Welcome to the reviews page.

[j$]

Ah but I am not reviewing it - I am being imperative.

Interesting statistic - this fight thread - 71% non-review posts to 29% review / partial review posts.

Clip Art 73% to 27%. So this is the better reviewed thread as of this moment. (although this very post affects that statistic?)

[grinds glass into Boltoph's virtual wound ]

[Jim of Seattle]

You're engaging in the very act you condone.

I now have all these songs downloaded. I'll dig in tonight. Reviews forthcoming; opinions welcome.

Uhh... I think "condone" means the exact opposite of what you intended here. "Condone" means "to approve of", as in "I condone the breathing of air"

I think we're all reviewing the reviews of each others' reviews because actually reviewing means a lot of work and just BS-ing about nothing doesn't.

J$ - Maybe I should post one message for each separate song I review to skew that percentage!

[jack]

No, I'm just saying that reviews are whatever people want to write so don't knock someone cause they "didn't write enough" because it may be more than you get from most people anyway.

reviews generally imply an opinion on something. not just writing down peoples names or copy and pasting from dre's template (which seems more likely the case).

and that's my opinion, which you can shove up your ass if you don't like it.

[jimtyrrell]

You know what? I been drinking nyquil all night. I'm engaging in the very act I condone. Or something. I'll explain when I'm sober. And if you see me with any heavy machinery, take it away from me.

Edit: Can you believe I'm actually gonna try to write a NOVEL next month?
Okay, this is my last off-topic nonsense. I promise to not say another word until my reviews are in.

Second Edit: I know, I said I was done. But it occurred to me sitting in my car at lunchtime eating chicken, as the Nyquil was starting to ebb. Condemn! I meant condemn. Even though that's not exactly the right word either. Okay, now I'm really done.

[boltoph]

Stop jacking off. Yes, shove it, that works for me, like a corn cob. Someone told me Jack Shite was a good chap, but I don't believe it.
Some of you think you are the authority or the police of the messageboard, eh?
What wound, J$?

I was going to wait til I had all of the reviews but in light of this discussion....

Bax - heh, I definitely enjoy this cause it's AC/DC 100% and the production is good. Managed to make it catchy, too. I like the lines about "nothing to lose, nothing to gain" the most
Bewells - These first two songs are really my favorites in the fight, along with the Cow Exchange. The harmonies are great and this reminds me of a slower Ween song or a Ween country song.
Brainpipe - You might understand that this song would be much better represented if you could see Starfinger perform it live as he's quite a character. Otherwise, there's a couple cool chord changes and some interesting changes, I like the vocal melody that comes in. Cool groove around 1:00. This is one that I'm going to listen to quite a bit more. There's something about one of the parts that reallly grabs me, the part with the muted clean guitar tones....oooh so sweet.
Corn on the Cob - yeah it's the one I'm involved in. I should've known better that people on songfight don't care about guitar solos and rock, or journeys through different emotions and driving chords. I should stop giving a shit.
The Cow Exchange - I like this one, fun cooky melody, Ben Folds five style is not normally my fav thing, but there's a nice clear melodic idea going on. It could pick up, and the vocals could slow down at some point, but those are just nitpicky things to say.
Neptunian Kit - Second only to Jim of Seattle. No wait, you beat Jim by a mile cause your instrumental is original and spooky where as Jim's uses one "trying to be creative" idea (the computer sound) and then just proceeds to be a duplicate of some classical composers of the late 18th century. It'd be alot easier for me to submit this sort of thing than submit the kind of stuff i submit.

...more coming...reviews in progress.

[jack]

Stop jacking off. Yes, shove it, that works for me, like a corn cob. Someone told me Jack Shite was a good chap, but I don't believe it.

thank god i've finally put this myth to rest.

[Mostess]

Hey I don't do full on reviews...I don't really believe in criticizing others music or work of anykind

If your happy with it then it's perfect and theres nothing anyone can say or do about it...all I do when I review is give my two cents about the song

short and simple...thats the way it should be

Bullshit. Who said anyone here is "happy with it?" And even if they were, "it" wouldn't be "perfect." And even if it were (whatever that would mean), there's plenty anyone could say and do about it. And if your "two cents" consists solely of "nice work," your currency is worthless.

