Nur Ein VII: Round Six

[Billy's Little Trip]

Great songs everyone.
After first listen all the way through starting with ADD, the first 3 obviously used the challenge and the last 2 used the challenge well blended and made it not as obvious. But there is no doubt, everybody used the challenge plenty, so now we can concentrate on the music as should be.

Use of the title. Everybody had obvious use of the title, some more than others, so again, now we can move on to the music, as we should.

The music. I've only listened once, so I'm going to give all the songs a few times through, because I have a habit of not paying attention to the lyrics until at least the third listen. I tend to listen to the music, beat, melody and arrangement first. And they all get a 2 thumbs up from me there. I was not bored, nor was I iffy with any of the songs. So kudos all!

I will say it was a nice rockin' ending with WSA. I would have been disappointed if rock was dead in Nur Ein. But that's just my opinion of course.

[Jefff]

I'm going to be arbitrary and say a positive thing and a negative thing. I'll also say that I'm not expecting to be in the final round.

DJRD
+: Winning swagger, playing to your strong voice.
-: Unfortunately, it's hard to get into the swagger because that bass line sounds out of rhythm.

Frankie Big Face
+: A hell of a tongue-twisting chorus. Most impressive.
-: Though it might veer too far into silly territory.

Ross Durand
+: Great chorus. My head is bobbing and my foot is tapping. Stop it, head and foot!
-: There are times when all the syllables don't seem to fit in your mouth. I might have a preference for more enunciation than other people.

WSA
+: This rocks, and the production is a cut above all of us lone wolves.
-: I'd like a stronger lead vocal.

[melvin]

Hello Songfight! I’ve been keeping an ear on this year’s competition, but have been unable to contribute much until this round (I’m in The WSA for those who may not know). Anyway, I thought I would weigh in with some reviews (and I don’t give a toss about whether you met the challenge or not):

ADD
This feels kind of buttoned-down, yet still has a fun, bouncy vibe. Great performance and amusing lyrics (love the “you pull away” line). I felt like I wanted just a bit more of a lift from the chorus, but I got that from the last go round. Solid entry. I’m going to give it four Teutonic nods out of five.

DJRD
I don’t think this is your typical vocal style, but I like it! It’s hot. And the lyrics are saucy. Hot sauce. One complaint: Something about the beat is off kilter. Either something’s out of synch, or this is just how beats sound nowadays. Either way, I am going to give this tune three-and-a-half come-hither nods.

FBF
I am an unabashed fan of your work. This sounds like you: classic pop songwriting chops with lovely chords, great melodies and a near-flawless performance. You’re one of very few people on this site who could show up with GnG at this stage in the competition and still come out on top. Four-and-a-half respectful nods.

RD
Genre bias is going to make it hard for me to say I truly like this song, even though I recognize that it’s very skillfully written, performed and recorded. I’ve given you this review several times, and I always feel like a jerk for it. I will average out the inherent quality and personal taste factors to arrive at three measured nods.

WSA
I enjoyed working on this a lot. Ken wrote the lyrics, I sang them and set them to basic bass/drums/guitar. Then Pete added ukulele and vocals (including a Japanese tongue twister), Glen laid down lead guitar and more lyrics and vocals, and Frisbee sprinkled his angelic background vocals over top. Oh yeah, there were also some synth bits from Pete and Ken. I’ve been nodding along to this track for the last several days, so I’ll stop now.

[Ross]

RD
Genre bias is going to make it hard for me to say I truly like this song, even though I recognize that it’s very skillfully written, performed and recorded. I’ve given you this review several times....

well, you're not the only one. Why do you think I keep that one in my signature file?

Thanks for the review.

[frankie big face]

Frankie Big Face
+: A hell of a tongue-twisting chorus. Most impressive.
-: Though it might veer too far into silly territory.

What? You can't take this song about a stutterer whose stutter goes away when his baby leaves him because he stutters seriously? Even when it's implied that she's the cause of the stutter but he wants her back anyway and maybe he also kinda sorta misses the stutter as well? It's classic trage-comedy! Or comi-tragedy? Or maybe it's just silly.

But seriously, doesn't "The Girl and the Impediment" sound like just the worst children's book ever?

[frankie big face]

FBF
I am an unabashed fan of your work. This sounds like you: classic pop songwriting chops with lovely chords, great melodies and a near-flawless performance. You’re one of very few people on this site who could show up with GnG at this stage in the competition and still come out on top. Four-and-a-half respectful nods.

