walnut
Hey hey, nut's my name and wal's my game. Send me cool music thingz.
Gonna do pretty standardish scoring with 0.5 unfamiliarity bonus cause I wanna hear new stuff. Take a peek at my lastfm and rym pages for an idea of what I know and like though note these are not near exhaustive records; also here's some past walrus judging I've done: my full walrus on the syndicate in fall 2019, co-judged minirus with dobby in early 2020, and my category of the MU Olympics walrus. No strict banlist, but for unfamiliarity points I do recommend generally avoiding my all-time top listened to artists (as well as those used in the examples for each category, although those are not necessarily all artists whose full discographies I'm as familiar with). (Also sorry there are so many examples I may have had too much fun doing my own walrus while putting it together lol)
Open to basically all genres, some I may like more than others in general but there's a whole lot of cool stuff out there of all kinds and I wanna hear what you gotttttt. Much like with food, I am happy to try anything.
Speaking of food, allow me to indulge in a bit of fun with a theme here.
Come be my waitress and serve me tonight
Serve me the sky with a big slice of lemon
- The National, "The Geese of Beverly Road"
I'm sitting down for an exquisite multi-course meal and I have varying sensory expectations for each piece. Serve me up a fine selection of musical dishes according to the progression of courses and tasting notes specified below. Bon appetit!
1. Amuse-Bouche
An amuse-bouche serves to excite the palate. I want you to excite my ears with some trippy soundscapes. Give me your beeps, your boops, your fuzzy textures yearning to glitch free. My ears want to be fully engrossed in compelling noises, beats, shapes, patterns, textures, abstract sculptures of sound. A surprising range of [sub]genres can hit this sweet spot, but most on-the-nose examples are some flavor of electronica.
Tasting notes: crisp, percussive, glitchy, crackly, trippy, textured, clicks, bubbly, crunchy, asmr
Pairings: prosecco or other sparkling beverages, tart berries, sharp cheeses, salty crackers, poprocks
Samples:
Flying Lotus - Melt!
múm - Scratched Bicycle/Smell Memory
trentemøller - Take Me Into Your Skin
The Glitch Mob - Fistful of Silence
Four Tet - sleep, eat food, have visions
2. Bread and Butter
What's better than freshly baked bread? The warm scent that brings you cozy memories of a home kitchen, tearing open the crust to get to the soft, fluffy interior... makes you just want to climb inside and take a nap. Send a song that brings you comfort, or makes you nostalgic for your childhood or an earlier time -- whether it's something tied to a specific sentimental memory, or associated with an unrealized daydream you long for, or simply is a song that you've been intimately familiar with since you were young and holds a special place in your heart. I obviously can't really judge catfit on this one since it's subjective and based on your experience -- hope I don't hurt too many feelings with robs.On that note, I might as well say $%#! it with anonymity for this cat and allow you to send in a writeup that contextualizes your personal connection to the song, so do that if you like.
Tasting notes: warm, sentimental, nostalgic, comforting, familiar, cozy, soft
Pairings: :joy_butter:, fresh herbs, roasted garlic, flaky sea salt, extra-virgin olive oil
Samples:
Paul Simon - The Obvious Child
Aaron Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man
Michael Giacchino - There's No Place Like Home
Keali'i Reichel - Ka Nohona Pili Kai
Passion Pit - Where We Belong
3. Salad
The key to a perfect salad is getting the right balance of ingredients -- the most satisfying combination of different flavors and textures. Serve me up a piece that prominently features elements of musical balance or harmony. This is a fairly open-ended category and has a lot of room for interpretation; lots of things will work here, from your standard well-executed vocal harmonies, to instrumental pieces with a strong interplay between parts/voices. In addition to typical harmony, I'll accept anything that creatively layers different parts on top of one another, makes use of counterpoint or call-and-response, contains polyrhythmic sections, or even something that has a prominent stereophonic/panning effect.
