Umbrella 2021 Results: Closing a Third Umbrella
The music this year was bonkers. Thanks to everyone who participated! |
| 1 |  | Royal Headache
High
SlothcoreSam - Lo-fi
âHighâ
Very riffy and with very English rock vocals. Very Simple, but not bad.
3.2/5 |
| 2 |  | Baby Huey
The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend
SlothcoreSam - Psychedelic
Very spacey synths and awesome command bass. The main part of the song doesn't stand out too much, but its overall sound still satisfies that funk vibe I often look for, so itâs quite good still. Intro and outro are the best parts.
3.6/5 |
| 3 |  | Eels
Electro-Shock Blues
SlothcoreSam - Sampling
âLast Stop: This Townâ
Very Beck vocals over some old baroque type music hmmm. I like the hip hop drums. Oh my god these deep vocals rule, why arenât I already into Eels? Haha that guitar riff is so weird, but in a good way.
4.3/5 |
| 4 |  | The Panics
Cruel Guards
SlothcoreSam - Sentimental Ballad
âDonât Fight Itâ
Chill, and maybe a little radio rockish. I find this very boring, like even the brass section isnât that engaging. I feel like this song either hits you like a ton of bricks or itâs absolutely nothing to you and I hate to say it, but Iâm in the second camp.
2.7/5 |
| 5 |  | The Lounge Lizards
The Lounge Lizards
SlothcoreSam - Instrumental
âDo the Wrong Thingâ
Bassy intro and some offbeat keys, okay off to a great start. This reminds me of James Chances and the Contortions, whom I love. The guitar and saxophone are good too. Oh the guitarist is in DNA, that makes a lot of sense, but yeah this rules.
4.6/5 |
| 6 |  | Slapp Happy
Acnalbasac Noom
SlothcoreSam - Show Tunes
âCasablanca Moonâ
Fedoras? Oh no. The violinâs cool though. This is intense and the narrative is weird, so I dig it. I almost feel like this is early-Kate Bush inspired. I like it.
3.9/5 |
| 7 |  | Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Album
SlothcoreSam - Traditional/Cultural
Alash Ensemble (from Alash)
âDynggyldaiâ
Nice strings, not sure what kind they are though and the vocals are pleasant so far, so much for throat singing being ugly! Oh wait, there it is! Itâs neat, and I highly respect anyone who can sing like this, but I don't think Tuvan throat singing is exactly my fave type of traditional music.
3.5/5 |
| 8 |  | Kevin Bloody Wilson
20 Years of Kev
SlothcoreSam - Comedy
âYou Canât Say Cunt in Canadaâ
So much talking. Oh god heâs just naming words for vagina to stick to the Canadians for being pearl clutchers. Now heâs saying cunt in French okay. Itâs kinda funny, but it didnât make me laugh and the folky elements arenât exactly that interesting.
2.9/5 |
| 9 |  | Duchess Says
Anthologie des 3 perchoirs
SlothcoreSam - Dance
âTenen Non Neuâ
Off the bat those drums are in your face. Weird vocals. Dance rock! I canât tell if this is idiotic or awesome, so Iâm gonna go with both. Take me to a dance party where they play this haha.
4/5 |
| 10 |  | Elysian Fields
Queen of the Meadow
SlothcoreSam - Easy Listening
âBlack Acresâ
More sad solo violin, but this time with sensual vocals. I mostly know Jennifer Charles from her work with Lovage, but itâs nice to hear here in a different context. Itâs simplistic musically, but her voice really sells the style. What If I love this? What If I need this in my life?
5/5 |
| 11 |  | Magma
MekanĂŻk Destruktiw Kommandoh
SlothcoreSam - Experimental
âĂma SĂŒrĂŻ DondaĂŻâ
Nerdy prog to end it all. I donât know what the hell is even going on, so it sure fits the experimental tag. Iâm not sure I like this much even though it has the quirky, maximalist thing going on. What a big ending to your playlist though! I respect it at least!
3.3/5 |
| 12 |  | Duster
Stratosphere
Zig - Lo-fi
âInside Outâ
I like the drums. The guitar, bass, and vocals are okay so far. Not for me, but not bad or anything.
