A Bunch of Fives (New Challenge Thread)

[oliver]

The Bellrays
Weird... for most of it I liked the lyrics but found the music a little pedestrian but then they changed it up and I liked the music but found the lyrics a little trite. What it needs, for me, is a remix to reverse that :)

Icicle Works
Like this one a lot. TBH, I'd say I'm totally unfamiliar with probably 90% of what's been posted (by everyone) so I like to guess what it'll be like and then see how wrong I am. I was expecting, based on being familiar with them in name only, for some 80s goth and instead I got a nice slice of straightforward rock.

Dave Bartholomew
Love a bit of repetition. This is probably my favourite of the five. Might be because the guitar part reminds me a lot of Know by Nick Drake.

The Electric Soft Parade
Decent enough without really breaking out into something obsession-worthy. Sounds like it's perhaps five years too late to have really made any impact on me.

The Dramatics
Going back to what I said earlier, I expected some heavy rock (based on the cover art)... then it started and I thought it might be some Kool Keith type rap but it went into a nice yet interesting soul song Enjoyable stuff

[Heston]

Shit I've just realised I'm up next, no one reminded me.

[Marky Dread]

Shit I've just realised I'm up next, no one reminded me.

Hey mate you're up next.

[Heston]

Shit I've just realised I'm up next, no one reminded me.

Hey mate you're up next.

[Heston]

Miles Kane - Better Than That
A Motown-style stomper which happens to be a co-write with Andy Partridge from XTC. That is usually a sign of quality.



Hammell On Trial - I'm Gonna Watch You Sleep
A man whose music is usually quite frenetic in general but I like this change of pace from him.



Silver Sun - I'll See You Around
Power Pop with ELO-style backing vocals. I was always gonna like it.



Michael Kiwanuka - You Ain't the Problem
This has a cinematic feel that makes me feel nostalgic for the old Pearl cinema adverts I used to see as a kid.



Soap - Golden Days
Richard Archer showing there was life after Hard-Fi with this catchy little number.

[gkbill]

Hello,

The Hamell on Trial video is here if you don't see it in Heston's post:

[revbob]

Shit I've just realised I'm up next, no one reminded me.

We should have rules or a list or a list of rules.

[Kory]

Flexo:

Bruce Lee Band - Division in the Heartland
I was initially a little wary of this, but I was charmed by the middle. People that can get away with speaking rather than singing are few, but it really only took a minute to get into. Good energy, would have liked some more horns maybe, but that's a minor quibble. Great length, too. 7/10

The Red Aunts - I'm Crying
Initially, this singer had the mortal sin of sounding too much like the singer in that band I was in, but once her voice started getting rougher, I was more comfortable with it. I know I've heard this name before, I'm going to have to check more out. Abrasive music calms me in a way that is confusing but welcome and this could be a nice addition to my bank. Also really liked the production on this, the drums sound great and the stereo image really helped it be aggressive as hell but not muddy, which can often be the downfall of noisy songs. 8/10

Lemonheads - Belt
This takes me wayyyy back. Sounds great, great energy. I'm kinda sad that I'm way past the age that I can convincingly perform punk music, I really miss being able to vent that way. It's a bit of a minor curse that it will always be a part of me but I can't really use it anymore. 10/10


Catbite - Pabst Me Up
I don't like mustaches. The song sounds pretty cool, though I'm not a huge fan of the lyrics. Humor in music is very fine line for me. It's nice to hear an organ these days though. I'd probably go see these folks live, seems like it would be quite fun. 7/10


Asie Payton - Nobody But You
I'm not a big blues fan since about 90% of the genre uses the same chord progression, so I lose interest pretty quickly. This has a good, raw mood though, as the blues go. I like the understated bari sax. 6/10

[Marky Dread]

Shit I've just realised I'm up next, no one reminded me.

We should have rules or a list or a list of rules.

Rules are for fools. And Heston don't see no list when he's pissed.

