Long Island Music Guy: August 2021

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Prog Contest Tournament of Champions: A Little Context

By the way, here is a little background info on each of the eight artists taking part in our Prog Rock Tournament of Champions:

Los Jaivas - A Chilean band that began recording in the early 1970s. Alturas de Machu Picchu was released in 1981. Sputnik lists them under the taglines of folk and progressive rock. Progarchives.com lists them as a progressive folk band that blends folk and symphonic prog.

T2 - A British band that released their classic, It All Works Out in Boomland in 1970. They broke up shortly thereafter, and briefly reformed in the 1990s. Sputnik lists them under the taglines of psychedelic, progressive rock and rock. Progarchives lists them as heavy prog.

McLuhan - An American band whose sole release, Anomaly, came in 1972. Sputnik lists them under the taglines of jazz and progressive rock, while Progarchives classifies them as jazz rock/fusion.

Landberk - A Swedish band who were active in 1990s. One Man Tells Another was released in 1994. Sputnik lists them under the tagline of progressive rock, and refers to them as a prog-art rock band. Progarchives.com classifies them as heavy prog.

Universal Totem Orchestra - An Italian band that began recording in 1999. Mathematical Mother, their third (and most recent) album, was released in 2016. Sputnik classifies them under their the taglines of progressive rock, jazz and classical (the last possibly due to their operatic female lead vocals). Progarchives.com lists them as Zuehl.

Carmen - A British-American band active in the 1970s. Fandangos in Space, their debut album, was released in 1973. Sputnik classifies them under the taglines progressive rock, folk and hard rock. It describes their style as a mix of flamenco music and dance. Progarchives lists them as a prog folk band.

Wobbler - A Norwegian band that began recording in 2005 and is still active. From Silence to Somewhere was released in 2017. Sputnik lists them under the tagline of progressive rock. Progarchives refers to them as a symphonic prog band.

Regal Worm - A British band that began recording in 2013. Pig Views, their most recent LP, was released in 2018. Sputnik lists them under the taglines of psychedelic and progressive rock. Progarchives lists them under the category of crossover prog.

So there you have your program for the Prog Rock Tournament of Champions.

Prog Contest Tournament of Champions - Round 1 (Quarterfinals)

Well, I'm afraid my title has given away the surprise, but there you have it. Our friend Friday is going out with a bang. As this year was intended to be his last obscure prog rock tournament, and as it was his eighth one, he decided to end his reign with one last challenge, this time pitting the eight winners of his previous contests against one another. (Actually, his tournament from year 2 was technically an obscure psychedelic rock tournament, but close enough, right?) This one is sort of like the last book of The Hunger Games series, except that we'll probably actually complete the contest instead of kidnapping and executing Friday.

In Round 1, which is actually the quarterfinals, we were asked to vote in vote separate matches, featuring his Year 1 champion against his Year 2 champion, his Year 3 champion against his Year 4 champion, etc.

So play along with us if you like. We have plenty of time this time, as the voting for this round doesn't happen for 3 weeks.

Here are the matchups:

Los Jaivas
Alturas de Machu Picchu

"The mistic atmosphere, the lyrics, and the original sound, fusion of prog and folk andean music." -MrSirLordGentleman

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsb-X0J-7Mk&list=PLnJDCrKyKvbaCOckudTHzlfxVWcCjRZks&ab_channel=LosJaivas-

vs.

T2
It'll All Work Out in Boomland

"Rocks hard, psychs hard, even progs a bit with some really beautiful moments scattered throughout" -MeatSalad

Youtube: https://youtu.be/I1cKMIfcumg

McLuhan
Anomaly

"gigantic sleeper...very Crimson-esque" -gagnonov

youtube: https://youtu.be/7AJ0A_VKgig

vs.

