Here are your rankings from SpinTunes 20 Champion Ironbark:
Read on for Ironbark's reviews!
Tough challenge to rank. Judging is always subjective to some degree, but 'unexpected yet satisfying' will of course mean something different to all of us. I haven't tried to hide that in my reviews. In a couple of cases, I even go out of my way to explain where my subjectivity's coming from. That might be frustrating for some but, with a bit of luck, five people being subjective balances into something resembling fairness. As always, feel free to hate me if I've done you wrong.
That said, I didn't go too hard on anyone for not mindreading my personal interpretation of the challenge, so long as a fair attempt was made. (But then, 'fair attempt' is pretty subjective too. Ah well.)
P.S. Some great shadows this round.
Stacking Theory - Slowly Disappear
I've noticed in previous rounds that the longer songs tend to move down my rankings due to repeated listening and growing impatience, so I took this off the tracklist after three or four spins. It has really stuck with me. It's such a sad, unflinching song, but there's a sort of rueful, hard-won triumph to those choruses that makes me look for an upside. Dreams shed to give new ones room to grow, lost things laid to rest. Or maybe just a celebration of what might have been. Great song, really nails the challenge.
I also admire how you manage to maintain a sombre mood while tucking in little moments of colour and humour, like the hushed deadpan voices singing 'dedicated seat'.
I remember when the entire suburb used to put its hard waste out on the same day, and we'd all go strolling down the street for a stickybeak, seeing if any old dreams could find a new home. Then they switched to individual pickup with those big stickers saying you'll be fined if you take anything. After listening to your song, that feels kind of symbolic.
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (yep). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (yep).
Hot Pink Halo - Gold
What a chorus. It's a wonder. Rising up in the dark, hopeful but a little fragile. Oddly melancholy too, or maybe that's me projecting. I'm writing these reviews the day after yet another kick in the teeth for indigenous Australia, and it's got me thinking about this weird, messed-up country built on murder and theft. I suspect our latest dismal saga was in the end less about racism and more about some white guy in Canberra wanting to score a quick symbolic win without putting in the hard work and preparation required for real change, but there's no getting past the fact we're pretty good at racism here. (Half my friends grew up with random blokes on the train telling them to fuck off back to China.) Which is why I'm so grateful for this song, which stares all that darkness in the face and builds something light and defiant, a reminder of shared history and shared humanity. Holding up the humble dim sim as a symbol of the good things that can come when cultures crash together and intertwine until it's all a glorious, inextricable mess. A great response to the challenge, and just what I needed right now.
There are things you could fix up: the energy of the drums feels a bit out of place, the verses run out of puff before the chorus, as though you're still testing where the melody goes, and Andy Partridge would shake his head at the way you dismount from the bridge. But I don't care. However I end up ranking it, this is the song that meant the most to me this round.
(Still prefer a good potato cake, though.)
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (yep). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (yep!).
GFS - Falling Down
I like how you embody the rain here, from the slow patient drips to those little washes of stuttered percussion. The rain provides a strong through-line, though it's very unclear to me which parts of the song relate to the challenge. (I can see a few possibilities if I squint.) Like Siebass, you seem to have taken it as a prompt for a riddle song, and it works much better on those terms. The pivot from rain to climate change comes out of the blue, but I like how you repurpose the 'falling down' line. There's a recurring theme of tested faith that doesn't quite connect the dots for me; perhaps it lands differently for a religious audience. I'm not sure the song delivers a very coherent message overall (some people get no rain, some people get too much, and rain is also climate change) but it generally works from moment to moment.
