Here are your rankings from SpinTunes 24 Champion Vehicles of Beware (aka Phil):
Read on for Phil's reviews!
There was some very raw and honest songwriting here, and I'd like to acknowledge that it feels strange to give an arbitrary critique of your songs. But I'm here to provide my input to you all, because I know that we're doing it for the right reasons. We continue to remember Joy by participating and hopefully continually improving at this art form.
I'll also day that the songs from this round are really skillfully done - you've put in great work to get them all to a really high standard. So let's continue to write and share our songs, because it means something to us.
So here are the moments I keep returning to from this batch of songs:
- This line reading in Sojabe's song: "They met the deVIL". Just makes me chuckle.
- The double major lift in Huge Shark's song 'Did It Have Wings?', such a great moment, see below.
- The synth bass lines in The Alleviators 'Song of the Ravaged', leaving space and almost becoming a counter-melody.
# 1 David Taro - One Hit Wonder
Great sing-along vibes with crowd-pleasing stops for memorability, you've made what feels like the hit of the summer...and it's about the hit of the summer. The song refers to itself musically as well as lyrically which is just so clever.
You've used the effects on the voice discerningly, and added lots of small details in the guitar parts, letting it breathe in the verses and becoming lush in the choruses.
The backup vocals are sung well and really skillfully arranged, always in support of the main vocal and mixed just right.
# 2 The Alleviators - Song of the Ravaged
I'm loving the internal rhymes on this one, and how you let your voice open up for those big notes ('laugh in your face' // 'have a parade'). You're making great shapes with the rhythms created by the lyrics in the outtro:
Wait a minute, back up, begin again
You try to spin it
But we're gonna win it
Having the vocal become a supporting instrument during the guitar solo is a great decision. In fact there there are just tons good production choices here, including the vocal harmony arrangement, the synth bass leaving space at this lyric:
Whose army do you think you are?
Sure as hell ain’t ours
Shout-out to whoever's processing those drums sounds too, the crunchy snare tones really gave it the right attitude.
# 3 Sober - On Shenandoah
Well, I'm crying. I don't know how you got through this vocal take at all. The deep harmonies, the tin whistle, oh god, it's all poignant. There's beautiful lines on the mandolin and upright bass, there's a flat 9 harmony on the last line, there's just .... a lot of great moments.
When writing songs that are more traditional in melody and structure, I think it's very hard to write new-sounding songs because they're inherently drawing from the well of tradition. I think you've succeeded here and I think like this could be a timeless classic song that's sung at memorials, if one would wish for such a macabre legacy.
# 4 The Pannacotta Army - Don’t Be A Square (Funk 13)
Let me get my calculator. 7+6=13 so it's a prime funk? No, it's a it's a goovy ourobouros! Whatever it is, I'm nodding my head along to it.
The shaker and drums are groovin, and all the parts have found a very nice pocket - it's a very sophisticated contraption you've built here and I'm pleased to be in the passenger's seat.
# 5 This Big Old Endless Sky - Am I the Ball and Chain?
This has got big vocals, big feelings, and great mood shift in the middle. It takes you on a journey, without forcing a literal description of anything, the words bring used evocatively to propel the song along.
The lingering questions do their job to leave the listener with a strong impression. The whole band is absolutely rocking and that nasal bendy sound is kept in check, which isn't the easy to do. The chorus hook is very strong and you hit it with small variations to keep it fresh each time.
# 6 Jealous Brother - A Guy Like Me
You've got a fun song, solid all the way through. There's some strong 60s influence, with the harmonised melody all the through, single syllable BVs (bap-bap-bap) and those claps. Lyrically you've told a great story, but I would have liked to hear the title line (If you could love They Might Be Giants then you could love a guy like me) a little sooner and maybe a bit more often.
The unresolved ending is great, and feels like the right choice for the genre too.
