Buzzjack CD Swap #6: REVIEWS - BuzzJack Music Forum

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Buzzjack CD Swap #6: REVIEWS, all reviews done yay!

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Brer View member profile	8th October 2017, 02:55 PM Post #81
is my brain across your walls? Joined: 14 February 2009 Posts: 115,078 User: 8,300	Oh wow, I don't know how I didn't realise that was Serj Tankian's voice on the first track!! I do really like Serj/SOAD based on the songs I know from them. Never would have guessed track 2 was Zdob Şi Zdub haha but I loved their Eurovision entry and of course was a fan of this one too I didn't recognise any of these songs but there are a few artists there I know mostly via other contests on here - King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard ('Rattlesnake' is one of my favourite Nuggets entries!), DJDS (oops at this being the one song I didn't like at all after how much I loved 'In The Flames' ), Travis Barker/Yelawolf, Klangkarussell, Art Vs Science (a bit out on thinking it was Japanese but this was another great song from them, have to check out the video), Gogol Bordello (2005 is a little too early for me to know this song already, I didn't really even listen to music much until about 2009, but yes I've heard of them), Schiller and probably most unexpectedly neo - I have actually had them as a BJSC potential in the past as well! (With 'All The LOVE' - I think I planned for this to be another drum n bass entry around the time I send KOTA and Jay Dabhi but didn't get around to it, I thought it'd come across a little more basic than those two but it's still a good tune).


lotita View member profile	8th October 2017, 04:45 PM Post #82
feminist icon Pronouns: she/her Joined: 21 April 2015 Posts: 25,354 User: 21,777	an emotional rollercoaster 01 // intro v serene! it reminds me of something which could be on game of thrones in the background, i'm a huge fan of strings so i thought this was a really cool way to start off the whole album, the crescendo is great 8/10 02 // confusion i really like this, i feel like i recognise the vocalist from somewhere or maybe because she's slightly generic sounding? anyway this was a good way of properly starting it if that makes sense (there was a creators note saying the intro and outro aren't rlly connected to the theme!) 7/10 03 // daze THAT INTRO is bloody stunning, i actually have an instrumental i'm desperate to send to bjsc which has the same kind of vibes! i'm a HUGE fan of the sound the vocalist is going for, it reminds me of rabbii from bjsc rn actually! this is such a good blend and i'm so looking forward to finding out what this one is 9.5/10 04 // love really serene, it sounds quite similar to the vocalist from before from the lil gasps! from the title i was expecting it to be really passionate but it's more subdued, soft and sweet! very parisian coffee shop. i;m unsure how often i'd listen to this outside the compilation but here it really works and i found it really relaxing. 7.5/10 05 // emptiness THAT CHANGE! interesting choice of tracklisting, has the rollercoaster just suddenly dropped?! it's very interesting how both tracks are subdued and quieter and softer, however this track feels very hollow in comparison to the last one, it's eerie in a way and is REALLY effective and the long intro is really compelling. i feel like i recognise the middle part of the song from classical music somewhere but can't name it off the top of my head? now the crescendo then the DROP to the final piano notes is really haunting 8/10 06 // sinister the rollercoaster has now taken a dark turn this MUST be featured in a series of unfortunate events somewhere?!?!?! right?!?!!? why does this low key bop lmao, the choir coming in at the end is fab!! 9/10 07 // panic i was expecting this to be slightly more frenzied, but the lyrics of this one certainly made more sense! i like the bass/ampy kind of sound towards the end! 6/10 08 // pain omg some rock . this was a really good change up 8/10 09 // loss going back to those emptiness vibes! kind of brings you back down to the "low point" (i don't mean that in a you're actually making me feel shite way i'm just trying to explain how i'm viewing this narrative!!). there's not much to say about this one as a stand alone track but it works as part of the narrative 10 // longing this one is intriguing because i kept waiting for it to proper EXPLODE an then it HAPPENED!!!1, it's very male adele in a sense at the beginning? the crescendo and orchestra at the end of course is wonderful . i love how the voice fades and gives the instrumental a chance to shine! this is probably my favourite so far, utterly euphoric 10/10 11 // memories this is cute, memories is a really good title as it's really nostalgic, it feels like a song a parent might sing to a child in a way! 12 // reassurance omg FEMALE VOX I AM HERE!!! okay the drop in this is absolutely wonderful i really like this one, it's very pupok . 10/10 13 // things in the sky... oh a very historic sounding intro! it almost sounded like a battle until the whistle? this sounds very indie boy band but i can't work out if it's from a retro sounding new band or from something in the 80s/90s!! i love the piano medley in this abut wtf at that string meltdown?!?! ooh la laaa~ 7.5/10 14 // bring new fangled hope once again, perfect titling! this is really uplifting and warming, i really need to listen to this next time i go on a proper drive!!!!1 10/10 15 // lets stay like this PC VOICE INTRO!! i'm in already. now this is bloody EPIC and i'm going to get so many plays out of this 11/10 16 // outro is this dream theater?! i'm a fan (omg pokemon .) 9/10 sorry that took so bloody long to do, i listened in bits and pieces when i first got it but quickly discovered as a whole this compilation works best together! there's definitely a few songs which i'll be listening to alone but as a whole i really enjoyed this, it was certainly different to the type of music i usually listen to- but i liked it, so this swap has been a success!!! in terms of who it is, i have already guessed it's chez's so i'm sorry again for being so awful, thank you for going through so much effort to making this, it's so well thought out


lotita View member profile	8th October 2017, 04:58 PM Post #83
