tournament Choose The Album, Then a Song 10 | Winner: Auburn

[Not Like The Movies]

Need 1 pls

[Touch It]

good luck all

[MusicLoverDude]

Really hoping for the best this round since I'm very close to the exit. But I know I did the best I could. Looking forward to what everyone else sees.

[Sanguine]

Choose The Album, Then a Song

Round 6: Die Die Die

 

ENTRIES AND EXPLANATIONS HERE

CONTESTANT VOTING LINK HERE

 

CHANGE TO CONTESTANT VOTING!! READ PLEASE:

Since we're now at top eight, you will only be choosing a top two and last place for each round.

 

@Post Malone is unable to continue sending due to busyness, so this round will only be a single elimination!

 

If you do not complete this by the deadline, 30% of your score will be deducted.

 

The last place contestant CUMULATIVELY will be eliminated.

 

~48 hour deadline!

DUE: Wed, Nov 15 @ 10 am EST

@Psycho @ATRL Username @MusicLoverDude @Not Like The Movies @EriKills @ultraviolence.xx @Auburn @wehavetostan

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Sanguine

[Psycho]

Top 8!

 

[Element]

ELEMENT'S CRITIQUES

slay i'm first this time

 

Spoiler

@ATRL Username - Beatopia - Lovesong

This entry is fine in the middle of the pack for me. It gets the job done and it has some fun sass to it. Tying it back to her earlier work and framing it as an artistic regression was a smart idea. You had a great opportunity to discuss specific comparison points following this statement: "This song features all the elements of the other songs on Beatopia, but more uninteresting". What do these other songs do in a stronger fashion? Do they have more engaging lyrics and vocal delivery?

 

@Auburn - The Velvet Rope - God's Stepchild

Wow, this was definitely giving late 1990s Disney movie filler track. Contrived and corny is accurate. This essay was decent, but could have been expanded a bit further. You spent a lot of time discussing the lyrics - which were very cringe, I agree. The production elements felt rushed in at the end, and I wish you had given specific points about how the song is just "boring" and reminiscent to "Again" - why is that considered her worst #1 hit exactly?

 

@EriKills - Trouble - Controversy

I'm extremely conflicted about this entry! Within a vacuum, you actually did a really great job of tearing apart this song. You drag every element - the length, the production, the vocal delivery, and the lyrics - and each drag is believable. The final paragraph about lyrical depth is excellent, benefiting hugely from explaining what this song does worse than every other song on the album. If you had some other references to the other songs for these other elements - length, production, delivery - that would have been great as well. Finally - and most confusingly - this entry is weakened by your previous submission that this song was a massive grower. You focused on these positive aspects in Round 2, and now we're supposed to buy that you hate this song? Which is it? This definitely makes me want to dock a point or two unfortunately.

 

@MusicLoverDude - Midnights - Glitch

You made a good choice here, as this is one of the weakest songs on the album for sure. The discussion of the production and lyrical pitfalls were pretty good. There was a lot of reliance on theoretical improvements to frame your argument. You could have focused more on the facts by comparing this song directly to others on Midnights. What did those do better?

 

@Not Like The Movies - CTRL - Go Gina

I can tell that you struggled a lot to choose any song on this album -- but unfortunately admitting that at the start positions your argument to be not as strong/believable. The vocal performance aspect was a unique argument. I can't say I really noticed any issues with her vocals, but I believe you! I'm a bit confused by the tracklisting section of this essay. Love Galore is track 2, but Go Gina is track 7? I'm not sure how this component is relevant then. Regardless, getting lost in the shuffle in the tracklist is not really a strong enough rationale to say this is the weakest song on the whole album. You would have to call out specific reasons as to how this is weaker than the neighbors.

 

@Psycho - Emotion - LA Hallucinations

A successful entry overall! I have been looking for comparisons to the other songs on the album, and you hit the mark with your discussion of how the lyrics are misaligned with the rest. The production component was evident from listening to the song, although I think you would have benefited from explaining the production on other songs and how those have aged better. Discussing the dated lyrics is another good argument in your arsenal.

 

@ultraviolence.xx - Raven - Far Away

This was a strong essay and a sensible choice. I think you made a great argument that this was a redundant track within the album and was also inferior. Providing direct comparison points to "Washed Away" to show the weakness was a smart direction. I do feel like some discussion of the other songs on the album would have elevated this. As an additional note - I think you were the most successful in recognizing the playfulness of the "die die die" theme and your comedic interjections made for a fun read!

