she heard frontalot's entering a song: 'she gave up' reviews

[Eric Y.]

post title does not refer to anything in particular, honest.

[PipeFist]

Sweet Jesus, you scared me.

[furrypedro]

Frontalot sees me entering and is crushed by despair, for he knows that legions of fans cannot hide the fact that I've got the skills and he just looks pretty

(I hope Frontalot doesn't read this)

[jeff robertson]

post title does not refer to anything in particular, honest.

The last time he entered, someone pointed out that lots of people who wouldn't normally be looking at Songfight came over just to vote for him. Assuming that at least some of those listened to all the songs and not just Frontalot, then the audience for everybody's music just got bigger. What's that quote about a hundred people or something that everybody uses?

[Smalltown Mike]

I don't believe a lot of the people who voted in that fight listened to ANY of the songs, let alone to all of them.

And the quote about 100 people is by Ian MacKaye, singer of Minor Threat.

[Niveous]

What's that quote about a hundred people or something that everybody uses?

Ian MacKaye: "I'd rather have a hundred people listen to my song than have a hundred dollars"

15-16 Puzzle: "I'd like to have 100 people listen to my songs, but I could really use 100 dollars"

[Bjam]

These reviews are kinda mehy. I'm reading a billion pages in my bio textbook about bacteria, so if any of my comments are too negative, sorry in advance. I'll probably relisten later in the week to see if I'll change my mind on some songs.

Beer + Plane = Bad
The singer's voice is strange, I'm not sure if I like it or not. The music is very basic-rock but I dunno. This isn't sitting right. I'm very torn about this one.

Bjam
Another 20 minute deal. Not as nice as last week's I think. But eh. It's not too bad. I accidently went high in the last chorus, not on purpose, but then I didn't have time to redo the vocals so just stuck with that.

Carpetburn
This is fun. The guitar is nice, the twingley guitar that is, the more rhythmy guitar is a little repetitive. The vocals are strong and it sounds like you've got a strong voice. The little breakdown is a nice little... something something to break up the song. I dig your handwriting, so extra points there.

Dave Corun
Guitar twingles, ftw. The song's pretty repetitive, but it's a nice basic song. The guitar solo-ish stuff gets pretty boring after a while. There's like 20 solos in a <2minute song.

doscientos
Not as good as last weeks. The singer's voice is good, but is stuck with a really boring melody. The background voice is... I don't know, I'm torn. It's nice padding, but just sounds so kooky. I bet that this live could be pretty fun, but as it is the singer doesn't sound too enthused. The music's cute, but kinda repetitive.

@eclectic sp00ns
Go write a decent song for one title.

Eddiebangs
Mmm, some rock. Perfect for 12:40am. This is a nice song, but I think I've heard better from you. The chorus is very sing-along-y. Everything's tight and together, but there's just some spark missing for me.

E Equals
This is a lot of lyrics. Spoken word? Inaudible spoken word? With fuzzy piano? Seriously, this is just boring. The piano keeps clipping and is just awkward to listen to, although it sounds pretty beneath the fuzz. I'd tune this out at an open mic.

Eidolon
Holy quiet vocals, Batman. The vocals, from what I can hear, are nice if a little flat-y at some points. And it's a pretty monotonous voice, but hey, that works for some people. The music sounds good, and everything's good and whatnot. Just kinda boring. I want you to start rocking out. Skipping at 30 second intervals, this sounds all the same with some fun little instrumentaly bridges.

Manhattan Glutton
The singer's voice is good, but a little droney, and pretty quiet. The guitar playing is good, and I dig the strumming. "She gave up her name" is a kinda weak line to repeat over and over again. Overall, it's good, just nothing sparky for me. Sudden ending.

Pipefist
Pretty guitar. Nice voice too. Oh, and then it kinda rocked out there. Eh, I'm not as big a fan of this as I was the pretty acoustic. The singer kinda reminds me of the singer from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This is good, I like it.

Ross Durand
Ooh, this is fun. Very clap along-y. Tambourine is woooonderful. It's a little repetitive, but it's definitely fun.

Tiny Robots
You guys are way too good at what you do. The singer's voice sounds awesome here. The guitar has just the right amount, and the drums are great. Very good job.

