Symphonic Album Mini-Game: Round 2, Heat 5

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  • phanan

    Votes: 3 30.0%
  • Lemonchick

    Votes: 7 70.0%

  • Total voters
    10
  • Poll closed .
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phanan

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in the darkness on the edge of town
Please vote for the tracklisting you LIKE THE MOST.

Welcome to the fifth and final heat of the second round of the Symphonic Album Mini-Game. The object of this game is to see which forum member can create the best concept album no longer than 80 minutes.

In Round 2's second heat, corianderstem picked up her second win of the competition by edging the Supertracklist, 6-5. The Supertracklist does pick up another point, however. An update on the standings will be posted after the completion of each round.

In this heat, phanan looks for his first win against Lemonchick, who had a dominant victory in the first round. Below are their playlists.

If you don't know the songs, or wish to hear how each tracklisting flows, leave your e-mail address and we'll help you out. :)


Forum name: phanan

Smuttynose2.jpg


The Smuttynose Murders

The Isles of Shoals are a small group of islands located just off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. Back in the early 1870's, six Norwegians (including two married couples) had made the journey across the Atlantic and had settled down on one of the islands, named Smuttynose. The men soon were able to establish a successful fishing business, and had begun saving their money to procure a larger boat that would help their small enterprise flourish that much more. One summer, they took in a fisherman from Prussia named Louis Wagner who was struggling to make ends meet. Wagner would assist the fishermen with their duties and be compensated for room and board at their house. There were rumors at the time that Wagner became romantically involved with one of the women.

On the night of March 5, 1873, the fishermen were docked on the mainland in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, waiting for a bait shipment to arrive. When it was apparent that the train from Boston carrying the bait would arrive too late for the men to return to the island that night, Wagner realized that the women would be alone on the island (nobody else lived on the island at the time). He had previously learned that the Norwegians were saving for a new boat and supposedly had $600 already saved. Desperate for cash, Wagner stole a small rowboat and made way to Smuttynose Island.

Not long after midnight, he went to the house, intent on stealing the money. He apparently forgot that the family had a dog, though, and the barking was enough to awaken the women. When he was recognized, he realized he had no choice and grabbed an ax nearby. He brutally murdered two of the women, while the third escaped to the other side of the island and waited in the darkness, her bare feet freezing in the cold March winter night. When Wagner was unable to locate the third woman, he instead returned to his boat and headed back to the mainland.

The woman waited all night, too terrified to move, until dawn approached. She then made her way along the island until she faced Appledore Island and the small cottage that was within shouting distance. She began to scream for help until the owner heard her and arrived to offer assistance. The proper authorites arrive at the crime scene, and the woman identifies Wagner as the killer. He is found a short time later in Boston, and is eventually hanged for the murders.

This playlist isn't a retelling of those events. Instead, it's an attempt to understand, through music, what each person involved was feeling at the time. The jealousy of the murderer, the horror of the deaths, the waiting in the freezing night, the discovery the day after, and the aftershock that followed. In some instances, lyrics aren't even needed.

More information can be found here: http://seacoastnh.com/smuttynose/history.html

1. Mogwai - "Hunted By A Freak" - Happy Songs For Happy People (4:15)
2. Jesu - "Transfigure" - Conqueror (5:58)
3. Vangelis - "Movement II" - El Greco (5:19)
4. Gil Shaham/Orpheus - "Winter, Part One: Allegro Non Molto" - Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (3:21)
5. Alcest - "Sur L'autre Rive Je T'attendrai" - Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde (6:50)
6. Queen - "Who Wants To Live Forever" - A Kind Of Magic (5:16)
7. Sting - "Fragile" - ...Nothing Like The Sun (3:56)
8. Peter Gabriel - "I Grieve" - Up (7:25)
9. Sigur Ros - "Untitled 4" - ( ) (7:33)
10. Pink Floyd - "Marooned" - The Division Bell (5:29)
11. Porcupine Tree - "Fadeaway" - Up The Downstair (6:13)
12. Moby - "When It's Cold I'd Like To Die" - Everything Is Wrong (4:13)
13. Explosions In The Sky - "Memorial" - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place (8:52)

