Read on for your reviews from Nancy Rost!
I was going to write a mushy end-of-contest post, but it’s not the end -- we still have the covers round after this! Keep making music and being excellent to each other. Hug your children/pets/round fall foods.
Some highlights, patterns, and random observations.
Repeated words: Beyond the expected articles, pronouns, etc., top overall words included “know” (23), “send” (18), “voice” (16), “love” (15), “falling” (14), “heart” (14) and “day” (13).
Unique words: There were about 350 words that occurred only once among all the songs!*
Most unexpected commonality: the terse descriptions of childbirth in David Taro’s “Hug Your Children” and Nathan Joe Long’s “The Day After Days”.
David Taro - Hug Your Children
- Tender
- Grateful
- Beatlesque
This really does sound like it could be a Beatles outtake, with its Abbey Road-like tempo/style shifts, descending progression, slide guitar and “aaah” backing vocals on a iv chord! But it still feels like it’s original and genuine to you. The language limitation wasn’t noticeable as such, although I did get a chuckle out of “bodies smell and voices drop” as a fresh workaround for puberty.
Structure continues to be a strong point of your songs. This shows up in the way you bookend the annoyed child with the annoyed parent and the seconds-as-hours with days-as-hours. The rhymes, the refrain placements and the musical shape of the song all add to the satisfying sense of unity.
But my favorite part of this is the bridge, with its musical changes as a more palpable illustration of the time warps you experience as a parent. It helps to make the common words feel less predictable.
Other favorite moments: The syncopated vocal delivery on “you took your sweet, sweet time”, the old-school symbolism of “you just can’t hit repeat”,
This Big Old Endless Sky - Falling Down
- Blunt
- Energetic
- Trenchant
When I started imagining what contestants might do for this challenge, I thought immediately of tough-guy writing styles. I wasn’t familiar with Harry Crews, though. I listened to your song without using the book as a reference. I get that this is a boxer (dance, throwing hands) who is in the business of getting knocked out (I am falling down for you, and the book title). The narrator’s emotions are well conveyed through the passionate performance and simple, spot-on lyrics.
That’s a great instrumental intro, sonically powerful but so harmonically bare. It does a lot to set the stage with the staggered entrance of instruments and octaves. And the whole song has an exciting build to it, with the dynamics, increasing repetitions and choruses.
Favorite moments: the guitar coming in at 0:32, the huge chorus harmonies, the building vocal intensity.
*To my great surprise, “hey” occurs only once in all of this round’s songs.
The Alleviators - Shadow Teeth
- Disconnection
- Wrenching
- Pretty
The tones of your voices together and that lovely guitar make me think I could listen to you sing terms-of-service agreements. But I want good things for these pretty-voiced people, and their words are so heavy-hearted. There seems to be an undercurrent of physical pain, so many words like broken, burnt, hurt, beat, gun, cut. (Maybe this part is a byproduct of the common-words restriction?) There is yelling, and a partner who can’t be alone with the other. Someone who thinks caring so much it hurts must mean something. Wanting to be told you’re all they’ve got.
This is delivered so gently, and with the two of you singing mostly in unison, making it feel mutual and just bittersweet. It’s an effective and unsettling portrayal of the complexity of this relationship.
Favorite moments: Travis’s guitar solo, Beka’s harmony part on the final “your smile burns this shadow like the sun”. Rhyming burnt/weren’t/hurt. The line “the sounds outside, never how they were within”.
Hot Pink Halo - Move Through The World In Waves
- Transcendent
- Inspiring
- Harmonies
Right away, I’m hearing some favorite elements of your previous songs this season. There’s an interestingly separate piano intro like in “Borrowed Time”. There’s the stately 6/8 and a title similarity to “Move Mountains”. And, as you note, it’s another book-related song. But I would say you’ve outdone yourself this time.
