It's Album Time

by lichter

When Proleague began using entrance music for their players, fans became excited at the idea of progamers choosing music that they thought represented themselves. It was a good idea and has resulted in a few interesting picks, but overall the choices have been bland. Players have so far opted for music they like as opposed to music that symbolizes them, meaning we've mostly heard k-pop or other popular music. That's alright, of course, but unfortunately it hasn't been very enlightening. Every player is different, and every player deserves music that epitomizes their play and their character.

Since the pros have been so conservative in their entrance songs, lichter—who listens to a whole lot of music—has decided to spend the Ro16 Group A preview talking about some of the best albums of 2015 and the players that they represent.

Note: Listen to albums and not just singles, you jerk.

Rain
Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld - "Never Were the Way She Was"

I have a love/hate relationship with Colin Stetson and Rain. On the one hand, I highly respect what they do and how they do their business. Both are technical wonders who understand their instruments (a saxophone for Stetson, protoss for Rain) better than anyone on the planet. They know how to get the most of their tools—their limits and their potential alike—and go about their work with an unerring practicality. On the other hand, much of their oeuvre has left me distant and uninterested. It's a strange feeling, seeing their genius and yet feeling unable to cheer for them.

Until now. For Rain, it's his integration of more unsavory styles of protoss that has pushed him to the top. For Stetson, it is his collaboration with the spontaneous Sarah Neufeld. What once was cold calculation has been replaced with a palpable intensity. The anticipation of gateway pressure; the twists between wistful violin and harrowing sax; the dance of stalker or oracle; the movement through crash and silence. Rain could become the first triple Starleague (OSL, GSL, S2SL) champion, while "Never Were the Way She Was" sees Stetson reach beyond the raw intelligence of his "New History of Warfare" volumes 1 through 3.

Both artists could have been considered the best in their craft had they stayed the course. But now, they can be considered two of the greatest.

Bbyong
Hop Along - "Painted Shut"

There is something very raw and beautiful about Bbyong's approach to terran. He is one of the few who still whips out the hellbat all-in, usually to butcher Life. His mech isn't as impenetrable as others', but he's more likely to roast drones or randomly thor-drop against a Hive. The original Gangnam Terran became an anachronism during the early part of 2015, when drop-style terran was in vogue, and his results suffered. Thankfully, his brand of straight forward, no frills terran is once again at the top of the meta sine wave with the return of mech. His bullheadedness vaulted him over his KT Rolster prey for a spot in the Ro16, and this could be the season where he goes the distance.

There is something very raw and beautiful about Hop Along's approach to music. They play a very familiar brand of rock—or emo, if you dare—, elevated by Frances Quinlan's strained and pained crooning. Their songs deliver a dose of honesty lacking in today's culture of too-clever-for-you, and "Painted Shut" has much more in common with the likes of Sharon Van Etten or Waxahatchee than the mall-goth eyeliner emo you imagine. It's music that recalls the best memories of my youth—those years when epiphanies seemed to happened once a week—instead of the years riddled with angst and misplaced anger.

There's this increasing demand to seek more complex styles or more cerebral methods. Yet there are times when something direct and to the point does the trick, especially when it reminds us of days long past. And I'm not embarrassed to love it.

Dear
Swervedriver - "I Wasn't Born to Lose You"

Comebacks are never easy. Once upon a time, Dear was the first WCS Season and Season Finals champion. Once upon a time, Swervedriver were among the greats of shoegaze. For the Samsung Protoss, that was 2013. For the English band, that was the early 90's.

Even though Dear has never really sunk to the depths of Sniper or Seed, fans have still named him among the players with the most disappointing post-championship careers. That is despite his Ro4 at a Hot6ix Cup, a silver at ASUS ROG Winter, and 6 combined Starleague main events in the 2 years following his title burst. Such were the expectations laid upon him after his historic triumph that anything other than a third title is seen as misery.

Even though Swervedriver didn't disappear after "Mezcal Head", fans of shoegaze consider the mid-90s as the nadir of the genre after Ride, My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive (post-Souvlaki) all called it quits. That is despite the band releasing "99th Dream" in 1998, but it just wasn't the same. Such were the expectations laid upon them after "Mezcal Head" that anything short of a shoegaze masterpiece was considered a disappointment.

Early this year, Dear flashed some of his characteristic smart protoss play by reaching the Ro8 of S2SL Season 1. It had been 15 months since his last Starleague quarterfinal. Early this year, Swervedriver released "I Wasn't Born to Lose You", their first album in 17 years. Sadly, Dear hasn't been able to keep that pace, and he still looks far from a title contender. He has shown weakness against all ins and harassment, and his mirror matchup has looked ugly. While "I Wasn't Born to Lose You" feels like a modern successor to "Mescal Head", it lacks the edge of the earlier album while the pristine production misses the hazy appeal of shoegaze's early 90's peak.

Yes, we're glad that both are in the running for honors in 2015, but it's still a far cry from their summits.

Rogue
Mbongwana Star - "From Kinshasa"

If there's an award for the most written about new star for 2015, it has to go to Rogue. While he has been bubbling near the surface for a few years now, he finally broke through to become a consistent Ro8 competitor. That means at least a dozen articles this year alone were written about him, and most have raved about his unconventional approach to zerg. At times, his games have been absolutely brilliant—his game vs Bbyong on Terraform will reach the year end list of best games—but he has also had stinkers like his recent series against Rain. It's been a good year for the Jin Air Zerg, but the expectations placed upon him only weight more as his legion of followers grows.

If there's an award for the most written about debut album for 2015, it has to go to Mbongwana Star. "From Kinshasa" will likely be on a lot of year end lists, and it should be a strong contender. While modern music from Africa has made waves into the popular consciousness over the past few years, Mbongwana Star play to the beat of their own drums, concocting a mix of traditional Congolese music and post-punk(?) rich in electronic flourishes. At their best their music is infectious and unique, though there are times where their beats leave you wrong footed. We may not understand a thing their singing about, but that doesn't make their music any less enjoyable.

Unfortunately, both Rogue and Mbongwana Star lose steam as their season progresses. Rogue has inexplicably stumbled at every single Ro8 opportunity, while "From Kinshasa" 's later half feels like a re-tread of the first. Their insistence in playing their own style no matter the result is commendable—and certainly excitable—but they may have to change things up yet again if they want to catapult themselves to the top of the charts.

Note: The article title is a reference to Todd Terje's "It's Album Time, which was a 2014 album.

Predictions:

Rain is in the Ro4 of S2SL and in his current form appears a step above from the rest of this group. None of his matchups look particularly vulnerable, making him a safe bet to get out in first. Bbyong will likely have to avoid facing Rogue in order to survive, and Dear just doesn't look like a quarterfinalist right now. Rogue should have a few scares against the former two players, but he should have enough to make it to his plateau once again.

Rain > Bbyong
Dear > Rogue
Rain > Dear
Bbyong < Rogue
Dear < Rogue

Rain and Rogue to advance to the Ro8.