Desert Island VIII Master List, Part One

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Alright, just listened to Reggo's list. It's easily one of the greatest mood pieces in DI history - I'm not sure it's really something you'd want to hear at most times, but it's put together very well and conveys a dark, twisted, depressive kind of vibe very well. It's not exactly suicidal black metal but it's still from a bleak sort of place that has rarely been explored in DI before.

A couple of bits didn't do it for me. The trio of Revolution 9, Empty Sounds Of Hate, and Pull/Pulk was pretty boring and I started to lose interest until Subway Song got going. And the Green Day song was out of place, not just in terms of the songs around it but in terms of the list as a whole. I don't have much else in the way of criticisms though; other songs that I didn't expect to work well, did. Please didn't stick out like I thought it might, and as much as I thought "oh dear, why one of the weakest songs from The Incident?" when I saw the list, Bonnie The Cat fit comfortably in the end. I'd have personally picked Sever or Russia On Ice, but that's minor quibbling.

All in all, a fine effort.

I haven't quite finished her list myself, almost done, but I wanted to comment on this while I was thinking about it.

I agree pretty much entirely with the first paragraph of your post, Axver. Definitely a mood piece, and an achievement in it. Since it was clearly going for one effect over the entire course, perhaps it would've been best to have cut the length a bit, as it can become a bit droning after awhile hearing the same time of music again and again (a problem people may have with my list when they get to it). For what it is this list is a success.

But I can not disagree with you more about "Revolution 9" I felt like that was truly a tying together part of the list, and without it, it wouldn't have worked to the extent that it does. Also, "Please" fit in marvelously. That was quite a shock.

The fun thing about this list for me, is that now I'm going around trying to find other songs that could/should have been on it. As I've already told Reggo in another thread, "Frankee Teardrop" by Suicide would've been an EXCELLENT addition to the list.

See, I thought the list had been building up a great, interesting, and involving mood, and Revolution 9 just made me switch off and tune out. Definitely the weakest moment for me, and if the list had just gone straight to Subway Song, it would have been all the better.

Although I don't think you've read me wrong, I'm worried that I worded my post badly, so to clarify re: Please, it didn't stick out like the sore thumb I thought it would, but it did stick out in the sense Ashley describes - that it fit marvellously, far better than expected.

Agree to disagree. I find Revolution 9 so frenetic and creepy that it gave the terrified vibe Reggo wanted so perfectly.

Yeah, no I didn't read you wrong, that's what I meant as well. We good.

Fair enough! I just found it tedious.

Good stuff, didn't think you had but thought I better clarify in case anybody else does.
Thanks, guys.

Ash, I'm doing the same thing, ever since you suggested Frankie Teardrop. I think an extended dance mix will be posted on Facebook after DI is finished; following all the same rules, except for the time limit. I've got seven or eight songs I'm deciding how to work in.
 
Fair enough! I just found it tedious.

Good stuff, didn't think you had but thought I better clarify in case anybody else does.

Next list for me will be either LM or Screwtape. Wholly dependent on which finishes downloading first, which means it'll probably be Screw's list.

Also fair enough :wink:.

Understood.

Screw's is great. I've heard bits and pieces of Lemel's but never all the way through, very excited to get around to that one. And Yup's. Soon. Sooooon.
 
yeah, but you'll probably hate mine as well. :lol:


oops. i thought cobbler's post was the last one in the thread, so out of laziness i didn't bother to quote him.
 
I am just finishing collapse's list as I type this. I want to start by saying that the section running from "Bully Plank" through "Sorrow" was excellent. It was multifaceted but also cohesive. "Bird 1" may be the most interesting track in terms of structure and general atmosphere that I have yet heard in the competition, and "Dreaming Up" offered a change of pace at just the right time.

In terms of the metal, which I suppose needs to be mentioned, I was impressed with the musicianship on many of the tracks. The vocals were something of a problem for me, as they seem fairly undistinguished from track to track. However, those songs that were primarily instrumental - especially "Alone & Unaware" - were often excellent and occasionally stunning.

