Reviews -- Part II

Todd Kevin--Jejune Oeuvre (Ou Muerte Suicide)

I have to say, I was tempted to stop listening after the first song. I'm not a big fan of profanity for the sake of profanity. The first song reminded me of Afroman's "Because I got High" but it wasn't funny. That being said, I stuck through it and found the rest to be interesting and well written. You have some nice musical ideas. It's not exactly my cup of tea but I enjoyed it for what it is. Also, congrats on getting 37 minutes of music created! Great job!

Autumn Bluff--Lovesick Lullaby

This was produced well and had some potential to have some catchy sections. Having a more memorable hook in the chorus would really help. There were parts where I almost started to remember the tune, but as soon as I stopped listening, it was gone. It starts off feeling a little like 90's hip-hop, not that that's a bad thing. I started to get a little bored with it around 2:34... Also check the synth at the end. I'm not sure if you're using a sampled synth or something like a synth in reason... There are some really harsh clicks that pan randomly right and left. It's a little distracting. The vocals are nice and smooth and just right for this genre of music.

DJCleveland--Tessie(artwork)

I like the artwork. Is this for a fictitious micro-brew?

Five Minute Fanclub--Tongue-tied & Twisted and other Favourites

First, I want to say that I wish these had been labeled as to the order they should be played in. I played them in alphabetical order, so I hope that doesn't skew my interpretation too much.

I really dig this album. The banjo in "Cold Ground Blues" adds a nice rustic/Appalachian feel that I've been really into lately. The 50's "doo wop" section in "Mary-Ann" kind of cracked me up because of the jump from the uptempo folk stuff prior. The beginning of "No No No" reminds me of the Monkees. "The Secrets That They Keep" made me want to get my violin/fiddle out for the next RT. It's a nice touch. "The Sun is Only Shining at Me from the Bottom of a Whiskey Bottle" Hey Johnny. A little depressing, but great Johnny Cash tribute. "Tongue-tied & Twisted" is probably my favorite on the album. Only thing I would change is the mixing of the background vocals. They're too in your face and compete with the main vocal. Push them back in the mix and it will be great!

This is probably my favorite thing I've heard from your RT submissions! Keep it up!

Andrew Miller--Paroxysm

Exactly what I've come to expect from Andrew Miller. Great action music. It may be 4 minutes of music, but the quality is excellent! Great job!

Jiva--The Atma

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm really into non-western religions, specifically Hinduism and Buddhism. I try to meditate every day. This album is fantastic.

I think you really nailed each of these Hindu concepts. "Mantra" starts off subtly and grows into a spaciousness that pretty much encompasses what a mantra should be. "Jiva" seems to glow with the joy of being alive. It feels a little "Coldplay-y" at times, but that's ok. "Balance" definitely evokes a feeling of balance within oneself. There are times, especially at the end, where it feels as though the balance is being pushed on, almost falling. That is the nature of achieving balance in our lives though. We always have to actively strive for balance. I enjoyed "Atma" though it didn't quite fit with my Atman. Your Atman is obviously different than mine. I feel that you had some trouble exporting "Ascension." There were a lot of pops and skips in the music. Possibly encoding errors? The musical ideas fit right in with the idea of ascending beyond. The violin is a nice touch. "Enlightenment" is quaint and pretty, though the high bells were getting a little grating by this point.

Great job!

DonkeyDonker--King Henry VIII

"Epic" certainly lived up to its name! The beginning certainly is epic! Love how the beats build up in the middle and die out. Love the big wash effect.
The way "Epic" and "Burdens" develop over time is fantastic. The sound just washes over you in an undulating wave of sound.
"Grave Theory" is slightly different from the previous two. The rhythmic background is hypnotic when combined with the pulsating waves of noise.
"Oceans" is a little cliche. It's an ocean soundscape.
"Get Down and Move it Around" was a bit loud. I understand placing it after "Oceans" but that was so relaxing and gentle that this heavily distorted loudness overpowered it and erased any sense of peace the listener had achieved earlier.
"Bridges" was a bit too long. I'm usually a fan of using drones and repeating and changing simple motivic ideas... But only when they create interesting and new patterns or effects. This just seemed to drag on forever, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't skip parts of it.

I really liked the overarching flow of the entire album. The "epic" beginning with the peaceful middle section, leading into the HUGE dance-ish piece to the long wind-down.

Hope to hear more from you!

V.Mel--One Minute Rave

Great first foray into music! Keep working and learning!

Jonathan and Jason--The McWaffle

"Dancing in the Rain" great melody, structure, and lyrics. With some tweaks, I could hear a big christian artist doing this. Some of the phrasing doesn't do what it should. Vocals going up instead of down.

"The People's Champion" is much different than "Dancing in the Rain." You don't quite have the voice to do the rock thing.

Definitely like the ballad, not so much the rock/rap Linkin Park/POD thing.

Great 2 songs though!

Christian Lyon--Young Man EP

"Waves(Calculation)" very pensive and slightly hypnotic. It's hard to understand the vocals at times.
"Young Man" reminds me a little of Iron and Wine. Folky.
"Basic Beasts" is my favorite from this 2-song EP. The ethereal female vocal is really eerie. Like the other 2, the vocals are buried and unintelligible at times (bass notes on the guitar cover it up. Some EQ would go a long way to clean it up).

Great musical ideas. Keep it up!

Intraphase--A Boy and His Demon

I'm not the biggest fan of the growling vocal style. BUT, this is very well done. Spooky and musical. Just in time for Halloween. Great job!


That's it for now. I'll get to the rest of them sometime tomorrow!