I've been on the road too much lately, so I had to skip this week. Luckily, I was able to squeeze in two days to crank something out for Royal Baby. Here are my reviews, mostly listening on earbuds in an airport while my flight was delayed, so take that context for what it's worth.
Brad Plaid Band
Tight production overall, I especially like the wide stereo sound. But the song didn't get me engaged overall.
Caravan Ray
I like the layered vocals. I like the breakdown and then slight buildup around 0:45-50, but then I was really expecting a big crescendo. When the vocals come back in, I found it kind of a letdown. As a short mood piece, I like this entry.
Fitzroy
Has a solid Green Day feel. Short and sweet. I wish there was some more variety in the texture for the second verse.
The Ghost Within
I like the two contrasting intro sections, before and after 0:25. Vocals are just too soft for me to make out the lyrics, but they sound good. Ouch, I don't like the prechorus vocal effect, but I do like how the intro musical material comes back. I can't for the life of me find a volume where I can make out the lyrics (the guitars are always just slightly in the way). I don't know if that's an EQ or just a levels problem. I think the song should end a little sooner, by about 3:30 I was getting fatigued.
Grill Shots
The production is solid all the way through, but that's about all I can say. I didn't get much else from this song.
Havarti on Rye
The first ten seconds sound to me like Pink Floyd's Time on warp speed. I hope that's an intentional reference. I'm digging this track but by 1:00 I am getting a little bored. Ok, perfect time to switch to a completely different texture. I'm going to assume something cool is going on inside the packets of distorted vocals, but I can't tell what. Maybe I'm too lyrically focused, but I'm finding that frustrating. By 2:30 the repetition is dragging for me. I think there are a lot of cool ideas stuffed in here, especially a few Floyd-esque moments, but overall it doesn't hang together for me. By 4:00 I would have turned it off if not for the fact that I'm writing a review.
hillbilly
I like the contrast between the two guitars, both in sound and how they're laid out in space. I wish they were either a little more synchronized or a little more "call and response" - as is they are a bit in that in between zone that I find distracting. Backing vocals around 1:00 sound especially good. There's a very sad emotional texture to this song that leaves me wanting more story, more details.
Hip Hop Anonymous
I continue to be impressed by the production, and while I usually enjoy nerdcore, this track doesn't do a lot for me. I feel like I don't really know how a track like this is put together, so I don't have anything substantive to offer other than I found it a bit flat. Sorry about that.
Jeebas Jones
I like the simple arrangement. The verses work very well for me, but I don't really like the guitar tone during the solos. It's a little sour for my taste.
Jon Eric
I like the chord sequence and the piano performance. I think it needs a little more bass. I love the energy that comes in with the drums. I like the contrast that each section brings. Great piano solo, wish it happened sooner in the track. I wonder if the track as a whole would hang together better if the drums were a little more consistent throughout. I felt like I was hearing a new and unrelated pattern a little too often. But overall I think the song had emotional punch and nice construction. Well done.
King Arthur
Strong start for the first 0:10. Vocals sound like they are in a cave, which I find distracting. Something about the drums is especially striking, feels like they are huge, which is cool. By 2:20 I was getting a little bored, honestly. I like the little synth trickle at the end. Another track where I wish I had more concrete suggestions, because I think the raw ingredients are there.
Mr. Nakazawa's Book of Surprises
Too dissonant & slow for me. Vocal doesn't sit well in the mix for me; either it's too loud or I can't hear the guitar too well. So all I can get is the "spooky" soundscape but I sense there is more going on that I am missing. By 1:35 I would have turned the track off if I wasn't reviewing. I'm going to try and ignore the music and just focus on the lyrics, see if I can figure out what the song is about. Sadly, I don't think I'm able to follow it.
My Social Uniform
Very sweet opening 15 seconds. Things are going well until the second voice comes in around 0:50. Then there's clipping and other artifacts and it really distracts from the song. The second chorus at 1:45 is better, imho. I'm trying to put my finger on what exactly about the chorus is bothering me, because I like the idea of it a lot. I think maybe a more fast-paced rhythm that matched the distortion a little better would help it move along. I think if this whole track was a little faster and cleaned up a bit it could be a bona fide pop song. Just needs a little more work. The ending was a little tepid for my taste; you have so much material you could use for a big finish.
Paco del Stinko
Love the first 0:17, before the vocals come in. Vocals sound strangely distant to me, like the singer is standing way behind the band. This isn't a genre I'd normally go for, it's a bit too haunted house for my taste. But the track is well put together, and I especially like the contrast between the louder and quieter sections.
R. Mosquito
My lowly laptop speakers can't reproduce this track so I have to turn it way down in order to hear it at all. So I feel like I'm missing a lot of cool stuff going on. A lot of the melody is dissonant but I think it would sound better if you sang it straight and let the crazy distortion set the mood on its own. I can't tell if that makes any sense, but I hope it does, because I think there's some cool music buried under all that processing.
