I really liked this, should have qualified, reminds me of Enter Shikari a bit!

I'm very glad you liked it! Like, I knew parts of it were going to put people off but I'm glad at least some people were able to look past that/actually like the harsh bits because it is a proper tune.

 

In other news, we may not have qualified this year yet and have been having a pretty unremarkable success run in spinoffs too but don't count us out, I foresee a bright future for Séyetana from this point on. I HAVE PLANS.

 

(also vote for our 80s entry, the wonderful synthpop pioneers of Yellow Magic Orchestra, featuring composer and previous BJSC entrant Ryuichi Sakamoto on the keyboard).

Wouldn't it have been great if this qualified eh? (still beat my song)

 

I do love Enter Shikari as well and can kind of see that comparison (for once, from The Snake).

Epica - Beyond The Matrix (Séy Edit)

 

 

It's been a while, let's go back out of the Asian streak to familiar, European, territory, but this is the first time I've entered a Dutch band. Keeping on a streak of five entries in a row with rock elements though. I hope you're all liking that.

 

It's not just any Dutch band though, Epica have had a long and venerable career and I've wanted to enter them for a long time (kind of similar to Eluveitie last year) but I was waiting for the exact right song to do it with. And Beyond The Matrix is an excellent operatic song that will hopefully lift us back into success, which I, I've been having fun with what I've been entering and I think I've still been keeping up high quality songs but I am missing the final just a little. :kink:

 

And then there's the Séy Edit bit. I'm not making a huge deal out of this but I did cut about a minute out of the main version of the song, which you can hear

, from 4:20 onwards, if you are so inclined. That's the opposite of what I did last month :D It's not because it is screaming, as last month should prove, it's just in my opinion, that that minute of the harsh vocals, instead of imbuing the track with energy like good screamo does, kills the momentum of the track stone dead instead of letting the wonderful final chorus take hold. So instead we're just cutting straight to the guitar solo and although I'm not the best editor I don't think it's that noticeable.

 

(I'm saving your ears and your time, aren't I generous... vote for me xx)

Well this is suitably epic isn't it *.* just listening to the full version of the song now out of curiosity and... you probably made the right call editing it out to maximise the ~appeal~ but I actually don't think I agree that it kills the song's momentum, I think that part works pretty well. Admittedly it doesn't really ADD much but still. Into the final with this. x

 

(I am toying with entering a song at some point that similarly has about a minute of harsh vocals that could do with being edited out. It's a very long song though so I'm not really sure who that would appease who would ever vote for it anyway so I probably won't bother if I ever do enter it :lol:)

Hopefully this makes the final just so my #SaveSéyetana campaign can be said to have worked (and also it's good for its genre!)

Best Seyetana entry this year! I ended up hearing the full version listening through Spotify and yeah, the screamo parts weren't really needed other than to emphasize the genre.

This really is Epic, came across Epica whilst finding Ignea and almost considered one of their songs back then, glad I went with Alga though & I'm relieved this is the one that's been sent as it's extremely anthemic. Easily ur best entry of this year so far for me. Hope it excels!

Edited April 16, 20178 yr by Rob S ~

Well this is suitably epic isn't it *.* just listening to the full version of the song now out of curiosity and... you probably made the right call editing it out to maximise the ~appeal~ but I actually don't think I agree that it kills the song's momentum, I think that part works pretty well. Admittedly it doesn't really ADD much but still. Into the final with this. x

 

(I am toying with entering a song at some point that similarly has about a minute of harsh vocals that could do with being edited out. It's a very long song though so I'm not really sure who that would appease who would ever vote for it anyway so I probably won't bother if I ever do enter it :lol:)

 

Mmm yes, I did also do it to help with appeal but yeah, I just got impatient when listening to that bit when I was doing my standard playing over and over to see if this would be a good entry, it needed to go, as much as I like him on other Epica songs it doesn't fit here. In a way. It still can fit but in a contest I figured better to get my editing skills out.

 

Would be very interested in hearing that! Hopefully you'll enter it in the future.

 

Hopefully this makes the final just so my #SaveSéyetana campaign can be said to have worked (and also it's good for its genre!)

 

:D It worked, ty! I'm feeling some good vibes from this one.

