Old Town Grope

A Song About Nothing

Nur Ein 14 Round 4 Reviews

Agony Sauce
Again, I’m impressed you’re making this harder on yourself than needed...and still killing it.  Good use of the title, and the chiptune sounds fit in perfectly.  The only part I didn’t really care for was the break.  The less dominate sound just made me cringe.  Really enjoyed the story & vocals for this.  Having your cadence be robotic & actually still catchy is just really cool.  I need to stop listening in alphabetical order on first listen...you set the bar very high for everyone else.

Berkeley Social Scene
You really embraced the novelty song this round, and did a GREAT job with it.  Used the title & the computer sounds prominently in the chorus.  Told a clear, entertaining story.  Vocals & music both were catchy.  This is just damn fine work.  I’ve only listened to 2 songs at this point, and I think they should both win the round.

Faster Jackalope
Before I finished the first verse I had to get Google to help me out.  Googled Memory Man, capstan, scanned the lyrics & Googled echoplex…  I don’t really know anything about this stuff, but I can paint a picture of what the song is about now.  When the pre-chorus came in it was a bit shocking.  The music was jarring & the vocals were a little lost in the mix in places.  The chorus wasn’t bad, but every damn time that pre-chorus came on I wanted to use the memory wiping device that BBS is selling.  Not sure why you needed the Latin bridge, the English one was fine aside from the backing vocals being a bit distracting.  This song sounds like a mashup of different songs that didn’t want to go together.  Individually might have liked 2 of them, but the different sounds just didn’t flow together all that well for me.

Frankie Big Face
I love this song.  It might be because I relate to it a little too much though.  Your funny bits got a laugh when they were supposed to, the music was catchy, and you checked all the boxes with the challenge.  I had 2 minor issues lyrically though.  #1 Who plays a first person shooter on a Mac...from the couch?  #2 Why doesn’t he have any memory?  Was it because he was distracted by his wife trying to get his attention & he forgot what was going on in the game?  The “No Memory” part isn’t laid out as clearly as I’d like.  It’s used in the chorus & it’s catchy, so those are minor complaints.  But after listening to Agony & BBS I’m going to be looking for things like that to make adjustments at the top of my rankings.

Grumpy Mike
I’d like to hear that “bullshit”.  Lyrically this is my favorite song so far.  It’s rage against the rage, and it’s catchy as fuck.  I thought the blips & bloops were used well, and honestly I don’t care much about you not using the title in the song, but this is the 4th song out of 5 that’s going to find a home on my MP3 player...and little things will make a difference in the rankings at this rate.  I honestly can’t find anything bad to say other than that.  Do a little extra complaining in the forum this round to make up for my lack of complaints here.  Great song.

Max Bombast
“Sisyphusin’” lol.  Way to turn a proper noun into a verb.  Loved the lyrics to this & the vocals were great.  Good use of the title & the bloops were catchy & reminded me of a 16-bit fighter.  The Bohemian Rhapsody quote at the end fits well & is a good way to wrap things up.  You’ll be competing for a top spot again.

Merisan
BBS must be selling a lot of those devices…  This started a bit slow for me, but I was enjoying the lyrics.  When the chorus came around you got me.  Head bobbin’, singin’ along...I was sold.  Great hook.  All the challenge requirements were checked, and the only negative I can come up with here is that it’s a bit too repetitive coming in around 4 minutes.  Only 2 verses, and even though the chorus is catchy, you nearly ran it out of gas.  Excellent work.

Nick Soma
This song starts to suck me in at times, but spits me out over & over.  Every time I get to a line where you pause before the last 2 syllables you lose me.  All the flow is lost, and it’s just so odd sounding at times.  The song has it’s moments.  The music is catchy enough at times & you check all the challenge boxes.  The story isn’t bad either.  But with an insanely good crop of songs thus far....you’re on the verge of being in my bottom 4.

Rachael Layne
There’s so much I like about this.  You nail the performance, and the lyrics tell a great story.  You check all the boxes for the challenges, but I think I’d actually like this more without the blip & bloops.  When I here this, I picture a woman singing with her guitar kinda daydreaming about the past & thinking about her future.  The lyrics don’t really connect to the chiptunes part of it, and the image I have in my head listening is different.  That being said, they sounded fine, they weren’t distracting & I thought were used well.  I just think I could like it more without.  Either way, for me it’s your best song of the contest thus far, and a job well done.  Oh, and I loved the line, “There’s no memory to save who you became the day you changed”.