Wages
Uh. Well this is kinda horrible to listen to at the start. The stop/start is just kinda... uh, okay. Then it gets better. The guitar is a little too bash-plunk for me. The vocals aren't too bad, if this had been done with really nice blues chords and a cool strumming pattern, this could be good. If this was really well produced, it could be awesome.

[PipeFist]

We're gonna do a Siskel and Ebert style review this week. So, I'm Wes and the other dude is Vaughn, and WEEEE AAAAAARRRREE PIIIIIPEFIIIIIIIISTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...

Alright, here goes.

Beer + Plane = Bad

Wes: The guitars sound really good on this to me. Very full and big. I guess that's what happens when you use real distortion. I like the lyrics. "Did I shit in bed?..." That's wonderful. The spoken word part was kind of lame. I like the end of it. The drums seem like they are falling in the background a bit, but not too much. Maybe put some reverb on the vocals. Pretty decent straightforward rock, though. The lead makes me think of someone, but I can't think who. 6/10

Vaughn: Production is fairly ace, atleast as far as general mixing and your guitar work goes, however i really honestly dont like the vocals, and the spoken word parts irritates the hell out of me, personal opinion ofcourse. I could see hearing this on the radio...and changing the station. 5/10

Bjam

Wes: Pretty Jesus-ey chord structure, kind of Jeweley. You have a decent voice, but you really need to sing louder. About 1:09 it sounds like there is a string out and that grates on my nerves. Oh, that's an electric or something. Kind of hard to distinguish it from the rhythm. But you do have a voice with potential. 5/10

Vaughn: Hmm, seems a bit quiet all around to me. My ex-girlfriend has a lesbian roommate who plays the guitar and sings songs like this. I think you guys would really hit it off...IN BED. harharharharhar, no but really, its too quiet and doesnt go anywhere and doesnt do anything for me, but then again I dislike the whole Lilith Fair type of music thing. Also the way you kind of sing with a husky tone and kind of deepen your voice occasionally kinda freaks me out. 4/10

Carpetburn

Wes: The guitar kind of reminds me of the Super Furry Animals, at least in the beginning. Decent instrumentation, though not really my style. The vocals again don't do much for me, though this is better than last week's entry. I think you should do a punk song, for sure. I'd definitely be interested in hearing that. You should put some acoustics in to thicken up the sound a bit. The drums around 1:50 seem off. Now, the question is, what do YOU fight for? Your hand is raised? Are you about to smack her around?!!?!? 5/10

Vaughn: Dude, I really like how you sing offkey...oh wait, no I dont. The guitar is so incredibly thin and kinda meanders a bit too much for me, the little bridges with the guitar really take me out of the song. Morrissey, is that you? No, Im sorry its hard for me to take this song seriously everytime you start singing, which sucks cause I like the drums,kind of, overall the production isnt that bad, but I really dont dig the whole emo thing and...are you ....masturbating or having sex in the middle of this song???? 4/10

doscientos

Wes: I like the beginning. The vocals are kind of quirky. Needs...some thickening. Or if you're gonna keep this so thin, you should apply some filters to make it sound like an old recording. That'd be a neat touch. It's nice to hear some fairly off-beat female vocals. Bring that lead out some more! The percussion is fun, but again, soooo quiet. I like the end too. 7/10

Vaughn: So far this is my favorite. Maybe Im drunk, but it really reminds me of an islandish Cocorosie or something. The production is so sparse, which wouldnt be a problem if i didnt have to crank up the volume just to make out everything, dont be afraid to crank everything up, or maybe eq it so you can make it sound like old vinyl or something, definately a fun fun song and I'll more than likely listen to this again. 7/10

@eclectic spOOns

Wes: This hurts me. If this song is any indication of how you feel, then I don't want to feel this way anymore. I feel like crying. 4/10

