I'm more than a little disappointed that you think I'm being lazy.

I grab contest entries as soon as they are posted, and only delay listening until I have mostly thought out my own contribution (to avoid any possibility of plagiarism etc.) and depending on how busy I've been at work - usually, very.

I listen to each entry all the way through, then make some brief notes. When I have time and a few collected entries, I listen to them again while looking at my notes. Often I will change my mind. In any case, that is when I prepare the comments I will post.

At voting time I listen to all the entries yet again, and once more referring to my previous comments, and yes, I might again change my opinion. Once I believe I have my favourite 10, I then listen to these again multiple times to work out my order preference. In total, on an average month, I would estimate that I spend about 4 hours just listening to the entries.

My reviews/comments are exactly what I'm thinking. I don't bullshit, but at the same time I won't put a musician down. If I say something is not for me, then that is exactly what I mean. Usually this is because I am simply unable to 'connect' with the entry at all. This is not a fault in any way and often I will add a comment that I appreciate the technical effort. I will sometimes vote for entries that fall in to that category simply because I do appreciate the composer's skill.

If you consider all this to be lazy, then I'm afraid you and I have totally different meanings for the word.

Thanks!

indeed, i'm talking about the laziness of your mind. what you write is true for sure, no doubt about it. you're busy like an accountant, but it doesn't help another musician/composer, when you write your nmcot stuff. it's better, you don't write anything at all about music, your mind is not willing to understand. write about the songs you like and write about the songs, you dislike and tell the people, what is wrong or right in your opinion and ignore my stuff or try to imagine, what i was up to and write about your attempt, but please: no more 'not in my tree' or 'not my cup of tea'

Chris aka mello

thanks guys.

Mello - is this the kind of thing you're talking about ?

in a way, yes. like Folderol, pljones tries to be humorous (or is it just arrogant?)at least. another accountant though. i suppose, they think, they have the duty not to miss a single song ('fairness' 'democratic' behaviour or whatever), but what should someone do with a review like the one above. a waste of time.

look at my post right above mister natural. all kidding aside, i am an accountant. for real.

i've read that, my dear nº1. we need humor to survive and it's important not to take everything seriously, but sometimes it is necessary to wipe some dust off the habit rabbits somehow . cough cough.

don't kill the whale!

I gotta defend folderol on this one... he consistently takes his time to provide reviews pretty much every month, and I for one thank him for that. Do I agree with every critique he makes? (or every praise for that matter)... no, and that's true of pretty much every other reviewer. But at least he bothers to explain which entries he likes, dislikes and why.
I also think that the "not my cup of tea" comment is pretty valid in a review. As someone who also likes to write reviews, I know there are times when an entry simply doesn't click with you. There may not be anything wrong with the song, it simply is in a genre you don't like, or whatever reason. What other comment to make? Or should I just not write anything about songs I simply don't like? (believe me, I've debated that point with myself... I don't like writing anything negative about anyone's work), isn't leaving it out of the list of reviews a worse insult than simply saying that it's a matter of taste that you don't like an entry?... I hope no one here takes offense on that... it usually says more about the tastes of the reviewer than on the work of the composer being reviewed.

the 'why' is sometimes missing and this is the annoying part of the story. as long as there is a 'why' & nmcot, it's alright. of course, everybody should be allowed to write, if he or she likes or dislikes something, but i want to know why.

Thanks to folderol, forw, Doc Jon, GMoneh, and pljones for your comments.
Not everyone has the time or inclination to give feedback, so even when it's not agreed with or as in depth as one would like I think it still should be appreciated. Even just a few words are better than none. Further elaboration can always be requested.

Here are my brief thoughts on the entries this month. For me this was a very difficult theme, and it's been fascinating listening to how everyone tried to overcome the limitations.


nikp2000 - time split
Very unpredictable and clever melody. Quirky yet accessible.

tuz - have fun
Felt like I was eavesdropping through a hole in a tree to a cheerful critter singing to itself. Thoroughly enjoyable.

beanpole - Monophobe
Really excellent melody, but a bit rigid for my taste. Would have preferred more dynamic variation in the performance.

bzur - Monolith
Epic intro. Cool feedback and textural sounds. Love the bagpipe and drums. (Nice picture of your new desktop computer case in your cover btw.

D.H. Miltz - The Old Place
Beautiful playing. Very spacious and poetic.