Overall, I suspect that this will be a unique entry in the competition, and I am glad that I heard it.
 
Screwtape, I just listened to your list. I must be honest; I was not blown away like others have been. Not much stuck out as bad (apart from that horrible final track), but not much stuck out as particularly impressive either. Indeed, it's hard to think of much to comment on - I feel like your list was sound without being exceptional. It's by no means a bad effort, and it's certainly a very fine example of effective sequencing, but I think you have done better before. The big surprise is that you managed to find a Morrissey song that didn't inspire visceral hatred within me.

Sorry for such a brief comment. Really, the notable part of your list is not the music at all, but the accompanying poem.
 
Really, really enjoyed your list, screwtape. The flow was impeccable from start to finish (though there were a few rough transitions). I don't have any Asian music but Kaneda was a great opener. The Fly > Stylo worked a treat. I hate that Blondie song, from hearing it on the radio far too many times, but Coldplay onwards was pretty damn great. Major props from me for using Insomnia, I hear that when I'm out clubbing occasionally. Would have worked better into United Colours (a terrific song btw) if the music and beat slowly deconstructed (a different remix perhaps) instead of ending abruptly. I must say I had no idea you liked so much dance music! Great job!
 
Thanks.

The big surprise is that you managed to find a Morrissey song that didn't inspire visceral hatred within me.

Strangely and quite unfortunately Morrissey never wrote another song similiar to it.

I must say I had no idea you liked so much dance music! Great job!

I love dance music. It rarely comes out in these games though because it gives me more problems on playlists than just about any style.
 
Collapse, listening to your list now. I had to skip the 4th song though because I have to use Grooveshark to hear it, and I can't seem to find that particular track. I'll download it later when I get a chance, but it didn't hurt the flow too badly.

that's probably because it's a song my cousin and i wrote :wink: we don't have a band or anything, we were just messing around with guitar licks and his fancy new recording and sampling equipment. it's kinda disjointed since we wrote it in one night but i thought it was a cool little experiment

Really good effort; expect it to be one of my favourites come the end. Nice to see a list like this in the tournament - it's been too long coming, and I'm enjoying not being the sole flagbearer for certain genres in DI.

i'm really glad you liked it! thanks everyone for leaving such thorough comments, and for being open-minded about it. i realize putting a bunch of metal on a U2 forum playlist was a bit of a risk, but it seems like most people enjoyed at least some of it. i do wish i had made each section more coherent, but i was worried about everything starting to sound the same.

metal is such a vague term because it encompasses so many sub-genres, a metalhead could be some simpleton who only likes slayer and motorhead to this guy i used to know from the university radio station who did a solely european metal show with more diversity than i ever thought was possible.

yeah it really is. i don't really know how one even defines metal. i kind of go with "anything that rocks," but that's too vague. i mean, The Fly certainly rocks, but i wouldn't call it metal. on the other hand i don't think all metal requires screaming vocals or dropped tuning.

and yes, you could do quite a diverse show with european metal. last semester i had a metal show on my university station (hoping to get it back this semester!) and i had a "nordic night" where i only played bands from nordic countries. genre-wise that included symphonic metal, atmospheric metal, folk metal, metalcore, black metal, post-metal, tech/math metal, progressive metal, and viking metal. from 5 countries.

anyway, i'll shut up about metal ... i need to catch up on listening to these. i hope to knock at least a couple out today while i study. it was really cool getting everyone's feedback so i'll make sure to jot down comments as i listen.
 
Reggo, you have managed to create something truly remarkable. Being a veteran of two DIs now I feel these lists really benefit from having a theme, as opposed to good choices, flow or story (Cassie's "ode to the beat") list.

I was familiar with very few of these artists, and after this list I won't seek out their music, but it was a tremendous listening experience. It really does sound like the soundtrack to a nightmare.

