It wasn't mine, looks pretty great from the write up though!

 

Sugababes, Caro, Luciana, dance and country-pop - come on, it could ONLY be Silas :lol:

 

I reckon my compilation would be much more up your street Hits, when I type up the tracklisting perhaps I'll put Youtube links to all of the songs used to so that people can check them out!

I'll have to give Silas' a listen, especially with all the country-pop :wub:

I'm working on my review at the moment, apologies to the compiler that I haven't had chance to get around to it before now.

Mine's not been reviewed yet but I'm posting the track info up tomorrow anyway so everyone else can have a chance to hear the songs should they wish to.

3] You have until Sunday October 3nd 2011 at 11:59pm GMT to submit your review.

---

 

Should that be Sunday 2nd or Monday 3rd?

3] You have until Sunday October 3nd 2011 at 11:59pm GMT to submit your review.

---

 

Should that be Sunday 2nd or Monday 3rd?

Sunday 2nd, but the lack of reviews means I'll give it to Monday 3rd.

I think you should save all the effort, stop pretending that everybody (or even 80%) will have their reviews done by this sunday and just make the deadline October 10th :lol:

I don't... While I agree that most people won't complete them, let's be honest that they probably will just wait and not complete them by 10th October instead...

Instead I'm On The Avenue Where Nobody Goes... will be another compilation I download, it sounds fantastic from that write up!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/DandyHighwayman/Dromtillstand.png


Drömtillstånd


One
The compilation opens with a track that I’m really quite relieved to hear, the opening song always sets the tone obviously and this one suggests that I may stand a chance of actually liking this CD... I do know this, it’s Kyla La Grange. It isn’t a song I previously owned though so I’m already grateful to the compiler for reminding me of this one, I like her almost jazzy vocal in the verses and the chorus is just great, chanting is always welcome round mine - this is a definite keeper.

Best bit: 0:42 when the chorus comes in for the first time in a stripped back form.


Two
This opens quite promisingly also, vocals come in are fairly weak but pleasant enough - sort of like an even breathier Sophie Ellis Bextor. Oh, a male vocal in the chorus too is rather unexpected. Hmmm, not sure if I like this one or not, it’s not awful by any means but it’s a tiny bit too overwrought for me to truly love, the male vocalist is the worst offender here. So so track really, although still better than the europop I was expecting so we remain on comparatively solid ground...

Best bit: 0:15 when the song kicks into life after the lovely build up.


Three
Ah, I know this one, it’s the Golden Filter with Hide Me. This is a nice enough track and the more electro beats are a welcome contrast to the last track. I’ve always felt that I should like the Golden Filter slightly more than I actually do, I think it’s the vocals again that prevent me from loving this as they’re too breathy again but musically it’s rather decent.

Best bit: The drum beat in this has always been the catchy bit for me, dum-dum-dum-dum-dum (pause) dum.


Four
Another track from a relatively hyped indie-pop act up next, this time it’s Chew Lips. I can’t actually remember what this one was called but it’s the slower one, another song I quite like and didn’t previously have... actually I’m liking this more than I remember, the subtle electronic pulses of the second verse are rather lovely.

Best bit: 1.31 when said slow synth line and wobbly loveliness ensues.


Five
Cats Eyes ‘The Best Person I Know’. I feel bad for the compiler here as I haven’t noticed anyone bar myself paying attention to Cats Eyes this year! This is dreamy retro loveliness, the whole album is full of tracks that I’m sure Quentin Tarantino would snap up for his films. At this point I’m starting to think I’ve possible received JohnKM’s album as he’s the only person I can think of who’d have the balance of indie and pop fandom required so far.

Best bit: 2:13 when the lovely outro begins and we drift off into the ether...


Six
Lovely acoustic beginning followed by the line “While I powder my nose, he will powder his guns” which I find quite stark and captivating. I’ve not heard this one before but I’m really liking it. This really reminds me of someone and I can’t think who and it’s going to bug me every time I listen to it. Anyway, said bug aside, I really like this track.

