April Contest: Gossip

[wagtunes]

Looks like I missed a bit of drama.

Anyway, I'm totally lost as to what to do now. I know I'm supposed to go vote but have no idea where or how. Can somebody point me to the thread that contains the directions for voting? I'll go read them and then proceed accordingly.

I would have entered this contest a long time ago but didn't know it even existed. Been writing songs for over 40 years so coming up with something for this shouldn't be a problem. I love writing songs and will probably do it until they bury me.

Anyway, looking forward to hearing all the music submitted this month. My personal goal is not to finish dead last. LOL.

[Laguna Rising]

Download all the tracks from here >
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 4&t=502573

Post your votes in here >
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 4&t=503961

It's very easy

Cheers

[wagtunes]

Download all the tracks from here >
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 4&t=502573

Post your votes in here >
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 4&t=503961

It's very easy

Cheers

Okay, thanks. Now, voting itself. Do we do a 1-10 scale for each track? Do we just list our favorites in order from most to least? Do we have to explain our votes? I'm not seeing any guidelines for voting.

[Laguna Rising]

Just vote for your top 10 tracks, most favorite at the top

Check out last month-s voting thread, as example >
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 4&t=502286

[Mister Natural]

Wags - a little feedback on each submission is always appreciated. Some write a few words & others don't . . .

[wagtunes]

I was told by DrApostropheX to post my comments for this month here so members can comment on them, so here goes.

Donkey Tugger – Haunting melody. Nice guitar work. Mix nice. Vocals remind me a little of Dave Cousins from The Strawbs. Like the vocal FX in places. Words were a little hard to understand during the louder parts. Probably needed a little EQ there. Ending a little odd but okay. Overall Score (1-10) 8

Folderol – Nice head bopping tune. Little simplistic for me but nicely done. However, without lyrics and vocals, hard to get a feeling of spring with this one. In fact, music reminds me more of a winter or at best fall like day. However, really pretty. Especially towards the end. Overall Score (1-10) 7.5

Mister Natural – Nice intro. Immediately peaks my interest and makes me want to hear more. Nice mix on this one. Vocals, no comment. This is why I personally don't sing myself. Sorry, really hurts the song and detracts from the really good arrangement and production. Overall Score (1-10) 6

Laguna Rising – Interesting intro. Mix a little on the loud side but only by a hair. Nice melody. Again, as with Folderol, a little simplistic but pleasant. The sudden change at a minute in was a little jarring. Very schizophrenic track but not dull. However, no vocals doesn't help with the spring theme. Sudden ending also a bit jarring. Overall Score (1-10) 7

Tbase2000 – Finally something that rocks a bit. I find this track humorous almost to the point of tongue in cheek parody on the genre and I love it. Didn't get a lot of the words but that's common with this genre. That this track made me smile the most of them all (at this point) I just have to give this a high score. Well done. Overall Score (1-10) 9

Beanpole – Ah, finally a dance track. Right away, this grabbed me. Nice catchy riff at the beginning. Wild vocals and synth sounds. Really brings me back to the 80s. Didn't understand the lyrics other than in the chorus but didn't detract from the song much at all. This was REALLY well done. This is a track I will listen to again. Overall Score (1-10) 10

Jonny Quest - Creepy intro. Love it. Reminds me of something out of Harry Potter. And then the full orchestra comes in. Ah, wonderful. Okay, where is this one going? (Notice song length) Oh no, not even 2 minutes? No vocals? Oh come on man, you gotta give me more. This is so great. And then...it's over. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I was. Musically, the best submission hands down. But it lacks completeness and, again, where is the theme? Had a hard time scoring this because the music is great but such a letdown. Almost seemed like you just wanted to get this one over with and just threw a little teaser together. Overall Score (1-10) 6.5

Skipscada – First thing that struck me was the vocals were a bit buried at the beginning and during the verse part (I guess). A little compression probably would have helped here. Song itself is a bit quirky. Mix seems a bit uneven all around. The vocals remind me of somebody and its on the tip of my tongue. It'll come to me eventually. Man, this is one strange tune. LOL. Seems rushed though. Makes me wonder how “into it” the entrants really are. Just being honest. Overall Score (1-10) 5

Yasha – Funky piano there. Almost comical. Was that a vocal I heard tossed in here and there? Okay, this one is REALLY strange. I feel like I'm watching something out of Doctor Who meets Doctor Strangelove. Vocal parts come and go too fast to really get lyrics. Sudden ending. Wow, okay, that was odd. Overall Score (1-10) 5.5

[Tbase2000]

That's awesome WagTunes. Thanks for taking the extra time. For me personally I had fun with the theme. Maybe a little to much but it just made sense to go that direction lyrically. Wish I had a good electric guitar setup and could actually play it as good as DonkeyTugger. Use what you got I guess.
Cheers.

