Here are your Round 3 rankings from Ben:
Read on for Ben's reviews!
I’m writing these reviews on a plane headed to Delaware. At this point in the competition, I feel like I’m really getting to know you all as artists. Thanks for keeping me company while I shoot through the sky. You all have such different and distinct vibes, each round is a delight.
I love good song references, so this round was really fun for me. In addition to my standard judging rubric of performance/production, originality, and overall vibe check I was trying to pay close attention to what these songs added to the overall “conversation,” be that with the referenced song(s), songwriting in general, or even this competition. On the whole, I thought all the submissions were incredibly strong once again. My reviews are largely positive and my standards for judging is really high at this point in the competition. The difference between my top and bottom ranked songs were minimal and admittedly pretty nit picky.
To those of you submitting Shadows, stop being so good! You’re making this way too hard!
This Big Old Endless Sky - Am I the Ball and Chain?
I really liked the gritty feel of the guitar tone. The song had a driving rhythm and the vocals added a lot to the overall feel of the piece. That outro bridge was a cool break from the rest. I had the chorus stuck in my head for a whole day after my first listen, so that deserves a bonus point.
Hot Pink Halo - Rallied by an Evening Prayer
Clever “Don’t you forget about me” inclusion. It works so well with the next line and the sum of parts and changes. But you know that because you wrote it. The vocal performance was spot on, nothing new there, that’s what I’ve come to expect from you. Really nice arrangement and structure.
The Pannacotta Army - Don’t Be A Square (Funk 13)
I was hoping for something a little more clever, like if something more unexpected happened, some conflict between the vocals and music maybe? Like one is trying to keep up with the other, or the vocals add more and more instruments until it gets untenable. Yeah, it would be another song completely, but I just wasn’t pulled into the song as written.
David Taro - One Hit Wonder
This one locked into the vibe right from the jump. Doesn’t feel dated but feels like a radio hit. I kept wanting to hear the fictional song you were referencing, instead I just turned this one up, rolled the windows down, and cruised down the road. Nice hooky chorus.
SEE/MAN/SKI - The Song I Can’t Write
The doubled vocals really do a lot of heavy lifting. I could really feel the regret in this one. Great mixing and arrangement, it feels like a fully complete piece.
Jealous Brother - A Guy Like Me
Congratulations on a spot on homage to They Might Be Giants. If I squint my ears enough, I start to think it actually is them! I thought it was a perfect submission for this challenge since you used the song/performance as a backdrop for something in your life. Felt like a true addition to the conversation.
Bob Voyg - So Far, So Hard
Wow, I’m jealous of that great guitar tone. “The empires get buried, overthrown” line is wonderful. Great celebration of music and what it does for the world. Again, feels like a shot across the bow in the conversation about songwriting, woodshedding, and the pursuit of technicality.
Huge Shark - Wings
Again with the horns. They add the perfect color to the tune. Interesting drum rhythm. Well mixed and written. You do such a great job conveying really heavy topics in a way that feels almost effortless.
Good Guy Sôjàbé - A Song About A Song
I wanted something more than just a description of another song. I mean, I know that’s the brief, but it didn’t feel like it added anything to the conversation. The performance was great, and honestly on par with the Tenacious D song you’re referencing.
The Alleviators - Song of the Ravaged
I absolutely love the chorus. The production is really slick. The guitar work is top notch, especially that solo! Vocals are on point and the structure worked to keep me engaged. Strong stuff.
Governing Dynamics - Keep Driving (I-70)
This one hits hard. Great choice to go with this tempo, despite being a “driving” song. A couple dodgy moments on the vocal performance, but somehow they add to the overall feel of the song. Also, until I sat down to write out my thoughts, I didn’t realize it was over 6 minutes. Kudos, because it doesn’t feel that long!
Flintsteel - Master of the Art
This one is epic. as usual. It did feel a little color by numbers, though. There were bridges in the right place and enough changes, but it felt very similar to other submissions put forward. That said, I want to play air guitar every time I listen to that solo coming out of the break in the middle.
Sober - On Shenandoah
I feel like this is something heard this before, almost like a cover. The performance was great (as I’ve come to expect - you can really put songs together), but I wanted a new or fresh spin on something classic.
Wendy Wiseman Fisher - The Song That Opened The Sky [SHADOW]
I was not expecting “a whole new world.” Felt like a clever way to mash up something really familiar with something new. This belongs in a musical!
▷ - just felt like That [SHADOW]
The dragging feeling played really well with the first change. Liked the vocal effects (as usual.) Great addition to the conversation here.
gammammannn - Under My Shadow [SHADOW]/You Are [SHADOW]
It feels too weird not to consider these as a connected pair. This might be the epitome of a “conversation” about music and it worked really well to have them live in two distinct. Especially loved the camera shutter clicks in You Are. Super clever.
☀️bucket - dreammachine [SHADOW]
The vocals should be either more or less deadpan. But this track is nice and shoegazy. Some vocal processing might give a little more of a dream-like feel. Thinking the repetition of “dream” could be an echo fading out?
Siebass - Listening to Fish [SHADOW]
This was unexpected and fun! A real treat. Love the weirdness and that drop is so satisfying. Kinda wanted it to go on for a lot longer. When is the extended 12” mix coming?????
Nathan Joe Long - Foreshadowing My End [SHADOW]
Really nice meta references to the concept of a “shadow” in this competition. I thought the intentional use of drums worked really well. That first verse without them is fire.
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