SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC076 December 2023 - Winners announced

[A Future in Noise]

... the articulation in the strings parts do not feel edgy enough for a rock and roll track. since you're using BBC Spitfire Audio, i suggest having a spiccato track for some of the shorter string lines for a bit more bite.

In fact I did use spiccato, but only in the second verse, and only in two bars in the second half. Yes, I know this symphony orchestra isn't edgy enough, but I ran out of time, didn't have time to switch, and in fact, this second verse, and the way the eGtr and the strings are combined here, is an experiment I'm very pleased with!

[Doc Jon]

Ooops , well, then I'm very sorry for assuming this.

Hey, no problem

[Doc Jon]

Things I have learned during this month’s competition:
This month I learned that if you are writing a Christmas song then nothing, absolutely nothing, rhymes with Christmas (actually RhymeZone suggests isthmus but best of luck getting that into a song!)
This month I tried to make a much more stripped back track than usual, no drums, and much shorter at just over 2.5 minutes and I found those restrictions a welcome challenge

The quality of entries this month was just about the best I have ever seen here, and nice to see so many of them too, very difficult to pin down just 7 for voting

Feedback

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Api_ZZ – Lights In Odd Meters
I like your choice of percussive sounds and they did conjure up a picture of lights in my mind. I applaud your ‘live’ playing when the easy option would have been to use loops or sequencers, but in the end it did ironically become rather repetitive when I would have liked you to run completely free with the rhythm and melody to emphasise the live playing. The mix was good apart from that persisting distortion in the choir sound from 2:50 to 3:06

KukoBass – Festive Lights
A well arranged piece, the sleigh bells and bell tree percussion added to the festive feel. The orchestration was good, particularly the brass sections. I did like the clarinet melody but the clarinet sound itself wasn’t very convincing, it did remind me of a General Midi type patch and was the only weak point in an otherwise good arrangement and mix

VCA-089 - Lights
Love the glitchy bits in this track and whereas the whole lo-fi chill style is not normally to my taste this was a very good example of the genre. I liked the way the chaotic intro settled into the track with the introduction of the drumbeat. Both the arrangement and mix were great and the heavy reverb and processing throughout worked well. Definitely down the alternative end of the scale but stuck out from most of the other tracks this month as a result, well done

Colorado Weeks - LEDs
I’m a sucker for an 80s style production and this track delivered on that front by the bucketful. From the choice of synth and drum sounds to the general arrangement this whole composition was very impressive, particularly the ‘middle eight’ section at 3:35. Excellent lyrics throughout, again particularly in that middle eight section
To my ears the mix is ok but still needs some work to get more separation and clarity between the various musical components, and the vocals could have been a little more ‘up front’. However, when I remind myself that this is a songwriting challenge and not a mix challenge I have no hesitation in pronouncing this my fave track this month

MSGsaltsweet - Lights
I like the use of the recurring piano motif throughout the track and the way the piece develops around it in unpredictable ways, however I think you could have gone a lot further with this idea from about 2:50 onwards, maybe with some double tempo up and down scales and arpeggiations alongside the repeating motif. The mix itself was good, I cannot suggest any changes there

Arelem – Spotlight
A bold track, very uncompromising in its approach. Great vocal treatments and powerful drums/percussion. This is about as far as you can get from the style of music I normally listen to!! Nevertheless I can tell a lot of songwriting and arranging skill has gone into this, even if not entirely to my taste, well done

Brandon740 – Broken Lights
Lovely intro with beautiful guitars and a really great bassline. At 0:25 I was expecting a vocal to come in – man, I would like to hear this track with vocals! It goes off course a little for me after 1:50 (was that section signifying the lights being broken?) but then redeems itself when the guitar solo comes in at 2:40 and holds the attention well until the end. Nice arrangement and mix, special mention again for the really great bassline. Alas I fear you may be penalised for breaching the rules with no downloadable file which is a shame given the quality of your track

EsteveCorbera: Els Sons De Nadal
A nice gentle track with some well chosen beautiful soothing pads and tinkly chimes. A very relaxing listen and I certainly got the lights feeling from your choice of sounds. I like the rhythm change at 2:20. The track overall does build as it progresses but only very slowly and I would have pushed it further a lot sooner in the track, then really build it up from 3:26 to a huge crescendo finish!!

