Are you feeling adventurous? If so, look at these music album cover arts and listen to an album without prior knowledge of the artist's name, the album name, and the genre of the music. And then tell us all about it!

And you never know, you might find some music you actually like! :D

How to do it? Below you will find several numbered pictures. Look at them, pick whichever seems cool enough, and then click the related link to youtube or spotify. You can pick as many as you like. After you listen to the music, post your uhhh "review" here. Be more descriptive though, "it sucked" is not enough.

If you recognize an album by its cover, it might be preferable to pick an album or albums you haven't listened to before. When you pick an album, you can also use a service of your own choice if you don't want to listen to it on youtube or on spotify, or if some region locking prevents you but you, and your preferred service has the album too.

The albums I picked are random, of random genres too, selected mainly by not being too clear about what the music and artist is about on the cover art lol :D I can vouch for all of them being reasonable music, I did not go looking for albums that I don't actually know or albums that I thought are horrible. Also, I did not pick albums that are too long. They're all of pretty standard length of about 35-45 minutes or so, with the exceptions being actually shorter than that.

Some of the albums include music videos in the youtube list too. And also the youtube links are to a list of videos that make up the whole album, after one song/video ends the next song starts, unless it's a single video containing the whole album.

But no cheating. If you pick an album, then listen to it in its entirety. No song skipping, no picking another album after finding out what the music is. Even if you don't like it or the music genre is not your thing. Try to be patient and give the music a fair chance, maybe you might find some particularities you like about it even if it's not your thing as a whole, or at the very least you'd have enough material to describe what you hated about it :D. I mean like nobody can stop you from skipping, but if you'd song skip or album skip you'd cheat not only the game but also yourself :D.

I don't know if you should refer to the albums by their numbers in your posts, not to "spoil it" for others, but I leave that up to you.

The cover arts are also slightly edited. I smudged the artist and album names so the weird smudges here and there were made by me.

Also, if you do this, you might have a chance to get Battletech: Mercenary collection because it was my birthday on sunday. You have to state in your post that you want to win, together with whatever you have to say about the albums you've listened to.

here are the albums:

Number 1 +
youtube
and
spotify

Number 2 +
youtube
and
spotify

Number 3 +
youtube
and
spotify

Number 4 +
youtube
and
spotify

Number 5 +
youtube
and
spotify

Number 6
+
youtube
and
spotify

Number 7 +
youtube
and
spotify

Number 8 +
youtube
and
spotify

Number 9 +
youtube
and
spotify

Extra additions

Number 10 by aCyborg
youtube
and
spotify

Number 11 by BenKii
youtube
and
spotify

Number 12 by Geralt_of_Rivia
youtube
and
spotify

Number 13 by Geralt_of_Rivia
youtube
and
spotify

*Number 3 is actually the cover for the extended version of the album with 4 additional songs but the links lead to the regular version.

If something's unclear or something doesn't work then tell me, the post and links took some time and I also went away to eat in the middle of it so I might have lost track of what I was doing :D

I'm feeling adventurous and I want to win, so I tried album number 3.

The first song immediately reminds me of BABYMETAL. The song moves from metalcore intro to pop-punk-like verse, then the chorus sounds like bubblegum pop. And the second song feels like nu-metal with pop-rock.
Even though the album duration is only 35 minutes it's also varied, it doesn't rely on uniform tricks in each song. For example, the third and fourth songs are two industrial metals with strong nuances of NINE INCH NAILS to Kanye West on the album 'Yeezus'. The next song still hasn't moved from industrial metal, but the rhythm pattern is more close to RAMMSTEIN. And the male backing vocal at a glance similar to Brian Warner.
The sixth song is a distortion-free dream pop song but the lyrics remain dark.
The last four songs in this album contain songs that are increasingly daring to explore, seventh song has a thick influence from Eurobeat, ending with high pitch screaming which immediately continues without a break to the heaviest song on the album "Bite Your Teeth" with riffs and grooves as heavy as GOJIRA.
The ninth and tenth songs are my favorite, a ballad which started slowly accompanied by a serene guitar but then slowly transitioned into a prog song.

Overall, I feel the album is too short but pretty good, it is the clash between metal and pop music.

Oh and happy belated birthday.

Happy belated birthday to you! :)

Alrighty, gonna keep this spoiler-free, as per your request. ;) ...So, I clicked on all 9 album covers and right off the bat, I only recognized one of them: cover #2. That's because I own their cds and love their music very much. ;)

The album art that I chose to follow down the rabbit hole was cover #6. The reason: I baked some dark chocolate cookies two days ago and they were such a fail, they looked like deformed creatures, much like that face in art #6. LOL! xD I say that with love.

So, I had a listen to the music behind that cookie monster face. My favorite songs being the 2nd and last track. I certainly appreciated the unusual beats and sounds behind every song, but wish the music was more chaotic by exploring these unusual sounds more and less "boom, boom", if that makes any sense. Example: in the first track, I loved that haunting melody in the backdrop but all I could hear was that distracting "boom, boom".

