SpinTunes #4 Round 2 Review

I reviewed these awhile ago...didn't rank them until recently. It's good to be the alternate judge.

Brian Gray - Man Crush
I've liked your songs in the past, but at this point I'm considering you one of the top dogs of SpinTunes. Seriously, whatever the challenge, you're stepping up with top notch work. Even when you pick a totally predictable topic, you do it well enough that I just don't care. This is a little slower than I normally like, but the lyrics are great & it flows nicely. I really thought 4 minutes would be a bit much for me given the style & topic, but I still wanted more.

Rebecca Angel - Insignificant You
I kept picturing Doris Day (or someone of her ilk) performing in front of a grand piano in some fancy restaurant. The performance & sound just reminded me of so many movie scenes from a period of film that I love. Nice work.

Ross Durand - Space Opera Valentine (For Leia)
This is a tough one for me. The music was great, the vocals were perfect for the song, but I'm just not a huge Star Wars fan. Sure I enjoyed the movies, but I'm just not able to get into fan fiction like this. For me to like a Star Wars song it would have had to have been comical. Off the top of my head I'm thinking Weird Al's "Yoda". I'm sure there are enough nerds in the judges pool to get this through to the next round, but it's just not for me.

Robert Borden - Julia
I'm curious to see how far you can go with the uke as your primary weapon in this musical battle. For this round at least, you're more than safe. This is just downright adorable. Since I follow Julia I'm impressed with all the references & how personal you made this. Extremely well done, and I'm looking forward to more uke in round 3.

Governing Dynamics - I Shouldn't Blame You
So if you get voted out this round...can I blame Heather? Eh, that's not going to happen. I'm finding it strange that ("Broken Boy" aside) my favorite songs from you are either happy or about Valentine's Day. The song is a win, even if less listeners than usual to call a suicide help line this time around.

Edric Haleen - To My Significant Self
The fact that it's 1 take, and it's JUST you...is impressive. It's not really the type of song I WANT to hear from you, or that I would normally listen to. So it's not going really high on my rankings & will probably land in the middle. It's being saved only because you performed it so well. I honestly would still want to hear music with it. It just feels awkward between verses.

Jacob Haller - From Your Neighbors
There were a few places in which the lyrics don't flow too well, but overall it's a creative & hilarious take on the challenge. It gave not only the best laugh out loud moment of the round, but probably the 2nd, 3rd & 4th as well.

Jess Scherer - Carbonated Love
Your vocals aren't bad, but they seem a bit bland at times. Just lacking in performance/attitude/enthusiasm at times. Lyrically it's creative & I pictured the girl from the JoCo song "Code Monkey" sitting behind her desk dreaming of the soda guy. Good entry, I'm confident you'll be moving on.

David LeDuc - 3rd Grade Valentine
The music is incredibly mellow, sleepy & 80ish. I love the idea, but by the time the big twist gets there I'm already starting to zone out & it doesn't hit like it should. The music & lyrics just don't seem to go together even though neither is bad. It has promise, but as it is, it's not for me.

Kevin Savino-Riker - Got Away
Interesting take on the girl that got away. I like how the end of the song it's become a positive thing. If you hadn't done that, this song would have been pretty forgettable. Nothing bad, but nothing jumps out at you & says "replay". Not really a fan of the opening line.

Common Lisp - A Brothers Valentine
I usually hate spoken intros...but that was awesome. Just change your name to "MC Common Lisp" already. It's a great bromance song because it doesn't just focus on the friendship, but WHY you need the friendship. Very well done...nice recovery.

Gold Lion - I Love My Dog
Simple. Cute. Not a lot of substance, but it serves it's purpose well. I liked the clapping, and singing to your pet was a good twist on the challenge.

Steve Durand - The Woman Of My Dreams
Lyrically I enjoyed it, and liked the twist at the end. Musically I just didn't care for it. Felt jumbled, and nothing came together for me.

