SpinTunes 25 Round 1 Challenge - 'A Day in the Life'

[BoffoYux]

SpinTunes 25 Round 1 Challenge
It's the dawn of SpinTunes 25. Over four rounds, you will toil away at your songcraft, and when the sun sets on the tournament, one contestant will claim the title of Champion. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

A Day in the Life:
Write and record a narrative song whose events, whether ordinary or extraordinary, take place within a single 24-hour period.

Examples:
"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" by Glen Campbell
"Last Night" by the Traveling Wilburys
"The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers
"The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" by Bobby Russell
"This Year" by the Mountain Goats
"Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega

Submitting Entries:
Your entry must be received by Sunday, August 31, 2025 @ 11:59 PM EDT. Otherwise it'll be posted as a shadow. Received means that it has to appear in my e-mail inbox (spintunescontest@gmail.com) by the given deadline. I will be going by the time stamp on the e-mail. One minute late is too late.
You are allowed and encouraged to submit a draft of your song early just in case something horrible happens and you miss the deadline. Then you can add polish to your song and send in a better version closer to the deadline. The last version received prior to the deadline is your official entry.
Lyrics are mandatory. No instrumentals. Having no lyrics will get you disqualified.

SUBMITTING BY EMAIL: Send your file in a format that BandCamp accepts. (.wav or .flac) (at least 16-bit/44.1kHz) Do not send MP3s.
Name your file the song's title + your band name.
The subject line of the e-mail should identify the challenge and your band's name. Something like this would be fine: "ST25R1 - All the Robots".
Include the song lyrics in the body of the e-mail.
Include information on anyone that needs credited if you collaborated with someone.

ALTERNATE FILE SHARING OPTIONS: If your file is too big for an email attachment, you may email me a link to where I can download the song. The email still needs to land in my inbox by the deadline.
If you have a Bandcamp account you can just send me a link to your song if you include all the info I mentioned for emails. Info such as lyrics and song credits can be included in the email or on the song's Bandcamp page. Make sure you have it set as a free download, and have it set so that I don't have to put in an e-mail to download it if you pick this option.
You may also use a file sharing service such as DropBox, WeTransfer, Google Drive, etc. Include in the email any required information (such as lyrics) that you couldn't include in the file. Make sure I have permission to download the file, and please follow directions so your file doesn't wind up in my spam or trash folder accidentally.

SONG BIOS: In addition to lyrics and any necessary credits, you are welcome to include a "song bio", with any information you feel is useful. This could include your inspiration for the song, citations for any obscure references within the lyrics, an explanation of how your song met the challenge, etc. Some challenges may require you to supply certain info in your song bio. Since the judges are volunteers with lives outside of SpinTunes, song bios can help them zero in on aspects of the song you feel are important. However, if your song requires a multi-paragraph explanation in order to understand and appreciate it, this is probably a sign that it doesn't stand up well on its own, and its ranking may reflect that.

Side Notes:
You can send in an entry to SpinTunes 24 without competing. Just tell me it's a "Shadow Song". It will be played at the listening party, but won't be ranked and you might not receive feedback from the judges. Check the FAQ if you don't know what that means. You can even complete past challenges from previous contests. It's a nice way of playing along if you can't commit to the schedule or you just want to get your feet wet.
The only other way to get your music played at the listening party is to cover "Today's The Day" by Inverse T. Clown or "Right Again" by Mandibles.

[seemanski]

Listened on iLoud Micro Monitors at home

I've decided to post reviews in 5 song increments. The theory is once I start I am more inclined to keep going knowing I feel bad I have missed people.

I thought the quality of this round was great.

Here goes ...

Falcon Artist - School Bus Driver

Music
This has a very folky Bob Dylan kind of feel to it. It is very rough and ready and I was disappointed in the lack of effort. It is a one take, guy with guitar, and to make matters worse, the guitar was out of tune. Even if you had some harmonica with it that could have swayed me.

Lyrics
I liked the idea, it has a definite story arc which I thought was really quirky and unique. I felt the rhyming scheme was inconsistent between the verses which made it feel a bit disjointed.

Production
Not much to go on.

Wendy Wiseman Fisher - Where the Pumpkins Lie

Music
I really liked how this started, the acappella introduction was really unsettling and interesting, I thought it then built up quite nicely. However, I really wanted the drums to change up earlier than they did, I felt they just hung on a bit too long.

Lyrics
Really clever lyrics, very detailed and they paint a really vivid image of your marathon road trip. I noticed that the rhyming scheme is a bit inconsistent in the verses, however, I found that worked in your favour, as for when you hit the chorus it makes it stand out more.

Production
I felt your vocals where overpowered by the backing ahs. I struggled in places to here what you were singing because of it. I would have liked some reverb to really give the backing vocals and maybe cut off some of the high end eq so they don't clash with your vocals.

I liked the overall sound, I did feel like some of the piano arpeggios could have been synths, that could have given it some more variety.

chewmeupspitmeout - Deja vu, Deja me

Music
It's got a nice pace and is interesting to listen to.

Lyrics
It is an interesting idea. My issue is it isn't really a song about would you did in 24 hours, it's basically describing groundhog day, and is it 24 hours if you do it more than once (I'd argue not)!

Production
I really struggled with this, it's sounds messy to me. Things that I noticed are:

• Drums are hidden in the mix, and need a bit of grit. You could have added a bit of distortion to make them work with that guitar.
• Guitar are load and over powering.
• There is a sub that comes in and out and sounds little off to my ears.

Hot Pink Halo - Move Mountains

Music
I love the simplistic feel to this, it feels very natural and you can really feel the desperation for something in your vocal delivery.

Lyrics
I am not worthy! These are great, without reading your liner notes I would have come to the conclusion that it was a day in the life of someone struggling with illness, maybe in a hospice.

I loved it, I thought they were very emotive words.

Production
This is really, really nicely produced. You piano and vocals as the driving instruments prominent and clear, they sound incredible. The swirling synths that accompany it are really nice and I love how you have mixed it so that they don't clash but rather enhance the central performances of your piano and vocals.

