Keeping these short, because I’m debating reviewing Song Fight, and I’m fearing review burn out before I get even close to done.
Sober - Back In Texas
Love the voice and the music. Sounds very familiar, but that’s just the style. Always interesting to get a song that’s based on your life.
The Alleviators - Fog
Didn’t care for most of the vocals when you were singing together. Sounded muddled. The last section of the song you sounded good together. Not sure what the difference was, but I liked the music.
The Pannacotta Army - A New Low
Automatically losing 1 point for beating me in the only Song Fight I’ve ever done. Payback is a bitch isn’t it? ;p The music was really pretty & very relaxing. The lyrics were sparse, and they bored me. And that made that relaxing, pretty music just make me sleepy. I could really like this, but I just wasn’t invested enough in the story being told.
Temnere - Seeker Of The Storm
Interesting story, and I really enjoyed the music. The instrumental near the end & big finish really sold me on this one.
Stacking Theory - Mordialloc Beach (When The Wind Is Right)
The lead vocal was just too harsh. A softer approach would have really put this up there on my list. I liked the idea, the music, it just didn’t seem to fit with the vocals to me. The ending was kinda obnoxious, just end it.
Ironbark - I Am A Clear Blue Sky
Nothing really bad to say about this. Cute idea, light bouncy music & a voice that fits the song. I’m early in the review process, but if I had to guess I’d put this in the lower upper half. Solid.
Cheslain - And The Rain Came Pouring Down
Personal preference will knock you down on my list a bit. I generally avoid the slow stuff. However this isn’t a bad song. I liked the lines,
“dread in the air for those who do not soil their hand
answer to prayers for those who live off the land.”
“in the clear you will see someone in my stead
and a painting of a divine arc from violet to red.”
So even though it’s not my cup of tea, there were things in this I could really appreciate.
Joy Sitler - Parade
Interesting take on the challenge. My only real issue is the “And I said” & “And you said” bits. I just don’t like the sudden momentum starts & stops. Takes me out of it I guess.
The Moon Bureau - Sweater Weather
I find the idea of falling in love again with someone due to the time of year a bit odd. That aside, the biggest issue I have with this song is it doesn’t have a memorable hook. The music itself is interesting, but could use a little more variation.
Governing Dynamics - Storm Over The Ocean
The music for this is really a banger. Might be my favorite instrumental from you yet. Lyrically it’s hit & miss for me. You got some creative lines I liked, but at the same time you know I don’t like to have to think too hard about the story being told or interpret it. I’d be thinking the song was saying 1 thing, then it would come to a line I couldn’t fit into the picture I had in my head. Despite that, it had a strong hook & will probably be near the top of my rankings.
Stupid Name - Rain
Negative 1 point for the band name. The best part of doing reviews as not an official judge is I can deduct made up points for anything I want. ;p I read your song bio, and I have no idea what a Dorian or Phrygian scale is. (I’m not a musician) I will assume you were doing some really fancy shit, but it all went over my head. I guess there were some interesting sounds in there, but the vocals really made it hard for me to focus a lot on them. Lyrically it’s not exactly deep, but I guess if you really like rain…you’ll like the lyrics.
See-Man-Ski - Popcorn Brain
I like the take on the challenge, but other than the lines,
“in my pop-pop-popcorn brain
shrouded with thoughts that I can't contain”
I don’t think I'll remember this song. Nothing stood out as really bad or really good. Those 2 lines though…have been burned into my brain for a long time. Probably a middle of the pack song for me.
Jeff Walker - And So It Begins
Dug the chorus a lot, and it certainly sounds country. Not a big fan of the more metaphorical lyrics. Not that they’re bad, just not my thing as any of the old school SpinTuners will tell you. I’m a broken record on some things. The music was nice all the way through. Overall, if I was ranking these I’d probably put this lower upper half. Hard to say since I’m only about a third of the way done listening to these songs.
The Dutch Windows - Cold, Hard Blackberry Winter
Say what? No seriously…speak up my man. Your vocals get lost in this mix. Not sure if it was intentional to hide poor vocals (which don’t sound bad) or you didn’t know they were getting lost. Lyrically I enjoyed some parts, but the pre chorus & chorus felt clunky & I didn’t care for it. And before you say, “Well have you listened to your own song?!” Well…yeah. I wrote some clunky lines as well. We both done goofed.
Dream Bells - Snowsong
Man, 2 songs in a row where I can’t make out all the vocals. Crank that vocal take. The verses seem a bit empty & you still have to focus to hear the lyrics. The chorus was more interesting musically, but I had no shot at making out all the lyrics in it.
Cybronica - Grey Skies
Vocals are amazing, which do I need to even say that with you? It’s kinda your thing, so they’re always great. The song itself is kinda like the anti Spintown song. I like upbeat happy tracks. This…well isn’t. It doesn’t have a hook that I’ll remember either, so personally I’m not getting much out of this. Skillfully done or not, I’m just not into this type of song.
Berkeley Social Scene - Waterspout
Had some places I struggled with the vocals, especially the bridge. Couldn’t hardly make out any of that. Lyrically not really my cup of tea. Musically it was interesting, and I right from the start I was digging the sound.
