How long does it take to make a review thread?

[Spud]

Three Days.

[chocolatechips]

Ranked in order of my preference... Green Faces & votes to the top four.

1. Cody Walker Jr - Reminds me a bit of Bon Jovi... despite that (I hate Bon Jovi) this is pretty great. Everything sounds great. Your vocals are very good and the female vocals fit in perfectly. On my first listen I think this may be the best Song Fight song I've heard yet. I can't think of anything to criticize (except that you kept me from winning my first Song Fight last week... and I'm pretty sure you're going to win again this week!)

2. Add - There are some great things about this track. Funky tune with great vocals (I love way you mixed in the falsetto.) The move to the "ahh ahh" vocals and guitar solo was entirely unexpected. As is what happens next. And then after all of that it's back to the main bit. This is quite a journey of a song and all of the different sections are great. But I do think this is a song that would fit best on an album of a band who already has a dedicated following... it's the type of thing where there's so many different sections that it becomes difficult to keep up with. It also makes the song seem much longer than it is (and at 4:27 it's pretty long already.) Basically I love all of the sections of the song but I'm not sure about how it's all put together.

3. Paco del Stinko - I really like the bass. Really the whole rhythm section on this one is great and the guitar solo at about 1 minute is sweet. On the negative side I find the vocals a bit "sing songy" ... they seem like an afterthought in comparison to the very well played music.

4. Sausage - I think this is the best produced Sausage track I've heard yet. The singing and guitar playing is kick ass as I've come to expect from your entries. That said, it doesn't grab me as much as some of your other tunes have, not sure why. Still you get a vote:

5. Gooey Caramel Centaur - I really like your band name. Not too bad for a guy & guitar song (I like some stuff in this style, but it's not my favorite.) I do find it a bit hard to really get into. The singing and guitar playing is pretty decent... but the song just seems to meander a bit.

6. Johnny & the Rays - I like the Hawaiian style guitar bits quite a bit. The "bah bah bah" parts are cool too. The phasey loud "just seven days" vocals at toward end are a nice touch.

7. James Owens - Nice little story. I have a uke or two myself. Good times!

8. Kenzie Chickens - This song reminds me a lot of a classic rock tune or two (although I can't place titles right now.) A bit too obviously derivative I think. On the positive side the horns sound good and there's some nice guitar playing on the track.

9. GUNS - I do appreciate the mix of horns on the left with whatever that sludge on the right is... and then it changes completely into an African pop style thing. It kind of sounds like two songs playing at once... that then segues into an entirely different song. ... and then another song... and back to the second one. There's a lot of ideas here... and some of them are pretty cool. But it's just too much... sensory overload becomes unpleasant for most listeners.

