Homer J. Fong IS The Walrus - Grand Reveal!

It's an unfortunate case of déjà vu for Lolliclarke, who picks up 2 points for 16th place with Justin Bieber - Love Yourself



Pre-listening notes:
Ah, poor old Biebs. Diagnosed with Lyme Disease recently. Even if he is a bit of a twat he probably doesn’t deserve that. Anyway I’m far from a “Belieber” but I am somewhat sympathetic to the hatred and vitriol that was thrown at him from being in the spotlight at such a young age. I doubt any kid could have grown up well-adjusted from his situation. I do like the song Sorry, that’s a bit of a CHOON, but anything else I’ve heard by him goes in either the “meh” or “eww” category. This one is probably going to fall into one of those, but will need a listen to decide which!

Listening notes:
I’ve heard this song plenty of times in the background (in shops, for example) but never paid close attention; for some reason I always thought it was Ed Sheeran, even though he and Bieber don’t really sound much alike. Was going by the music moreso than the vocals, I guess. Anyway Bieber’s voice is quite smooth to be fair, wouldn’t say it’s remarkable but it’s not unpleasant either. Some lyrics in this are actually quite cutting: “And I didn’t wanna write a song, ‘Cause I didn’t want anyone thinking I still care, I don’t” – ouch, that’s a burn. “My mama don’t like you, and she likes everyone” – that’s actually quite a funny line, one I’d expect from a “better” songwriter. My problem with the whole package is that it’s a bit bland – minimalism can really work wonders in some contexts but here the lack of instrumentation just makes this fall more into the category of “background music”….oh wait, there’s some brass now, that’s actually quite a nice touch, I like that! Not quite enough to raise it to another level, alas.

Verdict:
This song isn’t entirely without merit, and if I deconstruct it some of the individual components would actually score decently. But as a whole overall package, it doesn’t quite come together enough to merit repeated listens or a higher score. On the plus side, I thought I would dislike this more than I actually do – it definitely falls into “meh” rather than “eww” and that in itself is a mini-victory here!

Sadly, each round must have a last-place finisher. Apologies to Rosparkle who gets 1 point for The Darkness - I Believe In a Thing Called Love



Pre-listening notes:
Hmm….this is one of those songs that I’m very familiar with due to how popular and (over)played it is; I practically know every word but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to it of my own volition. That sense of over-familiarity doesn’t bode well for the score here I’m afraid, but let us see…

Listening notes:
Jaysus, forgot how nuts this video was! Anyway it’s a classic rock sound updated for the 21st Century, it’s clearly not taking itself too seriously and just wants to…well, rock. Guitar solo in the middle is quite nice, clearly the band is talented and able to write some cool guitar licks. Unfortunately Justin Hawkins isn’t as good a frontman as he thinks he is – his rock-star posing always seemed to come across more as arrogant and twattish than the sense of whimsy that he was aiming for. More importantly though his voice just doesn’t do it for me – his falsetto may be technically impressive but I don't find it enjoyable to listen to. Even in the verses, when he’s not caterwauling quite as shrilly, the tone of his voice just doesn’t do it for me.

Verdict:
I probably sound like a massive grouch when I write about this song. I imagine it can go down an absolute storm at the right time and place, like at a big event with lots of happy drunk (as opposed to messy drunk) people! Taking just the tune, I can appreciate that it’s alright and might work as an instrumental. Unfortunately the OTT vocals and rock-star posing, coupled with the sense of over-familiarity I discussed in the pre-listening notes, bring this one down for me. I wouldn't go as far as to say I hate it but I’ve heard it so many times that I really wouldn’t be sad if I never had to hear it again. Sorry.

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

Rag'n'Bone Man has a great voice, and this is a beautiful song. Can't believe you ranked it so low Homer!



