SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

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leighdf
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SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by leighdf »

https://spintunescontest.blogspot.com/2 ... lenge.html
This is simple enough ;)
  • It Grows On You: Write a cumulative song, in which the verses repeat but with additional material each time through, resulting in longer and longer verses.


An easy example would be The Twelve Days of Christmas. Other examples can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulative_song


Good luck to our four finalists; and to everyone else, remember two things...

YOU ARE RANKING THE FINAL ROUND! It's YOUR votes that will determine our winner!
SHADOW! Should any of our official competitors miss the deadline, you could be reinstated into the final round!


Submitting Entries:
Your entry must be received by Sunday, December 16th, 2018 @ 11:59 PM EDT. Otherwise it'll be posted as a shadow. Received means that it has to appear in my e-mail inbox (spintunescontest@gmail.com) by the given deadline. I will be going by the time stamp on the e-mail. One minute late is too late.
You are allowed and encouraged to submit a draft of your song early just in case something horrible happens and you miss the deadline. Then you can add polish to your song and send in a better version closer to the deadline. The last version received prior to the deadline is your official entry.
Lyrics are mandatory. No instrumentals. Having no lyrics will get you disqualified.
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. (e.g. "It Grows On You - Dr Lindyke") (The title of the song is whatever you want it to be)
Include information on anyone that should be credited for collaboration. Remember, collaborations are OK, even among competitors. You must write your song, but if you want to use another vocalist or musicians, do so.
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. THIS IS THE BEST FILE SHARING OPTION!
Other file sharing options if you need them: Sound Cloud (set to download a format BandCamp is ok with) & Drop Box. Please send an e-mail as I already stated, but with the download link if you need one of these services.
If you're using something other than Bandcamp, It's best if you 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.
If you send me an MP3, I will attempt to convert it for you. But be warned... I will be strapped for time, and I will post whatever Audacity spits out of the conversion. So if you picked the wrong sample rate, your dulcet tones may wind up sounding like termites or chipmunks or random static. And that is what will be judged. So please... save and submit your files in the right format.

Side Notes:
You are allowed to send in a little background about your song. We encourage and appreciate "song bios". You don't have to do it, but if you want to write a couple sentences about your song I'll post it on the BandCamp page for people to see. I'll even link to longer blog posts if you want to explain your song on your blog. Some judges will read this extra info, but they aren't required to.
You can send in an entry to SpinTunes 15 without competing. Just tell me it's a "Shadow Song". It will be played at the listening party, but won't be ranked and you might not receive feedback from the judges. Check the FAQ if you don't know what that means. You can even complete past challenges from previous contests. It's a nice way of playing along if you can't commit to the schedule or you just want to get your feet wet.
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.
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by BoffoYux »

Listening Party link for the Finals is now online!

Monday 12/17 at 9 pm EST - with bonus SongFight 'They Know' LP!

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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by vowlvom »

Thoughts after about five or six listens...

Zoe Gray - My Typewriter and Me - this is really, really good. Just the right amount of cleverness, wistfulness, emotion... I love how the dynamics shift and build up but then there are quieter moments later on too, and the shift to the minor key for the lines about nagging doubts and worries... My favourite bit is the line about "a dream of living in a cottage when I'm old" which is lovely. Definitely my #1 pick.

Mandibles - The Witching Hour - there's a lot about this that I like, but also quite a few things that bug me. It feels like its a few BPM too fast for the lyrics to comfortably fit into the song and at times everything feels a little too rushed, like there's no room to breathe. The dynamics are also pretty solidly consistent from start to finish and I feel like that doesn't necessarily do the best job of doing the (very good!) lyrics justice. This is still pretty great but those few niggles make it not quite live up to the greatness of the Mandibles songs for the first three rounds.

Third Cat - Feel My Trouble - This is another pretty solid song but it never quite clicked with me. I've generally thought that your strengths lie in getting a lot of mileage out of very concise lyrics and this challenge generally seems to reward the Excessively Wordy, which I think leaves you at a slight disadvantage. These lyrics are fine but they're very list-y, and the vocal delivery doesn't quite seem to sync up with the solid rhythms of the musical arrangement. Like Mandibles, I liked it but I've heard a lot better (or more to my tastes at least) from you. I do, however, absolutely love the bit where the lyrics break and there's a huge swirl of guitar noise.

