june contest - GOSSIP

[Bl1tz]

No prob

Now if only someone would vote for me

[UniCon]

yes warbug i also thankyou but suggest you get your ears checked
how the hell did i get a vote

yes, maybe. i have a pretty odd tasted in music; i was teethed on the residents. however, your song really did remind me of plants.

unicon i callem as i see em.

well good call!

[aMUSEd]

Wow - I just checked and was pleasantly surprised that someone had voted for my first entry ever.

So thanks farlukar

[scuzzphut]

Wopelka - thanks for the vote

[Emerald Tablet]

wow a vote - thanks pepelogu

[slartibartfast]

Sdunn1110 – This is just something that happens more as a visual in front of my eyes rather then a theme to a movie. I feel this more like the anticipation toward a theme.... That final bit is just superbly original. It took a bit before realizing I wasn’t downloading a thing

Thanks for taking the time to review and comment. I had visualised this theme running as the intro credits were rolling over the top of the intro action sequence - but I can see what you mean about it not being "theme-like".

Glad you enjoyed the ending - my attempt at a bit of humour (and to add somewhat to the humour, the computer "voice" is courtesy of "Microsoft Sam").

This was my first attempt at a final published mix to mp3, and I was somewhat disappointed with the results - the overall level is low (done to avoid clipping at some points), the bass seems muddier than over my system, and the high freq's not as crisp. Looks like I'll have to invest a bit of time getting to understand compression - and for me that's the beauty of these types of competitions, it provides the motivation to go out and push the envelope and try some new things.

THanks again for your feedback.

[vurt]

yes warbug i also thankyou but suggest you get your ears checked
how the hell did i get a vote

yes, maybe. i have a pretty odd tasted in music; i was teethed on the residents. however, your song really did remind me of plants.

unicon i callem as i see em.

well however it happened im grateful
and im glad you enjoyed it

[slartibartfast]

I'm blown away by the quality of the submissions.

This was my first ever competition entry - I'm something of a newbie at all this stuff - and I'm stoked. Not only does my submission get a vote, it gets three (so far) and one of those is a Number 1!

Thanks to pepelogu, Tancos and bastien - I hardly feel worthy of receiving your votes

[slartibartfast]

Here are a few personal comments on the submissions I have listened to. In the interests of trying to improve, I have tried to include a comment on the thing I liked most, and the thing I liked least about each track.

To declare my biases up front, it appears to me that a Sci-Fi movie theme should either:

- create a mood/atmosphere and generate an appropriate emotional response, or

- be something melodically memorable that leaves you humming along as you walk out of the theatre

...and it goes without saying that there has to be appropriate blips, barps, and electronica to go along with the Sci-Fi theme.

So without further ado, my uneducated personally biased comments....

7zark7 Junebug
What I liked most - A really original track - interesting reversed samples.
What I liked least - A tad repetitive - it seemed to exhaust the thematic possibilities by about 1:30

ahriakin Clarion
What I liked most - Really atmospheric, airy background voices
What I liked least - Not much in this track to suggest a Sci-Fi theme

carrieres Ice
What I liked most - Swirling synths would have created a great atmosphere on their own, but were at odds with the vocals
What I liked least - Vocals were hard to understand and were distracting

Blue Days Spheres
What I liked most - Atmospheric sweeps
What I liked least - Only two chords used for the entire song, it became somewhat repetitive

Emerald Tablet Ezikiel
What I liked most - Great Vocal
What I liked least - Ping Pong stereo effect on high rhythmic synth sound - would have been better if this had been anchored firmly in one place on the sound stage.

softegg Sci Fi Theme
What I liked most - One of my favourites - the theme was constantly building and evolving throughout
What I liked least - perhaps started a little too slowly and simply, it ran the risk of not grabbing my attention right from the start.

t-willy The T-Williamanator
What I liked most - What can I say that hasn't been said before? - a great sense of humour comes through on this track
What I liked least - A less cheesy bagpipe sample would have just topped the track off beautifully - it wasn't quite strong enough to carry off the "duelling banjos" at the end.

aMUSEd Endgame
What I liked most - Very simple, ethereal sound
What I liked least - the repetitive upward sweeping synth sound became annoying by the end of the track

Bitstreem DNA dreams
What I liked most -
What I liked least - Sorry, can't listen to .ogg files

nikp2000 Type A
What I liked most - Great Rhythm guitar sound and feel
What I liked least - The sax lead wasn't strong enough to carry the song at the end, but a strong sax solo here would have made the track a standout

SecondSkin Alien Intervention
What I liked most - Lovely ethereal, spacy feel - particularly the choir sound
What I liked least - Seemed to be more like two separate pieces of music, spliced together at about 0:58.

