Spintown

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

2012-02-07T02:26:00.005-05:00

An Unfair And One-Sided Review by Howie Kapow????

SpinTunes #4 Round 1

You can leave comments for Howie below, on Ocean Of Bees, YouTube or on Twitter.

(Normally people seem to put the disclaimers at the bottom, but this should probably go up top...and in bold. Howie's reviews do not reflect that of Spintown's, and have no influence over the contest whatsoever. The over the top reviews in Sammy's "NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT" series aren't meant to be 'constructive', and you should read the sub title. If you think he's picking on you...just listen the reviews he wrote for the others...he can be an equal opportunity ass. - Spin)

Song A Week

2012-02-06T02:48:00.005-05:00

This blog post is WAY overdue. I’ve been neglecting a lot of the things I used to do online because of a bad internet connection & getting used to a new house & job. I still should have managed to post about this sooner, because Song A Week is a cool project.

http://www.charliemccarron.com/songaweek/
Song A Week is a project run by Charlie McCarron. August through December, 2011 Charlie produced a new song every week. These songs were by friends or local Minnesota musicians. After producing 18 tracks he combined them into an album you can now download for FREE. Charlie has competed in SpinTunes on more than one occasion, and had other SpinTuners participate in Song A Week. Pat Boerner, Brittany Miller, Matt & Donna Schubbe all made an appearance during the project.

The music itself is great, but the way Charlie chronicled the process of this project on the main website was awesome. He used text, pictures & videos to give you all sorts of details that make you appreciate this project even more.

I’ve listened to every track, and everything is produced wonderfully. There were 6 songs that really stuck out to me as personal favorites. I’ll link to the blog entry for each of those songs below.

Plum Street by Paul Spring

Plum Street by Paul Spring
This was my favorite song on the album. I enjoyed the lyrics & performance a lot. There’s a cool video that comes along with Charlie’s post for it & you should definitely check it out. One thing that I noticed was this bit of trivia from Charlie, “This week I recorded a guy who has won all nine battle of the bands he’s entered...” Ok Mr. Spring...I challenge you to enter the internets best songwriting competition (that’s SpinTunes). Let’s see if you’re as good as you seem to be.

Canard Digérateur by Matt And Donna
How can you not like a song about a man who is famous for making a pooping duck robot? The current SpinTunes champions have once again impressed me.

In Transit by Daniel Jenstad
I’ll be honest, I didn’t really care for the lyrics here. Everything else...is awesome. Not just good...but AWESOME.

Something To Say by Pat Boerner And Brittany Miller
This song shows why these to made it to the finals in SpinTunes 3. Cute as hell & catchy.

A Penny Around My Neck by Pete Eisenberg And Tom Holmes
Loved the vocals, and the story behind this song was pretty interesting.

Mountain Man by Alpenglow
More catchy & cute...and this one has a music video..

SpinTunes #4 Round 1 Review

2012-02-05T04:55:00.002-05:00

Most of you know about my reviews already, but for the noobs, I'll explain what I like. First off, I'm not a musician, and I can't even read music. I'm probably the most unqualified person to be running a songwriting/producing contest. The type of music I enjoy is usually upbeat, fun/funny & easy to sing. (not exactly what this challenge was meant to inspire) Whatever the style, I enjoy a good easy to follow story. I don't want to try to interpret messages & metaphors, I like it simple.

I'm the alternate judge, so I write reviews in case we have a real judge who doesn't do their job. If someone doesn't get their stuff done, we can just use my reviews & rankings. My rankings were almost needed this round, but in the end weren't used. I'll still provide those below the reviews in case anyone is curious.

Fear Nothing by Governing Dynamics
I often have problems with the lyrics that Travis writes, but not in this case. The music & lyrics really do set a mental picture of a blurred dream state. My biggest complaint is that it went on too long. The dreamy music was great, but coming in close to 6 minutes is more than pushing it. 6 minutes of dreamy music (good or not) is enough to put many people to sleep.

Lyric I loved: "This monster's not earned your fear"

Sleep by FauX
Not a bad story or take on the challenge. The story actually allowed you to have some upbeat music that fit the song. My only real issue with this entry is the vocal performance. Your voice isn't bad, but you didn't seem to put much into the performance at all. Especially if this is a kid that's trying to make someone believe his story & is afraid to sleep.

Let Me Out by Dex01
Feels like 2 songs being pushed together. In song #2 the lyrical pattern just feels too repetitive & I think your vocal performance was better in song #1. In the end I think you got your message across, but it needs to flow more naturally throughout.

An Indelible Mark by Hazen Nester
If you're not going to have a chorus you better be able to hold my attention with the story alone. You did. Don't know how much replay value it'll have with me, but I did enjoy this dark lullaby.

Lyric I loved: "And a living baby's in its jaws / And awkwardly, it starts to chew"

Monster's Lullaby by Rebecca Angel
This was just a great idea. It's not easy to find different take on a challenge than everyone else when there are 30+ people writing to the same topic. You not only did it, but you executed it perfectly. In my opinion at least, you may have had the best concept & best vocal performance of the round. That's good because you should fly into round 2, but it could be bad because you just set the bar pretty darn high for yourself. Better bring it in round 2.

Lyric I loved: "A disembodied arm that drags you down the stair." (honestly I could pick any line from this song)

Nightmare by David LeDuc
I enjoyed this entry a lot up until the ending. The end just felt tacked on, and lacked the creativity I was hoping for. The song should have ended with "but thanks to God I woke up when they bit through." I know that would have left you short on time, but there had to be some way to extend the song other than that ending. Well done, but it could have been much better.

Always Someone's Monster by Noah McLaughlin
I managed to get that your father left, things were bad as a kid, and that there was some turmoil later on. Other than that I have a hard time following the lyrics, and I don't know if you would have gotten your message across everyone. Musically it held my interest & the performance was ok.

Lyric I loved: "there are no monsters under your bed / in the closet they abide / keep them there"

Rust People by Felix Frost
The opening was creepy & set a mood. Then you're jerked out of that mood & the bizarre story starts. Nothing wrong with bizarre, but I actually got lost trying to make sense of what I was hearing halfway through the first verse. Reading through your song bio helped me understand what was going on a lot, and I think you met a lot of the smaller goals you had with the song. As a whole I don't think you managed to make an understandable song that flows together naturally. I think it's just a bitch of a dream to translate into a song, and maybe you should have fictionalized it a bit more so it was easier to translate.

The Maze by Jacob Haller
I liked the first 2 lines because all nightmares are like that. You're just there, no matter what the situation, you're just kinda thrown into it. Nice vocal performance, and musically it wasn't bad, but it failed to grab me. I like accordion, but I could have done without this one.

Lyric I loved: "There's a maze in my mind / And I just keep on trying / To find my way home."

Falling: A Nightmare In Three Acts by Common Lisp
As I mentioned in my opening, this challenge was going to lend itself to people making the type of music I'm usually not into. This song was very slow, very long & you even threw in Shakespeare a couple times. Not my cup of tea. At some points (Part 3 mostly) I actually had trouble picking up some of the lyrics. In the end I think you just tried to do too much.

Just A Dream by Brian Gray
Wow. It's cute, fun & yet still about a nightmare. It's also fun to sing while telling a very clear story. I have nothing bad to say here...if I give Rebecca the edge over you this round, it was because her vocal performance. You're both right up at the top of this round for me.

Lyric I loved: "I'm still gonna be a rock star, / A race car driver, candy bar taste tester, and the Batman."

Sweet Dreams by Edric Haleen
This would probably scare my nephew more than any other song this round, but it's not going to rank all that high with me. The performance is good, the production is good, but half the lyrics aren't you're own. A lot of creativity was shown, but I always judge heavy on the lyrics...and well...

Where's The Buzzing? by Rosalind
Levels keep changing...is the mic swinging back in forth in front of you on a string or something? I think you have some singing chops, but you need to find a better way to record.

Lady In Blue by Gold Lion
I really enjoyed the opening, well done there. Lyrically I was a little confused in places. The lady in blue is actually in the nightmare, so why do you want her to "make her move"? I didn't really care for the line "I am only a child, I am scared". Given the topic you were given I think most people would have guessed that already unless you said otherwise. Just seems like a pointless lyric. Overall, I enjoyed this...just thought the lyrics could have been more creative at times.

Taken by Jess Scherer
I got multiple messages about this song before I even heard it myself. So I have to admit I was looking forward to this one more so than the others. Expectations were high. I won't say I was disappointed, but I wasn't blown away. The piano sounded nice & the vocals were pretty ok. I have a feeling they could have been better though, and just out of Curiosity I kinda want to hear you really let loose in the future.

Old Dan Next Door by Jim Holmquist
The Vietcong seems to be a strange thing for a 4 year old to have nightmares about...but I guess it's happened. I'm having trouble deciding if the little vocal tricks you're pulling are annoying or cool. With each competition I give my rankings, and like 6 months later there's a few songs that would either jump way up or way down if I was to make my rankings again. I have a feeling your song is going to be one of those songs, but I don't know which way it'll jump. Some of the lyrics I just don't understand. "Whispered weapons in his ear", "like dice in a pinball machine"... Overall I'm marking this down as interesting...

Lyric I loved: "What are the things that make you sweat. / Rock you to the core?"

Lollipop Lady by Drei Viertel Drei
Musically this disappoints. Lyrically it's great, and your performance is WONDERFUL! This just needs something to drive it forward musically, because it's just dull..hum drum. That's a shame because this had the potential to be amazing.

Lyric I loved: "She lived in his nightmares, some hideous troll / Lying in wait with her lollipop pole"

Posted by Emperor Gum
Lyrically this was one of my favorite entries. Vocally, it was good enough to evoke an emotional response from me. I didn't care for the instrumental section towards the end, but overall this is a solid entry. Nice work.

Lyric I loved: "So come nightmare, come to me / Keep your horrors from reality"

Nazi Nightmare by The Orion Sound
Going meta at the end...COME ON! I don't know how well this will do with the judges. I don't see it going to the top of lists, but I think it's solid enough to stay in the middle of the pack this round. The idea is kinda funny, but it didn't get a huge laugh from me at any point. Sure I chuckled a few times...but when you go for the laughs you need make sure you get them. I look forward to hearing more from you, and seeing you try new things as we go along.

Big Brown Bear by Trader Jack
I'm actually shocked you held my attention with only the guitar. I enjoyed the fact that you let loose with the vocals & weren't afraid to perform. Some people seem to hold back too often. Lyrically it was ok, but the story wasn't all that interesting. I'm hoping this lands you in the middle of the pack & into round 2. I'm curious to see if you can do more than what you showed.

Thunder by Kevin Savino-Riker
I enjoyed this a lot lyrically, but felt the dialog between the monster & yourself just didn't work. Kinda took away from the stress that was building, and I just don't think it's needed. Coming in around 5 minutes...this could be cut down anyways. Musically & vocally it was fine. Only real complaint was the dialog & time issues. Oh, and I don't like the title. :p

Lyric I loved: "Conducting an orchestra / of concussive blasts"

Funny Guy by Robert Borden
If you don't like Furby, you should listen to Joe "Covenant" Lamb & his song “Mr. Tom Furby: The Furby Catcher”. As for your song...you impressed. I've followed you on YouTube off & on for awhile now, so I knew you could sing. I didn't expect you to come up with a topic so different yet fitting for the challenge. Not only that, but you executed it pretty darn well. Keep it up.

Lyric I loved: "the exhaust fumes hit me, but so does your starchy potato shot"

Haunting House by Menage A Tune
Do not let Ted get away. Best performance I've heard from you. The story doesn't grab me, but it's not bad lyrically. You have a few hiccups in the mix that need cleaned up, but nice work.

Teeth by Marlon Barnes
The production & performance made this hard to listen to, and most people would have just stopped the music. However I have to listen to this, and I'm glad I did. Sure, the production & performance were both just awful, but the idea & the lyrics were pretty darn good. When SpinTunes is over I hope you continue learning more about recording & production, because you can write. I would suggest using some of the people from SpinTunes as resources. Talk to them, ask questions, and even go over to Song Fight & try getting involved over there. Oh, and the bridge was horrid...although I laughed at the gargling.

Lyric I loved: "I'm spitting teeth, / my white and pearlies / flow like fountains"

Footprints by Caleb Hines
The piano sounded nice & dreamy, but I never could get into the nightmare. The story just didn't grab me at all. I think you'll get through to round 2, but this just wasn't my cup of tea.

Alone by Chris Cogott
Most professional sounding song of the round. Nothing bad to say, it all worked. You'll be around the top of the album once again. I wasn't expecting the ROCKness after the 2 minute mark. That was badass.

Fear The Reaper by Chris Tallman
Lyrically there isn't much there & you need to find a better way to record. You say you don't like your voice, but I think that was the best part of this entry.

It Isn't Cool by Steve Durand
BANJO BONUS POINTS! I liked the fact you used the organ as the primary instrument since it's about a kid in a catholic school. Your horns are always nice to hear. Funny story told very well. There was a little hiccup right before the last chorus started, other than that...nothing negative to say.

Lyric I loved: "All eyes are upon me / The whole class is transfixed / Even that guy hanging up there / On the crucifix"

Alone by Luke Brekke, Esquire
The piano & you sound like you're off in the distance. Didn't like the chorus at all, just didn't think it was very creative lyrically at all. I think you're improving, based on what I've heard in past rounds, but you've still got a little ways to go if you want through round 1.

Toilet Demons by Wait What (The Band)
Very funny idea, and at times it's executed very well. Hated the part right after the toilet demons were released. That part wasn't catchy at ALL, and it didn't really do anything for the story so I felt it was pointless.

Lyric I loved: "Who'da thunk that my number one nightmare's number two?"

Dancin' To The Nightlight by The Boffo Yux Dudes
The different parts didn't exactly flow together too well. I like the idea & title a lot. I think I'd have enjoyed the overall experience more if the verses were REALLY darker. Would have made me laugh harder at the "Party Party Party..." lines when they first start.

Images Without Light by Jon Eric
I'm glad you couldn't use your piano.

Lyric I loved: "And I swear that I’m awakened by the impact of my body on the bed"

Beaster Bunny by David Ritter
I kinda wanted more details on the Beaster Bunny after listening to this. I think a lot more detail would have helped, but it wasn't bad as is. I didn't care for the opening, but the vocals were the best I've heard from you so far. Round 2 is a maybe...

Why Can't I? by Ross Durand
Overall this felt more badass than menacing or nightmarish (musically), but I can't complain cause it was great. Not one of my favorite stories of the round, but it's well told & has a hook. I think Ross is tired of getting to the last round & not winning. Look out people.

1 Rebecca Angel - Monster's Lullaby
2 Brian Gray - Just A Dream
3 Chris Cogott - Alone
4 Steve Durand - It Isn't Cool
5 Ross Durand - Why Can't I?
6 Jon Eric - Images Without Light
7 Jess Scherer - Taken
8 Drei Viertel Drei - Lollipop Lady
9 Emperor Gum - Posted
10 Hazen Nester - An Indelible Mark
11 Kevin Savino-Riker - Thunder
12 Robert Borden - Funny Guy
13 David LeDuc - Nightmare
14 The Orion Sound - Nazi Nightmare
15 Trader Jack - Big Brown Bear
16 Marlon Barnes - Teeth
17 Edric Haleen - Sweet Dreams
18 Menage A Tune - Haunting House
19 The Boffo Yux Dudes - Dancin' To The Nightlight
20 Noah McLaughlin - Always Someone's Monster
21 Gold Lion - Lady In Blue
22 Governing Dynamics - Fear Nothing
23 David Ritter - Beaster Bunny
24 Jim Holmquist - Old Dan Next Door
25 FauX - Sleep
26 Jacob Haller - The Maze
27 Caleb Hines - Footprints
28 Wait What (The Band) - Toilet Demons
29 Dex01 - Let Me Out
30 Felix Frost - Rust People
31 Luke Brekke, Esquire - Alone
32 Chris Tallman - Fear The Reaper
33 Rosalind - Where's The Buzzing?
34 Common Lisp - Falling: A Nightmare In Three Acts

Spintown Interviews...Jeffrey Vinokur

2012-01-28T01:45:00.003-05:00

Jeffrey Vinokur learned to dance via YouTube, then started sharing his work online. He used his YouTube fame & talents to land himself on the TV show "America's Got Talent". The Dancing Scientist is how Jeffrey combines his 2 loves to help educate children.

Music By: Sammy Kablam
Artwork By: "Buckethat" Bobby Matheson
Len Peralta Will Flip Your Face At: Flip Face

Jeffrey's Profile:
Jeffrey's Website: http://www.therussiantiger.com/
Jeffrey's YouTube Channel: TheRussianTiger
Channel Views: 421,755
Total Upload Views: 12,973,838
Joined: May 20, 2007
Subscribers: 21,804
Jeffrey's Twitter: @jeffreyvinokur
Jeffrey's Facebook: Page

RoboLife: Day In The Life Of A Dancing Robot

Dancing Scientist - Glow In The Dark Hip Hop Dance

Jeffrey Vinokur, Dancing Scientist TV Clips

Song Fight Review: In Time Of Crisis

2011-12-14T07:27:00.001-05:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "That's Enough", and my favorite entry was from bgm who finished in 2nd. The John Benjamin Band (who I ranked 3rd) ended up getting the win.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

I'm going to be really short on time for awhile. I'm in the process of moving, I have SpinTunes #4 to plan & other things going on taking up a lot of time. So in an effort to plow through this round quickly I will not be commenting on songs unless the lyrics have been posted in the Song Fight Lyric Archive.

My favorites from the fight In Time Of Crisis are posted below.

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Ross Durand - Great performance of a topical song. Creates a sense of urgency that drives the song nicely. Everyone else can go home now, Ross just kicked your ass.

Billy & The Psychotics - Great sound, love the guitar. Rocks harder than any other entry by far. Lyrically not for me.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Jan Krueger - Lyrics didn't grab me & the music felt messy. At times sounds would just seem out of place.

Naked Philosophy - Performance wise it wasn't much to brag about, but the topic was a good choice. Seems like there's a new riot going on every day. Overall it was one of the better songs in a weak fight.

Monkey Touchers - The only people I respect less than you would be anyone who says anything remotely positive about your entries. I know your lyrics weren't posted, but what you entered has to be one of the worst tracks ever entered into this contest (that's not easy to do). So I had to point out how stupid your track was.

No Lyrics Posted:
Berkeley Social Scene - sonofsupercar - Life in Decibels - Micah Sommer - Monotone Destroyer - Ux Mpuzm - The Various Artists - hillbilly
Side Note:
This fight was one of the worst fights of 2011. Only a couple people came out swinging, and somebody should have warned the audience to protect their ears at all times.

Help Sammy Kablam Get Back To Insulting People

2011-12-07T03:05:00.003-05:00

For anyone that has enjoyed Sammy Kablam's reviews on this site, please take a look at his ChipIn page & consider making a donation.

For those who have never heard of Sammy Kablam...let me introduce you. Sammy started off writing reviews of Master's Of Song Fu, SpinTunes & Song Fight (these are song writing contests) on this blog. He has recently been battling tech issues to do his reviews on video & posting them on YouTube & BlipTV. The tech issues finally gave Sammy a beat down after months of dealing with them. Since pan handlers typically give him money when he walks by, he hasn't got the funds to get the equipment he needs to overcome these issues.

The situation is a real shame because he had moved onto making fun of movies with his new series "Dammit, Tad" & I know he had other series planned. I'll embed a couple examples of his work below, and if they make you laugh you can click on the link above to keep the insults coming.

Negative Reinforcement: Song Fight (Has Been For Years)
As I mentioned, he has also reviewed SpinTunes.

Dammit, Tad: Python

Song Fight Review: That's Enough

2011-12-06T04:03:00.008-05:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "The Last Afternoon Of A Woman He Only Thought He Knew", and my favorite entry was from Future Boy who finished in 5th. Mom&Data ended up getting the win, but I didn't really care for their entry.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

I'm going to be really short on time for awhile. I'm in the process of moving, I have SpinTunes #4 to plan & other things going on taking up a lot of time. So in an effort to plow through this round quickly I will not be commenting on songs unless the lyrics have been posted in the Song Fight Lyric Archive. I will still link to the songs I voted for, even if the lyrics weren't posted.

My favorites from the fight That's Enough are posted below.

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

bgm - Very sad song. Enjoyed the overall experience & thought the vocals were perfect for such a lonely song.

Semolina Pilchards - My favorite story of the fight. It's funny without being too silly. Musically it kinda bored me though, and at times the singer seemed bored.

The John Benjamin Band - Music was cool at times, but the first "Let's be together/Let's be interstellar" line jarred me a bit. The transitions weren't bad, but it's an unusual sound & I think I just wasn't ready for it. Lyrically it's not for me, but it's the most memorable song of the fight.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Billy & The Psychotics - When it started...honestly I about did a facepalm for you. BUT, it didn't take long for me to hear that you actually came up with a nice sound. Musically it was fun & the vocals were great. Lyrically not for me.

Berkeley Social Scene - Too repetitive for me, and I didn't care for the bare bones story.

heine - Felt really long, and the performance was too robot like for me to get into it.

Paco del Stinko - Enjoyed the music throughout. I liked the angle you took, telling people to be more independent. Just didn't think the lyrics were as creative as your music.

Pigfarmer Jr - You made me hungry.

Ross Durand - The first half is something I'd expect off a children's CD. Raffie-ish. The 2nd half went in a different direction lyrically, and it tried to make the song more than I felt it should have been.

No Lyrics Posted:
Billy Oh! - Dejected Motives - GreaseMonkey - Guiterrorists - Hip Hop Anonymous - Klownhole - Life In Decibels - Manhattan Glutton - Mike Lamb (feat. Suckweasel) - Monkey Touchers - the pannacotta army - Ripping Hammer - ShotPounder
That's Enough (acoustic) by Manhattan Glutton

Circle Of Titles 2

2011-12-05T07:24:00.002-05:00

The Circle Of Titles is a project started by Jon Eric. Everyone who signs up makes up a title for a song that they want someone else to write a song for. When sign ups are over the titles are randomly given out to everyone & the songs are written. So everyone submits a title, and everyone writes a song. I decided to review this side fight much like I would a regular Song Fight round.

My Favorites:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Milo Dunderville - I'll Ruin This
Title suggested by DJ Ranger Den
Funky from the get go, and you never ruined the song. Will probably get more plays on my MP3 player than any other song in this side fight.

Jon Eric - Winter Clothes
Title suggested by Milo Dunderville
Bonus points for mentioning Cincinnati. This would have met the Masters Of Song Fu challenge of writing a non-holiday holiday song pretty well. Enjoyed it a lot, but you could have cut a little off the ending. Missed the title in the song.

King Arthur - Wisenheimer (my favorite title)
Title suggested by Bad Boys At Bat Mitzvahs
I'm glad you got this title, because you almost always come up with an interesting story. After a few listens I did think that maybe you shouldn't repeat the 1st verse again, but no real complaints here. Nice work.

The Real Sign - Melody Of Smoke
Title suggested by King Arthur
Great use of audio clips from the news. Music just seemed perfect for the lyrics. I'd like the vocals to be brought up just a little in places. Well done.

Jan Krueger - Somewhere I Don't Know
Title suggested by Paco del Stinko
I'm ashamed at how long it took for me to get this song. I was literally saying to myself, "I don't know what the fuck this is about." 2 seconds later I'm feeling like, "It's a me, Dumbass!" Well done sir....well done.

DJ Ranger Den - Shoot Through It
Title suggested by The Real Sign
I was going to say the music was great, but the topic was an odd fit. But with the topic you picked I can't picture what type of music would fit. I don't know why, but I thought of "Nightmare Before Christmas" while listening to this.

Schlimminy Cricket - Clinical Cynical
Title suggested by Jan Krueger
Really liked the idea you came up with for the title (still wished you would have used it). Definitely had a creepy hospital/factory feel to it.

Others:
(Head over to Circle Of Titles 2 to listen to these songs.)

Paco del Stinko - Another Day Another
Title suggested by Noah McLaughin
When I got to the bridge I felt like the rest of the song should have been more chill. The lyrics there were just more heavy & it's almost like the bridge belongs in another song. I didn't dislike the rest of song, but it didn't fit together all that well for me.

Noah McLaughlin - Bourbon & Boobs
Title suggested by Billy's Little Trip
This might be my favorite vocal performance that I've heard from you. Musically it held my interest, but I didn't get into the story since it left me with a number of questions. Was clearly inspired by the challenge, but I missed hearing it in the song.

Billy's Little Trip - At the Geothermal Plant
Title suggested by Jon Eric
This song was not completed, but if it ever is I'll include my thoughts here.

Bad Boys At Bat Mitzvahs - Trench-coat Warfare
Title suggested by Who Izzy
I'm usually not a fan of long spoken word sections, so this just wasn't up my alley at all.

MC Who Izzy - This Again
Title suggested by Irwin
sgkaf, asdf dg fweroh sfhts werkg srhjs rhfwtq gbnasfdg! Use the lyric archive.

Sockpuppet - Made From Corn
Title suggested by Mike Lamb
If it was funny...maybe I could listen to this. But it wasn’t' & I'm not a fan of the long spoken word stuff.

Suckweasel - Why Yes, I DO Have A Pistol In My Pocket, But That Does Not Necessarily Mean That I Am Still Not Pleased To See You (worst title of the bunch)
Title suggested by Caravan Ray
Let me start off by saying I know you got screwed with the title. The vocals weren't bad, they just felt like you were going through the motions though. Wasn't much feeling in it. Considering how stupid the title was I'm impressed that you included it ALMOST completely. Not bad.

Caravan Ray - Virgin Nancy
Title suggested by fluffy
Can't blame you for doubling this up with a Song Fight round, but since I've already reviewed that round there's no point in reviewing the song again.

Mike Lamb - The Bourgeois Orchestra
Title suggested by Shlimminy Cricket
Musically I enjoyed it, but never got into the lyrics. The ending was pretty sweet, you don't hear much of that in Song Fight.

Christmas At Spintown 2011

2011-12-02T05:43:00.001-05:00

As usual, I avoided posting any Christmas videos until December. In the past I posted all the Christmas videos on the main page. This year I plan on posting them all on the other pages of the blog. So for those of you that only stop by once a year for all the Christmas videos, I suggest you follow the blog's Twitter account: @SpinBlogs. I'll post links to every Christmas post there.

For today I'll post 1 video below, but if you want more Christmas presents you'll have to head over to the Music Videos page of the blog.

Mall Santa Musical
Improv Everywhere starts off Christmas this year.

The Chronicles Of Rick Roll Movie Trailer

2011-12-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

I have a feeling this is going to be really bad...but still worth watching.

Here's a little more about the project.

Song Fight Review: The Last Afternoon Of A Woman He Only Thought He Knew

2011-11-23T06:53:00.009-05:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Occupy My Heart", and my favorite entry was from Jon Eric who finished in 8th. I had The Pannacotta Army ranked 3rd in my review & they ended up taking the win.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight The Last Afternoon Of A Woman He Only Thought He Knew are posted below.

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Future Boy - I was enjoying the sound & lyrics (if not the performance) then WHAM you change things up pretty abruptly. Great story telling & way to use the title when so many others wussed out.

Hip Hop Anonymous - Creepy Michael Myers inspired music? I likes. Used the title. I likes. Clear story with mostly clever lyrics. I likes. Nice flow.

bgm - The music was good, but left me feeling like something was missing. I thought it was building to something (other than the disco flare) that never came. Lyrically I loved it aside from the fact the title wasn't used.

