For me this is a challenge based songwriting contest first and foremost. Good production is goal difference but an ambitious take on the challenge gets more points than just being radio ready. I have a weird esoteric scoring system that favours focusing on the challenge, progressive arrangements, not having 15 choruses at the end and people mailing baked goods to my flat. When reviewing each song I read the song bio (helps to write one) and the lyrics (clean up your lyrics sheets, you know who you are) in silence then listened to the song on repeat till I knew what I wanted to say. This is a great crop of songs, thanks for making my life difficult. ;)
I think a lot more people should do song bios. As an example, there are American/Australian/etc references I simply won't get because I'm British yet are completely reasonable to include.
Also In Blue - Miss Opportunity: A great set of lyrics set to a strong melody with a phenomenal vocal performance gives this song a excellant centre piece. The arrangement and backing are rock solid, the bridge is a beautiful change of pace. Can only suggest a more ambitious take on the challenge, "Miss Opportunity" is a great line though.
Balance Lost - A Temporary Window: The guitars are great, strong rhythm section, the progression between sections is entertaining and the vocals line is a solid centre. Not convinced by the synth solo, perhaps needed a bridge with some lyrics to develop the emotions of the song instead?
Berni Armstrong - It Will Come in Handy One Day: This is a fun yarn, the story plays out exactly as it should with good setups. Could it have been funnier, some more word play? The music is a solid base, nice mandolin(?) playing. Could have used some more instruments to add variety given its running length.
Brother Baker feat. Father - The Sloth: This is a powerful burst of energy, the pulse, fantastic pulse drive everything forward, magnificent drumming, dual vocals strength the fun melody. This is a thrilling piece for a simple quest, I really think you could nail a more ambitious concept.
Bubba & The Ghost of the Kraken - Knock Knock Knock: This is fun all round, an upbeat catchy song with a solid hook. The music is lively and entertaining, good rhythm section. It's a simple take on the challenge with decent lyrics, it need something more adventurous or with greater emotional weight to stand out this round.
BucketHat Bobby Matheson - Knockin’ on wood: There is so much hope and positivity in this, it makes me very happy. Good blend of instruments, upbeat vocals, fantastic tune, nice subtle elements in the arrangement. A little long, a chorus too many perhaps but leaves the track with a strong finish.
Cavedwellers - The Last Gasp Of An Empire (The Amateur Draft): I enjoyed the music, its a cool riff and the melody was good but it didn't carry enough impact. It wasn't desperate enough for a song about gambling everything and it wasn't positive enough for a tune about chasing your dream.
chewmeupspitmeout - Never Die: Super atmospheric, great contrasts between sections, strong progression throughout. Cool concept, well told story. The outro is a great change of pace but the spoken word performance is too rushed and bland. That tremolo guitar is delicious.
Daniel Sitler - Sunshine: This a beautiful work of an art. The fantastically tender vocal performance drives the song forward, the backing vocals strengthen when required. Love the layers of strings in particular the pizzicato, love how the songs swells and dies away.
Good Niche Gracious - Cold War Master: This is colossally entertaining, a fantastic execution of the challenge. The severity of the lyrics in the verse contracts perfectly with silly fun of the chorus. "Cold War"? Chef's kiss. The lead synth is a bit ugly and the production could be a bit better.
Governing Dynamics - To The Moon!: Great set of lyrics, some good turns of phrase for an interestingly ugly concept. Strong lo-fi guitars with a muscular riff to contrast with the clearer vocals delivering a good melody. The bridge is a little long but adds variety, the drums need more power.
Hot Pink Halo - Op shop: This is a great take on the challenge and well executed. I love the blend of timbres throughout, the vocals delivered a catchy tune well and I really liked the addition of the strings towards the end. Production was a little murky, could've used a little more development in the rhythm section.
Huge Shark - Edge of a Knife: The threats of the lyrics are met well by the driving edge on the music. I liked the story and there was some nice vocal layering. It's tricky, the song doesn't really do anything wrong, it's just overall a bit plain compared to other songs in the round. I wanted more from synths.
Ironbark - Privilege: The lyrics start off with story and lean towards comedy but the tone of the song throughout is pretty sad. Like the backing vocals a lot, the melody has been a big earworm for me this week.. It lacks enough depth in accompaniment. I think if Karen had come into KFC in the second half and asked the outro question the song would be more effective.
James Young - What Can I Do?: Really like the dramatic shifts between sections, gives the song some strong emotion. The lead guitar part in particular is powerful. The song bio explains the lyrics, it is an interesting idea for the challenge but the lyrics don't make the difference in character between the verse and chorus clear.
Jealous Brother - Missed Calls: Musically this is great. Its a got powerful rhythm instruments, the rhythm changes between the sections add a lot of interest, good melody. The lyrics are okay, the third verse has more weight and story than the first two, too many of the words lack the focus to be effective.
