Question on return for #U130204AS

[Casey H]

I was surprised at this return by Screener #312 and the reason for return so I thought I'd get opinions from you all out there.

Fortunately, another track I did with Paul Otten DID get the forward so I'm grateful for the potential contact directly with the music sup.

The screener returned "Without You (With Paul Otten)" (on my Taxi page) with the comment:

The drums @ 1:26 are slightly distracting to the emotional tone needed for this request.

What do you guys think? I'm not hearing how the drums take away from the emotional tone of conflict with what is being sought here.

Thanks!
Casey

A-LIST MUSIC SUPERVISOR needs SINGER/SONGWRITER SONGS with MALE or FEMALE VOCALS for a FEATURE FILM. Specifically, they're looking for DOWN-to-MIDTEMPO PIANO or ACOUSTIC GUITAR-BASED SONGS with lyric themes about LONGING, WANTING TO GET BACK TOGETHER, REGRETTING A BREAK-UP, etc. Songs should have a HEARTFELT and EMOTIONAL tone. Cinematic elements like strings (real-sounding strings) are a plus but not essential. Submit unique, contemporary-sounding, well-written songs. Your song must add to the emotion and enhance a scene capturing sentimental nostalgia and longing after a break-up. Vocal and instrumental performances must be excellent. Please avoid musical and lyrical clichés. The fee for this license is approximately $6,000. This is DIRECT-to-SUPERVISOR so you keep 100%. You will NOT give up ANY of your synch fee, publishing or writer's share! You must own or control 100% of BOTH the Master AND Composition rights to submit for this listing. No covers! Broadcast Quality is needed (excellent home recordings are fine.) All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS by a TAXI screener hand-picked by the music supervisor. Please submit one to three songs online. ALL submissions must be received no later than Monday, February 4, 2013, 10:30AM PST. TAXI #U130204AS

[richmstudios]

Love the song BTW - great work.

The only thing I noticed was that the drums (the whole arrangement actually) from 1:26 onward has a little more "lift" to it. The emotion changes a little bit to more intense but I think it's still HEARTFELT and EMOTIONAL. The screener may have preferred the arrangement stay the way it was from the beginning, i.e., no percussion, to retain a more somber effect throughout.

Honestly, I would not have noticed anything out-of-sorts with this if it wasn't pointed out to me for analysis after the fact.

Congrats on the other forward(s) though!!!

Rich.

[andygabrys]

kinda hard to say without hearing an entire version without drums. like what would it sound like if there were no drums and would the rest of the instruments come in the same?

again taste decision - but the drums might actually be a bit loud, or maybe that the rhythmic synth gets louder towards the end of the song too - but something is loud and low on the L side - maybe combo of the synth and the tom pattern on the drums.

Its anthemic, its a big song for a movie, maybe just a bit too big? hard to say with no a la's.

maybe that was part of what the screener was talking about, maybe not.

what other tune made it? can you draw any conclusions from that or are they both similar? EDIT - a long long day. pretty different when it comes to the drums. they are much more in the back.

[CrimsnSyrn]

Hi Casey,

This took me a couple of listens and a bit of thinking about it, and now I think I can see what the screener was saying.

On first listen, I didn't really find the drums distracting, but perhaps, detracting, from the emotional impact (I found that pulsing rhythm synth that Andy pointed more detracting emotionally - but I'm not saying they don't work:

I think the song totally works as it, but reading the listing closer, where it says "Your song must add to the emotion and enhance a scene capturing sentimental nostalgia and longing after a break-up" might hold the key, those elements may not enhance the "potential" emotional impact of a scene.

You know I love this song, and it'll be a fit, no doubt, in some fine place!

JMHO,

HTH,

Juliet

[mikeymike2000]

Hey Casey,

I only listened once but it is a really good song.

The drums seem to naturally want to do what they did but when that happened, the vibe of the song changed. So my $0.02 is that they were looking for a song that drones on in a more melancholy way.

This is the part I find to be most challenging. To make a song that will fit a specific scene without actually seeing the scene. (of course that is not possible on a mass scale) but fitting music to picture is a completely different animal then finding underscores or songs that will work in multiple scenes.

Then you have to consider the screener most likely has not seen the scene either so that just adds one more degree of separation to the outcome.

Anyway, you guys got another song to pitch for other stuff!

[cardell]

Very nice work Casey!

IMHO, I would have the drums gently build up to that intensity at the next chorus. Not all of a sudden like they currently do.

Stuart

[jonnybutter]

Hi Casey

Good work of course. I do sort of get what the screener meant (which takes nothing away from the song, natch). When the drums come in, it feels almost like a different song until the recurring part (e.g. 'it felt so warm') comes back. There is a lot of tension in the simplicity and sparseness of the first minute, and the drums playing time break that tension in a sort of anti-climactic way.

As was said upthread, I'm sure this song will find a home somewhere! It deserves one.

cheers

[Casey H]

No biggie... It just didn't work for this particular listing. Paul (as always) did an amazing job on the production and performance.

Fast forward some weeks and the song was placed in a highly selective LA library as well as on Taxi's singer songwriter compilation CD. It also has had direct to sup forwards and other outside interest.

Thanks for your input!
Casey

[jonnybutter]

Arg! Didn't see the date! I will now fast forward...