The Sunday Colors
I think the time has come.  I was wondering how far you could get with your limited production, and I think this might be it.  Honestly I liked the song, it’s good story telling.  You do guy with guitar really well.  But in terms of the challenge this was weak.  You nailed the title, but your blips & bloops didn’t really add much or feel like a part of the song.  If the standard wasn’t so high this round, I could see you getting through another round...but this was a tough round.  Good luck.

Vowl Sounds
Really enjoyed the music, and owl’s vocals.  You paint a great picture & get across some very uneasy feelings while being pleasant to actually listen to.  1 thing that did bother me was the overlapping vocals.  I can zone out & just enjoy the dreaminess of them, but at the same time you had me hanging on your every word.  So when I start to struggle to hear the lyrics, it bugs me.  Your vocals are very wispy, so they get lost easy when a lot is going on.  Slow songs aren’t really my bag, but this IS a good song, still might be in my bottom 4.

Blue Danube

You Oughta Know

I Don't Wanna Be You Anymore

Grow Up

Lethal Weapon: The Musical

Nur Ein 14 Round 3 Reviews

Abominominous
With your previous songs I struggled to follow the story because of the lyrics.  This time I couldn’t understand 90% of your lyrics without reading along on the Song Fight website.  The vocals are totally lost in this mix.  I enjoyed this more just reading without the MP3.  I actually think the topic is clever, and even though some of the lines just seem out of place to me, I was able to follow the story.  As someone with multiple tats, I’d warn you to hold off on that impulse buy.

Berkeley Social Scene
Man this is going to be a tough one for me.  The music & vocals are by far the best you’ve done this Nur Ein (imo).  I enjoyed every minute of the sound.  What has me in a pickle is the lyrics.  I get that it’s about a couple people that see the world differently, and who just click right away.  But as someone who doesn’t like much ambiguity in lyrics, there are times when a line is just a little too weird for me or that I just don’t get at all.  And I get that it’s probably intentional to highlight how differently they see the world, but to me personally, it’s just annoying.

Faster Jackalope
“I’m nearly killed, but most alive”? Nobody talks like that… Another interesting idea for a song, and at times pretty well done.  Along with lines that need reworked, you give us some really great ones like in your chorus.  I like how you used your first 2 samples, but I don’t know who Miss Anne Thrope is or get the reference, so that part was lost on me.  I enjoyed the overall sound of the song.

Frankie Big Face
Gotta say, my biggest issue is your sample annoys me.  It’s just kinda abrupt, and I grow tired of the repeating.  Slower songs generally don’t do it for me, and since the one place your song picks up is when the sample comes in...well it’s just unfortunate.

Grumpy Mike
Little slow for my liking, but I can’t really say I disliked anything else.  Vocal performance, music, lyrics…  I’ll have to see how much I enjoy this after repeated listens, but for now I can’t see you ranking very low.  Probably the best use of the title this round.

Max Bombast
I’m going to be honest here...you’ve established yourself as a personal favorite mine (judges, teachers, parents...they all have favorites kiddos).  I also love Amazing Grace, so I was excited for this song.  Unfortunately that didn’t last long after I hit play.  That sample not only hurt my hears, but it may have damaged my soul a bit.  The rest of the song was actually about what I’d expect from you.  Quality work that I enjoyed, but that sample makes this song something I never plan to listen to again.

Merisan
Everything about this sounds wonderful.  It’s a bit repetitive at times, and I wish I knew what was going on in the story, but it sounded great.  Your use of the sample seemed to fit in really well, and it almost felt like it was something done FOR your song.

Nick Soma
I should have popped a Prozac before listening to this song.  You set a mood, and that mood was depressed.  It’s actually well done though.  The lyrics weren’t bad, and I really enjoyed the music.  If I was going to cut my wrists to something THIS IS IT!  I really liked your use of the sample as well, I thought it was perfect, and I wasn’t really expecting someone to make that choice.  What I thought the song lacked, and needed, was a win.  You bring the listener down, down, down, and it really needed a build & pick me up at some point.  I guess where he’s saying goodbye & basically saying he’s done with this could be that...but it needed more HOPE in the music & vocals to leave me feeling somewhat satisfied.  Not really something I’d want to listen to again because it’s not my type of music, but I was impressed with it at times.