Best bit: 0:21 the opening line, although the whole thing is pretty lovely.


Seven
Ah, this is Jónsi which in turn makes me think it’s even more likely that this is John’s compilation. I’m sure I read he liked Animal Arithmetic the most too (as do I).

Best bit: 1:55 the beginning of the build back up again...


Eight
Another one I know up next, it’s Lissie with In Sleep. I think her album is really underrated, it’s a really strong pop album I think and had the potential to really have Amy MacDonald style success but it just didn’t exactly happen for some reason. This is one of the highlights but I’m a sucker for When I’m Alone, even if it is the obvious choice.

Best bit: 0:43 the syncopated vocal in the bridge


Nine
I’m guessing this one’s called Don’t Stop as it says it every other word... I’m a bit indifferent to this one, it’s passing by very nicely but nothing has grabbed me at all, oh hold on, the cello in the middle is rather lovely actually with the layered wailings above it. The song really needed that build as it really was plodding in the first half, this has turned into a decent track actually - no idea who it is though.

Best bit: 1:52 when said cello imposes itself.


Ten
Tennis ‘Take Me Somewhere’. I haven’t listened to the Tennis album in a fair while so this is a welcome reminder of just how lovely their songs are. I guess the album was never really destined for huge sales but it still feels as though they’ve managed to fly under even the lowest of radars this year.

Best bit: 1:26 when you take me somewhere...


Eleven
Alex Winston ‘Don’t Care About Anything’. I really like this girl and this track is no exception - in fact I’d say every track from her EPs is worth a listen. This is probably her most traditional song to date (and it reminds me of something else that again I can never put my finger on) - strange that she should come up in the current contest too after getting virtually no mention on Buzzjack for the past few months!

Best bit: 1:02 when the chorus and strings kick in.


Twelve
I know this one but I don’t what it actually is... I’ve heard it on the radio in the car and it’s actually quite a nice track, reminds me of something Fleetwood Mac may release if they were still going these days...

Best bit: 1:36 when the little instrumental bit and the second verse is upon us.


Thirteen
This one opens rather oddly - which is something I approve of as I adore quirky and unusual music, it reminds me of Music Go Music but I don’t think it is. Like the beats and, woah, the weird way that she shouts “bathroom” every now and again! :D I’m liking this one in a bonkers kinda way, it’s a real change on this CD... oh it’s got quite the extended instrumental ending also, I hadn’t noticed it was over 7 minutes long! One of my favourites on the playlist, though I can imagine it bemusing many people!

Best bit: 2.45 BATHROOM! etc


Fourteen
Hmmmm. I’m getting X Factor vibes from this one, I have no idea who it is but it has nice simple moments followed by bigger sections with strings and everything thrown in. I can see this appealing to manny however it is a tad saccharine for my liking.

Best bit: 1:32 when the strings match the timing of the lyrics for a brief few moments


Fifteen
This is rather the change after the last one with the strong beats making the main impression to begin with - actually then the vocalist comes in and she is quite similar to the last girl. I have no idea who this is but sounds like Natalie Imbruglia singing a good Sugababes single from their 2002 sort of era. I really did enjoy this one so fingers crossed it wasn’t something embarrassing! :D

Best bit: 1:45 when the chorus drops away and for 10 seconds or so it sounds like I’m listening to something else from an arty indie album or something before the verse and chorus come back and, amazingly, I’m still not disappointed.


Sixteen
This one sounds like Tina Dico to me. I bought one of her albums once and this sounds typical of it, kind of pleasant enough but not something I would ever return to really... although in the context of this album I wouldn’t skip it or anything.

Best bit: 2:27 I do love me some more layered wailings...


Seventeen
I recognise this but I have no idea what it is... I think it may have been entered to Unknown Pleasures or something? It’s a piano driven ballad with lots of strings and a faintly military-esque beat then a faint male vocal in the second half. I can’t describe this one at all well but it’s another that’s not really to my taste exactly but not awful either.

