Status Quo for the review thread (One Less reviews)

[jack]

prove me wrong.

[tonetripper]

Nicely put Jack.

[erik]

prove me wrong.

No thanks.

[Bjam]

Mine's apparently still humming Blah. Production has not been nice to me this week.

[thehipcola]

A humble apology to all the members of Gert who've been patiently waiting for my family to get it's collective shit together so I could submit. The song is submitted, but it is late. I hate being late. ARGHHH.

A mighty thankyou to the understanding Fightmasters who will hopefully see fit to add our little ditty to the melee before too long.

Game on.

[GlennCase]

Note: My opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone.

Possible scores:
[awful] [bad] [okay] [good] [great]

Chuck Chuck Moose - I love the band name, for the record. Track makes me groove around in my seat despite the fake drums (I am guilty of using them too, at times.) Nothing in the song jumps out and makes me take notice. I like the vocals. Yep. This is pretty [good].

Dark Liberty - Nice Bassline. It is also very, very <a href="http://frontalittle.songhole.org/content/songs/goodbye_monster.mp3">familiar</a>. Vocals aren't doing much for me at all. You sound like you are around 12 years old. It's not really a bad composition, and the music actually sounds pretty cool... but the vocals are just [bad] enough to drag it down.

Steve Durand - Creative? Yes. It told a story. It was enjoyable once. I don't see myself listening to it again unless I am in a weird mood. Well, [okay], that does happen from time to time.

Glenn Case - Can't review my own. I will say that this track was as last minute as it gets. I had less than an hour before the deadline when I decided that maybe I could try to do a song. This track is the result of that madness.

Ross Durand - Opening guitar is nice. I am a big Paul Westerberg fan, and in a lot of ways this almost sounds like the style of song that he would do. The thing about PW songs is that the lyrics tend to be incredible. This song's lyrics? They don't grab me. Don't get me wrong, I would still have to say that it is [okay]. Maybe listen to some more <a href="http://www.paulwesterberg.com" target="blank">Paul Westerberg</a> And <a href="http://www.ellispaul.com" target="blank">Ellis Paul</a> too.

Marti Mar - Lo-fi drums make me uneasy when I hear them. I believe that I am normally in for something really cool, or really awful. Beat isn't very good, but vocals are uninspired and worse than the beat. This is [awful]. Please note that I LOVE hip-hop when it is done right. Hunter S. quotes seem to fit the track nicely, for what it is worth. I think I would have to be baked to enjoy this at all.

Hostess Mostess - I always have very high expectations when I see this name in a fight. This is not your best, but it's still one of the better entries I have heard in this fight thus far. Nice kick-ins on the chorus. Your voice is unique in a good way, in case I have never told you that before. I think it needs a stronger hook, but it's still [good]

Future Boy - Speaking of names that I have high expectations of... I personally would have liked to have heard a little more of a nasty bass sound than what you went with, but that's just me. I would have liked to have heard you play with the dynamics of this one a little more too. The chorus hook earns a [good] from me, because it's still in my head even though the song is over.

Jay String - Ooh, very nice synth sounds once it kicks in. My head bobs to the beat and I dance around in my chair to this one. Maybe that's why Future Boy didn't use the dirtier sounding bass synth, you used them all! You didn't leave any for him! This can be forgiven, for this track is pretty [good]

HEFTY - Gorgeous guitar tone. Vocal absolutely ruins it for me from the second it comes in. Great music and awful vocals = [okay]. Sorry. Maybe your vocal style will grow on me at some point, but it hasn't at this point. The music really is fantastic. Harmonies aren't even that bad, but the lead vox just grate (in this reviewer's opinion).

Abecedarian - I fully expected another acoustic track, based on the intro. This song badly needs a bass guitar. Nice harmonies. This? This is [okay]. Add a bass, and work with the arrangement a little more, and it could be better, maybe. Wasn't crazy about the sound of the fake drums (again, I am fully aware that I use them too sometimes, so I am not holding that against the overall composition.)

Wayward Sway - Neat intro. I don't know what to expect. Sounds like an experimentation with effects. I used a similar guitar effect on a song I did called <a href="http://glenncase.songhole.org/content/songs/glenncase/04-Anxiety%20Attacks.mp3">Anxiety Attacks</a>. Sadly, I think the effect on the vocals actually detracts from the song. If I was listening to this in a live setting, I would be waiting for it to be over. It had potential, but I have to give it a [bad]

Bjam - Not sure if I have ever told you that you have a rad voice, but you have a rad voice. I like the guitar sound. I tend to believe that you are one of the younger songfighters with a severe amount of potential. I look forward to what your songs are going to sound like in a few years if you keep at it. Simplicity works wonders here, as you make me believe every word. First song that I've wanted to listen to more than once. "I can't sleep in a city that doesn't" makes me raise this from a good to a [great] and a potential vote. Great job.

id3 tag - Sometimes basic piano chords work well in a song. I do not believe that this is one of those times. Sounds like you had something else going on besides piano and vocals, but it is so low in the mix that it is nearly inaudable. This is fairly [bad]

Kamakura - Sweet mood setting intro. Was ready to not like the vocals, but they actually work pretty good here. I am bobbing my head to the beat in spite of myself. Background vocals are pretty freeking sweet, as is the kick-in. Not bad. In fact, it's [okay] with me.

