Nur Ein XVIII Round Two "The Numbers Don't Lie"

[lichenthroat]

I'm in with a shadow entry about Reno, of all things.

This was an interesting challenge. I really hated the chord progression itself, but I ended up pretty happy with my song. This is not a chord progression I would have ever used, or even thought thought of. Nevertheless, it made for an interesting songwriting process and thus a good challenge. I'm looking forward to hearing what all the songs sound like.

[arby]

Okay so I was NOT done last night by any means, I decided to write a 2nd part to each verse with different chords because I thought my song was too short and boring, so I had to rerecord the whole thing. I lost my S-Drum part from before so I made new drum parts. As per usual I had a last minute crisis where I hated my song, myself and the whole world but now I think it might not be totally terrible. We shall see. I just hope I make it past this round. I did like the challenge because the Royal Road progression is surprisingly fun. I never did watch the David Bennett video though, oops!

[Pop Machine]

BYD are IN, baby. Medicate yourselves accordingly.

[noma]

I'm in, with another alien-themed song (inspired by the High Evolutionary as depicted in the recent Guardians of the Galaxy 3 movie.) I had the basic chords, lyrics and vocal melody within one hour of first reading the title. It was a great pleasure to sing lines such as "Shall I get a probe / From his temporal lobe?" or "Take his brain and put it in a can."

The Royal Road progression appears 4 times in my song; as follows:

1. Intro / Verse 1: power chords only (third added on glockenspiel) - F5, G5, E5, A5.
2. Verse 2: organ plays full chords - F, G, Em, Am.
3. dreamy, new age kinda instrumental section after 2nd chorus: jazzy progression with appropriate shakuhachi samples - Fmaj7, G7, Em7, Am7.
4. Outro with added cadence: Fmaj7, G6, Em7, Am7, G6, F.

[lichenthroat]

I noticed that my shadow entry is not available for listening on the Nur Ein website. Would it be possible for it to be added?

[Niveous]

Oh, I'm sorry. Just an oversight. I'll fix that as soon as I can.

Edit: Done.

[Cybronica]

Really excited to hear everyone’s songs tonight. I got mine in through sheer force of will an a Sunday wiped of any other plans because that’s the only day I had available to work on it. Chorus progression is the refrain, F G Em Am, and I have to say I had a lot of fun working with how this progression wants to propel you towards I (aka C), but not letting it except on really special occasions.

Also, it has one of the best lines I think I’ve ever written. The song is essentially an artistic interpretation of a Quarterly reporting meeting, and the line is, “When every figure is dressed in black / a little red dress could cause a heart attack.”

[crumpart]

Didn’t get a shadow in. Sadfase. I do love this progression though. Not a million miles away from my wheelhouse, so I’ll definitely keep it in mind for future songs.

[ken]

I wonder how many of these songs are in C major and therefore might be easy to mash up. I don't know how to do that, but I hope someone with time and expertise will do it.

[Niveous]

If anyone is curious when I'm going on about in my little shadow that I whipped up in a couple of hours on Sunday, it's inspired by the short lived television show Point Pleasant. For those who haven't heard of it, which is most folks, it's about a girl named Christina who washes up on the shores of Point Pleasant with no memory of her past and by the end of the show's 13 episode run turns out to be the antichrist. And if you looked deep in her eyes, you could see the 666 like a weird birthmark.

[Cybronica]

Reviews done as first impressions during the listen party, so everything is listened in Mono and I haven’t read the lyrics. I quite enjoyed this batch, and look forward to hearing these in stereo as i listen to them this week.