Faster Jackalope - Send Me Off - I'm not massively into the intro here - there's a lot going on but it kinda just sounds muddled to me - but once the song properly kicks in this is very enjoyable. I have no idea what the lyrics mean but they're very interesting to listen to, and there's a delicious power-pop crunch to the guitars and harmonies, which remind me a little of Fountains of Wayne (a good thing!) The solo is absolutely wonderful, also - slidey ear-candy.

I can't quite choose between Mandibles and Faster Jackalope for my #2 vote - I think Mandibles have gone more all-in on the challenge but the Jackalope track is a little more enjoyable overall.

SHADOWS:

Micah Sommersmith - You Like Me - I think maybe I've been overcritical of some of the Actual Entries because some of these shadows are so great, with this first one being a case in point. I love this take on the challenge, it's witty, catchy and clever and made me grin every time. Love the instrumentation here too. Slightly bitter that I didn't get a namecheck but I'm going to go ahead and assume that I'm the subject of the song instead [suggestive wink]

Jocko Homomorphism - On the Beach - this is also very cool, my favourite of your SpinTunes songs and I absolutely love the subject-appropriate way that the distortion and glitches build up and destroy the vocals.

Vom Vorton - One Turkey Sandwich - I think I might have written my best song of the contest after being eliminated here, oh well.

Brian Gray - The Yeast Song - this is absolute genius, of the mad-scientist variety. The intro is very funny and the song itself is operating on some kind of higher plane of consciousness. Trying to keep up with the lyrics actually makes me feel a little drunk, which I mean as the highest possible praise.

Good Guy Sojabe - Nightcrawler - I definitely prefer this more hard-rocking sound to the grungier vibe of your first couple of tracks. I like that your take on the challenge is a little different to everyone else's, too. I ALSO like the "huh!" backing vocals. The mix is a little muddy and I'm still suffering a little from genre-bias here but I can hear the quality here.

Menage a Tune - Let's Have Lunch - I can't really cope with full-on single-track a capella music I'm afraid which made this a tough listen for me. There's plenty of good material in the lyrics but almost seven minutes of unaccompanied vocal is just not enjoyable to me at all, sorry.

Glen Raphael - If the Climate Changes - I wish the harmonies were a little better lined up in a few places but this is a fun listen, especially when the giant squids come in.

glennny - So Alive - this is extremely clever and I love the musical arrangement, but I feel like the vocal melody hasn't received as much attention as everything else as that's the one point where this doesn't really click with me. I love the concept but I wish it had been applied to something that also stuck in my head a little more.
Last edited by vowlvom on Thu Dec 20, 2018 4:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by thirdcat »

I'm unsure if I'm supposed to send in a vote for this thing; if I get a vote #1 is definitely going to Faster Jackalope, imo it's not even close. No offense intended to the other three, except to Third Cat. Screw that guy. I just think this challenge was... challenging. It's very difficult to write a listenable song with this kind of structure. Faster Jackalope figured out a way to do it though. Congrats on that! Nice one. Really nice vocals. Catchy. Nice mix of poppy and inventive.
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by MicahSommer »

thirdcat wrote:
Wed Dec 19, 2018 1:43 pm
I'm unsure if I'm supposed to send in a vote for this thing; if I get a vote #1 is definitely going to Faster Jackalope, imo it's not even close. No offense intended to the other three, except to Third Cat. Screw that guy. I just think this challenge was... challenging. It's very difficult to write a listenable song with this kind of structure. Faster Jackalope figured out a way to do it though. Congrats on that! Nice one. Really nice vocals. Catchy. Nice mix of poppy and inventive.
Yes, contestants in the final round are also invited to vote, and are asked to rank all four songs 1-4.