Vaughn: Ok, I actually like this, but not in its current form. If you take the filter you applied to the vocals apply it to the synth thingy, take the raw wav of the synth thingy and make a loop of it, cut it in and out with some volume automations and panning, record it to an old tape player and then resample it. bring the percussion to the front and add some more heavy tape echo and make em warbly. Maybe warble the vocals some more, i like how you layered the vocals with the vocoder and the bassy thing could use some eqing. This, upon first listening makes me want to get your vocals and do some kind of Otto von Schirachish heavy cut up of it. Its really disconcerting and I think you really evoke the emotion that youre trying to with it. 7/10

Eddiebangs

Wes: Boop beep boop. Cool I guess. Heh. I think this would be AWESOME with some Trey Parker/Matt Stone vocals on it. Man, if you send me the music sans vocals, I would love to give it that treatment. This is really repetitive. The "She Gave Up" kind of gets on my nerves toward the end. If you varied the vocs a little more there it might be alright. I don't dig the Soundgarden singing too much on this song. When it loops it is more annoying. 5/10

Vaughn: I really want to start this review out on a good note, as the production is top notch. So...theres the good part, the eqing is good, the mixing is good, spacially everything is great, as a song it stands on its own and sounds good, the bass is clear and doesnt mix with any of the lower eq of the drums or guitars. As far as originality this sucks. It has that new NIN overly polished feel that i absolutely abhor, its so sacchrine, the beat is terrible, and repeats through the entire song, the lyrics are un-imaginitive, it seems like you have a random song generator and typed in "Garbage(the band) with Nine Inch Nails vocals" and used every presampled loop you could find to overproduce the hell out of this. 2/10

eequals

Wes: I like the piano. It keeps popping. Reminds me a bit of a really creepy song that's on Pearl Jam's Vitalogy. Not so much instrumentally, just the feel. This is the kind of song I would have to skip just because it freaks me out. That said, this isn't bad. Just shoulda re-recorded the piano to get rid of the peaks. Were you playing and singing at the same time? Well, whether the levels were intentional or not, I like the creepy subdued vocs. I hated this on first listen, but now it's not so bad. 6/10

Vaughn: This is the kind of song thats really hard to sit through, but once you do, you really want to hear more stuff like it. Daniel Johnston, this reminds me of his stuff alot, or Jandek, very outsider. I would love to get ahold of the base recordings for this and fuck with it, build it into a Venetian Snares kind of creepy breakcore track, the vocals are so creepy, everything about this oozes "what the hell is going on, who made this, why does this exist" That being said, i could stand to hear the vocals brought up a litle bit more, if for nothing else but comprehension of what youre saying. I really really really really like what youre doing here and would love to hear anything else youve made. 8/10

Eidolon

Wes: Hahaha. I love the silly country vocals. I'm sorry if you take offense to that, but I like it for that. It's kind of off key in a way I enjoy. I like the lead a lot. It's very happy sounding. It's mixed in nicely. Just up front enough. The lead seems to end too shortly, or the transition back into the song is a bit clunky. I like the lyrics a lot. The smelly underwear line being awesome in particular. The second solo on guitar should've been brought in sooner, like right at the end of the vocals, overlapping just a bit. That would've sounded a bit nicer, but that's just a small nitpick. I think you could've possibly made a shorter mix of this, perhaps. Wow, you should DEFINITELY post the lyrics. Man, her roommate sounds so awesomely gross. You conveyed that WONDERFULLY. This song gets so much more enjoyable when you REALLY listen to the lyrics. This is going in my mp3 player. 9/10

Vaughn: Upon first listening, I wasnt really paying attention and the vocals made me laugh, not becauseof the lyrics, just the way you sing, but as this sat on repeat, I actually listened to the song and i feel everything is exactly as you inteded it. The only criticism I have is that you should take out the reverb on your vox. This song is really bizarre in that, if you dont actually attentively listen it sounds off, but is actually incredibly well put together and is really funny, even the guitar solos are well done and well recorded, the production isnt as lush as most people would want but I think it sounds perfect for what it is. 7.5/10

manhattanglutton

Wes: Marcy Playground opening is nice. The first two chords are exactly what I used in a song one time, and that was weird for me. Actually, after the guitar opening, this song completely falls apart for me, and I'm really sad about that. It really should build into some sort of hardcore rock song, and it's not doing that. And the vocals sound WAY too much like Aaron Lewis to me, and no offense, but his voice gets really on my nerves. This song could've turned into something really awesome. I can't really talk though, because this is how I used to sing too. In fact, I think I did on that song I made that sounded like this way back when. I don't like the end. Maybe you should've faded that out or something? 3/10