Rachael Layne
The music sets a creepy mood, and you bring attitude & personality to the performance.  Overall though, this doesn’t work for me at all.  There’s no hook to grab the listener nor is it fun to sing at all.  The sample works, but it’s not the greatest use this round, and it really don’t ADD much to this.  Honestly would have thought there would have been a lot more you could have used sample wise WITH this topic & style.  So I was left a little disappointed there.  Just my opinion, but this was the weakest round of the contest for you.

Rain Watt
This is heart wrenching.  Your lyrics, the story, and  your performance...I didn’t think you could top your last song, but you did.  The music was good enough, but the thing that drives this song is your performance.  Putting out music this honest can’t be easy, but I’m glad you’re doing it.  Some people, and I’m including myself in this, might be uncomfortable at first when they hear a more baritone voice refer to themselves a female.  But often it’s because this stuff isn’t talked about & there is little experience with the topic.  What better way to make someone think than having them listen to this moving piece of art.

The Sunday Colors
I enjoyed your story this time around, and of course your guitar work was very solid. You made me laugh with the message to Lionel above your lyrics, but it wasn’t that bad.  I mean it did feel a little out of place, but not much.  “Color me Sunday” wasn’t my favorite use of the title.  It’s fine, you used it prominently in your song, but it’s just a weird phrase.  Overall...good job.

Third Cat
What the fuck?  Digging out an eye & frying it up in butter?  Not sure why that's there, but other than that, I didn't hate this song.  The chorus actually kinda stuck in my head, and I liked the instrumental section at the end.  Lyrically it wasn't all that creative or was just really strange.  Look at your rhymes: Down/Clown, be/see, blue/to/you, real/feel...  None of them bad in an of themselves, but there wasn't anything creative about any of them throughout.  I think this could be a keeper if you spent a little more time reworking your lyrics.

Ujn Hunter + Friends
Enjoyed the vocals.  The first sample you used was kinda lame.  This needs a hook.  Despite me liking your lyrics (the music wasn’t bad either), this doesn’t leave a lasting impression or make me want to sing along.

Vowl Sounds
The story is fine, but I did get disinterested after awhile.  So I looked at the time & it was like 3 ½ minutes in.  I’d suggest cutting this down & start wrapping it up after the first time you use,”Color me anything that brings your far-off gaze to fall back on me”.  This song is like that 1 friend everyone has, that you really like, but he never knows when it’s time to go home.

Fifth Avenue

Everybody Talks

Newsies Ultimate Broadway Medley

Intervention

Internet Sucks

High Hopes

The Kings

Nur Ein 14 Round 2 Reviews

Before I get to the individual reviews I just want to say that the talent level in this contest is amazing.  So it pains me that so many of you either didn’t like the challenge or didn’t have the balls to really embrace it.  I normally focus on the lyrics & this was a lyrical challenge.  You can make the argument that most of these were diss tracks, but most diss tracks I’ve listened to actually name a target or at least don’t leave you wondering who the target was.  If you left me wondering, went after a group, or idea...you fell in the rankings.  A diss not directed at someone specific doesn’t really diss anyone. (imo at least)

Abominominous
Started off with a chill “Why can’t we be friends” vibe.  I actually liked your first couple lines as well.  I thought it was the good jumping off point for a diss track even if the song didn’t set the mood I was expecting.  However I wasn’t able to pick out who your target was, and it didn’t take long before (again) I just couldn’t follow anything.  Aside from that, there were places where the song slows down or gets distorted & feels out of place.  The first example that bothered me was, “we built this city on exploitation”.  And I don’t know if anyone told you, but your song ended around the 3:30 mark.  It’s always awkward when the musician is last to know...