BSS: I like that pre and then how the melody moves in the chorus! That upward lick is tasty. Uuuuhhhhhh love that post chorus bass. I like how the orc heat ration is building on the challenge progression - love the layers coming in and out. that ending sound like there was a bad splice to the last hit

BYD: love a data song. The shaker is kinda high in the mix, dominates the others. lol the spoken word break down. Like the vox harmonies

Cavedwellers: love the verses, very pretty, a magical tone on the arpeggiated guitar. The “I am myself again” after the solo is great, it’s like you went on a journey and came back changed. Ooooohhh love that harmony on the breakdown

Chewmeupspitmeout: this feels slow. I’m not against slow songs (mine is slow this week), but this feels like the song want to be faster. Love any excuse to put ‘asinine’ in a song. Chord prog under “you play the protagonist” is really pretty. I wanted that ending to build to something bigger. Went out with a whimper, but I wanted a bang.

Cybronica: me! I’m not sure why all my songs are mixed so quietly this year. I gotta bump up my level. Now I’m worried my song should be faster… who am I kidding, I can’t play the mando any faster than this yet lol.

Ellipsis: cool synth at the start here. Very groovy. I like the bloom of instruments on the chorus. Ripping guitar solo oooh esp at the end of it. Love how this is building at the end. Is that backing vox supposed to be lagging a bit?

Erik Novak: really hard to hear the words. Your vocalism is so relaxed it’s melting away. It’s a bit over nasal and way under supported. Nasal isn’t a bad thing per se, but your using it to over compensate for the lack of support on the voice. You need better breath for your sound, breath deeply into your abdomen and thorax, and practice some held vocalises, like “z” on a single note, see how long you um an hold for. Then, place the sound like you’re aiming it straight out the top of your skull. That will help with the flat pitches and enunciation.

Glennny: grooving opening. I like the sound of your voice a lot, and sometimes it feels like the amount of processing you do strips away some of the uniqueness, like an over eager insta filter. There are some parts in this song where you use less of it, and I get more of that nice YOU sound. It makes the other more processed bits stand out all the more. Great guitars of course.

Grumpy mike: so atmospheric… trigun? Cowboy bebop?? Attack titan??? Love how you did this challenge. SO ANIME. ONE AND ONE AND ONE MAKE ONE YAAAASSSS. This give me the same pumped up, take over the world energy dragon force give me and I’m LIVING FOR IT. DAMN that solo is so 80s Saturday morning cartoons. Have you pitched this to Netflix yet?

Lowest bitter: oooh love the use of the orchestra hit synth. I really like the grove and the orchestration, but something feels off about the song as a whole. It doesn’t like up with your vocal, I think because your vox style is decidedly not that punchy, upbeat style. Not a bad thing, just miss matched here.

Mama Pils: love that upward moving bass in the cello. The extra line adds something special Here. Ooh, and backing vox?? So pretty! And that vibrato on the highest notes- so so gorgeous. I love that even though you are singing quietly for your neighbors, you aren’t clamping down on your voice, you’re singing with your true, full voice. That’s not easy; good for you!

Max Bombast: SO FAST VOX, and such a relaxed instrumentation under. Then the rhythm comes in and blends those two elements. Really well done. Really cool how youve taken the different elements and made them work so well together. I can even notice some of your lyrics (I rarely hear lyrics on a first pass), and they are nicely done, not cliche, which I think was a risk for this title. Like this a lot, amassing vox, again.

Moss palace: I actually read your lyrics cause you posted them right before mine, and I think they’re your best so far this year. You have a good take on the challenge, and a cohesive story. Oooh I like those high “haaa haaa haa” vocals in the chorus. This song is like Britney Spears, Peter Gabriel, and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole wrote a country song together.

Nick soma: oh wow such a deviation from your usual sound. Glockenspiel?? Oh here it is- I missed the jazz organ! So sweet and unassuming. The Glock hurts my ears, but given my dislike of high partials, I think that’s a me thing rather than a you thing. Ooh like the swishy Echo effect guitar strums on the bridge. YEAH BRING IN THE GUITARS. This song had a great build to it. Love the big shredding, then pulling back. Special

Slimeparty: vox feel really high in the mix. Maybe it’s just they’re so much boomier than the guitars under them? I like how instrumentals swell when the voice drops out. Not wild about the counting section. I like Everything about it but the fact you’re singing numbers. I get why you put it there, but not for me.

