liked. Think I'll only link 5, though, one of which is a repeat (since it had a lyric video before, now has full music video).

The finalists are...:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv-8-EgPEY0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MPtXUeUznY (Now a music video instead of just a lyric video; not sure if I like the music video more)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42uphHWxmFU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50-_oTkmF5I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riU6yti9n-w

Grefter · « **Reply #56 on:** July 11, 2014, 06:57:21 AM »

I wasn't expecting this this week. I am flying home to Brisbane soon but won't be on until late. So might not catch you Met. Will edit in response if I don't catch you.

metroid composite · « **Reply #57 on:** July 11, 2014, 07:04:49 AM »

Quote from: Grefter on July 11, 2014, 06:57:21 AM

I wasn't expecting this this week. I am flying home to Brisbane soon but won't be on until late. So might not catch you Met. Will edit in response if I don't catch you.

Ah, was kind-of thinking you might already be at DLC (are you going to DLC?)

That said, it's not like I have a hard time narrowing it down to 1-2 this week.

Grefter · « **Reply #58 on:** July 11, 2014, 07:10:46 AM »

I am not making it this year. Work and finance prevented it. Making sure I come next year for the Decade of DL though.

Was in Melbourne for work for a week is the flying part.

에프엑스_Red Light_Music Video

This film clip is like if Nomura designed a bunch of prostitutes. It is a catchy piece of dance K-Pop.

MIKA - Boum Boum Boum

Listening to it again? I still think it is pretty good. I said back then that it was top 3 out of 6 for that week in a week with Snoop and Psy and a good Arch Enemy track that I favoured as a good introductory metal track. I on the other hand really like the film clip.

Florida Georgia Line - Dirt

This is not for me. It makes me want to move closer to the city center.

Becky G - Shower

Hi product placement. If this was done as something without that boring 4 tone synth bass line (Just a better instrument choice or better mixing might even do it) and without auto tune it could be a good minimal song. As is, meeeeehhhhhhhhhhhh there isn't enough song to work around the bad bass and autotuned vocals can't carry a song with that basic instrumentation.

Cosmic Gate & Orjan Nilsen - Fair Game (Official Music Video)

I feel like I should have frosted tips and get a good pump going. I would say it is the strongest of the brainless house we have talked about (it is a much more fast moving track).

aaaaand now checking which you picked. Yeah that is a fair pick. I don't talk about it much, but "catchy dance K-Pop song" is pretty strong from your picks this week. Already mentioned the repetition of Boum Boum Boum holding it back (the film clip DOES help distract from it by being very very fast cuts of looooots of sequences), but it is weak enough that picking a song that doesn't really have bad parts and as a whole is pretty above average (but nothing that stands out as amazing to me personally) can easy win out over the novelty of French pop tracks that I get so much joy out of.

metroid composite · « **Reply #59 on:** July 11, 2014, 05:33:40 PM »

metroid composite · « **Reply #60 on:** July 17, 2014, 07:18:14 PM »

I have no internet access. Outside of a library in which I cannot listen to music for obvious reasons. (A library which closes in four hours, which might be before Grefter wakes up).

Someone pick music for me. I haven't listened to anything, but you can pick a recent runner up you've liked, or here's what's new on the music charts this week (none of which I've listened to; put it in youtube and see what you find...):

Fresh on the UK charts:

It's My Birthday
will.i.am & Cody Wise

Somebody To You
The Vamps Featuring Demi Lovato

Right Here
Jess Glynne

Fresh on the American charts (Nutritional warning: most of the new stuff on the american charts is Country, which causes allergic reactions in Grefters...and actually roughly 90% of people. Ariana Grande is presumably not country, but I haven't listened to it yet):

Dirt (already seen the video for this last week)

Break Free
Ariana Grande Featuring Zedd
(Last week this didn't have a video; if it does now then it's an option)

Bartender Lady Antebellum (might have already been reviewed?)

I don't Dance - Lee Bryce

Grefter · « **Reply #61 on:** July 17, 2014, 10:28:37 PM »

I don't have time to review in the timeframe you are working with... So you could just go with the ones you know her (Bartender we talked about and there was a week it was against a better country song ).

