Battle of the Bands VI

[Gentle Giant]

Originally Posted by Chillax

So who is left? Jonas, Linus and Triweasel?

Yes, and evilaustintom still ought to correct his ballot.

[Gentle Giant]

Originally Posted by Linus

IFYP

Agreed. But if you're going to go that route, you probably ought to add his trademark "Oh! Ohhhh!!!!" At least, that's what I remember.

[Super Silver Haze]

Originally Posted by ORLYLOL

Record it. And show the video. Maybe I'll give a concession to it being 10^8 or 10^9.

I've only met one guitar player that could pull off those parts. Then compound the fact that you have to play along with another guitar player, who's timing will be a half beat off from you on a jazz scale

@_@

But does it sound good?

[ORLYLOL]

Originally Posted by vividox

I mean, we listened to the same Vela, Together We Await the Storm, right? That's not a slouch song at all. I do think DEP might have the edge, but it's not by a wide margin. And THA are just as impressive live, FWIW.

Bolded I doubt in reference to DEP circa 1999-2004. They've mellowed a lot though.

Vela is really good. They definitely have better melodies (but DEP doesn't use melody). The arpeggios at 3:00 to 3:30 are cool because of the speed up, but over all the parts are not overly complicated. A lot of sweeping, which is not bad because I love sweeps and think they sound awesome.

But go back and listen to some of those scales and sweeps in 43% burnt. Like 0:42-:0:57. The speed alone is killer. 1:40-2:03 is also really frustrating to play. Granted you are a better guitar player than I am by far.

And this is just guitar parts, should also go back and pay close attention to the drummer and bass player. Chris Pennie tears it up and after watching him on his kit, the stuff he does is amazing.

[ORLYLOL]

Originally Posted by Super Silver Haze

But does it sound good?

Yes, IMO.

[Gentle Giant]

Originally Posted by ORLYLOL

Vela is really good. They definitely have better melodies (but DEP doesn't use melody).

Uh-oh... don't let Travis find out you said this.

[Triweasel]

Borrowing Werewolf's borrowed format. Thanks!

µ-Ziq - The Hwicci Song
Goofy song with some interesting elements. I actually have this album but haven't listened to it in years. nostalgic for me. 1 point

Camel - Lady Fantasy Suite
I have a soft spot for aimless 70's prog. This could use more guitar, less keyboards imo. I do like the Doors-y bit near the beginning though.3 points

Cowboy Mouth - Jenny Says
This song was new to me. Could see myself getting tired of it if it was on the radio all the time, but good enough for a point. 1 point

Cracker - Movie Star
I like this band, and have this album. This is not my favorite of theirs, but gets a point regardless.1 point

The Dillinger Escape Plan - 43% Burnt
Like the guitar work, especially the little interlude that reminds me of King Crimson. Not a fan of the vocals.1 point

Flux Pavilion ft. Foreign Beggars - Lines in Wax
Like some of the music, but the vocals are super lame. 0 points

Gomez - See The World
Pleasant enough song. Reminds me of Dave Matthews or something. They lost a point for all the sha-la-las.1 points

Kelly Osbourne - One Word
I actually like this enough for a point. The lyrics are odd enough to be interesting and the music is inoffensive and sorta catchy .1 point

Kenna - War In Me
Like the way it builds up with the strings at the end, but not enough there for a point.0 points

Magnetic Fields - I Thought You Were My Boyfriend
Meh. I like some of this bands songs, but this one didn't do it for me. 0 points

Pain of Salvation - Beyond the Pale
This is pretty good. The different styles fit together nicely here. 3 points

Suicide Machines - S.O.S.
Standard ska-core. I know this band from way back in the 90s and still like them enough for a point.1 points

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra ft. Uehara Hiromi - Suikinkutsu
Good enough for a point. The piano work is great, but the horns are really bland imo. This is too much jazz, not enough ska for my taste.1 points

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp
Not in my wheelhouse.0 points


Thanks for a fun contest viv!

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Super Silver Haze

But does it sound good?

To me, it all comes down to this. So much value seems to be placed at times on how hard something is to play. And frankly, when I'm listening to music, I really couldn't care less.

[vividox]

Originally Posted by ORLYLOL

Bolded I doubt in reference to DEP circa 1999-2004. They've mellowed a lot though.

Vela is really good. They definitely have better melodies (but DEP doesn't use melody). The arpeggios at 3:00 to 3:30 are cool because of the speed up, but over all the parts are not overly complicated. A lot of sweeping, which is not bad because I love sweeps and think they sound awesome.

But go back and listen to some of those scales and sweeps in 43% burnt. Like 0:42-:0:57. The speed alone is killer. 1:40-2:03 is also really frustrating to play. Granted you are a better guitar player than I am by far.

And this is just guitar parts, should also go back and pay close attention to the drummer and bass player. Chris Pennie tears it up and after watching him on his kit, the stuff he does is amazing.

Sweeps get pretty complicated pretty quickly if you break at all from the usual forms. But yeah, I agree with you that, in general, you get a lot of coolness bang for your difficulty buck with sweeps.

The sweep part in 43% Burnt is definitely faster than anything in Vela. There are definitely some parts in there that sound very tricky. Much more of a burst type feel than the constant sweeps in Vela.

I'd love to play/record both of them, but The Human Abstract plays in dropped C tuning. That's lame. I'll attempt to learn 43% Burnt this weekend, though.

[ORLYLOL]

Originally Posted by vividox

Sweeps get pretty complicated pretty quickly if you break at all from the usual forms. But yeah, I agree with you that, in general, you get a lot of coolness bang for your difficulty buck with sweeps.

The sweep part in 43% Burnt is definitely faster than anything in Vela. There are definitely some parts in there that sound very tricky. Much more of a burst type feel than the constant sweeps in Vela.

I'd love to play/record both of them, but The Human Abstract plays in dropped C tuning. That's lame. I'll attempt to learn 43% Burnt this weekend, though.

I'm bad at picking out tunings. But I'm always disappointed with dropped tunings.

Also pisses me off because my guitar has a floyd. Which I hate...