The John McCain story (Left/Right reviews)

[TVsKyle]

A-hoy hoy.

[erik]

My late-ass entry was just included! Thanks, fightmaster!

[DOWNWITHGENDER2]

My late-ass entry was not included in the update. In the event that you want to hear my song before I can finagle its inclusion, please listen to it here:

http://www.15-16puzzle.com/songs/15-16p ... tright.mp3

no ty

[joshw]

Scoring Key: (Production, Performance, Song)


Baker (7, 4, 4)

Stop rapping. Seriously.

Future Boy (7, 7, 7)

It's kinda interesting and pretty, but the lyrics have me saying "so what"? Gran
ted, it's a hard title, but this seems like pointless pondering. The bridge harmonies are really off in parts. The election lyrics are nice, though this song will be outdated in a few days. By 2:30 or so I'm starting to get bored. This is fine, just kinda bland.

Hobbes (6, 8, 8)

Interesting intro, but the guitar is really lacking bass and sounds tinny. I like your verse melody a lot. Once the drums come in, the whole mix is really thin and lacking in bass. At :52 I was hoping for a big chorus to come in with warm and crunchy guitars and bass guitar. When they do come in, it doesn't help the tinniness. More bass and less lower trebles! You're going to get railed for the fast lyrics, but don't listen to them.. it's great. I'd love to hear this recorded by Weezer or someone. Awesome keyboard break. Really great. You've got a great gift for melody (or you got really lucky on this song). Nice stop and kick-back-in. You really need to work on production - it's hurting this song in a big way. This would be ready for radio otherwise. Still, possible vote. Great song.

Jeremy Martin (6, 6, 7)

This comes across as kinda bland after Hobbes. It's also kind of a fun pop song, but it doesn't have the strong melody or interesting instruments and dynamic shifts that Hobbes acheived. There's not enough strength in the vocals, and the choruses are too cluttered. Not bad, just not exciting.

Level Nivelo

Pretty intro, though maybe played a little stuffy. Will this have lyrics? This is pretty and all, but no lyrics = disqualification.

Max the Cat (7, 7, 7)

It's got your usual ADD-laden energy, which I like. Nice verse. Nice chorus. The lyrics are a little cheesy. Like TV's Kyle, a fun ride, but once is enough.

Neil Thrun (6, 6, 6)

Your performance is better than last week. I'm not really getting excited about this, though. Some good lyrical moments (voter fraud, etc).

Poor History

You need a pop screen for your microphone. Oh, and a song to sing into it.

TV's Kyle (6, 7, 7)

Wow, cheese factor high. But the verse chord change and the absolute over-the-top delivery is great. Fun chorus (if that's what that was). Kind of a TMBG feel. This doesn't have a lot of repeat listening potential, but it was a really fun one-time ride.

Wreckdom

Irritating.

Josh Woodward (me)

Hugs -n- kisses. Production Notes

And Hobbes gets my vote.

[Southwest_Statistic]

Baker – This lost my attention pretty quickly. I'm not into this style of Rap and the chorus seemed a bit too repetitive.

Down With Gender – I was hoping that the drum roll was the intro. Then I thought it was a damaged mp3. Not really my thing. Good music to listen to if you're high I suppose. I listened to it all the way through and now I'm feeling paranoid. Crazy.

Future Boy – Nice style change from the last song. Very MIDI. The most interesting part of this song is the harmony lines. Good production for what you are trying to archive.

Hobbes – Wow. I don't even know where to begin. This song held my attention from the very beginning to the very end. I love how 'Airy' the music feels, and how it's all held together by very well written and thought out lyrics. Very cool rock-out section in the chorus, I really liked the guitar production.

The Nintendo-sounding section with the tippy vocals was totally unexpected and left me anticipating what would come around the next corner. This song is just teeming with creativity and originality. I cant even figure out what genre to place this in.

I also like how high the vocals are mixed throughout the whole song. But this song needs more bass in my personal opinion. Still, you defiantly bring your own sense of style to the Songfight arena, and I look forward to hearing more songs by you. (P.S. - A level 37 elf isn't all that bad, but I personally try to keep them above 50 at the very least.)

Jeremy Martin – Cool 'chill out' classic rock with good vocal production. I would work on finding some other way to record the guitar though instead of direct-in to your computer.

Josh Woodward – Your stuff is always really well produced and well written. You are hands-down the best acoustic coffee-shop-music out there. I'm gonna buy your CD. I'm not sure what it is but these vocals don't seem up to par with the rest of the stuff I've heard by you. But all in all, this is another very good JW song.

Level Nivelo – A MIDI Piano song. Completely MIDI piano. OK...

Max The Cat – I like your style a lot. It felt like the guitar in the intro could have had some more treble and less bass but thats probably just my personal preference. Don't care for the lyrics as much as I have your other stuff. Good job.

Neil Thrun – This is what real music sounds like. I can respect the fact that you recorded this live. You've got a lot of talent. Could have done without the crappy lead line, but standing back, looking at the whole package I think this is really good.

Poor History – Creative, but not my thing. Too many pops in the microphone when you where reading. Usually mixing out the low frequencies on a simple graphic EQ takes care of a lot of that.

TV's Kyle – Richard Cheese lounge music all the way man. