Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Discuss upcoming, current, and previous song fights.
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Niveous
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Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by Niveous »

Bring on the fight!
Manhattan Glutton wrote:Here is my video playlist on youtube for the live songs, which does not have glitchy audio: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... fFISPDC7EO
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by JonPorobil »

I love the cover art, Niveous! I had idly dreamt of getting a "Come and Take It" flag and having a bunch of Song Fighters pose for a photo with it... But when crunch time came, that was one of the items that just fell off my "to-do" list. Thanks for stepping up!
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by Manhattan Glutton »

Was the audio this glitchy for the whole evening?
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: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

I think it was. I haven't watched all of both nights yet but I watched the whole second part of night one and the first part of night two and there were glitches throughout. I swear when I was playing drums that we weren't actually speeding up and slowing down randomly like that! ;)
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by king_arthur »

The glitchiness and tuning on most of the live tracks kept them from being keepers (votes) for me, but a few comments here and there on the ones I'll vote for:

die kadenz, nice sound for a simple recording, and a nice take on the title

flvxxvm florvm, nice job creating a "character." I don't like him, but I like the job you did presenting him in the song...

glennny, I want to hear Steely Dan's recording of this; I like the clever lyrics and the story... needless to say, DIY Steely Dan is not an easy thing to attempt, but I think there's a great song in here...

paco del stinko, I think fake live was a good choice. a lot of your stuff is just too "raggedy" for me, but this one hangs together nicely

me, I can hear the compressor pumping in there, have to keep working on that, but I'm pretty happy with the song... chord pattern is maybe a bit repetitive and you kinda have to know about "Hoarders" to follow it... I'll just mention this once, but I'm still fighting the "face pain" that started in 2008, and I pretty much have to numb my face to record any sort of vocal track, and even then, there tends to be a lot of punching in to get a full track. So the singing's not quite what it used to be, and I'm still struggling to regain my songwriting mojo (if I ever had any).
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by Manhattan Glutton »

king_arthur wrote:The glitchiness and tuning on most of the live tracks kept them from being keepers (votes) for me, but a few comments here and there on the ones
Here is my video playlist on youtube for the live songs, which does not have glitchy audio: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... fFISPDC7EO
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: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by king_arthur »

Okay, well, maybe there should be something on the front page about this, and it probably wouldn't hurt if Niv updated his first post in this thread to mention it as well, so that people who are reviewing know where to go to hear the songs better... or maybe the better audio could even be extracted and put into the fight, since that's what's going to be preserved for the future...
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Quick comments, there may have been beer involved as well. Ask for clarification, I'll be glad to offer it up. Now get reviewing, slackers.

add - Peter Paul and Manny. It's cheap, but pleasant for the quickie that it is. Melody straddles the line between catchy and cringy.

Berkeley Social Scene - I like the verses better after they pass through the first chorus. Tight and reeking of Glenoleum but it's good to hear Martin after what seems like a long time. Super mix and complex song. Not thrilled with the end, maybe it should have crashed a gaurdrail and gone flying off a cliff.

die kadenz - I don't want to like this but find that I do despite myself. It's stiff but earnest. A little smoother, but not too much or it'd be slick to the point of being slimy, and you're done. Nice work, come back around again.

DJ Ranger Den - I imagine your dreams are full of cute stuffed animals, pink and purple, but any one of them could catch you while you run in slow motion. Then they would do terrible things to you. Regardless, I enjoy this bit of safety before they come for me. Wonderful delivery.

Flvxxvm Florvm - I don't know if this is the best song in the fight, but it's my favorite. Southern gothic swamp Sabbath. I had wanted to do a riffy thing like this recently but would'nt dare after this. Sure, there's some mess and fudge, but this rocks. Gnarly Iommi lead tone!

Foobar - Very moody. Love the descending progression, tons. I'd ike to hear you push your voice just a bit, a step or two up. Drums are a bit muddy but accent nicely. How about some simple backing vocals here and there? You can do it, I'm sure. Nice work.

Frankie Big Face - I like the hint of 'ding-dong' melody. Why are they so effective? I think this would be worth the time someday to flesh out. There are some nice sweet bits and phrases here, obviously unfinished for the live fight. Nice reflective mood.

