The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Review away.

Hmmm. That cover art appears to be a python.

Steve Durand wrote:Hmmm. That cover art appears to be a python.

Well, it was the only one we got. Where's yours?

Steve Durand wrote:Hmmm. That cover art appears to be a python.

This is not a python. ~Magritte
If it were, Quimby would be killing it with a rake, cutting it into 3 inch pieces and baking it.

By the way, I'm glad that Quimby's song didn't follow our song.

Spud wrote:

Steve Durand wrote:Hmmm. That cover art appears to be a python.

Well, it was the only one we got. Where's yours?

Where's mine?....I don't have a python

So you do know your snakes, Steve. The markings are that of a Burmese python.

Maybe you've got it all wrong. Maybe that python plays the maracas with a mariachi band. Rattle snake is his job description.

Ford's - Some of the touches in it were interesting, the overall thing seemed worth tuning into at first, but it got boring for me. The speed and "urgent" delivery don't translate to me feeling any urgency.

Heine - You do love the Moody Blues. There's a mistake they make in having lyrics less deep than the delivery they give them. This song of yours crosses that boundary in places. And while a pleasant sound, the music's too mellow to make a rescue if we decide the song is either boring or preachy. I'll listen to this more than once, but I won't show it off to anybody else. [boom!] Geez, you love the Moodies even more than we said!

Hell Yeah's - All kinds of competent things going on here, but what's coming across to me is just a progression that's not attractive to me and the feeling that the voice has done that sequence of notes and syllables a whole lot of times in a row. I guess I'm into more anthemic melodies. But your lyrics are killer. They look great alone on the board too.

Make Spoons Not Knives - You've got a great sense of texture! Are you singing all those parallel lines or using an effect on one voice? Maybe I'll try and do something like this next. I'll use a TON of reverb.

Manatee Matinee - I kind of like the setting of warped amusement park musical theatre. You know, the sections where you put the layered voices in absolute lock step are attention-getting, and where it slops up not in a good way, it doesn't. So maybe stuff like this has to be really perfect to work.

Meatknob - Not my favorite. I think it's just too 80's in flavor and nothing else special about it.

Oddbod - The intro is a good job filling the sound field, but it plods a little and I am already impatient for the lyrics. Then I'm impatient for them to say something, then for the break to end and the next verse to start. All in all, the song doesn't make me believe that it's going to be brilliant - maybe it's a beat I don't love. At the same time, the groove at the base of it has a lot of charm.

Paco del Stinko - You just rock. You just ROCK! I could listen to that guitar go round and round. And the rhymes, geeez!

Quimby - Wow, out of the gate with amazing vocal phrasing. And at 1:40, just when I was wondering whether the song is about anything other than what it's about, you said "for two". The recipe though, too long, that just put me on hold, what's up with your lover? Chorus and out without saying? Nope, you say "for two" again at the end. You get a vote for that! But I think you should make the recipe shorter and get there faster.

R. Mosquito - Ow, noisy. Sorry, I want to hear a bass line to go with all that misdirected energy.

Rone Rivendale - Yeah, really! This is more like what I feel like you were trying to do before and now making it work better. It's because you're making the vocal rhythm go along with the rhythm in the beats instead of being something else. Next, through in a bass riff, to give yourself a platform to stand on.

Ross Durand - The music is both happy and dramatic but the first 2 minutes of lyrics didn't stand up to the drama. You fix it at the verse where you "had to talk" and I learn about the characters. I'd revise and get that to happen sooner, and then have more of it. Overall, the song is too much about the chorus and not enough about the story. And sounding like a one-man version of Gordon Lightfoot's band is not enough, unfair as that is!

Steve Durand - This is funny, man. And it just gets better doesn't it. Good work! Still, you know, it has no reason to live outside this fight.