Sportswriters - "That winter was colder far than any that I remember" REALLY?! The very first line is a Yoda line? Change that stupid line cause otherwise this is a lovely song. Well done...even though...again...the title wasn't used.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Berkeley Social Scene - I know in Song Fight you don't have to use the title in the song, but as I've said in the past I like it when people do. You kinda cheated to do that, and even still it sounded awkward. The song aside from that part sounded fine. Nice work. I can't blame you too much for not finding a way to work the really crappy title into the song.

Billy & The Psychotics - Not enough of a story for me & the chorus sounded too messy for my liking. No title in the song.

DJ Ranger Den - No title in the song. I got the big picture, but the journey to it wasn't to my liking. Nice to hear your guitar again.

c.layne - Vocally it was a nice performance. Musically it was interesting, but a few sounds just annoyed me. For instance the very first sound in the track. Then whatever came in with about 1:50 left in the track. And 50 seconds later makes me think about when I put a bad CD in my CD player. Lyrically it wasn't my cup of tea. Didn't hear the title.

Dejected Motives - 15 seconds in & I'm guessing this is going to be tough to listen to. Music starts off bad, can't hardly make out the vocals, and I see you decided to waste 7 whole minutes of my time. Lets see if I have to edit this review after listening to the other 6 minutes & 45 seconds... ...Nope...I was right on the money. It is possible you used the entire title...as I said it was hard to make out the vocals.

Dirge - Starts off with a lack of flow. Seriously it sounds like a little kid trying to be careful to say everything correctly as he's reading in front of the class. It gets better as it goes, but never really grabs me, even when you totally change it up at the end.

Emperor Gum - Graham...over a minute to get to the lyrics? Musically I didn't care for it at all, which makes it worse that it took so long for vocals. Your recording of vocals has improved a lot over the past year or so, and there's some emotion in them which is often lacking in your past offerings. Still needs work though.

Wicked Cripple feat. dont reply - Bring up the vocals. You used the title...YAY. That's as positive as I can possibly get with this.

Klownhole - Sloppy.

Life In Decibels - The last 70 seconds were the best part, other than the use of the title.

Mom&Data - Lyrically it starts off like it might be interesting, but never really goes anywhere. I stopped caring halfway through.

Paco del Stinko - What is that blaring noise? It's more obnoxious than Sammy Kablam. Lyrically I liked it...but that sound was enough for me not to hit play again.

Pigfarmer Jr - Flow...get some. The hook...terrible. Music...dull & repetitive.

Ripping Hammer - What few vocals there were I had trouble picking up. Just...start over...completely.

sonofsupercar - Lyric archive...use it. Couldn't understand parts of it. Has an old feel to it. Not for me, but better than most this fight.

T.C. Elliott - If a certain afternoon is so important that it's being longed for in the chorus maybe we should know a little about it? Didn't care for the singing & the whole song never really goes anywhere. No title again.

The Last Afternoon Of A Woman He Only Thought He Knew by DJ Ranger Den

Side Notes:
- Stupid ass title for a fight.
- I know I didn't mention every song that didn't use the title, but that's only because I got tired of mentioning it. It annoys me each time.

Song Fight Review: Occupy My Heart

2011-11-21T04:38:00.003-05:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Has Been For Years", and my favorite entry was from The HATE Noise featuring Mean Gene Goatee who finished in a tie for 3rd. Tye Lemery took the win, and was also who I had ranked 2nd. Dang...same results as the previous fight. My favorite tied for third last time, with my 2nd favorite taking the win.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Occupy My Heart are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Jon Eric - Ok...based on what I know of Jon I have to say I disagree with him on most political issues, including those in this song. MESSAGE ASIDE, I thought this was really well done. The music & lyrics held my attention, and he made his message loud & clear. The vocals during the chorus kinda hurt, but this is a great song other than that. Well done.

King Arthur - Nice take on the title, and I enjoyed the lyrics. Musically it wasn't my favorite from you, just felt like it needed more variety.

The Pannacotta Army - Very pretty. I think it needs a bit more of a hook, cause after listening no 1 line really sticks with you. Musically it's pretty, but feels too repetitive...stronger hook might help fix that?

Ross Durand - Before I even listened to this, I put my money on you winning. Just seems like a perfect Ross title. *after listening* Yeah...it's a pretty good bet. Evokes more emotion than most of the entries.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

The Al Gore Band - I would rather listen to Al Gore ramble about how he invented the internet than listen to this.

Berkeley Social Scene - If they showed you where they lived...why didn't they just let you in to begin with. Why would you have to knock or ring the bell? Wait...after listening farther...I've decided this isn't supposed to make sense. Liked the guitar at the end...during the last minute when you repeat the same 2 lines over & over.

Billy & The Psychotics - If I had walked into my room & heard this, I would have went to my computer to look & see if I had left 2 files playing.

c.layne - Was excited to see you entered a song since I've enjoyed some of your past work, but I had a hard time getting into this. Had some interesting sounds, but in the end I had a hard time focusing.

Dealin' Doug & The Rocky's Autos - I get why you may have wanted your performance to come off like you were in pain or having a terrible time, but in the end it's painful to the listener as well. Didn't really care for the intro either.

Dirge & Sara - In places I think the vocals could be brought up a little. Enjoyed the music throughout.

DJ Ranger Den - Most of the time I didn't really know what the heck this was supposed to get across. (shocking, I know)

dont reply - You're so special that even the kids on the short bus make fun of you.

Elephant Finger Et Le Casio Ensemble Contemporain de Paris - I didn't understand any of it, and the music sounded like something off an Atari 2600 game. You will not be getting the high score in this game.

MC Charlie Oh - Music was dull, and the delivery was just as dull.

Metaluna - Vocals were rotten, really ruined it for me. Music during the chorus was pretty cool & honestly this could be good with a better singer & performance.

Monkey Touchers - Just go away already.

Noah McLaughlin - Strong song even if I'm not a huge fan of the vocals. Some lines felt a little clumsy, but I got the picture at least. Production was good.

Paco del Stinko - Musically this is my favorite song of the fight, hands down. Just rocked. Felt the chorus was a little weak in comparison to the last couple songs you entered. Lyrically there were a few corny lines that were a bit much for me.

Pigfarmer Jr - I think this is a good start, but still needs a lot more. The story is very bland & the song feels like it ends before it really gets going. Liked the guitar & vocals were ok.

PiGPEN - First few seconds felt like the opening of an 80's news program. Lyrically it's not for me. I don't always hate cursing & juvenile lyrics in rap...but there needs to be more creativity if I'm going to have to listen to that stuff.

Sep - Vocals were real bad. Music was dull & the transitions were abrupt.

sonofsupercar - Certainly a different sound than anyone else in the fight. Not all bad, just thought the lyrics were.

Sportswriters - Really liked the music from the get go. Lyrically it didn't always flow well, and a few lines I just didn't care for. For instance: "Well I cleaned up the house cause the house needed cleaning". A bit redundant don't you think? Why else would you clean something if it didn't need cleaning? Jeez you did it again with the trash...cake....keepsakes...sweeping...ok this is just lazy now. And wouldn't a song about someone have a meaning?

State Shirt - Music to trip by. I'm usually not into the atmospheric dreamy stuff.

Tony And Juan And Adam - The 2nd vocalist just needs to shut up. Music was pretty rockin' whenever you were rapping, but not so much when you were. UGH

The Yyarrell Brothers Band - Didn't really care for the lyrics, and honestly whatever sound it is that starts with 1:45 left in the track is kinda annoying. Rest of the music & vocals were ok.

Side Note:
I often make fun of how stupid the titles are in Song Fight. I would like to go on record as saying this title was GREAT. Topical & open to to take in a lot of directions. *looks at the next title* Oh shit...looks like the next one is another stupid one...may be the worst yet.

5 Seconds Of Every #1 Billboard Hot 100 Hit From 1993-2011

2011-11-20T04:23:00.002-05:00

This is a fun trip down memory lane.

Song Fight Review: Has Been For Years

2011-11-19T08:33:00.001-05:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Out Of A Hat", and my favorite entry was from Billy & The Psychotics who finished in a tie for 3rd. Merijamby took the win, and was also who I had ranked 2nd. So overall, I was pretty close this time.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Has Been For Years are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

The HATE Noise featuring Mean Gene Goatee - For fucks sake...I don't want to do this...but I have to say something nice about The HATE Noise. The track got me bobbing my head instead of covering my ears for once. The rapping had flow, and most of the lyrics were ok. My ONLY problem with the track is the hook is too repetitive. How many times do you need to repeat "Sharks and Mean Gene's been here for years"...you're a rapper...you did fine with the rest of the lyrics...be a little more creative & less repetitive there. *grits teeth* Nice work.

Tye Lemery - Cut the acoustic opening. You mumble a bit too much for me to pick up lyrics at times. One reason you should use the lyric forum. The music (after the opening) wasn't bad though, and the chorus was fine. I could seriously like this if you fixed those 2 things. Not bad at all.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Paco del Stinko - I enjoyed the hook again (2 weeks in a row I think), but I felt the vocals in the verses wavered too much at times. Music rocked throughout.

Shambles Square feat. MC Heapey - The music didn't do anything for me. The lyrics were pretty creative, but it's hard to listen to a British Mr. Peabody delivery for that long without something to mix it up a little.

Berkeley Social Scene - Enjoyed the lyrics & message for the most part. The music just felt a bit flat to me. In other words I would have liked some that would have made me get up off the couch & put the remote down.

The Sportswriters - Daguerreotype? *grabs dictionary* Ooooh...ok...continue. I think the vocals are too up front. What Star Wars film is "And the earth I become" a quote from?

Billy & The Psychotics - Music was rockin' but it sounded familiar. Listened to a few old CD's looking for what it reminded me of but didn't figure it out. Didn't really care for a number of lines in the song. For instance: "but you wonder if you should walk this time away". Nobody talks like that, so it throws the listener. Not really sure if I dug the vocal performance either.

Dejected Motives - I have to strain to hear the vocals & it's 9 fucking minutes long. Oops never mind...there's 4 minutes of dead air at the end. But still...even when I cranked the volume up it was hard to hear.

Dirge & Sara - My biggest problem with this one is the guitar. Just didn't like the sound at all & it felt like it was competing for attention almost.

Faight From Fire - The vocals in this were bad throughout. Really though, I think you came to the right place. The production here was just messy overall & you can probably get useful tips from SOME of the people in Song Fight.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff - Not bad, but the lyrics just felt...like I've heard them before...1,000 other times in 100 other songs.

Klownhole - You sounded like my stoned grandpa trying to tell a story over the music blaring from my annoying neighbors house.

Monkey Touchers - You're now the NEW Hate Noise.

Pigfarmer Jr - So he stole the kid? That caught me off guard...kinda funny. But up until the twist the story is bland as hell.

PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet

2011-11-18T07:58:00.001-05:00

I'm sure most of you have heard about this already, but I figured I would do my part to help spread the word.

Song Fight Review: Out Of A Hat

2011-11-17T05:00:00.002-05:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Threatening To Some", and my favorite entry was from Hostess Mostess who finished in a 3-way tie for 4th. The voting was a bit of a cluster fuck this time with a lot of people in the 11-19 range. bgm managed to get the overall win.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Out Of A Hat are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Billy & The Psychotics - Wasn't a huge fan of the bridge, but other than that I loved it. Great entry.

Merijamby - Cute, kinda funny. Probably not enough of either to get a lot of replay value, but it's good enough to get a chuckle from me the first time around.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Berkelyn Social Scene - Has a dreamy feel to it...interesting sound, but didn't hold my interest all the way through.

Bubble Pipe Media - Despite the whispering I can still hear it...I suggest getting even quieter for your next track.

Klownhole - 7 minutes? What did I do to you? Whatever it was I'm sorry.

Paco del Stinko - "Hoo-doo-do-ooo" is the thing that stuck in my head more so than any other bit from any other song this fight. I had no fucking clue what it was about from just listening though. Since I liked the music I hit the forums to find out about it & saw your description of the song. Fans of that show will be thrilled, but as for me I'm just going to pretend you're singing about something else.

Ross Durand - The bum is lookin' "sharp"? Complaining about inflation? Interesting topic, just seemed a bit strange at times. As usual fine performance.

Side Notes:
Was short on time & wanted to post something today. So if I didn't have any comments for you it's simply because on first listen I had no feedback good or bad, and I wasn't going to take the time to relisten.

Dammit, Tad: Never Back Down

2011-11-16T05:44:00.000-05:00

If you would like to comment on this video, Sammy has a new website up called: oceanofbees.com. You can all his new videos there as soon as he gets them uploaded.

You can still leave comments for Sammy below, on YouTube or on Twitter.

Song Fight Review: Threatening To Some

2011-11-15T03:02:00.002-05:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "The Only French I Know", and my favorite entry was from Torrentz. Not only did he win, but he dominated taking first place by a large margin. The other song I liked was from King Arthur, and he finished in a tie for 3rd.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Threatening To Some are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Hostess Mostess - I was only half listening when I first played this, and it came off really creepy. Glad I listened again...a song about mans best friend is a lot more fun than a song about a sex offender.

Yen Sing Mot - I had a thing for Ice on American Gladiators, and I pictured her during this. So I don't know what's more weird, the song or my reaction. Solid tune though, well done.

Dandy Hen - The message of the song is pretty lame, and even though it feels like it needs more, what is there is very pleasing to the ears.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Anomaly Jonez + Yeshintae - Bring the vocals up in the mix.

Berkeley Social Scene - I was eating a New York Strip medium rare as I listened to this...want to guess what I think of the song?

bgm - The song is pretty void of energy for the most part. The chorus isn't bad, but the vocals are a little too low for me.

Billy And The Psychotics - On first listen I thought meh...but after a 2nd & 3rd it grew on me a little. I didn't like the line "Gonna share the good and the pain". While listening you're so used to hearing "Good and the bad" that your line just feels off. It's not, but it's just I'm so conditioned to expect 1 thing that even though another thing fits...it doesn't. Make since?

Black Russian Futurists - Vocal performance bored me. The lyrical direction just didn't interest me...it's a topic I'd expect Billy to take on...but only he would do it better.

Bubble Pipe Media - The singer sounds like he's trying to fight off premature ejaculation.

The Chadderandom Abyss - Lets just try to forget this ever happened.

Dolphins In Pain - Not a lot of feedback...all I can say is this is the least painful song from a band with "Dolphins" in the name that I've heard in Song Fight. Oh, and use the lyrics forum.

Ebola-Cide - Any enjoyment I got from this has more to do with nostalgia from the samples than the lyrics. It's not bad, it's just not for me. Things like "Crazy ass fool" are just not things I want to hear Mario say. lol

Evils That Never Came - Depressing & slow...not really something to put on my MP3 player.

J@M35 & Dejected Motives - Attempting to find something to say about this would almost be as big a waste of my time as the "song" itself was.

King Arthur - Musically it was fine, I just didn't get into the story & going meta didn't help.

Lord Of Oats - I'm glad you like haters, cause you might get a few with this.

Paco del Stinko - I had to look up "portend". So the guy is either loved or hated...but why exactly? I think I just missed the point with this one.

Spacepub - The 2nd vocal doesn't sound very happy about being part of this.

Song Fight Review: The Only French I Know

2011-11-08T08:16:00.001-05:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "His Last Few Days", and my favorite entry was from Mind Map That. They only got 7 votes, and finished in a 3 way tie for 8th. The winner was Ebola-Cide with 32 votes. I really don't understand the results at times, but whatever...

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight The Only French I Know are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Torrentz - I did not expect to enjoy a rap entry this round. I was shocked by how good this was. The sampling, the lyrics, the flow...everything just fit together so well. Damn son.

King Arthur - You took a POV for this song that does not appeal to me...at all. However, it's done so well that you sold me...on the song. Clear story, that went at the title from an angle I didn't expect, and the ending was entertaining. Great work.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Billy And The Psychotics - Loved the music & vocal performance. Overall I could listen to this if I just to rock out to something while doing something else. But...I didn't care for the lyrics, so it's not something that would make my MP3 player. PS: I did like 2 lines "The only French I know / Is how to kiss goodbye". You also get bonus points for using the lyric forum...since only 25% of the people did this time.

Elephant Kitties - Really enjoyed your singing, it's a really sweet voice. Clean recording, even if there's not much too it. Simple isn't bad. Lyrically...bored me.

Johnny Cashpoint - Funny idea, poor execution.

Juliet's Happy Dagger - Props for including a lot of French, but honestly that hurts your replay value...at least for me. I like to understand the lyrics, and I don't speak French. I can read them in the forum (thanks for that), but if I'm listening on my MP3 player I couldn't sing along...and that ain't fun. This was just a bad fight overall for my personal tastes.

Side Notes:
I knew going into this fight I probably wouldn't enjoy many of the entries. The title wasn't bad, I actually thought it was pretty good. I just knew that a lot of songs using various amounts of French (which I don't speak) wouldn't be all that fun for me personally to listen to. And overall...it wasn't fun for me. So I was a bit lazy I didn't say anything for half the songs.

April In Paris (1952)

2011-11-04T12:59:00.001-04:00

April In Paris (1952) has plenty of good & bad in it. It stars Doris Day (who has never looked better) & Ray Bolger (who looks like Ray Bolger). Ray was given this role because it ended a 3 film deal with the studio, and unfortunately there isn't much chemistry because the 2 leads. There isn't much of a supporting cast either, so when Doris isn't singing or Ray isn't dancing...there isn't much to get excited about. At least the musical numbers are well done, and that's really the only thing that saves this picture. You can watch the full movie Trailer for plot details.

I'm Gonna Ring The Bell Tonight by Doris Day & Ray Bolger

April In Paris by Doris Day

Presidential Dance by Ray Bolger

That's What Makes Paris Paree by Doris Day & Claude Dauphin

Here are links to a few other numbers from the film:
I'm Going To Rock The Boat by Doris Day
It Must Be Good by Doris Day
I Know A Place by Doris Day

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

2011-10-29T20:05:00.004-04:00

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

Fight: Has Been For Years

If you would like to comment on this video, Sammy has a new website up called: oceanofbees.com. You can see all his new videos there as soon as he gets them uploaded.

You can still leave comments for Sammy below, on YouTube or on Twitter.

Spintown Stalker

2011-10-27T14:00:00.003-04:00

Nalts posted a funny video he made by using takethislollipop.com. Since I haven't posted a video of any kind in ages...I thought I would do the same.

The Pleasure Seekers (1964)

2011-10-25T05:19:00.002-04:00

The Pleasure Seekers (1964) is a remake of a movie I've never seen called Three Coins In The Fountain (1954). The movie is about 3 American girls looking for love in Spain. The movie follows all 3 of the girls as they fall in love & try to win over their men. For the most part the movie lacks any real drama, and kept me bored for 2 hours. The 3 girls are played by Carol Lynley, Pamela Tiffin & Ann-Margret. Brian Keith also has a role in the film, and even though I'm fond of his work, the character he plays annoys me. The only reason to watch this movie is the 4 musical numbers performed by Ann-Margret, and I've embedded 3 of them below.

The Pleasure Seekers

Everything Makes Music When You're In Love

Next Time

Song Fight Review: His Last Few Days

2011-10-24T06:10:00.004-04:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Ashes", and my favorite entry was from Steve Durand. Steve only lost by 5 votes, but that dropped him all the way down into a tie for 6th. The winners were The Midnight Society & DuToVa. I didn't care for either of those entries, but they tied for 1st.

A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight His Last Few Days are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Mind Map That - This song includes sections about mating in mid air...Billy had to love this song. Anyways...very creative & funny take on the challenge. Loved it.

bgm - Well I'm depressed now...but that's a good thing I guess considering the direction you took. Not something that has a ton of replay value for me. After all, I can only cut my wrists so many times.

AntBut - Very pretty music. Bit sleepy for my tastes...but it's going on my mp3 player anyways. Well done, but you might want to cut off the 15 seconds of dead air at the end.

King Arthur - Another clear & well told story. Flows nicely & the story of a rocker on the road was a great choice. Too many people went with the obvious take on this title. Congrats on buckin' the trend while still rockin'.

Torrentz - You need a better singer for the chorus. Overall, it was a solid entry, and much better than any other rap entry this time around. Oh, and use the lyrics forum. COME ON PEOPLE!

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

AG Beats, Viktor Walters, and Nate C - I was listening...and listening...and finally it dawned on me that this isn't just a long intro...and I skipped.

Anomaly Jonez - Needs a stronger hook...hell...needs a hook. I enjoyed the vocals, even though they are a bit distorted when they get loud. It's a good start, but still needs a little more love & attention.

Bad Boys At Bat Mitzvahs - Not bad, but it needs to breathe. It reminds me of being on a date with a hot chick that just won't shut the fuck up long enough for you to even say goodbye.

Berkeley Social Scene - Vocals...ouch. Liked the lyrics & the music was ok.

Billy And The Psychotics - Couldn't get into the lyrics, and generally had a hard time focusing on this one.

Daring Front - Liked the lyrics, but the music really kept me from getting into the song completely. Nice entry.

deetak - Nothing really bad to say here, so I'm going to nitpick. "His Last Few Days" is the title, and it bugs me it's not used completely in the lyrics.

Dejected Motives - Every vocal effect you used annoyed me. Way too long...but I'd probably say the same thing if it was only 10 seconds long.

Ebola-Cide - I was interested up until you changed your focus from Larry. I was looking forward to seeing where you were going to go with that.

EggNogAdam - Sometimes I just have nothing to say. It didn't move me from neutral.

The Flight And The Grand Design - Don't think I've heard an entry from you before. The guitars really sounded bad to me, but overall the song makes me hope you enter again.

hillbilly - Static...yay...but at least you sounded like a hillbilly. Oh, and 1 minute? Really?

Hostess Mostess - Didn't hate your voice, but overall I just sort of zoned out during this.

Jeffrey Davis - This is the problem with allowing anyone to enter.

Juliet's Happy Dagger - Liking this team more & more with each song they enter. I'll forgive you for the Ohio crack, but just this once. Needs a hook of some sort, but good entry.

King Ginger - There is only 1 king in song fight...you are not him. Seems like you tried to cram more words than you should have into some parts. Find a hook.

MC Who Izzy - Were you trying to hide in the mix?

The NATIONAL FRONTBOTTOM - Funny, but honestly for a song like this I'd like for you to include WHY Billy is such a cunt....aside from spilling a beer.

The Notorious F.A.P. - You were butt raped? Did you write this in hopes the rapist would hear it & you would have your sweet revenge?

Odoriferous Valley - When I saw the collaborators in this group I was excited, but I just never got into this. Can't point to anything I really disliked, just didn't like it.

Paco del Stinko - Enjoyed the vocal performance & the music. The Tick Tocking was catchy, but there were times I just didn't care for the lyrics. GREAT entry, just missed a vote.

Planets And Bubble Pipe Media - Not bad. I was into it through the first chorus, but started to get bored. Looking forward to your next entry though.

Sep - You can't be serious.

styop quoons - The lyrics were as uninspired as your vocals. Too long.

SYNFONYC - Did you write & record this minutes after receiving a concussion?

The Yyarrell Brothers Band - Didn't like the vocals. Lyrics didn't really grab me, but I think I'd have liked it with better vocals.

Catkiller

2011-10-23T08:12:00.004-04:00

This is a strange update not only because someone wrote a song about me...but because it's about me killing & raping cats? So yeah...a work of fiction for sure, but kinda funny...in a very dark sorta way.

I play MineCraft on Zack Scott's server (you can watch his MineCraft videos @ ZackScottGames), and at some point I gained a reputation as a cat killer. The reaction of the fans was really amusing, so I never confirmed or denied it, and just kinda went with it.

ldshadowlady is one of the players on Zack's server, and she made a request to Oliver Parsons (who plays on her server) to write this song.

Just so everyone is perfectly clear...I don't rape cats & I don't endorse the raping of cats. HOWEVER...if you want to throw a bag of kittens into a river...who am I to say you shouldn't...

At Long Last Love (1975)

2011-10-20T06:23:00.004-04:00

At Long Last Love is a train wreck. Peter Bogdanovich takes stars that can't sing (one of which he's in a relationship with at the time of the filming), and not only makes them sing, but he records them as they're performing for the camera. Nothing was done in a studio & dubbed. I don't know what Cole Porter did to piss Peter off...but Peter got revenge & then some by making this film.

It tanked with the critics, it tanked at the box office, and it's commonly named as one of the worst films of all time. It was so bad that Peter himself apologized for it's lack of quality. It stars Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd (Peter's irl girlfriend), Madeline Kahn (the only one who can sing) & Duilio Del Prete...unfortunately for them.

Below I've embedded 1 video twice. Each time it starts at a different number from the film...I'm not going to recommend you watch them for once...but just in case you're curious...they're there.

Which sung by Cybill Shepherd

Friendship sung by all 4 stars

Song Fight Review: Ashes

2011-10-18T13:00:00.002-04:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "You Are the Heartbeat of This Office For Sure", and my favorite entry was from Billy And The Psychotics. They finished strong at 3rd, and the winner was Manhattan Glutton who put in a solid tune. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Ashes are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Steve Durand - This is not even close to my favorite song from Steve, but it's my top pick today. It sets a mood, tells a clear story & in my opinion should win this rather weak fight.

Berkeley Social Scene - It's not fair using your kids to gain 'cute' votes. Anyways...nice song, has some replay value.

Daring Front - 80's movie montage music. The final 30 seconds or so felt like someone was pushing a pipe cleaner in 1 ear & pulling it out the other. Otherwise...not bad. (Use the lyrics forum)

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Bubble Pipe Media And Viktor Walters - This song flows like a river of peanut butter.

East Coast Coin Company - The music was ok, but I had trouble picking up the lyrics by ear at times. When reading along I just didn't find the lyrics all that creative...and with rap that's kinda important.

EggNogAdam - Once again my big issue is your lyrics, but the rest of the song didn't really grab me either.

Jacob Bernado - There's not much there, and what is there, is repetitive.

Juliet's Happy Dagger - Lyrics aren't for me.

Life In Decibels - Vocals are too low in the mix, and the music is about as catchy as 56k modem connecting to the web.

MENBAH + Swampjaw - I hate Pokemon, so I really can't say much about this without that factoring in.

The Midnight Society - WAY to slow for my personal tastes. This makes me sleepy.

Missions To Proton - I think I liked your last entry...will look forward to the next one. Still like the vocals.

Ross Durand - Honestly this is too slow for me, and not really my type of song. It's really well done, but just not for me.

SevidemiC - Flow is good...lyrics didn't interest me.

SYNFONYC - This song not only put me to sleep, but it was so offensive to the ears that it woke me up afterwards.

Berkeley Social Scene
Hey look, a cute video for this entry.

Song Fight Review: You Are The Heartbeat Of This Office For Sure

2011-10-17T01:16:00.001-04:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Circle Me", and my favorite entry was from Minty Handy. I didn't pick the winner this time, but they did come in 2nd. The winner was Scott Gesser who I had ranked 3rd. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight You Are the Heartbeat of This Office For Sure are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Billy And The Psychotics - Music was catchy & I liked Denise's singing. Lyrics were ok, but again...has there been a zombie outbreak in the lyrics forum or something?

Missions To Proton - I like the vocals & personality that came through in the performance. Musically it was fine, and felt like a pep talk for dealing with all the douchebags you find in an office setting.

Caravan Ray - Funny, enjoyable music, and a cool ending. Nice work with a stupid title.

Steve Durand - The story was similar to the previous song, but I liked these lyrics a lot more. Musically it kinda bored me though, and that's why it's 1 place lower.

