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Latest Music Reviews
These are the latest 15 reviews that we've completed.
To read a review, click on the song name.
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Genre: Pop/Rock
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nb gave a score of 7.58 / 10. Comments were:
Pure pop and ultra contagious chorus and hook well done! Nice transition and build into the chorus too. Tight and tasty production all radio ready. Vocally expressive, unique style and engages the listener immediately. Its all good. Best of luck with it!
Scoring: Songcraft: 8, Recording: 7.5, Freshness: 7.5, Vocals: 8.5, Musicianship: 8, XFactor: 7
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 8.3 / 10. Comments were:
Song in question wasn't present, so reviewing "think of me." Think of me is a powerful ballad, driven by great vocals, very good sound quality, and even better piano. Too bad I didn't get a chance to listen to Cloud Nine. But if it is anything as good as this . . . well . . . "think of me" gets my RECOMMENDED mark.
Scoring: Songcraft: 7, Recording: 7.5, Freshness: 7, XFactor: 10
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MongoKnowsRecords gave a score of 9.08 / 10. Comments were:
Very good Mr K.C. Van Horn. Right on actually. Pop is that grate elusive beastie that many songwriters try to catch while others say why bother. But you've bothered and you've pretty much got it all hear. It has it's appeal to a certain slice of the pie but to that audience - that appeal you have captured. Well written, well structured, well played. Great Voice and backgrounds. On its way to being most excellent.
BEYOND THE BONEZ
Scoring: Songcraft: 9, Recording: 9, Freshness: 9.5, Vocals: 9, Musicianship: 9.5, XFactor: 9
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Jonathan Sanders gave a score of 3.91 / 10. Comments were:
Sludgy guitars and keys open this, followed by Linkin Parkish vocals which come in quickly. They're not that good, and the lyrics are weak. The song as a whole fails to stand out. For pop, the hook is key, and the hook to this song is as weak as they come. Not recommended.
Scoring: Songcraft: 4, Recording: 6, Freshness: 4, Vocals: 3.5, Musicianship: 4.5, XFactor: 2.5
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MYSTR Treefrog gave a score of 5.66 / 10. Comments were:
Standard niceboy modern rock. Vanilla...lots of it. The Bean has been crushed a liquified. This will win the high school battle of the bands.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5.5, Recording: 7, Freshness: 5, Vocals: 7, Musicianship: 6, XFactor: 4
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Genre: Pop/Rock
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zkaplan gave a score of 4.83 / 10. Comments were:
"Weak" has a lot going for it in that Ms. Edmond is clearly talented, a good musician with good skills on the guitar and a pleasant, unfaltering voice. The song, however, leaves the listener wanting; it's something that would fit right in to the background of a cable television show about attractive young high school or college students who have complicated relationships with one another. In other words, "Weak" is well rounded and somewhat catchy, but nothing very interesting. It doesn't take us anywhere that we haven't been before musically, and the lyrics are especially forgettable and generic; by the end of the song they get quite repetitive. "You said your goodbyes/ I saw love in your eyes/ But you have made me weak." Apparently she's done something that he's making her feel especially guilty about, and now she's become emotionally weakened by the ordeal. But we learn little beyond this, and thus we are not especially interested and cannot connect on a personal level. The same vague ideas are repeated a few times, there's a short, pleasant, uncomplicated guitar solo, and it's back to the repetition, with generic music backing it up the whole time.
Overall it's catchy and pleasant yet unprovocative and bland. Very generic and not very memorable - not a terrible song, but nothing special.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6, Recording: 9, Freshness: 1, Vocals: 8, Musicianship: 8.5, XFactor: 3
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 4.37 / 10. Comments were:
Weak by Kylie Edmond is a half witted attempt by Kylie Edmond to make a radio friendly rock / pop diddly. Half witted, because everything sounds half finished. The vocals don't really punch through, the record quality is far from good. This in turn making the instruments sound bland and boring. The song has what it takes to make it, but needs a bit more work to really be the top hit we are "all" waiting for.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6.5, Recording: 5.5, Freshness: 5.5, XFactor: 0
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The Goat gave a score of 6.5 / 10. Comments were:
There's a new age of singer-songwriter who understands the new business paradigm --- that records are out, and synch/licensing deals are in. In that, new artists like Kyle understand their goal should be to get there music on tv shows in America. This is one of those songs. Perfectly suited for tv shows and movie soundtracks, where residual income is the new economy. Is it a good song? It's well performed, and it's suitably written. Is it a good song? That's up to you.
Scoring: Songcraft: 8, Recording: 8, Freshness: 5, Vocals: 8, Musicianship: 8, XFactor: 3
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Nibbish gave a score of 6.58 / 10. Comments were:
Female fronted pop-rock music is a big thing right now, and there's a lot of mediocre artists trying to rush in to grab their piece of the radio play. Credit to Kylie Edmond, she isn't mediocre. 'Weak' is a solid tune, with lyrics that actually have a bit of substance (though they can be a bit cloying); decent, if not memorable backing music; and vocals that add a touch of twang (almost) to the mix. I could go for a little more edge to the song, but that's personal opinion. While this song isn't going to change the world as we know it, I'll still take it over a lot of what's on the radio right now.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6.5, Recording: 7, Freshness: 6, Vocals: 7, Musicianship: 5.5, XFactor: 6.5
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MongoKnowsRecords gave a score of 9.08 / 10. Comments were:
This girl and the brothers behind her are jus "Smokin'". Great song writing, first cabin production - she believes it Brothers and Sister - this is the window we all strive to capture. There is an innocence with wisdom that unfolds in this marvelous tune. Does Mongos heart good to know that so many are finding their dreams - they way they were intended. And it is tunes such as "Weak" that helps others find theirs. Where was this Chick when Mongo was young? This be beyond the Bonez.