 

@wehavetostan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Coffee

Every point in your argument was accurate and evident throughout the song. I especially enjoyed the final few lines where you discuss the build up to nothing. That's a very unique perspective this round, but it's very valid. That disappointment and "apathetic resolution" definitely can sink a song. It's like when they tease a final chorus and then end the song... horrible! I think this was one of the stronger entries of the round, but it would have gone from "good" to "perfect" if you had expanded upon this sentence: "Chappell is at her best with upbeat, bombastic songs where she can deliver an infectious chorus, but even other sad songs on the album can capture your attention with vivid details." - maybe some of these specific details would have helped!

 

[Not Like The Movies]

Omg I meant The Weekend, not Love Galore 😭😭

 

That is a mistake I forgot to correct 

[Kelp]

7 hours ago, Element said:

ELEMENT'S CRITIQUES

slay i'm first this time

 

  Hide contents

@ATRL Username - Beatopia - Lovesong

This entry is fine in the middle of the pack for me. It gets the job done and it has some fun sass to it. Tying it back to her earlier work and framing it as an artistic regression was a smart idea. You had a great opportunity to discuss specific comparison points following this statement: "This song features all the elements of the other songs on Beatopia, but more uninteresting". What do these other songs do in a stronger fashion? Do they have more engaging lyrics and vocal delivery?

 

@Auburn - The Velvet Rope - God's Stepchild

Wow, this was definitely giving late 1990s Disney movie filler track. Contrived and corny is accurate. This essay was decent, but could have been expanded a bit further. You spent a lot of time discussing the lyrics - which were very cringe, I agree. The production elements felt rushed in at the end, and I wish you had given specific points about how the song is just "boring" and reminiscent to "Again" - why is that considered her worst #1 hit exactly?

 

@EriKills - Trouble - Controversy

I'm extremely conflicted about this entry! Within a vacuum, you actually did a really great job of tearing apart this song. You drag every element - the length, the production, the vocal delivery, and the lyrics - and each drag is believable. The final paragraph about lyrical depth is excellent, benefiting hugely from explaining what this song does worse than every other song on the album. If you had some other references to the other songs for these other elements - length, production, delivery - that would have been great as well. Finally - and most confusingly - this entry is weakened by your previous submission that this song was a massive grower. You focused on these positive aspects in Round 2, and now we're supposed to buy that you hate this song? Which is it? This definitely makes me want to dock a point or two unfortunately.

 

@MusicLoverDude - Midnights - Glitch

You made a good choice here, as this is one of the weakest songs on the album for sure. The discussion of the production and lyrical pitfalls were pretty good. There was a lot of reliance on theoretical improvements to frame your argument. You could have focused more on the facts by comparing this song directly to others on Midnights. What did those do better?

 

@Not Like The Movies - CTRL - Go Gina

I can tell that you struggled a lot to choose any song on this album -- but unfortunately admitting that at the start positions your argument to be not as strong/believable. The vocal performance aspect was a unique argument. I can't say I really noticed any issues with her vocals, but I believe you! I'm a bit confused by the tracklisting section of this essay. Love Galore is track 2, but Go Gina is track 7? I'm not sure how this component is relevant then. Regardless, getting lost in the shuffle in the tracklist is not really a strong enough rationale to say this is the weakest song on the whole album. You would have to call out specific reasons as to how this is weaker than the neighbors.

 

@Psycho - Emotion - LA Hallucinations

A successful entry overall! I have been looking for comparisons to the other songs on the album, and you hit the mark with your discussion of how the lyrics are misaligned with the rest. The production component was evident from listening to the song, although I think you would have benefited from explaining the production on other songs and how those have aged better. Discussing the dated lyrics is another good argument in your arsenal.

 

Thanks bestie but you didn't review uvie of wehavetostan

[Element]

29 minutes ago, ATRL Username said:

Thanks bestie but you didn't review uvie of wehavetostan

OMG i'm fuming - ATRL cut off my post

[EriKills]

7 hours ago, Element said:

this entry is weakened by your previous submission that this song was a massive grower.

Ajsksksj well it went from a 1 to a 5….still the most massive grower since the other songs started at 8/9/10 for me and stayed 8/9/10!!! But it’s still the weakest song by far!!! 

