Winter Warm-up 2020 #1: Zoe Gray's Reviews

 [Dave's Note: Zoe is Zoe, with undisputed talent and a deft lyrical flair that earned a spot as SpinTune's youngest champion.]

REVIEWS AND RANKINGS

#6. Menage a Tune - You’re Amazing!

Concept:

This is adorable! This is one of two songs that employ the parent/child concept, and this one is really heartwarming. The “love you” at the end really sells it for me. And you got your daughter to sing! How lovely.

Flow:

First of all, the bouncing “you”s in the chorus are really nice. The rhyme scheme is fairly reliable, without too much deviation, but you’re able to get some nice rhymes in there and it all makes sense content-wise– nothing is shoved in there just to get a rhyme in. There were a couple places (“and your ex” / “those in need”) with unexpected breaks in the flow that jarred me a little, but otherwise this was nice.

Beat/Instrumentals: 

None. But I’ve done that before, specifically with raps, especially when I’m working on limited time. This is a warm-up! There’s no obligation to do it in any particular way!

Vocals:

You two have such a wonderful, fluttering vibrato when you’re singing in unison. And I really loved the fade out at the end.

Challenge: 

This absolutely fits the challenge! The consensus at the end seems to be that you’re BOTH amazing, which is a lovely way to wrap this up. 

Best Rhyme:

“weary/teary/dearie” in rapid succession. And you manage to make them make sense in the context of the song!

#5. Dr. Lindyke - Me Vs Mini-Me 

Concept:

I love this concept! You’re making me wish I’d tried this with my dad. The familiarity here brings such a nice level of play to this work. I feel like you guys genuinely had fun making it, which makes it fun to listen to on my end.

Flow: 

Really nice flow. I particularly liked the Lizzo moment with “game store / fame, boy”. At no point during listening did it strike me as repetitive– perhaps because it’s short enough that it can’t really get old– but I also think you could have more fun with the cadence/patter. Throw in some internal rhymes, some assonance and consonance, or shift into triplets for a moment. I think you might be approaching the lyrics from a very songwriter-y perspective, which– yeah, you are a songwriter. But there’s so much fun you can get from rap when you look beyond end rhymes.

Beat/Instrumentals:

It’s a pretty simple beat, but it works with your flow. I liked the use of cymbals kicking in with Tim Round 1, and then dropping back out for Dave Round 2. Might be reading too deep into it, but it could belie a generational gap, with the older Dave using a more simple/oldschool beat and Tim’s sections being a little more complex on the drums. Nice change on “skills that are graphic”, giving me more right when it might have gotten stagnant. And cutting out on “Spin just did” for comedic effect. 

No instrumentals. But I didn’t feel an urgent need for any. You switch up the drums just enough and pack enough lyrics in there that it still has a level of complexity without backing instrumentals.

Vocals:

Both of you are really committed to this rap, so you sold me on the lyrics. You both had clear points of view about what you were saying and how you were feeling while you said it. And you played with cadence sometimes, like Tim in Round 2 with “I know I could show off” after he came off the Shaggy voice (which was, by the way, delightful). I’d love to hear Tim a tiny bit more clearly, but that’s just a mastering issue, or maybe a result of not having super fancy recording equipment, which I understand. 

Challenge:

 You absolutely meet the challenge. The only thing that gets me here is that the song ends without either resolving the competition by declaring a winner or by coming together and, say, saying you’re both great! It ends a little abruptly without a big character arc for either of you there. But the challenge is definitely met, and nicely interpreted.

Best Rhyme: 

“keeping it tight / chuffing polite”. Just made me grin.

#4. Joe Covenant Lamb - JoeCovenantRap: A Jock’s Rap

Concept:

I love your choice to write in Scots dialect. I’m glad it wasn’t just a gimmick for part of the song– you stuck with it, and while you were self aware about a few words (“glaikit”), it wasn’t just a joke. It was consistent, and it fit perfectly with the theme and message of the song. It’s dialect as a form of resistance against colonialism and imperialism. 

Flow: 

So lovely. You have some really nice rhymes in here. You have a 4/4 rhythm that you mostly stick to, but there are some moments (“collaborated”, “fair tae middlin’”) that break from that, so it doesn’t feel monotonous. I love the way you work in Scots words, and the flow feels really smooth. I also like the little digression with “Logarithms, Hypnotism”, etc..

Beat//Instrumentals:

This is REALLY nice. Not everyone went the route of full production with both a beat and backing instrumentals on top, but I’m glad you did. The trap beat was really tight. Very high marks on this count.

Vocals: 

Leaning into the accent and the dialect isn’t just a cool move lyrically and politically. It also helped the flow of the lyrics, which seemed to roll off your tongue. Despite having a preponderance of lyrics, you made it look easy. Very Flight of the Conchords on the chorus. I liked the harmonies.

Challenge: 

If this were a real challenge and not just a warm-up, you probably would’ve been disqualified. This isn’t a back and forth with compliments between two characters but rather a straight-up solo rap and an exaltation of Scotland. Fortunately, this isn’t a real challenge!! And I love this song! Out of respect for people who went perhaps the more difficult route and followed the challenge, I’m ranking this lower than I would if there’d been no challenge at all. But I really really dig this song, and kudos to you for using this to prompt you to make what you were actually passionate about.

Best Rhyme:

“an’ rattled the patter and battered doon a Song Fu Master.” Yes! I go crazy for internal rhymes.

