Spintunes #6 Round 3 Review: Bill Martin

It was either Hank Green or Mike Lombardo who first introduced me to the music of Dr. Noise (aka Bill Martin).  I've followed his work here & there since.  His song "Crazy Town" was stuck in my head for a long time...oh shit...there it is again.  So you can put a face & sound to the name, I've embedded one of Bill's video's below.

- Spin

 

 

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Before I start reviewing these, here's some important information about the way that I review songs.  Lyrics, to me, are the most important part of a song.  Sadly, to most this isn't the case.  It's also important to me that the lyrics match the music being played, unless set to unmatch in a sort of irony... like Wierd Al's sweet song about his significant other trying to kill him.  You can write the most simplistic song in the world, even 3 chords, and with the power of the voice and words transform it into something people will never forget.  Remember the song Creep, by Radiohead?  Yeah, so do the rest of us.

In any contest when dealing with music, it's hard to not have a bias toward songs that appeal to your own tastes.  For example, knowing nothing about rap or country would make it unfair for me to be judgemental about...so I'll do my very best to take every song apart the best way I know fairly and as indifferent as possible to the style of the music.  On the other hand, if any  of these songs sound like something I'd write... winner. ;)

1. TurboShandy - Guns: Great song about the way America looks at guns, accepts them, and treats them.  Music matched the song well, too.  And the progression was very interesting.  I like it a lot.  The constant changing speed of the beat can be a very powerful method and I think it was used very well to progress this song from start to finish.  Really great job, here.  Lyrically well written.  Felt like there was a good amount of time spent on them.  I feel like there's some really feeling behind them.  And don't worry, nobody understands the 2nd Amendment.  Oh, and it ends with a fade out!  You can't go wrong with a fade out.

2. Jenny Katz - Next Nice Town:  Good prodution, good build up from the slow start to really picking up when it hits the solo.  The end was great too, slowing back down and popping right back into a powerful ending.  The solo.  I listened to it about 3 times.  I feel like I'm heaing a bum note in there.  Regardless, i wasn't keen on the solo, but I think it's going in the right direction.  Maybe something a little less?  I'm nitpicking.  This is a great song, and I love the almost sarcastic direction of the lyrics. At least, that's the way I read them.  The fact that we get to enjoy these kickass things...and oh by the way... children made that thing for you with their bloodied unpaid fingers.  Noice.  My kind of lyrics.

3. RC - An Equal Start:  I like the vocals here.  Good sound, good tone.  Very nice.  I like the progression of the song as well, the instruments used.  Everything fits together and flows great.  The acoustic sounds great.  Lyrically nice and straight forward.  A really good protest song.  And a great topic, as well.  Everyone should be given the equal chance...and it's just not the case in any way.  I could imagine this song being play at a protest.  Really good job.  And hey, I'm from Madison, I know protests! :)

4. Edric Haleen - On The Matter Of Bullying:  Well this song is a great big ball of musical, isn't it?  So many lyrics!  You're my hero!  I used to think I wrote too many words in a single song.  Good to know, I have some competition!  Okay...so we've got a piano and a great voice...simple and outrageously powerful.  These words, this voice, the way it's performed... it turns what is so little into something so great.  I love this song.  The song ends up being a little journey and so easy to envision and bring to life in my imagination.  Incredible job.  I'm jealous of the piano skills, as well.

5. Ross Durand - Don't Send Them Away:  Oh, this song has good old fashioned Protest anti-war written all over it.  I love it.  I could hear a large crowd singing along to this... I'd be singing along!  Powerful use of acoustic, bass & tamborine... and the powerful words and voice singing them.  lyrically this song paints a great picture and gets a very simple point across.  No more should be sacrificed.  What else can I say?  Well done.

6. Steve Durand - Just War: This is an interesting song.  It's bordering on disco-ish.  It's a very interesting approach on a protest song.  I don't think I've ever heard anything like it.  No, in fact, I know I've never heard anything like it.  And hey, that's originality.  When I read the lyrics without the music I imagine someone who's very disgusted with the subject at hand, so there's some clear emotion there.  I like the arrangement.  Well done.

7. Jerry Skids - The Separation Of State & Nothing:  Now this is my kind of protest song.  Straight up, in  your face, to the point.  This is lyrically powerful, it gets its point across and it does it with a great sing a long chorus.  This song has very little instrumenation and relies entirely on the power of it's voice and it's words and it nails it from start to finish.  I could imagine this being something out of Against Me! and that's a high bar to reach on a lyrical standpoint.  Excellent.

8. The Middle Relievers - Love Builds Homes: Okay, so this song reminds me of David Bowie.  The way it transitions, especially makes me think David Bowie.  Very interesting progression/transitions.  The music behind the lyrics really paint a good base for the lyrics/vocals as well.  It's a very unique style and I don't hear many people write like this...especially in this day and age.  I like it.  Instrumentation is interesting as well, very nice.  The trumpet almost sounds as annoyed with society as the lyrics.

9. Brian Gray - Walk (Live From Woodbury):  Good music, good sound, great progression, I liked the solo section.  Is this a production live song?  It sounds like it is.  9 times out of 10 even the most popular artists in the world's live CDs aren't really live, but recorded to sound live in a studio.  I've never been a fan of it.  The emotion that comes with playing in front of a live crowd is always lost...of course if this isn't the case I'm just ranting for no good reason. hah!  I had to read the lyrics a couple of time to truly get a feel for what message was being put across, and I must say I like the message, so good on you.  Nice vocals, too.  Good harmonies, I love harmonies.

