Spintunes 24 Round 2 Challenge - The Long and Short of It
I know, I know. You're quavering to know how you did in Round 1. Well, the judges are still finalizing their decisions, but the minim I can do is give you a head start on Round 2. Don't get crotchety; I'll be breve. Read on for your Round 2 challenge:
The Long and Short of It: Write and record a song that makes prominent and creative use of rhythmic contrast between long and short note values.
While there are many ways to approach this challenge, here are a few we've thought of, with example songs:
A distinctive rhythmic figure that combines both long and short notes:
"Oklahoma!" from Oklahoma!
Symphony no. 5, movement 1, by Beethoven
Long rhythms dominating in one section and short rhythms dominating in another:
"We Will Rock You" by Queen
"The Remedy" by Jason Mraz
Simultaneous overlapping melodies, with one featuring long rhythms and one featuring short rhymths:
"Pick-A-Little/Goodnight Ladies" from The Music Man
Any combination of these techniques, and/or other techniques we haven't thought of!
SpinTunes 24 Round 2 Challenge - 'The Long and Short of It'
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DutchWidows
- Karski
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:52 pm
- Submitting as: Dutch Widows
- Pronouns: he/him
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DutchWidows
- Karski
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:52 pm
- Submitting as: Dutch Widows
- Pronouns: he/him
Re: SpinTunes 24 Round 2 Challenge - 'The Long and Short of It'
Round 1 listening party: Monday March 31 - 8 pm EST hosted by Tommy G
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSb_F4cMpa4[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSb_F4cMpa4[/youtube]
-
DutchWidows
- Karski
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:52 pm
- Submitting as: Dutch Widows
- Pronouns: he/him
Re: SpinTunes 24 Round 2 Challenge - 'The Long and Short of It'
Created the thread and added the listening party links so I could post these - Micah/Tommy - if I messed them up, let me know and I'll adjust them!
These are genuine, first listen reviews (except where noted), each written within the length of the song. All opinions are those of an idiot, so disregard as you please. I read the bios first.
Post-listening conclusion – that’s a really strong set of songs! Good luck to the judges working through them!
We Happy Few - Winter Waits, Summer Spins
I like that you thought about the prompt, but only after being knocked out! (I’m sure that’s not what you meant, but it’s funnier to think that). I like the beginning a lot – the softness of the vocal and then it trips into a harder, more raucous sound. There’s a spaciness to the verses that’s cool which contrasts nicely with the chorus. Nice, energetic solo. Really nice mix – everything sits just nicely. I liked the aside at the end – ‘pretty fucking full on’, indeed!
▷ - 48
The narrated adventures of numbers. I like that numbers have fingers too. That first Steve is really good and the ‘music to my ears’ in Pre-Drop 1 is gorgeous. This shifts around a lot – lots of different feels and sounds, but it’s super engaging to listen to. Ha – ‘brain brain’. Nice call back. So is 48 the child of 6 and 8? That’s a nice concept if it is. Kinda of a bleak set of images at the end, but with some hope. And a nice fuzzy solo to boot.
Joy Sitler - Throwing A Party
Straight of the box, the vocal is great – super tone and presence. Great concept for a song and use of ‘long and short’. I like the ‘parpy’ brass in the second verse – nicely echoing the vocal lines. Longer than Round 1, but still a challenge to write too much in under two minutes (this bit has now gone beyond the song – breaking my own rules). Liked this one a lot - great writing and an engaging tune.
This Big Old Endless Sky - The One About The Housing Affordability Crisis
Median income is $1,900 – a month or a year? If that’s annual, that seems low. Not the main point perhaps, but I seem to be fixated on it. This has a great sound – is that a guitar or a synth that interplays with the vocal? Don’t know, but I like it. Really nice bass tone. Love the vocal tone. The way the guitar part gets longer in the ‘somewhere in between’ section is really nice. This packs a lot in to its 2.5 minutes. Nice ending. TBOES is ace. Also an anagram of my son’s name, which is nice.
