I think so far we’ve had a decent mix of popular, indie, and lesser known stuff move on so far, with popular music actually being a little less dominant than you might expect. Also outside of a few artists (namely the ones you mentioned, maybe Fleetwood), people sometimes surprise you with what they are or aren’t familiar with; cassette had never heard of Jim Croce before he received that submission! There was also a category where the judge was Australian and picked a winner that they had never heard before; it had been the biggest song in the U.S. the year it was released (can’t remember the details except the song goes "Tell me all your thoughts on god, because I’d really like to meet her…). Probably a pretty good song if you’ve never heard it before but I was like ‘Umm wasn’t this a little played out 20 years ago?’
Two more delighted winners pictured. Always more fun when I can congratulate them in person.
Aphex Twin
Bobby Dylan
But we have more to find.
Group 10
First up The 100 Knights Orchestra lay down their Soul Fugue.
I won a round from @ChrisV in which we could submit anything. I think that means this is already the best song ever, so maybe the contest is moot.
This is such a cool track. Swings hard, big depth to the sound, but never sounds gratuitous. I liked it more every time I heard it. Unique sound, a really good fit for the category imo, and a deserving winner.
Then Gunship with Tech Noir.
IIRC this was the first ever category winner round these parts, and it was @hokie who took down @ChrisV’s political songs category.
No dude, I mean this is definitely politics in 2019:
A three-hundred thousand degree baptism by nuclear fire
I’m not sorry, we had it coming
A surge of white-hot atonement will be our wake-up call
Hope for our future is now a stillborn dream(John Carpenter giving that speech, by the way. Just in case it wasn’t already 80s enough).
It sounds like 80s synthwave and yet it was immediately obvious to me that this was a present-day song - which I think is the mark of a good homage. Nostalgic, but not obnoxiously so. I think some people are going to find this boring or naff, but for me the production is so impeccable, big cinematic sound with a lot of richness and texture that keeps it from getting dull. Sounds great loud in headphones. While I was listening to the rest of the category I kept wanting to go back and listen to it again. Even if it’s ultimately ephemeral and the pleasure of it wanes, it’s my #1 right now.
Next up is Deerhoof unleashing Tears of Music and Love.
@cassette won when @Pauwl wanted people to convey their worldview in a song.
Really cool song. Refreshing. I love the vocals. Reminds me of Blonde Redhead or like Frou Frou from back in the day.
The Deerhoof song sounds a lot different music wise of course. Kinda garage. I love the guitar playing the vocal melody with like a chorus effect at a different octave. Kinda makes it sound like a keyboard or organ. Awesome Boston!
We carry on this round with TNGHT taking us to Higher Ground.
@FuncrusherPlus won @anon29622970’s exploration of songs some dude from some TV show would like, or, to put it another way, BANGERS!!! (Tom Haverford from Parks and Rec if you need more info.)
Your winner based on the Haverford criteria, this is the type of banger that would be in heavy rotation. It clocks in at 160 BPM, lots of drops, and of course the dopest of drops. Obviously no acoustic instruments were used in the making of this banger!
And on to DVDA declaring that Now You’re a Man
@LouisCyphre was judged to be a real funny guy by @CanadaMatt3004, winning the comedy song category.
Trey Parker saying “Man” Is never not funny. Apparently that is all that it took to win this category.
I need some scotch.
And then let’s close out with the calming sounds of Run The Jewels on Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1
@DodgerIrish pumped up @cassette to dangerous levels with this one, being the best hit the gym / get pumped up song.
Killer Mike is a beast. Sick production. Run the Jewels don’t resonate with me most of the time, but this is great and has a nice tempo for a long run. Added to my gym playlist.
Make sure you check any memory cards lying about for extra votes, then wack them down below.
- The 100 Knights Orchestra - Soul Fugue
- Gunship - Tech Noir
- Deerhoof - Tears of Music and Love
- TNGHT - Higher Ground
- DVDA - Now You’re a Man
- Run The Jewels - Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1
0 voters
This round seems to be going down to general indifference, which is fine, but I’ll bump once as the plan is to close it out tomorrow morning (probably.)
Sweet I get to play kingmaker again!
The 100 Knights Orchestra - Not a bad song but not my thing at all, definitely a no from me dog
Tech Noir - Didn’t know what to expect but this was shockingly awesome, saved it to my walrus playlist and definitely getting a vote, everyone else can vie for second
Tears and Music of Love - Not into this, feels like they’re trying too hard to be cute or something
Higher Ground - Snap this is a banger, I didn’t remember liking much from this category when listening to it but I guess I missed out. Probably going to get a vote.
Now You’re a Man - Feel like I’m just not going to listen to this one at work, sorry CanadaMatt
Blockbuster Night - Well I like this less than the other two I’m voting for
Aaand my votes made zero difference, ah well, well played all
I’m having trouble deciding whether to go ahead and listen to everything first, or just cast my vote for “Now You’re a Man.”
You dont think your coworkers would enjoy DVDA from the Orgazmo soundtrack?
Drunken thoughts
I am currently raging how hard Nintendo made it switch to a higher storage micro SD card. Deeply regretting not buying a higher micro sd at the start, but man…ok onto music
Soul Fugue-Digging the shit of this. High tempo. Pretty much what you expect from The 100 Knights Orchestra - Soul Fugue. As high energy as it was, I think it went one minute too long.