Best bit: 2:47 onwards... the strings and then the build back up with the male vocal etc


Eighteen
A quick look shows this one to be almost NINE minutes long... I begin with slight dread, which goes away within seconds when I realise it’s Mew! This is a real contrast to the last track and, were it not for Jónsi earlier, would stand out like a sore thumb. However, I do absolutely adore this track, it made a great final track on Frengers and serves similarly well here too.

Best bit: 4.25 (naturally) when the gorgeous ballad transforms into a climatic ending which just builds and builds for the next four minutes.


And that’s it, thank you very much to the compiler (who I still believe to be John) for providing me with something that I’ve actually enjoyed listening to on multiple occasions(!) - something I was not expecting at all when I first clicked download on the link. Out of everything, I’m most looking forward to finding out what tracks 12, 13 and 15 are as I really enjoyed those. It was on the whole really well constructed and I’d recommend a download if anyone’s reading this and intrigued by it... Thanks again! :D

(oh and the artwork is GORGEOUS hence why I've used it above :wub: )

You are indeed correct with your guess that it's my CD Dandy*. Glad you enjoyed it, I wasn't sure you would when I saw you got it. I thought it might be a little too pop leaning for you. I think it sums up my musical taste better than any posts I've made on here, it's still firmly pop based, but with Indie leanings too.

 

As for the artwork, it was a completely random discovery. I was using google translate to find out what 'Dream State' was in Swedish and accidentally clicked on images and up it popped. It's an absolutely mesmerising image and I knew I HAD to use it.

 

Tracklisting:

01 Kyla La Grange - Been Better *

02 Bim - Raindrops

03 The Golden Filter - Hide Me

04 Chew Lips - Too Much Talking *

05 Cat's Eyes - The Best Person I Know

06 Daughter - Run (Demo) *

07 Jonsi - Animal Arithmetic *

08 Lissie - In Sleep *

09 Marietta Fafouti - Don't Stop

10 Tennis - Take Me Somewhere *

11 Alex Winston - Don't Care About Anything

12 The Pierces - You'll Be Mine *

13 Vinnie Who - Rise With You *

14 Marit Larsen - This Is Me, This Is You

15 Rosanna Munter - Waterfall *

16 Tina Dico - Warm Sand

17 Vienna Teng - Antebellum

18 Mew - Comforting Sounds *

 

(* = my choice cuts)

 

I've recently had a bit of a Mew revival and I had to use Comforting Sounds, which is easily my favourite Mew song. It works perfectly as the closer, as you say the build up over the last few minutes is amazing. It always reminds me of Sigur Ros, which is of course no bad thing.

This was in fact mine ^_^

 

I thought that would be glaringly obvious with the Sugababes tagged on the end :heehee:

 

Instead I'm On The Avenue Where Nobody Goes... - Review

 

01. The album starts off with some classical music which seems like a somewhat surprising introduction to this album. It's a lovely piece of music to listen to, makes you want to just lie back and chill out. Blissful, would laugh if the next track was happy hardcore for maximum effect. :D 09/10

 

This is Ludovico Einaudi - Le Onde. My ex-gf turned me onto this album and this is my favourite track from it. She could actually play this as well. I added this as it's a stunning track and a nice way to start a CD

 

02. Another track based around a nice piano melody. This sounds familiar actually. Oh, it's 'Hallelujah' but not in English. :lol: Strong vocal performance from the lady singing. The style of this cover version is very pop/rock in a Taylor Swift kinda way. Quite good but the opening track had a bit more of an impact on me. 7/10

 

Up next is the saviour of Ashton, Molly Sandén - Hallelujah. I absolutely adore this cover, and personally I think this is the best cover of the track, well my favourite in any case. The English version has been sent already so here it is.

 

03. Another track with a good use of piano too. The vocals sounds really familiar - I'm sure I know the artist. Sounds like Sugababes? Don't recognise this song though but it's ok. The chorus is a bit flat though and doesn't really stand out. Not bad but not brilliant. 5/10

 

This is the Sugababes ^_^ This is the Three era b-side 'Colder In The Rain'. Personally this is a 10/10 for me and I have considered sending this many a times. I would have loved this to be switched with Caught In A Moment on Three to make it a 10/10 album.