feminist icon Pronouns: she/her Joined: 21 April 2015 Posts: 25,354 User: 21,777	QUOTE(DANKENSTEIN @ Oct 8 2017, 02:32 PM) 'pussy power' track 1: well this starts with some bells and a guy speaking before the song suddenly coming to a start around the 30 second mark, with a girl rapping about her vagina (yes really), with the main hook of the song reminding us 'vagina's where you're really from'.. which is true for most of us anyway. it's a bit of a bop though with an uptempo backing and a very catchy hook. 7/10 track 2: another female rapper here, i'm sensing a theme. i like the rap parts of it and the trap-lite beat when she raps. though it gets a bit too rocky in the middle section for me though and i'm not overly keen on the hook, which i suppose is meant to sound like a revolution chant but the vocal doesn't do much for me. 6/10 track 3: female rapper #3 but this time it's in a foreign language, I'm going to guess german (especially considering which poster i think sent this cd). the german language is quite a harsh sounding one but it fits the production here which is going for a loud hip-hop/rocky beat with synths and electric guitars. not really the type of thing i'm into but it's not bad. 6/10 track 4: another female rapper, this appears to be the first black female on the cd though and sounds like it could be cupcakke. the production has more of a dance-pop feel and she has a good flow. the hook revolves around how she won't fall off until the 33rd of the month, i.e. never, which is something i can get behind with the power and delivery here. 8/10 track 5: the first track here that isn't a rap, it's a female singer presumably fronting a band. this doesn't really stand out much for me and just feels like your average indie-pop bjsc entry thats inoffensive enough to get through to the final. 5/10 track 6: another female singer, this one is quite disappointing in that the production sounds like it's building to something in the chorus but then just goes back to your standard trap-lite beat, it's like 'dark horse' lost its punch. her vocal isn't much to talk about either. 5/10 track 7: this sounds like girli. she's definitely done better than this though, production wise it isn't much better than the last track but her vocal and lyrics are enough to lift this to a higher score. 6/10 track 8: a pure pop song here. well at least this has a big chorus, the girl can sing. but again this really isn't my type of music. 5/10 track 9: quite slow and boring, this one just sounds like every other passable blog pop song that doesn't really go anywhere. 4/10 track 10: again as with track 8, I can't really add anything else to this. this one is a bit slower and has more 'real' instruments in it, but that doesn't change my mark out of ten for it. 5/10 overall: not really a fan, apologies for the late and less than flattering review but i suppose you weren't making this with me in mind. my guess is lotita made this as most of the tracks sound very much like what she'd listen to. i'd also say out of the participants ultra violence would like it a lot, perhaps riser too so if you're reading have a listen. 5.7/10 pussy power track 1 // pussy riot feat. desi mo and leikeli47 "straight outta vagina" i thought this sounded really apt for an intro, i originally had a concept album planned out which fell apart after like track 4 and i just went for female anthems track 2 // leikeli47 "girl gang" i discovered this whilst compiling the cd actually, so made a discovery myself! track 3 // jennifer rostock "hengstin" annnnd the pupok relevancy begins i nearly sent this over schlaflos but i've never been brave enough! basically the name of the song usually means stud, which is a male word but the "in" on the end makes it feminine, so as you can imagine it's a clever feminist song . track 4 // cupcakke "33rd" this is my fav solo cupcakke song, she's just such a queen, this f* the haters anthem absolutely bops track 5 // milly pye "too many people" my theme fell apart here surprisingly not a band just a random indie girl! yes this was another potential :') track 6 // nathalie saba "snow"** some egyptian pop . i've always wanted to share this more but i want MORE from it and there's not yet a really good remix of it. i think the vocal is good enough but agree the production needs to be more punchy! track 7 // girli "not that girl"of course i added her! wanted something more mellow to not be so recognisable, but you did anyway #impakt . track 8 // luna aura "madhouse" this was meant to be the mellow point in my original concept. i'm surprised this hasnt been sent to bjsc yet actually track 9 // loren "echo" i didn't think brett (the original recipient of this CD!) would've known this and i was running out of songs OOPS. anyway i was obsessed with this song for a lil whilst track 10 // emmeline "hush" yeah this was always gonna be a closer, this was written for the women's marches and just generally has a fabulous message


Chez Wombat View member profile	8th October 2017, 09:37 PM Post #84
The owls are not what they seem Pronouns: He/him Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,129 User: 9,232	Thanks lotti I'm pleased I got a review at all as I would've hated for it to get lost forever so thank you for getting round to it. I thought up this concept a while back and it was part of the reason I wanted to bring this back, I didn't make it with anyone in mind, but I was intrigued that I got you as I have seen that despite us having quite different music tastes, you seem to appreciate...well crazier songs going by your BJSC entries this year So I thought you may find something here, very pleased that was the case . Basically I often listen to music that projects a clear ~mood~ and sometimes varying different moods, so I thought I could do an album relating each song to the various states of emotion and fit it together as a cohesive whole, and I do often go on these random mood swings and music very much helps me through it. I'm a sucker for making stories (I do teach English after all~) so it kinda formed into one as it went along. Musically, it's all very me, lots of instrumentals, airy, pristine kinda music with lots of emotion, even if not lyrically. Here's the tracklisting: 01. Ramin Djawadi - Westworld Main Titles* - Yeah this isn't part of the narrative, I just wanted to open with the intro to one of my favourite TV shows of the past year! I love it so much, he also does the Game of Thrones theme~ 02. J Majik & Wickaman - Crazy World - This is from 2008 and is one of my favourite random, totally forgotten top 40 hits from back then. It's meant to start things off on a bit of a crazy note as you can see~ (Don't think I know the vocalist individually if she's credited). 03. Stellar Dreams - Dimensions - This one sort of exemplifies a big world somewhat adding to the confusion within the narrative, and it has quite wide scope in it's production. Stellar Dreams are a Malaysian duo that make synth masterpieces, I sent Infinity by them to BJSC. 04. in love with a ghost - flowers - Parisian cafe is rather apt! She is a mysterious Youtuber that makes very airy, yet sentimental and sweet songs with long, odd titles (have a look at her channel for more info), but I've really loved it. Kept wanting to send this to BJSC, but worry it's a bit too subtle. 05. films - I'm Sleeping Under the Dead Tree - This is when things take a dark turn indeed ;o Indeed, the emptiness is reflected in the rather sparse production here, yet on the negative side rather than the light feel of the last track. I love films, they're a Japanese ambient electro-post rock classical hybrid kinda group who make hauntingly beautiful music. This one's got a long build up (I'm pretty sure I've heard it used on some show before as well) but it's powerful all the way through. 06. Peter Gundry - The Vampire Masquerade - Yes, very Netflix horror show isn't it? He's a composer who makes kinda dark, medieval classic compositions, this being no exception. Sounds like something straight out of Interview with the Vampire. 07. Forest Swords - Panic - This one represents the title very well I've only discovered this recently, and this is something of an acquired taste, but I love the eerie and distorted, rave-like production and it all fits together very well and a perfect picture of things going a bit wrong. 