Manhattan Glutton - The music was amazing, and the vocals were fine. I didn't really care for some of the lyrics cause at times it seemed like something a 14 year old with a hard on would write during study hall.

heine - Sometimes the lyrics didn't flow to well, but overall it's a fun song. Sometimes I wish I could boom boom my way to the top.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Juliet's Happy Dagger - The idea isn't bad, but I'm having a hard time picturing someone blowing up the workplace just cause they weren't noticed at work. I may struggle picturing it happening, but overall it was a good entry & I dug the music. You cheated a bit by not using the last 2 words of the title, but that's just a pet peeve of mine.

Berkeley Social Scene - Nothing stood out about this, and at times I could have used the lyrics in front of me.

Bubble Pipe Media And Viktor Walters - Someone with a frog in his throat...whispers...more frog... I'd rather kiss a frog than listen to this one.

chthXchthXchthX - I think someone forgot to tell you Song Fight is a songwriting contest. You don't literally have to beat your instruments to death.

EggNogAdam - Love the vocals, but you didn't overcome the stupid title & give us a story worth listening to.

MC Who Izzy And Kapitano - The music was the best part of this entry, but it bordered interesting & out of place a lot of the time.

Toshiro - It would be ruled a justifiable homicide if you were found beaten to death by some sort of musical instrument.

Trotsky And Marx - Too slow for my personal tastes. Just kinda depressed me.

The Yyarrell Brothers Band - Way to get me to care about the character...make him a douche driving drunk. Anyways...the music was pretty cool, and very catchy. No problem with the vocals, but the lyrics just didn't grab me. I look forward to your next entry.

Side Notes:
- The title was really stupid this time around. If you drop the last 2 words of the title it's still not great, but it's not as laughable as it currently is. Sometimes a strange title can be good, but the last 2 words just seem tacked on for no reason.

- Can we just delete the lyrics forum...or maybe just USE it?

- Overall...better fight than I expected. Well done.

How I Write A Song A Day: The Talk

2011-10-14T04:17:00.001-04:00

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

2011-09-29T03:00:00.002-04:00

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

Fight: The Only French I Know

You can leave comments for Sammy below, on YouTube or on Twitter.

Song Fight Review: Circle Me

2011-09-25T16:19:00.000-04:00

The last fight I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Ruthless Lately", and my favorite entry was from Yardley Social Scene. They not only got my top pick, but they won that fight. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Circle Me are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Minty Handy - A song from the POV of a wrong answer? This is actually pretty cool, certainly a neat idea. Well done sir.

Steve Durand - I liked this. Very different from what I expected from Steve. This type of song doesn't require a great voice, and that's a good thing for Steve. (use lyric forum)

Scott Gesser - Fran Drescher would love this. This boarders on the line between entertaining & annoying...for now it's leaning towards entertaining. Nice work.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Infinity Point Buck - Enjoyed the flow. Some of the lines I thought were clever while others felt weak & out of place. The music sucked.

Ross Durand - Enjoyable little tune, but not really my style of music. Just a bit slow for my liking. Sweet song though. (use lyric forum)

Billy and the Psychotics - Vocals got lost in the mix a bit at times, and overall I just couldn't get into this. Felt messy.

Didn't Ask, Didn't Tell - Lyrically it didn't grab me, the vocal performance was ok, but in the end it didn't stand out.

DJ Ranger Den - I enjoyed the lyrics through the first part of the song, and I'm kinda glad your changes didn't make it into the song you entered. It was too slow for me, and as usual, there were lines I just didn't care for or completely get later in the song.

EggNogAdam - 3 votes was your goal, and you got 9. I don't know how...I mean meta songs should be kickass to get votes...cause there are too many of them in these type of contests.

Juliette Echo - Like the concept, but the lyrics didn't really flow as much as stumble along. Musically it held my interest.

Kapitano - Interesting experiment, but not exactly something I would sign up to participate in.

McCalum - Nice to see someone take on the topic that I imagine inspired the title. Not much replay value, but I would suggest a quick YouTube video of this.

MC Who Izzy Feat: The Standardized Individual - The vocals sounded like shit. Especially "you say circle him once or twice / when he's been left to his own devices / you say circle him once again / but I won't have his blood on my hands" You really need a better mic or something.

The Big Trees (1952)

2011-09-18T05:51:00.003-04:00

This isn't really a musical, but it does have 1 song & dance number in it. Since I've been slow to post here, I figured...why not post it. This film stars Kirk Douglas, Eve Miller & Edgar Buchanan. It's not a bad film, but I wouldn't recommend watching it unless you're just a big Kirt Douglas fan. Alan Hale Jr. (Skipper) has a small role, but isn't important to the story.

Since it's not really a musical I won't get into the details of the film, but if you want to watch it, it's public domain & easy to find. (The Big Trees)

The Soubrette On The Police Gazette
This number by Patrice Wymore was my favorite part of the film.

Dammit, Tad: Python

2011-08-25T00:19:00.000-04:00

Part 2

Footlight Parade (1933)

2011-08-24T23:34:00.002-04:00

Footlight Parade (1933) stars James Cagney, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell & Ruby Keeler. Cagney plays a musical producer who starts making musical prologues for movie theaters. The film is about him dealing with his 2 business partners who are ripping him off, a mole leaking ideas to another competing company, 3 love interests & meeting crazy deadlines. In all it just seemed like too much. The movie felt busy, yet almost bored me to sleep. There was only 1 musical number I enjoyed in the film, and it didn't even involve Cagney. I think Cagney's highlight for this film would have to be the very short dance he did with Ruby Keeler in the number "Shanghai Lil".

You can watch the movie trailer below & you can go watch "By A Waterfall" on YouTube. It's the highlight of the film for me, and shows the influence of Busby Berkeley in Hollywood.

More Info: (Source)
- Not only was this Dorothy Lamour's first film appearance, but Ann Sothern also made an appearance. Both were uncredited chorus girls.
- John Garfield may or may not have made an appearance in this film. If it wasn't him, apparently the guy looked so much like him that people still aren't sure.
- The film that Guy Kibbee and Arthur Hohl takes James Cagney to see is "The Telegraph Trail" starring John Wayne.
John Wayne

Song Fight Review: Ruthless Lately

2011-08-23T20:15:00.004-04:00

Yeah…so I got WAY behind with my reviews. I know my reviews suck, but I’m going to get caught up…so lets get started…

The last challenge I reviewed over at Song Fight was titled "Under Over", and my favorite entry was from Ross Durand. Ross finished in the middle of the pack, and PiGPEN got the win. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round.

My favorites from the fight Ruthless Lately are posted below.

Would Have Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Yardley Social Scene - Dang, great way to cap off a pretty good fight. Totally earned the victory. Clean, catchy & interesting sound. (use the lyrics forum)

BLT and the Psychotics - Aside from a couple lines I really dug this. Yall sound great together, my only real complaint is that it sounded like the 2nd line of the first chorus was flubbed? Of course I was listening on my shit headphones & not my good ones…so maybe I just misheard it…like 5 times.

King Arthur - Fun story & the music kept me entertained while you told it. Nothing bad to say…and that’s the norm in regards to your work.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Berkeley Social Scene - This is odd. I mean the music is ok…I like the lyrics, but they don’t mesh for me. The lyrics remind me of something you might hear in a Rocky film or as Hulk Hogan walks to the ring, but the music is too laid back.

Canonical Man - Didn’t find the lyrics all that creative…but I didn’t HATE it.

EggNogAdam - Keeping it simple isn’t a bad idea since the vocal performance was pretty good, but the piano got annoying…and it’s not a long song. (use the lyric forum)

illscreen - I understand that a lot of rap is about boasting, and I’m cool with that. But if you’re going to boast you better be good. I’ve heard worse…but that’s nothing to boast about. I’d like to hear you enter more fights…but with rap I really want more creative lyrics.

Kapitano - That long intro could put someone to sleep. The lyrics weren’t all that easy to make out, and whatever effect you used on them didn’t do anything for me. I don’t care what genre of music I’m listening to, I never want to strain to make out what someone is saying.

Larry - I see that you had 0 votes this fight. Consider yourself lucky it wasn’t lower.

MC Who Izzy - What the hell? I was expecting a rap…change your name.

noah mclaughlin - Not really sure what it’s about, and your link in the lyric forum didn’t work. I’m WAAAAAY to lazy to put any more effort into research.

Paco del Stinko - The music was pretty cool, but the lyrics just weren’t that interesting. I normally like your lyrics, so I was a bit surprised.

Scott Gesser - Didn’t like the vocals, and they were muffled at times. I think there’s some good stuff here, but the vocals hurt it a lot. (use the lyrics forum)

Steve Durand - The opening reminded me of an old music video I saw on the Disney channel as a kid. Can’t remember the song name…just that it was about haircuts. Anyways…it was a fun song…even though it annoyed me at first cause I couldn’t find the song it reminded me off. (use the lyrics forum)

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

2011-08-20T16:00:00.003-04:00

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

Fight: You Are the Heartbeat of This Office For Sure

You can leave comments for Sammy below, on YouTube or on Twitter.

Dammit, Tad

2011-08-19T05:17:00.003-04:00

If you didn't subscribe to Sammy Kablam's YouTube channel when his NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT series moved from text to video, you've now got another reason to. Sammy will still be reviewing Song Fight & SpinTunes in the future, but he's now moved onto movies. Unfortunately for Sammy, he's having trouble getting his hands on GOOD movies. But Sammy's misfortune isn't necessarily a bad thing for you. It just gives Sammy more ammo to blast the shit out of the films. I've embedded Part 1 from a few episodes below.

Dammit, Tad: Ghost Game (Part 1)

Part 2 & Part 3
Dammit, Tad: The Graveyard (Part 1)

Part 2 & Part 3
Dammit, Tad: Basketweave (Part 1)

Part 2
You can find Sammy on Twitter: @SammyKablam or the website http://www.oceanofbees.com

SpinTunes #3 Round 4 Review

2011-08-10T13:32:00.003-04:00

Well, this is it. The last review of SpinTunes #3. The contest has been over for a few days, and the winner has already been announced. (Results) All 4 of the finalist did at great job, but 1 stood out a little more than the rest to me.

Pat And Gweebol - In The DeVille
Strongest hook of the finalist by far. Loved the first & second verse, and how you're coming back to the childhood memories after the passage of time. It kinda left me wanting more story wise, but I don't know where you would have taken it from where you left off. Yeah, this is going to be stuck in my head awhile...

In The DeVille by Pat & Gweebol
Ross Durand - Rusty
"Cause they don't make em like me anymore" might have been my favorite line this round, but for whatever reason the chorus didn't have much punch to it. The song does make me feel sorry for the car, which is good I guess, since you got me to care about it apparently. With your round 1 song I don't think I ranked it extremely high, but it's got more plays from me than any other song in this contest. It grew on me, and I hope this does, but right now it's not standing out from the other 3 entries.

Matt And Donna - Back Down The Road
The music & performance were fine for me. No issues. Lyrically I loved the first 4 lines, but then got lost until "And while you may like to think you're part of it all". From that point you grabbed my interest again, and held it for the remainder of the song.

Charlie McCarron - Skipping Stones
Until the last verse I was really wondering how the picture was worked into the song. I would have liked a stronger connection between the car & the relationship early on. You totally met the challenge, but I just think the story would have been held together more if that the connection was made at the beginning. In the end it was pleasant to listen to, but nothing really stood out that got stuck in my head. Meaning if I heard it on the radio I wouldn't change the station, but I'm not likely to search for a copy of it after hearing it.

SHADOWS
Gold Lion - Some Things Weren't Built To Last
I think this could work, but when you go acapella it can be hard to hold someone's interest throughout a song. This is too repetitive to do that for me. Your voice is great, but you need more story or some music to keep it interesting the entire time.

Noah McLaughlin - Seeds To Sow
I liked the image "steel tombstone" put in my head, and the music was very relaxing & enjoyable. I was never really able to get into most of the lyrics though.

Dr. Lindyke - Photo Finish
I read the description on BandCamp, and thought it was an interesting idea. The song itself held my interest for the first half, but lyrically it just wasn't for me & I ended up having to force myself to pay attention to them. The highlight for me was Dave's singing, but I could have done without the 2nd vocal track.

Kevin Savino-Riker - Forgotten But Not Gone
Kevin told me this was going to be a "placeholder" track. Something he was going to work on later (after his orange song I assume), so I'll overlook the 1:19 running time. :p Since it's short & acapella there's not much to review. I like what little lyrics there are, but I can't really say anything else cause there's so little there.

Governing Dynamics - Flooded
I picture a black car keying itself to this song. (Kidding) Lyrically it's mostly not for me, but it set some cool mental pictures (for real). The whole "I lose" section was just awesome, and one of the more memorable things about this round. Great shadow.

JoAnn Abbott - Tempted
Impression after the first 10 seconds: 4:44 run time...acapella...this has no chance from the get go.

Impression after the first 2 verses: Sounds a lot more creepy than probably intended, or I'm just a sicko...likely a little of both.

Final Impression: Creepy, depressing, and only half a song at best.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Alien Octopus Trilogy
The first 2 parts LOOSELY fit together...but the 3rd...just comes out of nowhere. I'd have rather you stuck with part 2 until the conclusion. It was funny & had me interested, then just lost me completely. Loved the music throughout.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Car
Chorus is supposed to be catchy right? This is just something I totally don't get, and with that chorus I'm afraid there's not much I'm going to remember about this. Oh...and what's with the sudden end?

Boffo Yux Dudes - My First Car
Ok, this is my favorite shadow of the round. Was upbeat, funny, and something everyone can relate to. You really need to change "Then it didn't look too bad" line. Wasn't a great line to begin with, but you just told people it looked good even while sitting still. Get rid of that 1 terrible line...please.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Bayou Cadillac
The music surprisingly worked for me. At first I thought it was just going to be too much, but after repeat listens I rather enjoyed it. The story idea just didn't go over well with me, and I found myself not paying much attention to the lyrics after the first listen.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Cadillac Coupe DeVille
Bluesy music isn't really my thing. It made me picture an open mic with a bunch of hippies wearing sunglasses in a dark smokey room. So you got the feel down I guess...but again...not something I like.

Boffo Yux Dudes - (Lay Around The) Caddy
I like harmonica, but at times it was overpowering in this. Good shadow, but I just think it needs mixed again. I don't really understand why the production seems rushed when you only wrote 6 songs this round. It's not like you did anything crazy & did 7...

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:

2011-08-07T07:52:00.000-04:00

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

SpinTunes #3 Round 4

How I Write A Song A Day - Episode 1: I Don't Care

2011-07-23T13:50:00.001-04:00

I thought this was good advice, and I'm looking forward to this new series.

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:

2011-07-22T14:52:00.002-04:00

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

SpinTunes #3 Round 3

SpinTunes #3 Round 3 Review

2011-07-21T02:20:00.008-04:00

(To listen to the songs mentioned in this review, just click the picture above.)

Spintro:
First round...shit ton of songs. Second round...homework. Third round...easy. At least for the judges in comparison to the first 2 rounds. It's no secret that I've been pushing for this challenge since SpinTunes started. I also knew a lot of people would hate the challenge when they read it...and they did. Technically I thought it was a good challenge, and it put most people out of their comfort zone. Thankfully, a number of the people found that it was a lot more fun than they originally thought.

Oh, and the title of this challenge (Top That) was inspired by the rap scene in the terrible movie "Teen Witch".

Ross Durand - Camp Romance
I really didn't expect Ross to turn in my favorite song of this round, and I certainly didn't expect it to be one of my favorite songs of SpinTunes 3...but he did. Lyrically he's usually one of my favorite story tellers, but the music in this somehow managed to be extremely cool, but fitting for a camp setting??? I really enjoyed the sweet love story being told, and it will fit nicely in a playlist with other similar raps I enjoy like "I'll Go" by Young MC. If this doesn't get Ross to the finals, I would be extremely disappointed.

Jon Eric - The Dance
I expected Jon to enter something solid since he's got the most experience rapping in this group. He stepped up to the plate & demonstrated the best flow from the round. I enjoyed the piano, and having Denise singing the chorus was a good idea. Even though it was a quick pace, the story telling was great. This will live a long life on my i-Pod.

Dr. Lindyke - Politics And Promises
I wish more people would have hit this challenge right in the jaw like you guys did. Who needs funny when you have amazing lyrics like this? (although hearing Dave say "wack" just didn't seem right) Dave's delivery is pretty good, and at times great. For instance the "Did the baptism take or just make you wetter?" line is great, but the attitude in the delivery is great as well. It's a shame there were a lot of production issues, cause I'd like to hear what they had planned. Don't know if Dave & William would be happy about this, but I have a new favorite Dr. Lindyke song.

Pat And Gweebol - TickiTock (Top Tad)
What's with all the penis references in this SpinTunes? Anyways, I thought this flowed better than most entries, and was probably the most catchy entry of the round. Really enjoyed the back & forth between you both, and I'm officially naming Pat And Gweebol the SpinTunes version of Karmin Music.

Matt And Donna - Anatomy Dance
My college anatomy prof would have loved this. Putting this down on paper had to be tough enough, recording it had to be a real pain. The performance seemed a bit lifeless, and I'm pretty sure it's just that Donna is concentrating on saying the words correctly. It's still one of my favorite entries, but the performance did hold it back a little. I'm sure Donna can do it, but 8 days just probably wasn't long enough to write & then get comfortable with it.

Edric Haleen - Sarah
Long sung intro...didn't see that coming. :p The idea of his alter ego coming out through rap was pretty cool. The idea of his confidence growing & his rapping going from bad to good in the process was also interesting. (wrote this before reading bio...oops) I think most things fit together nicely, even the intentionally bad rapping.

I once again screwed up your song at the LP. The last time that happened I just accidentally clicked the wrong button. This time, it was me not paying close attention (multi-tasking...not cause I didn't like what I heard). I just clicked the next song when I thought your song SHOULD have ended. Didn't do it on purpose though. Overall it's a good entry, but it probably doesn't have a ton of replay value for me. Can I sing it? Yes. Is it fun to sing/rap badly...for now I'll say no.

The Offhand Band - Not Cool
Liked the idea you had about playing off your uncoolness. Dang there's a ton of word play & references in this. I didn't get A LOT of the references, which takes away from a lot of the enjoyment & makes it hard to follow. I enjoyed the chorus, but the song needs something to change it up more. Either that, or shorten it a lot, cause it's REALLY long for a rap. I'd drop the 3rd verse & the 4th chorus.

Steve Durand - A Place For Love
You fit in some funny lines, and the story was a lot of fun. At the same time other lines just fell flat with me & I didn't get a perfect rhyme where I might have wanted. Glad to hear you managed to still use the brass, and the chorus stuck with me awhile. Another penis reference?

Jutze - My Friend Kay
I think you dove into the performance more than most people this round. Maybe it's the topic you picked, but I had a hard time getting into the story. What I LOVED was the beat. Bonus points for using banjo. When that came into the song, it went from computer to i-Pod. And even though you really had to stretch to reach the 2 minute mark, I didn't mind cause you stretched with the banjo. Oh, and Chelsea should send you a new clip to use as a "penis" sample.

Wait What - Six Years Seventeen Days
This felt like 2 incomplete stories being forced into 1. You start off rapping from the POV of a whiny schmuck who was dumped. That's fine & all, but you should have got to the extremely creepy stuff in the last verse a lot quicker. When you finally get there, it just sort of ends right when you get to the interesting stuff. Drop the original 2nd verse completely, make the original 3rd verse your new 2nd, and write new 3rd.

Charlie McCarron - Trail In The Snow
I really liked the feel the music created, but I'm not really sure what's going on with the story. I'm fairly dense when it comes to following along at times, so maybe it's just me. I think a little more work on the actual rapping is needed. At times it's hard to pick up what Charlie is saying, and that makes it even harder for me to follow the story. Again though, I really liked the music. The beat, extra vocals, and everything about it fit perfectly. Me not getting the story was the big issue here.

Caleb Hines - Two Musicians
(Will be posted after a judges decision to DQ or not has been made final.)

Shadows:
Ethan Ivey - Entry 3
Wow you recorded that way too loud. The beat is pretty simple & the rap feels too repetitive. I know you mention it's based on a couple YouTube series, but I'm not going to watch a series on YouTube just to get what the song is about. I'm basically just left in the dark here, and that's a shame cause the story seemed pretty interesting.

Menage' a Tune - Roman Road Rap
The 20 second piano bit at the start...cut it. This is a tough one for me cause I don't like most Christian music. I also don't like most children’s music. This feels like a cross between what I'd hear in church & what I would hear on a Christy Lane teaches Hip Hop dance DVD. It might make you fairly cool during vacation Bible school this year, but neither appeals to me.

The Boffo Yux Dudes - It's All About the Benjamins
Funny concept, and the over the top cheese is good. The only thing I didn't care for was the "Rollin with the Benjamins..." hook. The line itself doesn't bother me, it's just kinda annoying sounding so low & slow. Overall this was one of my favorite raps of the round, and one of my favorite shadows of the contest. Great work guys.

SpinTunes #3 Round 2 Review

2011-07-12T05:49:00.006-04:00

(To listen to the songs mentioned in this review, just click the picture above.)

Spintro:
Reviewing this round was kinda difficult. There were less songs, which helps, but having people write about a headline in a newspaper presented 2 problems.

1. I had to read news stories I wasn't really that interested in just to review the songs.

2. It really opened the doors for people to go political this round. Nothing wrong with that, but even a well written & performed song can be difficult to listen to if you disagree with what it's saying. I normally rank the songs simply by how much I plan on listening to them in the future. I think that would be a bit unfair of me this round, so I'll try to avoid knocking someone based on their chosen topic.

3. These were done a couple days ago, but the shadows I did yesterday/tonight/this morning. I decided to put them in the current album order so the songs are easier to find if someone wants a quick reference.

Charlie McCarron - The Mountain Will Not Yield
Right off the bat the wind sets the mood, nice touch. The music held my interest the entire time, and it was actually kinda odd (but good). What I mean is that it was very atmospheric sounding, but it actually told a very clear story. The ONLY thing I didn't like was the repeat of the opening at the end. To me at least, it seemed like there was just too much going on with the extra vocals. Other than that...perfect.

Chris Cogott - Welcome To Kabul
Loved the instrumental bit, your guitar is always great. I thought you did a good job of putting the listener in this guys shoes.

Matt And Donna - A Tight Spot
I'm a little shocked that more people didn't go with shorter stories like this that allow a little leeway in story telling. I thought the idea of telling the story from the POV of an older brother (who may or may not exist) was great. Lines like "But let's calm down / Try to get our story straight" is something I think I might have said a few times. And "Now I'm stuck behind the bars" is the perfect way to end the song. Leaves me with a sad picture of a little boy sitting on his bed grounded. Great story telling.

Pat And Gweebol - The Story Is Mine: Confession Of An Undocumented Immigrant
Man that was a long article...but I won't hold it against you. :p I thought it was a good song, and I liked the peppy tune. After that long read I would have liked it to be more about the individual person. This song was kinda split on it's direction. I liked the fact that you worked "Breaking News" into the song, and overall this should get you into the next round.

The Offhand Band - Program aids food stamp users
Another song that worked the title of the round in...nice. Really liked the piano, and overall the music held my interest. I know you were trying to mimic a newspaper article with the song, and I think you did a fine job in that department. The vocals would at times be distracting. Seems like they were walking a fine line of being ok & off most of the song. For instance in "with discounts on the freshest local produce in town" the first syllable in "produce" was enough make me wince. It's not that bad really, but the rest of the song was so well done that a few spots like that stuck out more for me.

Steve Durand - When Frankie And Johnny Get Married
With the "Frankie And Johnny" title & opening...I expected Frankie to find Johnny cheating with another man & getting shot for it. Thought you nailed the style, cause I felt like I was watching an old musical with lines like "We'll have a gay old time" & "To wed your tootsie wootsie". And as always...nice horns.

Jutze - Re: Your Oil
I didn't really care for the transitions between the 2 styles in this song. The line "All we want is your oil" was memorable, but it might be the only thing I remember about this song in a week. Mostly just because each time I started getting into the song, the transition would throw me right back out.

Ross Durand - The American Way
After the challenge was posted Noah McLaughlin told me, "You realize you just let Ross Durand win this next round, right?" As if to say, "Yeah, this shits easy for me" Ross went out & used multiple articles to rant about many things that don't make sense to him. It's a simple song with 1 man & 1 guitar, but it's the perfect team for this challenge. I didn't find it as memorable as his round 1 song, but Ross ain't going anywhere this round.

Dr. Lindyke - Prayer For Peace
In my round 1 review I mentioned I like upbeat funny songs, but Dave doesn't give a rats ass. He should either, you can't write for 1 judge, and especially not an alternate judge. The song was purdy, but so was Fran Drescher, and I don't want to listen to her either. Stylistically you took most things I avoid & used them in the song. How did you know I hate Hebrew? You'll probably move on to the next round, cause everything I disliked about the song was based on personal preference, and not the quality of what you chose to do.

Jon Eric - North Dakota (I. Five Years, II. Fargo, III. Panic, IV. Rain, V. Dry Land)
You have balls of steel to enter this. We have a piano player who went to Berklee for songwriting & a professional whistler judging. So what does Jon do? He enters a 9 minute song that's piano heavy 9 & includes whistling. BALLS! I admit there was a little dread at the idea of listening to a 9 minute song multiple times to review it...but the song was pretty dang good. The song was much BIGGER than the human interest part of the story that you based it on, and that's fine. I thought the "Rain" part would be BIGGER...I was actually waiting for that part & was disappointed a bit. Wasn't epic enough after waiting so long for it.

Gold Lion - Message For Vivian
Ok, the music was cool & laid back. The main vocal was enjoyable. I didn't care for the 2 vocals together after the instrumental though. You added more content than you did in round 1, so that's great. This feels like an entire song, unlike your first one. Lyrically I see references to the article & everything, but I don't really follow your story telling all that well. You'll find out soon enough that I'm pretty dense at following along if the stories aren't crystal clear. Just ask Denise Hudson....Travis Norris....Spencer Sokol....etc...etc... :p

Wait What - Bunny Please Don't Go
When you submitted your article I was really looking forward to the song. I can't say it lived up to my hopes. Some lines made me laugh, while I was distracted by the autotune during others. I liked the cowbell, but it needs banjo. Whenever the contest ends for you...I REALLY want to hear a produced version of your round 1 song. I just hope this round wasn't your last.

Caleb Hines - Too Soon To Say Goodbye
First off you told the story really well & I enjoyed that. I liked how the verses were broken up into 4 sections & the first 2 built up to the next 2. In the 4th section of the verses I didn't care for the strings. Small gripe maybe, but it annoyed me both times. Sweet entry overall.

Edric Haleen - What About Love?
This blogger does not want this review to be available for Internet distribution. I don't want to chance that Edric's students will read the strong, coarse language that I use about him in this review. A copy of this review will be e-mailed to those I trust upon request. Sorry about the inconvenience. Thank you for understanding.

Inverse T. Clown - Something In The Air
I think everyone added a little fantasy to their stories, what makes this different is that it adds fantasy to fantasy. Lyrically this shows why you're one of my 3 favorite lyrist in SpinTunes (Edric & Ross are the other 2), and I really can't complain about anything else either. I don't know if the music is catchy enough to make me come back often, but I'll come back.

Alexa Polasky - Infidelity
After reading that long article, then listening to the song...I find myself asking did you send the right article? Since it's like 7 pages long, I won't read again to make sure, but I took something different away from it than you did I think. The song itself is ok, it doesn’t jump out at me as something to vote for, but it's not bad. I think it needs a stronger hook, and a song bio...a song bio would be nice for this one.

