A Shot in the Dark

[Steven V Sweat]

 

[Kevin Walsh]

An imaginative and catchy work, I like it. After the intro the song took a direction I hadn't anticipated and that first guitar break made me smile. Great acoustic work, simple and effective and perfect for the song. Video is pretty cool too!

I do have some feedback though. IMHO the reverb obscures and muds up pretty good mix. I also think  you vocals could be a wee bit more forward, but if you do choose to dial back the reverb it may just be fine.

[Steven V Sweat]

Thanks, Kevin! Yeah I probably got carried away with the reverb.

[Paul DeVillo]

Nice job here. Wistful, off balance mood with a hint of darkness at the section change. Getting a Grateful Dead vibe from this song. I agree that a little less lows/mids in the reverb will help the mix sparkle. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

[Amicus717]

This is quite charming, has a whimsical vibe to it that I really enjoyed. This is not my genre at all, so I don't feel like I can offer much in the way constructive criticism, although I would say the above comments about the reverb sound about right to me, and to my ears it seemed to make the snare drum sound a bit phasey at times.  

[James G]

Interesting song Steve. Sounds both retro and contemporary at the same time. Can't really offer any advice cos it's such an unusual sound (to me), that I assume that's what you were going for.

[SPAK]

Not really my cuppa but two things occur 1) Reverb is way high 2) Snare def needs to come down as well to make it gel as a song ... maybe a third 'A spaceship'?  That said, I can't say I didn't enjoy it so ...

[PhonoBrainer]

Got any lyrics occasionally in the chorus?

 

This is intensely creative. Love the video, and the editing. Maybe could use more that repeated shots in the second half chorus.

 

That chorus/break with the guitar is genius. Really cool.

 

I didn't mind the vocal distance/reverb but I thought the bass guit could come up a bit, and that snare/tambourine hit could get some treatment to make it sit better.

I really liked the lyrics which didn't spell it out for you.

 

 

cheers,

-Tom

 

 

 

[daryl1968]

Really nice, quirky song. I agree with Kevin - too much reverb

[daryl1968]

....love the video

[bjornpdx]

I like the surreal aspect of it, the video and lyrics.  That one snare hit stood out too much, IMO. Also I thought the ending went on a bit too long, but still I watched the video three times.  Really good effects on the video. Which software do you use?

[Steven V Sweat]

Thanks everybody! The video was done with Vegas Movie Studio 15. I'll re-visit the reverb. I did consider fading it out slowly as the snare doubles tempo. There are several basses on this track - I have a version with the vocals replaced by three basses. I'll try to comment more but usually don't feel qualified, lol.

Steve

[Starise]

That video is really catchy. I don't think I'll ever see pine trees the same again. Really creative work, like someone set out to do what they wanted and to heck with formulas. It's really worked well for you and it shows a lot of individuality. I admit, I never really got the lyrics. I used to that though and it's common in music not to get the lyrics. Maybe there doesn't need to be a concrete meaning. I'm sure it means something to you. Maybe that's all that matters.

[Steven V Sweat]

Starise, It is just poetry. I actually wrote this song when I was about 19 years old - about 30+ years ago.  There is no "intended" meaning behind the lyrics. The  "shots" are opportunities, I think. They aren't shots of drugs, that is all I can really say.