The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Twice as fast at half the speed.

Update is ready to go, as soon as there is art available. UJN has submitted something privately, but since it includes obviously pirated art, I asked him to secure permission, which may or may not be forthcoming.

Haven't been here in a long time. Hi, folks.

A Far Off Land (ft. Wise) – Great stuff. Sol-fa? Flute? Solid beat? Oh yeah, this has everything I need. Total vote.

Rycehat – I feel like with a riff like that, the guitar tone should be a lot heavier, thicker, fatter. I feel like that would make it rock a lot harder. The intertwining guitar solo section is good, maybe the second guitar could be a bit more up in the mix, though. Otherwise, a perfectly good rock song.

Torrentz – I was hoping you’d make reference to John Cage the composer rather than the MK character. When it comes to hip hop, I care much more about the beat than the lyrics (which this track had a lot of) and I wasn’t a big fan of the beat.

Kuwait Sheet Set – The voice reminds me of when Matt Sharp wants to be a folkster rather than a rocker. The distorted guitar in the background does give it a bit of edge, but the tune just doesn’t seem to have enough power and it feels a little plodding.

Internet Famous – 5/4, cool. Though I appreciate the effort to be different and more complex, it’s not something I’d enjoy listening to on a regular basis, though. Great production.

yelyah – I really enjoy the melody, and the voice. The middle instrumental section with the strings is awesome too. Also, appreciate your pronunciation on “hip.” Vote.

Jan Krueger – Cool chord progression. Not a big fan of the staccato “doo doos” near the beginning, though I suppose you needed a contrast to the solid “ooos” and “ahhs” later. Maybe I would’ve liked them more as some sort of pizzicato strings rather than voice. The ending was great, with the background vocals staying stagnant and all.

Jonathan Mann – A pretty good song. I like the B section that builds up prior to the second verse and directly following to the end. I’m not that big on stuff that relies heavily on a synth sound, though.

Nobody, et al – Love the guitar part (the movement in the bass, specifically) and the melody. I know the nerds in the audience will appreciate the science references. Also, a very cute way to tie into the title. Funk bands, haha. This is VERY well done. I’m never a big fan of lyrics, but this is a perfect example of how great lyrics can make a good song better. Big vote!

Stucco Lobster Breadbox – Cute. Made me smile.

Jeff Robertson & the Neo-Candylanders – The melody right before the chorus reminds me of something else, but I can’t quite place it right now. Instruments are top notch, voice not so much. Produced well, but I’m not a big fan of the tune.

Dan The Man Band – Heavyyyyy. Occasional complex meter. Voice takes me out of it a bit, but I understand this is probably all you, so it’s understood that you’re not perfect at everything (unless you’re Prince or something). Produced well, instruments played solidly, and I definitely appreciate the complexity of the song. Not something I’d listen to regularly at all, but I get it. Vote.

Steve Durand – I’m always a big fan of horns. Also, I enjoy the changing tempo & meter for the B section. Unfortunately, I’m not digging the tune as a whole that much. Strange, considering it has a lot of stuff I like. I think it’s the straight-forwardness of the piano part. I see how you’re juxtaposing that against the angular horn melody, though. Overall, pretty good!

Berkeley Social Scene – Always love the density of instrumentation in Berkeley Social Scene songs. The melody is pretty good, too. I don’t like those short little bits that just go back and forth between F and Em (I wish there was something more interesting going on here, just seems a little subdued as compared to the rest of the song), but the descending bass directly following it is great, and the way it transitions into the next section is also solid. Great guitar solo, and I love the way the bass just pounds out those eighth notes during the solo to keep the tempo driving forward. Very well done! Vote.

ptp – Nice little minor guitar lick there. After the BSS song, this isn’t doing much for me. Drums are good, guitar solo is okay. Chord progression and melody aren’t very interesting.

The Weakest Suit – I’m not a very big fan of the chorus, but I am a fan of the way you lead into the chorus with the “and it feels like” thing. The verse is okay. As it is, it’s only okay, but I feel like a better chorus could do it some good. Like the little fake out ending too.

Ephh Wi-Yi – Hahaha, this was a great one to end on. Not something I’d listen to regularly, but it makes me laugh. Love the explanation of the jokes at the end too.

Top 3
#1 - A Far Off Land (ft. Wise)
#2 - Nobody, et al.
#3 – Berkeley Social Scene

Stu wrote:Dan The Man Band – Heavyyyyy. Occasional complex meter. Voice takes me out of it a bit, but I understand this is probably all you, so it’s understood that you’re not perfect at everything (unless you’re Prince or something). Produced well, instruments played solidly, and I definitely appreciate the complexity of the song. Not something I’d listen to regularly at all, but I get it. Vote.

