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User
Reviews 40
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Last Active 12-09-22 12:08 am
Joined 08-22-13
Review Comments 41,413
| Round 10: Inverted Umbrella Competition
1 is out and 4 are still in. No lateness disqualification this time! The new deadline to get your round 2 songs in is 5pm EST on December 31st! As with last round, only 1 person will be eliminated each round. | | 1 |  | Minutemen
What Makes a Man Start Fires?
1.Link a song via YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, DailyMotion, Vimeo... or whatever you like as long as I don't have to download something.
2. This round is [Punk]. Simple, rough, rebellious. Classic punk rock, art punk, noise punk, anarcho-punk, cowpunk, post-punk, no wave, synthpunk, hardcore punk and its MANY offshoots, and if you wanna lose: pop punk. I'm keeping it very open-ended this time.
3. Aim to impress me with what you pick, since I'm rating these.
4. If I know the song already, I'll tell you to pick something new, otherwise, you're good.
5. I'm going to start each new round every Sunday night (EST,) so if you're late, you're out. My 1-2 least favorite recs will be eliminated each round (1 if we don't get a lot of people and 2 if we do.)
***Winner of the competition can recommend me whatever 2 albums they want and I'll listen to them no matter the album as long as it's possible to find and as long as neither exceeds 3 hours.*** | | 2 |  | Van der Graaf Generator
Pawn Hearts
GhandhiLion: “A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers”
I know all prog is nerdy, but this is starting off extra nerdy. The epic nerd section faded and now I’m in ambient jazz land. And there’s a reprise, haha yup this is prog alright, maybe in an archetypal way, but I’m enjoying it’s twists and turns! I feel like King Crimson’s ghost is present somewhere, so it’s no surprise to learn that Robert Fripp plays guitar on this song. The vocals are quite passionate, to say the least and the keys and saxophone really push through. Feels like an emotional statement. I’m curious about the meaning of it all. I love how alien this one section is. Wait it sounds like a ballad now. I’ve been neglecting 70s prog for too long. Whoa, the next section is creepy and intense, haha I never know what emotion is coming next! He secretly has a bad voice, but everything else works too well, so I don’t care. This going to be a tough song to follow. Good luck to everyone else!
4.9/5 (SAFE) | | 3 |  | Lucio Battisti
Anima latina
SlothcoreSam: “Anima Latina”
I like the acoustic guitar and synths so far. This feels much poppier than the last one. 2 minutes in and it still feels like it’s building to something. Oh my god, he sounds so prog, but IN ITALIAN. I mean Im not surprised, but I am. Like imagine Jon Anderson with a curly mustache. Rate Your Music has been recommending me this album for years, and now I get it. The children's chorus makes this cute now too. I feel like a triumphant rainbow is shining in the sky. A prog festival of sorts! Oh man, that horn section is so fucking good too. I…wow.
5/5 (ROUND WINNER! [+0.5 will be added to their next round score]) | | 4 |  | Thinking Plague
Moonsongs
JohnnyoftheWell: “Warheads”
Rock in opposition, eh? “Post punk-prog” is what my brain wants to call this. A lot of dissonant sounds. This is very show-offy, but also tries to take what feels like gothic elements and make them complex and nerdy. It’s very unique, to say the least. Rnnn tnnn tnnn ta tnn tnn tnn Merry Go Bye Bye, sorry, but this kind of Mr. Bungles? Okay, only for a minute, now it’s back to complex post-punk-goth-prog, whatever that is!