Landberk
One Man Tells Another

"Album is about dark atmospheres. The music is soaked through in melancholy and sadness with an overpowering sense of beauty." - Jethro42

Link: https://musicmp3.ru/artist_landberk__album_one-man-tells-another.html#.Vs8wckn2a1s

Universal Totem Orchestra
Mathematical Mother

"The 3rd outing from this adventurous Italian band delivers a sleek, dark sound characterized by sensitive operatic vocals, sprinklings of funky fusion, and miles upon miles of rock-solid, infectious groove. Ambient segues recalling Dead Can Dance (Elogio del Dubbio) fuse seamlessly with Zeuhl-like flights of rhythmic fury and atmospheric jazzy passages. The wildly varied whirlwind of an opener is worth the price of admission alone and the playful album centerpiece "Architettura Dell'Acqua" is every bit as jam-packed with expansive, symphonic Orffian bombast as any of the territory covered on Mekanïk Destruktïẁ Kommandöh. That is not to say, however, that any of the other songs should be skipped! If operatic vocals are not an immediate deterrent (I find them to be tastefully employed here), UTO’s creative arrangements and superb instrumental interplay are bound to leave you floored." - bnelso55

Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzGnLbB9RSopCK_kDtjBDF90aU2sYNkvI

vs.

Carmen
Fandangos in Space

"A fun mix of flamenco and progressive rock filled with exciting tales of gypsies and bullfights, this is a record which really deserves more attention from people." - Sharktooth

youtube: https://youtu.be/9nIP_WlCdtM

Wobbler
From Silence to Somewhere

"Seen by many prog fans as a modern classic of the genre, Wobbler's latest record is one of the few modern album that does justice to the genre's older 70's sound. Great production and excellent instrumentation make for a thrilling, energetic and infectious sound that drags only a little bit in very few parts of the record." - MrSirLordGentleman

Youtube: https://youtu.be/j2W_UAIqwbk

vs.

Regal Worm
Pig Views

"Modern prog band featuring a multi-instrumentalist experimenting avant gardist music. Band is injecting Medieval and psychedelic touches in their weird kind of prog that contains start and stop patterns and eccentric turns. Alternance of punchy and pastoral ambiences give tonus to the mix. It's generally sophisticated and simple in the same time. It's really melodic, and vocals serve as an instrument. Good use of mellotrons, organs and many more keys and synths. Kinda Beck on acid, making prog." - Jethro42

On Bandcamp: https://regalworm.bandcamp.com/album/pig-views
[also on Spotify]

I'm already somewhat familiar with six of the eight contestants, as I have participated in the last four prog tournaments, and I went back on my own at one point and replayed the first two. So only the McLuhan and the Landberk albums are unknown to me.

Nevertheless, I'll be going back and giving them each at least one more listen, especially as we have three weeks to do so. I've already listened again to the Los Jaivas and the T2, and I'm definitely going to have to listen to each of them again - they're two very different LPs, and upon my first listen, it was much too close to call.

So take your time, give them each a listen, and think about which of these eight fine albums you would choose as your ultimate album.

I'll be back in three weeks to give you the results of this semi-final round. I'll also be back soon to tell you about the August Song of the Day contest. And one of these days, hopefully in the pretty near future, I'll also be back with the next installment of the My Favorite Artist series with my writeup about The Go-Go's.

See you soon.

Monday, August 16, 2021

Prog Contest 2021: Final Round - Results

It was an extraordinary contest, so it only makes sense it would end with an extraordinary result. Having failed to whittle the field down to two in the semi-finals, our friend Friday did the only thing he could - he asked us to each rank our finalists, Jordsjo, Yolk, Hermann Szobel and Regal Worm, from 1 to 4. The hope was that this would produce one clear winner.

This gave me two problems. I knew that my two favorites were Regal Worm and Jordsjo, but even this late in the contest, I still wasn't sure which of the two I preferred. Likewise, I wasn't really sure whether who I liked better between the Yolk and Hermann Szobel LPs. I had no choice but to give them each an extra listen.

In the end, in spite of that sweet, sweet flute, I decided to go with the craftsmanship of the Regal Worm album. As for the others, while there was much I admired in the Hermann Szobel project, there was also just a little bit too much harshness for my taste. My final vote was:

1. Regal Worm
2. Jordsjo
3. Yolk
4. Hermann Szobel

As the votes came in, the lead seemed to go back and forth. At first, it appeared that Regal Worm had it wrapped up. Then a late run seemed to put Jordsjo in the lead. Several of us tried to keep a running count, but it was so confusing that we each came up with different numbers.

In the end, there was no choice but to wait for Friday's official count. Fittingly enough, on Friday the 13th, our friend Friday 13th gave us the final results. In the man's own words:

The votes are in. Unfortunately, the 1,395,308 last minute RYM pm ballots for Syzygy were held void in the Supreme Court of Prog. All of RYM is in tears. Here is the final tally: REGAL WORM: 52 votes - Jordsjo: 48 votes - Yolk: 46 votes - Hermann Szobel: 44 votes. The true winner is Regal Worm - Pig Views! Congrats Jethro for the second win in this tournament series. Feel free to rave about your personal favorites from the tourney, vent about the state of prog, etc. Is this Friday the 13th of August, 2021 the true end, or only the beginning?