You can send your vote to spintunescontest@gmail.com
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by thirdcat »

Cool. Thanks Micah! Will do.

my reviews:

Zoe Gray: I really like the main bit "I like to sit alone on my roof writing..." it's really pretty and nicely performed and I also really love how you add another layer of vocals each time through. Unfortunately for me the challenge I think lead this to a structure that I find difficult to listen to, the "run on sentence" sort of style doesn't work for me. Still I can imagine you winning because the performance is great and the mix is very nice and while I'm really put off by this song structure, maybe it won't effect everyone else like that (I saw that Vom had you had his favorite). Could be a case of "not my cup of tea."

Mandibles: I really like the guitar on this track. It reminds me of something from Radiohead's Hail to the Thief album. The vocals are really nice. Unfortunately I find this song also kind of suffers from the same run on songwriting thing that made Zoe Gray's song not work for me. (not to quite the same extent.) I voted for your song 2nd after Faster Jackalope.

Third Cat: There are some parts of my song I quite liked. But I do think I could have had a better vocal performance. Awkward in places. I think I should have probably slowed down the tempo a bit to make it easier to sing. Or I should have been a better singer. Now there's an idea!

Faster Jackalope: My favorite of the round. Fantastic mix and some really catchy melodies and excellent singing. You also managed to avoid the run-on melody problem while still following the challenge. ie: You kept the phrasing musical and not overly rambly. The murderous twist at the end of the song with the lyrics is a nice touch. Not sure I caught it entirely, but I like the sort of just "wtf?"-ness of it. Good stuff indeed. My favorite two songs of the entire SpinTunes 15 has been this one and your "Selfless Heart" from Round 2 which was really excellent.
Last edited by thirdcat on Wed Dec 19, 2018 10:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by Cybronica »

Spintunes 15 4 reviews

Hello! I thought I would wait to publish my reviews so as not to influence anyone else’s opinions (I wonder, does anyone read these though, and take them seriously? yeah yeah, delusions of grandeur), but then I read everyone else’s reviews and wanted to join the party! To get the obvious out of the way, Mandibles’ vote went:
Mandibles
Faster Jackelope
Third Cat
Zoe Gray
The following reviews are from only me, however, and just for fun I decided to rank them including shadows. After having heard them each a few times, my ranking process was to listen to a song, review, and the listen to the next, decide if I liked it more or less than the first, etc etc, placing each song in the line up as I listened. This challenge was particularly, well, challenging, due to the fact that the nature of cumulative songs lends itself to extreme tedium. Whether or not I got bored by your song weighed heavily into my rankings.


0. Brian Gray - the Yeast Song
Hands down my favorite song in the round, and that’s not including the free comedy show at the start! A great middle step bridging the gap of the gleebleverse as we know it. This has just about everything I love in it: a bunch of people singing off the cuff out of the blue, folk melody with improvised harmonies, accordion, educational content, beer, and as a bonus some things I don’t love, like a continuous upward modulation. I read the bio after falling in love with the song, and I must say the careful thought you put into all these songs is quite commendable! Really, truly, excellent work.

0. Mandibles - Witching Hour
I was really concerned that this not get too repetitive, so I spent a lot of time workshopping the melodies on the cumulative section so that no two lines had the exact same melody. We also cut out a final verse (which, honestly, wasn’t my best writing) and sped up the tempo from our original workshopping ( having read some of your reviews, perhaps that was a mistake). The tempo change then made it really hard to sing this and not pass out from lack of air. My work around was to put each of the vocals into two tracks, where each track I sang every other line. This gave the vocals a breathless, almost over lapping quality I really like. The lyrics are in a more flowery style of writing that I often employ for my straight poetry (most of my poetic know-how is from translating German art songs), and they were likely a result of the head space I was in after watching haunting of hill house. Truth, as always, is a master with the instruments, and came up with both of the verse reharmonizations that really helped to alleviate the tedium in this song without a bridge. He also came up with the idea for the song in the first place! I just wish we had had the time to get together and record the final verse in person. As it was, we did it remotely, and it’s not quite what I wanted.

0. Glen Raphael - if the Climate Changes
Love the topic, love the tune, love the Irish influence (are you still there, or does it merely linger in the mind? I unfortunately do not know your work enough to know if this is just part of your oeuvre). There are too many good lines to choose a fav, but “giant squid migrations” and “children won’t know snow” are both contenders. Harmonies sound great, are well balanced without being excessive. The tone of voice is a little enervated, but honestly it rings true to the style so as a whole I’m not bothered. A capella is a ballsy move. No tedium here at all. Very well done!

