The Syndicate

Here are the standings heading into Cat 5!

1st place

Song: Sunshowers by Yasmin Williams
submitted by: @nutella (Evergreen)

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 9.5
Total: 14

I love Yasmin!!! :blobjam:

2nd place

Song: Bid's Animals by Hana Stretton
submitted by: @MyNameIsNothing (mynameisquarteronetwentytwentythree)

Catkins: 5
Pinecones: 8.9
Total: 13.9

Wow.

I love the low staticky rain in the background. I love the vocals sliding in and out of the mix. It really shifts the focus of the song. Did I mention that it's beautiful? Yeah, this is like the perfect sub for this cat. Naturey sounds left and right, and the song is built around it in a way to match that vibe.

3rd place

Song: Evergreen by Axelle Renoir
submitted by: @mansnicks

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 9.2
Total: 13.7

Pretty. Mildly dark. The hopskipping percussion adds so much to this song tbh. I thought it was okay on first listen, but this one really grew on me on future ones. So beautiful!

4th place

Song: Xanadu by Rush
submitted by: PsychoSoldier

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 8.5
Total: 13

Birds. Frogs. Sparkles. Neil Peart. Strong wind in the distance. Bells. These are all some incredible sounds tbh.

This is an incredible song also. I honestly haven't listened to it with much intentionality in awhile. So this walrus is great at encouraging me to do that in the rare instances someone (WIM) subs a song I already know. I'm a sucker for long multi-sectioned songs, especially if they flow well, and this one does just that. There was very little instrumentation for the first minute in a half, but that also sets the mood nicely. When the instrumentation does set in, holy damn those opening flourishes are fire!!

5th place

Song: Salmon Stinta by Black Belt Eagle Scout
submitted by: @nutella (Deciduous)

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 8.45
Total: 12.95

I'd never heard of this band before this walrus, and probably even when you subbed this song (probably nutella), but then they came to Eugene in March so I went to see them live and dang was that an experience!!! I'd assumed they were going to be a mostly indie/folky band, but was pleasingly surprised when they brought a heavy dose of shoegaze and 90s rock to the mix. Somewhat of a catfit, mainly based on the lyrical content. Although really the song itself does emit strong vibes of a slowmoving river, perhaps one a salmon might migrate through.

An observation that neither detracts nor adds to the score. This song reminds me a lot of the intro to Foo Fighter's Everlong.

6th place

Song: With All My Love, for Life by Rooby Jeantal
submitted by: @Made

Catkins: 5
Pinecones: 7.9
Total: 12.9

I would love this song to be a minute or two longer. The rhythm and the atmosphere are pretty top notch, but it ends right after it really gets going.

This song was probably used in a video game cutscene where you meet the whimsical archdruid of the forest and she's simultaneously flirting with you and threatening to throw you over a waterfall for slashing through her forest.

7th place

Song: The Willow Maid by Erutan
submitted by: @Lyris

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 8.3
Total: 12.8

A story about a man who is rejected by an independent woman, and returns later to destroy her home and abduct her?
.
.
It's incredibly heartbreaking
.
That aside, this song weaves a wonderful, if also sad and dark tale. It's quite the metaphor for the relationship between humanity and the rest of the natural world. I give it an A+ for storytelling and vibe, and it's pretty solid catfit too.

8th place

Song: Sylvan Song by Heart
submitted by: @LordQuas

Catkins: 5
Pinecones: 7.7
Total: 12.7

I know this band.
I don't know this song.
Frogs and birds nicenice.

Bluegrass suits Heart kinda well tbh. Wish it was longer.

9th place

Song: Into the North Woods by Panopticon
submitted by: @John (Trve Kvlt)

Catkins: 3.5
Pinecones: 9.18
Total: 12.68

Tonight, we jam!

10th place

Song: Heart of the Forest by Dzivia
submitted by: @Syn

Catkins: 4
Pinecones: 8.64
Total: 12.64

This sounds like an intro of sorts, but I am so here for it. The random percussions sounds are a nice touch. The slow build in the entrance is excellent, but I particularly like how it builds, but the crescendo doesn't hit too hard, and settles nicely into the pretty acoustic guitars and things. And also that build kinda offers a glimpse at what I expect the rest of the album to be like beyond this soft intro. I'm definitely checking this album out at some future point when I'm finished walrusing (or finished with this cat).

11th place

Song: Spring Equinox: The Mountains Break Forth in Song by Old Solar
submitted by: @Sabiplz (Junibi)

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 8.1
Total: 12.6

The long, long build is definitely marmotcore. So is the sparkly second section of the song. This is some very tasty post-rock with some good evocations of nature mixed in.

