SpinTunes 25 Round 2 Challenge - 'Something Borrowed, Something Bold'
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2025 4:01 pm
Sunshine Bucket- This is fun! This is Phlub yeah? Live drums always get super high points with me! Words are not literally violence. That is not what literally means. Words can be violent metaphorically, but not literally. This is steeped in the Charlie Kirk murder, not explicitly, but obviously. I enjoy the punk delivery of it. It’s a fun listen!
Bob Voyg- As expected the dynamics are masterful. You use space better than almost anyone. Your voice sounds fantastic. In general, I don’t prefer slower tempo songs, but this one is engaging. This is one of my favorites. Why is this not Stacking Theory?
Boo Lee Crosser- Oh boy, guy & guitar for 3:48. Your voice is great, the guitar playing is pretty. It’s pretty sleepy. I have genre bias. I do enjoy how authentic it sounds. It sounds like a great take in a coffee shop. Well done! Just not my thing.
Chewmeupspitmeout- I enjoy your crooning vocals. I think the vocals are way too loud in the mix. I think I could say that for most entries. I think the drum machine could be more interesting. I do like the organ, the guitars work too. The bass line is nice, but so low inm the mix. Good stuff.
David Taro- Your vocals are amazing! What a cool voice. The lyrics make me cringe a bit: meta-song violation “a chord not in a tonic key”. The song feels very paint by numbers, but with a challenge so prescriptive it’s tough not to fall into that. The vocal performance is what really carries the song. I’m not sure about the strings pad throughout, I wonder if just space and lone piano might have been stronger. Ever hear the “Naked” version of Let it Be album? I like that better than the original release.
Flintsteel- I love the guitars and the vocals. I’m not a fan of the intro. I bought tickets to melting face metal, I don’t need that wimpy intro. The drums are very mechanical. I dream of a Phlub/Fintsteel collab. Phlub on drums, you on vocals and guitar. If you need me to play bass or add harmony BVs that would be beyond fun. So forgive my usual gripes, drummers are hard to come by. This is great! The dramatic starts and stops are my favorite part. Like after the 2nd stanza.
glennny- Are my vocals too loud? I think so. I owe everyone an apology. I don’t tell a story. It’s a meditation on someone I know ruining her own life. She pushes away her parents, her kids, her boyfriends, everyone eventually. For no good reason from my perspective. I found the challenge to be very prescriptive, so it’s there. I didn’t feel like there was freedom to be creative about it. I originally wrote a live song with the BSS guys as my band, but when I double checked the challenge it looked like I did not resolve the secondary dominant immediately as prescribed, with a fear of DQ (disqualification not Dairy Queen) I started over from scratch.
Good Guy Sojabe- This is cool! Great melodies! I especially like the chorus! Nice singing! The low register evokes David Sylvian. I enjoy this.
Governing Dynamics- Somebody went to see the Pixies. I love this song! Debaser! I mean Demolisher! You’re killing me with the quiet guitars. Turn up the heavy guitars! Go listen to Radiohead, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, then remix this. The songwriting is Superb! I love it, I just want a remix.
Hot Pink Halo- Dinosaur feet. So slow. So sleepy. It’s pretty but not grabbing me. It is relaxing, I think it’s making my back feel better. It’s consistently quiet and gentle, I think it could really use some intensity for juxtaposition. The twinkling piano is my favorite part.
Huge Shark- I enjoy the sax on this one. It’s all very mellow. I feel like I stepped into a smokey club. There’s something Kate Bush about this. I wish the chorus had more of a lift and was a little catchier. This is nice and moody.
Jealous Brother- Here’s an example of a great band, playing fantastic. However I really don’t like the lyrics. I don’t find the songwriting very interesting either. I will listen to this whole song every time it comes up, but you guys are in the pocket, the vocals sound wonderful, and the guitar and bass playing is excellent. You guys should know, when you write a song I like you tend to be my favorite. I’d make this a B-Side or a filler track on an album if you need it.
Micah- This is cute!
Mobious Strip Club- This immediately evokes Betty Everett and the Shoop Shoop Song. The claps are not working for me. There’s a lack of groove for everything really. The singing is amazing per expected. The clap detracts more than helps.
Nathan Joe Long- I was shocked and baffled by your elimination. I thought your round one was really strong. I like this one okay. This whole album is so slow and sleepy. The waltz is also soothing. This is good.
OutLyer- Your voice is amazing. I hate how you’ve treated it. It sounds so affected, I wondered if you could really sing. So I did a deep dive on your stuff. You can really sing. Therefore, why make it so artificial sounding? Perhaps I’m just a grumpy old man, but everything seems so robotic and non-human. Weirdly short too.