Short and simple enough for you? SongFight! dammit!

(Oh, and trade most of your elipses for apostrophes while you're at it.)

(Oh, and yes, I am reviewing this fight. It will take a couple days. Because I'm actually listening to and thinking about the songs people worked to create and share.)

[boltoph]

blah blah blankety blank, and such.

Dr. Water - Some of the vocal phrase turns are great. I like the Tracy Chapman-resonant vocal in the chorus. I also really like how the ending just kinda continues and fades out. Makes me wonder about "what happens after". Very nice little song.
en passant - I have to say I like the syncopated feel of the vocals opposing the the quarter-note instrumentation and the chaos of the chord and melody changes are interesting. Whatever is going on at the ending is fuckin sweet. It's killing me.
Excuse the Production – production excused. I didn’t think it was all that bad though, just guitar and vocals, but I really like the subtle solo and the doubled vocal. Production is as much the way the song was arranged and what genres it’s written in, the way something is sung and played, as it is the “technical sound engineeringâ€

[Mostess]

It’s nice, in a way that generic white napkins are nice.

…sometimes I wonder why I bother with these reviews, I doubt anyone really gives a flying fuck what I think…

For the record, that made my day. Whether that counts as a flying fuck I guess depends on what you imagine my workplace is like.

Hostess Mostess will endeavor to soil the napkins in our next entry.

[WeaselSlayer]

I give a flying fuck what you think, man, you've always been open to new shit and you've always been supportive of people. And you don't always jump all over people even if they snap at the chance to jump all over you.

[TheScreech]

Drea De Mattea and Gina Gershon and Lori Petty? I might be a little familiar with it. And by a little, I mean a lot.

Merisan
I have decided that, if Merisan is as beautiful as her voice, then her real name must be Gina Gershon. i.e. really, really beautiful.
The Screech.

Have you seen the movie "Prey for Rock and Roll"? It's one of my favorites.

[boltoph]

Hostess Mostess will endeavor to soil the napkins in our next entry.

I'm a big fan of multi-colored, seasonal prints on napkins. Soiled with red wine and cheese.

Luke, thanks. You've just gotten me pumped up to finish the reviews. It won't be long now....I'll be back when they're done.

[Egg]

Boltoph is one of my favorite song fighters. I think Mogosagatai was jealous that I got to collab with him while the hurricane knocked him around. He might of just been envious of my house not being in ruins though.

Not to undercut other people who are awesome, but if you each seem a little depressive one at a time (preferably while deliver reviews) then people will come out of the woodwork and let you know how much they look forward to your track.

I SWEAR I'll review soon. Just to not upset that stat Jpoint is keeping,

Jim of Seattle: Oh my godwa- One of the reasons I was writhing on the floor earlier is because there are so many strong entries this week. This is amongst the top of the top. I will listen to this again and again and deliver a potentially more complete round of praise with my full reviews. You might get the vote I never gave you for Man Speaking German.

Corn on the Cob: Driving chords, lots of emotion and guitar solos?! I'm sorry, but that was a little put on. I don't know what a driving chord is, unless it's not a musical term and more just a chord that pushes me forward in the music in a throttling way. In which case I hear ya loud and clear. It's not my favorite Boltoph track or anything, but I always feel like you're pushing at something extra that a lot of tracks around Song Fight don't get to before the week deadline. Tell the bandmates that you guys sound good. I like how subdued the back up vocals are at the end and that .. what, back up guitar? oh, and then at the end end, they come up and it's all weird and I like it and that last guitar part is a perfect way out until it FADES?! dude, you totally had the chance of killing me with that song and you just let the song fade off and die instead. Always choose to kill your audience rather than let your song die with a fade out!

the dankins: Wow! Your mysterious id3 tagging makes me feel like you probably wrote this not for the title, but there's no real evidence for that. What I'm really getting to, is how should I tag this for my playlist? I put the dankins in as the artist and changed the title to "Welcome to neptunian kit" but I don't know if that's right. This made me think of aphex twin and whatnot and just thrilled me for a while in general.

