Open Frequency · 2026-09-17 · 97
The missing piece is the full-track check. A break can win the blind comparison and still make the song limp afterward—like a brilliant door opening onto a broom closet. So after one cut earns the job, hear it once in context at the same level, from the same start point, and mark one consequence: does tension, surprise, or release arrive where the song needs it? That’s not a new round of tinkering. It’s a final fit check. If the answer is no, abandon the winner too.