Here are reviews and rankings from SpinTunes 16 champion Wil Whalen:
Raw rankings:
Sober 1
Cavedwellers 2
Good Guy Sojabe 3
EmKayDeeBee 4
Mystery Science Creator 3000 5
Night Sky 6
Jon Porobil 7
Ominous Ride 8
Boy on the Wall (feat Parle G Baby) 9
Vom Vorton 10
Keen Observer 11
Melody Klein 12
Jealous Brother 13
Giraffes for Wings 14
Hot Pink Halo 15
Governing Dynamics 16
Also in Blue 17
Dutch Windows 18
David G Harrington 19
Lucky Witch 20
Regis Michelena 21
Buku Chauncey 22
See-man-ski 23
dented bento 24
Pigfarmer Jr 25
Rackwagon 26
Boffo Yux Dudes 27
yo mammy and the fuzznuts 28
little bobby tables 29
The Brewhouse Sessions 30
lichen throat 31
wizards of vomit 32
Menage a tune 33
HandHammered 34
Declan IOM 35
Reviews:
Hello everyone! Please don't murder me, this is my first time reviewing! Turns out it is difficult and takes a long time!
I promise I’ll try to go into more depth in later rounds, there are just so many songs this time...
Yo Mammy and the Fuzznuts:
Rank: 28
While I respect the analogue nature of the recording, the results are a bit of a mush - I have a hard time understanding the lyrics without reading along as well as picking out some of the vocals at all. The drums are separated well in the mix and fill it out nicely once all the elements have been added, but the beat is off time in some spots and could have used some quantization or editing. I do think the concept and lyrics work great for the challenge.
EmKayDeeBee:
Rank: 4
I liked this one immediately. Great vocal performance, both on lead and background.
HandHammered:
Rank: 34
I found the vocals on this one hard to understand without reading along. Otherwise the production sounded fine, the slide guitar/pedal steel was a nice touch. My biggest gripe is conceptually the song seems less about you and more about America. Yeah, you have the ‘I dream’ framing, but aside from your vision of America I don’t learn much about you from this song.
Melody Klein:
Rank: 12
I like the really literal autobiographical angle. Love the production, great buildup (though the vocals get more and more buried as you add elements, I eventually lose them.) I suspect the length is somewhat endemic to the style - to me it’s a little long. That said, a very successful entry.
David G Harrington:
Rank: 19
The saccharine instrumentation really makes me hear this as a feel-good sitcom theme. Hits a very upbeat note, satisfies the challenge well. Well executed.
Governing Dynamics:
Rank: 16
Good performances, feels very ‘live’. Really enjoy the bridge. I think it could be stronger in being introductory/more specific to you, but the lyrics do suit the style well.
See-Man-Ski:
Rank: 23
Short and sweet. Reminds me of Mindless Self Indulgence at half speed - a similar energy but also similar linearity to the song. I think the transition into the final part could be stronger but it works, just feels somewhat abrupt.
Little Bobby Tables:
Rank: 29
At the risk of feeling dumb I gotta say I just don’t really get what you’re going for lyrically - the verses seem to be about some sort of generational divide(?), and the choruses about phone addiction (again, ?) I’m unclear on what ‘the one’ is in this context. The imagery and flow of the song are all fine and the lo-fi production is charming, it just doesn’t really coalesce for me.
Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost
Rank: 20
Love the conceit, feels very… spooky, for lack of a better term. Theatrical campy horror. Phrasing on some of the verse lines feels a little forced and the volume of the vocal track fluctuates at times (mostly on the held notes at the end of verse lines), but overall very minor issues.
Dented Bento:
Rank: 24
Interesting conceit - I admit, it took me a few reads to get the angle. The production is very nice and the lyrics flow well.
The Dutch Windows:
Rank: 18
Love that opening, great hits and great riff. Just a good lean rock song! I don’t know what to say when I like something!
Wizards of Vomit:
Rank: 32
It’s not a bad tune but I have a few issues, mostly with the vocals. The music sounds crisp and clear - great articulation on the guitar - but the vocals are muddy and buried. The joke is a bit thin to me but Perd is certainly a one joke character so I guess it's hard to fault it.
Boy on the Wall:
Rank: 9
Insanely corny but manages to read sincerely. Execution really elevates it, the production is impeccable. Great voice.
Sober:
Rank: 1
Instantly catchy, love the arrangement. Great quality to your voice. Don’t know what you would classify this as - my folky/bluegrass lexicon is limited, but it reminds me heavily of Greg Graffin’s solo albums (easily some of my favorites).