Governing Dynamics - Cameras, Streetlights, And Things Worth Fighting For
Too busy, couldn't really get into it cause there seemed to be too much going on, and it wasn't coming together for me. Lyrically I thought you did a good job, but the music was fighting the lyrics.

Godz Poodlz - Independence And Freedom For All
Vocals weren't the best I've heard from the Poodlz. When I got to the chorus I felt similar to how I felt with Alexa's song. Did you read the same thing I did? I think you did a great job of telling the story with the verses, but the chorus just seems to be from another song.

Alex Carpenter - The Last Launch
Your tweet about recording this in the bathroom during a sound check is the single coolest #SpinTunes related tweet ever. Unfortunately, even though it's good for a last second bathroom recording, I don't think it's tight enough to pass into round 3. The sudden end, stumbling for lyrics at one point, and rushed production makes for a good start to a song. But I don't think the demo is strong enough yet. Would like to see what you can do with this when you get some free time away from the road & tour. Rock on.

Matt Walton - Take Your Placards Down To London
I'll be honest, I didn't know what that sound was until about 1 minute into the song. I'm not a big fan of bagpipes, but that was more annoying than usual since I couldn't even tell what it was for a 3rd of the song. You did a fine job of telling the story in the article, and the vocals were pleasant. Overall it just felt too empty, and the bagpipes....ugh...

Happi - Double The Fetish
"My song is pretty terrible as I wrote it the night before recording (there was no inspiration anywhere to be found)..." As you did at the end of the song, it's probably not a good idea to GIVE people reasons to not vote for you or knock you down. Your topic was gross & strange, but had potential to be a funny song. I'm not usually a fan of cursing for cursing sake, and lines like "just fuck off and die" just didn't seem to NEED to be there. Matter a fact that whole section is pretty weak. As for the verses, there were some I thought were good, and some that seemed to have no effort put into them. There were good moments, but it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the round one song you put up.
SHADOWS:
Glen Raphael - Billion Metal Dollars (Shadow)
You did this with your i-Pad? Very nice. I wouldn't have thought a song about this topic would have held my interest, but it did. You just reminded me of Ross Durand, and that's good company to keep. My favorite shadow of the round, and if it was a regular entry, it probably would have got a vote from me.

Doom SKITTLE featuring Luke Brekke, Esquire - Going Undercover (Shadow)
The Onion? Really? Ah, you're a shadow, what the hell. Might as well have fun with it right? The lyrics seem awkward & rushed in places as well. The course doesn't really leave a lasting impression, and since the vocals get mostly lost in the mix, not much has a chance to leave an impression. The guitar picking was probably the highlight of the song. Your review just ended, the following is Edric's review that I'm hiding inside of yours just to be a prick.

This is tough. Lyrically it's great, and the flow is better than any other rap track this round. The LOVE section fits in perfect. What I didn't really care for was the performance. It's not that I would expect a 'funny' rap from Edric, but this sounds like he's pretending to be someone else & not Edric. I'm not buying into the performance, and maybe it's cause Edric didn't find a way to be Edric within "rap". This probably doesn't make since, and it sounds like I dislike the song, but I did like it. It's not something I'll listen to in the car with the windows down...but it'll get played on my MP3 player with the headphones on...even if it's just to hear Edric say naughty words.

Noah McLaughlin - Fear Drive (Shadow)
I liked how you tacked each POV in the article, and lyrically I had no problems with it. And I liked the last two lines of the song. What I didn't like was the guitars, and some parts of the song it was hard for me to make out the lyrics by hear. Great ideas...only ok execution.

Menage’ a Tune - The Furries Are Heading Back To Pittsburgh (Shadow)
You're about 15 seconds short of the requirement...but it's a shadow...I can let that go. The piano & singing just seem awkward the whole way through...not going together. Lyrically it does it's job, and telling about the Furries coming to Pittsburgh, but the most entertaining part was a part you borrowed from a musical. I'm sure the organizers of this event would be happy with it, but it's a REALLY narrow audience that you're shooting at right now.

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle - One Dollar Robber (Shadow)
Best opening of the round. But from there on out my review is similar to Happi's. Few lines were fun, but most of them just didn't seem that creative or flow well.

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:

2011-07-10T01:42:00.004-04:00

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

SpinTunes #3 Round 2

Alright! Spintunes 3, Round 2 is up! And, unfortunate as it may be, I've not yet contracted AIDS via sex or drug use with contaminated sources; I'm sure many of you are disappointed. But, the show must go on, and indeed it does, with the four of this rounds five shadow entries!

Glen Raphael - Billion Metal Dollars
This is unnecessarily deep. I am completely at a loss. How is it you can write such an incredible song for a shadow, but miss the mark so impressively in round 1? Really, this frustrates me, because I would have voted for this to move you into round 3. There is something wrong in the universe when this song is a shadow and Happi's offering is an official entry.

Doom Skittle w/Luke Brekke - Going Undercover
Well, it's better than "Cannibal" and whatever the fuck doom Skittle's first entry was called. But the vocals are difficult to make out, both due to volume and confidence, and the last chorus just feels like padding. If the choruses weren't so long, or had different lyrics thrown in to keep them fresh, it'd be different. But it doesn't. So it sucks.

Noah McLaughlin - Fear Drive
All I hear is a bunch of guitar noise trying to drown out a Commander Cody impression. The instrumentation doesn't sound in tune with itself, or even orchestrated. And the vocals seem to be in their own little pocket dimension, unaware that the music exists.

Menage' a Tune - The Furries Are Heading Back to Pittsburgh
It would be awesome if the vocals and the piano would line up. It's like neither part knows if the other is leading. I'd comment on something else, but...there basically is nothing else.

Not exactly bursting with excitement, the shadow section is now complete, and we move on to the main event!

The Offhand Band - Program Aids Food Stamp Users
I hate reading articles, especially in newspapers, because of things where they quote someone's words, and then end it with something like "Johnson said". It's completely unnatural and looks unprofessional and ill thought out. But the fact that you employed that one otherwise annoying tactic, really worked in your favor. The feeling of the song BEING a news article was there by that element, alone. But this seriously sounds like elevator music. For all the effort put into it, it's still incredibly boring and simply doesn't keep my interest at all.

Gold Lion - Message For Vivian
This thing really picks up at the first chorus, in a great way. And then it falls completely fucking dead with that magnificently empty solo/breakdown. And that only leads to a repeat of the chorus, causing my faith in the song to stagger, and then the next verse is musically the same as the first, with nothing addition to attempt reviving the energy. It's a grand improvement over round one, but the catchiness of the chorus leaves me wishing the whole thing was more engaging than staring at the sun.

Edric Haleen - What About Love?
Once again, Edric braves the possibility of intentional misinterpretation and takes a bold stance with his entry. Though I do appreciate the song's message and the ferocity with which it comes, I really hate the fact that it sounds similar to "Lose Yourself" because Eminem is so overrated, I'm surprised he hasn't burts from years of having smoke pumped into his colon. Because of this, I can enjoy the sentiment, but not so much the song. (Still, it ranks above that Isaac douchebag.)

Jutze - Re: Your Oil
I am outright positive that a bunch of people will be calling this "hilarious", because when it comes to Jutze, people always do. And I almost never get why. I also don't get the jarring gear grind into the lyrically redundant refrains. I can understand a fake-out from the intro to the first verse, or a change-up for a bridge. But the verses are musically powerful, and the total kill switch into the refrain just confuses me. This song is practically begging me to look at it's by-design inconsistency, and just not care from the very first chorus. Well, I can oblige, song: I will gladly not care about you.

Dr. Lindyke - Prayer For Peace
I have a knee jerk reaction to Israel, because everything I hear about it only serves to piss me off. Couple the fact that I don't give a fuck about Israel with the fact that this song is slow and soft -- almost a lullaby-style lament -- and I'm just annoyed and bored.

Governing Dynamics - Cameras, Streetlights, And Things Worth Fighting For
First of all, the title ends on a preposition. Tisk, tisk. Secondly, the first chord alerts everyone this is a Governing Dynamics song. And whereas that's not inherently a bad thing, this time around, it's not great, either. What I said about The Pood in round one, I say now about Governing Dynamics: I ordered a Coke, and you gave me Diet Mt. Dew. Yes, I can drink it, but I expected something better.

Pat and Gweebol - The Story Is Mine: Confession Of An Undocumented Immigrant
There's arguably not too much to this one, given the leng and repetition of the chorus compared to the verses. However, I'd say it's clearly the most upbeat of all the entries, and thus one of the most enjoyable. WHY WON'T YOU LET ME INSULT YOU?!

Alexa Polasky - Infidelity
Fourteen seconds of nothing is great way to start things off. Anyway... Once again, your lyrics completely blow my mind and defy the nature of realistic conversation. In stanza one, you flat out say "I haven't loved you for years," and in stanza two, you tell this person to stay calm, and then say "Once I explain, you'll see exactly what I mean". Well, maybe I'm just a wiz with puzzles, but I'm pretty sure he got the message. You even call him "dear". My god, this is the second patronizing song you've given us. You then go on to tell this person they're a dope for not being hip to the common knowledge that marriage vows don't mean anything, and that this lover should have expected this behavior -- since day one, apparently.

And don't try to tell me the concept of the song is sarcasm or cynicism. The thing starts with the singer saying she tried to maintain her love for this person and didn't have it in her. that's an attempt at humanizing the character and garnering sympathy. Which indicates the singer truly believes that everyone on earth is a slut with no respect for keeping your word -- the only alternative being the singer is using that theory to justify her actions, and to make herself believe she is perfectly defensible for her adultery. Neither of which are endearing angles.

And it sounds like a uke, so fuck it, anyway.

Matt Walton - Take Your Placards Down To London
I can appreciate what you were going for, here. But the refrains that seem like they should sound built up have nothing but background vocals. And those vocals sound about as enthusiastic as Gregorian chants. It's just...not interesting.

Godz Poodlz - Independence And Freedom for All
I really don't think the heavy distortion was the right idea. But I found this way more enjoyable than your round 1, so I've not got much more to say.

Chris Cogott - Welcome To Kabul
Guess what. Chris wins.

Inverse T. Clown - Something In The Air
Yes, we're all well aware that you can do a half-assed Nine Inch Nails impersonation. We've heard you do it, and we've heard you do it better. Next time you write a new song, maybe try a new approach to go with it. Oh, and that bridge solo -- and "solo" is a generous term -- was really basic and weak. Overall, I'd say stop trying to lazily emulate professionals, and either put real effort into developing your own style, or just give up completely.

Caleb Hines - Too Soon To Say Goodbye
I'm fairly certain this is the most complex orchestration I've heard from Caleb. And I know he says his lyrics always need work, but this time, I'd say they're about perfect. Way to kill my momentum, Caleb.

Matt and Donna - A Tight Spot
I can't really say this is BAD, but it's definitely a step down from Round 1.

Wait What - Bunny Please Don't Go
As many people were telling me about The Offhand Band sounding like The Beatles in round 1, just as many people have pointed out how very "Thriller" this song is. The difference is that this time, I'm completely familiar with the song getting the blatant rip-off treatment, meaning I can make fun of it. Like, I can point out that even your lyric pattern in the verses matches the lyric pattern of the Jackson hit.

However, getting past the glaring rip, your lyrics are juvenile in the worst sense; not that they're a comical juxtaposition of adult themes with ironic middle-school perspective, but that there IS no juxtaposition. It's just trying so VERY hard to be cute and witty, and half the shit doesn't make any fucking sense. It especially kills me that this story is actually excellent source material for a song, and you managed to suck the life out of it like an entertainment vampire. The "Twilight" kind.

Ross Durand - The American Way
This is a very well done examination of certain ludicrous hypocrisies in our country's "morals". It also manages to be entertaining and amusing while making a legitimate point, instead of getting overly political and bashing the listener over the head with an agenda. It's a simple request for reason, and I very much appreciate that.

Steve Durand - When Frankie And Johnny Get Married
This is a wonderful homage to so many things. I'm only 3rd generation American on my dad's side, and the Polish in my upbringing appreciates this immensely. There is absolutely no insult joke I can muster for this entry.

Happi - Double The Fetish
As the question was presented to me a day or so after the Listening Party, I nearly YouTube'd the phrase "Australian Rap", to see if it's a real thing. But I stopped myself, because if I found out that real rap exists there, I'll be pretty damn irritated that this was the first example of it to reach me.

I guess the argument can be made that, yes, this is obviously a "real" rap song, because he used the phrase "fuck off and die" ad nauseum, and that's about as rap as it gets. That is to say, abrasive and immature. But even I'm not that cynical. Besides, even ignoring that horrendous overuse of ineffective vulgarity, the refrain is so bad, I nearly ground my teeth to the gum. I especially love the line "These peepin' toms, they don't belong," almost as if there are people one might genuinely EXPECT to find jerking off in a tank of human waste -- just not this PARTICULAR guy.

I will say, though, you certainly chose the perfect topic for your style.

Charlie McCarron - The Mountains Will Not Yield
This isn't my cup of tea, that's for certain. But that's not a strike against it, by any stretch. It's oddly pretty, for a song about meeting one's icy doom, and the ending feels like a real climax without going overboard. Well done, I suppose.

Alex Carpenter - The Last Launch
While I find the line "If we endeavor to continue our discovery" to be notably brilliant, I'm just not pulled into the song on the whole. The music sounds a little samey, and that may be due to the sudden difference from the full-band sound of your Round 1 entry and this being just you and your guitar. At any rate, the song's not bad; it just doesn't grab me.

As the readers may have noticed, I skipped over both a shadow and an official entry, as the rest of these are in the order of the album on Bandcamp. That is because I wanted to give these two offerings some special attention. Had this been a video review, they would each get their own special edition videos; as I was, unfortunately, unable to produce this just yet, they'll have to settle for extended bits here. So, as tradition dictates, let's hit the Shadow first:

Young Muscle Stroker - One Doller Robber
O.k., so last round, instead of doing this, I tried to convince myself that you and your song were a brilliant in-joke. However, you've submitted a shadow entry, seemingly in an effort to dash my fragile dreams that you weren't fucking serious. So, since you apparently ARE serious, but refuse to ACT like it, let's put a few things in perspective.

You are about as "hardcore rap" as Shania Twain is "southern rock". The biggest difference being Shania, at the arguable least, understood what makes her chosen genre work. For example, she knew how to sound country. You sound like Kermit the Frog, without the cool, trying to parody Snoop Dogg. It's completely contradictory to the concept of being taken seriously. How is it conducive to being a successful, respected rapper to sound like a redneck caricature? If you were pulling a gimmick, like Larry the Cable Guy, then I'd understand -- and it might even work. (Enough morons made Larry a millionaire, I'm sure you'd find fans in a similar route.) But, if you're not going the funny road -- which you've yet to indicate you are -- your current voice is simply a gigantic hindrance and rips away any believability from your product.

Now let's talk about the song, itself. You start with a news break, which isn't a bad idea. Nobody else did it, but that doesn't mean anything except that you were the only guy who found a way to make it work. So good job, there. But there's a specific sound during the intro. And the regular beat kicks in at the start of the first verse. But then, when the second verse starts, it's not the verse beat. It's a return of the intro sounds. Why? There's no call for it. It comes across like the music looped, and you just didn't bother to adjust it and cut out the incorrect beat. That means it sounds lazy and incompetent, because either you somehow weren't aware that the intro music showed up in verse two (even though verse two has, obviously, no intro or need for said music), or you just couldn't be bothered to fix it. I'm less likely to believe you (or anyone at all) would be too lazy to fix any known problems with a shadow; shadows are more work than someone needs to do, because they're no longer in the contest, so why write the out-of-contest song at all, if it doesn't meet your standards?

Next, your rap has giant gaps of quietude where you couldn't manage to utilize real rhythm with your lyrics and settled for pathetic (and hopefully embarrassing) results. Moments like "so here...read this note" have thundering silences. Why is there a void in those lyrics? Why was it so hard for a rapper to mold the English language to fill the silence there? And before that, your second fucking line is a mess. "Call Rihanna so she can put me under her umbrella" is almost completely garbled in the first half, and then that's followed by another line with a horribly awkward silent gap in the middle. Basically, a third of your lines are rushed to fit in too many syllables, and a third of your lines have too few syllables, resulting in confusing bits of nothing in the middle of your thought. You're the single clumsiest lyricist I think I've ever heard. Granted, I may have heard worse, but you're a rapper, which means 80% of the focus of every single song you put out will be the lyrics and the delivery thereof. And with your rhymes which, more often than not, are incredibly lazy (consider that total crap "job/sob" rhyme last round) and your complete misunderstanding -- or at least unabashed misuse -- of rhythm, you beat out Happi as the worst rapper I've ever had the torment of sitting thru. And I've heard half of a Dave Leigh rap.

So, to bring us up to speed, your voice is unfit for the genre, you don't seem to have a mastery of your own loop editing, your rhymes are generally lazy, and your lyrics are laid out as smoothly as the surface of Uranus. (Editor's note: The surface of Uranus is covered in jagged spires and cavernous declivities.) I now have one last element about your apparent "style", and that is that you make no fucking sense at all. As evidence, I point to your incredibly stupid refrain:

bank teller - gimme one dollar
can't afford healthcare no thanks to obama
bank teller - gimme one dollar
i'm a wait for the cops don't want no drama

Well, what the fuck does that mean? I understand that the guy demanded a dollar. But "can't afford healthcare no thanks to obama"? Naturally, I assume this is supposed to be a shot at our current President. It's not -- but I'm assuming it's supposed to be. See, usually when people say "No thanks to him," they're annoyed that the indicated party refused to assist in whatever task was just completed. For example:

Travis: "Were you able to get that Negative Reinforcement review done without beating your skull in with a 30 pound thesaurus?"

Sammy: "In fact, I was -- no thanks to Strokes Muscly Young'ns."

See? It implies that what I desire was achieved, even though you tried to prevent it. With that in mind, the line says he CAN'T afford healthcare. Do you see, now, why this line is completely fucking retarded? It suggests that this man was TRYING to not afford healthcare, and that President Obama tried to MAKE him afford. Now, whereas it's true that the President's goal, early on, was to make healthcare reasonably affordable for everyone in the country, and also true that a lot of people were against that for reasons that never quite made sense, it is NOT accurate to believe that there were people actively trying to NOT afford healthcare. Especially people who WANT healthcare. I dare say, most people who want healthcare would rather LIKE to afford it SO THEY CAN GET IT.

Maybe if you'd gone something more like, "Can't afford healthcare, so I out-planned Obama," then at least your anti-Obama statement would be followable. But even if you had made the refrain make sense, most of your second verse is complete nonsense.

see my bearded mug - on gaston county lockup
robbed the bank for a dollar - do i rock or what
i kick a lot of but - in jail seein' doctors
one dollar robber - "what a shocker"

...what? Why does it rock that he robbed the bank? You're advocating robbery? Or you're saying it's cool that he had to resort to a desperate act to sustain his very life? What's so upbeat about this situation? And he kicks a lot of butt?? What the fuck does that even reference?? In fact, what in that STANZA makes any sense? From line to line, where is there any fucking cohesion??

in this test i'm the proctor in this class i'm a teacher
in this platoon i'm a sargeant in this church i'm a preacher
in this torrent i'm a seeder not a leecher
in this football game i'm on the field you're in the bleachers

Is this supposed to be gloating? He sees himself as some sort of paragon now? This man of desperation is now a braggard because he's both broke AND in prison? Excellent focal point. TOTALLY sends the right message. And, as if you couldn't miss the point of the topic any more, you pull one the single most tasteless things I've seen:

i'm brave enough to rob a bank for a buck
more bang for the buck in my hangy down nuts

I'm actually glad this is a written review, because I'm not sure the last few remnants of purity in my soul could survive saying that acidic bullshit out loud. That basically sums up the general incompetence and lack of art in your productions. This is a pit of musical sorrow that utterly urinates on a man's collapsing life by turning it into a selfish and ignorant political vehicle that can't even make the author's own vapid point, and brushing the reality of the story aside to make room for mention of testicles. Well fucking done.

Jon Eric - North Dakota
Just so Mr. Eric's not too concerned after reading the previous rant, his entry was not kept for an extended look due to being a monumental inferno of cosmic diarrhea. His entry is a 9-minute work, in 5 sections, so I concluded it only right to give each section it's own going-over. With that, we begin:

I. Five Years

The rhymes in this are incredibly sharp. For as much power as you're putting into your vocals, I really wish there were harmonies in place.

II. Fargo

The very brief refrain is pretty effective here. It's a catchy little hook, and it also leads into the third section very well. I also really like the background vocals. They help out the atmosphere quite a bit.

III. Panic

Here's the issue I have with this section: It's performed well, both musically and vocally, and the lyrics are just fine. But the lyrics and the music don't seem to be a team. The idea of panicking about another flood situation is entirely plausible and sympathetic. But the music feels more like the singer would be in shock, trying to absorb the fact that he's in the nightmare a second time. It just doesn't feel, musically, like the guy is panicking. Especially with that little breakdown session -- a spot that actually makes it feel more like realization settling in thru a state of shock.

IV. Rain

In Song Fu 6, there was a challenge to write a song about rain. In the songs, somewhere, there had to be a musical representation of rainfall. Here, I think you did a better job at that than many of those entrants; it genuinely feels like it's raining during this section.

V. Dry Land

This ending is amazingly bittersweet. Even with the protagonist being rescued from his immediate plight (which is something the listener wants, at this point), the greater problem is still at hand. It's a bit of an emotional whiplash, but in a positive way.

Overall, I'm certain this is the best thing I've ever heard from you, and not just because of the length. In fact, I'm sure the length will turn a fair bit of listeners away. But fuck them. For all the times I've told you "It's not bad, but it's still not great," there can no longer be any argument that you haven't made impressive works, this being Exhibit A. On the downside, of course, if you produce anything lesser in the future, I'm going to bitch that it's not this good. You've been warned.

Well! That's Round 2 of SpinTunes 3, thoroughly put in its place. Hopefully, everybody understands, by now, that my opinion is the only one around here with any weight or merit. Once we get that in our heads, we'll see some real improvements -- maybe by Round 3! Until then, though, I've got to run out and see if I can find some AIDS.

See you next round!

S. Kablam.

(Normally people seem to put the disclaimers at the bottom, but this should probably go up top...and in bold. Sammy's reviews do not reflect that of Spintown's, and have no influence over the contest whatsoever. The over the top reviews in Sammy's "NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT" series aren't meant to be 'constructive', and you should read the sub title. If you think he's picking on you...just read the reviews he wrote for the others...he can be an equal opportunity ass. - Spin)

Song Fight Review: Under Over

2011-07-07T08:57:00.000-04:00

The last challenge over at Song Fight was titled "Isle Dauphine", and my favorite entry was from Thanks for the frisbee. They managed to take 2nd place, and Manhattan Glutton got the win. I was pretty close to being right, cause I had Manhattan Glutton ranked 2nd. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round. My picks are listed below:

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Ross Durand - I don't think you worked the title into the song enough. :p Honestly loved the word play & the harmonica was perfect. Wait...that line sounded familiar...

BLT feat. Paco and DJ Ranger Den - This is a partnership I could get behind from the sound of it. Enjoyed the music, as usual with Billy. Enjoyed the singing, as usual with Denise. It was fun to hear Denise sing to this style of music, and I could get used to it, cause it was awesome. My suggestion would be to put Paco in charge of the lyrics though. I was able to follow along better than usual to Denise's writing, but some parts lines left me scratching my head still. BTW, nice work with the lead guitar Paco.

Paco del Stinko - I enjoyed the story a lot, and have known a few friends like that. Felt that the chorus was the weakest part of the song, but overall one of my favorites of the fight.

Tindersoot - Why did I have to play the sleepy song last? (doing these on lack of sleep) Sounded purdy, and I liked the vocals. Lyrically I was in & out...but I think mostly from just being tired. Saving this song, and will listen again on the weekend. So my review is basically..."I'll listen again later." Yeah...lame...but I've always said my reviews suck, even when I do have sleep. I'll vote for you, but only because it saved Mr. Sandman a stop by my place. ZZZZzzzzZZZZzzzz

Steve Durand - Even though I enjoyed the lyrics, I was about to tune out of the song. It took about a minute for the horns to come in, and they pretty much saved this. The music wasn't bad, it was just putting me to sleep at the start. Don't know if it was the music or that I listened while already being very tired...or both.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

EggNogAdam - The solo guitar at the end bored the heck out of me...not a strong finish. Overall, I liked it a lot for a demo. Needs fleshed out more musically, but the story (though depressing) was ok. The vocal performance was the highlight for me.

Billy's Generic Trip - Music was fun, but the verses were so repetitive that the song felt like it was made up of 4 different choruses. Took many hooks, not enough pirates.

noah mclaughlin - I have a hard time making out all the lyrics, but even the lyrics forum doesn't help me 'get' this song. Music was clean & held my interest.

Flvxxvm Florvm - Enjoyed the lyrics, but the chorus sounded more like a blunt object than a hook. Instead of pulling me in, it pushed me away. The vocals, while not great, were ok. In the chorus they get a bit lost in the mix. The solo at the end wasn't bad, but it felt tacked on...not like it needed to be there.

Hey it's Romer - Couldn't understand most of the lyrics...and in rap (or anything else really)...that's not good.

lalabrookie - I thought the song was about 1 thing most of the way through, only to find out it was something different at the end. Wasn't a fun little twist for me, just odd.

Song Fight Review: Isle Dauphine

2011-07-05T07:03:00.001-04:00

The last challenge over at Song Fight that I reviewed was titled "Bag Of Bones", and my favorite entry was from Young Stroke aka Young Muscle. Apparently hardly anyone agreed with me, cause Young Stroke got beat down by Jonathan Mann and Young Nick Krill who took the victory.

I'm a little behind with my Song Fight reviews, so expect another review in the near future. SpinTunes has been distracting me, but I plan on getting caught up with Song Fight.

Would Have Voted For: (had I not been distracted with SpinTunes & MineCraft)
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Thanks for the frisbee - The only thing I didn't like about this was the sweat & pheromone lines. Clean recording, good performance, fun light song...with 2 odd lines.

Manhattan Glutton - I can forgive you for not being a golf fan, cause this was the most rockin' infomercial/travel ad I've heard.

King Arthur - I can usually tell when a King Arthur song is starting, but until I heard your voice...I had no clue with this one. Not sure if I like the ?synth?, but as usual the story & performance won me over. I think I got used to the synth more than I liked it.

Daring Front - 80's feel...good thing. Enjoyed the vocals & this just felt groovy. Please use the lyric forum. Even though your lyrics were very clear, I tend to just groove to songs like this & often don't pay attention to the words if the lyrics aren't in front of me.

Abjure! - I have mixed feelings about this one. It goes meta really briefly at the start, and turns out to be a funny song about loving a mermaid. It was enjoyable, but I just heard a song about falling in love with a mermaid by Chris Cogott. I felt his, even though this was entertaining, trumped yours. Judge for yourself: Chris Cogott - Drag Me Down.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Bad Boys at Bat Mitzvahs - I loved the guitar in this, and the performance was pretty good. A couple parts would benefit from some cleaning up, but overall it was pretty clear. "We'd move back to Richmond" is the line I had the most trouble picking up by ear. The lyrics are a bit to vague for me, but good entry.

Baker and LSares - The autotune got old quick. I think I heard a Marty McFly reference...that was cool...but didn't really care for much else.