 

04. A slice of pure country music right now. I feel like I'm about to break into some line dancing. :lol: Whilst I'm not the biggest fan of country music, this isn't that bad actually. Gotta love a fiddle solo. :D I'm guessing this is LeAnn Rimes? 7/10

 

Country it is, and this isn't LeAnn but Carrie Underwood with 'I Ain't In Checotah Anymore'. Such a great fun track that I love to sing along to.

 

05. More uptempo country pop here with another female vocalist. I'm going to guess this is called 'Today's Another Day' but haven't a clue who the artist is. This is another song I actually like more than I thought I would from the first few seconds. I'm being conveted to female led country pop. :lol: 7/10

 

This track is by my second entrant to this here contest back in 2007 by Laura Critchley. Today's Another Day it is. Such an underrated artist who I love very dearly and this is my favourite track by her.

 

06. Aah, now a change in style with this song. This sounds much more mature from the start. It's not bad but I find it slightly underwhelming to listen to. :( 5/10

 

:cry: Now this track is Tone Damli - Can't Face Losing You, my favourite artist with a stunning track from Cocool. The album donates 3 tracks to this CD

 

07. This song follows on nicely from the last track. A more mature pop sound with yet another female vocalist. It reminds me of Kelly Clarkson - well, the type of song I could imagine Kelly Clarkson releasing. It's definitely not Kelly singing this song though. Have to admit, there's nothing here that's grabbing my attention at all. It's a good song, but for me it's not a great song. Sowwy!!! 5/10

 

I can't quite see Kelly singing this myself. This is Maria Haukaas Storeng (Storeng just looks so muck better than her married name) with her debut track Breathing. Maria is of FSR Rontvia fame first appearing in BJSC VII with the classic Mine All Mine.

 

08. More happy clappy country pop. :D Maybe this would've followed on better after track 5. Once again, we have a female vocalist. It's certainly the most uptempo song so far and I quite like this as well. Is this Shania Twain? Like this quite a bit. 8/10

 

Once more this is Carrie Underwood. This time it's 'Songs Like This'. I discovered this track after buying the album and blasting it while driving around Florida. I've had this CD in the car for a while and I'm adoring driving to this.

 

09. We've reverted back to the more mature pop/rock sound. Hmm, I'm really trying to like this but it's just not happening. :( Not entirely keen on the female vocalists this time round. On the plus side, it's not a terrible song at least. :P The vocals let this song down. Would be interesting to hear this if it was performed by whoever sings track 8. 4/10

 

Australian Renee Cassar is up next with 'It's Not You'. This could be outstanding sung by Carrie, but I do love it as it is.

 

10. Another bouncy piano style to the start of this song - quite Kate Nash in its production. Oh, now that the lady has started singing it's definitely not Kate Nash but for reason the style of the track makes me think of her. The way the style changes throughout makes it slightly more interesting than had it all been the same the whole way through. There's definitely been tracks already that I've preferred more. This is ok but nothing more than that. 5/10

 

Another former entrant this time it's Dalisska's former representative Kate Miller-Heidke. The quirky Australian is on the CD with 'I Like You Better When You're Not Around'. I do enjoy this track from her second album rather a lot. The BJSC entry, underrated by all bar me and Rich, is from the first album.

 

11. Ooh, a dance beat. *.* I guess the second half of the album is going to be more dance orientated then? Plenty of "ohh" and "hey hey" and "ahh ahh". Liking the sound of this once the melody kicks in at 0:43. Looking at my WinAmp it says this track is 5:49 so I'm thinking this is a remix? Liking this track quite a lot, definitely one of the better tracks I've heard so far. Ohh, breakdown at 3:35, I thought the song had finished for a split second before realising there's still over 1 minute left. 8/10

 

I am a fan of dance tracks, and this isn't a remix but the full version of the track. Dave Audé feat Isha Coco - Figure It Out, I have been adoring this track recently it's a brilliant dance track and I love Luciana's vocals (Isha Coco is an alias *.*). Have been considering sending this for a while.