I know the vocals kind of stink, heavy metal screaming is not my forte. I uploaded an alternate version to my SoundCloud page with distortion added to the vocals, which makes it seem a little better.

Stu wrote: Internet Famous – 5/4, cool. Though I appreciate the effort to be different and more complex, it’s not something I’d enjoy listening to on a regular basis, though. Great production.

Sigh, thanks. I'm beginning to think I just wasn't born to sing serious songs. From now on silly songs only!

I'll review things later. Thanks for listening though.

Edit: gut response, guess I'm still smarting a bit from last week (though it was a weak sub that I wasn't happy with). I look forward to reading other responses and as always thanks for listening!

Fortunato wrote:Sigh, thanks. I'm beginning to think I just wasn't born to sing serious songs. From now on silly songs only!

I think the review was more of a reflection on the musical structure than the actual contents/message of the song. Stu mentioned that he generally doesn't get too excited about lyrics anyway.

Granting that, a "serious" song from me will have a very different sound from a silly song. Either way, I'm sad he didn't like it since I honestly felt like I turned a corner musically this week as far as composition and arrangement are concerned.

Well, I'll get to reviewing some time this week, hopefully... in which case you'll get at least a second opinion.
And, well, you do know you can never please everyone, right?

Fortunato wrote:Granting that, a "serious" song from me will have a very different sound from a silly song. Either way, I'm sad he didn't like it since I honestly felt like I turned a corner musically this week as far as composition and arrangement are concerned.

I liked it.

BSS: Vote. Very nice. Banjo keeps this from getting too Bob Denver. I feel like the vocals could use a touch more reverb or echo since most of the rest is reverby. also one tiny tiny thought on the drums, they still don't sound quite right but honestly they sound great for 1.5 weeks in a studio that (presumably) cost less than a million dollars. That snare feels just a hint too toned as opposed to noisy and is holding a little long for this song imo. I'm no authority on real drums so I couldn't say exactly how I would modify it.

Dan the Man Band: If the opening shredding over the drums was intended to sound like it's in a different time than the drums it doesn't. It mostly sounds like a mistake. That said, everythink else is pretty much right in the instrumentation. Very nice drums, very nice guitar, good levels (drums could be bigger imo). Vocals hold it from getting a vote. GAH to these vocals. Timing is a huge problem here with these vocals, especially given how tight the instrumental is.

Ephh Wi-Yi: For a deliberately wierd submission, this works better than I expected. Also the explanation makes it. Question though. If you eventually want to take music more seriously, aren't you concerned about using easily recognized samples? Also given how common autotune is it's nice to hear someone using it in a relatively creative and tasteful way that really complements the song. Y'know what? I didn't vote for many people yet. I'll go for this; keep taking risks.

A Far Off Land ft. Wise: K, easy vote. Knockout punch vocals. Awesome sample from the opening and the meditation sample though a google search reveals they've both been used dozens of times (esp. in trance which makes sense). Also strikes me as a bit gentle, really. I think I'd prefer something more aggressive though this is still very good.

Internet Famous: Me. I can honestly say I like this more than anything I've submitted yet. Things really came together this week in my brain. If there's one section I'm particularly proud of it's the upper chords from 1:55 to 2:12 which just worked. I'd also point out that the instrumental parts are different in every verse, though the progression never changes. May seem like little things or taken for granted in other approaches but I've been working on adding variety. I doubt I'll mess with vocal levels this much again, though. The way they come in and go out just sounds sloppy. I guess it's a "learn to fine tune it" kinda thing.

Jan Krueger: Man, those are some LOUD vocals. It's a good thing they're good enough to be this loud. They're still too loud for the mix. Still, it's a solid song. And I like the arrangement. Voting.

Jeff Robertson and the Neo-Candylanders: Hooky pop and it sounds like you recorded everything together. Solid drums too. Not too complex as far as arrangement is concerned but really putting this together with a group and recording and performing it is impressive. Voted.

Jonathan Mann: Lots of fun. I like the chintzy little organ on the off beat; gives it a loungelizard feel that works really well with the song. Voted.

Kuwait Sheet Set: Electric is back too far. Vocals need confidence and if I played guitar I wouldn't use that strum; it's very conventional, even downright cliche. Are your vocals compressed?

Nobody Et Al: Are you standing in a bathtub singing into a mic hanging across the room? That's what it sounds like. It's really too bad because it's a nice song. Wears out its welcome a bit though. I'd vote on the song but imo half the contest here at songfight is recording and mastering.

ptp: Thanks for your kind words. As for your song, I think it needs stronger vocals and better levels. The guitar cuts out a bit every time you start singing. I wonder what causes that; is that compression? Does it happen when you export to mp3? Also the fills on the drums are kinda rushed. I'd say less is more with drums. Try using the fewest sounds you can maybe. Anyway don't give up. First are often tough (mine sure was).

Rycehat: Please put your name in your song metadata next time; it'll make review writing easier. I like the sound you get from the acoustic on the opening and the electric during the song. Lyrics are a bit too self-consciously clever for me and the solo is kinda unfocused. As always I could use a stronger vocal.

Steve Durand: Awesome horns! AWESOME HORNS! A good horn section is an instant vote (and excellent recording). Orchestration is awesome throughout. Seriously this is awesome in italics. Vocals could theoretically be stronger but really this is my favorite I've heard this week. And the lyrics are extremely cute.

Stucco Lobster Breadbox:certainly over fast. Recording into a laptop? I like a stronger mic/production.

Stu Jordan: Best acoustic I've heard this week, imo. Levels are just right. Backing vocals blend beautifully. Vote, no question. Small point: I'm not getting much highend on that guitar at all, which makes me sad because highend really makes a gentle acoustic sound like this. In fact I'm not getting much highend in general, and I have headphones that can deliver a balanced sound so if I'm not hearing it it's not there. If you clipped it out, for whatever reason, don't clip it out next time pls. It could be a placement issue too i.e. the guitar is too close to the mic.

Also it's interesting that we disagreed about so many things or put different things at higher or lower priorities. Definite case for taste I guess.

The Weakest Suit: I'd really like a more fleshed out melody. Drums could really support the song better. They sound like they're just kinda there. The guitar is definitely the strongest part. Expressive and well played.

Torrentz: Not your strongest work. Cute but I've heard better from you. I could use tighter vocals when unisoning. Also her vocal really needs much tighter rhythm. Also not sure the concept here works. And I'm p sure I hear redlining from 3:12 on. Milk-plus brings a lot to the table. I miss him here.

yelyah: I like the way you use synths. 'Cept for the fake string. I can't abide by fake instruments. Use the real thing or use an artificial sound. Melody feels arbitrary sometimes, or artificially inflated i.e. it jumps around too much, which also hurts you because your range sounds like it's considerably smaller than the range this song is composed in.

Top three:

Steve Durand
Stu Jordan
A Far Off Land ft. Wise

Edit: fixed top three

Fortunato wrote: Vocals hold it from getting a vote. GAH to these vocals. Timing is a huge problem here with these vocals, especially given how tight the instrumental is

GAH to these vocals indeed! GAH them straight to hell! I tweaked the vocals when I had more time to go back and listen more carefully. I think they sound a little better now. I posted an updated version to my Soundcloud page.

I think I could benefit greatly by not procrastinating.

Sorry about that. That was a bit rude. I've definitely been in the procrastination boat though. Look forward to hearing more of those solid licks.

Fortunato wrote: Man, those are some LOUD vocals.

I guess so. I'm still figuring out how to mix my "new" vocals properly. On the other hand, I didn't use any compression on the vocals. Gotta count for something, too, right?

Fortunato wrote:I'd vote on the song but imo half the contest here at songfight is recording and mastering.

I think this is where my opinions differ most from a bunch of people here. I do my very best to ignore production value when judging an entry. After all, this is a songwriting competition. I think we all can agree that there's a lot of really high quality production on modern top 40 recordings, but does that mean that "Imma Be" is a great song that should be celebrated for years? Certainly not. That's why I feel like the song itself (Melody, Harmony, Form, Timbre, Performance, etc) is like, 90% of the battle.

Also, as was mentioned by Jast, lyrics mean very little to me for similar reasons. Great lyrics can't make a boring-ass song any less boring. Similarly, bad lyrics can't make a catchy song any less catchy (See: "TiK ToK"). However, I do think that good lyrics can make a good song even better, which was the case with Nobody, et al's submission. So yeah, different people put more emphasis on different things

Fortunato wrote:Small point: I'm not getting much highend on that guitar at all, which makes me sad because highend really makes a gentle acoustic sound like this. In fact I'm not getting much highend in general, and I have headphones that can deliver a balanced sound so if I'm not hearing it it's not there. If you clipped it out, for whatever reason, don't clip it out next time pls. It could be a placement issue too i.e. the guitar is too close to the mic.

