Leaderboard

Source writing that I recognized arrived at :53.5. The orchestration definitely feels last-minute in the sense that its way in the uncanny valley (the attacks and sustains), but it's at least more of a supportive element to add color than sound realistic. A swelling transition leads to impactful beats joining in at 2:54 as things ramp up with the strings also filling a stronger, more critical role before things finally rock out at 3:41. Now the mixing feels too cluttered and messy, and the sequenced strings are swallowed up, while the guitar chugs also sound relatively indistinct. The bassline is also mostly obscured too, but when it pushes through enough, the writing is good. Unlike prophetik, I couldn't hear the individual elements well. Lots of splashy noise until the soundscape opened back up at 5:19 for the last few moments, nicely bookending the finish with a similar texture to the start. The performances are strong, love the arrangement, can look past the exposed strings, can't countenance the extended muck & murk for a minute and a half. Wish I could make an exception for Wes, but I'm mean, old, and (most importantly) even-handed. :-D NO (resubmit)