The flow was impeccable. I didn't even realise the Tori Amos track had started until about a minute in. The Isolation Cubicle track was horrific in the best way; it sounded like someone going insane after a week on their own in the dark.

I will side with Ashley though; this playlist would have been better, I thought, if it was shorter. It would have been very hard to beat if it ended after Please. Some might call the Sunn O track hypnotic; I want 16 minutes of my life back. Green Day didn't fit.

But otherwise this was very unique and despite the fact I don't like many of these artists I loved your list. Great, great job in creating such a mood.
 
reggo's list: happy fucking halloween! ok, i get why everyone said it's this dark and creepy masterpiece now, because this is the kind of thing i've been failing miserably at putting together for the past i don't know how many late october attempts at coming up with a truly scary playlist. it flows very well, all the indiscernible noise on nearly every track blends together, and while at times that makes pieces of this practically unlistenable for me, it does what it's supposed to do as a whole. i said nearly, because you were right about the green day. definitely did not belong there. doesn't belong anywhere on the playlist at all, really.

song-wise, both you and screwtape made me think i should re-evaluate my disinterest in tori amos.

i have to agree with cobbler on the sunn o)))) track. or i would, but 1) i believe it's 13 minutes, not 16. and i cheated, scrolling through parts to see if anything other than an incessant drone happened, probably distilling it to a 5 minute abridged version.

but definitely a solid list.
 
screwtape's list/poetry/art/package deal is too well-put together that even though a re-curring 80s vibe or whatever exactly it is that was nagging at me at times kind into trying to dislike a lot of the individual songs, it didn't come close to being able to ruin it for me. hell, i was going to blame duran duran alone for this, but the metric through empire of the sun part was probably my favorite stretch of the list, despite it looking on paper like the stretch i'd be the least into.

:up:
 
i have to agree with cobbler on the sunn o)))) track. or i would, but 1) i believe it's 13 minutes, not 16. and i cheated, scrolling through parts to see if anything other than an incessant drone happened, probably distilling it to a 5 minute abridged version.

i cheated as well, i skipped until some music started, i wasn't prepared to sit through it all if it was going to be just bass drone for quarter of an hour.

incidentally reggo i think i now i understand why you think that weird cartoon character saying "spoon..." is funny.
 
Listened to LM's list earlier.

As always, your ability to make a list flow is exceptional. The only major flaw to me is The Game Gets Old --> Touch The Sky. Otherwise, the construction of your list is impeccable.

But I just do not like the music. Sorry, but this list was a real struggle to get through. Even when it comes to bands I like, your selections are usually songs I don't like (Neon Indian the only real exception; Deadbeat Summer was in an early draft of my list). In general, I found the second half better than the first, but that's a marginal thing. This music may make some people want to get up and party; it just makes me want to sit down and go home.

I suppose you expected this comment, though.
 
second half of screwtape's list: this might be my favorite section of anyone's playlist so far. in addition to excellent transitions and flow, it's probably the biggest collection of songs that i think i would also thoroughly enjoy on their own, despite never having only heard 3 of them prior to listening to the mix. so forget what i said about the metric thru empire of the sun on the first half.

:up:
 
incidentally reggo i think i now i understand why you think that weird cartoon character saying "spoon..." is funny.

He's not funny. He's the scariest motherfucker this world has ever known.

Also, I haven't been able to listen to lists in about a week so I am WAY behind, but I will try to make up today.
 
Resuming LemonMelon's list, which I started a few days ago. I got to "Blinded by Lights" by Streets when I stopped. The first half is incredibly enjoyable, except for the Smokey Robinson > Kanye spot (though I liked a few songs in there, including Kanye) in general it wasn't my thing.

Also, right now I'm trying to figure out why "Suffocate" was not on my list of favorite tracks from 2010.
 
And now we have come to the end of the list. Really enjoyed the closing number. The section from The Streets > MGMT was really great, flowed wonderfully and ended before the party got old.

