SpinTunes #10 Round 1 Reviews: The Orion Sound

Oli originally signed up to compete for this contest, when he missed the deadline & thought I'd give him a try as a guest judge.  I know he's been looking forward to giving that mean old Dr. Lindyke some low scores.  I've known Oli for years now through Minecraft AND SpinTunes.  I've enjoyed his work in past contests, and look forward to getting him involved as maybe a regular judge at some point.  Feel free to let him know how he did by sending him a Tweet: @theorionsound.

- Spin

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Hi, I’m Oli AKA TheOrionSound and I’ll be your reviewer for the day. Due to me actually having a valid reason for not getting my songs in on time for once, Spin graciously asked me to review your musical creations. If any of you have heard my stuff before, you may already know and/or dislike me. That opinion of me may change as you read my deep insights of your hard work or it may not; it makes no different to me. (Although if you do like what I have to say you should totally subscribe to my YouTube channel, this review is prime advertising space!)

Anyway, my review will be based on 4 categories scored out of 10. The score you receive overall will be averaged to a score out of 10.00 and that’ll be my ranking. It’s simple and easy and uses maths so no one can complain that I’m eclectic or bad at reviewing. If metacritic can do it in their poorly guided ways then so can I!

For reference, I like songs based on how they sound, and I'm not one to favour technically fantastic songs as long as I find them entertaining. Bear that in mind with my review.

The 4 categories will be as follows;
Amount I like the sound - If it sounds good to my ears then I will review it highly. If it bores me, then I’ll mark it low
Amount I like the lyrics - I like humour and somewhat offensive songs, but I also like actually good lyrics as much as the next man/woman (no sexism here today; I'm so modern). If the lyrics interest and entertain me then I'll mark them highly
Amount I’m impressed by the talent shown - If the song shows off something I couldn’t do and makes me wish I had your talent then you’ll get a high mark on this. This could be based on recording skill or raw talent of the musician. This may also be my hitlist for when I go on a global killing to rid the world of all talented competition!
My personal feelings - Generic and subjective factor where I will pick a song based on how it feels to me. Take it or leave it, it matters not to me, for I am the omnipowerful and omnipresent judge!
(Also Beth my PA is going to listen with me to prevent me from getting too power mad with my scoring. It makes sense).
There will also be bonus points at the end; the judging is as follows:

Dex01 – Get Together:
Sound: Too slow, and the chord pattern was too repetitive- needed something more jazzy in the chorus to liven it up, otherwise listeners will just fall asleep. Beth is asleep now 2.9
Lyrics: Just too corny and bland for my tastes without anything particularly notable; some rhymes weren't awful but a lot were 3.6
Talent: It was in tune. The guitar didn’t sound bad, wasn’t too poorly recorded but nothing particularly notable again. 3.8
Oli: It just wasn’t my thing. I like catchy songs. Im sure you can do better 2.5
Overall: 3.2

Pete Murphy - (I Wanna) Get It On With You
Sound: Liked the sound from the beginning. Vocals aren’t amazing but the instrumentals make this song much better than it could be with lesser editing. The chorus fits really well after the verse too. Reminds me a lot of Maroon 5. I like Maroon 5. 8.1
Lyrics: Sensual. I’m aroused. In all seriousness, not amazing lyrics but good enough to keep me entertained. Lot of repetition though. Not bad, but could be better. 6.9
Talent: Well edited and recorded; sounded like a song youd hear on the radio. Your singing isn’t the best but truly im jealous of your production capability 7.2
Oli: Very strong start to this year’s competition. I would get it on with you. I liked the random grunts. 6.5
Overall: 7.2