Boo Lee Crosser - Exit Signs

Music
I did like you opening line it really kicks it off. I thought the instrumentation worked well, and it does have a lonesome weary (well dying in this case) feel to it.

I did feel it got a bit samey and the chorus felt like it didn't come alive, maybe that was intentional i.e. the verses are hope, the chorus is realisation.

Lyrics
I liked the concept, it ticked the box for the theme. I would have liked a better arc in the verses, feels to me each verse was about walking through town. I would have like to know more e.g. could you have elaborated on why, could he have seen his life flash before his eyes etc.

Production
This does have a really nice rich sound, the instrument are caked in (what sounds like) natural reverb and I really liked how full it sounded.

[seemanski]

Listened on Ear Buds at Costa Coffee

☀bucket - Nickels to Roll

Music
The music fits perfectly with the theme of chaos and just feeling wiped out. You definitely get the feeling of non stop. I loved the busy busy busy repetition.

Lyrics
Wonderful take on the challenge. Extremely relatable and very witty. The repetition in the lyrics works very well to drive home the feeling of restlessness.

Production

Spot on from what I could hear. loved the EQing on your vox. That helps bring them to the front of the mix without compromising the distorted guitars and the variation throughout the song is very engaging.

This Big Old Endless Sky - It Only Felt like a Minute

Music
I enjoyed the music, it is a short and sweet rock anthem. I liked the idea of it being linked to the "Only been a minute" lyrics, it's a shame you couldn't shed that extra 5 seconds.

Lyrics
Short and sweet, which does go with the theme of the tune that it there is not enough hours in the day.

Production
This was far too loud for me and all dynamics that the track could have had are completely lost. I did think it was well balanced though.

The Pannacotta Army - Leaving LA

Music
I immediately thought you had taken inspiration from Chris Rea. Loved the chilled relaxing vibes and as I'm listening in a busy coffee shop it helped me forget my surroundings. Loved the lead guitar.

Lyrics
The theme is immediately clear, you are leaving LA and thinking about what you missed. It's open ended and leaves me thinking about missed opportunities and what they could be, I like to think the protagonist has met someone and couldnt tell them how they feel. The fact that I'm trying to fill in the blanks is a testament to the lyrics.

Production
The mix was nice, I really liked the brass and organs in the middle section. I wasn't keen on the bass guitar. I felt in clashes a bit and wasn't fond of it being panned to the left (this could be my listening device).

gammammannn - Just Walk

Music
Chip tune madness helps it stand out from the crowd it also helped identify that this is a video game character.

Lyrics
I'm guessing this is in relation to a video game I haven't played. Which makes sense with your musical direction. As I don't what the game is I found it hard to relate. I would have loved this to been something more wide spread so as a listener I could engage in what you are portraying i.e. I wanted that oh they are singing about a day in the life or Mario or Link etc.

Production
The mix feels messy, I felt the high end synths took over a bit too much and it was hard to follow the vocals, which I felt should have been the star of the show. I liked the squelchy bass in the chorus, but it didn't work for me in the verses. I did really like the ping pong drums and the vocal efforts were very cool.

[seemanski]

Listened at home on my iLoud monitors

Huge Shark - Fine

Lyrics
My immediate thought is that this is song about death, of a loved one and then I read "How could I let go the light, just for knowing dark will come?" and I started wondering is it a song about your final day. If so, then that is a really interesting concept. Either way, I got the challenge out of it in my own interpretation. The thing that niggles me, rightly or wrongly, is that I can't shake that this song is about death i.e. describing it rather than about a day in the life through the eyes of someone experiencing it.

Music
The music has a melancholy feel which compliments the theme of the tune i.e. you talking about death and reflecting on it. I felt the music shadowed that sentiment. I also felt your vocal performance was very good.

Production
I thought the mix was great, I really liked the mix of the banjo and piano, they gelled together really well. It is a great build up. I didn't like the strings that sounded really fake, and I just thought you would have been better off with oo's and ah's with a tonne of reverb. I did think the cello worked. The reverb was odd in the middle 8, because everything else is so dry and just sounds out of place.

Good Guy Sôjàbé - Justice Never Sleeps

Lyrics
The lyrics made me think of a showdown, then the chorus made me that of a certain character in 2000AD, I do hope this is a song about a day in the life of Judge Dredd. Well it is in my head and I love the concept.

Music
Getting grunge vibes from this, which is always going to please me. Fits with the theme in my mind, because if it is a song about Judge Dredd that is round about the era it was made (or least when I used to read it). I really liked the chorus.

Production
I found myself longing for some more low end, I immediately want a bigger thump from the bass drum. I really like the pad sounds, they were very subtle and they did help to flesh out the track. The vibrato that was introduced later on was a nice touch. I thought the vocal treatment was nice, it gave this some edge and sense of authority.

The Alleviators - Right By You

Lyrics
I think the theme is pretty clear, it is a day in the life of parents with a young child. The madness of the morning prep up until story time. The bridge goes of tangent a little bit, as you are singing about years going by.

Kudos for the rhyme "keys, and" with "season"

Music
I liked the style, I thought the harmonies were fantastic and obviously the star of the show was the guest vocals in the final chorus. The thing I can't out of my head is this sounds so sad, guessing it is a minor key, but the topic is about a day with your child. I just feel it should not be that sad. This might be because I know how hard getting through the day with a young child is. This probably just me, but I felt like I just want to be reminded that it is worth it rather than feel depressed about it.

Production
I thought the mix was great, the acoustic sounded really crisp and the vocals were clear and easy to follow. I did have to reach for the volume control though, so it may have been a little loud.

David Taro - Rosettina

Lyrics
Wonderful, I loved the story of how Rosettina lives her day. You are immediately captivated by her story, the places she visits, what she thinks about. It's really well crafted and the chorus is a killer. I absolutely loved it.