I didn't mind the songs in the next section either, just didn't like it as much as the previous.

Overall, this was a solid list and a really fun listen.

Glad to finally hear the whole thing after all the bits and pieces I've been exposed to over the last 6 months.
 
He's not funny. He's the scariest motherfucker this world has ever known.

Also, I haven't been able to listen to lists in about a week so I am WAY behind, but I will try to make up today.

nah, i met the scariest motherfucker in the world. that guy hated u2. reggo's list puts him up there, because i am pretty sure the guy i was going to give the title to would love his playlist. :lol:
 
Moving on to Iron Yuppie's list, can I just reiterate how glad I am you used "Bored Games"? It was so hard picking between it and "Drifter" for my list, but "Drifter" ended up fitting better. God, I love that whole album, just fucking gre--

oh yeah, I was talking about your list. I'm obviously not that far in yet, but I'm enjoying the song selection a great deal so far, and the general feel of it. Will report back at the end of disc one.
 
At the close of the first half of iYup's list, I have to say I'm enjoying this a great deal. The first part of the first part was my favorite part. :)crack: ) I feel like there is a definite feeling/mood to the list and it's coming through quite well. Very excited for the rest of the list.
 
At the close of the first half of iYup's list, I have to say I'm enjoying this a great deal. The first part of the first part was my favorite part. :)crack: ) I feel like there is a definite feeling/mood to the list and it's coming through quite well. Very excited for the rest of the list.

Thanks, I appreciate that. It seems that our tastes align closely, so I thought that you might like it. I'm looking forward to yours.
 
Thanks, I appreciate that. It seems that our tastes align closely, so I thought that you might like it. I'm looking forward to yours.

Yeah, I'd agree, my list isn't very like anything I've done before, so I'm curious to see how it goes over. We'll find out.

I'm back to your list after a longer break than I'd anticipated (watching Bridezillas with my mother. classy.) and looking at the songs on this second half, I'm quite excited.
 
I have completed the list and I must say I enjoyed it a great deal. The flow wasn't so very tight on the second half, but the mood was still there, and the song selection was a no-brainer for me.

Overall it was a great list, I wasn't a huge fan of the second half of the first half, but otherwise, the rest was fantastic.

Would you recommend more by Veil Veil Vanish or is that more of a one-off track? I really enjoyed that one as well as the Zola Jesus track.
 
Would you recommend more by Veil Veil Vanish or is that more of a one-off track? I really enjoyed that one as well as the Zola Jesus track.

I would definitely recommend them. I had the album on which "Anthem for a Doomed Youth" appears as number ten on my 2010 best-of list. It's that good, and I really don't know why none of the major review sites payed any attention to it. Anyways, here's what I wrote about it in the best-of thread:

One Amazon review that I read of Change in the Neon Light called it “the best Cure album in twenty years.” That assessment may not be terribly far off the mark. The influence of Head on the Door-era Robert Smith pervades the fractured vocals, dancing guitar/synth structures, and generally saturnine atmosphere, but the band also incorporates modern electronic influences and unabashed rock into the fold. I was lucky enough to find this album on an obscure review site; I hope that this band’s future efforts receive more attention, as they certainly deserve it.
 
Yeah, that Veil Veil Vanish track was the most interesting discovery for me from iron yuppie's list.

All in all that wasn't a bad list, and I easily got through it in a single sitting. I feel that the second half had the better songs, but that the first half had the better structure. Especially in terms of the first three songs, which fit together very well; Breathe felt a bit jarring afterwards, but that may be partly because I never particularly like hearing it. It's kind of funny that in the case of artists I don't like, the selections were tracks I didn't mind too much, while in the case of artists I do like, the selections were often tracks I find rather mediocre. At least that means that the passages I didn't think I'd enjoy proved to be more likeable than expected.

If I've learnt one thing from this tournament, my irrational kneejerk dislike for The Smiths/Morrissey is weakening with the passage of time.