Tech Noir-Going for the 80s vibe, hitting it. It’s weird. Intrumental hits the 80s vibe. Female part hits the 80s vibe. Something about the male part misses for me.
Tears and Music of Love-Liked the tone before vocals hit. Yeah, that isn’t for me.
Higher Ground-I was ready for this to be over. The over and over works if what is being said over and over works for you. Didn’t for me here.
Now You’re a Man-Weird seeing a song from a massive box office bomb here. Never heard of it. But somewhat catchy.
Blockbuster Night Part 1-A nice beat
I voted Tech Noir and Soul Fogue. But won’t be upset if Run the Jewels goes on.
Thanks for breaking a tie!
Programming note - will get the next one up later today.
So, your previous winners chose to celebrate in different ways.
100 Knights Orchestra (some of them, at least)
Run The Jewels
Group 11
Firstly Espers sings about the only good Queen (if you’re a staunch republican), a Dead Queen.
I won @Pauwl’s celebration of all things slightly uncomfortable.
This has a good eerie feel. I love when the lamenting strings kick in mid way. It sounds pleasant but at the same time sort of off and creepy. Slightly eastern sounds. You could say it makes me feel slightly uncomfortable yet I like it.
Then it’s the Presidents of the USA telling us to Kick out the Jams.
This was @cassette taking down a sing-a-long category ran by @CanadaMatt3004
Much like in the last category, I got this early and was just waiting for anybody to step up and beat it.
Nobody did. I sing along from moment one and can’t stop moving.
For anyone who is only casually familiar with the POTUSA album because of songs like Kitty, Peaches, and Lump, seek out this album. Every single other song is better than the 3 singles that were released off of it, and this is probably my favorite.
Great choice, Cassette.
And next Hadag Nahash and Shir Nehema.
@microbet won when @LouisCyphre wanted us to be all foreign.
When I listened to it for the first time I was disappointed when after the intro they started rapping. It didn’t conform to the expectation of what I felt should come next. I quickly changed my mind though. They take all these different ingredients and turn it into a product that’s more than the sum of its parts. We have some rock, some hip-hop, some middle Eastern music, something that could well be Flamenco and I don’t know what else and we end up with a very tasty musical stew. It also avoids what was a point of criticism with La Rage. Observe the variety found between 0:30 – 1:00 for example.
From the first listen there was always at least one part of my body moving. I love it.
Let’s carry on with Clint Mansell stating the obvious that Death Is the Road to Awe.
@jwax13 impressed @RiskyFlush with this number from a soundtrack.
Have you ever heard sadness? You will hear it when you listen to this track. The haunting violin theme evokes every inch of grief and tears I’ve ever experienced. When the obo comes in, I know not just sadness, but despair. Utter and inescapable hopelessness. But halfway through the track—at about the 4:00 mark—something happens.
The drums kick in. The music becomes ponderous, not hopeless. The track has taken me on a journey so far, but one with no payoff. Yet when the drums come back at 6:40, I feel my courage again, and when the music pauses from 7:31 to 7:37 for a breath more tense than waiting for Brad Pitt to OPEN THE BOX—the music comes back as a roaring symphony and a celestial choir.
This track may as well be a religion experience. For that, it deserves to be our WALRUS for 8 points.
Then the mighty Bill Callaghan who’s Riding for the Feeling
@Lawnmower_Man impressed @ChrisV with this one as a walking-home-from-the-pub song.
It took me a while to come to terms with the almost spoken-word style of singing in parts of this and to get into the vibe of the song, but once I did, I started really feeling it. I can’t even explain what I like about it, but a bit like Manchester Orchestra - The Silence the other day, it really got under my skin. I like it as a category fit. And also like Manchester Orchestra, on a podium where things could really have gone in any order, this got bumped to the top for being an entirely new artist to me and something I’d never have heard otherwise.
And concluding with Jeremy Soule imploring us to Fear Not This Night.
@LouisCyphre picked the best video game music and so @CanadaMatt3004 had to give him top marks.
This song just builds and builds at the beginning and then leads into this haunting, beautiful selection by Asja Kadric. This is a song that will certainly land in my regular rotation. I loved it, and it gave me chills multiple times. The accompaniment is swelling and breathtaking. Great song, great choice.
Vote now!
(You have two votes to give.)
- Espers - Dead Queen
- Presidents of the USA - Kick Out The Jams
- Hadag Nahash - Shir Nehama
- Clint Mansell - Death Is the Road to Awe
- Bill Callahan - Riding For The Feeling
- Jeremy Soule - Fear Not This Night
0 voters
What is he holding that bear by? I can’t figure it out.
no mention that “Kick Out the Jams” is a cover of the MC5?
I couldn’t figure out a way to say it without my inner music snob coming out, and I like to pretend to be a better person.
This category was surprisingly great, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect from these entries. An 8 minute pyat song, uh oh…ok actually this is pretty good, I don’t even want to turn it off. Next song was kind of forgettable, sorry MC5 and POTUS. Israeli song is definitely weird but also had me bouncing along, almost got a vote but eventually edged out. Death is the Road to Awe is amazing, bummed that it looks like it’s going to miss the next round, not sure how this didn’t get 11 votes. Riding for the Feeling is interesting, probably not good enough for me but I can’t hate on it for moving along although I don’t think it’s nearly as strong as some of the other entries. Don’t remember liking Fear Not This Night when I listened to it for the video game category but it’s definitely grown on me, going to get my second vote which may be enough to advance it.