Gyorgy Becsei: By The Lights Of Christmas
A very festive sounding orchestral piece, excellent arrangement and professional sounding mix. I could imagine this being a soundtrack accompanying the closing scenes of a Christmas movie, I could even picture the credits beginning to roll at 1:37! I like the ‘drop’ at 2:18 and feel you could have even brought the main theme back in again after this for a grand crescendo finish. Excellent track, well done

Merci Ferdi – Lampes Magiques
A very original composition which really stood out from the rest of the compositions this month. The break section at 1:38 was brilliant. I liked the vocal arrangement throughout and the mix was very good too, I really cannot think of any improvement to suggest.
My only complaint – the track was too short, I could have done with more!

Lady Incognita – Kiss Me Under Starry Skies
A nice arrangement with great use of percussion and background Fx. The guitar was excellent and I liked your choice of synth sounds. The vocal was performed and recorded well. The mix was great, certainly showed none of the problems you experienced with the Soundcloud encoding last time. Overall this is great song – alas I fear you may be penalised on several counts for rule infringement for not providing an alternative downloadable file, which is a shame given the quality of your track (nice video too by the way!)

1ktone – The Infinite Light
Promising intro with those panning tones and chimes, great use of the stereo field. The choir introduces some welcome variation but by 2:50 I was wanting the track to develop further with introduction of new sounds and textures, perhaps with a more definite melody to bring the track together for the conclusion

JeroenZuiderwijk – Lights Dancing In The Night Sky
I do like this track, the synth sequence underlying the track works well with a good choice of synth patch, great use of panning Fx and a retro beat that fits in well with the overall feel. Some definite Kraftwerk vibes coming through and the reversed sounds complement this well to add a more modern touch. Mix sounds good to my ears, nothing to suggest to improve it. Great track, well done

Mellow Browne – Liquid Flux
Great piano intro with those unusual chord shapes and progressions. I am not keen on the synth patch used at 0:24 but when the drums and bass kick in the track picks up nicely. I like the little percussive flourishes in the background and the extreme panning effects, the intermittent timing irregularities also work really well to enhance the overall feel. Nice break at 1:46 with some highly creative arrangement effects. Overall mix is great, wouldn’t really suggest anything to change (except that synth patch!)

A Future In Noise – Avenues Full Of Lights
Promising intro. Nice arrangement and good lyrics. Guitars sounded well recorded but the drums could do with being a little more powerful and up front in the mix. Good vocal performance overall barring a few small tuning issues here and there, I did wonder whether the song was pitched a little low for her voice and might have allowed a more powerful delivery if pitched up a couple of tones

Voting

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1) Colorado Weeks
2) Gyorgy Becsei
3) Merci Ferdi
4) VCA-089
5) JeroenZuiderwijk
6) Mellow Browne
7) Lady Incognita

[Mellow Browne]

Things I have learned during this month’s competition:
This month I learned that if you are writing a Christmas song then nothing, absolutely nothing, rhymes with Christmas (actually RhymeZone suggests isthmus but best of luck getting that into a song!)

Excuse my language:

Ho ho ho, H*e, this is part of my bizness
Cut 'em off and make you wristless on Christmas!

But that would be some stupid gangsta rap stuff

[becsei_gyorgy]

Happy New Year!

My december experiences:
The "picture theme" always appeals to me, but it was a difficult start to December this time.
Because the pictures we received were very mixed. The first image was immediately an image full of light, bright, symmetrical composition, giving a calm impression. Typically good for a December, Christmas, rather cheerful song. Overall positive, but the lights can also give the right vibrancy and energy.
The other two pictures, however, suggested an increasingly anxious, depressive feeling.
They were accompanied by a more melancholic, sad feeling (in typical words: darkness, desolation, loneliness, etc.)
So I had rather ambivalent feelings about which way to go. Since the genre was not specified, it was doubly difficult to choose.
So I started to work on a sadder, more lyrical song (with lyrics) along the lines of the latter images, and eventually forgetting that completely, as the holidays approached I tried a more typical Christmas song.
I liked it better because there are few opportunities for traditional symphonic orchestral instruments in this competition.
It was the best for me to work with a traditional orchestral template this month.

About the songs:
I really liked the many different styles of songs, it was nice to listen to them one after the other.
All the songs were of a high enough standard for the competition, congratulations to all.
I wrote down what I would do differently or add to the songs based on my personal impressions, but of course it's just a game, don't take it too seriously.

Feedbacks:

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APi_ZZ - Lights In Odd Meters
I Like the starting, the calm, relaxed atmosphere.
1:17- very resonant, should be damped down a bit.
I like the percussive elements, the drums, and later the bells play.
Overall I like the composition, the atmosphere, however the soundscape is very mid-heavy (800-1,2K). Little more balanced soundscape would be nice.