So it was official. Regal Worm was the winner, and Jethro 42, the User who had recommended it, became only the second ever User to win the Obscure Prog Rock Tournament twice (tying MySirLordGentleman). Our prog contest, the last ever, was done.

But just as we all prepared to end our prog rock explorations for the year, our friend Friday had one last surprise for us!

Tune in tomorrow, and I'll tell you all about it.

Friday, August 13, 2021

Prog Contest 2021: The Final Round

In the end, the only fair thing to do was pass all four albums on to the finals, and allow people to vote by ranking them from 1 to 4 in order of preference. The hope is that this will break the tie (although of course, there's no guarantee of this).

So once again, our participants for the finals are:

Jordsjo - Nattsfiolen

"A sweet piece of bingeable Norweigen prog. Replete with synth and flute there’s no hiding the influence of Jethro Tull, but it’s truest ancestry lies in the melodicism of early Camel and Swedish instrumentalist Bo Hansson. For me, good prog tricks the listener into feeling like he’s hearing something playful but familiar while still pushing the experimental boundaries and Nattfiolen is one of the finest examples of that in recent memory. Headphones are the only way to listen, as some of the stereo effects really bring the fairy tale to life." - Inoculaeted

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/54Ooribd5hSPdl2keRxLBT

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qPeIJkyf84

Yolk - Solar

"Incredible fluid layering of sounds with a tricked-out, almost krautrock approach to rhythm. Playful vocals and vibrant atmosphere, whole thing sounds like a wonky prog forest. And they keep it tight, under 40 minutes long, praise be." - porcupinetheater

Bandcamp: https://yolkmusic.bandcamp.com/album/solar

Hermann Szobel - Szobel

"Child prodigy Hermann Szobel composed and produced one album at the age of 18 before he disappeared from the music world completely. The album has a Frank Zappa vibe, with emphasis on piano (Szobel's instrument), percussion, and vibraphone. It was obscure even when it was released in the 70s, but a 2012 reissue has given us a second chance to enjoy it." - TwigTW

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2VUcwcNH6YbFCPfntYcYdG?si=iBz1ZcHoRta7TNbKOWMizg

youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWb59xaXahQpnZs7AjlHhCQ

Regal Worm - Pig Views

"Modern prog band featuring a multi-instrumentalist experimenting avant gardist music. Band is injecting Medieval and psychedelic touches in their weird kind of prog that contains start and stop patterns and eccentric turns. Alternance of punchy and pastoral ambiences give tonus to the mix. It's generally sophisticated and simple in the same time. It's really melodic, and vocals serve as an instrument. Good use of mellotrons, organs and many more keys and synths. Kinda Beck on acid, making prog." - Jethro42

On Bandcamp: https://regalworm.bandcamp.com/album/pig-views
[also on Spotify]

What a crazy tournament!

Prog Contest 2021: The Semi-Final Round - Results(????)

Sorry I'm late with this again. Truth is 1. I've been ridiculously busy, both with work and with a variety of home challenges, and also 2. I've been sick again this week, enough so that I thought I might have to go back into the hospital (this time with either a stone of some kind, or a diverticulitis situation on my left side.) But I've been drinking massive amounts of fluid, and while it's not completely gone, it's way, way better, to the point where I think I'm going to be able to go without going to the doctor.

Aging sucks.

Anyway, back to our contest, which featured Jordsjo against Yolk and Hermann Szobel against Regal Worm.

This was an easy choice for me, as I strongly preferred the Jordsjo over the Yolk and the Regal Worm over the Hermann Szobel (to the point where I felt fine voting this round without giving any of the albums another listen.)

However, it wasn't such an easy choice for everyone. Or maybe it was, but the choices were very different for the various Users who voters.

Both contests went back and forth, and in each contest, neither LP ever got more than two votes ahead of its competition.

In the end, when the smoke cleared, the votes (improbably enough) were:

Jordsjo 19 votes vs. Yolk 19 votes; and Hermann Szobel 19 votes vs. Regal Worm 19 votes. We had TWO DEAD TIES!