0. Vom Vorton - A single Turkey Sandwich
Well sung, well produced, the lyrics were clever- how do you get clever and funny lyrics week after week? I was actually laughing out loud through much of this. It’s sweet, it’s fun, it is relatable, and it has lovely nuanced vocal harmonies which we all know at this point I am a huge fan of. This is going on my permanent downloads list.

0. Good Guy Sojabe - Nightcrawler
LOVE THIS though I have to admit I have no idea what is going on. It sounds a LOT like Metallica to my ear - was this for last round? Jk but it sounds GREAT. it’s invigorating and unlike any other song in this round, the most of which tended toward more folk song styles (which I love, don’t get me wrong, but this was a fabulous change of pace). Well sung, great music, especially the chorus. One of my favs.

0. Micah Sommersmith - You like me
I find this song utterly delightful. The tune is fun, it is well sung, the concept is innocent and nostalgic, right down to the clapping games of youth. It builds well, with a flourish of a finish. I love how you incorporated the names of various participants in the lyrics (Spintunes UA where were all at school together?) and well I’m pretty sure this was for Dave, Leigh spelled the way you did is my middle name, so I pretend I’m there too. This song style lends itself to pitch forgiveness, and while there are a few out of tune notes, it is mostly in tune and sung with good breath support and an invigorating tone to the voice. And ah! The last line, I can hear the shit eating grin on your face as you tell the subject of the song you know their secret. It is delightful. This song is not at all tedious. Good work!

0. Faster Jackelope - Send Me Off
Fun song! I like the concept and the switcheroo at the end that makes you go back and reassess how you’ve been listening to the song. The layered vocals at the start are a wonderful effect. You guys always make me go goigkevstuff, but now I know about AnnaLee the healer, and I’m likely better off for it. Vocals are well sung, but maybe don’t always match the harmony? It’s a cool effect, anyway. As is the major against minor right after the last send me off. Something about the mix of instruments is a little too, how do I put it, fuzzed out? My ear picks up a little more white noise than I’d like it to.

0. Third Cat - Feel my Trouble
Such a relatable song. Your voice has a really nice tremolo quality to it, which especially comes out on “make it a double.” That incidentally is one of my favorite lines of music in the whole round. Short and sweet, lots of changing melodies and textures, well sung, and a really unexpected but delightfully welcome instrumental break towards the end that is perfect.

0. Zoe Gray - My Typewriter and Me
My first reaction is that this song is too long. It’s very repetitive and while I L O V E the vocal harmonies, it is too much of the same over and over again. The main issue is that the lines are the same, and you don’t quite get into a development or contrast section beyond ‘now sing it with feeling!’ “The old ache of heartbreak” at first broke up the texture, but then even its return felt tedious after a while (think 5 golden rings). I also feel like I heard this music in the Gratitune round. Well sung. The image it brings to mind is lovely. The harmonies on “writing” are soul-cleansing. I look forward to those two chords every time.

0. Jocko Homomirphism - On the Beach
Another that I have no idea what’s going one, and while I really love this song from a purely objective point of view, it severely unnerves me and therefore I really try not to listen to it much. I mean, the song is brilliant, especially how you layer the various textures together, and especially the lyrical change up at the end, but the specific sounds make me feel like I’m in the scary climax of a horror game and I am severely freaked out by it. Really though, excellently done. For what it’s worth, this is my husband’s favorite!
*** after writing this review I read the bio and now all makes sense. In light of the context, which, having never read the source material, i think you nailed the song, I’m bumping it up from where it originally was in last place.

0. Glenny - So Alive
Your voice doesn’t quite have the same round quality that i have come to look forward to, and the are some pitch issues too, and I think both stem from the same. If you prepare the breath a little earlier (breath deeper, earlier before the entrance) you’ll have a little more oomph in the sound and ring to the pitch. I like the concept of the song, and the layering of the instruments in and out helps fight off the tedium. A happy idea and well executed. Thanks for the inst. guide in the lyrics!