Jurek Mika - The Mood For You
Sound: I don’t like the intro speech, but nice bassy follow up to bring it back. I was expecting much worse, and the bass really brings this song to life. It’s exceptionally erotic life. 6.9
Lyrics: Jesus Christ. I laughed a lot but these lyrics are truly awful. This gets a low score, but you’re getting a high score in my personal judgement of this song because it reminds me of myself when I first began my Spintunes career. 2.9
Talent: In all fairness, this song’s instrumentals are well recorded, it’s just the vocals that are a tad poor, but in fairness they suited the song. But this is the talent section. So; 5.3
Oli: I love this. It’s sad how much I like this. 9.2
Overall: 6.1

Zoe Gray - Make The Most Of It
Sound: I was going to say the chords are a bit boring, but the harmonies work really well and fit with the chords perfectly so fair play to you. This song sounds great 8.1
Lyrics: These are strong lyrics. Like really good, creative and not hammed in like some others 8.9
Talent: I’m impressed by your harmonies, and your singing voice is nice. Nothing amazing technical-wise, but as I'm awful at making harmonies you can have a point for that 6.4
Oli: I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would from the title. A really nice surprise 7.8
Overall: 7.8

Charlie McCarron - If You Need To Romance
Sound: Smooth but nothing special. Too slow for my taste 5.8
Lyrics: Some nice rhymes, but corny and not interesting enough to captivate me. You get extra points for the phone humour at the end 5.8
Talent: Not much to be admired from the voice, but well edited swing. The drums fit perfectly, and as I always end up with an out of time beat, you can have a point for that 4.9
Oli: Not my cup of tea I'm afraid. I'm into more upbeat songs. Still not a bad entry though 4.5
Overall: 5.3

Ben And The AngelFish - Love’s Lost
Sound: As a pianist, I really like your playing. It drowns out the vocals, but to be honest the vocals aren’t amazing so its probably for the best. The harmonies are also pretty flat. High points for the piano but low for the song itself. 5.2
Lyrics: I’m basing this on just listening to the song, and to be frank the vocals are just too low, which means I can't properly hear or respect them. I'm sorry, but for future songs be sure to pump up the vocal volume 2.9
Talent: I'm jealous of your piano playing, and the keys are recorded really well, but unfortunately the vocals and that side of the recording really let you down. 5.6
Oli: Im obliged to give you a low score off the bat because you entered the competition to spite me but to be honest I really liked the piano. It just needed a better vocalist/ recording system for the vocals. 6.8
Overall:5.1

Governing Dynamics - Introvert Asks To Spend The Night
Sound: I like the rocky vibes; more upbeat for this challenge and definitely my kind of the thing. Also well recorded vocals; a nice husky tone to your voice. Out of tune occasionally but overall sounded good. Chorus was a tad of a let down and the solo was out of time which brought down the score. Got worse as the song progressed 6.5
Lyrics: Too generic, and a real shame when the intrumentals itself sounded quite good 4.7
Talent: Better recording capabilities than me and solid guitarwork. Nothing special but still not bad 5.8
Oli: I liked the sound, but the lyrics were just too bland to give it a great score 5.1
Overall: 5.5

Kolton H. featuring SpknSpell - Binary Love
Sound: Continuous beat and nothing special for a rap; could’ve had a more interesting hook. But still sounded slick; a solid rap 6.9
Lyrics: Reminded me of a slightly lesser ‘Bad Touch’. I appreciated all the tech references and definitely in my area, but I just feel the chorus could’ve been somewhat better. Still, for the topic chosen, much more interesting than other competitors 7.9
Talent: Clearly well made. Nothing to be jealous of on the vocal front, but the production and writing is clearly top notch. 7.1
Oli: I don’t usually like raps, but this one gained points from me for the subject material 5.9
Overall: 7.0

