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Post by thechocolatechips on Jul 29, 2012 12:24:57 GMT -5
I got my "mini-opera" in last night ("The True Way"). I'm pretty excited about it because it's unlike anything I've ever done before. When I first read this challenge I almost threw in the towel as it just seemed like something too far out of my wheelhouse to even try. But I pushed through and ended up doing something pretty ambitious that I'm proud of.
That's the good thing about these types of challenges, the type of thing that you would never try otherwise... gets you to think about things in different ways.
I'm curious to see what the judges think of it (it may be too weird to land) ... and hopefully we actually get some reviews up this time of each others tracks. I'm going to try make some time to do it myself ... so here's the thread!
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Post by stevedurand on Jul 29, 2012 17:49:55 GMT -5
That's the point of these type of things, to get you out of your comfort zone and get you to expand on what you do.
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ross
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Post by ross on Jul 29, 2012 22:32:00 GMT -5
Mine is in, as far as I know. What a pain! I am currently working and living at a sleep away summer camp - so I don't have my usual set-up at all.
However, I got to learn a lot about recording on iPad.
I hope the song comes through.
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Post by caravanray on Jul 30, 2012 22:18:00 GMT -5
too bust this week
never got around to it.
shame - I liked the min-opera idea.
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Post by thechocolatechips on Jul 31, 2012 15:50:24 GMT -5
I'm in the mood to keep it positive so ... here are some things that I liked about each track:
Edric Haleen
+ I appreciate the equality message you posted about in your song bio (and that is implied by having two male vocals sing this song.)
+ Good vocals for this style.
+ Clean, polished production - fits the genre well.
+ Sounds like it would fit on the stage.
RC
+ Pretty catchy chorus. Nice call & response.
+ I'm a sucker for the harmonies in the chorus.
+ Cool guitar solo (I like how it slows down for this part.)
Mariah Mercedes
+ Nice sound effects.
+ I like the sound of the acoustic guitar quite a bit.
+ Beautiful vocals from Mariah when they come in.
Felix Frost
+ Reminds me of Frank Zappa in places (I like Frank Zappa.)
+ There's a lot going on here... I will focus on the positive aspect of that: You show a ton of creativity.
Governing Dynamics
+ Guitars sound good.
+ Pretty cool energy during the chorus.
Menage a Tune
+ Very dramatic sounding, so that fits the challenge.
Ross Durand
+ I dig the anti-war message.
+ I was surprised by the rock part, it's good to surprise your listener.
Dr. Lindke (Shadow)
+ Cool piano feel.
+ I like the back and forth between the characters.
+ Probably my favorite of these tracks.
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Post by redwatcher on Aug 1, 2012 0:53:02 GMT -5
This challenge was really difficult from my side of Menage a Tune. I didn't feel like my piano did justice to our idea, like I wish I added strings or more orchestral arrangements, more epic sounding. Oh well. I'm actually happier to hear the projects of everyone else. It's so much smoother and cleaner. Whereas mine sounds like it was done in a basement. Because it was.  Doing "Poison" was quite challenging. It was once more a last minute effort, and I must admit that I was to blame (again). First of all, I've never read Hamlet, I've only heard pieces of the story. Second, how can we compress Hamlet in less than 5 mins? In fact, I was looking at 10 mins worth of musical material, and I barely finished composing the music half way by Saturday. By the grace of JoAnn, we cut down her lyrics significantly. With her complete lyrics, it would've been quite epic, but we would've needed an epic amount of time! Ah, challenges... ------- Anyway. My Reviews: Edric Haleen - Nice idea. It felt anxious and fragile, but loving and tender. A job really well done. If you thought this was one of your best, I'd have to agree. The Chocolate Chips - I liked it a great deal, actually. I wish I could bend sounds the way you do. I especially liked your chorus-like part. Your compositions inspire me. RC - Very well produced. And the lyrics are admirable. With the change of time sigs and with the cool story, I hope the judges see it as operatic as you might have envisioned it. Mariah Mercedes - I like your arrangement of instruments, and using the idea of letters is a sweet idea for dialogue. And your voice sounds just as wonderful. Felix Frost - The guitar-sounding intro instantly hooked me. I can always count on your songs to captivate me. But you might have shifted "musical moods" a little more often than I was comfortable with; still, I would think it fits with the challenge. Governing Dynamics - Sweet guitar sounds. And if part of that chord progression was "C-Em-C-Am" -- I totally want to steal that! A song well done. Ross Durand - I thought this was a good song--and then I heard the Bad Guy part, and I was like, "Awesome!". If that's you doing two different parts, I'm thoroughly impressed. I wish I had that skill for my entry. Dr. Lindyke - I love the feel, I love the idea, and I love composition, especially at the end. (I tried to ask JoAnn to do a similar idea of song, but I'm glad you did it because you did it way better than I could.) This would be my top pick this round. But really, I'm impressed with everyone's efforts. ----- And if anyone cared: My favorite part of my song was the transition at 1:34. I could've played that forever. And the "Death of the Queen" arpeggio-transition was certainly fun (Nothing personal, JoAnn.  ) And musical inspirations: Phantom of the Opera, the Andrew Lloyd Webber version. Arpeggio-styled transition loosely by "Butterflies & Hurricanes" by Muse. And maybe even "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", I dunno. At one time, I even considered the Beach Boys song "Surf's Up". Otherwise, I was pretty lost with how this song should've sounded like. |
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rc
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Post by rc on Aug 1, 2012 11:22:27 GMT -5
My impressions of the songs - I'm not going to comment on the "operatic-ness" of the songs unless they particularly stand out in that regard. Having failed miserably in that regard myself, I don't feel qualified to comment.