Probably a bit of both, actually, haha. I did EQ the bass up a bit due to the lack of bass instrument in the mix & the mic was placed pretty close to the guitar since everything was fingerpicked and I have some trouble projecting the sound when I do that. Also, I don't think I played any notes on the high E string until the very last chord. Good ear!

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:
An Unfair and One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

Fight: Double Life/Half Life

Here we go again! This is the first time I've reviewed a prompt with options, so this should be interesting. I'll reserve my opinion on multi-prompt options, because it doesn't really matter, and none of you care, anyway. So, let's skip the useless bantor and get down to business! (I will say, though: if nobody wrote a song about Batman, I'm gonna be pissed.)

The Weakest Suit

I can't really see any way around it, pal: you need a vocalist, and you need a writing partner. Your music is fine this time around, but your lyrics are cheesier than curdled milk. And your singing... Just...get a vocalist.

ptp

I fail to grasp what, in this story, is really suggestive of a "double life" outside of the use of the word. From what I could hear, it just sounds like some guy is chasing a thief across the world. Being a criminal doesn't immediately define you as having a double life -- then again, maybe I just missed the real allusions to the concept. As for music, it doesn't really grab my attention, and the solo bits almost sound like you don't know what you're doing; like you either don't know how to write an effective solo, or you just didn't have one planned and tried to freestyle on the spot. Either way, again, not very effective.

yelyah

Number one, your lyrical rhythm is still bad enough to make me cringe. And once again, you sound more like a flute than a person. Your music isn't bad, but your vocals are really blurry, and it kills the whole thing.

Berkeley Social Scene

This is not a bad song, and I don't want to convey the idea that it is. All I'm going to say is this: I felt like it should have been more powerful. The lyrics are fine, and as good as the music is, it doesn't feel as strong as I think it could. For a song about liberation from daily drudgery and the desire to shine as your inner self, the music doesn't feel quite as epic as I'd like. BUT...it's still very good, and that's really just a nitpick more than "do it right".

Jan Krueger

This is kind of grating. It's musically redundant and whiney. It's not fun at all, and even if you were trying for a "serious" tone, you have to make it something that's interesting, not repelling. It's not a bad production; it's a decent production of a bad song.

Torrentz

If this was just a little bit dumber, it'd be funny. Unfortunately, it hovers in that realm of stupidity where it's not dumb enough to be intentionally comical, and not good enough to be intentionally listenable.

Nobody, et al

This was pretty damn good. Keep it up!

Steve Durand

So far, the most fun in this Fight. The showtune/big band/circus sound is brilliant, and the lyrics are very smart. Well played, sir.

A Far Off Land featuring Wise

I don't like this "style". That's not to say the song is bad; rather, I'm not the guy to judge. This is the kind of thing that makes me change the radio station because it's dull and tries too hard to be cool. And that's not really my bag.

Rycehat

Aside from some of the timing of the lyrics, this isn't really bad at all. It actually nailed (one of) the prompt(s) right on the head, and also managed to be entertaining in the process, ranking it among the more impressive entries.

Dan The Man Band

Well, it certainly qualifies as "metal", to my understanding. Ironically, the most unmetal thing about it is that I can hear the vast of the lyrics. The only caveat is that I don't see what it has to do with either of the prompt options. Your song appears to be about tempo, and that's not really the topic. Either of them.

Stu Jordan

...Moving doesn't qualify as a double life. Props on the Huxtables name drop, though.

Jeff Robertson And The Neo-Candylanders

I'm really having to focus to make your lyrics. BUT, I can say your melody is catchy and your music is upbeat enough to keep my listening. It may be a tad repetative, but "Louie, Louie" is about fifty times more repetative and unintelligible, but also holds that weird catchiness to it. I'd suggest toying with the vocals to help them through a little better, but like I said, it's catchy as is.

Jonathan Mann

This is probably the most I've understood any of your songs, because there seems to be a story in it. That's not to say I comPLETEly understand, but I think I get the general idea. But, again, I don't fully see how this song fits in with either prompt. That could, of course, just be because it's a Jonathan Mann song that I don't really get, but other than not seeing how it meets the challenge, it's a pretty decent tune.

Kuwait Sheet Set

Bored, bored, bored. It's slow, bland, and the chrous is incredibly similar sounding to the verses. I don't see a whole lot of replay action going on here.