A number of solutions were suggested, some serious and some silly, including getting a guest voter to break the tie, inviting one of the site moderators to break the tie, and album-art competition and even an air guitar competition.

In the end, our friend Friday made the only really practical choice. See my next post for the set-up of the tournament finals.

Friday, August 6, 2021

Prog Contest 2021: The Semi-Final Round

We're really getting down to the nitty gritty now - the Final Four.

For this round, Friday went back to the traditional format of matching one album against another. And the pairings are:

Jordsjo - Nattsfiolen

vs.

Yolk - Solar

and

Hermann Szobel - Szobel

vs.

Regal Worm - Pig Views

Because we should have all heard all four of these beauties multiple times by now, this time, the voting ends on Monday.

Who would you vote for? I'll let you know who I voted for and who actually wins and moves on to the finals, in a few days. Ciao!

Prog Contest 2021 Round Two: The Quarterfinals - Results

So, as I said in my last post, the rules of this round were very different than they were in the first round of the tournament, and also in any of Friday's previous prog rock tournaments. Instead of voting on individual matchups, I had to vote on my overall top four albums our of the remaining ten.

This was a hard choice. I was always going to vote the Procol Harum first - I rec'd it because I love it, and it's the only album in the competition that I've rated a 4 out 5. (Having said that, I'm it's not going to win the competition, and it's going to have a pretty hard time just surviving this round. And it would have had a hard time surviving a direct Jordsjo matchup as well - I can tell, based on the comment and the overall tastes of my fellow competitors.)

But for now, the only thing I could control was my own vote. So Procol was going to be first. And choosing the other three albums wasn't going to be easy. I had four albums I'd rated 3.5 out of 5 in the first round, and only 3 spots for them. I needed to relisten to them all in order to make a decision.

Going into the relisten, I was leaning towards rating Jordsojo the highest, with Regal Worm close behind. I was also leaning towards voting for Ibio over Pendragon for the last remaining slot.

After listening to the four albums again, though, I changed my mind. Here was my actual vote:

I make no promises that these will be in the same order in any future rounds. This was really hard. But here's my vote for this round.

1. Procol Harum
2. Regal Worm
3. Jordsjo
4. Pendragon

It broke my heart not to be able to squeeze in a vote for Ibio as well.

In fact, I liked the Pendragon so much on the last listen that I almost considered moving it up one spot or even two.

The voting was up and down. It soon became clear which albums were going to claim the top three spots, and Procol wasn't one of them. Much to my surprise, though, initially, it was in the midst of a tough competition for the fourth and final spot in the Final Four.

It wasn't to be, though. Here were the final voting totals for the top four, per our friend Friday:

1. Regal Worm - 33 points
2. Jordsjo - 28 points
3. Hermann Szobel - 25 points
4. Yolk - 23 points

The unofficial final count (per my own tally) was:

Regal Worm 33

Jordsjo 28

Hermann Szobel 25

Yolk 23

Quiet Sun 17

Seru Giran 15

Procol Harum 13

Pendragon 12

Kollektiv 12

Ibio 2

Honestly, I was surprised Pendragon fared so poorly, after getting off to a quick start in the voting. And I was saddened that Ibio got hardly any votes, as I had very nearly included it in my own top four.

So yes, our survivors who move on to the semi-finals are Regal Worm, Jorsjo, Hermann Szobel and Yolk.

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Prog Contest 2021 Round Two: The Quarterfinals

Our friend Friday, out of necessity, threw us a curveball this year. In the past, this round has continued the tradition of matching two LPs against one another. However, because this is apparently his last contest, this year, Friday had a dilemma as the result of having allowed 20 participants instead of the usual 16. So this time, the old rules went out the window.

Here were Friday's instructions for us:

This Elimination Round will be different. I want you to give me (in one single comment that makes clear you are voting) your top 4 ranking out of these ten. So if Procol Harum was your favorite, followed by Jordsjo, Pendragon, and Seru Giran, you would say "1. Procol Harum, 2. Jordsjo, 3. Pendragon, and 4. Seru Giran." I will weight the number 1 spot over number 2, etc.

Voting ends next Thursday, August 5th.

So where I had expected my Procol Harum album (which won the first first-round matchup) to be matched directly against the Jordsjo LP (which was the winner of the second first-round matchup), instead we got a free for all.