Scoring: Songcraft: 9, Recording: 8.5, Freshness: 9, Vocals: 9, Musicianship: 9.5, XFactor: 10
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Genre: Acid Jazz
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MongoKnowsRecords gave a score of 8.83 / 10. Comments were:
John S Hofman just loves his guitar. And it shows as he makes love to it - His tune "Chareity" kicks it right through the pasely ladened space and time this tune envelopes. A bit like Prince before he changed his name - but less plastic and canned. Good vocals and piece structure - the raves would love it. His other tunes on My Space are quite good as well. Mongo Digs it. 10 Bonez
Scoring: Songcraft: 9, Recording: 9, Freshness: 8.5, Vocals: 9, Musicianship: 9.5, XFactor: 9
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Nibbish gave a score of 3.91 / 10. Comments were:
'Charity' is an excercize in psychedelic walls of sound and stream-of-conciousness songwriting. After a mild begining, the song breaks loose - every guitarist suddenly starts doing different things with no indication from the vocalist (who sounds stoned) that we've reached any sort of turning point in the song. For the ADD afflicted among us, there's plenty to keep track of, from the solo guitar going to town in the background to the squall of guitar providing the foundation, to the vocalist, who keeps muttering incoherently about 'charity' (which makes sense, I suppose). The song ends up reading like the 4 minute middle of the world's longest run-on sentence. In doing so, it doesn't give the listener any bearing on how to take in any of it. There's certainly enjoyable parts to this sort of music, and the band certainly seems to be enjoying itself, it's jus thard not to wish things wee a touch more focused.
Scoring: Songcraft: 1.5, Recording: 3.5, Freshness: 5, Vocals: 4.5, Musicianship: 6.5, XFactor: 4
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 3.37 / 10. Comments were:
Charity has a sort of introduction, where everything is chaotic. It gets a bit better, but not much. Everything is all over the place, guitars, vocals, everything. Only the drum holds a steady beat throughout, so I guess only the guy or the girl on the drums was the only one who wasn't on some kind of substance or powder or pill or whatnot inside something else. In any case, this is a song which was either a tad too intelligent for me, or maybe I need some of the stuff that John S Hofman / JSH are on.
Scoring: Songcraft: 2, Recording: 7.5, Freshness: 4, XFactor: 0
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Axeman gave a score of 3.5 / 10. Comments were:
The key to JSH's downfall can be found in his Myspace proclamation that he doesnt want fame or money, but only wants to Charitably share his "God-given" gift with the world. Word to JSH: this philosophy will be your ruin. Take it from someone who saw Vai and Satriani play in small clubs on Long Island.
But i digress..."Charity" might not be so bad if half of the tracks were erased. The trouble is that the mix is extremely muddy and sounds like two arena-rock songs mixed together. It really gets to be painful to the ears after a short while. Be charitable and please use compression on your tracks, and work toward simplification rather than complication. There's some good ideas here, but it needs to be rethought along the lines of pleasing the audience, rather than trying to be fauxly sophisticated.
Scoring: Songcraft: 3, Recording: 1, Freshness: 5, Vocals: 4.5, Musicianship: 7, XFactor: 5.5
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nb gave a score of 4 / 10. Comments were:
I was disappointed to find that this was not acid jazz rather a pseudo 70s Boston influenced rock with abit of Axyl Rose vocal affect. Overuse of the fx making it sound contrived and like a basement tape. Muddled in construct both as songwriting and production. Perhaps the disappointment has affected my critique. Better luck next time.
Scoring: Songcraft: 4.5, Recording: 4, Freshness: 2.5, Vocals: 5.5, Musicianship: 5, XFactor: 4
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Genre: Electronic
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MongoKnowsRecords gave a score of 0 / 10. Comments were:
Your Karma ran over your Dogma. No Linkie No Review-ie No Bone-ie
Scoring: Songcraft: 0, Recording: 0, Freshness: 0, XFactor: 0
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 7.62 / 10. Comments were:
This is regular fare from Karma. Electronic music with that extra spark to move it up above the regular junk I listen to. Way to go ! Recommended listen.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6.5, Recording: 8, Freshness: 8.5, XFactor: 7.5
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Axeman gave a score of 6.62 / 10. Comments were:
Computer music is so ridiculously easy to produce these days, that it really takes something special to rise above the massive sea of mediocrity that can be found on the internet.
Karma Police almost succeeds at this, mainly by employing some very effective stereo panning that gives this tune a real three-dimensional effect. It's weakness is the driving house beat, which detracts from what is otherwise an innovative work. This would actually be pretty darn cool with some real drums thrown in the mix.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6, Recording: 8.5, Freshness: 6, Musicianship: 6, XFactor: 6
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nb gave a score of 5.37 / 10. Comments were:
Ambient and dreamy in a retro sounding electronica nice sweeping pads and quiet contrasts moves the song along channging moods and landscapes.Tranquil in nature and more ambient than trance in the electronic side of things. Enjoyable piece.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5.5, Recording: 5.5, Freshness: 5, Musicianship: 6.5, XFactor: 5.5
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Nibbish gave a score of 8.87 / 10. Comments were:
'Huge Universe' is a very nice, mellow trance-ish tune. The recording quality is spot on, the synths sound beautiful and spot on. The underlying beats and effects are interesting and tasteful, and at just under 5 minutes, the song doesn't overstay its welcome, as songs of this genre often do.
Simply put, this is a fantastic example of its genre, and should be listened to by anyone with an even passing interest in electronic music.
Scoring: Songcraft: 8.5, Recording: 9.5, Freshness: 8, XFactor: 9.5
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Genre: Electronic
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MongoKnowsRecords gave a score of 8 / 10. Comments were:
Pretty good Electtonica. Nice breaks, more than three chords. Pretty good Vocals and nice structure. Could be the Soundtrack on some film being played on the IFC Channel Mongo think this one flys pretty well.
