ST24.4 Reviews - Ethan Ivey

Read on for Round 4 reviews from Ethan Ivey:

Celestial Drift - Water Fox

This song is nice and has me moving. It’s more Fox than Water in its sound but I hear the water in the lyrics and some of the background instruments. I’d like more vocal in the balance if possible. It all works!

The lyrical and rhyme structure works. I like when the emphasis changes and it gets a little of a rap quality. Your low note was cool and came out of nowhere. I like the imagery of the psychedelic sea against the rest of the lyrics which just seem like “wolf do wolf things”. 

Solid entry! Nice work!

Vehicles of Beware - Vulpes Vulpes

I hear more water in the intro to this one. I like the direction you went with the narrative. It was not something I expected at all and was welcome. 

The way this one builds in intensity and then cuts out is very effective for the story you’re trying to tell. I like the “wet mechanical” feel throughout. 

Very cool all around. I have listened to this numerous times and every time there’s a physical reaction as the intensity builds. Excellent!

David Taro - Kitsune

Your instrument choices are my favorites for this round. The balance of voice to instruments is perfect and allows for those fun harmony moments you sprinkle in. 

Japanese music and stories need more love. I’m glad you went that route with your song. It’s making me want to experience more, which is a huge win in something like Spintunes. I was also entranced by the Hirajōshi scale and want to play around with it. Inspiration is why we’re here. Excellent work!

Governing Dynamics - Blue Ruin

This one is nice. It’s full from the beginning and vibes all the way through. I hear the “water” in the sound with the dissonance in those long held (organ?) notes. 

Some of the lyrical emphasis is unexpected (“Think you’ve read my mind” , “Black marks I can’t erase”) but it’s a cool effect here, not something I wanted changed. 

This is another one that got me moving. The cadence at the end and fade is very nice! Good work!

Joy Sitler - Survival of the Fittest [SHADOW]

This is a bop! I have been humming your tune more this week than any others, including the four entries. It hits all those pop standard elements that we expect. I like your chord progression, the instrumentation is safe and works, your voice is forefront and clean, and the lyrics are strong. 

Jealous Brother - Lost in the Fog [SHADOW]

This has a Beach Boys quality to it but it’s almost moving too quick for it. I hear the water, I hear the fox. The vocals are clean and harmonies don’t overshadow the melody. The harmonic structure is simple and accessible. Instrumental solos are nice and feel different enough from each other. This was another that I kept remembering throughout the week. 

Hot Pink Halo - See Something New [SHADOW]

I love the way this one starts. I wish you had maintained that exact energy throughout but elements drop out to make room for the vocal part. This is a bop. Harmonies are nice and I like the way this one ends. It’s a good cadence and isn’t jarring. Nice work!

Sober - From This Clay [SHADOW]

This is the song from this album that I will come back and listen to more. Lots of thought went into how to fill space and into the form of the song. The chord structure is exactly what my ears wanted. I resonate with the idea of hoping for rebirth to be with a loved one. I’d be interested in what you’d add or change outside of the time limit. Excellent job!

This Big Old Endless Sky - of droughts and flooding rains [SHADOW]

The grungy feel of this is not for me but through it I can hear your intention. The ethereal sounding harmonies are a cool element. There’s chaos here and it effectively tells your story. Good work!