I like the gritty, pulsing texture at the beginning, even if the wavering effect and kick drum were a bit heavy. The piece is pretty slow to progress, although the texture fills out a little more once the vocals come in. The vocals are pretty far back in the mix, and also don’t sync up very well between the man and woman’s parts. I like the lyrics themselves, though, and also the post-chorus/melodic phrase at 1:36. I think the drums, especially the snare, don’t come through in the mix quite clearly enough at this point, and also that the synths are a bit cheesy/generic. The melodic phrase drags on for a bit too long, but the contrasting breakdown section was a good idea. I like the emotional appeal of the piano solo at 3:15. The reverb is a bit excessive, and the pacing remains pretty slow, but the bridge at 4:01 works well to inject some energy back into the piece. I think the vocals sound pretty haunting overall, but also that the consonants could be enunciated a bit better. Overall, there are some really good harmonic and rhythmic ideas here, and I like the ghostly tone the piece has and the gritty synths. That said, a lot of the sound design is a bit cliche, and the arrangement of the piece is a bit too drawn-out. The mixing also needs some cleaning up, most urgently by cutting some reverb and getting stricter with the equalization. Still, this is a fun and strangely danceable piece. Keep at it, Spoonukem! :)
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
7.5/10