1 Also In Blue - I Know Tom Dooley Done It
Sheeeeeeeesh. Tom Dooley sure did do it, didn’t he? And even if he didn’t, this song would be enough to convince me otherwise.
I don’t know where to start on this review - the whole tune is so juicy and so good right from the jump. The vocals in the intro are so freakin spot-on, thank you so much for really going for it on this entry. Takes the listener right into the action. I got literal chills and goosebumps at the first chorus. The growth and ebb-and-flow of the instrumentation across the whole tune feels so natural. Every section I could anticipate coming while following the lyrics, and you never once disappointed.
2 Sober - The Soldier’s Song
This may be the first time a Spintunes entry has actually made me cry. I’ve definitely gotten choked up before but this one gutted me. This is a concept that had the potential to be out-of-touch and too generalized, but it was handled impressively well here. I commend your bravery for speaking about this topic in this way, especially coming from your direct personal experience with these things, and wish to thank you for sharing your story with all of us. I don’t have any additional or constructive feedback here, other than to say that I will be feeling the effects of this song for a very long time.
3 Mandibles - The Jester King
Damn this is good. Your concept is super strong. Last round I had made a comment about how I felt your story was too big to fit into one song; this round I feel you were much more successful at telling a big story and getting your points across in a concise, and very cool, manner.
I was really hoping for a repeat of that “You don’t understand” section. That was very powerful and really brought me into the vibe right before the solo. Very good stuff. Overall this has a really good groove, and the strong vocal line really gets me pumped.
4 Governing Dynamics - A Traveler’s Journal
I really appreciate a delicate touch on a Spintunes prompt; I’m realizing that I often find myself looking for songs that make sense both within and without the context of the challenge, and I find your entries consistently hitting that mark for me. The story here works very well, and is universal and relatable enough that it really could easily slide into any time/setting (I guess that’s kind of the point of the bible BUT ANYWAY my point still stands).
The lead-in to your first chorus seems to lose its way a little bit, melodically-speaking. That transition could have been executed a bit more elegantly, but overall I found this song enjoyable.
5 Hot Pink Halo - Going Really Far
Why did a song about a horse who died almost 60 years before I was born make me wanna cry? I like the mix of your source material here, and something about the instrumentation really made it feel like the horse actually went to space. Not sure what exactly, but it’s effective.
There is some competition between the strings and vocals at a few points in this tune. While I enjoy both the strings and vocals here immensely, the mix needs some attention to ensure the strings aren’t overpowering the lyrics, especially if it’s the first time we’re hearing them.
6 Firefly - Dot Dash Dance
This is so stupidly clever. I absolutely LOVE the use of the morse “rhythm” in the beat of the song. I have never heard that done before, super innovative and commendable, especially considering how well it fits into your tune and your concept. Points for creativity absolutely through the roof on this one, very very cool.
I am almost surprised we didn’t get more entries in a post-apocalyptic setting. I like the idea and the references to quarantine and “the event” throughout the song are effective, but I feel like it could have been pushed a little further to really explain why Sam is isolated.
7 Dented Bento - Og Go to Safeway
You’ve got a really fantastic and hilarious chorus here that will be stuck in my head for days, but I really wish there was a clearer rhyme scheme and more robust instrumentation throughout the rest of the song. The first verse in particular feels very exposed and I almost got whiplash the first time you launch into the chorus. I also would have brought up the bass in the drums a bit more to really drive home the “tribal” feel you were going for. Overall though this is still a charming tune that I will listen to again.
8 Star Bear - Nothing
When I read your source material I got a little bit nervous; in my mind your chosen concept could have the potential to be very cringey and overgeneralized, but I didn’t get that at all from your execution. The lyrics in the first verse specifically gave me a pretty emotional reaction on first listen. What is really saving it is the use of specific examples rather than sweeping generalizations.
Musically-speaking, this one is just fine to my ear. Vocals are a little ahead of the beat in your choruses so that could use some tightening up, but overall nothing strikes me as out of place or needing any major rework.
9 Phlub - A Night in Babylon
I like how you handled the concept here. Based on how this turned out, I almost wish this round had been specifically to reset a story from the Bible to a different time period/setting.
Musically-speaking, as soon as the singing vocals kick in on the first chorus, the tracks get very chaotic, which I think is kind of your thing so I can’t fault you for making a stylistic choice. I do struggle to find a hook or anything to really grab onto in this song, but also understand that I don’t personally need to find a song “catchy” for it to be valuable, for it to bring something to this competition. While this isn’t something I’d seek out on my own, I appreciate how the challenge was approached here, and it did kind of make me feel like I was on drugs while listening to it for a 3rd and 4th time.
10 Melody Klein - Etude No. 15 - Virtual Descartes
I love the different feel that each instrumental breakdown brings to this piece. I find the concept of using the vocals as a “bridge” from one musical idea to another to be really interesting and innovative here. There is some crispiness and fry in the vocal in a couple spots, which takes down the 4th wall on the vocoder effect and makes it sound a little too human for me… maybe that was your intent, but given that the song is titled “Virtual Descartes” I’m thinking the vocals could have used another, cleaner, more robotic take.
