The Syndicate

Epignosis wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 3:34 pm No hydras.

[mention]Turnip Head[/mention]

??

speedchuck wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 4:38 pm

Epignosis wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 3:34 pm No hydras.

@Turnip Head

??

Hmmm I'll allow it. Will category 1 be a duet, or will you like.... merge consciousness?

Turnip Head wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 4:47 pm

speedchuck wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 4:38 pm

Epignosis wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 3:34 pm No hydras.

@Turnip Head

??

Hmmm I'll allow it. Will category 1 be a duet, or will you like.... merge consciousness?

Probably "A Whole New World" or something.

Epignosis wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 4:48 pm

Turnip Head wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 4:47 pm

speedchuck wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 4:38 pm

Epignosis wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 3:34 pm No hydras.

@Turnip Head

??

Hmmm I'll allow it. Will category 1 be a duet, or will you like.... merge consciousness?

Probably "A Whole New World" or something.

Love is an open dooooooooooor

It sure is. So I can get the hell out.

Hey [mention]JaggedJimmyJay[/mention], stop forgetting to do this.

T-minus 1 week and 13.5 hours to submit your lists.

Here's a link to our discord channel where the live reveals and listening parties take place: https://discord.gg/nUhm2B

Turnip Head wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:35 am T-minus 1 week and 13.5 hours to submit your lists.

Here's a link to our discord channel where the live reveals and listening parties take place: https://discord.gg/nUhm2B

HYPE

waiting for mp7 to hit the big 30k posts

My list is complete I think.

same

sprityo wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 4:16 pm waiting for mp7 to hit the big 30k posts

Oh shit, you’re right, didn’t realize how close I was.

Epignosis wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 8:52 pm My list is complete I think.

Mine is too.

I’m still wavering on two tracks.

I'm still waiting on submissions from [mention]Epignosis[/mention] [mention]sprityo[/mention] [mention]JaggedJimmyJay[/mention] [mention]Sloonei[/mention] [mention]G-Man[/mention] [mention]motobot[/mention] [mention]Queen Pink[/mention]

I’ll send mine in today

I hope to submit my tracks tonight. I have yet to find peace with my current pick for Seven Deadly Sins.

I'll get 'em in

For those who are interested in attending the live listening parties, is there a specific night of the week that doesn't work for you? I'm looking to keep our regular start time of 8pm EST, and likely during the second half of the week since I work late sometimes Mon - wed

No. There's nothing doing for six weeks at least here. Pick any day you like.

Ditto. I’ll be home every single evening for at least the next month.

I work from home at the present time, so I am available most nights. I have a few evening Zoom meetings coming up, but they’re usually on Tuesdays.

I’ll send my tracks in tomorrow. Sorry- been very busy.

G-Man wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 11:12 pm I work from home at the present time, so I am available most nights. I have a few evening Zoom meetings coming up, but they’re usually on Tuesdays.

I’ll send my tracks in tomorrow. Sorry- been very busy.

No worries Mr. G

I usually have dnd on fridays so that would be my veto

I did it I really did it

Schedules are irrelevant to me during the quarantine

Submitted. I like to think that I avoided "normie dad rock" fairly well this time around. We'll see if the rest of you agree.

My friend motobot tells me he has one more song to pick and then he'll be ready to go.

Deadline to submit has passed. The participants:

birdwithteeth11
Epignosis
G-Man
gbsfranca
iaafr
JaggedJimmyJay
M Plus 7
MacDougall
motobot
nutella
Queen Pink
Sloonei
speedchuck
sprityo

The current plan is to start the first round on Saturday April 4 at 1pm EST. I hope everyone can make it.

Thank you everyone who submitted!

Hype

I’ll try to be in the chat for Round 1, but I can all but guarantee that I won’t be able to listen in. I’ll listen to everyone’s picks later on. That’s peak hyper kids time around these parts.

Fuck yeah, can't wait!

M Plus 7 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 01, 2020 6:13 pm Fuck yeah, can't wait!

Note that this was said on April Fools Day...

I bet MP has been patiently waiting like a gentleman.

