Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 95: Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica (+Lauper/Stirling results)

(+) Yeah! (+)

This week's poll (rank them - your vote will change to your second choice if your first comes in last):

Snake5555555555's week

Miranda Lambert - Wildcard
vs.
Handguns - Life Lessons
vs.
The Birthday Massacre - Walking With Strangers

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks_Set_2

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, January 1 at 8:00 AM EST - though I have recently been leaving them up for longer, so just try to vote by that afternoon
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle (a new user will be added to the end of the current cycle as long as there are four weeks remaining) - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).
7c. I have added a tiered vote structure - the least popular album will be removed and its backup votes distributed to the other two entrants.
8. Starting with the next cycle, every four weeks will be a competitive week where those listed choose a single album to face off against others.

Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica track list:
1. Blank File
2. My Land
3. 8th Commandment
4. Replica
5. Kingdom for a Heart
6. FullMoon
7. Letter to Dana
8. UnOpened
9. Picturing the Past
10. Destruction Preventer

Current cycle::
1/1: Raetsel_Lapin (Michael Jackson - Thriller)
1/8: neonreaper (Tool - 10,000 Days)
1/15: Steiner
1/22: Snake5555555555
1/29: Jesse_Custer
2/5: RyoCaliente/VeryInsane/FoolFantastic
2/12: ZaziGuado
2/19: firefdr
2/26: Johnbobb
3/5: Steiner/ChichiriMuyo/Great_Paul
3/12: VeryInsane
3/19: FoolFantastic
3/26: Seanchan
4/2: Johnbobb/ZaziGuado/jcgamer107
4/9: Giggsalot
4/16: RyoCaliente
4/23: darkx
4/30: Snake5555555555/Raetsel_Lapin/Seanchan
5/7: neonreaper
5/14: Great_Paul
5/21: jcgamer107
5/28: Giggsalot/MetalmindStats/Jesse_Custer
6/4: ChichiriMuyo
6/11: BlueCrystalTear
6/18: HBJDubs/firefdr

Future cycle:
6/25: MetalmindStats
7/2: HBJDubs

Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
BlueCrystalTear (7)
MetalmindStats (8)
ChichiriMuyo (10)
Raetsel_Lapin (10)
neonreaper (11)
HBJDubs (12)
Seanchan (12)
FoolFantastic (14)
Johnbobb (17)
hotdogturtle (19)

General Album Comments

MetalmindStats: She's So Unusual is absolutely among my all-time favorite albums, and I'm ecstatic someone else not only nominated it but got it selected to boot! I could reasonably rank these tracks by heart, in fact.

BlueCrystalTear: First listen down. All I've listened to from Lauper is an Essential compilation that has the first six of these songs. Worth noting is that though the album is called She's So Unusual, there really isn't much "unusual" about this (it's standard 80s fare) or about Lauper herself by modern standards - but her eccentricities were foundational, pushing the envelope in the direction that would later give us the likes of Lady Gaga and P!nk, among many others. Her self-expression makes this album quite engaging, especially the four huge singles.

Seanchan: Can't say this one was doing too much for me. I've never been a fan of Lauper's big singles though, so that shouldn't be surprising.

Raetsel_Lapin: Well, obviously I like 80's pop, so it's no surprise that I like this album. It's very front-loaded, with not much of an interest towards the end of the album, but it has enough big hits that that isn't too much of a drawback.

MetalmindStats (responding to BCT): I generally agree with this - certainly, I'd say its music tends to fit firmly within a specific mainstream mold, though distinguished by Lauper's voice. However, I do think the lyrics of many of these songs went hand-in-hand with Lauper's persona to cement her solo debut as, indeed, so unusual relative to what was radio-friendly in 1983.

neonreaper: One the best 80s albums!

BlueCrystalTear: Good - though uneven - album. The filler tracks toward the back don't work as well as the big singles, and feel like they're from a different album entirely given how they have male backing vocals galore that are absent from the front six. Only one song is particularly terrible, the hugely out-of-place kinda/sorta "title track" that's a cover of a 1920s song that feels like it was recorded in the 1920s. This serves no purpose whatsoever. Like I said before, if you're gonna cover an old song, make it sound new. Those last four songs really make me see no reason to deviate from a compilation - it seems like Lauper's album tracks tend to leave something to be desired. This is still a hugely influential album that deserved to be, but it's carried by the might of her singles, songs that have withstood the test of time despite sounding "definitively 80s" at this point.