Styop Quoons et al - The beginning had me listening. Too bad about what happens at 0:55. Well - the augh's are good.

the test - I'm admiring your choices of exactly when to put those vocal harmonies in. And the build comes exactly when I need it, and the things that make it build - twists of story or sounds - are surprises. This gets a vote from me. And I typed that before I heard the absolutely perfect ending.

Tungsten Chic - Only the synth line is of interest to me. Can't you put a kickass drumbeat underneath it and then write a totally different song?

Weakest Suit - "Five teen actors, ethnically balanced", LOL. LOL again at 1:04 when the commercials wash away the pain! This is worth working on some more. But can you please scrutinize ALL of your phrasing when you do it over? It hurts the song to have weak syllables on important beats and important spots of melody without important words on them. The chorus things really rock along, but the verses where you have all this stuff to say are worse. Because you wrote them according to what you wanted to say, and not according to the requirement that they work with a melody you have in mind. So, the verse melodies also sound indefinite in a lot of places. [gets to the ending] Hey, you died! Good ending! You have to get a vote for that.

Attention All Units - Nice sounding all around. The dreamy lines carry me along. The "hornie" synth at "they will show you" is delicious. Nice tension on the final notes.

BLT et al - Ha ha! Great vocal delivery. It sounded hard to play the lead at that tempo (I already said he rocked, right?) But the drums just sound like slaps. If you had a real drummer at that tempo it would really be impressive.

Chadderandom - I could get into the story this time no problem. When I was a first grader I was at a friend's house and I found a tiny green grass snake in her yard. I was all happy ready to show it off to everyone and try to catch and play with it, and her dad came over and smashed the snake's head in with the end of a 2x4. I was so angry and upset that I ran home when it happened. Every time you sing "sharp end of a shovel" I totally re-immerse in that awful scene.

coder_lyte() - The high tones you drop in from the organ - unusual to play it that high I think! - and alternately the whistling, really add something. The overall guitar thing is so basic, and so is the setting of the story, that I really noticed those elements. Length is good too, you stopped when you were done.

Corn on Cob - Sounds like you're singing with a wadded-up towel in your mouth, which is distracting, because the timbre of everything else sounds good. I'm frustrated that I can't hear all the words. Good spooky keys. Good grounded-ness in all that riffy stuff. Doesn't sound like someone could knock you over easily. Every time the beat or riff changes, it just sounds better than it already had, keeping me happy while leaving me no memory of what the song structure was like as it went by. On second listen, I think I've got to vote because the build of the song is over the top. And because I want to hear more unobstructed singing next time.

DuToVa - Damned charismatic recording. Overall the driving beats of the synths and loops make it work for me, I'm not really a snob for real instruments, but if you were going to redo anything I'd suggest going back and tweaking the more exposed licks to sound a lot more organic. Yep, I dig this and I love the way it stays inside its envelope while it books along. Maybe I'll try and do something like this next even though my voice isn't cool like I think yours is. Vote, for inspiring me and making me dance!

Elaine DiMasi - I really need to get with a guitar/bassist early in the process. I can't fill all that empty space with piano comping and layered vox. Someone else should have defined the groove, then I wouldn't have done all those stupid cymbal crashes. And once I brought the percussion downstairs, well, it was all over, like, Calypso aughhh! It has its moments, though, piano riff is good, title fulfillment is really ok but still the song can exist outside the fight. I think I'd like to start from scratch with a guitarist who hasn't heard this recording, and show them the song on the piano and go in a different direction.

ElaineDiMasi wrote: Are you singing all those parallel lines or using an effect on one voice?

I used a pitch shifting effect on the vocals.

ElaineDiMasi wrote:Corn on Cob - Sounds like you're singing with a wadded-up towel in your mouth, which is distracting, because the timbre of everything else sounds good.

We like to imagine our singer on this one is an olde tyme cowboy with a vocal styling paved by years of acrid trail dust and hand-rolled cigarettes, along with nightly rations of whiskey. But he knows alot about the Montana wilderness. And we're fairly well influenced by Ween, as well We just wanted to do something different for the vocal, characteristic of the theme and title. Wish I could've swapped my voicebox for a different one. I just couldn't bare to put my soft breathy baritone over this song, it just wouldn't have been right. I just posted the lyrics in case that helps. Thanks for the dual listens and the appreciation of the build of the song!

