You can call me whatever you want (SCEB reviews)

[nobodyetal]

Just don't call me late for dinner.

[Spud]

Wow, I show up four days late to update the fight and no art?

[Billymojo]

I'd like to help you out but, strictly speaking, I'm not a visual artist. Or any kind of an artist now that I think of it.

Which reminds me: a few years back I was part of a truly lousy band. When people asked why were weren't playing together anymore I'd reply, "Artistic differences". Few people got the joke.

[ken]

Here's my idea for cover art. Maybe someone with actual art skillz can make it better?

[Spud]

Guess not. If there isn't something else posted by the time I get back from having dinner with Roymond, I'll go with it, Ken.

[ken]

Wow, my first artwork credit!

[hillbilly]

Gregboethin-----Killer lyrics,i'm still grinning. (Don't care if you'r faking,Buster,Keep the change). great story.

[chocolatechips]

I think my favorite this week is the entry from Berkeley Social Scene.

[fakefunk]

I keep going back to Deep Truckin'...makes me laugh everytime

[Billymojo]

Hey baby, hows about some reviews?

Berkeley: Nice spare production and tasty refrain. Well performed and mixed octave vocal harmony and added vocal toward the end.

Brown Word: Scary and beautiful. Some Bertolt Brecht in there?

Chocolate Chips: I like the refrain and wish there was more to the tune before and after.

Deep Truckin’: True stuff for true believers. Love the jaw harp (my first instrument) or whatever it is.

Greg Boethin: Almost a great, great tune and well worth working it out a little further.

Fkmuse: Without context, I’m kinda lost. Wondering what comes before and after.

Bert Kristin: I’m not sure what you were going for here. So I’m at a loss I guess. Little pink somethingorother?

Lamentors: Are the drums real or canned? (I don’t care; I’m not a snob.) Anyway, that’s a beautiful snare sound. I would suggest that when the song goes from soft to loud, that you fully commit to the loud. But good production overall and a spirited vocal to boot.

Lookouts: First listen was in my truck. I started to pull over when I heard the siren.

Meister Matt: Sonically harsh, consistently across the mix. (Your intent I presume.) It’s standing up to repeated listenings. Good strong snare.

New Image: My toes are tappin’. A little less verb on the piano please.

Paco: Sonically pleasing. Bass and rhythm guitar sound especially. And the guitar licks at the end kill.

Somebody: I have great admiration for people who do childrens’ music. A couple guys here in town, whenever I see ‘em I say, “I oughta do some of that.” But I never do. I’m not yet ready to go cute. Your tune is well done.

Sonofsupercar: Really glad you’re back. But what the heck are you up to here? Pure crazyness.

Kenzie Chickens: Me. Putting this together was an unfocused process. Whether it came together at the end is not for me to decide.

Steve Durand: I’m in awe. Love your horns and would love to colab if I knew how to work out the tech aspects. (Here at Le Club Poulet we are limited to synth horns.)

Ryan Watt: My favorite tune this week. Are you a Todd Rundgren fan by any chance? Please consider singing in a higher range. I look forward to hearing more.

Wreckdom: I haven’t had, or thought of, cheese on my hashbrowns in years. Thanks for that culinary memory, I guess. You pull it off every week. Do you have a utility company that supplies you with irony or do you have to go pick it up at the fillin’ station.

Your Best Friend: Was alcohol a factor in this performance? OK, I’ll back off. Truth is I spent significant time on a tune a few weeks back that was intended to be a homage of sorts to In My Room. Yup, it got really ugly, obvious even to me when I added the synth strings. Scrapped it at the end and submitted something quick, dirty and easy. So . . . your tune and performance aren’t so hot. Whadaya got up next?

[hillbilly]

Stink---as usual, killer guit. work. Humor me,turn me on to some hard blues.

Berkly---Good lyrics,tight. i'm too old for this style, but good job.

Matt---Welcome, but you killing me, sorry.

Interbred Truckers---dig it been there. Are yall longfellow and friends?

Wreckdom---whos the babe?

[WreckdoMelle]

Berkley Social Scene - Light, fun music, catchy chorus. Nice succinct story about California dream going downhill. I like the breakdown + handclaps immensely.

