| NBT Songs on Trial  What makes a song work, what strange magic within its rhythms touches our pleasure centers, our emotions and make us want to sigh and sometimes dance. Or alternatively what is it in a song that drives us crazy, brings us down, hits the irritable nerve spot on?
A panel of fine thinkers and people of passion gather here every month to dissect and investigate, to crawl through the soul of the track and reveal its giddy beating heart.
This is the antidote to the soulless petty and spiteful teams and panels we endure on those idols and x factor and our country ‘has talent’ tortures and crimes committed in the name of commerce and entertainment.
The Song For June is
Slip Away -Kevin Lee and the Kings
 The track can be heard on the NBt website
(after the intro Click on the '#Just want to look around# text, it will take u thru to next page)
and on the artist's webpage
(Guitarist, singer for the passionate New York Rock adventurers Gee Davey )
It’s so nice to hear just a good pop song again. Maybe I’m just in one of those moods, but I like everything about it. And I truly thought I liked it when I first heard it, but that was a few days ago. It wasn’t until a few hours ago while cleaning up in the backyard that I realized the song I was singing was this one. And I’ve always believed that the mark of a good song is any song that sticks with the listener way after they’ve heard it. So, kudos! It has certainly done that for me.
Now for the critical… (and it’s not even so much about the song)… I wonder what the market for this will be. The last time I heard a catchy pop-song like this it was for some ill-fated network TV show. You certainly wouldn’t hear it on radio, not around here anyway, and let’s face it, how many slots are there, really, to be the theme song for “Friends” -and yes, this reminds me a lot of “I’ll be there for you”. Maybe a soundtrack/licensing company is the way to go here… like crucial or youlicense, or maybe even a run via taxi or music gorilla? I’d hate to see it go unnoticed, like all the other good music I find lately. :o(
(Web content writer, designer and social media trainer for small businesses and solo professionals)
Sounds like a perfectly crafted pop/rock song! The opening drum roll immediately caught my attention and I loved the introductory pounding guitar chords and thumping bass.
The vocals are strong, never overshadowed by the instruments and backing vocals blend smoothly on the catchy choruses. I liked the slick lead guitar breaks that come in midway adding to the robust energy of the song.
In no time at all my toes were a-tapping and I felt compelled to join in at the chorus. In fact, it was as if I’d known this song all my life. And that’s the reason why I like this song, I appreciate its craftsmanship, but I don’t love it.
While it oozes confidence and professionalism on every level, it’s too slick for my liking, too familiar. And despite singing about a relationship that’s slipping away, I guess it sounded too jolly and wholesome for my taste.
(South African Guitarist/songwriter music activist played for the NBT regulars Colour Cold)
Love the intro…BAM and you know its gonna be good! I really like the melody lines from both the vocal and guitars. Nice feel to the song, it definitely has that something that people will respond to and remember. I just want to love this song all the way through; it is honest, simple and catchy.
But wait, there is something I absolutely must say. The drums could have made a massive difference to this song. All the pauses, guitar lines, softer dynamic in the vocal etc. are beautifully placed but the drums just carry on and on with the same beat and the same attack that you miss all the great things that are happening in the song. The first breath that the drums take to relieve the song of its tension is in the bridge, but if this could happen before the chorus or even within the verses to flow with the song or create the vibe of the given lyric or guitar lines – WOW. I think this will also help the chorus stand out and not sound so much like an extension of the verse. All songs need that bit of tension build up and release, it is what makes you want to listen to a song again and again, so try playing with this idea and see if it works for you. Great song!
(Reclusive writer and composer from the farmlands of Galway Ireland)
This is an extremely well crafted piece of summer rock pop. It has the feel of a less mannered Bryan Adams or a slightly more polished Kings Of Leon, without their artificial attempts to be down and dirty country rockers for kids who wouldn’t buy a country rock song if their life depended on it. It doesn’t really do anything for me, it doesn’t have that ‘difference’ that would keep me up at night, BUT my 15 year old daughter could easily buy this as a much loved present for her boyfriend, and I would rather hear this on the charts than a lot of the much much blander stuff already there.
The Song (a demo) For April is :
Secrets - Vanishing Angels
the track can be heard here
To stay with the Aliens movie quotes lets get started and 'lets rock!'