Your entries are always very well arranged and produced, which leaves me with little to offer on that front. So let me say something obviously stupid: I'd find your songs more moving if you didn't try so hard to move me. I'm talking in particular about that hushed intensity you adopt for your verse vocals (in all your songs so far), exaggerating your vocal fry and closing out lines with strong vibrato. (You generally open up into a more natural tone for your choruses.) It's skilled singing, and this deliberately theatrical style is a quick route to the heart of things, but I'm going to try to make the case for naturalism here. If you milk every line for maximum emotional effect, you can end up flattening the song, removing light and shade. It can also strip out nuance and ambiguity, telling the listener what to feel rather than trusting them to find their own meaning. Not every line needs to be cupped gently in the hand like a Fabergé egg. For me, it creates a slightly uncanny, alien effect, like someone maintaining direct, unblinking eye contact throughout an entire conversation. To be clear, what you're doing is great; I'd just be curious to hear you in a more casual register sometime, keeping the emotion as a background to your singing rather than acting it out. Opening a window and letting a bit of air in, if that makes sense.
(All of this cuts both ways, of course: you'd no doubt find my singing uncomfortably deadpan and lacking in emotion!)
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (Elsa and Noah? Rain and climate change? Rain and god?). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (not really?).
The Pannacotta Army - Elephant
We've tried rational argument, we've tried anger. Let's try... what is this, bossa nova? Maybe you'll get the climate message through if we're all sipping cocktails and nodding our heads. This is a superb arrangement. Beautifully silky bassline, great chord changes, gentle despair, slightly narcotised mood, everything clear in the mix but nothing shouting for attention. Love it.
I've docked you points for boring challenge reasons - there isn't much substance to the connection beyond that 'elephant in the room' figure of speech, and apart from the pleasing 'pachyderm' rhyme, you don't make anything of the elephant's elephant-ness - but I can't find fault with the music. Delightful stuff, toe-tapping our way to oblivion.
(The other elephant in the room is when are you and Tunes by LJ going to collaborate? The combined smoothness would probably retroactively uninvent velcro.)
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (yep). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (sort of!).
Cavedwellers - Elevator Pitch
After two songs pointing out the link between modern capitalism and the death of our planet, we have this breezy little number about a VC being mildly inconvenienced. Interesting whiplash. It's like Gordon Gekko hopping on stage for a tight five after a Greta Thunberg lecture.
It's more nuanced than that, of course, but I never became hugely invested in the story here. The arrangement and performance, on the other hand, are excellent. Easily my favourite Cavedwellers track so far. Great balance between the guitars and Rhodes, and the whole song hangs together really well. The lyrics could do with a tweak or two to fit the meter more smoothly, e.g. 'content unveils', and the 'panacea' line would probably flow better without the 'perfect' (and 'perfect panacea' is pretty much a tautology anyway).
I don't know if you really engage with the challenge on a story level - a VC and someone wooing a VC aren't exactly unrelated, nor is the outcome unexpected - but you certainly do musically. I got quite excited when I first cottoned on to what you were planning: the two deliberately stilted choruses are going to combine into a fluent duet that puts a new spin on everything! What a great idea. I was ready to pop the champagne. Except it doesn't fully land, I think. 'Would you ask anybody not to listen carefully to me explain?' just about hangs together syntactically, but it only sort of means something if you squint. You're so close, though. A bit of redrafting to make that interwoven finale a slam-dunk (and an honest-to-god functional sentence), and I'd be far more forgiving of awkward phrasing in the earlier choruses. Am I being unfairly tough on you here? Absolutely, but you invite it a little: if you call a trick shot, you'd best land it. Anyway, I'll keep the champagne on ice for now and crack open one of Sober's fancy beers. Still a mighty fine song.
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated (eh) subjects. Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (very nearly!).
Phlub - War Dawgs
Impressive musicianship. I like the tone on those insistent high Ds on the guitar, and the guitar melody during the verses. You've really nailed the sound of a hard rock band in full flight. Maybe too well, for me. I get the feeling you enjoy being a musical chameleon, and I love that, you're tremendously skilled at it. But I prefer it when you subvert or put a unique spin on the thing you're mimicking. Basically, I'd prefer more of Phlub, and less of Phlub meticulously and impressively recreating something I can find elsewhere.