Eight Bonez
Scoring: Songcraft: 7.5, Recording: 8.5, Freshness: 8, Vocals: 8, Musicianship: 8.5, XFactor: 8.5
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Nibbish gave a score of 7.58 / 10. Comments were:
Female vocals over chillout electronica beats might be the biggest cliche in music, but it's still a treat when it's done right. 'Numb' does it right, with a main melody line that live sup to the track's title. Just enough of a drum line to hold everything together, and (of course), the female vocal. Luckily for us listeners, she's a good vocalist, who puts emphasis in all the right places (this is key), and also is strong enough to not let the music overwhelm her (this is even more key). Little touches in the second half of the song (a little jazzy note here, a little effect for flair there) are just icing on the cake. I greatly enjoyed this song, and it simply goes to prove that talent can often times invigorate even the most tired cliche.
Scoring: Songcraft: 8.5, Recording: 8, Freshness: 7.5, Vocals: 8, XFactor: 7.5
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 8.25 / 10. Comments were:
This is an electronic song that very slowly builds itself up like most songs like this does. Numb surprises me though, because suddenly a beat, and a beautiful female vocal turn up out of nowhere. From there, it is only bliss. Very radio friendly. A nice crisp guitar even turns up by the end. Very enjoyable. Recommended listen.
Scoring: Songcraft: 10, Recording: 8, Freshness: 5, XFactor: 10
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the720k gave a score of 7.5 / 10. Comments were:
"Numb" starts out with a beautiful, if simple, piano solo and transforms into a stellar example of trip-hop with a perfectly executed drumline. The vocals are full and dreamy, exuding of emotion. However, the vocal mix could use a little work, as the piano seems to overpower the vocals at times, and it's hard to hear what she's singing. The lyrics themselves seem a bit run-to-the-mill and don't particularly strike me as extraordinary, although they are not out of place.
The guitar that comes in during the latter half of the song is warm and well-mixed, and adds a nice extra layer of organic sound to the selection.
Overall, I enjoyed this track and would certainly listen to it again. This is an excellent example of the genre, and I would like to hear more!
Scoring: Songcraft: 7.5, Recording: 7.5, Freshness: 6.5, Vocals: 8, Musicianship: 7.5, XFactor: 9
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nb gave a score of 6.16 / 10. Comments were:
Nice blending of pop and electronica, The soprano is genteel and angelic.The break beats funk it up and the pads help the flow.Ethereal and haunting with longing qualities a very enjoyable listen.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6, Recording: 6.5, Freshness: 6, Vocals: 6.5, Musicianship: 6.5, XFactor: 6
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Genre: Christian Pop/Rock
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Nibbish gave a score of 7.16 / 10. Comments were:
Often times, Christian Pop-Rock can be expected to have a very sanitary view on issues (often coupled with very cookie cutter macking music). Mike Kovacevich turns the tables on both of these stereotypes with 'Battle', and provides the listener with a breath of fresh air - a solid, non-trite song about everyday struggles and personal demons. The recording qualty is quite good, and the guitar playing is done quite well, with some subtle percussion laying a good foundation for Kovacevich's vocals and lyrics. Speaking of lyrics, these are actual good quality lyrics that dig into spiritual matters without sounding contrived or fake. Well done.
Scoring: Songcraft: 7.5, Recording: 7.5, Freshness: 7.5, Vocals: 6, Musicianship: 8, XFactor: 7
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MongoKnowsRecords gave a score of 6.5 / 10. Comments were:
Mike and his Boyz are surely trying. Laying down a tune they feel is important - trying to tell us something that they believe really matters. And it does .. but its all relative to the one fighting it. Takes awhile to get to the story here - the musical intro is way to long. And though there is skill - there is to much wall of sound going on for Mongo's ears. And the singer gets lost in the wave. Less can be more..
Out of ten Bonez - Mongo give four
Scoring: Songcraft: 7, Recording: 7, Freshness: 6.5, Vocals: 6.5, Musicianship: 6.5, XFactor: 6
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 3.12 / 10. Comments were:
The artist, Mike, probably thought this to himself before making this song: Wow, how many plonks on the guitar can I fit on an mp3 file? Hmm. Let's try 6, or 7 at the same time shall we? And not only that, let's bend them and twist them to make them even more annoying. Let's make all those ploinks battle each other to see who wins! Yes! Great idea!!" << Well, something like that. Because>> The intro of this song is just dreadful. All these strokes on the guitar are bended, to create a sort of effect, of sorts. The problem is, it DOES NOT work. it sort of gets a little better when the artist starts to sing. But the good record quality can't fight away the ploings, and plinks which return a little later. For a vengeance! And those awful things are still totally out of tune with everything else. Oh Jesus no. Sorry. Next time, leave the ploinks in their cage, and let the beautiful music unfold instead.
Scoring: Songcraft: 3.5, Recording: 5, Freshness: 3.5, XFactor: 0.5
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seedsower gave a score of 6.66 / 10. Comments were:
Just someting lacking
Scoring: Songcraft: 5, Recording: 8, Freshness: 7, Vocals: 7.5, Musicianship: 7, XFactor: 5
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Mike Kovacevich gave a score of 7.41 / 10. Comments were:
OK, I'm going to go ahead and totally break the rules here; I'm reviewing my own song! Why in the world would I do something that stupid... well, my day job consists of administering surveys where individuals ask there peers, managers, and direct reports to rate their work performance. Typically these participants (as we call them) do a self-evaluation as well.
I always find it somewhat embarrassing when the self-score is way higher than everyone else’s. I think, man is he in for a surprise when he gets the results back!
So here we go. Lets see what kind of surprise awaits me!
First off, there is no way I can pretend to hear this song anew. I did listen to it as I would any other song I plan on reviewing but after writing and rewriting, recording and rerecording, mixing and remixing, I'm probably on my thousandth listen, and what amazes me the most is that I still love this song!
