Finally got these done!
First off, I want to say I love this round. I have a lot of favorites, and I love how the challenge forced everyone to really examine what their sound is, and what timbres they wanted in their song. Also, I don’t speak Spanish, but I have a lot of experience analyzing songs in languages I don’t know, so thanks to everyone who sang in Spanish to for making me feel like a college student again. I can’t speak to anyone’s accent, but I like how much of a risk y’all took.
In Order of the posted lyrics:
THIRD CAT: this is weird and fun and sweet all at once. The lyrics are more specific than I’m used to from you; the way you sing the chorus is weirdly heartfelt and I love that you took this strange premise and made it a believable love song. The combination of synth patch md drum machine are good; it’s the core of what your sound usually is, and retains your sound. Yeah, it’s more sparse than usual, but I really like how you affect the vocals with echo and reverb to fill in the sound.
Pig farmer jr: I’m surprised you didn’t include guitar in your instrument line up, as you play really well, but the piano is lovely, though at time a little... mechanical. Overly quantized? I bet this would have gone well as piano and guitar; the pair could really lean into the intimate heartbreak you’re singing about. I find the drums to be a bit superfluous. As for the lyrics, you could replace chupacabra with vampire, or some other monster, and it would mean about the same. I find it hard to believe the title is the title, of that makes sense.
Iveg: this is another weirdly sweet song that I can’t help but love. The chorus has been stuck in my head a lot this week, and I’m singing along without ever having studied Spanish. Probs cause my ability with the language would be about at the lousy high school level. It’s a sweet story, and I like how you emphasize the chorus with doubled vocals. The guitar in the play out is too quiet.
Balance lost: I have a lot of favorites this week, and this is high on this list. It’s SO FUN. I l o v e it. Hmm a criticism? The badabadabas are a little pitchy. But seriously, I love it all, from the ooh-wee-Oohs to the list of flavors, to the synth you use, to the story. This is my favorite song this week that does actually mention a chupacabra (sorry vom! Please don’t dock me points!). Also, I LOVE your take on the title. It’s really clever. Thi belongs on a children’s cd. Or a chupa chups commercial.
NSRFD!!: I find the connection to the title tenuous at best. It’s an interesting idea, but you until the very end to mention a chupacabra, and even then it’s not very clear how it is more title worthy than, say, drop bear. I like that building swell you at the end with the guitar strings and the horn synth. Also, I think that pairing of instruments is great. They sound good together.
Jon Eric: I have no idea what this is about, but I like it. I’m a sucker (pun not intended but appreciated) for puns and the whole song is based on word play (kid). Beatboxing on the word chupacabra is great, and I like how it frees you up to have a second pitched instrument. The groove in the bass is lovely. This song needs the last 16 bars cut off. The child sample yelling is great for timbre diversity.
Brown Word and the Big Whine: the lyrics are interesting but I find them forgettable. The star of this song is that bass line. I wouldn’t have had the melody match the bass line, though. Theres a missed opportunity for some cool counterpoint there, and it literally makes it one note. I like the double vocals/vocal harmonies you use for emphasis.
see-man-ski: you do a lot with just a guitar and drum set, and it sounds great. The filter on the vocals matches the timbre of guitar, and does a lot to find unity in the sound. The hook is very catchy, but I will say I have one minor quibble: rhyming chupacabra with murderer just bothers me. It is so much a slant rhyme, it’s a horizontal line. It’s especially surprising because the rest of the lyrics are well crafted with an ear to how they sound. This song sounds like someone trying to describe a dream to me.
Lowest bitter: I actually really like the guitar tone. Cutting off the front end of the wave form sounds super labor intensive, so good for you! The only bit thats not great about it is the jarring start- cutting off the attack gives it a click start. A rapid increase of volume on the track in the first milliseconds could help alleviate that. I was kinda luke warm on this song until I read your liner notes, and now that I understand what it’s about, I find the lyrics that much more compelling. Normally I would comment on the energy level of your vocal, but I think it matches the genuine concern of this song. Oh! And I figured out who you remind me of. Your voice is like Rufus wainwright OM his album songs for lulu. Another good reason not to change your voice.