ChichiriMuyo: Such an incredible album. It is absolutely pure 80s triple distilled and 10 times filtered - the hard stuff. There is not a single song on this album I don't like, not even the quirky little "He's So Unusual." When a song that slaps as hard as "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" can still be topped by so many songs you know you're listening to pure gold.

HBJDubs: Another top heavy album, and I feel like most pop albums we've ranked have followed this trend, although technically a song on the bottom side ends up taking my top spot, and pretty easily too.

ChichiriMuyo: So I must say, I'm pretty happy to see the way people have responded to this album overall. I actually considered putting All Through the Night as my number 1 as few of you have. I somehow had l this notion in my mind that I was the only one who loved that song as much as I do.

I also agree to a point about He's So Unusual. It is easily the weakest track on the album. I don't think it's unnecessary, though. I actually think keeping it at that quality helps accentuate the sort of Betty Boop kind of quality that Cyndi has, though it might have been better as a "secret track" after the rest of the album had finished.

Seanchan: I hate to be the downer here, but I just didn't click with this album. It's not terrible or anything, I just...I dunno, I guess I just didn't get it.

It somewhat bizarrely feels too long to me, despite only being 10 songs and 38.5 minutes. There were quite a few songs where I love the intro and the first 30 seconds, then that fades and I look and there's still another 45 seconds of the song left. There's always a lot of repetition in pop music but it just grated on me here. Part of me wonders if this album was stretched out at all to hit some sort of minimum length.

hotdogturtle: I've heard some of these songs before, but until this topic I didn't realize that 50% of the album was cover songs.

MetalmindStats (responding to Seanchan): As much as I love this album, I don't necessarily disagree with this critique - but usually I feel that the extra time lends the songs in question a certain improvisational, almost freeform quality that I appreciate.

On that note, and somewhat ironically given its extensive employment of synths placing it firmly in the 80s pop sphere, She's So Unusual never once feels manufactured to me. Lauper (who landed several solo record deal offers for her voice in her Blue Angel days) naturally sings her own case here by letting her nerves and rawness show at times. But this is an album that lives up to its characteristically striking cover-art all around, from its typically well-written and at times even quietly revolutionary lyrics to soundscapes that reward exploration in unexpected ways.

She's So Unusual track ranking

10. He's So Unusual (Track #9)
Score: 14 (Average Rank: 9.6/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#8)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, FoolFantastic, BlueCrystalTear, ChichiriMuyo, HBJDubs, Seanchan, hotdogturtle (#10)

Raetsel_Lapin: I don't see the point of this track. I have nothing against a cover of music from the 1920s, but why is it reduced to only 45 seconds in length & in such low quality that it's barely audible? It's not even a good intro to the next song, so I just don't even get why this is here.

BlueCrystalTear: Yeah, after two listens, I have to agree here. This is such a weird, unnecessary pace-changer that sticks out like a sore thumb. Yes, I like changes of pace, but they need to flow right. This does not. The album already had both upbeat pop and rock ballads, so it didn't need something like this anyway.

If you're going to cover a song from the 1920s, it's a bad idea to make it sound like it's from the 1920s. Take a cue from Led Zeppelin doing "When the Levee Breaks" and completely transform it into your own thing instead of utilizing intentionally bad audio.

neonreaper: Heavy thematic ties for the album and a cheeky lead-in to Yeah Yeah but as a standalone track it can't compare to most of the other tracks

BlueCrystalTear: This attempt at pre-pop music feels very out of place. I get that it's supposed to, but this was never a good idea. If you're going to record a song from before the Hot 100, don't make it sound like it's from before there was serious recording equipment.

8 (tie). Witness (Track #7)
Score: 35 (Average Rank: 7.5/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan, Johnbobb (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper (#10)

neonreaper: I just don't get into this one

BlueCrystalTear: Yay album track filler!

MetalmindStats: Laupers performance brings an on-point combination of uneasy emotion and exuberant energy to bear, powering what could have been a throwaway album track and belying its somewhat happenstance inspiration.