Stacking theory: now I like the counting in this one. It’s a part of the texture, which is a nice effect. Oooh love how the floaty guitar comes in and paints the whole song with a watercolor of sound, and the crunchier guitar sound comes in… you have a lot of different sounds coming in, but they all work together. Even though they’re different, doesn’t sound out of place. Reminds me of ravel’s bolero. Well orchestrated.

Virgo Power: the Omni is back! And you brought a chorus synth. I like that Synth in with the Omni, they compliment each other really well. Def recommend you use it more in the future. This tempo change is way more elegant that last week. OOOOH THOSE HIGH VOCALS they bringing the Virgo POWER. But the tune on numbers was a direct lift from peaches, so . Loving this powerful high stuff in your voice. It’s really well sung, well supported, and you’ll notice the pitchiness you sometimes get is GONE when you do that- it’s the breath support! Keep doing that!

Third cat: I’m not wild about this opening. It’s like your signature sound lost its way. Hard to hear your voice, and feels lackadaisical, lackluster, lacking something… I like that sax solo tho. Ooh and then when it comes in for real is phenomenal. Best part of the song.

Lichenthroat: your entrances are a bit late again. Have you checked the latency on your daw? That might be hitting you there. If that’s not the issue, the I’ll just reiterate what I said before- Imagine you’re coming in too early. In fact, try to come in too early on purpose, and see if you actually split the difference and hit right on it. Following the music to get your entrance instead of anticipating it is what’s messing you up, I think.

Last Minotaur: I like the guitar tone, but you vocals don’t match it at all. The timbre is so out of place, it makes it sound like karaoke instead of a finished song. The echoed/reverbed vox section helps, but it’s still out of place. Bring down the vox in the mix, put a small amount of reverb on the verses, and add a bit of distortion on the vocals. That will let them fit in better. And to be clear, I’m not saying your voice has a bad tone, but the timbre is so different from the rest of the instruments that it sounds out of place. You and arby should team up and do a duet. I think your voices would match well.

[vowlvom]

Berkeley Social Scene - I think this is my favourite of the BSS songs from this Nur Ein so far, it has a good energy and the rhythmic twistiness of the lyrics is fun. The verse melody feels a little awkward to me, but the pre-chorus and chorus work well enough that I don't think it's a big criticism. I think the mix of the crisp, bright guitar and the synths. Not the only song to use the "numbers don't lie, but I do" idea but I think it works really well in both. Very solid.


Boffo Yux Dudes - this is pretty fun although the niche subject matter pushes it firmly into novelty-song territory that I found had diminishing returns on repeat listens a little, especially the spoken-word section. The snare fills feel a little awkward, they kinda break the momentum of the song rather than enhancing it and the one right at the end of the song feels like a clunky way to finish. Still a fun track but after listening a few times it did start falling down the rankings.


Cavedwellers - really like the chiming acoustic guitar. I have an odd bias against the phrase "truth be told" because this absolute arsehole I used to work with said it ALL the time, BUT I like that it's a cheeky Truth self-namedrop so it balances out. The solo really hurts this one for me, I think this was a pretty good round for solos but this one feels really sloppy and aimless to me. Otherwise, good stuff.


chewmeupspitmeout - this feels like a good song with a few arrangement issues. It feels like the first verse combo of Extremely Punchy drums and Extremely Washed Out everything else needs to be really tight to work, and here it is Not. I'm also not crazy about the second verse dropping out to an even sparser sound - it can be really effective when that happens after a song has built some momentum but this one hasn't yet at that point and it feels more "unfinished" than "deliberately sparse". When the synth bass kicks in, I love it, but it takes a while to get there and the build-up doesn't quite work for me. Really solid chorus melody and lyrics are well written throughout.


