Nur Ein VI Round Two "Blame It On Ginger

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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Caravan Ray »

Generic wrote: Yeah, I stressed about that, but as usual, I chose to err on the side that produces a better song overall. If I'd had to constrain my lyrics to an actual person named Ginger, I wouldn't have had much to say. In the end I decided that it would probably be fine because 1.) The song is autobiographical (and, I might add, very personal), and 2.) It fits the title "Blame It On Ginger." It all comes down to whether the judges think that the title is technically part of the challenge, or (as in most rounds) it exists independent of the challenge.

I'll take the lumps, though, if they cry foul. I'm still very pleased with how my track turned out.
Personally - I couldn't give a tinker's cuss if you actually knew someone called Ginger or not or whether any of the stories are truly autobiographical of complete bollocks. As long as it sounds like it might be an autobiographical account of something or other is good enough for me - and if the yarn you are spinning us is vaguely interesting - so much the better.

So, challenge-wise Jon - your song passed with flying colours! Sadly though - I really hate that poncy, piano-infused white-boy rap type stuff with a passion. You got hit bad by the dreaded genre-bias from my end.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Caravan Ray »

Lunkhead wrote:
Caravan Ray wrote:Does any one actually drink bourbon and ginger ale? And if they did - do you call ginger ale "ginger"? I like scotch and dry - I would never ask for scotch and ginger (I assume you also call it dry ginger ale over there?)

I think your song is fantastic. But the word "ginger" sticks out like dogs balls.

Blame it on soda, a few rocks and bourbon - would be a big improvement Or boredom, or moonlight, or hormones - anything but ginger.
To answer your questions: Yes, one does actually drink bourbon and ginger ale (though preferably it would be ginger beer, but most bars don't have that). Yes, when they do drink it, they do call ginger ale "ginger", as in "I'd like a ginger and bourbon please". We do not call ginger ale "dry ginger ale" if that's what that next question is.
Well - this all sounds like crazy talk to me. Ginger and Bourbon. What is the world coming to?!?!?

But still - that is not as bad as:
Ross wrote: Well those Sapporo beers, they come so big
And they pour the cold saki tall
I don't know what sort of barbarism you get up to over there in California - but for the love of God - do they really "pour the cold saki tall"?!?! In my day - as a dishwasher at the Sapporo Restaurant on the Gold Coast - the after-work sake was always served warm in tiny pottery cups or the cute little lacquered wooden boxes. And constantly re-filled. Kampai!
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Billy's Little Trip »

NUR EIN!!!!!!
Round Two!!

see, that just makes sense.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Caravan Ray »

WeaselSlayer wrote:
glennny wrote:How do we get you to do a good recording?
Believe me, I would love nothing more. Unfortunately, poverty makes for a very bare-bones recording set-up. Thanks for the kind words though, and once I get a "real" job, I expect my songs will start to sound a lot better.
Your song this week Luke was absolutely sensational. I was very impressed when you posted the lyrics - mainly because you did not use the word "ginger" - yet the setting of the song made the title "Blame it on Ginger" seem entirely appropriate. Then hearing it blew me away. Yes - the recording is not great (but then again - I think it is the best I have ever heard from you - backing vox and everything!), but the grunginess seems to fit it. This has been stuck in my head for a day now. My wife is wondering why I keep walking around the house singing "I'm in love, I'm in love I don't care whose fault it is"
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by roymond »

Caravan Ray wrote: But still - that is not as bad as:
Ross wrote: Well those Sapporo beers, they come so big
And they pour the cold saki tall
I don't know what sort of barbarism you get up to over there in California - but for the love of God - do they really "pour the cold saki tall"?!?! In my day - as a dishwasher at the Sapporo Restaurant on the Gold Coast - the after-work sake was always served warm in tiny pottery cups or the cute little lacquered wooden boxes. And constantly re-filled. Kampai!
I totally agree, although personally I can't drink saki...messes with my head in the baddest ways. But many "sushi" joints are owned and run by chinese in NYC, so I'm not sure how traditional custom is being preserved. In turn, Mexican chains are run by Peuto Ricans, and many fabulous restaurants have Mexican chefs (who are very good).
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by The Weakest Suit »