Tasting notes: balance, harmony, contrast, layered, diverse, dialogue, counterpoint, polyrhythmic, multiplicity, complexity, intermixing
Pairings: garlic, lemon, aged parmesan, freshly ground black pepper
Samples:
Darlingside - Go Back (vocal harmony)
Tall Heights - Man of Stone (vocal harmony)
The Front Bottoms - Flashlight (layering - in final minute)
Simon & Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair / Canticle (counterpoint)
Bobby McFerrin - Circlesong Three (counterpoint/polyrhythm)
Neat Beats - Une main dans la rue (stereophonic)
4. Soup
This course should be immersive and deep. I want to be fully submerged into an auditory ocean, encompassed by a thick darkness. Ideally this creates a haunting or suspenseful atmosphere. Things like "darkwave" or the general vicinity of post-rock or atmospheric black metal are particularly likely to do well here (though note that I generally dislike growly or screamy vocals), but plenty of other genres offer material that will work.
Tasting notes: full-bodied, dark, haunting, immersive, deep, heavy, bass, spooky, overwhelming, fuzzy, atmospheric
Pairings: Malbec or Chianti, stout beer, dark chocolate, black truffle
Samples:
Esben and the Witch - The Jungle
Mt. Wolf - The Electric (mostly the last 2 minutes)
Have A Nice Life - Bloodhail
Circuit des Yeux - Black Fly
alt-J - Adeline
5. Entrée
The previous courses have been preparing my tastebuds, building up the hype. For the main course, I want something that builds up to an exciting, bombastic climax, ideally with a sense of emotional intensity. Many of my favorite tracks are ones that maybe start off more slowly or calmly but gradually lead into a big satisfying climactic section where all the sounds/instruments/melodies come together and burst with epic, triumphant, eargasmic energy. (Yes I'm sorry the term eargasm is cringe af but it makes some sense for the songs that hit this particular quality for me lol.) Draw me in and reward me with a dramatic explosion of sound.
Tasting notes: hype, symphonic, buildup, bursting, explosive, crescendo, transcendent, bombastic
Pairings: espresso, hot curry, juicy red meat, soup dumplings, jalapeño poppers, fruit gushers
Samples:
Hey Marseilles - Calabasas
The Family Crest - The Mighty Echo
Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings
Daft Punk - Contact
Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War
6. Dessert
It's time for a bit of a palate shift -- replace the savory aftertaste of your meal with an indulgent dessert. This is another fairly vague and subjective ~vibes~ category; basically I want something "melt in your mouth" smooth and luscious. Songs with this quality may be sensually evocative or transport the listener to a dreamy bliss; to give more of an idea of what I'm looking for in musical terms, think flowing or legato (rather than choppy or percussive, though some percussive components can work if they flow well); a buttery-smooth, continuous and soothing blanket of sound.
Tasting notes: sweet, creamy, rich, smooth, silky, lush, luscious, indulgent, buttery, sensual, sexy, flowing, dreamy
Pairings: sherry, port, fresh fruit, whipped cream, custard, chocolate ganache
Samples:
Kelela - Better
Glass Animals - Hazey
Vancouver Sleep Clinic - Letting Go
Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams
Yaeji - Passionfruit
7. Cheese Plate
Yes, in some European traditions it is standard to serve cheese after dessert. We're going full pretentious here. The thing with cheese is there are endless varieties of it, and like with wine, snobs just love to attempt to describe them with tasting notes and vague descriptors. But to really appreciate cheese, you must simply taste it yourself. For this category, send me something that defies categorization. Something that transcends the bounds of "genre" and that you find hard to describe to someone beyond "you just gotta hear this." Alternatively, you could sub something that expanded your horizons -- that gateway drug song that got you into a genre you hadn't previously explored.
