Survival Of The Fittest

Hello, everyone. I bid you all Dark Greetings!

Somehow or other I ended up at the top of the happy unhappy songs pile with a cheerful tune about the nuclear bomb. Now we move ahead to something a little more... overtly depressing? Perhaps?



One of my things in Songtest for a long time has been submitting Goth music to secure the worst score of a round. Traditional Goth music just has not done well in songtest, no matter how much I dig it, and that's fine! This songtest isn't about traditional Goth music.

It is, rather, about fake Goth music. That is to say, for this songest what I'm asking you to submit is things people might call Goth, but that are not actually in the Goth musical genre. I'm not gonna be too picky here—your submission can have a Goth aesthetic, or spooky vibes, or be beloved by people who call themselves Goth. It just should not actually be in the Goth genre itself, as defined by Wikipedia or Rate Your Music or whatever.

Don't know much about Goth music? That's fine! You're probably better-equipped for this than people who do like traditional Goth stuff.

Anyways, with that out of the way, the rules:

[+] The Rules

• You can send me stuff by board PM, Discord, telephone call, whatever. Upon receipt, I will enter your votes in a spreadsheet and then let you know I received them. If I do not reply that I got your stuff, I do not yet have it! If more than a day passes without confirmation, please check in because it probably got lost in the shuffle.
• There will be one round if there are 15 or fewer entrants and two rounds if there are 16 or more. Rounds will last ~4 days if we're doing two plus finals or ~a week if it's just one. If we do two rounds, there will be a final round as well, with a number of songs remaining announced when voting for the first round starts. I'm expecting one round, but hey, surprises happen! A final is works the same as normal rounds.
• Listen to every song in the round and rank favorite to unfavorite, 12 at the top, then 10, then 8, and then down by one per until you're out of songs or points. Do not vote for your own song.
• If your song is in a round, you must listen and vote or you get DQed and I sob into my spreadsheets. If your song is not in a round, or you're not even playing, you can still listen and vote! These votes are public and count for half.
• You can jump in after the first round if it's multi-round (but don't count on this) and you can change your song at any time before the round it's in is posted.
• Music's personal to people and putting stuff up for contest/discussion can be kinda scary and make people feel vulnerable. Please be nice in chat! It's totally cool to not like something and to talk about that and to dig into why at length, but please don't totally dunk on stuff. Everyone is here to share cool things with friends (or to fight tooth and nail for the crown but you know, same dif).
• Your song should have some claim to being Goth, but should not actually be Goth as defined by Wikipedia/RateYourMusic. If you have something that does show up as Goth but you think it's not feel free to make that argument and I'll give it to you if your argument is solid.
• No submitting songs that have already been in Songtest. I know we typically ban Eurovision and reality TV covers and such but I don't personally care, submit them if you want as long as they otherwise fit the prompt.
• If your song is over ten minutes nobody is obligated to listen beyond ten minutes (but it'd be nice if they did!)
• In the interests of total fairness I'll be completing my own vote either before each round starts or within the first two hours of the round so there's no possible temptation to put my finger on the scales. I probably won't be talking about song placements during the rounds.
• I'm pretty busy so do not count on reminders. I may PM people/post reminders/whatever or I may not. I probably won't. We'll see.
• No extensions unless something really dire happens IRL. There are more or less no stakes for getting DQed from Songtest anyways.
• Winner gets to host the next songtest. If they decline, that passes to second place, and so on.
• I reserve the right to add anything blazingly obvious that I forgot.

For those who don't wanna read everything, the highlights: submit stuff that people think is Goth or that sorta feels Goth but is not actually officially Goth. No songs that people have submitted before, but if you wanna do Eurovision or Reality TV stuff that otherwise fits the prompt then you do you.

Sign-ups will run for a bit over seven days. They close at roughly 4:00 Pacific on Tuesday, June 25.

Baby Bats:

1. Me
2. Dogs231
3. Irene
4. Kermit
5. Fiori
6. Laurels
7. Carlisle
8. DerArknight
9. AlmostInhuman
10. Slam
11. Polybius
12. Rugga
13. RetroVenus
14. Pancapples
15. You?
16.
etc.

If you have any questions about the contest or theme, feel free to hit me up wherever!

do visigoths count as fake goths?

Introducing our latest innovation, Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way: A groundbreaking synthesis of disruption and functionality designed to think outside the box of the traditional paradigm. Ebony's unique color palette, featuring long, lustrous ebony black hair accented with purple streaks and red tips that cascade to her mid-back, and icy blue eyes reminiscent of limpid tears, is sure to captivate audiences worldwide. Her uncanny resemblance to industry icon Amy Lee only serves to enhance her marketability.

Ebony's pearly white teeth, flawless complexion, and athletic build are the result of years of research and deep learning, meticulously engineered to meet the highest of benchmarks. As a vampire with an cutting-edge bite, she embodies the essence of timeless elegance while remaining accessible and approachable. Clothed in the finest apparel from our strategic partner, Hot Topic, Ebony's wardrobe is an extension of her innate style and individuality. Today's ensemble, consisting of a black corset accentuated with delicate lace, a sleek black leather miniskirt, pink fishnets, and a pair of trusty black combat boots, perfectly complements her unique color palette and disruptive thought leadership. Her best-of-breed application of black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner, and red eye shadow further enhances her striking features, ensuring that she stands out in any crowd, and can holistically adapt to any environment or occasion.