[Meatwad]

Klownhole - Oh yeah, this is fucking sucking me in like I was a fucking Snak Pak. And I may never see the colon. This makes me think of GWAR, which is great and a huge compliment.

Never fear, you'll see the colon. Being compared to Gwar is high honor. Though, I've always felt that Gwar's music didn't live up to their persona. However, it's hard to pay too close attention to the lovely melodies and intricate scales when they are sodomizing George Bush with a giant worm/phallus.

[boltoph]

Egg, thanks for the in depth review, I really appreciate your kind words as well.

Generally I listen to the songs more before reviewing, and I'm going to listen to them more while working and doing things around my apartment, before I say which are really my favorites. ...so many different reasons for liking different songs

But in the meantime, here are the rest of my reviews for ya.

PiGPEN – The tone of your voice is perfect for the lyrical material. I wanted to hear you get all pissed and scream at all the opinionated fuckers that give you shit around here, myself included.
Piracy Undermines Creative Expression! - I don’t really get what the intro clip has to do with video games, but then again I don’t really play them. I guess the new crusade is a video game crusade? Why are you trying to sound “toughâ€

[fodroy]

i just realized that pretty much every time puce enters a fight i end up voting for him. so, from now on, i'm just going to vote for him as soon as i see his name without even listening.

[Mostess]

i just realized that pretty much every time puce enters a fight i end up voting for him. so, from now on, i'm just going to vote for him as soon as i see his name without even listening.

I just realized that I should change my name to Puce.

[Jim of Seattle]

No wait, you beat Jim by a mile cause your instrumental is original and spooky where as Jim's uses one "trying to be creative" idea (the computer sound) and then just proceeds to be a duplicate of some classical composers of the late 18th century.

Does this count as my review, then?

[boltoph]

my reviews updated to include Jim of Seattle.

[starfinger]

this was an excellent fight!


bax: haha. i had to restart the song so i could hear the opening
'come on' again. it feels very authentic. great chorus. "party
until you bleed" is a great line. the vocals have some great
moments, but the more talky ones are not as compelling. overall,
pretty awesome.


bewells: this is beautiful, but a little too slow. it's pulling me
into a pit. under other circumstances, that would be fine. This is
a wonderful performance and has a kind of tindersticks quality to
it.


brainpipe: this singer sounds like a complete studmuffin. nice beeps.


corn on the cob: these vocals are great, and the arrangement is
wonderful. that is an incredible solo, and the part leading up to
that is awesome too. damn!


cow exchange: i love these sounds. that gritty keyboard down low in
the mix, and that harp thing. its all so bright and vibrant. i
don't know what you're talking about, but that's ok. yeah wow.


dankins: this is pretty neat, but i submit that this has nothing to
do with the title. it was probably not even done for songfight
originally. what's neptunian kit? welcome to the FAQ. I vote you
most likely to friend-flood the win.


dr. water: i love your voice. it reminds me of a country diamanda
galas. the mix is weird, but interesting.


en passant: there's something pretty good in there somewhere, but
sorting out all the things going on is really annoying me.


excuse the production: i like the acoustic sonic youth moments.
yeah this is surprisingly great for being so minimal. it's catchy.
i'm only halfway through the song though, so that's not an official
verdict. ok, i never got tired of listening to it, so it must be
good!


his name is dan: weird intro! what are you making your beats with
nowadays? i love the falsetto stuff. this is pretty good dan,
dan. and i like dan. what a sensitive lyric: "everything is alive
in your eyes". definitely a step up from wiping old mens' butts.


hostess: your vocals are like a subtle vacuum cleaner, sucking tears
from my eyeholes. the minimal percussion is great too. and yes nice
playing, but those vocals. man. great.


Jim of Seattle: this is an internet craze waiting to happen.
beautifully played and still ridiculous. Kudos! This belongs in
the dinner-party scene in a Tron-like movie about guys wandering
around inside Windows. In the final scene of the movie, everyone
will die, but will have no clue how it happened. Some other music
will play then.


