Here are your Round 3 rankings from Mo:
Read on for Mo's reviews!
Hi, folks!
Apologies for the delay.
Ian/Plubberwocky informed y’all of my trip… and then… lack thereof. :(
Was supposed to attend Riverfront Revival in Charleston, SC over the weekend for my first momcation in thirteen years—yep, since October 2013 when preggo with Linus, my oldest. This would’ve also marked the first vacation my bestie (m’anamchara) and I had ever taken together in our 37 years of friendship. I’ll be 42 on Nov. 15, if y’all wanna math.
Well, thanks to Hurricane Isaias… my big date on Saturday with Darius Rucker [my first CD was Cracked Rear View, don’t hate]… and Nelly… and others… got canceled, so my momcation turned into a Mary Poppins weekend in Nashville with my two young “nieces.”
I got the news about the cancelation while stuck in Atlanta for 2 hours… just parked on the interstate… bawlin’ like a baby. Not my proudest adult moment. It usually takes four hours to drive the journey to Nashville from my abode, but it took seven. I’m still amazed I didn’t have to pee. (Ian has a funny addition to this misfortune, but I’ll let him tell it. He didn’t tell me this “addition” until last night LOL. I’m glad.)
While I’m here jabbering…
… sending my best wishes to Judge Paul. <3
Paul—as someone with chronic duodenitis, Dumping Syndrome, & EPI (latter, genetics: cystic fibrosis carrier)…my polyp-producin’ colon aches for what yours is goin’ through. Stay strong, sir! I’ll be thinking of you. My sphincter send its sympathies. Cheers to a clean chute! Gesundheit! :) Everyone else here: trust your gut. Literally. Doctors (including surgeons!) do make mistakes. Don’t fear that second… even third opinion. I’m glad I fought for my shit. Y’all should, too. I was misdiagnosed for 30+ years… but finally have answers. Don’t give up on your health. Again, my best to Paul. Happy healing!
Anyways—y’all don’t want my life story… y’all want reviews, right? Here they are below. Apologies again for my lateness. I haaaaate being late, for anything… especially late perio—okay, there’re a lot of men here, so I won’t go into that.
I’m so proud of y’all.
Stay brassy, :-P
Mo
P.S. Sorry for any odd spacing. I was going to fix typos and other boo-boos, but this fevered headache and post-“trip” blues suck. Oh, and my youngest is having accidents again. Bare with me. Mama’s strugglin’.
miscellaneous owl - Writ in Water
Lovely opening of nature sounds. Your voice is so frickin’ pretty.
GRR. (That GRR is a jealous one. Again, drunk Wynonna here.)
Vox very clear. I love being able to hear the lyrics.
Instrumentation is simple and sweet… this type of song needs the basics, like H20… less is more for me a lot of the time. This hits it.
Your vox would go well with an army of harps. Harps + your voice = melt ;) Oh my, glockenspiel/xylophone. Will you call my kids… sing… and get them to calm down??
Alison Krauss-like. Sierra Hull even. Makes me ache for some fiddle, but this song doesn’t need a shuffle. Maybe a good whole note of one.
Nice bass, cello-ish, 1:03… bring it out a tad more. Or more often. Man, I love me some strAngs.
This is your best song of the competition, thus far. I think.
I love some good alliteration. Writ. I haven’t heard that word, or read it even, in quite some time. ;)
Maybe some variation around the 2:25 would take this song next level. The repetition is good for a single, but for competition… just a tad more switch-a-roos for my squirrelly ears. I didn’t noticed a defined bridge on first listen. I’ll come back for more input on that. Stay tuned.
I respect you actually PLAYED this, I think? I’m not there, but sounds like you’re the one changing chords like a grown-up musician. Kudos.
This would sound gorgeous live, I’m sure.
Good pronunciation of waTer… vs. wad-der.
When I was in middle school choir we sang, “Candle on the Water”… and ya gotta know with about 30+ li’l bumpkin Central Appalachian kiddos—so much D in their water—it sounded adorable, but it also grated the choir director’s nerves. Ever since, whenever I hear “water” in a song, I listen for the T or D. I have no preference, just wanted you to know I notice these weird things. Wad-der would’ve sounded weird here.
Thanks for losing the clicking. :) :) :) Obviously, you made up for it.
(Also understand y’all only have a week.)
WHY COULDN’T MY MAMA SING TO ME LIKE THIS??? UGH.
maybe whispering that lyric with a slight… crescendo(?) to the 2:36 part would give this song a cool forensic-vox boost. Emotive.
Like a whispery… “… cause years from now… I went.” Then coming in with your baseline volume at “In the trees…” kind of answers the previous sentence. Would sound so lovely, I think. Toy with it, if this is one of your “personal keepers.”
3:01 “… hou-urrrs”… girlllll that pretty. Chills. Basically from this part to the end. 3:21—nice hold. Good control. Can I borrow your vocal chords for the day? Lol
Production quality—big improvement from last round. Love the simplicity. Just more defined bridge is my only production note (also note: am a [slam-lovin’] poet, not a producer… so don’t have much production advice here)
The Moon Bureau - Passion Is a Knife
Oh, boy. Passion is a knife sometimes, indeed.