Ephh Wi-Yi

Topically, this is the most rule-bendingly creative thing so far. And that's admirable. The weirdness of the music is successful in that it's bizarrely constructed, without being inane and flat stupid. I'm not going to say it's "the best", but it's up there, without a doubt. Creativity like this is blatantly lacking in Song Fight, and this pointed that out and did something about it. Kudos.

Stucco Lobster Breadbox

You are not They Might Be Giants.

Well, that's that for this oddly dualistic prompt. Hopefully next week, while easing the storms, we also manage to step up the game. Oh, and remember: the propmts are there for a reason.

Until next time,
S. Kablam

(1 review was removed by Spin)

You can leave comments for Sammy (if you have any) at this link:
http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/04/ ... nt_18.html

Those are Sammy's opinions, not mine. The songs I voted for are here:
http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/04/ ... -life.html

I've been remiss in my review duties... took me ages to write this set. Sorry.
Back to the good old Arbitrary Review System. See signature for details.
C = composition, L = lyrics (only rated if you post them), F: subjective (feeling), P: performance, M: mix/engineering

Berkeley Social Scene -- 13/15
C:3 (Interesting interaction between vocal tracks. Lots of nice transitions. Generally enjoyable.) L:* F:3 (Reminds me of quite a few things I like quite a lot. Also, banjo! Awesome.) P:3 (That doesn't say there's no room for improvement, of course... especially in the vocals I can make out a few weak spots) M:2 (Vocals somewhat buried. I can only make out about half of the lyrics, and only if I concentrate)

Dan The Man Band -- 10/15
C:2 (Quite a few interesting details here, e.g. the left-channel-only guitar riffs) L:* F:2 (This may be genre bias speaking, but I find at least half of this hard to follow without getting bored) P:2 (Guitars slightly behind rhythm sometimes... quite understandable with how you challenge yourself here, though. Intonation makes it hard to be sure whether there is actually supposed to be a melody) M:2 (The effect on the vocals doesn't seem to fit in. Just makes it sound like it got bitten by a ton of MP3 artifacts)

Ephh Wi-Yi -- 11/15
C:2 (A mercy point for plenty of weirdness. The rest of it doesn't really qualify as anything in my book.) L:* F:2 (There are moments when I think you're really into it, but also quite half-hearted things) P:3 (Strainy vocals on higher notes, but I suppose since you don't have those notes often it's not that bad) M:2 (I think this could use more saturation. Plosives on vocals. The beatbox thing wants to be more present)

A Far Off Land ft. Wise -- 12/15
C:2 (I like the individual parts of this, though some of them drag on and on. I liked when the guitar came in, but somehow only the beginning of the transition to it felt fitting.) L:* F:2 (Cool overall sound. The vocal samples you keep repeating get rather boring) P:2 (Sounds like vocals are somewhat half-hearted. Please practice your falsetto if you plan on using it again) M:2 (Half of the low end is missing in the vocals)

Internet Famous -- 12/15
C:3 (The composition is not half bad. Quite interesting, in fact. Nice beat. Nice synths. Development not too shabby) L:* F:3 (I can definitely dig this) P:2 (There is about one band (and you are not it) where I can stand an entire song in (near?) falsetto, and even then I'm not excited about it at all. Falsetto is weak and mumbly and boring and totally lacks character. Vocals don't really seem to follow the rhythm) M:2 (Vocals get buried as the backing track gets louder. That either means you didn't do enough automation, or it means that you should sing instead of whispering. Probably both)

Jan Krueger -- This is actually the second idea I had for this fight. As usual, I forgot the first idea while working on this one. Once again, pretty rushed... I find myself cringing in several places. I initially tried doing this on my dynamic mic but I guess it's hopeless, that mic just doesn't suit me. Anyway, now I have a zombie song in my repertoire, which I guess was the most important reason I actually went through with the idea.

Jeff Robertson and the Neo-Candylanders -- 11/15
C:3 (I like it, but it's not actually very interesting. Ah well, the chorus is actually pretty cool and catchy) L:2 (Plenty of rather clichéd imagery, and the connection between verses and chorus is a bit tenuous. But, I don't know, it's earnest enough to work for me) F:2 (With better vocals/mix, I'd probably keep this one) P:2 (Vocals... ah well. I think I've said it before. Is that Charlie on the drums?) M:2 (Vocals seriously buried in verses. Actually... vocals seriously buried. Half of the high end makes it through to the listener, but most of the actual body is missing. Apart from that, nice and crunchy)