10. Dr. Lindyke - The Square:  Great piano work and great style choice.  Interesting topic choice, too.  Though, it's a bit dated but hey!  Who give a crap.  Good job.  I love the chorus to this song.  Vocally and musically the chorus is very powerful and the build up to the chorus is exciting.  The verses felt a little sluggish vocally... though, I'll have to listen to it a few more times to to make any suggestions on it confidently... because the slower verse may be adding to what is a great chorus.  Great job with the lounge/nightclub genre and style.

11. MC Ohm-I - If You Don't Like Gay Marriage:  Ok, so here's my view on rap music.  In the 80's when I heard rap songs they were typically clever.  Many had something to say, clearly, and really well.  Today, I don't hear that.  9 times out of 10 I hear songs rhyming made up words with made up words and as someone who finds lyrics so important that's just bullshit.  Now this song on the other hand...holy shit.  Great job.  Great rhymes, great voice (also by the way), and really well put together.  The music is great, it really compliments the rhymes.  This is just a damn good arrangement that gets it's lyrical point across, and does it in a fun, memorable way.  I want to hear more songs from this artist.

12. Kevin Savino-Riker - Dinosaur Sam: Let's start off with the voice.  I like it.  It's interesting, I want to hear more.  Lyrics: this song is wordy.  Very wordy.  I like very wordy.  However, with the style of the song I tend to get a bit lost trying to follow along.  Great bass work, and great guitar work (really great), but I think they're making me pay attention to them more than the vocals.  Like it's a fight to be the lead between all 3.  Reading the lyrics by themselves without the music I'm a fan.  I like the repetative question... what makes me/you so special?  It's a great question, too.  What does?!  The US is ever changing and there are far too many people, it seems, trying to prevent change.  Good job.

Now, I've been tasked with putting these in the order of my favorite to least favorite...which is just a disgusting request because even though I'm now a fan of every single one of these 12 songs it's going to look like those I put in the final spots I'm not a fan of...and that's just bullshit.  I want to hear all these songs again and again.  They're all fucking great.  GREAT.

1. Edric Haleen - On The Matter of Bullying
2. MC Ohm-I - If You Don't Like Gay Marriage
3. Jerry skids - The Separation of Chruch & Nothing
4. Ross Durand - Don't Send Them Away
5. RC - Equal Start
6. Jenny Katz - Next Nice Town
7. TurboShandy - Guns
8. The Middle Relievers - Love Build Homes
9. dr. lindyke - the square
10. steve durand - just war
11. Brian Gray - Walk (Live)
12. Kevin Savino-Riker - Dinosaur Sam

Spintunes #6 Round 3 Review: Heather Stewart

I can't remember how I first heard about Heather, but I know I somehow got a link to her song "Life Of The Party" & after listening to the rest of her album I stalked her on Twitter.  She has a new album due out 4/15th, and you can learn more about her by visiting her website.

You can put a face & sound to the name by watching her perform below:

- Spin

 

 

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Hi all!

First, I am so honored to be a guest judge and have the opportunity to listen to all of your fantastic music.  Thank you for having the courage to bare your souls and I commend of all of you for your efforts.  Also, a song in 8 days is no easy feat!  (It’s no easy feat WITHOUT a deadline.)  I had so much fun listening to each song and please know that I listened to them on “shuffle” (I think it is an easy trap to like the songs you hear first) and I listened to each of them at the very least five times.  I chose not to judge much on production/performance considering the time restrictions.  Here’s how I broke it down to judge the songs:  Strong/Clear/Unique Lyrics. Catchy Melody. Capturing the challenge.

1. Brian Gray - Walk (Live From Woodbury)
If Ben Folds and Toad The Wet Sprocket had a baby it would produce this song.  I enjoyed it upon first listen.  I was troubled though by what exactly was being said, THEN, it hit me.  Zombies.  I almost died.  Or undied.  (I may be a little biased on this one, as I am a huge zombie enthusiast.)  The sun-soaked, vibey melody combined with the clever lyrics advocating rights for zombies fully won me over.   Plus, I loved the “Live From Woodbury” touch, a shout out to The Walking Dead. “Robbed of faculties, sentenced not to talk.  So let us be a voice for you.  You do what you do. Walkers gonna walk.”  Nice work Brian.

2. The Separation Of State And Nothing – Jerry Skids
I always consider it a good sign when I get ready for bed and I’m still singing a melody from earlier in the day, which I did with this song.  The verse and chorus were both very hooky.  As far as the “objective” is concerned in this particular challenge, this song really brought it home.  Jerry had a very clear intention and effectively made his point.    And we all know, “A world without God is like a world without wisdom teeth”.

3. If You Don’t Like Gay Marriage – MC Ohm
I really enjoyed the lyrics of this tune, couched in an upbeat, hip-hop melody and a funny, catchy chorus.  I’ll be singing, “If you don’t like gay marriage, then don’t get gay married” for quite some time.  Humor is such a wonderful tool to get a very serious message across and MC Ohm did this vey well.  I wanted him to use a more cogent argument than the senior citizens/reproduction slant but in the end, the choruses made this song really work.

4. Next Nice Town  - Jenny Katz
This tune had a very cool, Joni Mitchell-esque, retro, 70s sound, which works well for this challenge. I thought her lyrical device of “Next Nice Town” was clever and this lyric I found particularly poignant, “You know the growers get six cents a day, I'll have a four-dollar latte”.  I thought her use of sarcasm side by side the sweet melody was very impactful.  I also went to sleep singing this tune!

