I'm going to try something different in this round of reviews. I will listen to each song once the normal way and once at 1.45x speed (gives you a bit of a bird's-eye view).
Adam Adamant -- Yay, lo-fi! Voice sounds like it's way in the background compared to the rest. This one sounds almost random in structure but probably in a way that fits the title. Ugh, the lead synth is pretty hard on the ears on the long notes. Perhaps a bit more power in the vocals would've been nice. I like the idea behind this song but the realization is too annoying for my taste. Mainly because of the synth notes, I guess.
1.45x listen: the synth gets even more annoying. That's not usually the case at 1.45x if the mix gels well. It's a lot more apparent now that the vocals are sloppy.
Berkeley Social Scene -- Great sound/guitars, interesting rhythm. The vocals are a bit weak (the large intervals would've worked a lot better with more power and accuracy). As a song this is enjoyable enough but it doesn't really stick in my head.
1.45x listen: couldn't you have cut away the handling noises at the beginning? Anyway, at 1.45x I'm impressed by the great soundscape. Bonus points in the departments of arrangement and engineering.
Big Crouton -- Barbershop! And metal! As promised. Amazing atmosphere in the metal part. Great sound too. Hmm, okay, it's one song, but perhaps the barbershop pieces could've been integrated more, I don't know. One thing I missed was a tag piece, but seriously, absolutely everything else is right about this song. It's not too long either (which is not easy for a song of over five minutes), it's just pure rock (and I don't even like metal, normally). Bonus points for overtones in the last sung section (the last couple of major chords). I would give you two votes if I could.
1.45x listen: I think this listen mode doesn't work well for metal in general. That made me concentrate on the story more and I still love it.
The Chadderandom Abyss -- If what you're trying to do is being random, you've got a good start, but this is way too structured. This is basically just a normal song mutilated to make it hard to listen to. As long as it's not possible to see what the point of this is, it's not voteworthy.
1.45x listen: Vocals sound even goatier this way. Otherwise, same comments as before.
Cobalt Stomach -- More lo-fi! Hey, haven't I read these lyrics somewhere before? Nah, only part of them. Vocals are way too weak most of the time (but the high C bit near the beginning is great). I think the idea was interesting but not enough to hold an entire song together, a bit more variety could have done the trick.
1.45x listen: Hmm, the synths are actually a bit boring in the first section of lyrics (I don't dare call it a verse).
coder_lyte() -- Hey, is this lo-fi week? Not that I'd complain. A pretty video-gamey song, quite a bit of Nintendo in there (I think the synth is inspired by Nintendo sounds, too), i.e. almost oppressively cheery. This one is fun to listen to. The vocals are a bit weak.
1.45x listen: No additional comments, I still like it. Oh, nice vocal doubling.
Elaine DiMasi -- I'm not sure the first long note in each verse fits well with the accompaniment; the second one (that shifts from an E to an F) avoids this. Admittedly, that makes a for a contrast/development, but I can't help but wonder if one could have done that differently. Another fun song, and as requested I'm not going to comment on performance and engineering. I don't find anything wrong with the song's structure. Definitely likeable.
1.45x listen: Nothing has changed.
Embers of Autumn -- I think the low MP3 bitrate (or something else in your signal path) hurts that guitar sound a lot. Vocals are out of key a lot but otherwise pretty good (a bit clipped in a place or two). Very energetic song and except for the vocal accuracy it works very well. Nice transition from chorus to verse.
1.45x listen: Damn, are those guitar attacks hard.
The Hand Formula -- Levels! Doubling vocals doesn't automatically make them loud enough. Musically a bit like your previous submission. A decent song, if not very exciting.
1.45x listen: Doesn't make it more interesting.
Hans Gruber: Ultimate Villain -- I think the drumkit is too loud in relation to everything else. The vocals in particular get a bit lost. I like the song idea and it's put into practice well (for example, the background vocals add a nice bit of atmosphere). The rather simple song structure is made up for by instrumental buildup, making it feasible to make the song this long. Except for the ~20 seconds of silence at the end, of course.
