Build-an-Album II, GAME OVER: Adios, Amigos
And now... it all ends... until we do it again(?) |
| 1 |  | Black Sheep
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Here we are. Uncharted territory! Yes, while the first iteration of Build-an-Album had a conclusion of sorts, this is the first time it will Officially (with a capital ‘O’) cross that treasured finish line. Holy crap. Buckle the fuck up, my friends!
And where were we? How did this finale reach a suitably epic finale? Well, the genre was made all the more enticing: rather than bowing to randomness, finalists were rewarded with PLAYER’S CHOICE; anything that hadn’t been played could be chosen by each individual contestant. The theme was SHOW AND TALE, which meant that contestants had to create a narrative and, to the best of their abilities, craft their album to suit it per their selected genre and the lyrics of the tracks they included. Big ask! Length and track lists were left open, with the only requirement being that a minimum of 45min. worth of material had to be provided. |
| 2 | | Black Sheep
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
The “dumb rule” necessitated that each submitted album be paired with a trailer poster as if advertising a movie. What happened next? We will see…
But first! A moment of reflection. This game began way back in the early days of July. Several months have passed, several rounds gone by, and now we have reached this point. The wheel had plenty of surprises in that span. What did these final three have to survive? |
| 3 |  | OLAM
I Will Guide Thy Hand
THE WHEEL SPINS:
R1: Breakbeat/breaks
R2: Emo
R3: Deathcore
R4: Indietronica
R5: Djent
R6: Hip-Hop/Rap
R7: Host Choice -> Power Metal
R8: Post-Rock & Jazz
R9: Post-Punk
R10: Doom Metal
R11: Classical
R12: Nu-Metal
R13: Player's Choice |
| 4 |  | Genghis Tron
Board Up the House
Three phases had to be completed in order to reach here, the first time in the large (read: literally only two games) history of Build-an-Album.
PHASE I: Mario Kart! Get points, stay ahead. Bottom five scorers go bye-bye.
PHASE II: Survivor-Lite! A team-based version of the competition that featured surprisingly little backstabbing and oddly compliant elimination victims. The cookie, how it doth crumble.
PHASE III: Nothing but gritty album-building goodness. Only the strongest survive.
You are now here! But who is 'you'? |
| 5 |  | Europe
The Final Countdown
At one point, fifteen people were in this shit!
BUILD-AN-ALBUM II ROSTER:
SteakByrnes
DavidYowi
Shemson
JohnnyoftheWell
Sinternet
Storm In A Teacup
Slex
SlothcoreSam
Mort
rockarollacola
tyman128
Pheromone
Pangea
bgillesp
Uzumaki |
| 6 |  | Gyze
Fascinating Violence
And out of all that... emerges...
STEAKBYRNES
vs.
SINTERNET
Vs.
TYMAN128
A SHOWDOWN FOR THE AGES
A FREE-FOR-ALL FOR ALL THE MARBLES |
| 7 |  | Such Gold
The New Sidewalk
And what *is* at stake? One final reminder...
1ST: $60 cash prize or merch equivalent
2ND: $40 cash prize or merch equivalent
3RD: $25 cash prize or merch equivalent
Enough talk; I know why you're here, you know why you're here, nobody doesn't know, we all know, unless someone somehow doesn't know, but I don't know about that. Let's know more... now! |
| 8 |  | Palm Reader
Sleepless
Steak's album [GENRE: Metalcore]
Going with metalcore is a bold choice considering how picky I can be. Even bolder choice to go the Steakcore route, but if anyone can make the magic happen, it is the Steak himself. Much credit to where it's due; these are some of the strongest songs you can find under this sphere. There's the unbridled intensity of track 5, the nostalgia of track 10, the heaviness of track 3... the list goes on. Nothing stood out in any egregious way and the record flowed admirably, demonstrating a high level of consistency for the majority of the duration. I felt this faltered slightly when the album proceeded deeper into its second half, yet it wasn't particularly jarring; just a sense that things were a bit off. There was atmosphere and headbanging aplenty in this LP, both of which kept me engaged and offered a good amount of variety to spice up individual tunes. Each held a purpose and (mostly) had good vocal performances to imbue lyrics with emotion. |
| 9 | | Palm Reader
Sleepless
Yes, emotion, because this story was a downer. It was a tale of heartbreak with little details--the audience fills in the blanks--that ranged from depression, to rage, to losing control, to eventual healing and acceptance and love and then DEATH. No happy endings to find here, which was a good fit for an album that preferred to keep things heavy and dark. I felt that the story was a bit too thin; our protagonist doesn't really do much except stew over emotions, which can work since the lyricism is potent (especially when the character is confronted by his father), but it does leave me wanting a bit more movement of the pieces. How the finale wraps things up with its closing solo also lessens the final gut punch a bit, as it sort of pay homage to the joy discovered in the last tracks. It was an incredible journey, a delightful rollercoaster, and it left on a high note and with a touching final tune. The poster was absolutely fantastic as well, and I know that Mike Leach would be proud. |
| 10 |  | Sturgill Simpson
Metamodern Sounds In Country Music
Tyman's album [GENRE: Country]