5. An Equal Start – RC
Anyone who can sing “trajectory” in a song is okay with me.  The melody has a dark, thoughtful vibe, which worked very well for the emotion of this song.  RC tackled his point very clearly. However, I thought the lyrics were a little on the nose and safe.  I want to specifically mention that I liked the bridge A LOT.  We all know bridges can be the most difficult to write and this one flowed well.

6. On the Matter Of Bullying – Edric Haleen
Lyrically, this song is a beast.  Parts of it were emotionally devastating (“so why not go ahead and do the world a favor and just drop dead”).  However, other portions, like the first two verses I didn’t feel were quite as compelling.  The song tackles a lot of complex issues and I would have liked it to be more streamlined and simplified.  I was unsure of what exactly was “the protest”.   The emotion in this song was particularly moving.

7. Guns – TurboShandy
The melody of this song is very radio friendly.  I found myself rocking out right away.  The melody changed up too much for me though.  I would have liked if the pre-chorus had been left out and get right to the rocking chorus. Lyrically, the song definitely met the challenge but it felt it was clunky in parts.  I love this lyric, “You really think you've got a right, that makes me a little sick, is it for your self defense, or an extension of your dick?”  Well put.

8. Love Builds Homes – The Middle Relievers
The verse in this tune is so, so strong.  Groovy. Catchy. Fun. Poignant. Pre-chorus falters (with a key change I think?) and the chorus I would have liked to be simplified to contrast the verse.  They conquered the challenge very capably and the mention of Bert and Ernie really sticks out to me. They used something so iconic and “innocent” to expertly emphasize their point.  Good on ya.       

9.  Just War – Steve Durand
I really liked the funky vibe of this song.  Love the horns giving it a sort of “foreign-land”, “foreign war” vibe.  (I don’t know if that was intentional but it worked.)  The lyric device of just war or is it just war really works. The subject matter of drone warfare is unique and enlightening and a matter that desperately needs to be highlighted.  Great choice Steve.  The melody did not have the gravitas I wanted to punctuate such an important subject.

10. Dinosaur Sam – Kevin Savino-Riker
This musicality of this song is strong and groovy if not a little busy for my particular taste.  I love the lyric of the chorus; you’re a dinosaur, Sam.  Good stuff.  As a woman, this lyric was particularly moving to me:  “By the gal next door who works as much if not more, I guess her glass ceiling is your glass floor”.    I wanted the chorus to come in sooner and be a bit more differentiated from the verse.

11. The Square – Dr. Lyndike
As a huge Fiona Apple fan, I love the dark, moody melody of this song.  Has such great longing. Lyrically, the song met the challenge very competently but I was not entirely moved by them.  Peace or Freedom was a little generic and I was longing for lyrics that packed more of a wallop to compliment the mournful melody.

12.  Don’t Send Them Away – Ross Durand
The melody of this song is simple, catchy and fun.  It is so easy to sing along to and has sounds of old Dylan.  The lyrics were succinct and right away you understand exactly his point.  However, they were a bit too obvious for me.  I wanted it to be a little more poetic.  There is so much truth in this song!

Spintunes #6 Round 3 Review: Paul Potts

OK! We're into a POWER round here, and the judging is starting to get painful. It's nerve-wracking to have to rate entries that are all falling somewhere on the spectrum between "competent and reasonably good" to "fantastic." As the competition heats up the differences in quality between songs becomes thinner and thinner, and yet it is these fine divisions that will (collectively) be used to shave off contestants. So spare a thought for the judges who are now gritting their teeth wishing they didn't actually have to ruin a few people's days. I console myself with the fact that I'm not the only judge and so I don't single-handedly decide who gets eliminated. I'm grateful for that. Judging this round has been... interesting and educational. I remain grateful for the opportunity to be a judge. As a father of five kids ranging in age from under 2 to 18, with various crises and opportunities for sleep deprivation happening every day, I have not gotten to put in quite as much time to my judging as I had hoped. I don't think my rankings would have changed by putting in more rounds of listening and commenting, although I regret that I couldn't write more thorough reviews and, more specifically, more concrete (and perhaps less inflammatory) suggestions for improvement.

Anyway.

1. Ross Durand - Don't Send Them Away: wow, I feel like this nails the challenge so hard the nail goes right through and out the other side. It has a sixties protest song vibe, it sounds like something that could be sung at a rally, it's timely, and the idea of a veteran missing limbs singing plaintively on behalf of other soldiers is poignant as hell. Good use of simple percussion, the uncomplicated but very effective guitar chords propel the song right along, the lyrics are memorable and to the point, and it ends quickly and cleanly. A great effort!

2. The Middle Relievers - Love Builds Homes: while the recording is not great, it's the _whole mix_ that is not great (everything sounds thin, quiet, and clipped), as opposed to one track, so I feel like I have a good sense for what it would sound like as a fully professional recording. Performance, great. Lyrics, great. There's something nice going on here in the vocal for the choruses -- a phaser or flanger effect or something -- maybe singing through a guitar amp? The chord choices in the bridge are interesting. I like the instrumentation. The song builds up to a cool chorused guitar solo that doesn't go on too long, finishes up and then ends cleanly and decisively. An imaginative and effective arrangement. So I rate this one highly in spite of the relatively poor quality of the recording.

3. RC - An Equal Start: I really like the concept here. The idea that we all have the same chance at life is a common meme on the right that talks about "equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome" in the context of criticizing the welfare state. This song seems to be the rebuttal to that meme. There's some good movement and musical progression here as we get into the chorus and the percussion kicks in, with some tasty soloing bits. A very effective protest song.

