I cannot believe you learned languages, production techniques, the freakin’ cello?!?! Really making it hard on the judges this time, maybe a criteria for most challenging new skill?!? Humbling, thanks for all the effort!
The Popped Hearts - Tusen Takk
The Wegian Legion?! Melodica and Steel Drums - always the best instrumentation for Norwegian folk ballads. So, I dunno, novelty songs just make my heart happy!
Lyrics 6, Music 5, Prod 5, Perf 6, Theme 6, Total 28
You guys just really have a great humor about the whole thing, Never miss a chance to see you one of these days!
Daniel Sitler - Everything Ends (Epilogue)
I love the overall vibe and dark choir of voices - this is amazing improvising!
Lyrics 4, Music 6, Prod 5, Perf 6, Theme 5, Total 26
Droney and Dark!
Stacking Theory - Something That Was Never There
I keep loving the sound of your band more and more, it’s big and whispery at the same time! Turtles all the way down!
Lyrics 6, Music 6, Prod 5, Perf 6, Theme 7, Total 30
Love the snakey shaker groove in the beginning and the build throughout, who doesn’t love a good coda?
Balance Lost - Fade to White
Another great pop song! I miss the humor of Temporary Window, but it’s so lush and jangly!
Lyrics 4, Music 6, Prod 5, Perf 6, Theme 6, Total 27
the reversey reverb thing lands, it doesn’t give drama!
The Pannacotta Army - From The Beginning
Everything is so organic sounding, this is a lover’s waltz!
Lyrics 5, Music 7, Prod 6, Perf 7, Theme 7, Total 32
It’s so light and groovy, what a nice feel and interesting chords.
Jeff Walker - With My Angels
Another guitar slinger in my car, “Whoa, how is all that guitar and guitar all blended up in there. Wait, this is your spintunes contest?” Still slinging that hot production out of your comfort zone - you really got the goods freestyle, you oughta keep doing that!
Lyrics 6, Music 7, Prod 8, Perf 5, Theme 6, Total 32
Siebass - There’s Music All Around
Okay, this is amazing. It is both funny and clever, stupid and innovative, transgressive and listenable! Your freedom and courage in beatboxing humbles me!
Lyrics 5, Music 6, Prod 7, Perf 6, Theme 7, Total 31
The Alleviators - Figure This
Best one yet, you’ve captured what I like about boygenius, it’s sorta deadly unserious! Got some Broken Social Scene vibes, all that exasperated yelling, an updated Gotye anthem?!? Marvelous and messy, no second guessing!
Lyrics 8, Music 6, Prod 7, Perf 7, Theme 7, Total 35
Bubba & The Ghost of the Kraken - Castle Čachtice
You’ve heard of murder ballads? Get set for catchy serial murder tunes! This was a bop, I even got the whiff of empathy that she might be innocent!
Lyrics 7, Music 6, Prod 7, Perf 6, Theme 8, Total 34
Ironbark - Bit By Bit
Truly a philosophy in a song! I love the cello, if I didn’t know you couldn’t play it, I wouldn’t have really noticed; I just tried violin the other day (I play mandolin) and was completely flummoxed, even with two fiddlers standing around. Maybe this is your songwriting technique, but the electronic/lyrical/strings blend was really interesting, it felt like an organic clockwork clicking into place around the theme.
Lyrics 7, Music 5, Prod 5, Perf 5, Theme 7, Total 29
Just great stuff, really enjoying these miniature journeys into your psyche!
Cavedwellers - The Wrong One
I guess I’m now realizing how great your guitar playing is - that production is freakin’ juicy and thick, but looking back, I really like the tone on Dismissed too, just nice saturation and it gives the solo heft without being obnoxious or overdone - the tastiness of EVH without any of the usual baggage of shredders. I’m also still very much liking the voices and technique you worked up for guitarmonizin’, very specific and enduring.
