The... um... Music Thing..., NOT the information. This is where we do stuff. Options

[Irysa]

RHIANNON IS EDITING THIS POST BECAUSE SHE SCREWED UP. In this topic, we will post songs and reviews for said songs. If you wish to discuss this Music Thing or something of that sort, go to the other topic. Actually, go to the other topic first unless you just want to read what people say or if you just want to say what you think of songs that other people post. NOW ON TO THE PART OF THIS POST THAT ASAPH ACTUALLY WROTE:

The Diablo Swing Orchestra - Balrog Boogie

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Mea Culpa, Ecce Signum, Corpus Vile, Coram Deo
Pactum Serva, Scala Caeli, Gloria Patri, Pax Et Bonum
Sine Cura, Vade Mecum, Casus Belli, Lusus Naturae
Dies Illa, Velut Luna, Dona Es Virtum

I recently found this band, and wowie, I was sure surprised. They mix Chicago Swing Jazz and Symphonic Rock into some of the most unique and funky music I've heard for a long time. It vaugely reminds me of the Rocky Horror Show, if you know what I mean.

This song is one of the best of what I have so far. I love the fact they use Contrabass, and no bass guitar here, and I love the Operatic vocals used on the track, which actually sounds operatic, unlike "some" bands who try to use it...
The overall song is exceedingly catchy and memorable, and inspired me to check them out some more. Enjoy!

This post has been edited by Rhiannon: May 6 2007, 03:14 PM

[Yuka]

The Diablo Swing Orchestra - Balrog Boogie
Posted by Asaph (Chaos Seraph)

For those of you wondering, Rhia bailed out due to technical difficulties. She would have opened us up with "Gott ist ein Popstar", but, due to a corrupting file, we were forced to go on, and that brings us to this interesting piece by The Diablo Swing Orchestra. Mixing opera, swing, and some uncanny rock, the song in question, Balrog Boogie, brings a very interesting and unique feel to the table of music.

We first open up the song to a quiet rimtapping, followed by a Contrabass intro, which is then accompanied by what sounds like a guitar paired with a trumpet/saxaphone hybrid insturment. Next comes the female vocalist, singing some stuff in some foreign language, which then turns into an opera fest, paired with some other opera-ists. I tend to find the opera vocals very annoying and aggrivating in this song, but they seem to be one of those "if you can get past it, its not bad" types of things. This succession of rhythms is repeated in a pattern throughout the song twice, and before it leads into the end, there's this nifty little guitar thing that sounds somewhat muffled that I find very catchy. The outro isn't bad, by any means, but the weird laughter at the end and that trumpy-sax thing doing that downscale has a tendancy to piss me off somehow.

Despite the drawbacks of the song, it seems to give some kind of toe-tapping aura, and a very catchy chorus (insturmental chorus, not lyrical chorus). To me, this sounds like something you'd listen to once in awhile, but your mileage may vary.

Overall score: 6.5 or 7/10

[Dr Strum]

I don't dig that swing, yo. Good instrumentation in writing I don't particularly care for.

[Walrus]

The Diablo Swing Orchestra - Balrog Boogie

Song posted by Chaos Seraph. It sounds spiffy, and has fun singing stuff. It reminds me of what a zombie casino would sound like. In Spain. The end. 8/10

[Tonfa]

The Diablo Swing Orchestra - Balrog Boogie
Posted by Asaph (Chaos Seraph)

Eh. It's certainly unique, and technically fine. However the song failed to grab my interest at any point, no matter how many times I listened to it, with certain parts suffering from the wall of sound issue and the singer certainly not helping matters, and the outro...the less said about that the better. Just not my type of track at all.

My score: 4/10

[Rhiannon]

SONG BE BALROG BOOGIE

It's not bad. I don't like the way some of the instruments are used, and there was something about the vocals that I didn't like. I can't quite put my finger on it, though. :(

The only other problem I have with the song is the ending. I don't like how the trumpet sounds in it (that IS a trumpet, right? YOU CAN'T BE SURE THESE DAYS) and I don't care for the laughing, or... um, yeah. It's an okay song. I like everything in the song that I didn't complain about.

[Yuka]

Draconian - Death, Come Near Me

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

By day I sleep, at night I weep!

O Death, come near me!
Be the one for me, be the one who stays.
My rivers are frozen, and mischosen,
and the shadows around me sickens my heart.

O Death, come near me,
and stay (by my side). Hear my silent cry!
In sadness I'm veiled, to the cross I am nailed,
and the pain around me freezes my world.
My cold world...

In life I've failed,
for years I've wailed.
Frozen in time... left behind...
The rapture of grief is all to find...
The rapture of grief is all!