Jeff Walker - Try Again: The powerful heartfelt vocal performance anchors this entire song. The lyrics are earnest and effective. The varied guitar work is subtle and engaging. The bridge adds good dynamic variety, the accordion adds warmth, overall just a good song. Double thumbs up.
Jerkatorium - Opportunity: This a robust take, the 2nd person confrontation works well. The lyrics need sharpening, more character details, more accusatory, just something more. The music is solid, strong drum beat, nice backing vocals, good chorus, good guitar fills. It lacks a little variety, the bridge could have been more of a change.
Jocko Homomorphism - The Captive Sphinx: The lyrics are okay, there's some nice imagery but leans too heavily on the rhymes. I think there was room to tell more story, perhaps a riddle to focus the song. The music is fine, feels repetitive, in need of some progression. The Sphinx's vocals are bold and striking, good choice.
JW Hanberry - Opportunity Knockin’: The lyrics take a broad approach to opportunity whereas I think they would have benefitted from a little more story or themeing to focus them. The music is bombastic and interesting but feels like a disparate mix of elements. The vocals do a good job of holding everything together .
Loren Kiyoshi Dempster - Land Of Opportunity: The picked... string instrument(?) part, the fantastic brass sections and the vocal delivery during the chorus offer a lot. The verses are kinda forgettable unfortunately so given the running length I think the 3rd was too many. You had a lot of social ills you nobly wanted to cover, just needed editing down.
Mandibles - Time Machine: You've written a killer elevator pitch but you haven't put it in the lyrics. There's plenty of beautiful poetry but you really need to underscore the plot/concept. It's a lovely song, a wonderful vocal performance and an absolute killer guitar solo.
Mandrake - Supernova: This is a cool idea for the challenge. Clever use of structure to reflect the build up the supernova and atmosphere. The arrangement was a mix bag; the synths during intro and end section were excellent, not so much in the middle. The vocals were lost in the mix and could definitely have used a stronger melody.
Menage a Tune - Push It: The concept is interesting, the tune is good, liked the hook particularly though I felt it repeated too much at the end. It's tough, shame you didn't have time to put this to music, it was a promising intro. Aw, wishing you all the best with the new baby.
Night Sky - Janus Lies: This is an elegant execution of concept, particularly structurally. Good arrangement, loved the laid back tone, gorgeous brass. I think the lyrics depend too heavily on the song bio, the concept of Janus seems strange without it. The song's short but there's enough room to explain.
Ominous Ride - The Deal: I'm a fan of Faustus stories so I liked the take on the challenge. The chorus has a strong kick, I enjoyed the dynamics, there's good guitar work throughout, that high screeching guitar really makes it. Sadly it feels stretched. Compress all the good elements down to 2½ minutes and you've got a great tune.
Phantom Woes - New Woman, New Cry: This is so dramatic, love the cyclical story. Really enjoyed how the music layers, evolves and builds to the harmonies at the end. A duet about a 3rd party is interesting. I felt the lyrics didn't advance the story enough in the build up to "the end"... which is in the middle. Could generally do with a little more polish but I want to hear more.
Phlub - 2023 Valley Motors Tesla Cybertruck Promo: Fantastic concept, love the delivery. The regional flavour is the heart of the song and its infused in every element (or least as much as someone who spells 'flavour' with a 'u' can tell). The bulk of the song feels ponderous at times, but the spoken word sections are great and the burst of energy during the outro finishes it strong.
Profestriga - Useless Sapphic: Musically I like the wide variety in the arrangement, its a cool beat and the rap vocals are strong. Not sure the sung bits and samples fit too well though they do mix things up. It feels too harsh to enjoy but the reprimanding tone is the point of the song. This is the hardest song to judge.
Roddy - Piano opportunity: Glorious piano work throughout, loved the jazzy vocals, perfectly evokes the lyrics. This was a cool take on the challenge but felt too drawn out for the concept, didn't evolve lyrically or musically enough for the length. Excellent performance though, really enjoyed it.
Siebass - Just Go Away: This song is a massive amount of fun. Great tune, great energy, loved the way harmonies, laughed out loud at leg-face. I think the lyrics focused too heavily on the comedy of rejecting visitors and not enough on the missed opportunity in the past driving the character.
Simon Purchase James - Voices Fill the Air: This was a gentle and hopeful view of the world that the recording embedded in reality to give a sincere soulfulness. The airport ambience gave variety to the simple guitar work to complement the dynamic vocal performance. Felt slightly too long, very much enjoyed the ride though.
Sober - Things You Can’t Unsay: There is indeed a lot of universal truth in these lyrics. Lots of Intricate fills work to enhance the solid rhythm section and backing vocals. Front and centre is an excellent vocal melody and I think the best chorus of the round. You smashed it.