Second week in a row where a female vocalist takes the cake in my book. , which is saying something if you look at the percentage of female vocalists in my CD collection. Great job, Bjam. Now it is time to eat some <a href="http://www.chunky.com/default.aspx" target="blank">Dinner</a>.

ROCK!

Glenn (DR FUNK)

[thehipcola]

Until such time as the link gets on the main page, I'll put it here for possible inclusion in subsequent reviews...and if Glenn has time, maybe a word or two....?

LINK

[GlennCase]

Gert - If this does get included in the fight, I predict that it will win. Therefore, keeping Gert's 100% victory ratio. Great musicianship and the vocals are also well done. It really stands out for the [great] production in comparison to anything else in the fight. If I have a single complaint, it is the length of the song, and that's a minor issue when you consider the bad-ass solo too.

Between Bjam's entry and Gert's it is close.

However: Bjam's entry had a specific lyric that jumped out at me right away as being awesome. That's a rare treat, so bjam gets the vote, with Gert a very close second.

ROCK!

Glenn (DR FUNK)

[johnsonic]

Oh Sit!!!! Gert!

[thehipcola]

wow..that was fastness Glenn! Thanks! I'm now very eager to hear this fight! Without even hearing it, I can agree that lyric, Bjam, is sweet. Nice one.

[johnsonic]

Yo... does anyone know of a way to d/l all the songs from a fight in one shot?

[GlennCase]

wow..that was fastness Glenn! Thanks! I'm now very eager to hear this fight!

This is what happens when you catch me at work.....bored....



ROCK!

Glenn (DR FUNK)

[thehipcola]

Yo... does anyone know of a way to d/l all the songs from a fight in one shot?

Heck YES!

(sorry..i'm still astounded by Napolean Dynamite)

Use Firefox. Grab the DownThemAll! plugin. Go to SF.org and right click on the page...select DownThemAll..

Bob is then your uncle.

pm me if any of that didn't make sense...

[stueym]

Use Firefox. Grab the DownThemAll! plugin. Go to SF.org and right click on the page...select DownThemAll..

Bob is then your uncle.

pm me if any of that didn't make sense...

THC that is one of the niftiests things I have seen in ages!!!...Thanks much! . All songs down in less than 5 mins. God bless cable modem.

[johnsonic]

Chuck chuck
If You stared the drums anot bar later the loop would hit it in the beginning.

Hostess
- NICE. Fuckin love it. Sounds like 60 cycle hum at the beginning. This is balls-to-the-wall straight up goodness.

the Eye Dee Three
- Oh no... I'm afraid it's gonna be a guy and piano. Oh wait, it is.

J String.
- It's totally not my thing but really good.

Kamakura
- Yeaaaah. Dude that starting riff remind me of Enter Sandman. So I totally understand how people can get into techno. But I can't unless there's some human element in the instrumentation.

ABC
- This too sonds like something else. Can put the falanges on it right now... but yeah. I really like the Maynard kinda vocs. This song is solid. Not a huge fan of the ending.

Bjam
- This is dope. Careful production would make peoples face melt. So good.

Dark Liberty
- Music's awesome, vocals could be alot better. It's like the shark yearns to be free and released.

Futureboy...
- Dude, you name always reminds me of furtureman who plays with bela fleck. This shit is so hot though. Real shiny and bright for the people who like that. I'm not a huge fan of this style music, but I know it's good.

Glenn Case
- Dude. 1st line is the SHIT.

HEFTY.
- ROK. I'm very psyched about this song... Was fun to make, Rik rokked the vocals and had a solid song. My roomate Cheif Takaha laid down some keys. I had a bit too much 1k in the vocal track and didn't have time to fix it before the deadline... So I sent it in.

Five and Dime
- Oh yeah, I heard that clip before... Sublime - Smoke Two Joints. Smoove vocals. This is very cool. Dude... anytime I get to hear Hunter is way OK with me. I listened till the end and say rok.

Steev
- Shut up this is so enjoyable. You need to stop this or you'll have the universe captivated and unable to increase production.

Rossssssssss
- SO'K... Would sound better all recorded on a 2" and old sounding.

Wayward.
- Please sing real hamonies. This could be very beautiful.

Gert.
- Was concerned about suckage until 8 bars in. This is sick.

[johnsonic]

Before the morning come to lay me out?

WTF! - so dope.

[Mostess]

J String.
- It's totally not my thing but really good.

What a nice review!

[johnsonic]

shit... If I can't know enough about the style to give any critique, but know enough to know it's good, I wanna let them know it.

So I guess it is a good review!

[chuckstas]

Hey did you guys see the lemmings screenshot for the picture for this fight. Sweet. 2 player lemmings on the genesis was the stuff. As for the songs, man this week's another tough one! Here goes...

Ross Durand-I agree that this would sound sweet with a vintage sound to it. That being said, this is very simple and good. Vocals are just right. Guitar is a little twangy for me, but I guess it's the style. One final tech note, sounds like there's some harmonic distortion at about 0:45 with the "one less hand to hold at night..." line. I rate this <good>.