4. MC Ohm - If You Don't Like Gay Marriage: wow, I like this right off the bat and it just gets better. The production is really strong, the rap lyrics excellent and the sung choruses really fun and clever. The Ohm keeps it fresh by changing up the later choruses, and you don't really expect to hear about "menopause" and "ejaculate" in a song, but it works and it's nerdy-funny. The cold ending is... hmmm, I feel like it is _almost_ perfect but needed to go out on a horn stab or something; I guess I'm saying I would have done it just a _little_ bit differently. That's a very minor quibble, though, in a very fun song.

5. Dr. Lindyke - The Square: a blues song about oppression in China! Two verses/choruses and it looks like we get a bridge, so not too long, and some instrumental transition bits. Are these real drums now? In any case they sound good. The "peace or freedom" dichotomy in the chorus lyrics makes this song a little meaty, philosophically, and Dr. Lindyke is good at going for the non-obvious, non-cliched lyric and workable semi-rhymes. But we go from "not just for freedom, but for peace," as if those things were both achievable, to "peace or freedom -- there's a choice." So is the narrator admitting that the fight is fundamentally lost? That's cool, but maybe a little too "heady" for a protest song, if that makes sense. There's some soul to the vocal performance, and the blue notes help with that, but I feel that the lyrics are just a touch too abstract throughout the whole song -- there's a lack of concrete imagery, especially for a fight that manifests as students dying of gunshot wounds on the pavement, or crushed by tanks. Finally, the fadeout is a little weak as an ending here.

6. Jenny Katz - Next Nice Town: there is a nice airy, open feel in the bass/drums guitar, good dynamics and this is very nicely recorded -- the best-recorded song in the round (again). I like a lot of the lyrics but I feel like there isn't a strong over-arching idea. The narrator is going from one place to another across America, and discovering they are all the same? That seems a little generic, as if it isn't protesting anything specifically enough. Nice use of the Hendrix-esque "Star Spangled Banner" guitar riff (especially given that he lit his guitar on fire, and the lyrics then talk about burning things down). It feels like this very professional playing isn't in the service of _quite_ a sufficiently compelling lyrical idea.

7. Edric Haleen - On The Matter Of Bullying: dramatic and emotional piano accompaniment. Beautiful and poignant vocal performance, nicely recorded with a touch of reverb. I like what Edric does with the vocal performance here, accelerating to breakneck speed and then slowing it back down to make it poignant again. But. I thought it was reaching it's peak, but then realized the song wasn't done. Not nearly done, in fact, since it's over five minutes long. Really, taking the bullying theme as a metaphor for all of human progress and eventual exploration of other planets? I think maybe that's just sort of inflating the idea until it is diluted. The speed of the verses keeps it interesting, but it feels like maybe the "arc" was too ambitious for the challenge -- again, less a song and more a manifesto. It reminds me of the first draft of an essay that needs to be edited down to narrow the scope, or a Doctor Who episode that brings in the Dalex AND the Cybermen AND the Sontarans and so fails to focusing on single compelling story.

8. Kevin Savino-Riker - Dinosaur Sam: "her glass ceiling is his glass floor" is a _fantastic_ lyric. A funk song! This is a bit crazy and the frenetic feel is nice. It sounds like some heavy-duty work went into these instrumental parts. I don't think I could play that guitar riff! At least not without a lot of work. However, it rambles and sprawls, both musically and lyrically, and the focus gets slightly lost; I am not sure the jazz/funk structure works really well as a protest song. It seems odd to say that it takes too long to get to the point, since it's only a typical pop song length of 3:30 or so, but yet it does in fact feel to me that it takes too long to get to the point, both musically and lyrically. I think several songs in this round suffer from being a little manifesto-ish. I was happy to hear a real, clean ending!

9. TurboShandy - Guns: I personally appreciate the sentiment. The song is decently recorded, but there are some weaknesses with this song. The lyrics are a little too flat, more like a lecture than something poetic that is easy to remember; lines like "they react to the mechanics of the mouse well" just aren't compelling lyric-writing). The guitar, bass, and drums together sound maybe a little too fat and overwhelming. The half-step tonal shifts tend to make the song sound like it is going flat. The fade-out ending seems like a bit of a letdown.

10. Jerry Skids - The Separation Of State And Nothing: I try not to get hung up on production values since not everyone has access to the same sort of recording set-up. But in this case the constant, extreme popping of the plosives on the lead vocal is a little distracting. I like the gritty and fast melody that pushes the lengthy out at a good pace, but the lyrics seem to spin out of control just a little and pack too many concepts into the verses (see "manifesto.") The choruses are better. There are lots of nice bits in here and the song has a good "arc" and gets through its business and ends cleanly.

11. Brian Gray - Walk (Live From Woodbury): a song in support of zombie rights! OK, this is quite hilarious. I like the idea of this being on a stadium stage complete with a sparkling guitar solo. I read Brian's song bio and it sort of confirms for me that he's very interested in the technical aspects (like the 9/8 meter), but the storytelling aspect of the song itself isn't fully realized. Emotionally, it's like it's referencing the _idea_ of an impassioned performance rather than being an actual recording of an impassioned performance -- it's at a sort of a degree of removal, if that makes sense. The song is designed to have an emotional appeal but somehow leaves me feeling a little cold. The march for hunger idea isn't really clear from the song (at least, it wasn't for me).

12. Steve Durand - Just War: nice play on words (and concepts) here. I know a little bit about this subject, and so the mention of St. Augustine doesn't throw me, but -- this is supposed to be a song, not a lecture. I'm not sure what all is being evoked with the musical styling. Sort of a disco protest song? With... a saxophone solo? And a spoken word voiceover bit too? The whole disco tone usually evokes a cold detached erotic but unemotional sensuality and style over substance -- that is, emotional detachment, which (it seems to me) is exactly the opposite of the musical style you want for a protest song. So the music seems to work against the idea. Then, the cold ending does not feel like it is part of a proper coda.