If I had it to do all over, I would probably lighten up on the kick and snare a little, maybe have more of a conga feel. Maybe I'd thin out some of the background music but overall I'm very happy with the mix and arrangement. I love how the song breathes. All the stops and starts draw me in and make the song interesting.
I'm not a big fan of my voice, very self-conscious. Say something about my vocals and I'll walk away with my tail between my legs. Say something about my guitar playing and I’ll smile politely and not give it a second thought. I’m not saying I’m a great guitarist, I’m saying I don’t care that much if people like it or not. In this case though, I do think my vocals do the song justice. I like some of the falsetto work I do in the background. The lyrics are as raw and real as I can make them. Lyrically, I think it’s some of my finest work.
I’m pleased with the arrangement. Although from a commercial standpoint, it doesn’t have a big hook that repeats several times. As I now try to market my work, I question if the lack of repetition was the wisest move… hmmm. Regardless, I think the pace is good, always moving forward. The end was definitely the hardest part of song to write and mix. It’s not perfect but I am happy with the intensity, and bigness of it.
Overall, I think this is a powerful, well-crafted song, one of my best.
And now on with the other four reviews to put me in my place…
Although, while I’m at it, if you agree, disagree, or have your own take on this song (which I’m sure you do) please visit my web site and tell me about it. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Scoring: Songcraft: 7, Recording: 8, Freshness: 8, Vocals: 6, Musicianship: 7.5, XFactor: 7
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Genre: Country
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Nibbish gave a score of 6.41 / 10. Comments were:
'Older' is a little more 'Americana' than country, with a certain earthy feel to it. The first thing one notices is that this recording quality is on the low end. It doesn't kill the song, but it makes it harder for it to truely stand out. The vocals seem a little undermixed, but the singer has a certain charm to him that ends up being able to transcend those mixing issues. During the wordless bridges , the song stalls a little. It's not until the horns are added that the song gains back that 'something' that it seemed to be missing to that point. I like the horns a lot, they raise the bar for this song and make it a lot better. This is exactly the type of rootsy Americana that I can appreciate. It doesn't break a lot of new ground, and the recording quality dings the lasting appeal a bit, but it's got a real good laid back feel, and has a wistful, summertime mood to it.
Scoring: Songcraft: 8, Recording: 3.5, Freshness: 6, Vocals: 6.5, Musicianship: 6.5, XFactor: 7
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 6.8 / 10. Comments were:
Reviewing Mr. Goodtimes as "older" was unavailable. Mr. Goodtimes, starts off rather ugly, but it becomes apparent that there is some real talent behind this music. The song takes some different turns and twists throughout the song, and the lyrics are really wonderful. A bit better record quality, and the overall impression would be much better. Recommended listen.
Scoring: Songcraft: 8, Recording: 2.5, Freshness: 5.5, XFactor: 10
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seedsower gave a score of 5.41 / 10. Comments were:
The style of music sounded to hippy
Scoring: Songcraft: 5, Recording: 4.5, Freshness: 7.5, Vocals: 6, Musicianship: 6.5, XFactor: 5
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nb gave a score of 5.08 / 10. Comments were:
This went to Miracle Cure. An experimental countrified violin meets blind melon and twinges of a sci fi 50s keys sort of thing. Other is an apt genre for this tune, I am not sure if this should be taken seriously or if comedy. I think radio would have hard time with it. Unusual for sure.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5.5, Recording: 4, Freshness: 5, Vocals: 6, Musicianship: 5, XFactor: 5
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Axeman gave a score of 4.41 / 10. Comments were:
The song needs compression, the volume is uneven. I liked the keyboards in the background, but the guitar grated on me. I got a little bored by the end, but that could be because it's 6 am.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5, Recording: 3, Freshness: 4.5, Vocals: 5, Musicianship: 5, XFactor: 4.5
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Genre: Electronic
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djsky73 gave a score of 8.75 / 10. Comments were:
"Are You Gonna Win?" is definitely way better than your average Electronic genre track. I was captivated from the start by the smooth bass line and the beat to follow. Both of those combined with wonderful vocal abilities of Katlin Rivers come together as a beautiful electronic track.
Listening to "Are You Gonna Win?" reminded me a bit of an early 90s industrial sounds of Nitzer Ebb and Bigod 20 that has been raised up a few notches and made to sound up to the speed and standards of today's electronic genre.
The only thing I was not found of in this track were the song lyrics themselves (not the vocals, Katlin's voice is fantastic). I found them to be a bit too complex.
This track is definitely worth listening/downloading/buying. It will certainly be a valuable addition to anyone's electronic music collection.
Scoring: Songcraft: 9, Recording: 10, Freshness: 9, Vocals: 9.5, Musicianship: 10, XFactor: 10
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Andy Chapman gave a score of 6 / 10. Comments were:
Wow – those are some nasty (in a good way) synth filters! Per Lichtman certainly knows what he's doing with his instruments, as he should when you consider that his mother played notes to him whilst he was still in the womb! He makes me want to go and play with my dusty Wavestation. “Are you Gunna Win” is one of those songs that rewards you for taking the time to listen, as there's so much going on. You can hear sweeping blips and bleeps, and abnormal percussive textures everywhere. Katlin's vocals are clear and well phrased. My only problem with this song is I'm struggling to find the emotion and connect with the music. I want to be moved or even just energized, and I'm not feeling it. Still, for fans of good electronica, give this a listen.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5, Recording: 8, Freshness: 5, Vocals: 7, Musicianship: 7.5, XFactor: 5
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 5.37 / 10. Comments were:
Per Lichtman tries here to replicate what others have done before him. DJ Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, and others spring to mind. Well, following a good formula is a good idea. But sometimes, you also have to make the formula your own. This has not happened here, as Per Lichtman tries to follow the cooking book on how to make a radio friendly club tune as best he can, but there are some eggs missing. Katlin Rivers does a good job on the vocal work though, and the beat is good. So what's wrong? Well, some of the loops are way to repetitive for the song to really thrust through the floorfiller barrier. The song never really builds itself up, but continues on the same path throughout. But, Per Lichtman has the basics down to make a very good song, and that is very good. Some more practice, and the nail will surely hit the mark.