Billy's Little Stinko - If I hadn't heard 7 or 8 other songs with a similar story in the past month, I might have voted for it. Kinda made me want to play Twisted Metal.

Hey it's Romer - It's bad enough you ruined a song for the contest, don't try to ruin a classic movie for me as well.

The Uncomfortable Project - I enjoyed this story a lot, and think the song has a lot of promise. Unfortunately it needs something to mix it up musically, cause it bored the shit out of me. The vocals even seemed to get more bored as the song went along. The short instrumental at the end didn't sound good at all.

WreckdoM - The chorus was more annoying than catchy. Needs work, but the verses were entertaining, and it reminds me of a cheesy YouTube music video. Hell, add another verse & make a video. Become the next Denny Blaze.

SpinTunes #3 Round 1 Review (Shadows)

2011-06-27T06:46:00.003-04:00

Spintro:
For those of you who don't know what a "Shadow Song" is, it's basically when someone turns in a song to SpinTunes...who isn't currently in the competition. Even though their song can't win, the song still gets put on the new album & played at the listening party.

For this first round we only had 2 people shadow intentionally...the others got eliminated by the round 1 deadline, and they turned their songs in late as shadow songs. I'm always happy to get shadows turned in, but I will start with the 2 people who planned to shadow.

Now to play Mr. Knowitall, when I've never even written a song for myself.

Mick Bordet - The Highland Coo Song
Starts off kinda sensual, and it's more than a little creepy. A song about a man pining to slaughter a cow & reap the rewards is more than a little funny. I didn't really care for the flute, I'd rather have gotten another verse there. The ending Moooooooo was funny.

Noah McLaughlin - Thank You, Joss Whedon
Like the song about a book I reviewed yesterday, this is a song that I'm just not going to get. I couldn't pick Joss Whedon out of a line-up, and I had to Wiki him to find out what he's done. I've never watched Buffy, Angel, or Dollhouse. I've only seen bits of Firefly, but I do own Dr. Horrible. Overall...if there's references to his work...I'm not going to get them. I did like the music, it was interesting & upbeat. Lyrically I know he died, came back, and you killed him again, but I can't say how well written it is since I'm ignorant of the topic. Toward the middle of the song it dragged a bit when you repeated "you came back" for awhile. Good shadow from what I can tell, it's a shame you didn't sign-up for the contest on time.

David Ritter - Requiem For Bob
Writing a sad song about a guy losing his wife, being afraid to die himself, then meeting death...is not happy. BUT, the idea of reminding the listener it's supposed to be happy cause of the banjo in the song...IS funny...and kinda meets the challenge. I liked this, but think it needs a lot more work lyrically. For example:

"In the night I went to her grave
I decided to be brave
I headed to the grave
The moon was shining bright

To visit my old lady
in the night"

Some of that needs cut down. The last 2 lines tell you the same thing the first 2 did, and at this point I was hand gesturing to my computer as to tell it to move along already. There were also a few Yoda moments. "footsteps I could hear" It always takes me out of a song when that happens cause nobody talks that way. Overall the music was fine, the concept was GREAT, but the lyrics still need hammered out.

Heather Miller - Throw My Anchor Down
2nd song in a row that I just consider not finished. I really think you found your vocal range with this song. I think the style suits you. BUT, going accapella just made this drag & repeating the chorus to start & finish the song didn't help. Take this and add more too it, cause even though it didn't seem happy, it seemed like it's a good start to a song.

Anna P - Jesus's Best Friend
I felt for the people who missed the deadline, but especially Anna. She was freaking out, and trying her best to beat that mean old deadline back a little, but just came up short. Even Song Fu & SpinTunes vets miss a deadline once in awhile, so I'm glad you entered this as a shadow to get your feet wet. The first verse made me smile, cause a lot of people have that moment of, "Will I make it to heaven?" Your delivery of that was well done. I didn't like the Disney line. If it's in reference to the anti-semitism stuff, why wouldn't you hate being accused of that? If it was entered on time, it would have been DQed because it's 10 seconds short, but it's a solid tune. Well done.

Donutworthy - Signal
One Joe is good enough, get rid of the clone. I think putting Joe & Grahams vocals together was a mistake as well. I like the take on the challenge, and the story is easy enough to follow aside from 1 thing (What signal?). The music was pretty cool, maybe the best of the shadows. In relation to the challenge it felt more hopeful or encouraging than happy. Good song, too bad it missed the deadline by 1 MINUTE!

Green Mama Bathsalts - See You In Hell
Overall, this was my favorite shadow of the round. It's a song about two buddies about to be executed for murder. Their friendship is so strong that a trip to hell isn't all that bad cause they'll still have each other. I can't really fault anything with this. It's only got a simple guitar & vocals, but it works. Might even make it better not having bells & whistles. Real shame this didn't make the deadline, cause I think it would have made it to round 2 easily.

The Vespus - Old Red
I had trouble getting into the story & following along, but everything else was enjoyable. Another entry with only guitar & vocals, but it's light & fun tune that might not have the same appeal with much more. The performance was really good, and the hook was memorable. It's a shame Erik requested this be taken off the album. Not only cause it's a good shadow, but it tells me he might have missed the point of SpinTunes.

Common Lisp - Today Is Not That Day
How is a death march happy? You're telling me death is ok...but I'm not believing it for 1 second. Lyrically it's not really a 'story' song, and that's usually what I like. The biggest issue though is the music & pace. It's not bad, but it in no way makes me feel happy.

SpinTunes #3 Round 1 Review

2011-06-26T08:29:00.003-04:00

(To listen to the songs mentioned in this review, just click the picture above.)

Spintro:
Ok...for those that are new to the contest & who have not read my blog in the past there are some things you should know about my reviews.

1. I know nothing of music. So why do I run a music & dance blog...and a songwriting contest? Fucking magnets, how do they work? Both are questions I still don't know the answers to.

2. Proper grammar & correct spelling are things that I haven't found too important since finishing college.

3. I focus on lyrics more so than the music, and I tend to like upbeat & humorous type songs.

4. Overall I'm ranking your songs by how often I think I'm going to listen to them in the future. So performance & production count with me.

5. "Needs banjo" could be placed in every review I've ever written, and I wouldn't have issue with that.

Edric Haleen - I Hope You Die
"I tend to like upbeat & humorous type songs", and did I mention I like musicals? This is full of so much win that I kinda want to hit Edric. I mean I'll never be able to sing along with this in the car without screwing up. The bridge was my favorite part, because I don't know how you sang that.

Jason Morris - Burning For You
I was stoked Jason signed up...and actually turned something in this time. :p In Song Fu nobody brought the rock like he did, and it's good to hear it in SpinTunes now. After the first listen, I was a little confused about what I had heard lyrically. I knew there was a guy longing for this girl, but I was wondering if 'burning' meant pining for...or if he was going to kill himself for her. After listening again not only was he killing himself, but Jason was being very literal about 'burning'. Which I thought was awesome. This is another in which I have nothing bad to say about the song. It's something I can crank up while playing ball...which is good...cause I get strange looks when I crank up Edric Haleen at the basketball court.

Inverse T. Clown - Caroline Is Dead
Probably my favorite vocal performance from the clown. Lyrically it's right up there with Edric for me this round. Enjoyed every line, and it made me feel a little guilty for doing so since Caroline is a member of our little group. Musically it reminds me of something I can't place (not "Caroline"). Specifically where the lines "There won't be a divorce, wasting cash on the courts / And, inevitably, giving half to that whore" are...but I guess I'll have to try figuring it out later.

Alex Carpenter - The Day I Died
I tried to find something bad to say about this, but like Edric (but in a different way obviously) you killed this challenge for me. I think people stayed away from Zombies cause it was too obvious, but if you do it THIS WELL...obvious is fine. As a noob you just made yourself a serious contender in my book.

Jutze - I Love The Dead
I'm a little miffed it took Jutze so long to sign-up for a SpinTunes. Cause the very first song he enters ends up being my favorite Jutze song I've ever heard. The lines "I love the dead - strictly vocationally / I love the dead - I bury them professionally" have been stuck in my head since the LP. WAY more so than any other lines from the contest. The music is cheery & fun, and the idea is solid.

Caleb Hines - Haven't You Ever
Another great take on the challenge, and it's hard for me to believe Caleb struggles with lyrics at times (based on what he's said). I enjoyed all the quirky images he put in my head with this song, and I liked how it came full circle in the last verse. Probably a contender for the cheeriest music of the round.

Ross Durand - No Taxes
Ross has completed as many official SpinTunes entries as anyone so far, and you can't do that without being consistently good. I thought this was well thought out, and everything just seemed to flow nicely together. I had to Google 1 line, "I'm gonna always look on the bright side, just like Brian said". Yeah, I never really got into Monty Python. Even with a bigger pool of competitors in this contest...I kinda expect Ross to be in the finals.

Chris Cogott - Drag Me Down
I really wasn't expecting a song about a mermaid. So props on the creativity. The story was very clear, and the production was tight. Nothing bad to say here...but much like with Ross...I kind of expect you in the final round. No pressure... ;p

Charlie McCarron - Grandma And Grandpa
Boarders on being too atmospheric for me, but this is very pretty. Charlie has been with SpinTunes from the start, and he just gets better & better with each new edition it seems. I was a bit confused at the very end. I was sold on it being a double suicide from the start, but the line "He says, Darling I've paddled too far, there's nothing but fog" suggested to me they didn't mean to go out that far, and they only decided on the suicide after they got out there too far. That's the only thing that bugged me about the entry. Well done.

Wait What - Death: Everyone's Doing it!
The music was simple, but from the start is felt cheery. I liked the concept a lot. Trying to sell death & push it on people like peer pressure just cracked me up. As the guy who runs this contest I have a little more info on songs than most people. I know Glen wanted to touch this up more, and I agree it needs it. The vocals were alright in parts, and then the delivery would seem a little awkward in others. The transition into the rap needed to be smoother as well, but I did enjoy the rap.

"It’s why grandpa’s not here.
Let us do the cheer:
D E A T H spells what?"

That might have got the biggest laugh out of me this round.

Byron Blocker & The Offbeats - She's Dead
Right off the bat I'm not sure what a couple lines even meant (Machine guns in her hair), but the voice & performance still had me early on. After the first verse I was totally into the song, and even though the stories pretty vague, I'm singing along like I've got some evil woman making my life hell. That is of course not the case...I'm on the internet...so I'm still waiting to meet a real life woman in 3D! Welcome To Spintown...er SpinTunes. I look forward to hearing more from you in the future.

"Buckethat" Bobby Matheson - No Worries
I mentioned to Mark that I didn't care for the character in his song. It didn't take me long to feel a connection with the man in this story. I think the last song (from this group) that pulled me into the story this much was Jeff MacDougall's "It All Makes Sense At The End". So it's been awhile...

Brian Daniell - Cubbies Will Win
This could have been up near the top of my rankings with a better recording. I really liked the music, and the lyrics did a great job of keeping a smile on my face while you told the story. I really liked the delivery of the lines, and if you up the production on future entries, I think you could be a BEAST in this competition. I liked the Cubs joke, but as a Reds fan I hope you're waiting a LOOOOOONG time. Extremely good entry for someone just getting their feet wet in SpinTunes.

Godz Poodlz - Wake At The Sunnyside
I was waiting to see if this ended up being a funeral home for pets. Turns out it wasn't, but the Poodlz did what they do best, and that's combine music & sells pitches. This has the potential to be the most entertaining local commercial in history. Rhett & Link eat your hearts out. Very entertaining guys, well done.

Happi - The Next Part Of Life
I'm sooooo glad something else came in other than that guitar. From the very start the anger in the delivery struck me as odd since it's supposed to be a happy song...and your freakin' name is Happi. I suggest watching an old Mentos commercial before recording next time. Focusing more on the lyrics & the overall message I get how it's supposed to be happy. The overall experience of, "did I feel happy"...will probably vary a lot from listener to listener with this one. You weren't afraid to take risks with this entry even going Death Metal for a minute. Honestly I didn't like that...but I liked almost everything else. Nice work.

Steve Durand - Die Happy
This made me feel like I was watching an old musical. I actually pictured Steve in a tux with tails, top hat and carrying a cane struttin' across the screen. The lyrics are easy to follow, and the take on the challenge was creative. The vocals aren't great, but since you had me singing over you after the first play...that's forgivable. Good entry.

Dr. Lindyke - Wake Me When It's Over
I was kinda hoping this would suck so I could use your title as my review, but my plans were foiled. I thought this was a beautiful song, and one of my favorite Dr. Lindyke songs. Just looking at it lyrically this isn't happy...not to me at least. The performance & music get it there, but only in the 2nd half. Dave mentioned this in chat, so it's nothing he doesn't know. I'm glad it was Dave singing, cause I don't think half the people in the contest could have made this 'happy'.

Governing Dynamics - Alive Again
I'm just shocked it was happy since Travis normally sounds as happy as a goth in July. The serial killer love song is probably my favorite take on the challenge this round. There were a couple lines in which I thought the vocals needed touching up, but not many. "That probably came out a little desperate / (I don't mean to smother)" were 2 lines I just thought needed better delivery. I think I would have liked it better without the second vocal track, but it's still a solid entry. With a few tweaks, it could be my new favorite GD track...for now "Broken Boy" remains #1.

Jon Eric - Birthday
During the LP this didn't grab my attention. The soft mix & me being distracted by running the LP caused this to fly under the radar. Listening with the lyrics out in front of me, it's a completely different story. Great story telling that kept me into the song. I think the music needs something else to fill it out, cause I might not stop & listen had I just heard this in passing. But I'm glad I kinda have to stop & listen. Nice work.

Pat And Gweebol - Baby Go To Sleep
When I copy & pasted the lyrics onto BandCamp I noticed this was a Romeo & Juliet song, and I was a little disappointed without even having listened to it. It's not a bad idea, but I hate Romeo & Juliet, so the idea of it put to song didn't go over well. When I sat down to review this I was amazed by the music & performance. I've liked Gweebol's vocals since I first heard her in the last contest, but she just cemented her place as my favorite female vocalist in SpinTunes. Pat held his own, and the 2 sounded really sweet together. Lyrically...not really for me, but the music & performance was enough to get this on my iPod.

Emperor Gum - Frequency
I didn't like the delivery of the word "again" in "She dares to dream again". The song also feels like it ends after the next line. On first listen I thought it did. It's a very peaceful sounding song, but I wouldn't really call it happy sounding. I get why the character is happy though, and I enjoyed your storytelling. The vocals were the best I've heard from you, and I've mentioned it before, you keep improving.

Bryce Jensen - Thank You
I was on the fence about this at the very beginning, but when I got to the first chorus I was sold. It got a laugh, and the whole idea of someone's plans of murder being spoiled over the victim unrepentantly dieing is great. The music feels like it needs something (what I wouldn't know), and it needs another verse. It's a great idea, so I wouldn't think it would be that hard to extend the story a little.

Menage' A Tune - Isn't It Nice
I really didn't care for the line, "They would punch me, they would trip me, stab their pens in my ass". This song is both dark & childlike, and having a curse word inserted simply to make the rhyme took me out of the childlike place for a minute. Overall this is the best thing I've heard from you so far. Until recently my favorite song was the first one you did. I'm glad you FINALLY decided to go out on your own, cause I think it's the only way you'll continue to get better. There may be bumps along the way, but leave the crutches alone from now on...you don't need them. I'm not bashing any of your previous collaborators with that comment. They've done some fine work, but fly away little birdie. PS: This is the first time the vocal performance gets a thumbs up from me.

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle - My Name Is Death
Since you submitted before Happi, you're SpinTunes first rapper, which I think is pretty cool. Your entry had things I liked, but often it didn't seem to flow well. In rap I hear that's not good. Lines like, "I got a job - one hell of a job / my job - is one that makes people sob" just weren't creative enough, and whenever I started getting into the song...another line would pop up that just didn't flow. There were positives. I liked the corny intro. The hook & idea were both fine as well. Solid first time entry, so I look forward to hearing more.

Tally Deushane - My Dead Goldfish
Very cute. It needed some sort of change of pace though, cause as you're listening you keep expecting something different & keep getting more of the same...which in turn makes it feel longer than it really is. I like your voice, and the idea is definitely creative. Makes me look forward to hearing what you come up with in the future rounds. Bonus points for the flush at the end.

The Offhand Band - All Over
It had a fairly clear story, and I don't have a problem with the music. Overall I struggled to get into this, and I'm not sure why. I think it's because I didn't get a feel for the character, or that I didn't care about him. There's a lot of story in a relatively short amount of time, and I think you blew through it before I could jump on board with it. At the end I would have just sang the chorus just once, cause it starts feeling too repetitive.

Matt And Donna - Lady On The Gray
I feel sorry for any judge who didn't read the extra info on the BandCamp page for this song. Cause if I hadn't, I would have been completely lost. Since I did read about the inspiration behind this song I'm not totally in the dark, but I still haven't read the book, so I'm sure a lot of the lyrics don't have the impact on me they could have on others. Musically & vocally it's very impressive, and I'm sure you would be much higher on my list had I read the book.

Glen Raphael - When You're Dead
Lyrically I enjoyed this, but musically this accapella track just never came together for me. This is one I'd like to hear again, but with instruments! As much as I liked the lyrics, I got a little bored listening toward the end.

The Boffo Yux Dudes - Marked For Death
Spoken word pieces don't usually hit my sweet spot. In Nur Ein 6 I think I knocked a lot of songs for having those. This could work with a little more verity, but as is it feels too repetitive. The music could pass as being happy, but the performance & lyrics didn't leave me happy. I actually liked the performance...just didn't seem happy.

Alexa Polasky - You Will Never Die
Ok...you do know there were 40+ songs to review this round right? *grumbles about the length* #Kidding Musically I enjoyed this a lot, and the breaths were pretty cool. The problem I personally had was with the lyrics. I generally like really detailed stories, and this lyrical style doesn't really lend itself to that. I'm not saying it was a bad idea, but it's just not something I'm usually into. Another noob with a solid first time entry.

Gold Lion - In The Afterlife
Lyrically I don't have a problem with what's there, unfortunately there just isn't much there. It has a good start & then I end up in the backyard having a cook out. I really didn't care for that decision. The music is cool, but I'm not so sure of the mix (I know NOTHING about recording). I say this because there are times when I think I hear a fine voice, and other times when it just doesn't come through clearly enough. I think this has a lot of promise, but I don't look at it as being finished...not by a long shot. Nice job for a first timer though.

Ethan Ivey - The Four-Year Itch
This seems odd to me. Lyrically I need more about this girl is so terrible to be married to, cause he seems to really love her. Musically it's ok, just repetitive & needs shakin' up someplace. The performance wasn't bad, but it did feel like you were going through the motions a bit, which is probably because the music is so repetitive. Not a bad entry, but it needs a little work. I would do more to this after the competition for sure.

Spencer Sokol - Keeping Calm
I never had a feel for what was going on lyrically. Not once. The guitar was nice & I enjoyed the 2nd half more than the 1st cause you let loose a little with the vocals. Again with the lyrics...you Denise Hudson'ed me.

Matt Walton - We're All Going To Die
The different sections of the song don't always flow together well, like right before the line "Maybe you'll be hit by a car tomorrow in Islington" it just stops for a half second. Lyrically it didn't really stand out for me. I like humor a lot...none there. If there's no humor, the story needs to pull me in...didn't do it. It really got off to a bad start for me lyrically. The first line "Life is such a difficult thing for me to do" sets up what I figured would be some examples of difficult challenges people face in life. What I got was "Do we go out or do I invite you in? / Would you like wine, or should I offer gin?"

Luke Brekke, Esquire - Cannibal
I needed this performance to be BIG. Musically it wasn't very interesting, and so it needed someone to sell it. Lyrically it didn't stand out for me, but there were a couple things I liked. I liked the idea cannibal idea, and I liked how you started listing what you would do with the different body parts. Didn't make me feel happy in the least though. You should also cut the last chorus, I didn't see the point of repeating it at the end.

Doom SKITTLE - A Better Place
This didn't sound happy at all. The vocals didn't sound inspired, and I didn't find anything clever about the lyrics. You didn't have to be funny to write a good song this round (look at Dr. Lindyke), but for a newbie I think you picked a direction that was way too tough for you at this point. At least borrow a uke...banjo...glockenspiel...something...anything that sounds a little bit happy if you attempt this challenge again.

Hudson And Day - Silly Baby
Ok...this is the 2nd time I've heard you 2 work together & the tech issues don't seem to have improved...at all. I believe Alyssa has a decent voice, but I've not heard much evidence of it. It sounds like she hooked up a tin can & string to an old tape recorder to get her audio. Nothing ever comes together in the song either. At first there seemed to be too much going on, and then at the end it seemed to just drift with no direction. I wish I could give you tech tips, but hell I need them myself.

SHADOW SONGS:
For those of you who don't know what a "Shadow Song" is, it's basically when someone turns in a song to SpinTunes...who isn't currently in the competition. Even though their song can't win, the song still gets put on the new album & played at the listening party.

For this first round we only had 2 people shadow intentionally...the others got eliminated by the round 1 deadline, and they turned their songs in late as shadow songs. I'm always happy to get shadows turned in, but I will start with the 2 people who planned to shadow.

Now to play Mr. Knowitall some more, when I've never even written a song for myself.

Mick Bordet - The Highland Coo Song
Starts off kinda sensual, and it's more than a little creepy. A song about a man pining to slaughter a cow & reap the rewards is more than a little funny. I didn't really care for the flute, I'd rather have gotten another verse there. The ending Moooooooo was funny.

Noah McLaughlin - Thank You, Joss Whedon
Like the song about a book I reviewed yesterday, this is a song that I'm just not going to get. I couldn't pick Joss Whedon out of a line-up, and I had to Wiki him to find out what he's done. I've never watched Buffy, Angel, or Dollhouse. I've only seen bits of Firefly, but I do own Dr. Horrible. Overall...if there's references to his work...I'm not going to get them. I did like the music, it was interesting & upbeat. Lyrically I know he died, came back, and you killed him again, but I can't say how well written it is since I'm ignorant of the topic. Toward the middle of the song it dragged a bit when you repeated "you came back" for awhile. Good shadow from what I can tell, it's a shame you didn't sign-up for the contest on time.

David Ritter - Requiem For Bob
Writing a sad song about a guy losing his wife, being afraid to die himself, then meeting death...is not happy. BUT, the idea of reminding the listener it's supposed to be happy cause of the banjo in the song...IS funny...and kinda meets the challenge. I liked this, but think it needs a lot more work lyrically. For example:

"In the night I went to her grave
I decided to be brave
I headed to the grave
The moon was shining bright

To visit my old lady
in the night"

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:

2011-06-25T00:08:00.002-04:00

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

SpinTunes #3 Round 1

So, SpinTunes 3 is off and running, and even though it's not as miserable and embarrassing as the weekly worthless that is Song Fight, I've taken it upon myself to do my best to say something mean about the entries in my revival of Negative Reinforcement. To be honest, it's going to hard to give most of these entries my special brand of motivation, but I'm going to try anyway, because Spin asked me to. Yeah -- blame him. Anyway, I have 45 songs to try to insult, so here's round 1 of Spintunes 3, with the challenge to write a happy song about death.

First, we're going to do the shadows. Why? Because, the shadows can't win the contest, so they're not the main event. And if you do them last, people will tune out before they get any attention, and that's not going to help you encourage people to contribute shadows. So you highlight them at the beginning, to make them legitimate features, as an incentive for people to WANT to shadow. Common sense.

Mick Bordet - The Highland Coo Song
This was a delightful surprise. The vocals need to be sharpened for the refrains, but I wish this was in on time to be a competitor. I wish there was more variety in the choruses, too, and maybe a third verse. But the concept is unique in the contest. But then, that's why I wish there was more to it. If you decide to improve on it, I'd like to hear the new version.

Noah McLaughlin - Thank You, Joss Whedon
First of all, fuck Joss Whedon. Fuck him right in the brain. As that may illustrate, I know nothing about Buffy or Angel. Because fuck Buffy. And fuck Angel. This likely means that your song is a bunch of references to the tv shows, and I'm not going to get any of them. So, fine, it's a novelty song that I can't get because it's based on crummy source material. The one thing I can tell you is the "you came back" part is seriously bullshit. I mean, that is tedious. Other than that, I'm not going to comment on a fan song about a franchise I know nothing about.

David Ritter - Requiem For Bob
The lyrical rhythm in this is all over the place. I can't understand it. And even the lyrics that fit the rhythm of the melody are REALLY weak. You had a decent idea with the banjo gimmick, but the lyrics are so damn broken, the whole song is ruined. The music is pretty simple, and there's nothing wrong with that in the least. But when your music is simple, ALL the focus is placed on the lyrics. And your lyrics are strewn about the music to the point it resembles a junk yard after a tornado: shit just landed fucking everywhere, and somebody needs to clean up the mess.

Heather Miller - Throw My Anchor
By the third verse, the redundancy of the melody had me wanting to skip the rest of it. I mean..there's really no reason to listen to this. There's no draw. If you think you can carry a song with ONLY a sung melody of lyrics, that's fine, go ahead and try. But the melody can't be one 6-note stretch, repeated over and over for two minutes. There has to be some level of pzazz, or nobody's going to stick around. And then you ended with doubling the refrain. Really? This is remarkably easy to zone out of and ignore. This would not exactly be ideal for a real entry.

Anna P - Jesus's Best Friend
A few of the lines in the chorus feel a little rushed to fit the music. Other than that, it's a nice song. I don't really have anything bad to say, so...next?

Donutworthy - Signal
I'm really not 100% clear on what's going on here, but it SEEMS like the entire planet has been destroyed, save for the small group that escaped in a spacecraft. But I'm not sure what signal died, or why that's good. And maybe it doesn't matter, and I'm missing the point. I really don't know. And although I do like the core music, I'm also not totally hip to the doubling effect of the vocals. It's not bad, I guess, but it's a little distracting, not knowing which one to focus on. Also, you guys have a terrible band name.

Green Mama Bathsalts - See You In Hell
O.k., never mind. Donutworthy is a silly name. THIS is a terrible name. That said...the song's not nearly as bad as your name. Honestly, I'm at a loss. There's really nothing to complain about here, but not anything all that worthy of praise. It's basically lettuce. There's no nutritional value, but it's not going to hurt anything.

******

And now, with the Shadows out of the way, we can officially begin the official entries! So, let's not waste any time and get right into it!

Governing Dynamics - Alive Again
This is definitely the single most upbeat thing I've ever heard from Governing Dynamics. I find it a little ironic that the first song he's written that hasn't depressed me into suicidal contemplation is a song about the joy of killing other people. But it's still a toe-tapper, and if you're not careful, you may actually find yourself singing along after a few listens -- and hopefully drowning him out.

Gold Lion - In The Afterlife
"In The Afterlife" starts off with some impressively groovy riffs. It's apparently supposed to carry the concept that the afterlife is the equivalent of an eternal party, which isn't bad idea, really. But the chorus consists of virtually one line, and where there should be a 2nd verse, we get nothing but a repetition of "sha la la". That's pretty damn lazy, I don't care who you are. And beyond that, when you put it together that the singer is only fifteen, but the song sounds like something being sung by a wasted stripper in the lighthearted talking-to-the-pimp-in-a-titty-bar scene of a buddy cop movie... It just feels... weird.