Future Boy - Rich Rhodes tone, tasty. As are the vocals. The melody is pleasant and feels settled in. I see this is labeled as demo and imagine a slightly more full arrangement may be in order. However, this moves pleasantly and feels complete as is. Like a real song. Duh-hoy! *

glennny
- Tripping through the 70s, perhaps with a side trip or two to South America. Bit of wankage there, but cookin'. Complex and interesting, this song is simultaneoulsy serious and lite. Not a criticism, but someday a three chord rocker from you would be kinda kooky, and maybe an interesting challenge.

g_rock - Parts of this remind me of a band I played with 20+ years ago. Hated it. But I like this. It lacks a strongly distinctive hook, but the verses bait you to keep listening. Maybe the chorus vocal could soar more, whether alone or via backing voices.

I Contain Multitudes - This doesn't need to be all shiny, but I'd still like to hear a better recording. I'm somewhat intrigiued by the mood and vocals, but they are a mess. Regardless, there is a certain pull to listen here. The second half feels a little more forced and loses some of the magic despite the attempt to lose yourself. Right idea here, though.

Jeebas Jones - Great mood. I like the easy-going intensity. Was hoping to hear it change to a big major chord somehwere early on, but not too early. Nice instrument sounds and playing, the vocal is like an easy to take Mike Scott or something. Good two chord song work and the Neil Young solo is excellent.

The John Benjamin Band - Great melody in there. This feels pretty complete, compared to some off the other live fight songs, that is. The word photograph shows up too much, but I get it. Kick it around some and see if you can't do more with the haunting melody.

King Arthur - I read your post about the face pain, so I understand why you are limited in what you can/can't do. Just saying that cos a few backing vocals strategically placed might sound good here. I like the lines about Steve best and am glad to hear the guitar solo, very tasty and restrained, you could've gone around again and not overdone it.

Klownhole - This a mess, but a glorious one, at least for the first half. That VU meter in the red guitar tone and riff is the nuts. I say this sincerely when I say that you are one of my favorite vocalists here at SF! as well. The lyrics, maybe too improvised sometimes, like on this song, but doesn't matter. But hey, where's the drummer? Sometimes short is better. See my entry as Jumbotronfor evidence.

Manhattan Glutton - Serious and funny. Ha ha ha! Wa..ha...ha HAA! This is all good but I'm not crazy about the bridge. It starts to get all trippy far away, but starts and ends clunkily. There're some good ides and lyrics in here, just need to klck'em around some more. Take that bridge to the moon via, I dunno, maybe a different key or something. It starts to go there, but gets lost in space.

Marcus Kellis - Classic. This won the Live fight, yes? The musicianship is a mess but that is totally not the point. The engaugement of the audience and that story are wonderful and genuine feeling, at least here a week and 2000 miles later. Glad you went and shared this with the rest of us.

Merisan - It's hard to argue with what you guys do. A nice, genuine fit. Is that Jon Eric schnoodling on the pianer? It's a nice touch to your generally guitar heavy songs. Nice vocals. Change the ending around when you re-do the song. Which you'll do, right?

Mr. Nakazawa's Book of Surprises - I had a dream recently with Niveous and Roymond in it. I gave Niv a hug. ANYWAY, your voice fits nicely over the piano, it soundslike you're playing it as you sing although I know you're not. This is messy but o nthe righ track. The melody needs a lot of refining, but the mood is right. Write me if you feel I can contribute to the re-working, I'd like to play on something like this.

Naked Philosophy - I like a protest song but this one feels a little forced, somehow. Geuss it's the live fight thing. Call and response will work nicely if you re-do this.

Paco del Stinko - Well, I had to do my annual fake live song, so here it is. Some work, some don't is all I can say. Sorry, Rone.

roymond - I'd love to watch you play someday, Roymond. But I'd be scared to play along with you. Maybe on bass? Lyrics are gonzo and excellent. It's like a gritty Leonard Cohen. I probaly would have had to have voted for this in the live fight, especially after the Leone whistle. If I remember, I'll cover this one day. Great stuff.