Caravan Ray wrote:
WeaselSlayer wrote:
glennny wrote:How do we get you to do a good recording?
Believe me, I would love nothing more. Unfortunately, poverty makes for a very bare-bones recording set-up. Thanks for the kind words though, and once I get a "real" job, I expect my songs will start to sound a lot better.
Your song this week Luke was absolutely sensational. I was very impressed when you posted the lyrics - mainly because you did not use the word "ginger" - yet the setting of the song made the title "Blame it on Ginger" seem entirely appropriate. Then hearing it blew me away. Yes - the recording is not great (but then again - I think it is the best I have ever heard from you - backing vox and everything!), but the grunginess seems to fit it. This has been stuck in my head for a day now. My wife is wondering why I keep walking around the house singing "I'm in love, I'm in love I don't care whose fault it is"
i thought everything about henley's song was great except the vocal performance, and the length. i physically shuddered a couple times at the off-key-ness of the singing and it could have lost a minute or so in length and gotten a higher score on that alone.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by jast »

I've got some nasty reviews for all y'all, but I don't want to ruin the suspense, so I'm gonna wait for just a little while longer until the scores have been tallied and announced.

You're welcome.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by JonPorobil »

Caravan Ray wrote:
Generic wrote: Yeah, I stressed about that, but as usual, I chose to err on the side that produces a better song overall. If I'd had to constrain my lyrics to an actual person named Ginger, I wouldn't have had much to say. In the end I decided that it would probably be fine because 1.) The song is autobiographical (and, I might add, very personal), and 2.) It fits the title "Blame It On Ginger." It all comes down to whether the judges think that the title is technically part of the challenge, or (as in most rounds) it exists independent of the challenge.

I'll take the lumps, though, if they cry foul. I'm still very pleased with how my track turned out.
Personally - I couldn't give a tinker's cuss if you actually knew someone called Ginger or not or whether any of the stories are truly autobiographical of complete bollocks. As long as it sounds like it might be an autobiographical account of something or other is good enough for me - and if the yarn you are spinning us is vaguely interesting - so much the better.

So, challenge-wise Jon - your song passed with flying colours! Sadly though - I really hate that poncy, piano-infused white-boy rap type stuff with a passion. You got hit bad by the dreaded genre-bias from my end.
Fair enough. Thanks for being up-front about it.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by BoffoYux »

jast wrote:I've got some nasty reviews for all y'all, but I don't want to ruin the suspense, so I'm gonna wait for just a little while longer until the scores have been tallied and announced.

You're welcome.
I can hardly wait. Hopefully I get a laugh out of it. We might even turn on our backs this time to catch a glimpse of the glistening blade as it travels downward...
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Spintown »

http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2011/05/ ... eview.html

Luke Henley - Couldn't blame you if you hated me up to this point. I've been Mr. Negative toward you in round 0 & 1. BUT GOOD NEWS! I liked this. Sure the recording sucks, but it's good enough to get across what could be there. I enjoyed the lyrics, I thought it was by FAR your best performance, and I congratulate you on a job well done. Ok...one negative. That 18 second guitar solo sucked. Maybe it was the recording...but either way it's a small complaint considering the improvement I think you've made.

Manhattan Glutton - This is one of my favorite songs of the contest so far. It's catchy, it's rockin', and it sounds very familiar...but I can't place what it's reminding me of. I was going to mention something about my dislike of the title use, but then I read this:

"Title... well, I do have a good reason for saying ginger, but it's not something I want to share."

That's good enough for me. There's really no way to fact check with a lot of the challenges Nur Ein, SpinTunes & other contests. Sometimes you just have to trust the competitors, and I've got no reason to distrust anyone in the contest yet.

WreckdoM - Tell the little green men flying around your studio that it's a no fly zone while your recording. Seriously that noise bugged the hell out of me. If everything else about this song was flawless...that noise still would have put you in risk of elimination in my opinion. And the rest of the song wasn't flawless.

Boffo Yux Dudes - I know you had a last minute computer crash that pretty much shafted you this round. This last minute meta song might be good enough to save you, but if it does it'll be by the skin of your teeth. Better luck next round...assuming you get the chance.

Paco del Stinko - I liked the angle you took with the story, but the lyrics didn't flow as much as stumbled at times. The performance & music were fine, and the song was catchy. Just think the lyrics could use a little more TLC.

Glen Raphael - Lyrics sucks. Catchy funk. The vocal performance was alright, but when performing crap you can't mask the smell.

