all these years later this still holds up and i still come back to this
Reviews for "Mad, Mad, Mad"
Masterfully done. My judging perspective was weighted mostly on originality, purpose, and drive. I mean if we were to try to quantitively analyze something metaphysically such as music, I might as well just flat out say that it is merely my opinion and taste. And I find this piece to stand out the most in terms of originality and drive. What a very fun piece. All the transitions are refreshing to listen to. Your vocals are smooth, and the band is really moving. Yes, your vocals could be mixed a little better for clarity, and I would like the drums to be more of its own than merely mimicking the rest of the instruments, but these really don't hinder more enjoyment of listening to this piece. Oh and the lyrics are great too. Since your song writing is spot on, I think one thing you could think about growing in is in your production. I would like to hear your vocals stacked and panned more, and by being more experimental/creative in how you would arrange these parts.
FinnMK responds:
Thanks for the comments and tips!
good
FinnMK responds:
Thanks!
FinnMK - Mad, Mad, Mad:
The Good:
-Your singing is definitely more audible in this piece, which is fantastic! There are a lot of extra vocal flairs sprinkled throughout which make this even better. It takes the vocals you had in your last piece and pulls them to the proper next level.
-Great introduction to the main themes throughout this. Everything is clearly laid out, and clearly recognizable. It even has some really nice harmonies at the start which you can feel later in the piece too.
-All of the instruments being live is a huge bonus once again - excellent!
-I almost didn't notice the pitch shift at the end. That step up is a wonderful flair and extremely well-executed (which most aren't).
-Your mixing is *almost* perfect in this piece. That's awesome - it's really hard to get a spot-on mix, and you're as close as people can really be.
-Excellent intro and outro.
The Not-So-Good:
-More vocal suggestion: It's a bit buried in this piece. Try displaying it a little bit more if the lyrics are any kind of focus in this piece (which it seems they are).
-The little drum rhythm at the start of the piece after the first mads seems to be a little bit too complex, actually. If the piece were rhythmically focused, it would make a bit more sense. But... it really isn't rhythmic at all - it has very simple rhythms throughout aside from that one bit. I see where you're going and I like it, I just think that it could be improved with a few tweaks to make it easier to follow on the first three or four listens.
The Result: 9.7/10
Clearly the highlight of the pieces this round, I have to say. This piece took literally everything I had heard from you before and pushed it further, which is exactly what the final round of a contest should be. Fantastic! Clearly I need to follow you musically and see what you come up with next.
FinnMK responds:
Thanks so much for the kind comments Skye. I've received a couple comments about the volume of the vocals. Several months ago I had them all too loud and now I've got them too quiet! Hopefully this means I can find an in-between ground.
Thanks for noticing the key shift! I happened upon a really smooth way to pull of the transition and I was curious to see if people would notice.
The rest is all good advice too. Always improving, improving...
This is an official NGAUC Review
My personal rating for your piece is as follows:
Production: 22/30 (Above Average)
Composition: 28/30 (Great)
Instrumentation: 14/15 (Great)
Originality: 9/10 (Great)
Interest: 14/15 (Great)
Giving a total of 87/100, or 4.5 stars.
Please view your rubric for comments-
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ngauc2016samulis/Finals/FinnMK.png
FinnMK responds:
Thanks for the comments Samulis, very useful as always. Production has always been my main challenge but with tips like this I'm on the road to improving.