I guess you're saving the subversion here for the lyrics, but I'm one of the few Australians who isn't fluent in Bluey, so the big twist barely registered. And the Aussie connection ended up adding a layer of unintentional clutter to the song for me. We're a very war-proud country with a decent gift for jingoism - Anzac Day is (along with the Grand Final) the closest Australia comes to religious observance - while being pretty good at not caring about our soldiers as humans. (My father used to help out vets with their PTSD.) And we've just had a long trial exposing how Australia's most decorated and prominent soldier was responsible for murdering civilians and other war crimes during his time in Afghanistan. Anyway, Australia and war: it's complicated. With all that sitting on my shoulder, I don't have any appetite for this old 'war is hardcore and big riffs and kinda cool, man!' trope, dogs or not. And it doesn't help that I really love dogs and once read how war dogs used to come home deeply disturbed and were routinely put down. (Maybe things are better these days.)
None of which is a dig on you, and I certainly don't think I need a song about cartoon dog PTSD. This is all just a long-winded, joy-sucking way to say I come to your song with exactly the wrong sort of baggage to enjoy it for what it is. It's fun song with solid riffs! Woof!
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (sure). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (only if you know Bluey).
(P.S. Reading this a week later, I sound so preachy and judgmental. 'War is bad' - good insight, mate. For the record, I don't think anything's taboo in songwriting, and if I hadn't been knocking out these reviews right after watching a pretty bleak report on what's happening in the Middle East, I'd have probably taken your song in the right spirit, or at least spared you the lecture. Anyway, a weirdly disproportionate response to a song about a cartoon dog. Sorry.)
Jim Tyrrell - Salt
Nothing wrong with a live recording, but I have to salute you for finding the noisiest possible place in the room to leave the mic. At times I can almost hear some music through the chit-chat!
There's been a lamentable lack of folk music this SpinTunes, so I'm grateful for this. Good robust arrangement, with the guitar, piano and recorder/tin whistle all given their due. A really pleasant song, and a story well told. I think you could perhaps mix it up a little - with so many verses, you should probably be varying or ornamenting the vocal melody slightly as the song goes on - but that nice suspended chord after every second verse goes a long way to keeping it fresh. If there's a weakness to the story, it's that the narrator and the Admiral have no relationship beyond that brief exchange in verse 2, so the enduring link between them seems slightly forced.
I don't know how well this meets the challenge. I like it much better taken on its own terms: a neat tale of parallel lives and revenge served cold, with a nicely withering epitaph to put a button on it. In that light, it's a great song. The bootleg quality of the recording is a problem though, and keeps the listener at a distance. I have no doubt I'd have ranked this higher if you'd had time to get a cleaner take.
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (not really?). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (hmm).
The Dutch Widows - When The Storm Start To Rise
I think this is great. Nicely idiosyncratic instrumentation that builds into a really satisfying whole. The Leslie guitar, the little woody percussion bits, the slightly fake (but somehow perfect) pump organ thing: it all blends into something very compelling. And the storm metaphor is deftly handled, in a way that rings true not just for domestic violence, but for all sorts of traumatic situations. Really strong stuff.
If I've got a (minor) criticism of this song, it's the occasional lumpiness of the lyrics. The meaning is always good (and psychologically acute), but the words themselves sometimes struggle to fit. Take the opening line, for instance. 'Quicker than I can deal with' isn't a phrase that wants to be said, and it doesn't work well on the tongue. And there's a slight wordiness to the chorus that stops the images from staying in my head. With a couple of exceptions ('punching holes in rain', 'keep my head down now'), the lyrics feel like they've been thrown on top of the music without much regard for rhythm or sound. That could well be your intention, a way of capturing the dry, cloth-mouthed panic the narrator's feeling. If so, no worries, I can respect that.
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (yep). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (yep).
Glennny - Platypus
That's twice in a row you've won me over with doo doo harmonies less than 15 seconds into a song. I think I'm a cheap date. I'm really enjoying your songs this SpinTunes: strong pop instincts, great guitar work, and an impressive level of craft. The only thing I'm not wild about here is the key change into the 'why' section. It has the same abruptness as Cavedwellers last round, and doesn't feel organic to the song. Yeah, this is a song about splicing animals, but I'd prefer an actual modulation here, even if it's just a single-beat transitional chord or a few lead-in notes to prepare the way. And the bridge section feels slightly unanchored, maybe.