4.4/5 (SAFE) | | 5 |  | Harmonium
Les Cinq Saisons
ffs: “Histoires Sans Paroles”
Folky and fluty! Pretty so far. Those strings are so gorgeous. Unlike previous songs, these changes seem very subtle. Harmonium isn’t looking to challenge you, but rather relax you. Whoa, now it’s mystical and dreamy. Am I inside a clock or relaxing in a meadow? Is time real? Wait, this isn’t an instrumental? The 7:49 mark being the first appearance of vocals is a brave move. Hmm, I’m at the 10:42 mark and this one is starting to lose me. I like it, but it seems less like it’s leading somewhere and more like it’s content to float around. The longer a song, the more my attention span needs to be grabbed. I guess I don’t listen to prog to be soothed. I still can tell how well this is constructed though, I’m very conflicted! This ending is really good though! Maybe a bit longer than it needs to be. Wait nooo, the best part was saved for last, this is so pretty, and well I’m maybe too much of a simpleton to give this a higher score.
3.8/5 (ELIMINATED!) | | 6 |  | Tears for Fears
The Seeds of Love
Fogza: “Sowing the Seeds of Love”
This sure isn’t Songs from the Big Chair music. It’s in your face and cut it quick to the chorus, hmm, but it still sort of feels like a Beatles-80s hybrid. This is pop as hell, but it does have the aesthetics of prog, so yeah that works for progressive pop. A lot of orchestration and vocal effects and it feels “loud.” Haha, seriously that vocal effect is so “Sheep” by Pink Floyd. This is very pastiche, but I don’t know if I like it. I don’t think I do actually. It's good enough for radio, I suppose.
3.4/5 +(0.5 from winning last round) = 3.9/5 (SAFE) | |
ArsMoriendi
12.25.23 | Sorry ffs, you did better, but Fogza's bonus from the baroque pop round got him past you. Ffs out, Fogza in!
And just when I thought GhandhiLion's song had it in the bag, SlothcoreSam's was just a little better, winning the round!
Only 1 elimination again this round, 4 participants left | ArsMoriendi
12.25.23 | Place your bets on:
SlothcoreSam
GhandhiLion
Fogza
JohnnyoftheWell | ffs
12.25.23 | thanks for putting me out of my misery | SlothcoreSam
12.25.23 | Oh damn, i'm gonna need that extra 0.5 points for a punk round!!
Plus glad you dug the song, i bet you would enjoy the whole album. | robertsona
12.25.23 | Damn I should have played that Lucio Battisti, encountered it at some point this past year. Glad you liked it, have to listen again myself | JohnnyoftheWell
12.25.23 | Shit fuckin damn this is a hard one to play uhh
Saccharine Trust - The Giver Takes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXTZ3x8u7iE | fogza
12.25.23 | damn, sorry ffs, it was my time but you took the bullet | budgie
12.25.23 | smells very artificial if u ask me | SlothcoreSam
12.25.23 | Ok time for some art punk
Aunt Sally - Subete Urimono
https://open.spotify.com/track/57QGebp5fyo81NEjIOlbrT?si=QOCuIyJES-2Lvlj2pUqDnA | someone
12.25.23 | Only Sput elite remains in the running | fogza
12.26.23 | Mission of Burma - New nails
https://youtu.be/ad4n8Vayuqs?si=_VrJ7AUXerXMwkd4 | ArsMoriendi
12.27.23 | Spicy! 🌶️ | SlothcoreSam
12.27.23 | Extra spice | ArsMoriendi
12.29.23 | Waiting on GhandhiLion! Deadline is sundayyy | ArsMoriendi
12.31.23 | Does anyone know where GhandhiLion is
Deadline is in 5 and a half hours and it'd be weird to knock him out of the final 4 but hey... | JohnnyoftheWell
12.31.23 | can 100% absolutely definitely promise he isn't locked in my cellar right now | fogza
12.31.23 | That's what somebody with Gandhi locked in their cellar would say | SlothcoreSam
12.31.23 | Is it time?
I'm all discombobulated, crossing time zones. | ArsMoriendi
12.31.23 | Yes, I'm stating now, Ghandhi is out :( and 1 more person will be too soon | ArsMoriendi
12.31.23 | https://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?mode=1&listid=204957#comments FINAL ROUND |
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