Usually, when writing verses in Tanac"h, words are written across the column from the right margin to the left (except, of course, for required parsha spacing.)

I have seen two "special" formats:

The "brick" layout, which seems to be reserved for "songs". Examples:

• Shirat Hayam (Song of the Sea) in Shemot
• Devorah's song in Shoftim (Judges)
• Chana's song in Shmuel I (Samuel II)
• David's song in Shmuel II (Samuel II)

The 2 column straight layout. Examples:

• Ha'azinu near the end of Sefer Devarim (Deut.)
• Words beginning "To everything there is a time" in Kohelet (Ecclessiastes)
• List of Haman's 10 sons in Esther
• Tehillim, Mishlei, and most of Iyov

The 4 column straight layout. Example (the only one?):

• The kings in Yehoshua

What common theme or criteria are used to decide which layout to use for which of these areas?

From what I can tell, the "brick" layout seems to reserved for "songs", though ha'azinu is called a "song" and it has the 2 column layout.

Why are these specific layouts appropriate for these areas? (I.e. - why choose one layout vs. the other?) Why does it get any layout at all? Why not leave the writing straight across as with everything else?