Dr. Lindyke - Wake Me When It's Over
I want to put it out there that this is not a bad song. BUT. The title is "Wake Me When It's Over", which is a completely brilliant title and should be a brilliant hook. But it's not used as a hook. And not only that, a title like that sounds like the song should be upbeat and saying, "Don't think of this as a funeral, think of it as a going away party! Drink it up and have a good time, and maybe we'll party again in another life!" But it's not like that at all. Sure, it's a reassuring song that he's o.k. and there's life after death, but the hook is "It's Never Over". That works just as well as a title, and really should have BEEN the title. I feel like "Wake Me When It's Over" is brilliant title tacked onto the wrong song.

Alexa Polasky - You Will Never Die
O.k. I don't have anything against the music here, really. It's a little redundant, maybe, but it's not offensive. My problem is the chorus which reads as follows: You will never die / And if you do / It only gets better / In death you'll come alive / You'll see when you're there / It only gets better

Well...yes, everyone dies, so the first line is just silly. But aside from that, it just doesn't work with ANYTHING ELSE in the chorus. You'll never die, but if you do (which immediately negates "you'll never die") it only gets better. Well, how is it reassuring that I'll never die, if dying means I'll only get better? If I'm withering from cancer, and you tell me I'll never die, but that if I did, I'd only be better off...I'd fucking punch you. How dare you tease me about my shitty immortality, when you and the rest of the world are blessed with the sweet release of all-improving death? You selfish fuck! And the second half, "in death you'll come alive, you'll see when you're there"? How bitchy can you get? "Death is so great, you'll understand when you die. Oh, that's right; you will never die. I forgot. MY BAD."

Yeah, maybe I'm being a dick, here, but I'm not the one writing self-negating lyrics. Yes, I realize the song is supposed to be reassuring that there is an afterlife and all that, but that's not the point. The point is MAKE SENSE.

The Offhand Band - All Over
I'm told there is a murmur about this being an enormous Beatles rip off. But I don't know anything about the Beatles, so I don't know anything about that. In fact, fuck the Beatles. What I will say is that the drums are way too quiet. I will also say that the music sounds...incomplete. Like there are supposed to be other tracks or instruments. It's just not all there. Also, there are only two real lines for the chorus: "When it's over, you can finally just be" and "When it's over, you can finally be free". That is retarded. If you're going to rhyme "be" and "free", why do you have them side by side in that second line? Doesn't it make more sense, both in rhyme and functionality, for the second line to just be "When it's over, you are finally free"? The answer is yes. Also, fade-outs are fucking stupid.

Matt Walton - We're All Going To Die
So, here's a song that reminds everyone, nonstop, that you're going to fucking die. HAPPY SONG! Granted, he does have a bridge that suddenly says "Oh, let's enjoy our life now, because you don't know how long you'll be here!" Except...that's about enjoying your life. And the challenge was to write a happy song ABOUT DEATH. And this isn't that. This is an annoyingly bland song on a plain old annoying instrument, that just rubs your face in your mortality, and then tries to switch at the end and tell you to live happily -- like you never fucking thought of that in the first place. So, let's see: bland, annoying, condescending and didn't meet the challenge. Next.

Brian Daniell - Cubbies Will Win
Sometimes, movies will take their name from a single, offhand bit of dialogue in the finished script. Things like that bug the hell out of me, because a single line of dialogue does not carry the weight that titles require. Titles should be ideas that are driven home, not throw away lines. And this song gets its title from one line that does not carry the weight of the overall concept. I like the attempt at the specific sound, and the lyrical pattern is unique in the challenge. Hell, I even think it works in the song's favor that they sound like they recorded live in their living room. But this is another song that had a pretty obvious choice for a title that it skipped over, and it's not even a song that's good enough for an "artsy" title. This is album filler at best.

Byron Blocker & The Offbeats
When I hear this, I think of that shitty Grindhouse movie. The one that wasn't "Deathproof". I'm not sure why, but probably because that movie thought it was clever and good, and it was...void of both of those things. All this song gets across is some chick is dead, and the singer is glad. That's fucking all. The music's not bad, but...I like my songs to have content? And this just... Doesn't.

Edric Haleen - I Hope You Die
O.k., my only legitimate complaint: In the opening 4 lines, he rhymes "by" with "bye" and "by". That's my only problem, and when compared to the entirety of the song, it's petty nitpicking. Edric is one of the reasons I didn't want to do this sort of review with SpinTunes: I can't rip him apart, because his shit is always made with effort and thought and talent and stuff. How am I supposed to work with that?

Charlie McCarron - Grandma And Grandpa
I think this a big ol' metaphor. I say "I think", because I really have no idea. It's slow and ambient, and it's literally about an elderly couple leaving a goodbye note to anyone who might come by to find it, and then go out on their boat...forever, I guess. So, I'm hoping the boat is a metaphor for being dead, because otherwise he missed that part of the challenge. But if it is, then that means Grandma and Grandpa killed themselves, because they left the note about it together. That is incredibly NOT happy, especially since no reason was given for the suicides. That leads me to think they were just miserable with how terribly old they were and decided to off themselves, and maybe the boat is because they drowned together on purpose. So, yeah...old couple is fed up with being old, and willfully drown themselves. ...Happy song?

Spencer Sokol - Keeping Calm
Here's another one that doesn't sound all that happy. In fact, the singer sounds downright defiant. But that's not really fair, because I'm not even sure what the song is actually about. It's very likely that I'm missing the obvious story being told here, but it's currently going right over my head. It's also likely that Spencer is a terrible lyricist -- I don't know! I'm only saying! But that's the problem with this song: I just don't know.

Luke Brekke, Esquire - Cannibal
I am aware that this is another teenager. So I'm going to try to say this as gently as I can, because I don't want to scare anyone away from SpinTunes before I know they're this bad all the time. Unless your name is Edric Haleen, you don't need to focus on all of your rhymes being perfect. When you get lenient on your rhymes, you get more room for creative flow. That means you can tell an interesting story. Also, you may want to take the church organ and burn it. And percussion is always nice. A lot of songwriters use drum loops, and you can even write your own with the right program. Or just...anything! Jesus, this was so void of life. There was no rhythm at all, and I don't just mean percussion. The droning organ was just held chords, there were no other instruments helping it out for timber or pacing, and it was just fucking DULL. I'm sorry, I tried to be nice, but come on. Entertain me, don't fucking bore me. HOW DO YOU MAKE CANNIBALISM BORING?!

"BucketHat" Bobby Matheson - No Worries
Hey, a happy song about death. Neat. I'm not sure the guitar part TOTALLY jives with rest of the mix, but I think it can be easily fixed. I think a few more hours of fine tuning, and BHB will have another Marconi in his back pocket. And if you don't know what that means, you should be ashamed for not knowing your "BucketHat" Bobby.

Alex Carpenter - The Day I Die
If radio stations played fun, good, entertaining music, this would be on every station's playlist. The replay value here is very high, and even though I fucking hate zombies, I can totally get behind this song and give it a thumbs up for quality. But I'm back to praising people instead of insulting them, so let's move onto someone I CAN talk down to...

Inverse T. Clown - Caroline Is Dead
Well, I didn't say anything about rumored connection between the entry from The Offhand band and material from The Beatles, so I won't talk about how embarrassed I hope you are for shamelessly pandering to one of the judges. Instead, I'll focus on the song itself, which doesn't seem to care what ANY of the judges think. In fact, I must admit, it did make me laugh -- not in the way I laugh at something funny, like Edric's song, but still, I laughed. Mostly, I was trying to figure out if you sound more like Jeff Anderson or Barney Rubble. Maybe go back to that phony "generically pleasant pop voice" you used to use. Just a thought.

Jutze - I Love The Dead
Any time Ive reviewed Jutze, I've mentioned how completely unimpressed I am by his work. But there are two things that make this song stand out. First, the third line of the first verse actually got a chuckle out of me. Secondly, at the end of the last verse there are two lines that say "I can give you silence - I can give you thunder / Either way you'll end up six feet under". Now, I'm not going to say I have any idea what that really means. But when I heard that, I instantly had a mental image of Raiden burying a coffin. And the idea of Raiden having a remedial caretaker job at a cemetery, and only Thunder Godding on the weekends, is highly entertaining to me. And then I listened to the song again, this time imagining Raiden singing the song to himself, while toiling in a graveyard, German accent and everything. And that makes this song about 100 times better.

Godz Poodlz - Wake At The Sunnyside
Eeeeeeeh. This is not my favorite offering from The Pood. And it certainly rides the fence on being a song about death. But it's definitely upbeat, and carries that false charm of any salesman, which is the point. Beyond that, there's really not much for me to say, especially here. It's not amazing, but it's far from bad. It's just in that "average song" area. I hope for something a bit bigger in Round 2.

Tally Deushane - My Dead Goldfish
Everything about this is wrong, and I hate you. I mean, I don't know you, as a person, but I just have this impulse, when hearing this, that I want to knock the ukelele out of your hands, smack you in the mouth and then taser you before you can ask who I am. That's what you've done to me. Nothing about this is amusing, or funny, or clever, or charming, or even genuinely entertaining. You're glad an animal died. An animal that depended on you for survival, and never did you any harm. And yes, it's a stupid fucking fish with nearly no brain and likely no sentient thought or emotion. But you took life into your home as if it were a material thing, and then found it too inconvenient, and now you're glad an animal is dead. Comedy relies on absurdity, and this is not absurd. It's just cold.

And besides the shitty concept, your lyrical rhythm is complete crap, and you're using a lone ukelele. It's like you're running an experiment to see how many ways you can irritate me, and I've never even met you. You're like Michael Bay, minus the suave.

Ethan Ivey - The Four-Year Itch
I can totally get behind the originality of the setup and delivery of this, even if it's arguably musically redundant. It could definitely go with more variation, a pick-up in the tempo, and more instruments. But the biggest suggestion I could make, is to really SING it. It sounds like you're trying to not bother someone on the other side of the room. Like they're doing a Sudoku, and you don't want to distract them with your song about possibly serial uxoricide. Fuck their oriental numbers game, sing that shit! Happily!

Matt And Donna - Lady On The Gray
What the... Is this... Is this poetry? REAL poetry?? I'm stunned. I don't usually have to handle real poetry in these reviews. I think... I think I need to go lie down. Thank you.

Ross Durand - No Taxes
I am seriously torn on this song. Ross Durand is one of the few things from Song Fight that doesn't suck for air. And with the Python reference, I wanted to say I was sold on this song. Here's a guy who strikes me as predominantly "country", and I just found it stunning that he was a Python fan. But... Three times in this song... He uses the phrase "my erection". And I'm not sure it works. I mean, I'm sure his erection works -- I mean, I would ASSUME his erection works, I can't say for SURE. And I don't want to know! I'm just not sure that it fits. I mean the line. I'm not sure it fits the tone of the song. It might just be the image I have of Ross and his music, but when he says "my erection", it just kind of sticks out. There is no good way to talk about this.

Menage' A Tune - Isn't It Nice
Musically, this sounds like someone opened a jewelry box. That's not bad, I guess, that's just the first reaction I had. And while it is funny that the chorus ends without a rhyme, and the not-rhyme is an intended punchline, I doubt most people will get that far. In fact, "jewelry box" is wrong. This sounds like a lullaby. And if you zone out the words, it'll definitely put you to sleep.

Glen Raphael - When You're Dead
I'm about to really hit this guy, so let me say right now: I don't hate Glen. I really like some of his stuff -- I wish there was an extended version of his song "Big In Japan", because I think it's that enjoyable. This, however... Man. This is like, in horror movies, when the monster shows up and has three or four different voices when it talks. These aren't harmonies -- It's almost like he recorded every track separately, but wasn't listening to any of them while recording the next. And it's really disappointing, because I'm a big fan of a cappella music, and apparently Glen fucking hates it. I get the feeling, when he was a baby, his parents would dangle the car keys above him, to make them jingle. And baby Glen would reach up and grab them all. Because it certainly seems that ONE KEY IS JUST NOT ENOUGH.

Doom SKITTLE - A Better Place
Holy fuck. This is about as enjoyable as running my own hand thru a manual meat grinder. The guitar is lame and uninspired. The lyrics...a kid dies in his sleep, and an ancestor he doesn't even recognize comes to receive him. His ancestor is also "sorry to say" that the kid died and is now in the afterlife. Why? Why is he sorry? HE then says there's no evil or fear, and it's a better place, so why, why, why is he sorry?? And in the bridge, it says, "You may be sad that you are gone / You weren't even warned before the dawn". O.k. But he's not gone, he's right fucking there! And yes, I know what the author meant, but I also know what he wrote. And fine, I'll let that weirdness slide, but that second part? He wasn't warned before the dawn? So fucking what?? What the hell happened at dawn? Is dawn when he died? Because I thought he died in the night, while sleeping! Which means he WAS told about his death before dawn BECAUSE IT'S FUCKING NIGHT! "A Better Place?" How about A BETTER SONG?!

And you know what? I'm not even talking about the vocals. Because there fucking aren't any.

Wait WHAT - Death: Everyone's Doing It!
This is not funny. This is slow, lazily written, and poorly sung. Basically, this is completely unmotivated and a waste of everyone's time. Seriously, you're singing it like it's a fucking chore. If YOU aren't even interested in the song, why would anyone ELSE give a damn about it? Speed it up, put effort into the lyrics, and cut the cringe-worthy rap. Really...That rap...wow. I can appreciate a change-up in a song for effect, but my god. That helped you out just a little less than cutting off your own tongue. Which I might suggest, actually, as it would prevent similar ventures of painful performance.

Steve Durand - Die Happy
This song really stands out. It's a unique style, and yeah, some people might call the verse music repetitive, but I don't care. It's a vaudevillian ride that knows exactly what it is. It's also the only song that mentions an epitaph, which I find incredible. And he uses it as a truly uplifting hook. In fact, I'd say this song's hook is downright empowering. He doesn't have the super studio sound of guys like Alex Carpenter or Jason Morris, but that's not what this contest is about. I could speed this song up a bit, but it's really fine the way it is. If Steve doesn't get into Round Two, I'll be disappointed.

Jason "Aria" Morris - Burning For You
Another thing I expected a lot of was suicide songs -- especially from Governing Dynamics. But all the songs from the POV of a dying person were people who were just vaguely dying. Jason, however, went bold and in this song, he's killing himself to get the attention of his heart's desire and show her how much she means to him -- his very existence. Some people are suggesting it's not a "happy" song. But you know what? He sounds determined and in love, so what's happier than that? Besides, if you think Zarni De Wet wrote a sequel to "Stacy's Mom", I really don't want to hear to open your stupid fucking mouth about this -- or anything else -- not meeting a challenge requirement.

Caleb Hines - Haven't You Ever
I heard a rumor that Caleb was going for a Weird Al feel with the music here, and if that's true, he hit it outta the park. This is very middle-run Weird Al in style. However, I don't think the choruses have the punch they should, and I think most of the jokes could be better. I don't dislike the song; the concept is particular, and it stands out very well. But I feel like there's a lot of potential in the lyrics that just fell really flat.

Bryce Jensen - Thank You
The lead is perfectly fine. The harmonies are not. It sounds like Bryce dicked around until the last minute and then produced this on the last day, just so I wouldn't run up to his house, beating on his front door and screaming "BALLDROPPER" at the top of my lungs.

Like with Caleb, I think there's high potential for a song from this concept -- more potential, even. But that's because there's less song here. I hope Bryce keeps working on this after SpinTunes is over, and develops it into a bigger, better composition. I also hope he sticks around...to shadow the next 3 rounds.

Pat And Gweebol - Baby Go To Sleep
This is...pretty. I can't really say anything else about it right now.

The Boffo Yux Dudes - Marked For Death
Let's start by pointing out that this song is basically not about anything. It's a guy telling the Grim Reaper to go away. (I think.) We then must take out the lyrics about dying during sex, because they're very specific and the rest of the song is not. But even then, you're left with a VERY strange rant from an English person telling Death to just take a hike. Yes, this takes fortitude, but...why? Really, what the hell is going on? It sort of has a bridge section, which makes it feel like it's building toward something, but then it just repeats a few stanzas it already used, including the one that doesn't belong in the song.

I'll also point out that since the guy is denying that it's his time to die, it's not really happy. He doesn't even die, but since Death appears as a character, and that wasn't listed as against the rules, I'll not only count it, but commend them for creativity. But he doesn't want to go and is trying to avoid it. It's just not a happy song.

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle - My Name Is Death
I'm sure I've made fun of this guy before. Over at that crapfest, Song Fight. But you know what? He got me. I made fun of him in Song Fight, and I shouldn't have. He's clearly fucking with us. He's a musical troll. Nobody would make this kind of thing for real. This has to be a joke. It's just plain too motherfucking void of brain power to be written by someone who expects us to take it seriously. Clever work, Young Muscle Stroke. I see what you did there.

Chris Cogott - Drag Me Down
Chris wins.

Happi - The Next Part Of Life
This is really hard to focus on. You don't stay with your beat. You force lyrics to fit the time, instead of writing lyrics to go WITH the time... It's just clunky and sloppy. The chant sections about atheists and beliefs are brutal. And not in a Nathan Explosion way, in a "man this is hard to listen to" way. The worst part is that this is supposed to be serious and heavy. And it's just...really, really weak.

Emperor Gum - Frequency
First: This is absolutely the best recording I've heard from Emperor Gum, and probably the most intricately orchestrated. But this is patricide...and we're given ZERO information about WHY she's killing her father. Yeah, he sounds a little strict, but we barely have any insight on that. All we know is she's moping about doing what she's told, and then snuffs her old man by asphyxiation. She kind of sounds like a psychopath, and we don't even know if she WANTS to kill him. She may just be a crazy murdering sleeper cell that doesn't have any control over her actions. I dunno, it doesn't seem specifically happy. Maybe she killed someone else, and dad freaked when he found out? And he tried to protect her, and said, "I'm not calling the cops, because I want to protect you, but you have to stay here, don't go kill any more people." And what does she do? She kills him. And now she's out, free to roam the city, and you're probably fucking next. Not so happy NOW, huh?

I'm only saying, I'm on the fence about this one meeting the challenge.

Jon Eric - Birthday
Halfway thru the 2nd verse, I'm no longer sure of the timeline, here. I thought the singer had been taken to heaven, but then he's back in the bar and watches his body die. And I'm sure how to take the final verse at all. I know there's a message there, but I don't get it. Other than that, it's a pretty average song. It's not stellar, but it's nothing I can really bitch about.

Hudson And Day - Silly Baby
I have never been presented as a fan of Denise Hudson's style. I can appreciate that other people appreciate it, but that's about as far as I go. And I can appreciate collaborations and partnerships. But I'm going to be as honest as I can here: this is not a song. There is piano riffing, yes. And there are two people singing things. But none of these three things are connected. I can't hear fucking ANY of the words, because one of these two appears to have recorded her vocals via webcam, and both vocals were just thrown at the song, as if Jackson Pollack were a music producer. A deaf music producer. With no hands.

There's just nothing here. I have no idea what this is. Don't do this again.

******

Well, that's just about as negative as I can get on the first round of SpinTunes 3, and I didn't even complain about how stupid the challenge is to begin with. Great call, judges. But, I'm out for now. See everybody at Round Two!

(Normally people seem to put the disclaimers at the bottom, but this should probably go up top...and in bold. Sammy's reviews do not reflect that of Spintown's, and have no influence over the contest whatsoever. The over the top reviews in Sammy's "NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT" series aren't meant to be 'constructive', and you should read the sub title. If you think he's picking on you...just read the reviews he wrote for the others...he can be an equal opportunity ass. - Spin)

Noah McLaughlin Reviews SpinTunes 3 Round 1

2011-06-24T21:47:00.002-04:00

Spintro:
As most of you know I follow another songwriting contest called Song Fight. It's a lot different than SpinTunes, and there are things I like & dislike about it. Overall it's a great site, and it's got a great community that centers around the Song Fight forums. One of the things I really like about the community is that they review each other. When a new fight is uploaded a review thread is started, and anyone is welcome to post reviews. I know you all like getting feedback, and I'd suggest that if you want more of it, you should give more of it.

Noah McLaughlin (Song Fighter) wrote up some reviews today, and decided to send them to me. Being new to SpinTunes, he was probably a little unsure of what to do with them, so he gave them to me. If anyone wants to review round 1 (or future rounds) you have 2 options.

1. You can post them in the comments of the Round 1 Songs post over on SpinTunes.

2. You can post them on your own website, and send me the link. I will then post a link to the reviews in the Round 1 Songs post.

I'll stop the rambling now...onto Noah's reviews of SpinTunes 3 Round 1. Remember, these are Noah's opinions, and do not reflect the views of Spintown.

Noah's Review:
Objectivity is a myth in criticism of any kind - music, movies, politics or which value meal you’re going to buy. I don’t pretend to hold songs to any golden standard or single ideal. The following are more lists of what strikes me as I listen, good (+++), bad (---) and otherwise (///). My personal reactions are the point of departure for these reviews and I’m happy to develop my ideas via email if you have questions: njm148 ‘round yahoo way.

I’ve treated normal and shadow songs alike. Reviews are arranged in alphabetical order for ease of finding your individual entry. (Bands by first name, individuals by last).

Just an open question: why are so many men killing off women (or wishing their women were dead)? Seriously:

Bryan Blocker & the Offbeats
Inverse T. Clown
Governing Dynamics
Eric Haldeen
Caleb Hines
Ethan Ivey
Bryce Jensen (this is a toss up, since the victim’s gender is unspecified)

6 1/2 songs out of 37 is a not-insignificant number.

Bryan Blocker & The Offbeats
+++ 100% channelling Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave is a fast way to win with me +++
+++ great way to make such a very dark take musically “happy” +++
/// the feminist in me does have some reservations about the lyric - what DID she do to make her hate her so? ///

The Boffo Yux Dudes
--- talking vox and fake snarkiness ---
+++ guitar tone +++
--- gets samey ---

Mike Bordet
+++ LOL chorus +++
--- ew chorus ending; i have to go wash out my brain now ---
/// verse vox are a little hot; pull back the gain ///

Luke Brekke, Esquire
--- bad mic = muddy vox prone to popped plosives ---
--- boring synth sounds ---
--- obvious glossing of lyric meaning isn’t witty ---

Alex Carpenter
+++ RAWK !!!! +++
+++ unsettling story +++
/// the only thing this doesn’t have going for it is that it isn’t happy ///
+++ nice step-up for the chorus +++
--- last verse loses the prosody ---

Chris Cogott
+++ rock +++
+++ nice change of aural pace / tone from the intro to the verse +++
+++ channels the Beach Boys for the chorus +++
+++ nice: mermaids without the usual pirate references +++

Common Lips
+++ nice military tone with the music +++
--- off-key, uncertain vox kill the complicated harmonies you’re looking for ---

Brian Daniell
/// live recording is an interesting aesthetic choice ///
/// this would be a really great duet ///
+++ fun and really nice instrumentation and arrangement +++

Donutworthy
+++ intro +++
--- doppler vox FX is distracting ---
--- most tones sound like they’re coming from very different sonic places ---

Tally Deushane
+++ very cute idea and a fantastic punchline +++
/// i’m familiar with lots of your work from FAWM; i’d love to hear more of your stuff more fully fleshed out ///
+++ the enjambement is a nice touch … +++
--- but it’s tiring on the ear ---
/// the prechorus is rhythmically clunky ///

Ross Durand
+++ guitar tone +++
+++ toe tappin’ melody +++
+++ dynamics +++

Steve Durand
+++ great performance and arrangement: this really makes me want to dance +++
/// like Menage a Tune (see below), your melody is predictable ///
+++ break down: “shuffle off this mortal coil” +++

Emperor Gum
+++ at last, a good revenge song and from a female perspective +++
--- “again” ---
--- not really happy ---
/// bridge is ambitious but not very well realized ///

Jon Eric
+++ background vox harmonies +++
+++ only four chords +++
/// uplifting message, but not really “happy” ///
+++ Jon Eric Fake Ending [tm] +++

Gold Lion
+++ great groove +++
+++ lovely rich vox +++
--- slightly plastic tone and sloppy rhythm to the guit ---
/// neat idea but lyrically underdeveloped ///
/// this is one of those kinds of songs that you play int he background at a party: not much depth or meaning, but a good melody and nice sounds ///

Governing Dynamics
+++ guitar tones +++
+++ fantastic production values +++
+++ fun poppy tune +++
/// i would emphasize the difference of the “responding” vox more ///

Godz Poodlz
+++ jingle for a funeral home - awesome concept +++
/// alas, it’s rather long for a one-trick pony ///
--- key-change: predictable and poorly executed ---

Green Mama Bathsalts
/// reverb + EQ makes it all sound plastic ///
+++ catchy little tune +++
--- a few prosody / rhythm issues to resolve in the second verse ---

Edric Haleen
/// full up-front disclaimer: I really don’t like show tunes; they have to be awesome to wow me ///
+++ this is pretty awesome : the verse about gong out is classic +++
--- I wish this instruments weren’t so synthesized ---

Happi
--- guitar tone ---
--- bad genre mash up … ---
+++ gets much better at second verse +++
--- blatant self-reference = fail ---
+++ heavy metal is a better genre segue +++

Caleb Hines
--- another “yay my wife is dead” song ---
+++ backing choir in the chorus +++
--- nasally vox ---

Hudson And Day
+++ piano tone +++
--- this comes across as two disparate performances of the same tune ---
--- shouting on the piano vox ---

Inverse T. Clown
+++ vox harmonies +++
+++ very funny +++
/// i don’t like “i hate women” songs ///

Ethan Ivey
--- thin voice ---
--- thin instrumentation ---
/// mediocre production ///
--- another: “my wife/women is dead, let’s celebrate!” song ---

Bryce Jensen
--- another “my wife is dead song.” sort of ---
+++ wood chipper line +++

Jutze
+++ HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! funniest, happiest tune in the round +++
+++ love the nicely panned and EQ’d guits +++
+++ your voice isn’t very strong, but you work it very well in this tune +++

Dr. Lindyke
/// piano-bar music ///
--- not musically happy (read: up-beat) until the very end ---
/// Johnny Cash’s “Meet me in Heaven” has you beat ///
+++ nice production +++

“Buckethat” Bobby Matheson
+++ nice melody +++
+++ good dynamics +++
+++ love the accordion +++
--- the lyric is really dumb ---

Matt And Donna
+++ back vox “aahs” & oohs” +++
+++ melody +++
--- pretty, but not really happy ---
/// very, very pretty, but i have nto idea what this is about ///

Charlie McCarron
+++ love the reverb-lush vibe +++
+++ after a close look at the lyrics, this is a tremendously moving vignette; kinda of courageous, really, in its own way +++

Noah McLaughlin
/// c’est moi ///
--- various percussion issues --- (most of which have since been fixed: http://noahmclaughlin.bandcamp.com/track/sunnydale-wake)
+++ Buffy is always awesome +++
+++ dynamics +++
/// don’t know how well the hand claps work ///

Menage a Tune
+++ the instrumentation and sinister narrative are a nice pairing +++
--- ¾ is a refreshing, but your melody is very predictable ---
/// why the harsh EQ of the vox ? ///

Heather Miller
+++ good vocal performance +++
--- bad hand clapping performance ---
/// this needs a lush, full gospel choir to back it ///

Jason Morris
+++ rock! +++
+++ chorus +++
+++ everything is awesome about this song: production, arrangement, performance, melody, prosody, appropriate approach to title and challenge. this is the definition of “Full of Win” +++

The Offhand Band
--- nasally, thin vox ---
--- nearly out-of-control music that is sloppy rather than vibrant ---
--- wordy ---
--- blatant Beatle’s rip-off rather than insightful homage ---

Pat And Gweebol
+++ lead vox are a little thick; pull back that gain and shave off the reverb +++
+++ duet! +++
+++ really great Romeo and Juliette adaptation +++

Anna P
+++ neat idea +++
--- lyrics lack prosody and a solid rhythm ---
/// why is the guitar hard-panned left? ///

Alexa Polasky
+++ breathy percussion +++
+++ i appreciate the haiku like minimalism of the verse +++
/// i would like the chorus to rock out more ///
--- outstays its welcome a little: 5:00 is long for this limited a sonic palette ---

Glen Raphael
+++ beat box & spoons +++
/// would still like a full band to kick in for the chorus ///
+++ vox harmonies +++
--- ending bits just kind of drags on ---

David Ritter
--- self-reference with the banjo; not an entire fail, but it’s pretty facile ---
+++ this is a great little tune +++
/// i know this melody from somewhere; most of it, anyway : which hymn did you use? ///

Doom SKITTLE
--- muddy guitar tone ---
--- out of kilter playing ---
--- melody that wanders all over the place ---

Spencer Sokol
--- it all sounds of out of tune ---
--- nasally vox ---
//// they get better when you put more “oomph” behind them ///

Matt Walton
+++ ukes are an automatically happy instrument +++
/// their simplicity demands a lot of everything else in the arrangement ///
+++ lyrics: happy melody with dark (but philosophically uplifting) ideas +++
--- the evil laught [tm] at the end is unnecessary, did you think you had to make this nice little song a joke? ---

Wait What
+++ funny title +++
--- self-reference = metafail ---
+++ chorus +++

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle
--- you need to read some Terry Pratchet and take some notes ---
--- rhythm ---

Other Updates I Posted Today:

Everything Is A Remix: Part 3

2011-06-22T20:27:00.002-04:00

I love this series by Kirby Ferguson, and if you haven't seen the first 2 episodes you should check them out. (Part 1 & Part 2)

The Song Club

2011-06-18T15:36:00.003-04:00

Ben Davila (one of the judges in SpinTunes #3) runs his own songwriting club. I've mentioned The Song Club before, and for the current challenge he's offering cash prizes. For those of you that have finished your SpinTunes 3 Round 1 song already...you might want to look into this.