I an go out on a limb and assume Ariana is the best of the set though, because she is the most talented after checking and seeing that The Vamps are a One Direction clone.

Edit - Aaaaand it isn't that Country is bad or anything. I guarantee the general population likes Country more than I do. It just is a genre that specifically and directly tends to shit me off. Probably stems somewhat for growing up hearing how great things like Paul Kelly are and how BEST AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN EVER he is, which helllll nooooooooooo. You see how much I peddle in local stuff, there is a great Australian music scene and they write more than 4 tracks with 2 themes. Do these kinds people even AC/DC let alone like the rest of the decades of Aus music ever?

What I can offer quickly though is a guest write up?

Kate Miller-Heidke - Lose My Shit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-TAkKI5LmE

Not a cutting edge new song, but a song I have been listening to a lot this week. In an acoustic version! Kate Miller-Heidke's new album O Vertigo! is one I got excited about and linked you to some tracks, so she will show up in your aggregates sometime.

She writes simple tracks that are of a consistent quality and never seems to have real outstanding ones. This specific one doesn't do anything out of the norm for her. What it does do though is taps right into that set of emotions I don't use (young love/crush), so I thoroughly enjoy it. It is human and fragile and not in a bleak "we are all broken human beings" way that I always enjoy. Instead it is just a song about how great someone looks and the effect they have.

It is a good acoustic version (of an already pretty chill track) and it is fun to share some live tracks. Only downside is that it is filmed and recorded outdoors so you get the occasional rush of wind through the mic. Which might not even show up without a woofer.

Grefter · « **Reply #62 on:** July 19, 2014, 01:00:15 PM »

I forgot to say that I completely 100% approve of what you did pick. Freshman Song is still rad as hell.

metroid composite · « **Reply #63 on:** July 25, 2014, 06:41:07 AM »

Good mix of genres among the finalists. As well as quite a few bait songs. There's the metal (grefterbait?) There's Bastille with Sansa Stark's actress in the music video (LD bait?) There's a song with strong piano line with female rapping (mcbait?) There's weird Al correcting people on grammar (English Teacher bait?) There's a song that's actually pretty good but has an oddly awkward music video (downvote on youtube bait?)

As always, couple of hours before the decision is made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AiyrG_x2Gk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ketV7tGfpBw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCSBj8Ypcjw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgXOPeobPcI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek7oxdMcfYY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

metroid composite · « **Reply #64 on:** July 26, 2014, 05:49:00 AM »

Grefter · « **Reply #65 on:** July 26, 2014, 07:02:58 AM »

I was at my brother's place opening up a box of Journey Into Nyx boosters. I have Friday off next week for getting ready for weight lifting stuff, so I should be around then. Sorry, still interested and a high point of my week doing this!

metroid composite · « **Reply #66 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:50:46 AM »

Final six, as per usual, comments from anyone would be cool if they come in the next few hours. Hmmm, let's say something crazy to bait Grefters in here. Ooh, ooh, I know: Lady Gaga is making an acoustic album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu905oeqrOg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu2yAQEgYLo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq7Eki5EZ8o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1qwZjfLuzc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg1meK-IgOM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PCkvCPvDXk

Grefter · « **Reply #67 on:** August 01, 2014, 07:17:32 AM »

Lily Allen - As Long As I Got You

I don't know what more I have to say about Lily Allen. I suppose this specific song is probably the weakest so far lyrically on this album? That is entirely meaningless though because it is an honest track with good simple song writing. So what the fuck ever. This is a damn fine simple love song.

Henry 헨리_Fantastic
Tetuya Nomura directs a Backstreet Boys film clip.

*Hold hands over junk making a heart shape* "It's gonna be fantastic"

The two Final Boss violins that are featured in the film clip are pretty great. Dude glide dancing while playing one of those violins also kind of neat.

Musically it isn't super interesting, but it is catchy pop.