 

[Element]

Just now, EriKills said:

Ajsksksj well it went from a 1 to a 5….still the most massive grower since the other songs started at 8/9/10 for me and stayed 8/9/10!!! But it’s still the weakest song by far!!! 

 

We love MATH

[Kelp]

20 minutes ago, EriKills said:

Ajsksksj well it went from a 1 to a 5….still the most massive grower since the other songs started at 8/9/10 for me and stayed 8/9/10!!! But it’s still the weakest song by far!!! 

 

[Element]

17 hours ago, Element said:

ELEMENT'S CRITIQUES

slay i'm first this time

 

  Hide contents

@ATRL Username - Beatopia - Lovesong

This entry is fine in the middle of the pack for me. It gets the job done and it has some fun sass to it. Tying it back to her earlier work and framing it as an artistic regression was a smart idea. You had a great opportunity to discuss specific comparison points following this statement: "This song features all the elements of the other songs on Beatopia, but more uninteresting". What do these other songs do in a stronger fashion? Do they have more engaging lyrics and vocal delivery?

 

@Auburn - The Velvet Rope - God's Stepchild

Wow, this was definitely giving late 1990s Disney movie filler track. Contrived and corny is accurate. This essay was decent, but could have been expanded a bit further. You spent a lot of time discussing the lyrics - which were very cringe, I agree. The production elements felt rushed in at the end, and I wish you had given specific points about how the song is just "boring" and reminiscent to "Again" - why is that considered her worst #1 hit exactly?

 

@EriKills - Trouble - Controversy

I'm extremely conflicted about this entry! Within a vacuum, you actually did a really great job of tearing apart this song. You drag every element - the length, the production, the vocal delivery, and the lyrics - and each drag is believable. The final paragraph about lyrical depth is excellent, benefiting hugely from explaining what this song does worse than every other song on the album. If you had some other references to the other songs for these other elements - length, production, delivery - that would have been great as well. Finally - and most confusingly - this entry is weakened by your previous submission that this song was a massive grower. You focused on these positive aspects in Round 2, and now we're supposed to buy that you hate this song? Which is it? This definitely makes me want to dock a point or two unfortunately.

 

@MusicLoverDude - Midnights - Glitch

You made a good choice here, as this is one of the weakest songs on the album for sure. The discussion of the production and lyrical pitfalls were pretty good. There was a lot of reliance on theoretical improvements to frame your argument. You could have focused more on the facts by comparing this song directly to others on Midnights. What did those do better?

 

@Not Like The Movies - CTRL - Go Gina

I can tell that you struggled a lot to choose any song on this album -- but unfortunately admitting that at the start positions your argument to be not as strong/believable. The vocal performance aspect was a unique argument. I can't say I really noticed any issues with her vocals, but I believe you! I'm a bit confused by the tracklisting section of this essay. Love Galore is track 2, but Go Gina is track 7? I'm not sure how this component is relevant then. Regardless, getting lost in the shuffle in the tracklist is not really a strong enough rationale to say this is the weakest song on the whole album. You would have to call out specific reasons as to how this is weaker than the neighbors.

 

@Psycho - Emotion - LA Hallucinations

A successful entry overall! I have been looking for comparisons to the other songs on the album, and you hit the mark with your discussion of how the lyrics are misaligned with the rest. The production component was evident from listening to the song, although I think you would have benefited from explaining the production on other songs and how those have aged better. Discussing the dated lyrics is another good argument in your arsenal.

 

@ultraviolence.xx - Raven - Far Away

This was a strong essay and a sensible choice. I think you made a great argument that this was a redundant track within the album and was also inferior. Providing direct comparison points to "Washed Away" to show the weakness was a smart direction. I do feel like some discussion of the other songs on the album would have elevated this. As an additional note - I think you were the most successful in recognizing the playfulness of the "die die die" theme and your comedic interjections made for a fun read!

 

@wehavetostan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Coffee

Every point in your argument was accurate and evident throughout the song. I especially enjoyed the final few lines where you discuss the build up to nothing. That's a very unique perspective this round, but it's very valid. That disappointment and "apathetic resolution" definitely can sink a song. It's like when they tease a final chorus and then end the song... horrible! I think this was one of the stronger entries of the round, but it would have gone from "good" to "perfect" if you had expanded upon this sentence: "Chappell is at her best with upbeat, bombastic songs where she can deliver an infectious chorus, but even other sad songs on the album can capture your attention with vivid details." - maybe some of these specific details would have helped!