Let’s see what we’re cuttin’ here.
Cool intro. Tad loud in my ears… a taaaaaad unevenness blended with the vox. Vox sound a tad quiet compared to its jammin’ counterpart.
The Cure'd Moon Bureau lol givin me that Cure sound.
:30—solo’n already… lol
I love a clear vocal. Thank you.
:59—PUNCH ME MORE WITH THIS… CUT ME OPEN WITH YER SURGICAL STEEL KNIFE.
1:12—I bet you could go even more “quiet” with this for forensic-dramatic effect. Even a cool “rip” scissor-sound effect would tie in this passion/knife thing. Maybe not a chainsaw…. Unless you’re going for that Texas Chainsaw Massacre kinda vibe. Don’t think ya should here.
1:32—something here doesn’t blend, or sound balanced. I can’t pinpoint it. My ears and brain are competing.
1:58—cool ending.
Nathan Joe Long - Pocket Watch
OOOOoooooo this opening has me curious what’s coming. Cool build. Sometimes longer intros lose me, but this is well done.
:30—lower the instrumentation in the mix so I really hear that beautiful-babe-voice of yours come in. LOL
I hear your confidence building in those higher notes, good job. Don’t be shy about it. You sound like you have a great range; take advantage of it.
This is lovely so far…
1:27—good move back into verse…. Oooooo 1:36…. this is niiiiiice.
1:50 need louder strings here… omgggg it would give me goosebumps, fo’ sho. (Listen to how A Perfect Circle uses them… I know it’s alternative, but I bet you could apply some “Paz” to your stuff)
2:10—beautiful, just gimme a tad more grrrrrrit.
2:27—there ya gooooooo buddddddyyyyyyyyy!!!!
2:36—YESSSSSS… lose yourself buddy
2:43-5ish…. Wow… nice hold…. GIVE ME MORE. I still feel a sliiiiiiight hold back. You got it, man. Don’t feel silly. You got something in there that needs to just FULLY get out. I felt about 88%… the remaining 12% might be “I’ll wake up the neighbor’s dogs,” but wake their asses up!
Okay—there’s a song in the mediocre movie “Where the Heart Is” [Joan Cusack, Ashley Judd, & Natalie Portman star in it] where the deadbeat partner/dad of the lead character ends up with a hit country song (that he wrote in prison). Something about your voice reminds me of this character’s, and I love it. The studio version on YouTube sucks in comparison, so I didn’t attach it, but if you ever watch that movie (based on a book)… your vox can handle that kinda grit and I think you could blow that singer out of the water. Just tellin’ ya every time I hear ya sing, I think of that song in this movie. I hope you’re nothing like that character, though. :-P
You’ve gotten better with every round. I love hearing your progress.
Nothing mega-tripped my ears this time… 1:29 was the only part that sounded “familiar,” to my squirrelly brain… but this sounds yours. Originality points earned. Proud of you. Sweet lyrics.
3:38—I love this…. Something about the string vibe makes me wanna listen to “3 Libras” by APC. I love, love, LOVE that song. The video is kinda odd, but it’s Maynard… so…
4:04—this is great, and needs to be introduced earlier in the song. It’s a nice change-up…. And at a 4:27 length, you need this change sooner.
Yeah, so my big note going forward is song length (your nice vox and story make it earned…. barely), and when your vox come in… don’t let the instrumentation take away from it. You have a powerhouse larynx and I want you to get more confidence. Again, I’m very proud of you.
I appreciated your song bio; thanks for the banjos lol. You put a lot of time into your craft and strive to improve, and I totally witness it. You also paste your lyrics in a way that my structured brain follows well. It’s easy to match were your verses are where you say they are (and they match). Sometimes it really is hard to be like “yeah, I guess this is Verse 2”… “I guess this is the bridge”. It should be self-explanatory, but it’s not in some instances bc some folks love to free verse. In short, keep pasting your lyrics like this. It’s actually good practice. And totally helps if/when you write out sheet music, if ya ever decide to.
Wouldn’t be surprised if your WV Longs were related to these Russell Co., VA ones I grew up around. Such a sweet share about your grandma. Enjoyed reading it. Laughed at the “longer” bit.
I know my hubby-judge will appreciate the “Technical:” notes you provided.
This was great. Proud of ya, buddy. I will probably rank this highly.
SILVER. Totally deserved. I can tell you genuinely want to improve and from my guesses, and based on your application of past-given advice—you are a good listener. Good listeners always get points with me.
Ironbark - Where It Hurts
Not sure if that strum fits your vocal… but you make music that grows on me, so I’ll give’r more listens. ;)
:40—cute… wish it came in sooner.
Yeah, I’m back—The strum may be a tad too loud with your softer register. Fingerpick vs. strum may’ve worked a tad better.