KukoBass - Festive Lights
Overall nice composition, varied chords, the melody keeps the interest.
Sonically, there are more sampled instruments (clarinet, horns) among the instruments listed, but it still sounds very synthetic in the song.
On the one hand, if I look at the woodwind and brass instruments, it would seem very difficult to play them in reality. I feel that there is very little breathing allowed for both clarinets and horns, and this does not help the realistic sound.
On the other hand, the dynamic and expression range is very small. It sounds in the same dynamic range throughout. This also makes the sound synthetic.
The woodwind playing would benefit a lot from some dynamic playing, and since the song is built around this solo instrument, it would really help the whole picture.
I really like - as usual - the very well written and well sounding bass line.

VCA-089 - Lights
Good sounds. quite interesting intro, but it's more suspenseful (the riser, the pluck sounds, the atonality, the glitches) than soothing.
When the pure sine bass started it was like a Kubrick movie or something sci-fi. Nice.
I think the very distorted drums are not very fitting to the synthetic, clean world that the intro creates. And were too pronounced for me, I enjoyed the rhythmic arpeggios of the synthesizers more.
But overall, the synths sound very good, the composition is pleasing and enjoyable to listen to.

colorado weeks - LEDs
I really like the composition, you have a very good voice, the style and structure of the song is very good.
what I would improve: the chorusy pad in the background, I don't like the 'phasey' sound. And sometimes the vocals seem just a tiny bit too thin (a bit loud and sharp, or/and dry), mostly is great. (seems a tiny, tiny bit unbalanced) (My favourite part is between 3:36-3:57).
Overall great song, I really like your style.

Doc Jon - Christmas Lights
Technically well put together Christmas song, the mix is good too.
Maybe after 0:55 I'd put in an instrumentally part, without lyrics, for a short break.
Nice song. Congrats.

MSGsaltsweet - Lights
An interesting piano centred piece.
The repetitive piano rhythm gives a sense of stability, the sharp notes that play at intervals give a sense of unpredictability. Interesting overall effect, timeless piece.

Arelem - Spotlight
I like the instruments, the dark atmosphere.
Like the vocal parts and the nice mix.
For me, there is little chorus part: the same rhythm, instruments, vocal timbre, loudness, etc. Nothing separates it from the verse parts. (There is no catharsis, no climax, nothing that makes the chorus part unique.)
Overall the song is nice, but I miss a better chorus, or a counterpoint to avoid monotony.
(changes in rhythm, or instrumentation, or melody, key etc.).

Brandon740 - Broken Lights
I like the choice of sounds, the song starts well, the composition sounds good together.
I also like the B part, with the addition of an electric guitar.
The break between the two feels a bit clueless.
2:03- as if the piano and guitar could not follow each other, they play on different scales
As it is now, it doesn't really fit the song.
Regardless, the song is still very enjoyable, pleasant, easy to hum, catchy melody, good instrumentation, good mix.

EsteveCorbera - Els sons de Nadal
Some pleasing chords, good choice of instruments to suit the theme.
But the lack of structure makes the song too long.
Melodically, it should have a melodic theme that repeats (and develops).
The percussive elements and the bass have improved the song, but the slight lack of melody and structure still feels a bit lacking.

merci ferdi - Lampes Magiques
Nice song, a bit short, like a verse is missing. I like your vocal tone, it fits the song very well, and mixes well if you pay attention to it.
1:19- the vocal part is very much in the background, hardly understandable. Maybe move the synths back a bit.
Overall, a very nice song, I enjoyed, you do nice things.

Lady Incognita - Kiss me under Starry Skies
I still really like your voice, good vocals for the style and the song. I like the rhythm, the choice of instruments.
I find the use of reverb a bit inconsistent and sometimes a little too much (better ducking and EQ reverb maybe)? (all these reverbs and guitars give me a bit of a 'Wicked Game' feeling (only in the female version )
Overall, a cute lyrical song with nice vocals.

1ktone - The Infinite Light
A slightly meditative, pulsating song.
After the initial pulsation, several layers are added, but I don't feel that they add any significant weight to the structure and development of the song.
Dynamically it's a bit flat, which is probably useful for meditation.
However, a deep bass base would be nice in this case, because now the song is too sharp.
I could imagine, in addition to the airy chorus and high pads, the advent of a deep, warm bass.

JeroenZuiderwijk - Lights Dancing In The Night Sky
I really like the slightly retro feel. I like the structure of the composition. The way the plucky sounds opens up, then the way the drums and bass start off just teasing, then kick in and it gets quite poppy.
I could improve a bit on the harsh plucky sounds, but I like the retro drums.
After 1:20, I would spin the B part a little more and add an ostinato/staccato style 8-bit layer (as it is now somewhat repetitive).
I often look at a song to see what I would put into it and imagine it in its final form, and this song is very promising for me and I see many possibilities in it.