I'd have liked a bit more dynamics throughout, letting the arrangement thin out a bit in sections to provide a bit more contrast between verses and choruses.
# 7 Huge Shark - Wings
It's a beautiful song, with some poignant lyrics - thank you for sharing your story.
There's a sequence of chord changes that are really effective, which I'd like to look at here. The verse is in F major, so lets start at the lyric '...and keep you here'. The first step is it unexpectedly hits the Abmaj7 as a way to move keys to Eb (1 tone down). BUT this only sticks around for short time because all of a sudden there's a C major chord, lifting the Eb in the melody to an E natural - just in time for the songs title line 'did it have wings'. This (in a word) rocks. This is a choice that would more typically be used in a musical-theatre context, but it's a powerful move to invoke in any style or genre.
Production-wise a couple of the drum fills feel a little too busy and get in the way of the honesty of the song. The flute and other woodwind lines sit comfortably mostly of the time, I think some more arrangement of these would polish the song up even more.
Finally, I think an unresolved ending musically could have worked on the last line, especially as it's already a question.
# 8 Hot Pink Halo - Rallied by an Evening Prayer
Congrats on 100 songs, it's a mammoth achievement! Your vocal harmonies and guitar parts all work together so well. I'm also loving those transistor organ sounds in the back too, organ is a typically constant sound source and you've used it well to add dynamics and lift the energy in whole sections, then you've let it get out of the way otherwise.
I love these lyrics from the chorus, they feel important and impactful:
Every one’s the sum of what’s come before
And every one changes
As time makes them more
I would have liked the BVs to sing some answering phrases during the chorus, and then to join in at the end of the section. This would firstly lift the energy even more, and secondly it would reinforce the importance of these lines.
The final chord is tastefully chosen, it's a strong finish.
You've really tapped into the feeling of competition with these words - here's to 100 more?
# 9 Governing Dynamics - Keep Driving (I-70)
Hey there's 25 songs in this song! This obviously fulfils the challenge of the round but then continues to keep fulfilling it again and again by making it into an epic mixtape.
There's a great pushing feeling throughout, with the relatively slow tempo and wall of guitars, which all support the feeling of driving. The sheer volume of song references is a lot of fun, it's like an audio Where's Wally (aka Waldo) of musical influences. Sure you could cheat at by looking at the lyric sheet but where's the fun in that?
# 10 Bob Voyg - So Far, So Hard
That guitar is lowwwwww, and the heaviness is getting addictive. It's another personal song, made all the more impactful by the self-referencing nature of the challenge.
Technically the sibilance of the vocals gets a little rough around the edges at times, I think a little EQ or a de-esser could have just softened these a bit.
# 11 SEE/MAN/SKI - The Song I Can’t Write
Combining the two stories around the common theme of regret is very effective and the song is very moving.
These lyrics hit very hard:
were you struggling?
was it planned?
were there signs
that I could never understand?
Technically I think a bit more reverb for the piano part could have made it sit in the mix more and support the soft dreamy ambience (and maybe drums too?). The higher vocal part sometimes is slightly different from the lower part, I think it could have been clearer where this is a pure octave and where it's a harmony line.
Thanks for digging deep and finding these words.
# 12 Good Guy Sôjàbé - A Song About A Song
Is this a long lost Tenacious D song? No, this is just a tribute. It's tributes all the way down I guess?
It's a playful approach to the theme, but I think isn't as hooky as the Tenacious D's so it slightly suffers by comparison.
A great line reading on: "They met the deVIL" which was *chefs-kiss Jack Black approved*. You've definitely channeled the spirit of the duo in your performance.
Are those farm animal noises at the end?
# 13 Flintsteel - Master of the Art
Your musical signature speaks for itself here, you're pulling no punches as you launch into the very impressive guitar solo section that's become a signature.