Agony Sauce
This is the exact thing I was hoping for.  Pick your targets & rip away.  I didn’t care for the fact that you included yourself in this though.  I'm pretty sure everyone is mature enough to know that it’s a joke & part of the challenge.  So that felt weak.  Most of the insults are clever as fuck, and you’ve got some solid flow.  There was never a time when I was bored listening to this.  Still with the multiple challenges? *tips cap*

Berkeley Social Scene
At first I thought you were going to target James Charles since he’s an internet star who was trending the past few days.  But you never named a target, and it clearly wasn’t him.  If you had a target in mind I didn’t figure it out, so I assume it was meant to be generic.  The lyrics were solid with a few memorable lines, and the music was good enough.  Overall it just felt like a weak “diss” track.  But I’ve thought the same thing from everyone who didn’t name a specific target.

Boffo Yux Dudes
I like the idea of making a your mama diss track, and it seems right up BYD’s alley.  The tone of the music doesn’t really feel like a diss track, but I think it works.  My biggest complaint here would be that the jokes are stale.  If you want to do a your mama diss track that’s great, but don’t just Google very common old jokes.

Faster Jackalope
Like a lot of people this round, the music doesn’t really set the mood for a diss track.  I mean there’s a glockenspiel in this for crying out loud. ;p  I actually really enjoy the concept, the music, the lyrics & the vocals.  Yet together this just doesn’t seem to work for me.  The mood is wrong, and the vocals (despite being good) don’t sound like Popeye or Brutus.  I am so conflicted with this...I like so much about it...but it’s like peanut butter & pizza together.

Frankie Big Face
You paint a very clear picture here, and I really enjoyed it.  The music was driving & appropriate for the story.  Because this wasn’t your typical “diss” track I was worried at first when you didn’t really name a target, but your storytelling gives you a great mental image of your nameless target.  Something that others this round didn’t do as well.  To me at least, this is a huge turn around for you in this contest.

Grumpy Mike
You really set the mood & you picked a tough target.  Props for both.  Lyrically I thought you did a fine job, and liked that you were letting your presence be known as much as you were dissing someone.  Vocals a little out of your range at times, but it’s not too distracting.  You get bonus points for the “I’m Not Impressed” reference.  #Impressed

Lucky Spoon
The anti diss track? I can maybe see how this technically meets the challenge, but you’re stretching it a little too much for my liking.  Just based off the music, lyrics and performance I’d have to rank this pretty high.  But I’m also factoring in the challenge, and you’re getting dinged hard for that.  Just know that I enjoyed the song, despite where it is in my rankings.  Sometimes it’s worth walking right up to that line & maybe going over...sometimes it’s not.  Good luck with the other judges.

Mandibles
No lyrics posted.

Max Bombast
Man this was short, but you got immunity, so I get why.  I’ll keep my review just as short.  Challenge...meh.  Song...ok.

Merisan
Sounds nice.  Not much of a “diss” track though.

Nick Soma
I think we should have asked people to name the target of these diss tracks.  Like a number of others this round the lack of context I’m given takes away from the enjoyment.  The mood you set isn’t what I’d expect from a diss track, but I think you make it work.  The ending sounds too muffled & gets hard to make out the lyrics.  I mean I was reading along so I didn’t have an issue, but I imagine I would have without the lyrics.

Rachael Layne
I think it’s pretty clear how he got there, but I can’t help but agree with the rest. You come nonstop with the disses which is great.  The part where you repeat “You’re a buffoon” actually seemed out of place.  No major complaints with this song, but going political is always a bit of a risk.  Fingers crossed there aren’t Trump fans on the panel.

Rain Watt
I grew up in a religious right wing family & community so I can clearly picture the people you’re targeting here.  This is not a topic or POV I can claim to understand at all, but the performance & lyrics in this song are extremely powerful.  It’s not your typical diss track, this is more wishing for understanding & revenge than straight up disses.  I think this song is great, and might end up being the best of Nur Ein 14 in terms of evoking raw emotion.  When I take into account the challenge & the music (which is a little to muddy for my liking) it will fall in this rounds ranking a bit.  Great work though.

The Sunday Colors
Your actual recording has improved each round. Guitar playing is great, and the vocals are clear as a bell.  As a diss track I felt this missed the mark, and I didn’t really connect with the story.  I did like the twist at the end, but I fear you’ll rank low.  My favorite lines were,

“I watched you drooling in your hospital gown
And I thought all you’ll ever be is all you are now”.