Piss Enema- This lives and dies by the riff and the groove. I like both. Thank you!
See Man Ski- You sing the hell out of every line all of the time. Your voice is amazing, I wish it would dial back sometimes. I wish I could sing like that. I like the quirkiness of this. The dynamics are impressive, but it loses me on the slow parts, and I don’t think the chorus is very catchy. However, it is very interesting.
Siebass- Another piano ballad. This challenge sure brought that out in people. Guy and piano is pretty sparse for a song that’s 4:22. That said, this is cute. I enjoy the story. The performance is good, but it needs some editing. For a master class in this genre I direct you to Frank Zappa: “Eveyln, a Modified Dog”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5h9XEl ... rt_radio=1
Sober- Your talent is undeniable. Genre bias. Please kill me, country music is nails on a chalkboard to me. Great singing, great playing. The lyrics are very country too. I don’t hear or feel much poetry from them. They are genre appropriate. Well done, just not my thing.
The Alleviators- Dinosaur feet. Sloooooowwwww 6/8. Pretty singing. You guys ever hear “Over the Ocean” by Low? This reminds me of such a slow tempo ballad. I always want you guys to sound like “ Your Ex-lover is Dead” by Stars. This is pretty, but a little dull.
The Moon Bureau- This is my favorite song on this album! What happened in round one? Thank you so much for doing a shadow! I like everything about this jangly pop gold!
The Pannacotta Army- Expert delivery. Excellent mix, masterful performance! Great taste in synth pads. Nice whistling too. Nice mellow vibe! I think it’s 30 seconds too short, and those 30 seconds should have been a long tasty guitar solo that I know you can do (and you secretly want to)
The Big Old Endless Sky- This is my favorite of the eligible entries! Rock will go very far with me! Lead vocal swagger really sells this, the fuzzy drone of the electric guitars is delicious! So nice to have the up-tempo. Killer!
Wendy Wiseman Fisher- There’s a lot of definite articles in the lyrics of this one. When I imagine dropping all of them, I think it’s stronger. That is obviously a nitpick. I find the rhythm track to be incongruous with the vocal style. It sounds like it would do better with a Pentangle coffee shop percussion kind of rhythm section. The lyrics feel very Renaissance Fair.
West of Vine- I really enjoy the pocket of this groove. This is country, but it’s more Alt-country, like Sun Volt or Wilco. I can get into this. The drum and bass are my favorite part of this. The guitar and vocals are very good too, but the drum and bass are are particularly excellent! Good stuff!
Bob Voyg- As expected the dynamics are masterful. You use space better than almost anyone. Your voice sounds fantastic. In general, I don’t prefer slower tempo songs, but this one is engaging. This is one of my favorites. Why is this not Stacking Theory?
Boo Lee Crosser- Oh boy, guy & guitar for 3:48. Your voice is great, the guitar playing is pretty. It’s pretty sleepy. I have genre bias. I do enjoy how authentic it sounds. It sounds like a great take in a coffee shop. Well done! Just not my thing.
Chewmeupspitmeout- I enjoy your crooning vocals. I think the vocals are way too loud in the mix. I think I could say that for most entries. I think the drum machine could be more interesting. I do like the organ, the guitars work too. The bass line is nice, but so low inm the mix. Good stuff.
David Taro- Your vocals are amazing! What a cool voice. The lyrics make me cringe a bit: meta-song violation “a chord not in a tonic key”. The song feels very paint by numbers, but with a challenge so prescriptive it’s tough not to fall into that. The vocal performance is what really carries the song. I’m not sure about the strings pad throughout, I wonder if just space and lone piano might have been stronger. Ever hear the “Naked” version of Let it Be album? I like that better than the original release.
Flintsteel- I love the guitars and the vocals. I’m not a fan of the intro. I bought tickets to melting face metal, I don’t need that wimpy intro. The drums are very mechanical. I dream of a Phlub/Fintsteel collab. Phlub on drums, you on vocals and guitar. If you need me to play bass or add harmony BVs that would be beyond fun. So forgive my usual gripes, drummers are hard to come by. This is great! The dramatic starts and stops are my favorite part. Like after the 2nd stanza.
glennny- Are my vocals too loud? I think so. I owe everyone an apology. I don’t tell a story. It’s a meditation on someone I know ruining her own life. She pushes away her parents, her kids, her boyfriends, everyone eventually. For no good reason from my perspective. I found the challenge to be very prescriptive, so it’s there. I didn’t feel like there was freedom to be creative about it. I originally wrote a live song with the BSS guys as my band, but when I double checked the challenge it looked like I did not resolve the secondary dominant immediately as prescribed, with a fear of DQ (disqualification not Dairy Queen) I started over from scratch.