Back in Nur Ein II (about which I am still bitter...Sam), I was in the final round and was told to "bring my A game." So I "recruited" some student horn players, busted out the violin and practiced till I could almost play my Motown-approved string line, called Paul the drummer for some tasty beats, wrote a super-catchy chorus with stuff about wizards—they were very in then—and at least one person called it "yacht rock" and perhaps it was that same person who said (and I'm paraphrasing) "What is this crap!? I thought your A-game was acoustic pop love songs."

So, even while I fear the lack of production, I decided to take the risk this time and submit a G'n'G song. No backing vox, no string quartet, only slightly flawed (those things tend to really show up the next morning, don't they?). I'm glad it paid off in the eyes of at least one Nur Ein listener! Thanks for the review.

[Caravan Ray]

Back in Nur Ein II (about which I am still bitter...Sam), I was in the final round and was told to "bring my A game." So I "recruited" some student horn players, busted out the violin and practiced till I could almost play my Motown-approved string line, called Paul the drummer for some tasty beats, wrote a super-catchy chorus with stuff about wizards—they were very in then—and at least one person called it "yacht rock" and perhaps it was that same person who said (and I'm paraphrasing) "What is this crap!? I thought your A-game was acoustic pop love songs."

That would be Ross. He can be very unkind:

Frankie Big Face – Is this the Yacht Rock side fight?

Though it seemed to be a popular sentiment of the time:

I second Ross's Yacht Rock/Steeley Dan comment about Frankie's song.

I was thinking the same thing. If Steely Dan and Chicago had a baby, it would attend the same Sunday school as Frankie's song.

and

It sounds like a theme song to some awful American sit-com where obnoxious, toothy children spout inane catch-phrases and everybody hugs at the end. This is really quite horrible.

ahhh... the memories.

[Ross]

Those facts can be checked.

The bb version of photoshopping one's head on another's body, I believe.

[Ross]

Oh, apparently i did make the yacht rock comment. But you seemed to agree and it WAS in the context of a positive review.

[glennny]

5 excellent songs! 5 excellent challenge meters. 5 excellent takes on the title!
It’s funny, I always attacked tongue twisters by singing them. So it doesn’t sound like anyone twisted their tongue when delivering their tongue twisters. It certainly took a lot of takes for me to not twist my tongue for my tongue twisting bit.

Here’s hoping there’s some mathematical weirdness and we all advance to the next round. There’s no shame in losing to any of these songs. We’re in very fine company here.

ADD- I had much the same reaction as last week. Like, this is awesome! I want this album! It still feels like the follow-up single to your Cassettes. This is a great song. Your vocals are amazing! I’m quite jealous! As a side note, I hope you assemble a band for Seattle, your songs this year would sound fantastic with a live band. (Frankie plays a mean bass, just a suggestion). I won’t be surprised if this wins. I will be surprised if this doesn’t advance.

DJRD- What this lacks in execution it makes up for in inventiveness and ambition. The drums and the bass are not quite right. The idea is fantastic; I wish it was in the pocket. The vocals are off the hook crazy good, with lots of passion and delivery! The lyrics are okay, but not my favorite of the bunch. I won’t be surprised if this advances. Good stuff, warrants a re-record or a fix of than rhythm section weirdness. Is it the way you intended?

FBF- I pretty much feel the same way as Melvin does. I think you have guts! It’s pretty freaking bold to go GnG especially when you half expect Ross to go GnG which is his bread and butter. This stands up. Great song! LOVE the lyrics! I’m confused by the tongue twister parts. I believe in you so much as a song-writer I believe that all the images are metaphors for something. Then I keep racking my brain trying to understand what a sticky finger flicking fuss is. It’s a great tongue twister, but I don’t get the deeper meaning if it’s there. I’m dense about these things. That’s not a criticism of the song, it’s a short coming of me as a listener. Regardless I love your vocals and playing and the song structure. I won’t be surprised if this wins. I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t advance. Great job! Interesting play in the game of Nur Ein!

Ross- I love this! I have to admit that this doesn’t punch me in the gut the way your last two songs have. This is just gold old story telling. 5 years ago I would have told you I don’t like this genre. Between my best friend Stewboss and a couple of excellent Wilco albums in the last 5 years, this genre is among my most listened to these days. This is solid! This is also an interesting play in the game. I wouldn’t expect this in the finals with the audience of 25 (or whatever the count is). For the audience of Niv, Roy, J$, Noah, and Paco this might play very well. I think you have the best tongue twister of the fight for it s worth. It’s very twisty and it furthers the story. Bravo! I won’t be surprised if you win. I will be surprised if you don’t advance.