SHADOWS

"Buckethat" Bobby - Knock Off: loose timing between tracks make it feel awkward and a little distracting. Feels like the recording was very rushed. I appreciate the sentiment in the song and "chances are - neither of you are right" is a great line, but lyrics like "and both sides of every argument have smaller sides to be referenced" are just not really successful.

The Boffo Yux Dudes - Eat The Whales: instrumental intro goes on too long. Chorus is funny in a very dry-humor way but the whole effect is sort of emotionally flat.

The Boffy Yux Dudes - The Ballad of the Last of the Hackers: I'm an aging software engineer. This is my life. What kind of people would rhyme "relevant" and "development?" This kind! It is really fun to hear the BYD in what sounds more like a live recording -- much more energetic than the Casio-sounding tracks. Lyrics feel like they were rushed, and the recording ends a bit weakly.

Dr. Lindyke - Memory Of A Future Past: more serious than I was expecting in a shadow! It touches on the horror of growing up in the day of "The Day After." I found myself wondering if this should have been the real entry and not the shadow, but the nuclear war threat just feels a little less relevant these days, even if the threat isn't actually gone, so I think it was the right choice to make this one a shadow. The recording has an early folk feel, with a vibrato-heavy vocal style like Buffy Ste. Marie's "Universal Soldier."

Dr. Lindyke - It's a Joke, Not a Dick (Don't Take It So Hard): Ummm. Dr. Lindyke is responding to comments by me and by Travis (and perhaps others?) expressing our distaste with the rape joke-y lyrics in their last round's song. Dave and I are not exactly in the same place, politically, so I am not shocked to be accused of excess political correctness. It's cetainly a fair cop to accuse my of prudishness, and feels ironically appropriate since when I was younger, I constantly accused my own peers of prudishness, especially the young ladies, who failed to live up to the sexual revolution I was raised to expect, and consistently refused to dress and act like the women in beer commercials. Prudishness is a sort of occupational hazard of parenting; I find myself having to lecture my progeny on why they shouldn't do the things I did -- in part because I know how those things eventually worked out for me. So Dave's not wrong, but I do feel that he is going above and beyond the call of _his_ duty to start defending other contestants against my comments, and calling me out on subtle inconsistencies in my application of what he reasons my principles actually _are_. (For one thing, like Whitman, I reserve the right to inconsistency, annoying as that may be). But... I've known Dave long enough to realize that he spools this stuff out at least as rapidly as I do, if more thoughtfully. My comments were a straightforward reporting of my thought process in reviewing the songs, and heavily qualified with phrases like "can be considered," "just a little," "I choose to imagine," "it seems to me," and "I'm not sure if everyone would see it this way." By comparison, Dave in his rebuttal has gone full-on Jesuit in attempting to take down an argument that was not ever intended to be an argument per se, as I was writing neither a philosophical treatise or a campaign speech. This is not the best forum for conducting this sort of argument, if indeed it is even an argument; as state school graduate, Dave would no doubt agree that this sort of discussion goes down better in person, with a beer, and not a Budweiser (Swedish bikini team or no). And so on the "rape joke" issue, which I think actually deserves a deeper debate than we can really give here, and various other issues and exceptions Dave has taken with my comments, it would probably be best if I just cut my losses and recused myself from further comment at this time. I'll just be over here. With my headphones on. Rocking a bit. Giggling, perhaps. And speaking of scoring, I would like to mention here, publicly, for the first time, that my wife Grace and I are expecting our sixth child this fall. SCORE!!!

SpinTunes #6 Round 3 Songs

There were some issues with U-Stream dropping audio, but overall the listening party went smoothly.  I just switched over to watch on YouTube & had no audio drops.  Seemed like an issue with U-Stream, and nothing we could blame Heather for.  Tom did a fine job once again.

The songs are now available for FREE download, and you can vote for your favorite entries as well. Many of you will be asking friends and family to support you in the popular vote. That's great, but when you do, please ask them to listen to all the songs & vote for their favorites. You can vote for up to 5 different people, so they might as well listen to everyone.

Until the round 4 songs are posted I will only allow people to download the round 3 album as a whole. But even after that, PLEASE download the entire album vs downloading just a handful of songs while the contest is on going. BandCamp limits how many free downloads I can give away, and 1 album download counts the same as 1 song download.

After the Listening party ended, some of us hung out in a Google+ hang out awhile. If you want to drop into our next hangout you can add me to your circles & I'll add you my SpinTunes circle. Also, we have a private Facebook group that any song contributor to the contest is allowed to join. I'd love to see you all there joining in on the conversations.

With 12 entries turned in for round 3, that means there will be 8 eliminations this round to set us up for the final round. That would leave 4 finalists for round 4. Good luck everyone.

You can find the album on BandCamp by clicking the image below:

(Album cover by Matt Schubbe)

- You can vote for your favorite songs with the poll in the right sidebar. -->

- Popular vote stays open until noon on March 1st  (F)

- Judges & guest judges have until noon on March 1st before noon (F) to hand in their reviews.

- Spintown will post the Reviews & Eliminations before 11PM on March 2nd (Sat).

- March 3rd 1AM (Sun) - The final Challenge is announced.

Videos:
If anyone wants to make a video for their song, Spintown will include it here:

Links Of Interest:

- Dave Leigh wrote a song bio for all 3 of the Dr. Lindyke songs this round. (1, 2, & 3)

- Brian Gray wrote a song bio for his entry this round.

