august contest - GOSSIP

[slartibartfast]

Second block of 15....

aMUSEd - Donut
I have heard of absurdist theatre - is this absurdist music? Interesting concept, but I can't see myself listening to this one again.

Andrew Simon - PingFlute
Nice flute sounds, and interesting effect on the intro. The drum mix seems out of whack somehow - too much reverb on the kick and the snare?

Patrick9 - Stargazing
The processing on the vocals gets in the way of what otherwise could have been a very good track - too much sybillance, and not enough presence? The sax sound lacks authenticity also.

Sttjelle - admajorem
High class orchestration. Plenty of sonic movement and variation. Another fade-out ending Otherwise one of the best of the month.

Synthpoop - Lather, Rinse, Repeat
Rather, too much, repeating in this for me.

Garret - Back and Forth
Seems strange in what appears to be a guitarist/singer track not to have the guitar panned centre with the vocal. But good quality vocal work, and lyrics.

Mo Verdigast - Pantonia
I liked the subtle bubbling sounds in this one, but this track didn't connect with me

windchillfactor - rabbit
Sorry, this one didn't connect with me either, not enough variation to hold my interest. If the lyrics were the key to appreciating this song, then they needed to be able to be understood.

wilkoryte - kvr blues
Good to hear some blues in the contest. Very laid back, a little more grit in the guitar work would improve this I think.

Dr Apostrophe - Knock Me Up
An interesting start lyrically, but the lyrics don't really go anywhere. Otherwise, a really good grooving feel to this track.

Tancos - Billy
A VERY alternative nursery rhyme. I liked the contrast between the sweet music and the rather gruesome lyrics, and some really effective synth sounds here that fit the track perfectly.

pHz - candy bullet
Very effective use of drum loops and some interesting sound mangling going on in this track. I really liked the mix on this.

Rusted Monkey - Way of Life
Anything that takes the p*ss out of Dubya is OK by me. This is real head banging stuff. Pity the distorted vocals are unintelligible, and the instruments sound like they need a little more spectral space in the mix, but a great rhythm and good guitar work.

peppy197 - Tangent Beaver
The mix needs a little more selective use of the heavy reverb, I think. But there are some interesting sounds in this track. Not sure that it works for me overall, though.

Jeff Dickens - You Better Not
Interesting ambient soundscape that keeps you hanging on to wait to see where it the track is going. Develops well, with good variation in volumes and tones. I could see this working as movie music.

[slartibartfast]

Third block of 15...

vurt - silence
I tried turning this one up full, but it didn't drown out all the other sounds in the room. If it had, you might have been onto a winner.

sdunn1110 - Ghost Story
You'll need to lift your game to get a vote in amongst the high quality music this month, mate!

RayS - Strange Days
Good introduction, with a really strong synth patch, but I felt that this track was crying out for some vocals. The counterpoint synth would have worked in a bridge section, but wasn't strong enough to carry the entire track. Another fade-out ending

astanine - kevlar
Bring back the 80's. An excellent synth-pop track - it would have been interesting to see where it went if it was longer than 1:35.

nikp2000 - august2
This is another track that seems to be crying out for vocals or some other melodic line. Didn't care much for the synth line mid-track, but the remainder of the track is well constructed. Another b.... fade-out ending.

Freezstar - Beleza
Soooo laid back at the start..... Really a track in two parts, which don't hang together. Individually though, I preferred the first half to the second, which didn't quite "groove" enough for me.

Duncan Parsons - The Chimp who wasn't there
A quirky track. Would have preferred to hear this with a slightly less cheesy clav sound.

Wopelka - Rain Dance
This track is deceptively catchy - I found myself humming this well after I had finished listening to it. The vocals have a very distinctive tone, and the rhythm also makes this track stand out.

Mr. Me - after Eve
The main theme for this track also is very distinctive and memorable. One of the better tracks this month

Beardedone - Jubwha
A well-crafted track with some most unusual and effective chord progressions and voicings. Not the type of music I would usually choose to listen to, but high quality nonetheless

Donkey Tugger (blue days remix) - Loosing
Interesting treatment of what is obviously not dance-oriented vocals. if the vocals were the starting point for the remix, yu would have been better off choosing to remix in a style that better suited the vocals, imho. Way too abrupt ending.

Farlukar - Ergopro
This track also has a very distinctive sound, given by the initial lead synth. Interesting drum rhythms and background voices/noises, but this track didn't quite connect with me, despite the obviously skilled craftsmanship.

fst - Upturn
This track has a nice groove to it. The guitars give a nice variation in the overall tone of the track and balance the synth tones well. I was a bit disappointed with the repetition that started a little over half way through - would have preferred to heard seen something that had a little more variation from the first time through, but overall an excellent track.

Richie Bee - 50 second getaway
3 seconds short! This track has a good groove to it. The rhythm guitar is highly effective, as is the (brief) organ solo. Good brass treatment also, but somehow - slick as it is, this track didn't have that special something to make it stand out from the pack.

Bastien Phelps - Ninety-Four
This track is right on the verge of being too repetitive, but just manages to avoid this trap through some nicely evolving pads in the later sections - I would have liked to have seen these introduced a little earlier, as the mid-section does get a little tedious and uninteresting

[slartibartfast]

Next block of 15....

Kriminal - She's Alive
Really effective use of filter sweeps in this track, but, imo, this track needed to be either 30 seconds shorter, or introduce some further variations at around the 1:00 mark.

Spyro/Emerald Tablet - El futuro de la humanidad
High quality vocals and production, in the second section. The track would be stronger without the rap at the beginning - that would have given you more time to develop the stronger second half. Don't care much for this style of music myself, but the quality stands out on this track.