For what its worth, a few subjective opinions....

Attention All Units - Nice guitar recording and your voice sounds good as well. Personally I would lay off the reverb a bit, but that’s a taste thing and I’m sure others would argue otherwise. Like the simplicity of this tune. The strings work well behind the strumming.

Billy's Little Trip featuring Spud and Paco - Ooo, this rocks. Yes, great stuff. The vocals are bordering on camp, but that adds to the enjoyment for me. Blown away my Saturday morning hangover and has me finger drumming the kitchen worksurface. Splendissimo

coder_lyte() - Dead pan vocalizing doesn’t really do it for me, but I’m quite big on whistling in songs so you get some marks for that. Guitars are okay but the drums are a little too simplistic. Strange early fade at only 37 secs…did you get bored or something?

Corn on the Cob - There’s some excellent sounding elements here - guitars, solid drums - but they don’t necessarily piece together too well. It’s a bit of a fuzzy and muddy melange with not enough definition between all the sounds. Also it doesn’t help that it sounds like you’re singing before you finished your burger.

DuToVa - The beat is good although some rolls/crashes/etc would have been welcome – it’s too relentless. Lifeless bass guitar doesn’t help. There’s something of the David Byrne about your vocals. Would’ve liked to hear some other elements and variation coming in for the later verses/choruses. Yeah, not a bad song but perhaps edging towards the monotonous.

Elaine DiMasi - Love the jangly piano riff. I’m afraid the drums sound pretty awful though - timing is off and too many crashes. Your usual clever lyrics, but this is not always your best vocal performance. Not exactly in love with the guitar solo either. Bit of a mixed bag.

Ford's Theater Disaster - Not a lot of warmth in this recording. That distorted vocal sound does you no favours and I’m not much more endeared towards the harsh guitar sound and constant crashing cymbals. The combination makes this a tough test for the old lugholes.

Heine - Hurrah, rattling. I'm quite fond of the vocal melody and guitar chord sequence. The vocal panning on the bridge seems an unnecessary quirk. Another song where the drums are a little simplistic – no breaks, rolls or cymbals. The little guitar break fits in nicely. Overlong, I think you could trim at least a couple of minutes off this without losing any feel, but I like the song overall. A strange bang at the end....its okay, I was still awake!

Make Spoons Not Knives - This is something a bit different. The synth riff with the drums at the start are okay, but I’m waiting for it to go somewhere else. Not madly taken with mantra-like vocals. Kind of engaging in its hypnotic repetition, but not quite enough here to carry its one chord-ness.

Meatknob - Chunky guitar sound and tight drums. Short and sweet but I’m liking this quite a lot, particularly that high pitched keyboard stuff.

Paco del Stinko - I do like a bit of slide guitar although I’m not wild about the distortion tone. Quite like your vocals despite the odd slightly iffy rhyme (Nancy/lance me)
Undecided about this one – perhaps a little ploddy.

Quimby - I really like your voice. I’m not always a fan of this type of female cutesy folk pop but you’ve won me over here with this. The song is great….and bonus for some more whistling. I don’t go a bundle on the recipe read out, but I can get over that. Guitars are excellent as well.

Rone Rivendale - “I'll give you all that you can take” sings Rone.
“That’s quite alright” says Oddbod “I'm quite full, thank you”

Ross Durand - The sound of that repeating electric guitar riff is quite harsh – too trebly for my taste and I don’t think the reverb settings help. The rest of the sounds are fine and there’s plenty of warmth in your vocal delivery though. Good song

Steve Durand - Love the lively brass - which brings this out of the 'ordinary guitar number' category - especially the intro/outro sections. Energetic, although the vocals are perhaps a tad strained here and there. Horns and vocals dominate the mix a bit too much.