Vaughn: I dont like this type of music and feel any comment or criticism I provide would probably be too harsh or subjective due to my taste. 2/10

Ross Durand

Wes: Snaps are happy. But then you start singing. Without that thing you do on "door" and that word before, this would kind of sound a bit like Sugar Ray. Needs some drums. These vocals would work fine if you had more percussion and some neat bass. It's a nice tune, but it feels REALLY incomplete. The guitar gets really repetitive by the first minute on the second loop. I can't see listening to this more than once. Maybe if this was a lot shorter, maybe a minute in a half, in it's current lacking state, it would probably be an enjoyable little blurb of a song. 4/10

Vaughn: This definately has a cool, head-bopping pop vibe to it, but, being a bass player I cant help but feel sleighted without some kind of deeper rythym in it, I can think of a billion cool bass lines, or drum beats you could use to widen the sound, but...you dont, and so it becomes fairly boring fairly quickly. This would work well qith a full band, but as it is, you really cant bring out the full impact of this song with just the acoustic and some snaps. 5/10

Tiny Robots

Wes: Cool Chris Isaak intro. I like the wailing slide guitar. The vocals are perfectly on time, which is refreshing. I like the way the song gets thicker at the minute mark. The mix is very nice. The chorus seems a little off, but I can't pinpoint why I feel that way. I like the bridge. The synth there makes me think of Kansas. I think it should've been brought to the front more to give it a more dynamic sound. But maybe that's just because I'm thinking of Kansas. Anyway, nice song. Very well produced except for a couple of things. Bordering on being within my tastes, but I can still appreciate it. 8/10

Vaughn: This sounds wide, and great, the mix is spot on and there arent very many blemishes at all. That being said, Ive been listening to the Pixies all day, and the lead is very reminiscent as are the vocals. Man i wish you used that synth more and brought it more to the front of the mix, that probably would have changed the sound of the song quite a bit, but thats my personal taste. This song keeps almost kicking my ass and then it kinda mellows out and i dig it a bit less, I guess theres really no hook or something to latch my attention, and the ending is a bit weak, but overall this is a great great song and I very much enjoyed listening to it. 7/10

Wages

Wes: Were you taking a crap at the beginning there while you were singing? I can see where you were trying to go with this, but I really think you need another guitarist. It's just kind of off time in a really noticeable way. It sounds like you were just goofing off, with no regard to any sort of beat or measure. You should play with a click track. Needs some backing vocs in some parts. 3/10

Vaughn: I dislike this type of music and feel any comment make would probably upset you, comments such as: "what the fuck are you doing with the vocals there" or "jesus could you please just play in time with your singing, or in time with...anything at all?" but i wont. 2/10

Wes favs: Doscientos, E Equals, Eidolon, Tiny Robots

Vaughn favs: E Equals(gets my vote), Eidolon, Tiny Robots

Pipefist loved this songfight. We feel as though this was very strong and also the lack of bad electronic music/rap/CHAOS AND NOISE was good.

[furrypedro]

Your hand is raised? Are you about to smack her around?!!?!?
are you ....masturbating or having sex in the middle of this song????

In rape fantasy and terror sex we trust

I've just learnt an important lesson about anticipating all the ways in which lyrics could be interpreted before you record them. As for singing in key....well, that would just be boring and passe wouldn't it.

[one_dumb_mick]

the reference to hedwig and the angry inch in conjunction to the pipefist made me happy......i myself was thinking differently until i listened yet again......i like pasta......
EDDIEBANGS......nice looped guitar riff.......i just found everything you used on acid pro...which i found on my unborn childs non-existant computer......your lyrics remind me of a shitty jackal song......a very very shitty jackal song that never made it to one of their shitty cd's
ROSS DURRAND your song makes me happy.....in a kind of wierd way....i wouldn't listen to your song if i were high.....sorry mommy left homie......you should practice incest more often.....then mommy might have stayed.....get a new mommy and lay the dick down
TINY ROBOTS chris isaak+varuca salt=ackwardly ok....no complaints from me.....

as far as the rest of you pig fuckers....i probably hated your song....or loved it.....or thought it was just ok
i will eventually start making songs for you bastards to criticise as i have done to these three.....keep in mind i know that i already am way better than you....and your mothers

[HANK.]

drip.