The platypus is an inspired response to the challenge (and one of the best animals on the planet). Not sure you cash that in as much as you could. The first two verses, with the narrator pointing out someone's similarities to duck and otter, act as a quick, effective character study and a portrait of a relationship growing apart. But then the two combine into a platypus and it doesn't really alter anything. Or maybe there's some deeper meaning with the Phineas & Herb connection - I don't know the show. A little unsatisfying. (Did you know the platypus has venomous spurs on its hind legs? That would've mixed things up a bit.) Anyway, doesn't get in the way of me enjoying the song, which is filled with your usual great guitar lines and well-judged sonic touches. (Good drums too.)
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (yep). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (yes and no?).
Pigfarmer Jr - Falling Down
The 6/8 works really well - there's a stirring melancholy warmth here, and it's a good match for the clear, stoic way you sing the defeatist lyrics. And I really like the weight that the piano brings to the sound. The lyrics are solid, could maybe use a few tweaks (e.g. to get rid of that 'crumbling' repetition, and to find a different word for 'busted' in verse two - you're already using it in the chorus). The stately pace of the song means that by the time we hit the final word of the chorus we've almost forgotten what it was meant to rhyme with. (Especially in the final chorus, where you're rhyming with a word from way back before the bridge.) Might be worth just rhyming the second and final lines of the chorus, rather than reaching back to the verse.
I realise the challenge asked for two subjects, but I think you could have cut either the pothole or the house - the satisfying connection you're making here is between you and a crumbling object, not between the hole and the house. This would have allowed you to focus on one simile rather than repeat the same sentiments for two. You're pretty much riffing on a single thought for the entire song, though the bridge does bring in a new angle.
I think all your arrangement choices are sound, except one. The noodly ukulele(?) part is a very strange choice. I'm all for mixing things up, but I have to admit that yanks me right out of the moment every time. It's like a gatecrasher from another song with an entirely different mood. Tip that guy into a pothole!
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (maybe not the ones you intended). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (not unexpected, but reasonably satisfying).
Tunes By LJ - Morning Water
Once again, gorgeous sound. Love those verse vocal melody lines. The cross sticks are a bit too loud on my headphones, but otherwise it's your trademark silky smoothness. I'd be tempted to say too smooth - the music is so untroubled and pleasant that attention can wander away from the lyrics - but then that great chorus hook comes along and pulls things into focus, with those shifting chords lighting up the vocals from different angles. Great stuff.
I'd say the wordplay on 'morning/mourning' exists more on the page than in the ear. I didn't even cotton on until I finally pulled out the lyric sheet, and while that makes the challenge aspect a bit murky, I think the song survives well without the double meaning. The shifting moods of the water imagery come through regardless.
I have a very specific and unusual difficulty with this song: some part of my brain is stubbornly interpreting the phrase 'morning water flow' as the piss you take on waking up. (You nod to this in your song bio, so I know I'm not going crazy here.) That alone would be fine, but much of the song is about drinking the morning flow, so every time I listen I have to fight past the image of someone filling up that piss goblet and drinking their own urine. Again, not off-limits for a song, but possibly not the mood you were going for. (And hard to unsee once you've seen it!)
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (yep, if you detect the homophone). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (again, only if you read the lyrics).
Jealous Brother - Guitar Picks and Nail Clippers
It doesn't get more country than being turfed out by your gal. You're treading familiar ground here, but you're so chipper and charming about it, and I like the idea of someone so intent on a love song that they barely notice or care about their relationship falling to pieces. Strong arrangement as usual. I'm not always receptive to guitar solos, but this one's a doozy. All that's missing is a round of applause from the audience - you know, like David Rawlings gets in 'I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll'.