10. Dejected Motives - The R&B style autotuned vocals kind of work but the backing track sounds like something else entirely (barely related to the vocal.) The vocals and the music sound like they have very little relation to each other. Way too long.

~~~

The Chocolate Chips - I made a very repetitive youtube video for this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLOmkUGkVs4

[EvelBist]

CWjr: Right off the bat you hit a home run here. The spooky intro and the alice in chains doubled vocals blended into the background enhanced the overall feel. And the sagging tremolo bar blues feel to the end of the chorus is a nice touch.

PdS: I wish I had a convertible so I could drive it down hiway 1 while listening to this. The song fits a lot into its shortness. And the structure is clean. When its over, and I think back on it, it really is the bass that carries this tune, I mean the little climb/fall packages onto which the guitar fits its popup ditties. Even the rhythm chords kind of play off the bassline. There is a lot more going on in this tune than is at first apparent.

+: This is son of PacoDeStinko or his alter ego. I wasn’t impressed with it until about a minute in, when I realized who the gods presented us with here. And when the guitar solo with the background vocals came in, I wanted to ahhhhhh with it but couldn’t because of where I was. Now this a song that lives and dies by the beat, and when the elements come together, it cant be beat – or can it – but that’s not what I meant, or was it – anyway this is a winner.

KC: Now that I’ve heard a couple of tunes from these guys, they have a real style. I wish I could be as focused. You and one of the chicks around here helping on vocals would be perfect in my view. Maybe you and three or four of them. There is nothing to be ashamed of when mentioning caravan ray, just stay clear of his arms when he is channeling the feeling.

J&theR: Catchy, ventures feel to the lead guitar. I know who is Johnny, but who are the rays? I “think” this was a collab over digital distances, and comes off really well.

JO: I like your handlebar mustache. Even though I have never seen you, there MUST be one. Your personality comes right through. The story is great, but it’s the simplicity of the voice and the uke that makes this fun. Your voice is too low for tiny tim so theres no mistaking you for him, and that might be a good thing.

GCC: Nice coffee shop feel to this. The story is poignant, and the pain in the chorus is real. I don’t know if the storyline is real - it comes across as if it is – but you carried it off well.

G....: I really like this. Deceptively sloppy, it really is very tight. As it proceeds, all kinds of cool stuff appear and go away. But the guitar solo in the middle with the minimal backing IS sloppy. However, once we get back to the original theme, I’m ok with it again. All in all, with the bouncing around it still is easy to listen to.

CC: This is a droner. It took a long time to get to the good stuff, which finally happened at around 2:15. I always look forward to hearing how you are going to hook a tune. Well, that was the synth doing what your voice had been doing up till then – the “seven days”. You should have been putting that line with the synth behind them all the way through the song. At least the ending redeemed you, but this could have been much better.

DM: Autotune does work, but it has to be done subtly. Check out the choco chips, not necessarily this week, but previous entries. With your vocals out front on this, the autotuned vocals definitely detract from the cool background. Maybe raise the threshold for them to kick in, so more of your natural vocal bends can come through next time.

Ssge: Acoustic rock has always been a launchpad for me. Unfortunately, it can make a song way too long. This one was wwwaaaayyyy too long, so I cut out a bridge guitar solo and sped up the tempo, but it still is probably too long and too fast.

artists with votes have arrows sticking into them

[Spud]

EvelBist, "the Rays" are Caravan Ray and Ray Freeman (me). Yeah, it was a game of telephone over three continents, which each of us adding our bits in sequence.

[codywalkerjr]

7 days reviews- this week had some great submissions. i was really impressed with all of the entries this week. Heres my reviews, this is me listening to each song 1x and writing as I listen. i will stream them all and listen more later this eveing again

Add- this is a fun song! Rythm section does a good job of keeping the song interesting! Good job on the vocal harmonies and melody. only complaint from me is the harmonica sounding thing??is it a keyboard? gets a little annoying. The production of this song is great. the breakdown sounds like Carlos Santana meets modern surf rock band.. Good Submission-Gets my vote

Chocolate Chips- OK this cool, Great rhythm, Cool sound efx. I was hoping that the distortion on the vocals would end after the intro.
Production on this tune once again is very good. interesting song overall. also gets my vote