The lyric stands out to me in the way it uses the limitations of language and viewpoint to put us in a kind of naive state where we can be enchanted. “Send out your voice through walls” and “move through the world in waves” sound like magic, and they’re probably not things you’d think to say if you’re talking unrestrictedly about broadcasting. The type of repetition you’re using in the chorus amplifies that power. And the lyric as a whole works on me without any exposure to the book (which is going on my list). It’s easy to find multiple, coherent meanings in the strong words you’ve chosen.
This is also my favorite composition this round. It brings me into its own world right away. The lift in the prechorus is well executed. The gradually moving, crunchy harmonies of the chorus are a great setting for the repeated lyrical phrases with different endings. The borrowed chords on the title line highlight it in a satisfying way There’s a good balance between momentum and breathing room.
The only thing that felt less than perfect was the bridge. I like the composition there too -- I think it’s an arrangement and/or mixing issue. Somehow it sounds a little clunky when the synth pad drops out and the bass and drums sound too heavy against the other elements.
Favorite moments: The intro and outro, the rousing anaphora, those chorus harmonies on the calls and responses, the line “be the light turned up to full”.
Huge Shark - Wish One For Me
- Affirmation
- Pointillistic
- Sparkling
The contrast of acoustic piano and that electro-type dance beat is really fun, and does a good job establishing the solo, reflective narrator. The melody has a lovely use of motive, and there are some cool twists in the harmony.
The lyrics are telling a good story, one I can relate to. I’m really feeling it in the chorus and bridge, where the narrator is in touch with her own power.
I find the words harder to follow in the verses when there are fragmented phrases like “lie but I” and “side by light”. It sounds great, though, and the composition and vocal performance do a lot to get across the underlying emotion. This kind of enjambment does kind of reflect the jagged feeling of these encounters with negative people, too.
Favorite moments: The catchy chorus with the high vocal, the switch in the bridge to the identical major with its positive words, the audacious lyric “I believe in everything”.
Wendy Wiseman Fisher - Round Fall Food [SHADOW]
- Spherical
- Catchy
- Apple? ;)
I don’t have to tell you this is ridiculously catchy. It’s done the SpinTunes equivalent of going viral. Whatever special sauce you learned from Max Martin, I want a taste. I pun, but in fact the circularity of the interlocking melodies is a big part of this song’s appeal. And the seasonality. And the silly innuendo.
Favorite moment: First time hearing this, when I realized what you’d done!
gammammannn - IDK [SHADOW]
- Restricted
- Clever
- Skrawdab
This is enjoyably weird. It goes lots of places, but always anchored enough by beat or tonality so that I don’t find it too disorienting. The topic is a natural one for the challenge (there are a few others with lyrics that balk at not having the right words.) I really enjoy the use of backward samples, the spoken bits of self-commentary. It all feels reflective of confusion and struggle, but there’s a playfulness here that makes that palatable.
Favorite moments: The backwards opening, the mixolydian melodies, the transition into the drop.
The Moon Bureau - A Song (For You) [SHADOW]
- Meta-pop
- Natural
- Charming
I like how you were able to incorporate the Round 3 song-within-a-song challenge in here too. After I wrote this, someone pointed out to me that it could be considered to meet the Round 1 day-in-the-life challenge as well. This is totally believable as a regular indie-pop song, both in language and ideas. Meta lyrics about writing a love song are par for the genre. Only the “ten hundred” sounds outside standard diction, but that quirkiness fits the cute vibe of the rest of the lyrics.
Favorite moments: the opening verse, “twenty hundred writing guy”, the instrumental hook on guitar and glockenspiel, the call and response between voices and guitars.
The Pannacotta Army - It’s How You Get There [SHADOW]
- Meditative
- Pacing
- Polished
This is lovely. It sounds to me like you’ve drawn from some of the theme and feel of “Leaving L.A.” in Round 1. There’s weariness and heartbreak, but there’s a kind of stoic peace and gentle motion. The space between vocal lines and sections reinforces the unhurried sentiment in the lyrics. I like the rising shape to the melody, and the way the chords lift without losing the slow and steady feel. Very nice arrangement, with attention to details like the pauses after the B sections, the well-placed solo. Beautifully played as always.
