Your Mom! (Who Called the Ape Reviews)

Discuss upcoming, current, and previous song fights.
Toby Roktot
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Posts: 216
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 6:54 am
Instruments: Drums
Recording Method: Zoom, two turntables and a microphone....
Submitting as: Toby Roktot
Location: North Carolina, Colorado

Re: Your Mom! (Who Called the Ape Reviews)

Post by Toby Roktot »

Sorry, but I don't think I've contributed enough of anything good to actually judge someone else's work....maybe down the road when I feel worthy.....and I did find hip hop's review very educational....thanks to all those who do review. I've learned a lot in a short time just listening to the submissions.
Thx agn
Toby
noma
Mean Street
Posts: 520
Joined: Fri May 02, 2014 12:59 am
Instruments: Guitar, programming, various other stuff
Recording Method: Audacity
Submitting as: Nick Soma

Re: Your Mom! (Who Called the Ape Reviews)

Post by noma »

I'll post some reviews for this round later this day. Thanks to Hip Hop Anon for your detailed reviews! :)
I would be delighted to read some more reviews for my song, as I believe it's one of my best entries so far (better than Strangers or Bitter Monday for sure)...
User avatar
Caravan Ray
bono
bono
Posts: 8647
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 1:51 pm
Instruments: Penis
Recording Method: Garageband
Submitting as: Caravan Ray,G.O.R.T.E.C,Lyricburglar,The Thugs from the Scallop Industry
Location: Toowoomba, Queensland
Contact:

Re: Your Mom! (Who Called the Ape Reviews)

Post by Caravan Ray »

Sorry no reviews. Apparently, I'm still in Nur Ein.
noma
Mean Street
Posts: 520
Joined: Fri May 02, 2014 12:59 am
Instruments: Guitar, programming, various other stuff
Recording Method: Audacity
Submitting as: Nick Soma

Re: Your Mom! (Who Called the Ape Reviews)

Post by noma »

No problems, C-Ray. Congratulations on your win in the last Nur Ein round! :) (and also, on your Who Called The Ape/Watertight entry, which is really good)
User avatar
AJOwens
Panama
Posts: 997
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:50 am
Instruments: bass, guitar, keyboards, drums, flute
Recording Method: Reaper, Reason Adapted, M-Audio 1010LT + 2496 (Windows XP)
Submitting as: James Owens, The Chebuctones
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Contact:

Re: Your Mom! (Who Called the Ape Reviews)

Post by AJOwens »

More reviews! Yay! Everybody loves reviews! And you don't have to be an expert to write them. You just have to let people know what you like and why. (You can also tell them what you don't like and why, if you got up on the wrong side of the bed. People without thick skins will get over it, probably, unless of course they go postal. Just remember, it's not your fault!)

Berkeley Social Scene -- I like the grotty bass sound. The main vocals are pitchy and nasal, if I can just be up front about that; much better when screaming. The contrasting part, with its dance-defying Zappa jumpiness and jangly Beefheart attitude, is certainly worthy of notice, but not well-integrated with the main part, giving the whole thing a schizophrenic quality. Which might be the point, from what I heard of the lyrics. Those two deadpan cymbal hits are priceless, but I can't put my finger on why.

Billy and the psychotics -- It's got no hook. I think it might have an off-hook though. This one made me grin.


Caravan Ray -- This song made me think of Charlton Heston, travelling along the beach with that beautiful, feral creature (no, not the horse), as he comes across the half-buried Statue of Liberty. "You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!" The music seems understated and quiet. On the other hand, the vocals are fully out front, meaning that lyrics-challenged people like me will notice them. If the lyrics are the main point, that would explain it. Good sound effects.


Cody Walker Jr. -- This has a dark, grungy atmosphere, and the snarling, knife-edge vocal treatment fits in well. So does the tone and attitude of the lead guitar. The woh-oh-oh-oh part is fun; with enough people singing it, you might build it into a hook. The slightly punch-drunk drum solo, with that final ironic bash, sends it up with style. I like this, it's playful. Could be a vote.


Cory Ag -- The vocals have a wonderfully sweet and intimate tone, but the lyrics seem to call for something angrier, during the cursing at least. The arrangement is sparse but satisfying, thanks to a rich, warm recording. The backing vocals step out from their supporting role sometimes, as though they want to be in a duet. The song is tuneful, but it doesn't have an arc or any suggestion of progress -- contrast, builds, breakdowns -- so that when it's over there's no sense that anything happened, if you know what I mean.