8 (tie). Yeah Yeah (Track #10)
Score: 35 (Average Rank: 7.5/10)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic, HBJDubs (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#10)

neonreaper: I like the production a bit better here than the original but I guess I feel like there's a better version that hasn't been recorded.

BlueCrystalTear: Yeah, yeah...

MetalmindStats: I have a persistent soft spot for this off-kilter closer, which feels like its the result of everyone Lauper worked with asking her to include a duet, to which she agreed - in characteristic fashion. The results: a classically early 80s synthesized-sounding male vocal deliberately contrasted with an always-alive star in the making.

7. I'll Kiss You (Track #8)
Score: 36 (Average Rank: 7.6/10)
Biggest Fan(s): hotdogturtle (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#10)

BlueCrystalTear: Pretty much a mixture of the best of "Money Changes Everything" and "Witness" - the songs below it. It's higher than either of them because it is.

MetalmindStats: Catchy and generally fun, but trying for soulful synth made its music so aggressively stereotypically 80s even I can tell, and its lyrics have aged poorly in more ways than one.

6. Money Changes Everything (Track #1)
Score: 57 (Average Rank: 5.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): BlueCrystalTear, hotdogturtle (#7)

neonreaper: I think the original version is actually fine, though a super flat production (especially compared to Lauper's version). Great opening track.

BlueCrystalTear: Kind of a blah opener tbh, and it goes on redundantly for a little too long.

hotdogturtle: I think they ran out of ideas half way through and just added a few more choruses to extend the song.

MetalmindStats: This jaunty, melodica-enlivened opener really showcases the sheer range of Lauper's influences, from Elvis Presley to Billie Holiday (on her vocals) and The Police to R&B in general (on the music) - and also the way she turns them into something new.

5. When You Were Mine (Track #3)
Score: 60 (Average Rank: 5.3/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs, Johnbobb (#9)

neonreaper: this version slays Prince's original

Raetsel_Lapin: I wasn't aware this was a cover. I have a hard time imagining the song performed by a male singer because Cyndi's version plays with gender & sexuality in a way that made this one of my favorite songs on the album. The song would hardly be as enjoyable without those aspects; much like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", it's remarkable how Cyndi completely redefines the track.

BlueCrystalTear: Originally a Beatlesesque tune written and performed by Prince, Lauper's version is catchy. And her playing with it makes it something else.

MetalmindStats: Raetsel's comment covers pretty much everything I would have mentioned.

4. She Bop (Track #5)
Score: 67 (Average Rank: 4.5/10)
Biggest Fan(s): ChichiriMuyo, Johnbobb (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic (#8)

neonreaper: I was way too young to realize that this song was about. Catchy tune and a terrific side b opener.

BlueCrystalTear: Forget the simple, silly lyrics, it's all about that killer beat.

MetalmindStats: Oddly enough, its subject matter wasn't actually originally Lauper's idea. However, her teasing, playful vocal manner stands as proof positive of how she latched onto its perspective to make for the most purely anarchic fun here.

3. Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Track #2)
Score: 87 (Average Rank: 3.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): hotdogturtle (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChichiriMuyo, Johnbobb (#6)

neonreaper: A great cover of a song with a perspective shift.

BlueCrystalTear: Lauper's signature song (even though it was a cover), and what should've been track 1. It's a fun, attention-grabbing romp, with infectious musical energy and a strong underlying message combating misogyny. Equal opportunity to party, everybody!

MetalmindStats: Its infusions of motown and reggae influences help musically outline the inclusively feminist point that its famous video pictorially reinforced - and, of course, there's Lauper's sheer exuberance and enthusiasm in serving up her message. There's no song I personally prefer dancing to, and nothing I'd rather have taken up as my topmost anthem of self-expression.

2. All Through the Night (Track #6)
Score: 110 (Average Rank: 2.3/10)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper, BlueCrystalTear, HBJDubs, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, hotdogturtle (#5)

neonreaper: They took a decent 70s singer/songwriter tune and turned into an 80s hit. My favorite song on the album.

BlueCrystalTear: I've always had a soft spot for this one. It's so magical to listen to. This is really what love is about: Getting through the darkness together.

MetalmindStats: In Lauper's hands, it feels like it's (fairly autobiographically) about being young and having dreams and wanting to reach for them together with another, a theme which Lauper illuminates with astonishing earnestness, sans a hint of sentimentality. That helps make for my favorite ever vocal performance, and also my single favorite song to sing along to.