 

12. STRINGS!!! The type of strings that would make GD go *.* :lol: Very dramatic drums at the start of this track. Is this a song from Eurovision or Melodifestivalen as it definitely reminds of something like this. Also at 3:03 in length that surely confirms it's a Eurovision related song. Do I think this song is Eurotastic? I'm afraid not. There are elements of the song I'm liking but overall it just misses the mark for me. 5/10

 

This track appeared at the start of the summer after Eurovision so it could have been a reject. I think she's Greek. This is Sofia - Vacancy. Those opening strings are outstanding though.

 

13. Dance beat, bendy synth notes and trashy female vocals. Perfect BJSC material then? It even comes complete with "oh oh ohh" male backing vocals. Oh, there's actually male vocals in this song. Shame the male vocals are absolutely dreadful. :lol: Haven't a clue who this is. It's definitely not Alphabeat, surely? :o From the first 30 seconds this song showed promise but I'm now finding this song more disappointing as it's continued. Are they singing "slag in my bag"? Oh, "SWAG in my bag". :lol: Not a highlight I'm afraid. 4/10

 

I have absolutely no idea who the male is, I do know the female is Rebecca Stella and it is Swag In A Bag. Ridiculously trashy I know, but I adore this type of track. See my former entrant KaraMel for another example of this

 

14. The first couple of seconds makes me think of 80s S/A/W at their most textbook. Another slice of trashy pop with female vocals. This really is a weird song. :lol: Like the last song there are elements I like the sound of but then I find other parts far too cluttered and messy which is down to how this song has been produced. Marginally better than the last track but not by much. 4.5/10

 

I absolutely adore this band, they unfortunately split a while back but they were the first artist to actually follow their entry in the contest and they gave their blessing for the follow up as well. Red Blooded Women, yes they are named after the Kylie track, this track is called 'Attraction'. It's a demo track though so the quality isn't outstanding.

 

15. After the cluttered sounds of track 14, this sounds so much better straight away with much more of a summery vibe. It's certainly an improvement on the last 2 tracks I've listened to. Pleasant song but there's been a couple of others I've enjoyed more. 7/10

 

Back to Tone Damli this time for 'Don't Wake Me'. I really love Tone's voice and I find Cocool to be a superb album, especially to drive to on a shitty day and it really brightens the day up. I have been really loving this track recently.

 

16. Female vocals? Check. Strings? Check. Piano? Check. Pop/rock backing track? Check. This could also be a small handful of songs I've already heard to be honest. I think this is usually the problem I have with all these female vocal pop/rock songs is that they're so similar it's difficult to differentiate who is who. Then again, that's also the big problem I tend to have with a lot of US rappers so there you go. :lol: For all I know the female artist singing this track has appeared already earlier on. 5/10

 

Another Australian! This time it's the fabulous Natalie Bassingthwaighte with Not For You, the fourth single from her utterly sublime debut which has been well entered into BJSC.

 

17. Aah, is this Caro Emerald? From the first few seconds with the old 1930's music sample has made me think of Caro instantly. It's certainly a lot more uplifting compared to some of the previous tracks I've listened to. It's a nice contrast to the more trashy sounding tracks - this being quite classy in its style. Nice addition. 7/10

 

Caro Emerald indeed!!!!! This track is 'Stuck' and my current favourite from that epicness that is her album. The albums title comes from this track. ^_^

 

18. More pop/rock with female vocals but song is failing to make any impact whatsoever. This song is making me think of 80s group Madness purely from the backing music. :lol: For me, this really isn't a strong song at all. It's now finished and has made zero impact. Do I want to listen again? No... :( 3.5/10

 

Alex Roots this time, she's a brit, with the track 'Dizzy From The Ride'. Alex is another former entrant of mine, as with a few on this album.