Give me more of that in a diss track.

Third Cat
Glad you named a target, cause for most of the song I was thinking, “Why should I care about this random Billy guy?”  I didn’t know if he was a fictional character just for this song (and he still might be), or if it was a real person.  This song lacks a hook...or at least a catchy one.  I was never really ready to start singing along to this.  I’m not sure this will hold much interest for anyone other than the 2 people it was meant for.  But I always say write songs for yourself first, so if this song did something for you great.  Not sure it’ll do much for you in the contest though.

Ujn Hunter + Friends
The singing & the music was pretty good. Didn’t really like the hook though, just wasn’t catchy or creative.  Lyrically it’s fine aside from the fact you don’t really target anyone specific.  That’s kinda my issue with a lot of the songs this round.  You’ll probably do better than most since at least yours sounded good.

Vowl Sounds
Dissing your ex’s next?  If even there’s nothing to it, people would read a lot into that.  I liked the reference to your first song.  I also like the “Charlie Brown adult or pissed-off Sim” line.  Your voice is almost too sweet to be dissing people.  That actually did feel a little out of place.  But overall nice work.  Picked a target, and went after her...or him.  Guess it depends on if I’m reading too much into it. ;p

No Hackers Wanted

Let Nature Sing

My Mother F'n Holiday

Singing This Note Is Impossible

Nur Ein 14 Round 1 Reviews

Abominominous
Pawn Shop, the rock band.  Lyrically it’s a little hard to follow the first time around, but with the lyrics in front of me it was easier.  You had my head movin’ to the music, and the more I listen to this the more I like it.  Really enjoyed the use of alliteration in this song as well.  Well done.

Agony Sauce
Let me start by saying I love the song.  If I was still making them, I’d actually ask to use it in one of my old “Pain For Laughs” videos.  The story & lyrics were interesting throughout, and it was a pretty obvious take on the title, but really well done. I don’t know jack about the use of dynamics, but I will say going into the solo felt off.  It had me ready to go up, and it went down.  I know that the use of dynamics was the challenge, but this was the only point that kinda took me out of the song.  Oh, and also I noticed the use of spelling again.  I’m curious to see how many Nur Ein challenges you can cram into a song by the time we get to the later rounds….if you’re still with us.

Berkeley Social Scene
Vocals were solid this time around, and I have to admit I really enjoyed the music as well.  It’s early in my reviews at this point, but this might be the biggest turn around from Round 0 for me.  Lyrically it wasn’t the most creative, but you still painted a picture I found enjoyable.  I know in Round 0 you claimed victory.  That was a little ballsy, but to continue the self congratulatory lyrics into round 1 might be too cocky considering I still haven’t received a bribe from you. (there’s still time!)  

Boffo Yux Dudes
I swear I don’t understand why people would Yoda the first line of a song. (unless it’s a Weird Al Star Wars parody)  Just use your best Yoda voice, and read your first line.  Don’t set the tone of your song that way.  It’s more annoying when the song overall isn’t bad.  Interesting story, and the vocals didn’t seem bored this time around.  It held my interest all the way through, but annoyed I was.

Faster Jackalope
I liked how you used 2 different people in the story to meet this challenge.  Had no issues with the vocals or music, found them both to be enjoyable enough.  I honestly don’t have much feedback to give.  It’s been a strong round so far, and as the rounds get tougher, the creativity you showed in meeting this challenge will probably help you when things start getting tight.

Frankie Big Face
I’m not totally against spoken word pieces...but damn they better be really well done.  With this the music wasn’t bad, but it also didn’t hold my attention throughout.  The spoken parts were interesting little nuggets I might want to read in a bathroom reader I suppose.  Not sure I was a fan of them being strung together in this format.  I’d much rather be transported into story & world you created that might elicit an emotional response.  This is like having someone read the  subheadlines in their facebook feed to me.

Grumpy Mike
I’m really digging all the takes on this title.  The voice overs were done well, they made me want to punch you in the mouth.  By the time the first verse is over I had a very Weird Al feel from this.  The chorus was catchy & I enjoyed that you changed it up a little a couple times at the end.  Really strong song despite the Jar Jar reference.  You should have no reason to be grumpy this round.

