Voting - Composition Challenge #19 - The Day The Music Died!

Fretwired

I have two tied ... both very good. I can't make up my mind. I'll sleep on it ... this one is tough.

stratman3142

Excellent entries all round.

5 points @DulcetJones : A well composed melodic piece. A dark melancholy mood with a slight uplift at the end. This dark stuff is right up your street.

I had a lot of trouble choosing between the next two. 

3 points @steamabacus: Understated and atmospheric. A bit of an epic that unfolds nicely. Darkly artistic.

1 point @Fretwired: Great sounds that seem to combine sad and happy moods.

Again an honourable mention to @Danji. Superb playing and ideas. I really like it as a piece and enjoyed this the most to listen to. However, I felt it wasn't so well aligned with the theme as the others. Oddly, in places it seemed like it was making vague hints towards "I Did It My Way". 

steamabacus

Such a tough choice. On first listen I had everybody in equal first place! A choice has to be made though and so I'll go with ...

5 points  @DulcetJones ; 'November First Coming Down'  Very atmospheric and nicely developed - it really drew me in.

3 points @Danji  ; 'Jim's Hall'  Wonderfully played and I love the vocal ending!

1 point  @Fretwired ; 'A Desolate Place'  Beautifully lush yet icy ambient texture.


Wooden spoon this time to @stratman3142  ; A really great tune with some incendiary guitar playing. In the end I marked it down purely because, personally, I found the overall mastering a bit 'hot' - which is something I find with a lot of 'modern' productions and remasters - the effect, especially when listened to loud on reasonably decent headphones (I was using Sennheiser RS170s), was to 'pin me backagainst the wall' a bit rather than 'draw me into the recording'. It's a hard feeling to explain but, as I said, it's something I've experienced from a lot of modern recordings - it's a bit like having too much MSG (that's monosodium glutamate not Mr Schenker's band!) in food.
I hope you take this as constructive feedback as the track was great - I just feel it would have been even greater with a bit more dynamic range (and I'm probably an old fart anyway). 

stratman3142

steamabacus said:

Wooden spoon this time to @stratman3142  ;;;; A really great tune with some incendiary guitar playing. In the end I marked it down purely because, personally, I found the overall mastering a bit 'hot' - which is something I find with a lot of 'modern' productions and remasters - the effect, especially when listened to loud on reasonably decent headphones (I was using Sennheiser RS170s), was to 'pin me backagainst the wall' a bit rather than 'draw me into the recording'. It's a hard feeling to explain but, as I said, it's something I've experienced from a lot of modern recordings - it's a bit like having too much MSG (that's monosodium glutamate not Mr Schenker's band!) in food.
I hope you take this as constructive feedback as the track was great - I just feel it would have been even greater with a bit more dynamic range (and I'm probably an old fart anyway). 

No problem . That was the effect I was going for, which was to be almost relentlessly excruciating and 'in yer face' so to speak. A sort of American Gods meets Game Of Thrones, with plenty of angst.

My next entry for the EOTY challenge is much more subdued, as it's just me finger picking my Tele.

Fretwired

This was tough:

5 points: @steamabacus ; - I felt this was the most rouded piece - good production. Great intro and build up via the ominous synth, bass and the chanting followed by some very atmospheric guitar. If there's a slight criticism it was maybe too long. I would have maybe taken the quiet bit in the middle, around 4:26, out and let the menace build. I'm nit picking though. Good track. Well done.

3 points: @stratman3142 ; - another good track. I liked the drums and guitar as the track built but, maybe it's me, I'm not sure the chanting worked at the beginning. I'm nit picking and it was close between this and the winner.

1 point: @DulcetJones ; - loved the guitar and synth intro and first section but felt the song ran out of steam around 1:57 with the last segment.

@Danji .. lovely guitar playing .. the bass sounded a little overbearing and repetitive on my system. I felt the track is a work in progress. Maybe take the bass out and add some more varied percussion and you'd have a great track.

Antique_Guitars

Voting closed 

Veganic

Damn. Missed it. I had a clever comment about @stratman3142 channelling Coldplay to express music dying. (It does sound a tiny bit like Coldplay doesn't it?) 

Well done everyone. 5 points each from me.

stratman3142

Veganic said:

Damn. Missed it. I had a clever comment about @stratman3142 channelling Coldplay to express music dying. (It does sound a tiny bit like Coldplay doesn't it?) 

Well done everyone. 5 points each from me.

I can honestly say that any Coldplay influence was unintentional . Although I have to confess that I probably was, more than a little, influenced by @DulcetJones style when I was trying to decide on an approach to it.