Birt Krinstin – Tinny/echoey sound like listening to an old tape on a small boombox. Melody reminiscent of Jack and Dianne. Sing-able though.

Brown Word – Levels a bit low on this one. I did manage to play a bit of clarinet but nowhere near as much as I wanted. In fact I wanted a lot more for this but ah well, I can’t complain about what I was able to wring out in the small amount of time it took.

Chocolate Chips – fun acid-flashback vocal effects. As always, well-sung, well-put together and very catchy.

Deep Truckin’ Family Familia – Super filthy, not to mention utterly tasteless and trashy. Which I appreciate. I think I mighta hung out with you guys before… or guys like you… Extensive use of mouth harp a plus.

Fkmuse – more noise please. There’s promise here…

Gregg Boethin - Oh no, so sad! Pretty guitars. Poor haircut. I do like your voice a lot, Buster.

Kenzie Chickens –I like this one a lot. Something about the title lends itself nicely to country, and Kenzie Chickens usually does pretty well in that area anyway. I like your voice.

The Lamentors – Great voice, rockin’ tune. Yes, I would like the fries.

The Lookouts – Rowdy tune, this one. I like the lyrics. Sounds pretty good too. Lots of neato sound effects.

Meister Matt – Awright!! Heavy n loud n awesome! Sonofabitch, this is a gooder.

New Image – Not a big fan of the style.

Paco – Go Paco! Tearing it up once again. Me like.

Ryan Wyatt – Pretty good tune, catchy lyrics, sort of deadpan delivery suits the song well.

Somebody By Himself – Awww, I love this. Nice try disguising yourself 

Sonofsupercar – Well I was expecting to be rocked by this. I wasn’t disappointed!!! Your voice is tough dude. Ominous music kind of scary. I have never felt so threatened by corn.

Steve Durand – Fantastic musicianship, as always. Well mixed and I like the singer, he could go ahead and be bombastic with this awesome music in the background, but he’s not, he’s just right. Love the horns!

WreckdoM – King Colon would’ve made the production much better on this, but it was fun assembling this fine product. Needs more ham though.

Your Best Friend – Scary barbershop quartet may have fed me mushrooms.

[hillbilly]

Mc,Chicken-----Hope you guys realize (you guys have a good bass player). Let me buy the bass dude a beer.

[hillbilly]

BLT & Caravan Ray------I like this more than your previous entries

[Billy's Little Trip]

BLT & Caravan Ray------I like this more than your previous entries

First off, thank you!


...second, what the F-word are you fucking talking abooot?

[nobodyetal]

Sorry I don't have more time to review these this week.

BSS - Chorus is nice and catchy on this one. I love the fuzz bass interlude towards the end. Harmonies are tight, I like how the last chorus loop adds the mids.

Birt - A nod to John Mellencamp. Loose and lo-fi.

Brown Word - eerie, the arrangement suits the asylum context of the lyrics. Clarinet is a beautiful and evocative touch. I'm partial to woodwinds and waltzes. Maybe I could borrow your skill on a future collab? Dropping from a window is a bit of a chilling image to throw in there. I approve.

Choco - Good guitar tone. Some of the synth tones make me think of playing Ultima Underworld back in the day for some reason. Chorus is a nice melody and good harmony too.

Deep Truckin - nice beer-swilling bar tale. Lyrics are grin-worthy, if a little blue. Jaw harp solo a nice touch.

fkmuse - I found this odd. girl's spoken word with a lot of lyric mentions from other songs. Not that it was bad.

GreggBoethin - I like this tune. Sort of a nashville/austin tune with a nicely tuned sense of humor. Especially like the Chia pet line. Still manages to be sweet with all the funny phrase turns.

Kenzie - bluesy, sort of honky tonk? This comes out nicely. I feel like I knew this woman (perhaps several incarnations of her) when I lived in Ohio. Good harmonies on the choruses. Your gritty vocals serve the verse well.

Lamentors - lead guitar tone/stylings reminds me of Counting Crows a little. Nice changeup on the feel when it goes into doubletime.

Lookouts - my usual comments here. Guitar and arrangement strong, vocals less so. The Bond theme is a neat change up, but drags a bit long. I thought initially you were saying "Bong enforcement lady". Which was a funny image.