Mellow Browne - Liquid Flux
Nice drum&bass (I never thought I would write these words together )
Very nice balanced mix.
Because of the style, it doesn't need much melody.
Maybe sometimes you could spice it up with a little earcandy stuff (either organic, jazzy instrument effects, or something a bit playful fx's.)
But it's fine as it is.

A Future in Noise - Avenues Full Of Lights
I like the guitars from the beginning. I like both the sound and the composition.
I like the way the strings appear in the song.
The structure of the song is simple 3 verse/chorus, but effective.
I'd probably work on (although it's one of the hardest things for me) the lyrics. Somehow the lyrics could be a bit more fitting both rhythmically and mood-wise.

Votes:

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colorado weeks - LEDs
merci ferdi - Lampes Magiques
Brandon740 - Broken Lights
A Future in Noise - Avenues Full Of Lights
VCA-089 - Lights
Doc Jon - Christmas Lights
Mellow Browne - Liquid Flux

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your feedback and cast your vote.


Please check post #045 regarding the feedback and voting mechanic. Please don't let yourself be put at a disadvantage by not participating (fully). The Songwriting Competition lives from the given feedback towards each other.

Outside feedback is welcome, of course.

[Lady Incognita]

Happy New Year everyone! This took a minute...

My experience

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I've made orchestral winter tracks and warm & cozy pop tracks for the Holiday Season before. But I've lived at least half my life in places where December was sunny and tropical and the perfect time to hit the beach. So I was happy to say why not? and take the chance to break away from my first instinct of making a wintry pop track with a "lights" theme, and instead explore something else. In this case, going for a Latin beat and doing a warm & cozy Tropical December track and drawing the lights out to the twinkling night sky. It was rather cathartic. There's more I could do to polish the track, but this is where I called it quits.

I used this challenge to also try out a number of new plugins that I managed to get during the last couple of months or so, like the VB Mellow 2 double bass, The Build, and the UAD LA-2A tube compressor. I also tested out a few other new things with the track that weren't a fit and so got left out.

In the music video department, I decided to push ahead with working on more location-based scene set-ups and getting comfortable with the more demanding camera and lighting work involved, even in 3D (especially since it's all evening/night-time scenes which can be rather tricky). I also approached this in less of a story or concept style, focusing instead on a simple capture of time spent to reflect the mood and feeling of the track.

P.S. I didn't realize there were additional photos for the picture theme until just now??!

Feedback

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Thanks everyone for sharing your creative work. And thanks everyone for your feedback. I appreciate it!
My feedback is just my 2 cents and subjective. Take what makes sense or seems useful and leave the rest! Your music making should bring you joy first and foremost, and if any comment I or anyone else makes dims any of that joy, please forget it, and just let it go.

@APi_ZZ The whole piece is very lovely on the ears thanks to the choice of instrumentation and your hand at the midi instead of going down the samples route. The changes you made after my suggestion made a big difference. That section flows much more naturally. This time round your track structure is also much more apparent. The opening could be a little less sudden, and it's not apparent from the track itself or your background information how it relates back to the 'lights' theme. Definitely one of my favorite tracks in your collection though!

@KukoBass This is a pleasant and soothing composition. Very by the book and on the beat. The updates make a difference, but you can still give yourself more of a free rein. So playing more loosely with time and rhythm, and injecting even more expressiveness will get you to the next step/level in this. One way to loosen up is to just do some little improvs from time to time and see how things go. Well done.

@VCA-089 Lovely emotive lo-fi vibes in this track. The opening minute doesn't quite fit the rest of the track for me (a personal subjective view), so I almost feel you could leave that out and just start the track later. Once those melody elements hit after that, the track comes into its own and almost has a Halloween chillout vibe thanks to the theramin like lead, but the bells and underlying melodic harmony lines reflect more of that "lights" theme. As I mentioned before, some clarity in the layers would be great, especially by bringing the melody layers forward against the noise/textural layers. Lovely dreamy track with lots of emotion in the lead and supporting melodies.