This is officially happening in less than 24 hours. 1pm EST this Saturday, i.e. tomorrow

Bring snacks

Turnip Head wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 2:29 pm Bring snacks

Gonna monch with my headphones in....

Sloonei wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 2:17 pm I bet MP has been patiently waiting like a gentleman.

Yes, because that sounds exactly like me.

I will win.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 5:30 pm I will win.

Predicting it now, Jay gets last place.

M Plus 7 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 5:57 pm

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 5:30 pm I will win.

Predicting it now, Jay gets last place.

Could be.

I think I stand a better chance with Turnip Head than I did with speedchuck.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 5:59 pm

M Plus 7 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 5:57 pm

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 5:30 pm I will win.

Predicting it now, Jay gets last place.

Could be.

I think I stand a better chance with Turnip Head than I did with speedchuck.

That's fair. I hope I will do well; I think I set myself up to be in a decent position at least. But I just think it'll be fun regardless.

Glory Days - Pulp
“Glory Days” has great structure and setting. Tonally, it’s reminiscent of When In Rome or The Airborne Toxic Event. The lyrics are a metered stream of consciousness; one can ride the writer’s train of thought all the way around. Maybe just a little too earnest and self-conscious for my taste, but it’s got a nice overall sound.
7.6
Submitted by: JaggedJimmyJay


Apartment Story - The National
This feels like a currently relevant POV in the time of covid with lines like “We’ll stay inside til somebody finds us, do whatever the TV tells us”. The voice is afraid of leaving the safety of this almost pleasant but not quite fulfilling bubble, and maybe they’re right to feel that way.
7.7
Submitted by: nutella


The Thing With Me - Toehider
Brutally honest. A visceral and all-too real trainwreck.
8.9
Submitted by: speedchuck


Computer Face// Pure Being - Flying Lotus
TITLE TRACK - iaafr
Where are we going? The sound molecules are packed dense and tight, but they’re trapped in an undefined nucleus.
5.5
Submitted by: iaafr


Min, Min Mio - Weatherday
The voice is warbly and unrefined. To me it feels like all flaws and no strengths on display. An interesting character study, but not all that pleasant to listen to.
5.8
Submitted by: gbsfranca



Happy - Pharrell Williams
An unpretentiously brilliant pop song; if we’re defining one state of mind we nailed it. It just feels incomplete as a POV, a slightly shallow exploration of a singular mood. It lacks dimension to really round it out.
7.3
Submitted by: Queen Pink

Alive - P.O.D.

What a throwback. In a lot of ways I feel like the singer is putting on a mask of feeling alive, to hide from the things that don’t make them feel alive at all. It’s a little bit of a lie that becomes a truth.
6.8
Submitted by: G-Man



Reach For the Stars - Sonic Colors
TITLE TRACK for motobot
Man, I’m just so happy for this guy. You can tell he’s going to succeed and have a fun time along the way. The synths and pop-punk instrumentation are paired well with the sunny lyrics.
7.4
Submitted by: motobot


We Carry On - Portishead
An incredible reveal of intention set against a grimey backdrop. The eerie vocals and pulsating industrialism bleed into each other to paint an adrenalized soundscape. A violent and empowering turning point in the relationship between the singer and their environment.
9.6
Submitted by: M Plus 7


Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear
Springboard percussion and spritely harmonies elevate this song from generic indie rock into something a little more unique. Having been submitted to the POV category, I can’t help but feel there’s a deeper story behind its inclusion here.
7.9
Submitted by: sprityo



Slo Fuzz - Sol Seppy
The name of the song describes its aesthetics to a tee. I could lose myself in this subdued yearning. It brings dimension and weight to the room without being overpowering.
8.7
Submitted by: Sloonei


Color Your World - Devin Townsend
No.
1.1
Submitted by: birdwithteeth11


Simon - Lifehouse
A beautiful relationship emerges from the pain shared between the singer and the subject. The song effectively utilizes POV to convey the tremendous extent of the damage and the abuse; damage which is impossible to ignore and threatens to define us. Yet the existence of hope makes it beautiful and not exclusively tragic.
9.2
Submitted by: Epignosis