Behind the shadow of life the lost hopes are grieving.
I seek the night and hope to find love...
So I drown in the silence of lifes short eternity.
The tears fills the void in my heart astray

Embrace me now, delightful ease!
Give me a world of wonderous peace!
Calm the desperate scream in my heart!

O Death, come near me,
save me from this empty, cold world!
O Life, you have killed me,
so spare me from this couldron of misery!

In life I cry, away I fly...
Chosen to fall within these walls.
The rapture...
The rapture of grief is all!

Oh, shed a tear for the loss of innocense,
for the forsaken spirits who aches... in us.
Cry for the heart who surrenders to pain,
for the solitude of those left behind!

Behold the pain and sorrow of the world,
dream of a place away from this nightmare.
Give us love and unity, under the heart of night.
O Death, come near us, and give us life!

If Asaph wasn't banned, he'd whore over this. When he gets unbanned, he'll whore over this. Enough said about Asaph and him whoring over this!

So what I'm presenting you all is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. Fifteen minutes and twenty-two seconds long, Draconian has produced a masterpiece that I only discovered earlier this week. Draconian is a gothic doom metal band from Sweden, who utilizes the fact that they have both male and female vocalists and thus uses them both about equally, producing some interesting results. Add into the mix a godly lyrics writer and five skilled insturmentalists and you have yourself one hell of a good band. We're talking "up there on the list of good bands with Anathema" good. Since I could spend over 40 minutes whoring over the whole song writing up a really long review just to make a post that'll take like twenty minutes to read that most of you won't read anyways, I'll leave the whoring to Asaph and say only one thing:

Enjoy.

[Rhiannon]

SONG BE DEATH, COME NEAR ME.

There are some parts of the song that I find kind of boring. Like the first two minutes. They set the mood nicely, sure, but they go on without enough variation to keep me paying attention. So I feel like I'm not even listening to music during that part. I hate it when I feel like that.

My favourite part of the song is about four minutes in. I think it sounds nice at this point for a few minutes. I love how it uses both male and female vocals (LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT I LISTEN TO DIDN'T EXPECT THAT) and it sounds really sad. In a good way.

Actually, I change my mind suddenly, mid-post. I'm a genius. My favorite part of the song now starts at about 10 minutes in and goes on until, like, the end. For, um, mostly the same reasons that I gave for my former favorite part of the song. It sounds REALLY sad and pretty, there.

Aside from the beginning pulling me out of the song, I like it a lot. But I don't think it's something I'd consider amazing.

[Irysa]

Death, Come Near Me - Draconian

The most gorgeous of epic beauties ever created. The atmosphere is unparalleled to anything I've ever heard, The way the instrumentals deliver the atmosphere is outstanding. It's perhaps the one of the most, if not the most sorrowful song I've listened to. Not that listening to this makes me automatically depressed; I'd have to be in the right mood for that, but when I'm in a normal mind state it makes me spellbound. The vocals are amazing as well, both the male growling and female operatic vocals perfectly fit the music and balance one another out, which makes the music even better. The last two minutes have had effects on me I didn't think were possible with music. Everything is as godfuckingdamn close to perfect as you're ever going to get.


∞/10

[Tonfa]

Draconian - Death, Come Near Me

I can understand the appeal of this track but it is a rare case in that it is actively clashes against my personal tastes. The "death is my only friend ;_;_;" lyrics complete with growling just kill the track dead, the instrumentation beneath it showed a few moments of promise but never evolved into anything interesting despite the track length. It is just there, tries to be epic and depressing but ends up just bland. Um...the female singer was okay.

My score: 2/10

This post has been edited by Tonfa: Apr 4 2007, 07:00 PM

[Walrus]

Draconian - Death, Come Near Me

From Sauce. Heavy death doom rock metal stuff is not very interesting to me, so I did not like this song much. Some of the musical part was nice, with violin sounding things and a piano. 4/10

This post has been edited by Walrus: Apr 4 2007, 08:50 PM

[Walrus]

Lee Brotherton - Dreams of an Absolution

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

(And every night, I lay awake. I find the conclusion)
(And every night, it just stays the same. I dream of absolution)

In the night-light, do you see what you dream?
All your troubles, are they all what they seem?
Look around you, then you may realize
All the creatures saw with the light.

And I might know of our future,
But then, you still control the past.
Only you know if you'll be together.
Only you know if we shall last!

(In the night-light)

In the night-light, do you still feel your pain?
For the valor you waited, never came!
If you were able, would you go change the past?
There's a furball with one last chance!