1.45x listen: The initially rather sparse arrangement works well, even if it's more noticeable this way.
Heine -- I like most of this (vocal tone, instruments, buildup as far as there is any) but I think the vocals are a tad wobbly and there isn't really much happening in the second half of the song, except for the chord changes before the instrumental part starts. [Side note: the ID3 comment tag in the MP3 file got cut off in exactly the wrong place.]
1.45x listen: Good soundscape.
Howl Down the Chimney -- That's a creepy intro, nice (but I think it's not tuned the same as the song itself, half a minus point). Atmosphere, lots of it, and the story to go with it. Great! Good choice of instruments too. Big vote.
1.45x listen: I think when the percussion sets in, you could have added some bass instrument too, though that might have destroyed the pirate story feeling.
Jan Krueger -- So, there story here? I wanted to experiment with using tons of vocals, and lots of suspended chords. Up to 11 vocals tracks are in use at the same time (also this is my first submissions that's completely without guitars). The drumkit is my contribution to this week's apparently strong presence of lo-fi elements. Again, this song was written and recorded on the last day (except for the drumkit effect chain which I designed some time during the week). The idea to use brutal pitch shifting in some places for effect was really spontaneous.
1.45x listen: I didn't know there were this many chipmunks.
Jeff Travis Henderson -- Hmm, what does this intro remind me of? Liquido, perhaps, though this one is a bit harder. Not your typical christmas song. Nice chord patterns. In particular I love the mini-chorus thing (and the reverse reverb is surprisingly cool). Hmm, I can't really think of anything to criticize. I guess that makes this one an easy vote.
1.45x listen: No additional comments, I'm still in love with this song. Something about it is almost goosebumpy.
Jk Chrvt -- Good sound (I can even stand the panning sweeps), except I think the guitar solos stick out a bit much. The vocal performance is absolutely not my cup of tea, though I have to admit it works well for this song. So as a song this one is pretty good and I'll be looking forward to what you come up with next time.
1.45x listen: No additional comments. Hmm, wait: perhaps this song could have been a lot more awesome by making it more punchy; that's mainly a mixing issue, of course.
Manatee Matinee -- That's not fog, that's the poisonous hurricane of death. If you're trying to annoy me, don't expect a particularly valuable review. Oh, and if you were trying to be random, the same comment as above ("Chadderandom Abyss") applies, to a slightly lesser degree. You win at being random, for now, but it's not anything to boast with.
1.45x listen: You wish.
MC Eric B -- The intro is nice. But. I can find absolutely no emotion in the vocals in verses. Nor in the chorus, but what annoys me more there is that obvious chord changes are missing (you're doggedly singing Fs across a C major chord, that's not really cool).
1.45x listen: It's a lot more obvious you're using only one chord. The doubled vocal track is consistently flat.
MC Paul Denyer -- Acidic, chaotic (in a good way, I guess, and it seems to fit with the lyrics). I've said it before; I can't say too much about hiphop (or whatever this is). One thing, perhaps: you've got this intermission in the middle of the song that makes for a very nice change from the rest; it was a bit disappointing to see it just stop, followed by more of the same (previous) stuff. I'd have loved if anything at all had been different afterwards.
1.45x listen: Hectic. Same comments as above.
Melvin -- The "nuh-nuh-nuh" is gold. I don't really like this style, I admit, but it's well done energetic song, even I can see that. Lots of neat backup vocals, and the doubled guitar strumming is a nice touch, too. I can even stand the synthy strings here. Some of the high notes you sing sound a bit strained, but not too badly. The ending is a bit drawn out.
1.45x listen: The right-channel guitar syncopation in the chorus is pretty cool.
Naked Philosophy -- My main complaint here is that the vocals rather off in the intro (but the synth drum stuff is cool, and it's a nice touch to have the song begin and end exactly the same way). Personally I find the verses a bit boring but I like the chorus very much, pretty REM-y. The lyrics don't excite me. The hi-hats in the bridgey thing up to ~2:30 sound a lot more robotic than the rest of the drums. Catchy guitar riff.