 

19. Returning to the dance music with this track. I might be wrong but this sounds like Luciana (from Bodyrox 'Yeah Yeah' fame) as this female vocalists sounds very much like her. Unfortunately this song isn't quite making the type of impact I'd have expected from when the song started. I shall guess it's called 'I'm Still Hot'? I've definitely heard better dance tracks but also heard worse. 5/10

 

This is Luciana, again, and you guessed correctly 'I'm Still Hot'. It's a trashy dance epic, of the type I am quite partial to. I know it's not her best work, after I Like That nothing really compares, but I do love it all the same.

 

20. What a contrast. :D From trashy dance to a ballad. Genius!!! :lol: This is quite a nice little tune but the vocals are slightly grating on some of the high notes. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed this song - certainly more than some of the other tracks included. 6/10

 

This wasn't as well mixed as yours, I did it in a hurry :kink: This is Australian (yes I have a thing for female Aussies that sing) GODDESS Gabriella Cilmi with Safer. One of my highlights from Lessons To Be Learned and I just about DIED when she performed it live on her tour. I love the vulnerability in her voice.

 

21. More piano. More female vocals. This time with a 'Since U Been Gone' type processed drum machine loop. This isn't that bad actually. Not really much else to add really. I think I'm getting slightly restless. :ph34r: 6.5/10

 

You've just half slated one of my all time favourites :cry: This is the final Tone Damli track, obviously, and is called 'No Way Out'. I absolutely ADORE this track.

 

22. A live recording to finish off this album. Ahh, this is Sugababes. The biggest clues are given before they even sing. Firstly Keisha (?) says "normally in our set we would do a Run For Cover one" taking about acapella performances, closely followed by "ready Mutya". They're singing Madonna 'Like A Virgin' and I have to LOL at the painful harmonies at 0:54 when they attempt to harmonise on the word "new" in the line "yeah you make me feel shiny and new". Whoever comes in last to harmonise really hit a stinker of a bum note there. :lol: I shall assume this was the bonus track thrown on for good measure. :D 4/10 (if it had been a more polished studio recording it might've been a higher mark)

 

This is a very rare recording of the first line up of the Sugababes with their signature 3 part harmony. This is the only recording of their cover of Like A Virgin that actually exists which is a shame. I just threw it on the end as a bonus track as I have spent nearly a decade in love with this band, especially the two iterations on this album and thought it'd be a nice finish to the album.

 

Conclusion

This is the perfect album for you if you love yourselves a good slice of country pop and some trashy electro dance music. All by female artists - except for track 13!!! :D There were a couple of absolute gems. The opening track is a beautiful piece of music. There were only a couple of songs that didn't appeal to me at all whilst everything else was on varying levels of good/ok.

 

Who compiled it?

This is difficult to tell as there must be a few posters taking part who love female vocalists, country pop and dance music. I'm going to predict it was GD - it sounds like the type of album I'd expect Rich to compile. :D

 

 

So, the track list in full:

 

01 || Ludovico Einaudi - Le Onde

02 || Molly Sandén - Hallelujah

03 || Sugababes - Colder In The Rain (Sugababes 2.0)

04 || Carrie Underwood - I Ain't In Checotah Anymore

05 || Laura Critchley - Today's Another Day

06 || Tone Damli - Can't Face Losing You

07 || Maria Haukaas Storeng - Breathing

08 || Carrie Underwood - Songs Like This

09 || Renee Cassar - It's Not You

10 || Kate Miller-Heidke - I Like You Better When Your Not Around

11 || Dave Audé feat Isha Coco - Figure It Out

12 || Sofia - Vacancy

13 || Rebecca Stella - Swag In A Bag

14 || Red Blooded Women - Attraction

15 || Tone Damli - Don't Wake Me

16 || Natalie Bassingthwaighte - Not For You

17 || Caro Emerald - Stuck

18 || Alex Roots - Dizzy From The Ride

19 || Luciana - I'm Still Hot

20 || Gabriella Cilmi - Safer

21 || Tone Damli - No Way Out

22 || Sugababes - Like A Virgin (Live and Acapella) (Sugababes 1.0)

 

Hope you at least found something you'll keep after this is all said and done.