Domingo - Escondidas (In Secret Spanish)
Sound: Sounds very Spanish, which I imagine is what you were going for. Smooth and clean; some vocals clearly hit the threshold which ruined the clean sound of the song somewhat, but still very nice. I would passionately make love to this song. 7.1
Lyrics: It sounds nice, but I’m basing this on what I hear, and I can't understand the lyrics. Obviously this is going to make me seem like a bad judge, but tbh if I listened to a French song and was asked to judge its vocal integrity, what am I supposed to say?! 2.5
Talent: The singer is clearly talented at singing, and can speak Spanish. I can't speak Spanish, and therefore I am impressed. 6.1
Oli: Not my cup of tea for general listening, but it did fit the theme and I liked it enough to respect it. And I don’t respect many things 5.5
Overall: 5.3

Edric Haleen - 2-14-11
Sound: Clean and well made; suits the challenge pretty well. Not my cup of tea for general listening but reminds me a creepy chant. Got better towards the mid then tailed off. 5.5
Lyrics: I appreciate what you're trying to do and I did laugh occasionally. Reminds me of me when I’d just started trying to be entertaining. Got better as it progressed with the cheeky maths jokes. Got old very quickly though. My score decreased in direct correlation with the length of this song 5.8
Talent: Clearly youre a talented producer. This song unfortunately doesn’t show off your voice as much as it could, but I wish I could edit as well as you. 5.6
Oli: I liked it to start with, but it was just too slow for me to enjoy it that much. Just too long overall in my opinion 5.0
Overall: 5.5

Jutze - This Could Be The Night
Sound: Reminds me of Mr. Big’s ‘To Be With You’, which I do love. Unfortunately, the singing is just not up to par. The instrumental is very good though 6.4
Lyrics: Not awful lyrics, but still very generic. 4.5
Talent: Impressive instrumental work, but your voice could do with a lot of work 5.0
Oli: I liked this to start with, but I got more sad the more I realised it wasn’t 'To Be With You' 5.5
Overall: 5.4

Taylor Rundell - Make A Move
Sound: Grabbed me from the start with saw hook, but the vocals let down what could be a quite good song. Theres just too many songs like this in this round and it didn’t sound as catchy as those, when it really could’ve been. The second chorus boosted your score considerably though coz the guitar and tamboring made it 100x better! 6.3
Lyrics: Pretty generic, but that seems to be a running theme with this round 5.2
Talent: Good instrumental recording and clear editing talent, but poor vocals 5.5
Oli: I liked the sound of it a lot, especially the late choruses, but the lyrics and vocals bring down its score. I would listen to it again though, which is high praise 6.2
Overall: 5.8

Melissa Leona - Rocking In The Waves
Sound: The piano was interesting, but not as good as Ben And The Angelfishes’, but when the drums came in I liked it a hella lot more. It grabbed me and it was unexpected. The vocals would be much better if they were better recorded; they static on the highs and loud parts way too much and it ruins the song. A shame. 5.3
Lyrics: Same as many other competitors, nothing unique but not awful 5.2
Talent: This girl clearly has talent at singing and harmonising, but the vocal recording is just a let down. However, the isntrumentals and the Melissa’s get a high score in this category 6.5
Oli: I heard a car when you said ‘take me for a ride’ I laughed at this and I don’t know why but you get points for it. Do more subtle stuff, its cute. 6.0
Overall: 5.8

Ross Durand - I Wish
Sound: Reminds me of Neil Diamond, and good Neil Diamond at that. Could be better recorded, but I did like the sound of this song a lot; the guitar and the vocals compliment each other perfectly 7.0
Lyrics: Nice lyrics, and somewhat better than the usual generic stuff from this round because they fit better with the song. Still not amazing, but better than normal 5.6
Talent: Impressive guitar playing and voice. Again; nothing amazing, but nice enough to be impressed 5.6
Oli: My father likes Neil Diamond. I kind of like him, but this song wouldn’t be my favourite. Still, a nice enough song 5.3
Overall: 5.9