There we go, done with the first group. But now I'm going away for a week, so it'll be a while until I get around to any more ...
 
Reggo, you have managed to create something truly remarkable. Being a veteran of two DIs now I feel these lists really benefit from having a theme, as opposed to good choices, flow or story (Cassie's "ode to the beat") list.

I was familiar with very few of these artists, and after this list I won't seek out their music, but it was a tremendous listening experience. It really does sound like the soundtrack to a nightmare.

The flow was impeccable. I didn't even realise the Tori Amos track had started until about a minute in. The Isolation Cubicle track was horrific in the best way; it sounded like someone going insane after a week on their own in the dark.

I will side with Ashley though; this playlist would have been better, I thought, if it was shorter. It would have been very hard to beat if it ended after Please. Some might call the Sunn O track hypnotic; I want 16 minutes of my life back. Green Day didn't fit.

But otherwise this was very unique and despite the fact I don't like many of these artists I loved your list. Great, great job in creating such a mood.

reggo's list: happy fucking halloween! ok, i get why everyone said it's this dark and creepy masterpiece now, because this is the kind of thing i've been failing miserably at putting together for the past i don't know how many late october attempts at coming up with a truly scary playlist. it flows very well, all the indiscernible noise on nearly every track blends together, and while at times that makes pieces of this practically unlistenable for me, it does what it's supposed to do as a whole. i said nearly, because you were right about the green day. definitely did not belong there. doesn't belong anywhere on the playlist at all, really.

song-wise, both you and screwtape made me think i should re-evaluate my disinterest in tori amos.

i have to agree with cobbler on the sunn o)))) track. or i would, but 1) i believe it's 13 minutes, not 16. and i cheated, scrolling through parts to see if anything other than an incessant drone happened, probably distilling it to a 5 minute abridged version.

but definitely a solid list.
Thanks, guys! I'm still refining it, not that I can submit it again, but the perfectionist in me has decided to continue tinkering.

IWB, I'm listening to yours first of the next crop. been kind of a slacker due to starting a new job and stuff, but tomorrow night it's being listened to, for sure.
 
Collapse
Highlight: The stretch of Red Sparowes, Whirl and Twin Panda.

Favorite Aspect: This playlist was probably the biggest surprise for me through the first eight. I liked it more than I expected. I think my favorite aspect is that the playlist stands out and it is very different from everything else so far. That’s great considering that the playlists have been so good and we have only gotten half of them so far.

Other Things I Liked:
1. The close of Zao, Architects and B.M. Sharp was my 2nd favorite stretch of the playlist.
2. All four sections were balanced in quality. I am not sure I could pick a favorite.
3. The Finntroll song takes the prize for the biggest WTF track of the competition. :wink:

I am now through all the playlists so far and my rankings are mess with two separate ties including one at the very top. I have no idea how I am going to break them either.
 
Listened to LemonMelon's list.

Things I liked:

- The variety of genres, rap, soul, electro, etc.
- "Hey Ladies", "Soothe Me" and "Electric Feel" were standout tracks for me.
-The rap surprisingly found a way to shake my groove thing! I wonder never considered rap something to make you dance too. And I normaly hate rap with a passion. But it was slower rap and and I wasn't fimilair with Lupe that much and some other artist you choose.
-Loved the electro strech with MGMT, Crystal Castles, Gorillaz, etc.
-Flow was seamless as always.
-Ended it Erykah Badu and Massive Attack. Woman power!

Things I didn't like:
-Out of 38 songs there were a couple songs I didn't care for or wasn't blown away by. Which considering the amount I do like is a very good thing. I found "Deadbeat Summer" reptitive and annoying. And I heard better from Madonna. I thought she could of been more original and I have heard many songs from her. And I can't stand The Streets. That was the only rap song (if you consider The Streets rap) I didn't like. I have always considered them a rap pop band I don't care for.

But overall, I believe you will recieve a very good rating from me! Right now I would say top but I still have many more lists to listen to. But a job well done. :up:
 
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