Speaking of bold, Tyman dismissed any sort of preferences in favor of what he felt strongest in and wanted to explore the most: country. And really, country at it's heart is about storytelling, so it was an ideal match. There were a ton of outstanding cuts to discover, with the primary highlight being the diversity of vocal performances and inflections. Track 1's beautiful tone-setting atmosphere had a delicate restraint to it, whereas Track 2 launched headfirst into a boppin' country rocker that had a more active vocal presence in accordance to it's poppier style. The emotion was easy to feel off of each performer, especially when paired alongside a resonating crescendo that culminated in belted tenor notes and despairing lyricism. Instrumentally, the LP restrained itself for the most part, content to build simplistic soundscapes that let sparse acoustics open up room for singers to dominate. Something like track 8 needed only the basics to succeed. |
| 11 | | Sturgill Simpson
Metamodern Sounds In Country Music
Similarly to Steak, the story here was a depressing one--even more so, since we've got cheating, death via cancer, and suicide all packaged under one roof--and one that had limited movement of its characters. The lead sits, stews, is sad, and the story doesn't really *move* as a consequence. However, with the brilliant lyricism of the included tracks inserting additional emotional payoffs or otherwise missing details, this doesn't become too much of an issue, and it thrives off of gut-punch phrases. Consistency faltered throughout, though I didn't find it disrupting my listening much at all. Bottom line: wish the tale was more mobile. The few female vocalist tracks might have been more intriguing if the ex-wife was perhaps given a perspective. Food for thought! The singer-songwriter style also felt a *bit* formulaic. I was definitely pleased by this thrilling and emotionally-draining work, and loved many of the songs. And the poster? Suitably ominous! |
| 12 |  | As Cities Burn
Come Now Sleep
Sint's album [GENRE: Post-Hardcore]
With *that* tracklist, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from this album. On paper, it looked like it may have some consistency issues and, to an extent, those were present as the record transitioned through its different sections. However, as a wide-ranging selection of various post-hardcore styles and eras, this was an amazing collection. There was representation of the more emo sound in track 3's strong riffs and evocative vocals and in the desperation of track 8, the more patient, atmospheric route of the opening number, the playfulness of track 7, and the unsettling violence of track 15. The extremes were all covered by those tracks and their commendable musicianship, each tune featuring a killer melodic riff to remember, thrilling vocals (well hello, Emery), or an artful climax that gradually rose to an emotional peak. That diversity made for plenty of surprises and ensured that the record would never grow stale at any juncture. |
| 13 | | As Cities Burn
Come Now Sleep
What assisted in curing tone cohesion dilemmas or other conversion woes was the fact that the story in play was, like a play or movie, segmented into clearly-discernible acts. In the same way a movie track can swap to fit a given scene, this followed the narrative amazingly--a narrative that was the most fully-formed of the bunch. It was a nightmare scenario of getting to relive life and, in theory, enjoy it more, but our poor main character instead royally fucks everything up and ends up alone, with no rewards and no more second chances. It can swap from loving to haunting on a dime, with the story entering in a haze as the afterlife beckons and exiting in chaos as the lead's old (and now current) life goes down in flames. It has the feel of a classic tragedy where hubris makes someone believe they can cheat death or the circumstances given to them by a higher power--fate or otherwise. It was a wonderful experience from start to finish, one I enjoyed greatly. |
| 14 |  | Amia Venera Landscape
The Long Procession
Wow. No disappointments and no clear-cut winner. This was a final round to remember, and everyone definitely brought out their A-game to make this happen. First and foremost, thank you for the hard work, thank you for participating, and thank you for crafting some amazing albums here! Judging this was a tough call, but I believe we have a victory. Hang tight! |
| 15 |  | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 16 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 17 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 18 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
SCROLL SLOWER SMH |
| 19 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 20 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 21 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 22 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
Slower... |
| 23 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 24 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 25 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 26 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
(aoty Persefone btw) |
| 27 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 28 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 29 | | Genghis Tron
Board Up the House
FINAL PLACEMENTS: |
| 30 |  | Periphery
Periphery IV: Hail Stan
15th - 11th Place:
Slex
Pangea
Uzumaki
rockarollacola
Storm In A Teacup
ELIMINATED at point cut-off of Phase I |
| 31 |  | Lupe Fiasco
Tetsuo and Youth
10th Place:
Mort.