Music
My goodness, you know how to make things interesting. I'm super jealous of the piano playing I loved how you built this up. A new instrument just kept coming. You had the slide guitar, then an acoustic and then brass, it felt like a musical feast. I got shades of Tom Waits in your vocals and Randy Newman in your vocal delivery. I also thought of Beatles but then I thought maybe that's just the "Day in the life" lyrics.

Production
It sounded wonderful, radio ready I say. I did have to reach the volume control, but it is far and beyond I can do.

Jealous Brother - A Backpack and Two Sandwiches

Lyrics
I really like these lyrics, but I'm struggling to put it into context with the challenge. It just feels a bit confused. A day in the life of a backpacker maybe, but then it goes into going back to high school and shooting at a school and I lost the plot a little bit. I thought the lyrics were very clever and I loved all American references.

Music
I really like the music, not an electric instrument in sight and it was a joy. I found it toe tapping and great to listen to. The vocals were tight and the harmonies were subtle and backed on the lead vocals nicely. I thought acoustic guitar solo was great.

Production
I really liked the mix, only thing is wanted more double bass. I felt that was difficult to hear.

[seemanski]

I'll keep going, because why not

Nathan Joe Long - Remember Monangah

Lyrics
I found the lyrics intriguing, I'm guessing this is historical. My take on it is that the character is working class, down the mines longing to leave home to get back for his 9 year olds 10th birthday. I must admit, I found the story arc confusing. It felt more like a documentary of the working life back in 1907 rather than a day in the life, I think it's the mix of pronouns that is throwing me off. Also you jump from it being about a man in the mines, to a daughters birthday, which I found confusing because it is no longer the day in a life a single person. It could just be far too clever for me, the word play is really good. I'm just simple and I need the day in the life of a working class man spelt out for me in crayon.

Music
The strings at the start are a master stroke, it's so different from everything else that you are immediately drawn in. I really liked the sway but it got a bit samey.

Production
It sounded great, I can't fault that.


glennny - I Have Until Midnight

Lyrics
I like the fact that I only really got a picture in my head until the last lines "I'll sign the paper, I'll do it now". The sadistic person in me immediately thought of divorce papers, but then I thought tax returns. Either way, I get it now that its a song about procrastinating the day away binge watching. I can relate to that.

Music
I found the tone of the guitar at the start quite grating, once the other instruments kicked in it was ok though. I really liked the little guitar breaks inbetween the verses and I thought this was a nice little nod to the 90s. Pixies was the band that sprung to mind.

Production
I liked the rawkus energy, obviously not at the start. The EQed vocals on the "Who …" didn't work for me, it sounded muffled and just didn't fit in with the raw energy that the track was giving off.

Flintsteel - Tau Zero

Lyrics
Great concept, I love the idea of living 24 hours in the darkest depths of space.

Music
This track very much ROCKS!!!! I love how fast paced and intricate it is. The guitar playing is superb and the drums are awesome. It was a hell of a lot of fun to listen to. The only critique I have is that because it was so face paced in your face all the way through I felt the killer hook in the chorus was lacking, I just kind of blended in with the verses. Awesome track though none the less.

Production
I really liked how this sounded, maybe the vocals could be a bit more forward but it was a class act.

Bob Voyg - A day in the life of a Mall Santa

Lyrics
I predict very bad things are about to go down at that mall. The biggest problem I have with these lyrics is without the title of the song you would not be able to piece to together the context of the song. I certainly wouldn't have guessed it was Santa or in a mall (maybe that was intentional).

Music
The music is proper creepy and there is a very definite sense of danger and uneasiness which is really cool.

Production
I thought the instruments sounded great, they are crisp and clear and well balanced. Your vocals sounded fantastic.


Governing Dynamics - Outtahere

Lyrics
I'm struggling with the lyrics, I just find them a bit too vague. I get the jist that someone is in a predicament and they want to leave, but that's about as much as I can draw from the story arc. I want to know more about the person, rather than how they feel.

Music
Music was really good, it had a nice rock vibe and your vocals were sound, there were a few wobbles here and there but nothing hugely noticeable. I wasn't a fan of the strings, I thought they worked well with the other instruments but on their own at the start wasn't the greatest of introductions to what this song is about.

Production
I liked everything in the production, I really liked the panning on your vocals in the chorus, that sounded great.

[Siebass]

My audio "car thoughts" rambling eviews are done as well. Listened to each song 3-4 times and the review was done on my pixel buds in the car commuting to or from work. Figuring out transcription is probably going to be too hard for me to do with my limited procrastination time, but I was able to pull the files off my phone and rename them all just now to match the right song. Apologies in advance for the heavy road noise, (I was commuting to or from work for all of these), and any mediocre, terrible, wrong or excellent things I may have said in these. Enjoy

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing
Google Drive

If you play the song and the review at the same time you can live-replay my reactions to each part as well, lol.

[seemanski]

One last load of rambling from me I finished it, YAY!. I thought these were a cracking bunch of tunes, which made the job even harder because I felt a bit of an imposter giving critique to songs I felt were better than mine. Fingers crossed I'm over the elimination threshold but I am worried and that's because I thought the quality was very high.

Anywho, enough of my therapy session. Here is my final round of reviews

OutLyer - HEY ALEXA

Lyrics
Firstly, to anyone that has an Amazon device this is going to royally piss them off (unless your listening via headphones). I do like the concept of using something automated to help you get away with a crime and I also like how you specifically mentioned times of the day to further illustrate that it was over a 24 hour period. However, there is a massive 12 hour gap in your day

I also got really confused before I read the lyrics because I thought you were singing "my neighbours zombie" instead of "my neighbour saw me".

Music
The music is very cool, I really enjoyed the atmospheric feel to it and all your technically trickery. The subs sounded superb and the different vocals were gorgeous.

Production
Very nice, well beyond my abilities. Not sure how I felt about the piano though, it is obviously there as filler because once everything comes in it is completely lost, although I did like how the track started and ended with it.

Siebass - We Are the Sum of These

Lyrics
This is a really nice take on the challenge, it's very obvious it's about the monotony of a working parent. It's very amusing and very relatable.