- Dave Leigh wrote reviews for this round.

- Jerry Skids wrote a song bio for his entry this round.

- Steve Durand wrote a song bio for his entry this round.

- Kevin Savino-Riker wrote a song bio for his entry this round.

Round 3 LP & Deadline News

For now you should know:
- There are 12 official entries on the album & 3 shadows. (unless more come in)
- I think I responded to all e-mails.
- The listening party will be hosted by Tom on U-stream tonight. It's at 8PM.

Listening Party Location:http://www.ustream.tv/channel/spintunes

Deadline Eliminations: Josh Holober-Ward - "Buckethat" Bobby

There will be 8 more judges eliminations to make this round. Good luck.

SpinTunes #6: Round 3 Challenge

Occupy SpinTunes - Write a protest song in which you try to convince your listeners about something you strongly believe. (2 minute minimum) (your submission is due February 24th 11:59PM)

Submitting Entries:- Entries must be received by the given deadline. Otherwise it'll be posted as a shadow. Received means that it has to appear in my e-mail inbox by the given deadline. I will be going by the time stamp on the e-mail in my inbox. PLEASE do not wait until the last hour to send me something. If there is a blackout in your area, your computer crashes, or your dog actually eats your thumb drive...I will not care. You are allowed to send in a draft of your song early just in case something horrible happens & you miss the deadline. Then you can add polish to your song & send in a better version closer to the deadline. 1 minute late is still late people.



- Send your file in a format that Bandcamp accepts. (.aiff, .wav or .flac) (at least 16-bit/44.1kHz) You can find the specific requirements for Bandcamp files HERE.

- Name your file the song's title, but without spaces & punctuation.

- Title of the e-mail should be the title of the Challenge & your band's name.

- Include the song lyrics in the body of the e-mail. (If your song doesn't have lyrics...consider yourself eliminated. Instrumentals can be pretty, but SpinTunes does require lyrics.)

- Include information on anyone that needs credited if you collabed with someone.

- If you have a BandCamp account, you can just send me a link to your song on BandCamp if you include all the info I mentioned above. Make sure you have it set as a free download, and have it set so that I don't have to put in an e-mail to download it if you pick this option. THIS IS THE BEST FILE SHARING OPTION!

- Other file sharing options if you need them: YouSendIt, Sound Cloud & Drop Box. Please send an e-mail as I already stated, but with the download link if you need one of these services. Please follow directions so your file doesn't wind up in my spam or trash folder accidentally.

Side Notes:
- Good luck everyone. I don't care who wins, but I hope you all have fun & maybe even learn a little something along the way.

- Remember that you are allowed to send in a little background about your song. Some people don't like to do that, and you don't have to, but if you want to write a couple sentences about your song I'll post it on the BandCamp page for people to see. Some judges will look at the lyrics & this extra info, but they aren't required to.

- If you didn't sign-up in time to compete in SpinTunes #6, you can still complete the challenge & send in a song. It'll be uploaded with the other entries as a "Shadow Song". Check the FAQ if you don't know what that means. You can even complete past challenges from previous contests.

- If you didn't sign-up you can also do a song for "Single Rainbow Across The Internet". You're song would be played during the LP as well.

- The only other way to get your music played at the LP is to cover "Today's The Day" by Inverse T. Clown.

- Feel free to leave any questions in the comments.

Spintunes #6 Round 2 Review: Debs And Errol

Hello Spintunes and welcome back for Round 2, 'Song Fight'!

For Round 1, we ranked the songs together straight off the bat. This time we separately gave each song a rating between 1-10 separately and then combined those scores to get our final rankings. We were really impressed with the diversity of the submissions and many of the scores were really tightly packed.

Debs wrote up most of these which is why Errol keeps arguing with her about word choice even though he agrees with the content. Songs are posted in their original Bandcamp order.

1. TurboShandy - 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch FC'
We utterly adore this and even if you hadn't taken on the huge challenge of pronouncing one of the longest place names in the world, we would still utterly adore it. The metaphor in the fourth line is beautiful and 'singing it right' adds just that little hint of humour. The Celtic marching feel is irresistible and you completely sell it with those gorgeous, authentic vocals. It feels really epic, but almost understated at the same time which lets the deep pride and affection for the team really come through. The way you bring things down at the end instead of piling on more vocals is unexpected, but we like it.

Errol: Every time I see see that word, which is really just twice now, I think Piggy Wiggy. Which reminds me of Asterix & Obelix, who are gaulish! See how that fits?

Debs: No.

2. Glen Raphael - 'Gunn High Chess Team Fight!'
It feels there's a disconnection between the lyrics and the actual delivery because you're using a lot of aggressive words like 'dead', 'fight' and 'mighty' but there's very little aggression and drive in the way you're singing it. This would be a lot more effective if you either punched up the vocals or went with lyrics that were less in your face like 'better options are rarely seen'. It might be fun to play up the fact that the team is sort of uncomfortable about being aggressive in the jock sense because they're not naturally that way. More presence in the background bass would also help punch this up. The harmonies on this are really cohesive and we dig your choice of team.

E: Maybe they were trying to be in character. Chess people not really that excited about winning and being mighty. But if that were the case, I think the awkward could have been played better too.

D: You should know, you do awkward well.

E: Ya. Thanks for that.