Inflatable Vegetables
My biggest complaint here is that the first chorus is so sparse.  Other than that I have no major issues.  You could probably cut & paste my previous review for you.  Unfortunately I think your competition mostly stepped it up while you maintained a steady course.

Lichen Throat
Ok, I get that singing isn’t your strong suit, but you have to do something to change up the tone of your songs.  As they are you start to zone out after 8 lines or so cause they all sound the same.  This is 2 in a row that seem more suited to be read aloud in a poetry house, and not performed as a song.  I actually like the writing at times, but transforming that into a song hasn’t worked out so well.

Lucky Spoon
I think this is a more relatable song than most I’ve heard this round.  The title isn’t used in the song, but it’s clearly inspired by it.  The story was great, and the singing was solid (especially the chorus).  The one thing I’d have done differently is the final chorus though.  I’d like to have both characters singing that together with 1 singing “your home” & the other “I’m home”.  I really enjoyed this, well done.

Mandibles
I actually thought about the Milgram Experiment when I thought of this title.  I didn’t remember the name, but yeah when your song started I knew exactly what it was about.  Vocals were great, and I enjoyed the sounds of the pain being administered.  My favorite part of the song lyrically & performance wise would be the bridge at the end.  Overall solid entry.

Max Bombast
I JUST listened to the Mandibles...and that’s unfortunate for them.  This blew my mind because I thought I just heard a really good song on this topic, and I honestly liked everything about this more so than the previous song.  Like last round, you might have my favorite song to sing this round.

Merisan
Another solid entry, that has me mostly sold.  Overall it’s a driving force that keeps me engaged throughout.  At times there are places I’d like to hear the vocals more...strained?  Not sure that’s the right word, but for example I’d like to hear the last 4 “You pay any price” shouts be really belted to the point of a voice crack or even a little gravel.

Mike Lamb
There are certainly songs this round produced better than this, but I still really enjoyed it.  I thought the performance was good enough to give a very topical song some heart.  I don’t really understand people like the one you’re singing about, but it’s a growing issue that can’t be ignored.  Whether it’s a beauty vlogger, gamer, musician, reviewer...the extent to which people are valuing themselves based on an online reaction is scary now.

Mousehole
Slower paced songs don’t usually go over as well with me.  I get bored easy, and this bored me.  It doesn’t help that I don’t really follow your politics, but that’s not really the problem.  I mean I get what your doing it’s just that I didn’t like that song.  Wasn’t catchy, wasn’t fun to sing, and the music wasn’t memorable in any way to me.  Sorry, this just missed the mark for me completely.

Nick Soma
This one is hard for me to rank.  Your vocal performance conveys legitimate emotion at times, and then a line later it’s conveying boredom.  I did like the fake build ups at the end of the verse & in the prechorus, but overall I found myself having a hard time focusing on this.  My interest just wasn’t being held.  I have no clue where this will land in the scoring.  I’ve had it in the middle of the pack & near the bottom.  Good luck.

Paco del Stinko
I couldn’t follow the story, and have no clue as to what it’s about.  I hate saying that because it means it wasn’t clearly spelled out for the listener or the listener is too dense to pick up on it. (both equally possible in this case)  But it caused me to be disinterested either way, and the music or performance wasn’t good enough to overcome this.

Rachael Layne
Vocally might have been my favorite performance of the round.  You got attitude, and I like it.  You didn’t use the title exactly, but clearly it was inspired by the title.  Lyrically I felt it was creative enough, and had great flow.  My biggest complaint would be the instrumental secetion, which just felt weak.

Rain Watt
Not all that familiar with Chad Felix Greene so I hope that didn’t take some of the enjoyment away from this song.  I didn’t dislike it, but I just struggled to connect with the verses.  I thought the chorus was extremely well written & catchy.  The vocals & music got the job done, but didn’t really blow me away.  The vocals did do a good job of putting some feeling into the lyrics.

The Sunday Colors
Really enjoyed the guitar playing on this one.  I’m curious to see how far you can go in this competition without upping your production value though.  Your lyrics flow nicely but, the story didn’t really draw me in, and was a little vague for my liking.  I may not listen to this again, but it did get me curious enough about your work to want to here more.