Merisan - 3 rounds are behind you now, and I still don't think you've taken a wrong step. It's catchy, fun lyrics, and the vocal performance is top notch. I really want to say something bad about you...just because you're making this contest look easy.

Billy's Little Trip - So far you haven't blow me away with anything in this contest, but you're consistently submitting quality work. I liked this song, but felt the chorus lyrics were weak. You're easily safe this week.

Bram Tant - This is back to back rounds I really like the guitar. The lyrics & performance didn't sell me. I'm not a huge fan of lyrics that are spoken in the song. With most songs it just takes me out of the moment.

The Worldly Self Assurance - It seems like I complain about your vocals not being up front enough a lot. This time I think they were perfect. The song is very sweet, and for the most part I like the lyrics. The whole idea of someone falling in love because of the age old Mary Ann or Ginger question isn't very believable to me...but you did about as well as I could have expected anyone to do taking this route. Mad props for submitting while having immunity.

Abbott And Hines - Props for Caleb getting something in at the last second despite the problem you guys had. Something is better than nothing, because there's always a chance someone else missed the boat completely. Doesn't look like you'll be getting lucky this round, but nice try.

Ross Durand - Loved the first verse. The rest of the song was fine, but for some reason it just didn't pull me in. I really don't know why this didn't grab me, because I can't find specific negatives.

Frankie Big Face - Slow paced songs don't usually do well with me. The lyrics & the pace made this feel even longer than it was. It's just not my type of song. Not saying it's bad, but it's not for me.

Jon Eric - I've been listening to Song Fight for a couple years now...and even went back & listened to years from before I found the site. So why didn't I know you submitted as Hunky? You rap better than I would have guessed, and I actually liked the rapping better than the chorus. Overall this was great, but the repetition within the chorus kinda bugs me. Great story telling.

John Kloberdanz - I'd like to hear a better recording of this. Maybe bring up the vocals a bit, and just overall it sounds muffled.

DJ Ranger Den - Piano & strings sounded great. Your vocal performance was great, and your lyrics were not for me. On a personal note, I want to hear you let loose with your vocals. Your style doesn't always take advantage of the voice you got. Belt something out like that loud mouth we both know from Michigan. (kidding Edric)
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Caravan Ray »

OK - Reviews, sort of:

HOW THE TITLE WAS HANDLED:
As already mentioned - I loved Luke Henley's approach. The ginger was there - it didn't need to be mentioned. BLT also did a great job - fit the title beautifully. DJ Ranger Den likewise worked the title well. And if I could believe that people actually would ever really order a drink called "Ginger and Bourbon" - then I would say that Merisan also hit the nail on the head - I am still trying to come to terms with that one (oh...and I don't like the use of the word "martyr"..."Even martyrs must have gotten their kicks now and then" ...why can't a martyr get kicks?...(prior to becoming a martyr obviously). I don't recall it ever being suggested that Jean d'Arc was a wowser prior to being strapped to a handsome fellow *..but I digress..) Otherwise - I got really sick of hearing choruses starting with the line "Blame it on Ginger...".

HOW THE CHALLENGE WAS HANDLED:
By "autobiographical" - I wanted to hear a personal story - I care not one whit if it be true or not. Many of you raved on about stuff that either didn't tell me a story, or told me a story a I didn't understand or told me a story I couldn't give a toss about. Manhatton Glutton, Paco, FBF, Wreckdom, Glen Raphael all fall into that category.

Jon Eric told a good story - but I couldn't stand the song. WSA told a good story and had a great song. Ross's story was a bit dull, but I liked how he got Woody Guthrie to tell it, so I listened. Abbott and Hines used the title and the challenge perfectly - but I am sure that even they realise they will probably not get away with it. I liked Bram Tants story. I have no idea what he was raving on about, but it was good. Likewise Boffo Yux Dudes - it sounded great - although I know you were just talking crap. John Klob sounded like he was trying to get a bit of action - so that was good. Luke and BLT's storys were excellent. I think Merisan's was also good - but it may just have been Erin's voice making everything sound good.

..AND DID I LIKE THE SONG:
I very much liked Luke, Merisan and WSA's songs. DJ RANGER Den was also good and I could hear her voice better this week. BLT's song was good, but I could hear his voice better this week - making it less good - a few dud notes there sonny. None of the rest of the stuff really impressed me much, though Bram Tant's Velvet Underground stylings and Wreckdom's theramin did catch my attention. And Paco - it is a good idea to say "Woooah!"when you have nothing better to say, isn't it! That is one of my favourite tricks too!