And I might know of our future,
But then you still control the past.
Only you know if you'll be together,
Tonight!

Cause every night I will save your life!
And every night I will be with you!
Cause every night I still lay awake,
And I dream of an absolution!

Cause every night I will make it right!
And every night I will come to you!
But every night it just stays the same,
In my dream of an absolution!

(In the night-light)

In the night-light, do you see what you dream?
All your triumph, and all you'll ever be?
Look around you, then you may realize,
Happiness lies trapped in misery!

And who knows what of our future?
We can all try to change the past.
Only you know if you'll be together,
Tonight!

Cause every night I will save your life!
And every night I will be with you!
Cause every night I still lay awake,
And I dream of an absolution!

'Cause every night I will make it right!
And every night I will come to you!
But every night it just stays the same,
In my dream of an absolution!

=INSTRUMENTAL=

Cause every night I will save your life,
And every night I will be with you!
Cause every night I still lay awake,
And I dream of an absolution!

Cause every night I will make it right,
And every night I will come to you!
But every night it just stays the same,
In my dream of an absolution!

And you'll see (And you'll see)
What you'll be (What you'll be)
And you'll see
All you can (All you can)
And every night (And every night)
And every night (And every night)
And every night (And every night)
I will dream (I will dream)

And you'll see (And you'll see)
That this is my dream (What you'll be)
And you'll see
Every night
I will always dream (Cause every night)

And every night
And every night
I will dream (I will dream)

This is Silver's theme from SONIC the Hedgehog, for the 360. I would guess it's a techno song, not sure what the instruments being played are...and male vocals. Yup.

This post has been edited by Walrus: Apr 5 2007, 02:45 AM

[Yuka]

Lee Brotherton (Remix Factory) - Dreams of an Absolution
Posted by Walrus

Okay, before I say anything that truly is part of my review, I walked into this dreading it for two reasons. One, its a song from a Sonic game. Not the oldschool Sonic games either. Two, its a song from a game period. Songs in games usually fall short on my book, which may seem ironic, since I seem to have a love for video game music.

Walrus opens us up with the fact that this is apparently the theme of some character (Silver) in an XBox 360 Sonic game (I'm assuming The Secret Rings?), and states that this song is techno. While I am partial to his statements, I think its more synthetic pop that doesn't sound bad at all. I've stopped trusting Walrus's reviews for the moment, as his reviews are greatly contrasting to mine (not so much on Balrog Boogie, but greatly different on Death, Come Near Me), but that doesn't stop me from agreeing with what he's implying with this song: While the games may be sucking now, atleast the music isn't.

Dreams of an Absolution (which is a great name, by the way) opens up with a simple synth wave/pad chord progression, while we hear some excerpt from the lyrics in the background not exactly sang. An actually not annoying male voice coded up all techno-y then shoots in metaphorically to start the often repeated quartet of lyrics. It does this a few times in the song, while breaking from that for the chorus, which then returns to said quartet of lyrics. While the lyrics have a tendancy to get dull fast, atleast there is some insturmentational variation, as well that at the four minute mark we finally get something moderately new in lyrical senses. It midway through sounds like a techno song, it ends like a techno song, but of course has lyrics. It ends rather shitty.

Partial to my reviewing score is that I do have an innate fondness for songs of this genre, so I'm giving this two scores, one for the techno/synth-pop fanatics and one for everyone else.

Techno/Synth-Pop Fanatic Score: 8.5
Everyone Else Score: 7

Edit: Walrus has corrected me on the name.

Walrus: no, PS3 and 360 both got the same game
Walrus: called SONIC the Hedgehog
Walrus: most people call it Sonic 06
Walrus: or Sonic Next Gen

Edit 2: After further review of the song's lyrics and my review, I realize that my review where I'm talking about the song's lyrics being repititious being wrong. This bumps up the Everyone Else Score to a 7.25. This is purely my fault.

This post has been edited by Sauce XIV: Apr 5 2007, 03:18 AM

[Dr Strum]

Never been a fan of the voiced works in Sonic games, this didn't change that.

[Tonfa]

Lee Brotherton (Remix Factory) - Dreams of an Absolution

Hmm. At first I didn't think much of it. It really doesn't bring anything amazing to the table instrumentation or (non-annoying?!)lyrics wise, nor does it have much variation, BUT it is simply enjoyable. Relaxing. Groovy, even. A rather pleasant track to just listen to. Nice fluff. Insert several dozen other synonyms. >_>

My score: 7/10

I totally didn't forget this edit: My entry may be a day late, depending on when I get back home.

This post has been edited by Tonfa: Apr 5 2007, 12:24 PM