Third Cat
I get that you think there’s no shock value anymore, but other than that your lyrics just confused me.  A bit of a dreamy sound, and that’s what this song reminds me of.  Waking up from a dream you can barely remember anything about.

Ujn Hunter + Friends
90 seconds or so until we get lyrics...great…  You set a dark mood with the music, and it sounds like it could be the backing of some movie from the pits of hell.  When the lyrics start it's more jarring than anything & seems out of place.  At least you have friends you can blame this on.

Vowl Sounds
This is my 2nd favorite song ever with a 2 Girls 1 Cup reference (favorite).  It’s only the 2nd one I’ve heard, but that’s still something I guess.  In the end this was the biggest disappointment of the round for me.  The dreamy sound was pretty, but the lyrics, lack of a clear story, all combined to make me sleepy.  That’s the only thing I felt from it….sleepy.

Should The Dead Stay Dead?! How Holograms Are Taking Over Live Music

Cellophane

Me!

The Kings

Mortal Kombat 11 Rap

Stay (I Missed You)

Tetris Rap

Nur Ein 14 Round 0 Reviews

For those who don’t know me, I used to run SpinTunes.  I’m not a musician, I’ve only written lyrics for a few songs/parodies/jingles, and I have no real background that qualifies me as an expert of any kind.  This won’t stop me from judging you & possibly talking out of my ass from time to time.

How I Judge:
When it comes to the technical stuff, I’m pretty useless.  So expect me to focus a lot on the lyrics & just tell you what I thought sounded cool.  Because I do focus a lot on the lyrics a lot I may or may not hold it against you if you don’t post your lyrics in Ye Olde Lyric Archive. (I totally will hold it against you, so post that shit.)  Judging isn’t as hard as writing the songs, but it’s still time consuming, and having the lyrics available is a huge help to speeding up the process.  So if you don’t post lyrics, I’m likely not going to review you until you do.  I’m a big fan of clear stories that aren’t left for the listener to “figure out” their own meaning.  You don’t have to use the title of the challenge in your song, but I do enjoy that…

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Vowl Sounds
This was the last song I listened to, and I’m glad you ended things on a positive note.  The idea was a natural, and honestly I was getting tired of some of the same old same old takes on this title.  The story was entertaining, cute, and everything was pretty well executed.  You win this round for me.  This was kinda like a walk off home run in extra innings...

Max Bombast
Cut that start down about 10-15 seconds.  There wasn’t much there when it came to the music, but I didn’t get bored because everything else was pretty solid.  The vocals were really good, the story was entertaining, the lyrics flowed well, and honestly I had a blast singing along with this one.

Faster Jackalope
Music is relaxing & pretty, and the vocals match in tune perfectly.  The first verse has some Yoda like moments in it.  I mean nobody speaks like that, and it just throws me off as a listener when I get lines like the first 4.  I l-o-v-E the chorus, but you get an F in spelling.  Other than that I thought the chorus was wonderful.  I had to look up what “cloying” is...so I learned something because of this song.  Not sure the average joe would know what that means (the 2 people I asked online didn’t), so careful with your word selection.  This song seems like it’s aiming for a broader audience, and things like that might limit the appeal.

Agony Sauce
I didn’t see your lyrics posted.

Mandibles
Do people refer to Rhodesia as “dry Rhodesia” on the regular?  Because if not that just sounds off, and it’s the start of your song, so you really want to get that first line right.  Also, “night-ly” was kinda lame.  Overall though, I enjoyed the story with the twist ending.  The vocals & music were solid...I guess my complaints are minor considering I liked the song.  They just set a bad tone since those things were right at the start.

Frankie Big Face
Tranquil as fuck.  You set a mood, maintained it throughout, and I didn’t get bored.  Well done.  The chorus was probably my least favorite part of the song, it just didn’t really hook me, and felt like a throwaway almost.

Grumpy Mike
The vocals are too low in the mix for me, especially at the start.  It annoys me more when I hear that you can actually sing.  I thought it was an interesting choice to write this in the form of a letter, and even though I don’t know what it’s all about, I think it works well.  Oh, and the ending was great.

Boffo Yux Dudes
This is a very BYD idea, and one of their better ideas.  A fight song for the zamboni driver is funny, but a fight song also fits the challenge perfectly.  My only real complaint is that the vocals during the verses don’t seem all that excited & the music also seems a bit uninspired.  I mean drink a Red Bull or something prior to recording, cause Mr. Zamboni is going to think your heart really isn’t in this song.

