OK, I found this round hard-going to listen to; but that may be the challenge. I'm not one of those judges who's too caught up on the challenge. If you meet it, you pass it. If you do something spectacular / imaginative with it, you get bonus points. You're only out if you ignore it. Other judges may feel differently but hey, I'm much easier than my internet persona suggests
So anyway bear in mind my grumpy review is a result of 20 songs with barking or birdsong on it.
W.A.I.L. I.A.A.C. If I missed anyone or what I said makes no sense, just ask ...
Bgm – don’t like that reverbed guitar tone at the beginning very much but it fits into the song as it swells. The Bvs are lovely. It washes over the ears very pleasantly. By the end, I’m not entirely sure what to make of it, TBH, but I don’t mind it at all.
BSS – I like this a lot (it’s just Pixies enough without tumbling into pastiche). A couple of clunky lyrical moments (particular ‘this barstool’s a buoy’ and ‘… so kick out the Jams’) and not super-keen on what’s being playing by the lead / solo this time out, the vocal swapping in the chorus works well and there’s still more than enough here for me to enjoy that the downside doesn’t get too annoying.
BYD – Well, the acoustic’s not too loud this time out! I really like the take on the title and despite being a C&W pastiche, the speed and arrangement stop it being just that. However, I do not like the spoken word / intoned vocal. It’s well done but it’s not a strong enough decision to be that loud in the mix / sparse structure for a song of this length? It seems longer than it is. However points for the interesting approach and it’s great not hearing songs about drinks for once this round.
CaveDwellers – Jolly little song. I admire the inventiveness of the arrangement. ‘specially when it heads off somewhere else with the vocal ad-lib section and the switch in and out of ukulele leading before bringing it all together at the end. It’s a bit manic and all-over-the-place, I guess you could say; but as you know well enough by now, that’s the sort of thing that floats my boat. I wasn’t planning to talk about the challenge on this one (you all made it and there’s no-one on second listen who for me did anything so original as to earn bonus pointies) but it was overdone here. We get the point and though I’m not following all the words, I can’t see how the barrage of samples / casio ‘fx’ setting hits add to the song. However I’m not judging you down on that, just a challenge-related shame, IMO.
Cybronica – Well, you definitely have your sound fixed early! Semi-operatic vocal meets synth-folk is not a style one runs into every day. Do I like it? Not sure – it’s very pretty and different. I’d like to see the lyric to this one as I am not sure how it relates to the title. Not that you need the title in there as along as the lyric makes it clear that it’s inspired by it. Anyway, challenge met with appropriate ear-curdling for this particular judge This is impressive (and possibly the most unintentionally camp song I’ve heard this year) and I don’t know what to make of it. Oh and there’s some really interesting stuff in the keyboard parts in terms of arrangement. I like that sound generally so don’t let anyone tell you that ‘inorganic = bad”.
DJRD – Despite the great vocal, cute word play on the theme and the smoky bar atmosphere you capture you so well, this is only a jazzy take on the blues, which seems a little bit of a shame. (I do like the dip in the structure under the chorus, keeps the interest up).
DuToVa – This starts so well. Slightly dirty bass, bubbly and sweeping synth noises – the chorus begins to sound like Squeeze a bit but oh stop singin’ ‘boilermaker played the blues’ over and over again – you don’t have to write any other words (god forbid, right?) just sing it half as often and it wouldn’t be so annoying! Given it’s basically half the song, it really spoils it for me and even the mighty kazoo action can’t save it. However this is a lovely song and once again you manage to hide the very minimal arrangement in an interesting, clever way.
Grumpy Mike – Well, wasn’t really expecting anything more than the same, sound-wise and it doesn’t/does disappoint as a result. Sorry, I keep hearing Boston’s ‘More than a feeling’(that’s the one I mean, right?) whenever I play this. I can’t get it out of my mind and there’s nothing apart from a co-incidental chord progression (I hope) but once I get a dumb idea in my head … anyway, the bridge is a good moment, comes at the right time and changes it up enough to keep the dynamic going to the end of the song. Nothing stunningly new but it’s a good sound. Now if I can just get Boston out of my mind …
I-Veg – I do like me some good electro-reggae (though ‘Ace of Base’ keeps springing to mind for some reason
) As I have said before I do like a story in a song and this provides (although it’s a bit random in its selected elements of the guy’s life, I suppose). Sad the chorus isn’t ‘bigger’/ flagged up more – that’s the part that doesn’t really stick in the head on repeated listens. Like the lead ‘guitar’ tone.