David Taro – Longevity
Nice concept for a song. I did something similar(ish) about an alligator a while ago (I forget the details). Nice vocal to open. Cool pace to the verse and strong vocal melody – reminds me of something, but I can’t think what. Probably just an archetype. Nice long notes in the chorus. Not enough songs use the words ‘alchemist and mathematician’. Nice Rhodes-sounding piano going on. This is a bop. The story feels a bit spelled out for my lyrical preferences – I like things a little more abstract and interpretable (that’s a word, right?), but in a competition setting, that’s probably a wise move – why make people guess?
The Dutch Widows - Hie The Night
This guy can’t sing. Why is he even trying? Maybe he just wants to get better at it? I dunno.
Stacking Theory - The Mistake
I did listen and I heard the long and short notes. This is a lovely, big comforting, enveloping sound. Not as lush as some Stacking Theory songs of the past, it has a more stripped feel to it, but it works. Love the held ‘hurt’ (which probably works as a description of the story too – some things are hard to let go of, at least in terms of informing songs). Interesting – we’re through the words at around 3m30s, but there’s another 2 minutes to go… Gone very ambient, with some glassy tinkles and repeating vocal loops – a very direct embodiment of the challenge. I really like this 2 minute bit, but it does feel a touch indulgent in a competition. Is that harsh? Probably, but I am (as noted at the top), an idiot whose opinions should be disregarded.
Vehicles of Beware - Getting to the gig
Nice opening guitar sounds. The held notes in the first section contrasting with speedy, more staccato section is the most direct implementation of the challenge so far. Works really well. It’s a pretty simple presentation – guitar and vocal, with some bass, and then vocal layering. There’s a word for that layering of vocals singing different patterns. What is it? Is it a round? Anyway, it works really well. I was half-expecting this to explode at some point and get huge, but I like that it didn’t and it stayed contained and restrained. Really nicely done.
Hot Pink Halo - Mark, Run
If someone makes the claim that this is the best song they’ve ever written, it feels quite a responsibility to review it (if ‘reviews’ is what these ramblings are). It’s also quite tempting to write ‘nah, this is [derogatory word of choice here]’, but I won’t do that. This is one of two I’ve already heard, albeit a live version via Instagram. Everyone tells me that Severance is the greatest TV ever made, but I just don’t get it. I got most of the way through Season 1 and gave up in boredom. I’ve not bothered with Season 2. Anyway, the song. Lovely opening piano figure. This is very restrained. The words totally communicate an intrigue at the technicalities of making of a tv show and the subtle string backing works really well. The way it opens out towards the end is lovely.
The Moon Bureau - Fall Pyre
Another where the contrast between long and short notes is super clear. Meeting the challenge without sounding forced is a great way to do it – just write a good song. Lovely jangling as ever. Ah, we’re done. Too short – I needed more of that.
Jim Tyrrell – Shadows
For a song that clocks in at just about 2 minutes, having a 25 second guitar intro feels bold – that’s a quarter of the song. Lovely, but bold. The mix is quite quiet, so I’m starting again with more volume. More volume still has me straining a little for the vocal. The guitar/vocal setting is sweet and it’s a nice listen. Really nice lyrics, but I wanted the vocal mixed higher - I could only properly hear the words in the pauses between guitar notes.
Celestial Drift - Southbound I-75
Oops - needed to turn down volume again. Is this ‘chicken pickin’? is that what they call this kind of guitar playing? Maybe, but I don’t have time for googling. This rattles along at a pleasing pace, and while the main guitar sounds archetypal to my (uneducated) ear, the pedal steel incidentals in the main verses drew me in – they have a pleasing and engaging tone/role. Could this be another classic in the American road song genre – Route 66 etc? Could be!