Merisan
I mean the story is lacking, but the music & vocals were really tight.  I would like to hear the vocals a little hotter in places.  They get a little lost at times, and that voice doesn’t deserve to be lost...ever.  It’s a very solid entry. Not an entry I’ll remember in the long run, because of the lack of an interesting story, but for right now I hear it’s merits.

Rachael Layne
No lyrics posted.

Inflatable Vegetables
I liked that the story was very clear from start to end, and the lyrics flowed well...mostly.  I say mostly because after “Can’t make her stay” in the chorus the pause before “LA’s calling” feels uncomfortably long.  The music wasn’t really inspired, but it got the job done, and I could say the same for the vocals.  Just good enough not to complain about or compliment you on.

Abominominous
At first listen I enjoyed the sound you created, and the vocal flow?  Is that a thing?  I’m making it a thing if it’s not.  However I had no idea what the fuck the song was about.  So I listened again while reading along with the lyrics.  That didn’t help, I’m still confused as fuck as to what it’s about.  I did like that you used spelling in the song without really screwing up the flow & forcing it in there.  The story needs to be a little more clear for my liking, at points it was like random words thrown together...but with style!

Ujn Hunter + Friends
This is hard for me cause I don’t get it.  I like the energy, I the sound...but yeah...this will end up near the bottom of my list cause I simply don’t get it.

- Another judge gave me some insight into your song.  I still like the sound, but the lack of an interesting story limits how much I can enjoy this.  Props for doing Song Fight & Nur Ein both though.

Rain Watt
No lyrics posted.

The Sunday Colors
No lyrics posted.

Third Cat
You sound bored with your vocals.  Overall the story about a crazy guy who I’m assuming is also on drugs (because if this isn’t a song to trip to nothing is), is interesting enough.  Unfortunately nothing about this song screams “I’m in this round to win it.”  Because I feel you can probably improve on everything here if you wanted to.

Mousehole
Nothing really grabbed my attention with this song, but my biggest complaint is the use of spelling.  Sure you spelled a lot, but I glazed over before you made it through the chorus once.

Nick Soma
I love your take on the challenge, and I wish more people would have thought outside the box a little.  However, I don’t think it was executed all that well.  You songs flow is that of an old man with a kidney stone problem. Those letters seem so forced, and I know it’s not easy to make that work & be smooth, but still...  Overall the music just wasn’t for me, not exactly helpful feedback I guess, but I just didn’t like the sound.

Paco del Stinko
The story was pretty bland.  The thing I’ll probably remember most is the “I G-O-T-I-T got it” line.  That was kinda catchy, but the rest of the song was very forgettable to me.

Berkeley Social Scene
Vocals seem a little sloppy & the the way you used spelling the first 2 times sounds like an autistic kid in a spelling bee.  I kinda liked the instrumental that starts around 1:35, but overall this one wasn’t for me.

Lucky Spoon
You can sing, and I at first I was interested in the lyrics.  But then I get a bit lost, and I’m wondering who James is...and the rap starts.  After getting a little context from the lyrics page I had to laugh.  I don’t think I’d seek this out to listen to again, but I think you did what you set out to do, and it’s gets you in round 1.  So nice work?

Lichen Throat
For the first 18 seconds you had me interested.  I thought the sound was interesting enough, but then the vocals came in & I thought you got Ben Stein as a guest vocalist.  Also, that sound I thought might be interesting wasn’t after more than 2 minutes.  The song just came at you nonstop like a horny turtle attracted to a stone.  Steady...slow...misguided...but motivated.  When things did change up briefly it reminded me of a Sci Fi flick where someone was traveling through time & they hear voices speeding up & slowing down oddly.  Lyrically you told a pretty clear story, and it’s poetic at times.  But as is, you didn’t package & present it as a song I’d want to listen to again.

Fisher and Diaz
No lyrics posted.

Mike Lamb
No lyrics posted.

Pigfarmer Jr.
I listened to the entire thing, and I think you know me well enough to know that I wasn’t happy about it.  My intro pretty much tells you why if not.

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