The Orion Sound - You (A Valentines Stalker Song)
Enjoyed it completely...well at least up until the end. Then I had to go block you on all my social networks.

Hazen Nester - (Bored With My) Precious Little Life
Thankfully you don't need to have watched the movie you were inspired by to enjoy this. (cause I haven't seen the film) "Wide-Eyed Happy" is no longer my favorite song of yours. Really enjoyed the electric guitar parts. Maybe you could have used a little more of that in parts, but not much to complain about musically. "Regardless if I have to go and fight / Armies to make you mine" felt awkward the first couple times around, but after a half dozen listens it didn't bother me at all.

Felix Frost - Amber Avalanche
This was the strangest entry of the round. Musically you had some interesting sounds, but it seemed all over the place which made it hard to focus on lyrically. And lyrically it was a really weird story anyways. The long instrumental bit at the end needs cut. It was probably less interesting than the music in the rest of the song, and if you're going to have a long instrumental...that shouldn't be the case.

Noah McLaughlin - Hey Joe
Given the topic...this needs to be faster & more peppy. The only part that the mood feels right is the first 4 lines while you're still waking up. The rest of it just doesn't sound like it's coming from someone on a caffeine kick.

Jon Eric - Friday February 13th
Those vocals were better than I would have expected from you with this song. Well done. Unfortunately the song bored me. Too slow for me to get into. I like the idea of going back to elementary or middle school for this challenge, but this is the 2nd song that did that, and just didn't do anything for me.

Trader Jack - You Can Be My Joey Ramone
Thank goodness for me requiring you guys to send in your lyrics. I can honestly say I only understood 2 lines from that, and at 2 points I thought you were about to do an impression of a raptor from Jurassic Park. I wouldn't have got the references in the song since I'm not familiar with Corin Tucker, but I still would have liked to have heard them.

Caleb Hines - To The Administrator Of Extraplanetary Research
I voted for a DQ...need I say more?

FauX - Back Down To You
Nice idea, but musically it did little to grab my attention & felt repetitive. Even when the bridge came, at first I got excited, but it kinda left me disappointed. Lyrically there are too many simple rhymes, and at times lines just don't fit. The first 2 lines are good examples.

The Boffo Yux Dudes - A Letter To Bernie
I didn't like this about halfway through, but it grew on me by the end. The "Took an Arrow To the Knee" reference made me laugh. In the end it was enjoyable, but I have no clue if it'll get you to the next round. Feels kinda borderline.

Shadows:
Wait What (The Band) - She Just Wouldn't Understand (Shadow)
Hook isn't catchy, and it feels really repetitive. Comparing your girlfriend to another girl isn't a bad idea, but the jokes just didn't get a laugh from me this time.

The Boffo Yux Dudes - Be My Valentine (Settle For Me) (Shadow)
The transition after the line "That I can tap your phone?" needs work. Felt like how on the radio sometimes they start the next song before the current one is completely over. Hated the line, "She helps me while away the hours", but loved others like "I sent you gifts and candies / And a piece of my big toe". The bridge is funny, but not catchy at all & feels out of place. This could be pretty darn good with a little more work, but as it is...meh.

Drei Viertel Drei - Goodbye (Shadow)
Wow...I already thought Valentine's Day was depressing, but I think yours are probably worse. Doesn't seem like a Valentine's Day card at all, but hey...it's a shadow. The music was really chill, not sure I cared for the take on the challenge.

Emperor Gum - <3 (Shadow)
I don't know about Scott Pilgrim...and it didn't make any sense. Between the 2 songs that reference the film & Glenn Case constantly saying how great it is...I'm going to have to watch it though. The vocals seemed too low in the mix, that's about all I can say atm. Oh, and the title is awesome. Well at least I thought so before having to put it into Bandcamp...and this blog. ;p

Menage A Tune - Fractal Choices (Shadow)
Your best song to date. Probably the first time I didn't think of church while listening at some point. This song MIGHT have made round 3 if it wasn't a shadow. MIGHT.