11 rackwagon - Please Like and Subscribe
Your title and source material had me really excited for this one, but the overall concept is a little weak for me. If you take out the brief lines about Soundcloud and Twitch, this really could be about just about any time setting. I think you really could have leaned into it a lot heavier with references to modern day hustle culture. I’ve had my fair share of mixes slung at me at gas stations and on public transportation in the form of QR codes linking to the artist’s Bandcamp, Insta, or YouTube page, and I don’t even look like a cool person which goes to show how hard some people are pushing their stuff out in the wild.
Musically, I’m not really bothered by anything in this tune. I like the use of the orchestral instruments, lends itself nice to the subject matter so I definitely appreciate the play there.
12 See-Man-Ski - Ellie
I thought we as a society decided never to talk about the first 5 minutes of “Up” ever again. Too sad. Toooooo sad.
I like your take here though, just enough context in the chorus to tie it to the source material without being overbearing, or potentially infringing on some potentially very litigious copyright. I really enjoyed the small build-up in your “No place like home” section; adding the strings in the background really brought something new to the piece, though I think I would have liked to hear that swell grow a little bit more and lead into a big sweeping instrumental section, which could act as musical imagery for whatever disaster has taken place.
13 Night Sky - Murder on the Greyhound
I’m a sucker for a saxophone and y’all really know how to lay down the tracks here. Great mix and overall vibe on this tune.
The lyrics are strong for me at the beginning, but seem to lose steam as the song goes on. It feels like the last couple verses are like “oh right, Poirot!” and hastily try to bring the song back around to a conclusion, with your great rhyme scheme suffering as a consequence. I’d have spent a little more time on the verses from “vigilante justice indeed” to the end to really help this tune stick the landing.
14 The Dutch Widows - Demolition Order
Your concept here is cute, and your tune is definitely fun, though I’m not the biggest fan of the melody in your verses. It feels a little phoned-in for my tastes. I also take some issue with how jammed-in and rushed some of the lyrics are in the verses. Tongue-in-cheek concept songs are really most effective when the satire goes by almost unnoticed, but I could feel you trying to nail your “funny” points here by using too many words to explain the joke. That could have been handled more elegantly.
15 Richard Shakespeare - Push (Sisyphus The Insurance Clark)
This tune almost seems too serious for the subject matter and setting. The lyrics come across to me as a tongue-in-cheek like “eyyy see what I did there?” while the instruments seem to want to be taken much more seriously, leaving the tune stuck in a limbo between both camps. I think this would have landed better for me if you had pushed it all the way to one side or the other; either leaning even further into the corporate imagery to bring some comedy/levity to the story, or turning the needle all the way to grimdark on the lyrics to match the musical style.
16 Ominous Ride - Allegory of the Echo Chamber
I like the connection to the subject matter through the concept of finding a place in the sun, that bit was clever. However, I find the rest of the lyrics to be kind of bland and overly straight-forward. You’re using a whole lot of words to describe what probably could have been summed up in a single verse: the people who are “stuck in the cave” should try therapy.
I’m not offended by this one musically, but I don’t personally find it particularly interesting. The only part that wasn’t expected was the “doo-wop” type backing vocals which, while fun and different, I don’t feel added much to the tune overall.
17 FireBear - True Love
The instrumentation on this one is super fun. I really enjoy the sound of this song, it’s well-recorded and mixed. But it really feels like you had a great pop-punk ska track written, and retrofitted The Princess Bride into it. The quotes from the film feel almost shoved into a chorus; it doesn't flow very comfortably. Additionally, the connection to your chosen resetting is pretty tenuous with just a few brief mentions at the beginning of the song. The setting comes across as an afterthought here.
I’d spend a bit more time retooling the lyrics to better fit the time period, and then see whether a different musical setting would make sense at that point.
18 chewmeupspitmeout - Narcissus and Echo
The instrumentation on this one is a little sparse across the board, and the vocals come across kind of ghostly, if that makes sense. The lyrics on the whole are a bit too on-the-nose for me. I’m not sure this song would be a hit with me outside of the context of the competition.
Razor Brain - Smokin’ Hot [SHADOW]
I do like the passionate take on your vocals in the chorus, that gave me a bit of an uncomfortable chuckle, but in my opinion this song is another victim of Too Many Words; the lyrics in your verses are stacked so close together that it’s hard for your ideas to come to a complete landing. The whole thing feels pretty rushed.
I was unfamiliar with this selection of Genesis, so I can at least say I learned something today.
Hanky Code - My Shoe [SHADOW]
Ugh! Too bad on missing the deadline here, but thank you for still submitting and sharing this with us. I’ve always thought the Cinderella story was a bit… weird, and putting it in a modern setting like this really drives the point home. None of the references to modern-day technology feel heavy handed. It literally sounds like a teenage girl being like, “ew, why does this absolute CREEP have my shoe?” So good.
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