WreckdoM - Speaking of favorites...Once, long ago, I used to be weird. You guys are the weird I wish I could be. That is a sincere compliment. And you get better and better as time goes on. If I were at this performance, I guarantee you I would have given the biggest yee-haws that were to be found that night. Sure, I'm a Yankee, but I can yee-haw when I needs to. And this is needs to worthy. Excellent.


* Love your News Of the World album. That album was huge when I was a 7th/8th grader, and it has been with me all that time. Yours is fantastic.
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by jeff robertson »

Would you believe the guitar tone on the Flvxxvm Florvm track is an American Standard Strat with single coil pickups. The guitar is tuned down a whole step and the entire mix is also slightly slowed down, so it sounds much fatter than you'd think that guitar could.

Edit: also an eq pedal boosting the low mids before the amp.
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by foobar93 »

Public Service Announcement: I know there's a ton of entries this week, but please review (even if you can't do them all). The feedback is incredibly helpful.

add

This sounds like it must have sounded great live, although obv the recording is hard to follow. Wish there were a few more verses.

Berkeley Social Scene

I like the intro a lot, as usual. Too much yelling for my taste, esp around 0:45. I like the guitar solo.

die kadenz

I like the first 0:30 a lot, nice emotion coming through. I like the feeling when the second voice comes in. Another one where I wish there was more, like this is an intriguing to a more elaborate story that I'd love to hear.

DJ Ranger Den

Spooky first 0:20, before the interruption. I like the vocals a lot, they manage to take up a lot of the room left by the spare piano part. By 2:30, though, I found it a little hard to keep paying attention. I'm not sure I understand the lyrics, so I just didn't have anything specific to latch on to.

Flvxxvm Florvm

Is this serious or parody? I honestly couldn't tell before the electric guitar kicks in, now it's starting to sound serious. I like the bass groove. I was just starting to lose interest when the awesome part 2 kicks in. I had felt the earlier guitar solo bits were a little cliche, but now I'm enjoying this a ton. Nice tone, nice playing. I like the little descending riff at the end, too. The talent level here is obviously very high. I want to like this track even more, and I'm trying to figure out what's bothering me about it. I think it's just that the song is too affected. Like the emotion of a real "battle song" is not coming through authentically. Maybe you're just too nice to really feel this belligerent? It just feels a little forced, which is maybe why my initial reaction was maybe some kind of parody. Hope that's useful in some way.

Foobar

This is me. I think I'm finally starting to figure out how record a decent piano sound, so I wanted to explore that a little more deeply. And you can hear my initial efforts to get a more clean guitar sound, although I think that still has a long way to go. I wanted to try and get more of a vintage drum sound. Still feeling pumped about Paco's kind words. Will try some of his suggestions in the next fight I enter, including some higher vocal notes. Anyone have any resources they can suggest for tips on how to sing backing vocals?

Frankie Big Face

I really like the guitar playing on this track, clear emotion punches right through the glitchy audio. Short and sweet, quite memorable, too. Great example of less is more.

Future Boy

Thumbs up on the epiano intro. I can't put my finger on it, but it really reminds me of another famous track from long ago, maybe True Colors? am I crazy? Not sure what. The backing vocal was quite unexpected and sounds great when it finally comes in. Another simple heartfelt track, love it.

glennny

I find the first 0:30 a bit too dissonant for my taste. On my speakers, anyway, it's very busy. I have trouble making out the individual parts and I keep getting distracted. During the break around 1:50, the tapping is making it hard to hear the rest of the band. I do think the contrast between sections is very strong, and that keeps things interesting. But overall I found it hard to follow even though the musicianship is obviously very strong. Fun guitar outro.

g_rock

Hiss continues to be your enemy - it's super distracting. Vocals feel great but are a little hard to hear, so I can not quite follow the lyrics. I like the main understated guitar groove, very enjoyable. And I like the louder chorus, too. Brief drop out around 1:20 is great, really builds the energy for what's to follow. Maybe it would make more sense if I could follow the lyrics, but the dreamy (major 7?) feel of the repeated "away" doesn't make sense to me with the rest of the song. Each time the verse kicks back in it's a huge relief- that's the fun part of the song for me.