-----------

WTF!?!? why does the word "f.a.g.g.o.t" come out as "handsome fellow"?!?! How do you start a fire with a "handsome fellow"?!?! It is a frikking common word meaning a bundle of sticks. Do I have to use "fasces" instead? That is so gay.
Last edited by Caravan Ray on Wed May 04, 2011 6:32 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by JonPorobil »

Spintown wrote: Jon Eric - I've been listening to Song Fight for a couple years now...and even went back & listened to years from before I found the site. So why didn't I know you submitted as Hunky?
Back in the mid-aughts, my rap persona was MC Baccarat, and I was somewhat prolific, if not nearly as proficient as I am now. Between autumn 2003 and summer of 2004, I submitted three solo MC Baccarat songs, one with Lonbobby, and many as a member of the Frontalittle Squad. I got sick of that name and changed it a few years back, but I haven't rapped much since then. There's only one Songfight entry with the name Hunky attached to it, and it's "My Favourite Lego Bricks" from a couple of months ago. Signboy did the beat to that one.

So it's one of those relatively obscure facts that pops up from time to time.

Anyways, I'm glad you liked the rap. Maybe you'll balance out Caravan Ray's genre bias.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by dantes »

I'm pleased not all the reviews of my song are purely negative.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by BoffoYux »

Forgot to post this!
Again, a good group of songs. People did manage to make unique takes on the theme. I think it was the Autobiographical part that threw a lot of us. In no real order…


Glen Raphael -
Nice funky baseline. Got into the groove. Simple but effective lyrics.

Billy's Little Trip-
Good sloppy guitars. Felt like a autobio story. Another one that was catchy with the beat. Well done!

WreckdoM
The theremin sample was interesting at first, but didn't hold up for the whole song. Nice concept, but it didn't come together for me.

Ross Durand
I snickered at the 'Cleaning the palate' line. Solid song

Paco del Stinko
Nice tweak on a Bewitched / Gilligan theme. Good production. Obtuse Lyrics. Good job.

Frankie Big Face
'A lump on the side of the Pike?' Balls, my man to stick it out there. The ballad didn't quite come together for me, but props on the whole package.

Merisan
Another great song. The backing vocals and happy guitar fits like a glove. The organ fill also helped this song. One of my Top 5.

Manhattan Glutton
Like the new logo. Driving guitars and drums. Steady beat. Wasn't loving the vocal effect, but overall good song.

Luke Henley
Felt like is was Autobiographical. Nice touch with the vocal doubling. Felt a little too long.

Jon Eric (Hunky)
Got that Boy Band jam goin' on. You got me laughing when you hit her in the head with the pool toy.

John Kloberdanz
That mono mix does define the song. Felt a little flat.

DJ Ranger Den
Breezy keyboards and peppy vocals. Pleasant surprise.. was that a violin sneaking in there? Well done.

Boffo Yux Dudes
I'm damn surprised we got this out with the power supply issues. Al's still got frazzled hair.

Bram Tant
Nice guitar. Vocals were hard to understand. You're getting better on each song.

WSA
The song lyrics were cryptic until I read your post. Makes sense now. Production good. Solid song, but didn't hook me on repeat plays.

Abbot and Hines
Glad you got something in, but it's a quickie to cover to tech issues - like we had to do as well. I feel for you guys. See you on the ride off the island.


Good job everyone.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Ross »

Caravan Ray wrote:
But still - that is not as bad as:
Ross wrote: Well those Sapporo beers, they come so big
And they pour the cold saki tall
I don't know what sort of barbarism you get up to over there in California - but for the love of God - do they really "pour the cold saki tall"?!?! In my day - as a dishwasher at the Sapporo Restaurant on the Gold Coast - the after-work sake was always served warm in tiny pottery cups or the cute little lacquered wooden boxes. And constantly re-filled. Kampai!
Well, this place my friends used to drag me to DID serve cold sake, and althought they didn't actually pour it tall, it came in pretty tall carafes. But we did drink it out of those little ceramic dealeys. I figure if you can change any person's name to ginger, this was a small poetic adjustment.

In your "reviews" was i in tentionally left out, or was there not an attempt to be all inclusive?
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by jast »

All right, the others have started posting, so I might as well join in.

Time to step up the game a bit. Higher standards now, and a slightly more fine-grained rating system so I have less ties I have to break.