12th place

Song: Rainbow River by Vashti Bunyan
submitted by: @dobby 2

Catkins: 5
Pinecones: 7.4
Total: 12.4

This is pretty. This is absolutely gorgeous. I don't think I could listen to this song very often, because I imagine myself losing interest in it very quickly, as it does lack somewhat in dimensionality. But for what it is, I can easily sit back and imagine a field of freshly blossoming flowers, and for that it's a perfect fit.

13th place

Song: Equator Song by Nyokabi Kariũki
submitted by: @MyNameIsNothing (non-english)

Catkins: 5
Pinecones: 7.35
Total: 12.35

Nature!!!!! Critter noises! Echoes of voices! Incantations! Winds! Birds chirping! Sound collage is such a weird genre, but it does come up with some cool layers of sound like this. Solid sub.

14th place

Song: Autumn Poem by Rodrigo Rodriguez
submitted by: @falcon45ca

Catkins: 5
Pinecones: 7.3
Total: 12.3

Really pretty firs and maples and aspens in the video! I love trees. This is good nature stuff. The type of music makes it hard to appreciate in a lot of situations imo, but the first time I listened to this happened to be a quiet, chill Sunday morning, and it was perfect tbh.

15th place

Song: The Dream of Leaping Sharks by Pelt
submitted by: mixed berries

Catkins: 3.5
Pinecones: 8.4
Total: 11.9

Is this going to be 21 minutes of psychedelic jam?
Is the music going to start?
Are my headphones working?
Is it just the music and not my headphones?
Are they done tuning their instruments?
Is this yet another GY!BE spinoff band?
Is this song really only going to have one (1) cymbal hit?
Would katze like this song?
Did the violinist's arm fall off?
Did they somehow reattach it?
Is there still 10 minutes left?
Did I ask all these questions and really give it an 8.4 for enjoyability?
Yes.

16th place

Song: The Trees by Rush
submitted by: WIM 2

Catkins: 4
Pinecones: 7.8
Total: 11.8

Well this is obvious choice for a naturey Rush song. It was never my fav, but it's enjoyable enough, and the metaphor of the story is fun enough.

Fun fact: the first game I ever hosted on the Syndicate was a matrix game back in 2015ish, called Tree Mafia, and the wolves in the game were called Hatchet, Axe, and Saw.

As an arborist listening to this song in 2023, I know there's evidence now that suggests that trees don't ""compete"" for resources quite like we've thought they have (just because humans do doesn't mean everyone does), but rather a lot of trees are presumed to have their own method of communication, and also generally have some sort of symbiotic relationship with each other.

That's right, this entire writeup contains nearly nothing about the song, just the trees.

17th place

Song: Anjos by Julianna Barwick
submitted by: @MyNameIsNothing (english)

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 7.2
Total: 11.7

This song is stuck somewhere between ambient and rhythmic and I wish it committed a little more to one or the other. It's still enjoyable though, and does intrigue me to check out this artist more.

18th place

Song: Rings on a Tree by Frankie Cosmos
submitted by: @staypositivefriend

Catkins: 3.5
Pinecones: 8
Total: 11.5

:croggers:

19th place

Song: Chove Chuva by Jorge Ben
submitted by: WIM

Catkins: 4
Pinecones: 7.4
Total: 11.4

This is some fairly uneventful but enjoyable bossa nova. The title translates to ""It's raining"". This guy's voice grew on me, I particularly like how his voice gets ever so slightly more and more emotive as the song goes on, along with the backing instruments picking up the intensity near the end.

20th place

Song: Waiting by the Bridge by Ritual
submitted by: @Epignosis

Catkins: 3
Pinecones: 8.38
Total: 11.38

This is some obscure prog you managed to pull up, this band that is definitely not Incubus. The syncopation that starts around 2:33 is super cool. Those vocals are don't sound like nyaaaaa but still kinda go nyaaaaaa anyway really do it for me too. I'm not really sure what to think as far as catfit. It doesn't give off heavy nature vibes, but it certainly is lively.

21st place

Song: Sure as Spring by La Luz
submitted by: @Sabiplz (Mahoganbi)

Catkins: 3.5
Pinecones: 7.84
Total: 11.34

This song is very 70's vibe. :blobjam:

This is psych rock I do kinda enjoy.

22nd place

Song: Latent Bliss by Low Leaf
submitted by: @Schiavetto

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 6.8
Total: 11.3

I love the instrumentation. The vocal pacing is ok, I don't care for it. Overall this is pretty enjoyable.

23rd place

Song: Codex by Radiohead
submitted by: @NateTheLesser

Catkins: 3.5
Pinecones: 7.65
Total: 11.15

For a Radiohead song, this one actually sounds kinda happy. Weird.