These lyrics are sentimentally delicious. Your vox holds are lovely. I feel these lyrics more than most. I still wonder if you act (plays?) or do Audiobooks. You have grrrreat inflection. You add a li’l height in your pitch when it’s needed.
1:04—I love that drama… need more of it…
I wish there was just a taaaaaaad more in the instrumentation. I miss the dancing plates coming to life lol
1:43—YES. Need more of dis earlier.
I never thought I’d say this… maybe a tadddddd longer. I wanted to cry, maybe. Lol This has great bones.
I’m back after the rankings. Congrats on the Wildcard. :)
Best Dad in Yorkshire - Home
Ah, man… are we sad today? Or nostalgia.
I think coming in without that backing track would’ve been stronger.
Maybe vary up the inflection in the lyrics some :15-: [lost timestamp here, oops]
:43-44 (is someone whispering there? Lol… I heard another voice)
:45—vox aren’t synched… seems to come in a taaaad to strong… come in easyyyy… then hit me… like a tantrum. Lol
Aww, this is so sweet.
1:03-5—thatta boi, don’t be shy… wail for me!!!!! Don’t be shy. Haha
1:18—OMGGGGGG of course you bring in kid voices to get my mama heart melting. Gives your song a sweet innocence and gut-punches me with the lyrics more. Kids get me every time.
1:15-1:59—bring out the kid vox more with the solo. This is a looooonnnngggggg solo for a 2:23 song. It doesn’t “move the plot forward” for me. Bring in the kid! ;)
I love love love love the kid in the background. You’re panderin’ to my maternal soul.
I think my biggest notes with this one, ear-wise… the backing track may hurt this a tad… you have a strong chest(?) voice and I don’t think you need that much backing support throughout the song. Also, that solo didn’t earn its length. A nice bridge or some more lets-hit-Mo-in-the-feels lyrical face-slappers would’ve been better. I’m also not a big solo person. Blame Guns ’N Roses… and the 8237492837 boys at my school that played “Sweet Child O’ Mine” thinkin’ they the coolest beans ever to be refried. One day I’ll learn this song myself, and maybe I’ll learn to dig solos more. Lol Still, yours was too long. Still adorable song, though.
Get’n more confidence with those wails. Nice control there. I like hearing your confidence. ;)
Read your bio. It made me tear up ‘cause I’m a big ole sap. I’m away from my family right now… feelin’ guilty for having my own fun (even though Hurricane Isaias royally screwed up my momcation.) I’m spending time with my bestie’s children, so it’s filling me cup in some ways, but the guilt of my kids/Ian not being here is there. I get this man. I feel I can never can get away, but when I do… I miss… the “normal” I’ve created. Every rose has its thorn… we just gotta figure out how to hold the stem, right?
Carrie Spillane - Dystopian Pentameter
Interesting weaving here.
:24—comes in a tad loud
Nice variation from past rounds.
You sound to pretty to sound robotic hahaha (Compliment.)
1:07—I wish this came in earlier.
Cool building here. Where we goin’. Are we meetin’ the boss? Elon? Lol
1:47—WHOAAAAAAA this is neatttttt.
I better get a good payoff here….
THIS BUILDING IS DOPE.
2:15—the vox (left ear) could go more spoken word and I think it may blend better. Your voice is still gorgeous.
This is cool layering, or whatever that production term is (again, I’m poet/editor not a producer.)
Neat-o ending. Cool-io!
This was really original and clever. This was like a crocheted vibe, and I haven’t really been hearing much like this in the competition.
I almost feel your sung voice is too gorgeous for this, so I want a tad more spoken word in some parts—it’d fit the “vibe” better for me. At some points the robotic rhythm was driving me a tad bonkers, but that’s the point, so I’ll accept the creative license. :)
You arguably could’ve cut this by about 30 seconds and it’d still check all the right boxes.
I think some judges may find this too repetitive, but I feel it’s the point. I think this was executed very well.
This was cool. I think Siri’s taking notes.
My BRONZE = 4 U.
Stacking Theory - Losing Steam
Whoaaaaa—that intro felt cool in my ear holes.
3:13—I hear you taking your breath. Lol Comes in a taaaaad loud. Lower the backing vox… it takes away from your goodness.
:41—this is good! Nice!
Work on changing up your vocal cadence some. I don’t feel your vox wavering from your baseline much. Vary up how you flow your syllalalalalbles, or something.
1:30s—This is a nice build.
1:45—NICE. I was hoping you’d go quiet here.
1:54—this is nice… soften the guitar a tad so I can hear you a tad more.
I really like the backing FX here.
2:25—oh snap, what’s this?
2:40—I want to be annoyed by that squirrelly guitar, but I like it. I want it to do a li’l more though.
That ending… lost some steam LOL. On purpose, I know. Clever. ;)
Cheslain - Devil By The Horn
OOOOOOoooooo I like dis opening.
I LOVE YOUR VOICE. You got some good grooves. Immediately fits the title, I feel it already. You’re so gifted at hookin’ me in the first 10 seconds. Then, you reel me in with those vox.