Ross Durand: Hmm, vocal performance is a bit sloppy... plus you're hitting the top range of your vocal technique. Musically this doesn't really excite me. In the lyrics thread you claim you have a chorus in this song, but it's hard to make one out just from listening. Not a good sign. As for the lyrics... well. Generally I have nothing against not knowing the full context, but in this case it leaves me wondering why I should care. Perhaps it's just that I don't care about the subject matter in general, but it really seems to me like the treatment is just not very entertaining/thought-provoking/inspiring/moving (take your pick).

Billy's Little Trip: Great sound. Vocals are not terribly great (yeah I know you have excuses) but I guess they qualify as "okay". Mostly. In this song, there's something that bugs me about them more than the pitchiness: they sound "weak", meaning that you're not using your voice to maximum effect. Sort of doesn't work very well for a song like this. I don't personally like the composition here but I shall not take it out on you. On a (hopefully) more objective note, however, the chorus mostly fails to set itself apart from the verses. It does that a bit, sure, but I think it would have been much more effective had the chorus taken up more of the soundscape, if that makes any sense. Lyrics are decent. The story is nothing to sneeze at; I wish you had spent more time developing it though. It seems like you're telling it at 4x speed. There are two ways around that: either make the song longer or focus more on individual scenes and mention the transitions between them only in passing.

The Worldly Self Assurance: Sloppy playing in the intro is not the best way to set the scene, you know. ;) Somehow, I like very much how different this is. Great arrangement. Timing is a bit iffy in some places. Good lyrics, but the title feels like a bit of an afterthought. It definitely fits the story, but I don't think you did a good job of working the phrase in there. All in all, however, great writing and good performance. I can't even find anything substantial to criticise about the vocals. I hope you're happy that you spoiled my life's purpose now.

Abott and Hines: I like that you tried to save yourselves (yourself?), so I shall be merciful (sort of). For example, you get some mercy points because the challenge is sort of in there. You also get points for not trying to draw it out. As a songlet this is quite okay, though of course I can't rate it as highly as a full song. Reverb on the background vocals sounds yucky, though. In the end you still get more than 50% on my rating scale.

Paco del Stinko: Oh cool, Paco's trademark interesting chord progression. Very nice BG vox. Cool riff. Okay lyrics... several phrases seem a bit clumsy ("her captivation was strong"), but you make up for it with solid storytelling. Vocals are suffering from the usual problem: they are unexciting. You make up for it by twisting your voice in several interesting directions, but the foundation, the full sound of your voice, is missing. Best (= most convincing) take on the challenge/title so far.

Frankie Big Face: You might have overdone it a bit on the bitrate. Might I recommend variable bitrate compression? For example, if you use LAME as your MP3 encoder, VBR level 2 is what I use (results in ~192 kbps files, but with higher bitrates used for more complex parts of the song), and even with 1 or 0 you probably still get a smaller file with quality comparable to the 320 kbps madness you have here. Aaanyway. Actual dynamics here, nice! Wonderfully atmospheric, the whole thing. Wonderful, wonderful writing. Vocals are vry slightly buried in the mix sometimes. Vocals are a bit nasal. I'm grasping at straws here, though. This is really great in all ways. Singers, listen up! This is how to make a performance interesting.

John Kloberdanz: That guitar distortion sounds brutal. I don't know if it's the distortion's fault, but the guitar sounds thin and that doesn't fit very well here. I won't blame you for the artificial-sounding drums, even though they hurt the whole thing, too, but you don't always have the equipment you would have wanted, right? I think a little bit of overall added gain would have been a good idea here. As it is, the guitar somewhat overshadows the vocals. You never, never want to do that... especially not if the guitar doesn't sound all that great. Composition is solid but fairly boring. Lyrics seem to be good, but the negation on the title bugs me. I've rarely seen that actually work.

Merisan: The combination of melody and chords in the second/fourth line really bugs me. Apart from that, great composition/arrangement as usual. Thoroughly unexciting lead vocal performance. I actually like the other vocals better, the performance style works much better for them. Great light-hearted (mostly) lyrics. Interesting that nobody else has chosen a similar take on the title/challenge so far. Very enjoyable, if not for the lack of spirit/emphasis in the vocals.