@colorado weeks Nice longer intro and great synthwave vibes! Airy and dreamy and very melodic. And always great to hear a storyline find it's way to an empowered ending. This was lovely.
Glad you bumped up the drums - those were indeed a little low in the first version. I'd let the ending linger a little longer, as it felt a little abrupt. I'm not sure, but I think the vocals this time around have a strange fluctuation about them, e.g. 1:30 - 1:40 - maybe the compressor? Now they get buried a little in places. From memory, I felt a little more comfortable with their processing the first time round.
One consideration would be to do some manual volume automation on the lead.
It's great to hear the vocal layers. They may need a little more tightening and adjusting in places, so the harmony layers tuck under the lead better. Vocal production is always such a mountain of work!
I really liked the song and how you tackled each and every part so well, from songwriting, vocals and harmonies, track structure and arrangement, production and mixing. Really amazing job!

@Doc Jon You really went for that sad Christmas love ballad! And definitely met the expectations for that, with the choice of instrumentation and lyrics. The bells work great.
Synth V's Solaria sounds great - you did great programming in her vocals. Having said that, the vocal harmonies sound a little too artificial, so just reducing their levels and adding some more reverb to push them back might help with that. And at times Solaria's vocalization does draw us out of the suspension of disbelief as well, but all considering, she sounds very close to natural.
I liked the track and all that went into crafting it. Great track and production!

@msgsaltsweet A very direct and immediate way of translating image to music! I love the piano phrases mimicking a static right-here right-now capture of the lights in the picture. Very simple but very emotive.
My suggestions are mostly about the backing which is a little too overwhelming for the piano in places, and on occassion there's some dissonance. So I'd suggest reducing the volume of the (string) pads a little (and other elements possibly), then slapping some volume automation or transient shaper on it to dull the attacks, and a touch of reverb to soothe it, so it can more gently act as a bed for the piano. Just a little more movement/variation as we go through the track would also be nice - I don't feel that need too much, but I know my ears would appreciate it if it did happen. Lovely work!

@Arelem Interesting to approach the 'lights' theme from the 'spotlight' angle. The backing track works great. The vocals and vocal processing on their own work well too.
The main thing is that the lyrics don't fall naturally with the delivery in places - they need to be crafted to fit the rhythm/flow and delivery a little better. The secondary vocal layers in places like around 1:00 is too far from the main lead time-wise. It needs to be tightened up to align with the lead.
The vibes and beat are all there. Nice work!

@Brandon740 A lovely Holiday Season track with great instrumentation. My only issue is that it's like a backing track without a lead, so feels incomplete. We don't need vocals, just even a lead instrument 'singing' a melody through the track would finish it up just fine.
The bridge around 2:00 feels a little bit eerie in the context of the rest of the track. The guitar solo is very nice. I'd just change up the 'bridge' section a bit and shorten it, and after the solo, come back properly for a final 'chorus' reprise. It's definitely a nice melodic track, I just feel the missing lead melody keenly, whether that's provided by vocals or instrument doesn't matter. Well done!

@EsteveCorbera I like the sweet ambient opening. There are some dissonant bits that take us out of the flow like around 1:30. The choice of synths are nice but there are too many for a single piece perhaps. It would work better to keep the selection a little smaller and use them throughout. My main suggestion would be to start with a structure first and a progression, even if it's an ambient piece. Within the structure, we can work to create melodies and repetitions, even when improvising. These give the listeners signposts to orient themselves and anticipate what may come next. I can tell you enjoyed exploring this style. Hope you try it out some more. This was relaxing and sweet.

@becsei_gyorgy As Christmas themed as can be! You did such an amazing and professional job with the composition, instrumentation, arrangement and mix. It does indeed sound perfect as a soundtrack for Christmas movies and specials. A little too familiar for my taste, but I daresay you were aiming for the standard, and your deft hand with the instrumentation helps elevate it beyond the all-too-familiar fare. Just put together amazingly well, so I don't really have feedback. The only suggestion that I can make is to take this skill and maybe create a more novel piece another time. Definitely serious skill on display in this!

@merci ferdi This is lovely! Love the layered vocals. You really did great work on those. The timing and harmony and delivery and panning are just great. The bridge section is especially expressive and emotive. The synths and arrangement are sparkly throughout. Great use of sparser and denser instrument sections - those changes in energy give the track a lot of life and movement. I could catch some of the lyrics, but it would be great if you could share the lyrics here too, so we can read along.
Hope you release it soon so others can listen as well. I can hear the improvements of the updated mix. The song is super easy to repeat listen to, which I definitely did, and very French even in its styling. I don't have much feedback, because I just like it the way it is, especially with the updated mix. I don't find it too short or anything. Well done!

@1ktone A very nice textured soundscape, distant and almost icy. The pads and arpeggios are very nice. The plucks for the lead melodic part are a little harsh against the backing instrumentation for me and a little 'robotic' in sound. Softening it up and creating a melody line that repeats more familiarly in places would let it fall gentler on the ears. I appreciate that this is improvised/recorded in a single pass. That's where a lot of ideas emerge. I think in a follow up phase, it'd be great to take the "plucked-style" instrument's melody elements that work best for you and give them a bit more structure. I always enjoy improvisations. Nicely done!