Jonathan Mann -- 12/15
C:2 (The same chords repeating over and over... nice enough melody and everything, I guess, but it still feels a bit like this is all modular design principle-y) L:* F:3 (The overall sound is just great and it fits the story and mood extraordinarily well) P:2 (I think you're trying to mask vocal weaknesses on the higher notes with doubling. Fair enough, everyone seems to be doing that, I've done it myself, but I'm rating the performance here. And, in fact, almost everything here seems a bit reachy. No full marks) M:3

Kuwait Sheet Set -- /15
C:2 (I've listened to this about four times now and I'm not quite sure what to say. I do like the composition, but it doesn't really leave any impression) L:* F:3 (As they say... the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.) P:2 (Whispering still isn't the same as singing. Still makes the result mumbly, wobbly and all that. I still think you'd be extremely awesome with a bit of vocal training.) M:3 (... and unlike a previous reviewer, I think the electric guitar is just fine the way it is)

Nobody, et al. -- 13/15
C:3 (This has everything a song needs to be interesting. That includes its being enjoyable to listen to.) L:* F:3 P:2 (Nice guitar playing. Insert the usual thing here about using only half of your voice.) M:3

ptp -- 10/15
C:2 (Nice song, and that's it) L:* F:2 (Not too exciting) P:2 (Sounds like you tried, but this is still only half of your voice. Let those notes out!) M:2 (Vocals feel like they're way apart from the rest of the mix. Next time, cut away the stuff at the beginning and end)

Rycehat -- 11/15
C:2 (I like how you develop the arrangement here. The rest is not really completely generic, but it's not the level of work I'd want to be remembered for) L:* F: P:2 (Sounds like you're trying to force out the vocals, while at the same time trying to hold onto them for dear life. Double the effort for half the benefit, in other words. Relax! Your vocals will appreciate it) M:3

Steve Durand -- 13/15
C:3 (Well, I've always liked your compositions. This is no exception. I might even like it more than some of your other songs.) L:3 (Fun, in the quirky nerdy way I can appreciate sometimes. Like now. Though the pessimistic undertones do get old... (that's a comment on this kind of song in general, not just your song)) F:3 P:2 (Well, vocals. Old topic.) M:2 (Vocals sound rather muffled. Perhaps keep a little bit more distance from the mic and compress more strongly... and some of it might be because of the double-tracking, I don't know)

Stucco Lobster Breadbox -- 8/15
C:1 (Not much meat on this one. Canned arrangement, too short for a lot of development, etc. Less than half a song, really) L:2 (Well, they're lyrics. Not impressive ones, not bad ones.) F:1 (What's there to feel, with a song that's mostly machine-made?) P:2 (Your vocal technique isn't completely off, but you could benefit from practicing to get the notes right. And I have this feeling that your natural range is above that.) M:2 (Do keep a little bit more distance from the mic...)

Stu Jordan -- 13/15
C:3 (I really liked this. Didn't even notice it was four minutes long...) L:* F:3 (Pretty cool atmosphere and everything.) P:3 (The vocal technique you're using doesn't really make your voice shine, but you're quite good at it. Nice guitar playing, too.) M:2 (This has tons of low frequencies and almost nothing else. It has no edge. None. If that was intentional, I'd say you overdid it.)

Torrentz -- 9/15
C:1 (I suppose this is pretty much only carried by lyrics and performance. Well, that doesn't magically make the composition part interesting) L:* F:1 (I'm seriously underengaged) P:2 (Female vocals are suffering from the half-hearted syndrome I already mentioned for many other songs) M:3

The Weakest Suit -- 12/15
C:3 (Interesting chord progressions. Interesting mini-riffs.) L:* F:2 (I think the vocals don't fit the song very well. Something much less whispery would have worked much better, I think) P:2 (My comments about the vocals should be implicitly clear at this point. Doubling falls apart a bit because of that) M:3

yelyah -- 14/15
C:3 (Cool arrangement/development. The ending seems a little bit randomly placed, though) L:* F:3 (There isn't really anything I don't like about this) P:2 (You're singing below your range a couple of times. It doesn't sound very good. Vocal technique... well, I've already mentioned it a dozen times here. I get the feeling that you're trying to make your voice sound darker than it really is. There is much more potential for awesomeness if you use your natural voice) M:3

If I hadn't missed the deadline, I would have voted for:
Berkeley Social Scene
Nobody, et al.
Steve Durand
Stu Jordan
yelyah
... and perhaps myself. I'm not sure... but since I missed the deadline, it doesn't really matter, right?