I Contain Multitudes

I was listening to this while next to my piano. I found it an enormously fun track to play along with, just improvise in Em. I'm not sure what that means, but that's all I've got. At least I had a good time, thanks for that.

Jeebas Jones

Really nice tone to start, and mixed extremely well. Comes through much, much clearer than any other track so far. Vocals are clear even though the rest sounds loud. Around 1:00 I'm finding the vocal sound a little too processed for my taste. The little electric guitar riff around 1:30 is very effective, although sounds slightly out of tune to me. Right around 2:20 I was ready for the song to go somewhere dramatically different. It's just a little static so far. The guitar solo is very nice, but it's too similar to what's come before IMO. When the solo really gets going around 3:15 (before it comes back to earth) would be a great time for the rest of the band to change energy with it. As it is, it's just a little too much like an extended ending for my taste, which I think is kind of waste of some very talented playing.

The John Benjamin Band

Strong, strong singing. Guitar is a little weak, although that could be just the recording. Another poignant love song. This title is bringing out the sappy side of Song Fight. I like it.

King Arthur

Starts out a little TMBG, which is cool by me. Funny take on Hoarders. I like the simple chord progression, just a fun upbeat song. Good stereo separation of the parts, too, which is something I struggle with. Fun song, very pleasant to listen to.

Klownhole

OK, this should balance out the sappy stuff. Let's rock. WTF is going on? I'm digging the the distorted guitar, but I can't quite make out what else is happening. It's almost like someone recorded themselves shouting along to a loud Metallica album. Maybe it's just my speakers can't reproduce everything and the distortion is blowing them out. But I really can't make out anything else. By 2:30 I skipped ahead to see if there was anything different. I spot checked each of minutes 4, 5, 6 and 7. When it was all the same, I gave up. This is obviously not my genre, but I do enjoy a good metal song when I can follow what's happening. This was just too confusing for me.

Manhattan Glutton

Laughed out loud at the concept. Strike a blow against materialism with a smile. I liked a lot of the specific details, MC Hammer pants, unplayed video game, beer, Lion King, Kindle, etc. I kind of missed that with the later chorus parts. Overall, though, big thumbs up.

Marcus Kellis

This must have been a lot of fun live, judging from the audience reaction sounds. I guess you had to be there.

Merisan

This may be the sappiest of the bunch yet. Very touching, love how both voices blend and the piano part is great, too. Sweet.

Mr. Nakazawa's Book of Surprises

Grim. There's some real mood here, although I'm not really following the song too well. The second? chorus around 2:00 is great, and lovely contrasting piano solo after. Lot of lovely moments, but they don't really add up to whole song for me.

Naked Philosophy

I can tell you're pissed about something, but I'm not sure what. I do think the vocal styling matches the emotion.

Paco del Stinko

Funny. I'm a big fan of the multiple guitar parts. Good contrast between sections. Guitar sounds sour to me at points. Fake audience is clearly having a great time! I think the song gets stronger as it goes, the last minute or so is great. Don't think I have any detailed suggestions to offer, this is well put together and sounds good.

roymond

Hard to do a topical song that still sounds good, but I think you pulled it off. It's a little long, but you were obviously having fun while singing it and it's infectious. No pun intended.

WreckdoM

A big hot funny mess. This must have been really fun live. Texas! Texas! MF Texas! Amen. I believe the youth of today have been set straight. Well done.
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

KA wrote: a lot of your stuff is just too "raggedy" for me,
Ha! That's excellent. A great way to put it, although I'm sure I am rarely raggedy by design.
Jeff Robertson wrote:Would you believe the guitar tone on the Flvxxvm Florvm track is an American Standard Strat with single coil pickups. The guitar is tuned down a whole step and the entire mix is also slightly slowed down, so it sounds much fatter than you'd think that guitar could.

Edit: also an eq pedal boosting the low mids before the amp.
I believe it now. Sounds great. Sounds tight, too, as in direct input, not amped?
Foobar wrote:Guitar sounds sour to me at points.
Do you mean during the leads? I 'winged' them to sound live and there are some bunky notes in there. Hopefully you don't mean tuning-wise, I thought I was good. Thanks for the comments!
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by jeff robertson »

Paco Del Stinko wrote:I believe it now. Sounds great. Sounds tight, too, as in direct input, not amped?
It's just mic'd very very close to the amp speaker. I only use DI for bass anymore.