Siebass - It's been a long time
The other song I’d heard before, and I was slightly dreading the thought of Siebass having trashed his song based on my dreadful feedback, but this sounds as good as I thought it did before. Loooong time works! The bass/vocal/drum opening is great, and when they’re joined by the guitars on the second verse, the whole thing lifts. The chorus is super-hooky. I really liked the cowbell/woodblock under the solo – who doesn’t love one of those (whichever it is)? This is a really good song.
Jealous Brother - I Think You Know
That’s a big guitar sound to open – and when the vocal comes in, it sounds so good – immediately complete and polished. That choppy guitar part (long/short notes) is great. This is the kind of song I find it difficult to say anything about – it sounds good, it’s well produced, has lots going on – it packs a lot in to its 2m31s run time. It puts me in mind a little of The New Pornographers (who I love) – I think it might be the vocals, that double-tracking with a harmony. Only tiny nitpick is that the ride cymbal was ever so slightly high in the mix for my ears, but other than that, no notes.
Governing Dynamics - Fire In The Distance
Nice bio - made me chuckle! Nice opening guitar part and vocal sounds great. Good long/short note delivery. ‘Glass backbone’ is a great line and I really liked the emphasis on the word ‘bone’, which suits my ear nicely. Nice, snappy solo – great fuzzy sound – I liked the way it flowed into the chorus. Chorus is strong.
Pigfarmer Jr - Human Again
Listened for the Beethoven lift, but I couldn’t hear it – think you’ll be OK! You’ve moved far enough from the source that I think it’s defendable should he or his lawyers come after you. Nice short/long contrasts – another where meeting the challenge seems effortless in the context of the song. The main rhythm guitars sound slightly odd to my ears – like a pumping sound – maybe hitting a compressor too hard..? Could just be my ears It’s only the verse – that effect is absent elsewhere, and the guitars sound great. Strong vocal.
Ominous Ride – Hallucination
That opening (and recurring) ‘hallucination’ is great, epic. Very reminiscent of the shoegaze-y bands of my youth. The verses are snappier (challenge ticked) and that swift vocal delivery is really nice. Was it you that had the recording issues in Round 1 – a fire or something? Not got time to go back and look, but let’s say it is. Recording on the iPad mic sounds good – it sounds like a choice rather than a result of a disaster (running with my prior assumption) and not detrimental to the song. The last section is great. Beginning to suspect it may be my ears or my speakers, but the cymbals sound a little prominent on this one too.
Flintsteel - Stay Alive
This feels like a challenge made for you! That fast opening section sets the tone and we dive in headlong. The drumming in this is really good and the guitar part ticks the challenge all on its own, without the vocals also smashing it out of the park. The slight drawing of breath permitted by the slower guitar solo (at its start) was a great change of pace and the way it developed back into the chorus was great.
Dream Bells – Caerus
A cool, chilled beginning – on brand for the topic (that’s a chill/snow reference, just in case not obvious). This has a lovely ambience to it, though perhaps less immediately grabbing than your Round 1 song. It’s a lovely sound though, I would listen to an album of this. I think I’m saying, release an album and I would buy it.
Möbius Strip Club - The Galaxy of You
Super present, up-front vocal with a sparse backing; it works really well. Those held notes are great. ‘Freckles bespeckle’ is a great pairing. When the vocals double up, I wanted the music to swell or grow with them, to really flesh out the sound. It’s a chilled listen (though without the direct snow references this time (see previous ‘review’)).
Sober - Look Away
That’s quite the bio. A frustrating situation, for sure. Before pressing play, I’m not sure if this is going to be classic Sober, or the rock Sober of Round 1. Opening guitar part could go either way; when the vocal joins, we could still resolve either way. Those held notes (is this the chorus? The lyrics don’t say, and they don’t repeat (in the written form at least), but either way) are great. This is a Sober that sits between the classic and Round 1 versions. There’s some pluck going on (banjo?) but it’s less obviously folk-oriented. Ah, those long notes are a chorus as they just happened again. They are very good indeed. The ‘cruel thing’ lines cut hard.
