Aw, thank you so much, chaosdrakath! Has it really been that long already? Wow...

I've been a singer pretty much my whole life, but I haven't actually written many songs with lyrics myself, so this is currently something of a rarity. Certainly hoping to do more in the future!

So glad that you still drop by to visit me here from time to time, my friend. Hope all is well with you, and may your stint at college be fruitful. Don't be a stranger.

Hey, Geoplex! Thank you for the in-depth NGADM review. Very cool to hear that you enjoy the lyrics so much. I guess I'm not entirely sure what you mean by repetitive in this case, though. Are you referring to the notes themselves? Because there's almost nothing repeated from one end of the vocals to the other besides the "...one of those days" motif, but that was essentially the hook and every instance has a different lead-in. Anyway, it would be awesome if you could do me a solid and elucidate with a quick PM. I guess if I don't hear anything I'll assume it was the note progression, which is admittedly a bit simple. :)

Aw, yeah! Really glad that you dig the jazzy, energetic rhythm of the piano. I knew exactly which piano I wanted to use to get just the right kind of attitude, so if it sounds sick I guess I chose well. I hadn't used that particular piano before, but I got it just for something like this. Hooray for being prepared!

Okay, you've got some really good points there about the lyrics, and I've been kicking myself for not applying a bit of highpass throughout. I had a hell of a time just laying them down since I was at the mercy of a very stubborn summer cold, but somehow managed to crank out some rather passable vocals a few days before the deadline. I don't personally hear much pop, and I really cleaned up the vocals before adding them to the mix, but if there is any there's nothing I can do about it. I have no pop filter, whatsoever. I have a bunch of handheld mics, no mic stands, and currently no disposable income with which to remedy the situation. In short, it is what it is. It's probably kind of miraculous that they sound as good as they do! Glad the reverb works well, too. Solo vocals need definitely need some, but being a single-instrument song I knew it had to be brief.

I am aware of the disparity between the regular and pass-filtered sections, but this is actually the first review I've had where it was brought up as being problematic. Nevertheless, it does indeed make good sense to have the RMS be more equal. Thanks for the tip, and I'm glad that I could earn those points back with my mad transitioning skillz! :D

Huzzah! Thanks again for the feedback, Geoplex. It's been a real pleasure to meet you this way.

Hey, thanks for my very first official NGADM judge review, TaintedLogic! Really glad to hear that you dig the bluesy style, and to see that you think my voice sounds soulful makes my day. I didn't want to use the triangular low-pass+LFO effect that you hear at 1:56 too much, mostly since I wanted it to have more impact, but I suppose it could have been applied in other ways or to a lesser degree throughout the rest of the song. I had a few more ideas for improvements late in the game, but was pretty satisfied with the overall vibe and didn't want to end up accidentally wrecking something that already sounded solid. That, and my voice kept going in and out from one day to the next. Summer colds really suck.

I did consider adding some simple ride cymbals and other drum elements to the mix, and also gave thought to the acoustic bass angle, but ultimately decided to be super ballsy and make it all about the piano. The only thing you mentioned that I hadn't really considered was adding some sort of woodwind solo, though a bit of jazzy clarinet or flute would likely have made for a pretty cool addition, as well.

Once again, thank you very kindly for the excellent review! I can hardly believe I'm still in this thing, though I've got an almost insurmountable obstacle directly ahead of me in the form of the LucidShadowDreamer & dem0lecule combo. I'll be doing something quite different in this round, so we'll have to see how it stacks up against whatever those two wild and crazy guys come up with. Cheers!

Haha, thanks DivoFST! Even with just the piano and vocals this was far from being a lazy effort, so I appreciate the vote of confidence on the courageous side of things. Yeah, I suppose it is just that, especially considering the crazy talented group I'm up against. Yikes!

I'm really happy to hear that you love the lyrics, piano composition, and overall mood of the song. I guess the real problem was that, when I came up with the song itself, it really was "one of those days." Life was at an all-time low, suckage at an all-time high. In contrast, when I actually laid down the lyrics I was feeling pretty good. Life's gotten eminently better and the level of suck has grown quite dim, so I wasn't able to tap into as much legitimate grimness and instead had to think back, imagine myself back in those times, and tap a bitter keg of remembrance.

Yeah, this was a pretty interesting production ride, that much is certain. I've pretty much enjoyed myself each NGADM for the past few years, though that's not to say it's all sunshine and lollipops. I wouldn't make something like this if I thought it was simply destined to lose, but I'm still going way out on a limb doing something different. I'm pleasantly surprised that it's been met with such positive reaction, and the feedback I've gotten - as per usual in the ADM - has been and continues to be invaluable. ^___^

Many thanks, LunyAlex! I'm glad that you dig the bluesy vocals, jazzy piano, and overall vibe. It's really awesome to know that the vocal rhythm changes can be appreciated without any assumption that the phrasing is mistimed. Here's hoping that the judges dig it, too. Best of luck to you in Group L!