0. Manage a tune - Let’s have lunch
Fun! I liked where this went, though the i felt that it took a little too long get to the funny part. As in the past, there is some pitch troubles, though I wasn’t very bothered by it this time around. fun campfire aesthetic to the song is delightful, and lends authenticity to the a capella performance. I definitely could see myself a couple decades ago singing this at summer camp! The song does a good job of avoiding the tendency to tedium given by the challenge, though I do think it was a bit too long. Nicely done!
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by Cybronica »

Ok, for some reason all my number rankings posted as zeros, but rest assured they are written in order of rank! Good job with such a hard challenge, all!
“It's like opera for toddlers or something.” -furrypedro
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by Jocko Homomorphism »

Here's a review from me for the first time!

Everyone did a good job choosing subjects which suggest cumulative song. Even when the subjects overlap, we've got very different songs about overindulgence, relationships, and trashing the planet. The danger in this round was writing a song that overstays its welcome, which most folks approached by keeping it short, building up the arrangement over time, having a non-accumulating bridge/chorus, or some combination of those things.

=== FINALISTS ===

1st - Mandibles - The Witching Hour

This is the clear winner to me -- it was playing in my head constantly between listening sessions! The dark mood really sucks me in and gets me with that feeling of longing. The cumulative aspect is somewhat buried between the longer verses, which helps the song to hold up on its own outside of the competition. That said, the resolution is too saccharine for everything that comes before it. Maybe ease in with some parallel minors, or better yet, write a happy ending in minor key. It can be done!

2nd - Zoe Gray - My Typewriter and Me

Close second. I like how the harmony builds up on the line "I'd like to sit alone on my roof, writing," but the fourth harmonic line backfires, and grates each time come back to it. The song would be just as good if it were about a minute shorter -- I'd drop the lines about breaking your fingers and transcribing Hamlet. It's supposed to be about /your/ writing, after all. I get what you're doing with the typing sounds and the carriage return at the end of the song, but that roller must be a mile long!

3rd - Third Cat - Feel My Trouble

I think a lot of people have been there. :( The laid back sound is a great choice for your subject. It's a fine song, I just don't have much to latch onto here. The instrumental break where "make it a double" would have been is jarring since you don't give it much of a lead in.

4th - Faster Jackalope - Send Me Off

This is a solid rock song, though the ambient singing in the intro is muddled. The subject ruins the music for me. I'm just not really interested in hearing about terrible dudes in terrible relationships.

=== SHADOWS ===

Micach Sommersmith - You Like Me

Brilliant choice of subject. From the intro, I thought this was going to be one of those songs middle school children teach each other at recess. Each verse works well as the end of future verses, and I can hear the shit-eating grin when you sing the final line.

Jocko Homomorphism - On the Beach

I will withhold comments until everyone else has had a chance to weigh in, and post a ST15 retrospective sometime after Christmas.

Vom Vorton - One Turkey Sandwich

I relate to this a lot, since I also changed jobs this year and end up drinking more than I should at social events. You really sell the song when you ham up the drunk lines. Good use of sleigh bells. The turkey sandwich is funny at the end of each verse, but I would have went with a different title, if only to make it easier to look up later on.

Brian Gray - The Yeast Song

Good job writing a Gleeble Glorp song that people will get outside the Gleeble Group. I really liked the pun on "keeping the colony alive," but I would have gone with "collective human mind" instead of "freaking." I can tell you put some work into sounding like a live bar, but it lands in the uncanny valley. It might have been better to aim for theatrical "live" sound -- the bar scenes in Les Mis come to mind.

Good Guy Sôjàbé - Nightcrawler

This is a professional sounding metal track. Kind of a NIN sound I guess? Same as Third Cat, it's a fine song, but I don't really have anything to latch onto. You trip a little on "leave the others behind." I liked the bridge a lot.

Menage a Tune - Let's Have Lunch

I appreciate the spirit that drives you to always have something to submit. But a seven minute fat joke? I listened to this once, and only once. The phrasing in each verse doesn't make sense -- you're getting ranch dressing before you touch a single vegetable. Drop half the lines about the individual salad bits and write at least one joke in each couplet.