Not in for Battletech: Mercenary Collection. Just wanted to be part of the ride! ;)

Is it ok that I added your thread here for more exposure?
>> https://www.gog.com/forum/general/how_does_one_make_a_gift_aka_gifting_on_gog_for_dummies/post4018

+1 for your creative generosity! This was fun!

Happy Birthday, I will not be entering but I might take on your challenge.
Good luck to winners, if you wanted to add an album I know of a good one that most people probably never heard or seen before.

Number 4 for me. Will listen the album twice, as I like to do with every album.

It may take a while so will edit this post later.

Happy birthday! Nice idea for a contest. Happy to participate and try to win Battletech Mercenary Collection.

I listened to number 4. I don't normally listen to jazz regularly so this was a nice change of pace.

Track 1 was quite hectic, living up to its name.

Track 2 was a strong contrast to the first, much more relaxed; I did not see a strong connection between the music and its title. I did not enjoy the fadeout at the end, would have preferred a real ending.

Track 3 had a clear theme at the start, much like a brief TV show theme. This felt like it would be at home as the soundtrack of a Sam and Max game.

Track 4 felt like impressionistic classical music, felt like it could belong on a movie soundtrack.

Track 5 was interesting - at the same time it had strong thematic fragments but at the same time they were overall 'floating', drifting in and out.

Track 6 had a very different sound, almost like a different genre. Still having melodic fragments but a greater sense of urgency, in some sense kind of a midway between tracks 1 and 5.

The concluding Track 7 had a very optimistic tone, and three distinct parts. The first part felt like a companion to track 5, whereas the second part was more like a celebration chant. I did not like the fadeout between the first two parts but overall quite enjoyable.

Overall, I'm happy I tried it out. I especially enjoyed tracks 3 and 4.

Happy birthday!
Not in, but thanks for nice thread! Some of these albums are, well, quite unusual :)

Happy belated birthday!

I picked album number 5, as I just love a gorgeous full moon. I'll try reviewing this album in real time, editing my post after each song. Not certain I'll keep it up, as I might be distracted by other things (or end up being too long-winded and taking longer to type than to listen to the music) - but we'll see...

So I just listened to song #1 and am now pausing the music for song #2, as it's distracting me from writing. I guess I'll have to write about each song as I listen to it for this to work. This first song had a music video with it. Fairly poppy looks about it; female singer, three guys in the background, two on guitar, one on drums. I wish they'd play a bit softer so I could hear more of the singing. She has far from the best voice I've ever heard (I have a thing for gorgeous vocals), but is at least easy to listen to. The overall sound of this song reminds me a bit of sixpence none the richer (y'know, "Kiss Me"), except there the vocals aren't drowned out by the guitars. By the end of the song I started to particularly dislike the "slide" over the guitar strings which kept droning on.

Anyway, now on to song #2, and this is definitely mixed better, with the vocals standing out much more clearly. The song so far is less "boppy" / uptempo than the first song. It just glides along, with the guitar-playing also being more varied and interesting. I'm hopeful - if the rest of the album is like this, I might actually like it!
Okay, three minutes in, and I'm starting to get bored a bit. The singer doesn't really manage to connect, not even with the long "toniiiiiiiiight" (?) just now.

Song #3 starts off strong - with a very... wistful sound to it. It's titled "Folk Song", and yeah, I do like folk. I still thing the vocals fail to live up to their full potential, but like song #2, this is much better than #1.
Dreaming along a bit here, as the song appears to start drifting off to its conclusion, despite it barely being at the 2 minute mark for a 3 minute song...

#4 is uptempo again. There's... finger snapping? No, too regular for that; probably something on the drums.
It really is a very pretty full moon picture. I like the blue cast to the sky around it!
I still haven't managed to follow along with the lyrics of any song so far. Many individual words, but nothing comprehensive enough to understand what the song is about. Going to try focusing on that with the next song to see if it enhances things. This was nice and easy background listening, though; I could totally imagine having this play on the radio.

Putting on headphones for #5 so I can really focus.
Oh c'mon, woman, e-nun-ci-ate! It's not that hard!
Ooh, "hailstone, melting to rain", and something about rainbows? That's it! You can do it!
...well, you could, for that one sentence.
:|
Rereading your original post now to see if finding myself the lyrics of the next song would or wouldn't be in the spirit of the thing.
I do like the sound of the song, though. It's just easier to write about the things that you don't like. :)

Which, going into #6, is something I actually dislike. So let's try focusing on the positive for a song! Looked up the lyrics here, and am enjoying the melodiousness of the intro.
Heh, and of course with the lyrics here with me, I can completely understand what she's singing without it. Hard to describe this - very poetic, vividly described!
I like the bird song! Such a gimicky thing to include, and yet, so naturally fitting - at least with the sound, as it's actually quite a counterpoint to the "dead of night" from the lyrics.
Oh, bother, it's over already? That was a super short song there!

#7 is guitar-heavy again, much more of a rock sound. Not a fan of that "thwang", and it's just so... repetitive.
Oh, good, halfway through the song the guitars shut up for a bit, in favour of the drums.
Bleh, and now they're back in full force. Yeah, definitely my least favorite song after #1 this.
Okay, next please!