Frankie big face: what a great sound you have right at the beginning! It delights the ear. Ok, ppl have been comparing you to bowie, and as I huge bowie fan, I haven’t heard it, until now! Your voice really matched his timbre on this track. The lyrics are simple, but evoke a lovely sentiment. I really like the end, where you say “Eres cabra
Soy chupacabra
Tendremos una hermosa boda “ that is a great image. Are you goin to eat them? Love them? Have your goat and eat it too? The a capella end is phenomenal, but you’re sharp on the second to last note, so that might be what some of the others were objecting to.
Vowlvom: this is really lovely! I think this was a super clever subversive take on the title (...that you selected?). The advice in the song is both genuine and generic, so good job balancing that! I love the guitar playing in this- it’s easily my favorite part. It lends a folk rock element that tickles my fancy, like if Simon and garfunkle wrote in the 2000’s. The gang vocals are great. I love the judges all coming together! Lovely song, and I think my favorite from you so far this year.
RFA: this is all very dynamically samey, which you can see in the wave form. This isn’t too much of an issue, though, seeing how short it is. I would have liked to have more change up in the vocal. I like the take on the title, and it really makes me want to find out what happened to this guy! I need the rest of the musical. Good piano part.
Lichen throat: the lyrics are pretty good, as we have come to expect. I really like how you have the viola synth in counterpoint with the voice. Speaking of the voice, I think you’re singing is improving! I like how this song explores more of your range. I also think not double tracking your vocals did you very well.l. It is a bit long. It could probably be 2/3 as long, but it doesn’t bother me so much.
Jules Iolyn: i really don’t see any connection to the title. On that note, I didn’t really notice the words until I read them, and relistening, it’s still hard to hear. The declamation and enunciation could be improved. I like the hook, but I would not have put the ladeedees on the main track. They are a bit more present in the mix than I like. The echo effect on guitar is great. It fills out the arrangement well.
The serviettes: this has a nice groove, and I like the tone on the bass. The filter on the voice matches the tone on the bass nicely, but it is often leaving me feel like you’re in the next room. The lyrics are alright, pretty generic, but still good. The drums are the connecting through line on this, and are really good. I think this song really needs som harmonies. Some backing vocals would be nice.
Hot pink halo: hey, an acrostic poem! I really like the lyrics, which makes me a little sad cause I have a lot of trouble hearing them in the actual song. Part of that is the relaxed nasal vocal. Needs More breath support; imagine a little more space in your head as you sing, and support the sound. I refuse to believe you can’t sing out more. The recorder and harmonica combo are a bold choice. I think using one of those with a more robust harmonic instrument would have done a better job of filling out the ambitious harmonic progression you described. I do like the recorders, as they remind me of the clockwork flute organs cabinet I saw in a museum in Austria years ago, but they need more melody in them, beyond just rooting one note at a time.
Micah Sommersmith: I really love these lyrics, especially the double means in them (thanks for clarifying them in the translation!). This song Transports me to the riviera. I’m not sure which one, but it is grassy, sunny, and the guy playing his accordion down the way is tugging at my heartstrings. The emotion in this song is raw, palpable. The vocal harmonies are lovely. My only critique is you are a little pitchy at times, specifically on ai ai ai, which is usually just a tad flat. This song is quite the sing! I love how it goes through so much of your range.
Max Bombast: i am very impressed that you recorded this in one take! Since you weren’t going back to make every take perfect, it leaves an element of raw emotion in the singing. This is most evident in the strained vocals that scatter throughout and get even more pronounced towards the end after the bridge. The gasping breaths are part of this, too, but I find them more distracting than evocative. The falsetto at the end is a nice contrast, and I would have like more of it earlier in the song. I’m not convinced that this song is really about a chupacabra, even as a metaphor (for addiction?). I want that metaphor explored more in the lyrics, beyond that it has teeth. Could also be about a vampire.
