I like the furtive mood at the beginning and the quirky sound design. The piano at :32 sounds a bit unpolished, and the different brass instruments at :52 could probably blend better. I like the vocals, though. The slow pace at which they’re delivered is rather haunting, and the lyrics themselves are also really good. The brass melodies starting at 1:46 are really great, and together with the drums, strings, and mallets I’m really enjoying the authentic sound design of this piece. The syncopations at 2:15 or so are great, too. At 2:55, I think the vocals could’ve been a bit more up-front in the mix, especially since it seems like the “conclusion” of the lyrics arc throughout the piece. The electric piano and generous use of percussion at 3:45 were also neat - great use of structural variety there. The percussion gets a tad buried underneath the brass at 4:10, but the section at 4:41 ties the piece together well. Overall, the structure feels a tad drawn-out here, but the flow is smooth and the sound design and mood are great. Rich textures and solid production quality throughout, despite my occasional complaints with the balance/mixing. Compositionally, the piece is a home run, and you really captured the emotional quality to the lyrics in your vocals. Strong work, Glassedhouse! Thanks for coming out again to the NGUAC this year. ^_^
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8.75/10