Yeah, they heard me loud and clear, as #8 starts melodious again. I looked up the lyrics to this song as well, and am again noticing the vivid descriptions. I like that, if you focus, you can really imagine the scene, "a river frozen", "scarecrow trees".
Nice, one of the guitar players actually did some decent finger picking!
This is the first song where the chorus has wormed its way into my mind by the end of the song. Nice! Might've helped that this was one of the longer songs.

It took like five seconds of #9 for me to conclude that this one I dislike again. Too... dissonant, too busy with sounds taking different directions with complete disregard of what all the other sounds are doing.
Is it over already?
Yeah, she's trying to tie it all back into a whole now, but it's too late - the damage is done.
I like the addition of a ...flute? though.

#10, nearing the end already. This has been surprisingly fun!
Looked up the lyrics again. Not so much scenery painted in this one - actually very little of anything at all. It works, though. Sometimes simple is best.
Looking through what I wrote above, songs #3, #6 and #8 were easily my favorites so far, but this one somehow comes close behind them still. Has a bit the same problem as #2 had, though - by the end I'm getting bored of it.

Okay, #11, final song. Starts off nice again. Her voice has definitely grown on me, and I can now follow most of her lines without needing to resort to lyrics.
She added some volume at the 1 minute mark, but not to any useful effect.
Back to soft and wistful now, and easy listening.
...and growing a bit bored again. but only 20 seconds to go.

Okay, so overall conclusion: Three songs which I actively liked (#3, #6 and #8), four songs which I'd allow to play on if they happened to pop up (#2, #5, #10, #11), and the other four I dislike to some degree. Not a bad showing for a random album.

Final verdict: ★★☆☆☆ - I wouldn't go out to buy this CD, but if I was gifted it, I'd probably rip it and add it to my collection.

Thank you for this thread - that was a fun way to spend some time! :)

edit: Oh, and overlooked this originally, but yes, I want to win. :)

You can send me the album in chat or here.

ok, a new album has been added, the one aCyborg suggested :D

good time to check the new album and the albums you haven't checked from the original 9 :D

AAAaaaa, thanks, I hope who ever listens to it will enjoy it :)

This sounds like a fun idea. I'm game. :)

Most of the covers look weird but I guess that's standard for the music business. Anyway I picked number 2 because the wispy red stuff looked kinda science fictioney. Ok, on with the review.

Not sure I can describe any differential qualities amongst the tracks as they all mostly sound the same. The more I listened to it, the more it blended with the rest of the songs. With that said, I'll say that this music sounds pretty soothing with the major con against it was not being able to hear a single word the singer was saying. I think the best way to describe it is a quote from Jayla on the Star Trek Beyond movie, "I like the beats and the shouting".

Going back for a 2nd listen. Let's see if I can get a better description for each track.

Track 1: very soothing. Like I feel all my worries just float away. It has an almost dream-like quality to it. Still can't make out what she's saying though.

Track 2: Starts off like something I'd hear in a System Shock 1 level then delves into the same dreamy sound the previous track had.

Track 3: This one kinda has an Abba feel to it.

Track 4: Nothing stands out. Same soothing dreamy feel as before.

Track 5: Heavenly which is just synonym for dreamy.

Track 6: This one has a bit of 80s synth vibe.

Track 7: Good rhythm. Going for a disco pop on this one.

Track 8: Back to floaty dream music.

Track 9: This is odd. This one actually sounds kinda depressing. Odd considering how uplifting the previous tracks were.

Track 10: Pretty then when it transitions a bit later turns into a neat beat. Probably the best track but only leads by a little.

Overall, this album is something to listen to when you need to do some deep thought and relaxation. Even though you can't really hear anything the singer says, it doesn't matter since the whole point is to just go with rhythm and get lost in your own thoughts. I give this album a 3 outta 5.

First and foremost, happy belated birthday!

I'd like to be in for Battletech but I have to confess that I completely failed your challenge. Not only did I start to skip tracks and switch albums I didn't find a single album that I could listen to in its entirety in your entire list. Some tracks even made me feel as if my ears are gong to start bleeding.

I found that rather strange since I have always considered myself having a very broad range when it comes to musical taste, since I listen to 70s and 80s pop, synthesizer, chiptunes, soundtracks (movies as well as games), instrumental music, meditation music, sometimes even a little bit of classical music and musicals.

To make up for my lack of review I can choose some more albums and send them to you via chat if that is ok with you.

Thanks for the heads up and Happy Birthday!!

I actually enjoy the album even if the only Jazz I regulary listen is those Smooth Jazz radios.
The album starts very caotic with what it seems a late night jam session and ends much more "radio friendly".

What I really enjoy is the mixture of "influences" and instruments, we can hear African vibes on the last track (hidden one) and Asian vibes on Chromatic Fantasy towards the end, actually some of the percursion instruments on that track sound just like a carboard box and a big metal can.
Second track "Three Views of a Secret" is a great fit for a noir gangster movie!

My favorite track ended up being Blackbird, that thing gets in your head :D
Although, the "favorite track" tend to switch the more I liten to any album...