You™ SHADO Control
What I liked most - Interesting sci-fi intro
What I liked least - The clean guitar and organ made it sound more like a 1970's TV theme than a Sci-Fi theme - reminded me of Hawaii 5-0

Tancos The High Crusade
What I liked most - Interesting, somewhat folk-music theme at the start
What I liked least - Seemed to be somewhat disjointed, didn't hang together as a single piece of music

MArmstrong Space
What I liked most - Theme was constantly developing and building - I liked the vocal "oh" sounds
What I liked least - The fade-out ending

blaster78 big mechanoid bunnies in space
What I liked most - Simple but effective lead synth sound
What I liked least - The lead sound appeared to be placed a little too far back in the mix

pheeleep KVR1
What I liked most - The vocal, together with the strings and brass really builds suspense towards the middle of the track....
What I liked least - ...but then dissolves into an anti-climactic new theme

Joenco Wake Up
What I liked most - Ethereal synth sounds
What I liked least - No real "theme"

More to follow......

[slartibartfast]

My uneducated personally biased comments continue....

farlukar Comfort Formula
What I liked most - Interesting bass-driven theme.
What I liked least - A weak ending - the theme didn't develop much through the track

Mystahr The Eighth Day
What I liked most - Interesting subtle rhythms, with the drums placed well back in the mix
What I liked least - Feels like it should build into something more

EarthTones The New Gods
What I liked most - Really liked this one - toe-tapping rhythms with driving bass, and constantly evolving and developing sounds
What I liked least - Other tracks had more of a Sci-Fi feel to them

grillo Alba
What I liked most -
What I liked least - Couldn't download this one - dud link

plunge Be Somebody
What I liked most - Great Vocal, funky feel
What I liked least - Is this a sci-fi theme?

Col.G Earth3
What I liked most - The intro has a real "Star Wars" feel
What I liked least - Cheesy brass sounds.

dor-x Big Bright Lights
What I liked most - Great guitar and rhythm
What I liked least - The bass drone goes on waaaaay too long.

rsmus7 Journey To
What I liked most - Swirling background
What I liked least - Lead synth didn't appear to sit well in the mix

Markleford Orbital Covert Ops: Deathshadow
What I liked most - Great brass sounds
What I liked least - Slow to develop, and the resonant saw wave synth sound was overdone

thomasc_dk Kick that Alien Ass
What I liked most - Interesting blend of electronica and traditional electric guitar shuffle
What I liked least - Needed more than a one-line vocal lyric

Mo Verdigast Doktor Remix
What I liked most - Great to hear "exterminate" one more time
What I liked least - The music seemed unrelated to the vocal samples

Wopelka Space Cimetery
What I liked most - Eerie and evocative - you can feel the pain!
What I liked least - Nothing worth mentioning

Glooper Captain Starman
What I liked most - Catchy tune
What I liked least - The serious singing style seemed at odds with the corny lyrics - could have been better if done as a p*ss-take?

scuzzphut Against A Dark Background
What I liked most - Simple, eerie opening theme
What I liked least - Became somewhat repetitive. Also seemed more like two pieces of music joined in the middle than a cohesive theme

pepelogu Apollo4106
What I liked most - I could listen to this almmost all day - excellent and interesting chord progressions evocatively expressed by the strings
What I liked least - None to mention

Patrick9 24K Asteroid Miner
What I liked most - I really loved the distorted guitar sounds and the way they were positioned in the mix
What I liked least - Didn't quite have that "hum along" melody

jtxx000 The Chain
What I liked most - Good heavy guitars
What I liked least - Repetitive

More tomorrow......

[You™]

I didn't have time to comment on everyone's entry this month but I had something to say for each piece... At least here's some brief words for my top ten:

"Captain Starman" Glooper
This is such a great theme that I don't know where to begin. It sums up everything about the subject albeit in an inscrutable corny but memorable anthem. Its got chops and it's fun but best of all - it's got a heart. Many of the entries this month seem either too serious or too silly to me. This walks a fine line but doesn't step afoul the 'pretentious' or 'yuk' threshold. I think that's a feat well deserving of the galactic gold medal. Sure there's a few technical things I'd probably have done differently, but I'll save that for when my band does a cover of this as a hidden track on our next album.

"Against a Dark Background" Scuzzphut
Cold alien rain and nimbostratus clouds. This song makes me think of occluded skies precipitating liquid that forms tiny droplets on the lustrous long-chain polymer composite surface of a vehicle. I imagine things changing focus and distorting as something perilous approaches quickly from the distance. I suppose I'll get around to reading the book after I read Jeff Noon, after I finish "Pattern Recognition," after that damn Stephen Wolfram book...