Jim Tyrrell: This is really great. You have a knack, my friend.
The kick drum sounds weird though. We should totally manilowfight.
something about this song (probably the high-quality songwriting
craft displayed) reminded me of that.


Johnny iBook: I have a serious weakness for your vocals. The
production on this is great too. i like synthy-jbb a lot. Your
lyrics are always a treat. Great.


klownhole: love the wailing. this is very
faith-no-more/melvinsy. not too keen on the talking parts, but
that's no dealbreaker. love the guitars. love the sludgy
directionlessness of it all. i don't like the fact that the outro
noise is all in my left ear.


luke henley: no time to come up with a feeling here. it's a bit
disappointing.


merisan: you guys are an inspired pair. wonderful vocals. great
guitars, though the rhythm throws me off in a few places. it's not
a playing problem, just a disconnect with my expectations. that
goes away later in the song, so you can probably safely ignore that
comment. still very good. niiice solo.


phunt: i'm sure this is very nice, but i'm anxious to finish these
reviews and I don't have 12 minutes to give you right now. Perhaps
later.


pigpen: this music sucks, but your voice is pretty good and you
definitely have some flow capabilities.


puce: that synth bass is the highlight of this song. what is it??
and yeah the sample is clever and awesome. thank you for including
your high vocals on this. awesome. what a surprise. it is weird
that the first half of the word 'welcome' sounds like you're trying
to be angry, and then it goes normal. 2:00 onward is particularly
awesome. i want that sample louder!


posyden: i like the music a lot. but this recording is weird. "the
shit that i spit" is a funny line. i might have to vote you
most-likely-to-friend-flood.


raised by wolves: this has a great mood to it. it is definitely
very elfman-y. that modulated voice reminds me of Sir Nose from
parliament's "motor booty affair", which is probably not what you're
going for. pretty cool regardless.


ross durand: this is very cutesy, obviously. i'm sure my kids would
like it.


sausage boy: you come up with the weirdest yet mindswallowing
grooves. i like the weird synth, and the warbly effects, especially
on the whistling,are cool.


steve durand: sweet horns, again. everything else is fine, but not
really notable. but yeah the horns make it good. the structure is
nice.


taco conspiracy: those drums are very annoying. it sounds like
you're stretching them too far. yeah this is not good.


tiny paws: i am interested in this glitterstomp craze of which you
speak. the lyrics do mostly make sense to me, in case you were
still concerned about their transcontinental relevance. anyway,
this is a great groove. all the various parts are really good and
they fit together well. i especially like the "ahooo" and that
crazy synth. this is super. though it sounds more like J$ than
'tiny paws'.


wreckdom: i like that bass sound. this is good weird.

[Mostess]

Jim of Seattle [...] Could've been interesting if you actually made the song be like the computer, like an all-out onslaught of midi stuff, etc so that it was like the computer actually said "Welcome" and then proceeded to make a song for it's listeners. Instead, the "song" is anything but something I'd equate with a computer.

Oh, I think you're missing the point. There's a juxtaposition of the computer's mechanical attempt to seem friendly and pleasant with Jim's furious creativity. The result is a pretty profound comment on what people who work with computers do---try to make something human using pieces of something pseudo-human.

I don't hear this as a computer singing to me. I hear it as someone trying to sing to me through and with a computer. Which is really what it is. Jim has simply made explicit the duet-ness of it. Therein lies the brilliance.

And whoever likened this to something late 18th century either didn't listen to the whole thing, or started counting centuries a little later than the rest of us.

In other news, I seem to be unusually grumpy today and will now take a break and try to get some work done.

[boltoph]

And whoever likened this to something late 18th century either didn't listen to the whole thing, or started counting centuries a little later than the rest of us.

The beginning piano parts are so reminscent of late Mozart or something from that era. So what if it turns into Gerschwin sort of piano instrumental later. If this weren't songfight, I'd have turned it off after the first 5 seconds.