[donkey tugger]

Wish I had a good electric guitar setup and could actually play it as good as DonkeyTugger.

Blimey, that's not a sentence you read every day! Very flattered!

And of course thanks to you and Wags for taking the time to do some reviewing. I've sometimes do some, and will try and give it a go again this month. Not sure they always make sense mind...

[Jonny Quest]

Holy moly--I hav e done it again...now my moving my comments for a third time

I put my comments in the voting...but here are my comments, devoid of ranking, in random order

Beanpole "Spring Spring Spring"

Fade in The 80's. Cue The Vocoder. Enter the clever lyric man. Sing the chorus. Ready the refrain. Build it up. Turn it around. Feel the joy. Enjoyable to the third power.

Mister Natural "The Return Of Spring"

Trancy vibrations. Experimental modulations. Unexpected, raw, vocals. Now I know what the smell of a higher scent smells like. Quirky risks equal uniqueness.

Yasha "Our May Queen"

All hail this avant-garde collage of rhythms, sound bites. This sonic landscape is not for those timid souls who cannot embrace the wild frontier. Pioneering in engineering.

Scipscada "Silent Spring"

"David Bowie meets Syd Barrett," at least that's what I thought I heard myself say as I took in this strange blend of so many textures. Intriguing in many ways.

Wagtunes "The Fall Of Spring"

Cool and catchy prog rock, bizarre, mathematical like if MUSE merged with ELO, divided by DEVO. Epic and ambitious. Not sure every part was needed but such a genre is about indulgence and this song embraced it. Very well done indeed.

Laguna Rising "Blossom Dance"

A happy guitar runs away from home to join the circus, woos a wild female sword wallower, then they dance for the merriment of the paying audience, many of whom depart with a "LG" concert T. Sweet.

Tbase2000 "Spring Fling"

A Raunchy and powerful rock production that invokes a variety of sub genres, ranging from nu metal to classic metal to punk. Now I know what the sound of a Spring Fling just might sound like. Catchy in a decadent way.

Foderol "A Day In The Country"

Polka goes wild in on this whimsical instrumental. Then as if the day progresses, things simmer down, and there's an afterglow of fairy dust. Warm and enjoyable. Good show

Donkey Tugger "First Day"

Beautiful acoustic instruments give way to that unique voice which gives way to a tasty production and arrangement. Quite enjoyed the distorted vocal parts and harmonies. Great stuff.



Again...a great group of tracks

[Jonny Quest]

Jonny Quest - Creepy intro. Love it. Reminds me of something out of Harry Potter. And then the full orchestra comes in. Ah, wonderful. Okay, where is this one going? (Notice song length) Oh no, not even 2 minutes? No vocals? Oh come on man, you gotta give me more. This is so great. And then...it's over. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I was. Musically, the best submission hands down. But it lacks completeness and, again, where is the theme? Had a hard time scoring this because the music is great but such a letdown. Almost seemed like you just wanted to get this one over with and just threw a little teaser together. Overall Score (1-10) 6.5

Thanks for the comments/review. While it's no excuse for brevity, I stem from the days when these contests had a 2:00 time limit and I must have subconsciously followed that rule.

But, I am inspired by and encouraged by your words to expand it, if only for my own private contest

[wagtunes]

Jonny Quest - Creepy intro. Love it. Reminds me of something out of Harry Potter. And then the full orchestra comes in. Ah, wonderful. Okay, where is this one going? (Notice song length) Oh no, not even 2 minutes? No vocals? Oh come on man, you gotta give me more. This is so great. And then...it's over. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I was. Musically, the best submission hands down. But it lacks completeness and, again, where is the theme? Had a hard time scoring this because the music is great but such a letdown. Almost seemed like you just wanted to get this one over with and just threw a little teaser together. Overall Score (1-10) 6.5

Thanks for the comments/review. While it's no excuse for brevity, I stem from the days when these contests had a 2:00 time limit and I must have subconsciously followed that rule.