Jon Eric: The main problem here is poor timing in the vocals. For me, timing in rap has to be impeccable. And then you make it even worse in the chorus. The short break there doesn't really recover very well. As far as writing goes, this song is great. The main problem (the other main problem, I mean) here is the lack of "edge", for lack of a better word, in the vocals... both spoken and sung parts. By edge, I mean that thing that they try to add to mediocre/bad vocal performances by using exciters. The thing that makes vocals able to cut through other sounds like butter. You're not the only one suffering from this problem in this round, but I think with rap it's particularly important. The performance of the "it's you" part is a bit over the top, but good on you for trying.

Luke Henley: I might have liked this, but several things work against the song here. Most importantly, the vocals sound almost bored, and the effect gets even stronger when the backup vocals kick in (and, by the way, the standard thirds nearly all the way through those are pretty boring, too). Also, the song goes on for longer than it can hold my interest. The somewhat sloppy singing doesn't make things better. Also, just because you have the second vox track to the right doesn't mean it's a good thing to have most of the song exclusively to the left. Great lyrics, but I can't help but think that they totally subvert the title, and for no apparent reason.

Boffo Yux Dudes: Horrible plosives. Lyrics are very hard to make out, probably mostly due to unconvincing vocal performance (trying to speak more deeply than your voice allows doesn't make you sound good... on the contrary) and unconvincing mix. I find this whole thing terribly boring. You try to save it by having semi-passionate elements in the way you speak, but it falls short for previously stated reasons. Lyrics are meandering, link to title is extremely tenuous.

Manhattan Glutton: I like the lyrical approach and I like the composition, but there's one tendency here that I don't like at all. It shines through in the indiscriminate use of exclamation marks in the lyrics and also in the mix/performance. You have polished and equalised (not in the technical sense) this to the point where no texture is left. The only individuality you left is the nasal vocals, and let's face it, that's not really an awesome distinguishing characteristic. To put it differently: this song is not a living being, it's a statue. Sculpted out by a computer, perfectly following the blueprint. Yawn.

Glen Raphael: Great arrangement and good mix (sax is a bit low in it, though), but the vocals... can you say, sore thumb? I think the reverb is to blame, and perhaps the mic/EQ to some degree. That's not to say that you should get rid of reverb, but perhaps choose a different plugin/impulse and/or different settings. Lyrics/challenge/title are okay. All in all, nice, but doesn't come together as well as it could have. I think I'm starting to sound like a broken record by now, but the vocals aren't terribly exciting. I'd have expected a bit of fire in them, considering the topic, but there is none to find. Composition is good... song doesn't feel too short or too long.

WreckdoM: Vocal doubling isn't very tight. Vocals are seriously buried in several places. Singing in chorus is terrible. Interesting composition, great lyrics and approach (props for not using the title in the lyrics and still making it work extremely well). I'm not sure the weird synth in the background helps this song. Overall this doesn't come together very well. If the chorus wasn't so terribly pitchy, I might at least like the vocals.

DJ Ranger Den: One of the best vocal performances this round. I love this. Can't think of anything else to say about this. Except you might want to add just a hint of reverb to the vocals, so that the mix sounds more cohesive. And perhaps unmute the piano a bit; it's hard to get a good-sounding mix if your main accompanying instrument is trying to hide in the shadows.

Bram Tant: Give your vocals a bit more presence, both in the mix and in your technique. Though I guess the vocals are not terribly good, so perhaps it's for the best the way it is. You have stumbled upon an easy way to make a song boring: put the focus on the vocals and make the vocals boring. Whispery singing should dominate the song, for example, if you want to be boring (especially the bad kind of whispery where you just tone down your voice a lot, letting all the substance leak out). I have no complaints about the guitar and stuff, but this is not much better than an instrumental. Lyrics are a bit crude, but I guess that can have its own kind of charm.

Scoring range on the new scale (which goes up to 40 rather than 20 as before): lowest 21, highest 40.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Caravan Ray »

ken wrote:
Caravan Ray wrote: Does any one actually drink bourbon and ginger ale? And if they did - do you call ginger ale "ginger"? I like scotch and dry - I would never ask for scotch and ginger (I assume you also call it dry ginger ale over there?)

I think your song is fantastic. But the word "ginger" sticks out like dogs balls.

Blame it on soda, a few rocks and bourbon - would be a big improvement Or boredom, or moonlight, or hormones - anything but ginger.
Oh yeah. That was the drink of choice for many an afternoon/evening spent at the bar. Makers and ginger to be exact.

