(Chile) Angra - Carry On
The vocals were the weakest point of this otherwise exhilirating piece with soaring energy and involved instrumentation that kept creatively changing it up.
(Suriname) The Valley - k.d. lang
Quiet, poignant and contemplative is definitely a type of music I can go for given the right mood. Her vocal shifts of approximately one million octaves kept it startling enough that I wasn't getting lulled into boredom, and then the swelling emotion to cap it off worked well.
(Mount Celeste) Kensuke Ushio - Ping Pong Phase 2
Clever rhythm. Over too soon- I really was expecting it to kick into a full-energy mode there rather than end. Maybe there's a Phase 3 for that.
(Sweden) Arcana - Like Statues in the Garden of Dreaming
The title is apt. Atmosphere is definitely that of a monastery pondering the gloom of history. It could've kept going and bringing up the energy some more- it had not worn out its welcome at all.
(eSwatini) James Blunt - The Greatest
I uh, definitely did not see the artist name and momentarily cringe thinking it was James Corden because I was conflating him and Emily Blunt because they starred in Into The Woods. The song was pretty good, unlike if James Corden had sung it.
(Tuvalu) Silent Planet - Antimatter
Yes it was a lot of screaming, but it works in this one. It feels like the overall tone conveys empty void of space and we are screaming into it, trying to show that we matter.
(Peru) Jockstrap - Greatest Hits
I don't even know how to describe this oddball one, but it made me feel warm and fuzzy like I was on a lounge chair just casually floating by any sort of serious bizness.
(Antarctica) Julien-K - Cruel Daze of Summer
If I was the kind of person who went out to nightclubs for dancing or karaoke this would probably be more my style. It was solid, perhaps went on a bit longer than necessary as I was fading out of interest again by the end despite it having me bopping to the beat for a little while.
(Club Penguin) Pete Seeger - Casey Jones (The Union Scab)
I'm a union steward so I'm contractually obligated to approve of this one.
(Gibraltar) Portishead - Glory Box
The mellow vibing isn't quite my style either, though the brief segment during the end where it started going harder did catch my interest.
(Wales) The Murder Capital - Crying
I guess the energy in the later portion was pretty good, though the earlier part wasn't doing as much for me.
(Vatican City) Tennessee Ernie Ford - Union Dixie
Uh.... I guess there's some interesting thought experiments to be had here?
(Iraq) Every Time I Die - INRIhab
Relatively unpainful metal screaming on refrains but better singing elsewhere. Didn't catch much of my interest or push me away.
(Australia) G Flip - The Worst Person Alive
A song existed. There was a lot of the title being repeated in it, over and over. There was some energy to it.
(Pakistan) Young the Giant - Superposition
Was there anything but a chorus in this one? Didn't really do anything to bring me in.
(Gabon) Noah Kahan & Post Malone - Dial Drunk
A country song about... getting into fights and drunk driving? I simultaneous find country music both a bit engaging for the twangy strings and offputting for the political associates. And I can't relate to the subject matter at all.
(Poland) Dominic Fike - Ant Pile
A bit of decent instrumentals but the autotuned vocals are just boring, and I was never a teenager so I cannot relate to the lyrics at all.
(Mali) Beabadoobee - Talk
I was mentally starting to chalk this one off as forgettable pop then was hit with the lyric "we go together like the gum on my shoes." So maybe 'forgettable' was sadly not the right word. Cringe lyrics, cringe autotuned singing, just all around cringe. Couldn't wait for it to be over.
(Bhutan) Lil Mariko - Hi, I'm a Slut
I had that 28 minute one going the whole 28 minutes last time around but this one I shut off after not more than 20 seconds. JUST NO