This has a Halloween vibe, and brother it’s October so… GIMME DA DEBUL. haha Like, I wanna put on a red dress and grab Judge Ian and give him “da eyes,” if ya know what I mean? LOL.
You gave me something different this round, fo’ sho! I knew you could do other sounds. I love your storytellin’. I grew up around “the oral tradition” of ballads and such; this tickles.
1:07—1:22 YOU ARE IN MY HEAD—*right* when I thought “he should come in here” ya did. Your ‘solo’ transition here felt earned. I usually don’t like solos. Maybe it was all those “hair-metal bands” I grew up with.
2:12—YEAH! Great use of backing vox here. Doesn’t overpower. Great production (I think.)
Love your lyrics.
This one kept me engaged the ENTIRE time. I didn’t even eye roll at the solo(s). ;)
This is great, tight, well-produced… you have groove. I love your groove. I would put you on my playlist (that’s sayin’ a lot, I’m hella picky lol).
I’ve enjoyed every single one of your songs in this competition. Keep entering them. :)
I bet you could do a great cover of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”
Ominous Ride - I Am Iamb
The beginning made me think of “God Bless Texas” meets “Slow Ride”…
When I first read your title, I thought this was going to be about lambs… like baa baa… lol that uppercase I, man.
:41—hold that out just a taaaad longer
1:02—this is nice just sync it a bit more :)
Vary your backing sound just a bit. That crunch is a bit repetitive. That dun-dun duh-dun-dun…
2:06—like this part. Probably my fave of the song.
2:23—maybe more echoe-y/reverb on the effect would be cool here
Clever lyrics. Very Seussian. Enjoy it.
I was hoping you’d lean into Popeye… I y’am what I y’am. :-P
My biggest note is akin to last round (I think)—there’s one “riff,” (the crunch aforementioned) or whatever, that seems like it *drives* the song yet ends up hurting it due to the repetition. There’s a little mismatch in the vox and the energy of the instrumentation. This is how I felt with your last round. Maybe explore another genre just for the hell of it. You could totally do something fun like Beach Boys, but I get it if that’s just “cringe.” Explore fingerstyle guitar, no pedal. I’d like to hear ya “raw.”
David Taro - Love Won’t Care
This has been your best of the competition (to me) and doesn’t scream anything “I’ve heard this before… almost exactly” within the first 10 seconds… though, around 1:00 I was thinking “I really hear a love for the Beatles” and/or the like… this started soundin’ like “Hey Jude” or somethin’. Not a bad thing, necessarily.
:24—nice; nice vox control and layer.
:35—good whisper
:43/50—good use of ‘backing’ vox
Interesting layering, use of instrumentation. You clearly know how to structure a song. Have I said this before?
2:11—yeah man, you must like the Beatles.
Production is stellar to me, I just wish this sound did more for me. I’m not really a Beatles fan… yes, I said it. I came out. I’d rather hear Motown (and not because it has Mo in it, *eye roll* lol), or the Everly Bros. I think the Beatles were heavily inspired by the latter, no? Those Bros are my FAVE. “Kentucky” is one of my all-time fave songs. We named our second-born son, “Everly.”
This sounds sweetly polished. You have some great vibrato. I’m all about vibrato.
Consider more bare bones, you + piano… minus all that extra. I’d like to hear more “naked” stuff of yours. Maybe like a grand/upright, not a keyboard. Or something like the instrumentation Also In Blue utilized in the first round. Y’all have similar vox registers, you could play with his toys too. And I realize after typing that… that sounds really weird. I mean instruments… like a mandolin. lol
You still sound so fun. I bet you have a memorable laugh. I don’t know why I think that.
Hot Pink Halo - I Am
OOOOO Hot Pink… Twinklies! I love your twinklies. That sounds off-putting, but you know what I mean.
I like these bassy boom-booms. I feel it in my boom-boom.
Around :10… something about that BOOM… took me to early high school INOJ—"Let Me Love You Down,” at her drop around :45ish (depending on video). I’m back to swooshin’ 3s on the bball court gettin’ ready for a big tourney game. This vibe is totally the warm-up music I had before we’d get creamed by Gate City… again… and again… and again.
Solidarity on the ’tism. I think we all have a touch of it here. ;)
Micah’s comment about the ASD criteria and online songwriting comps awhile back had me in stitches—I think I pulled somethin’ in my neck laughing.
:27—neat
:25/:45—li’l “Time After Time”-akin inflection there. Like it.
:49—nice
:54—like the sorta call-response here
1:45—cute.
Yeah I’m an uncommon meter, too. I measure in feet. :-P… I’m in my own “league.” Okay I’ll quit the dumb wordplay.
Love this echoey, reverby goodness.
2:03—this is so neat
2:22—nice build and sweet resolve here.
I listened to this an extra time just because you made me feel heard.
Note: I’ve been listening to you “in the background” for the past decade, and you have improved to a remarkable level. Your vox have grown so much control and your instrumentation is often so-very unique. Keep twinkling… and playin’ with the Bastard. Your piano ditties are so lovely.