3. Jenny Katz - 'Load The Cannon, Light The Fuse'
This actually feels thoroughly British as far as lyrics and performance go and that's really impressive. It comes across as slightly reserved and the jabs at the Emirates and the US are precise and elegant and bring a twinge of haughty pride to the mix. On headphones, the reverb feels a little thick when the additional voice comes into the second verse. On speakers, it's all good though. This is quite unique and ridiculously well crafted.

E: I read that as Warcraft.

D: Uh hunh.

E: See what I did there? War? Well crafted?

D: ...

4. The Middle Relievers - 'Here's To Joe's'
Now we're starting to get our hands dirty with a more traditional take on the challenge. We love the rough feel to this and the vocals completely sell it - they're really high quality without being too perfect...because you know, we're drinking after all. Melodically, this is pretty much perfect because it feels so natural and the rhythmic variation between the verse and the chorus is great. We hear some clipping in places like 'Home Run' but given the style we don't really mind. We like the clinking glasses but don't think they needed to be used as often as they were. A really solid entry.

E: The clicking reminded me of Monty Python.

D: Don't quote.

E: 'Where'd you get the coconuts?'

D: DON'T QUOTE.

E: *sigh*

5. Brian Gray - 'Fei Gong!'
D: Notes from my first listen were ':D :D :D !!!!' because I was laughing too hard to get anything else down. This is a work of genius. The vocals are so darn earnest and just a tad sheepish at the same time as if to say, 'Yes, we know this is just slightly left-of-center'.

This is the smartest lyric of the challenge for us - 'Two teams enter, two teams leave' just about killed us and bringing in tapestry and crowning jewel feels very culturally appropriate. The breakdown is really wonderful too. We stand in awe.

E: This reminds me of 'Kung Fu Hustle.'

D: Every song reminds you of something.

6. Steven Wesley Guiles - 'Minecraft Fight Song' DISQUALIFIED
D: All right, I have a confession to make. I have never played Minecraft. I know how awful that is, being in a geek band, but it's true and I'm ashamed to say it.

Of course you wrote a Minecraft song, Steven! You are clearly having an awesome time with this and it shows. It has wonderful energy and excitement to it and is also really accessible for listeners of all ages. That's not just because you've brought in the kids but also because of the call and response in the 'Building! Crafting!' section. We love the pixelated-sounding intro and the synth that comes along for the melody ride provides some really nice support for the singing.

Unfortunately, we had to agree that Team Minecraft it doesn't qualify as a sports team and that makes us sad.

E: The 8 bit sounding intro you mean? How can it be pixelated?

D: Because it's old!

E: PIXEL IS A GRAPHIC TERM!

D: Yeah but it's still about things being broken up into little bits.

7. RC - 'We Will Bury You'
D: I gave these lyrics absolutely no credit until my third listen when I started reading along. Then I realized that they are ridiculously clever and awesome. Oh man, the puns!

The production is really high quality but we found ourselves wishing for a little more grit and oomph to really get the bite across because it almost seems too polished. We think that having multiple voices bringing in some raw energy would pretty much do it. What you're doing on the last 'you' there is utterly wonderful and the switch into minor there is perfect.

E: 'Switch into Minor'? You DO know what that tune is, don't you?

D: Yes. Sheesh!

8. Edric Haleen - 'A Father's Fight Song'
E: Debs, are you crying again?

D: What?!

E: You don't even have kids! Ugh... I'm surrounded by people with emotions.

Once again you've completely disarmed us with an arrow from left-field that that that goes straight to the heart. We know you said in your song bio that you loathed this challenge, but being able to pull something out of parameters you hate kind of feels good for the songwriting soul, right? The crowd and the kids in the background bring us right into the moment with you and that one synth is placed exactly where it should be for the mood shift.  This is poignant and beautiful.

9. Army Defense - '72Dolphins' DISQUALIFIED
This is pretty strong performance-wise and the vocals are cool but it's a victory song, not a fight song. That being said, we do like the lyrics a lot, especially what you've done with 'white lines'. There's no build climax to it though and unfortunately the long, drawn out clip became boring very fast and we found it hard to stay interested.

E: This reminds me of....

D: Stop it!

E: But...

D: Not listening!

10. The Chocolate Chips - 'Indian Cricket Team Fight Song (Win For India!)'
The exotic choice of team here made us chuckle and does make this stand out. Although the instrumental choices are really fitting, the tune feels quite Western in terms of its actual composition. We would have loved it you had taken the Indian influence further and drawn from traditional musical styles (we're thinking along the lines of using ragas or even going Bollywood). The fact that it's laid back seems really appropriate but it really does still feel like a fight song so kudos there. The lyrics aren't coming through distinctly in the mix, but one thing we'd like to suggest is to really be conscious of word and syllable emphasis. The line 'Defend our wicket' sounds forced and awkward because the melody is placing emphasis in the wrong place. If you were to speak this line, you would usually say 'DEfend our WICket' but what you've actually sung is 'DEfend OUR wickET.'

E: Hah! That's great! Wicket reminds me of -

D: Star Wars.

E: Yes.

D: Yes.

11. Kevin Savino-Riker - The 12th Man
The 12th man concept is really cool and make this stand out as unique even though it's a traditional as far the team you've chosen. There are some really tight harmonies in this one and we like how it builds and layers. The vocal delivery doesn't quite bring the bite and excitement we're wishing for - we want it to be rougher and less perfect with some added weight in the lower register.

E: Oh. That's a sporting term. I had to look it up.

D: It didn't remind you of anything?

E: Oh! It reminded me of -

D: DON'T CARE!