Good Guy Sojabe- This is cool! Great melodies! I especially like the chorus! Nice singing! The low register evokes David Sylvian. I enjoy this.
Governing Dynamics- Somebody went to see the Pixies. I love this song! Debaser! I mean Demolisher! You’re killing me with the quiet guitars. Turn up the heavy guitars! Go listen to Radiohead, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, then remix this. The songwriting is Superb! I love it, I just want a remix.
Hot Pink Halo- Dinosaur feet. So slow. So sleepy. It’s pretty but not grabbing me. It is relaxing, I think it’s making my back feel better. It’s consistently quiet and gentle, I think it could really use some intensity for juxtaposition. The twinkling piano is my favorite part.
Huge Shark- I enjoy the sax on this one. It’s all very mellow. I feel like I stepped into a smokey club. There’s something Kate Bush about this. I wish the chorus had more of a lift and was a little catchier. This is nice and moody.
Jealous Brother- Here’s an example of a great band, playing fantastic. However I really don’t like the lyrics. I don’t find the songwriting very interesting either. I will listen to this whole song every time it comes up, but you guys are in the pocket, the vocals sound wonderful, and the guitar and bass playing is excellent. You guys should know, when you write a song I like you tend to be my favorite. I’d make this a B-Side or a filler track on an album if you need it.
Micah- This is cute!
Mobious Strip Club- This immediately evokes Betty Everett and the Shoop Shoop Song. The claps are not working for me. There’s a lack of groove for everything really. The singing is amazing per expected. The clap detracts more than helps.
Nathan Joe Long- I was shocked and baffled by your elimination. I thought your round one was really strong. I like this one okay. This whole album is so slow and sleepy. The waltz is also soothing. This is good.
OutLyer- Your voice is amazing. I hate how you’ve treated it. It sounds so affected, I wondered if you could really sing. So I did a deep dive on your stuff. You can really sing. Therefore, why make it so artificial sounding? Perhaps I’m just a grumpy old man, but everything seems so robotic and non-human. Weirdly short too.
Piss Enema- This lives and dies by the riff and the groove. I like both. Thank you!
See Man Ski- You sing the hell out of every line all of the time. Your voice is amazing, I wish it would dial back sometimes. I wish I could sing like that. I like the quirkiness of this. The dynamics are impressive, but it loses me on the slow parts, and I don’t think the chorus is very catchy. However, it is very interesting.
Siebass- Another piano ballad. This challenge sure brought that out in people. Guy and piano is pretty sparse for a song that’s 4:22. That said, this is cute. I enjoy the story. The performance is good, but it needs some editing. For a master class in this genre I direct you to Frank Zappa: “Eveyln, a Modified Dog”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5h9XEl ... rt_radio=1
Sober- Your talent is undeniable. Genre bias. Please kill me, country music is nails on a chalkboard to me. Great singing, great playing. The lyrics are very country too. I don’t hear or feel much poetry from them. They are genre appropriate. Well done, just not my thing.
The Alleviators- Dinosaur feet. Sloooooowwwww 6/8. Pretty singing. You guys ever hear “Over the Ocean” by Low? This reminds me of such a slow tempo ballad. I always want you guys to sound like “ Your Ex-lover is Dead” by Stars. This is pretty, but a little dull.
The Moon Bureau- This is my favorite song on this album! What happened in round one? Thank you so much for doing a shadow! I like everything about this jangly pop gold!
The Pannacotta Army- Expert delivery. Excellent mix, masterful performance! Great taste in synth pads. Nice whistling too. Nice mellow vibe! I think it’s 30 seconds too short, and those 30 seconds should have been a long tasty guitar solo that I know you can do (and you secretly want to)
The Big Old Endless Sky- This is my favorite of the eligible entries! Rock will go very far with me! Lead vocal swagger really sells this, the fuzzy drone of the electric guitars is delicious! So nice to have the up-tempo. Killer!
Wendy Wiseman Fisher- There’s a lot of definite articles in the lyrics of this one. When I imagine dropping all of them, I think it’s stronger. That is obviously a nitpick. I find the rhythm track to be incongruous with the vocal style. It sounds like it would do better with a Pentangle coffee shop percussion kind of rhythm section. The lyrics feel very Renaissance Fair.
West of Vine- I really enjoy the pocket of this groove. This is country, but it’s more Alt-country, like Sun Volt or Wilco. I can get into this. The drum and bass are my favorite part of this. The guitar and vocals are very good too, but the drum and bass are are particularly excellent! Good stuff!