Music

I'm sorry, that repeated "Driving, Driving", "Sleeping, Sleeping" is super annoying and really grates on you because it is soooooo constant. I guess that is the point of the song, and that does come across, but at a price, it alienates the listener. I also think if you had sped up in the more chaotic parts i.e. when you are rushing at work, or running around the house after the kids I think could have helped with the story arc.

Production
Not really much I can pick out with the production, I thought it sounded good, my problems were with the fact that it just gets on my nerves.

Huey Long's Big Strong Thick Pink Magnum Opus - Asphalt

Lyrics
I get Sin City vibes in my head when I listen, this is the last 24 hours of the protagonist in the big city kind of thing.

Music
There's lots of things to like in this, I enjoyed the variation of vocals and the violins. I did think it was a difficult listen. Even with the variation it just felt like the same thing and I wasn't keen on the shouting. I also found it was a bit rough and ready in parts with the timing not quite on point which was very distracting. I thought it was interesting, but a very hard listen. The intro went on far too long too.

Production
You could probably have tightened this up in production, get the instruments to be inline. I thought the bell eq on the vocals where a bit too soft and could do with bringing up in the higher frequencies, they just felt a bit too behind in the mix. I thought it was very ambitious and I tip my hat to you on that.

Möbius Strip Club - Angela

Lyrics
These are really sad lyrics. That is every parents worst nightmare, just thinking about it gives me the heebee jeebees. Very powerful and emotive.

Music
This is a bit rough and ready, there are timing issues and unfortunately the guitar is out of tune. However the emotion does come through as the vocals are amazing, it is very operatic and they tell the story of poor old Angela very nicely.

Production
I loved the vocals, the panning was great but there are some flaws. The vocals are so far in the mix that everything else is drowned out and I heard drum bleed in the middle 8 section which was unfortunate.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Say Hey!

Lyrics
I don't get how this relates to the theme. 24 hours a day in the life of being super polite I suppose. I liked the lyrics they cheerful and playful and made me feel good about life.

Music
Very catchy, upbeat and a joy to listen to. I liked the repeated hey's, I think if they were any further in the mix they would have annoyed me but because they were just the right place that the other instruments masked them, it wasn't grating. I thought the instrumentation was cool and loved the introduction of all the other instruments.

Production
Sounded good to my ears.

Dog Star Pilot - Only Thing

Lyrics
There is a nice flow to the lyrics, guessing the story about driving and getting somewhere. Would be nice to have a bit more context i.e. where are they going, who are they. All we know is they are driving and they are passing through Nebraska.

Music
Nothing to comment on, it sounds to be in time and I would be tempted to add music to this as part of the covers.

Production
Sounded like one take on a phone

Fluke Wilson - Tommy Bahama Backfire

Lyrics
I get the concept, 24 hours of someone who has been captured and is presumably about to die a slow and horrible death, or talk. I like that, there is a definite story arc that I can get behind.

Music
I first thought this was going to be a bland listen, the guitars start off very basic and the vocals are mono tone. However this quickly changed and I noticed there were quite a few key changes and rhythm variants to keep you engaged. Was the end riff meant as a nod towards the pixies?

Not sure how I feel about there being no chorus, it lacks a hook which would have been nice.

Production
This was lacking completely, it would have been good if some effort had been made.

Sober - Long Way Round

Lyrics
Great words as always, you always set the bar very high in these competitions. Concept is pretty easy to get with, you are giving an insight into a very active day of a someone in the army, I am assuming this is biographical, in which case I have not lived.

Music
Very interesting musically, I really enjoyed the spoken, I did find to get a bit repetitive and I found myself wondering if you could have had sung some of the verses or added a middle 8 it could have helped.

Production
It's absolutely spot on, everything sounds crisp and is played extremely well. Only thing is I felt the slide guitar could have been brought forward in the mix a bit more. But like I said before, you are the one to beat and like always I felt myself jealous of your talent.

miscellaneous owl - Don't Look Back

Lyrics
Ok so this is that you have had a loss of a friend and this is 24 hours in the eyes of someone coming to terms with that loss and attempting to get past the grieving period. It's very sad and emotive and I'm a fan, although I did think rhyming dark with work was a bit of a stretch.

Music
There is a nice gentle luring quality to the way you played it, almost like someone is reading a diary out loud. I also really enjoyed the rhythm change in the don't look back sections.

Production
This is obviously a one take and it also sounds like it was done in a hurry, which is off putting. I didn't like the twang on the low guitar strings and the fact that you can hear you turn pages and click to stop the recording. However, it was a lovely song and I feel like I'm better for listening to the rough and ready version than not at all.

Joy Sitler - Cigarettes and Microgreens [SHADOW]

Lyrics
At first I thought, these lyrics look it happened over a couple of days, then I realised what you did. You are singing about the 24 hours on the day before, which I thought was really interesting. The lyrics are fantastic, they are about falling off the wagon, right?

Music
Loved the pop rock feel to this, fountains of wayne sprung into my head when hearing it. The chorus is killer and the breakdown to just vocals and stabs was amazing. I could happily listen to this on repeat.

Production
First class production, I especially loved the multiple panned guitars, they sounded cracking.

Vehicles of Beware - Terminal [SHADOW]

Lyrics
Great stuff, the idea of being stuck in an airport because of just being a little too late is relatable and you really feel for the poor guy.

Music
Ok, I maybe biased here. Ben Folds is reason I decided to finally learn piano (in my 40s) where I went looking for a piano teacher and said "I want to play like Ben Folds!". I'm still working through some sheet music and getting overwhelmed, you pull it off beautifully and I'm very jealous. This has a songs for silverman king of feel to it. I hope you are a Ben Folds fan and I haven't just massively insulted you.

I liked how there wasn't a chorus but the bridge section with those Ahs harmonising gave it a nice lift.

Production
I can't fault it, like I said I'm biased because this is exactly what I would like to achieve.