12. Blimp Exhaust - Checkmate!
D:  CHESS PUNCH IN THE FACE! I don't think I've ever been this excited about chess, ever.

You do so many thing right here. 'Checkmate' is the perfect hook and 'You shall not pass' earned the loudest laugh of the night. We love how you're messing with our heads at 0:50, alternating bars of rhymically straightforward with crazy overlaid patterns. The minor on 'Your' ('kick your ass') is fresh because it's so unexpected.

E: What's wrong with chess? Why aren't you excited about it?

D: ...

E: You hate nerds.

D: I DON'T!

13. Jerry Skids - Psyche 'Em Out!
HAH! Nice team choice. Energetically, this is another punch to the face, which is fabulous. We're really impressed that you can hit everything as cleanly as you are and still be belting, clearly you have superb vocal control.  We really like how the refrain comes right out of the verses without a break. We wouldn't have thought that would work but the 'beeeeers' yell as it's transitioning pulls it all together seamlessly. There's an unpolished and careless vibe to the lyrics (e.g. the 'blonde dude' line) that really fits the mood well. You've managed to put a lot of content into the lyrics and yet it's still really easy to sing along to the whole thing. Love it.

E: I thought he was saying 'bears'.

D: Uh hunh...

E: So I thought that was a real sport team.

D: Yup.

E: You're not listening to me... are you...

D: Uh hunh...

14. Dr. Lindyke - 'Cock Fight'
D: Please tell me he didn't...

E: You usually like stuff like this...

D: o.O

We know from the song bio that this challenge was a big stretch for you and that makes this even more impressive. You pulled it off admirably, better than admirably in fact. There was no waiting for jokes because they were stuffed into every line and damn well played.

E: Debs, are you crying again?

D: I'm crying because awesome!

The blending of voices is really well done and the panning is great too.

15. Steve Durand - Put Your Mettle To The Pedals
Clever title! This gets us right in the game and the horn flourishes are a real delight.  Bits of the lyrics were a bit hard to decipher but there are some great lines ('set the tempo' is a particular favourite and really elegant).  This is a really solid entry that does everything right.

D: I cringed a bit when 'Jaune' was mispronounced but after multiple listens I find it endearing since they wouldn't speak French anyway. I am confused about one thing though.

E: What?

D: What does HGH and EPO stand for? Because the Internet says it's drugs.

E: Umm....yeah.

D: But why are the mailmen taking drugs?

E: You do know this isn't a made up team right?

D: Oh. OH. I kind of just thought all the time biking around delivering mail would make them as good as professional bikers. Now I think I love that section more.

16. "BucketHat" Bobby - YTCWGWCT
D: A curling song! I love curling!

E: Wait, you've curled?

D: Yes!

E: Me too.

D: REALLY?

E: Yup... played on a team and everything.

D: You É did a SPORT!?

Ah, curling, a sport nestled in our Canadian hearts. The lyric is quite clever (rock into a roll) and it just wouldn't be a curling song without 'Hurry! Haaaaaaard!'  The flow of 'Yukon Territories' Canada Winter Games Women's Curling Team is really nice. It has a good sound and an easy groove but there's no energy spurring us onto new heights, so as a fight song, it feels a little indirect. The accordion (synth?) has some timing issues and there are a few trouble spots vocally but the performance overall is quite solid.

17. Ross Durand - Bigger In Texas
This so easily could have been just another football song but it's poking fun at itself with a twist that is really wonderful. It's highly smart, amusing and darn entertaining. It didn't really bring the ÒfightÓ energy in a traditional sense but we think that kind of works for the context. This is perfect Texas music too.

E: How would you know what perfect Texas music is?

D: I've been through Texas.

18. MC Ohm-I - Let's Go Mets
Nice polished production here and the horns lend a really grand sense of occasion. The rap section has really great energy and get us pumped up and going with quick rhythms but once 'Time to play ball' kicks in, the drive kind of peters out. I think it's because those lines are sung in a really smooth, elongated manner and that creates a lull. All of the vocals from then on out feel sound really polished but far too restrained so there's no sense of love, fight or passion. Really love the lyrics in the first verse.

E: Do people actually sing songs at sports things?

D: 'Sports things?'

E: Ya... those things people go to É

D: We do.

19. Josh Holober-Ward - Let's Go Ravens!
This is a lot of fun! These are stellar vocals and you make a cappella sound effortless when we know that it's actually anything but. The intro growl and the rap later on are fabulous and really showcase your versatility. Lyrically there's a lot of great humour that we really dig. We also love how it feels as though you're making it up on the spot. Caw-CAW!

E: Uh... I didn't say 'Caw-CAW' at the end. That's all Debs.

D: What's wrong with that? I was imitating them!

E: He made it sound funny. You didn't.

D: Typing doesn't sound like anything!

20. Edric Haleen - ICA School Song (SHADOW)
* Laughs * This sounds so campy but that's a good thing. I like that it's crunchy. It's really sing-alongable too. It's cool that you took something you made this fifteen years ago. Your vocals are clear and fit the song and has the right amount of spirit and enthusiasm.

E: It's crunchy? WHERE'S CRUNCHY?

D: It sounds crunchy...and distorted! And that's cool!

E: I thought you've dated enough guitarists to know what crunchy mean.

D: Remember that jerk comment?

21. The Boffo Yux Dudes - Go, Trenton Wolverines! (Shadow)
Ha! Great take on the challenge! An embittered non-popular kid gets tasked with writing the team spirit song and for some reason, no one checks the lyrics. He's probably the creepy kid on the sidelines that stares at the one cheerleader whom he longs for but can't approach her. Not that this was Errol in anyway. Nope. Nosirree...

E: I'm hungry for a whopper now.

D: I don't think I've eaten a whopper in my entire life.