Cybronica - really struggled with this one. I think you're going for a bluesy kind of vocal melody but so much of it just sounds really off to me that I found this hard work, especially the bridge. I like that the chorus hook is the opposite of the "...but I do" idea found in a couple of the other songs and the mandolin solo is really nice but I just couldn't get over the vocal melody / performance unfortunately.


Ellipsis - some really nice arrangement / dynamics stuff going on here, when you hit the chorus it feels really satisfying as the arrangement swells, and I really like the repeated "I do" at the end, it's a dramatically satisfying structure. I'm not crazy about the synth riff that opens the song, it feels like it has a bit TOO much portamento / detune-ness and it cuts into the effectiveness of the melody, I think dialing that back a little would sound a lot nicer. I think the chorus vocals are great but the verse feels like it could use a little more work, it feels like you're undecided between a melody and more of a monotone speak-sung thing, I'd be inclined to lean more into the latter and then let the chorus really deliver on the melody. I felt like there were more cool touches to discover on this one with each listen, it's a grower.


Eric Novak - really like the general vibe of this song, the subdued side-stick drums, big washes of guitar, melodic bass and burbling keyboards. The timbre of your voice is nice too, it sounds like you're singing with a little more confidence. There are still some tuning issues on longer notes in particular but this was definitely my favourite of your songs so far. I like that you fit "royal road" into the lyrics in a clever way too.


Glennny - this has a lot of good in it but didn't quite strike me as much as your (excellent) last two songs. The main riff is a great hook and the song as a whole has a decent energy but the vocal melodies never quite work for me, they feel awkward to me and some of the vocals feel awkwardly mixed into the track. I do like the "divided by zero" BVs a lot, the clanky guitar effects are fun and the solo works for me... it just never feels like the vocal melody you're shooting for is the best complement to the rest of the song.


Grumpy Mike - this is way more up my street than your last couple of songs. I like the punk-meets-metal energy and the fantasy-themed lyrics are the right kind of goofy to appeal to me. The harmonies are good and the solo rips (I could go for a guitar harmony kicking in halfway through but that would just be the icing on the cake). A few bits where the bass doesn't feel quite as tight as the guitar / drums but nothing that spoils the high-energy fun.


The Lowest Bitter - this doesn't feel like your best vocal melody or performance, it's a little low on energy and hooks. I really like the arrangement though, particularly the way it shifts between the chiptuney verse synths and the intro / chorus trancy hits. The lyrics are on point and the spoken word verse works well.


Mama Pills - good to hear you adding extra layers! the cello fills out the low end nicely and the other higher layer (reverby vocals? I'm not sure) is a nice touch too. I like the melody and the lyrics although after the first chorus it does kinda feel a little samey, that might have been a nice point to drop the cello for a verse and then bring it back in to additional effect? Good vocal performance as usual.


Max Bombast - I love that you really leaned into the jazzy seventh chord version of the chord progression, this feels like a really fun departure from your normal sound while also sounding distinctly like you. It also sounds like you're having a lot of fun with it, and as a result, so am I. The fast verses are impressive and also make me smile, and these lyrics are so far up my street. This might be my new favourite Max Bombast song, haha.


Moss Palace - lovely stuff, this sounds great and I have very few notes. I do feel like the bass is maybe a little overbearing for the general sound of the track but only a little. Otherwise, this is just a pleasure to listen to with lovely harmonies, good lyrics and dreamy guitars.


Nick Soma - this is a fun one, I like the lo-fi opening with the twinkly glockenspiel and then the way it opens up into the first chorus: very effective. Fun arrangement choices throughout, I like the off-beat organ and the way each chorus ends differently. The lyrics work fine while listening - I don't really feel like the various different character voices that the lyrics thread indicate are coming across, particularly, but I don't feel like that hurts my enjoyment at all. A really enjoyable song with a memorable and catchy chorus.