Total time: 74:40



Forum Name: Lemonchick

pic


God's Away On Business

Coming up with this concept has been far more difficult than I expected it to be. In my opinion it is still very loose and incredibly unclear, and I know that that might be a great disadvantage. However, I've thought about it for about two weeks and I can't seem to come up with anything more coherent so I'm just writing it the way it sounds in my mind. I see my playlist as divided into two parts: tracks 1-7 describe the setting where my character(s) live. A dark, rainy, impoverished town; a place for bankrupt deserted carnivals, circus freaks, orphans, cheap prostitutes, and back-alley abortions. While each one of these stories is clearly dark and miserable, I've always found something extremely fascinating about that dark side of human nature. Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows" summarizes these themes in an almost ironic and humorous tone. R.E.M's drive serves as a transition into what I consider to be the second part of my playlist. The mood and atmosphere is much more introvertive and personal...I almost see it as being narrated by a young man who has attempted to escape the world of darkness and corruption described in the first half. However, it is almost as though the world he encounters outside is just as dark and even more cold and desolate than the one he previously escaped. His loneliness is evident and his longing for love and something real makes his situation extremely dark and hopeless. There is a glimmer of hope and maybe the slight memory of a long-lost love (No One Would Riot For Less), but this is overshadowed by the reality of his situation..which eventually ends in death (Lacrimosa). I guess I chose the title "God's Away On Business" because I couldn't come up with anything better myself, and because it seems to summarize the themes of corruption, loneliness, and darkness of my playlist. I'm terribly sorry if none of this makes sense, I hope that people enjoy this playlist and if anyone is able to come up with a better concept for it I'd love to hear it ;)

1. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "The Carny" - Your Funeral...My Trial (8:02)
2. Laurent Petitgand - "Zirkusmusik (Circus Music)" - Wings Of Desire: Original Soundtrack (5:38)
3. The Decemberists - "The Chimbley Sweep" - Her Majesty (2:53)
4. Tom Waits - "God's Away On Business" - Blood Money (2:59)
5. The Dresden Dolls - "Mandy Goes To Med School" - Yes, Virginia (4:39)
6. Pulp - "This Is Hardcore" - This Is Hardcore (6:25)
7. Leonard Cohen - "Everybody Knows" - I'm Your Man (5:32)
8. R.E.M - "Drive" - Automatic For The People (4:31)
9. Jurgen Knieper - "Urstromtal (The Glacial Valley)" - Wings Of Desire: Original Soundtrack (4:04)
10. Radiohead - "Exit Music (For A Film)" - OK Computer (4:24)
11. Pink Floyd - "The Final Cut" - The Final Cut (4:51)
12. U2 - "The Unforgettable Fire" - The Unforgettable Fire (4:55)
13. Bright Eyes - "No One Would Riot For Less" - Cassadaga (5:12)
14. The Arcade Fire - "My Body Is A Cage" - Neon Bible (4:47)
15. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - "Requiem: Lacrimosa" - Mozart: Requiem (3:27)

Total runtime: 1:12:17



UP NEXT: Screwtape2 vs. liamcool

Competition master list.


Have fun!
 
Sure is. But I knew when I created my playlist that it wouldn't do that well. Too dark and too brooding with some artists that aren't generally listened to on here.

I still like it, though. :D
 
Yeah, I took a different approach to mine too, but that's what this is all about right?

I liked yours, but I was in the right mood for it at the time.
 
There is no way I can beat Phanan, that would just be wrong. :wink:

I'm still really surprised at how well I'm doing. :lol:
 
These two lists are very close for me.

phanan's is consistently good, while lemonchick's reaches higher highs and lower lows.

Since they're so close and phanan is well behind so far, I'll vote for his list in the hopes that he'll be within the four-vote margin.

All in all, they're both very good lists in my opinion.
 
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