What the f**k just happened? At first I thought it was a joke having this in 3rd place, but by song's end I was actually shocked it hadn't gotten 1st!
[/B]

I had the same initial reaction to Flipper's Guitar but the more I listen to it the more I love it! That definitely rivals Spiritualized and LUH from Round 1 as the "find" of the competition for me thus far.

With regards to Rag'n'Bone Man, ranking it third last does seem harsh but that's more of a reflection of the high standard of the round than anything else. In a weaker round it might have got a more middling score, and if the chorus held up to the standard set by the verses then it certainly would have placed higher (I did read Trigger's note about the subject matter and why it might be that the chorus is "lacking", but you don't need a happy sing-along chorus to still make an impact and sadly this song just didn't strike the right note with me, felt like something was missing).

phatkev wrote: »

I would have put the house on this paint it black being picked:o

Pain It Black would certainly have done well but I'm not crazy about Bon Iver, just another case of someone's voice not being to my taste. So maybe it was best you left that one out!

I hope everyone isn't too distracted by Kolido's '90's comp to dedicate a little of their time to my very own '90's Reveal here!

Deleted User wrote: »

3. "You're from the 70's but I'm a 90's bitch"

I was born in December 1989, and so technically missed out on being a 90's kid by three weeks. But hearing a 90's song that I haven't heard for years can bring back memories of watching Top 30 Hits and (on the rare Sunday morning when I didn't have to go to mass) 2TV, and give a nice nostalgia feeling. Here you need to give me one of your favourite tunes from the 90's. It was the time of grunge, shoegaze, trip-hop, Britpop, girl power, rave and many many other music eras, so you won't be short of options!

So let's see what ye all brought to the table for this one....

We're keeping things LOUD for 10th place and 8 points, which go to Marshallazora Satanwest for Metallica & the San Francisco Orchestra - No Leaf Clover (Live)



Pre-listening notes:
Metallica wouldn’t generally be my thing but a live performance featuring an orchestra has me intrigued.

Listening notes:
Suitably bombastic intro, I like the orchestra anyway! Some lovely woodwind around the forty-second mark…is that an oboe? Ah the guitars kick in at the minute mark, think I preferred when it was mainly the orchestra to be honest. Gruff vocals in the verses, as to be expected…oh interesting vocal effect on the chorus. I actually like Hetfield more when he sings softer and lower, the whole gruff belty thing is a bit tiresome. I really like the line in the chorus: “Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, Is just a freight train coming your way” that’s clever. On to the main instrumental now, its as booming and powerful as you’d expect. The orchestra definitely adds a powerful extra layer to this, it’s much more effective than it would have been with the band on its own.

Verdict:
I doubt I’ll ever be a Metallica fan, though I certainly respect their talent and the influence they’ve had on other musicians. Had this been a standard Metallica album track, with just the band performing in the studio, it probably wouldn’t have scored particularly well. The live orchestra definitely enhances the quality of the overall package.

And after a comparitively brief respite for our ears, the dials get turned right back up to 11 again! For the second round in a row, Aleshark gets an 11th place finish and 7 points for Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a Hole

Note this isn't the official video, which is about 30 seconds shorter and has the intro cut out; I initially listened to the lyric video (for the lyrics!) and it makes sense to include it here, given I specifically mention the intro below!



Pre-listening notes:
This is not Closer, nor is it Hurt. Thus it’s not one I know. I imagine NIN is a band I probably would quite like, I just haven’t ever really gotten around to them.

Listening notes:
Nice percussive intro, building anticipation quite nicely….groovy bass kicks in, like the bridge: “No you can’t take it, no you can’t take it, no you can’t take that away from me” sounds really good up to this point. Lost me a bit of the chorus though, it sounds more like it comes from a "stadium rock" song and is missing the murkier, menacing industrial sound of the rest of the song.

Verdict:
Not bad at all, but I’m afraid Closer would have scored higher than this one. There seems to be at least one song in every round that has me nodding along during the verses only to lose me at the chorus; this is what happened here, though it's still a pretty decent tune overall.