Slimeparty - this is fine but it just feels a little (apologies in advance...) by the numbers (further apologies). It lacked the killer lyrical, arrangement, melodic hook to really stick with me even though none of those things are bad. It was a pleasant listen that didn't grate on repeat listens but never quite wormed its way into my brain for some reason.


Stacking Theory - extremely cool intro, the vocoder number-vocals are a lovely idea and it sounds great when the instruments kick in. The distortion on the vocals is a little too scratchy in places for my tastes, it feels like it gets into clipping territory rather than a nice fuzz, I also feel like maybe there's room for a new twist in the arrangement when you return to the numbers at the end (beyond just a gentle fade out) but otherwise this was pretty great.


Third Cat - another song full of cool vibes and production ideas, particularly the solo which I think is a guitar treated to sound kinda like a sax? The previous round song felt like it had a little more depth to it to me, this one feels like it's a little TOO weighted in favour of ear candy over actual substance, but still a very interesting listen.


Virgo Power - the drums break my brain a bit on this one, it's not out of time exactly but it doesn't feel like there's much connection between the rhythm track and anything else and it's extremely distracting. I don't think the melody is bad and the vocal performance is pretty good but the weirdly divorced drum track just sinks this for me I'm afraid. I'm not crazy about the "numbers numbers numbers numbers numbers" hook either but I might look more kindly on it if the drum thing wasn't just throwing me off completely.


Jimmy Pesto - RIP


The Dutch Widows - enjoying your immunity, I hope.


Last Minotaur - this feels like it's lacking a bit of glue, the vocals kinda tower above the instrumentation where I want them to be wrapped in the big fuzzy guitars. The addition of some echo on the chorus vox is an effective arrangement choice but generally I just want the vox blended with the band a little more.


Lichen Throat - nicely written lyrics (ambitious attempt to make "entrepreneurship" scan, not sure you quite managed it), enjoyable arrangement that kinda reminded me of early REM somehow. Not your best or worst performance vocally, the thing that stuck out most was the first chorus vocals feel like they're lagging behind the beat quite a bit.

[Niveous]

My original mix had the vocals further back and I was told they were hard to hear but maybe I should have stuck with that initial instinct. I'll make an updated mix this evening and I'll throw it in this thread.

[BenKrieger]

Alas, I couldn't swing it this week with other commitments and I'm out. If I get inspired I'll submit a shadow entry.

[Caravan Ray]

Fair call.

Good luck everyone.

[arby]

ah, well. i knew my Peaches rip off might be a hard sell. personally I thought it was hilarious (and it was really fun to sing!). also I guess I knew my drums were off but I couldn't figure out how to fix them? something in my brain is broken when it comes to rhythm, I swear to God. like it just sounds differently interesting to me while I'm doing it, not wrong. it's only after that I can hear that it's not right. idk I'm weird. anyway great job Grumpy Mike (the DRUMS were incredible!) and well deserved win.

[thirdcatmusic]

don't feel well enough to work on the next one (probably not getting a track done for "co-pilot" unfortunately) but I do think I'm up for doing some first listen reviews of this one.

Grumpy Mike: strong song, I can hear why it won. the drums and guitars sound great. I think it's a really good vocal performance too. I like the layers on the chorus. guitar solo is pretty kick ass. giving me kind of '80s vibes. overall really good, I think I'd have ranked it highly if I were a judge.

Max Bombast: it's good of course, everything you do is good. not always my thing, but always very well done. this is a fun one, the melody on the chorus is excellent, really catchy. the rhythm on the guitars is really infectious as well.

Moss Palace: lovely song. great vocals. sounds very professionally recorded/mixed. another really good one. probably more my speed than the Grumpy Mike & Max Bombast's songs. possibly my #1 song this round. maybe a little soft pop/rock for my taste but so well done. I love the outro.

Ellipsis: excellent instrumental. Cool guitar solo. Vocals could be a bit stronger but they're OK for the style I think, they've got some personality. Overall it's darn good.