My own reviews coming soon.
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by foobar93 »

Paco Del Stinko wrote:
Foobar wrote:Guitar sounds sour to me at points.
Do you mean during the leads? I 'winged' them to sound live and there are some bunky notes in there. Hopefully you don't mean tuning-wise, I thought I was good. Thanks for the comments!
I'm still struggling with how to talk about guitar sounds. I'm not sure what I'm hearing exactly when it sounds sour to me. It might be an old string out of tune with itself, or an intentional stylistic choice that I don't quite understand. To try and be more specific, I'm going to try and give the exact time code when I hear a sour hit, in the hopes that's helpful: 0:33, 0:36, 1:00, (solo sounds fine to me), 1:33, 1:48, 1:54, 1:57, 2:04, (2nd solo sounds good too), 2:44 (stereo left), 3:09, 3:12, 3:20. I hope that helps some (and if I'm way off base, please let me know).
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Hmm. I don't know. Perhaps your ears are better at picking up very short intervals of dissonance? Maybe my sloppy playing style bending a note just out of tune? Whatever it is, it doesn't last long and my ears are probably too bent to get it! I appreciate your taking time to dissect the song like that, that's impressive. And I'll try and play cleaner...until I get sloppy again. :)
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by g_rock »

Just a few comments I made a few days ago and never posted.

mr nazakawas book of suprises
echo from right to left on vocals
spooky piano brushes and somber sound
drums well done with brushes and cymbal rolls

frankie big face
sounds kind of bowie if that makes sense the wavering in your vox
dig the vox
wanted the song to get bigger and rock
cool live but wanted more from that song

roymand
harmony on vox good sounding like the mandolin or uke whatever that is
nice whistling
clint eastwood sucks
Im used to hearing more instruments on sf but sounded good

King Arther
I like the concept sounds kind of they might me giants
I know someone just like your sister from baltimore so it rings true
like the guitar sound really meshes with the mood of the song
song made me smile. Like the story telling.

flvxxvmflorvm
sounds sabbath inspired
guitar really sounds good and full
gets heavy first with drums then guitar and bass
drummer sounded like he was struggling a bit with the upbeat tempo
really like the double time then back to half time tempo change

Paco del stinko
oh yeah like the bass drum sound like its flapping loose
like the loosness of the song like pavement its recorded well but still sounds loose
bridge is great
songs got a cool energy
solo is solid Like the fake applause thats what Im talking about
I like the song Senor Stinko!

wreckdom
Sounds like a trombone slide sounds pirate-ish sailor drinkin music
I assume that slow down was recording issue and not done intentionally but I cant tell
just sped up now so I cant tell. got a cool vibe paints a picture


Foobar
piano sounds rich and full
nice clean melody like the slide up.
is that a synth guitar or real? A little embarrassed I cant tell, but it is such a simple solo thing sounds kind of synthy.

BSS
nice intro
breathy vox good drumming you guys have many different sounds how many songwriters do you have?
I like the song...

diekadenz
I wish the vocal harmonies had a different vocal sound from the lead vox
cathy song good doubling

Merisan
sounds live voices sound good together nice chill song

Marcus Kellis
I dont understand the distinction but anywho
Neil young loosey vox
vocals sound too loud. by the way I never thought about you being gay until you told me in your song.
Tears and coffee dont go as well as doughnuts and coffee just my opinion anyway

DJ Ranger Denny
Got a bad ass voice I cant help but tell you cause you need to know.
Lots of dynamics with your voice like the change @ 2:45
cool nice live song

Klownhole
Cool heavy vibe but need drums and bass to fill out the sound
the left channel guitar has a lot more ass to it than the treble heavy right
Is that just double tracked at an octive?
at 4:30 im checking how much longer
cool but needs some more instrumentation at the very least drums
needs a change

ADD
Cool idea but because It speeds up and slows down so much it is hard to evaluate