Ken
Well - I had to google that - but it appears that it is all kosher and you are telling the truth

BTW: Love the photo Ken - you look good with your hair longer
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Manhattan Glutton »

jast wrote:The only individuality you left is the nasal vocals, and let's face it, that's not really an awesome distinguishing characteristic. To put it differently: this song is not a living being, it's a statue. Sculpted out by a computer, perfectly following the blueprint. Yawn.
Oh Jast, I knew you'd say something like this. But I'm proud of what I did and I did my best, so here's a picture for you.
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If I had a dollar for every one of my songs j$ has called a 90s pastiche, I'd have $1 for every song I've written.

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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Caravan Ray »

Ross wrote:
Caravan Ray wrote:
But still - that is not as bad as:
Ross wrote: Well those Sapporo beers, they come so big
And they pour the cold saki tall
I don't know what sort of barbarism you get up to over there in California - but for the love of God - do they really "pour the cold saki tall"?!?! In my day - as a dishwasher at the Sapporo Restaurant on the Gold Coast - the after-work sake was always served warm in tiny pottery cups or the cute little lacquered wooden boxes. And constantly re-filled. Kampai!
Well, this place my friends used to drag me to DID serve cold sake, and althought they didn't actually pour it tall, it came in pretty tall carafes. But we did drink it out of those little ceramic dealeys. I figure if you can change any person's name to ginger, this was a small poetic adjustment.

In your "reviews" was i in tentionally left out, or was there not an attempt to be all inclusive?
You were not left out - I just forgot to Bold your name. I will fix it
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Ross »

Caravan Ray wrote:
Ross wrote: In your "reviews" was i in tentionally left out, or was there not an attempt to be all inclusive?
You were not left out - I just forgot to Bold your name. I will fix it
That's weird, i thought i read every word, thanks, though. Sorry for the inconvenience.


Btw - your comment about not caring if the songs were autobiographical or not reminds me that this is the kind of thing that has gotten under my skin a little in basically all 6 nur eins (not your fault). If it is a non-optional challenge that it must be autobiographical, seems to me it should matter if it's autobiographical. There have been many instances of title or challenge "disregard" over the years, but i think it weakens the fight. Might as well say "everyone write a song, be thinking of puppies." one reason my song was weak this round has to do with the fact that i, as a participant" choose to take the titles and challenges quite at their word, perhaps that is a shortcoming of mine, if so -so be it.

I hope i get to move on.

Whining over.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by Caravan Ray »

Ross wrote: Btw - your comment about not caring if the songs were autobiographical or not reminds me that this is the kind of thing that has gotten under my skin a little in basically all 6 nur eins (not your fault). If it is a non-optional challenge that it must be autobiographical, seems to me it should matter if it's autobiographical. There have been many instances of title or challenge "disregard" over the years, but i think it weakens the fight. Might as well say "everyone write a song, be thinking of puppies." one reason my song was weak this round has to do with the fact that i, as a participant" choose to take the titles and challenges quite at their word, perhaps that is a shortcoming of mine, if so -so be it.
.
That is why there are several judges. I am sure most of the others agree with you. Personally - as longs as I can see some sort of connection between title, challange and song - however tenuous - I am usually satisfied.

Though now I think about it, you are probably right - I may change next week and become Challenge Nazi.

Maybe.
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Re: Nur Ein VI: Round Two

Post by BoffoYux »

Ross wrote: one reason my song was weak this round has to do with the fact that i, as a participant" choose to take the titles and challenges quite at their word, perhaps that is a shortcoming of mine, if so -so be it.
Al and I had the same issue. We literally started 5 different songs for this one until the crash. Making it Autobiographical limited us, but not in a good way. Usually having some limits inspire us to tweak the challenge in a new direction while staying in the structure of it. It's fun to skirt the edge and come at it from a new direction. This one - nothing seemed to jell. I had a song about Conan not writing my daughter back for her request to replace Andy as co-host. Al wrote one about faking sick and staying home having soup and ginger ale until he got caught and forced to go to school. There was another with my wife jokingly offering me plane tickets to go to Alaska to be with a red headed singer. But when fleshed out, the ideas just didn't have the zing or ring true, even though they WERE true. They were stories, but weren't songs yet.

Then the crash, and 5 hours of scrambling to meet the deadline. So it wasn't a lack of effort or thought this round. The fates just conspired against us again.
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