[seemanski]

My audio "car thoughts" rambling eviews are done as well. Listened to each song 3-4 times and the review was done on my pixel buds in the car commuting to or from work. Figuring out transcription is probably going to be too hard for me to do with my limited procrastination time, but I was able to pull the files off my phone and rename them all just now to match the right song. Apologies in advance for the heavy road noise, (I was commuting to or from work for all of these), and any mediocre, terrible, wrong or excellent things I may have said in these. Enjoy

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing
Google Drive

If you play the song and the review at the same time you can live-replay my reactions to each part as well, lol.

Thanks Siebass, I agree with the panning, I was trying to be a be different and I don't think it worked. Listening to others I might try and do some more work with panning instruments and keeping the vocals centred.

Love the audio recording, however, I did get a bit worried that I might hear a screech and crash throughout

[hugeshark]

Hi folks! Here are my peer reviews.

A note first: I was a judge for two prior SpinTunes contests, so, influenced by that experience, I try to provide each composer with some actionable items to improve their work. Please don't take these suggestions as a sign that I didn't like your piece — I was very impressed by all of my peers' songs, and I certainly know that my own contribution needs plenty of work! Just trying to be helpful, but if my thoughts aren't helpful, throw them away —Valerie aka Huge Shark

Falcon Artist - School Bus Driver
I enjoyed this simply told "day in the life." Favorite line: "And when the kids see me pull up to the stop/ They are as jolly as me." You capture the relationship between the driver and the kids well in a few brief phrases. Are the kids sad because they're not looking forward to school? Do they hate the long drive, or enjoy it?

Wendy Wiseman Fisher - Where the Pumpkins Lie
Great voice, and I enjoyed the vocal arrangements. Love the murder-ballad style and dark story. I think the song is a little long for the story — it begins to sound like a recital of a list (which of course, in some sense, it is, as you're capturing landmarks along the (long) drive). You could kick the levels of the instrumentation up on this a bit — obviously we want the voice to shine, but there's room to bring the music up and it's great, too.

chewmeupspitmeout - Deja Vu, Deja me
Love the concept of this. It's such a familiar sensation that the idea that it might actually be real is effectively creepy, and the bridge is awesome and hilarious. The turn in the final verse is perfect, very sweet and a nice wrap-up to the story. The mix could use a little work — the percussion and guitar are way far out in front, and the vocals are way in back, and the end result doesn't quite cohere. You could bring the vocals forward without losing the dense vocal treatment, I think.

Hot Pink Halo - Move Mountains
I really enjoyed the vocals on this. The fry on "lie here and lie here and lie here" etc is beautiful and the contrast with the stained-glass loveliness of the harmony vox is terrific. Good background story on this. I don't have a lot of critique here, but I'd have loved even more instrumental variation on the first part of the last verse/"as the sun sets" section.

Boo Lee Crosser - Exit Signs
The on/off of the vocal doubling is a good way to vary the texture, but it made me long to hear some harmony, too. Appealing J. Mascis-style voice. The story is an interesting one (though I couldn't figure out exactly what happened, or why) and I was drawn in by the lyrics and style; I particularly liked the lyrics on verse 3. I would have liked some more variation in the melody on the verses — the stretch through the first two verses feels a little long. There's smidgens of pitchiness in places like "feel the silence" and "find the entry wound."

SEE/MAN/SKI - The Hermit
Relatable track! I like the ghostly double vocal, like a strange sort of echo — it provides interesting texture. The instrumentation is simple, but the build on the chorus works well. I'd like a little more out of the rather random-noodling solo. The bridge is a good turn musically and the FX on the vocals are a strong choice here, but you might think about giving it a slightly contrary (lyric) message — a bridge provides a good place to make the message of a song more complex, nuanced.

*bucket - Nickels to Roll
I love the way this song starts by blowing away all our SpinTunes "no time to write/record" excuses. It's got an inexorable drive and beat that pulls us into the "busy busy busy" middle section. Interesting percussion choices and good choice of vocal FX provides a unique sound. The monotony (literally, that is: I don't mean boredom!) of the melody serves the song well. The "busy busy busy" section is great, but there's room to make it even louder and more frenetic, creating a greater contrast with the verses.

This Big Old Endless Sky - It Only Felt Like a Minute
This track is (overly) relatable and captures the 24-hour challenge very efficiently. The little high deedly keyboard (?) motif is good, but could be a little louder. The misaligned doubled vox on "wake up" are a plus, because they capture the dazed quality of morning and alarm clocks rousing us from our reverie, but the lack of tightness on the final lines of the prior stanzas ("it only felt like a minute," "it doesn't feel like I'm in it," "if that's all there is") come across more sloppily; I recommend tightening those so that the "wake up" chaos can shine. One-minute song about feeling like a minute is quite clever and it works!

The Pannacotta Army - Leaving LA
Such a smooth sound, and I particularly love the (probably deliberately, given the nod to "San Jose") Bacharach-y trumpets that fly in during the solo. The vox are in line with the style and the whole thing sounds very slick and well produced. I'd like to get a bit more out of the lyrics/story, though. The "I'm not running away" bridge (great tune on that, btw) hints that the singer is, in fact, running away, despite their protestations; it would be good to get more hints about that in the subsequent verses. We get some regret for the journey (that it's boring; take a plane next timeˆ), but the bridge sets us up to have some regrets about leaving LA (or, at least, for the undisclosed reason for leaving) at all, and it's a little disappointing when they're not delivered.

gammammannn - Just Walk
I'm particularly digging the post-drop "chorus" ("Feelin' uneasy?") — good distinction in vocal effects between this section and the "verses" (Steve, Larry). I also like the jazzy sound of "ooh and I say my thoughts are lookin' gray," and the gated voops in the Larry section. Story/lyric-wise, there are at least three characters in this — Steve, Larry, Gloopy — and while I get Gloopy's role, it's not 100% clear to me how Steve and Larry relate to each other. I'd like it if the lyrics made this relationship a little more clear, because I feel like I'm missing an important angle of the story. I find the music quite catchy, especially the chorus. (BTW, I think I met Gloopy? Am I remembering correctly?)