ID3-The piano on this song sounds bad from a timbre perspective. The voice is also a little quiet. This song is a little bland for me, gets old quick. I do like the music box, though. I rate this <below average>.

Wayward-Is this a hammer dulcimer played through a tremolo effect? That's what is sounds like. The vocals ruin this one for me. They're unintelligable, out of tune, and the effects aren't very tasteful. This is <bad>.

Future Boy-This song is perfect. It's one of those songs that you really hate to love, at least if you're a straight self-respecting male. Every synth sound is great, the main vocalist has a very refreshing voice, the harmonies are great, the production is slick. This is <excellent>.

Glenn Case-A little noisy. This reminds me of Ben Folds except with a guitar. The vocals are much more pleasant, however, but you have that sense of harmony. Very solid performance, I really like the simple background vocals. The only other complaint is I wish you would very your fingerpicking a little more. This is <good>.

Steve Durand-This is great. I love this. Everything is produced so well. I love the way you made use of the stereo imaging to really convey the scene. I first listened to it with my cans, so it was even more enjoyable. Nice trumpet chops, too! This is <excellent>.

Bjam-This recording is really noisy. You really don't stay steady with the tempo, and your guitar playing could use some work, lots of buzzing strings and whatnot. I do, however, really like your voice. I guess I'm a sucker for honest sounding girls. From a strictly songwriting perspective this is good, but considering everything, it is just <okay>.

Abdecarian-Very beautiful intro. The guitar in the right channel could have been better played, and the tone sounds a little too twangy for me. I really like the riff the distorted electric kicks in with, for some reason it reminds me of Jimmy Eat World, just for a couple seconds there. The vocals are really hard to understand. Why do the drums just cut out all of a sudden? The vocals sound really cool with the line, "Now, sometimes..." , its really the only spot where the reverb doesn't sound overwhelming. Overall, I feel like this sound is filled with great ideas, but just needs to be recorded a little differently and have some form elements worked out.

Dark Liberty-A couple of questions: Are you trying to rap or sing? How old are you? Did you actually play any of the instruments or write the music that they play? Because the instrumental stuff is very cool, although it sort of seems pieced together and lacks any real recognizable song structure. Overall this is <below average>.

Jay String-I always like your vocal style and the really gritty nasty synthy stuff you have. I like the chorus, but the rest doesn't really grab me. This is <okay>.

Kamakura-The best way I can think to describe this song is like a electronica chain gang song. The background vocals with the "white light..." are sweet. The percussive sound is also really great for this, too. The guitar type sound is also really good. The only thing I would say the middle section seems to be like twice as long as it should be. This is <good>.

Hostessmostess-Your voice is great. The percussion is unique and really driving. The organ and guitar are funky as anything, too. I think my favorite part of the song is how you start to whisper "suprise" but then the "bang" comes in, like that is the surprise or something. The production is also top notch on this one, very clean. This one is <excellent>.

Marti Mar-This song sort of reminds me of Massive Attack. The same cool use of noise as a musical thing. The rapping in this is also excellent. You have a smooth, calm style. There's just not enough of it. Also, the song doesn't really go anywhere. This song is <okay>.

Hefty-Man, there's so much I do and don't like in this one. The acoustic guitar kind of get on my nerves. Its kind of buzzy and doesn't really have any depth to it. The voice also kind of wears on me. The drums also sound like they have too much reverb on them or something. That being said, the song is actually really a good song. Very tight songwriting, nice melody, great chord changes, nice background vocals and electric guitar. In terms of just the song, it is excellent, but considering the recording/production is is only <good>.

Gert-I guess you Gert guys think you're pretty good, huh? Well founded, I guess...This week quite as catchy as last week. I don't really like the verse types sections, there's kind of a reggae vibe that doesn't quite groove enough and the melody isn't very...melodic. The chorus is awesome, but doesn't seem to go with the verses. As always, you guys make my feeble attemps at soloing look wimpy. Nice mix and production. This song is <good>.

Chuck Chuck Moose-These guys must be the greatest musicians to ever fight. Haha, this is me, this week we kind of changed it up a bit and did more of a classic rock type of thing, almost doobie-esque (yes that's a word). I try to play guitar like Angus Young and fail, and I try to add the right amount of reverb to the vox and also fail. Overall, though, I think it's a pretty catchy song and it turned out decent.

Phew...that was some serious typing. I'm out.

[chuckstas]

Oh yeah, I'll probably be voting for Hostess Mostess for his uniqueness sweetness.

[Rik]

(Review of HEFTY)

You mentioned me, Cheif Takaha, and problems with the EQ. You failed to mention the awesome work you put into this yourself.

Reviews to come, kind of punching out ideas for this week's mini-fight right now.

[johnsonic]

The drums also sound like they have too much reverb on them or something

Actually... They were recorded with no compression or reverb or eq in a 15' x 30' space covered in foam. And the best natural drum tone I've ever achieved. I'm curious why you think this... If you could PM me with specifics I'd be psyched!!

As always, ROK.