Glen Raphael - If the Climate Changes

There is some tight harmony in here. This song really wants a tight performance, too! The pause before "draught" is all over the place, for example. The schism between upbeat music and dreadful future could be really great here, but it comes off kinda bland. I don't really know how to fix that, sorry.

[Edit]
glennny - So Alive

Really nice instrumental sound on this track. I dig the concept of replacing words by instruments on your lyric sheet, but it doesn't really scan, even after I know what's going on. Each individual lyric is pretty clearly on topic (when they aren't missing words), but they don't really come together to make a greater whole. (And yes, take that with a grain of salt coming from me in this round.)
Last edited by Jocko Homomorphism on Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by Jocko Homomorphism »

[sorry for the double post]
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by glennny »

There are 3 or more Ns in "glennny". There should never be 2. Ideally, it's not Capitalized, but that's not a big deal.
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by Cybronica »

glennny wrote:
Thu Dec 20, 2018 2:47 am
There are 3 or more Ns in "glennny". There should never be 2. Ideally, it's not Capitalized, but that's not a big deal.
My mistake. Autocorrect is a cruel mistress.
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by vowlvom »

Sorry glennny, I copied and pasted all the artist and song names from Bandcamp because I'm lazy. So at least I can blame our SpinTunes overlords.
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by glennny »

0. Glenny - So Alive
Your voice doesn’t quite have the same round quality that i have come to look forward to, and the are some pitch issues too, and I think both stem from the same. If you prepare the breath a little earlier (breath deeper, earlier before the entrance) you’ll have a little more oomph in the sound and ring to the pitch. I like the concept of the song, and the layering of the instruments in and out helps fight off the tedium. A happy idea and well executed. Thanks for the inst. guide in the lyrics!
I agree with you about the vocals. This is what 2 or 3 takes sound like as opposed to 78 takes, doubling and pitch correction. I'm a terrible singer, but I find it really fun. I wrote the song as my idea for Faster Jackalope hoping the other guys could do the singing and make a real melody. It was mostly done, so I finished it off before the listening party.
glennny - So Alive - this is extremely clever and I love the musical arrangement, but I feel like the vocal melody hasn't received as much attention as everything else as that's the one point where this doesn't really click with me. I love the concept but I wish it had been applied to something that also stuck in my head a little more.
You are exactly right. This was not going to be the winning song for sure. I did like aspects of it, so I wanted to share it, but it did not solve the problem of the form which is as Third Cat mentioned, rising above tedium in the cumulative format.
Phillipso, Older Brothers, Semolina Pilchards, Zipline , Thank Glennny for the Frisbee, The Odoriferous Valley, The Worldly Self Assurance, Berkeley Social Scene, Very Gentle Knives, Daddy Bop Swing Set, GUNS, The Kraken Lives, Cavedwellers
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

vowlvom wrote:
Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:41 am
Sorry glennny, I copied and pasted all the artist and song names from Bandcamp because I'm lazy. So at least I can blame our SpinTunes overlords.
It's probably Heather's fault.
Evil Grin bandcamp - Evil Grin spotify
T.C. Elliott bandcamp - T.C. Elliott spotify

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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by glennny »

I do not like the Twelve Days of Christmas. I prefer There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. However it’s tough to listen to any of these song repeatedly. I kept thinking about Allan Sherman’s parody “Japanese Transistor Radio” , once he gets to the 6th day of Christmas it becomes, New thing, “all that other stuff, and a Japanese transistor radio”.


Zoe- Nice singing! Nice harmonies. Nice dynamics. That said, this is sooooo long. I think you’re a victim of the challenge. The melody reminds me of Marillion “Lavender” the piano intro too. On repeated listens I like skipping to 3:36 and listening to the end. I find the stacking up to that point is a detriment as a composition, though exactly what the challenge asks for.


Mandibles-
I’m not a big fan of the drums. Very cool song though. I dig the guitar and bass. Your vocals are pretty. I think the song could use more dynamics. The mix is really weird to me. That flute thing is really buried. The clean electric is much louder than the acoustic. They don’t seem very separated stereo-wise. Bass is too low in my opinion also. I think this is a victim of the challenge also. The atrocity of verbosity! Lots of pretty sounds, but on repeated listens, I just want to skip to 2:37. It’s a tough challenge.