1. Time After Time (Track #4)
Score: 119 (Average Rank: 1.9/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, FoolFantastic, ChichiriMuyo, Johnbobb, MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): hotdogturtle (#6)

neonreaper: While I might prefer All Through The Night, I have to admit that Time After Time has gotta be her biggest song, perhaps her best song, and one of the essential songs of the 80s, if not all time!

BlueCrystalTear: This is her signature ballad for a reason. It serves as good contrast to the more upbeat tracks and... damn does it hit hard. I need someone like she has in this song, given how people let me down again and again and again.

MetalmindStats: Force me to name a favorite song over and over again, and chances are you have my continual choice right here, time after time if you will. I don't feel I could really do justice to all the reasons why, in fact.

Miranda Lambert - Wildcard > Handguns - Life Lessons > The Birthday Massacre - Walking With Strangers

Doing the "I don't have any strong opinion on these so I'll vote for the listed order" vote

Feel free to keep voting in the other thread for another day or whatever

Hmm, 3 things that I haven't heard of. If we get writeups from Snake then I'll make my vote based on that. Otherwise I might listen to the first song on each album or something.

I'm rerunning two prior album picks, seeing as it's a new voting format.

The first is Miranda Lambert's Wildcard, what I consider her magnum opus. It's a collection of songs written with her trademark wit and honesty but also more contemplative and narrative, with lyrics that genuinely touch the soul one line and make you bust a gut laughing the next. It's backed with a full-on country rock production, and catchy hooks, riffs, and harmonies galore. I've played this end to end countless times and still can't get enough of it. It's perfect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka7gRrEy0JM

The second is The Birthday Massacre's Walking With Strangers, the band's third studio album, and in my humble opinion the best encapsulation of their sound to date. This album is firmly rooted in synthpop, the Gothic melancholy, and unconventional hard rock & metal music that has become so synonymous with the band. Its dark subject matters bounce between light-hearted theatricality to almost nihilism, recalling influences such as The Cure and Nine Inch Naills. There's a bubbling energy, a definite edge, which evokes imagery in the imagination. This is a dark album, but not in a negative sense; this is about capturing beauty in the darkness. If you're new to the band and need a primer on The Birthday Massacre's music, this album is a good place to start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1PtpjMMnr8

My last, all-new pick, is Handguns' Life Lessons, one of my all time favorite albums. Life Lessons is one of the most impactful pop punk albums I've ever heard. The musicianship is raw and accessible but also dynamic. This album makes me feel inspired - it makes me want to fight, scream, and just live life without fear. It's uplifting, nostalgic, almost triumphant in parts, as the band navigates from the post-teen problems of their debut album Angst to more grown-up obstacles and simply feels so genuine. It was hugely formative to me as a young adult and has played an important role in shaping my life and my worldview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqVmUYi8fTc

tag, one of my favorite albums

Well this was an easy vote after listening to the three songs. My preference lined up with what I expected from reading the writeups.

The Birthday Massacre > Handguns > Miranda Lambert

The Birthday Massacre > Handguns > Miranda Lambert

Handguns > Miranda Lambert > The Birthday Massacre

I cant hear the first 15 seconds of that Handguns song and not vote for it. The other 2 Im just going with nom order. They all seem like theyd be good picks though.

tag

oh HELL yeah. greatest power metal album of all time

bump

The Birthday Massacre - Walking With Strangers > Miranda Lambert - Wildcard > Handguns - Life Lessons

Got a first listen in of this week's album, should have a ranking in a few days.

Bump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yszaOJHPjA

1: My Land
2: Replica
3: FullMoon
4: Letter to Dana
5: Kingdom For A Heart
6: Destruction Preventer
7: 8th Commandment
8: Picturing the Past
9: UnOpened
10: Blank File

Finally did a "first" listen earlier today. (Been a busy week with the holidays...)

Been a number of years since I've heard this album. I think I talked about this a little when it was nominated, but I was a big fan of Sonata Arctica back during college. I stopped listening to them after Unia, but their albums before that got a lot of rotation.

There's a lot to like about this album, and the general power metal sound. It's fast and frenetic, operatic at points, and just generally big and bombastic. I'm still not sure a lot of these songs lyrically make any sense but at the same time, I don't think it really matters too much.