But, I am inspired by and encouraged by your words to expand it, if only for my own private contest

Ah, well that might explain a lot. I wasn't aware of that. I could have never conformed to such a rule. I think in all my years of writing I've done maybe 1 song under 2 minutes.

[Jonny Quest]

Jonny Quest - Creepy intro. Love it. Reminds me of something out of Harry Potter. And then the full orchestra comes in. Ah, wonderful. Okay, where is this one going? (Notice song length) Oh no, not even 2 minutes? No vocals? Oh come on man, you gotta give me more. This is so great. And then...it's over. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I was. Musically, the best submission hands down. But it lacks completeness and, again, where is the theme? Had a hard time scoring this because the music is great but such a letdown. Almost seemed like you just wanted to get this one over with and just threw a little teaser together. Overall Score (1-10) 6.5

Thanks for the comments/review. While it's no excuse for brevity, I stem from the days when these contests had a 2:00 time limit and I must have subconsciously followed that rule.

But, I am inspired by and encouraged by your words to expand it, if only for my own private contest

Ah, well that might explain a lot. I wasn't aware of that. I could have never conformed to such a rule. I think in all my years of writing I've done maybe 1 song under 2 minutes.

After taking an extended absence of many years from this forum, and this contest most specifically, I am delighted to find it's still here, people are still contributing, and that the time length restriction has been lifted. Next time, I hope to crack the 2:30 mark (my usual limitation)

[Tbase2000]

@ Johnny Quest. I also totally agree with Wagtunes on his comment. Project Sam Symphobia. I don't even know what that is but I'm going to Google it. It sounded like you got all of that sound out of one track which if true is really amazing. I really want to hear you multi-track and fill in the full symphony and scene on projects to come. Take your time and produce it. I didn't know how to judge you either but I was very impressed.

[donkey tugger]

I think in all my years of writing I've done maybe 1 song under 2 minutes.

It's an artform in itself, writing short songs that still work and have enough parts to keep the interest. It's all about cutting out anything unnecessary and using small motifs and spot effects etc as hooks in themselves - requires a lot of discipline and also skill to be quite brutal when it comes to the arrangement. I do love a good short pop number- getting better at it, the other thing I wrote for this month (which is now another song..) is 2 mins 21, and that's with an intro and outro.

[skipscada]

My comments, in +/- format. The bottom line is that I enjoyed all the entries.

Mister Natural - The Return of Spring
+ Brave mix of very acoustic, "real" sound and very synthetic sounds that works.
+ Music and lyrics work together to convey a feeling.
- I would love a slight increase in tension in the last segment, then a slow fade.

Donkey Tugger - First Day
+ Polished, finished sound.
+ The composition is another display of great guitar pop craftsmanship.
+ Very capable playing.
- Your previous entries have put the bar very high.

Beanpole - Spring Spring Spring
+ Beanpole does OMD = fun and surprising.
+ Good, simple pop arrangement.
+ Glad to see you extend your palette and continue to improve in all aspects.
- Some timing issues
- I struggle to hear the lyrcis, which is probably a shame.

Tbase2000 - Spring Fling
+ Great vocals (not least the faint screams in the background)
+ Fun take on the theme
+ Good timing and tempo
- Mix sound a bit thin or toppy now and then, and some parts (particularly cymbals) seem to momentarily disappear

Yasha - Our May Queen
+ Very leftfield, sounds like something off a Wire Tapper CD.
+ Witty, musical drum track
+ Deadpan vocals add great contrast
- Maybe too much cut and paste between segments. That piano becomes a bit grating.

Laguna Rising - Blossom Dance
+ Playful and rich in ideas (as usual),
+ Musical wit.
- Some parts sound a bit meandering, lacking purpose.

Jonny Quest - Spring
+ Succinct but complete piece. Brief is good. Say what you need to say and get out.
+ Nice development and overall structure.
- Needs more variety in articulations and some more work on transitions to be a convincing mockup of a real ensemble.
- Highly subjectively, I feel it's too rigidly on the beat to convey the feeling of spring.

Wagtunes - The Fall of Spring
+ Wealth of melody
+ Inspired turns in the melody and chords here and there.
- Abrupt changes between sections sound like crosscuts between seperate tunes.
- Banal lyrics.

Folderol - A day in the country
+ Achieves the episodic intention by clever use of tempo
changes and subtle adjustments of the palette.
+ Keyboard sound and melodies produce a very personal style.
+ Naivist sound that fits the material ...
- ... but for me some of the instrument patches have very negative connotations to overused sounds from the past.