Menage A Tune - My Best Friend (Shadow)
There's the church lady. It's not bad, but I'm not your target audience with this. Raffie's fans would probably be more receptive. Not my cup of tea, but it cements this as your strongest round to date.

Rosalind - My Favorite Time Of The Week (Shadow)
You need a hook, badly. The biggest thing you need is to learn more about recording & editing. Song Fight...could be of help to you. It's another good idea, your voice is fine, and it's an improvement from the last round. If you just keep working & learning I think you'll be fine, cause I think you have the tools already.

My Rankings:
Brian Gray
Rebecca Angel
Jacob Haller
Governing Dynamics
Common Lisp
Robert Borden
Hazen Nester
The Orion Sound
Jess Scherer
Kevin Savino-Riker
Gold Lion
Edric Haleen
The Boffo Yux Dudes
Jon Eric
Ross Durand
Steve Durand
David LeDuc
Noah McLaughlin
Felix Frost
FauX
Trader Jack
Caleb Hines

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

An Unfair And One-Sided Review by Howie Kapow

SpinTunes #4 Round 3

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)

SpinTunes #4 Round 4 Review

Steve Durand - A Beautiful Voice
From the get go it sounds fuller than most. Meaning you found more creative ways to make sounds...so that's good. I think former SpinTunes judge Dave Santucci would have loved this cause of the whistling (Dave is a professional whistler). There was not "An irritating noise" in this song, and it would be hard to listen to without smiling. You win this round...at least in my eyes...or ears...you know what I mean.

Jess Scherer - Threadbare
Great topic & title for this particular challenge. The backing vocals do a great job of filling up the song, but at times it does feel like it still needs something. (don't ask me what, I don't know) Up until I heard this, Steve didn't really have much competition for my top spot. Lyrically, vocally, concept...all great...but Steve made me smile just a little to much. Great song nonetheless.


David LeDuc - Fear
The beat boxing wasn't bad, and the rubbing of your arm was a creative sound that really helped add something different. The spoken word approach wasn't a bad idea for this particular challenge, and at times it flowed nicely. However, there were also times in which the flow seemed awkward. Not a bad entry, but it didn't blow me away, and I think it leaves the door open a bit too much for someone else.

Edric Haleen - Exultation!
Lion Kingy. It's certainly joyful, but it's hard to say much else. I don't know if this is a real language or just gibberish that Edric made up. Technically I could see someone wanting this DQed without some clarification from Edric. If it's a different language that's fine, if it's gibberish...well in my mind that probably wouldn't count as lyrics. Either way I don't understand it, and I rank heavy on lyrics & story. So at the bottom you go...

Jacob Haller - What Do We Need?
I like the idea, but it gets too repetitive lyrically. And without a really compelling musical track to help it along the repetitive lyrics get old fast. As an idea & rough draft this kinda works, but it needs a lot of work still. I suggest practicing your finger-buzzing solo, and taking another crack at this.

Drei Viertel Drei - Igor's Jigsaw
Aside from Steve, you set a mood better than anyone else this round. I'm glad someone decided to take advantage of the loophole about processing the various sounds your body can make. Creepy idea that works well with your ability to tell stories. It's your strongest entry of the contest.

Brian Gray - Before You Go
If this wasn't a shadow, it would get consideration for my top spot of the round. At first I was a little disappointed because I thought it was going to be all vocals, and this isn't an a cappella challenge. But when the first chorus kicked in I was sold. The vocals seem a little off at times (don't know if it's the recording or any processing they went through), but everything fit nicely together & it filled up the song well. The trick for this round was recording a song that sounded like you weren't limited in anyway...while you actually were. You pulled it off.


Menage A Tune - Don't Miss The Rainbow
Great work in terms of lyrics & creating an interesting sound throughout. The backing vocals & sounds were all great. My only gripe about this is the lead vocal performance. Just didn't hold my interest, and lacked personality. Excellent song though.