Rackwagon:
Rank: 26
Good energy, feels ‘live’ in earlier parts but leads into a nicely polished middle section. The ending is a little abrupt, I liked the ‘now you know’ bit building up - feels like it had potential to go into something more.
Buku Chauncey:
Rank: 22
Well constructed - going light on autobiographical info while still conveying (or at least implying) enough about your personality. Vocals could be brighter maybe? A little flat, production-wise.
Vom Vorton:
Rank: 10
One of the strongest entries for sure, both in songwriting and in meeting the challenge - consistently quality lyrics, great phrasing and delivery. The bridge absolutely rules, the whole song feels really fully formed.
Lichen Throat:
Rank: 31
A couple of clever rhymes and a clear idea of the protagonist, but suffers from an overly simple and repetitive rhyme scheme with some really forced lines.
Declan IOM:
Rank: 35
Uh. Hm. Not for me. Does fulfill the challenge, I will give you that. You are a sex robot.
Regis Michelena:
Rank: 21
I love the confident vocal delivery - I do feel it could be better integrated with the rest of the track. Sort of the opposite problem I’ve been seeing - the vocals are too big and out front making it kinda sound like you're singing on a karaoke track.
Good Guy Sôjà bé:
Rank: 3
Great production, great beat, great guitar. The platonic ideal of fulfilling the challenge in my eyes. Little to say, it’s just good!!!
Cavedwellers:
Rank: 2
Feels very ambitious to me, tons of different parts and they all sound cool as hell. Love that post-chorus guitar riff into the drum fill into the bridge into the solo sequence. So much going on, really rewarding on re-listens. Hard to achieve with so little time - respect!
Jealous Brother:
Rank: 13
Hard to fault the production, sounds polished to my ears. Same with meeting the challenge, pretty straightforward success on that front as well. At times feels more like a song for people who already know (of) you, lots of little things that feel like in-jokes or names, etc.
Hot Pink Halo:
Rank: 15
I’m finding it hard to place this one genre-wise, it almost feels like eurobeat or something at times but never really leans into full electronic instrumentation, but it’s more polished than lo-fi. It hits a nice stride as it develops, I really enjoy this one.
Keen Observer:
Rank: 11
Allow me to copy my notes I took during my first listen:
“lol. grimy. doesnt overstay its welcome, high effort wordplay.”
That about says it all. The production could be a little clearer but I think the grime adds to it.
Giraffes for Wings:
Rank: 14
Charming, really no gripes. Feels like part of a larger story, a nice narrative snippet.
The Brewhouse Sessions:
Rank: 30
Vocals are a little quiet in the verse, lots of weird phrasing. The chorus also feels like a step down in escalation from the verse, like it loses a layer in the mix and feels thin in comparison (though the vocals are at a nice level here.) The switching back and forth between casual/funny lyricism and the dry technical terms clash and doesn’t really work for me.
Boffo Yux Dudes:
Rank: 27
Something about it is lacking energy to me, it’s a little quiet and the mix is a little flat. The autotune is going wild at times in the chorus and it’s a little distracting, but the hook is memorable.
Night Sky:
Rank: 6
Aw man, just great all around - so well realized! I think the drums could be a little louder in the mix, or at least that’d be my preference. I want to wince when that snare snaps during “don’t go asking that night sky”!
Mystery Science Creator 3000:
Rank: 5
Truly it is unfair how directly up my alley this is. This rules. I am a bit thrown by the cannibalistic smurf line: it just feels out of place against what I would easily read as a non comedic piece. It’s not distracting enough to get hung up on but I guess I did.
Menage a Tune:
Rank: 33
Quite literal take on the challenge, certainly fulfills it. Feels very personal in its recording quality, but somehow dry and detached in its list-y resume nature - you listed lots of things you’ve done but very little about how you feel about them.
Jon Porobil:
Rank: 7
Love this one - enviable vocal range! Great range not only of notes but of vocal qualities and tones - a little bit of grit in the bridge, smooth head voice. That ‘on’ in the final chorus is huge. Solid lyrics to boot.
Pigfarmer Jr.:
Rank: 25
Nice little tune, the fast bit at the end kinda comes out of nowhere but I welcome it. Solid vocals throughout.
Also in Blue:
Rank: 17
Impressive vocal arranging and mixing, getting all those takes to blend that smoothly is quite a feat. Very mellow, good vibes!
Ominous Ride:
Rank: 8
Awesome track, great swagger. Had the hook in my head for days. Would it kill you to play the chorus like 10 more times at the end??? The mix could be a little brighter in the high end.
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