Here were the ten survivors from the first round:

Procol Harum
Live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

"This was Procol's best selling album ever. The pluses include live performances of some of Procol's proggiest material ever, including their 19-minute opus classic 'In Held 'Twas in I', and the acknowledged best version of their song "Conquistador" (much better than the studio version on their first album). The LP is also historic as being one of the earliest collaborations between a symphony orchestra and a rock band. The only real minus in that their great guitarist Robin Trower was no longer with them, and organist Matthew Fisher had also long since left the band. But Dave Ball and Chris Copping do a fine job in their place, and Procol lyricist Keith Reid makes an appearance on 'In Held 'Twas in I' during the spoken interlude that begins, 'Held close by that which some despise'. Overall, this was one of the classic live albums of the 1970s, and a highlight the career of one of my favorite bands." - Divaman

Youtube playlist [album only first 5 tracks]: https://tinyurl.com/vdw69bex

Jordsjo

Nattfiolen

"A sweet piece of bingeable Norweigen prog. Replete with synth and flute there’s no hiding the influence of Jethro Tull, but it’s truest ancestry lies in the melodicism of early Camel and Swedish instrumentalist Bo Hansson. For me, good prog tricks the listener into feeling like he’s hearing something playful but familiar while still pushing the experimental boundaries and Nattfiolen is one of the finest examples of that in recent memory. Headphones are the only way to listen, as some of the stereo effects really bring the fairy tale to life." - Inoculaeted

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/54Ooribd5hSPdl2keRxLBT

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qPeIJkyf84

Pendragon
Love Over Fear

"A neo-prog gem from one of the most underrated bands in the entire genre who’ve been at it for decades.
Is it a tad cheesy, a bit over produced and lacking a certain something? Yes but I’ll be buggered if it’s not one of the greatest albums of the last few years." - zakalwe

Bandcamp" https://pendragon3.bandcamp.com/album/love-over-fear

Seru Giran
La Grasa de las Capitales

"One of the many projects by Charly Garcia, one of the biggest names in latin rock. La Grasa de las Capitales is a slow, bluesy prog album with what feels to me like a very nocturnal and urban vibe. Also a lot of jazz fusion into it, and your classic argentinian vocals!" - MrSirLordGentleman

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm6Qzilw5Cs&ab_channel=Ser%C3%BAGir%C3%A1n

Yolk
Solar

"Incredible fluid layering of sounds with a tricked-out, almost krautrock approach to rhythm. Playful vocals and vibrant atmosphere, whole thing sounds like a wonky prog forest. And they keep it tight, under 40 minutes long, praise be." - porcupinetheater

Bandcamp: https://yolkmusic.bandcamp.com/album/solar

Hermann Szobel
Szobel

"Child prodigy Hermann Szobel composed and produced one album at the age of 18 before he disappeared from the music world completely. The album has a Frank Zappa vibe, with emphasis on piano (Szobel's instrument), percussion, and vibraphone. It was obscure even when it was released in the 70s, but a 2012 reissue has given us a second chance to enjoy it." - TwigTW

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2VUcwcNH6YbFCPfntYcYdG?si=iBz1ZcHoRta7TNbKOWMizg

youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWb59xaXahQpnZs7AjlHhCQ

Ibio
Cuevas De Altamira

"Really cool 70s release, blending in spanish folk music and progressive rock which works astonishingly well. There are great compositions on here and I didn't know before that prog sounded so sweet with the spanish language." - farmerobama

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7JHzOcKxQZVRAeAHIHjjSn?si=A8sjXPI8S7uFUpY7bEtLkw&utm_source=copy-link

Quiet Sun
Mainstream

"I love the Canterbury prog style. As a real contestant for the first time, and it seems the last too, I needed to choose one of its albums and Mainstream is one of the best albums to that of the '70s. I love the album and Manzanera guitar style." - TheIntruder

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6WUzJONHD1qkuMhbqJfgsD?autoplay=true
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQsmzpFVXkM

Kollektiv
Kollektiv

"Jazzy krautrock mit flute. More effects pedals than your Dad's favourite band. Viele spass fur alles. 2 votes just doesn't cut it. This write-up is short, but this album is long." - MiloRuggles

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4YXHLIh6mo

So we'll see how it goes. As I write this it's now Wednesday, and the voting is scheduled to end at the end of the day on Thursday. So this will give us out final four.