Tasting notes: innovative, sophisticated, multifaceted, ineffable, transcendent, unique, exquisite, foreign, experimental, fusion
Pairings: cured meats, fruit preserves, white wine, honey, roasted nuts
Samples:
Hugo Kant - Koka
Zeal & Ardor - Devil is Fine
Diablo Swing Orchestra - Justice For Saint Mary
Death Grips - Takyon
Public Service Broadcasting - Gagarin
8. Nightcap
Finish off the meal with a beverage -- maybe an alcoholic one, maybe a velvety decaf cappuccino, or perhaps a calming tea is more your speed. In any case, this is a chance to wind down for the night and let yourself relax. Send me a track I can just chill out to.
Tasting notes: smooth, calm, restful, relaxing, chill, contemplative, peaceful, atmospheric
Pairings: brandy, Irish cream, chamomile tea, warm milk
Samples:
Eroded Sky - Fusion
Lights & Motion - Glaciers
Cloudkicker - Let Yourself Be Huge
Joe Hisaishi - One Summer's Day
Sigur Rós - Fljótavík
OPTIONAL BONUS: And finally, a wafer-thin mint!
Perhaps you wish to cleanse your palate after all that rich food -- a simple breathmint would serve nicely. This is essentially an optional free cat; send me something that you really like that leaves a good taste in your mouth but didn't quite fit for my other prompts. If you choose to submit, I will replace your lowest score from the previous categories with this one.
Tasting notes: refreshing, cleansing, pure, cool, satisfying
Aaaaand that's it, good luck and itadakimaaaaasu
tagging the gang:
@112
@3cheersforidiots
@Ace Marvel
@Adam
@Ampharos
@Beck
@birdwithteeth11
@BLOODYRAIN10001
@Boomslang
@catgode
@cayvie
@Cuthalion
@Da Letter El
@dunya
@Egix96
@Esooa
@Evenstar
@fluffy rabbit / @iaafr
@gbsfranca
@Guillotina
@Hally
@hollowkatt
@ignoramus
@JaggedJimmyJay
@Jockmcplop
@jumpluff
@Keldeo
@KnightsofCydonia
@ladd
@leetic
@Logic
@LordQuas
@Macdougall
@Manasi
@Marcher Jovian
@marmot
@Mistyx
@MyNameIsNothing
@Newcomb
@ondine
@Owner Of A Lonely Heart
@Panini
@Ranmilia
@Roman
@roro__b
@schadd
@Shad
@shubaka17
@silmarils
@Sloonei
@soah
@staypositivefriend
@Sunbae
@Syn
@Tangrowth
@Timsup2nothin
@tonystarkprime
@vanity.
@Visorslash
@Wisdom
@Zack
No participant cap for now (hello 50+ tags whooooops), but I may ask to hold off on alt subs to prioritize giving as many different people a chance to join as possible. Looking at a deadline of Sunday April 4th, will see how it goes and adjust if needed, if you really need an extension let me know. I'll do my best to anonymize subs while listening/until reveals, so please submit with unlabeled links only by PM here on site or on Discord to nutella#2792 (if on discord please use < > or ``` around urls to prevent embedding spoilers).
I'm unofficially dedicating this walrus to the memory of @Oddye, also known as Turnip Head, a beautiful soul who sadly passed last month. They had truly incredible taste in music and loved participating in walri on the Syndicate; I have them to thank for quite a few favorites. Love you TH.
SUBBED:
- Guillotina
- SchizoAffected
- Ampharos
- hollowkatt
- Ace Marvel
- KnightsofCydonia
- Macdougall
- vanity.
- Godot
- KarmaDope
- Shad
- Made
- Sloonei
- MyNameIsNothing
- Keldeo
- Zack
- Sunbae
- schadd
- shubaka17
- LordQuas
- Tangrowth
- Viggorous
- Schiavetto
- roro__b
- Moose
- ignoramus
- Visorslash
- Esooa
- staypositivefriend
- Logic
- soah
- Ranmilia
- Owner Of A Lonely Heart
- Adam
- Marcher Jovian
- BLOODYRAIN10001
- Newcomb
- Sentenza
- gbsfranca
Quote
Originally Posted by Chemist1422