(Web content writer, designer and social media trainer for small businesses and solo professionals)
I really like this song – with its catchy tune and uptempo beat it makes me want to get up and dance. It brought back fantastic flashbacks of South African “Alternative” clubs in the 80s and early 90s. Dark, intense places filled with artistic outcasts; definitely an alternative universe to the sunny and brutal one outside.
The sound is definitely reminiscent of 80s New Wave/ Synth Pop – I can hear strains of New Order, Human League and Ultravox. The vocals are quite haunting, calming and fresh – I could do with having them brought up a notch or two as they are a bit drowned out by the drums and synthesiser at the moment. At first I couldn’t make out any of the lyrics but when I listened closely I realised it’s a love song of sorts.
The overall impression of the song is that it’s dark and brooding, the introduction is particularly ominous. This seems a bit at odds with the lyrics I could hear – “I never thought I’d be this happy” and “Something inside of me wants this love to last forever…” as the vocals are tinged with sadness and also have a slight automaton effect because of the synth backing. I wondered if this was intentional. Perhaps that’s the point, the love in this song is doomed. But never mind that – just dance!
(South African Guitarist/songwriter music activist played for the NBT regulars Colour Cold)
I am not a fan of or know anything about Dance/Electronica music, and even I am able to listen to this track a few times. There is a cool, continuous sweeping vibe that catches my inner rhythm as the music passes through the 3 minutes effortlessly. The song both starts and ends nicely, and the vocals sound refreshing. This is very different to anything I have heard from a new artist in SA so bravo for the originality! I enjoyed the samples used, although I would have liked to have heard more variation in the accents and placement of these samples. I think it is easy to “forget” that you are listening to the song so maybe try to find something that can draw the listener in using a dynamic change or sample variation. For the most part, I think it will go down nicely in a club setting and for an unmastered demo, it really sounds pretty good. – I am not familiar with this genre so I will leave it at that, but good luck and I wish you all the best!
(An American singer/songwriter who now lives and loves in Switzerland)
This song has a very uplifting energy. It’s easy on the ears, flowing along, skipping along down the sunny street. the vocals are too low in the mix for me to fully understand the lyrics -- but I do hear "I never thought I’d be this happy" and "I just want us to be together" which suggests the song's lyrical message is playfully, perhaps wistfully positive. It’s an easy, refreshing voice that's complementary to this song's groove and electric energy. The song is pleasingly reminiscent of Human League and Yaz...(Yazoo to us non Americans! Martin NBT editor) but I do hope to hear the vocals much more out front - and I believe that some thickly layered harmonies on the melodic line of the chorus will bring this energy home! I can imagine this song played loud on a dance floor packed with trance/techno dancers. :)
(Guitarist, singer for the passionate New York Rock adventurers Gee Davey )
The vocals on it are by far and away the best part of this song. They are soft and sweet and remind me of the first time I heard Sade. That being said, they don’t take any risk with the vocal lines, maybe that’s by design in this particular song, but with a “showcase-able” vocal like this, it really needs to sound less like an instrument in the song and more like that thing out front, that thing that defines a great singer. Actually, I’m listening to it as I’m writing this, and I think I just put my finger on it – it sounds to me like the whole thing is a backing track, and the vocals that are there are just backing vocals, albeit, really good ones. I would argue that if you put a smokin’ lead vocal on this, and cut down on the instrumental breaks, there might really be something here… think the vocal trade-offs of classic Linkin Park, even though the styles are vastly different, the tact is the same.
(From Austria, composer, singer of wry witty ballads of heartache and desire)
I personally don't like the techno/synthie-sounds used on the song very much, but that's a matter of taste, I guess. I think that the song will benefit from real drums and a natural bass. Actually I think that an upright bass would suit the song a lot. The melody of the song is ok, but nothing special, really. For me there is a huge problem with the song: It simply does not build up. Instead it always falls back into long instrumental parts that try to build up again. A chorus is missing in my opinion. Other than that I like the approach, but to really stand out there should be a refrain and also some more unusual and original arrangements / instruments. Imagine the same song with an upright bass, heavy beats combined with real crisp drums, spiced up with some electronic parts. It could easily stand out from the crowd. I know that one should ignore the mix, but I can't resist to give the good advice to increase the volume on the vocal track.
(Reclusive writer and composer from the farmlands of Galway Ireland)
I think this demo has great potential as a moody atmospheric pop gothic tune. The production so far is subtle and I like the snippets of melody that float in and out as the track progresses. The final product’s success will rest on the vocal integration, (I can well imagine the girls lovely voice looped into fine harmonies here.) All in all, I like this and I think the mix of dance-floor groove and dark dramatics gel very well.