Radiohead has often gone a bit naturey with their music, and they do it again here. I love the ambience. The lyrical content is very nature-related. I'm normally more of a fan of Radiohead's faster paced songs, but this one is still pretty and enjoyable and pretty enjoyable.

24th place

Song: Trees and Flowers by Strawberry Switchblade
submitted by: @Sabiplz (Mulnerbi)

Catkins: 4
Pinecones: 7.1
Total: 11.1

Bass? good. Guitar? Subtle, but solid. Vox? On one hand they don't blow me out of the water, but they work so well. I wish they were a little lower in the mix, but the overall experience is still quite pleasant. Bababababababababababababoooooo!

25th place

Song: Forskjellige Gode Ting by Kim Hiorthøy
submitted by: @dobby 1

Catkins: 3.5
Pinecones: 7.5
Total: 11

This is such a lovely song. While there's kind of an obvious song structure that unfolds, the random noises and instruments that flow in and out offer a nice surprise at every turn. I wonder what it would be like if the song's rhythm altered even a little bit, although tbh, I think it works just fine as it is.

I'm not a fan of the random stops and starts. That did interrupt the enjoyment for me a little.

26th place

Song: Baba Yetu - Civilization IV Theme by Peter Hollens & Malukah
submitted by: Harun

Catkins: 4
Pinecones: 6.7
Total: 10.7

Maybe this song would hit differently if I'd ever played Civilization, but I haven't. I'm sorry to whomever this song brings a wealth of nostalgia too, but there is none to be found here. That aside, I am a sucker for vocal covers of songs I know, and this one is executed pretty well. (It's not vocal only, but we can ignore that part since that's a large portion of the instrumentation). It's a fine catfit too.

27th place

Song: Earth by Susumu Hirasawa
submitted by: @tutuu

Catkins: 4
Pinecones: 6.5
Total: 10.5

This song sure does take a while to get going. It's pretty solid once it does. My only complaint is that it sounds a bit muffled.

28th place

Song: The Great God Pan by Blood Ceremony
submitted by: @John

Catkins: 2.5
Pinecones: 7.78
Total: 10.28

While the song itself didn't feel like much of a catfit. I still vibed with it. It's a journey, but the crunchy riffs and solos make for a fun ride.

29th place

Song: Bungle in the Jungle by Jethro Tull
submitted by: @Simon

Catkins: 4
Pinecones: 6.24
Total: 10.24

Nanook is that you?

Unfortunately, this is one of my least favorite Jethro Tull albums (and probably a good candidate for cat 8). For a band that excelled at blending prog and folk into epic ballads, they didn't always do so well when leaning into poppier music like this song. It's a fine song, but leaves quite a bit to be desired.

30th place

Song: Green Mountain Road by Adam Torres
submitted by: @Bloobird

Catkins: 4
Pinecones: 6.2
Total: 10.2

This is pleasant, but still a little boring.

31st place

Song: Eteròfotos by Spectral Lore
submitted by: @Shad

Catkins: 1
Pinecones: 9.1
Total: 10.1

It might be a catmiss, but it still slaps.

32nd place

Song: The Mother by Xavier Rudd
submitted by: @MacDougall

Catkins: 3.5
Pinecones: 6.4
Total: 9.9

First impression: this definitely isn't my style. But for some reason I still kinda like it. Actually, I think it's all the bass. You could burn the rest of the song and I'd give it the same score. But hot damn, that low beautiful plod just hits my feels in all the right ways.

33rd place

Song: Artemis by Lindsey Stirling
submitted by: @112

Catkins: 3
Pinecones: 6.6
Total: 9.6

I didn't realize Karmadope subbed.

Artemis (the Goddess of the Hunt). I don't love this tbh, Lindsey is solid on the violin per usual, but I'm very hit-or-miss with EDM, and this is almost in the miss category. Some of the instrumentations is really good, it's just the ""buildup to electronic bass drop"" that never really did it for me. Also the EDM kinda vibe take away from the otherwise good natureyness of the song for me.

34th place

Song: Von Herbst zu Winter by Herbstlethargie
submitted by: soah

Catkins: 2
Pinecones: 7.1
Total: 9.1

""From Autumn to Winter""

Look, I think you got the wrong season.

35th place

Song: Warmth of the Sun by Levitation Room
submitted by: @Sabiplz (Hollbi)

Catkins: 4
Pinecones: 5
Total: 9

I got subbed a few psych rock tracks this walrus. This is an example of one that just doesn't do it for me. Some of the instrumental portions are solid, but the vocals are a huge turnoff.

36th place

Song: Silver Raven by Gene Clark
submitted by: @Cape90

Catkins: 3.5
Pinecones: 5.3
Total: 8.8

I'm trying to enjoy this, but I probably need to be drunk and seeing it live to do so.