ELIMINATED by Hip-Hop (Round 7 vote) |
| 32 |  | Blind Guardian
The God Machine
9th Place:
DavidYowi
ELIMINATED by Power Metal (Round 8 vote) |
| 33 |  | Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
8th Place:
Shemson
ELIMINATED by Post-Rock & Jazz (Round 9 vote) |
| 34 |  | Preoccupations
Preoccupations
7th Place:
bgillesp
ELIMINATED by Post-Punk (Round 10 vote) |
| 35 |  | Forest Stream
Tears of Mortal Solitude
6th Place:
Pheromone
ELIMINATED by Doom Metal (Round 11 decision scoring) |
| 36 |  | The Classic Crime
How to Be Human
5th Place:
JohnnyoftheWell
ELIMINATED by Classical (Round 12 result) |
| 37 |  | Linkin Park
Hybrid Theory
4th Place:
SlothcoreSam
ELIMINATED by Nu-Metal (Round 13 result) |
| 38 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
And now |
| 39 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
DRUMROLL PLEASE |
| 40 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
more like DRUMSCROLL amirite lmao |
| 41 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 42 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 43 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 44 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 45 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
seriously scroll slower you silly |
| 46 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 47 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 48 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 49 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 50 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
not yet |
| 51 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 52 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 53 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 54 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 55 | | Palm Reader
Sleepless
3RD PLACE, and finishing @ $25 cash prize or merch equivalent
STEAKBYRNES
Bronze Medalist [Metalcore]
Congratulations on working hard and getting this far! |
| 56 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 57 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 58 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 59 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 60 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 61 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 62 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 63 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 64 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 65 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 66 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 67 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 68 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 69 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
lol sex |
| 70 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 71 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 72 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 73 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 74 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 75 | | Sturgill Simpson
Metamodern Sounds In Country Music
2ND PLACE, and finishing @ $40 cash prize or merch equivalent
TYMAN128
Silver Medalist [Country]
Congratulations on your strong performance throughout this competition! |
| 76 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
And that means... |
| 77 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
Our BUILD-AN-ALBUM II WINNER IS... |
| 78 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 79 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 80 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 81 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 82 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
(i mean you know who it is so the suspense is kinda dead) |
| 83 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 84 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 85 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 86 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 87 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 88 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 89 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
x |
| 90 | | As Cities Burn
Come Now Sleep
1ST PLACE, and finishing @ $60 cash prize or merch equivalent
SINTERNET
Gold Medalist [Post-Hardcore]
Congratulations on being the first official Build-an-Album winner! You did it! You did the thing! |
| 91 | | Genghis Tron
Board Up the House
FINAL PLACEMENTS
Gold Medalist - > Sinternet
Silver Medalist -> Tyman128
Bronze Medalist -> SteakByrnes
4th: Slothcore Sam
5th: JohnnyoftheWell
6th: Pheromone
7th: bgillesp
8th: Shemson
9th: DavidYowi
10th: Mort.
T-11th: Uzumaki/rockarollacolla/Storm in a Teacup/Slex/Pangea |
| 92 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
Wow! It's all done! |
| 93 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
First thing's first: thank you all for participating! I hope you had fun and hope you enjoyed your time being a part of this competition. |
| 94 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
I'd like to thank you all for the wonderful music. I had to make some tough choices throughout, but it was definitely entertaining. |
| 95 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
If you've made it this far, I'd like to request some help: |
| 96 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
Below is a link to a Build-an-Album feedback form! Whatever you liked, didn't like, want to see improved, want to see added, etc etc you can talk about it! I appreciate all comments and thoughts. |
| 97 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
Ideally, I would love for this to be a reoccurring competition on Sputnik. And as much as I love hosting, it would be awesome if more people out there were also up to hosting! |
| 98 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
So if you've got the time and enjoy this contest, let me know what you think! |
| 99 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfYaCyrK6dNHdhqTE8WG-SCx0vSwFQJvGOiEY-J5TmgihxefA/viewform?usp=sf_link |
| 100 | | Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man
Thanks again, happy holidays, happy New Year, and happy 2022 overall!
Rest assured... the GENRE WHEEL shall return... in 2023... |
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