Storytime—Ian probably already mentioned this on the forum/chat/Discord (I don’t know what it is, exactly… I just see y’all chatting… lol)… when I first started dating Ian… one of my old besties, and 3 other friends said, “Uh… he has Aspergers.” (I know that term has its grudges now; this was years ago)… I found his nerdiness insanely hot, perhaps I’m a sapiosexual HA!… anyway… after we had our kids… and they got their diagnoses… well… ya know, self-reflection and shit. I was called “weird” soooo much growing up. Kinda sucked. Being athletic saved my ass from being bullied. Now I kinda wanna read this book… I might check it out. Thanks for relating to me… and everyone else here. haha
Sunflower Bastard - EDMB (FCM Remix)
It’s my favorite Bastard… OMG already got my ears going WTabsoluteF?!?!?!
He takin’ me to FunkyTown… or aerobics class.
ARE YOU IN MY BIG BRO’S OLD TAPES?????
This intro takes me back to sneaking into his cassette bin.
I don’t know whether to wear a silver jacket or stirrup leggings. Hell, both. Let’s go.
I still don’t know what decade I’m in yet. Leaning 80s that’s sneezin’ all over the other decades. This makes me lost in the best way.
:30—reminds me a bit of “Heart of Glass,” but I like this much better.
:38—takes me back to my obsessed-with-La Bouche days… oh, middle school.
Such cool FX.
Good bring-back to the verse.
Uh-oh, misbehaved. HPH will hit you with that halo, watch out man. Oh crap… are you dead here?
1:17—ahhh, there’re my elephants. Need those, fo’ sho.
1:46—the portal… where we goin’?
1:48—THIS IS GREAT!!!! I’m totally fistin’ the air, BOTH fists… I look f’n crazy. My bestie is behind me workin’ and I keep distracting her laughin’ (and fistin’) at this. I usually don’t like choral-diva soundin’ stuff like this, but you’re changin’ me Bastard.
1:56—OMGGGGG is this Front 242? I LOVE THIS.
2:11—You keep’n my interest, Bastard. Hell yeah.
I’ve been telling my hubby… you remind me of my old buddy Ben Collins. You don’t know Ben, and don’t care about Ben, but you’re like the songwriting equivalent in terms of hilarity. He and I used to go “4-wheelin’” off the Clinch [Central Appalachia, US] in his Subaru Legacy clunker. He dented that undercarriage all to hell. His parents did not approve. His daddy was a pastor and didn’t much like these shenanigans. Wish we’d had this song for one of our adventures. And “Stadium.” Duh.
2:18—come back to verse is a tad weak… give me that sweet projection! Probably the weakest section, I’d say.
2:33—ohhhh slow and soft… PIANOOOOOOOOOOOO. Is this you? I’ll check your bio. (Back: HPH!!!! This collaboration is GOLD. MORE MORE MORE. This is GREAT. I’ll take a piano solo over a guitar one almost ANY day. Do more collabssssssssssssssssssszzzzzsss!)
3:03—LOVE. Drop that shit.
3:11—YESSSSSSSSSSSS take me to the disco… or some house club that has see-through tables, sunburst-spoke hairstyles and people wearing trash bags as “fashion.”
FISTIN’ POW-POW!
Stacey Q vibe for a second somewhere. Lost my timestamp lol. (3:33ish?) MAN THESE FX TICKLE MY EARS. It’s like “glitching” in the best way. This production is great. Like, your vox shouldn’t mesh with this so well, but does. Backing vox is superb. The lyrics are plumb silly.
My buddy Max would LOVE this.
Um, everyone involved in this one: Stay involved.
Make more “fucking bangers,” please. LOL. Send’m to me so I can miss my friend Ben some more.
Exactly 4 minutes. Was that on purpose? Lol My squirrelly numerologist brain must know.
You didn’t take me to Olive Garden. You didn’t bring the breadsticks. (Sad.) BUT you brought some sort of pink lemonade mixed drink FunkyTown La Bouche disco and then ya went and added a Huge Shark to your mix with a HPH-shaped piano. Unstoppable.
Sunflower Bass Turds, in case ya need to change your name to include the ladies. They ain’t bastards, well… unless they want to be. I can be a bastard sometimes, I guess.
These lyrics, lol. Are you dead? I don’t know if other judges will like these lyrics, but I do… lol I’m a silly poet.
Ian said I’d probably rank you #1. He’s been spot-on two rounds in a row. I hate him when he’s right.
Can I be a dancer in your music video(s)? I can do the worm. ;)
You earned my GOLD. Duh.
This is a WEAVE.
Keep quiltin’ Bastard (& Co.)
Please shadow if you get cut. Bring the Halo and the Shark if ya want, let’s get the whole Stadium together. Go out with a big band fuckin’ banger.
I know I type more to you than others. I don’t care. You got my gold, so the world can suck my balls, wherever they may be.
Jennifer Lynne and The Dandelion Rebellion - The Optimist
YOUR VOICE IS PHENOMENAL.