Doc Jon - Contemplation
Really good song. Very cleverly remains monophonic while sounding like chords. Like listening to an optical illusion… a very pleasant one.

folderol - Monotone
Nice dreamy sounds and melody. Really like all the melodic and instrumental changes.

forw - Monomoon
The wind up at the start is great. Very clever to use a music box for this competition, works really well. And the melody is quite nice.

Friendly Stranger - Stalactites
Very nice progression and arpeggios, but the instrument sound itself didn't do much for me.

GMoneh - Pan's Lament
Good song, kept me entranced throughout. For some reason it reminded me of Jethro Tull… did you play it standing on one leg by any chance?

kryptonaut - Domine Abomine
Really enjoyed this. Fantastic sounds and melodies. Made me picture some type of ancient monophonic ritual.

Laguna Rising - 1 Take Only
Some excellent playing and licks. Especially liked the slide guitar towards the end. I think I would have preferred more melodic cohesion between the different sections.

mellotronaut - Guten Tag
Wonderful vocal articulations and delivery. Excellent flute playing as well. This type of call and response style was a great idea for the theme.

Mister Natural - Your Particle
Really nice song and abstract lyrics. Love the yodeling, but wasn't crazy about the effect over it - would have liked it smoother and less jumpy.

My Ear Bleeds Wine - Ode to Esmarelda
I liked the concept of this track more than the execution. Playing bells for this theme is a great idea, but the sounds themselves, particularly the reverb in places, was not to my taste.

nahkaorava - Chuseok
Great sounds and performance. Really liked the exotic feel, and especially enjoyed how the arrangement developed.

off the wall - Big Bryan's Lament
Very nice playing, and wonderfully touching melodies. Thought it got a bit sloppy when the guitars came in, would have preferred just the whistle throughout.

Patrick9 - Japonica
Nice instrument choices, but not enough melody to keep me interested.

Peterhud - Lines of Fire
Cool jam. Loved the middle minute, but not as crazy about the first or last minute.

rockstar_not - mono
Fantastic melody. Has a timeless quality to it. The synth manipulation was at times distracting, but overall nicely done.

Softegg - little creature
Pretty neat how with simple sounds and rhythm you were able to conjure such sharp images in my head of something pecking at an egg. Would have liked for the concept to be taken further.

Emerald Tablet - mono
Really nice plucking sound. Especially like the accent at the beginning of each note. The variation on the release times was interesting, but seemed more of an exercise than a musical expression. Lost my interest about midway through.

JJ Beiner - Enchantable
A very nice piece. Really enjoyed the dramatic melody. Unfortunately the Delay Lama felt like a mosquito buzzing in my ear.

InboxZero - Na Alma De Todos Coisas
Excellent composition and interesting instrument choices. Really like those gong hits. A nice modern edge to this classical piece, very well done.

That's my point. Sometimes, the "why" is simply: "I don't like it", "not to my taste", or put more politely, "not my cup of tea".
Music can be enjoyed at many different levels, and we wannabe musicians sometimes get too lost in the technical part of it. Sometimes, you can pinpoint exactly why you didn't enjoy a song: someone sang out of tune, or a particular sound was too strident, or too distorted, or the delay goes for too long, or it was mixed too hot, or the stereo space is messed up (notice the geekiness ). But sometimes, a song just doesn't speak to you. There's nothing technically wrong with it, but at another level it just cannot be appreciated by one set of ears, even though it might be the most beautiful thing for the set in the next chair. That's the beauty of it.

G.

to me - what I think Mello is getting at is a level of intellectual honesty. If one thinks your submission this month is rubbish; have the backbone to say that exactly.

I've only been doing this "contest" thing for the last 7 months and I have to say, the first several; I felt obligated to say, something to the effect of, "nice little melody, good arrangement" within this Gossip thread as a means of "critiquing" some pieces that I really didn't think were very good. My new habit is to refrain from any editorial comments altogether. I'm sorta afraid that if I say that musician X produced a crappy piece in January - he'll vote me a recording a piece of excrement in February. Therefore; I'm no longer writing comments on your submissions both last month & this - going forward. Whether my work is "happy" enough or "trancelike" enough for you, dear listener - that's your call.

I make this music because I need to do it
I put my music "out there" in these threads because I really dig kicking the hornet's nest to see how fast I can run

peace

Will not have time to vote - is it possible to withdraw my entry and let those who voted for my track to get a new vote?