Rate The Song Above You

45/100 - 60% sure I heard this as the opening for some low budget western series years ago.

Epoch - Hangman Paradox

Moody and brutal, as expected from blackened death metal, but also disjointed, without a sense of progression, and somehow manages to come off as repetitive in its four-minute run, 3/5.

Howlin' Wolf - Evil

4/5 The acoustics provide a nice background for some classic blues. Poor man obviously experienced something, or those vocals wouldn't be nearly as possible.

Mitch Murder featuring KRISTINE: Summer Of Heat

My preferred form of synthwave is the darker, more atmospheric variety - think the Hotline Miami soundtrack, which is oddly fitting since Mitch Murder was one of the many musicians to have given tracks to those games. I suppose with a title like "Summer of Heat", this was always likely to be a bouncy dance track with a warm-weather vibe, but it feels too much like disposable bubblegum with traces of that trademark synthwave distortion attempting to give it some hint of flavour. 6/10

Biffy Clyro - The Weapons Are Concealed

Has a different sound to it. Seems like a rock song, but doesn't really feel like one for a part of it. 8/10

Now, for a more melodic song... The Doves -- There Goes the Fear

A nice melody, but the song's really drawn out, I got bored three minutes into it, 3/5.

Nelly Furtado - Say It Right

Honestly it's just a typical noughties R&B track with not really memorable beats or lyrics. Nothing special. 6/10

Mort Garson - Mellow Mood For Maidenhair

A short, soothing instrumental electronic track for easy listening, 4/5.

Nujabes - Horizon

56/100 - Ambient jazzy material with an annoyingly over-prominent beat that makes its soulflul piano playing feel rather stifled.

Inisans - Cavern of Covenant

The song offers not much in the variety of composition department, but more than makes up for it by its intensity, 3/5.

Nina Simone - Feeling Good

Vocals and drums are kinda Cannibal Corpse-esque but the jam midway really paid off. 7.5/10

I'm a Nina Simone fan so it's pretty biased, her songs often have a sort of an urban melancholy and disillusionment that hides behind metaphors and basic lyrics, which is pretty evident in this track. 8/10

Men, Women & Children - At Night We Like To Fight

edited 2nd Jun '18 9:27:23 PM by YouSitTightBuddy

5/10. It was off to a good start with the distortion effect applied to the instrumentation, but the very clean vocals immediately made this feel dated, to the point that I knew as soon as the guy started singing that this was from the mid-2000s. There's a good way to do clean vocals in heavier music - look at a band like Ghost - but this isn't it. Putting that aside, the mix feels a bit on the hollow side thanks to the blinking synth that refuses to leave.

J Dilla - "Workinonit"

Judging just by this song, Seba Jun's Transpacific counterpart sounds a lot more intense and aggressive than the Sweet Dreams Fuel the former is known for, but the same experimental approach and heavy use of sampling is evident. The track is mostly lots of various samples which enhance a rather simplistic beat, 5/5.

Musicola - Qustar-ai, Qustar! (The birds)

A folk song. A rough (and rather awkward) translation from Kazakh, by me:

My song reaches the sky, I stand tall
I'll welcome every sunrise with a song
I am a singer girl
The song spreads my wings out

Chorus:
The essence of my soul shall fly to the skies like a bird
I've grown up with the love for the sunrise, oh the birds!
My song will show my longing for you
I'll open my heart to you, oh the birds!

My song will soar above the lands
My song is my joy, my rue and my triumph
The song will soothe my sorrow
Listen to my song in silence, my love
Chorus.

I've been searching for you all my life
I'll lose myself in my song

Chorus.

edited 3rd Jun '18 12:56:10 AM by Millership

I'm not exactly an expert on the folk music of Kazakhstan, but it's quite obvious just from the fact it's folk music that all the electronic and electrically amplified instrumentation on this track, not to mention a general sense of production gaudiness, is a "modernising" addition and this isn't really Kazakh folk au naturel. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a decent melody, but I've never been too fond of anything that sounds overly slicked down. 6/10

Ghost - Square Hammer

This is undeniably a heavy metal song, and the synths are not really prominent on this track but the general atmosphere reminds me of 80's synthpop for some reason. Very catchy, very dynamic track, 4/5.

IOWA - Бьёт бит (It beats a bit)

Translation.

6/10

Seems like normal, albeit Russian pop to these ears. Girl can dance tho.

Rex Orange County - Loving Is Easy

7/10. Decent R&B track. The singer could put a little more emotion in his voice, though.

Silverchair - Steam Will Rise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTu8e1VSvjQ

edited 4th Jun '18 7:46:36 AM by pointless233

Very intense bassline and percussion section backing up highly contrasting mellow vocals. The track has just enough of a dynamicity in it for its formula to not overstay its welcome, 4/5.

So, there's an old Celtic tune in open access that's been sampled up and been made several renditions of by various video game (and one anime) composers, that sadly is unnamed. I have two covers of the version used in Heroes of Might and magic IV soundtrack (that I've posted here earlier) by two different youtubers for your consideration.

"Floating Across Water (HOMM 4 Sea theme)"

The guitar cover by Alexei Averin

The tin whistle cover by Lindar Music

Review either or both.

8/10

Love the catchy riff. Guy on the guitar has some chops.

Gorillaz - Lake Zurich

edited 4th Jun '18 9:57:25 AM by TheBest345

7/10: Cool, bouncy fun of the sort that Gorillaz can usually pull off. If it's nothing groundbreaking, it's still plenty fun.

Neko Case - Star Witness

7/10. I liked the relaxed kinda folksy atmosphere it had. Can't quite think of much else to say but I definitely approve of this song.

Indigo Girls - Closer To Fine

Three Chords and the Truth country song. The singers harmonize well, 3/5.

Texas - Summer Son

This is basically exactly my sort of thing. Nice, solid guitar. Very enjoyable to listen to. I didn't find the singer's voice that memorable, but there was nothing wrong with the singing either. 4/5

JT Music - Cuphead Rap

I really like that they've emulated the same approach to styling their music as the developers did when they were doing Cuphead's animation. Catchy and upbeat rap over The Roaring '20s-style jazz beat, 3/5.

Aesma Daeva - Disdain (Angel Mix)

This was... odd, though I may think that because I've heard this band's name associated with heavy metal and thus went in assuming that would be what I got. Instead, I get a very sparse electro-goth thingummy with an almost hymnal tone. Given that there's not much focus on anything other than the vocals, it's a good thing they are very strong - powerful and borderline operatic without clashing with the very subdued atmosphere. 7/10

Counting Crows - Have You Seen Me Lately?