Month: January 2017

Broadjam Artist: Uncle Spider & The Electric Dirt Clods
Song: If Your Heart Should Get Lonely For Me

Reviewer: Nigel Barrett

Positive Comments: From me the positive comments and also the comments in the constructive criticism. Full marks for playing this in real time.

Constructive Comments: Sorry but it needs tightening up – whilst I appreciate that it’s being played for real and recorded in real time and not midi-tightened, it lacks professionalism because of this. In addition if you can improve your recording equipment that would be good. It sounds a lot like recordings I made years ago on very basic equipment. It also lacks direction musically and could benefit greatly from some punchy breaks.

Broadjam Artist: Signal 30
Song: Vapor

Reviewer: Simon Finn

Positive Comments: This song is just some doodling on an electronic keyboard. The same 2 chords are played over an over with a multitude of melodic improvisations in string sound over the top. Sorry, but there isn’t enough here to review. This is not a song.

Constructive Comments: You have only one idea here and you need to break up your arrangement with different ideas.

Broadjam Artist: Osea Codega
Song: Icy eyes

Reviewer: Simon Finn

Positive Comments: This really surprised me. Your introduction was terrible but as soon as the arrangement shifted the verse I was taken in. Your voice is mysterious and balanced perfectly with the simple chords of your verse. I loved the chorus too – it started from the same chord but went in a nice different direction. Plenty hooks here..and the vocalist is telling such a story that the lyrics work well too.

Constructive Comments: You need a better introduction for sure – it has nothing to with the rest of the song and doesn’t help announce its arrival. Also – if you’ve produced this yourself – your instrumental parts aren’t exactly in time or the same swing pattern and need better quantising..the plano and drum parts particularly. This will improve it immeasurably.

Broadjam Artist: Bob Nesom
Song: I’m Sorry

Reviewer: Simon Finn

Positive Comments: This song has a simple and recognisable structure to it which helps this listener follow the story. I like the guitar in the hook in the chorus, and felt that it had an appropriate lift. You have a standard band arrangement here that works well, but that perhaps could have better recorded.

Constructive Comments: I wanted to hear a better lyric hook over the guitar hook that would give the song an identity, lyrically. “i’m sorry” is a bit too well-worn to be original.

Broadjam Artist: N.Jones, Music Designer (Protilius Productions)
Song: I was doing alright (vocal piano solo demo)

Reviewer: Simon Finn

Positive Comments: The first two verses get off to a great start here – it sound like a song from a theatre show or musical. Lovely to hear the vocalist soar over the top as the piano descends. This has a nice feel to it.

Constructive Comments: Too many cliches in the lyrics – rainbows are difficult things to write about. I feel, considering the need for bitterness in the lyrics you could have dug deeper for something a bit sharper. The first verses are great – but the bridge – the second containing the lyric “blunder” really are much weaker and I’d consider a re-write of this whole section. It might be the arrangement, but it’s very difficult for the ear to follow where you are going lyrically or harmonically at that point, whereas the rest has a gentle ease to it which is pleasing to follow.

Broadjam Artist: N.Jones, Music Designer (Protilius Productions)
Song: The anatomy of hope and fear #14 Captivated

Reviewer: Zeiko

Positive Comments: Great piano song, extremely well played and with very nice melodies!

Constructive Comments: Nothing to change, well done!

Broadjam Artist: HarryBudini
Song: The Latest Goodbye

Reviewer: Simon Finn

Positive Comments: Nice use of familiar chords in an interesting way….but it meant that the song meandered a lot, it was hard to know where you wanted the hook to be, or which hook was your priority. The singer’s voice didn’t match the rather traditional and delicate arrangement which was nice in places…

Constructive Comments: Consider recording with a different vocalist – perhaps a female voice?

Broadjam Artist: Charlie Shock
Song: ANYTHING, ANYONE, ANYTIME

Reviewer: Simon Finn

Positive Comments: I really enjoyed this. You take a simple hook and build up nicely around it. I couldn’t hear all the lyrics in the chorus, but I had total confidence by that point that you the lyrics were assured and weren’t corny. The song has a clear structure and the lyric mood matches the structure. The parts are well played and rhythmic and this was the first song I reviewed today that wanted to listen to again. Nicely edited too – love the way the song ends..short and sweet. Well done!

Constructive Comments: My only criticism is that the mix of the song is too top heavy and it lacks some mids and some bass certainly for a track with this rock flavour.

Broadjam Artist: Delta Burnett Reed
Song: Slow Hand

Reviewer: Simon Finn

Positive Comments: This is not an original song but a cover of The Pointer Sisters’ “Slow Hand”

Constructive Comments: Not an original song for review.

Broadjam Artist: Uncle Spider & The Electric Dirt Clods
Song: Don’t Run Anymore / Pop Alternative

Reviewer: Simon Finn

Positive Comments: There is the hint of a hook at the beginning, and there are some good ideas scattered throughout the song.

Constructive Comments: Arrangement – needs work – just a drum machine and a guitar gives no “light and shade”. The recording of the guitar is not rhythmically in time with the drum either, leaving the listener feeling uneasy. Harmonically there is too much time spent on the main tonic chord. This, combined with the unvaried arrangement means that the listen soon loses interest. Try working with a collaborator who is good at song editing, or try this with words in order to give the whole thing some structure.