Lindsey Stirling - Warmer in the Winter results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
Johnbobb (29)
Snake5555555555 (34)
SeabassDebeste (39)
Seanchan (41)
FoolFantastic (43)
HBJDubs (44)
BlueCrystalTear (46)
ChichiriMuyo (47)
Raetsel_Lapin (49)
neonreaper (54)

General Album Comments

Seanchan: Not sure how I feel about this one, especially as someone not super big on Christmas music. I didn't realize we would still be covering All I Want for Christmas this week, even without Mariah! Thing is, that one, and Jingle Bell Rock, just make me want to hear the original. Silent Night is a beautiful song and I kinda don't need an overly theatrical version of it. On the other side, you've got holiday staples that are "gussied" up by being more upbeat/pop.

It's just one of those things that annoys me sometimes, where modern artists feel the need to put their own "stank" on a classic. If you're trying to "make it your own" you better fucking make it, otherwise you just look like a fool. The best example of this are singers performing our national anthem; it's a beautiful, uplifting song, just sing the fucking thing!

I'm being overly critical here. Obvious there's nothing here that's terrible. It's just a little bit easier to listen to an original sometimes because your mind isn't constantly doing the comparisons.

BlueCrystalTear: I was fortunate to see Lindseys Christmas concert last year, and damn did she put on a show. The skill she has playing the violin while dancing or even upside-down doing acrobatics is absolutely insane, making for a spectacular show. I want to see a non-Christmas concert of hers sometime! But yeah, she loves her Christmas cheer, and that permeates an infectious energy throughout the album, which makes this a warm, happy jam on those cold, dark December days.

Raetsel_Lapin: I do not like Christmas itself, nor most music associated with it, but this album is actually pretty solid. It has a few songs that I genuinely like and is generally pleasant to listen to, surprisingly enough.

Johnbobb: Not a big Christmas music guy but I am a big fan of Lindsey Sterling and the best stuff on the album was by far the stuff that really lets her show off her talents and her unique mix of orchestral and electronic. Bringing in pop singers honestly kind of made some of the songs worse.

ChichiriMuyo: There were some highlights to this album, I'll admit. The problem is the scant few original songs aren't among them. Those actually drag the album down further. If I were to attend a family Christmas gathering and had the chance to adds some songs to the playlist I really think I stop after the top two songs on here. The next three I'd opt for the original and the rest can burn.

Seanchan: This is definitely a ranking of favorite songs on the album, rather than favorite XMas songs on the album. The 2 unabashed pop songs are at the top of my list because I'm a sucker for catchy pop songs. Even I'll admit that Time to Fall in Love isn't a great "Christmas" song. But I could see myself listening to both of those randomly in the middle of May for no good reason. They also wouldn't be the songs I'd put on during a family gathering, as I'd go back to the more traditional holiday tunes.

FoolFantastic: I really did not care for this album. There's not a single cover here I would choose over a more familiar version, and her electronic additions simply felt cheesy - which, I guess making Christmas music cheesier than usual is a feat in itself. If this is someone I'm apparently expected to know, listening to this album leaves me completely oblivious as to why.

Snake5555555555: Christmas C'mon is definitely a huge bop. The rest of the album is pretty great but hardly any I would name as superior versions of the songs however.

Warmer in the Winter track ranking

13. Let It Snow (Track #7)
Score: 43 (Average Rank: 9.7/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#13)

ChichiriMuyo: The epitome of the worst of Christmas music. I'd rather stab my eardrums and deafen myself than listen to this crap again.

SeabassDebeste: I love big band instrumentation, so while the could of Frosty the Snowman didn't land, this was on its way to the top... but the "New York New York" ending legitimately almost ruined the whole song for me.

12. Time to Fall in Love (Track #11)
Score: 58 (Average Rank: 8.4/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#12)

BlueCrystalTear: Of the vocal songs, this one is significantly weaker than the others, and I think thats because of the weaker lyrics. Its also the only one where the singing overshadows the violin, instead of them working in lockstep. This feels like All Time Low feat. Lindsey Stirling and not the other way around.

ChichiriMuyo: Dumb, repetitive, annoying, but not entirely repulsive

SeabassDebeste: Inoffensive but kind of a disappointment.