Pleasant vibrato. 10/10. Pam Tillis, WATCH OUT.
This instrumental… sounds… not… like a real band. It sounds almost like a TVs on playing this from some live set in the background.
Nice scatting. ;) Gave me some Peggy Lee vibes… thank you!!!
Nice length.
I will warn that you’re probably gonna get hated on for the probably-generated AI backing. I liked the instrumental, but it sounded… not done by beings, with heartbeats.
I’ve been conflicted where to rank after a judge/hubby ran your song through an AI tracker hoobajoober and it gave like a 99%. I’m also conflicted because not all of us have the money… or the band… ugh. But as far as I know—and a judge has been running these through certain programs to detect such—no one else did this… but your VOX ARE SO PURDEE. ARGH. I wish I knew the story with the instrumental.
UGH. I need a moment and a few more listens. If I have to drop your rank, it’s originality. You have the pipes. Please open mic, if you’re not already. Where’s the Rebellion? Is it just you? I want to rank this higher.
Get a band, girl. Your voice is so pretty. If you found someone with a more baritone register, it’d make an innnnnnsane duet. Someone with Sober’s vox. That duet would be fire.
I don’t have 100% proof you used AI for a backing track, so I’m not going to place you last. And I regret ranking you higher than other bands I know maintained fidelity… sorry for the low rankin’, hun. Another judge’s research kind of affected this rating here.
Your vox will always be Top 5 for me. So gorgeous.
Getcha a nice sequins royal blue dress, not red… I’m not feelin’ red from you. Blue. Find a mic. Sing. You have such good projection.
traumadolls - Cycle of Sirens
New vocalist this time? Sounds nice, but I’m… not really feeling it with the instrumentation. Or maybe I got spoiled by your last two. :-P
These squirrelly guitars and akafjsdlktuaoiweudgjakbcj [I don’t know what to name them] FX in the background and drums… so crunch, so groove, so nice.
:37—kinda weak
~1:00—a tad uneven to my ears with the blend
1:06—cool drumming, wonder what Ian will say ;)
1:30—cute
1:52—nice build
1:57—this is NEAT-O
2:16-21—interesting volume change… is it my speakers, or sneaky crescendo?
2:28ish… sounds a tad flat here… when I need to be hearing some wailing.
The vox have very nice control and stable pitches, but need a tad more inflection (maybe confidence… GIVE IT TO ME, GIRL)… I don’t feel much here. It sounds like they’re singing straight from a lyric sheet. I want someone to reallllllly insult their cat and then sing this to me. :-P
Chorus felt weak to me… but nice squirrelly guitars without going overboard.
This has great bones… I’m just not FEELING what was shared in the bio. Lyrics are notable. I enjoyed hearing and reading them.
“Sing me into the water"… if you had some cool underwater FX to add to the vocal, that’d be kinda neat…. y’all probably in my Top 5.
Sweet bassline throughout. It does what it’s supposed to.
Brother Baker - There Is Hope
OOOOoo nice swell…..
:10—could come in a bit clearer
This sounds a lot like something I would’ve heard in late high school. Has a slight Avenged Sevenfold vibe… sorta. Or something from that era.
:45—nice instrumentation… sound a li’l quiet
The one singing higher register sounds li’l high/loud/uneven in the mix.
Maybe another mastering pass. Something sounds unequal to me.
1:06—nice li’l wails there! I wanted to punched a li’l harder… maybe it’s where the instrumentation is so quiet. If you brought that out it’d take this song to a new level.
1:18—1:20—neat transition
Between these timestamps… this is kinda the doldrums of the song for me… I don’t feel “moved”
2:05—REALLY nice. I love this part. This is cool. I usually cringe to that much crash cymbal, but it’s well-utilized here.
2:24—tad more crunch here
The chorus is a tad flat.
2:59—this is nice
3:20—Intriguing ending.
I love how this group(?) takes risks with their instrumentation and vox. Once they get their mastering down and find the balance, will probably rank highly in comp. Nice chugga-chuggaz.
Flintsteel - Belmont’s Curse
Alright what book did ya read this week? I’m here for it. :-P
My fave squirrelly guitar folks…
:33—cute
The vox are givin’ me “Du Hast” vibes. Lol Love it.
Oh, I’m about to go to battle. CHUG CHUG CHUG.
Yeah I hear more BEAR this time. Maybe it’s the curse.
:53—could come in with more of the curse lol (i.e., stronger)
1:13—bring out that squirrelly guitar a taaaaad moreeee
Sync the vox a tad. Still sounds good.
You have great hold in the vox.
1:27—-YEAHhhhhhhhhh
1:32—2:00: maybe change it up somewhere in here somewhere… rhythm got a tad repetitive and nothing “moved the curse” forward
2:25—YEAH DA BEAR IS HERE. I’m scurr’d.
2:36—I wanted you to say something here. Did you miss your beat? lol
2:47—this still needs to be in some game demo.
2:50—sounds 80s [fx]. cute.