Oh Silas, if you had to go for Gabriella, you should have gone for something off the far superior second album. I almost included Defender on mine, it fitted with the overall theme nicely, but I thought I already had too many female vocalists on there.

Two brilliant choix Carrie cuts there :wub: Ooh and :wub: to Waterfall as well, one of my Scandipop faves oh ohten for sure!

Winning, Charlie Sheen Style - review

1. 9/10
Wow! This seems to be a mash-up of several songs (I can hear Dev, Katy Perry and Beyoncé) and is actually really good! The Katy Perry part is a bit jarring I think, but the chorus is great! Easily the highlight of the CD.

2. 8/10
This sounds pretty Scouting for Girls-esque, so it might be them? Well, it's better than anything else I've heard by them if so, though that may be down to not knowing it's them.

3. 7/10
The verses here a bit boring and it's a bit repetitive. The vocals make up for it though, particularly in the chorus, lifts the song up a level.

4. 7/10
This sounds familiar for some reason, but can't place it. The verses for this too are a bit boring, but I do like the chorus, and the melody's quite good.

5. 8/10
I really like this - I think the verses lead into the chorus well, and it's got a good melody for a simple pop song - I actually think I'd like to hear more of whoever this is by!

6. 5/10
Not as bad as I feared based on the opening, but a bit too pop-by-numbers (and it's a male vocal) for moi. That and a bit repetative. It's similar lyrically to Irreplaceable, which I couldn't help comparing it to; and Beyoncé's far better.

7. 6/10
Ooh, some strings! Another male vocal, but better than the last. The verses are pretty boring, but the chorus is all right.

8. 3/10
The opening sounds a bit familiar, but that's the only bit I liked I'm afraid. The vocals sound just horrible, and the melody isn't that good either, and doesn't make up for it sadly

9. 7/10
This is quite good, nice to be off the male vocals! A bit simple maybe, and pop-by-numbers as well, but still nice enough.

10. 8/10
This is another male vocal, but far better than the previous two. He sounds pretty familar, and the song's actually quite good too! Probably my second favourite actually.

11. 2/10
Christ, this is boring! Easily the worst thing here - at least I could finish track 8! I think it's country-esque pop, though it's easily the worst thing I've heard from the genre if so.

12. 8/10
Another voice that's familar, but I think I can point this one out - Diana Vickers? If so, then she's certainly been popular in BJSC recently! This is the best thing I've heard from her, partially as her voice seems a bit less screechy than before.

13. 7/10
This reminds me of 'Try' by Nelly Furtado a lot, in vocals and general melody. The verses aren't actually that bad, but the chorus is a bit of a let down, and it's a bit short overall.

14. 6/10
I'm not really sure what to day about this song. It sounds pretty upbeat and positive, which can be good, but other than that it didn't really leave an impression.

15. 6/10
The melody to this is really upbeat, but the lyrics, which certainly aren't upbeat, juxtapose strangely with it. It's not bad though, other than the ending which is just too saccharine.

16. 5/10
The verses are all right, not actually that bad, but the chorus is really such a let down, pretty boring tbh.

17. 4/10
I can recognize the voices here, Lily Allen and Dizzee Rascal. While I normally like Lily, I've never though the same about Dizzee, and I don't really like this either. Their parts contrast a bit too much for me.

18. 7/10
Oh haha, I can see where the CD name's inspiration comes from now! It's autotuned quite a lot, though I don't think this intending to be a 'good' song.

Overall
Pretty good overall I’d say; a few misses, but also some hits, and some artists who I may want to hear more of, so yay! The average mark overall was 6/10, but that seems a bit low, and I’d rank it 7/10 as a full CD. I’m not too sure whose CD this is; I think it may be Jonjo’s, as I seem to remember he likes Scouting for Girls/Diana Vickers, but that’s just a (probably wrong) guess.

