Nur Ein XX Round Four "Cracks In The Sidewalk"

[Lunkhead]

Yes, thirded.

[Lunkhead]

So I learned after that fact that, without written notation, it can be difficult or impossible to discern 5/4 from 5/8. Everybody had a five beat "feel" so I considered it all good, challenge wise. Also I thought these were all solid and enjoyable. And these of course are just my off the cuff opinions, please take with huge grains of salt.

BSS
Great energy. I like the melodies and the vocal arrangement. I enjoyed the lyrics, because they are vague and made me wonder "Are these about a Godzilla attack?" before answering that question right at the end. Cool stereo guitar melody thing that comes in.

Carlo
Great sound and mood and atmosphere in this. I like the instrumentation, whatever the background pad is sounds really nice and does its job really well, and the surf guitar sound and drums and vocals, everything sounds good. The instrumental and "aahhs" bit after "resistant to rain" is really pretty. When the strings or whatever come in after this, this really reminds me of some 90s U2 song. I like the story in the lyrics too. This is a great example of being able to use simple repetitive drums that are the same throughout most of the song without it getting annoying or grating. They just support the song really well and everything else captures enough attention to keep things interesting. Nice ending.

Cavedwellers
The synth bass stuff didn't really work for me. Maybe because of that the whole intro felt way too long. The two-measure-long notes in the verses suck a little energy out of the verses for me, and the synth bass parts don't feel like they mesh well with the drum beats except in the choruses. Good melodies and singing. Decent lyrics. I like the way the choruses have more backing vocals each time. The ending felt a bit abrupt.

The Friends
I really like the vibe and feel of this one too, and the instrumentation. This is really solid overall, I think though the vocals let it down. Sometimes the performance isn't 100%, sometimes the vocals are kinda buried in the mix or muffled by effects and the lyrics aren't clear.

Glennny
This is another solid entry. Good melodies and lyrics. The guitar solo is melodic, which I like.

Grumpy Mike
Good melodies and lyrics. The music in the 5/8 sections feels a little loose and chaotic sometimes. Things come together a lot tighter in the choruses. I actually think your vocals could be more prominent in the mix, and maybe have some more ambience on them (I think they get some in the end of the bridge when you're really going for it maybe?), and there are maybe some straining moments that don't sound as good as the rest. This feels like you are channeling Tool, which for me is just ok. I like the way things build through the bridge but I think it goes on a little long. This one's ending also felt too abrupt to me.

Ken
For me the drum machine drums, in the intro and choruses, sound a lot richer than the acoustic drums. It feels weird to me when it's the acoustic kick and snare without hihat or ride or tambo or anything. I like the lyrics but it felt like this could have used a third verse. I like the instrumentation and arrangement. Chorus is definitely very very catchy, good melody there. The "eeee" in the "seeeeee", when that word gets held out, sounds kinda squished or something, and that's repeated so many times that it starts to wear on my ears a little bit. This one also could have used a more fleshed out ending, for me.

Le Tits Now
The electronic instrumentation sounds really good. Guitars too. Something about the vocals maybe doesn't quite have a sound or treatment that matches the warmth and smoothness of the instruments, I don't know, they don't blend together 100% right for me. Some of it may be the singing and the delivery. I think it gets better once the "ooh oooh" stuff happens, and in the final lyrics section. I think there are some pitch issues in that final lyrics section though. Also this could have been a little shorter, maybe trim the instrumental bridge bit.

Max
Are you singing ... "Cracks _on_ the sidewalk"? Disqualified! This is solid too but I didn't connect a ton with the lyrics. I am really trying to overcome my rapping bias but even though you actually managed to rap over a five-beat-feel, no small feat, the verses I think are where I had a harder time connecting. I appreciate that you kept this tight, it's short and sweet.

Micah
What there is of this song, I like the music. The lyrics are just OK. It feels only only half a song though.