 

@ultraviolence.xx and @wehavetostan - sorry the comments had to be retyped bc ATRL ate my post! but here they are!

[ultraviolence.xx]

39 minutes ago, Element said:

@ultraviolence.xx and @wehavetostan - sorry the comments had to be retyped bc ATRL ate my post! but here they are!

thank u bsf

[shelven]

SHELVEN'S CRITIQUES

 

Spoiler

ATRL Username – Beatopia – Lovesong

 

I really liked your introduction – picking a song that you view as an artistic regression for your artist is a logical choice for this round. You use some colourful adjectives throughout your explanation that leans into the “tear apart your chosen song” part of the prompt well, although from an overall messaging standpoint, I think you could have been harsher than stating that the song is bad merely because it’s not unique and doesn’t stand out. I liked where you were going with the sentence about how this song features a worse version of all the other elements on the album, but some elaboration on that could have made it stronger.

___________________________________________________

 

Auburn – The Velvet Rope – God’s Stepchild

 

Okay yeah you definitely made points with how questionable the central metaphor in this song’s lyrics is. Your points about how it’s simultaneously cringey and also just odd are convincing and feel very accurate to the song. Overall, you cover the lyrical half of the song very well, but I wish you had taken a different approach with the sonic half – comparing this song’s sound to a song that’s not on this album and that we may not have heard before doesn’t really work for me, since we’re ultimately forced to just take your word for why this song’s sound is bad instead of you giving us more concrete reasons from this song itself. 

___________________________________________________

 

EriKills – Trouble – Controversy

 

You went IN! This round is a staple in this game and time and time again, most people always feel afraid to truly rip into their song, so I’m glad you fully embraced the nature of this round and truly dragged your song. You touch on basically every aspect of this song in your explanation and leave no stone unturned. I know it’s been pointed out by a few people already that you also picked this song for the grower round, and I agree to some extent that you hurt yourself a little by now having to convince us you hate a song you previously told us had grown on you. But on the other hand, I read back your grower explanation and you don’t really contradict yourself here, since your grower explanation was essentially that you still find the song dumb but can’t help but bop to it. So I don’t think the repeat choice is as much of a problem as it otherwise could have been.

___________________________________________________

 

MusicLoverDude – Midnights – Glitch

 

You definitely have some strong points throughout your explanation. I completely get your logic about how even a title can make a song feel more disappointing because it creates a false impression – I can think of many songs I’ve listened to where I’ve had that same disappointment. “Cheap ProTools mixing” is also a concise but memorable instance of you leaning into the “tear your song apart” part of the prompt. That said, the strong moments in this explanation are weighed down a bit by moments where I don’t think you’re as convincing – I didn’t really have the feeling you’re describing of the lyrics feeling too shoved in, and you contradict yourself a little bit by first saying that the song’s more disappointing than actively bad but later describing the song as “unlistenable.” Finally, I would have liked to see even a brief reference to why this song is worse than others on the album, instead of just bad.

___________________________________________________

 

Not Like The Movies – CTRL – Go Gina

 

In the same vein as what I mentioned in my comments to EriKills, a pet peeve I have with some people’s approach to this round over the years is feeling like you need to remind us of how great your album is and how difficult of a choice this was. This round is intended to be a bit of a break from the overall selling of your album, and starting off by telling us your song is still objectively good and a part of a flawless album strays far from the “tear into your song” part of the prompt. I do think your point about her vocal performance being weak on the studio version is strong and goes back towards the type of harsh criticism I want to see from this theme, but you admittedly start to lose me again with your track list reasoning, since that implies that the song isn’t even weak if you just listen to it on its own instead of as part of the full album.

___________________________________________________

 

Psycho – Emotion – LA Hallucinations

 

Of all the entries in this round so far, you did by far the best job at explaining why this song is the weakest on the album, instead of just generally explaining why the song is weak. Essentially every point you make in here is tied naturally to the album as a whole, while still explaining why the song is weak in its own right too. You also use your word limit very well here, touching on essentially every aspect of the song in a cohesive and neat way, and you manage to get in some harsh adjectives and descriptors to satisfy the “tear into the song” part of the prompt. Really good job!

