Voting For Composition Challenge 39

stratman3142

This is the combined Voting and Discussion thread for Composition Challenge 39

Please use this thread to cast your votes for your favourite entries to Fretboard Composition Challenge

REMINDER OF THE THEME/GUIDELINES

No theme for this one - so it was freestyle

Although, entrants were free to create their own theme.

Picture: In addition to the music, there was a task to create a picture that relates to the selected theme or song title. This wasn't mandatory.

VOTING AND DATES

Voting System - voters can pick their favourite entries.

First choice gets 5 points - Second choice gets 3 points - Third choice gets 1 point

The entry with the most points wins.

Simply post in this thread your top three choices for winner in order, 1st choice first etc etc. 

(Note for Entrants of the competition: Self Voting is not allowed)

Voting ends midnight 14th January 2024, and the results will be announced shortly after.

No prizes, it's just for fun.

THE ENTRIES

Below is a playlist containing the entries:

https://soundcloud.com/thefretboard/sets/composition-challenge-39?si=3b86145f786a47e4be10e11e9007ac19&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

thecolourbox

Enjoyed listening to these, hoping next time around it's a less busy time of year and we can get even more entries in. 4 is always the most difficult number for me as I hate not giving points to only one person - on another day my 3rd place could have gone the other way!

• Midiman1962 - Flying Over Land Sounds  very mysterious with the synth and ticking effect in the one side. Nicely composed and the drum groove gives it a nice movement and is engaging.

• TTony - Intoxication Nice work putting together the lyrics, the arrangement is nice and leaves a load of space around which adds to the mood of it all. Catchy chorus as well. Is that a bit of Jona Lewie synth swells low in the background as well?!

• Stratman3142 - Elevator Music Sounds like a TV theme tune! Like it, great playing and some proper juicy chords on the rhodes as well. Lovely fluid guitar playing!

• Petepassion - I Found Myself In You I feel like this has a kind of alternative Van Morrison Astral Weeks vibe to it (that's a compliment). Nicely put together especially as it was off the cuff. Really shows the joy you have there as well, really nicely done. 

My votes are as follows:
1st place - @TTony - Intoxication
2nd place - @stratman3142 - Elevator Music 
3rd place - @Petepassion - I Found Myself In You

I'll do some liner notes for my two in the next post, don't get too excited

thecolourbox

My liner notes:

Both songs recorded "live" ie guitar and vocals at the same time through a single condenser mic on the kitchen table. this explains the mumbly vocals every now and then where I'm trying to keep up with myself, and also where I move my head to look at what I'm doing haha. Wait has overdubs of some simple lead lines over the beginning and end

I (Don't) Know What I Want (to give it the full title)
From my Covid lockdown writing spree project that I called Introversion. Trying to use music to express myself better than I can by talking. Lyrically this is basically about my changing of jobs in that period as I was learning about myself and working out what might suit me, but I had all my family telling me I couldn't get something I liked because that's not how the world works and I was just being silly turning away from where I was. (spoiler alert, i did manage it). I've never known how to arrange it, it kind of came out a bit Lennon and a bit Kinks so I suppose basically doing it as it is but with some piano and maybe simple percussion to keep the beat, I dunno. Also because of the Lennon influence I thought I'd include a selfie photo in the Lennon style. If you squint really closely you might see the outline of the platform at Lime Street Station.
It bothers me that it sounds better using the American "Caint" rather than the British "Carrrnt", hence I kind of use both

Wait
I did a little EP of songs, half covers half originals, back in 2018. I was absolutely chuffed to find that it was met with absolute indifference and in fact, some actual animosity and mean comments from my closest family. As such they don't know I'm still recording and singing things as there's no point sharing it with them. They're getting a bit of a bashing in this post aren't they, oh well. This song was on it, an electric version though with some drum machine type beats behind it, it was me trying to sound cool and chilled about basically losing everybody and claiming I wasn't bothered by it all. Sorry for the outtro lead not quite being locked in time with the rhythm part, I was being beckoned to go and shop for Ugg Boots at the time (you can kind of hear my sigh if you listen with headphones on)

TTony

Votes - and my "liner notes" for Intoxication

1st @thecolourbox - Wait - I've played that a few times now this afternoon.  I'd be interested to hear the electric version, but I think the mood really suits the acoustic better.  1st for me because of the "feel" and the sentiment in the lyrics.
2nd @stratman3142 - Elevator - your usual scarily-good composition!  Moves along nicely, develops gradually, keeps interest throughout, and polished / mixed perfectly (to my ears).
3rd @Petepassion - I'm hearing this as the unreleased home demo track on the super deluxe edition of the album on which it's developed into a stunning track.  There's a job for you for the next challenge


Liner Notes

I think I included some of this background in the preceding thread. 

The lyrics for Intoxication were written by a girl who was a friend and probably could / should have been more, back in the day when we were teenagers. She wrote and gave me a few songs, which I re-found a couple of years ago when going through some old boxes of stuff which I'd somehow managed to keep for all those years.  I didn't really read and fully comprehend the lyrics at the time, but it's scary now to think that they were written by a teenage girl. Sally, from Sandbach in the 70s/80s, that's you!

Hopefully the music suits the lyrics.

Petepassion

First place...Thecolourbox, What I want
Second...Stratman, Elevator music
Third...Midiman...Flying over land

Thecolourbox...nice, should be signed. I would've put both songs in the top three, but I think that would be a bit unfair to the others.
Nice one folks.

thecolourbox

Very flattered by the lovely comments, thank you so much. I'm under no illusions about being anything other than an enthusiastic amateur but it's always nice to have some feedback of any sort (unless it's the type my family give haha). I made a decision after "over producing" the songs on my attempt at an EP to put the chords and melody first, the music rather than the polish, so i'm much more productive and my lack of playing chops (and production sills!) doesn't present so much of a problem. It's nice to find approaches that work with my annoying brain and it's enjoyable even if the process only results in half recorded bare bones demos. 

that's really fascinating Ttony about the origin of your lyrics, very good lyrics for a teenager! When I was that age i was writing poetry and lyrics which, looking back, ranged from Awful to Painful. You did the words justice with a great tune and arrangement. (PS the electric version of Wait is on the internet but won't share it here in case it prejudices the considerations!)

Habanero

Good to see a rise in the number of entries and some new faces. Very difficult to separate.

5pts: @thecolourbox (What I Want)

3pts: @midiman1962 ;

1pts: @Petepassion - you should definitely do a full produced version

midiman1962

My votes 
5 points @thecolourbox - what I want- minimal production but song sentiment and structure good 
3 points @TTony - again I liked the spacey production- less is more with some keys buried subtly in the background 
1 point @Petepassion  - just proves that a raw recording an still be interesting as was the subject matter.
Fwiw it’s nice to see “proper “ songs as opposed to the modern idiom of the same 4 chords being shouted over

stratman3142

My votes:

5 points : @thecolourbox : Wait: Nice layered acoustic. A James Taylor vibe. Lovely chords and vocals
3 points : @TTony : Sparse, spacey clear sound. Melancholy and emotive. Held my attention and drew in.
1 point : @midiman1962 : Atmospheric and hypnotic. Nice understated groove and build.

stratman3142

Voting closes tomorrow (14th Jan) at midnight.

stratman3142

Voting closes tonight at midnight.

stratman3142

Voting closed.