08. Linkin Park - Breaking The Habit (Enigma TMG remix) - Surprised you didn't notice Linkin Park! Though, it's not one of their more well known songs. When I made this, it was still quite fresh news about Chester Bennington's death and it hit me quite hard as I was a big fan. I was gonna include the original as it's a beautifully tragic picture of being broken, but this Enigma TNG remix adds a sense of urgency to it. He's a dark dubstep producer who has produced some big tunes, particularly his Alice trio. 09. Aether - Dear Lillie - This was actually meant to come after the song after this lol mess, my bad, but anyway, yes pretty much the lowest point in the narrative. Rather tear-jerking, don't know much about the artist, I found it on SuicideSheep, but it's a beaut. 10. Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing - so yes, this should've come first as a gradual outpouring of grief, which is what this track is. It has a beautiful video that I'd recommend as it fits with the song well. I've come to absolutely love him, his prog rock and videos are utterly astounding and tear-jerking, even though I'm still in the process of exploring his albums. 11. Peter, Paul & Mary - Puff The Magic Dragon - This is a bit of a random one lmao, but I love it so much and though it sounds quite sweet and upbeat, it's so so sad if you read the lyrics as a metaphor for loss of innocence 12. Illenium feat. King Deco - Reverie - Dance producer, I got really into him last year and loved his melancholy dubstep-pop sound like this, this always gives me the feels <3 Love King Deco's voice and that drop is wonderful. Would recommend his EP, Ashes as I think you'd like it! Things start to look up here mood-wise to. 13. The Rolling Stones - She's a Rainbow - 60s boyband maybe? It's a quirky little number this, I always see it on 'shoulda been singles' for them and it's actually probably my favourite from them even though I haven't been exposed to them as much as I probably should've given their status oops, anyway love this, so colourful and crazy throughout, always puts me in a good mood. 14. Marcus Warner - If Elephants Could Fly - Same guy I sent to BJSC months back with I guess the spiritual follow up to Africa as it does sound a lot like it in name and style! I love all his classical stuff, it's so beautifully uplifting, and I've been feeling positive lately so this has been a regular on my listening lists, I can't believe he's only 20. 15. Daydreamer - Skyscrapers - I thought this was a good note to end on, it's still uplifting and energetic but with a sense of uncertainty of what will happen next, which I suppose we all have (talking way too philosophical here oops soz), anyway, he was another dance producer I got really into around this time last year, and though Travelling Light what I sent to BJSC was quite different, the rest of his music like this is very much this Porter Robinson-esque, electro synth sound. It's lovely to my ears anyway, would highly recommend the EP, Senses! 16. Tina Guo - Pokemon - ., it doesn't fit into the narrative obvs but since gooddelta sent her to BJSC earlier this year with the Super Mario theme, I've been kind of obsessed with her Game On theme tunes and this was my favourite, if anything took me right back to my childhood it's this And I have had a bit of a rejuvenated interest in Pokemon recently (well short lived, what with Pokemon Go). I'm glad the slightly left field style here wasn't lost on you as I feared it would be for a lot of members taking part, and thanks very much for the wonderful review, idk if you're just generous with your scores, but seeing that many 9s and 10s is wonderful . -x- Just two to go now! nudges Sam*


UltraCruelSummer View member profile	14th October 2017, 12:01 AM Post #85
It's a cruel summer. Joined: 26 May 2014 Posts: 35,256 User: 20,947	Album Review: This has download really weirdly on my iTunes and has separated into four separate albums so hopefully the order below is the order intended! 01. The voice is very recognisable, I know it so well but I can’t put a name to it! This is a female vocal dance-electronic song & it ends quite suddenly, idk I was expecting it to go on for longer than it did! It’s nothing incredible but nothing bad. It’s the kind of song that I probably wouldn’t turn off if it was on the radio but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it. 7/10 02. Really liking the start of this, very in your face and loving the vocals! The production is very good on this and is again has a sort of feel of electronic pop to it, I can imagine dancing to this in a club. This feels very 2000’s. The chorus goes off. 9/10 03. Another electronic-pop song . The vocals feel very subdued on this, tbh the production overpowers the vocals a bit too much as I can barely here the lyrics. It feels like someone is murmuring stuff under the production It’s still solid though and I’ve heard a lot of worse stuff. I can’t see myself coming back to it though. 5/10 04. The vocalist is so recognisable on this. It’s like a cross between a solo HAIM member, Kate Nash & Ladyhawke, and tbh I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out to be one of the latter two as I haven’t listened to their albums in AGES. I love the chorus of ‘you set me on fire’ and this is indie-pop at its best. The lyrics & vocals are so good <3 9/10 05. Once again the voice is recognisable and this is more electro-pop, by this point the album is definitely cementing itself as an electropop mixtape with all the songs being pretty similar sonically so far. I’m really liking the lyrics and once again production wise this slays. I like the vocal but I don’t love it, I feel like some of the notes are drawn out a bit too long for my liking. This also feels like something I’d kind of listen to when I’m starting to come down from getting drunk. I get Lorde-ish vibes from this (but not as good obviously cos not much can be x) 8/10 06. More indie-pop . This reminds me of a cross between MUNA & Laura Marling vocally. This is good but I feel it suffers a bit being placed in this album as it has solid production & vocals but it is weaker compared to most of the songs come before it which are sonically similar so this gets lost in the shuffle a bit. As with track 1 I feel this is the kind of track I’d listen to on the radio but I wouldn’t go out of my way to hear it. Also the a-yo bit is a bit cringe, def the verses>>>>. Also I like the outro. 7/10 07. Errr the start really threw me off!!! I wasn’t expecting whatever that noise was It feels like I’m experiencing an exorcism in a waterfall with the production & vocals combination. These screeching vocals I usually stan for aren’t working for me here at all, I feel like laughing at times messT. The vocal reminds me of someone trying to imitate MO but completely failing & the song doesn’t go anywhere for me. Though to at least take some positives, this is the first song that isn’t rly indie electro-pop so its nice to have a bit of a change! 