[jeff robertson]

Doscientos, whoever you are, I've listened to your back catalog from the music archive and you guys used to get loud. What happened to that? Not that there's anything wrong with the acoustic thing, but it makes me wonder if half the band quit or something. (Assuming there really is a band.)

[Eddiebangs]

My thoughts:

E Equals-
This is interesting, but I can’t hear what the girl is saying most of the time. She is just a bit too low in the mix, and the piano is too hot in spots. From an engineering perspective this needs a lot of work, but creatively it’s pretty cool. Should have wrapped it up sooner 4:32 is way too long for something like this IMHO.

Ross Durand-
Sounds tinny and small…I like the story, some of the phrasing is a little choppy, could have been smoother. I was waiting for the full band to kick in at 1:18- this could be developed into a really cool rock/pop song. I hear stuff like this on the radio all the time. Not my favorite genre, but still really good work. Nice job.

Bjam-
I like when the second guitar comes in strumming chords, but something is out of tune. Very distracting from an otherwise cool tune. I would love to hear more confidence in your voice. You always sound like you are holding back and perhaps nervous. Don’t be shy, BELT IT OUT. Maybe it’s just me…

Manhattan Glutton-
I love this kind of groove. Sounds rather stark yet with a tad of attitude. I’m getting several different vibes/influences off this tune. I dig it. This is another song that I can hear a full band crashing in and being a really powerful yet radio-friendly tune. I dig it. Great work.

Aeclectic sp00ns-
Weird, yet interesting. Thanks for keeping it short. If it was longer, I would have got bored, but you held my attention, and although I can’t really say I like it, it is interesting and I didn’t hate it. Love the ending.

Wages-
The guitar part sounds familiar, but I can’t put a finger on it. Great voice with lots of style. I like it, but it never really goes anywhere. You could most likely develop this into something awesome, but as is I think it’s a bit drab. Sorry, just my opinion…

Dave Corun-
I love the solo guitar – great tone (and playing)- god, did anyone use drums in this fight? I wanna hear more going on- give me at least a tambourine or something. Anyway, cool song. I dig it.

Doscientos-
Banjo is so cool. Vocals are great. I agree with jeff- what happened to the rock!??! This is cool, but I long for the heavy guitars I’ve heard from you in the past. Nice solo part. Great percussion too.

Carpetburn-
Oh man, I like the beginning of this a lot. Then it goes downhill a bit- not crazy about the melody. It’s not bad, but could’ve been more interesting methinks. Musically some great parts. Very cool. Love the break-down in the middle. I hear 80’s pop influences- Men at Work on Crack or something. I love how it gets really big towards the end, but whatever is out of tune has to go…great ending

Beer + Plane = Bad
BIG GUITARS – yeah! Vocal sounds a little too laid back for the ROCK that’s backing it up. Bass drum is thumping through my chest as I crank this tune up! I love the talking part- awesome. Great job.

Eidolon-
Oof… sounds too country for my taste… No offense dude, I just can’t stand this type of music. It’s not you, it’s me- (haha). Sounds good for what it is…

Pipefist-
Great original vocals, I like the vibe… the mix is a little off- maybe just that guitar sound that’s bugging me- way too much overdrive/distortion. I’d also give that lead vocal a bit more warmth when the beat kicks in- it’s so edgey, it cuts through the mix a bit too harshly in my opinion. That’s all just me nit-picking.. I love the background “noiseâ€

[Eddiebangs]

For the record, none of the bass or guitars in my song are loops, I actually played them, then added all the other crap. I am flattered that people would think they are loops... I tried to write a song in a style/genre that I usually don't dabble in. It has it's flaws, but if it came on in a club, people would be shaking their rumps to it, and that is exactly what I was aiming for. Nothing else.