Pigfarmer Jr - Hold You Tonight
Sound: Another person that reminded me of generic Neil Diamond, but with less impressive vocals. Some of the guitar sounds nice but nothing particularly special 5.0
Lyrics: Too generic to come from a guy called Pigfarmer Jr 4.9
Talent: Nothing too great unfortunately. Guitar and vocals to an average standard, and not recorded amazingly. 4.9
Oli: I expected more from Pigfarmer Jr and was let down. Just too generic 3.9
Overall: 4.7

Brian Gray - Just You And Me
Sound: Nothing special, but a lovely voice. Out of time drums occasionally, which is sad 5.5
Lyrics: These lyrics were solid and I liked them a lot 7.2
Talent: Ok editing but not as impressive as some others. Really soothing singing voice though, and the lyric work is impressive 6.1
Oli: I liked the chorus a lot, but not something I'd listen to on repeat. 6.1
Overall: 6.2

David J - Language Of Love 
Sound: Too generic, boring and repetitive chord progression for me to enjoy this song 3.6
Lyrics: I understood some of the humour, but my knowledge of the language means some of the easy jokes are lost on me. Albeit, I appreciate the effort, and I liked the use of tower of babel with the song topic; cheeky rhyme. 6.2
Talent: Eclectic editing, and somewhat out of time recording. Voice isn’t great. I appreciate the creativity with the topic though 5.4
Oli: Just not to my tastes; albeit I appreciate the direction you attempted to take this song 5.0
Overall: 5.1

James Young - In The Dark Of The Night
Sound: Liked it from the beginning; the rock being a nice change to the usual acoustic romantic stuff. Also a very solid rock voice, Alice Cooper-esque, staying in tune. I actually like this a surprising amount 6.3
Lyrics: For a rock song, these aren’t bad lyrics. Different again to the generic, and I appreciate that 5.6
Talent: Clearly good production work and I like your rock voice. Impressive guitar work too. 5.8
Oli: I liked this a lot, it just sounded so good after so many acoustic songs in a row. For a kind of serious song, this is good in my books 6.8
Overall: 6.1

Dreiviertal Drei - Gag Reflex
Sound: From the title I expected to be interested. The beginning let me down from that expectiation, but I got into it when the first guitar started. Just too drawn out though Still, I do love an accent. 4.9
Lyrics: I of course appreciate the attempted humour being me, but the song just doesn’t suit it, the humour is just too slow. Still, some funny rhymes, better than the generic stuff 5.6
Talent: Erm. The editing work is good, but in regards to humour theres nothing here that’s particularly special. Nice try 5.0
Oli: My kind of thing and I liked the attempt but I just don’t like the song itself; it just sounds too slow. I appreciated the punch line though, ya silly wee scots 5.7
Overall: 5.3

Ominous Ride - Open Your Fire
Sound: The verse reminds me of 'Kiss From A Rose', but the vocals sound like an attempted Ninja Sex Party. Takes too long to get to the chorus, but when it comes it pretty solid 5.1
Lyrics: Good lyrics on the the chorus, but pretty meh otherwise. Still, better than generic as per usual repeated too much 5.2
Talent: Impressive guitar work and editing, and not awful singing. I feel like you could be a lot better than this with different lyric writers. 5.1
Oli: Eh, reminds me of me. But I don’t like me at the best of time, and this could be a lot better if theyre going to attempt to cover the topic like this. Also felt too long 4.8
Overall: 5.1

Jailhouse Payback - Another Line
Sound: Love the sound of this song from the intro, and it almost carries the bounciness along throughout. Just wish they'd kept the harmonica from the intro 5.5
Lyrics: Interesting take lyrically, but still nothing amazing 5.3
Talent: The singing and harmonies are solid, and the editing is technically good. 5.4
Oli: I enjoyed this, but it didn’t stand out particularly. I won't remember it. 5.5
Overall: 5.4