Weird Al Yankovic - Tacky
A pop song that (I assume) you already liked with Weird Al involved? I kind of assume you are going to pick this one. Weird Al already really appeals to nerds that are a bit too smart when they are kids because of the humor and puns. Mix it in with how much you have been binging on music since his last album and really digging into it? He seems like a lock honestly. It helps that he goes further with the jokes than Happy does with its original concepts, it feels less stale by the end. This would be a solid pick.

Also there is a looooot of notable comedians in that video.

CROBOT - Nowhere To Hide
Ahhh nice, old school rock with a (cheap) zombie film clip. I can get behind this.

The film clip is pretty dumb fun. The song is only slightly better than that (it isn't super technical or high concept Coheed and Cambria or as dedicated to the sound like The Sword are), but it works really well. It would pretty happily fit in lots of time periods where guitar rock gets air play.

I dig this. Also loving how often Nuclear Blast stuff is showing up in your rotation.

Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Anything Goes

You trick me! It is a Jazz album, not an acoustic album

While I fully expect this to be good... this isn't what I was so desperate for. What I really want is an acoustic piano album with her playing and singing original music.

That said, I am 100% sure this was something SHE wanted to do. Jazz and/or lounge covers with Tony Bennet? Yeah I guarantee this was a dream project and finally had clout to make happen. So more power to her. It won't super excite me, but I am genuinely happy for her getting the chance to do this.

It is pretty short and lets people know what to expect from the album. A simple track without much going on. Tony Bennet sounds like he always has (good) and Gaga sound like she does when she isn't singing through 8 layers of synth (good). It is a (good) track.

Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass
FACT.

Was disappointed a little when it was about Dat Ass. But still good. Could use more bass (no joke). I am really actually more Addicted To Bass and this only really has two or three Bass instruments to it.

That said, hey its a fun track! It probably is the weakest this week though. I think it is hard for all of them to compete with Weird Al covering a really popular song and even as short as Anything Goes is, it is still Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet. That is two artists kind of at the top of their game.

Edit - Oh yeah, I got up and walked away to get some food after listening to Lily and then listened to everything else. Lily Allen is the best track this week to me. It is simple but way way more heartfelt than Gaga and Tony Bennet doing a cover.

metroid composite · « **Reply #68 on:** August 01, 2014, 09:42:31 AM »

Hmmm...ok, we actually don't have much of a consensus.

My imression from casual listening, number of times I've listened to the track, etc was that the strongest tracks were Meghan, Henry, and Crobot. (Which is almost a complete reversal of Grefter's picks). With Henry/Meghan getting a bit of a nod over Crobot probably, because they are catchier.

Grefter calls out Weird Al as an obvious pick, and then mention Lily Allen as his personal favourite.

I suppose neither of us are really backing the Tony Bennett/Lady Gaga song, so I can rule that one out. And Crobot has a bunch of stuff working against it (like...not having a ridiculously good music video).

hmm...gathering my thoughts....

metroid composite · « **Reply #69 on:** August 03, 2014, 04:35:55 PM »

metroid composite · « **Reply #70 on:** August 08, 2014, 04:58:57 AM »

So like...you know how there's usually exactly one metal song among my sixth finalists, and it looks like I'm putting in a token metal song for variety?

That appearance is total coincidence. This week the final six is composed of four metal songs, one pop song, and one string quartet.

As always, anyone who wants to help me choose is welcome to voice their opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9ir6YC2uNU
Wolf - Shark Attack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb0Ot2wd-10
Eluveitie - The Call of the Mountains
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCcB3VSWK1A
Gus G - Blame it on Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da4RyMfAlWs
Darkest Hour - The Misery We Make
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG-PfNMx3Ls
Henry - Fantastic (String Quartet Version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT3RhIJZu4k
Bars and Melody - Hopeful

Grefter · « **Reply #71 on:** August 08, 2014, 10:10:57 AM »

Wolf - Shark Attack

So I had to look them up technically to pin exact genre. Their song structure feels like Speed Metal but it isn't fast enough. Wiki says they do Power Metal, Speed Metal and Heavy Metal.

I would say that fits. They play cleaner than your normal Speed Metal track and it isn't quite as wanky as Power Metal can get.