Ken – Not a fan of the repeated ‘How does it feel?’ line – it feels a)slightly too earnest and b)I ran out of things that rhyme with ‘feel’. (I’ll feel bad about that smug comment if it turns out to be about your grandparents or something) – the song is full of the ‘feels’ though the lyric is a little stilted overall. I like a story and this provides – but some of the rhymes feel a little perfunctory? I actually think the use of the challenge here is very good, it accentuates the ‘pay-off’ well, it adds a certain wistfulness.
Levitdown – I’d like to see anyone acutally try and leave a bar ‘quicker than a blink’. This is jolly enough, though it sounds a little thrown-together. Not a fan of the way you incorporate the challenge. You meet it, for sure but it’s distracting. Nothing massively original in the song, from words to chord progressions but hey, nothing wrong with it, either (apart from some clunky rhymes – don’t accentuate the fact ‘quickly’ and ‘dirty’ don’t rhyme in the vocal performance – it only highlights it)
Micah Sommersmith – Elephants, right? Elephants? Nice Accordian VST … oh, hang on I really like this. I have absolutely no idea what you’re singing about and I don’t care. Maybe another synth line an octave apart to highlight the chorus but apart from that, there’s not much wrong with this to this ears.
M J Samuels – the ‘art’ intro almost makes me skip immediately – not because I don’t like it it’s just a bit too sharp on the ears. This is fabulous. Few people may latch onto this but this exactly the short of shit that makes my marbles swell. Experimental and minimal without losing sight of the importance of a good riff / melody line. Yes, there’s something well weird with the recording of the vocal (be it effect or just basic home studio set up) but so far I can put it down as contributing to the song’s overall mood. Just when I’m getting slightly bored it has the decency to get its coat.
Paco – Preturbed, tee hee. Jaunty fun but not my favourite Paco song by a long shot. Veers too close to nursery rhyme, which I guess is the danger of a challenge like this one. You can’t hide your quality even if you tried but this is a not bad / not good / not engaged one for me. Sorry.
Pepper Jane – Pepper (may I call you Pepper? ‘Hope so as I just did) A nice listen, for sure, again one of those lyrics that probably is packed with profundity and poetic license but means f* all to an old cloth-ears like me. Lovely song and singing, which is good as it’s all that’s there. That punch-in for the ‘me I was a boiler-maker’ end is a little klutsy but the change-up comes at a good time, though it’s so different, it’s like a different song. No problem with that if you have catchy riffs to spare. Just a warning from a man who never had none.
Potato Dentata – Not getting the point of the sheep sounds? Is it a veiled comment on drinkers? Oh, hang on this, gets explained. I do like the ‘Dog plays a mean guitar’ line but overall that’s a bit of a wedge of the challenge into the lyric. Clapping is a big win in my house so that’s a bonus (though not fake applause at the end. Don’t pretend you have more friends than you actually do ; )
RankCorps – Turn up that synth in the chorus. ‘This is a bar’ is possibly my favourite stating the obvious opening line I’ve heard in a while. I don’t like ‘Oink! Oink! Oink!’ – feels shoed in. I love the bass-synth and hope you have a different ‘megaphone’ setting – I love it, I’m just not sure even I could listen to an entire album of just that. Maybe just ease up on the wet/dry ratio, it’s overpowering the rest of the song at times, especially when the (otherwise cool) Backing vocal comes in.
Solo Frijoles – I don’t like nursery rhymes. Things I do like: The fun of making it leaks through to the listener; the little theramin-y synth very much; you certainly meet the challenge and take it up a notch. It’s all very well done and more tidily mixed than last round’s; But; and it’s a big but, I don’t like nursery rhymes. I just don’t know what else to say. Sorry.
Strangely Brown – Yeah, this is fine. Nothing spectular and the lack of a catchy chorus relegates this in my mind’s table a little. Maybe if you sleazed up the bass a little, it would be a bit sexier like maybe it kind of wants to be? That’s the only thing I can think to improve it. It is what it is and I don’t mind it.
Zack Facco – I think I like this. I certainly like the harmony vocals (apart from when they stumble occasionally – that’s hard on the ear when it’s such a central part of the song) – I like the ‘yeah, whatever’ take on the challenge (which is met). That jazzy guitar is lovely, too – adding width to the song without over-powering it. ‘I’m not invading Russia in the middle of winter’ is so spectacularly naff as a lyric that it may actually be genius. Definitely a mood piece but a good one. I like you go for the notes even when you’re not that close to reaching them. Yeah, this is pretty good.