Atom & EV - Tarzan And Jane
Sound: Surprisingly catchy for a song with monkey noises. Not amazingly great sounding, but it get stuck in your head 5.7
Lyrics: I liked them; some pretty meh rhymes, and the jokes get old, but for the topic they were fine 5.4
Talent: I wouldn’t say that the singer or editing is amazing, but I like the creativity in topic choice and commitment to the joke 5.2
Oli: I like monkeys. Theyre a good animal. Strong and reliable, and this song is pretty strong and reliable sounding too. It suits the theme. 5.9
Overall: 5.6

Gorbzilla And The Gorbzookies - First Kiss
Sound: Too slow and repetitive for my liking; just too boring 3.8
Lyrics: Too generic, more so than the average song 4.5
Talent: Good editing, and the singing isn’t awful, but nothing to write home about (if I were willing to write home in general about an online music competition. Or write home in general. I’d probably text if anything). 4.9
Oli: I heard the slow beat and saw the 5 minute length, and immediately was put off. The song didn’t do anything to rectify this 2.5
Overall: 4.0

Dr Lindyke featuring Cherry Pi - Date Night
Sound: Jazzy and catchy, suits the topic attempted to be. Great singing on both parts, kept me entertained throughout. 9.0
Lyrics: Lyrics; the kind of humour I like; on point. I don’t like the rhyme with ‘Happy’ in the chorus though; it annoys me enough to lower the score. 7.0
Talent: Great editing work, singing, topic. Solid work. This is the kind of song I’d like to make if I got my work in on time 8.0
Oli: MY first ever reviewer on Spintunes. I was very sad with what you said. But now I’m reviewing you and I have the power. Hahahahahahahahahahaa
But in all seriousness, a great song. The only issue I had was the last line of the chorus, and that doesn’t detract from how solid this song was 8.9
Overall: 8.2 (You were never this nice to me. Damn you and your brilliant music.)

Army Defense - Sexiest Sex
Sound: The song was just too messy sounding for my tastes; it didn’t sound bad and still sounded better than some of the acoustic bland songs heard previously, but not to my taste 5.2
Lyrics: I appreciate the effort with Sexiest Sex as a line. As a proprieter of rhyming the lyrics ‘pixel’ with ‘dixel’ however, I feel I have the right to judge. But still, the rest of the lines were pretty poor. 4.9
Talent: Obviously some base talent on editing but nothing amazing. 4.8
Oli: I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to from the title 5.1
Overall: 5

The Boffo Yux Dudes - I Can't Get Enough
Sound: This is way to sensual for me to handle. This sounds like what sex is. Then the chorus happened. You should keep the deep voice edited for every song you do. It makes a meh song good. 6.0
Lyrics: The humour to start with was funny, but the chorus was a bit of a let down. But sexy man voice lyrics and tone work perfectly. Albeit, it would’ve got old without the chorus so I understand your choice. 5.9
Talent: Ok editing, but the talent here is in the creativity of the song; the direction of choice was perfect and I wish I’d thought of this. 6.5
Oli: I came. Scrub me down anytime 8.5
Overall: 6.7

Megalodon - Can’t Weight
Sound: I like the chord progressions used, but it doesn’t sound great due to bad harmonies. Also the singing isn’t fantastic but that cant be helped. The sax near the end gave you points as there was significantly missing sax in a romance round 5.7
Lyrics: Better lyrics than some; some nice rhymes to the beat 5.3
Talent: Ok editing, but poor harmonising and average vocals 4.8
Oli: Interesting take on the topic but nothing special 4.9
Overall: 5.2

Emperor Gum - Tianjin
Sound: Like the brass used, but still too slow and bland for my taste 5.2
Lyrics: Bland and generic, like many of the songs. Not as good a take on the language aspect as others, albeit still a step up from other’s lyrics in the competition 5.3
Talent: Sounded nice and good editing, but nothing special on the vocals this time around 4.9
Oli: Just too slow for me; unfortunately not a fan 4.7
Overall: 5