Brown Word
For me this is a little chaotic feeling, and I'm having a hard time following it through from section to section. There sound like some pitch or key issues or something. Overall it just didn't work for me.

LMGM
I liked this one, I may be wrong but you maybe were the only contestant who had a five-beat-feel with a triplet feel for each beat. It's very propulsive. This kinda reminds me of Wolfmother. The solo could use some work, and there are some places where the lead vocal is a little off. I like the group vocals in the chorus alot.

[MicahSommer]

Proud to come in last place among such a great group of songs. Some very cool approaches to the time signature challenge, and just some great songs overall. Good luck to all going forward!

[grumpymike]

All the songs were superb. I'm filing this Max Bombast one to my Puce favorites folder.

[glennny]

I think we all learned a valuable lesson. We should all do songs featuring 5 more often.
The tragedy was, we didn't get to hear some Sober pick in' n' grinnin' in 5. ( I blame immunity from winning)

[roymond]

THIS was an awesome round! These are extraordinary songs that didn't exist a week earlier. Congrats to everyone who rocked it.

I like providing feedback/reviews but it's been a crazy few weeks. I'll do my best from here on out, as it starts getting very interesting towards the finale. Please don't read into these too much...the "perceived meter" is what came through, as 5/8 and 5/4 have distinct attributes though there is plenty of grey between them, so I haven't dinged anyone on the challenge, but I did reward those who took it to the next level. Also, I associated some bands that came to mind during the listening. I'll try and finish the last couple reviews as well.

Carlo Bruno Jr. -
5/8 the rim shot on 4 and pointillistic bass (very Tina Weymouth) makes this feel like a waltz. lyric isn't very accommodating...it's ambiguous--which i love--but i miss your more linear stories. the harmonic changes you use at times are mesmerizing. the tremolo gtr after choruses are lovely. the dissonance in the break "Time of damage control" is like a portal to another phrase.

Grumpy Mike -
implied poly meters rocks, the 5/4 over 5/8. Love these layers. Lyric and vocals are solid. love the chorus, and vocals shine. I think of all the plants growing out of every crack in San Fransisco. The bridge is key! The Gravel Pit.

Berkeley Social Scene -
10/8 (3+3+2+2) intro/verse. nice contrast v-chorus, and the chorus metaphors work really well. fab gtrs in the 3rd verse, and like how they fade out. love this texture. I kinda want a quick flash of the opening riff to end it on, cause the chorus lacks the energy for a strong ending.

Cavedwellers -
5/8, 7/8, 4/4. nice opening, Gary Numan-ish. the chorus is very hooky but sounds almost obvious. but the chorus really serves up the verse well. the pedal bass sound under the verse is awesome, changes the pace. I hear Tormato Yes, or that late Tull album.

Max Bombast -
5/8 solid. i really love your rap. Hook is awesome. there's a nice lilt to this. Cake.

Le Tits Now -
5/4 gorgeous! love the textures, dulcimer? your voice, the keys, the snare, the gtr. great depth. U2.

The Friends -
5/8 what a downer. a beautiful downer. the break comes at the right time and i love where it goes, how it resolves on the last line before the opening riff.

Ken Mahru -
5/4 but a nice 5/4. disappointing lyric. love the layered synths, but the drum machine sucks the life out.

Glennny -
5/8 and others. very ambitious meters and textures but it feels like an awkward assembly of disparate parts, a bit forced. love the ending.

Micah Sommersmith -
6+5? ... interesting. Thankfully short.

[roymond]

So I learned after that fact that, without written notation, it can be difficult or impossible to discern 5/4 from 5/8.

My thoughts are this...it's all about perceived meter. You can notate a song in any meter you like (even carrying across bar lines), but notation doesn't define the actual meter. The biggest issue I heard was 3+3+2+2 = 10/8 vs 3+2 = 5/8. But like others, I didn't ding anyone on this cause it was a meter challenge and these are clearly in 5.