Oh, and I've just realised my reviews are a bit brief compared to pretty much everyone else's. So sorry to whoever's CD this is, I'm just not that good at describing things.

I Ain't In Checotah Anymore on Silas' compilation :wub:

 

Absolutely adore Le Onde as well, I bought his 'Essential' collection after being introduced to I Giorni via Greg James :lol:

You are indeed correct with your guess that it's my CD Dandy*. Glad you enjoyed it, I wasn't sure you would when I saw you got it. I thought it might be a little too pop leaning for you. I think it sums up my musical taste better than any posts I've made on here, it's still firmly pop based, but with Indie leanings too.

 

As for the artwork, it was a completely random discovery. I was using google translate to find out what 'Dream State' was in Swedish and accidentally clicked on images and up it popped. It's an absolutely mesmerising image and I knew I HAD to use it.

 

Tracklisting:

01 Kyla La Grange - Been Better *

02 Bim - Raindrops

03 The Golden Filter - Hide Me

04 Chew Lips - Too Much Talking *

05 Cat's Eyes - The Best Person I Know

06 Daughter - Run (Demo) *

07 Jonsi - Animal Arithmetic *

08 Lissie - In Sleep *

09 Marietta Fafouti - Don't Stop

10 Tennis - Take Me Somewhere *

11 Alex Winston - Don't Care About Anything

12 The Pierces - You'll Be Mine *

13 Vinnie Who - Rise With You *

14 Marit Larsen - This Is Me, This Is You

15 Rosanna Munter - Waterfall *

16 Tina Dico - Warm Sand

17 Vienna Teng - Antebellum

18 Mew - Comforting Sounds *

 

(* = my choice cuts)

 

I've recently had a bit of a Mew revival and I had to use Comforting Sounds, which is easily my favourite Mew song. It works perfectly as the closer, as you say the build up over the last few minutes is amazing. It always reminds me of Sigur Ros, which is of course no bad thing.

 

Ah so it was yours! Ah so #12 was The Pierces, I've seen the album many a time but never thought they would sound like that, I may have to investigate further now. I liked every track that you chose to grace with an * and I'd add a couple more too actually. Are there any specific acts in there that you would recommend investigating further and have decent albums or are they more one off singles?

 

I didn't think it was TOO pop at all, it had quite a nice balance to it really - I do approve of some pop music anyway, I'm just quite selective. Rosanna Munter was closest to my usual pop sound, I really do like that one and I shall definitely be looking into her music more in the hope of finding further gems. http://www.moopy.org.uk/forums/images/icons/disco.gif

 

Oh Silas, if you had to go for Gabriella, you should have gone for something off the far superior second album. I almost included Defender on mine, it fitted with the overall theme nicely, but I thought I already had too many female vocalists on there.

Overlooking the fact that you rank Ten above LTBL for a second, Safer is more of an underrated Gem where as Defender would have been much better known on a forum like Buzzjack and I wanted to give people who may have only heard Sweet About Me and On A Mission a chance to hear something really different.

 

 

Two brilliant choix Carrie cuts there :wub:

They really are glorious :wub:

 

I Ain't In Checotah Anymore on Silas' compilation :wub:

 

Absolutely adore Le Onde as well, I bought his 'Essential' collection after being introduced to I Giorni via Greg James :lol:

I have you to thank for putting me on to that track!

 

I've been meaning to get that, Le Onde is a good album. Very nice and relaxing.

You'll Be Mine is definitely a song I'll look back on and think 'why didn't I chart that higher', I think #19 was its peak for me :( Damn Eurovision season...

 

That and Glorious are stunning songs.

You seem to know most of the acts with albums I would recommend listening to, but if you liked Rise With You I would definitely suggest listening to Vinnie's album, Then I Met You. Oh and of course The Pierce's album, which is indeed very Fleetwood Mac and all the better for it.

 

The Tennis, Chew Lips, Cat's Eyes, Jonsi, Lissie, Tina and Vienna albums are all very good, but those are all pretty much my favourite tracks from them.