Scoring: Songcraft: 3.5, Recording: 5, Freshness: 5.5, XFactor: 7.5
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Nibbish gave a score of 5.58 / 10. Comments were:
Boiling synth lines, a canned drum beat... what's missing? Ah, yes, a (slightly) digitally enhanced female lead vocal! Don't get me wrong, I like the female vocals, sung with a touch of effect added. They sound alright, but the lyrics are a bit cheesy. They rely a little hard on cliche, and the phrase 'are you gonna win' sounds as awkward as one might expect. The synth churns and squawks, like synth in this genre is wont to do. It sounds kind of cool at first, but it doesn't really do anything other than pulse, thre's no disernable hook to the song. Overall, everything works alright, but it lacks a hook or distinguishing characteristic to push it beyond the pack of noisy female vocal led electronica. It doesn't have that, so it just sort of hangs out, and leaves very little lasting effect.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6, Recording: 7.5, Freshness: 5.5, Vocals: 6.5, XFactor: 5
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MongoKnowsRecords gave a score of 9.25 / 10. Comments were:
Per Lichtman & Katlin Rivers are the post- industrial Bomb. That's as in the most Excellent Bomb. Litchtman has got the composition and delivery down in the "Electronic" zone - which by and large most there don't have a clue. Smooth, clean, intense, future movie sound track material. Ungowa U - Oooogaboogah 101. This one too is beyond the "Bonez".
Scoring: Songcraft: 9, Recording: 9, Freshness: 9, Vocals: 9.5, Musicianship: 10, XFactor: 10
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Genre: Ambient
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False tto gave a score of 5 / 10. Comments were:
This piece suffers from being too many places at once. It gives you a piano line that repeats throughout, with various sounds weaving their melodies through the song. Percussion lingers in the background, serving no particular purpose but to accent the "rising" of the song.
The recording hampers this song the most. When the force in which the piano is played becomes stronger, the recording distorts - on top of that, the piano just doesn't shine like a primary instrument should. Is it poorly written? No - it is simply the execution that could be touched on with this one.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5, Recording: 3, Freshness: 7, Musicianship: 9, XFactor: 5
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Andy Chapman gave a score of 5.12 / 10. Comments were:
I quite like the start of 'Rising' – it's bleak and unrelenting, with some nice subtle details taking on a life of their own in the background. You can tell the artist is experimenting here and not being afraid to be different (which is great!). However, 3 minutes of the same theme is a bit much, even for an ambient track. Not even the dynamic build that followed was interesting enough to resurrect my interest. There's emotion being released here but that release is lacking aim and direction.
Scoring: Songcraft: 4.5, Recording: 5, Freshness: 7, Musicianship: 5, XFactor: 4
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 3.75 / 10. Comments were:
The GOOD first: Rising is a very promising piece of work, with the piano as the main feature of the track. Rising is an ambient song, but could have been a bit in a score for a movie as well. The song is very haunting, and touches the darker notes, than some other instrumental works I have previously heard.
The BAD with this song however, is when the piano goes a bit berserk near the middle of the track. This is when the main problem if you will turns its ugly head: The record quality of this mp3 file, is totally dreadful. There is no mix, because everything seems to be recorded live. Either that, or there is something else wrong. A live recording can be good, if recorded right. But here, you have the hissing sound, and you also have a distortion. You also have the piano, which was this song's finest friend, being its worst enemy. When the piano is really loud, everything else becomes not so loud. So the thrashing of the piano, in this recording environment isn't such a good idea it seems. When the thrashing turns into pounding a bit later, you really get that distorted feeling, which for this genre is disastrous. With a proper studio, or at least just a mixer, accompanied by a pc, this would be good. Throw the tape recorder or whatever away please. Looking forward to hearing anything but the demo in the hopefully near future.
Scoring: Songcraft: 7, Recording: 0, Freshness: 6, XFactor: 2
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Nibbish gave a score of 7.37 / 10. Comments were:
'Rising' is a song that heavily evokes the long, winding piano and haunting mood of a Mogwai or Explosions in the sky. The piano has just enough dissonance to keep the listener off balance, and the band wisely stretches the mood (and thus, the song) out a bit, they let the song breathe, and it's works out in their favor. Around the 3 minute mark, when things finally start gainging some furor, they wisely back off after a sort of false crescendo. The song fairly quickly gains speed and the home stretch towards the finale is quite good. I wish at times the song were a bit more filled out. Once the insistant drum beat starts around 4:50 in, it brings to mind how awesome the song could be with a little better production, and a full backing band. 'Rising' doesn't quite reach the heights of the aforementioned bands, but there's no shame in that. They've created a great song here, and I'll be listening to more from these guys.
Scoring: Songcraft: 8, Recording: 6, Freshness: 7.5, Musicianship: 7, XFactor: 8
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MongoKnowsRecords gave a score of 6.5 / 10. Comments were:
Starts out in a nice flow, almost captures the mood. Could be Mongo's ears and the marguarita last night.. but Rising seems to get caught in a stagnent eliptical pool. It tries to take off but never quite gets there. Keep working at it though. Sometimes a little work and patience goes a long way. Out of 10 Bonez - Mongo give 7
Scoring: Songcraft: 6.5, Recording: 7, Freshness: 6.5, Musicianship: 6.5, XFactor: 6
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Genre: Instrumental
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 0 / 10. Comments were:
First off, the download link directed me to the page where I have to buy the song, to review the artist's work. A very scheming trick, but I did not fall for that one. I searched elsewhere on the site for something that resembled a song named "Edge Of The Wall". I did find a 40 second snippet of the track, and listened to that. With the bad taste still in my mouth from my previous approach from mr. Steven Messenger, I listened to the 40 second snippet. It starts off rather calm, as ambient does, and ends with a rhythm, and programmed guitar riffs. Well, that is as far as I'll go then. 40 seconds is not even half a song length, so really doesn't give me any idea of what the song is about. The artist obviously wanted me, the reviewer, to buy his track. And since I only wanted to do the artist a favour by reviewing his work, I am left with a really bad feeling indeed. So instead of now, trying to think of what those 40 seconds might have brought about, I'll go to the bathroom instead.