3/10 08. Back to indie-electro pop . Really liking these vocals and the production is fab. I love the lyrics, something about reaching out for the northern lights & the chorus is fab. This is reminding me a bit of St Vincent sonically and I’d definitely add this to my playlist. Sometimes the production is a bit too much which prevents this from scoring higher with me. 9/10 09. Lowkey took me a sec to realise this was a different song to track 8! I’m waiting for the vocals to kick in for AGES though, took about 45 seconds and tbh I feel the intro was a bit too long. Once again this is electro-indie-pop and fits the general aura of the album. The chorus is way better than the verses which I feel plod along a bit. This is solid but as with track six, this feels weaker due to there being stronger similar songs that come before it. 7/10 10. So this is Royksopp as it comes up with his name on the iTunes and a bit of the artwork is visible! And about 2 seconds into the vocals I clocked that was Robyn so I probs would’ve worked this out anyway! (only Royksopp’s name appears on my iTunes and not Robyn). I only know With Every Heartbeat from their collaborations that (I presume) are both credited on. This is pretty good but its not hitting me as much as I’d like it to. I find the post-chorus bit a bit anti climatic. Production wise it reminds me of La Roux a bit and it’s a nice song to mark half way through the album with, this definitely works best as a middle of the album track, and the outro emphasises that this is perfectly placed on the album. 8.5/10 11. Really liking the vocals at the start of this and this kind of feels the start of act 2 of this album! The production starts really nicely and this is building very well. The lyrics are very good and sounds like the person wants someone to be eased from their break-up. I was waiting for it to go somewhere though with either a good drop or something like Green Light which explodes in the chorus but it never comes. This makes it feel quite anti-climactic and not sure if I’d go back to it that much. It sounds to me something that’d work quite well on an advert for a TV drama. 6.5/10 12. Track 11 transforms into this pretty well and once again I really like the beginning. The vocal is very good and the production is building well. And I’ve heard this before. Icr who it is but I definitely recognise it! This also feels like a song that I’d listen to as I’m starting to become more sober and the vocals and production blend really well. The song feels like one that is best to be heard at night-time and feels something that would be fab to hear at a festival or at the end of a high packed action movie over the credits. The chorus even mentions night (and something about crawling) and I am loving this. My favourite so far I’d say, definitely adding this to my playlist! (and this is the 2nd longest song, messT I usually hate long songs!!!). 9.5/10 13. This is vocally so recognisable and I’m loving this! Loving the oh’s and this is a BOP. Err is this Sugababes??? I have no clue what this is but I SWEAR that’s Keisha’s voice. This is so good and I really want to know what this is. Wait this is Flatline I’m guessing cos that was just mentioned in the lyrics. I don’t even know if I’ve ever heard this before I need new MKS (in 2085 at this rate) if this is Flatline, so good <3 10/10 (I’m guessing this is track 13 as it is without a track number and 13 is the only number missing) 14. PURE SHORES <3 <3 <3 Knew this immediately as it started, one of my favourite songs of all time and one of the best movie songs/girlband song to ever exist. This also flows really nicely from track 12 (in the order I listened cos I missed track 13/15) which also felt cinematic. Since track 11 (let’s call this act 2 of the disk), it feels the album has turned from a electro-pop album to an album with a more cinematic feel. This is just such a classic, the lyrics, the vocals, the middle 8, the chorus, the verses are just all 11/10. I’m singing along rn & its inclusion here is reminding me how bloody good this is. <3 11/10 15. This is starting so well, loving the introduction of words and the vocals are rly good. This is Nelly Furtado, icr what song but I’ve def bopped to this before and I love her Such a good track and this fits really well in the album here, a fab pop track and a song that really stands out on the album. 9.5/10 16. This is really nice, very relaxing and fits with the aura of the past few songs, I can imagine lying down in bed listening to this and making me feel so relaxed! Wait this is Goldfrapp isn’t it?? I know this, that took a while to hit me <3 I love them and this is such a good song and Alison’s vocals are as fab as ever. 9/10 17. Really liking this again and once again feels like a song I can easily relax to. Listening to this album gone midnight was probably the best idea as it feels like a night album I love the vocals and production but I find the verses way stronger than the chorus as I feel the production is a bit too overpowering in the chorus! I’m loving the vocals and definitely want to check out more of this artist’s other material. Another one that’ll def go on my playlists, but it feels it also ends a little suddenly I thought there was like another 30 seconds left tbh when it finished. 9/10 18. Ik this is getting repetitive but I am really liking the vocals and production again! Oh I don’t like that male vocal coming in (wait this is the first male vocal the whole time yet isn’t it?!!!!! I’m glad about that ngl x). This is nice but feels like a weak filler on a very strong album. The chorus is nice but it just all feels very dragging along. (the voice on the chorus is recognisable af, I can’t put a name to it though!!). This feels like it turns into a completely different song about 3 and a half minutes in and it just isn’t working for me at all and kind of turns it from filler to a bit of a dud, it just feels a very random change in pace. 4/10 19. And after mentioning this whilst reviewing track #1, the next track to appear is a number 1 from over 10 years ago (this isn’t that old ffs?!!), WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT <3 All time classic. Yes it is a tiny bit overrated (as I find with most Robyn stuff oops) but it still slays and the production, vocals and lyrics are all incredible. I adored the music video when I was younger and this was definitely one of my staples growing up. So good. <3 This also picks the pace up nicely from track 16 again and gets us back on track for a killer finish! (and due to my tracklist f* up, it turns out this is the final track!!!!!!!!!!). A fab way to finish with the iconic outro <3 9.5/10 Final Summery:** Ok first of all I have to apologize for how bloody long it took me to reviewing this I absolutely loved this, over half the album was killer bops and I loved the electro-indie-pop first half & the more relaxed & melodic 2nd half and I felt they worked really well together in a CD! There was little filler & songs I disliked on it and I'd recommend this to people who are around my age and wanna discover more noughties music that have a similar taste to mine! As for who it is, definitely Harve! I've known for ages from your message as I turned detective to see who out of the list of people in this had a sister around my age and considering only about 2 people in this had a younger sister, it was pretty easy to guess who made this I really loved this though so thanks for making it and made so many discoveries as only knew 2 songs imminently (the two UK #1's nevertheless .) and this was a great album I've made quite a lot of discoveries of artists that i'd like to check out from this when revealed & loads of new playlist additions <3 thx again!