"Drugs Orgies Viruses" Sciche
I don't know why, but this didn't grab me at first. But listening to a bunch of the entries just before we layed the guitar onto my submission, I got a little - you know - wasted, and then it struck me what a f**king brilliant song this is. It's like the best of Meat Beat Manifesto and maybe a bit of Ministry. Great samples, throbbing synths and mangled riffs. The drums sound a little anemic but that kind of works with the fractured and sickly sounding distorted mix of things falling apart. A little fine tuning of the mix might make this perfect. It's so good it hurts.

"Intergalactic Eye" Sleek f**kin' Month
It's too kooky and the sound too Revillos-Oingo-Boingo-con-queso to be taken too seriously but... (And this is what it comes down to...) It's a f**kin' great song. Theres's so many cool little details in the sound - so much craftsmanship. I don't know what your singing about and I don't care. This should be played loud and the audience can pogo 'till they puke on their spats. It's not tongue in cheek enough for Devo nor serious enough for Missing Persons; not hard enough for The Dickies and not slight enough for the Silicon Teens; it's good enough for me!

"Atmosfera" Ja.x
This is a beautiful piece and I get swept in every time I hear it. It reminds me of classic Sun Electric/Thomas Fehlmann whom I greatly respect. If I have any criticisms, they are only that the primary string pad sometimes sounds kind of thin and it's vibrato is a little too fake sounding when it's up front in the mix, but in this free flowing and electronic landscape it not too bad. Also the fade-out is too abrupt. But it's another great piece from you - and yes, it is a theme!

"Clarion" Ahriakin
This should be the theme for something. It would be the perfect TV show theme because it's nice and short and never gets boring. The main choir samples are little too loud in the mix and I think all the choirs, pads and atmosphere are robbing the kick-ass drums of their energy. But I like it and I'm voting for it!

"The Test" Beardedone
Quite the electronic noodler with one. Sometimes I think the progressions of notes sound too haphazard, but then I love the geometrically expanding manic crescendos and the satiating deep recesses. Nice percussion again with this piece, Gordon. My nitpicks are saved for the string sounds that lose their convincing-ness in some of the more sustained middle frequencies. Maybe some creative filtering might make them sound more appetizing or at least as willfully synthetic as the other sounds.

"Orbital CovertOps: Deathshadow" Markleford Friedman
Always with the groovy sounds Markleford. There's a strange kind of soothing alarm sound in the beginning I wish developed more but then the 70's synth lead comes in (which I think is a little too fibrous [I don't know what that means]) and then the drums and then the horns and... The bell was a smart idea. Great horn parts again. Nice ending too. Very subtle last chord/note (in comparison to the rest).

"Kick That Alien Ass" Thomas Christensen
Great sounds in the beginning of this. The vocals were a little too gritty for me at first but then the rhythm got going and I was drawn in. I love the castanet-like insect clicking and the sensor beeps. The thunderously rolling toms and electro-blues guitar are perfect. I kinda wish it had a slightly different subject matter because I really like the music and could see this developed into something appropriately serious. Or maybe not. OK, just powerfully cool.

"The Amoeba Variations" Duncan Parsons
Speaking of willful synthesis, is this the most prog-tronic oscillator fest or what? Keith Emerson called and wants his "Lucky Man" patch back. I am immediately reminded of when I was thirteen listening to glorious gatefold vinyl Synergy and Vangelis albums on my giant Pioneer headphones in a dimly-lit room when I should have been doing my homework. Not sure it's all working perfectly here, but it's nice to see props going out to the vintage soungs of electronic music. I have a couple proggy pirces of my own that I might post one day. Did you say you used to be a drummer? Then why don't those drums swing, man? They need to have a drink, unbutton the top button, relax and not be afraid to shove some of the thinthithisers around. And somebody please get the bass player stoned! He's too peppy. Is that background loop something I should know? That "wheeeouuuweeeoooo-wheeeouuuweeeoooo..." thing. It sounds familiar... A bit like the sound in the back of Orbital's "Belfast."

[scuzzphut]

UTM - thanks for the vote and review interesting to hear your interpretation of the music. It's not too far away from mine

[UniCon]

Thanks to Armadillo for my 6th place vote and scuzzphut for the 4th place vote

[donkey tugger]

Hhihi, no2 vote from the boy Alan Rough! Nice one Scotty!

[pheeleep]

Wow. I got at least one vote. Thanks Wopelka

Makes me feel less like shite.

Thanks for the reviews guys. Much appreciated.