I'll be back to tell you who I voted for and how it all worked out in a couple of days.

Prog Contest 2021: Round 1 Match 10 Results

Oh crap, I didn't realize that I forgot to post this last week! Sorry guys! (They say the mind is the first thing to go, and they might be right. Damn the bastards!)

This one was close for a little while, before the eventual winner pulled away in a late landslide.

Here's what I had to say:

Might be just me this year, or the fact that the first round is longer than usual, but I'm not feeling a lot of these albums as much as I usually do. In any event:

The Collegium Musicum album really isn't my style. I already mentioned that I didn't like a lot of the way they used the keyboards throughout (and I usually love keyboards) - for example, the harsh, church organ part. I also wasn't thrilled with the vocalist. There were little flourishes here and there that I enjoyed, but by and large, this LP just wasn't for me.

The Kollektiv LP also had long passages that went right by me. (There is a lot of jazz in both of these albums.) But it felt more varied. (In this case, the extra length might have actually helped.) And I liked a lot of the little flute flourishes. I also liked some of the Allman-Brothers-sounding guitar parts on the track at about the 54-minute mark. On the whole, I enjoyed it more.

So my vote goes to Kollektiv.

Apparently the majority of my fellow participants agreed with me.

Final Result: Collegium Musicum 5, Kollektiv 12.

July 2021 Song of the Day

This was kind of a weird month for SOTD. On the one hand, I can at least provide you with a full YouTube playlist for the month, whereas last month, due to the theme, I was only able to link about two thirds of the songs in the playlist. On the other hand, the level of participation was a little disappointing for July. I'm not sure if this had to do with month's theme and most Users' reaction to it -- more on that later -- or if it was simply a function of the fact that the month was July, and a lot of our normal participants were away and/or otherwise occupied.

Anyway, for new readers, this blog entry refers to the monthly Song of the Day list on the Sputnik Music website. Each month, one User hosts the list and names a theme. Everyone then recommends songs in line with this theme, and people rate the various song recommendations. The list of July songs can be found at Sputnik Music Song of the Day - July 2021.

1. The theme for the month was Overlooked/Underrated Soundtrack Compositions. It was a good theme. (I think so, anyway.) But weirdly, maybe because it's a generational thing (most Sputnik Users are young 20-somethings, or sometimes even younger), or maybe because the Host set the tone with by opening the month with one, the vast majority of Users decided to rec a videogame soundtrack. This led to a number of comments by the end of month about how tired people were of videogame music, and I think it at least contributed to the lower participation this month.

2. Because of the lower participation, I got to make two recs this month. The first was a track called "Charly the Kid" from Tangerine Dream's wonderful Firestarter soundtrack (which I've reviewed here previously). This one nearly won the month, but was nudged out on the very last day. (Sigh.) The second was a little gem called "Dig", a track performed by The Who on Pete Townshend's LP The Iron Man: The Musical. (This might have been cheating a little bit, as this was a soundtrack to a film/show that was never actually made, but whatever. I love this song and really wanted to give it some exposure, and it was close enough to fulfilling the theme requirements to get away with.) Both tracks were well received, and all the more so because they were two of the only songs rec'd for the month that weren't from videogame soundtracks. Tangerine Dream - Charly the Kid; The Who - Dig.

3. My highest rated song for the month was a track from Angelo Badalamenti's classic soundtrack for the original Twin Peaks television show, "Audrey's Dance". Angelo Badalamenti - Audrey's Dance.

4. And amazingly enough, I picked a winner for once, as the highest rated song for the month was also "Audrey's Dance". But even when I win, I lose, as A. "Audrey's Dance" barely beat out "Charley the Kid" to win the month, and B. What really hurts is that by the end of the month, participation had gotten so low that only 4 Users bothered to rate this song. (And I was one of them, so my own high score actually contributed to my own defeat.) Even "Charly the Kid", which was featured on the 8th day of the month, was only rated by 7 Users. (And in fact the highest participation we ever got in July was 9 Users for the first two days of the month.) Now participation is always heavier for the first few days of the month than for later on, but 4 ratings in pretty bad. Is interest in SOTD winding down? I hope not, but maybe. We'll see. Angelo Badalamenti - Audrey's Dance

5. Here's the full playlist for the month, a total of 33 songs (which includes two bonus tracks). July 2021 Song of the Day YouTube Playlist

See you guys next month.