Piss Enema - Bedazzling Necrotic Flesh [SHADOW]
Nice lyrics. I have no idea who this is, but I like the commitment. Is that Phlub’s voice in the middle? I don’t know how one makes that sound with your voice – it sounds painful on the throat.
Joy Sitler - Breathe Her In [SHADOW]
Ah! A second Joy Sitler song – lovely! This feels like an album closer – it has a slight sadness to it, that would leave you wanting more so you flip the record and start again on side 1 (yes, I mostly listen to actual records, cos I am old). I think this might be my favourite JS song – the pace is great, the lyrics are heartfelt, clever and have a truth to them. The ‘So many people I’ve lost because I turned out to be too much’ line is the peak of that - communicates a feeling, is self-deprecating/self-aware - brilliant songwriting in my book. I loved this song. Might well be my favourite of the round.
These are genuine, first listen reviews (except where noted), each written within the length of the song. All opinions are those of an idiot, so disregard as you please. I read the bios first.
Post-listening conclusion – that’s a really strong set of songs! Good luck to the judges working through them!
We Happy Few - Winter Waits, Summer Spins
I like that you thought about the prompt, but only after being knocked out! (I’m sure that’s not what you meant, but it’s funnier to think that). I like the beginning a lot – the softness of the vocal and then it trips into a harder, more raucous sound. There’s a spaciness to the verses that’s cool which contrasts nicely with the chorus. Nice, energetic solo. Really nice mix – everything sits just nicely. I liked the aside at the end – ‘pretty fucking full on’, indeed!
▷ - 48
The narrated adventures of numbers. I like that numbers have fingers too. That first Steve is really good and the ‘music to my ears’ in Pre-Drop 1 is gorgeous. This shifts around a lot – lots of different feels and sounds, but it’s super engaging to listen to. Ha – ‘brain brain’. Nice call back. So is 48 the child of 6 and 8? That’s a nice concept if it is. Kinda of a bleak set of images at the end, but with some hope. And a nice fuzzy solo to boot.
Joy Sitler - Throwing A Party
Straight of the box, the vocal is great – super tone and presence. Great concept for a song and use of ‘long and short’. I like the ‘parpy’ brass in the second verse – nicely echoing the vocal lines. Longer than Round 1, but still a challenge to write too much in under two minutes (this bit has now gone beyond the song – breaking my own rules). Liked this one a lot - great writing and an engaging tune.
This Big Old Endless Sky - The One About The Housing Affordability Crisis
Median income is $1,900 – a month or a year? If that’s annual, that seems low. Not the main point perhaps, but I seem to be fixated on it. This has a great sound – is that a guitar or a synth that interplays with the vocal? Don’t know, but I like it. Really nice bass tone. Love the vocal tone. The way the guitar part gets longer in the ‘somewhere in between’ section is really nice. This packs a lot in to its 2.5 minutes. Nice ending. TBOES is ace. Also an anagram of my son’s name, which is nice.
David Taro – Longevity
Nice concept for a song. I did something similar(ish) about an alligator a while ago (I forget the details). Nice vocal to open. Cool pace to the verse and strong vocal melody – reminds me of something, but I can’t think what. Probably just an archetype. Nice long notes in the chorus. Not enough songs use the words ‘alchemist and mathematician’. Nice Rhodes-sounding piano going on. This is a bop. The story feels a bit spelled out for my lyrical preferences – I like things a little more abstract and interpretable (that’s a word, right?), but in a competition setting, that’s probably a wise move – why make people guess?
The Dutch Widows - Hie The Night
This guy can’t sing. Why is he even trying? Maybe he just wants to get better at it? I dunno.