Lyrics 4, Music 7, Prod 6, Perf 7, Theme 7, Total 31
Jealous Brother - No Harm Will Come Your Way
The creaky harmonium is very Tom Waits actually, like a child is born, but he’s Tom Waits, so he’s figuring out the harmonium and then you guys come in with your great, glam-ey vocals and subtle lines and delivery, then the real meta-experience happens, because we’re off in song about song-land and song contest about song contests, it just goes on and on.
Lyrics 7, Music 7, Prod 7, Perf 6, Theme 6, Total 33
Tunes By LJ - Salty Air
Interesting take on the big hit of the summer, like it’s almost wistful while being upbeat, chill while clicking right along…The lightness of your touch in the lyrics makes it for me, just lots of sunshine and good cheer in there; not sure if I can tell that your modulation adds to the mood much, but maybe that’s good - I kinda would need the song to suggest that path before doing that, for me it suggests a kinda Disney/Mariah/Schlock in general, so I guess I’m saying it didn’t detract from the song?
Lyrics 7, Music 7, Prod 7, Perf 6, Theme 7, Total 34
I kinda feel like covering this song, it’s so tasty, we’ll run around playing it in the car this summer.
Phlub - I Love Them Chickadees
Okay, that is some birdsong psychedelia right there, and there’s something carnival/creepy about the harmony that really stands out. I had no idea that chickadees and tits were the same bird, that is something we’re getting from the naturalist aspect of your musical career which man, if I can just see one cedar waxwing this year, damn!
Lyrics 7, Music 5, Prod 5, Perf 5, Theme 6, Total 28
Governing Dynamics - Whisper Gentle Rain
I love your slide, it’s very at home in the mix and sounds perfect for the song, which just feels ¾ to me - lots of good dreamy pop. I so love the ambiguity and imagist rendering, are we missing a fallen soldier, a lost love affair, who knows? If I wanted a clear narrative that pays off every chorus, I’d be listening to new country.
Lyrics 5, Music 6, Prod 7, Perf 7, Theme 6, Total 31
Temnere - Destiny Awaits
I dunno, the drum mix isn’t terrible - that punk snare sound, dryer than the humor of the formidable Temnere! I like it best of the three songs I’ve heard so far, the Ren Faire vibe with metal chops is solid, I’ll check out Curta’n Wall, folk punk from another era!
Lyrics 6, Music 7, Prod 5, Perf 6, Theme 6, Total 30
Mandibles - What Just Happened?
What a message and jam there at the end, seemed like you were onto something with the new mandolin-ing, it had some cool parts. My favorite is the awesome chorus, it all feels very original and lived in, there’s air in the mix too, it feels present and full front and center.
Lyrics 6, Music 5, Prod 5, Perf 5, Theme 5, Total 26
Sober - O Sweet Death
This is your best one yet, I like the tonality and the danceabgility, it’s got a little bit of a Dirtwire feel to it. That’s a tough one, our olds who are ready to go, kind of a good, dark one for some of those nights when people are hanging on your every word.
Lyrics 6, Music 7, Prod 6, Perf 7, Theme 8, Total 34
chewmeupspitmeout - Condemn Me [SHADOW]
It’s like a dark and complex Hozier song; definitely Never Die was a better lyric than your new AI friend with benefits, very cool, thanks for shadowing it!
Lyrics 5, Music 7, Prod 7, Perf 5, Theme 5, Total 29
Hot Pink Halo - All The Information Is On The Task [SHADOW]
Haha, I love your travelogue for your Uke strings, you got it, the intonation works great! I love the production and the way that the sincerity doesn’t mute your voice at all.
Lyrics 7, Music 5, Prod 5, Perf 5, Theme 5, Total 27
Mandrake - What if? [SHADOW]
Love the crackliness of the drum mix; is that a very fast delay? It sounds like cranking and really gets across the anxiety of the lyric.
Lyrics 6, Music 6, Prod 5, Perf 5, Theme 6, Total 28
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