The Song For March is:
In A Flying Dream – Bill Price
The track can be heard here
Ok lets get it on! (as Private Hudson in the Aliens movie would say!)
(An American singer/songwriter who now lives and loves in Switzerland)
Really nice production! Super sweet, natural hook. lovely and surreal vision of flying dream - everyone can relate to this, yet there is nothing cliché here. The lyrics are smart, artistic, surprising and, toward the end of the song, sweetly romantic which drew me in even more, personally. Really pretty guitar and strings, a handsome and real vocal... i would love to hear more from this artist.
(Guitarist, singer for the passionate New York Rock adventurers Gee Davey )
The first thing that grabs me about the song is its similarity to Elvis’ “Allison” which is probably good & bad – good because that’s a really good song, but bad because I spent a lot of time waiting for the elements of that song to appear, that melodic guitar line, the more prominent drums, etc. I think this song is a beautiful song, and well tracked, but I think it lacks that “thing” that I’m waiting for the song to achieve. Originally, I thought it could be the chorus, but since both chorus sections are doubled up, they just end up feeling too long, and not the thing I can’t wait to hear again. At the risk of sounding formulaic, I would suggest the following, just as a sound experiment, to see if it achieves what I’m looking for: verse, chorus (but only 1), quick into 2nd verse, chorus (again, only 1), and then that sweet guitar thing currently sitting around 1:30 into a final chorus, doubled if you must, but bring something else to the table there, bigger drums, a crash cymbal, vocal harmonies, anything to really bring it home. I think it’s all there, but take me on this journey a little more by making me really want the part that’s coming next.
(From Austria, composer, singer of wry witty ballads of heartache and desire)
It's a simple, pure, honest, relaxing and really beautiful song; the style reminded me a bit of Bob Dylan but also Andrew Bird sometimes. I still was hoping for a second verse or at least a different string variation on the chorus. The sound character of the song is soft and smooth. Guitars, drums and strings sound great and are played very well, very emotional, too. I loved the little playful touches of the guitar especially. The dynamics is well used throughout the song. Vocals sound honest. There is no superficial vocal acting or posing here. I could hear that the pitching isn't always right, but I think that the style fits the song on the other hand
(South African Guitarist/songwriter music activist played for the NBT regulars Colour Cold)
I liked the beginning of the intro; it is simple and sets the song up nicely to let me know that I am listening to a ballad. Not too mad about the ending with the one acoustic chord and the immediate vocal into the first verse, it may just simply be that the chord is too pushy (too loud). I think the strings added to the song in the chorus, I would have liked to have heard a better transition between verse and chorus, as well as more variation in the melody. The song craft (verse, chorus and all that) is there but the song itself is very repetitive and did not catch my immediate attention. Some of the lyrics are pretty good and I can hear a more creative vibe to this artist, not sure if it will work on mainstream radio for this generation as it has a more old school vibe. Also, I have to say that the vocal is not my cup of tea – could be the intent of the artist to not have it perfect though. It is nice to hear a song recorded acoustic and simple - it is a challenge as there is no music in your face to distract you from the actual song so I will say that it is great to hear someone do that again.
(Web content writer, designer and social media trainer for small businesses and solo professionals)
This song wraps around you with the comfort of a warm blanket on a cold, winter’s night. Add to that, wistful lyrics, bittersweet as a mug of hot cocoa and you have a song that is cosy and comfortable, with sleep and dreams not far away.
The vocals crackle with the warmth and rawness of an open fire backed by the simple melody of an acoustic guitar. Bliss! Until the first chorus when overpowering strings take hold, adding a touch of sentimentality. I would have preferred to have stuck with the sweet, raw sound, perhaps adding a vocal harmony, or just turned down the volume on backing strings. Overall, as soothing as this song is, it is predictable and lacking in variety. I could have done with a wake-up surprise
(Reclusive writer and composer from the farmlands of Galway Ireland)
This a gentle tune, made by a singer who seems at ease with his craft. To me it appears that he has been doing this for a fair bit of time, because there is calmness, an acceptance in the way he puts the lyrics and the melody together. Nothing seems to distract from words and while this could have been rather too sweet, i think the strings and words and other instruments fit together really well and make a satisfying whole. I like this tune a lot
Do you dare have your song poked and prodded and given some analytical love?
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