3.2/5 |
| 13 |  | Soft Machine
The Soft Machine
Zig - Psychedelic
âWhy Are We Sleeping?â
Good bass and nice organ. I love Robert Wyatt already, so this is a safe choice. The drums here are great. The mumbly vocals leave a lot to be desired though, Kevin Ayers, I assume? Not loving this, but itâs still good.
3.5/5 |
| 14 | | Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Album
Zig - Sampling
Fila Brazilia (from A Touch of Cloth)
âRidden Ponyâ
Excuse me but sampling âEat that Questionâ by Frank Zappa is illegal. Not illegal for this competition, but illegal in general. Iâm kidding, but I wasnât expecting that. This is trippy and jazzy and Iâm feeling it even though Iâm not in love with it.
3.7/5 |
| 15 |  | Mike Patton
Mondo Cane
Zig - Sentimental Ballad
âTi Offro Da Bereâ
Engaging piano. Mike Patton has so much range, even when heâs singing Italian easy listening itâs just nice to hear him. That was short and cute.
3.8/5 |
| 16 |  | Hermann Szobel
Szobel
Zig - Instrumental
âMr. Softeeâ
Slow piano intro so far. Wow that sure was a Zappa way of playing a motif, and since itâs from 1976, Iâm guessing heâs a fan. Is this just secretly Zappa? The saxophone, the bass, and the drums all rule. Come on, thatâs straight out of the Apostrophe/Roxy/One Size Fits All-era playbook. I suppose imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. That mallet percussion⊠is this plagiarism? Itâs an original piece, so I guess I love it.
4.6/5 |
| 17 |  | Michel Legrand
The Young Girls of Rochefort OST
Zig - Show Tunes
âMaxenceâs Song - Twin Songâ
WAIT, this was the song protokute chose, but with an English name instead of a French one. I just assumed it was a different song from the same play. Uh oh. Welp too late now and I guess itâs my fault for not knowing French at all, so no points off or anything. Unfortunately, like the last time I heard it , I donât really like this much. The vocals are mixed better than in the other version I heard though and the jazzy elements are whatever. Meh.
3/5 |
| 18 |  | Jose Afonso
Cantares de Andarilho
Zig - Traditional/Cultural
âCanção de Embalarâ
Pretty and folky. Portuguese is such a lovely language. 2 minutes in and Iâm getting a little tired of this one, but itâs pleasant all the same.
3/5 |
| 19 |  | The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
The Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse
Zig - Comedy
âMy Pink Half of the Drainpipeâ
Good piano off the bat and accordion? Genre hoppy as hell with goofy vocals. These lyrics are more random/obscuro than funny. This is so English it hurts, but I also like it a bit.
3.8/5 |
| 20 |  | Roisin Murphy
Roisin Machine
Zig - Dance
âMurphyâs Lawâ
Wow, her voice is so deep. Very disco in every way, especially that sparse barely funk, but funk guitar. Itâs not completely unengaging, like if I was at a club, I'd probably get down to it, but it's not really anything special to my ears. This song shouldnât be 6 minutes.
3/5 |
| 21 |  | Caetano Veloso
Bicho
Zig - Easy Listening
âO LeĂŁozinhoâ
Pretty with a jaunty guitar. The echoey whistling is cool and helps the song to stand out. Caetano is awesome, I love his debut and the stuff heâs written for Gal Costa. Itâs simpler than my favorite stuff, by him, but I still certainly like it. Plus his voice is so warm and inviting.
3.8/5 |
| 22 |  | Nico
The Marble Index
Zig - Experimental
âLawns of Dawnâ
Weird bells and strange melodica with Nicoâs poetry over it. Very original musically. Like a dream, this song fades in and out leaving me with questions, but no answers. Good song, very surreal atmosphere.
4.4/5 |
| 23 |  | Alex G
RACE
Ryus - Lo-fi
âGnawâ
Clashing time signatures? I like how these vocals work against the instrumentation. This is from 2010? It sounds like itâs from the 90s. I like how the instrumentation sounds like it's ready to fall apart.
4.3/5 |
| 24 |  | XTC
Skylarking
Ryus - Psychedelic
âSummer Cauldronâ
Very 80s arena vocals, they remind me of Peter Gabriel, but with more effects on them. The atmosphere sounds like an ambient picnic. This is decent, but I wouldnât say I love it.