Ebony's unwavering commitment to personal style and self-expression is matched only by her resilience in the face of adversity. Despite the harsh weather conditions, including snow and rain, and the presence of prejudiced onlookers (preps), she remains unapologetically true to herself. In doing so, she serves as a customer-centric inspiration to all those who dare to challenge the status quo and embrace their authentic selves.

As we continue to evolve and expand our product offerings, we remain steadfast in our dedication to delivering innovative solutions that empower individuals like Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way to express their unique beauty and inner strength. Stay tuned for more groundbreaking announcements from our team of industry-leading experts.

im 4'5"

Whoops! Got going a little late—forgot I had some stuff going on today. With no further ado, we have our contestants!



Contestants:

1. Me
2. Dogs231
3. Irene
4. Kermit
5. Fiori
6. Laurels
7. Carlisle
8. DerArknight
9. AlmostInhuman
10. Slam
11. Polybius
12. Rugga
13. RetroVenus
14. Pancapples

Songs:

Miss Murder – AFI
Sally's Song – Amy Lee
Limo Wreck – Soundgarden
Hex – Dance With Dead
Dance Macabre (Carpenter Brut Remix) – Ghost
Skylines And Turnstiles – My Chemical Romance
Silver And Cold – AFI
The Perfect Drug – Nine Inch Nails
Everybody's Fool – Evanescence
Little Dark Age – MGMT
Rain In Soho – The Mountain Goats
Deathwish – Bebe Black
Dead Eyes Opened – Severed Heads
Triadisches Ballett von Oskar Schlemmer – The Bauhaus

I'm busy July 2, so votes will be open until roughly 4:00 PM Pacific on July 3.

A touch under three days for votes!

I've had a bunch of stuff going on and been a little less around/focused than usual, so there's a chance I've missed things. Quick reminder that if I didn't explicitly confirm that I have your votes, I don't have them, and if that's you please bug me again! Thanks!

Howdy, folks! A bit over five hours until the official deadline.

We're still waiting on a handful of votes, and I also may end up actually being occupied at the precise time, so there may be a touch of wiggle room, but no promises. That said, I'll take votes right up until results are announced.

Please remember that if I haven't specifically told you I got your votes, I don't have them yet. Thanks!

Hey, folks! With no further ado (and a little less ceremony than I'd prefer—it has been a rough two weeks and honestly if I'd seen that coming I would've probably passed), the results:

[+] 14th

With 22 points, it's Skylines And Turnstiles by My Chemical Romance, submitted by Polybius!

[+] 13th

With points 31, it's Deathwish by Bebe Black, submitted by Carlisle!

[+] 12th

With 41 points, including one 12, it's Triadisches Ballett von Oskar Schlemmer by The Bauhaus, submitted by Kermit!

[+] 11th

With 42 points, including one 10 and two 8s, it's Dead Eyes Opened by Severed Heads, submitted by me!

[+] 10th

With points, including one 10 and one 8, it's Limo Wreck by Soundgarden, submitted by Pancapples!

[+] 9th

With 49 points, including two 12s and a 10s, it's Sally's Song by Amy Lee, submitted by Laurels!

[+] 8th

With 58 points, including one 12, one 10, and one 8, it's The Perfect Drug by Nine Inch Nails, submitted by AlmostInhuman!

[+] 7th

With 60 points, including one 12 and one 8, it's Miss Murder by AFI, submitted by Rugga!

[+] 6th

With 61 points, including one 12 and one 8, it's Silver And Cold by AFI, submitted by Irene!

[+] 5th

With 67 points, including one 12, one 10, and two 8s, it's Dance Macabre (Carpenter Brut Remix) by Ghost, submitted by Fiori!

[+] 4th

With 78 points, including two 12s, two 10s, and an 8, it's Hex by Dance With Dead, submitted by Retro!

[+] 3rd

With 80 points, including one 12, two 10s, and an 8, it's Everybody's Fool by Evanescence, submitted by Slam!

Next, post, the showdown of:

[+] Top Two

Rain In Soho vs. Little Dark Age!

[+] Final Results

And the winner is...



With 88 points, including one 12, three 10s, and three 8s, it's Little Dark Age by MGMT, Subnitted by DerArknight!

Second place, with 87 points, including three 12s, one 10, and two 8s, it's Rain In Soho by The Mountain Goats, submitted by Claire!

Congrats to the winner, who gets first dibs on hosting next, which passes to second place if they decline, then third, etc. etc.

If anyone wants to see the full votes, here you go:

[+] Chart

Songtest 140 Votes.PNG (36.22 KiB) Viewed 111 times

Thanks for playing! I'd apologize for a somewhat dour/gloomy send-off but, well, you know...