2:58—nice layered vox here. Y’all good at that.
3:30—Yeahhhhhhh!
Nice ending.
Maybe a tad long. Y’all good at this genre. lol. Keep reading. :)
Stefan Szabo - Mother
This sounds a bit like your others. Still great production.
Beautiful vox.
“…riv-errrrr”…. Love that.
Heard that whisper of vibrato… do that more…. I can tell your vibrato would give me chills. If there’s anything I can tell you to work on… is inflection and get confident in that vibrato… and play piano. It will change your world. Nice control. Lovely production.
1:50—Nice change. Probably needed to come earlier. I love the way you say river haha
2:33ish—I’ve heard this particular “section” a lot in this genre. Give me something “different.” Still sounds sweet, though. I do like this a lot.
Work on inflection, sometimes your syllables fall a bit flat to my ears. It’s alllllmost mumble rap… or do they call it cursive rap… I don’t know. I grew up with Digital Underground, NWA, Tribe Called Quest, 2 Live Crew, etc… I love [old] Ludacris, so I’m not much for the mumble. It works here… I just haven’t heard much variance over the last 3 rounds. I know you’re not rapping, per se… you’re just veering just a taaaaaad mumble. Show me some cheekbones. Raise those eyebrows.
Really enjoyed the lyrics here…. I didn’t have a “good mother” unfortunately, so am always interested to hear about other’s experiences with theirs. My bestie and her mama are like best friends. Hope you’re close to your siblings. I miss my bro, every day.
My biggest note is this sounds too much like your other entries. I want to hear that you have RAW talent, i.e., without the smoo-V production. I want to hear more emotive response in your vox. You have such a lovely… timbre? Is that the word? It’s smooth, but I want you to hit me with a good challenging high note sometime… or low.
Sober - Make You a Headstone
Oh shit, this hit me with Ireland… British Isles somewheres… and polka… this will be interesting?
:26—THERE YA GO… YEAH!!!! Keep workin’ on that grit man. I like this.
:46—what circus madness ya bringing me… I like it.
Is that a fiddle??? 1:12ish? EEEEEeeeee fiddleeeeeeeeeeeeee.
This has great NRG.
1:37—Cool! I like this. Nice layered vox. Polka vibe’s okay, I usually get tired of it quickly.
2:04—MORE GRIT. GET MAD AT ME. THROW ROCKS AT ME.
2:09—next time you do a hold/crescendo like this… bend over with your mic … and as you hold that note…. Slowly raise your body, abs engaged… I guess… like think a sun salutation (or a weird sit-up) but with a mic and pushing out with all your manly grit. I hope I’m making sense? This will built core strength and vox holds. Maybe a layer there would’ve really brought that out… given your vox some variance.
I wanted a taaaaaaad more from the lyrics. I got more from the song after reading the song bio, though. I bet those stars was awesome. Sometimes looking at that kinda brightness brings its own warmth, even though clear skies tend to bring more of the brrrrr. Aside: I was a thrice-denied USAF hopeful, btw. (The USAF discriminates against bum ovaries, apparently.)
I love what you do, just lose the accordion and up the fiddlin’. Micah owns the accordion, sorry. HAHA j/k j/k I just prefer fiddle, SHHHHH!
Give me a George next round. You know what I mean.
The Dreams Corporation - Metro Reader [SHADOW]
7:32… slight eye roll. I hope this is earned. I have a monster headache.
There’s another monkey sound.
Cute kid noises… wait… or are these aquarium noises… the zoo? My 5yo is going BONKERS to this music right now. HE LOVES IT.
Okay there’s a minute already you could’ve trimmed significantly. I keep tellin’ ya this. I feel like I’m talking to another kid who doesn’t listen. ;) Longer doesn’t mean better. CONDENSE BUDDY.
1:21—nice intro…. Could’ve come in at :21 vs 1:21.
1:22-2:16 This duhhh-duh-duhhhhh lyrical rhythm is driving me a tad nuts. I need more variation. I know you’re a metro reader, but even those expire at some point. This whole part could be condensed to maybe 20 seconds, and made the song memorable and better.
Good use of the challenge, obviously.
3:01—pretty.
Such cool li’l add-ons here. Vox FX. Interesting.
Right when I started clock-watching the melodica came in… I still think this is toooooooo long. It does sound cool, though. I just don’t think it earns the length… and I used to listen to Tool all the time and their 213847293-minute songs.
Okay, now the melodica(?) is about to ruin its welcome. Going a little long, but that “solo” was nice. I don’t usually like solos.
Now that melodica is loud in the mix… needs to gradually fade to background so the layered vox can come out.
These vox are better than your other entry.
Lyrics are better here, too.
6:50—sounds like the new Dyson hairdryer LOL not much for this…. It’s making my headache worse. There’s a nice atmospheric layer in the background that should’ve been foreground here.