Ben Taggart - The Story Of Us
Sound: Reminds me way too much of 'Wherever You Will Go' just from the chord progression, but doesn’t match up to that song’s epicness. Just too slow, and no noticeable chorus to keep me hooked. Some out of tune sections that put me off from listening further 4.3
Lyrics: Cute but generic 5.4
Talent: Not an awful singer, but nothing special to note 4.9
Oli: Not a bad take on the topic, but it’s not a song that I would call seductive as the challenge suggests 4.5
Overall: 4.8

Adam Sakellarides - All I Wanna Do
Sound: Beat is good. Hooked from the beginning. Sufficiently sexy sounding. Chorus reminds me of the beatles. A cheap beatles, but still beatles. 6.2
Lyrics: I like where you went with the song. The lyrics are well made, albeit sometimes don’t fit the beat very well. The joke does get old quite quickly though. I did however like the last line 5.9
Talent: I like the sound of the song, but neither the editing or vocals were particularly amazing 5.0
Oli: Pretty solid song, I enjoyed it. Expected something different and was pleasantly surprised 5.8
Overall: 5.8

The Ken Kesey Fan Club - How To Seduce Women
Sound: Sounds like death. Luckily what you do with it makes it somewhat listenable 3.5
Lyrics: I like what you tried to do here. It’s as dumb as what I’d do. Fair play 6.6
Talent: Poorly recorded, and not great singing or guitar work. But I imagine you know that 3.1
Oli: I enjoyed this more than I should; this is the guilty pleasure of spintunes songs. 7.0
Overall: 5.1

"BucketHat" Bobby - Glad You Came
Sound: Sounds pretty awful. A take at jazzy but failing. Just doesn’t turn me on. I'm sorry. 4.5
Lyrics: Better than generic, but still not amazing. I appreciate what you attempted to do 5.3
Talent: Pretty poor across the board, but ok editing and production. 4.7
Oli: I didn’t enjoy this, but I appreciated the deep philosophical message you were attempting to get across. 4.9
Overall: 4.9

Mariah Mercedes - As Charming As You
Sound: Solid guitar work; extremely good voice, the chorus is catchy enough to keep me entertained 7.3
Lyrics: Pretty good and creative in the take on the topic 6.1
Talent: Great singing, well edited, sounds good and creatively sound 6.5
Oli: Youre an amazing singer. We should hang out sometime. Or write a song or something #callme2k15 7.1
Overall: 6.8

Bonus Points:
Favourite song of the set +1.0: Jurek Mika +1.0 (Because it deserves it)
First Reviewed: +1.0: Dex01 (as I always judge first the harshest)
Most Unique Take +1.0 Atom & EV (Because I should have thought of it) (honourable mention to binary love)
Challenge Best Met +1.0 Dr. Lindyke ft. Cherry Pi (Because that’s the point and they hit it well)
Challenge Least Met -1.0: Ben And The Angelfish (Because you don’t seduce a person with this song)

Top Tier:
9.2 Dr Lindyke
7.8 Zoe Gray
7.2 Pete Murphy
7.1 Jurek Mika
7.0 Kolton H
6.8 Mariah Mercedes

Middle of the Pack:
6.7 Boffo Yux Dudes
6.6 Atom & EV
6.2 Brian Gray
6.1 James Young
5.9 Ross Durand
5.8 Taylor Rundell
5.8 Melissa Leona
5.8 Adam Sakellarides
5.5 Governing Dynamics
5.5 Edric Haleen
5.4 Jutze
5.4 Jailhouse Payback
5.3 Charlie McCarron
5.3 Domingo
5.3 Dreiviertal Drei
4.2 Dex 01
5.2 Megalodon
5.1 David J
5.1 Ominous Ride
5.1 The Ken Kesey Fan Club
5.0 Army Defence
5.0 Emperor Gum

Bottom Tier:
4.9 Julian And The Self
4.9 Buckethead Bobby
4.8 Ben Taggart
4.7 Pigfarmer Jr
4.1 Ben And The Angelfish
4.0 Gorbzilla