Third Cat-
I like the length. Thank you for having the music evolve as well as the lyrics. This falls short for me in the catchiness department. I don’t think the lyrics were very inspired either. I mean it’s rock n roll. I was quite fearful of you busting out with something like Indigo Wave and its sonic majesty. I like this song, but I don’t love it. You have some tasty hits in there, and I keep wanting to have the drums do the hits also instead of driving through them. Maybe not every time, but at least maybe twice to “punch” it up?

Faster Jackalope- I couldn’t figure out how to meet the challenge and still have a song I wanted to listen to (see the glennny shadow). Frisbee wrote something, didn’t share it, was worried that it didn’t meet the challenge. Truth however solved the problem in my opinion. I always listen to songs, (sometimes years) before I read the lyrics. This song really works best that way. I enjoyed the surprise of the end the first time I heard it. I loved the melody he wrote too. It was Friday night and we had a song to produce. Typically we have an idea right away and record and develop all week. Then I’ll workshop mixes, get detailed notes from Lunkhead as well as the guys. It was a rough week for me at work, lots of hours and not much inspiration nor time to work on the song. I ended up recording all the music Saturday night, the idea is Frisbee would send me vocal tracks in the afternoon. I would do soloing and mixing and drop in the vocals in the afternoon after a nap. I started mixing with 2 hours to spare. Sent in a safety mix, then the final mix with like two minutes to spare. I don’t have much distance from it, but so far I still love the song.

Micah- Though trapped in the awful cumulative structure, this is quite charming. What kind of a name is Glenny? Nowhere near enough Ns. I really enjoy your vocal performance. The dynamics are great! The bass line is probably my favorite part. All the not guitar instruments are very well executed! The guitar is well executed too, I just wanted to acknowledge non-guitar instruments first.

Jocko- First Blush I hated this song. I found it very annoying. But then, when away from listening to it, the earworm “nothing to do but head for the bar…” kept popping in my head. Then I had to get to a computer and hear it again. This song is deliciously weird. It’s the right length, dense and entertaining. I enjoy the variety of voices a lot.

VV- I just found out that Frisbee and I have a mutual friend as you. I’m a big fan of your music. This is good, but it suffers from this damn challenge. It’s so verbose. We hear the same lyrics so many times. It’s a good story. I really enjoy the backing vocals. Good mix! Nice playing. I wish there was fewer lyrics and more music.

Brian Gray- This is super funny. It’s really impressive. Sounds very difficult to perform. It does seem like it should be a drinking game. Last person not to screw up wins. However, this is novelty, so it suffers in repeated listens. It’s like Animaniacs Schnitzelbank. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7aAV5XHUkE Super fun the first time, but I’ve had the laugh, so i don’t need to hear it many more times.

Good Guy-
Rawk! The riffs are strong. The metal is righteous! The stacking is there and it is not annoying. The mix could use a lot of work, but the energy is fantastic. I like the vocal performance a lot. A genre where melody isn’t the focus is super smart for this challenge. The metal is legit. Cool song!

Menage A Tune- Cute concept. Nice performance. Gutsy. Way way way way too long.

Glen Raphael- this is brilliant. The lyrics are incredibly depressing, and they keep coming. 93 seconds is the perfect length for this 12 days of Xmas structure. I hope this is used for a climate change PSA. THis deserves some animation and a video. I love it!

glennny-
This is me. I thought maybe the Peter and the Wolf instrument thing could break the tedium. I thought the fancy rhyme scheme that oscillates to fit every other backup was neat and might break the tedium. I pitched it to the band, and it was a back up, but pretty weak for a finals entry. I’m so glad Truth wrote the song he did. It was a fun exercise, but not a gem. I don’t usually find inspiration ahead of writing a song, i find it during the writing process. So sometimes you get pretty far without finding magic.

Anyway, you’re all brilliant! Thanks for listening and writing great songs!
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by vowlvom »

Jocko Homomorphism wrote:
Thu Dec 20, 2018 1:35 am
Vom Vorton - One Turkey Sandwich

I would have went with a different title, if only to make it easier to look up later on.
It was called "Office Christmas Party" right up until I submitted but I suddenly got paranoid that that was too generic. Titles are hard, especially after getting used to the Song Fight / Nur Ein format where the title is provided for you!