Linds. View member profile	14th October 2017, 02:20 PM Post #86
laugh 'til we cry Pronouns: she/her Joined: 29 August 2014 Posts: 13,709 User: 21,176	Is that us all up to date now Chez, or are we still waiting on anyone?


Chez Wombat View member profile	14th October 2017, 03:57 PM Post #87
The owls are not what they seem Pronouns: He/him Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,129 User: 9,232	Still waiting for RabbitFurCoat to review Iz's, but I've also sent that to Jupiter/Frank and I have it myself so it should get a review from one of us to make it a full house! (Although this already has a better review count than I think about 90% of CD swaps before woop)


Last Dreamer View member profile	14th October 2017, 04:54 PM Post #88
With Kristina in heart Joined: 28 March 2017 Posts: 3,805 User: 28,104	Missed it. Looks like very interesting game.


FrankLuck View member profile	19th October 2017, 03:26 PM Post #89
BuzzJack Enthusiast Joined: 22 December 2009 Posts: 1,863 User: 10,284	Sorry, I (asked for and) got the pack during a fairly busy time, but I started writing my (pretty basic) review, I'll finish it on Monday the latest (when I have a day off).


J00prstar View member profile	19th October 2017, 03:45 PM Post #90
there's nothing straight about plump Elvis Pronouns: they/any Joined: 21 January 2016 Posts: 13,144 User: 22,895	I'm looking forward to doing Iz's. I might get to it tonight or tomorrow or if I get stuck I might do it at work on Saturday


Harve View member profile	23rd October 2017, 07:22 AM Post #91
Cœur poids plume Joined: 3 November 2007 Posts: 18,129 User: 4,718	Oops I kinda lost hope and stopped checking the thread/forum, so I only just saw that Sam had posted her review. I'll read through properly and post the tracklist tonight! This post has been edited by Harve: 23rd October 2017, 07:22 AM


RabbitFurCoat View member profile	17th November 2017, 06:10 PM Post #92
IncredibleSquirrel Joined: 8 March 2006 Posts: 25,840 User: 118	The Wonders of Essos - a (very belated) review When I received this CD I noticed that all the tracks had been given names as well as an artist (Collio Quaynis), none of it meant anything to me, so I put something into Google to see if I could find out what they referenced. Game of Thrones, it would appear, something I have zero interest in and therefor understandable why I didn't recognise any of it. I looked at who posts about Game of Thrones and matched the list of posters in that thread with that who’d made a CD; CW, Dandy and Iz appeared in both lists so had narrowed it down to three, with quite a clear order of preference in my mind of who I wanted this to be by. Before I post anything about the songs, I must of course offer my apologies for the incredibly late posting of this review, I’d posted originally I was going to put it on my phone and listen to on holiday, but I forgot to consider how old and shit my phone is, regularly being told that photo I've just taken won't save as I've not got enough memory. and that finding 200mb of free space to put this on wasn’t easy. When I tried to put the CD into iTunes, I don’t know if it was something up with my laptop or the format of the files, but I could only do one song at a time, so ended up listening to the first 3-5 seconds of each song. In doing this, it became easily apparent which of the three above had made this CD, assuming it was one of those of course, and from listening to those intros I can't say I had much desire to find 200mb worth of stuff to delete. It’d have to wait until I got back… But He’s a Guy – Poppy rock with a slightly whiny female vocal, from past experience this is certainly something I can easily see appearing in a BJSC contest that I’d dismiss from a possible vote instantly. Not sure if it being in a language I don’t understand makes it better or worse. Extras – More on the rock side than the last song but from the beginning it’s easy to see someone liking both of these songs, this gets a lot better as it goes on, I do enjoy the background counting vocal. Switches between English and something else, I have no idea what. Overall a fairly enjoyable listen. Journey Around The Free Cities – Third song with female vocals, third not in English. It is, however, a lot different to the previous two but I just find it really dull. We’ll Last Forever – I’d really appreciate something a little different now, something I could understand perhaps so I might be able to at least complement the lyrics of, or the hint of a male vocal maybe? It’s Question and Answer Time – It starts very slow, very orchestral, strings, one of the most enjoyable minutes I’ve had listening so far and there’s very little happening. It tries to build but I don’t feel it ever gets anywhere, I like the break from the previous songs but it’s no where near interesting enough as an instrumental to make me want to listen again. Beautiful and Cruel World – A nice piano introduction, and there it is, the female singing in a language I don’t know. It builds into something rockier but the best thing I can say about it is it’s not as bad as the first track. Discover of the Summer Isles – Another instrumental that doesn’t really do much. Goes on too long, dull. The Distant Sky – It’s like this CD has been made for a specific person and accidentally been delivered to someone with the opposite musical taste. Apart from the instrumentals it’s all very similar and it’s all stuff I try my very best to avoid. Expanse Enterprise – Now I’m not sure if I really like this or it just feels like I do because it’s so far removed and so much better than the last 20 minutes. Repeated listens away from the album, and this is definitely really good. With the speaking samples in it, it sounds like if Public Service Broadcasting had a go at being club DJs, something which, when I think of ‘Every Valley’, I’d like them to try. Fall of Valryia – Another instrumental track, but far more going on than the previous ones, something I could definitely see myself listening to more of. Herodotus & Thcydides – A man! In Englsih! Hurrah! Oh God it’s horrific. The track is decent enough but his voice reminds me of someone that I can’t make out, but it’s not a voice I have any desire to hear again. I Say How Far – Instrumental #4 – this one is ok, I like the way it keeps building up throughout. It’s all in the Gravy – #5 – it gets quite annoying this, too much going on at times. Light the Bay with Wildfire – I don’t think I can write anything I haven’t already. Mannis – This sounds like it’s going to be a thumping dance track and I’m quite enjoying, then the vocal starts and I immediately want it to stop. This could have been good. The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors – Sounds like it could be something you’d hear Maroon 5 singing on the radio and get bored of very easily. Tension Time – Another instrumental track, this is alright – too short to really form much of an opinion of it. This Day and Never Again – Sounds a bit like it could be Nightwish, who I’ve liked everything I’ve ever heard by, but have always struck me as a band I’d enjoy tracks by individually, but I’d struggle to take an album of. It's good, if it is indeed Nightwish I might have to investigate more, if not then I might investigate whoever it is anyway. The Thorns of Highgarden – A female vocal with very little instrumentation behind it. It’s quite good for the type of thing I’d not normally listen to, it really kicks in half way through and remains good. I really like her voice. The Three Eyed River Mourns – Another dull instrumental to finish off with. So, yeah... I’ve found it incredibly difficult to try and devote time to writing about something I really got very little enjoyment out of listening to, but I did want to get round to doing it justice and giving a proper review, even if it is horrifically late and hardly complimentary at all. I’m not sure this review comes as much of a surprise, and I hope it doesn’t. The vast majority of what’s on here is stuff I’d never listen to, which is a shame, but that’s always the chance of these things and is disappointing for both compiler and receiver. But it’s always nice to find some good music and there’s definitely some of that within here, there are certainly three, and possibly five, songs that I’ll definitely be keeping and listening to again. It’s a well put together album and I’m sure that people that love European rock with some pop influence mainly sung by females would absolutely love it. Edited: Reading the above posts I hope it did find it's way to someone who enjoyed a lot more if it! This post has been edited by RabbitFurCoat: 17th November 2017, 06:14 PM


Iz 🌟 View member profile	19th November 2017, 03:26 AM Post #93
I'm a paragon so don't perceive me Joined: 3 February 2011 Posts: 37,420 User: 12,929	Thanks for the review RFC, I understand it being late given those circumstances. You know, when I saw that you'd got my CD, I did worry that you might not find much to enjoy (out of all people in the CD swap, it was probably the worst matchup) as I'd kind of gone for a 3-part CD, obscure songs I've found and liked recently (more of a catch-all term really), soundtrack, and J-rock, with only one of those parts, the first one, likely to appeal to you, the other two parts are generally connected to a piece of entertainment I enjoyed the songs from enough to go back to them outside of their context, so I wanted to blind-test them on people without that context. Sorry about that but I'm glad you found a couple that were interesting, and they are largely the ones I'd expect. The artist and title are intertwined, I recognised that I was putting in a lot of tracks from the ‘east’, because that’s what I do with music these days, and Game Of Thrones was on the air when I did this so I made East into Essos, and found the name of an obscure bard who hails from Essos and is mentioned in one line in A Storm Of Swords, that’s Collio Quaynis. Even though most of these songs are not songs that would be sung by bards but what have you. They were supposed to be in a different order which must have gotten mangled in the transfer process so I'll reply in that order here so there's context as to which category each was in. Apologies for any Game Of Thrones geekery in the commentary, I want to explain the titles as well. Part 1: Collection of Anything 01 – The Night Is Dark And Full Of Terrors – SIAMÉS – The Wolf - When I made this I wasn’t sure if I’d send The Wolf to BJSC or anything (I have, since, in fact, my three most recent BJSC entries are on this compilation, probably further proof for you as to why you don't enter now) and I thought it’d be a great opener to the CD, it’s punchy and catchy and very reminiscent of Arctic Monkeys IMO, I never saw Maroon 5. I thought that comparison, Arctics was why it got an abnormal amount of attention in terms of Youtube views for a green Argentinian band, although the eye-catching video helped. Very good debut for a band, I haven’t heard anything more from them but it’s been one of my favourite rock songs I’ve found this year. For the title I chose the R’hllor religion words because of that video, it makes it a very dark song indeed. 02 – The Thorns Of Highgarden – C21fx – Blood Red Roses – A soundtrack-y song I found one on of those ‘epic music’ Youtube channels and stood out from the sea of decent but unexciting tracks that populate those, they're really good for nice background music, less so for song contest potentials unless it’s something outstanding like Miracles. This stood out in a different way, mainly because of the singer. Afraid I'm not quite sure who she is, but I agree her voice is great. It’s really quite menacing towards the end. And the name, Highgarden = Tyrell = roses = thorns = Iknowthey’regoldenrosesanditsWesterosnotEssosshutup it could be sung by Margaery at Cersei or something 03 – Mannis – 360 – Lights Out (Will Sparks & Joel Fletcher Remix) – A punchy and trashy remix that I get really entertained by because of the dirty rapping style, it’s like a long-lost Ethanola BJSC entry, it has that sort of style to it. I expected whoever got this to hate it because of the vocals so that's fair enough. The name is because it talks about a guy who should have had the crown but lost it, and that you shouldn’t underestimate, so as far as GOT goes that's Stannis, and to disguise it a bit I used his nickname, which also adds a bit of ~manliness~ vibe to the song. 04 - This Day And Never Again - Xandria - Call Of Destiny - I wish I'd put a few more Nightwish-y esque tracks in there given who this went to - I normally do. I've guessed, given what you've said about Nightwish in the past, that they are that sort of band as you've described for you, although I find their albums the easiest thing in the world to listen to, but then that's me. Xandria are a rather similar band, very gothic, very operatic, moreso more reliably than Nightwish if that's your thing. I've been following them for a good few years and this is