That said it is a band called WOLF writing a song about SHARK ATTACKS. So it is fucking rad.

It is more of that old school metal style that you seem to dig when you get away from Within Temptation and the likes that you had an affinity for. Arch Enemy still a bit of an outlier. Still this hits home in that patch of metal that I like because it is big dumb fun rather than technically masterful music so I am both pleased to see that (Because big dumb fun is greeeeeeeaaaat) and surprised since you do tend to favour slightly more technical song structure. Speed Metal definitely isn't technical.

Eluveitie - The Call of the Mountains

This sounds like The Islander by Nightwish off Dark Passion Play with a female vocal track. That happens to be my favourite Nightwish track off my favourite album. Then replace some of the instruments with a violin! Then bagpipes! Then a harp! And a Mandolin! And keeps a bass guitar! This is something I never knew I wanted and am so glad to have now. Thiiiiiis is probably going to be my pick based entirely on the novelty (even though this is off their sixth album and I need to get my hands on a lot of music).

Gus G - Blame it on Me

So in the past you have found stuff that I have thought of as like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and others of that vintage. Today you link something that I think of as like Motorhead. I approve of things being similar to Motorhead far far more (for various reasons, only partly due to Lemmy being the lead singer and bass player who is the single most metal person to have ever existed and he solidly fits into "Rock" genre)

This is pretty good. If it wasn't competing with blatant infatuation of styles I dig it would probably rate for me.

Darkest Hour - The Misery We Make

Aaaaand now this is pretty in line with a chunk of modern metal and pretty close to stuff I am in to. The vocals are a bit cleaner than a lot of stuff I dig these days, but instrumentally it is pretty close. It is using samples a lot less than some do like Bring Me the Horizon do. If you dig this there is pleeeenty of stuff like it though from the last decade or so. I keep saying you might dig In Flames, but you could also hit up things like Spineshank off this angle.

Henry - Fantastic (String Quartet Version)

This is really pretty good. All that polish of your normal K-Pop music filtered through the feeling you get out of listening to a string quartet these days. Squeaky fucking clean 2 minutes of tune. I don't know how well it would hold up as like an entire album, but for 2 minutes this is pretty awesome.

Bars and Melody - Hopeful

You found a track from the west that is more saccharine than most of the K-Pop you link. I am going to my usual "I am not the target audience" on this one.

I tend to prefer my music to be about death, depression, aggressively sexually liberated people or bass lines. Even the uplifting music I like tends to be about how everything will be alright because everything is terrible for everybody. A song with kids singing about being hopeful for the future is like the opposite of my thing.

metroid composite · « **Reply #72 on:** August 08, 2014, 10:55:16 AM »

metroid composite · « **Reply #73 on:** August 08, 2014, 11:02:56 AM »

Audience Participation Next Week

Putting this in its own post so it gets seen. Next week is the 1 year anniversary of song of the week. And...I'd like to do a bit of a "best of"/"memorable moments". Are there songs you found particularly catchy/memorable/entertaining from song of the week? Doesn't matter to me if you only listened to a few of the weeks and are now 3 months behind, I'd still love to hear about what you enjoyed.

Grefter · « **Reply #74 on:** August 08, 2014, 10:08:08 PM »

Already said in IRC, but in the sake of conversation.

For me it is 풋풋 - Freshman Song. That thing has been haunting me both in discussions with met and regularly over the past few months.

There is some noteworthy mentions like Deathstars (grabbed a bunch of their stuff) and Arch Enemy for seeming to come out of left field and really giving me a chance to talk about a much broader range of music than I thought we would be examining in this.

Also while I don't have many that I really can pinpoint, there is some quality K-Pop stuff in there too. While I haven't pick many of them as my personal favourites when we are talking about them I don't think there has been one that has been selected that I have really been against either. It is interesting seeing the trends passing through a different culture. It might just be that the trend we are observing of retro revivalist stuff for a bunch of old western musical styles that I enjoy, but whatever I am not going to complain about it when it does happen.

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Author Topic: Gauging of interest on music review thingey (Read 50607 times)