Vows - I can only admire the melodic sweep of this song. Striving for the grand makes it so easy to fall into the grandiose, but this song avoided that pitfall masterfully. Lyrically, it tends to the sugary for my taste, but if any topic really calls for and sutains that approach, this one does. If there was any justice in the would, this would be the new standard first dance song for weddings - lord knows, if I hear the usual supects one more time, I'm going to gouge my ears out with a salad fork.
The True Way - "Well, huh", as we used to say when we weren't sure what to say. I've listened to this three times now, and my feelings have changed each time. The first time it made almost no impression. The second time, the lyrics kind of spun me around - they're like an impressionist sci-fi painting, and when I thought about it, I started trying to fill in the story blanks in my head. Which is a cool thing! The third time, the minimalistic music finally caught me - it's hypnotic, and there's enough melodic content to make it work for me. I figure if I listen one more time, it'll turn into Handel's Messiah.
He's Dead, Jim - I'll say a few words about this at the end.
Dear Jeremy - Now this, to me, is operatic in the very best way. The story paints a fine picture with a lot of detail, and the music is just what it needs to be to support the story, and no more. And of course, Mariah's voice is just a thing of beauty.
Lyman Boone... - I appreciate the angular approach to both melody and general song construction on Felix Frost's songs that I've heard. This one continues that, but seems more focussed to me, which makes it a little more impactful and memorable, and less random. The whole thing has a light, surreal aspect that I really like.
Dark Places - A really fine song! The angst in the lyrics feel real, and the vocal performaces sell it without overselling it. Really nice work!
Poison... - Clearly the most operatic of the lot, and the period music compliments the period words and story. This is superbly done all around - if I wished for anything, it would have been more dynamics in the performance... louder louds and softer softs.
Apart - Clearly the most rock-operatic of the lot, it put me a little in mind of an Americana version of Tommy. Very affecting story, and the musical mood shift worked well.
Mr. Nobody - Well, this is just cool in so many ways - general performance, fine melodicism, and a philosohical conversation about creativity which doesn't come to a conclusion because thare aren't any. Remarkable.
I'm not going to make any guess at who gets through. However it goes, some deserving folks will not make it.
Regarding my little entry, it's kind of obvious that since I had no good ideas, a picked a silly one. I did get blindsided a little bit by the whole "judging" discussion that I didn't see until Tuesday night. I considered new ideas at that point, but not only did I have none, but thinking about it actually killed ideas I already had in my brain - I had to relearn my multiplication tables afterward.
In the end, though, it didn't much matter - I wouldn't have had time to start from scratch anyway. In fact, what I turned in was a safety mix from Friday night, as I had intended to redo both lead vocal and lead guitar. But that also wouldn't have changed anything important. It has its moments, but I don't think it flies. We shall see...
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ross
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Post by ross on Aug 1, 2012 14:00:32 GMT -5
Ross Durand - I heard the Bad Guy part, and I was like, "Awesome!". If that's you doing two different parts, I'm thoroughly impressed. Thanks so much!! Yeah, I did everything on this except the female vocals. It was fun being the bad guy. I'll hopefully get to reviews myself, tonight. Interested to see how this round shakes out. |
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Post by redwatcher on Aug 1, 2012 21:28:53 GMT -5
Poison... - Clearly the most operatic of the lot, and the period music compliments the period words and story. This is superbly done all around - if I wished for anything, it would have been more dynamics in the performance... louder louds and softer softs. I absolutely agree. A more dynamic approach would've been better, and it's a skill I still struggle to perform. In fact, I thought my piano-playing was too loud and too soft at the same time (if that makes any sense). I blame my addiction to reverb. |
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Post by drlindyke on Aug 1, 2012 23:50:01 GMT -5
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