Overall:
This was
incredibly difficult to judge. All five of you turned in really strong material, songs that were complex and interesting, clever and moving, and bearing deep analysis. I'm going to be quite verbose in these reviews, because you all turned in songs that were excellent on the usual levels of lyrical competence, composition, arrangement, and recording fidelity. Instead, I found myself thinking about you guys' processes, and really nitpicking things because I needed
something to use to figure out which of these songs was better than the others.
Ken Mahru
The synths are pleasantly evocative of some of the more upbeat songs of the 80s. I also like the I-iv progression. You picked one of the least risky pieces of classical music ever, but it happens to be an old favorite of mine. It blends in really well with your string synth, which says a lot about your string synth, I guess. I think the lyrics feel a bit like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," in that they're trippy and evocative, but also in that they're kind of missing a sense of conflict. The descriptions are vivid, but I'm not sure what motivation is supposed to be propelling us through the song.
Krautkitten
I might as well admit, this was the one I didn't recognize the sample(s) from. I figured it was either that piano or the trumpet, and when it turned out to be both, that didn't surprise me either. I guess you caught one of my blind spots.
No complaint about the challenge implementation or pieces chosen - the fact that I didn't recognize them at first was irrelevant to my judging process. So, onto the song... The jangly guitar works for me. That combined with the nostalgic lyrics create a strong impression of R.E.M. Not what I would have expected from you, but it works really well here! I'm a bit confused about your structure - it feels like there's most of one song, then two really short unrelated sections. It's pretty clear you meant that to be some kind of epic ending, but to my ears it comes out as disjointed, and one that runs long. So let's see, it's Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, sample/solo, bridge, coda. Something is just structurally out of joint there, making these disparate parts sound unsatisfyingly incomplete to me. Maybe if it had circled back to one more verse or chorus? Or maybe if the sample/solo had happened earlier? I don't know, I enjoyed this a lot, and found it more rewarding on subsequent listens, but I can't help but wonder whether some less risky structural decisions might have pushed this over the top.
Merisan
"Claire de Lune," right off the bat. I would have pegged you guys for a Chopin sample. Anyway, thank you for opening on the sample, because I would not have recognized it if you'd just left it in the background during the verses. I like when the synth reprises that same line in the second verse samples. If I have any problem with this, it's that Erin's voice doesn't have a whole lot of oomph behind it. The melody and her voice are lovely, but to my ears the performance sounds a bit dispassionate. Maybe it was like the zillionth take and you were tired or something? This wouldn't have made much difference to me if the competition hadn't been so fierce, but with four other great songs in the round, that turned out to be a make-or-break aspect of this song.
Ross Durand
The "preachy lyrics" train has gotten you this far, might as well keep doing it. I spent most of this song wondering why you'd written in 5/4, then I realized the genius behind this approach to the challenge; you picked a classical sample that remained recognizable in spite of only having one note, which made it easier for you to write around. Brilliant. The fact that you sustained a neat groove and delivered your vocal cadence so well in 5/4 for the rest of the song was a nice surprise, too. I honestly did not expect anyone to deploy Holst on us, least of all you. And yet, it works, specifically because you built up your 5/4 so well in the rest of the song, and because the "Mars, the Bringer of War" piece dovetails thematically with your lyrics. Your laid-back country groove (albeit, a laid-back country groove in a weird time signature) becomes something menacing quite suddenly. Incidentally, From rounds 0-6, I didn't pick the same competitor for my #1 pick twice. This wasn't intentional, it just came out that way, but I gave my top slots to MG, Merisan, Cavedwellers, Krautkitten, Nick Soma, then you. And now you've made me break the streak - I put you at the top of my heap again this week. One other judge did the same, so I was very surprised that you didn't advance, and I'm sorry to see you go. You're no stranger to the finals, and I thought it would have been nice to give you one more crack at it.
Tydon Docks
Before I begin this review, a quick personal note. It's difficult to remain impartial, and I have to admit that I was pulling for you, John. You've really upped your game this year, arguably more than anyone else in this competition (with the possible exception of Rabid Garfunkel). Your hooks have been strong and your ideas have been clever. I've had many of the songs from the first six rounds stuck in my head as the competition has progressed, but no one's more than yours. In light of their staying power, I've regretted not ranking you higher than I did in three different rounds so far ("Stop," "Watertight," and "The New Ugly"), and I was hoping to see you make it to the finals. Nonetheless, I ranked you in 4th place, because I feel it's important to judge the song in front of us for these first six rounds, rather than overall performance, and everyone's songs were so bloody amazing that I couldn't personally justify putting you ahead of them (in my opinions, anyway). When I saw that two other judges ranked you at #1 and gave you the win, I was truly delighted. Welcome to the finals; you've earned it this year.
Now, as for your "Videoland..."
Nice work integrating that sample in more hip-hop style than the other competitors, by looping it and putting drums over it. You structured your piece around "The Hallelujah Chorus" really well, playing on our natural expectation of the impending chorus, and turning into something rather off-puttingly sexual. Comparing the actual "Hallelujah" part of "The Hallelujah Chorus" to orgasm, both by structuring your song around it, and by literally calling it "the money shot" in your lyrics, was perverse genius. Bravo! I mean, I've seen you try for "clever" and fail before, but this was a major home-run in the humor department. That having been said, your list of directors in the bridge could be cleverer, lyrically, though I did like ending on Hitchcock like that. Anyway. Congrats on your win, and I look forward to hearing your "Usual Bravura!"
(Edited a couple of times because Evernote didn't sync properly and I lost some data)
You know, in a fun way.