I remember Jealous Brother taking more stylistic risks in SpinTunes 20, so it's possible I've been a bit hard on you for staying firmly in a country-rock comfort zone this time around. But you know what? It's a great-sounding comfort zone, and you always find ways to add little quirks to a well-trodden genre, like the catchy slide hook that opens the song. I don't know if your entry really fulfils this round's challenge, but it's a ripper.
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated subjects (debatable). Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (nope, the only connection is the one made in the opening line).
Sober - Cheap Wine and Expensive Beer
I love that in an hour or two you can chuck out a song that most of us would need a full day to make. And the only sign it's a rush job is a little less presence to the mix, maybe. Fun lyrics with a nice easy wit. Great bounce to the verses, and I really like that chorus melody, slowly descending and loosening its belt.
So yeah, it's a solid song. I haven't heard a song of yours I don't enjoy. But this one's really skirting the edges of the challenge, as I'm sure you'd admit. Now those poor judges have to decide where to stick you on those damn rankings they probably dread making. Man, sure wouldn't want to be one of them judges right about now.
Challenge met?
Write and record a song (yep) about two seemingly unrelated (nope, very much related) subjects. Connect them in an unexpected yet satisfying way (nope, not really what the song's trying to do).
Mandrake - River Flow (SHADOW)
First of all, these are your best-sounding vocals yet. The extra detail in the higher frequencies lets far more life come through. Hooray. (You might want to look into getting a better mic at some point down the road - sounds like your current one isn't catching the very highest frequencies, and no EQ can remedy that - but it's no longer a pressing problem.) And your singing keeps improving - you get a nice tender tone in your lower register during the verses. Some off-pitch moments on the higher notes, but nothing too bad. I like the delicate, dreamy mood you evoke here. White noise for the lapping waves, and water droplet synths. Good stuff.
I think you could take more of an interest in selecting words whose shape and sound support the vocal melody. Your lyrics often feel as though you're just roughing out the basic idea you wish to convey, without regard for meter or rhythm. (You hang a lampshade on it here with the line about language not being built for your joy, but it holds true for your other songs.) This could be the downside of working purely within a DAW: it's a lot easier to match sound to melody when you're strumming on a guitar or noodling on a piano. Maybe you just need to hold the melody clearly in your head when you're composing lyrics. (Or maybe you're aiming for a sort of artless effect.)
I realise I spend the bulk of these reviews talking about things you could do better, rather than things you do well. You clearly have talent, I'm just keen to see you unlock it all!
Siebass - Ambulance (SHADOW)
Your maths teacher probably wants to have a word with you about your interpretation of 'two subjects', but this is a blast. Great arrangement and mix, lovely strutting vocal. And then 'we've all got legs!' delivered as a horror reveal. I'm a sucker for full commitment to a goofy idea. No notes, carry on. (That cod-British 'why it's legs, innit?' at the end pleases me greatly, more than it probably should.)
Ominous Ride - Willard and Karma (SHADOW)
This is a real feat of storytelling. A lot of moving parts, but you always keep the action clear and memorable, and the way things intersect late in the song is very deftly and satisfyingly handled. You make it all look easy, but this is impressive craft. When you introduced someone called Karma I thought that was going to be the entire twist, but she's just the neat little bow on a very well told story.
I enjoyed all your arrangement and performance choices too. Those single-note backing harmonies, the little 'oh no', the switch to funereal organ. Excellent work all around.
nightingale's fiddle - Baseball (SHADOW)
This is a delight. The core connection between baseball and songwriting is handled lightly and well. (I picked up some of the sport references but I'm sure there were many more I missed.) But hang on, it's also a song about holding on to a romance. But hang on hang on, it's also a winningly dry (and slightly self-flagellatory) review of your own SpinTunes journey. All without making a big deal of it. Excellently paced song with a strong, slow build and some lovely vocal moments. As you pass third base and those snares kick in, the crowd's cheering you home.
I've really enjoyed the variety you've shown in your entries, and I'd have ranked this one high. Once you get a better handle on recording and multitracking you'll be unstoppable. So no, we haven't remotely given up on you. In fact, I'm looking forward to you coming back to smash a few home runs in SpinTunes 22.
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