11. All I Want for Christmas (Track #10)
Score: 59 (Average Rank: 8.1/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, ChichiriMuyo, FoolFantastic (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#13)

BlueCrystalTear: The violin cover doesnt have the same transcendental magic of Mariahs, but its still something to sway to nonetheless.

ChichiriMuyo: Good call making this instrumental only.

SeabassDebeste: A weird rendition that kind of reminds you actively that the original is better.

10. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch (Track #2)
Score: 60 (Average Rank: 8.2/13)
Biggest Fan(s): BlueCrystalTear (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): SeabassDebeste, FoolFantastic (#13)

BlueCrystalTear: Lindseys violin adds an excellent twist to a TV classic, something that suits the song to a T.

ChichiriMuyo: I like this okay. Why is it that a song like this, despite its particular age, is not among the super common Xmas songs? I dunno, but I guess never hearing it more than a couple times a year has saved it for me.

SeabassDebeste: Arguably the best rendition of a bad song.

9. Angels We Have Heard on High (Track #5)
Score: 61 (Average Rank: 8/13)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): BlueCrystalTear (#12)

ChichiriMuyo: While I don't quite hate this version of the song, I hate what it represents to me. It represents a tradition of the church I was raised in (the same denomination as Lindsey). These are not good memories to me.

SeabassDebeste: A little too meandering for me.

8. Jingle Bell Rock (Track #12)
Score: 66 (Average Rank: 7.5/13)
Biggest Fan(s): SeabassDebeste (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChichiriMuyo (#13)

BlueCrystalTear: When is this not catchy?

ChichiriMuyo: Entirely repulsive. This is the boomer idea of "modernizing" Christmas music and it sounds like something Cthulhu would use to drive a person mad. Why didn't I stab myself in the ears after Let it Snow?

SeabassDebeste: Awesome rendition of a mid-high tier but overplayed song.

7. Silent Night (Track #13)
Score: 73 (Average Rank: 7.7/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, ChichiriMuyo (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan, Snake5555555555 (#13)

ChichiriMuyo: Despite my general disposition towards Christmas music this is truly beautiful. It almost feels like it's coming off a PS1 era FF game soundtrack. It's epic, it's bold, it has range that actually hits emotionally in ways the original can't, at least for me. This actually feels like a good memory relived. I wish she could have knocked every song out of the ballpark like this.

SeabassDebeste: What a dull rendition. This is one song that never needs to be slowed down even further.

6. Warmer in the Winter (Track #8)
Score: 79 (Average Rank: 6.7/13)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, HBJDubs, ChichiriMuyo (#10)

BlueCrystalTear: Lindsey herself actually gets to SING on this one! This suits her voice and romanticizes those cold dark December days. The Trombone Shorty accompaniment is pretty fun next to Lindsey's violin.

ChichiriMuyo: This is in many ways everything about boomer Christmas music that I hate. Oh boy, would a song have to be awful to rank lower

SeabassDebeste: Also a pleasant, cute little pop song.

5. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Track #1)
Score: 80 (Average Rank: 6.3/13)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic (#12)

BlueCrystalTear: A solid opener that showcases exactly what youre in for.

ChichiriMuyo: This is an okay rendition of a Christmas song that I actually thought was already alright as-is, but as a result it may as well not exist.

SeabassDebeste: Really fun, though with a lot more non-strings instruction than I expected (which will obviously continue through the album).

3 (tie). Carol of the Bells (Track #4)
Score: 94 (Average Rank: 5.4/13)
Biggest Fan(s): FoolFantastic (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper (#11)

BlueCrystalTear: Lindsey takes a traditional song most of us learned about via Home Alone and gives it fresh energy; the violin is punctuated by fantastic drum work.

ChichiriMuyo: Intriguing intro. Then it becomes something relatively plain. I will say I think this is the best rendition of the song I've heard.

SeabassDebeste: A Christmas song that's already great and didn't need this rendition, but it's competent enough.

3 (tie). What Child Is This (Track #9)
Score: 94 (Average Rank: 5.4/13)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): BlueCrystalTear (#13)

BlueCrystalTear: Forgettable, and that's probably why you don't find this song on many holiday albums.