Thanks for the kind words, also! I really enjoyed singing this song, I'm glad it came across that I was trying to relax into the song as I got drunker.
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by Cybronica »

glennny wrote:
Thu Dec 20, 2018 3:16 pm

Mandibles-
... The mix is really weird to me. That flute thing is really buried.
That flute thing was me! I was singing that high line in the later choruses. I was worried that if it was too loud it would sound weird. I suppose I ended up erring on the side of caution. Mixing is probably the thing I find hardest to get right. Thanks for your comments; it’s always good to have criticism to help you improve!
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by MicahSommer »

glennny wrote:
Thu Dec 20, 2018 3:16 pm
Micah- ... The bass line is probably my favorite part. ...
Thank you! I very consciously decided to do all live instruments for this song. Since I don't own a bass, I had to borrow one, and this is actually the first time I've recorded with an actual bass rather than sampled/synth MIDI bass sounds. Usually I've been hesitant to do particularly prominent or melodic basslines because my fake basslines never sound as convincing as the real thing, so I'm glad that going with the real instrument seems to have paid off.
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by Jocko Homomorphism »

Cybronica wrote:
Wed Dec 19, 2018 9:31 pm
0. Jocko Homomirphism - On the Beach
Another that I have no idea what’s going one, and while I really love this song from a purely objective point of view, it severely unnerves me and therefore I really try not to listen to it much. I mean, the song is brilliant, especially how you layer the various textures together, and especially the lyrical change up at the end, but the specific sounds make me feel like I’m in the scary climax of a horror game and I am severely freaked out by it. Really though, excellently done. For what it’s worth, this is my husband’s favorite!
*** after writing this review I read the bio and now all makes sense. In light of the context, which, having never read the source material, i think you nailed the song, I’m bumping it up from where it originally was in last place.
Thank you! Reading this review had me grinning like a fool. I'm glad it made an emotional impression, even if it wasn't an appealing one. Your husband is alright in my book.
glennny wrote:
Thu Dec 20, 2018 3:16 pm
Jocko- First Blush I hated this song. I found it very annoying. But then, when away from listening to it, the earworm “nothing to do but head for the bar…” kept popping in my head. Then I had to get to a computer and hear it again. This song is deliciously weird. It’s the right length, dense and entertaining. I enjoy the variety of voices a lot.
Yes, yes! :twisted:
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by Chumpy »

The podcast for the SpinTunes #15 final round is in the can! Micah joins us again for the wrap up.

There are a few ways you can listen to it:
Send us feedback at: feedback@twojerksonevote.com.

Here are all the time points:
  • 00:08:31 Zoe Gray - My Typewriter and Me
  • 00:14:17 Mandibles - The Witching Hour
  • 00:22:10 Third Cat - Feel My Trouble
  • 00:26:20 Faster Jackalope - Send Me Off
  • 00:34:05 Micah Sommersmith - SHADOW - You Like Me
  • 00:42:27 Jocko Homomorphism - SHADOW - On the Beach
  • 00:48:25 Vom Vorton - SHADOW - One Turkey Sandwich
  • 00:52:51 Brian Gray - SHADOW - The Yeast Song
  • 00:59:36 Good Guy Sôjàbé - SHADOW - Nightcrawler
  • 01:05:08 Menage a Tune - SHADOW - Let’s Have Lunch
  • 01:12:01 Glen Raphael - SHADOW - If the Climate Changes
  • 01:16:41 Glennny - SHADOW - So Alive
  • 01:22:11 Dr. Lindyke - SHADOW - The Twelve Days of the Campaign
  • 01:24:20 End-of-podcast yammering
  • 01:25:25 Micah Sommersmith’s rankings song
  • 01:29:04 More end-of-podcast yammering
Enjoy!
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Re: SpinTunes 15 Round 4 Challenge (Final Round)

Post by BoffoYux »

Last second reminder: voting for the final round is due today at 4pm.

If you submitted a song or shadow, you can vote. Send your rankings in to the same email you sent your song.
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