Dejected Motives- I'm not a fan of Auto Tune at all. The music itself is pretty good. I hear some flubs in there.. If this was my song I would have tried to vary the vocal a bit. it gets a little repettive. The noise at the end is quite distracting.

Gooey Caramel Centaur- I like this tune. You put yourself out there with a guitar and a vocal track. The melody is catchy. The guitar is well played as well as sounding good. What kind of guitar is that? LOL. toward the end you reminded me of mumford and sons. Gets my Vote

GUNS-Woah! this is really well done. Great choice of instruments. especially that marimba? Drummer is solid with a nice backbeat. the Vocals are awesome. My only critique of this song is that during the climatic part 1:13 there is almost too much going on, 2 Vocals panned, A sax in my left guitar on my left and right along with heavy drums . It doesnt seem to gel as well there. At the ending i liked the breakdown, Reminded me of Cursive a bit.. Overall incredible job. Gets my vote

James Owens. I like this concept. you made that Uke sound huge too!Nice time signature too.. Voice sounds rich and pleasant. Vote

Johhny and the Rays- this would have been great if the drums were right on. They are way off. I would have liked it better with no drums at all . The guitar work and vocal is nice but the off beat electronic drums take away from the song..

Kenzie chickens- Dude, this is nice!! Like Huey Lewis but way better!! Lyrics are freaking awesome! Everything is great! Nice use of verb. Instrumentation is excellent. Drums/Bass sound really tight. I love your voice. I really like this song, possibly my favorite this week. There are so many great submissions this week.. VOTE

Paco Del Stinko- I love the guitar licks, just as I did last week.. Unfortuantely, the song isnt grasping me. Production is good. the Chorus harmonies are great, guitar work is great.

Sausage- I just bought a new set of studio monitors, Before i was using computer speakers. The monitors are 8 3/4' speakers and this mix seems very very bright. I actually hooked my computer speakers back up to see how it sounded on those. as well as listening through headphones. The song is really well done. nice guitar work, interesting choice of chords for the acoustic guitar part. vocals are really nice. Harmonies could be the best part of this song iMO I even like the 4 on the floor electric drumbeat! Vote

[codywalkerjr]

Ranked in order of my preference... Green Faces & votes to the top four.

1. Cody Walker Jr - Reminds me a bit of Bon Jovi... despite that (I hate Bon Jovi) this is pretty great. Everything sounds great. Your vocals are very good and the female vocals fit in perfectly. On my first listen I think this may be the best Song Fight song I've heard yet. I can't think of anything to criticize (except that you kept me from winning my first Song Fight last week... and I'm pretty sure you're going to win again this week!)

LOL anytime you play a D sus2 on a guitar it sounds like Bon jovi!!
I did speed the pitch of the song up a bit to tighten up my vocals (Is that cheating?)
so technically if you slow it down a few beats you cna play along it was in D

[Spud]

Johhny and the Rays- this would have been great if the drums were right on. They are way off. I would have liked it better with no drums at all . The guitar work and vocal is nice but the off beat electronic drums take away from the song..

Hahaha. Of course they were way off -they were Octothorpe drums!

[codywalkerjr]

LOL just something that popped out at me

[Stubby Phillips]

Paco del Stinko: Nice light guitar fest. I especially like the trem riff -- nice details. The lyric/concept doesn't do much for me, but that's my problem. If Steve Miller had joined the Guess Who, they would have played this song. Vote

Johnny and the Rays: This reminds me of when internal organs roamed the young earth, throwing themselves at each other tryng to make an animal. Wierd mix of happy music and ominous lyric. I like the different vocal parts/harmonies and the surf guitar. A cool experiment. Was time a factor? Like... seven days? You guys get a vote for having the balls to do this.

The Chocolate Chips: This is cool. But at halftime, I was hoping for more than a low synth. The end gets more interesting. German art music. Like Albrecht Dürer playing Leibniz's harpsichord. I like it -- it's different and well played. The vox works, too. Vote

Add: Pretty cool upbeat song that flows well. The solo turns into a jam, then hangs around a bit long. Outro is way cool. Everything sounds good, and there are cool twists, but I'd shorten it by a minute or so.

Dejected Motives ft. K-OS.2: I really like the vox. It keeps me listening -- more than the somewhat wandering synths. The vox/lyric fit together like crazy. I think there's something that I'm not getting about the end. Anyway, nice job on the vox.


- more reviews later

[Billymojo]

Rock journalism is people who can’t write interviewing people who can’t talk for people who can’t read -- Frank Zappa

Well, I can’t write, that’s for sure. So here goes.