@JeroenZuiderwijk Icy and jubilant. Nice intro and build up, and structure too. The instrumentation choices go well together and the whole is easy to listen to. I like it as it is, but would also recommend smoother transitions between segments. I'd actually think you could make this track longer by bringing in some sweeping pads/string-type pads and take the energy and emotion to the next level for a final 'reprise' of sorts. Some part of me was definitely waiting for that. Lovely track!

@Mellow Browne Love the vibes in this! Very smooth, harmonious and the simple straightforward melody lines work very well. The synth at 1:45 doesn't quite fit with the rest of the synth and instrumentation choices for me and takes me out a little. On a very subjective level, many elements seem a tad too clean and upfront to my ears but that may be the genre itself, which I'm not too familiar with and it's nitpicking at this point. Really lovely listen!

@A Future in Noise A very interesting take with some retro and dramatic rock vibes. Enjoyed Ola's unique vocal style and the change of language in the bridge. The strings add an extra dramatic dimension. I'd like a little more variation and expressiveness in the strings and drums though - they don't seem to have the energy to match the guitars. The vocal seems a touch loud and separate in the mix for me, and needs some pitch correction in places. I'm not keen on the choice of fx ending - I think you could have just stopped with the note at 2:45 or 2:48/9 and sustain that a bit and finish. Must confess that I couldn't make out what the lyrics were trying to say, but that doesn't detract from the performance. An interesting track!

Votes

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About the voting... It's hard and I hate it. Now that I got that off my chest, I had my notes for most of the tracks a while back, but I've been having a hard time with my top 7. I've been shuffling things around too long. In the end I decided to go largely with tracks that sparked that unpredictable bit of joy when listening even after the umpteenth time, which in the end is rather a precious and undivinable thing. Anywho, as a consequence, some well produced, on-theme tracks didn't find a spot in this top 7 and ugh, I hate that. Sorry...

1) @merci ferdi
2) @colorado weeks
3) @Mellow Browne
4) @msgsaltsweet
5) @VCA-089
6) @JeroenZuiderwijk
7) @APi_ZZ

[VCA-089]

First of all, happy new year to everyone and thank you for your feedback. I didn't expect to see so many entries this month and so many new participants.

My feedback:

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01. APi_ZZ - Lights In Odd Meters

A really nice laid back soundscape that has an eastern vibe to it. It may perfectly fit a zen garden chillout music playlist.
There are a lot of different parts in the arrangement, but maybe it lacks a main melody.
I can hear a clipping on the right channel in the last sections of the song. Some of the sections are quieter and others are louder.
The mix is pretty good and all the different parts are clearly audible.

02. KukoBass - Festive Lights

This theme has a nice chilled vibe with a "festive" sense brought by orchestral sections.
It would be a good addition to a holiday music playlist I think.
The drums have some "weight" and "punch" while being played very carefully.
Getting a little bit tired hearing the tambourine throughout the whole song. It could be shifted towards the background and blended with room reverb.
The mix and overall production is good.

03. colorado weeks - LEDs

I really enjoyed this retro style pop song.
Great song and singing, with a little bit of autotune but very organic.
Good set of keyboard sounds, both electric and synthetic.
The drums are good, something that I would use for my song. However, I think that the cowbell sticks out too much.
The production is good and very authentic to the genre.

04. Doc Jon - Christmas Lights

A good christmas themed song that feels like a draft to me.
The synthetic vocals are good, but I feel like vibrato effects sound "too perfect".
It feels too short and I do miss the bridge section.
As always, great production. With the fully featured arrangement this would be a hit song.

05. MSGsaltsweet - Lights

A little ambient piece that has a chilled and cozy vibe in it, like watching videos of your early childhood.
The song may benefit from going fully synthetic in terms of sound palette. The piano isn't convincing enough and synth sounds are pretty rudimentary.
There are some slight changes here and there, but the whole song feels lacking development.

06. Arelem - Spotlight

A very contrasting entry among the others. Something that fits better for the current mood in the world.
The beat sounds extremely "punchy" and brutal, with the nice distorted synthetic sounds on top of it.
Very strong and aggressive rapping. Great lyrics, also.
In my opinion this song drifts away from this month's topic. It surely would fit into a "conscious rap" theme.