___________________________________________________

 

ultraviolence.xx – RAVEN – Far Away

 

I love your writing tone in this entry – it balances “I’m definitely going to drag this song for filth” and “I’m going to keep it classy so that you really understand why this song is weak” very expertly. I think your overall logic is strong here, making the case that this song is the weakest on the album because it’s essentially a waste of time and a reductive reprise that the album didn’t need. There are a few parts of this explanation where I think you go a bit too far in the direction of fun-worded drags – for example, the AI replica metaphor is mean but ultimately lacking a bit in actual substance – but overall I think this was a fun entry that leaned into the theme well.

___________________________________________________

 

wehavetostan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – Coffee

 

Oh we love a HOOK for an opening sentence. You touch on a lot of interesting points here, which works at painting an overall picture of this song’s weaknesses but also starts to make the entry feel a bit dense and overstuffed by the end. Your sentence in the middle comparing this song to both Chappell’s upbeat songs and her other ballads is the strongest part for me, since it establishes a clear and convincing reason for why this song is the single weakest song on the album instead of just one weak one. Overall, the individual points in this explanation are solid, but other than your opening line, it feels a bit academic in a round that gave you the freedom to have fun with things and really make us feel your disappointment with the song.

@Psycho @ATRL Username @MusicLoverDude @Not Like The Movies @EriKills @ultraviolence.xx @Auburn @wehavetostan

[Staryu]

Star "crits"

 

 

Spoiler

ATRL Username - I enjoyed all the negative adjectives you used, they  really helped fuel the negativity for this track, like we requested. I really feel like you actually feel this song is terrible, I don't really have any critique to add tbh.  

 

Auburn - Yes this song is corny trash, I think I listened once and never again? I agree with stepchild of God concept is stupid too, just awful. I do think you could have elaborated just a bit more about the Again comparison, but other than that, I think you did well. 

 

EriKills - Picking the worst song on a Natalia album.. seems like you had the easiest job this round! Thank you for going in hard on this terrible song, but being a hater is also something that I know comes easy to you I'm glad you came through for us also idc about the grower thing, I didn't believe you then anyway!

 

MusicLoveDude - I agree with you about expectations ruining this song, I expected much better but the production sucks. I do think you went a little easy on the song, you could have dragged it more, the "it's not that bad, just disappointing" line kinda didn't help your case.

 

Not Like The Movies - Sis, I know this round was a big struggle for you, but we wanted you to really tear into a song, not start with saying how amazing it is Also I was confused about your Love Galore comment but I see you meant The Weekend I do like your weak vocal argument, we needed more of that from you. 

 

Psycho - I have always thought the theme of LAH was a little like a speed bump in the album, it kinda veers it off course a bit. I agree with the dated lyrics as well, I think you provided great examples of why this song is the worst on the album. 

 

Uvie - I 100% agree, this song is so unecessary and forgetable, I love how you dragged the production so thoroughly and compared it to the opening track. The comedic elements were welcome for this round too, overall great job

 

wehavetostan - I just listened to this album in full 2 days ago and I 100% agree with you here especially the "apathetic at best" resolution. I agree with Shelven about the strongest part here is comparing this song to her other ballads and upbeat songs, I wish you expanded a bit more on that and less on the story of the song. 

 

 

[ultraviolence.xx]

1 minute ago, Staryu said:

Picking the worst song on a Natalia album.. seems like you had the easiest job this round!

fdsghjkgfhdshdhg now-

[Staryu]

im just joking with erik, he knows I love him #barbietingz 

[EriKills]

6 hours ago, Staryu said:

im just joking with erik, he knows I love him #barbietingz 

All I saw in that critique was that this was another rigged round for me….EXACTLY!!!! :somepoints: 

[Not Like The Movies]

So I guess I needed to lie and pretend that I hated the song??? 

 

I'm sorry but I wasn't doing that

 

This album means too much to me to just tear apart a song I genuinely love

 

My entry was honest and if that's an issue then oh well.

[Sanguine]

Results! @Psycho @ATRL Username @MusicLoverDude @Not Like The Movies @EriKills @ultraviolence.xx @Auburn @wehavetostan

[Psycho]

[ultraviolence.xx]

seated

[Sanguine]

6th (round)

@Auburn with God’s Stepchild

Judges: 22.5
Contestants: +3

Points: 17.625

 

1st cumulatively with 128.875 points

[MusicLoverDude]

I'm probably leaving but here we go!!