Challenge: enter a song that’s less than 4 minutes long. I bet I could still find a way to trim a minute off. Your FX are cool, but at some points they ruin their welcome. Again, adore your originality. Were you voted “Most Unique” like my husband? He also loves to create songs that are 4 minutes longer than they should be. :-P He’s starting to listen to me. ;) He did listen to me during one of these competitions and nearly won… he got Judge’s pick but lost to the final round’s peer choice.
Huge Shark - Open Arms [SHADOW]
PIANOOOO YESSSSS.
Annie’s back for an encore shadow.
Beautiful melisma. Kind of has that “Wicked Game” vibe.
This reminds me of an old Selena song meets…. a splash of something I’ve heard before @ :52-58ish—something my older bro had on cassette. (He was a ’73 babe, for what it’s worth.) Gives me “My Immortal” vibes, too.
1:16—stringggggggssssssss.
This production is probably your best in the comp?
1:56—wow. Nice. I wish I could do that.
2:13/2:50ish—nice layer/blend here
3:09 just a taaaad more here… I wanna feel your… feels lol
I wanna hear you do an old Julie Andrews song so bad. I bet you could nail it. You have such sweet vox. This production was really nice. Beautiful.
Perfect length. This was great. Wish I could’ve ranked it. ;)
You would’ve definitely been in my Top 6, I’d say.
I love reading song bios were there was collaboration involved and appreciation given. It makes me giddy. I don’t hear/read much gratitude these days and it’s always comforting to see it.
Great job, “Annie.” ;)
Jealous Brother - O, Beka [SHADOW]
Man, what does it take to get a song written about you? I’ve been married to a musician for almost 15 years, birthed 3 of his kids, and have yet to get a song. *ahem* Ian…
2nd & 3rd listen: “rejected by the birds”… see next note lol was this birdie vibe on purpose?
Some syllables I feel could’ve been enunciated differently for better/punchier inflection/effect.
O, Beka… behhhh-kaaaaaa would’ve sounded better than the staccato… it sounds a li’l too birdie to me. Almost like you’re saying alpaca, or something.
2:12-2:27: deserved solo. Frame this comment. It’s RARE I say this.
Production is clean to my ears.
This is adorable. I hope Beka likes it! :)
Now, I’m a “Jealous… Sister”? Where’s my song?
HEY IAN—WHEN AM I EVER GONNA GET A SONG??????????
Guess I’m not that inspiring. :-P
Betty and the Rubble - It Is What It Is [SHADOW]
Something about the intro reminded me of Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” the way it descends there.
The “complicated… constipated” delivery was well done. The backing works here.
These lyrics, if fleshed out some, would make a really good poem.
The “it is what it is…” part is probably the weakest and may just need a little more time to polish. I feel it needs some nice vox variance, it lands just a tad toooooo flat. But that my just be what it is… because it is what it is, or something.
Vox are nice.
In my experience, “Modern medicine” hasn’t really allowed me to decide much. I was misdiagnosed for 30 years because docs wouldn’t listen when I asked for a stool test. Unless you’re talkin’ weed here. There’s a lot of weed talk here :-P
Your lyrics go deeper with inquiry than most delivered here. You make me think. I like that.
▷ - Need Sleep [SHADOW]
Ooooo sounds like good score work, already. Thanks for making this one under 7 minutes. I have a pretty bad headache.
I’m impressed how deep you took that lyric (sorry, lost timestamp). Maybe you should do that more often….
A monkey? You gotta add one don’t ya ;)
The Curious George ▷
The vox here aren’t doing much for me.
2:00—this is scary cool. I like this, actually… much better than the delivery at the beginning. I can’t believe I’m saying this—but do more of this. It works with what you create.
Verse 3 is very weak. Just try spoken word.
You could do voice acting for kids’ shows. Like Doug. This is a compliment.
3:12—brief Front 242 vibes in background… me likey
3:25—whoa, this is neat.
3:39—circus is back. You’re like the only person here who can really pull this sound off, I think… aside from maybe Ironbark.
4:11—was expecting a better drop.
4:47—that PRSHH PRSHH like pow-pow punchy effect takes away from the others here, I think… that acid-y synth thing is sooo cool. I could dance to this.
The vox delivery is probably the weakest spot. You’ll find your voice with this, I’m confident in you. I still think your FX are so original and outstanding. I wish more folks would push the envelope like this; I get so bored with the “college radio sound.” Not that it’s bad… I just wish it sounded more like this. I can tell you use more of your brain and aren’t an “all pedal” kinda musician. The percussive beats here are notable… I’m trying to count them out. You’re great at layering FX… maybe consider the growlier vox… and I’m still impressed you sang so low like that and held a good pitch. Maybe explore that more without getting silly with it ;). The moment I can read your lyrics and be like “whoa, he integrated some Buddhist and/or Bertrand Russell type shit,” you have hit where I want your lyrics to be. Right now, your lyrics… my 12yo could’ve written them. Lol He’s a gifted kid, so this isn’t necessarily a baaaaad thing, but I KNOW you could write something a li’l more… thought provoking. All that aside, truly original. Don’t let anyone tell you to stop.
No comments:
Post a Comment