Cody: Dark and atmospheric. On the soundtrack to a western film with tumbleweeds in the wind. Nice recording overall, especially of the guitar tuned to what sounds like drop D. Perhaps the doubled vocal could be more precise. I like the percussion. You could have another winner. Vote.

Gooey: A breakup song performed by a man and his guitar. You let it all hang out and I respect that. But your guitaring is only serviceable, your vocal emotionally compelling but not particularly strong (although I like the falsetto) and the song is long. But the song isn’t bad at all. I’d pretty it up with some accompaniment of your preference and some back vocal. (If you can falsetto you could do some strong back vox.) And compress and EQ the heck out of both the guitar and your vocal. It’s not cheating. We all do it, don’t we? Don’t we?

J & The Rays: An intercontinental collaboration? Way cool. Don’t have any idea how you do that but good on ya. Do you run the same DAW? Cybering parts around the globe?

James Owens: Clever lyric. Nice out-on-the-lanai tune. BTW, I just gave a listen to your Who Said I’m Dead. Love that one.

G.U.N.S.: As others have said, there’s a lot going on here. But the beat holds it together and instrumentally it’s topnotch. Marimba, steel drum, other percussion, horns? Guitar break cracks me up; sloppy but very cool and didn’t see it coming. Vocal arrangement is inspired if not particularly well performed. Sounds like a lot of fun and effort went into this. Vote.

Add: Catchy tune well performed. Really kicks in at 1:24, with nice building groove of guitars and vox. And again at 2:48. Without many chord changes, the song is very repetitive, and I mean that as a compliment. Repetition can create a trance kind of state. I like long codas, well performed. Vote.

Dejected Motives, et. al.: Gotta say, I listened closer to this than any autotuned vocal ever. I’m tryin’ to find out what it’s all about. I hear some cool grace notes in there. But there’s not enough here to keep my interest up. Maybe if the low end was stronger and it was remixed as a dance tune I might groove to it. Or maybe replace your vocal with a whispery female vocal, frankly just to sex it up a little. BTW, give a listen to Junior Kimbrough. Very different from what you do but I’m catching the same groove for some crazy reason. (Note: I found Junior to be unlistenable at first, but he later became on of my faves.) Maybe a vote.

Sausage: Not my fave among your recent entries. You goin’ commercial on us? But well played, player. Your usual well recorded wooden guitar and back vox. Just not out on that same edge where you’ve been for the last couple of weeks. I may have mentioned before that I heard too many bad 60’s pop songs with snare hits on all fours to find the effect appealing.

Paco: I’ve got some mixed feelings on this one. The tune and lyric don’t do much for me. But it’s VERY well recorded, the refrain is catchy, your guitarin’ smokes and there are some beautiful guitar tones in there. And there’s all kinds of stuff I like goin’ on that I caught on headphones. Maybe a vote.

Chips: Unusual combo of acoustic sounding instruments with synthy vocal. The song puts me in odd mood, kinda Twin Peaks. And I suppose altering moods is what art is about. But the song and choice of instruments are really quite beautiful. I haven’t experimented much with synths, but maybe I should. Your use of those things to capture a time and place, and thus set a mood, is powerful. Vote.

Kenzie Chickens: Derivative? Of course. I was tryin’ to do a Stax thing. Booker T & the MGs. Greatest band ever. Never a wasted note. If you disagree, you’re allowed to be wrong. Bwa ha ha! If Otis hadn’t died he’d be 70 and wouldn’t sound nearly as tired as I do. Gotta, gotta, gotta! Thanks for listening and for the feedback.

[Spud]

J & The Rays: An intercontinental collaboration? Way cool. Don’t have any idea how you do that but good on ya. Do you run the same DAW? Cybering parts around the globe?

Johnny sent rhythm guitar and lead vox tracks, together with a demo mix to C-Ray and me. C-Ray had first crack, adding lead guitar and several backing vocal tracks, together with a new demo mix, and sent them on the me. I added two drum tracks (kick and incidental - J$ did not record to a click, so I still haven't gotten them quite right, but I may have another shot), the bass line, and did the final mix. I have no idea what DAW the other guys use - I only used the previous mixes as a guide to the other guys' intent. The final was mixed from raw tracks - mp3s in fact.

[j$]

Yeah, timing issues on Johnny & The Rays are entirely my fault. I didn't have time to record to a click as I was jumping on a plane to another continent and generally I'm a bit 'swing' when it comes to tempo without a click. I am amazed at how good the drums (and everything else) were given the shoddy beginning CR & Spud had to work with!

[Spud]

Don't take it all on, Johnny, I still think it can be done. I may still have another go. Great working with you!

[j$]