First prize is $100
Second prize will be $75
Third Prize will be $50
Fourth Place will be $25

To find out all the details, click --> HERE.

YouTube Treasure Hunt #25

2011-06-17T09:26:00.005-04:00

I know it's been over a week since I posted on the home page. I kinda felt burned out after being an alternate judge in Nur Ein 6, while at the same time planning SpinTunes #3 (that's my songwriting competition). With Nur Ein over with, and most of SpinTunes planned out, hopefully I'll get back into my groove soon. Pimping the contest, getting special guest judges lined up for each round, and all the other little things just have me less than excited about blogging. Ok...so maybe playing MineCraft on Zack Scott's server is taking up some time as well... :p I should be in a new video today or Saturday.

If you don't know how these hunts work, you can find the RULES <-- here. In short, this is the one time of the month I REALLY go out of my way to find unknown talent on YouTube. I sift through the crap, to bring you folks with potential. Sometimes I end up subscribing the people I find & they get featured on the "Songs Of The Day" page on a regular basis.

Anyways...if you like any of these videos, please visit the individual channels to check out more. I'll probably post some of the ones that just missed the cut on the "Songs Of The Day" page over the next week or so.

Becoming by Kyan Kuatois (786 subs)

kyankuatois & @kyanmusic
Yesteryear by Teresa Zimmermann (2 subs)

tzimmermann1
To Get To You by Jared W. Gallamore (3 subs)

JWGallamore
My Friend by Adam Martin (2,265 subs)

adammartintv & @adammartinmusic
You Make Me Feel Allright by Nicolas Beyer, Ludovic delaere & Frank Franowsky (515 subs)

TherealBrandon
Firefly by Mariah YJ & Jared Anderson (2,778 subs)

MariahYJ & @MariahYJ @JMHAnderson
Goodbye Sunshine by Shilo Andrews (4 subs)

ShiloAndrews1

Nur Ein 6: Round 7 Review

2011-06-07T06:01:00.002-04:00

If you want to download any of the songs I'm reviewing in this post, there's a link to the Nur Ein site in my sidebar. Check it out for free music. In this round the title was "Last Call", and the artists had no additional challenges.

If you didn't follow Nur Ein...shame on you. It's been a great contest, and the 2 finalist have really earned the right to compete for the title of Nur Ein champion in this final round. I've been the alternate judge for the entire contest. That means if a regular judge flakes, my scores & reviews are used in the place of the missing judge. So sometimes my scores were used in the contest, and sometimes they weren't. This is the only round I've known in advance that my scores will affect the outcome. So lets get to it...

The Worldly Self Assurance - I can't point to anything about this that I dislike or would change. At the same time I don't feel it's your best song of the contest. I think it's good, the music is fun, but I'm not really caring for the central character in this song. Don't know why.

Paco del Stinko - In this song I did care about the character & the story being told. However the vocals let this song down when it slows down in the middle. It's still a good song, but I'm now left with 2 good songs with a single flaw. Which will I vote for? In the spirit of Nur Ein...I'm not telling. :p

The Song A Day Welcome Song

2011-06-02T13:19:00.004-04:00

If you visit this blog, you probably already know about Jonathan Mann writing a song every day. But you can watch him do it LIVE all this month. Here's the first song he did for this month.

Mink Car Cover

2011-06-01T12:25:00.004-04:00

So there's this chick named Blue (almost as good as yellow) who put together a really cool They Might Be Giants cover album for charity. The details are mentioned in the video below, and you can Pre-Order The Album on the BandCamp page. Aside from being a fan of most of the artists involved, I've had some interaction with a few of them. For instance I'm the guy the brentalfloss song "Good Example" is about, Jonathan Mann wrote the Spintown Theme Song (Welcome To Spintown) & Mike Lombardo is getting ready to judge the 3rd edition of my songwriting contest SpinTunes #3 (sign-ups are still going on). I'm really excited too see how this cover CD turns out, and you should give it a look.

Nur Ein 6: Round 6 Review

2011-05-31T06:52:00.003-04:00

If you want to download any of the songs I'm reviewing in this post, there's a link to the Nur Ein site in my sidebar. Check it out for free music. In this round the title was "Kids", and the artists were not allowed to use real instruments.

The Worldly Self Assurance - Did a good job of holding my interest musically throughout considering the limitations this round. Lyrically I enjoyed it as well. Very strong entry, well done.

Paco del Stinko - Couldn't agree more. I'll be sending this to my old boss at the daycare. In a round where not much stood out, the humor in this will help you in my eyes.

Merisan - I'm sorry, but I'm starting to think this vocalist could sing anything & I'd like it. Thought it was sweet, and catchy. Didn't really stand out...but it was good.

Ross Durand - I liked the pacing of this, and kitchen stuff kinda sounded like wind chimes...that was cool. Is this about a movie or something? Sounds familiar, but something I hadn't seen in maybe a loooong time.

Manhattan Glutton - Hey now, I like Fox News...anyways... I thought the music was pretty creative, but didn't really get into the lyrics. They weren't bad, but it's a slow paced song that didn't have anything lyrically that grabbed me to keep me into it.

Song Fight Review: Bag Of Bones

2011-05-30T06:38:00.005-04:00

The last challenge over at Song Fight was titled "Who Said I'm Dead", and my favorite entry was from Longfellow Street. This time the fight wasn't even close. Longfellow Street dominated with 51 votes. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round. My picks are listed below:

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Young Stroke aka Young Muscle - This made me laugh, and what made it even better is the fact that I know someone like this. I can't wait to see him & play this for him. BTW, SpinTunes has not yet had a rapper compete in it...not that I'm pushing...

King Arthur - "the baby care" is that another term for daycare? If so, I've not heard it referred to as that. If not, what's it mean? Catchy tune, and aside from a couple lines I dug the story.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Night Elf Mohawk - Within seconds I was annoyed. When I looked to see how long I'd have to suffer I was more annoyed. Then the talking...the characters...the singing...everytime I thought you hit bottom you would just dig some more. I was about 60% done with the song when there was a total change of pace that gave me a little hope...but it was REALLY short lived. Do I get some sort of trophy for making it through the entire thing?

Jan Krueger - I like the direction the story went, and some of the musical elements, but overall it didn't mesh for me. The marimba was cool or whatever it was.

Crack Hole - A pointless waste of my time. But at least you have an excuse for not using the lyrics forum.

Duderonymus Bosch - The 30 seconds you spent writing the lyrics should have been spent doing something more worth while. For instance: cracking your knuckles, thinking of a cool nickname for your penis or trying to imagine what a rainbow would taste like.

Billy's Little Trip feat. E-Bow Phillips - I knew ahead of time the general direction this entry would go lyrically (Billy + this title...isn't hard to guess), and most of the time stories like this don't do it for me. Liked it otherwise.

May U-Stream & Computer Problems

2011-05-27T03:48:00.003-04:00

I was working on getting the files ready for this months U-Stream show when *poof* my laptop overheats & turns into a doorstop. I still have access to a desktop computer, and I think I can use it to broadcast (although I haven't done so yet). My big problem is that the 40ish songs (not counting Song Fight & Nur Ein stuff) that I had ready to play are now gone. I could try to find them again...but I'm not going to. Takes too long, and it's almost time for the show.

So I'm going to give you 2 options:

1. No show this month.
2. I use this months show to feature past SpinTunes songs & songs from this months Song Fights & Nur Ein rounds.

Yall decide. If anyone wants the show, and would show up, just let me know in the comments. The show would be this upcoming Monday from 7:30-10PM. (Cincinnati time)

I don't know if I'll be getting my computer fixed or not. I'm going to take it to the store today, and see how much it'll cost. I probably won't be able to afford it, and if that's the case there probably won't be anymore Spintown U-Stream shows after SpinTunes. I don't have all the software I need on this computer, and buying the software again costs too much as well.

YouTube Treasure Hunt #24

2011-05-26T08:34:00.005-04:00

Nur Ein 6: Round 5 Review

2011-05-25T01:09:00.003-04:00

If you want to download any of the songs I'm reviewing in this post, there's a link to the Nur Ein site in my sidebar. Check it out for free music. In this round the title was "Heart Shaker", and the artists also had to display a creative use of a flatline tone.

WreckdoM - I thought the vocals were too low in the mix, and I didn't really care for the lyrics anyways. I thought the performance was fine, just up the volume a bit. The music was ok, but in a tough round...I don't know if you're going to make it to the next round.

Ross Durand - Honestly on the first listen I wasn't a fan of this until the big reveal. The performance & music was great, but I was thinking to myself "This story is just all over the place." Then at the end I was like "OOOOOOHHHH", and all was good. :p

Manhattan Glutton - I liked this after the first listen, but thought a few lines sucked. Then I read your analysis after the lyrics & listened again. Maybe I shouldn't let the analysis affect my rankings, but it did clear the issues up I had with a couple lines. You jumped a couple spots just because you posted that. I encourage people to post song bios & analysis in SpinTunes for just this reason. Don't know how that's looked at in Nur Ein? Song certainly felt like it was driving the listener on, and I honestly didn't feel I had a choice but to go on this journey.

Frankie Big Face - Has shitloads of clipping on the vocals. :p Honestly I would really love this with new vocals. Get someone who can sing this & it would be about perfect. I never noticed a dial tone is the same as a flat line tone? If they are, nice work. If there's a slight difference that the other judges decide to jump on...I reserve the right to conform to the opinions of the mass. :p

The Worldly Self Assurance - Was really into this, and thought your use of the flat line tone was the best of the bunch. Least favorite part was:

"I played out my heart
My heart on my sleeve
I've just been restarted
And soon I must leave you my dear"

The lyrics are fine...but I didn't care for the performance, and I didn't need to hear it 3 times. It was the only thing I didn't like about the entry though...so good job.

Paco del Stinko - I'm really not sure what I think about this. The story is just a little to creepy for some of the music. The music isn't bad, it's just the overall effect is...odd. So how do I rank this? *picks up a dart* This is where you landed.

DJ Ranger Den - The music has a creepy feel to it, and sounds kinda like something on a horror soundtrack. The vocals didn't really seem to fit the music. Maybe they were just too loud in the mix? Lyrics...same thoughts as most rounds.

Merisan - Sometimes I know I'm going to rank a song highly just by how much I tap my foot & chair dance while listening. This was one of those songs. The lyrics aren't that deep, but they're fun, and flow nicely. I enjoyed the music & the performance...well done.

Scott Bradlee Plays Your Requests

2011-05-24T08:38:00.005-04:00

I've featured Scott on my blogs in the past. His piano playing is amazing, and he recently started taking requests that he's putting into Mashups. I'm always pimping "Today's The Day" by Inverse T. Clown when it comes to cover requests, so once again I put in a request. As I was watching his newest video I was surprized to see he included my request. Here's a list of the songs in the mashup:

1. "Under Pressure" - Queen & David Bowie (MormonPJesus)
2. "Friday" - Rebecca Black (piano2live09)
3. "Pump It Up" - Elvis Costello (crimsong19)
4. "Today's The Day" - Inverse T. Clown (Spintown7)
5. "Sweet Caroline" - Neil Diamond (baixistarj)
6. "Mad World" - Tears For Fears (bounder7985)
7. "Sunny Afternoon" - The Kinks (Giovanna220)
8. "Someday My Prince Will Come" - Adriana Caselotti (saxplayer19)
9. "Back To The Future Theme" - Alan Silvestri (valerie2776)
10. "Freebird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd (JamieTricks)

If you want to cover "Today's The Day", you'll be featured on the the "Today's The Day" blog run by Dave Leigh.

For those wondering why I request this song ALL the time...well there's a few reasons.

1. I like the song.
2. I know Inverse.
3. I just think it's really cool to have people cover a song they've never heard of, by an independent artist who nobody's ever heard of.

During the past year or so there have been over a dozen covers of this song, and it's actually hard to find a copy of the original. Be the next to cover the song, and join in on the fun.

Jonathan Mann On The NSFW Show

2011-05-21T10:33:00.002-04:00

I enjoyed this interview with Jonathan Mann. Really glad his project got funded.

Thank You For Subscribing

2011-05-20T10:00:00.003-04:00

I started another new blog just for kicks. It's called "Thank You For Subscribing"...even though I couldn't get the URL I wanted. Anyways it's basically me & a few friends messing around with my new YouTube subscribers. I don't want to go into detail here, but there's an "About" page that explains it all. I think it's funny...and it entertains me...so I'll probably continue to update it whenever I get enough new subs to merit new updates.

SpinTunes #3 Sign Ups & Word Of Mouth

2011-05-19T05:56:00.002-04:00

For those of you paying attention...you know that SpinTunes #3 is going to start soon. I've recently posted the rules & the projected schedule for the contest. Today, sign ups officially started. You can click this link to go to the sign up page.

As you know SpinTunes is a small songwriting contest that's run for fun. It's not sponsored, the music is FREE for everyone, and it's just meant for people to have fun with while hopefully being challenged. For things to get started I need your help though. If you want to compete that's great, sign up. But that's not enough. My audience isn't very big, so I need help spreading the word about the contest. Word of mouth has to be what gets people here because it's all we got. I blog, I tweet, I Facebook it, and I do what I can to spread the word. You need to do the same if you actually want people to compete against (or if you just enjoy following the contest).

So start tweeting, retweeting, linking & spreading the word any way that you can. What's even better is if you know musicians that you can reach out to personally. Friendly with someone on YouTube who writes music? Drop them a PM. The guy in the next apartment over in a band? Strike up a conversation with him, and tell him about the contest.

Thanks in advance for any help you can manage,
Spin.

Nur Ein 6: Round 4 Review

2011-05-17T19:29:00.002-04:00

Song Fight Review: Who Said I'm Dead

2011-05-16T08:42:00.001-04:00

SpinTunes #3 will be starting in June when Nur Ein ends. I recently posted the rules for the contest, and more updates will be coming this week. (draft of schedule & sign ups) If you compete in Song Fight, or are a musician who just follows this blog...check it out.

The last challenge over at Song Fight was titled "If I Had One", and my favorite entry was from bgm. It was close, but Jonathan Mann ended up with the victory taking 1st place over bgm by 1 point. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round. My picks are listed below:

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Longfellow Street - The attitude in the vocals...teach this to your fellow competitors... Loved everything about this, please enter more often.

The Panna Cotta Army - I paused this after 5 seconds just to say I'm already diggin' the cheery music. Ok...back to the song. And....done. Ok, you didn't blow it. Lyrics were alright, and I smiled throughout while bouncin' in my chair. I don't know if I liked how you repeated/layered certain lines like "ready to stop", "cemetery plot", etc... It's a very minor complaint, but just not sure I like that.

James Owens - This made me laugh. Topical & funny Johnny Cash.

Berkeley Social Scene - My favorite recent entry from you. The bridge was a bit long, and normally I'd knock a song that goes over a minute without lyrics, but the music was hot so it gets a pass.

Daring Front - Really liked this. The music didn't seem hard enough considering the lyrics...if that makes since.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Tibor - I didn't care for the lyrics, but they were better than your last effort. The music was GREAT. Really relaxing, and even the vocals were alright despite the accent. Just loved the way it came together. If the lyrics were more up my alley, I would have voted for this. Very good entry though.

DJ Ranger Den - Your voice sounds great in this (even better than usual). I know your kinda our piano girl, but use that guitar more. Lyrics keep you from getting a vote. (shocking)

Community Payback - If I ever lose my hearing, I would get a little joy outta knowing I would never have to listen to your crap again. Honestly...I'd love to know the percentage of people who actually got to the lyrics before hitting stop.

Dirge - Are you afraid of someone hearing your vocals? You sound like it. The guitar at the end is the only thing that didn't make me sleepy.

EggNogAdam - Meant to be funny...wasn't. First line kinda sucked.

Hey it's Romer - Uninspired, and the flow was weak.

Integration Test - You never really hit that last note...no point in holding onto it. Overall it wasn't bad, but not really for me.

Jelizaboaz - If you want people to believe you can be the life of the party you need to sing like it. Your performance doesn't convince me that YOU believe that.

King Arthur - It's odd for me to say this about one of your entries, but nothing stood out for me. Your vocal performance was the best thing about it for me, and everything else just seemed bland.

Lake City - Music was dull. I think you can sing, but this song does show much of it.

Nurvuss - Music was...annoying. Performance seemed awkward.

Sanity - Repeating the title over & over shouldn't be 50% of your lyrics.

Secret Submarine - Dug the music & performance, but I didn't get the lyrics at all.

That Guy - Hated the vocals. They either bored me or had me laughing. Really, this just did nothing for me.

TOSHIRO - No! *smacks with a rolled up newspaper*

Side Note:
There's a lyric forum...for people to post their lyrics...feel free to use it sometime.

Everything Is A Remix, Part 2

2011-05-13T16:30:00.001-04:00

I posted part 1 of this Kirby Ferguson series long ago, and figured I should post part 2 before part 3 comes out.

Song Fight Review: If I Had One

2011-05-13T16:11:00.002-04:00

Blogger has had some technical issues this week, and it had to remove all blog posts that were made yesterday. So this is a repost. It doesn't have links to all the songs like the first post did, but I might come back & add those later.

bgm - Dang, another good yet depressing song. What makes this my favorite song of the fight is the vocals. They just sound so sad & pitiful.

Hip Hop Anonymous - Not much musically, but the performance & lyrics kept me into the song. This is a good example of why I want rap included in SpinTunes. After 2 contests we still haven't had any rappers compete. Well done, you get a vote.

King Arthur - I've listened to this 5 times and can't think of anything bad to say. There's plenty of positives, but stuff I always say about your entries. Love the story telling, performance, etc... So...I'm voting...now moving on.

Graham Parry - I would imagine it's tough to write a good sad song. I think you've done it. I don't know what it is exactly, but your songs take me back a couple decades.

Daring Front - Found the music really interesting, and loved the lyrics. Didn't care for the chorus much, but enjoyed the vocals throughout.

DJ Ranger Den - Vocals are way to low in the mix, but on the bright side I'm pretty sure I understood your lyrics for a change. Remix, do another recording or whatever it is you need to do to get louder...but it's getting a vote even as is.

Berkeley Social Scene - The vocals weren't great, but good enough. The levels were good, which is often something I complain about. The track was just too freakin' long. The lyrics were sparse, and even though I thought it was a good song, it wasn't good enough to hold my interest for well over 5 minutes.

EggNogAdam - Kinda cute I guess. Everyone wants a dinosaur at some point. I enjoyed the simple music & the vocal performance was good. It felt a little odd because the subject matter & lyrics didn't really match the mood of the music.

Jonathan Mann - Nice performance & as usual with your entries the production is great. Lyrically I just didn't get into the song, but it's a solid entry. In a normal fight this would have got my vote, but in my opinion, this was a tougher than average fight.

Tibor - 1 minute is too long for me to wait for the lyrics to start. Once they did I found them pretty dull & too repetitive. Have enjoyed your other recent entries more.

Introducing Music Beta By Google

2011-05-11T09:24:00.001-04:00

I was going to post a Song Fight review today, but then I saw this and thought it was pretty cool. Song Fight can wait another day.

Other Updates I Posted Today:

Nur Ein 6: Round 3 Review

2011-05-10T07:29:00.003-04:00

If you want to download any of the songs I'm reviewing in this post, there's a link to the Nur Ein site in my sidebar. Check it out for free music. In this round the title was "Unholy Alliance", and the song had to be a duet.

Billy's Little Trip - Really liked the music in this one & the take on the title was interesting. It wasn't much of a duet unfortunately, so despite being a good song...it's getting knocked down a peg or two in my rankings.

Bram Tant - Songs about rebelling against government or rules are usually not my thing, but I liked the lyrics. The vocal performances let this down, and the music wasn't bad, but it wasn't all that interesting either.

DJ Ranger Den - Sometimes I don't like the mix of Joe & Den's vocals. I think this is the best I've heard them together, and I enjoyed both vocals. I really liked everything about this...aside from the lyrics. It's pretty, but when I can't get into the lyrics, the song will normally fall in the atmospheric category. That means it doesn't get played a lot on my MP3 player.

Frankie Big Face - I enjoyed...most of this. Overall it was fun & quirky, and I thought it was just going to be light fun fluff all the way through. Then at the end (while keeping the same tone) you turn it into a political anti-religion song. If that's the type of song you want I'm fine with that, but you had me in the mood for something else with the first couple minutes of the song. You nailed the challenge though, so props on that.

John Kloberdanz - Man...way to bring a guy down. This needs a new recording more so than any other entry this round. Loved the song, but the static that comes with the female vocalist is annoying as hell. No complaints other than that static.

Jon Eric - No lyrics were posted, and that means no reviews. (Yes...I know it was an instrumental, but I've already said no lyrics = no reviews. I will not be tricked into breaking my own stupid rules.)

Luke Henley - This annoyed me so much that not only do I want to give it a bad review, but I want to go back in time & give you a bad review for your previous song as well. To be fair, 99% of entries in this genre make me feel the same way.

Manhattan Glutton - I generally like humorous songs & one of my favorite Song Fight entries ever is about aliens...but this falls flat with me. I never laughed, and since the humor didn't land it's just an ok song that's really weird.

Paco del Stinko - Nothing grabbed me here...especially the lyrics. It left the same impression that Manhattan Glutton's effort did. Just weird.

Ross Durand - Duet doesn't mean you have to have a 2nd vocalist...I guess. It's sort of what I was expecting, and hoping for though. As a fan of Steve's trumpet, I'm going to find it hard to knock you too much. It's lyrically solid, the performance by both parties is great, and I think it'll be enough to get you through another round.

WreckdoM - So much of the humor attempted this round didn't land with me, but you really had me with the back & forth at the start. I was smiling & chuckling while listening. I didn't really care for the parts where you both came together though. The performances just didn't mesh together well for me, but it's a solid entry.

The Worldly Self Assurance - No lyrics = NO REVIEW FOR YOU!

Talented One-Girl Band

2011-05-08T06:50:00.002-04:00

I'm running out of excuses for not getting the current Song Fight reviewed. So this time I'm just going to let you make up the excuse for me. Until I do get it done...enjoy watching someone who's probably more talented than you.

Ghost

2011-05-06T08:55:00.003-04:00

YouTube was jacked up at the time of this posting. Hopefully by the time you read this it's working again. If so, I thought this was a neat & creative new use of the site.

Your Song

2011-05-05T08:20:00.002-04:00

I didn't get finished with my Song Fight review, so I found something quick & easy to post for today. Mystery Guitar Man is holding a neat contest that some of you music producers might want to take a crack at.

Chris Commisso has already sent in his entry.

Jon Cozart also has an entertaining video.

Nur Ein 6: Round 2 Review

2011-05-04T08:44:00.007-04:00

If you want to download any of the songs I'm reviewing in this post, there's a link to the Nur Ein site in my sidebar. Check it out for free music. In this round the title was "Blame It On Ginger", and the song had to be autobiographical.

Luke Henley - Couldn't blame you if you hated me up to this point. I've been Mr. Negative toward you in round 0 & 1. BUT GOOD NEWS! I liked this. Sure the recording sucks, but it's good enough to get across what could be there. I enjoyed the lyrics, I thought it was by FAR your best performance, and I congratulate you on a job well done. Ok...one negative. That 18 second guitar solo sucked. Maybe it was the recording...but either way it's a small complaint considering the improvement I think you've made.

Manhattan Glutton - This is one of my favorite songs of the contest so far. It's catchy, it's rockin', and it sounds very familiar...but I can't place what it's reminding me of. I was going to mention something about my dislike of the title use, but then I read this:

"Title... well, I do have a good reason for saying ginger, but it's not something I want to share."

That's good enough for me. There's really no way to fact check with a lot of the challenges Nur Ein, SpinTunes & other contests. Sometimes you just have to trust the competitors, and I've got no reason to distrust anyone in the contest yet.

WreckdoM - Tell the little green men flying around your studio that it's a no fly zone while your recording. Seriously that noise bugged the hell out of me. If everything else about this song was flawless...that noise still would have put you in risk of elimination in my opinion. And the rest of the song wasn't flawless.

Boffo Yux Dudes - I know you had a last minute computer crash that pretty much shafted you this round. This last minute meta song might be good enough to save you, but if it does it'll be by the skin of your teeth. Better luck next round...assuming you get the chance.

Paco del Stinko - I liked the angle you took with the story, but the lyrics didn't flow as much as stumbled at times. The performance & music were fine, and the song was catchy. Just think the lyrics could use a little more TLC.

Glen Raphael - Lyrics sucks. Catchy funk. The vocal performance was alright, but when performing crap you can't mask the smell.

Merisan - 3 rounds are behind you now, and I still don't think you've taken a wrong step. It's catchy, fun lyrics, and the vocal performance is top notch. I really want to say something bad about you...just because you're making this contest look easy.

Billy's Little Trip - So far you haven't blow me away with anything in this contest, but you're consistently submitting quality work. I liked this song, but felt the chorus lyrics were weak. You're easily safe this week.

Bram Tant - This is back to back rounds I really like the guitar. The lyrics & performance didn't sell me. I'm not a huge fan of lyrics that are spoken in the song. With most songs it just takes me out of the moment.

The Worldly Self Assurance - It seems like I complain about your vocals not being up front enough a lot. This time I think they were perfect. The song is very sweet, and for the most part I like the lyrics. The whole idea of someone falling in love because of the age old Mary Ann or Ginger question isn't very believable to me...but you did about as well as I could have expected anyone to do taking this route. Mad props for submitting while having immunity.