Stacking Theory - Make it Great: Really enjoyed the progression of the arrangement and variety of timbres in the instrumentation, the bitcrushed vocals(?) were my favourite. The imagery reflects the warmth of music but often feels undirected. Reading your song's intent I think you could have better reflected that in the lyrics to give them more weight.
Susan Veit Heslin - Go My Own Way: This is simple, elegant and beautifully performed. The harmonies add some delightful variety and help contribute to good dynamics that reflect the singer's reflection and resolution. I feel the vocals need a little more prominence and compression in the mix.
Temnere - Sands of Time: A good metal epic, compelling and varied arrangement. A lot of the lyrics are missing from Bandcamp* but the lyrics themselves did a good job of storytelling. I think the production didn't do the song justice, particularly the vocals and verse's guitars/synth felt small.
*[Micah here! This was my fault, when Temnere emailed me an updated draft of the song I only grabbed half the lyrics by mistake. The full lyrics are there now. Sorry!]
thanks, brain - Looking Down: This is more than sonically coherent, the soundscape is a joy to immerse myself in. The chorus is strong but I feel the lyrics of the verses don't carry any weight. A more specific opportunity to focus on (character/story/etc) would have clarified the song. A rare use of an appropriate fade out, good choice.
The Alleviators - Hit The Ground Stumbling: A lot of lovely imagery, a fantastic harmony and a wonderfully melancholic arrangement. Unfortunately I don't understand what's going on and the opportunity is hard to pin down, maybe I'm just not understanding but I want more interaction with the challenge. Really is a delight to listen to though.
The Dutch Widows - Just The White Wine?: I really enjoyed the music, the drums had real impact and the guitar work was spot on. Sucks about your arm, mate. Get well soon. The lyrics are kinda forgettable unfortunately, needed more powerful imagery to evoke the moment. Also felt a different key might have helped the vocals.
The Evil Genius formerly known as Timmy - Monkey Videos: I enjoy the groove throughout and the chorus has a strong hook. The lyrics feel a bit of a jumble, too many elements that don't blend. Stalkery bits that go nowhere, faulty wiring and headphones feel like it could connect up somewhere. Good production, I like how it ends
The Pannacotta Army - Never Look Back: I definitely melted away into the clouds, this was truly beautiful to listen to, loved the mandolin(?). I feel the first and second versus don't compliment each other enough, the first is too vague. The second works without it, you could have started there and built on it. Some of the fine arrangement is too soft in the mix.
The Popped Hearts - Never Miss A Chance To Miss A Chance: I was thrilled by the different take this one took, calling out someone else's missed opportunity in regards to the singer. I had to Google Sally Rooney, not sure if that's my failing or yours. The song and the arrangement in particular is super entertaining, ace. Felt like the production could have had more crunch to it.
The Practitioners - Heaven: This is an excellent take on the challenge. The reflective verse is lifted by the warm positive vibes of the chorus, with the backing vocals adding intricacies through. The song is one of the handful that has been stuck in my head this week. Not sure what to suggest, maybe use line breaks when posting your lyrics?
The Single Pint of Failure - Don’t Believe in Hope: The guitar work is solid, there is a nice progression to the music and I enjoyed the vocal performance. I think the 'Interstellar' stuff held the lyrics back. The singer reflecting on the mess the world is in and wanting to work hard to make a better future is compelling on its own.
(As an aside, listening to the Shephard tones of the 'Interstellar' soundtrack in an iMax theatre is the most upsetting audio experience of my life so thanks for not repeating that! 'Interstella 5555' is a much better film than 'Interstellar')
Tunes by LJ - Draw the Line: I really enjoyed the moment the song created, the arrangement was delightful and the lyrics were elegant. Then its just over. I appreciate you are aiming for efficiency (it was certainly that) but I think this song would have greatly benefitted from some breadth. Also, I for one love an indulgent intro.
Weiner - Play Your Hand: Always appreciate a good bassline. I feel the lyrics and the music are at odds. The music has a remorseful tone, as if the song is reflecting on missed opportunities. The lyrics feel more neutral, just advising the audience to take a positive approach. I feel there was more room for character in this.
Yeslessness - My Secret: This song is short and neat, I enjoy the keyboard work and how it evokes creeping around. Overall the intended effect of the song is unclear, its neither threatening or mischievous enough to maximise on the premise. The harmonies on the vocals are a mix bag, "I tread your bedroom floor" works great.
Hutch - Opportunity Knocks: The lyrics are lighthearted and lean towards comedy, but the music lacks the energy to sell them. The song needs to up the tempo and add some variety in the accompaniment. The solo was a good change of pace, try adding some little fills throughout.
Weiner - Seven Card Stud: The arrangement is wild. There's a cool bass line and an annoying high synth. The story progression is solid but I think the chorus adds nothing. The relentlessness.of the music complements the lyrics, there's just too much muddying the song overall.
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