Good Guy Sôjàbé - Justice Never Sleeps
Distinct and beautiful lead vocals on the verses and an interesting shift for the choruses. The use of the 24-hr theme with the idea "justice never sleeps" is successful. The light, forward percussion creeps the verses along in an effective way, but it would be good to have more instrumental and perhaps percussion pattern change in the second halves of the verses; not more/louder, because you want to keep your powder dry for the punch of the chorus, but something slightly different; as it is, the verses read long, because they're samey. There isn't a lot to the story here, but you present a powerful character; one way to mitigate this would be to introduce a bridge that gives some alternate aspects to the character, even some that seem contradictory.

Alleviators - Right by You
Sweet song, made quite precious by the child's vocals on chorus 3. As ever, I enjoy Alleviators' octave-apart vox, but be cautious about pitchiness ("she's able," "on the table," background oohs etc) as slightly-off notes are extra-noticeable. I'd love to hear some occasional branching-out into true harmony, maybe in the second halves of the verses? just for more variety; dropping down to lower notes, as you do now, helps, but I'd welcome more, as well as maybe slightly different/thicker instrumentation on these second-halves. The lyrics are lovely and heartfelt. Make the bridge bigger! Lovely final chorus with the adult vox joining the child vocal, that really got to me.

David Taro - Rosettina
I like the "day in your life/ Or your life in a day" concept for the challenge. Absolutely terrific piano, I'm getting early Elton John vibes. "No nuns for me" made me laugh, in a good way. The gradual build in instrumentation is very effective. The verse melody/chord progression feels a little too familiar ˆ though I'm not 100% sure I want you to change it, because it creates a nice nostalgic feeling which goes well with the song. Excellent small details throughout the lyrics — "the stripy facade/ Of the old cathedral of San Lorenzo," "Aged twenty-one she met a pharmacist's son" etc. (I don't love "She's as old as a woman can be," though.) Very well executed.

Jealous Brother - A Backpack and Two Sandwiches
I am so envious of these fantastic real instruments (unlike my sad MIDI ones). What a great sound. The melody evokes classic folk/bluegrass while still sounding like its own song. Love the flourishes on "her leg"! The lyrics tell a great and novel story; they're mostly excellent, though there's some awkwardness on "professionally" and "TweeDY." The bridge is a good left turn musically, but it's almost too much of a left turn lyrically, because the song makes a slightly subtler shift at the second chorus ("Then we walked") and then WHAM on the bridge. Jon and Lou are either the names of some of the people you've already mentioned, or they're new (I assume they're new, but if they're not, we should be able to tell). The concept — that it's all quaint and friendly until you look a little deeper — is a good one, but because it's so abrupt and there's no connecting language, it almost sounds like two unrelated songs grafted together. I want the left turn to work, because I think it's a good contrast, but we have to believe that the person who got on the train is the same person who "ain't never going back to that shit hole" — and if you're not, why are you there? Or are you there? Maybe I'm confused, but in any event, I think you need some bridging language to get you from the Neil Young concert to the "shit hole." Still, this song sounds great and I love that the lyrics are so fresh.

Nathan Joe Long - Remember Monangah
Intro sequence of instruments is very fresh and effective. The guitar riffs throughout are appealing, though the organ/keyboard insertions seem a little abrupt. The lyrics are generally excellent -- the disaster story is told briskly, and then the following story of the effect on a wife and child is a good way of bringing the emotional impact home. But the song is too long for the story. Your best stanzas are the first three; "Meet me under a starlit sky"; "Please don't go"; "You have to stay." Consider cutting the "If the old hen lays" stanza, which doubles down on the previous sections but which isn't as poignant. I don't think you need to repeat the first two stanzas as a chorus, either -- I'd sing this straight through as a story. Both vocals are a little pitchy and a little dry. I'd at least consider a smidge of pitch correction and of reverb on both. The bones are here for a classic, though.

glennny - I Have Until Midnight
Lyrics tell a good story, and the details (Rick and Morty, YouTube rabbit hole, Pad Thai and a Cherry Coke etc) add a lot. The percussion is well suited and the guitars sound good. Either the effects or the recording equipment buries your voice in the mix; it would be worth clarifying it and bringing it a bit forward, so we can clearly hear the lyrics. The whole song sounds flat, level-wise; it would be nice to get a bit more shape by varying instrumentation and perhaps melody — melody isn't the song's strong point. Still, I love the story and use of the challenge.

Flintsteel - Tau Zero
Extremely competent guitar and vocal performance. The song has good energy. The story is good, but it's not tightly linked to the "day-long narrative" challenge (mind you, my song suffers in this respect too!). The lyrics are rather general; it might be interesting and more engaging to explore a single person's experience in this situation. The song doesn't have a lot of variation musically, texturally or density-wise; it could use more shape. One great part is the "cascading..." through "...bring to life," because of the shift in music and the arpeggiation in the background. I also really like the quiet-to-loud solo that starts around 3:30. That section held my interest more than the verses.

Bob Voyg - A day in the life of a Mall Santa
Really interesting instrumentation and vocal FX. It's also an interesting take on the challenge, and a very interesting perspective. I admire the fact that the song works on a variety of levels even without the title. Good change of instrumentation at "give me what i want." All in all, cleverly put together and well expressed. Not sure I love the "eye - high - highs" sound of the "judging eyes" line, but I can't find anything else I'd change here.

Governing Dynamics - Outtahere
Love the intro music, it does a great job of leading me into the song. Good story and lyrics. I like the internal conversation of the chrouses, but it would be interesting to have the two "voices" have slightly different FX (maybe double one of them but not the other?). There's a bit of pitchiness, particularly in the second verse. As with some of the other songs, the level feels kind of flat throughout, except for the drop after "fighting" (which is good). Might be nice to use harmony as a tool on the vocals to liven up the simply doubled vox. Love, love the line "Hate to say but I relate to a slowly dying light."