Meister - style not my cup of tea. I lack the background/vocab to understand/critique it properly I think, so... there you go.

New Image - a swingin' lounge boogie. Nice. Got a cool vibe. Lyrics put a picture in my head of a prohibition-era jazz club and a cigarette girl.

Paco - you consistently manage to make some dissonant chord changes sound effortless. And amusing lyrics too. half of the navy, ha ha!! Solid as usual.

RyanWatt - I really dig this tune. Very well put together. I could hear The Fray doing this. Breakdown/bridge could use a lead? I mean, it works as is but feels a bit empty there. Chorus is solid. Well crafted.

Somebody - yeah I just had fun with this. My lyrical content rarely has anything to do with me, but this one the vast majority of it is legit.

sonofsupercar - Dig the hell out of the huge bass riff. It's like JPJ/Bonham, but the whole thing's got kind of a grungy strange Primus lurch too. You guys really have a propensity to nail down a groove. The sampled newscast at the end is a little eerie.

Steve Durand - Nice arrangement, horns are spot on as usual, I like the traded solos. The female vocals were a neat surprise. Something about the bass sounds off somehow. Probably just me. Nice as usual.

Wreckdom - Strangely, this really makes me want to go to Waffle House.

RobertGraham - this is a neat little experiment. A capella is tough. Props for pulling it off. The warbly bit at the end is just wierd though.

[Paco Del Stinko]

Berkeley Social Scene Catchy chorus and an all-around easy going feel. This one sets up nicely for Cars type keyboard riffs or simple MOOG lines or something. DIg the brief but heavy bridge. I welcome the harmonies at the end, right where I heard overlapping ones.


Birt Krinstin I like this better as it goes on, appreciating the arrangement. It's a little messy sounding, but is put together well. A little sparkle wouldn't take away the DIY feel. Not a fan of the boxy guitar tones but again, the song is well put together if on the long side.


Brown Word and the Big Whine Your pitch is shaky at times, but I am very excited to hear you doing something melodic and so very different than your previous entries. All over the map, and that's way cool. Do you work in a psych hospital? Anyway, moody without being too dark, while maintaining an air of mystery. Great experiment, mostly successful. Dig!


The Chocolate Chips I like the arrangement and melodies here, despite the autotune. Sorry, gotta say it. I think if the bass line played some hints of harmony under the melody, that would open this up without being too complicated or busy. Maybe during the chorus. Good tune, neat bridge.


Deep Truckin' Family Familia Sounds like a genuine party, and the fun mostly translates here. I imagine that the story is based on someone real. Jaw harp is way cool.


fkmuse Heh. Laura Palmer. Not quite a Phunt experiment, it still intrigues for a bit. I like the high pitch sound, it makes me giggle.


Gregg Boethin This has a very strong Stones doing country vibe that I like a lot. If I ever covered this, I'd step on the gas just a little, but the tempo is fine on this here original. Nice arrangement, good playing and fun lyrics. Very well done, one of the stronger songs this week.


The Kenzie Chickens More Stones! Sounds like she's a drunken baby. Loose where it can be without falling apart. Nice guitar work and the piano is a great touch. I'd like to hear the drums break down a bit during the kind of call and response part that happens "she calls everybody baby baby". Good work.


The Lamentors DIg the drum recording. If they're not real, great job programming missed hits. Very club rock or Roland demo track. The vocals are spot on and enthusiastic, great when belting. The last repeated chorus gets a little loose and that feels like you guys are ready to derail a bit: Cool!


The Lookouts This is only lacking hand claps on the snare hits. Backyard/garage jam with buzzed out people in attendence. I'm still not convinced you're not BLT. Bond theme is fun and the groove is diggable, more so if I was baked. I'd like to hear layered backing vocals on the chorus.

Meister Matt Kenzie Chickens pumped up on gravel for breakfast. This could use a bigger bottom end and a little more pow in the drums. I could use some shots of Tequila. Get some more backing vocals yelling along with the chorus. Guitarmonies are kind of creepy in a good way - I like that.