Scoring: Songcraft: 0, Recording: 0, Freshness: 0, XFactor: 0
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Nibbish gave a score of 7.12 / 10. Comments were:
A variety of genres (vague influences of world, electronica, and standard instrumental rock) all get tossed into a blender, and the result is 'Edge of the Wall', by Steven Messenger. I like the warm tones in the opening, to the point where it's kind of a surprise when the drum beat comes in, and even more a surprise when the guitar comes in. There's not a lot of variation in the guitar line, as it simply quick strums 2 chords, and the drum beat is pretty standard through the whole song. Neither of these are particularly problematic to me because there's synth strings and electric piano thrown in, which help keep the mood interesting and light. This is nice atmospheric instrumental music that doesn't fall into the elevator music trap. I like that - and thus I like this song.
Scoring: Songcraft: 7, Recording: 7.5, Freshness: 7, XFactor: 7
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nb gave a score of 5 / 10. Comments were:
Sorry bud but you have to give more than 40 seconds to have a decent review. Started out great though lots of mood appeal. Gave a neutral reading because of this.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5, Recording: 5, Freshness: 5, Musicianship: 5, XFactor: 5
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Axeman gave a score of 5 / 10. Comments were:
I had to use the 2 minute version from cdbaby sice the artist failed to provide a good link, but i heard enough. I really heard nothing here that distinguishes this from the thousands upon thousdands of electronic instrumentals churned out in a matter of minutes given current software capability. It's pleasant enough, but not memorable.
Scoring: Songcraft: 4, Recording: 7, Freshness: 4.5, Musicianship: 5, XFactor: 4.5
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PennyWhistle gave a score of 0 / 10. Comments were:
Sorry. Will not buy tracks to review them. Nice try.
Scoring: Songcraft: 0, Recording: 0, Freshness: 0, XFactor: 0
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Genre: Indie Rock
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 4.37 / 10. Comments were:
My review is for Drama Machine, as the original song was not available for review. Drama Machine, which is a very clever title, comes off strong, but leaves a bitter aftertaste with the distorted vocalist. It is in fact so distorted, that you can't make out what the artist is singing about. A lyrics sheet would surely help, but since that was not available to me either, I gave up. The music in the background is very good though, so here is hoping for an instrumental (the song without the vocals) very soon.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6.5, Recording: 3, Freshness: 8, XFactor: 0
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Nibbish gave a score of 7.08 / 10. Comments were:
As is too often the case, 'Growing Old' is unavailable, so I'm reviewing 'Get Off' instead. This song has a lo-fi, kind of 'Beck'ish quality to it. I like the sound, with squalls of feedback intertwining with the buzzing lead. It's not the type of song that one could listen to over and over in one sitting, but it's not a bad listen, and at 3 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome. I can't think of anything offhand that I would change about this. Good song!
Scoring: Songcraft: 7.5, Recording: 5, Freshness: 7.5, Vocals: 7, Musicianship: 7.5, XFactor: 8
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Jonathan Sanders gave a score of 3.87 / 10. Comments were:
Reviewing "2nd Song" ... very little development going on here, for a song with so many bizarre sounds in the background. A nice glockenspiel effect does work for a few moments, but the song drags down the stretch and is hard to get a grip on sonically. I'm really not sure what to think except that I don't want to hear it again. At least it's short ...
Scoring: Songcraft: 3.5, Recording: 5, Freshness: 3.5, XFactor: 3.5
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nb gave a score of 5 / 10. Comments were:
There was no growing old song so I chose songwriters with no issues of which I am not one(I have several). I thought the 3 legged and eyeball story was unique in a folkster kind of way. Sounds like this was done at an open mic and works well in such a venue. Melodic verse with a jam for a bridge which works live overall could be tighter. A work in progress.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5.5, Recording: 4, Freshness: 4, Vocals: 5.5, Musicianship: 5, XFactor: 5.5
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The Goat gave a score of 7.66 / 10. Comments were:
A Band of Horses recently won the PLUG awards in multiple categories -- for some reason, that came to mind as I listen to this song. This is NOT a mainstream/commercially viable track -- it is for those with much higher levels of snobism -- especially indie pop types and hippies because the music is cool, has a kinda Band of Horses meets Cowboy Junkies meets god only knows whom ... and it's about lsd and pot and diapers and it's just about the weirdest thing I've heard in ages. Is it good? Who cares -- this song is strange enough to stimulate atophied hair follicles in places men shouldn't shave. Goat loves very strange things.
Scoring: Songcraft: 7, Recording: 6, Freshness: 9, Vocals: 6, Musicianship: 7.5, XFactor: 9
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Genre: Downtempo
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Andy Chapman gave a score of 6 / 10. Comments were:
If "Alley at 3" was to take human form, it would be wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigar. The electronic beat and smooth bass makes you feel alternatively fashionable, chilled out and ready for action. Whilst I'm unlikely to come back to this song for another listen, i did enjoy the experience.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6, Recording: 6.5, Freshness: 6, Musicianship: 6.5, XFactor: 5.5
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 1.62 / 10. Comments were:
It is easier to make music with a computer, than with original instruments and gear. I say this to myself each time I hear a song like this. Because, this is some of the most uninteresting things I've had the displeasure of listening to for a very long time. Everything smells "loop" from the get go. Everything is structured in a very basic way, and everything sounds very boring. The song never surprises you, or tickles any special. It is a sort of 1, 2, 3 queue drums for 4 loops, 1, 2, 3, queue random noise for 8 loops, queue, cymbal for ... you get the idea. And the way that works to even more tedious extend is that we play every loop by the middle of the song, and at the start and end, we have the beat. This is how most electronic music is made. From DJ Wannabe, to DJ Tiesto(tm), most artists prefer this way to make music: Recording loops, and then finally putting together the music. In this case, the loops were not recorded, but were already available through whatever software 720k got a hold of for a buck. There is nothing wrong with that either. BUT. There is something really wrong however when a reviewer such as myself find the end result to be so totally utterly uninteresting as Alley at 3 is.