one of their latest singles. If you're interested in finding more I'd say Nightfall and Voyage Of The Damned as my favourite other songs by them but it might be a better hit rate if you pick whatever songs you find. Title is not related to Game Of Thrones, I reappropriated the title from a Fate/Zero soundtrack song because I just really like that title and it sort of fit with the 'this is a moment' spiel this song had going on. 05 - Expanse Of Enterprise - Nanobii - Rainbow Road - Nanobii has an unexpected reach I see. He's basically been my favourite non-anime musical discovery of the year, I've sent another song by him, Chipland (as the name indicates, it's similar to this but loses the vocal samples to be replaced with chiptune) to BJSC that might interest you, I don't know. This however works so well with the spoken parts, I think if clubs had this sort of stuff reliably I might actually go to clubs. Even away from that it's great just spacing out to this, like a dancey version of post-rock. I can see why you made the PSB comparison in that case. Title is just because the whole instrumental baseline combined with that crackly vocal makes me think of space exploration, so... Enterprise. I go on weird tangents to get these titles sometimes. 06 - Fall Of Valyria - Explosions In The Sky - Disintegration Anxiety - Speaking of post-rock, I guess this is it - and I can definitely see why and am glad you enjoyed this one. I've been trying to get myself into the genre for reasons that can be summed up as I think the idea of it is cool, but don't seem to have enough time to let the songs I want to chill out to grow on me and develop meaning. Disintegration Anxiety is an exception to that (and has made Explosions... my best lead for more post-rock in the future), I can detect panic and urgency in it, and sadness and it's definitely rather intriguing. The title is a reference to a destroyed place in Game Of Thrones, so this track going over a wordless destruction scene of that place, I can definitely see and want. As the only instrumental in this section it leads off nicely to the soundtracks (and it being in a different section explains why you liked it). Part 2: Soundtracks 07 - Discovery Of The Summer Isles - Andreas Waldetoft - Land In Sight - This is from a game. My favourite game of these past two years, Europa Universalis IV, I know the soundtrack inside out by now, Andreas is really good at conjuring up atmosphere, and this is one of my favourites for how laid-back it is, and how it embodies the feeling of a voyager in the 15th century setting out into the unknown, I associate it with my first games as countries in Western Europe and it has some strong memory association there. Title is just basically my feelings towards the piece, a piece about discovery, made slightly GOT-y by adding in the reference to the Summer Isles. 08 - The Citadel - NicolAmarfi - Concord - This wasn't reviewed, it might not have survived the transition, but please don't feel obliged to go and listen to it, from the sound of things, it would have been another dull instrumental for you. For me it's a really pleasant piano piece from the VN Katawa Shoujo, themed around one of the characters, a sophisticated character who's always in... concord with the world. The title is because I could easily see this, in a GOT world, soundtracking the most peaceful part of it, the Citadel in Oldtown. 09 - The Three Eyed Raven Mourns - Tatsuya Kato - Here With You - I put this right after Concord because it's very similar but sadder, it's an emotional backing track from an anime, Mirai Nikki that is, as much as I enjoyed it, the TV equivalent of a hormonal teenager putting all their problems at you. This catches that show in an unusual sad and reflective moment and I find listening to the extended 8-minute version of this really relaxing and enjoyable. Title is a reference to the abilities of the Three-Eyed Raven and how those are similar to the abilities characters have in Mirai Nikki. 10 - It's Question And Answer Time - Takada Ryuiichi - Ready? - Ready is the track that plays over what is, in my opinion, one of the greatest scenes in animated cinematic history, the climactic scene of The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya (and yes, it is rather subdued for a climactic scene but that's part of the power). That's basically what it is to me, it's a powerful soundtrack song but I can see how it won't go anywhere without that context. Title is simply one of the key lines from that scene, which means nothing to anyone who hasn't watched it but it's fun for me. 11 - I Say How Far - Yuki Hayashi - You Say Run - Bit of a poor title choice but I couldn't really think what else to put. I'm glad you enjoyed this comparatively well as far as the instrumentals went, as it's one of my favourites on this CD. It's a common track from the show My Hero Academia that is played whenever anything that could be described fairly as 'awesome' happens, and so, even though I could be above this as an adult, it just leaves me with the best grin on my face when that does happen. The building part of it is a key part of that. 12 - It's All In The Gravy - Tatsuya Kato - The Dish Towards Tomorrow - I didn't realise I had Tatsuya on here twice but this is completely different from Here With You, if this CD had a comedy track, this is it. The Dish Towards Tomorrow is basically the victory parade music (so, chills based on hype, similar to You Say Run) of the rather ABSURD cooking 'battles' that take place in Food Wars, a series that definitely has a lot of stuff going on. Title is the catchphrase of Hot Pie, a comedic food-based character from GOT. 13 - Tension Time - Naoki Sato - Haritsume Ta Kuuki - My title could basically be the real title for this piece, it's played any time there is a tense moment and time slows down in Assassination Classroom, and I noticed it all the time when I was watching that show, enough to want to listen to it outside of it. Part 3: J-rock (sorry that this ended up being the longest section, I have a lot of these, they feel different to me, which is why I put so many in but for someone who doesn't listen to this sort of music I can see why they might sound similar. For context, though I love Japanese being sung, I'll explain a few of the lyrics here as you mentioned that was a problem and when I see the lyrics in subtitles I at least get a sense of what the song is about) 14 - Extras - MOB CHOIR - 99 - I wanted to put this at the start of a section because