WSA- It feels so good when everything comes together like this. When we’re all clicking. When it’s a group effort. It’s so good to hear Melvin’s vocals on a song. Ken’s lyrics are wonderful. I just love this song! Everyone did an awesome job! I sure hope we advance, I think we have a good shot. The competition is really tough.

Good job everyone! Good luck!

[frankie big face]

Cold Comfort Reviews

ADD - I feel like it's 2001 and I'm hearing a new ADD song every week! This is a good feeling. This is a stellar recording and a song I think would grow on me with repeated listens. My first reaction is that all the sections are too similar dynamically. Makes the road map hard to follow the first time. I think the fact that your vocal sits in the same general range for all the parts contributes to this initial assessment. By contrast, the tongue-twister section is set apart immediately by the effect on the vox. My favorite part, I think. By the third listen, I'm liking this much more.

DJRD - I read your lyric yesterday before listening to the song (obviously) and it struck me as beat poetry. And, as a poem, I think this works really well. Certain lines meander and others rush and that all works quite well with poetry. But as a song, especially one that's beat-driven (even a spacey beat like this one), I think that's really hard to pull off. I actually think this would work better as a solo piano piece where you can place the musical accents where you want relative to your vocal delivery and play with the tempo a little bit. Cesuras and fermatas are your friends.

ROSS - First nitpick: I don't think I get the second verse. But maybe I'm just being dense. When I read your lyric yesterday, I wondered how the tongue twister was going to play showing up in the middle of what is otherwise an ordinary song. But dammit, it actually works. Like Melvin, I too suffer a bit from genre bias, but I have a whole family who would eat this up. And you sound great, like you were meant for the genre and it was meant for you. This is a well-crafted song: catchy, clever and well-performed. Kudos to you, Ross Durand!

WSA - Uncharacteristically poppy and catchy! Please, allow me to gripe for a bit. First, I can't believe you started with that lyric. Very cheesy. However, I'm not crazy about the rest of the lyrics either (excepting the chorus), so it doesn't really matter. I'm sure you're happy with the lyrics, but I think you should take the first two lines of the second verse and make all the rest as good as those. (Remember, I'm still in gripe mode--it will get better.) Someone already mentioned this, but I don't think the lead vocal is up to the quality of the rest of the track. It's a nice tone quality, but out of tune and poorly phrased at times. Okay, now the good stuff. This is just a beautiful piece of music. The instrument layering is absolutely marvelous. The chorus is a knockout. When the backing vocals came in on that second chorus, I actually got chills. The vocal counterpoint that follows that chorus is very very good, separated nicely in the stereo field and superbly performed and recorded. The "sunshine city" tongue twister is the thing man. That's what the song is all about. It's like the Beach Boys through the eyes of OK Go. I'll even forgive the odd prog break that sets up the final chorus because I know you just couldn't help yourself. Welcome to the final round.

FBF - Not a review, just some stuff about the song. By Saturday morning, I had started writing some things but the song didn't really have any direction. Then, I stopped trying, went outside to my overgrown, Nur Ein-neglected garden (or whatever you called a bunch of random trees and plants) and ripped almost everything that looked out of place out of the ground. I trimmed hedges, raked shit—I have no idea what I'm doing out there. Came back inside and got ready to go to dinner and had my "eureka moment." That is, I figured out how I was going to work a fairly complex tongue-twisting chorus into the song in a way that made sense and wasn't just a requirement of the competition. The next morning, the song came together fairly quickly and I had already decided to do a g'n'g thing so, by 7:00PM, I was done. There are some things I'd like to fix (lyrics mostly) but I'm happy with the song and I figured out a new way to record my guitar that doesn't sound like crap, so if this is it for me, at least I'm satisfied with my effort and that feels good.

I won't speak for everyone else, but I'm tired! And I think this is the toughest competition I've ever faced in this thing. Not just the final five—the whole thing. What a great Nur Ein!!!!!!!

[furrypedro]

Exciting times!
Here are my bullshit off-the-cuff thoughts.