 

Best Seyetana entry this year! I ended up hearing the full version listening through Spotify and yeah, the screamo parts weren't really needed other than to emphasize the genre.

 

This really is Epic, came across Epica whilst finding Ignea and almost considered one of their songs back then, glad I went with Alga though & I'm relieved this is the one that's been sent as it's extremely anthemic. Easily ur best entry of this year so far for me. Hope it excels!

 

Thank you guys, I am excited for the final now seeing as I've gotten several compliments on this entry, and I'm really pleased as it did stick out as something that could grab a lot of attention when I first heard it, it certainly grabbed mine.

 

Eir Aoi entered for nation's Japanese/Korean entry

 

 

For fairly *looks at the seven Japanese entrants I've sent to the main contest alone since the start of 2016* obvious reasons, I was very hyped for the East Asian spinoff and I had a really hard time choosing between my favourite anime theme tunes (and a few songs that weren't anime theme tunes). I've settled on sending Eir Aoi again, with my favourite anime ending and her best song, I love Ignite and Innocence but this, her debut song is a true STORMER. Also, like with Kalafina, this was from Fate/Zero, the closing theme to the first half of that show, something I never skipped and like with To The Beginning, had as a regular on my playlists all through last year and honestly the main reason I didn't enter this last year at some point was because I'd already sent Eir Aoi, so here's a perfect excuse to wheel her out again. It's also a cracking midtempo pop song and hopefully I'll get some fans on board with it, although there's going to be plenty of excellent music it'll be competing against I am sure.

Beyond the Matrix is an incredible tune! :D

NANOBII

 

CHIPLAND

 

 

Representing Sweden (not Japan, despite the kawaii theme) and Séyetana is Nanobii and due to becoming absolutely obsessed with his sound recently I had SUCH the hard time deciding which of his beautifully addictive songs to enter, I was flip flopping on loads of them deciding which would be the best to introduce everyone to this artist, so you've got the one that I decided that a) I liked it the most (and after much listening to test it out this has proven true, it IS the best) and b) has a strong and stable chiptune theme to make it just that bit more noticeable in the grand maelstrom of BJSC. Bring on Chipland.

 

Other songs of his considered include but are not limited to Rainbow Road, Bubble Beam, Up & Down and Pixie Dust so if you like this definitely go and check those out too.

Nanobii's best has got to be this though

 

Well your new favourite will now be Chipland :D

 

(I did not consider that one but it sounds pretty swish, honestly, it was probably hard to go wrong with what I wanted to enter him for but I overthought this just a little)

oh wow, didn't expect to see nanobii end up in the contest!

 

I briefly considered his 'Sugar Rush' but decided it was probably too hard for BJSC and I had better songs to send.

 

(I did not consider that one but it sounds pretty swish, honestly, it was probably hard to go wrong with what I wanted to enter him for but I overthought this just a little)

the production in that is better than the original by a bit but Mayumi Morinaga's voice fits better in the original :P

My ears always perk up a bit when I see songs on Reddit tagged as 'chiptune' but they usually turn out to be a bit disappointing. This, however, is pretty great. *.*

Konomi Suzuki - Redo

 

 

Can any of you guess the hilarious joke I'm going to make when if I don't win this contest?

 

For my 60th entry, I've gone on a delayed tactic, taking a song I heard last year and always knew was great but recently I had a bit of an epiphany with it. Upbeat female rock with a beautiful ferocity not seen since early Paramore or best Ayumi? Sign me right up - and everyone else of course, who wouldn't like this sort of thing?

 

(yes yes, I could only go so long without going back to Japan, but can I actually get a Japanese qualifier this year? :o)

Sounds more like a qualifier than your other Japanese tracks of the year at least, I'm rooting for you xx

 

(Loving how Séyetana are just having a whole year of being entirely Séyetana :D I guess minus nanobii to some extent x)

That's actually (slightly) intentional! :o What better way ride the count down to 100 then just unashamedly be me? It's fun no matter where the entries place and I get to create a little bit of a narrative.

 

I have an entry I'm pretty much set on for entering to 99 as part of that and I'm figuring out the rest well in advance.

Ah. Re:Zero's theme. Gives me an excuse to post this somewhat odd meme I came across a few months back -