Mandibles: Us! This song is a style that is different for us. We have gone toward this style before, but not to this extent. I had fun trying out this type of singing. I think what makes this special is the meter- the verses are in two measures of two followed by a measure of three, while the chorus and bridge are just in three. Made. Hard to count, but the chorus is oh so much more satisfying because of it.
Lucky spoon: this reminds me of a song my parents used to sing (ragtime cowboy joe), so it has a serious nostalgia element for me. The story is great! I thought so before I read that it’s just the mandalorian. Your lyrics are really well crafted- they flow super well, and they have just the right amount of anachronism. The bass adds a lot of whimsy. The break with the spoken word is so good! Again, nostalgia, this time for a bygone era of cowboy movies. The vocal harmonies are delightful and I really like the wide pan you have going with them.
Grumpy mike: yet another on my list of favorites! Any time you do vocal harmonies like this, it makes me super happy! The story is straightforward and I like that about it. May I just say, you have a
perfect pure [o] vowel in goats and it makes my ipa knowing ear
so happy. I also love how the music follows the story. The quiet chorus is great. I also love the flat you put in the melody of the chorus on “running.” At times the voices do not perfectly match up, which is most obvious on the ‘bum bum bum’ before the quiet chorus. Ends too abruptly.
All in all, your song reminds me of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk5LhR2 ... ture=share
Bss: I really like the doowops, but I agree that the main vocal needs to come up to match them in the chorus. The balance is good in the verse. They have a lovely tone to them- great singing! I’m not inspired by the lyrics, in either language. Frankly, you went for the most obvious take on the title- hunting a chupacabra- and I don’t think it was executed as charmingly or cleverly as, say, grumpy mike or lichen throat’s lyrics. The bass line does a great job of keeping the momentum in the song.
Moss palace: this is my favorite song from you this year. Your singing is so much more interesting in this song- you sing out, and explore more color and range in your voice. It reminds me of the earliest merisan songs in the nur ein archive, which I love. The voice has more emotion and soul. I particularly love how you gradually bring in the second vocal in the bridge on unison, and then let it split into homophonic harmony, and then having a descants on the last chorus. There’s something a little enya about the bloom of bridge vocals. The interplay of the guitar and piano helps create this desperate, intimate sound. I love it. A well deserved win!
Goodbye bandita: I like how you never mention a chupacabra, but the lyrics dance around the concept. I suppose there isn’t any reason it has to be a chupacabra, but I don’t mind that here. The lyrics are soft and morose, and aching. The panning with the backing vocals in the chorus going from wide to center is great, and I love how their harmonies are subtly disschordant, underlining the wrongness of the situation.
Misc. owl: man, these lyrics cut deep. I love how you talk about this topic that is felt by
so many, yet almost never gets air time beyond a footnoted joke. The metaphors of the train and chupacabra, though disparate, work really well both in their own right, and the fact that you keep revisiting them makes them the foundation of the lyrics, instead of a random assortment of metaphors to fill word space. Yeah, production is lower than your usual standards, but it’s a darn good demo. A couple notes are right at the bottom of your range, for ex “so I” I’m the first verse. I think the line would be just as good if you sang them a fourth up.
Nick soma: this was a favorite, too. I loved it the first 15 times I heard it, but right now it’s wearing on my ear (I think it’s just too much all at once). I really do love this song- the piano part is very emotional, and the lyrics, those perhaps not completely elegant, are really lovely. They paint a wonderful picture, and the story itself is beautiful. I know more than one person who would not bat an eye in taking in a monster because it has big puppy dog eyes. Your vocals are good, and I especially like the the layering of them with the harmonies. The key change in the bridge is lovely. I like have clear the words are. I have no trouble understanding you.
Cavedwellers: no lyrics posted!
the interplay of guitars is so. Very. Cavedwellers. It’s really beautiful, and I love a subversive take on a challenge. The singing is great as always, and I love the double tracking on the chorus and bridge especially. The way your voice matches the guitar ornament on control in the pre. The instrumental break reminds me of piano phase, which I love. I want to listen to these guitars all day long.