The lyrics here didn't quite flow for me, with a missed opportunity to rhyme 'mE' with 'melodIEs' in this line:
and share your secrets with me
master of the art
play the forbidden melodies
If you delete the 'The' (not to be confused with The The) it could have shifted the line one syllable over which I think would just have worked a little better. There are similar lines elsewhere, and overall the lyrics didn't connect with me unfortunately.
I also noticed some strange audio things, a word getting chopped at the end of a chorus, and a generally quiet track (some master bus limiter issues maybe?). This wasn't a huge deal however this round did have some very strong productions from others so it stood out as a little untidy.
# Wendy Wiseman Fisher - The Song That Opened The Sky [SHADOW]
Big singing here, with some bold choices for the chord changes throughout. Some of these connect with the moment lyrically and some don't, which makes them feel out of place. This is mostly true of the chromatic changes, which happen a bit too often and therefore lost their impact.
Your voice is clearly the star here, and the instrumentation tries to keep pace by using timpani and some rising sweep noise sound effects to bring drama. I think a more orchestrated approach could have enhanced the drama of these moments even more.
The current closing line is unexpectedly negative ('no no no no') for a song that aims to be more positive. If also have liked to hear a closing line or coda that resolved the message of the song or the direction of the main character in a more positive way.
# ▷ - just felt like That [SHADOW]
A haunting lullaby drifting into some uneasy silicon chip generated moods, all flowing freely from section to section. It's a great mind-to-page form of expression, it's great to have a bit of a window into your process!
# gammammannn - Under My Shadow // You Are
I've chosen to consider these songs as a suite, as the notes indicate they're related. There's a lot your now-signature computer generated tones, you're really crafting something that's fun and engaging. The lyric content of the songs are raw and honest, I think they would have benefited from another edit pass before recording, just to iron out the intent of each section more clearly.
There's some vocal funkiness in places, I think you know about these, as your notes refer to them. For the record I don't think the range is too high for you, it works to hear the effort to get to big notes like this. The choruses of Under My Shadow remind me of that Lorde song Royals (in a good way), with that big drum sound and layered vocals.
These songs are wry, funny and full of *your* personality and we appreciate them, even without the endorsement of some YouBoomer.
# ☀️bucket - dreammachine [SHADOW]
The back drums and grunge tones work well together here to create a kind of grim surf rock - it's a good match for the lyrics which also could be read positively or negatively. Will the dream turn into something more nightmarish - the song suggests: maybe.
There are some tuning issues occasionally in the guitar parts, these should be used carefully for effect.
Think about where the melody sits in your vocal range, I think starting in a higher place at the start of the chorus would work better. Even a tone or two might make the difference.
Lyrically I think the rhyme structure you've employed could use a small adjustment. Because each line stands alone and doesn't flow as a sentence to the next line, I think you could have alternated your rhyming structure so that it went like this:
Moving shadows on the wall
Close my eyes and then observe
lose myself within the thrall
aurora on my optic nerve
I think this reads more mysteriously and gives the listener more to speculate (dare I say dream) about.
One final thing, I'd suggest to let the end ring out or hit the end with the band tight. This kinda rang out but was cut off abruptly.
# Siebass - Listening to Fish [SHADOW]
I think you're really getting in touch with your aquatic side (perhaps to connect to your stage name). The power of the dance remix will surely see this being banged out at a club somewhere soon enough.
More animal songs! Disco Snails! Crocodile Rock! Dingo Dubstep! (and so on)
# Nathan Joe Long - Foreshadowing My End [SHADOW]
Great reference to shadowing as a shadow entry to this round. It's a rocking tune, and I'm loving those plinky piano parts that provide some lightness in the instrumental section and coda.
I'm also enjoying the chord changes you've used, I think adding some more orchestration around these to make those moments stand out some more. Nothing too flashy just another layer of something.
The stops are a nice touch, I'd consider adding a more powerful re-entry afterwards., It sometimes felt a bit like the track got accidentally paused by mistake instead of a dramatic moment. They're a good device, make the most of them!
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