Walrus Walrusception!! Groove Regainer Mini Walrus [Congratulations to KarmaDope!!! Next walrus in September]



Yes, I do currently have a walrus ongoing. Or rather, not ongoing. Shit happened and the walrus came to a screeching halt. Time passed and... things were still halted, docs untouched, songs unlistened. Basically, the Emperor lost his groove.

So what better way to get back into the swing of things than to do something unconventional and create a walrus solely for the purpose of getting my groove back and getting back into judging Four On The Floor. It’s walrusception time.


Now on to the more standard part of the OP:

What is Walrus? It's a forum game where you submit songs to me according to various categories and I rank and score them based on how much I like them.

To join, simply sign up in this thread (or drop me a DM at BrainpanSonata#0280). Submissions must be done by PM/DM, including YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, or Vimeo links to your picks. One by one, categories will be revealed in the official walrus Discord server and the respective threads. Aim for the highest overall score, or play along for fun and the love of music.

Scores will be logged and tracked via Google spreadsheet. Scoring is done on a 0.0-10.0 points range based on how much I enjoy a song and how well it fits the respective category. My scoring system runs along the same lines as MyAnimeList: 5s are boring, 6s are okay, 7s are good, 8s are great, 9s are awesome, and if you get a 4 or below ya dun goofed. Will anyone send me a 10 point masterpiece? We’ll see…

The rules are as follows:

  1. Any categories you fail to submit for will automatically be scored 0. You can send submissions at any point up to the day before the respective category’s scheduled reveal. In some cases, depending on my schedule, I may be lenient enough to accept submissions up to the T-minus 12 hours mark. I will actively check in with players who have unfilled submissions to help prevent catfails.
  2. Any submissions which don't fit the qualifying requirements of their respective category will automatically be scored 0. For example, if I had a category about guitars and you subbed an acapella song, you would catfail.
  3. You will need to change your submission if it's a song I submitted to a previous walrus.
  4. You will need to change your submission if it's a song I used as an example, header, or outro in this walrus or my previous walruses. Yes, this does mean Watsky subs are more likely to get stamped Return To Sender.
  5. Tracking for rules 3 and 4 is solely the responsibility of the host. I will crosscheck all submissions and let you know if something needs to be changed. I will also let you know of any technical errors which might require you or me to change the links to your submissions.
  6. You will need to change your submission if I can't bring myself to listen to it in its entirety even once. This pertains not just to bands previously found in the banlist in Rule 10, but also to anything pitch shifted/chipmunked, played on a kazoo/vuvuzela/air horn, and/or painfully out of tune. If you value scoring high on the leaderboard, then this is not the hill you die on.
  7. If you send me a 240p or 144p vid and a better version is available, I reserve the right to switch to the better version. I may inform you privately if I do so, but I’m likely to forget. I also have a habit of doing this with music videos that vary noticeably from the official audio.
  8. If two or more players submit the same song for a category, the second (and third and so on) person to submit the song will be given the option to change their submission. If they decide to stick with it, it will be given a single score and the players involved will tie in that round's rankings. This type of tie will be expressed in dense ranking (eg. 1223) rather than standard competition ranking (eg. 1224).
  9. You can change your submissions at your leisure. As with late submissions, song changes will be accepted at any point up to the day before the respective category’s reveal. Unlike Rule 1, I will not accept T-12 hour sub swaps because getting in a song that may do better or worse isn’t as urgent as avoiding a 0.
  10. My ban list is Nickelback, Owl City, Operation Ivy, The Neighbourhood, Kings of Leon, and US band Backlash. Swedish band Backlash is okay, but I have too many issues with that trumped up Pink Floyd cover band by the same name.

And your four impromptu categories are:

Getcher Game On Redux
4OTF started with music from video games. So let’s kick this groove revival off by sending me something to listen to during a gaming session. Anything goes here, so long as I can enjoy it during a multi-hour pokemon grind or dungeon rush with the game’s sound off. Yes, I will be gaming as I judge this cat. The trick to hitting the brief here is finding the balance between zone out background noise and “oops, I got distracted by the music and lost a life”.
Examples:
Preben Goes To Acapulco by Todd Terje
Sad Statue by System Of A Down
Something Underneath by clipping.