Stacking Theory - The Mistake
I did listen and I heard the long and short notes. This is a lovely, big comforting, enveloping sound. Not as lush as some Stacking Theory songs of the past, it has a more stripped feel to it, but it works. Love the held ‘hurt’ (which probably works as a description of the story too – some things are hard to let go of, at least in terms of informing songs). Interesting – we’re through the words at around 3m30s, but there’s another 2 minutes to go… Gone very ambient, with some glassy tinkles and repeating vocal loops – a very direct embodiment of the challenge. I really like this 2 minute bit, but it does feel a touch indulgent in a competition. Is that harsh? Probably, but I am (as noted at the top), an idiot whose opinions should be disregarded.
Vehicles of Beware - Getting to the gig
Nice opening guitar sounds. The held notes in the first section contrasting with speedy, more staccato section is the most direct implementation of the challenge so far. Works really well. It’s a pretty simple presentation – guitar and vocal, with some bass, and then vocal layering. There’s a word for that layering of vocals singing different patterns. What is it? Is it a round? Anyway, it works really well. I was half-expecting this to explode at some point and get huge, but I like that it didn’t and it stayed contained and restrained. Really nicely done.
Hot Pink Halo - Mark, Run
If someone makes the claim that this is the best song they’ve ever written, it feels quite a responsibility to review it (if ‘reviews’ is what these ramblings are). It’s also quite tempting to write ‘nah, this is [derogatory word of choice here]’, but I won’t do that. This is one of two I’ve already heard, albeit a live version via Instagram. Everyone tells me that Severance is the greatest TV ever made, but I just don’t get it. I got most of the way through Season 1 and gave up in boredom. I’ve not bothered with Season 2. Anyway, the song. Lovely opening piano figure. This is very restrained. The words totally communicate an intrigue at the technicalities of making of a tv show and the subtle string backing works really well. The way it opens out towards the end is lovely.
The Moon Bureau - Fall Pyre
Another where the contrast between long and short notes is super clear. Meeting the challenge without sounding forced is a great way to do it – just write a good song. Lovely jangling as ever. Ah, we’re done. Too short – I needed more of that.
Jim Tyrrell – Shadows
For a song that clocks in at just about 2 minutes, having a 25 second guitar intro feels bold – that’s a quarter of the song. Lovely, but bold. The mix is quite quiet, so I’m starting again with more volume. More volume still has me straining a little for the vocal. The guitar/vocal setting is sweet and it’s a nice listen. Really nice lyrics, but I wanted the vocal mixed higher - I could only properly hear the words in the pauses between guitar notes.
Celestial Drift - Southbound I-75
Oops - needed to turn down volume again. Is this ‘chicken pickin’? is that what they call this kind of guitar playing? Maybe, but I don’t have time for googling. This rattles along at a pleasing pace, and while the main guitar sounds archetypal to my (uneducated) ear, the pedal steel incidentals in the main verses drew me in – they have a pleasing and engaging tone/role. Could this be another classic in the American road song genre – Route 66 etc? Could be!
Siebass - It's been a long time
The other song I’d heard before, and I was slightly dreading the thought of Siebass having trashed his song based on my dreadful feedback, but this sounds as good as I thought it did before. Loooong time works! The bass/vocal/drum opening is great, and when they’re joined by the guitars on the second verse, the whole thing lifts. The chorus is super-hooky. I really liked the cowbell/woodblock under the solo – who doesn’t love one of those (whichever it is)? This is a really good song.
Jealous Brother - I Think You Know
That’s a big guitar sound to open – and when the vocal comes in, it sounds so good – immediately complete and polished. That choppy guitar part (long/short notes) is great. This is the kind of song I find it difficult to say anything about – it sounds good, it’s well produced, has lots going on – it packs a lot in to its 2m31s run time. It puts me in mind a little of The New Pornographers (who I love) – I think it might be the vocals, that double-tracking with a harmony. Only tiny nitpick is that the ride cymbal was ever so slightly high in the mix for my ears, but other than that, no notes.