[PipeFist]

[quote]Great original vocals, I like the vibe… the mix is a little off- maybe just that guitar sound that’s bugging me- way too much overdrive/distortion. I’d also give that lead vocal a bit more warmth when the beat kicks in- it’s so edgey, it cuts through the mix a bit too harshly in my opinion. That’s all just me nit-picking.. I love the background “noiseâ€

[Manhattan Glutton]

Beer + Plane = Bad: I dig the music. The lyrics about shitting in bed kinda get to me. The vocals are promising, but could use some tweaking.

Bjam: Vocals are mixed a little quiet. Also, if you could project more, it'd add a lot of enjoyment.

Carpetburn: This is pretty cool. It could use more low-end noise... maybe warmer guitar? Definitely unique.

Dave Corun: It's good for what it is. The vocals could probably use another take, but I'm lazy when it comes to that too.

Doscientos: Groovy. Nice little tune.

electic sp00ns: Good production. It seems like you accomplished what you set out to.

Eddiebangs: Hello, industrial. The intro reminds me a bit like "Head Like a Hole." Perfect.

E Equals: The cracking effect kinda bothers me. This is definitely interesting, but it's not something I could listen to on loop.

Eidolon: Good for what it is, not my thing.

Manhattan Glutton: Where is teh band???? Also, had to re-do the vocals at the last minute and they bother me. But hey, at least I'm being accused of sounding like Aaron Lewis this week instead of Kurt Cobain... or is that a bad thing?

Pipefist: The acoustic part is a bit boring, but I guess it constrasts well against the chorus. Maybe the intro part could have been shorter, and the outro a little longer and lingering. Props on the cool drums during the chorus.

Ross Durrand: I agree with the tinny sentiment. It's a nice little groovy song though. For some reason the vocals remind me of Rick Moranis at points. The lyrics are cool.

Tiny Robots: This is an awesome little tune. The only thing I can think that would make it better would be a harder-sung chorus, since the chorus is sung pretty much just like the verse. But I really like the chorus anyway.

Wages: I don't know if it's done on purpose, but the timing and/or beats are messed up at points. If it weren't for that, I'd rank this higher - it's a really good song. It reminds me of Blind Melon and White Stripes.


So, I think Tiny Robots is getting my vote. Eddiebangs and Pipefist would be ranked after.

[Clats]

Beer + Plane = Bad: I dig the music. The lyrics about shitting in bed kinda get to me. The vocals are promising, but could use some tweaking.

Beer + Plane = Bad

I like the lyrics. "Did I shit in bed?..." That's wonderful.

Clarification...the actual lyric is "Was I shit in bed?"
I've come close a couple of times though.

[Ross]

Eddie Bangs wrote:

Sounds tinny and small

I agree. Part of that is because the stringed instrument you are hearing is an appalacian dulcimer, not a guitar. The other part is that I am still trying to figure out about quality mastering - particularly getting more presence for my voice. I've already tweaked this a little and have managed to get the dulcimer to sound a bit wider. Maybe when I get a better mix I'll post a link.

Ross

[boltoph]

Just wanted to say, Pipefist gets my vote. Absolutely infectious and emotionally moving. I like Bjam and Eddiebangs, too.

[Cärpetbürn]

Beer+Plane=bad: Good name; all the guitars and drums are pretty tight, nothing sounds shite. The guitar solo seems surprisingly lo-fi, I guess I was expecting it to be a bit cleaner and more widdly. Not my kind of rock, but it’s a good entry.

Bjam: another solid song here; I wasn’t sure about those really high bits initially but they work fine. I would like to hear your songs develop in a slightly more unexpected direction, not necessarily in terms of instrumentation, but maybe some interesting strumming patterns or song structures. All the ways I thought of describing my opinion of this song sound way more horrible than they’re meant; It’s just a bit formal. And I mean the style, NOT the delivery. so just ignore me.

Carpetburn: ah yeah, this track’s the balls. In the outro there is 3 guitars which I don’t like doing cos we’ve only got two. Also, Tomski came up with one of the jangly guitar bits in this so it’s an SF debut for him and he doesn’t even know. We started this together and then I finished it off and I think he really likes it. This should sound good live.