Glenny
Nice vox and harminies
like the changes
vox sound a little off tempo at a few spots rushing the beat
i get the drum kit improvisation but the latin improv is a little too much
Doubled solo sounds allman-esqe at the ending

Future boy
nice organ sound love it.'
Id kill for that organ sound in my setup what are you using?
A lot of the songs I can tell if it is live but I cant tell here sounds studio
vox harmonies caught me off guard. Ok its studio.
Nice melody nice song

icontainmultitudes
sounds live I like the dissonance of the guitar melody
got some bite to your voice
lost the beat for a moment sounds like
but good Idea that needs some more polish

JB
theres the uke again
Havent heard the uke that much in my short time here at sf
nice vox full circle with the photograph

Manhatton Glutton
funny song
not easy to go with the funny lyrical idea so damn I think you pull it off well
like your vocal tone.
Mc hammer and the extra flair made me laugh
damn.....
got my vote MG
a couple small mistakes but its live and good song man

Jeebas Jones
Got a great voice! pull off the flanger effect a bit. You dont need to rely on it so much
though doesnt really bother the song too much. I like the song
Where are the drums?
good song, since you did the studio thing, some subtle vocal harmonies could add some depth to a pretty melody

Naked Philosophy
vox way too loud
the texas state legilature would be proud im sure.
the drums struggle to keep time but it sounds like you were into it.

g_rock
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Paco Del Stinko
Hot for Teacher
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Instruments: Basic rock, at a basic level.
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Location: Massachusetts. God save the Commonwealth!

Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Just a few responses to the many reviews. Thanks people, and keep'em coming!
g_rock wrote:I like the song Senor Stinko!
Hey, thanks!
Meatwad wrote:No distorted bass? neck-punch time for you.
Ouch! Good thing I didn't remark upon your organ.
J'I run the place so shut up'B wrote:Singing is off but the music is ok. That's what it's about anyway, right, because the lyrics are meaningless.
Yeah, sometimes I've got nothing to say, but I say it anyway.
Any one of the never reviewing (except sometimes Glen) members of the BSS wrote:The music is fine, although it doesn't rock hard. The drums are loose and not as good as Ken's. You are no Glennny or Lunkhead!
Relax. Oh. I see you already are.
Frankie Big Facial Cream wrote:I'd comment, but you somehow beat me at NUR EIN this year.
And another year as well, if I remembers rightly...
DJ Ranger Derneece wrote:I'm still working on reviews, but I know they aren't that good and I don't unnystanzy why...but I'll do them and post them one of these days and...oh look...a unicorn! :) :) :)
Wheee!
Man Glut wrote:The guitar tone is flat and not full, like mine is. And the writing isn't good, like mine is. And you're face isn't as handsome as mine is. But I'd still get drunk with you. Maybe drunker. Yeah. Definitely drunker.
Must be the pills.
Bringin' the stink since 2006.
foobar93
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by foobar93 »

g_rock wrote: Foobar
piano sounds rich and full
nice clean melody like the slide up.
Thanks!
g_rock wrote: is that a synth guitar or real? A little embarrassed I cant tell, but it is such a simple solo thing sounds kind of synthy.
Funny that you feel that way. It's not a synth, but the Line6 Variax guitar + HD500x, so although the playing is real the guitar tone and amps are modeled. Probably just my lack of guitar chops that you're hearing though. I'll try and do better in future editions :)
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g_rock
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
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Instruments: drums, guitar, bass, synth, vocals
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by g_rock »

Solo sounded good. That wasn't a critisism, I just gouldnt tell if it was a synth. Usually I feel I can. That's all.

g_rock
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glennny
Jump
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by glennny »

add
The link version is unlistenable. Not your fault. Let me seek the MG version. I really wish you tuned, but I understand the pressure from the audience there. Its a shame you didn't get a bass player and drummer for this. The structure is super simple and it would have increased the value enormously. That said, catchy melody, nice harmonies, despite one sour note. fun little ditty.