The Chadderandom Abyss - I may consider reporting this to Amnesty International for crimes against humanity. You might be better off entering the Turner Prize.

The Hell Yeahs - Great start. There’s a lot to like in this – love the ‘walking’ bass line, the slightly ‘too many cigarettes’ vocal delivery and the breathy backing vocals. That hesitation at 0.32 is a great touch. Some excellent tricksy drumming too.

The Styop Quoons Experience F. Dr. Bean, the Rock & Roll Mexican - Hurrah, more rattling noises. Lacking conviction vocally and generally needs more excitement/aggression. I think my 2 year old niece could manage more convincing screaming.

the test - Nice simple strumming guitar number. That synth lead is a bit much when it comes in – I’d have toned that down a tad. Like your vocals and harmonies. Good job, I like it, although overall I get the impression this could be improved with some more sparkle in the production.

The Weakest Suit - Like the idea of the theme although some of the lines feel a little shoehorned in. Not sure I agree with leaving the bass out of the verses. Would have liked some more variation in the instrumentation as the song progresses. A little samey.

Tungsten Chic - This started rattling the fillings in my teeth so for Health & Safety reasons I had to stop listening.

Maniteee Matinee - The Berkhampstead Village Players rehearse for their production of 'Rattlesnake' - A hitherto little known musical by Noel Coward from his teenage years.

R Mosquito - For some odd reason I found it hard to make out the words and music in this - perhaps because your levels are a little low? Ouch

0ddb0d wrote:The vocals are bordering on camp...

Bordering? Bordering, you say? Damn, and here I thought I went all out.

edit - heh, I just noticed that those rolling eyes I put on my avatar seem to go with most of my posts, not just responses to BLT.

Ok, here are my reviews and musings. I went out of alphabetical order in honor of one of our esteemed community members that often gets a limp review. This member is huge in his own right and really brings the whole package to our little love fest. When once asked where he gets his inspiration, he simply replied, anything that makes me stand up and salute.

Tungsten Chic - I wish I could make out the vocals better, they sound funny. Every time the quite part comes in, my left ear says, ahhhhh, but my right ear doesn't say anything cuz it doesn't talk. I get this overwhelming urge to do "something", but I can't quite put my finger on it. Must be subliminal. Anyway, sorry about my typing, it's hard to do with one hand.

the test - Nice acoustic and voice. I really would have loved a brush drum beat to come in on the second verse, but that's just me. The bridge is unusual, but works. Nice song.

DuToVa - Nice peppy drum beat. Cool funky bass line. Groovin' keys. Awesome groove! Anyone ever tell you that your voice is reminiscent of David Byrne? Could just be the style of this tune, but has that vocal range that I like. The only thing I can say is it could have been a more dynamic mix, it's a little soft. Yes, groovin' song.

Billy's Little Trip featuring Spud and Paco - This was fun hearing Spud belt out my naughty innuendos at 200 bpm, lol. He sounds like the Beasty Boys biker dad. It has all of the making of a famous drunken bar cheer song. I knew Paco would pull his hot iron out of the fire and sizzle his brand of smokin' guitar on the bridge. Thanks guys! I can't vote for this out of modesty and tradition, but if I weren't such a modest traditionalist, I would.

The Weakest Suit - Hey look! I'm not reviewing in alphabetical order. I copy and pasted the names as they came up on the front page, just for you. Unfortunately your song sucks ass! Kidding, I love it. It-is-a-joy. All of your songs should sound like this. So simple with a fun story. When you say "it bit you in the leg", are you reversing the word bit? My favorite line is "the guy doesn't look like someone on a dollar bill", but I don't get it. He doesn't look like George Washington? I guess I like what I don't understand. Cool song.

Attention All Units - Nice touch with the synth backing for a nice guy and guitar tune. The only thing I can think of that I'd have done would be to run the acoustic through a soft tube and add a bit more ambiance to let it float a bit more, but not as much as the backing music. But it's a nice song either way.