American Boy - Estelle feat. Kanye West
TITLE TRACK FOR MACDOUGALL
Just a great song really. High production values, clever but not abrasive rhymes from Kanye, and a hook that gets caught in your brain. There’s innocence and pure desire here, like a PG-rated romance. I like how the nonlinear verses deftly dance around the hook.
8.8
Submitted by: MacDougall

To Here Knows When - My Bloody Valentine (TITLE TRACK)
This is what I imagine a star forming in the night sky sounds like. Beautifully incomprehensible.
8.0
Submitted by: birdwithteeth11



In The Face of Evil - Magic Sword
Magic Sword! Deliberately plotted. Sometimes crunchy, sometimes slick and neon. I would have appreciated some organic instrumentation to go along with the synths, but within its lane it’s a great piece.
7.2
Submitted by: speedchuck



Alice - Pogo
This is delicious.
8.4
Submitted by: iaafr




A young magic practitioner excited about their immediate future. It’s like cotton candy to my ears. A little more depth to the production would have rated it higher for me.
7.3
Submitted by: motobot



Make Believe - Kero Kero Bonito
A decent example of squeezing a pop song into a theme. It’s pretty close to succeeding at its mission statement. The vocal range is constrained which holds it back, and the lyrics are at 75% inspiration.
7.1
Submitted by: gbsfranca




A Cloak of Elvenkind - Marcy Playground
This is what a teenage wizard listens to in the basement while smoking weed and forgetting to practice his spells.
6.9
Submitted by: MacDougall



The Magician - Magic Fantasy Music composed by Peter Gundry
Exactly what I wanted out of this category. The magic is palpable, it has character and movement. It left me wanting more like I’m out of mana.
9.7
Submitted by: Queen Pink



Can’t Get It Out of My Head - Electric Light Orchestra
It’s not tremendously on-theme, more like theme-adjacent, but I can appreciate the track. It’s simple but elegant. Sad Wizard Life
7.8
Submitted by: Epignosis



The Birth and Death of a Day - Explosions in the Sky
Maybe this is the aftermath of magic; what the world sounds like when magic has seeped back into it. Crushingly heavy leads into light and airy, the song itself has an evolution to it as alluded to in the title.
7.7
Submitted by: G-Man



Reach for the Summit - Celeste Original Soundtrack
Kind of like a futuristic sci-fi magic. Definitely a cool piece, though it didn’t quite earn its length.
7.6
Submitted by: sprityo



Secret of Life - Lord Huron
All magic has a price. In this song, Lord Huron walks the line between success and sacrifice. It’s like he’s found something hidden, and now he’s using it, and he’s going to follow wherever it takes him, knowing it will be worth the cost.
8.9
Submitted by: Sloonei


Earthrise - Camel - Mirage
I wasn’t sure which was the song’s name, the band’s name, or the album’s name. I think it’s from a different school of magic than the one I went to.
5.8
Submitted by: JaggedJimmyJay



Plantasia - Mort Garson
I was incredibly bored by this until about halfway through. It sounds more like space than magic.
5.9
Submitted by: M Plus 7



The Hymn of Acxiom
This is how you cast a spell.
9.2
Submitted by: nutella

Results after round 1(courtesy of G-Man)




Results after round 2 (courtesy of G-Man)

Thanks for the first set of reveals, TH. Looking forward to the next one!

I’d been looking for an excuse to submit sol seppy since the first walrus. I’m glad she pulled through.

Sloonei wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:15 pm I’d been looking for an excuse to submit sol seppy since the first walrus. I’m glad she pulled through.

Me too, that was cool stuff. Congrats on first after this first reveal too!

I listened through all the Cat1 tunes today. Sprityo, Sloonei, and Queen Pink were my top three (excluding my own submission). Some of you folks made me feel like a bright shining optimist. Makes me want to give out some free hugs if not for Corona...

We're going to try to run this at 7pm EST on Saturday, this should hopefully accommodate [mention]MacDougall[/mention] and [mention]dunya[/mention] (and hopefully gbs too) being able to attend along with all the Americans