Berkeley Social Scene
You got me on guitar, ken on drums, Martin on bass and vocals. Isn't this a 3 chord simple jam Paco? I really like Martins vocals and Kens vocal effects on Martin in this song. One of our shorter in length songs. I dig the Ken rock lyrics, nice turns of phrases. I don't always like my solos , but I'm fond of this one. I was digging this clean tone big reverb tone. I was listening to a lot of Shadowy Men that week. this will be fun live. vote.

die kadenz
wow, this really works as a GnG . The harmonies are great. The timing of the harmonies could be tighter, the pitch is spot on! This is great! VOTE great mood, great playing. Loved it!


DJ Ranger Den
girl and piano. Nice weird structure and weird melody. Really tough to know where you are moment to moment in this composition.

Flvxxvm Florvm
Cool instrumentation! Vocals are sooo loud in the mix. Pretty nice mix! Some tasty licks! I'm drawn in, but I don't think the chorus delivers. Tempo jump is awkward, but I'm glad you're there once you get there. Nice stage for the guitar solo. I hope this makes your set, if I ever see you live! Fun listen!

Foobar
Piano and vocals are very nice. There's something wrong about the way you recorded the acoustic guitar. It sounds so thin. I like the electric tone, but the line doesn't have much to it. Excellent dynamics to this song. I don't love the drum sounds either. All my issues are mix issues. This is a nicely written song. Yeah this deserves a vote, even though I'd like to hear a lot of it rerecorded and the electric guitar line reconsidered. Vote.

Frankie Big Face
Well this is a nice enough G nG. I still don't really care to listen to this again. With some drums and bass and some lead instrument, harmonies etc, I'd probably love it. Nice melody. I hate the game where I'm supposed to imagine what the song would be. I always like your vocals.

Future Boy
I understand this won that night. I get it. Great playing, and sweet vocals. Also you got the club to mostly shut up. I wish the sound guy wasn't so crazy with the reverb, karaoke dj? Still want bass and drums. Great little pop song! Nice lyrics, easy to understand and great for the title.

glennny
So I have mad dribbling skills. Unfortunately, my idea to record me dribbling the basketball was a FAIL. the intro and the solo isn't crappy conga playing, it's awesome ball handling skills ;) I only took one take, the morning it was due, I procrastinated on the vocals and basketball track. There's a lot I like about this song, there's some of it that didn't quite hit the mark I was aiming for. Enough right, I have to vote for myself. vote.

g_rock
Is this live? there's a lot of hiss on this track. The clean tone guitar is too loud. Vocals are too quiet. I really like the bass tone. This is an enjoyable listen. i like the open suspended chords in the chorus. i can't hear them without thinking "Hemispheres" by Rush. Some really nice bits. It doesn't quite come together as I think an arc of a song should come together. I felt more back and forth than taken on a journey. Cool stuff.

I Contain Multitudes
Sounds like it's going to be live. Nice dissonant chord. Vocals have way too much affectation for be to believe there is any sincerity to them. Still you're talented artisan of vocals. The recording is so tough to listen to.

Jeebas Jones
I keep anticipating the drum fill and jump into a groove. Everything sounds great, is there really not going to be drums? Bummer! The chorus is weak too. Man! Biggest let down from how cool it starts, to where it could go but doesn't. Some good playing and sketches for a song, love to hear it finished sometime.

The John Benjamin Band
Vocals are amazing. Electric uke playing not so much. I really dislike guy and one instrument music. There are exceptions, but this suffers a lot. Well written song! I like the lyrics and structure, i just want to finish it with drums and bass.

King Arthur
I really dig the bass line and tone. Your vocals are always nice to hear. The lyrics are a little too obvious for me to really get into. I think the drums really need more dynamics to them. They are constant throughout whilst the rest of the band is adjusting to the drama of the song. I really like the solo too!

Klownhole
Klownhole darkness and dirge. So long. Mostly no drums. Tough to really get into.

Manhattan Glutton
nice rocker. Really really needs drums and bass. No one would step up for this? Nice silly lyrics. Sounds like you got the biggest laughs.

Marcus Kellis
This is brutal. The chorus hook falls really flat. I like how fell back to your natural sense of funny, when things weren't really working. Make them laugh, the audience is on your side. Big applause, everyone rooting for you. This was a fun listen because it was live and you are funny, as a song, its pretty much a throw away.