R. Mosquito - Really noisy, but that's obviously the point with a name like R. Mosquito. Crap, now my ears are itchy. ROCK!

Quimby - Great guitar. Great voice. Great story of making lemonade when life gives you lemons. But is it just a rattlesnake dinner for you and your special someone, or is it more of an impish tale of revenge against your cheatin' man and the "for two" is you and his unborn baby? The recipe sounds delicious, and should be used for the video version of this song, but the recipe part should only be a bonus track on the CD, like, track 37 on a 14 track CD. Gives the true fans a little "in the know" trivia factoid that no one else knows about. HaHa, you almost said "a bonafide potato baked rattlesnake". I'm glad that you left that in. By the way, I was wondering if I could ask your voice out on a date. I'd show up at your door dressed very nice with my hair neatly combed and I'd be holding a beautiful corsage. I'll also promise to have it back home by 11:00 sharp.

coder_lyte() - Fitting music for a literal rattlesnake atmosphere. Yep, I see saloon doors swinging and hear spurs a jingling and a close up of a bullet leaving a gun in slow motion with the inscription, "The Rattlesnake" carved into it with the point of a sharp knife! Cool tune.

Ross Durand - Yep, the Ross folk songs always tell an honest tale of life and the wonderful memories of your youth. The electric guitar is a bit too sharp, but other than that, an all around good song.

Paco del Stinko - Well, I don't think I have to tell you that the slide guitar riff made me hard..........pressed not to play air guitar. Oh, and it gave me a boner too. All the famous Paco guitar and the image provoking story with clever rhymes. Love it.

Make Spoons Not Knives - Gotta love a vibro slap. Oh, ok, it's an instrumental. Ok, I see, the vibro slap is the rattlesnake connection. Oh wait, words. Ah, from an actual rattlesnakes point of view, clever. Ha, this gets better as it builds, for those that clicked stop 30 seconds in, go back and listen to it all. Worth the full listen. Cool tune.

The Styop Quoons Experience F. Dr. Bean, the Rock & Roll Mexican - Winner of the longest name award. I like your experimental art form. This one in particular because of the metal guitar synth. I love the Dr Claw voice. The other voice detracts a little except when you give out a timid "ahHhhhhh". Other than that, cool tune.

Steve Durand - Cool, I like how this song punches it's way in. Heat sinking miss'ile, haha, awesome. Jammin' the guitar and the horns, sweet. I have to laugh listening to this while thinking of the nature of our song this wek, lol. Good thing your song didn't follow ours or you'd sound like a big dick.

Rone Rivendale - Hey, I thought Melvin told you to learn 3 chords and rock'em? You're just plucking notes then banging an out of tune chord, I think? Yep, this is Ronetastic.

Elaine DiMasi - I've grown to really like this song. The way it flows on the "bring me along for the ride" melody and chords part, is intoxicating. As you pointed out, the crashes are way too much and the drums are not right for this. I like it, but I have to tell you, I like the raw version I heard and mixed better for some reason. It could be just that I've heard it the other way so many times while mixing that it's hard for me to adjust. But honestly, this song is so powerful that it doesn't need all of the pretty sugar sprinkled all over it. I know you weren't happy with the demo, but in my opinion, it was very alive and real. Either way, seeing past the drums, this is a really good song.

Corn on the Cob - Yes, pounding the drums, wait, what happened? Missed a beat? I like the time changes a lot. Your voice sounds like T-Bone from the show The Naked Trucker & T-Bones. This actually rocks pretty fucking hard! Interesting guitar placements. Great big outro crescendo. Cool jam!

Heine - Yay, Birdies! Uh oh, I hear a rattlesnake a foot. Nice acoustic guitar and melody. Good voice, kind of in the Tull or Floyd realm. The only thing that I'd have done is lightly add the echo to the other side when you hard pan the vocals. It just balances things better, not that there is anything wrong with the way you did it. But it really helps to fit every form of final listening, like headphones, car, home audio, etc. But this is a really stellar song. I like it a lot!