Nick Soma: It's kind of an unusual mixture of styles. I think it's one of those songs I'd have to listen to several times to really figure out if I like it or not. but often those are the type of songs I end up liking the most in the long run. I was feeling the energy was a little low on the verses but it picks up a lot. good contrast.

Cavedwellers: I think similar to the Nick Soma track this is one that I think would grow on me more with repeated listens. But it sounds pretty great on first listen too. Really good mix/production.

Berkeley Social Scene: I like the guitars. Nice bass too. You guys have that "real band" sound that is pretty nice and a big contrast with most of us who sound like one person recording everything in layers. The pre-chorus is pretty catchy. Probably my favorite bit.

Mama Pills: Excellent vocals. I'm a sucker for this kind of acoustic instrument with synths arrangement. The backing vocal(?) on the chorus is great. this is really nice, maybe my personal favorite of the round.

Glennny: Awesome guitar riffs/layers. I really dig the weird synthy type sounds that come in. quite unexpected in the context of the rest of it. I'd have this one higher than the judge ranks I think.

Eric Novak: Really interesting, I think might be a grower for me. I like the ideas a lot. some really nice sparkly synths.

Stacking Theory: I really like the vocal harmony intro thing. the vocal effect is pretty interesting and I think it mostly works. I think is one of my personal favorites of the round.

The Lowest Bitter: pretty neat electro vibes. the spoken bit that comes in at around 90 seconds is a nice touch. It has me bobbing my head by the end. nice groove.

chewedupspitmeout: instrumental seems a little awkward at places as far as timing but the vocals are good. mix seems a bit washed out overall but I do love the sound of the vocals so maybe it's a good trade off.

Third Cat: I think this has potential but I kind of messed up the execution. I'm planning on reworking this in a different key and with some different arrangement choices.

Boffo Yux Dudes: some pretty good lyrics ! some cool arrangement stuff too. one of the better BYD songs I've heard I think!

Slimeparty: some catchy stuff in here. mix is a bit lo-fi/demo-quality which I think maybe distracts from some of the cool ideas. I'd probably have this higher than the judges did.

Cybronica: This reminds me a bit of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" for some reason. the instrumental break around 2 minutes is pretty cool. I like how understated it is.

Virgo Power: I like the drum sounds and the way they are sort of circling around, neat. I like the verse a lot more than the chorus bit. I like the purposefully atonal type vibes in there. I'd probably have this higher than the judges, I don't think it works entirely but I kind of love some aspects of it.

Last Minotaur: I like the overall vibe of it quite a bit. the atmosphere created by the guitar is great. cool lyrics.

Lichen Throat: vocals are off time a bit but overall pretty cool, you have such a unique voice and style and that's pretty cool.

[arby]

Virgo Power: I like the drum sounds and the way they are sort of circling around, neat. I like the verse a lot more than the chorus bit. I like the purposefully atonal type vibes in there. I'd probably have this higher than the judges, I don't think it works entirely but I kind of love some aspects of it.

thank you so much! the drums circling was not intentional, lol. but the atonal thing yeah, that was on purpose. I added that 2nd part of each verse because things were too boring just staying on the same 2 chords! v. much appreciate the kind words. sorry you weren't able to submit this round and I hope you feel better soon!!

[ujnhunter]

This was written before I had left for vacation... and while on vacation I forgot to post it! Whoops! Better late than never, eh?

Back to the Alphabetical Order listening experience... Except for The Lowest Bitter (which was Alphabetical, but previous weeks was sorted by the The oops!)

Berkeley Social Scene: Dig the jangly guitars and driving bass… and the synth solo part. Prefer the verses over the chorus… Thanks for tightening up the structure.

Boffo Yux Dudes: Enjoyable Chorus. I like the shakers and the backing vox. Nice voiceover.

Cavedwellers: Really like that jangly guitar in my right ear. Maybe a little heavy on the delay in the left ear. Enjoyable vocal. Drives along nicely. Ebow? Nice oooohs.

chewmeupspitmeout: Reverb on drums seems maybe out of place from guitars. Timing seems a little off to me. I like the vocal on the chorus. I think I prefer when the drums are removed, until that driving bass comes in.