Hip Hop Anonymous -- Out of my depth genre-wise, but I'm enjoying this: the wiggly organ lines, groovy bass, the rhythmic yet casual delivery, the tricky internal rhymes, those sampled female voices dropped in at tasteful moments, the detail and variety in the background. A small masterpiece of arrangement. Well done. Likely a vote.


Hostess Mostess -- How can you lie awake at night for a billion years? Surely it's day sometimes. . . I nitpick. This seems like it wants to be heavy and portentous, and sometimes it almost works: "It's all for nothing" is genuinely touching. Mostly, though, it needs more mass. If it were me I would try compression, reverb, and lots of pad synth to thicken it, but then I'd probably screw it up, so don't listen to me. I notice that you keep the arrangement light and punctuated, and you do a good job there, but it leaves me wanting more. The basic song is interesting, urgent and insistent. To me your voice evokes Supertramp.


Klownhole -- The first time I listened to this, I bailed after about four minutes. I did listen to the whole thing twice while writing this. You've got a solid metal punkish thing going there, but the range seems limited. I hear weird synth stuff going on in the background, not really developing. Mostly I hear guitar and vocals doing the same thing a lot. I want the bass and drums to get in there and make things more interesting. I want to go to a different musical space once in a while. I want punctuations, silences, contrasts, colours, outlying events. I want to be surprised! But maybe I just don't get the genre.


Nick Soma -- The four basic parts of this song -- the reggae opening, the legato transition, the main event with a lively hook, the staccato bridge -- add welcome variety while remaining unified by their tone and instrumentation. The hook works well, although it might benefit from some vocal harmonies. The bright trumpet kicks it up a notch. In some parts, especially the transition, I sense a subsonic murkiness. You may want to try a high-pass filter around 100 Hz on all tracks that aren't supposed to be delivering bass.


Odilon Green -- The synth-laden texture occupies its own universe, although it may have branched off from the main universe sometime in the late eighties. The vocal treatment and cadences feel a little strained; I'd be comfortable with something more natural, less consciously artful. Your take on "steward of the Earth" theology is thought-provoking.


Paco del Stinko -- Gross and muscular (I mean that in a good way), with a hint of jungle drums. The words get drowned out here and there by the in-your-face guitar or synth or whatever that is. At other times I just can't make them out. This is not as detailed as some of your stuff, but just as intense and wild. Good ape music.


R. Mosquito -- This sounds like it was recorded live. For some reason the repeated "monkey monkey" is very appealing, I guess because I know how it would feel to say it myself. Anyway. Nice take on the title -- not the only one with this take, but the understated observations ("They're driving cars now") effortlessly record the annoying absurdity that is humanity. I'm glad I took time to focus on the lyrics, because they're great. The guitar riff seems monkeyish too, although I don't know why I think that. A possible vote, mostly for the clever lyrics and suitably frantic mood.


Smashy Claw -- Good kicking beat, nice vocal tone. Everything stays very busy in a pleasant way, with refreshing acoustic pauses (although the compression is a little thick). Quite tuneful in places too. Good buildup at the end, but the parts start to get a little uncontrolled. This one is up there, not quite sure if it's a vote. Something about the production -- the vocals are good but somehow they don't quite blend into the song. I wish I had some advice, but it sometimes happens to me too, or so I'm told.


Toby Roktot -- A funky throwback. I especially like the organ riffs. The mixing is a little uneven, notably in the first chorus, where the maracas and something bassy that isn't the bass jump to the foreground. And everything is crowded into the middle -- don't forget the pan controls! But this song has spirit and the vocals are delivered with personality.
User avatar
SirkusPi
A New Player
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:10 am
Submitting as: Odilon Green
Location: New England, USA

Re: Your Mom! (Who Called the Ape Reviews)

Post by SirkusPi »

AJOwens wrote: Odilon Green -- The synth-laden texture occupies its own universe, although it may have branched off from the main universe sometime in the late eighties. ...
Thank you -- I really like your description! I finally have a 'review-quote' to stick in my SongFight signature block. :D
Post Reply