Abbott And Hines - Props for Caleb getting something in at the last second despite the problem you guys had. Something is better than nothing, because there's always a chance someone else missed the boat completely. Doesn't look like you'll be getting lucky this round, but nice try.

Ross Durand - Loved the first verse. The rest of the song was fine, but for some reason it just didn't pull me in. I really don't know why this didn't grab me, because I can't find specific negatives.

Frankie Big Face - Slow paced songs don't usually do well with me. The lyrics & the pace made this feel even longer than it was. It's just not my type of song. Not saying it's bad, but it's not for me.

Jon Eric - I've been listening to Song Fight for a couple years now...and even went back & listened to years from before I found the site. So why didn't I know you submitted as Hunky? You rap better than I would have guessed, and I actually liked the rapping better than the chorus. Overall this was great, but the repetition within the chorus kinda bugs me. Great story telling.

John Kloberdanz - I'd like to hear a better recording of this. Maybe bring up the vocals a bit, and just overall it sounds muffled.

DJ Ranger Den - Piano & strings sounded great. Your vocal performance was great, and your lyrics were not for me. On a personal note, I want to hear you let loose with your vocals. Your style doesn't always take advantage of the voice you got. Belt something out like that loud mouth we both know from Michigan. (kidding Edric)

Neck Pain, Thank You & Zarni

2011-05-03T05:30:00.002-04:00

After the U-Stream show last night I started getting some insane neck pains that would come & go. Eventually they decided to stick around, and it's pretty painful. Don't know why I'm getting them all of a sudden, but it will delay me posting my Nur Ein VI: Round 2 reviews until Wednesday. I sent my rankings in tonight after only 2 listens to every song. I'd like to listen more, but I don't know what I'll feel like in the morning, and I wanted to make sure I sent them in.

For those of you that attended the U-Stream show, thank you. Tom, Bram, JoAnn, Jack, Caleb, Edric & others I appreciate you stopping by. I really need to post the playlist so people can get an idea of what I play at these things...but not tonight.

Since this blog wasn't very entertaining I thought I'd throw in a video of Zarni de Wet performing her original song "Evaporated" at Songwriters Night - Berklee 2011. Zarni competed in the last SpinTunes competition, and I really like this song.

U-Stream Show TONIGHT!

2011-05-02T04:29:00.002-04:00

The details are below, and I hope to see at least a few people in chat tonight. I'll be featuring all my favorite songs from April, and there was a lot of great music that came out last month.

You should expect music from YouTube, Nur Ein, Song Fight, Edric's Songwriting Cycle, BandCamp EP's & more...

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/spintunes
TONIGHT!
Pre-Show starts @ 7:00PM EST
Show starts @ 7:30PM EST

Dear Dairy

2011-05-01T06:32:00.004-04:00

I really don't have time to do a new Song Fight review tonight, so I'm glad Charlie McCarron & Mitchell Johnson (current SpinTunes Champion) uploaded this yesterday. Gives me something funny & easy to post.

YouTube Treasure Hunt #23

2011-04-30T19:32:00.004-04:00

If you don't know how these hunts work, you can find the RULES <-- here. In short, this is the one time of the month I REALLY go out of my way to find unknown talent on YouTube. I sift through the crap, to bring you folks with potential. Sometimes I end up subscribing the people I find & they get featured on the "Songs Of The Day" page on a regular basis.

This is the 2nd month in a row where I've waited until the last minute to post the YouTube Treasure Hunt. Sorry about that. Doing all these have pros & cons. The main con being that I watch about 10 shitty videos to every decent one in the process of finding these. The main pro being that I have subbed a lot of the people I've found over the past couple years & still enjoy their music. It's just hard to motivate myself to get these done early. But...it's done, and if you like any of the videos please check out their channels & subscribe. To see past hunts, there's a link in the sidebar that will take you to a complete list of them.

PS: I'll be featuring some of the videos that just missed the cut on the "Songs Of The Day" page of the blog over then next week. Expect 1 YTTH Leftover every day for the next week.

I Can Wait by Tony Pfiffner (16 subs)

codyjr73 & @codyjr73
I Don't Need A Vacation by James Smith (10 subs)

JamesGSmith1
Want Me Back by MacKenzie Scott (35 subs)

mackenzieruthscott
Oh! Pandorica! by Christine Shawgo (44 subs)

chrissyshawgo
Infatuation by Robert Borden (3,310 subs)
Ok...ok...he has more subs than most people I feature in these hunts. Cut me some slack, everyone else in this months hunt has less than 50 subs.

RobertBordenMusic
One Step Ahead by Arne & Daniel from The Candlelight Killers (11 subs)

candlelightkiller
Broken Wings by Sophie Zucker (27 subs)
I'm not a huge fan of these low budget music videos, and usually stick to videos of people just sitting in front of their camera & performing. However...the girl has talent, and so instead of sifting through more crap, I figured I'd include her. The treasure hunt is mostly about finding new talent, and she is an unknown talent.

SophieZuckerMusic

Copyright

2011-04-29T06:15:00.003-04:00

For those who don't fully understand copyright...join the club.

Spintown's April U-Stream...In May

2011-04-28T09:30:00.003-04:00

As I said yesterday, I normally try to do them on the last Monday of each month, but last Monday wasn't good for me. I plan to play songs from Nur Ein 6, Song Fight, Edric's Songwriting Cycle, YouTube & more. Basically all the stuff I enjoyed in April. The show will probably last 2-3 hours, and the details are below:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/spintunes
Monday, May 2nd, 2011
Pre-Show starts @ 7:00PM EST
Show starts @ 7:30PM EST

Nur Ein 6: Round 1 Review

2011-04-27T06:49:00.004-04:00

I apparently screwed up in my round 0 review. Tom pointed out to me that Pop Machine did in fact post lyrics, and that I had just missed them somehow. This means that I owe a round 0 review still...so here it is.

Pop Machine - I know I passed on giving you a review, but it wasn't because I disliked the song. I thought the sound was pretty cool, and I can only assume it's educational...cause I sure as hell didn't understand it. I don't really see how it incorporated the title, so I assume that's a fail. In the next round...please talk down to me.

Now...onto Round 1...

The title of this round was "Colourblind", and the challenge was to write a song without a chorus. There has been some debate in the Song Fight forums about the difference between a chorus & refrain. Normally I take into consideration if the challenge was met or not, but with others more qualified than me arguing about the differences...I decided to only focus on the title & the song. Once again I will not be sharing my personal rankings of the songs. I explained why in the Round 0 Review. BTW, you can download all these songs for free by visiting the Nur Ein website.

DJ Ranger Den - After a departure from her norm, she's back to something more in her wheelhouse. Denise, you know what I'm going to say already, but here it is. Pretty piano, sexy voice, moody & lyrics I don't usually get. The performance was really good though.

Rabid Garfunkel - This song kinda jars you at the start if you ain't ready for it. Lyrically I liked the first verse, but lost interest after that. Don't really know about the music, I think I liked it...after it startled me that is.

Merisan - You're still exceeding expectations. 2nd song in a row I couldn't find anything bad to say about if you paid me to do so. (feel free to test that theory)

Manhattan Glutton - RAWK! Reading along in the lyrics forum I expected this to be longer. Not complaining, but why post lyrics you didn't use? I liked this from the start with the crack about the spelling of the title. Wish I had something constructive to say...but well...I normally don't so why break a trend?

Luke Henley - Listening to this I was reminded of English class back in middle school. Remember getting those long run on sentences in which you had to figure out where to put punctuation? The level of excitement I got from those problems are about equal to the level of excitement I got from this song. This time you made a wise decision to not stretch yourself vocally. I think the abrupt ending needs changed.

The Worldly Self Assurance - Really enjoyed the direction & feel of this song. Thought the vocals were 100% better than round 0, and lyrically I enjoyed it as well. There was only 1 part that I really didn't care for.

"i read the letters from, i read the letters to i never sent
i photocopied, written in my earnest sloppy hand"

Those lines just didn't flow right to me, and I actually stopped the song to go back to make sure I heard it right. VERY solid entry though...well done.

Jon Eric - Normally you've got more hook than my golf swing. I thought this was a really good entry, and I thought the line "You don't even have no working cones" was smart...just not catchy enough to be the hook. Nice work though.

Paco del Stinko - I really liked this a lot. Not having any music in the 3rd verse really made it more intimate. Thought everything you decided to do worked...

Glen Raphael - Thought the bridge needed work, but overall this flowed nicely. Thought the performance was there, and never missed the fact there wasn't a chorus.

Bram Tant - Much better than round 0. Was a little too short for me, but the music rocked. The vocals had the best performance value I've heard from you...but why does only 1 ear get that privilege?

Billy's Little Trip - Was disappointed around the halfway mark because I thought colorblind was going to be more of an afterthought in the song. By the end of course I saw it wasn't, and I had no problems with the direction you took. Normally not the type of storyline I dig, but overall the song worked. Solid entry.

Pop Machine - Musically it didn't hold my attention, and lyrically just to strange for me. I did laugh in a few places...but the humor didn't usually land.

The Boffo Yux Dudes - You took 1 joke, and tried to make it a song. Unfortunately the joke just couldn't stretch far enough. Again, I laughed a couple times to start, but after 35 seconds I was ready for something else. The blues style isn't really something I'm a huge fan of. That's not your fault, but it doesn't help you either.

Frankie Big Face - As close to perfection as anyone came in round 1. Lyrically I thought it was golden, and there's nothing to complain about in any other areas either.

Ross Durand - I like the idea you had, and the execution was great. You're still one of my favorite story tellers. I don't know what it was, but whatever you used in that first instrumental bit was different from what I'm used to from you musically. Not complaining, I liked it.

WreckdoM - No lyrics, no review.

Abbott And Hines - I liked the idea a lot. The music was nice, but again too darn slow for my personal liking. The music & pacing of the song was trying to put me to sleep while the lyrics trying to make me laugh...there's a problem there. I didn't care for the vocal performance, but I don't know if that's just because of issues I already mentioned or a new issue. Nice idea, didn't like the execution.

John Kloberdanz - Music wasn't bad, just repetitive. I liked the lyrics, but they didn't fit with the music in my opinion.

Embers Of Autumn - I expected better from you this round, and you gave it...but that couldn't have been difficult after round 0. Not a fan of the lyrics or vocals in this. Last time I remarked you packed 5 minutes of boredom into a 2 minute song. I wish this was a 2 minute song. It was better, but 5+ minutes was way too long for me.

Song Fight Review: Cloud-Cuckoo-Land

2011-04-25T07:02:00.002-04:00

The last challenge over at Song Fight was titled "Beaten Man", and I thought it was a pretty weak fight. I thought Caravan Ray should have got the win, but EggNogAdam ended up with the victory. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round. My picks are listed below:

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

King Arthur - Well told story, cool music & a good performance. The only thing I was going to point out was you screwing up the word "reparations"...but then I read your disclaimer over your lyrics...so now I got nothing.

Graham Parry - Felt 80's...ish. Enjoyed the performance a lot, and the overall sound worked well.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

lalabrookie - This felt long, and it wasn't. It's not because it's bad, it just needs filled out more. The guitar & vocals sound fine, just needs more to go with it. Lyrically I didn't like much this fight. I blame the stupid ass title, but I still didn't like yours no matter who I blame.

Big Clucker - This seemed like a rock band covering random bits of music from very old sitcoms & throwing them into a medley. I don't vote for instrumentals...but it was...interesting.

Berkeley Social Scene - This probably would have got a vote had I been able to hear the vocals better, and had they sounded better. The music for the most part was catchy, and I really like the instrumental bits. I couldn't pick up on what you tried laying in just before the 3 minute mark.

Side Notes:
- Stupid title.
- More entries than I expected with Nur Ein going on...keep it up.
- Use the fecking lyrics forum.

Nur Ein 6: Round 0 Review

2011-04-20T05:39:00.010-04:00

In the past I have usually ranked the songs I liked from favorite to least favorite. If I didn't do that I would usually just point to some of my favorite songs. Because I am the alternate judge on Nur Ein VI, I will be doing things a little differently. Niveous normally posts the judges scores & the totals over on the Song Fight forums without disclosing who gave what rankings to who. It was up to the judges to then post reviews if they wanted. I already sent my rankings to Niveous, but in the spirit of Nur Ein I will not be disclosing the exact rankings as I normally do. I still reviewed all the songs, so you should be able to get an idea of where you stood with me though.

I will also not be linking to my favorite songs, as I normally would. You will just have to read to figure out which I liked most, and then go download them from the Nur Ein website.

Round 0 songs have been uploaded and are available for free download. Let's review the challenge then get to my reviews:

Title: "First Blood"
Non-optional Challenge: Must Be Educational

Rabid Garfunkel - 1950's educational film meets carnival barker. Granted, being educational is part of the challenge, but it wasn't a good combo for me. Mostly because a carnival barker or announcer would have a lot more energy than this.

Embers Of Autumn - Congrats! All the boredom of a 5 minute song condensed into 2 minutes. I read your explanation though, and expect better from you in round 1. Bring it.

Jon Eric - K'inich Yax K'uk Mo'....Siyaj Chan K'awill II...Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil...I can't read this shit, and have no idea if you're saying it right. So on top of a good song that fully meets the challenge, I have to give you bonus points just for trying to sing this...and doing a good job of it as well.

Billy's Little Trip - Dug the music, but didn't really feel it was all that educational. You're not the only one this round I felt that way about, and I didn't really take it into consideration much since nobody was getting eliminated this round. However...in future rounds where there will be eliminations...this sort of thing would have hurt you greatly. Oh, and I KNOW your vocals could have been better.

Frankie Big Face - This is the first song I listened to that really created a problem for me. I personally have a weak stomach for blood. Some people can't look at it...well I can't even talk & think about it without getting sick sometimes. I won't be explaining all this for each song that causes my stomach to churn...yours was just the first I happened to listen to (lucky you) & I felt I should explain it at least once. The music was a little slow for me personally, but it was good. The lyrics...well they turned my stomach. I'm not saying they're bad, but that's just my reaction to the topic. I'm trying not to hold that against you, and with time my rankings usually change a little. Allowing a song to sit, and coming back to it is generally a good thing. Nur Ein doesn't give the judges that opportunity though.

Merisan - I felt like using my pillowcase as a cape, and dancing with my broom. Fun & smart lyrics performed wonderfully by the vocalist. I expected vampire songs, but this exceeded expectations.

Adam Adamant - Nothing about this worked for me. You said it was rushed, and it really sounds like it. Lucky for you, everyone goes to round 1. Hopefully you're less rushed next round. Good luck.

Popmachine - As an alternate judge, I don't feel the need to follow the beaten path. I'm making my own rules... Rule #1 have lyrics. Rule #2 post lyrics in forum. Breaker of rules gets no reviews other than ranking.

Wreckdom - Mixed feelings here. It made me laugh, and I was hoping someone would do Rambo. But, until the end when the spoken parts came in it wasn't educational. I'm not saying you didn't meet the challenge, I'm just saying I didn't like how you decided to go about it. I think I'm harping on everyone who ended up using this approach.

Bram Tant - 3rd person I know of this round using the, "I found out late..." or "I didn't have time..." excuse. These excuses may all be valid, but I hope everyone knows the same excuse doesn't hold water in round 1. Like most people who were rushed...this didn't do much but depress me. Sorry Bram....now get started on round 1. Now, not in 5 minutes...right now. EVERYONE!

Ross Durand - During the first 2 verses I was starting to think that you're not such a nice guy. Then the 3rd verse started & I realized I'm a sick individual. I laughed, and this song is better than every Twilight movie that will ever be made. How do I know that? The same way I know Twilight sucks, but I haven't seen any of the movies.

Worldly Self Assurance - Read the Popmachine review up above.

DJ Ranger Den - Was reminded of computernerd01 parodies because a few lines were just so random. Overall I thought it was great that you tried something different, and it made me laugh.

John Kloberdanz - I enjoyed the harmonica. The music is a little more cheery than one might expect with this dark history lesson, but I still liked it a lot.

Boffo Yux Dudes - At first I didn't really get the first blood connection, but then read your comment on the board, and looked at the lyrics again. You clearly did have a connection, and it's a good thing because I liked the song. Have to admit I didn't care for the bridge or the ending, but this made me laugh while still being catchy.

Paco del Stinko - "To Virginia went" Aside from channeling Yoda in that line, this is another history lesson I found entertaining. This could have been a great song for a past SpinTunes challenge as well. (Secondary Historical Figures)

Glen Raphael - Really dug the music...felt funky. The hook was catchy, but in the end the spoken parts didn't do it for me.

Abbott & Hines - I like piano... More? Well...ok... The idea is alright, but it might not be a good topic for a contest like this. Let's face it, a lot of people could say it's fiction & not educational. I didn't really care for the vocal performances, and really had a tough time getting into this. I struggle to pay attention to my choir in church...but they probably would have held my attention more than this.

Manhattan Glutton - Forgive me for not knowing the difference between various types of drums, but the deeper sounding one I enjoyed while the other just annoyed me. I think you did an alright job in writing about something deeper while sticking to the educational bit.

Luke Henley - I got bored with the music, and looked to see how long was left around the 2 minute mark. I was shocked to see this had more than another 2 minutes to go. I wasn't a fan of the performance for the most part, especially when you sang "First comes blood"...but there were plenty of moments where I thought you needed some vocal help.

A Songwriting Cycle 2

2011-04-19T21:39:00.010-04:00

This is a project started by Edric Haleen. Basically everyone involved gets to create a songwriting challenge for someone else, while taking on a challenge from someone else as well. I don't think I reviewed every song in the first edition, but I did this time. You can click the picture below to see the entire album on BandCamp.

Inner Thoughts by Spintown Tunes
Inner Thoughts by Edric Haleen
The Challenge: Write a song about any internal organ below the neck except the heart! The organ must be the main focus and topic of the song.
My Thoughts: At first I thought it was just going to be a fun drinking song. But then he starts singing from the POV of the liver. The performance is hilarious, and it's well polished (it really does sound like he's in a bar). I thought it was a perfect style for Edric to take on, not just because of the piano, but because he has to drink a lot to cope with living in Michigan.

Little Bird by Ross Durand
The Challenge: Write a song that retells a fairy tale. Well-known or obscure? Doesn’t matter! Think ‘Into The Woods’ (Stephen Sondheim) or ‘Li’l Red Riding Hood’ (Sam the Sham).
My Thoughts: Ross based his song on "The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde...not something I'm familiar with. Since this isn't a contest, and I'm not a judge, I don't feel the need to seek out this story & compare it to the song. I'll just say it's a moving song, and Ross gives a touching performance. I may not look up the story, but the song is a keeper.

Upside Down by The Boffo Yux Dudes
Challenge: Upside-down...this was left vague so that they could interpret the challenge in their own way.
My Thoughts: I thought the lyrics were really smart, and afterwards I couldn't believe it was a 5 minute song. The music was slow & relaxing, but it only felt like a 3-4 minute song. I had mixed feelings about the spoken bridge. It added to the feeling of disorientation, but I could have done without it. This had the best line of all the songs: "Toenail doorknob semen who’s a pretty bird?". I think I'd have like it better delivered straight, and not so corny, but it was still a great line.

The Ballad Of John And Jesus by Spintown Tunes
The Ballad Of John And Jesus by Charlie McCarron
Challenge: Write an entirely new song that mashes up the titles of two other well-known songs! (For example: “Strawberry Fields Forever And Ever, Amen,” “Detroit Rock City Of Angels,” or “Pride [In The Name Of Love The One You’re With].”)
My Thoughts: I enjoyed the story, it was fun to sing, and was probably my favorite song of the contest. Performance...music...lyrics...I have nothing bad to say about this.

Ascend (Pan's Labyrinth) by Graham Porter
Challenge: Write a new song for the credits of one of your favorite movies.
My Thoughts: I haven't seen the film, so I can really say how well it would fit as the closing song during the credits. As for what I thought of the song just as a song...I thought it was alright. Graham has come a long way with his production. Everything sounds cleaner than I'm used to from him. I thought his vocals were as good as I've heard from him as well. The type of song is not really up my alley. It's just too slow for me, and it's long as well. Of course it might be perfect for the closing song of the film...I just can't say.

Blood Moon by Dr. Lindyke
Challenge: Write a song about something or someone being haunted.
My Thoughts: I thought the music & performance were great. Put me in a spooky place, even if the lyrics didn't do it for me the first go around. Each time I've listened, they've grown on me a little more. So this review gets even better with time...in theory.

The Life For Me by Caleb Hines
Challenge: Write a song (in the first-person) about an imagined adventure in a place you long to visit.
My Thoughts: From the start I thought of "Gilligan's Island". The song doesn't sound like it, but just the setting, and then the "tropical luxury" line put me in that place. It didn't last long, but it did take me there for a moment. The music set the appropriate setting, but I just couldn't get into the story. Felt like asking "Are we there yet?" a number of times as I listened.

Letter Of Fire (Frying Pan) by Duality
Challenge: Write a song that is, in fact, a letter from the future.
My Thoughts: I know there were technical problems for Duality this go around that didn't really allow Joe to provide vocals. (hope I'm right about this) I found the music itself interesting, and honestly would have liked it better if there were no vocals...at all. Both Denise & Joe have pipes, but this song just didn't work for me. Take out the vocals & it might have. That's right...I'm saying I would have liked an instrumental. Hey, it's not SpinTunes, I'm allowed to say that. Of course they wouldn't have met the challenge if they had done it my way...so I guess it's good they did...I guess.

Come Have A Sip Of My Wine by JoAnn Abbott
Challenge: Write a song in the tradition of a drinking song.
My Thoughts: Edric totally pwned you. This lacks the polish & performance of Edric's...and I know it's not a contest, but when you have 2 songs of the same type it's hard not to compare them. 4:36 is a long time to listen to just a recorder & vocals.

Dave Gorbe & Bryce Jensen: Life happens, and there are more important things than songwriting challenges. I understand if things get in the way of deadlines. I hope all is well with the both of you, and I don't think Edric would mind you finishing your songs late... I certainly don't have an issue with uploading them whenever you can get them in. I know you can make 2 people very happy who didn't get their challenges met. So when it's possible...do it.

Cartoon Medley

2011-04-15T11:09:00.002-04:00

I didn't get to any reviews today (insert excuses), but I thought yall would enjoy this medley. I'm always a sucker for cartoon theme songs.

Doo-Wop Central

2011-04-09T10:29:00.001-04:00

I really enjoyed this episode of Rocketboom.

So What?

2011-04-08T07:12:00.001-04:00

Jonathan Mann details the project he's trying to fund via Kickstarter.

Song Fight Review: Beaten Man

2011-04-07T08:29:00.002-04:00

The last challenge over at Song Fight was titled "Vest Factory", and there was a tie for first. DJ Ranger Den & The Panna Cotta Army get to share the victory, while Darkroom (who I voted for) finished in a 3 way tie for 6th. A new batch of songs can be found over at Song Fight, so I suggest you go pick your favorite songs for the current round. My picks are listed below:

(PS: My reviews are normally pretty lazy, in that I don't write much, but this time even more so. I was short on time, and even though I listened to everything, I wasn't motivated to put much effort into this.)

Voted For:
(Right Click "Save As" on the artist's name for a MP3 of their entry.)

Caravan Ray - I would like to hear more of the story. It felt like more should have been included, but I like what's there.

Tibor - Really enjoyed this music a lot. So much so that I was able to just chill, and not pay attention to the lyrics. Which is good, cause I hated the lyrics.

Others:
(Head over to Song Fight to listen to these songs.)

Metaluna with BBABM - Liked the music, didn't care for the lyrics. Not really into that type of vocal performance.

bgm - I think I would have enjoyed this fight more if it was required that everything was instrumentals. I know I say it a lot, but I enjoyed the music...lyrics not so much.

EggNogAdam - Enjoyed the performance, but got bored before the song ended...and it was a short song.

Hate Mail - You have a great death metal voice...I hate death metal.

Berkeley Social Scene

Honolulu (1939)

2011-04-06T07:39:00.006-04:00

Honolulu (1939) is probably my favorite Eleanor Powell film. The story & acting isn't all that spectacular, but the dancing is. The story is about a famous actor who switches places with his double so he can get a vacation. Robert Young does a decent job with both those roles. While pretending to be his double the actor falls in love with Eleanor Powell who is travelling with Gracie Allen. With the story being on the weak side, it's a good thing they had Gracie to throw in her odd ball 1 liners from time to time. Her husband (irl) George Burns plays Robert Young's manager, and for the most part fell flat.

There are 2 dance routines in this film that will really stick with you. The first is a sexy hula/tap number & the second is a blackface medley done in the style of Bill Robinson. Unfortunately I couldn't find a video of the blackface routine on YouTube, but I did find 2 others to share. Here's a link to the movie Trailer if you're interested, but I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys musicals. When The Queen Of Taps starts dancing, you won't be able to take your eyes off her.

The La Conga Tap This number was cut from the final film, but later used in the film The Great Morgan (1946). This clip from Honolulu (1939) is probably the best thing about the Frank Morgan film. I also found a talk Eleanor did in 1981 at the Variety Arts Theatre, Los Angeles, CA. I found it very interesting if you want to give it a listen. Be warned, the video & audio quality suck. (LINK)

Honolulu
Not her most difficult routine, but it's fun, and Gracie's line at the end of the clip is funny.

Hola E Pae
The entire "Hola E Pae" number of the Hawaiian Medley was inserted into the movie I Dood It (1943).

"A tap dancer is really a frustrated drummer." - Eleanor Powell

Fun Facts: (Source)
- One of Eleanor Powell's first New York jobs was working with the legendary Bill Robinson in private shows (1927).
- This was the last film in which George Burns & Gracie Allen appeared together.

Nur Ein VI Is About To Start!

2011-04-05T07:43:00.002-04:00

It's that time of the year again. The time when the toughest annual online songwriting contest kicks off for another run. I followed Nur Ein for the first time last year, and it was a blast. I reviewed each round & tried picking the winners. You can find links to all those reviews --> HERE <--.

Niveous (the man behind Nur Ein) started a thread in the Song Fight forums (Song Fight Thread) to announce the start of the contest. If you want more details about the contest I suggest you go there.

I plan on reviewing each round here on the blog once again, and will attempt to pick the winners each round. I told Niveous I would help out in judging if he needed someone, but don't know if he needs my help yet. Probably not, but since he was nice enough to judge SpinTunes #1, I wanted to lend a hand if needed.

Now that Nur Ein has started, I'll be able to announce sign up dates for SpinTunes #3 in the near future. I will not start SpinTunes until Nur Ein is completely over, and if you like SpinTunes you should really give Nur Ein a shot. Nur Ein (& Masters Of Song Fu) was a huge influence on how SpinTunes was set up.

MICHAEL: The Making Of The Album

2011-04-04T08:05:00.001-04:00

Sucks Michael never got to see this through to completion like he would have wanted. Do you consider this a 'real' MJ album?

Song A Day: The Album

2011-04-02T09:07:00.002-04:00

I see more & more people using Kickstarter to fund their projects. Once in awhile I see one that I'm willing to promote, and I think you should take a look at Jonathan Mann's project. He's a talented guy, and you can get some neat stuff by funding him.

The Ice Cream Changes

2011-04-01T09:34:00.001-04:00

Before you get to today's videos, in case you missed it I posted the March YouTube Treasure Hunt yesterday with only about 30 minutes left in March. I kinda cut it close, but I got it done.

Hank Green on the I vi IV V chord progression.

Re: The Ice Cream Chords
Mike Lombardo's response to Hank.