Meatknob - Yes, pound pound pound ROCK! Mike, at this point in my smalltown enjoyment, I don't think you can hide, lol. You almost sound like you have a little Jack White thing going on in this one. This song hits hard and rocks.

Ford's Theater Disaster - I got'em. Rippin' guitar riff opener. Rocking tune. Interesting how it changes from metal to dirty folk, cool.

The Chadderandom Abyss - sssss, sssssss, sssss, lmao! Live music from hell. Are you the devil? If so, this is the best song I've ever heard.

The Hell Yeahs - Yes, driving through the desert on a deserted never ending road in an old convertible Cadillac at midnight on acid, music. WoooOO! This song rocks. Very good vocals and all mixed perfect. Love it.

Manatee Matinee - Experimental euro monster music with dry British humor. I don't get it..................................oh wait a tick, I GET IT!

oddbod - Mysterious groovin' haunted theme. Cool melody with a dark delivery. I like this, very catchy. Good job.

thanks for reviewing randomly.

Billy's Little Trip wrote:
Rone Rivendale - Hey, I thought Melvin told you to learn 3 chords and rock'em? You're just plucking notes then banging an out of tune chord, I think? Yep, this is Ronetastic.

LOL, you Sir are correct. My guitar learning has been VERY slow and I don't actually know any chords. However I've sorta divised my own style of playing that seems to be working fairly well. My buddy Rich who is awesome on the guitar said my way of playing was pretty unique (in a good way).

I'd like to hear what you thought of the song BLT, besides the fact I don't use chords. I'm not quite sure if you liked or disliked it just from that review.

I said it was Ronetastic. That's my unique way of reviewing just like your unique way of playing guitar.

Rone, learn this way of playing. I've taught many to play like this.


1. From the head, count 3 frets on the neck
2. Put your pointy finger on the big fat E string on the 3rd fret (top string if you play right handed)
3. From the head, count 5 frets on the neck
4. Put your ring finger on the A string which is the second string down from the big fat E string
It will look like the awesome piktor above. Don't worry about the other strings, just keep your pointy finger on the E string on the 3rd fret, and your ring finger on the A string on the 5th fret.
Just strum down on those 2 top strings.

When you get good with that, move the same finger position up the neck to the 5th and 7th fret, always keeping 1 fret separation between the frets you are playing. Get good with just those power chords.

You are now playing punk rock.

edit: oops, this should have been in the help section. Move if need be.

Attention All Units
+++ pretty +++
--- guits are hot ---

BLT et al. - vote!
+++ rockin' fun +++
/// see, Spud, you do know what punk is... ///

Chanderandom Abyss
--- atonal, meandering, tuneless and painful ---

coder_lyte()
--- flat and monotone vox ---
+++ sounds like a theme for a '60s western TV show +++

corn on the cob
/// enunciate ///
+++ great tones and vibes +++
--- solo = wanking (albeit skillful wanking) ---

DuToVa
/// bring the vox up a touch in the mix; in fact, the whole thing could be louder ///
+++ nice melody; very Talking Heads vibe +++
--- i agree with 0ddb0d, this needs more sonic variety ---

Elaine Dimasi
--- drumming (and way too hot to boot) ---
--- vox quavers too much ---
+++ lyrics +++

Ford's Theater Disaster
+++ rock! especially the ending +++
--- the crashes don't add the immediacy i wanted them too... maybe 8th notes or a more complicated rhythm ---
/// poor singers shouldn't through stones, but I would have liked a bit more grit in Jer's delivery; but hey, for a first collab, this is pretty damn fine ///

Heine
--- the lyrical metaphor is rather obvious ---
--- vox panned for too long and unbalanced ---
+++ nice tones: the instrumental mix is very nice +++