New Image Not as swingy as it wants to be, but still a mellow groove. Nice voice, could use a bit more sleaze or cheese. The mix here is almost upside down: the drums, wisely sparse as they are, are loud, the voice is quiet and the guitar threatens to bury the voice as well. Re-mix and be happy.


Paco del Stinko KInd of inspired by Camper Van Beethoven, strum-wise. Clean Champ for all electric guitars.


Ryan Watt Catchy right off. I like the the stuck note thingy there, it's not overdone. Some nice supporting vocals on the chorus would give the lead vocal some heft. Lead voice feels a little talky, too. Nice arranging and the instruments all sound full. I think the lead voice, belting an octave higher on the chorus would be keen.


Somebody By Himself Hmm. Whooo could this be? Ah, it must be nobody. Or Nobody. Cute and very family friendly. NIce story and imagery, the melody is easy and likeable and the guitar rhythm is a happy kids feet stomp. Very good work here, I hope it's actually for someone specific and that they can call it their own.


sonofsupercar Swiping the family fare aside, this menacing monster-fest is sick. What is that guitar doing? I have no idea. Or is it another secret banjo attack? This threatens to take off at any second, leaving me in nervous suspense. Great riff, great stomp.


Steve Durand Nice take-off to start. Images of some diva emerging from a car, sunglassed and fur shawled, flashbulbs flashing. Great to hear you cut loose on some solos. Nice backing voices too, I'm curious as to who they are. I dig the bass line but think it might have been a bit better if the tone knob was turned down and maybe plucked near the neck to give it a softer attack. Regardless, a classic.

WreckdoM This could almost be a Christmas song, somehow. Nice to hear Elle in the mix although the harmonies could be tightened up. Very glad to hear the WreckdoM touch in what first started to sound more traditional. I like the open air of the arrangement, compared to your usual (and wonderful) dense power sludge.


Your Best Friend Messy and sounds like a tin can microphone. A good toss-off experiment.

[blue]

Those of you who reviewed are awesome. I return the favor, plus favorites:

Steve Durand: Love, love, love your horn playin, dude. Your singing just has that "Jim of Seattle" quality to it. Ever think about trying to over-affect a crooner vibe? Might be funny to try, anyways. Fantastic drum programming, honestly would not have minded hearing more soloing and just having this whole tune instrumental. Why throw away vocals when you can destroy some horn lines? I have a tattoo that says that.

On second listen, the vocals are fine. Maybe it was just the difference from the last tune to this one. They work fine. Really wish you had gone a little more avant in the solos. I think I would tried to EQ out a bit of the nasal and dropped a little old-school mic FX on the vocal track.

Really tho, fantastic main theme. Really smokes.

Wreckdom: This tune immediately bowled me over with Timbuk3 goodness, overlaid with "True Stories" style Talking Heads. What a combo. If this song had fuzz bass, I'd have gotten a Wreckdom tattoo.

Kenzie: I get the honkey-tonk vibe but this is really middle-of-the-road. Where's the left turn? Nothing at all wrong with this tune, just not really anything to review. It sounds like it was just what you wanted it to be. It's essentially the same song as Wreckdom's, but stamped out of boilerplate. Better than most everyone else's, though.

Pacopants: Great energy right out of the gate, and another blast from the past in terms of having that 90's college rock vibe. Nice changes in the chorus. Guitar solo sounds fantastic.

Nobody: You've got that tunewriter's genome for sure, but man the saccharine gave me an aneurism. It's my fault for being a bad person. You and Jon Mann would be a funny duo. Do something nasty next week. For science. And America.

Choco Chips: Sounds like there's a good songwriter in there somewhere. Keep hacking at it.

Ryan Watt: Radio-ready but light in the pants. Add a few bpm for impact? Reallly good chord changes. The bass is a weapon. Use it.

fkmuse: If you had a beat box you'd be a millionaire.

[hikarateboy]

Berkeley Social Scene - Nice mix right away, Singing voice and style kinda sounds like Frank Zappa and I am a big fan of his so brings me to a familar place, It's a decent song that while it doesnt blow me away I can see people singing it to themselves a day later, nice harmony out. I'll give this one of my votes.

