Welcome to the seventh season of ATRL original game Choose The Album, Then a Song
Welcome to the tenth round!
Hi guys! Our six contestants have already sent their entries and in just a few days they'll be reduced to five! That's right, we are about to meet the five best albums of this season. This is a tricky round and anything can go wrong but it can also light up the way for the underdogs!
Let's meet the entries!
T H E R U L E S
For six seasons this game had its ups and downs and to make sure the 'downs' part won't happen again, I had to create a set of rules. So if you're signing up, this means you agree to:
1. DURING THE VOTING PERIOD, YOU'LL HAVE TO CAST YOUR VOTE (OTHERWISE YOU'RE PENALIZED);
2. YOU CAN NOT ASK FANS/FRIENDS TO SAVE YOUR ALBUM;
3. THE JUDGES HAVE TO BE FAIR. IF YOU DETECT BIASNESS OR UNFAIRNESS, LET ME KNOW.
The Magic Hour is one of the few bonus tracks from The Golden Echo. While it's a perfectly decent song in it's own right, it really serves me no purpose in this game. From a hypothetical perspective, there could be many rounds it could be used, but for every one there is, there's another song that would work better. For example, if a round asked for the best vocal performance, this could work, but not as well as a handful of the other tracks left, like Madhouse. If a round asked for the best lyrical imagery, this could work, but Vanity Fair would work much more. It is a very typical Kimbra song, with all the usual eccentricities, but because of that it makes it less unique in comparison to the many other songs here, and likewise it has never been a favorite or a least favorite of mine. Sometimes the more "middling" songs on an album stand out the least, even among some worse songs which may still catch your attention in an unpleasant way (yet be useful in this game).
2. Luigi - Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope: Anything
Quote:
Originally posted by Luigi
Even as a Janet fan, I have to admit that there are some tracks on this album that I completely forget about. One of them is Anything. If I had to label one (regular) track on this album as a filler, this would be the track. Anything is placed nearly by the end of the album and pretty much seems redundant and doesn't add anything new to the album. The harmonized choruses/verses, the subject, and the production seems all too familiar at this point. Other tracks on the album that share these qualities do it so much better.
I believe I wouldn't need this track ever in the game is because of reasons previously stated. Its subject of love and desire is easily done better by the likes of Every Time and My Need and the sensuality of this specific track is vastly inferior to the more seductive and sultry Rope Burn and Tonight's the Night. In addition, in contrast to the rest of the album, Anything seems much more impersonal and is actually quite boring. The other album tracks were at least interesting in certain points, whether it be the production, lyrics, or by its pure catchiness. Anything attempts to replicate these qualities, but completely fails and is easily replaceable by the aforementioned tracks.
For this round, I gave a listen to all the songs from this album I hadn't used yet. By doing that, I figured out that Guitar String/Wedding Ring was the weakest link. I wouldn't have any use for this song because unlike all the other relationship songs on Kiss, this one seems really random, unclear and unrealistic. For a song that implies marriage, Carly doesn't really express why she likes this guy so much other than "You're in the country, I'm in the town, you're a bird in the water, I'm a fish on the ground", in other words saying that opposites attract. But that's not enough for a serious relationship, and her only other feelings is that she "feels the best" when around him. That's the only reasons in the entire song that give us any type of idea as to why this guy "makes her heart sing" and "plays her heartstrings". Plus, why would any sane person waste a piece of guitar string and use it as a pretend ring? It's an unrealistic imaginative thought and makes for a very random chorus. We don't even know if Carly has lasted long enough with this guy to fantasize about these rings. That's how unclear this song is. It's better to say goodbye to this song while I have the chance, because this song is all over the place and too confusing to actually use in a normal round.
4. Bloomers - Baroness - Yellow & Green: Little Things
Quote:
Originally posted by Bloomers
There are two types of songs in the word. The ones that entertain and the ones that annoy. That’s how most of us think of music anyway: songs we like, and songs we hate. But really, there are 3: the ones we like, hate on, and fillers we immediately forget. Fillers can serve a purpose on an album, setting up better songs or setting mood; but they just leave us anticipating something better when we go to listen to fillers on their own.
Now, I love rock & roll; but Little Things is a pure filler track; not bad but not yet a standout. Most songs on the album cover the same theme and have a similar sound with better with results that are actually memorable. I can’t help the way I feel, but everytime I listen to Little Things as a solo song, I can’t get no satisfaction from it and barely even remember how the song goes. My mind wanders to better songs and I start thinking about the album or song I want to listen next (usually it's the alphabetically close-by Britney).
Because Little Things doesn't gimme more than any other song on the album and there’s not much to say about the song to make it particularly interesting other than most songs on the album do everything Little Things does, but better; I have no problem saying goodbye to this one; adios it’s out the door; you’re not going to see me cry .
5. Capital B - Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill: Forgiven
Quote:
Originally posted by Capital B
Going into this round, a comment from Kavish last round is weighing heavily on my mind: "Very few examples were given as to why the song is the best, and what we derive is that it showcases Morissette's signature style and that you connect with it. Not that these are bad reasons, but we've seen the same explanations for her other songs before". This was a bit of a wake up call for me. I realized that I have been describing a lot of the songs in similar terms. While the entire album is in fact quintessential "Alanis" sound, I need to start discussing how the songs are MORE than just that. Yes, a similar sonic undercurrent flows throughout the album, but there are so many tracks that are meaningful for reasons beyond this. With that in mind, I want to eliminate a track that adds little else to the album. "Forgiven" blends into the background of this album, and when I think about how I would describe it, literally all that comes to mind is the "signature Alanis sound". Aside from describing it that way, I really have no idea what else I would say about this song. The theme - anti religion - is powerful, but also quite specific in a game that generally focuses on broader themes. The instrumentals are nice, but I know I'd have a very hard time discussing it in a way that is different than how I've already talked about this album before. As we approach the ending of this game, I can't remain safe describing this album the same way round after round. It's time for me to really show how this album goes above and beyond a typical Alanis album - and "Forgiven" won't help me do that.
Not that much of a flop afterall!
JLo is coming to slay these last 4 rounds 
I'm glad you found the owner of that poor baby!