The Hell Yeahs - vote!
/// there are two things that are always superlative about a Hell Yeahs song: 1) Heather's up-font snarl and gorgeous backing harmonies; 2) Phil's masterful drumming ///
+++ this tune delivers both in spades +++
/// might use a faster part somewhere ///

Make Spoons not Knives
--- >1:00 and no lyrics ---
/// an interesting compositional experiment ///

Manatee Matinee
--- phantom of the opera ---

Meatknob
+++ rock! +++
/// too short ///

Oddbod
+++ channeling Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds +++

Paco Del Stinko - vote
+++ opening riffing +++
/// singing grows on me; the low gritty part is a great touch ///
+++ ending +++

Quimby - vote
+++ pretty; very Indigo Girls +++
+++ lyrical concept +++

R. Mosquito
/// sometimes i worry I'm laying the distortion on too thick ///
--- then i listen to your songs ---

Rone Rivendale
--- you have been around too long to get away with popping plosives ---

Ross Durand - vote
+++ this is a deft and touching story +++

Steve Durand
/// the vocal deliery needs to be either slicker (à la Sinatra) or with more snarl (à la The Hell Yeahs)
+++ saxophone (?) solo +++

The Styop Quoons Experimence
--- repetitive ---
--- bad singing ---
--- repetitive bad singing ---

The Test
+++ solo guitar tone +++
--- doubled vox ---

Tungensetn Chic/Sir Runcible Spoone
--- my ears are bleeding ---

The Weakest Suit
+++ lyrical concept +++

Billy's Little Trip wrote:I said it was Ronetastic. That's my unique way of reviewing just like your unique way of playing guitar.

Rone, learn this way of playing. I've taught many to play like this.


1. From the head, count 3 frets on the neck
2. Put your pointy finger on the big fat E string on the 3rd fret (top string if you play right handed)
3. From the head, count 5 frets on the neck
4. Put your ring finger on the A string which is the second string down from the big fat E string
It will look like the awesome piktor above. Don't worry about the other strings, just keep your pointy finger on the E string on the 3rd fret, and your ring finger on the A string on the 5th fret.
Just strum down on those 2 top strings.

When you get good with that, move the same finger position up the neck to the 5th and 7th fret, always keeping 1 fret separation between the frets you are playing. Get good with just those power chords.

You are now playing punk rock.

edit: oops, this should have been in the help section. Move if need be.

I love that in the picture itlooks like you're using the pointer and the pinky - playing with the DEvils horns, baby - Rock and Roll!!!!

Billy's Little Trip wrote: By the way, I'm glad that Quimby's song didn't follow our song.

Yipes! Good thing I left out the whole spoken bit about how to clean and skin the snake too....

Hello everybody, here's my review...


The Weakest Suit - I like the clean sound of the instruments. It's a nice progression every time the bass sets in.

Tungsten Chic - How did you get it this loud? I also use compression but this one is outstanding. Maybe a pretty O.S.T. for a B movie, yeah something with horror.

Ford's Theater Disaster - The melodies used are quite cool. But the fast part detroys it a little.

The Hell Yeahs - Good production. Nice singing upon the guitar notes. Baby please don't go.

Corn on the Cob - Surprised about the changes in the rhythm and speed. But it works. Love it at about 3:30 then it's getting weird.

Rone Rivendale - A bit confusing but I recognized some melody line.

Ross Durand - Wow, how did you let your guitar sound like that? Nice song kinda Springsteen. This one sounds real american to me. I like it very much. Vote.

Manatee Matinee - Some 'art music' for theater? I can get more into it than last time.

Quimby - Always nice harmonies. I like that light overall feeling.

Paco del Stinko - Cool slide guitar. Bluesy feeling. Some unusual harmonies. Hearing it the second time makes it even better. Like this one much. You got my vote.

Meatknob - Funny name. Sounds like beaming 90s crossover into these days. Not a bad job. Did I hear sirens?