Brown Word and the Big Whine - Speaking of Zappa, This one has No Commercial Potential but it sounds like you have something to say. What is it? Unfortunately the monotony of the progression cant be saved by changes in the vocal delivery, which general sounds nice. I like that you took the chance here but deserves a bigger soundscape by modulating the mood a bit more than you've done. Get dramatic.

The Chocolate Chips - Sixties vibe is nice you got a verse and a chorus that are good but missing the change that really brings it all together. nice step up though for last verse.

Deep Truckin' Family Familia - It's fun, completely crude and exactly what I would expect from the sound of the room it was recorded in. I can see this becoming a regularly played sing along by someone, somewhere.

Birt Krinstin - Guitar riff feels like a lofi jack and diane, Not a fan of the sound though its a bit buzzy, The vocals are very low level and could use some compression to bring them out so I can understand what you are saying. The song isnt done yet but I'm lost not sure where its went. I'd guess this was a stream of consciousness recording that you just added to.

fkmuse - Poetry seems to be your thing. Is there a poetryfight?

Gregg Boethin - Really like the voice and the vocal delivery, The song is pretty good. The drums must be a loop as they are driving me a bit crazy now but there are some bright spots here. You find some new energy in the bridge and bring it back in to the chorus. I'll give it one of my votes.

The Kenzie Chickens - Total stones and I love the stones. The verse is good but the Hey Babyyyyyyyyy kinda bugged me and wrecked this song for me. Lyrics are decent. The horns are cool.

The Lamentors - Mine. Yep real drums and real missed hits haha, Compresses too much going into the chorus, plenty of other things that could be better but went from nothing to finished in 4 hours in one night so it is what it is.

The Lookouts - I love the james bond theme and radio play breakdown. You know where the strength of the song is and the verse has a really nice groove. Guitar solos are fun and sounds like you are having a good time. Thats what its all about.

Meister Matt - Vocal delivery is good, the guitar sound doesnt seem like its right for what the song is, I would expect more scooped mid ala metalica but maybe you are purposely avoiding it. The Chorus before the break down has some nice energy the vocal in the breakdown is hard to hear due to the tone of the main guitar being in the same range. Nice job over all though.

New Image - Nice, sounds like you have commitment to it throughout, The sound on the keyboard is a bit strange and pulls me out of the song and the guitar sounds a bit too much like an acoustic pickup but fix those and you got something .

Paco del Stinko - The LOUDEST of all so far, it sounds good though so not complaining. I like the verse a lot it avoids being predictable and the verse gives me something I wasnt expecting. Overall I like it a lot. It gets a vote.

Ryan Watt - I like feel and the way this builds a lot, probably my favorite song so far. I like how you completely avoid typical strummy approach, this is what the greats do. Another Vote goes to you.

Somebody By Himself - Well done song that is great to sing to your baby daughter while playing solo guitar but could be so much more, Put some time into it and put out a childrens album, Serious, parents need stuff they can stand to listen to!

sonofsupercar - Powerful and done well with some secret ear candy in there good thing I have headhones. Glad to know it was record year for tasselling, That said I dont hear a single as its just too repetitious sorry.

Steve Durand - Horns! A lot going on and structured well but just sounds like everyone is playing at a tempo thats too fast for them so a bit sloppy and lacking feel. Might sound a little harsh but thats only because I know you can do better, Ive heard it.

WreckdoM - After this many songs I'm out of complements for taking chances. next.

Your Best Friend - You guys spent the time to work this out its a shame you didnt take the time to make sure it was recorded well. Unless this is just one dude. Still just too much room.

[chocolatechips]

Songs ranked in order of my preference with at least one thing I like (+) and one thing I dislike (-) about each track:

#1 Berkeley Social Scene

+ Overall indie rock vibe.
+ Guitars. Cool tone, nice rhythm. I like the left/right spread.
+ Chorus.
+ Hand claps & tambourine add a nice touch.
+ Strong drumming.
- Verse vocals & melody are a bit weak in comparison to the rest of the track.

#2 Ryan Watt

+ Nice pop sensibilities.
+ I like it more and more as it goes along. Catchy chorus.
- Vocals aren't terrible but they seem a bit weak. I realize you work with what you have (to some extent... you can always improve your vocals with practice too!) but I think you could fatten them up a bit maybe. The truth is, especially in the pop sort of world that this song resides in, you have to have strong vocals to reach most listeners (yes I realize this is a bit much coming from the guy who uses weird ass fx on his vocals.)
- Intro seems longer than necessary (I think it would be tighter with just one time through instead of two times.)