OutLyer - HEY ALEXA
What a great concept, and what a fantastic vocal quality/performance. I love the different vocal FX, which convey the different voices and moods so well. The chorus pulls the story along and the steps of verse 2 forward it; very cleverly put together. One thing to consider would be a bridge that allows you to provide Alexa's advice again — "her" voice is so effective at the beginning that it would be great to bring it in again.

Siebass - We Are the Sum of These
You had me from the choral "UP TO PEE"! I love the sound effects and the whitespace around the music. The details are great ("Please help your brother find his shoe," "Don't chew your brother's head"). It's an effective, amusing and relatable account of the day. The yell at the other driver is hilarious. I love this track, and my only possible objection is that the boring parts of the day are in fact the boring parts of the song, and I'm not sure this is a flaw, since you're making a point here. Nicely done.

Huey Long's Big Strong Thick Pink Magnum Opus - Asphalt
There's an interesting effect at the start of this. Not sure what the instrument is that is making the shimmering/cymbal noise (maybe a cymbal, but probably not), but laid against the guitar riff, it makes the riff sound modal or as if it's shifting from major to minor. Good stuff. I don't love the initial vocal style — it feels too hard put on. The growliness is better at spoken "the footage from the ATM" section than during the 'verses'. (The vocal at "You found yourself paralyzed" is excellent.) I like the vocal contrasts, I just feel like that one growl is a bit much and starts to sound like a failed attempt at Tom Waits rather than being as effective as it could be. Love the strings on "And the ambulance." The story itself is engrossing and well crafted for the most part (I'm not in love with "from the gash that knife cut in your soul," mostly because of the way it scans). Despite these quibbles, I really enjoyed the track.

Möbius Strip Club - Angela
Lovely vocals. The chord changes at "then we'll hit the road" are surprising and pleasing. The song moves lyrically from mild concern to serious worry/disaster, and it does this well. I would be interested to hear a gradual increase or textural/density change in instrumentation as the verses move along as well; I think it could enhance the building tension. The vocal additions in the third chorus do this well, I just would like to hear more. (Similarly, I'd like an even bigger drop with the final verse — maybe drop the percussion entirely for the verse?) Good use of the arc of a day to tell the story with its increasing desperation.

Boffo Yux Dudes - Say Hey!
Great retro-'60s sound to this — the harmonies, vocal timbre, and style all contribute to this and it works. The melody somehow sounds both nostalgic and fresh. The jokes/puns work (I laughed out loud at the Teri Garr "roll in the hay"), but all in all I'd like a little bit more out of the song. The bulk of the lyrics are over at the two-minute mark; you could fit more story in (or more jokes in, if you like). That said, there's a lovely sound to this one, it's very listenable. Consider ending definitively rather than on a fadeout: one last "Hey!"

Dog Star Pilot - Only Thing
Colorful details (especially at first) and a strong melody hold this together. The nearly-a-capella rendition is very well executed by a good voice. Am I hearing leg slaps? Not sure what the light percussion is. It feels a little, uh, slapped on. It's a great demonstration of vocal talents, but I'd welcome some instrumentation; I think this song could hold up to it very well, and I'm interested in what chords you'd choose. The details in the first verse are great, but there are some less powerful lines later on (e.g. "take al ittle break and then keep moving after that"). I like that final "No matter what we leave behind" bit but I'd like even more hints as to what the story behind the song is. You could do a bigger turn here and provide those hints — no need to be fully explicit, but it would engage us more with the song. (What are those "choices" that the protagonist is questioning?)

Fluke Wilson - Tommy Bahama Backfire
Good story — starts dark but quickly amuses as well. I like lines like "my mouth hasn't been this dry/since the last time my mouth was dry." "Am I wearing the wrong shirt?" Even with just one instrument and one vocal line, I'm pleased that you successfully build/grow the sound. The vocals are pleasant in timbre but are pretty pitchy (especially in the last verse, but throughout); if you have any access to pitch correction tools, they would help, but I suspect this is recorded fairly raw. I'd like the final verse to tie more clearly into the story — I'm waiting to hear more about his clothing, but what's all this about "you're gonna talk"? There are a few places where the lyrics could scan better (though there's some great places where it does!). Huge potential here for a great song, just a little unpolished at present.

Sober - Long Way Round
Excellent vocals and instruments, and the contrast between spoken and sung vocals is effective. Great first stanza that sets up the whole song/story. I enjoyed the details about the journey - especially Leipzig, and the military-to-commercial changeover. I think the "getting there" part of the story just confuses the narrative a bit; I'd rather have more specifics about the going-home trip. I'd also love for it to be a single person/day's story (as it starts) rather than more general, 'this is the experience you might have' (e.g. "when you're coming home...") All that said, I enjoyed certain details in that section (e.g. the Baltica number 9). Staying in first person would help this. Enjoyable song about a day that should be happy but instead is sort of stressful and weird.

miscellaneous owl - Don't Look Back
Lovely light vocals and pleasant simple accompaniment which suits the content. Lyrics are colorful, and I like the quiet mythological allusions (the ferryman, the "three dogs huddling close" etc). I feel like the song really starts at "On a cool September morning" and I wonder if you could omit the first stanza; "Leave behind the living/ So I can see you again" makes the story pretty clear. The vocals get slightly pitchy on "And I thought that if I wrote a song/ That captured what I feel" — could be adjusted. I'm not sure how I feel about the style of the "don't look back" section, but it's unexpected and quirky, which isn't entirely a bad thing.

Joy Sitler - Cigarettes and Microgreens
I really like the angle on this song — it's very fresh and yet represents very familiar emotions. There's good build to the solo and then a good drop on the final verse. Love the percussion jump in on "repeating/beating". The build is in the lyrics, too, and "of my own voice even as I drown" is a great line. Absolutely nit-picking, I don't like the scan on "at the plate in front of me" (but "only micro greens and a diet something" is great), and I don't love the grossness of "of my blackened lungs as I cough them out" that early in the song — save the visceral reaction for "my arms were bleeding/ if I wouldn't have cut them out I'd be better now but the scars aren't healing," which is a tremendous line to build up to. But all in all, it's relatable and effective.