Pop, POP!
I wanna dip into something that I don’t really seek out when listening to music. Send me a mainstream pop song from a solo artist. Why solo artists? Things just worked out that way when I was picking my examples and header/outro. Plus I go out of my way to get my Kpop and Jpop fix from time to time, so blame the brief ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Examples:
Firework by Katy Perry
24K Magic by Bruno Mars
Raise Your Glass by P!nk

The Long Haul
Long song cats have been done before, but why not do it again. Send me songs that are seven minutes or longer. If I’m gonna get back into judging a walrus that termi subbed to, I need to refresh my attention span.
Note: 10 hour loops are still not allowed. I need to be able to judge your sub in a single sitting. For similar reasons (plus I don't want to do it again), I'm going to nix sending me entire albums. (Neither of these clauses have anything to do with termi.)
Examples:
Siberian Breaks by MGMT
Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day
Roundabout by Yes

Moog Music
With this, I’ve covered almost every instrument under the sun. Send me a song which features synthesizers.
Examples:
Rydeen by Yellow Magic Orchestra
Bury It by CHVRCHES
Point of Know Return by Kansas

No FAQ this time. If you’re new to my walruses, just know that I’m down for anything and have a tendency to score ridiculously high with lots of ties. And if you’re wondering about my methodology for Getcher Game On Redux, I’ll be setting each song to play on repeat during various gaming sessions so I can create the proper judging conditions without having to interrupt myself as often.

As for the deadline… Let's say two weeks. Deadline to get in at least one song from your quartet is Saturday, August 14th.
In MU terms: 8/14 GOOD 8/15 BAD.

Signups

  1. PassTheSaltDude
  2. Earl
  3. Celever
  4. termi
  5. Lebossle
  6. ddlcfan69
  7. C7's Smogon Account
  8. BLOODYRAIN10001
  9. catgode
  10. Godot
  11. RaceBandit
  12. shubaka17
  13. Gravity Monkey
  14. nutella
  15. MyNameIsNothing
  16. KarmaDope
  17. PunchyTheCat
  18. Moose
  19. LordQuas
  20. Adam
  21. Your name here
 
Last edited:
Okay, I know I'm being a fussbudget, but please note that indie pop exists in opposition to mainstream pop. In the pop category, I'm looking for names that get a lot of radio play and Billboard 100 spots.
 
UPDATE: The Ship of Theseus (which is a name my new computer totally deserves) now has a new monitor. Why does this matter to you? Because it means I'll be using a new built-in sound system for walrus judging. Everything except the unrelated peripherals are new and shiny, and I think I'm going to try and sync up my bluetooth headphones to it instead of using my Skullcandy Jibs. Will it make everything sound even better than before? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
Signups Status Report

After one week of open signups, we have:

15 contestants
9 full subs
0 partial subs
More Kongregators than MUers
Twice as many Smogonites as MUers
(Read: MU, sub to me!)

Signups are still open until the end of this week. Get your songs to me by or before the 14th![/i][/i]
 
I have extended signups to the 21st due to a minor injury that might serve as a distraction during judging. If you want to read more about it, head into Amy's Pinniped Emporium discord server. And if you haven't sent me your gaming sub, do so before the new deadline!
 
Two things:
1) We reached 20 contestants! Woo!
2) I didn't mention this before, but having already created a gaming playlist to add your gaming subs to means crosschecking for rules 3 and 4 includes checking said playlist to make sure it's not already there. If I haven't brought it up with you before logging your subs, then you're gucci.
 
Walrusception signups are officially closed! We're capping out at a nice, round 20!

Due to the unorthodox judging method being used for the first round, the first reveal is TBD with a general time frame of two weeks or so. An actual reveal date and time will be posted before then.
 
Round One: Getcher Game On Redux

Some of you may already know that I made a playlist to coincide with this round, built on the same judging criteria for the category (mainly that I don't like being bored while I try to grind a character to level X or desperately search for a pokemon when it seems like the spawn rate has suddenly shifted to 0%).
The playlist can be found here for anyone who's interested.
Some of the contestants' subs qualified for addition to the playlist and will be added in after the reveal.


This round's header is Frame Perfect by Falconshield.

19th Place
Submitted by termi
Score: 6.8

Let The Music (Use You) (Club Mix) by The Night Riders

There’s a nice driving rhythm in that bassline. Unfortunately, it’s got a repetitive xylophone hook and sudden noisemakers over it that are distracting and annoying me. It’d be a great song in most other situations, but it’s a swing and a miss for this category.
18th Place
Subbed by RB
Score: 7.3

Lost City-8466 by Adam Skorupa

A pleasant medieval slow jam isn’t what I’m looking for here.
17th Place
Submitted by Celever
Score: 7.7

Cloudy Room by The Twang

I may not be a speedrunner, but one thing I want in my playlist is a sense of speed. All the better to keep my energy from flagging while I’m on a grinding slog. And this doesn’t really get me what I want. The second half certainly picks up, but there’s some janky rhythm in the… idk if that’s the chorus or the pre-chorus. Either way, I don’t like how it slows down there.
16th Place
Submitted by Quas
Score: 7.9