ChichiriMuyo: Let's be honest, it's a bit of a stretch to say the song is an xmas song. Without the lyrics isn't it really Greensleeves? And with the way it's been reworked here it does not feel Christmassy at all. In fact, I'd expect this rendition of the song to show up (in pieces) in some epic LotR type film.

SeabassDebeste: Love the mournfulness of this song and the medley choices.

2. Christmas C'mon (Track #3)
Score: 97 (Average Rank: 5.6/13)
Biggest Fan(s): BlueCrystalTear, Seanchan, Snake5555555555 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#13)

BlueCrystalTear: An infectious, bubbly power pop original featuring Becky G from the Power Rangers movie, its one of the most addictive earworms Lindseys ever put on one of her albums. Im known for playing this one on repeat every December, next to All I Want for Christmas Is You (Mariahs original).

ChichiriMuyo: Lindsey, c'mon. Oh boy, I hope this is the worst original on here

SeabassDebeste: Didn't expect a regular pop song but it worked pretty well.

1. I Saw Three Ships (Track #6)
Score: 116 (Average Rank: 4/13)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb, SeabassDebeste (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper (#13)

BlueCrystalTear: Taking another traditional tune and making it sound like an Irish jig? Awesome.

ChichiriMuyo: I don't believe I've ever heard this before. It feels jaunty and has almost a Celtic feel to it. We had to lose songs like this to boomer xmas music?

SeabassDebeste: Wish every song on the album were like this awesome interpretation. Love the jig quality they gave this.

This type of metal is never my jam but I didn't mind this album.

FullMoon
My Land
Replica
Letter to Dana
8th Commandment
Kingdom for a Heart
Destruction Preventer
UnOpened
Picturing the Past
Blank File

Replica
Letter to Dana
FullMoon
My Land
Kingdom for a Heart
8th Commandment
Destruction Preventer
Picturing the Past
Unopened
Blank File

Destruction Preventer
Kingdom for a Heart
Picturing the Past
8th Commandment
My Land
FullMoon
Replica
UnOpened
Letter to Dana
Blank File

Ack, my bad for not getting my Stirling listens and ranking in on time.

I'm hoping to participate this week, but will be busy, so we'll see about that. If I don't post a ranking on/by Sunday, you can safely assume I won't at all. I'll also be sitting out next week, for similar reasons.

Additionally,

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

The Birthday Massacre - Walking With Strangers > Miranda Lambert - Wildcard > Handguns - Life Lessons

oh thank god christmas c'mon didn't win that

The Birthday Massacre > Handguns > Miranda Lambert

1. Destruction Preventer
2. FullMoon
3. Kingdom For A Heart
4. Replica
5. My Land
6. 8th Commandment
7. Blank File
8. Picturing The Past
9. Letter To Dana
10. Unopened

Incredible album, and one that is very difficult to rank at the top. The top 5 have all been #1 at some point and I'm sure it'll shuffle around again. Kingdom For A Heart and FullMoon were the two songs that got me into power metal, so they'll always have a special place in my heart. But man, the breakdown followed by Kakko screaming the one line near the end of Destruction Preventer is just so good; that part hit me the hardest with this listen so I'm giving the song its due and putting it at #1.

first impression: this album kinda fuckin rules

Since this is the current topic - what's people's album of the year?

Mine is still Jack White's Fear of the Dawn. I liked the song Karma by Taylor Swift but not so much the rest of the album.

My favorite album this year is pretty easily Miranda Lambert's Palomino. Man I played that front to back so many times this year. I did feel it was just a tad bit of a stepdown from Wildcard but regardless Miranda's delivery, lyrical storytelling, and the instrumentation were all just so amazing as usual.

Replica
Destruction Preventer
Kingdom for a Heart
UnOpened
Letter to Dana
My Land
FullMoon
Blank File
8th Commandment
Picturing the Past

jcgamer107 posted...

Since this is the current topic - what's people's album of the year?

Mine is still Jack White's Fear of the Dawn. I liked the song Karma by Taylor Swift but not so much the rest of the album.

Black Country, New Road's Ants From Up There has cracked my all-time top 10. Big Thief's Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You has also likely cracked the top 50, with Jockstrap's I Love You Jennifer B rounding out the top three. The next four are all close - Angel Olsen's Big Time, black midi's Hellfire, Alex G's God Save the Animals, and Fontaines D.C.'s Skinty Fia.

jcgamer107 posted...