ADD: Undeniably cool, it's got a mixture of 80's electro mixed with new wave punk thing about it. Still not lacking in hooks, you are far beyond just being accomplished. The addition of the extra synth layers around the 1:45 mark is superbly done. I find it interesting the way the cymbals in the chorus make the song feel like it's switched to half time when it hasn't. I didn't really hear the challenge addressed at all though, please explain.

Denni: The idea here is good, but I worry for the execution. You've gone for a bit of a rap-type style, and this totally relies on the rhythm and flow of the track but there are too many moments in this when it feels like one or other of the instruments are getting ahead of themselves and rather than settling into a groove it keeps skipping ahead of itself awkwardly. Are those drums programmed or did you tap them out live? There's a bit too much nervous tension which doesn't benefit the arrangement I feel. I needs to be more relaxed.

FBF: This is a very well written song, and I think you've done the best tongue twister I've heard so far in the fight - I do really like the way it fits into the song so nicely, but I wish you'd done something more with the arrangment. There's definitely a place for minimalism but I don't think this song is it, in my opinion. If you had time constraints then fair enough, but if it's a conscious choice to make it a GnG song I don't think it was the right choice.

Ross: Yes. Now this is the sound of a man stepping up to the plate. Literally, the only criticism I can think of for this is that there are occasions where you try to fit too many words into the line (and I'm not referring to the middle section which I'm assuming is the tongue twister bit - this is done very well - it's the verse following that part). Otherwise, my lack of things to say about the song is purely becuase I'm thoroughly enjoying it.


Of course, (at the risk of sounding like glennny) I very much enjoy the WSA song this week, but I'm envisioning an ADD vs Ross final off the back of this fight. The only thing to upset that prediction is Jeff's possible lack of challenge meeting but I'm open to being corrected if there's something I've missed.

[frankie big face]

FBF- I pretty much feel the same way as Melvin does. I think you have guts! It’s pretty freaking bold to go GnG especially when you half expect Ross to go GnG which is his bread and butter. This stands up. Great song! LOVE the lyrics! I’m confused by the tongue twister parts. I believe in you so much as a song-writer I believe that all the images are metaphors for something. Then I keep racking my brain trying to understand what a sticky finger flicking fuss is. It’s a great tongue twister, but I don’t get the deeper meaning if it’s there. I’m dense about these things. That’s not a criticism of the song, it’s a short coming of me as a listener. Regardless I love your vocals and playing and the song structure. I won’t be surprised if this wins. I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t advance. Great job! Interesting play in the game of Nur Ein!

Thanks for the encouragement. About the tongue-twisters and their meaning... I found this to be a tough lyrical challenge in the sense that, the more I ratcheted up the alliteration, the more difficult it was (even for me!) to understand the meaning of the lyrics. So much so that I hunted down JB (found him at an airport in Salt Lake City) and asked him to read my chorus and tell me if it made any sense at all. He said he didn't understand the first line, which had something about a leaky sink and slinking sloth (!), but the rest made sense. So I scrapped the first line and polished up the others a bit.

Here's a breakdown of the chorus:
• I really like the "sticky finger-flicking fuss" line. It doesn't mean anything other than expressing how difficult it is to shake lingering thoughts of a lost love. Like you've got something stuck on your finger and you can't get it off no matter how hard you try. (yes, Caravan Ray, a booger)
• The second line "saw dust, surface rust..." refers to the "wear-and-tear," if you will, that results from a breakup and the difficulty in moving forward ("arrests the best in us").
• The "hoe the whole row" line is basically an encouragement to wipe the slate clean and, in this context, not to measure residual plusses in terms of minuses (i.e. cold comfort) because you hold some part of yourself captive in the past relationship, prolonging a fragile state ("bitter crumbs from brittle crusts").

Either that or it's just a bunch of nonsense thrown together to show off my whiny David Bowie impression. (beat you to it, Ray)

[frankie big face]

@Ross and Ray - good times!

@Pedro - it was a semi-conscious decision. That is, I was semi-conscious at the time. Hey-o! I will admit that time was a bit of a factor, but in the end, I decided to let the song stand on its own with no bells and whistles. I hadn't done anything like it so far in this Nur Ein so I thought I would take a chance. Thanks for the review.

[RangerDenni]

Never programmed drums before at all really. I took a risk. By myself. A complicated, twisty one. Perhaps it didn't pay off. If its not a client paying me money, I'm not worried. It's a journey. I'll have a cry and better luck next year, I spoze. Oh whale.......

I don't have anything bad to say about anyone else. I don't really feel like it today. Also I've had margaritas. Nur Ein.