I’ve Always Liked Grime by Mall Grab

What’s with the mumbling? Please tell me my hearing isn't going already...
15th Place
Submitted by catgode
Score: 8.0

ferrofluid - 64657363656E74 -the plummet- by DM DOKURO

The first three minutes are like a boss level from DJ Maniax. Then the bottom drops out of it and I’m free floating through space and wondering where my momentum went. This was promising.
14th Place
Submitted by Godot
Score: 8.1

Waltz For Venus by Kendall Miles & Mukashi

A promising attempt, but it falls short of making the cut for me. The instrumental gets too repetitive with multiple listens and the tempo’s a hair’s breadth slower than I’m looking for.
13th Place
Submitted by Earl
Score: 8.2

If I Was A Folkstar by The Avalanches

It’s chiller and a bit slower than the general pace of the playlist, but the field noises that seem to naturally flow in the backing are a nice touch. I know I keep saying I’ll eventually start a chill music playlist, but, uh… this time I actually did it. Congrats, Earl, you got onto a playlist, just not the one you were expecting.
Tied for 11th Place
Submitted by Adam
Score: 8.3

The Zephyr Song by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Of course an RHCP song would have a nice rhythm. Heck, I’ve got Can’t Stop and Dani California in the playlist. But what’s that soft screeching noise in the back half?
Tied for 11th Place
Submitted by Karma
Score: 8.3

Your Beard Is Good by Liquid Tension Experiment

Long song is long. Prog song is prog. Does that make it a good fit for the gaming playlist? Not quite. If there was some more zip to it, it’d be in the playlist. But a great prog song is still a prog song, and as with most prog songs, tempo is a variable rather than a constant here.
10th Place
Submitted by Bloody
Score: 8.4

Solar Flare by Hatsunetsumiko’s

Trainer used FUNKY GROOVE!

Your pokemon is still asleep… maybe try a Full Restore instead?
Tied for 8th Place
Submitted by Gravity Monkey
Score: 8.5

Perfume! by Fusq

This is pretty great. I wonder what that muttering sound is, though. A sample? My brain keeps telling me it sounds familiar.
Tied for 8th Place
Submitted by Moose
Score: 8.5

The Only Thing They Fear Is YOUUUU by pluffaduff

Good momentum and repeatability. But it’s got me thinking long and hard about where I should draw the line on bowdlerizing a shareable playlist. God forbid my brother has to ever explain to my niece what Superman’s been doing with those gardening tools.
7th Place
Submitted by MNIN
Score: 8.6

Offenbach Anthem by Cinthie

The layering keeps things interesting when the repetition could otherwise wear thin.
6th Place
Submitted by shub
Score: 8.7

Yes, We Have Made It to the Dungeon of Tropes by ensnare

Big YMO vibe. Kinda makes me wish I’d added Mad Pierrot or 1000 Knives to the playlist. Maybe I will after I add this.
5th Place
Submitted by Punchy
Score: 8.8

Touch-Tone Telephone by Lemon Demon

Despite my penchant for all things Mouth, I don’t have much familiarity with Cicierega’s Lemon Demon discography. I like how bouncy this is. The sfx seemed a little iffy at first, but this seems like it’d be a breath of fresh air in a playlist made for monotonous level grinding.
4th Place
Submitted by Lebossle
Score: 8.9

Invaders Must Die by The Prodigy

At first I thought the lyrics might jolt me out of the groove, but I’ve gone through a few repeats without any problems. I think this one deserves a spot on the playlist.
3rd Place
Submitted by nutella
Score: 9.0

The Key by Emancipator

Reminiscent of B.P. Empire era Infected Mushroom. Strikes a great balance. I want this in the playlist.
2nd Place
Submitted by ddlc
Score: 9.1

Kaibutsu by YOASOBI

Ooh, that’s some good rhythm. Even when they pull back to piano, the vocals maintain that momentum. This bop has the drive I’m looking for. Welcome to the playlist.
1st Place
Submitted by Salt
Score: 9.3

003: Haiyah! By DJ Perro

This has a good energy and tempo that matches well with the playlist. It’s also hitting the balance of the brief nicely and has a great level of repeatability to it. This is pretty much everything I asked for, including the parts I didn’t say out loud.

And our outro is When The Weak Go Marching In by Tatsuya Kitani.
 
ROUND 1 COMPLETE
Salt, ddlc, and nutella snag high scores. Congratulations to the aforementioned three, plus Punchy, Leb, and shub for getting their subs on the gaming playlist, and to Earl for kicking off a second playlist.

Next up is Pop, POP! We’ll pop off on Thursday the 30th at 4pm CDT (9pm UTC).
[NOTE: This date coincides with an MU mash game. Rescheduling may occur depending on circumstances.]