#3 Somebody By Himself

+ Cute.
+ Good clean simple production for this style.
+ Good vocals & simple but effective guitar strumming.
+ Xylophone? is a nice touch.
- Not crazy about the spoken word bits (although your voice does sound a bit like Wayne Coyne's speaking voice... which is cool.)
- Melody doesn't really stick out.

#4 Kenzie Chickens

+ Great personality in the vocals.
+ All the instruments are well played (if a bit "by the numbers" sounding.)
+ Pretty good classic rock style production.
+ I like the synth horns, they add some spice.
+ I'm not 100% sure about the harmony vocals as they sound a bit "off" ... but it's that offness that actually helps the song overcome the otherwise generic feeling of the song.
- Struggles to overcome that "generic class rock" sound, although it does a better job of this than your previous songs I as remember them.

#5 Paco Del Stinko

+ Good production.
+ Excellent musicianship particularly the lead guitar.
+ I'm not sure I like the vocals personally but they work in that Jane's Addiction sort of way.
+ Cool vocal harmonies.
- Probably too many guitar breaks for my taste but understandable as I think they are the strongest part of the song.

#6 The Lamenters

+ Nice lead guitar lines & tone.
+ Good vocals.
+ Cool keys.
+ Cool feel, nice drumming.
- Not crazy about the chorus, it sort of grates on me for some reason.

#7 Wreckdom

+ Reminds me of early Beck (Stereopathetic Soul Manure / Mellow Gold) which is a good thing for me.
+ Weird enough to make me question your sanity. I assume this is what you are going for, or perhaps you are truly insane. Either way: Good work.
- Could use a really catchy melody in there somewhere to really hook the listener to make sure they are taken along with you on your magical weirdo ride.

#8 Steve Durand

+ Horn.
+ Female backing vocals.
+ Lyrics get my attention. Enjoyable story.
- Piano sounds a bit cheesy.
- Bass & Drums are too busy for my taste (although I guess it fits the style.)

#9 Son of Supercar

+ Cool vocals.
- Intro is too long.
- Production is a bit messy but I suppose if you're going for that Butthole Surfers style (which is my impression) it fits.

#10 The Lookouts

+ Some nice guitar playing.
+ Fun sound effects.
- Poor guitar tone (crackly and too obviously direct in/amp sim sounding.)
- Weak vocals.
- Too long.

#11 Gregg Boethin

+ Good vocals.
+ Nice slide guitar leads.
- A bit awkward rhythmically in places.
- Decent melody but doesn't quite grab the ear the way I think it's intended to.

#12 Brown Word

+ I like the main horn riff that repeats. The sound of the horn is nice too. I'm assuming it's a sample, but even then; it's a nice one.
+ Nice atmosphere.
- Not big on the meandering vocal line.

#13 New Age

+ Decent vocals.
+ The "lounge" thing is kind of cool.
- Sort of sloppy the way it all fits together. Could be sloppy playing or a poor mix (or most likely some of both.)
- Vocals are mixed too low.

#14 Meister Matt

+ I like the way the samples drop in during the instrumental parts with the delay. It reminds me of Primal Scream.
- Tinny guitar tone.
- The mix is too light on bass. I guess that fits the style but it's not a style I'm big on so... it's a minus for me.

#15 Your Best Friend

+ I'm not huge on acapella stuff, but this is kind of cool.
- Just kind of.

#16 Birt Krinston

+ I like the sentiment of the lyrics.
- Sounds a lot like John Mellancamp's "Jack & Dianne."
- Poor production.

#17 Deep Truck

+ Acoustic guitar.
+ Vocals on the chorus are decent.
- I don't really like the whole bunch of drunk guys in the background thing. But it is done well enough.

#18 fkmuse

+ I understand the desire to do this kind of thing and in small doses (within the framework of an interesting album or song) I think it can be cool.
- As a stand alone track it's just not interesting. Now more than ever there's millions of things to listen to at any given moment, you have to give someone a reason to listen...