1.45x listen: No additional comments.
Paco del Stinko -- Great expressive vocals, especially in the second verse. The chorus sound is very you while the verses are pretty different, and you made it fit together extremely well (great transition from chorus to verse). Very atmospheric, and could you please stop rubbing it in my face that your guitar playing is a lot better than what I could do even with a lot of practice?
I'm voting for this one.
1.45x listen: No additional comments.
Quimby -- I think the guitar is recorded via pickup; recording it via microphone might be nice if you have (or can afford) a good mic, perhaps a large condenser. The vocal tremolo in the chorus puts me off a bit. You have a slight tendency to slur notes into each other in the quietly sung parts, I'm not sure if that's deliberate. The guitar playing is a bit out of rhythm in a place or two. But really, I like this song. Keep going! Next time, perhaps a bit of percussion?
1.45x listen: I still like it.
Ross Durand -- That's almost bluesy... interesting. The electric guitar feels a bit tacked on (it's mostly integrated into the soundscape of the mix but not completely; I think the spring reverb has to go, for one thing). Clipping in some places. The guitar seems to be a bit boomy. Nice buildup and performance, but otherwise this is not too captivating.
1.45x listen: I think I'm getting used to the electric guitar thing I mentioned. Or it just sounds better this way, I don't know. I still don't like the reverb, anyway.
Slats -- Great guitar tone. The downside: not much is happening here, so I think it should have been shorter. A more varied arrangement might have been nice, too (i.e. more buildup). Perhaps give the vocals a bit more presence in the mix. I think I liked your previous track better in some ways, but sound is better in this one and I think it flows better, too (only too much, perhaps).
1.45x listen: Still not really exciting, but the performance is definitely good.
Terra Sula -- Pretty driving piano playing; almost too driving for my taste. Energetic singing, a bit off particularly in downward phrases. I think you could improve on your vocal tone, particularly in higher notes (and, for example, the "I don't know" in the chorus sounds rather slurred). I'm not trying to take away from this song, mind, I love it. Lots of emotion there, and a very good backup vocal track with just the right level. I think this one deserves a vote.
1.45x listen: I think that doesn't really help with this song.
Todd McHatton -- Another christmas song! Well, sort of. The sound pressure is a bit much, as is a general tendency in your songs. Otherwise, I like everything about this song. Good idea, verses and chorus work well together, great sound (actually, I like the verses more than the chorus because of their sound). The more I listen to your songs, the more I can't help wondering what your voice would sound like with less breathiness. No, I'm just wondering, not complaining. Anyway, this one is a vote.
1.45x listen: No additional comments.
Transatlantic Fight Club -- I think there's a bit much reverb here. I don't have any general complaints here, but I'm not drawn in by this song. Not a lot going on here.
1.45x listen: No additional comments.
Vaterunser -- It's hard to make out the lyrics. This is a nice song and I think it could have been a lot better with more solid singing; this sounds almost whispery. I can't find anything wrong with the rest. Note to other reviewers: if you split up the band name correctly it would be "Vater unser".
1.45x listen: Really, this one needs different levels and re-recorded vocals.
The Weakest Suit -- Short (like this review); otherwise good (but the notes on "with googley eyes on it" are a bit weird, are they meant to be weird?).
1.45x listen: Aww, now it's even shorter.
Weta T-Shirt -- This one definitely "sounds foggy" due to lots of ambience, but I think the delay on the vocals is a bit hard. Vocals are a bit flat occasionally. As a quiet and slow song this one works pretty well.
1.45x listen: Nifty delays on other things, though.
Phew, I'm done! Definite votes: Big Crouton, Howl Down The Chimney, myself (I don't do this for all of my songs, honest!), Jeff Travis Henderson, Paco del Stinko, Terra Sula, Todd McHatton. I'll give myself another couple of days to decide if I want to vote for anyone else.