Steve Durand - Like those winds. When they set in at about 0:35 I had to think about Bowie's Space Oddity. Sax solo. Pretty cool arrangement.

the test - The vocals could be a bit more together. There's a nice little melody in the middle section.

The Styop Quoons Experience F. Dr. Bean, the Rock & Roll Mexican - It must've been a lot of fun performing it. Singing sounds a bit like opera to me. Funny snake.

R. Mosquito - Noisy. That makes it hard for me to find the melodies.

coder_lyte() - Wild west feeling. I noticed that the tambourine is imitating a rattlesnake. Whistling maybe will make a huge hit out of it (remember that certain Wind of Change ) Not bad.

The Chadderandom Abyss - Sometimes I wish I could improvise a bit more freely. I really tried to get into this, but...

DuToVa - That bass line... is reminding me much of Tubeway army (Gary Numan). But beside this I'm happy with it. It's simple, no overproduction, yet growing.

Billy's Little Trip featuring Spud and Paco - A fast one. Nice guitar and cool drumming.

oddbod - Very high quality. Good soundscape. Nice harmonies. Could be more slide guitar. Is that Stan Ridgeway singing? - Vote.

Elaine DiMasi - It offers quite a lot of interesting melodies. Especially the vocal harmonies. Bass lines at about 2:35 are cool. Guitar notes could be more legato. I'd like to hear it without drums.

Make Spoons Not Knives - Cool intro promises much but then it can't quite keep. Love the synthesizer. The guitar solo is highly interesting.

Attention All Units - My favorite tune. Went straight to my heart. What's that in the background? A mellotron? Vote.

Heine - Hm, maybe a bit too long. Never thought I'd put Adam & Eve and Mr. Alice Cooper in one song. I've tried to add a guitar solo or some keyboard sound but nothing seemed to fit. Experimenting with noises was good fun.
@Elaine: Well, I was scared that some people might feel it is boring or preachy. But the lyrics came quite quickly to me. Was thinking a long time about it, but there was no big change to come. So finally I had to start working on the music.
@Billy's Little Trip: Thanks for the advice. Next hard panning occasion I'll add an echo (echo... cho... ho... o.... ...).
@nyjim: I wish I could express things in a more abstract way. Still learning.

bye,
H.

OK, OK - I remixed in an attempt to fix the offending guitar sound. I hope this is better.

http://www.rossdurandmusic.com/rossdura ... better.mp3

Billy's Little Trip wrote: Attention All Units - Nice touch with the synth backing for a nice guy and guitar tune.

Damn!!!! Don't nice guys finish last?

The only thing I can think of that I'd have done would be to run the acoustic through a soft tube and add a bit more ambiance to let it float a bit more, but not as much as the backing music.

Yeah, I see what you mean- to give it that "creamy" feel. Any suggestions on a good soft tube?

ElaineDiMasi wrote: Attention All Units - Nice sounding all around. The dreamy lines carry me along. The "hornie" synth at "they will show you" is delicious. Nice tension on the final notes.

I like that "delicious" comment. It's a good way of putting it. I can finally describe how I feel about Seal's 1st album with one word...delicious.

0ddb0d wrote: Personally I would lay off the reverb a bit, but that’s a taste thing and I’m sure others would argue otherwise.

HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF PUTTING TOO MUCH REVERB!!!!!!!- when it's actually delay.
I actually was careful with the feedback so as to avoid going overboard but I guess I could back off a bit more. Cheers Odds my Bod (who's going to give me his guitar tone secrets if he wants a vote).

nyjm wrote:+++ pretty +++
--- guits are hot ---

Believe it or not, for those who may consider, the guitars (and vox) were recorded with a Zoom H4 portable recorder. Yes, i did transfer the files to my computer and polish it up but the recording was done using the built in mic from the H4. It's a nice unit and I say go for it if you are thinking of getting one.

Heine wrote:Attention All Units - My favorite tune. Went straight to my heart. What's that in the background? A mellotron? Vote.

Wow thanks! The background is a french horn sample.