And with you - and I'd love to do it again, now I am free of any pesky work-related disappearances for a few months!

[Stubby Phillips]

Cody Walker Jr.: This reminds me of Lindsey Buckingham & Fleetwood Mac - in a non-derivative way - except Stevie sounds better. Nice soundscape. It might have been cool to have call/response or parallel lyrics instead of the echoed back-up. Nice. Vote

G.U.N.S.: This is the extended dance version of a cool song. I really like the part where the 10-foot-long sax is on one side, and the guitar comes in on the other and noodles indistinctly. Good playing and mix. Breakdown is disorienting. About a minute too long IMHO. Vote

Gooey Caramel Centaur: Great story and performance. After reading the lyric, I don't know how I'd shorten it, but it's a tad long. Or not. Vote

James Owens: Very cool. This belongs on the compilation CD "Ukulele Classics Of The '10s." I'm not kidding! Vote

Sausage: Great road song! Awesome vocals. Very cool drums. I keep waiting for the anthem -- and there it is; but it fades... disappointingly soon or thankfully fast? You deside. But the tension remaining after that resolution can lead to muscle and joint pain. So maybe not the best road song, but I like. Vote

The Kenzie Chickens: Great Motown sound. Classic formula done well. Maybe bring the bass up a bit? Hard to tell on these little monitors. Nice job. Vote

Wow - I'm voting for almost everyone. I don't even know what my criteria are anymore...

[AJOwens]

Add - Starts off with a good mix. Nice texture, interesting rhthyms. The bass doesn't quite work for me -- seems out of place -- but I love the organ and the subtle doubling on the vocals. The added guitar at 1:28 is too loud, or maybe it's the hard panning, but it kind of intrudes at first. Makes the bass feel better though. After this the song feels fully there. The problem is that it already felt fully there. The solo has great "aahs" but the guitar is marking time, not going anywhere. Another textural change at about 2:20, well-timed. The vocal changes character and comes close to losing its charm. Nice variations around 2:55. Then it feels like it's about to end, but we have a wrap-up verse. The closing "seconds" don't feel like seconds, which is disconcerting. Overall, a peppy, fun song and a good performance, weakened by some dragged-out parts and a little bit of heavy-handed mixing. Lyrics offer an original take with imagination and economy. (This was the one playing in my head next morning.)

The Chocolate Chips - Sparse, surreal arrangement, weirdly angular melody, a halting, crippled rhythm with interesting cross-detail. The singing is slightly nasal, and at the beginning it feels a little off-key, but that might be the effect and the way the notes play off the accompaniment. The timbral changes near the end, with thick, numbing bass, saturated distortion, and X-Files portamento, are rich and satisfying. The whole thing has a faintly disturbing quality. I'm not sure what the lyrics are saying, but they seem to fit.

Cody Walker Jr. - Excellent guitar recording, lovely fretwork, and smooth, abstracted vocals with just the right effects give this an open, natural sound. The answering female vocals are pure and sweet, but without the same distance; they need to be pulled back in the mix just a bit, or given more reverb, or both. The composition moves restlessly in places, with contrasting stillnesses and silences. Occasional quaverings and percussive noises add interest without being obtrusive. The lyrics assemble images fitfully, with some uneven scanning and rhyme schemes. Vote.

Dejected Motives ft. K-OS.2 - The lyrics are searing, and well-matched to the flat, dejected mood, but the wandering, drawn-out melody and the monotonous accompaniment seem to drain the song's energy. Genuinely and deeply expressive, but not necessarily in a good way, this feels like a monument to depression. For me, the lyrics are the outstanding component; they capture a particular feeling with effortless, powerful simplicity.

Gooey Caramel Centaur - A gentle and touching song. Good peformance dynamics, with lulls and swells moving the song forward. The singing has a raw, sharp edge that seems to be coming more from the head than the chest. But it also feels as if it's coming from the heart. The melody is pretty, and the spontaneous phrasing is wistful and reflective. The lyrics are understated, but the story is not fully articulated; sometimes it seems to jump rather than flow to new ideas.

G.U.N.S. - A dense, busy arrangement, with touches of Sufjan Stevens (sp?) and Cake, but uncharacteristically (and delightfully) bassy. Wonderfully complex and cool, this piece feels disorganized and random, but that's a feature, not a bug. The lyrics are indirect but evocative, meaningful but elusive. Good mix, plenty of character in the vocals, competent playing all round. Well done! Vote.

James Owens - I got the idea the night before, and the next morning I made a single-mic recording about an hour before the deadline. In the spirit of the song, my ground rules were to use as few fingers as possible, and move them as little as possible. I did allow three fingers for Day Seven. Vote, but not just because it's mine. I kinda like it.

