Interactive Poll #18 for Real: Short and No Suites

FIRST PART

My impressions:

1) Beirut. Airy melodic song, based on the beautiful voice and the acoustic guitar, oriental style. Very simple in terms of composition and arrangement, the beauty lies in the melancholy melody and the combined guitar / voice / percussion sound. Incidentally, I fell in love with the singer (dont tell my partner ;-). Podium candidate.

2) Lemonade. Melodic song with arrangement and voice treated in the opposite way to the previous one: synthetic sound based on keyboards (I never like electronic percussion), unnatural voice, very beautiful soprano, which alternates a singing with an explained voice with a deliberately dissonant vocals. Great production work, undoubtedly, and a fascinating song, of similar quality to the previous one in its diversity, so it is another candidate to the podium.

3) Fever Tree. Old-fashioned psychedelic song, with remarkable guitar work, and a rhythm between light-hearted and farcical, beautiful singing, but the best part remains the music played on the guitar. Podium candidate.

4) Days Is Done. If I remember correctly it is already the third time that Nick Drake is proposed in these polls. This album is my favorite, because the orchestration and the lightness of the voice have not yet reached the final depression. He sings delightfully, the melody is wonderful, the arrangement can be pleasing or cloying. Definitely a good song, which is perhaps too short. Anyway, no contender for the podium. Immediately consider it an honorable mention.

5) Haus der Luge. Industrial and synthetic sound, very marked rhythm, which could seem like a cabaret march, in a typically German style. Percussive ending, with many noises and chorus repeated indefinitely. Brave song between experimental and commercial, enjoyable to listen but will not get on the podium.

6) Tropicana. Interesting song, certainly innovative, which mixes an old-fashioned, psychedelic, hippy melody with a synthetic sound, I especially like the instrumental ending but it seems to me that the song ends too soon. It will not make it to the podium, but the sound is very pleasant and curious.

7) To Ohio. We go back to the old-fashioned acoustic melodic song, very low, almost country, very American. So far it is the only song that goes slow, relaxed, without fear of boring, and perhaps it just lacks a flicker in singing or on an instrumental level to excite me. It remains very pleasant, but it will not make it to the podium.

8) Deep Dead Blue. Meditative song, which reminds me of certain works by Donovan. It tries to tune in to the vibrations of the body. Rarefied music, sound based on the vocals. It could be a soundtrack. Pleasant but it doesn't excite me.

Yasmine Hamdan - Beirut

Fever Tree - Man Who Paints The Pictures

The Kinks - Dedicated Follower of Fashion

Morphine was another strong contender. I didn't consider Dreamboat Annie because I was familiar with it.

I knew that Kinks song from English class in high school but it was the first time I heard it since. I'm surprised I still remembered it well.

1) The Man who paints the picture!

2) Lemonade

3) Surprise: Haus der Luege... Yes, it overtook in the final sprint Beirut... Sorry Mathman...

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4) Beirut

5) Day Is Done

6) Dedicated follower of fashion

7) Roll Away the Stone.

Yasmine Hamdan - "Beirut"

Listening on Spotify because the YouTube link is blocked.

Beautiful song, very sad mood. Builds in an interesting way. Should clearly have a chance.

CocoRosie - "Lemonade"

Starts in a sort of Björk-like manner (especially the vocals), but in the chorus it changes mood completely. Then back again afterwards. Unsure of what to think of it at the moment, but not uninteresting. Melodically I am not so much a fan of that style.

The Kinks - "Dedicated Follower of Fashion"

In high school around 2000/01 we once had a trip to Copenhagen, and I brought a greatest hits album on cassette by The Kinks. When playing it, one of my classmates asked me which one of Blur's albums that was. I had to inform him that it was not in fact Blur, but a 60's group called The Kinks (who obviously inspired Blur). But I understand his confusion, and I think the remark might have come during "Dedidcated Follower of Fashion" which could have been from Parklife or The Great Escape. For some reason, I have always found The Kinks a bit underwhelming, at least from a musical point of view (but I love Blur). "Fashion" is quite a fun song, and I enjoy the humour in it. It's whimsical in a very 60's-like way, but it is hard for me to feel strongly about it. My favourite Kinks song is probably "Waterloo Sunset".

Morgan Delt - "Tropicana"

Listening on Spotify because the YouTube link is blocked.

This is certainly creative in terms of soundscape. It's almost comical with the combination of one side a melancholic mood and avantgardist sound elements, and on the other the "ba ba ba" singing.

Listened a first time to the playlist and it will be difficult to come up with a top three. At the moment it is even difficult to come up with a bottom three: all you guys and girls listen to some great music! Will listen to it again, and again and will vote tomorrow. There is much diversity in this playlist, which is wonderful.

Haven't commented yet on Peixe : Avião, which is quite a good surprise (didn't know them before). I very much like that solid foundation interwoven by the other instruments and the singing. Makes me curious to explore more of them.

My votes wen to:

Peixe : Avião - Quebra: This one just grabbed me with the pounding bass and drums, and haunting vocals.

Fever Tree- Man Who Paints The Pictures: If there is a dictionary entry for 60's psychedelic music, then Fever Tree should be pictured next to it. 

Einstürzende Neubauten - Haus der Lüge: With the umlauts, just edging out the Nits, Morgan Delt, and the Kinks. 

Also in consideration, CocoRosie (which grew on me over repeated listens) and Morphine (but took them out since I listened to them quite a bit). 

Though not intentional, I ended up selecting one from 60's and 70s, one from the 80's and 90's, and one from the 00's and 10's.