Scoring: Songcraft: 2, Recording: 3.5, Freshness: 1, XFactor: 0
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Nibbish gave a score of 7.12 / 10. Comments were:
Alley at 3 is an interesting little electronica song driven by an insistant, snare-driven drum line. The drum line almost becomes a problem (beyond being 'insistant', it also become 'overwhelming') - I like it in that it's interesting and different from standard fare, but it almost comes across a bit heavy. I really like the synth line which, although minimalist, still brings across enough melody to keep the listener engaged. There's not a lot to this song, and I probably wouldn't listen to this song a lot by itself, but I think good things could come from an album's worth out of music like this, and that's about all you can hope for from music of this nature. Good job.
Scoring: Songcraft: 7, Recording: 6.5, Freshness: 7.5, XFactor: 7.5
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Jonathan Sanders gave a score of 5.37 / 10. Comments were:
720k's "Alley At 3" reminds me a lot of Mike Post's NYPD Blue work. But most of Post's work was made for ten second listening, and as soon as one thing was done you got to move on to something else. With 720k, all we get is the same thing over and over for four minutes with a few loops added for effect when he deems them worthy. If you're into this kind of thing, go for it. I, meanwhile, will look for something a little more challenging in construction.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5, Recording: 6, Freshness: 5.5, XFactor: 5
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nb gave a score of 4.87 / 10. Comments were:
Laid back and has chill appeal but the groove could use more contrasts and a definite boost to the bass is in order. At times the piece seemed abit thin usually downtempo is very full and lush this was sparse and lacking. The electronic keys and bending wears this listener down after awhile. This is a work in progress and with some additions and fleshing out could become a good song. Not there yet.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5, Recording: 5, Freshness: 4, Musicianship: 5.5, XFactor: 5.5
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Genre: Indie Rock
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Andy Chapman gave a score of 6.1 / 10. Comments were:
As soon as “We Know, Plato!” started playing I couldn't help but to think of bands like Cold Play, Radiohead and even Simon and Garfunkel. This song seeks that juxtaposition between melancholy bleakness and beauty through piano, strings and plenty of reverb. The Musicianship is pretty decent and the vocals are OK (without being breath taking). The biggest problem for me was that I started getting bored towards the end.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6, Recording: 6.5, Freshness: 6, Vocals: 6, Musicianship: 6.5, XFactor: 6
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Nibbish gave a score of 7.91 / 10. Comments were:
It's amazing what you can do with a piano, some strings and a couple of voices. We Know, Plato! have an unwieldly name, but they make some very good music. First off, the piano is solid, and provides all the backing the song needs. The recording quality is worth noting, because of the warm tones from the piano, the song is enhanced that much more. The vocals are fantastic. All the inflections are spot on, and the light interplay between the male and female singers adds a really nice touch. The lyrics are poetic and nicely metaphoric without being too obvious. Overall, I'm having a hard time finding anything here to be critical about. Fantastic song!
Scoring: Songcraft: 8, Recording: 8, Freshness: 6.5, Vocals: 8.5, Musicianship: 7.5, XFactor: 9
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nb gave a score of 8.16 / 10. Comments were:
This is a gorgeous and graceful song with delicate rising harmonies that lift this hollow bird sweetly. Intelligent and thoughtful lyrics with great imagery and emotion. Reminds me of a modern day Simon and Garfunkel. The cello is sparse and tasteful cannot discern if real or synth but very effective, the arrangement and production are terrific. Major cross over appeal to easy listening and contemporary pop. I am sure we will be hearing much more from we know Plato. Outstanding work!
Scoring: Songcraft: 8, Recording: 8.5, Freshness: 8, Vocals: 8.5, Musicianship: 8, XFactor: 8
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Axeman gave a score of 7.08 / 10. Comments were:
Refreshing to hear a band that actually knows how to record vocals. This is really a vocal showcase, with layers and harmonies that float effortlessly through the air. Geez, im starting to sound like some of the wacky lyrics in this song...but no matter, as Hollow Bird is up there with the best of piano rock. Good job, Guys.
Scoring: Songcraft: 7.5, Recording: 9, Freshness: 6.5, Vocals: 8.5, Musicianship: 8, XFactor: 7
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Mr. Lexicon gave a score of 3.5 / 10. Comments were:
Sounds like a trippy Flyod style song to me. Nice strings and piano instrumentation. I think the harmony singer does a nice job as well...the lead vocals are a bit shakey and thin and thus the whole song suffers. Not a commerical pop song by any stretch but rather a song to fall asleep with or trip out to...happy sailing...
