ifc7-reviews-07-Jens

INTRA-FORUM CONTEST #7

CRITIQUES OF JENS' SONG

MORE THAN A CLICHÉ

JUDGE	RATING	COMMENTS
01-Iggy		Strong Points: The arranging, production, and playing on the track were excellent Chord changes were both unique and interesting. A noticeable change with the bridge. Weak Points: Flat Vocals. There was no discernable melody. Another song with vocals going with chord changes. I could not hum it after hearing it. Summary: The song probably was not showcased at its best due to the vocals. Additionally the lack of understanding of the lyrics, on my part, did not help.
06-Bobbio		Good idea...nice title....kind of a Bacharach melody, but I think it sounded a bit too familiar,,,,nice piano work...the bridge works well going in and out...I think playing this as a live track without synth would make it more interesting...
06-Todd		From the outset, I loved the instrumental groove; don't know Danish, but the song has an intimate feel. Really great atmosphere and very talented keyboard work.
10-Kneena		A VELVETY VALENTINE
04-Markus		I love the intro and the outro! Did you say you played non of the instruments but you did some MIDI-programming? If so, then I wonder how you managed to get that natural sounding instrumentation. Great work! It reminds me to some songs that are performed in saturday night tv shows. A chanson or as we would say in german, "ein Schlager". O.k., your vocals do not really support the song :-), but it is o.k. for giving us an imagination how the melody is supposed to be. I like the lyrics (the english ones, 'cause the danish ones I can not understand :-) Good work on harmonies and instrumentation!
02-Nancy G. Firefly		Jens, I totally love your song. I wish I could speak and understand Danish, but I can't. I can feel your song deep inside. I really dig your chords and love the lyrics. This would make a great lounge song, you know...in a beautiful place just you and your piano playing to an audience of class. Thank you for sharing the sounds of your heart!
11-Dave C		I liked the Danish version . I can imagine sitting in a small dinner theater somewhere in Europe. The song is harmonically complex relative to the R&R I listen to and the melody is pleasing. WRT the English version, I found the choice of words distracting at times (translation?). For example: "Is it enough to be a loving girl to save us all from evil dreams that wait in a world that never seems to care for love that´s living in the shade?" . the thought runs-on and it seams like an awkward way to present the sentiment (at least to my ears). I have one comment about the harmony and melody. The chords you play and the notes you sing during "Yes she´s the clue and merely passing through" (what ever that means) are a very tired cliché. Also, please find a different percussion sound(s), it sounds like a metronome.
08-Kris S		Jens: Take this review with a grain of salt. I looked for your english version but could not find it, so I have no comment to make on the lyrics. As to the song, it reminded me a lot of a song you'd hear in an elevator. But of course that might be exactly what you were trying to do....and if so bravo. I had a hard time following the melody of the song because it seems to change quite often. Musically you are obviously a talented keyboard player and know how to use the tools in your studio. Keep on writing..and don't let my words slow you down.
09-Peter M		I could not open the Danish version, only the English version. I loved the sound of this. Belle & Sebastian meets Mike Flowers Pops. Kind of like elevator music but with a clunky texture to it. The juxtaposition of the florid and the clunky pianos in the solo part was classic. Your voice is pretty interesting. Not what I'd call good (join the club) and obviously not professionally trained, but totally different. It sounded like you were stumbling over the English a bit, but that actually endeared me to the song more. I don't know what kind of reception a demo like this is going to get, but the song is original and different. There are a lot of niches out there and you would be surprised It says here you are not a singer (I believe that) but obviously you can play the piano. Lyric-wise, I am not sure what this song is about in the context of the Valentine's Day theme. It struck me as more of a "peace song" about God (using the female pronoun). If that's wrong then I have no a jot of idea what it's about. Mixing the polished with the awkward gives you a fresh sound, and my advice would be to plumb and cultivate this. Develop yourself as a musician, put together a live performance technique and then go out and find your audience. Not everyone will like this, but there is an audience out there
03-Brian		It sounds like an old pop standard & I mean that in a good way. Yes the vocals were a little flat in places & I also felt some of the word choices were a bit strained but I figure it's because of the translation. I was surprised at how much of it still rhymed after translation. I liked the chord changes & the melody although I think the vocals kind of "hid" the melody a bit. It IS an easy listening catagory tune so I'm thinking it sounded like it should vibe-wise. It very vaguely reminds me of "McAurthur Park" just a tiny bit or "Alone Again Naturally" by Gilbert O. Sullivan. Well crafted.
91-Solpig		I don't watch a lot of TV,but we get asked to score a piece every now and then.If you lived here,I'd bring you in on 'em,cuz you have a knack for finding that piano riff that's familiar without being a rip=off. The Music and production is all aces,but the vocals(I listened to both to be fair) are a little lackluster.I read your posts,so I know you make no claims to be a vocalist. I went to your homepage about a month ago,and your music is all top-notch.You'd probably do well in film and TV scoring. I only know a few words in danish,and none I'd post here( I learned them from danish construction workers)so I don't know if the lyrics might be more cohesive in Danish.The english translation is a bit spotty. You are really a good composer,so I'll leave my judgement on the rest out. 9+ piggy