Merisan
Okay, vocals and minimal instruments are your forte. Even though I'd still prefer this with some drums, this holds up nice. The piano is very nice and much needed. I also know how good Lunkhead is at fingerpicking. Some bear claw with the piano hitting chords would have been really sweet. Then switch it to drum and piano arpeggio. You guys are such great vocalists! Love it! vote.

Mr. Nakazawa's Book of Surprises
Niveous? Wow! I was listening to the video, I had to look to see that was Niveous. DJ on drums is good. Who's on piano? Cello? Synth? This is really cool. Its all setting and mood. Some kind of a hook and chorus would have been amazing. Still, great moody piece. The band really makes it! Also this Niveous character I've never heard is great! vote

Naked Philosophy
You were smart to get some drums. Not much melody there. Ample swearing.

Paco del Stinko
Okay, I just LOVE the fake live bit you do every year. This is fantastic. Why do I want to step up the bpm? I'm a big fan of your vocals. The leads are great! Very cool groove! VOTE

roymond
Although I agree with the politics, I don't think it makes for very interesting song material. Jon's backing vocals and whistling is beautiful. I'm confused by Roymonds monster character vocals. Pretty cool song, but still suffers immensely from lack of drums and bass.

WreckdoM
Was this on MGs list? So I'm listening on the normal link instead of the video. Big points for full band live entry! Fun listen. Nice delivery! Nice hoe down. This reminds me of Dead Like Us. Wow, this recording is awful. Nice performance guys!
Phillipso, Older Brothers, Semolina Pilchards, Zipline , Thank Glennny for the Frisbee, The Odoriferous Valley, The Worldly Self Assurance, Berkeley Social Scene, Very Gentle Knives, Daddy Bop Swing Set, GUNS, The Kraken Lives, Cavedwellers
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roymond
Beat It
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by roymond »

glennny wrote: roymond
I'm confused by Roymonds monster character vocals.
I know! But I don't know what happened there. I started an octave low, figured "ok, switch it up next phrase..." Then couldn't hear it and it stayed down there. Before I knew it, John's whistling and we're fading and that's that! Go figure. That's what happens when you write a song the morning of the fight, then go to the LBJ library in the afternoon, I guess.
roymond.com | songfights | covers
"Any more chromaticism and you'll have to change your last name to Wagner!" - Frankie Big Face
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g_rock
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
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Location: C-Bus

Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by g_rock »

glennny wrote:Is this live? there's a lot of hiss on this track. The clean tone guitar is too loud. Vocals are too quiet. I really like the bass tone. This is an enjoyable listen. i like the open suspended chords in the chorus. i can't hear them without thinking "Hemispheres" by Rush. Some really nice bits. It doesn't quite come together as I think an arc of a song should come together. I felt more back and forth than taken on a journey. Cool stuff.
Yeah its as live as a guy with a 3 track looper can be.
I loop guitar, then bass, then hit record and play the kit while singing.
I wanted the chorus to have a different feel than the pre-chorus or whatever but maybe it just meshed a little better in my head than in my ears.
I didn't really like the sound I got in the recording but I wasn't going to let expectations get in the way of the creative spark.
Its really hard to get a feel for how a song comes together without some outside feedback so thanks.
Thanks for the review and comments.

g_rock
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RangerDenni
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Re: Light the Cannon (Come and Take It reviews)

Post by RangerDenni »

Paco Del Stinko wrote:Just a few responses to the many reviews. Thanks people, and keep'em coming!
DJ Ranger Derneece wrote:I'm still working on reviews, but I know they aren't that good and I don't unnystanzy why...but I'll do them and post them one of these days and...oh look...a unicorn! :) :) ( ;) ) :)
Wheee!
Do not Make Fun of this, but I was In The Middle of the last part of the second bits of my reviews last night on the porch and I had to go inside after that because I was attacked by a roach. If this is not the worst excuse from getting distracted off finishing reviews I have come up with yet, I don't know what is. I shall continue on today. {additional slightly abashed smily wearing jaunty, hat at tilty apologetic angle}
"Really interesting how the point you’re making slowly emerges like Martin Sheen from the mud in Apocalypse Now..." ~j$
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