07. Brandon740 - Broken Lights

A very pleasing sounding instrumental pop-rock ballad.
The general vibe is warm and chilled with a bit of melancholy.
The change to a more dissonant tone in the middle is very sudden and a bit distracting in the first listen. After a while you get used to it and it brings a very interesting attitude to the song.
Good instrument selection and guitar tones.
Good production and mix.

08. EsteveCorbera - Els sons de Nadal

A nice chilled acoustic/electronic track, good for background listening.
The melodies sound a bit too synthetic to me, like they are AI generated with an obvious "machine gun" effect.
Some of the bell sounds have too much of a delay effect on them. Sometimes it's hard to define the playing notes.
It has a good sense of progression and dynamic. Getting a bit repetitive towards the end though.
Good production and mix.

09. becsei_gyorgy - The Lights Of Christmas

I can say that this is a professionally crafted piece of authentic christmas music. The bells, the orchestra, the choir chants - everything is in the right place. I can immediately imagine this in the opening of a Christmas themed movie. Although, I have a feeling that I have heard this music 1000 times already...

10. merci ferdi - Lampes Magiques

This is a really cool draft of an indie-pop song. I like the beat and electronic parts. Though, the vocals sound a little distracting to me. Too much stereo effect and generally they don't fit the mix well. There could've been some slight room reverb/delay as they do sound too dry.

11. Lady Incognita - Kiss me under Starry Skies

Very professionally crafted pop song.
It has a chilled, dreamy immersive atmosphere. Even if you are not watching the video you immediately get the right images in your head.
Very organic set of instruments, true to the song's aesthetics.
Good lyrics and good singing. The vocalist's timbre fits perfectly to the song.
Good production and mix.
Still, I think that this song drifts a little bit away from the month's topic.

12. 1ktone - The Infinite Light

An electronic ditty with a very dreamy atmosphere.
The main combo of a choiry pad and synthetic bell sounds good to me. Though, I have a feeling that someone is occasionally hitting random keys.
It feels a bit too long to me. An introduction of new sounds, parts and sections could make it more diverse and interesting.
This song is much quieter than the others. Perhaps it needs to be remastered.

13. JeroenZuiderwijk - Lights Dancing In The Night Sky

I really liked this catchy chilled dubstep song.
A very modern sounding bass and drums.
Some of the melodic parts have a strange noise on them, almost like a clipping.
The song could be a bit longer.

14. Mellow Browne - Liquid Flux

The song fits perfectly in the liquid DnB genre (a bit slower than usual though).
Very good selection of electronic and mangled acoustic parts.
The drums are a little bit too dry and upfront to me (especially the rimshot). A very slight room reverb would be nice.
The overall production and mix are quite good.

15. A Future In Noise - Avenues Full Of Lights

A usual 70's flavoured indie-rock song that I really tried to like.
To me the song itself isn't convincing enough. The vocalist feels restrained. The switch to a different language is kinda weird (what should it represent?).
The instrumental parts are in the fashion of 70's rock which I really like.
Great bass tone. A lot of weight and character. Not a fan of distortion on the guitars though.
For some reason the drums are set in the background, putting the bass and guitars towards the listener. The kick drum is lost in the mix and the snare isn't powerful enough.
The song is short and generally feels like a demo/rough draft.

Voting:

► Show Spoiler

1. colorado weeks - LEDs
2. Lady Incognita - Kiss me under Starry Skies
3. Brandon740 - Broken Lights
4. Mellow Browne - Liquid Flux
5. Doc Jon - Christmas Lights
6. becsei_gyorgy - The Lights Of Christmas
7. Arelem - Spotlight

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

Hi all,

The variety this month made it good fun to listen to all your tracks. High quality music. Everybody made great effort to write a cool track and that makes this challenge fun.

This month I challenged my self to write a song in SunVox using nothing else. The synts and effects in Sunvox are great and working with a tracker makes it easy for me to write music fast....I can bring ideas to live with a speed that is not possible for me in conventional daw software. The idea started with a sound I created with lots of overdrive and delay. Sometimes i just need one sound, one idea that will start a chainreaction. When I played the pianotrack and combined the two it gave me the idea to write a trapbeat under it. The piano was the connection with the 'light' theme... It was a tricky dicision because the beat is a very contrasting vibe with the piano but, like in many of my SWC controbutions I really like to experiment with contrasting vibes and sounds...trying to blend what seems unlogical to blend and see how it can work.

Anyway....I had fun working on this track. I know it is not everybodys taste but that is not the goal of the challenge ;-)

My top 7 is not a reflexion of just my personal musical taste but mostly my appreciation of the creativity and originality of the songs.