Governing Dynamics - Fire In The Distance
Nice bio - made me chuckle! Nice opening guitar part and vocal sounds great. Good long/short note delivery. ‘Glass backbone’ is a great line and I really liked the emphasis on the word ‘bone’, which suits my ear nicely. Nice, snappy solo – great fuzzy sound – I liked the way it flowed into the chorus. Chorus is strong.
Pigfarmer Jr - Human Again
Listened for the Beethoven lift, but I couldn’t hear it – think you’ll be OK! You’ve moved far enough from the source that I think it’s defendable should he or his lawyers come after you. Nice short/long contrasts – another where meeting the challenge seems effortless in the context of the song. The main rhythm guitars sound slightly odd to my ears – like a pumping sound – maybe hitting a compressor too hard..? Could just be my ears It’s only the verse – that effect is absent elsewhere, and the guitars sound great. Strong vocal.
Ominous Ride – Hallucination
That opening (and recurring) ‘hallucination’ is great, epic. Very reminiscent of the shoegaze-y bands of my youth. The verses are snappier (challenge ticked) and that swift vocal delivery is really nice. Was it you that had the recording issues in Round 1 – a fire or something? Not got time to go back and look, but let’s say it is. Recording on the iPad mic sounds good – it sounds like a choice rather than a result of a disaster (running with my prior assumption) and not detrimental to the song. The last section is great. Beginning to suspect it may be my ears or my speakers, but the cymbals sound a little prominent on this one too.
Flintsteel - Stay Alive
This feels like a challenge made for you! That fast opening section sets the tone and we dive in headlong. The drumming in this is really good and the guitar part ticks the challenge all on its own, without the vocals also smashing it out of the park. The slight drawing of breath permitted by the slower guitar solo (at its start) was a great change of pace and the way it developed back into the chorus was great.
Dream Bells – Caerus
A cool, chilled beginning – on brand for the topic (that’s a chill/snow reference, just in case not obvious). This has a lovely ambience to it, though perhaps less immediately grabbing than your Round 1 song. It’s a lovely sound though, I would listen to an album of this. I think I’m saying, release an album and I would buy it.
Möbius Strip Club - The Galaxy of You
Super present, up-front vocal with a sparse backing; it works really well. Those held notes are great. ‘Freckles bespeckle’ is a great pairing. When the vocals double up, I wanted the music to swell or grow with them, to really flesh out the sound. It’s a chilled listen (though without the direct snow references this time (see previous ‘review’)).
Sober - Look Away
That’s quite the bio. A frustrating situation, for sure. Before pressing play, I’m not sure if this is going to be classic Sober, or the rock Sober of Round 1. Opening guitar part could go either way; when the vocal joins, we could still resolve either way. Those held notes (is this the chorus? The lyrics don’t say, and they don’t repeat (in the written form at least), but either way) are great. This is a Sober that sits between the classic and Round 1 versions. There’s some pluck going on (banjo?) but it’s less obviously folk-oriented. Ah, those long notes are a chorus as they just happened again. They are very good indeed. The ‘cruel thing’ lines cut hard.
Piss Enema - Bedazzling Necrotic Flesh [SHADOW]
Nice lyrics. I have no idea who this is, but I like the commitment. Is that Phlub’s voice in the middle? I don’t know how one makes that sound with your voice – it sounds painful on the throat.
Joy Sitler - Breathe Her In [SHADOW]
Ah! A second Joy Sitler song – lovely! This feels like an album closer – it has a slight sadness to it, that would leave you wanting more so you flip the record and start again on side 1 (yes, I mostly listen to actual records, cos I am old). I think this might be my favourite JS song – the pace is great, the lyrics are heartfelt, clever and have a truth to them. The ‘So many people I’ve lost because I turned out to be too much’ line is the peak of that - communicates a feeling, is self-deprecating/self-aware - brilliant songwriting in my book. I loved this song. Might well be my favourite of the round.