[Kory]

Marky:

The BellRays - Zero PM
Cool mood on this, rolling and driving. I would like the vocals to sit a bit better in the mix, they're about double the volume of the music and it sounds a little disconnected. Very cool energy shift in the middle. 8/10

The Icicle Works - Tin Can
Good energy. With the lyric being as simple as it is, I'd have preferred that the music take up the slack in holding my interest, but no luck there. 3/10

Dave Bartholomew - The Monkey
This was just the right length for what it is. Good delivery, also like the just slightly overdriven vocals. 6/10

The Electric Soft Parade - There's A Silence
Cool arrangement of different little parts. The chorus is a little "grand" for me, I like the verses a lot better. This sounds like it could have been from 1996. I might like this more if the band had a more charismatic or unique singer. 5/10

The Dramatics - The Devil Is Dope
I agree, the devil is dope as hell. Yeah, this is good, I really like the breakdown around 2:30. I'm surprised this hasn't shown up in a Tarantino movie yet. 9/10

[oliver]

makes me feel nostalgic for the old Pearl cinema adverts I used to see as a kid.

I haven't listened to any of these yet but I *have* to add:
ba ba ba ba ba ba ba bababa ba ba ba ba ba ba ba bababa baba baba baba babaaaaaaaa BA!

And apologies for wasting everyones bandwidth if Pearl does not refer to Pearl and Dean.

[Heston]

makes me feel nostalgic for the old Pearl cinema adverts I used to see as a kid.

I haven't listened to any of these yet but I *have* to add:
ba ba ba ba ba ba ba bababa ba ba ba ba ba ba ba bababa baba baba baba babaaaaaaaa BA!

And apologies for wasting everyones bandwidth if Pearl does not refer to Pearl and Dean.

Yep, Pearl and Dean. My memories of nostalgia aren't what they were.

[Marky Dread]

Miles Kane - Better Than That
This is a great tune. My only problem is I find his voice a bit whinny. I have liked other songs of his but not mad on his voice. I wish there was a version with just Andy singing. 7/10

Hammell On Trial - I'm Gonna Watch You Sleep
A much different feel to stuff I've previously heard by him. Still solid though. 8/10

Silver Sun - I'll See You Around
I've got both Silver Sun albums and they do that power pop thing brilliantly. 9/10

Michael Kiwanuka - You Ain't the Problem
Thought I might like this more than I do. It's okay but don't do a lot for me. I never liked that Pearl & Dean advert found it bloody annoying. So maybe that's my problem here. 5/10

Soap - Golden Days
Posted in the youtube thread back whenever. This is great and Archer should've done more. 9/10

Good work Heston.

[gkbill]

Hello,

Miles Kane - good call as it's a stomper; great drive to it. 9/10

Hamell on Trial - meh; wait, was that a guitar?. 5/10

Silver Sun - fine, decent track if a bit generic. 7/10

Michael Kwanuka - nice but maybe a bit too smooth - backing vocals didn't fit for me. 6/10

Soap - I liked Hard-Fi- good energy - a bit syrupy on the chorus. 8/10

This is a bunch of new stuff for me. Thanks, Heston!

[matedog]

The BellRays - Zero PM
Yeah, riff is pure Stooges. The parts are all there for me, but this doesn't do much for me. The singer is good, but I'm just not getting much personality out of this. It's fine, there's just something lacking for me. 5/10.

The Icicle Works - Tin Can
I'm almost getting a more Stooges vibe out of this one. Sounds like what the Replacements were doing at the time too. This one is mindless fun with some good swagger. 7/10.

Dave Bartholomew - The Monkey
Hard to rate this one so I won't. Great backing track and a surprisingly edgy message for the time. It's spoken word over a vamp. Very interesting.

The Electric Soft Parade - There's A Silence
That hook is indelible and feels very refreshing when it hits. Nothing too wild about this one, but well done. 7/10.

The Dramatics - The Devil Is Dope
This one is real cool. Terrific backing vocals and horns/strings. Sounds like a 70s blacksploitation soundtrack in a good way. Probably the highlight for me. 7.5/10.