Cybronica: Not sure I'm feeling the juxtapose of the verse/chorus… the upbeaty feeling seems weird to me. I enjoy that little instrumental breakdown and think that maybe that NDL outro part would fit more as the chorus sections…

Ellipsis: Did you look up Soft Cell's Sex Dwarf? I like the synth intro. Nice bass. Enjoyable chorus vocals. I like the different sections. Cool bridge and solo. Outro choruses. Rockin.

Eric Novak: As I said in the LP Chat. Really enjoying your songs getting better as this has gone on. MGMT feels in the doubled vox parts. Maybe I'd make this a little shorter… small nitpick. Feels like I'm in a haze… shimmery.

Glennny: Shorten that intro. I like the doooo immuuune. I like how the drums feel like a breakbeat… sampled? Also enjoyable different sounds going on. Digging that riff the more I hear it. Cool wahhh-y solo.

Grumpy Mike: Headphones make the intro much better than on the stream on my TV… as in the live chat, you really hit the Anime Theme Song! I want to watch it. I kind of want the Intro Montage version of the song though… i.e. shorter edit, but I get that this is the full final Episode Credits cut. Tell your buddy that their solo work is amazeballs. Favorite of the fight... er... round.

Jimmy Pesto: X: Bummed you missed it here… I enjoyed your track last week after not liking your R0 very much at all. Was looking forward to something…

Mama Pills: Woo! You figured out GarageBand. The cello adds way more emotion than if this was just you and the uke alone. The backing vox are great too. I still feel like you could structure some different sections a little bit, as it still feels a bit samey throught, but I'm defintely enjoying this weeks entry. Perhaps still a tad too long, but the fade out is nice and washey feeling...

Max Bombast: Bass! I like the singing more than the fast/rap sections. Chic guitars. I like the lyrics way more this week. Catchy.

Moss Palace: Sounds nice. Enjoyable chorus and oooohs. I feel like this flows great between sections. Radio ready as it were. Sing along outro…

Nick Soma: I like the dynamic shift to the chorus… and you always have nice little break/fills. I prefer the drums in the second section, but it makes a nice difference from the intro. Ear candy in both ears. Cool sections. Replace the brain. Nice leads and bgv.

Slimeparty: Groove becomes satisfying as it goes on. Bobbing along. The bass is fun. Something weird happens in the mix towards the end… like there is something out of balance or something… but still enjoyed it.

Stacking Theory: Don't typically like heavy vocoder/tuning sound… but I'm getting over it… love the fuzz and enjoy these heavier sections… I don't typically complain about short and sweet songs, but I almost wanted something else to happen before creshendoing there and fading out...

The Dutch Widows: X: Immune… so we don't get another good song this week?

The Lowest Bitter: Mix sounds good. Not a big fan of some of the sound choices, like the stab… and video gamey synth, but… everything together sounds good. Feels like it just kind of ends after some good energy throughout…

Third Cat: Love the backwards-y guitar solo… and the sound of the bass… I want to cut something out of that kick drum though… it's pokey in my ears.

Virgo Power: Twinkly instrumentation. I like the verses… wish the "real" chorus was stronger… not sure I like the Peaches chorus feeling tacked on… though it passes the challenge… I guess. I'd have left that out. Vocals are stronger here than last couple entries though.

Shadows...

Last Minotaur: Something about that guitar sound is bringing back some REALLY old Ujn track memories for me. Menacing bass… nice breakdown section… poor Christina… I get it now… 666 Numbers Don't Lie… She is the anti-christ!

Lichen Throat: Sorry I thought this was about Vegas, not Reno! Doh! I kind of want some variation in the dynamics of the sections… it drives full on the entire song. Even when your vocals slow down and it seems like a slower section, the backing is still going full speed.