#3. Boffo Yux Dudes - You’re So Much Better Than Me

Concept:

Keeping it simple, keeping it classy! A straight-up trade of compliments. But the nice thing about this is that the content is pretty in keeping with a rap song. Your compliments are couched in references of “your mama” and other “Sucker MCs”, all of which contributes to this feeling like a nice old-school rap.

Flow:

Nice. Very nice. You pack a LOT of rhymes into a small space, and you justify them well. Even though most of them land on the ends of the lines instead of a more complex rhyme scheme, what you do here is stay on the same rhyme for up to nine lines in a row, which is impressive. And even for feminine rhymes like “matter / shattered / patter / scatter” you stay almost entirely on true rhymes instead of near rhymes. I like the choice to deviate from the beat and take it at half tempo for the last two stanzas.

Beat/Instrumentals:

So many cool things going on here. I’m hearing a nice rattle, a solid bass line, and maybe even some vocal percussion in there? Don’t know if that’s a synth or legitimately recorded by y’all. But I dig it. When you “drop the beat”, it is not actually a beat that you drop. But I actually love that synth. It adds to the retro vibes– first time I heard this I thought the rap from New Edition’s Cool It Now. There’s a weird choice to drop out in what feels like the middle of a verse for “screen test”? Listening and reading the lyrics, I didn’t expect the pause there. But everything else made sense.

Vocals:

I’m getting some almost Weird Al-esque vocal inflections on the “favor / waver” stanza. That doesn’t continue through all of the song, though, it’s just indicative of the way y’all modulate your vocals throughout to keep them fresh and engaged.

Challenge:

This definitely fits! Not sure who won the contest of niceness. You were both so nice. But I liked the chorus and the wrap-up at the end.

Best Rhyme:

“You played them like an old arcade / Cause you throw shade like sylvan glade”. Yes. Both of these are so creative.

#2. All The Robots - Complementary Compliments

Concept:

Flattery will get you everywhere, my friend. Y’all decided not only to one-up each OTHER with compliments, but to hype up the entire Spintunes community. A competition of who can be nicer not only to each other but to other people? Wonderful. Adorable exchange at the end. So wholesome.

Flow: 

I started bobbing my head to this. This is legitimately fun! I really appreciate you guys playing with the rhyme structure. For instance: you could have ended the second line of your last verse with another “me” rhyme, but you packed those into the first half o the line so you can transition to “schism” to make your way, eventually, to your target of “Homomorphism”. It’s clever, it’s fun, and the writing is clear enough that it always leads you to the next rhyme without you having to follow and really clean and standard rhyme scheme. I see you really taking advantage of the form here.

Beat/Instrumentals:

Again– this is FUN. I’m getting Weird Al, I’m getting They Might Be Giants. Some really clever instrumentation here. The bass is funky and popping.

Vocals:

Your vocal inflections mirror what I just said above about the instrumentals. They’re fun, they’re groovy, and you totally commit to selling these lyrics. Nice bouncing between ears during dialogue exchanges for those listening on headphones.

Challenge:

You did this challenge credit. Y’all definitely compliment the most people per capita. Even if some of them are only shout-outs and not full compliments (where IS Jocko Homomorphism?). Clever interpretation, fun execution.

Best Rhyme: 

Maybe I’m biased, but for me it’s: “Ryan, hey / tryn to say / Brian Gray”.

Note:

You guys. It’s not a homonym. https://youtu.be/Cj9wv4MILh4?t=80 

“Homo” = same. “Nym” = name. “Phone” = sound. Homonyms are spelled the same. For example: read (pronounced “red”) vs. read (pronounced “reed”). Homophones sound the same but are spelled differently. For example: complement vs. compliment. This is really a central point of your song, so…

 

#1. “BucketHat” Bobby - Bob Matheson Vs BucketHatBobby

Concept:

SUCH a clever concept. This is Batman and Bruce Wayne arguing about who’s the real one. This is “Man or Muppet”. I’m impressed by your interpretation and its execution. The paradox here is that you are simultaneously self-deprecating AND hyping your own self up. Because they’re both you. But, hell, I’m the judge, and I say it works. 

Flow:

You know why I ranked this first? It isn’t because of the beat (which is minimal at times, but serves the purpose– more on this later). It isn’t even because of your clever interpretation. This is my favorite song because of your FLOW. Lin-Manuel Miranda would be proud. The moments of triplets, of patter, of me thinking “where is he breathing??”. If people were gonna go the rap route for this challenge, that’s what I wanted to see, because that’s part of what makes rap such a fun and awesome genre to play with. We all know I’m a lyrics-first kind of girl, but I think for this challenge and this genre that’s really warranted. And your lyrics and rhythm are top-notch.

Beat/Instrumentals:

Very simple at first, but I like when the beat drops and the rest of it comes in. Nice choice to use instrumentals to further demarcate when Bob is singing vs. when BucketHatBobby is singing. I also really like the looping of sounds at the beginning. I could’ve listened to even more of that and still been entertained.

Vocals:

Always a sucker for people doing character voices. There’s just a couple moments where you trip over a word, but you just keep on going. That’s to be expected with lyrics this fast unless you have more time than we gave to record takes.

Challenge:

Dubiously met? I think it’s been met, and I make the rules. Really nice work. I only wish it was longer. 7-minute version next, please?

Best Rhyme: 

Oh my god. Where to start? Right now it’s: “better / let your / fetter / endeavours”.