Favorite moments: The section that starts “from one moment to the next”, the guitar solo.
Siebass - Top 5 [SHADOW]
- Reverberant
- Abstract
- Vocalese
A delightful “outside” take on the challenge. It’s pushing the bounds of its intent, but still shaped by the prompt: It’s a chance to hear words we hear all the time as sounds. It stretches my ears in a good way.
I’m guessing you’re probably familiar with Bobby McFerrin, Circlesongs and/or Circle Singing in general. If not, check that music out -- it’ll be right up your alley!
Favorite moments: When the insistent bass voice comes in -- really cracked me up the first time I heard that! The singing in fifths toward the end.
Nathan Joe Long - The Day After Days [SHADOW]
- Condensed
- Clipped
- Rhythmic
This has a great groove and feel. Great way to underpin this life narration. And the way you’ve delineated the different life sections musically works well. You crammed in a lot! This is the second terse description of childbirth I’ve encountered this challenge! And yours is the most concise ever!
Favorite moments: “Children’s children painting big old pictures of your nose”, the subtle organ playing.
The Dreams Corporation - Dream Hospital
- (Sub)liminal
- Textured
- Artful
Welcome to SpinTunes, The Dreams Corporation. You’ve created something with very interesting interlocking layers and a truly dreamlike feeling, with airy patterns and semi-realistic voices weaving in and out. It has a … logical non-logic? It’s hard to talk about, but I like it!
Favorite moments: The floaty underlying musical figure, the descending pentatonic part that comes in here and there, the dreamy reverb.
Governing Dynamics - Beautiful Breaking [SHADOW]
- Coded
- Swaying
- Banger
What a musical entrance -- I can tell I’m in for an epic within the first few seconds, and this songs sustains it.
This seems very much in keeping with your lyrical style, and I would guess that you approached it similarly to other songs without this restriction, building around a concept, feeling, title line and rhymes. The rhythmic feel is so strong it’s possible that was an early layer. Oh, right! Your contestant bio promises “at least one melancholy 6/8 jam per contest” and you delivered. Anyway, the way you’ve placed the words and melody within that beat is beautiful. (Beautiful, that word that needs reclaiming, as you do so well in this song.) The mix of longer and shorter lines keeps things interesting. Similar to the way Huge Shark uses rests in “Wish One for Me”, the clipped, stuttering vocal melody adds to the sense of dread in the verses, giving way to release in the flowing choruses.
The arrangement and instrumentation create an immersive experience, and compositionally I particularly like the uses of suspensions.
It doesn’t even feel like code to me, and I’m with you! I wonder how people in different parts of the world will perceive it. We’ll see!
Favorite moments: Being pulled in by the synth in the beginning. The lyrics “his breathing is lying” and “there’s a screaming black star at the edge of the breaking of day”. The move into the chorus.
Micah Sommersmith - Song 23 [SHADOW]
- Accessible
- Dulcet
- Anthem
No mystery how you went about working with the prompt. On one level, it’s a clever Thing Explainer. This approach appeals to my puzzle brain and linguistic interests. I’m interested in the details, want to pick your brain on your process and give this kind of thing a try myself.
Whether by necessity or design, you’ve taken away the air of an obsolete place and time while avoiding any slangy gimmicks. I like how the shepherd metaphors are replaced with more literal meanings, while “restoreth my soul” get turned into the metaphor “sets me on my feet”. I like the switch to second person, which I first appreciated as more direct and then realized it also bypasses gendered language.
I like how you’ve shaped a stirring call-and-response chorus from this, too. All the Micahs in the choir sing like they mean it. The whole musical treatment has an engaging arc to it, from the first dulcimer notes to the last. Enjoyed this a lot!
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