 
And when the last minute plans that caused the delay get delayed themselves, that's called delayception. We'll just have to wait until Tuesday the 12th.

I was hoping to get the miniwalrus done before Halloween, but that looks less likely now. Sorry about that.
 
Round Two: Pop, POP!

This round's header is Vogue by Madonna.

19th Place
Catfail - Failure to sub
Earl
Score: 0

We finally found PS2020 champion Earl’s one and only weakness: recollection of pop songs that aren’t Sexyback.
18th Place
Submitted by Godot
Score: 6.8

This Is The Life by Amy McDonald

This is the most indie sub I got this round. Which is by definition in opposition to what I was asking for. So I’ll leave you to guess how much of this robbery is catfit and how much of it is my attention span glazing over.
17th Place
Submitted by Salt
Score: 7.4

Fight Song by Rachel Platten

One of those songs that you’ve heard a million times except kinda not really, because it’s always sound bites and commercial clips. One of those “try the unabridged version” songs. Except the unabridged version is more of the same. At least it wasn’t chipmunked like in that mashup I judged in my first walrus.
16th Place
Submitted by Gravity Monkey
Score: 7.6

Into You by Ariana Grande

I think I might be too ace for this song. Maybe I’m robbing the hell out of it, but it’s just not clicking with me beyond enjoying the rhythm.
15th Place
Submitted by ddlc
Score: 8.3

The Nights by Avicii

Aw, come on, man, this isn’t the sad song cat. You don’t get bonus points for making the host cry.
14th Place
Submitted by Moose
Score: 8.4

90210 Resonance by Acrylo

This is what happened after I told him he couldn’t send me a mashup with my outro in it. No regrets? No regerts.
13th Place
Submitted by termi
Score: 8.5

So Happy I Could Die by Lady Gaga

I have some familiarity with Gaga, but not this song. I don’t know how else to phrase it, but this kinda sounds like a lesbian anthem. It’s pretty cool.
Tied for 11th Place
Submitted by catgode
Score: 8.6

Najnowszy Klip by Dawid Podsiadlo

This is catchy.
Tied for 11th Place
Submitted by Karma
Score: 8.6

You’ll Miss Me When I’m Not Around by Grimes

Not my first time judging Grimes. Not my first time enjoying Grimes, either.
Tied for 8th Place
Submitted by Adam
Score: 8.7

Because Of You by Kelly Clarkson



Yeah, I had to.
Tied for 8th Place
Submitted by MNIN
Score: 8.7

Passionfruit by Drake

What am I gonna do? Say no to this?
Tied for 8th Place
Submitted by Punchy
Score: 8.7

Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

Is anyone surprised Punchy sent me T-Swift? This is one of the big names in pop where I was expecting to get a few subs.
7th Place
Submitted by nutella
Score: 8.8

Oh No! by MARINA

Jokes about where she hid the diamonds aside, this song is a hell of a mood.
6th Place
Submitted by Celever
Score: 8.9

All About Tonight by Pixie Lott

This is the kind of sound I was expecting to get in this category.
Tied for 4th Place
Submitted by Lebossle
Score: 9.0

Marry The Night by Lady Gaga

Now this is a Gaga song I’m familiar with.
Tied for 4th Place
Submitted by RB
Score: 9.0

Madman Across The Water by Elton John

Ngl, I bumped it up by a fifth of a point once those strings kicked in. Even when I can hear palpable tension in Elton’s voice, the song is strangely kinda soothing.
3rd Place
Submitted by Bloody
Score: 9.1

LOSER by Kenshi Yonezu

What can I say? Otakus find a way. He worked within the confines I set and found me a Jpop artist who’s not on my Pandora… as of Sunday the 26th, when I wrote this writeup. Monday will probably be a different story.
2nd Place
Submitted by Quas
Score: 9.2

Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa

Yeah, surprise surprise, you sent me a song I fell in love with on The Masked Singer.
1st Place
Submitted by shub
Score: 9.4

Industry Baby by Lil Nas X ft Jack Harlow

Yeah, I watched the vid. I had a hard time not including the choreography in the score. I’m not supposed to judge by the video. And your competitors would have popped off if I gave a score that was more than 10.

And our outro is Blinding Lights by The Weeknd.[/QUOTE]
 
Time to blow this pop stand!
shub, Leb, and nutella are popping corks. But we’ve still got two rounds to go and anyone can pop into the lead at this point.

Next round is The Long Haul. We’ll settle in for a music marathon on Saturday the 23rd at 2pm CDT (7pm UTC). Heck, maybe 1 pm (6pm UTC). We’ll be there for a good while, after all.

 

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