Eric Baer - Weather Anomaly
Absolutely loved the lyrics & the mood this song set. The vocals were…meh…but just good enough to help set that mood. Musically again…just good enough. If this song had the production value it deserves, it would be my favorite of the round. As it is, it’ll still be a top 10 or top 5 for me. Really well done, but give us a more polished version of it. Please?
Chamomileon - Sleet And Snow
The music was really pretty & the feel of the song was enjoyable. Lyrically it felt clunky & some backstory in a song bio would have been nice. Lyrically I just don’t get the reason to be invested in the story.
chewmeupspitmeout - Hurricane
Lyrically I enjoyed your storytelling. Musically…it goes from sparse to uninteresting. I think you did a good job of making the simple chorus work, it’ll be something I remember. Considering I’m listening to 130+ songs reviewing SpinTunes & Song Fight over the next 2 weeks…I think being remembered is a plus.
Glennny - Psychotic Cyclone
High hopes at the start because I enjoyed the music, but after the pre chorus I closed my eyes & couldn’t make out a lot of what you were saying. Vocals kinda ruined this one for me. The song meanders way too much at the end. See the finish line & get there.
Hot Pink Halo - Strange Attraction
Chaos Theory & the Lorenz system huh… Can’t really say there was anything here I enjoyed. After 4+ minutes you hope for 1 really catchy or positive to come away with. Maybe if I weren’t doing really quick reviews I’d have time to read the links & get something brilliant that you were doing lyrically.
Winterloper - Frostbitten Hearts
I like the mood & feel of the song. Unfortunately the cadence of the chorus isn’t the most natural & keeps it from being catchy. Lyrically I was into it though. Just really needed that catchy moment in the chorus to put it over the top. As it is it’s an upper half song, but probably not a top 5 or anything.
SunLite - Glass House
Musically I was into it from start to finish. Vocally…it’s good enough. Lyrically it was very hit & miss & took me out of it. Lines like “Clouds inside her mind send lighting to her eyes” made me raise an eyebrow, but then I’d get “Satan’s on her shoulder and tells her what I told her” which I either didn’t take the right way or rightfully made me cringe a bit. I mean if you already told her…why does Satan tell her what you already told her? I’m dense when it comes to picking up on the meaning of lyrics that aren’t clear as day, and I get lost in your lyrics too much.
Boffo Yux Dudes - Weather The Storm
A lot of people decided to go this route for using the weather as a metaphor for mental issues. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but it didn’t really cross my mind prior. Didn’t care for the lyrics overall, but I liked how you changed up the chorus a bit each time. I also liked the drums in the opening & thought it worked well for a closing.
West Of Vine - Aeromancer
Vocally it didn’t sound as if you were comfortable singing everything. Really didn’t have a hook, but the music was interesting. Can’t see this doing much more than mid tier in the rankings as is, but I could see you slapping on some polish & this being a solid tune.
Ominous Ride - Nymphorainiac
Lol I like the idea, and the lyrics were pretty funny at times. I feel like it could sound bigger at times. The entire recording sounds a bit restrained? Not sure that’s the right word, but I feel like this could have been great instead of just kinda cool. Like that instrumental bit was kinda lame.
Giraffes For Wings - Impact Winter
Vocals are a bit rough. Like some squeaker I was gaming against jumped in my Discord call to yell at me after he lost a game. I guess most people have been tempted to celebrate the death of someone they don’t like, but if you do it in song…make it catchy.
Lucky Witch & The Righteous Ghost - Weather Song
Needs a better title. Drums during the chorus were distracting & felt messy. Wrap it up at the end a bit quicker. I liked the idea a lot. I think it’s a very relatable song. Lyrically pretty damn good as well. I think the vocals could have been better, but with some minor changes I think this could be a top 5 song. As it is, I’d put it in the upper half somewhere.
Hutch - Just Standin’ In The Rain
You actually remind me of going to church with my grandpa when I was younger. He used to belt out those hymns & his cadence in some of those old songs is actually similar to a few of your lines. That being said, I didn’t find anything about this very catchy. Some of the lyrics really need punching up. For instance I’m sure you can think of a better line than this:
"But recently something has changed"
At this point there have been so many songs about the rain & it relating to relationships I don’t see this sticking out enough to do well. That’s the thing about taking an obvious take on a challenge. You know other people will do it as well, so you have to make sure you do it better. At least with a take that’s more outside the box you stand out more.
Falcon Artist - The Sun
The vocals aren’t hot enough, they get drowned out by the guitar. The biggest problem is that this song is 5 minutes long, and is the equivalent of people having small talk about the weather. Really needs an interesting story & some variety musically.
Still A Stupid Name - Burning Paper Planes (Shadow)
This seems more like a sound experiment than a song. Really not for me.
Spintown & Company - Go To Sleep! (Shadow)
At least you picked a different direction from everyone else, so nice work. Lyrically it’s like you spent 1 day writing & didn’t really spend enough time making sure everything flowed well. The music & vocals were great, so nice work to whoever did that, because it saved the song. It’s a good thing you keep good company, because I don’t think you could make it as a halfway decent lyricist.
1. Temnere - Seeker Of The Storm
2. Winterloper - Frostbitten Hearts
3. Sober - Back In Texas
Ominous Ride - Nymphorainiac
Lucky Witch & The Righteous Ghost - Weather Song
Governing Dynamics - Storm Over The Ocean
Eric Baer - Weather Anomaly