Feedback

► Show Spoiler

API_ZZ
Lights in Odd Meters
Dreamhy with a Christmass vibe thanks to the bells and choire. It is a very dreamy song with not mch happening. Some variation ore melody hook would improve things in my personal opinion.

KukoBass
Festive Lights V7
Hello Christmass bells. Very relaxed. I realy like the arrangement. The horns sound nice! Good melody and vibe and a very original idea. I wasn’t expecting the horns but they are just what this song needs. I must admit that I don’t like the sound of the clarinet. After the horns section it sounds too artificial and not interesting enough to keep my attention.

VCA-089
This song song starts great! The detuned sounds, spacy and mysterious. Like you know something interesting should be coming. The eighties layd back synth sound after that was a bit of a dissapointment fort hat matter. I was expecting a bit more energy to be honest. Still a very good production with lots of oppurtunity for more depth. Something cotradicting with what is already therre….bassline, beat whatever. Very cool that you’ve made a video with it by the way.

Colerado Weeks
LEDs
Again very eighties kinde track although not my cup of tea….there is a lot going on and it all fits nice together. The vocal and lyrics deserve my compliments. Very good. Catchy track! Nice. One thing that is a bit distracting that is the….’cowbell’ sound….a bit too much for my taste.

Doc Jon
Christmas Lights
Wow, very beautiful melody and sound. This could be a hit (seriously). The expression in the vocal, the piano,everything as cheesy as it is…..it is very good.

Arelem
Spotlight
Dark…..aggressive. Not what I was expecting with this theme….but that is a good thing. That is where creativity flows…in the unexpected. There is energy in this track…but it doesnt feel like it is coming out with full potential. I think the vocal is too loud in the mix. Therefore it misses some fundamental….like a strong bass or kick to carry the song.

Brandon 740
Broken Lights
I like the simplicity. Just when I think it is getting boring there is the guitar solo. Nice. In my opinion this song deserves a vocal….Could realy work I think.

Esteve Corbera
Els Sons De Nadal
The sounds are dreamy well chosen. It fits the theme well. The build up works well from the intro when the drums come in. There are some harsh synth sounds that get me out of that dreamy vibe. But otherwise, great track.

György Becsei
The Lights Of Christmas
Beautifull christmas song. What can I say… my favorite this month. The strings, the choire, the drums etc make it a soundtrack for a christmas movie. Perfect

Merci Ferdi
Lampes Magiques
Smooth sounding drums and synth. The vocal could work well but I think they could sit better in the mix….in my opinion need a presence boost and could do with some more compression to bring them more forward. Creative song. One of my favorites.

Lady Incoginata
Kiss me under the starry skies
Soulfull. Great singing! That is nice . There is a lot of emphesis on the low mids on your vocal. Makes it warm but also a bit muddy sounding in the mix. The vibe is very good, Ony thing I am missing maybe is a smooth guitar or piano solo……If you are planning to work some more on this track in the future: the repeating notes and drums of the backingtrack could use some variation to keep things interesting.

1ktone
The infinite light
It is an endless buildup….but it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. I was hoping for more variaton or some kind of a climax. The sounds are good but personaly it needs more to keep me interested.

Mellow Browne
Liquid Flux
Starts intersting with the volume automation and jazzy sounds. That beat is great with this song. Only the ‘snare’ I would try to pull back a bit (less distortion?...it is too much in your face and a bit distracting). The bass is nice! One of my favorites this month. Nice work!

MSGsaltsweet
Lights
That is a very nice piano tune. It feels happy. It doesn’t have much variation, that makes it less interesting to listen to untill the end of the song. It has pot lots of potential for more layers I think.

A Future in Noise
Avenues full of nights

Yes....this rocks. Try to sing with a bit more power and this could be a hit. The guitar sound is great...the composition is great. The mix could use some more work but the songwriting deserves my compliments. Everything fits together.

Top 7....I had too many favorites to place them all in my top 7......but here goes:

► Show Spoiler

1. György Becsei
The Lights Of Christmas
2.Mellow Browne
Liquid Flux
3. A Future in Noise
Avenues full of nights
4. Lady Incoginata
Kiss me under the starry skies
5. Doc Jon
Christmas Lights
6. KukoBass
Festive Lights V7
7. Merci Ferdi
Lampes Magiques

[A Future in Noise]

Must confess that I couldn't make out what the lyrics were trying to say, but that doesn't detract from the performance. An interesting track!

Thanks! Clue: " ... in the driveway ... " is supposed to mean 'publicly'. Someone said something (loudly) in public, instead of between two pairs of eyes. (I wanted to keep rhyming.)