Vehicles of Beware - Terminal
The piano is lovely (though bits of the melody coupled with that piano makes the song evoke Billy Joel's "Piano Man"), as are the harmonies that come in on the bridge (which incidentally is great). The percussion is well executed and arranged, and could be louder. The song has a lot of musical shape, making it very listenable despite the tragic story/set of anecdotes. The song's a bit over-the-top tragic but I'm here for it anyway because it sounds so good.

[BoffoYux]

Music
Very catchy, upbeat and a joy to listen to. I liked the repeated hey's, I think if they were any further in the mix they would have annoyed me but because they were just the right place that the other instruments masked them, it wasn't grating. I thought the instrumentation was cool and loved the introduction of all the other instruments.

Thanks for the thoughtful reviews of everyone. You've been listening to the safety cut - Allan spent more time tweaking the mix that evening and the final version is here.

Another one of those 'if we had more time we would have...', but we had lots of fun with it and put it out the door.
I know I should have done more Hey and farm puns, but I loved how Al added the background 'Hey!' choruses to be so infectious but hopefully not annoying and make you smile.

It also literally makes you smile -You have to raise your cheeks up to make the 'Hey!' sound, which effects psychologically changes your mental attitude.

I guess that Psych degree was useful for something!

[Siebass]

Love the audio recording, however, I did get a bit worried that I might hear a screech and crash throughout

Me too! I have about half an hour in the car each way on my way to and from work, and I wanted to try to make it more productive, not much different in difficulty from driving and chatting with family, so it was all good. But boy would that be a twist on the reviews!

[Sober]

Sober - Long Way Round
… I'd also love for it to be a single person/day's story (as it starts) rather than more general, 'this is the experience you might have' (e.g. "when you're coming home...") All that said, I enjoyed certain details in that section (e.g. the Baltica number 9). Staying in first person would help this...

Thanks for the thoughtful reviews! This is actually a direct recounting of my specific experience. I felt it more storyteller/engaging/folksy to at times say “you might do x” instead of “I did x.” It’s not lost on me the irony that, unless we go to war in Afghanistan again, no one will ever again get to experience this itinerary.

[seemanski]

SEE/MAN/SKI - The Hermit
Relatable track! I like the ghostly double vocal, like a strange sort of echo — it provides interesting texture. The instrumentation is simple, but the build on the chorus works well. I'd like a little more out of the rather random-noodling solo. The bridge is a good turn musically and the FX on the vocals are a strong choice here, but you might think about giving it a slightly contrary (lyric) message — a bridge provides a good place to make the message of a song more complex, nuanced.

Thanks for your review, funnily enough, out of curiosity, I ran the lyrics through AI, and it said the same thing. I think it said the bridge could have been a revelation that actually going out and socialising is ok. Kicked myself when I saw that and you picked up on it too.

[Siebass]

Can't spell Huge ShAIrk with out AI....
Now that I think of it, can't spell See-mAIn-ski without it either....

...dammit I'm living in a simulation again, aren't I?

[seemanski]

Can't spell Huge ShAIrk with out AI....
Now that I think of it, can't spell See-mAIn-ski without it either....

...dammit I'm living in a simulation again, aren't I?

No you AIn't

[Sober]

Sharing here for fun. Here are a few photos from my long journey home back in 2012.

Leaving Kandahar Air Field. 2am local time. My job had me deploy as an individual, not with a unit, so I didn't know anybody. This is the very plane with the "Lewis McChord stripe as bright and as green as can be" in my Spintunes 18 round 2 song.



Aboard the C17. Red light in combat zones. That patch is 2nd Infantry Division. Not sure where these folks were headed home to.



First stop: Manas, Krygyzstan. In the background is one of the transient tents I mention in my Spintunes 19 round 3 song.



And here it is, the Baltica #9 that I traded my 6 month chip in for. I found it in a Houston beer store a few years later; the experience was not the same.



And the rest of the journey? I was too tired, or the details were too mundane.

[WendyWisemanFisher]

Sober, those photos are so incredibly cool to see.

[Chumpy]

Hello, please find the much belated SpinTunes 25 Round One episode of Two Jerks One Vote!

Here are some deets:

• Download or point your browser directly at the mp3
• Point your podcast software at the feed
• View the podcast on iTunes

INDEX

• 00:00:00 - PSA
• 00:00:28 - Intro Theme
• 00:01:11 - Beginning-of-podcast blather
• 00:08:52 - Falcon Artist
• 00:15:53 - Wendy Wiseman Fisher
• 00:21:39 - chewmeupspitmeout
• 00:26:20 - Hot Pink Halo
• 00:30:39 - Boo Lee Crosser
• 00:35:07 - SEE-MAN-SKI
• 00:42:05 - ☀bucket
• 00:47:40 - This Big Old Endless Sky
• 00:50:55 - The Pannacotta Army
• 00:54:36 - gammammannn
• 01:02:01 - Huge Shark
• 01:06:34 - Good Guy Sôjàbé
• 01:11:24 - The Alleviators
• 01:15:37 - David Taro
• 01:21:30 - Jealous Brother
• 01:29:16 - Nathan Joe Long
• 01:34:01 - glennny
• 01:40:24 - Flintsteel
• 01:46:38 - Bob Voyg
• 01:51:42 - Governing Dynamics
• 01:57:14 - OutLyer
• 02:02:05 - Siebass
• 02:06:35 - Huey Long's Big Strong Thick Pink Magnum Opus
• 02:13:33 - Möbius Strip Club
• 02:19:27 - Boffo Yux Dudes
• 02:23:49 - Dog Star Pilot
• 02:30:41 - Fluke Wilson
• 02:35:06 - Sober
• 02:38:48 - miscellaneous owl
• 02:43:23 - Joy Sitler
• 02:49:41 - Vehicles of Beware
• 02:54:44 - End-of-podcast blather

Enjoy!