Ceyecal
Interesting layers and tones, without ever grabbing me. This track could work as soundtrack material or a movie theme, The understated lead sound in the second half was the standout on this track.

EarthTones - Crave It
This is a catchy track - another 80's flashback. The vocals really work well, and the guitars sit well in the mix.

LadyJ - I Lost My Robot
Good vocoded vocal and an excellent mix, with plenty of space for all that is going on. A pity it is so short, as it would have been interesting to see how you could have taken the initial musical idea further.

Al BAggio - Acid Country
This has a nice laid back feel to it, but needed a chord/key change part way through to avoid becoming overly repetitive.

Dave Spiers - TuggerJazz
This has a great laid-back groove, with a nice sense of humour, and great piano work. Possibly needed some form of solo mid-track to add a bit of spice.

Glooper - To Die For
This is a well-crafted and structured song. The vocals are passable, but perhaps not quite strong enough to carry this track.

Mystahr - SmAshid
Another interesting exploration of tonal texture and rhythm. Call me old fashioned, but I do like a bit of melody from time to time, however.

Plunge - Chloe, Chloe, Chloe
Congratulations on capturing the essence of having a beautiful little daughter. Great vocals, great piano work, great song structure, great track all round!

Tristeza Orange - Aerial Nova
Nice ethereal feel at the start - the extreme panning was a distraction though. Sweet tune without being a standout.

Andreas Ehrhardt - Sweet Summer Rain
The title suggest something a little lighter than this pretty slow-moving and heavy piece. Strange that you chose to have the backing strings at the beginning, rather than adding it towards the end to provide some crescendo to the track. As it is, the track seems to fade out and run out of ideas.

Thomas Christensen - Free for All
The crackles and pops are an immediate distraction, but this track has a nice lazy summer days feel to it.

JEBUDAS.jebudashead - Less Than Serious
Great, ominous intro, but the EQ on this track seems out of whack - all mids, and no bass or high freq worth speaking of. Seems like the introduction to what could have been a very interesting orchestral piece.

Sonic Six - Sunset Moonlight
An interesting sonic sculpture in strings, but there isn't anything in this track that grabs me to give it that "I must listen" feeling

[slartibartfast]

Final few...

knockman - days
Mellow and laid back. A good mixture of tones and a slightly weird feel to this track. The layered vocals towards the end are highly effective, but I think you would have to be in a certain mood to fully appreciate this track.

The System ERA - Overboard
The urgency of the drums seems to demand that the guitars are brought forward and given a harder edge in this - it seems more of a heavy rock track than the current mix allows. But this is a pretty good track overall.

fell aka jdg - O0O
This track certainly grabs the attention, with interesting tonal and rhythmic variations in the percussive parts. Good selective use of delay/echo. Another of the better tracks this month.

rsmus7 - Tribals in Space
This is a really interesting combination of completely different samples. I like what you have set out to try and achieve, and for the most part it works, but it probably needed a stronger melodic theme in order to achieve "memorable" status

Barnadine - Heartbeat
Good lyrics and vocals, but needed a second verse or some additional instruments added to the mix in the second half.

You - Casmir Funk
Great choice of vocal samples - it shows how far we have come in 60 years - or have we? The backing tracks have a great vibe and are musically very accomplished. Pity about yet another @#$*&( fade out ending!!!!!

I hope I didn't miss anyone

[jens]

I hope I didn't miss anyone

you did

[slartibartfast]

Just a comment, having listened to all the submissions, and before I vote. I know there has been some discussion about whether files that were submitted that were not tagged according to the rules were indeed eligible. To me this seems unnecessarily pedantic.

Of greater concern is the fact that many entries (based on the number of fade-out endings, abrupt endings, quoted lyrics that do not appear in the submitted version, and frank admissions in this forum) appear to breach the following rule

2 - your track SHOULD be -

(a) composed specifically for this contest

Some of these (hardly surprisingly) are among the highest quality submissions made.

Just letting you know that none of these submissions will be getting my vote, and I would encourage the moderator to DQ all such entries as not meeting the spirit of this competition.

[Beardedone]

Beardedone - Jubwha
A well-crafted track with some most unusual and effective chord progressions and voicings. Not the type of music I would usually choose to listen to, but high quality nonetheless

Thanks sdunn1110! Much appreciated!

[Beardedone]

Yo Plunge! Thanks for the vote. I'm a streaming conciously!

[slartibartfast]

I hope I didn't miss anyone

you did

Sorry - listening to it now - will get a review out shortly

[slartibartfast]

Hopefully the last one...

jens - far out
There are some good variations in the layers of sound in this - I like the guitar work particularly, but the chord progression becomes rather repetitive by the end, as does the high synth stab. The drums work particularly effectively. Another rather abrupt ending on this track.

Did I miss any others????

[jens]

thanks

[Wopelka]

Wopelka - Rain Dance
This track is deceptively catchy - I found myself humming this well after I had finished listening to it. The vocals have a very distinctive tone, and the rhythm also makes this track stand out.

cheers ! thanks for reviewing all the entries and for the nice words about mine. glad that it can haunt you during long hours...

FYI, i made this track specifically for the contest, as i always do.

[aMUSEd]

aMUSEd - Donut
I have heard of absurdist theatre - is this absurdist music? Interesting concept, but I can't see myself listening to this one again.

No it's not Absurdist - its Dada

[Ixox]

sdunn1110 thanks for the review...

And thanks a lot Mo Verdigast for the number 1 vote...
Don't understand what you say about my plug in your number 3 line but it's free... Follow the link in my signature.

[plunge]

Hey, here's a question:

Looks like lots more people enter the contest than vote, even though they are technically disqualified for not voting. Is that any different when we just have to vote on 5 or when the voting was secret ballot? Just wondering....