37th place

Song: Farmer Plants the Seeds by The Kiboomers Preschool
submitted by: @LordQuas (Moose)

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 2.4
Total: 6.9

My youtube recs are borked
My youtube recs are borked
Hi-ho the dairy-o
My youtube recs are borked

And now for Cat 3 subs!!!

1st place

Song: Richard by Sunn O)))
submitted by: @PsychoSoldier

Catkins: 5
Pinecones: 9.9
Total: 14.9

This isn't Boris, but it'll do.

2nd place

Song: Nothing Stirs by The Body
submitted by: @staypositivefriend

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 9.9
Total: 14.4

This album is phenominal!! I'd finally gotten around to listening to this recently, it's got such an good mix of industrial and drone, and sometimes violently intense vocals.

3rd place

Song: Tuur mang Welten by Niklas Paschburg
submitted by: @dobby 1

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 9.3
Total: 13.8

Yes!!! I love the vacant spaces in this song (and that little bit of static you can hear in the background). The pace picking up felt a tad less catfitty, but that felt like such a natural progression of the song. I mean, overall this is very wintery, even if it's slightly different than my seeking.

This song definitely has music box vibes too.

4th place

Song: Time Is a River by Autrest
submitted by: soah

Catkins: 3.5
Pinecones: 9.45
Total: 12.95

This doesn't feel very wintery for me for some reason, at least most of the song. Some of the softer sections bring that theme back around. There's some power riffing in there that gives this song a little more vigor. On the other hand, that makes this song pretty good imo. Love the vocals. Love the percussion around 7:10. Great song tbh.

5th place

Song: How to Disappear Completely by Radiohead
submitted by: @falcon45ca

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 8.4
Total: 12.9

Bold move, subbing Radiohead. This is a song and album I don't know that well. But honestly this is a good catfit. The only qualm I have is that the somber solitude this song evokes almost gives me ""Lying along on a beach after sunset"" vibes. But it's pretty close. The lyrics definitely fit anyway.

I've always loved Yorke's vocal style, and it fits this song soooo well. The slowly-evolving strings in this song add some excellent layering.

6th place

Song: You and I by Tiny Hazard
submitted by: @Schiavetto

Catkins: 5
Pinecones: 7.7
Total: 12.7

This is so delicate! Piano. Strings. A voice so deliberately unstable itbreak at any moment. This spells out exactly what I envisioned for this cat. I didn't care for the singer at first, but she really grew on me.

7th place

Song: I'll Keep Coming by Low Roar
submitted by: @mansnicks

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 8.1
Total: 12.6

This song starts off beautifully. Melancholy vocals. Slow glitchy effects. This song really does have an excellent plod to it. What I don't get is the Jamaican vibe that enters around 3:20, it feels like such a weird instrument choice in this song.

8th place

Song: Snowflake by Trentemøller
submitted by: @nutella (Deciduous)

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 8
Total: 12.5

This reminds me a lot of Riverside's ambient stuff, which I really like. After a few listens, I still like it, but I found the synths that come in around 4:00 to be a bit grating, and stick around a bit too long. Overall, I think this is a band I would like though.

9th place

Song: Ghost Town by MJ Lenderman
submitted by: @dobby 2

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 7.8
Total: 12.3

This is good.

10th place

Song: Ice by Camel
submitted by: @Epignosis

Catkins: 4.5
Pinecones: 7.7
Total: 12.2

This is from the era of Camel I'm much less familar with (which is anything after Moonmadness). Andrew Lattimer hype!!! It's got slightly more of a space vibe than a winter vibe, but space is a cold, dead place so that doesn't even lose points. For 10 minutes of guitar noodling, this sounds remarkably coordinated and delightful.

This isn't the song I would introduce someone to Camel with, but I like it.

11th place

Song: Grapevine Fires by Death Cab for Cutie
submitted by: @112

Catkins: 4
Pinecones: 8.18
Total: 12.18

When a friend (who I was dating at the time) first played Death Cab for me, she played their famous ""I'll Follow You into the Dark"". I told her I thought it was kinda mediocre. I still do lol. I dunno, I just never quite got it as a song.

What I did get was most of the rest of Death Cab's discography. They've got stellar songs throughout most of their albums, but this one did not sound familiar to me, so I appreciate you sending a deep cut. While I do love grit in songs, For some reason, DCFC's sleek production just works. Like really well. This song in particular, I like how the guitars reeeeeally take a back seat, and let the soft percussion take the front. I feel like that sort of mixing choice really makes this a catfit. It does sing about burning grapevines, which while that is more of a summer wildfire thing, it does imply a vast sprawling death of sorts, which is also the vibe I was looking for for this cat. I also wonder if ""Grapevine Fires"" has some deeper metaphor about connection/communication burning, as per the phrase, ""I heard it through the grapevine"" .