Dave Corun: It’s got a bit of bounce, I like the way you sing, like a smoother Tom Waits, but the vocal needs a bit of compression or something cos it sounds like you were swaying about in front of the mic when you were singing. Santana guitar could be a bit OTT but it’s pretty cool.

Doscientos: This is allriiight. Some bits of the melody are a bit annoying but overall it’s kinda nice, the instrumental section is cool. Honestly, this isn’t a patch on last weeks song, in terms of production (which doesn’t matter hugely) but mainly the actual song. It’ll do, but you’re not firing on all cylinders.

Eidolon: I only like a small handful of g+g types and they tend to write in a particular vein and it’s not this. That said this has some strong playing and singing, the small instrumental bits are sweet and there’s some good lines. I was tempted to skip this near the end.

The last tune I heard from Eddiebangs sounded like Nickelback so I’m worried. This is way funkier though, like you’re going for some kind of trancey Audioslave thing. I think maybe the drums are too weak, programmed fine but they have no punch. The rest of the song sounds pretty well done. Doesn’t outstay its welcome.

@eclectic sPooNs: sounds like 70’s anti-prog. Stop hitting that thing

Wages has found an acoustic guitar! Sounded like you were gonna go all tom waits there. I like the way you play guitar quite a lot, I’m never totally sure what you’re gonna do next. Who are you trying to sing like here? It’d be cool if you recorded the guitar through the mic cos that DI’d acoustic sound doesn’t do anybody’s songs any good. Well done for writing a song that doesn’t need a band.

Manhattan Glutton: This is managing to lose my interest without having anything wrong with it that I can put my finger on. Read the Bjam review.

Tiny Robots: I haven’t even listened to this and I think you’re gonna win. This is a bit more country rock-ish than I’ve heard from you so far. I like that random synthy tweak there. Solid playing and a sweet voice means your stuff is always a pleasure to hear.

Ross and his appelacian dulcimer are sounding pretty swell today. Although it sounds much more radio-friendly than usual; I don’t know why I write that like it’s a bad thing. I like the claps/clicks a lot. The song reminds me of ‘I won’t share you’ by the Smiths but way more upbeat.

E Equals: I quite like this, but I’m not sure if it’s for the right reasons. Obviously the clipping has been mentioned already, for sure that is nasty but moving on….
This has a lot of atmosphere, to me it seems really dark which I think is an effect of the overly quiet vocals. That reminds me of Slint which I’m assuming is unintentional but I don’t know. The chords are cool and they lend a real solemn vibe, and the disjointed tempo keeps me on my toes. I hope that when your songs get produced better they don’t lose that atmosphere (I am a lo-fi weirdo).

Pipefist: This was going along fairly nicely, but the bit I like is when it comes out of the chorus; I can almost feel the band (the ones with the chunky guitars and ghost sounds) stepping back into the shadows. Applied mastery of swirly noises for dynamic purposes. It’s catchy and the distortion on the chorus vocals is cool. Well done

not my favourite fight ever. I liked Ross Durand's song most i think

[Eidolon]

its friday and i've got some time here at the end of work to write up some reviews.. I've been listening to all three fights randomly this week.. lettin' them stew. so i'll just let them stream again and write out some of my thoughts..

Beer + Plane = Bad
Great little song. I found this quite catchy. I noticed you clarified the 'shit in bed' lyric a couple posts ago.. I also was hearing it incorrectly. Thanks. Song makes more sense lyrically now.. cuz, i couldn't understand if you shit in bed, how you would have no way of knowing.. Musically the song rocks pretty good and is quite enjoyable. There is a part in it where I keep wanting to hear ozzy goin 'Aye aye' (ala crazy train chord prog..) but I got over that.

Bjam
I have a little trouble making out the lyrics while listening and the previously mentioned guitar tuning problems do get in the way a little for me trying to just chill and enjoy this. I can imagine the song would be listenable and relaxing as your voice is good and the song seems to flow well enough that I wouldn't mind if this came on if it was re-recorded with the tuning issues solved.