Johnny and the Rays- The song has that Johnny Cashpoint charm, and the Rays work nicely with it to develop a brisk, happy arrangement with provocatively mismatched lyrics. The ba-bas fill in a little too much time. Consistent textures, playing styles, and effects; if it weren't for the synchronization issues, I could believe you were all playing in the same room. But is that bass in tune? The harmonies are nice, but for the life of me I don't know why that end note at 1:26 doesn't just drop a semitone to the third; that would be sweeter. Also, they're a little high in the mix. All in all, allowing for the difficulties of international collaboration on a tight time scale, a very entertaining entry.

The Kenzie Chickens- You've got a Motown thing going here, and a rock-solid rhythm section to bring it off. Outstanding bass work, funky ryhthm guitar. The punchy brass, wailing staccato guitar bend, and slinky organ hit all the right notes. The vocals are coming from a slightly different tradition, more like rough blues, but they're delivered with energy and confidence and a touch of irony, and it works. Compositionally, I could probably name names, but I understand this is intentionally derivative so that's OK. Good mix; I do have problem with a telephone ringing in there, I don't know what's causing it. Great fade.

Paco del Stinko - There's so much going on here it's hard to keep track, yet everything stays organized and purposeful. The quirky bass line, the odd chord changes, the attention to detail in the polyphonic guitar accompaniments, the little touches like tremolo accents in alternating ears, all add up to classic Paco. And of course there's the hallmark freneticism. The lyrics are a little patchy, although you gotta love rhyming "home" with "shone." Some of the changes in this one don't work for me, and the bass line gets a little murky in the chorus, but I appreciate the experimentalism, and the context: a song for every fight, and always with imagination, strong playing, and great production.

Sausage - The guitars sparkle, the vocals soar in that preening rock-superstar way, and the bass has an attitude like a lump in a tight crotch. Nice, well-timed breakdowns, thunderous drums, ingenious buildup in the bridge to a new plateau at 2:07. Good backup harmonies, skilled playing all round. When the harmonies break into words it's brilliant, and those wailing duelin' leads are the capper. I lived through the seventies and I've heard enough Boston to last a lifetime, but you pulled this off very well. Vote.

-------------

EvelBist: I'll keep the handlebar moustache in mind if I ever choose an avatar. In real life I'm a beard guy.

CodyWalkerJr: Thanks for noticing the time signature. I wanted to use 7/4 for the middle part, but I couldn't make it work / ran out of time / ran out of breath (pick one).

BillyMojo: "Who Said I'm Dead" is a personal favourite, glad you liked it. Are you combing the archives?

Stubby Phillips: Thanks. -- That's probably not going to be a full CD!

[supremeedible]

I've listened to this fight 4 or 5 times, but I'm afraid I used all my review juice on the Nur Ein fight. Here are a few comments anyway.

People should tag their mp3s. It's easy. Even I know how to do it. I'm looking at you, Cody Walker Jr., Dejected Motives, The Kenzie Chickens and Sausage.

My votes go to Gooey Caramel Centaur (because I think it's a great song well performed), G.U.N.S. (because "I lit a fire, now it's gone viral" keeps flippin' popping up in my head) and Paco (because I can actually remember this song after it ends).

Sausage. I keep trying to think of reasons to not vote for you: you didn't tag your mp3, the lyrical connection to the title is tenuous... but in the end, this is a kick ass song, so you get a vote as well.

It's good to see you're still here, James Owens. You and I came in on the same fight back in '09, and I always admired your versatility. I just bought a new ukulele on Sunday. When I decide to end the suspense and get it out of its case, I will learn your song and see if it plausible for a beginner to write .

[codywalkerjr]

How do you tag the MP3s? Just put the link in there?

[AJOwens]

It's good to see you're still here, James Owens. You and I came in on the same fight back in '09, and I always admired your versatility. I just bought a new ukulele on Sunday. When I decide to end the suspense and get it out of its case, I will learn your song and see if it plausible for a beginner to write .

Ukeleles are fun. By the way, thanks for putting up with my lyric burgle on Cost of Living!

[Spud]

How do you tag the MP3s? Just put the link in there?

Here, let me google that for you: http://www.google.com/search?q=tag+mp3

[codywalkerjr]

Thats helpful thanks

[codywalkerjr]

I feel a bit silly asking this, but do i need to download and install this program or can i just cut and paste the link of the MP3? It seems that I would have to download all of the tracks to tag them