Scoring: Songcraft: 3, Recording: 4.5, Freshness: 3, Vocals: 4, Musicianship: 7.5, XFactor: 2.5
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Genre: Folk
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Nibbish gave a score of 3.58 / 10. Comments were:
Michael Dyer cares about the earth. Fantastic. Is the music he's penned to declare his caring any good? Unfortunately, I can't recommend it. The backbeat sounds tinny and fake. It isn't really fooling anyone, and desperately needs to be revamped. A real drummer - or at the very least a well sequenced drum machine - would do wonders for this song's listenability. The lyrics start out very trite, way too rhyme reaching. They get better, but he initial bad taste really never goes away. The vocals, like most of the rest of the song, aren't very well mixed. They sound like a live recording in a church or similar venue. Overall, the song needs a lot of work. I appreciate the message Mr. Dyer wants to get across, but he's going to have to polish things up a bit before he is able to make a good musical statement. As it stands, this song doesn't do that.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5.5, Recording: 3.5, Freshness: 3.5, Vocals: 3.5, Musicianship: 3, XFactor: 2.5
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 2.25 / 10. Comments were:
My review is for Earthsong II, since the original Earthsong is gone. The song, sounds dull, and flat with a regular guitar rambling in the background. There is also an ordinary electronic bass present, which suffer from the same attributes as the guitar does. The worst though, are the male vocals. He actually sounds really bored with what he is doing. He probably recorded the same song 20 or 30 so times, and at the last take, they actually got it. He by then sounds so drastically tired of the whole thing, that it actually sounds like he couldn't care less what kind of performance he actually gave through the microphone. So there you have it. A song which tried to be liked by its own staff, but failed miserably. I wonder if Earthsong 1 got a bit better treatment?
Scoring: Songcraft: 4.5, Recording: 2, Freshness: 2.5, XFactor: 0
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Jonathan Sanders gave a score of 5.37 / 10. Comments were:
Reviewed "Hummingbird In Flight." This is an interesting instrumental piece, but the guitar just seems to be noodling. I know that may be what a hummingbird in flight would do, but it's not something I'd want to hear for even the short three minute running length more than a time or two. If this kind of thing's your cup of tea however you might find it more interesting ... but folk it is not.
Scoring: Songcraft: 4.5, Recording: 6.5, Freshness: 5, Musicianship: 5.5, XFactor: 5.5
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nb gave a score of 4.25 / 10. Comments were:
A song for the past lovers of earth and then its about her dying or fear of dying ...too many ideas in one song. I would stick with the lamenting idea. A self reflective song which is ok. Melodically quite repetitive could use a bridge as it really drags. A demo quality production the guitars out of tune in parts and needs work on timing. Sounds like a jam a work in progress.
Scoring: Songcraft: 4.5, Recording: 4, Freshness: 3, Vocals: 5.5, Musicianship: 5, XFactor: 5
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The Goat gave a score of 3.91 / 10. Comments were:
A very messy recording, and an overly long and tiring seven minute arrangement mars this track for me. Poor eq means the vocals don't "cut" thru the lower mid-range instrumentation -- when the electronic percussion comes in, it detracts from the melody and lyrics again -- sorry ... but while I appreciate the effort and the sentiment, this one loses out for me.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5, Recording: 2.5, Freshness: 4.5, Vocals: 5, Musicianship: 5, XFactor: 1.5
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Genre: Hip-Hop
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Christian Lowensprung gave a score of 4.12 / 10. Comments were:
Couldn't find the song in question, so I am reviewing Have fun wit Chall." I don't know if Chall is a name, and "wit" is a case of badly written English, or the song is translated from slang "have fun with you all," or if it is a little case of both. In any case this is plain hip-hop fare, with a loop in the background and a guy who can talk fast. Nothing really breathtaking about it. If you are into people who talk fast, then this is for you.
Scoring: Songcraft: 2.5, Recording: 3, Freshness: 5, XFactor: 6
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Nibbish gave a score of 4.91 / 10. Comments were:
Please note: 'Underdog' was unavailable on the artist's MySpace, so I'm reviewing 'Bring It Back', instead. We're brought a nice, piano-driven beat to start things off. The rapper has an easy way about him, and his lyrics, while fairly standard "I rule" nonsense, have a certain sense of wit to them. All of this makes the next portion of the song so infuriating/saddening. Hip-hop songs live and die by the chorus, and this song NEEDS a different chorus. I understand that the name of the song is 'Bring it Back', but there's really no reason to repeat that phrase 24 (!) times and call it a chorus. That's repetitive and monotonous, and it hurts the song greatly, considering that we hear the chorus 3 times in all (making for almost 80 times in all). The verses have flair, the beat is groovy, and the song shows promise (except for the drastic cut off ending... perhaps this flows into another song??). Without a different chorus, though, I can't even see this sog as filler on a successful CD.
Scoring: Songcraft: 6.5, Recording: 6.5, Freshness: 4, Vocals: 6, Musicianship: 6.5, XFactor: 4.5
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BillyJean gave a score of 7.91 / 10. Comments were:
Very Fresh new music. Something in his vocals reminds you of John Legend.
Scoring: Songcraft: 8, Recording: 7.5, Freshness: 9, Vocals: 8, Musicianship: 8.5, XFactor: 7
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Jonathan Sanders gave a score of 4.75 / 10. Comments were:
"Underdog" isn't there anymore, so I'm reviewing "Secrets." The rhymes are way up in the mix, compared to the beats, but he's got a great background vocalist, and his rhythmic style is to go fairly slow over the beat, which helps out the listener in following what he's got to say. But he tends to lack rhyming skills. A dictionary might have helped out, since he tends to rhyme me with me and drugs and drugs, not to mention "boom boom" (sex) and "boom boom" (percussion). In the end this becomes a one time listen, not much more or less.
Scoring: Songcraft: 5.5, Recording: 6, Freshness: 4.5, Vocals: 4.5, XFactor: 4
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nb gave a score of 7.83 / 10. Comments were:
The link went to Secrets. The groove settles in nicely and the rhyme flows easily and effortlessly and the word is thought out and intelligent. The chorus of the gorgeous sultry female voice is deluxe and rich and really lifts the song giving it an instant hook. This has big time written all over it. Accessible to a crossover pop audience with ease. Well written and produced..overall great job congratulations. nb
Scoring: Songcraft: 7.5, Recording: 8, Freshness: 7, Vocals: 8.5, Musicianship: 8, XFactor: 8
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