Carpetburn
Yeah- I dig this. Very uptempo and love the rhythmic bits and changeups. Like the interplay of the guitars and the bass. I dig your voice even though it does some interesting key things.. i don't find it getting in the way. In someplaces I think it works really good. I like the tone and lyrics. I have always dug this style of music.. whatever that style is. I do find the grunting during the middle a little distracting / awkward.. but thats minor. This is one of my faves from this week.

Dave Corun
Heh.. this song always makes me laugh when its come on this week while listening. The vocals are fun and expressive. It reminds me a little of elvis for some reason.. The extreme soloing is distracting to me.. a little too much IMHO. I like the clackiness of the rythym guitar and the explosive tone of the distorted guitar. Snappy!

Doscientos
Like the instruments in this one. Nice and retro feeling. The vocals are super cute once again. I like the two vocal parts especially the highest pitch one, heh. Fun to listen to.. somehow the song doesn't seem totally complete or put together 100%. The ending is a bit undercooked.. though as a whole still a good listen.

Eclectic Spoons
Edit: Accidently skipped this song on my first review pass
Bizarre little song. I like the tone of the main piano-thing.. i enjoy the little bends it does occasionally. I'm not sure this song is really my thing though and can't really get into the singing/speaking style.. sorry. I like the quote type thing at the end.

EddieBangs
Rockin' song. Well-produced. Man.. you sound a lot like chris cornell. I've checked out some of your other songs and you don't always sound so.. but anyway, thats not a bad thing.. a little eeire! heh, anyway, musically very moving and one of the most rockin' tunes in this fight this week. Like some of the stuff the bass is doing. One of my faves.

EEquals
If I really concentrate to get past cringing at the clipping piano.. i think i hear some really cool stuff going on. I wish this thing wasn't so painful to listen to... i think i'd really enjoy it. The atmosphere is just great.. the piano and the vocal emotion and tone are awesome. I feel like i'm peering into some strange movie world.. black and white scenes.. anyway. Nice vibe.. just can't stand the OUCH.

Manhattan Glutton
I really like the way you sing and the tone of the guitar is just great. I found this song solid everytime I listenend to it this week. Defintely one of my faves as well. Just a real listenable song and recording. Great job.

Pipefist
Very solid tune. Love the different layers this song adds in. And the vocally high-pitch breaks are great.. especially once the song starts rocking with the distortion part. The production seems spot on and I still find myself addicted to the moment the distortion comes pulsing in 'doo doo doo dooo' BOOM! Very great song moment. Lotsa neat noises and bleeps in the mix and atmosphere. Definitely a contender for my vote. Awesome tune.

Ross Durand
Man.. such a catchy song. I'll echo the sentiment I heard other reviewers mention.. i so wanna hear a slick bass line and percussion come in..! But, ignoring that wish.. this is a great song. I like the lyrics and the music.. Is this dulcimer? Anyway, really dig this one a lot as well. Man the end of this fight is getting tough to decide.

Tiny Robots
Oooooh.. do love that intro.. it worked for chris issac too! The vocals are so great and the rest of the music. Oh, i like once it starts to rock out so much. This song just seems like something that if all the few and tiny blemishes were taken care of.. it would be something I would expect to hear on the radio.. or when radio was cool.. anyway. I'm trying to say this song is really grabbing me. Like those crazy electronic swirly noise that come in and really dig the slide and the accoustic guitar tone.. The lyrics are quite enjoyable too. Another possible vote getter here too.

Wages
Cool song. I wish the guitars recording wasn't DI'd (or sound like it was DI'd) .. and that their was a little more rythymic basis in areas.. but those issues asides, I like your voice and the lyrics and singing are enjoyable. Musically I enjoy it as well, as far as your progressions and emotion of playing.

Faves (order of appearance): Carpetburn, Eddie Bangs, Manhattan Glutton, Pipefist, Ross Durand, Tiny Robots

Likely vote: Pipefist or Tiny Robots me thinks.... hrm.

[Ross]

Ross Durand
Tambourine is woooonderful.

Credit goes to Ken for this one - he jumped in on tambourine when I played this at Songfight! live LA last week - it worked, I stole it. But thanks just the same. I give myself credit for stealing good stuff - like John Williams.