3.4/5 |
| 25 |  | The Byrds
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
Ryus - Sampling
âDraft Morningâ
I like the guitar and bass. Very warm vocals and feeling. Oh damn, the samples are scary war clips, nice! Anti-war is such an interesting topic for a song, I swear there are so many interesting angles people approach it. So placid musically, for such a violent topic. I like it.
4/5 |
| 26 |  | Joni Mitchell
Blue
Ryus - Sentimental Ballad
âA Case of Youâ
Simple acoustic that I donât find too engaging, but Joniâs voice gives the song life. All about fear and courage, thatâs cool. I just wish it was musically more my thing. Maybe a bit more percussion or something would make me like this more, or like a double bass thumping along.
3.3/5 |
| 27 |  | Taylor McFerrin
Early Riser
Ryus - Instrumental
âDegrees of Lightâ
Trippy and water-like beat so far. Itâs pretty simple, but what it has is interesting. The handclaps are kind of a turn off, but not a huge one.This has âtransition trackâ vibes and I was kind of hoping for something stronger for all of these selections.
3.1/5 |
| 28 |  | Andrew Lloyd Webber
Jesus Christ Superstar: Original Cast
Ryus - Show Tunes
âHeaven on Their Mindâ
Hard rocking so far. This is well written, but itâs not the kind of thing Iâd ever really seek out. Itâs 70s poppy hard rock and I donât know. The strings and piano are cool though. Good bass at the end.
3.4/5 |
| 29 |  | Toumani Diabate with Ballake Sissoko
New Ancient Strings
Ryus - Traditional/Cultural
âBi Lambamâ
Now thatâs some pretty and intricate string work ooh. Holy crap this is exciting, but light, good combo. Not much else to say about this one, but Iâm still thoroughly engaged. Wait whatâs that weird plucking sound, this got even better. Pretty, but not afraid to explore a multitude of a single instrumentâs sound capabilities. Fuck it, this is perfect.
5/5 |
| 30 |  | The Dead Milkmen
Big Lizard in My Backyard
Ryus - Comedy
âBig Lizardâ
Silly and catchy punk. Why arenât I already into these guys? Between Eels, Elysian Fields, and now Dead Milkmen, I got some new stuff from my backburner that are now on my frontburner.
4.6/5 |
| 31 |  | Prince
Prince
Ryus - Dance
Synth funk? Risky, but letâs see where it goes. Oh, it's Prince! The dude has so much personality, and way too many albums. Fun fact: Prince is Dean Weenâs favorite artist. Iâm not even joking. This is pretty cool. Good bass solo and even better synths. If the 80s were good at anything itâs synths...wait this is from 1979, ahead of its time sorta. One day Iâm gonna give a Prince album a real shot, but not today.
3.8/5 |
| 32 | | Joni Mitchell
Blue
Ryus - Easy Listening
More Joni? You really have a lot of faith in her work. I respect that and honestly this one is way more engaging musically than the last one. A lot of passion here. Oh she said the album title in a prominent way! I wish I liked this more, but itâs good.
3.6/5 |
| 33 |  | This Heat
This Heat
Ryus - Experimental
âHorizontal Holdâ
Scary guitar work. And now itâs a slow ambientish section? This is going to be a ride, isnât it? Machine sounds? So this is early industrial rock. Itâs a jam song in a way, or itâs post punk? I don't know what this is. Woodwinds? Okay then. And you guys call Mr. Bungle random nonsense? I might sound like Iâm complaining, but Iâm actually enjoying this a lot.
4.5/5 |
| 34 |  | Unknown Mortal Orchestra
II
25th: TheSpirit
24th: FabiusPictor202
DROPOUT: Pheromone
23rd: Storm in a Tea Cup
22nd: dbizzles
21st: Kompys2000
20th: Divaman
DROPOUT: Lord(e)Po)))ts
19th: budgie
18th: ReturnToRock
DROPOUT: nol
17th: dedex
16th: Colton
15th: Aberf
14th: someone
DROPOUT: potokute
13th: normaloctagon
12th: bgillesp
11th: Sinternet
10th: JohnnyoftheWell
9th: fogza
8th: garas
7th: Pangea
6th: Minushuman24
5th: botulist
4th: Trifolium
đ„ BRONZE: Zig - 3.61818181818
đ„ SILVER: SlothcoreSam - 3.72727272727
đ„ GOLD: Ryus - 3.90909090909 |
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