of its counting bars that ramp up the urgency stakes, so I'm kind of glad that it ended up near the beginning for you, if there had been more variety around it... Anyway, this is really unique because of the counting for me, the accompanying visuals are really trippy, reminding me a bit of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine artwork style. Really punchy upbeat one. It's from Mob Psycho 100, and the reason it's called Extras is because it, the lyrics, and the show itself is focused on unimportant, 'extra' people can have skills and motivations too. 15 - Journey Around The Free Cities - Natsumi Kiyoura - Tabi No Tochuu - This song for me really brings out the vibes of being reminiscent of a time gone by, the deliberate instrumental flourishes help with that (actually that is a big part of the appeal of this type of music for me, the way beautiful instrumental flourishes tend to lead into the singing). It is rather different for one of these but I am not surprised it wasn't for you. Lyrics are largely about a lost soul finding another and requesting that they both go see what's beyond all of life's normal interactions. It's from Spice & Wolf, which is set in medieval times about travelling merchants, so the title is therefore a reference to the trading Free Cities of Essos, themselves based on the historical Italian trading cities. 16 - But He's A Guy - Itou Kanako - Hacking To The Gate - I WISH songs like this were common in BJSC, the type of pop that's accepted there is far more basic and dull, without all the musical dives and turns this takes for me. This is actually my favourite song on the CD, although I know that part of the reason why it is so is because the show it's from is so good. It has some unusual lyrics, they are themed about going to rescue someone the singer is smitten with, e.g. 'I'll cross world lines to be with you', but because Steins;Gate (a show I'd easily recommend to anyone if you've ever liked a time travel story before, anime propensity be damned) is that, a time travel story, it uses terminology that you might hear in a lab (like pulses, and miscalculations etc). This (and yes, the pretentiousness of it), fits very well with the show. Without that, I'd still find it a big tune but I'm not surprised you haven't, I don't recall you being favourable to English songs like it. Title is a reference to a memorable line from Steins;Gate. 17 - Light The Bay With Wildfire - EGOIST - Eiyuu Unmei No Uta - This is the second of the three songs in here that I've since entered to BJSC, the third being You Say Run. Actually, your reaction to it, and the reaction it got there, has convinced me that this song is actually a grower for everyone and if anyone who has heard it likes rock/orchestra/femaleforeignlanguagepop at all, I'd really recommend giving it another chance. It was putting it in this CD that led me to enter it there, as I only barely knew it when I made this but out of all the songs on the CD, it's the one I was listening to most as I submitted it and still with each listen I enjoy it more. The reason I go in so much on this is because now, I'm constantly marveling at the beautiful production and the structure which is unconventional but not unwieldingly so, it's an underrated masterpiece. The title is translated as 'A Hero's Fate', and the lyrics match that sort of, it's a a veiled love song sung to the hero by someone who's clearly also powerful and fighting alongside them. The title is a reference to Game Of Thrones, the last direct reference to that, but this song always makes me think of a battle that's going on, and the vibe of it, stopping, then starting and exploding into life just made me think of the way wildfire is used in that show. 18 - Beautiful And Cruel World - Yoko Hikasa - Utsukushiki Zankoku Na Sekai - Title is not me doing some pretentious cryptic crap for once and is actually just a pretty direct translation of the Japanese title. The lyrics are really quite sad translated ('We only beg for death to “wait”'). I think this has some really really powerful vocals for a J-rock song (the instrumental is similar to the track after this but to my mind the vocals couldn't be more different), like blow me away sort of vocals after that quiet piano start. 19 - We'll Last Forever - Ai Kayano - Oracion - I'm not entirely sure why a Japanese song like this has a Spanish title, it means 'prayer', anyway. The vocals being so breathy this time is what makes this song stand out to me. It's not exactly a love song but it does talk about two people who complete each other coming together, and then staying with each other beyond a rebirth. Title is therefore basically a twist on that. 20 - The Distant Sky - Haruka Tomatsu - Courage - A track I've loved for a few years now, it's fairly emotional to me, because of the lyrics (of which, again, the title is now based on), which are based around the courage to find yourself and seize the day in a world that might not last - 'The world of the future that you pictured as far as the distant sky', and the fact it's associated with a relatively emotional arc in the show it's from. It's actually gotten fairly good reception when I've introduced this to other people but at this point, not for you. 21 - Herodotus & Thucydides - Dean Fujioka - History Maker - As a history geek, this is my personal favourite... fake title, as Herodotus & Thucydides were literally the first two history makers according to tradition, and yet by associating them with this I'm actually promoting slash fiction with them, which amuses me. It's not my favourite song on here, if I were to rank all 21, it would probably come last, but I do like it, because of the lyrics largely, and them being in English and directly referencing a subject I like, it chills me a bit. I haven't seen the show it's from, Yuri On Ice, which from all accounts is an anime for-the-gays (that's not why I haven't watched it, I'm just not all that interested in figure skating when the Winter Olympics aren't on), and that is unusual for an anime to have a song sung in English. Yeah, sorry that didn't appeal to you but thanks for coming through with the review. If I'd been making it with you in mind (I'd asked and I got Wardy, who didn't end up entering in the end, but that was the reason for so many instrumentals and 360, I thought he might like those) I'd have tried to find more stuff like Explosions In The Sky and Xandria and held off on promoting my Japanese pop music love ~~to an unwilling victim~~.