Since this is the current topic - what's people's album of the year?

Mine is still Jack White's Fear of the Dawn. I liked the song Karma by Taylor Swift but not so much the rest of the album.

Honestly I think the only actual 2022 albums I've listened to this year were Fear of the Dawn and Slipknot's "The End, So Far"

I'd probably lean the latter of the two but not by much

Ill post my ranking tomorrow. Been a busy week

FullMoon
Letter to Dana
Replica
Destruction Preventer
Kingdom for a Heart
8th Commandment
Unopened
My Land
Blank File
Picturing the Past

Like Seanchan above, I mostly listened to this album a lot during college, and a lot less these days. I tend to like Sonata Arctica's later albums to this one in particular, but I still feel that it's their third best, behind The Days of Grays and Pariah's Child. It's funny that my listening to Sonata Arctica all started because of an abridged series of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, which used FullMoon in their opening sequence.

I will be listening to this album tonight, but I most likely won't have a ranking before tomorrow. All of the recent topics have been extended so it should be fine.

Arti posted...

It's funny that my listening to Sonata Arctica all started because of an abridged series of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, which used FullMoon in their opening sequence.

Nice, thats how I discovered them too. He also did a Kingdom Hearts video using Kingdom for a Heart, so I figured I'd check out the band that he was using songs from.

Ill have my ranking submitted tomorrow too.

I actually have four of their albums ranked ahead of Ecliptica, but this was my power metal origin plus I felt there was a good chance to have a variety of #1 rankings. I was disappointed by Pariah's Child, but I do like having a fellow The Days Of Grays fan Arti, as that is my favorite album of theirs!

1. Destruction Preventer
2. Replica
3. My Land
4. FullMoon
5. UnOpened
6. 8th Commandment
7. Kingdom for a Heart
8. Letter to Dana
9. Blank File
10. Picturing the Past

1. FullMoon
2. Letter to Dana
3. Destruction Preventer
4. Kingdom for a Heart
5. My Land
6. Picturing the Past
7. 8th Commandment
8. Replica
9. Blank File
10. UnOpened

It's very weird listening to the original version of this album when I'm far more familiar with the 15th Anniversary Edition. Overall I think I prefer the enhanced production of the new version, but a couple of songs like Replica and especially My Land work better when they're not being as strict with tempo. In any case, this is one of my favorite albums; while I like a good bit of their newer stuff, it tends to be Too Slow for me whereas this is a pretty good balance. Plus, while I don't often go for power metal ballads, Letter to Dana is a contender for my favorite one ever - Tony Kakko is an incredible vocalist and it really shows there.

1. Kingdom for a Heart
2. Destruction Preventer
3. UnOpened
4. Picturing the Past
5. FullMoon
6. 8th Commandment
7. My Land
8. Blank File
9. Replica
10. Letter to Dana

Just going to go ahead and mark myself down for highest deviation ahead of time... This is a really great, fun to listen to album...except for Letter to Dana, which I remember skipping a lot back in the day. For me, the 2nd half is a bit stronger than the 1st...outside of the previously mentioned song.

I had to listen to a bit of the 15th Anniversary Edition too, which is apparently a complete re-recording! It's...different? It's more refined, controlled, and produced; lacking in that rawness (both in vocals and instrumentation) that's been seared into my memory from the original release. In a way it's only natural that this would be the result, as 15 years of performing and refining your craft are going to do that. Obviously I prefer the original, but that's only natural as well!

Janus5k posted...

It's very weird listening to the original version of this album when I'm far more familiar with the 15th Anniversary Edition.

MaryLou would be top 3

Destruction Preventer
Blank File
8th Commandment
FullMoon
My Land
Kingdom for a Heart
UnOpened
Picturing the Past
Replica
Letter to Dana

Sonata Arctica is a group who I've heard of by name only and knew nothing about (not even genre), so this was my true first experience with them. I can say that this was an enjoyable album.

Will have to get it today

Replica
Full Moon
Destruction Preventer
Picturing the Past
Letter to Dana
Blank File - how prescient! But I doubt hes a blank file anymore
My Land
8th Commandment
Kingdom for a Heart
UnOpened

one of power metals signature albums. Really enjoyed revisiting it!