FRANKIE:
gorgeous with an orchestra or with just one guitar. A clever, difficult to sing chorus for the listener and you of course are quite the showman.
ADD:
My favorite will always be cassettes, but the production on this proves you could destroy tiny countries with engineering aptitude. This is not a bad thing. I like your voice too, I have decided you work your room well.
ROSS:
One of your best in my opinion. Cinematic and chill producing.
WSD:
Y'all are always fun and yes you do rock. Chill, in the car music. Can't really be matched for cool and ensemble.

Well, it was nice to be here with everyone I think. Quite educational.

[RangerDenni]

DEN PART TWO:

finally read posted reviews with hands peeled off of eyes while calmly seated.

Glenny.
Was it intended? That's a complicated question. I think I intended to create a "relaxed groove" (as referenced) in furrypedro review... however - me trying to create a relaxed chill groove is like a turtle trying to be spinach. Nonetheless, I tried and when I put everything to the click wrinkled my nose in distaste at how NONrelaxed it did sound. Enter Frankie's review. I set my piano brain to the task of singing and putting everything I heard to the singing instead. I wrapped those sounds all around my vocal the way I heard it in my little brain and everyone kind of just shiffled around me.
This is what happens when the piano player is the singer and that person grew up playing literature of the late romantic period and that person has had lots of mountain dew and pixie sticks and is two rounds too much into a contest and she's a little freaked out about it, frankly - so she takes over your rhythm section. Most of my stuff is kinda glommed together in some way and I guess this ends up being no different. I liked it for a while because it sounds off, like me. Hopefully the spit sticks. Or, maybe it's just off.

Tomorrow I'll say more cognizant things about your music, since I know y'all are into that kind of thing and I've yammered on and on here. I have opinions of course other than "yay." I really did get a lot out of this long long time of greuling song toil
NUR EIN x

[nyjm]

like a turtle trying to be spinach

.... and there's the title for next round ...

#notofficialinanywayshapeorform

More great tunes, everyone. Damn, y'all are making the ranking really frakkin' hard.

[Ross]

ok, Honestly, I haven’t listened to the tracks in several weeks. Mainly out of fear it would hurt my confidence and just kinda bring me down, second guess, etc....Hard to explain...

I am going to review on first listen

ADD - Wow - groovin’ right out the gate. I like your clarity of sonic vision, wouldn’t mind more variation in arrangement. lyrical phrases nicely put together. not sure I am hearing how the “cold comfort” concept really ties in strongly. not sure I hear a tongue twister, the way I understand it. Catchy as heck, though.

DJ Den - I can already tell I already like your more “organic” stuff better. But I do like this space with your voice - can’t help wondering how it would sound with a piano. The overall vibe is quite effective. some phrases seem slapped in.

FBF - As a great appreciator of what the songfight crowd call GnG, I really wish this was much less processed. The third line of your chorus is awesome. Overall concept not really my thing, but well pulled off. In some ways, does sound like a solo demo of what might have turned out to be fully arranged, especially in the sections between verses. Nice tune and word work.

WSA - Damn - Great EP Closer. Is this the best round of Nur Ein! Ever? opening line is kind of a problem for me. Chorus Drums are rockin’. Oh, you guys went with the “say this five times fast” concept, interesting. I guess Melvin and I can trade longtime feelings - I wish your voice sounded as engaged as the accompaniment in the chorus - Bet I’ve given you that review before, too. Nice choral nouveau Beach Boys section. Great Guitar solo.

So thankful for all the kind words about my tune. I agree with Frankie that this has been a very intense Ein! For several rounds I have been thankful to be in the company - no round more than this. This round would make a great EP - I would be very happy to hear all of these songs again!

I don’t feel as discouraged after listening as I thought I might - but I am glad I am not a judge and can imagine this round’s rankings going about 5-factorial different ways.

I would love to move on, but would not be ashamed to lose to any of these.

You guys are awesome - this has been a privilege!

Nur Ein!!!!!!

[Jefff]

This is boring. Somebody start a fight. You all smell!

[RangerDenni]

heh. Actually I've been making the crack that I've smelt (smelled, smelleth?) like NurEin lately.

[Jefff]

We're veritably soaking in Nur Ein.

[Niveous]

I should throw a reverse Nur Ein where only the worst songs survive. Urine!

And instead of the fist logo, it'll have a (blank).

MATCH GAME TIME!