August Contest: Gossip

[rachmiel]

That's really nice of you to say, Laguna. Thanks, man.

I keep hearing, in my mind's ear, what the piece *could* have been ... the opportunities for expression and development I missed due to impatience, lack of ability, whatever. But it's always like that for us composers, right? How often do we finish something and feel that it's 100%? Rarely, I'd guess. More like we release it into the world with a sigh thinking about whether we've done right by it, given it enough love.

[folderol]

Ha!
This is why it took eight years for me to complete one track

P.S.
Still hoping to get something in this month, but time is getting a bit tight

[rachmiel]

I sometimes revisit/revise pieces from 30 years ago. It's as if I finally see (more closely) what I was getting at! Or ... what the music itself was getting at, because at some point it's no longer about self expression, it's about the music expressing/being what the music wants or needs to be.

[folderol]

Well, it's been a scorcher here today, which meant the job I intended to do had to be abandoned, so I had to find something 'restful' to do didn't I?

This is some kind of record for me - 4 hours from start to finish. I just hope it's not too rough

[Mister Natural]

IOr ... what the music itself was getting at, because at some point it's no longer about self expression, it's about the music expressing/being what the music wants or needs to be.

this ^

I remember reading an interview with Norman Mailer, asking "how do you write a novel?".
He said that the novel writes itself

When I studied winemakers; the latest model was/is that the wine makes itself.
The "winemaker" can only learn to get out-of-the-way of the wine. The more the winemaker super-imposes himself on the wine; the less authentic the wine becomes.

peace

[Hellfog]

Fixed new link, apparently dropbox + KvrAudio dosen't work for me.

[Jazzaria]

Great work all, liked all the tracks. Here's another source of inspiration, somewhat similar to rachmiel's track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwOipTXvNNo

[rachmiel]

Sweeeet!

Not a door, but ... :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb6pc2N8gWc

[rachmiel]

Unbelievable! :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSZtoXIb7do

[slartibartfast]

Here are my personal opinions on this month's tracks (I hesitate to call them "reviews").

Laguna Rising - Liquid Skies
Very relaxing and totally in keeping with the evening breeze in the blinds theme. Some really interesting sounds in this, and a nice simple melody. Easy listening and Very enjoyable indeed.

bluerobot - The Lake Isle of Innisfree
Interesting concept of taking the reading of the poem and manipulating it, first with delay and then using it to trigger a vocoded sound. However, it doesn't quite work for me - the warm pad sits comfortably with the simple peaceful theme of the words of the poem, but the more electronic, vocoded sounds don't, for me at least. And it wasn't quite clear what the delay was intended to achieve. Overall, technically interesting, but emotionally discordant.

Chickenman - It's Easy
I love the production values on this. Very lush bass throughout. I am not sure that the shredding guitar solo sits comfortably with the theme of "simplicity", but perhaps this was intended irony. There is absolutely nothng wrong with your voice, and it suits this song perfectly. There are some pitch issues with the female accompaniment, however. Not sure where I sit with this song - some great elements in it, but overall it doesn't quite gel for me.

shrikant - Monsoon Blues
I can feel the Indian influence in this through the choice of scale. You manage to transmit the languid nature of the monsoon quite well, although I wish the rain faded in and out rather more slowly - with the sudden transitions it seems like rather an add-on afterthought rather than being an intrinsic part of the track.

kryptonaut - A Penny For Your Thoughts
Very cleverly done indeed. You make sample manipulation seem easy, and have got some really cool smooth sounds out of the one sample. And a very simple sounding track, totally in keeping with the theme. I love the way the track ends.

Yeager - Jumping The Gun
Imaginative use of the sample in this track, which obviously takes its inspiration (in true Olympic spirit) from Chariots of Fire. Does it reflect the spirit of simplicity?
Not sure, but it is a very enjoyable piece of music.

Dasheesh - The Last Cicada
A solo improv. Doesn't get much more simple than that - although some fine and fiddly chops are on display. Interesting piece. I am struggling to hear the "real" sounds in this though.

BojanKerkez - Late Night Strolls to the Grand Central
Very evocative and atmospheric, with the real sounds carefully blended in the background. Some slight timing issues in places with the bass are mildly distracting, but this track manages to capture the spirit of simple late night melancholy very well indeed.

Jazzaria - Low Tide
I love that you have anchored this piece in a unique location. You have certainly taken the spirit of the theme of simplicity to heart in this piece and created a nice
atmospheric ambient (if perhaps slightly repetitive - the flipside to "simple") piece. Very relaxing.

funky lime - space time wizard
Funky stuff indeed. Love the absurdist lyrics. The instrumentation and the mix work just fine for me. This track is thoroughly enjoyable and a really easy listen, although not as "simple" as others submitted this month, and if you hadn't pointed out where the samples were included, I would have missed them.

Mister Natural - Suite for Guitar and Cheese
I am guessing that the guitars are the "real" sounds in this? Or perhaps it is the "cheese"? Creative use of delay and a nice simple concept and riff. As with one or two other tracks there is a fine line between "nicely simple" and "overly repetitive". I think you managed to avoid the "repetitive" moniker - just.

rachmiel - Squeeeeeek
Another wonderfully imaginative use of a single sample. For some reason, every time I hear this I break out in a smile - it's just so clever. Thoroughly enjoyable. Simple and not at all repetitive. Great work.

folderol - Mr Bird and Me
I love the concept, but I wonder if this would have worked better with the synth line mimicking the bird a little more closely with the two sounds layered - kind of like dualling banjos - without the tumbleweed! As it is, the piece is a little disjointed, but still a very pleasant listen.

beanpole - Tilting At Windmills
Catchy happy simple tune with a lo-fi feel. The home-grown percussion works really well in this. Simple, and highly effective in conveying a happy mood. I could envisage you and your family playing this live in the kitchen!

erictracks - Dappled in Gray
A lovely rich layered mix on this with some great playing, very pleasant vocals and an even more very abrupt ending. It is easy to listen to this repeatedly. Just not sure how "simple" it is, though, in comparison with others.

Hellfog - Simple City Universe
Very simple and evocative, with creative use of the sample to create a special atmosphere, although the "clang" mid song is a little distracting and unnecessary, I think. Bit of a strange ending - a simple fade-out would have been better, IMHO.

Thanks to all for some very interesting listening. Going to sleep on this before voting.....

[folderol]

@ slartibartfast
Thanks very much for your review. I would have liked to have done more (similar to your suggestions) but time really was against me

[Laguna Rising]

Thanks Slartibartfast
I like to read reviews (after listening to the songs) because most of the time the reviewer noticed and focused on different things than myself.
They are very useful and interesting to improve songwriting skills.

I should write comments myself, but... I'm a little busy at the moment... and so damn lazy

[shrikant]

Thanks Slartibartfast and Chickenman for the reviews. Also thanks to Laguna and erictracks for the votes.

shrikant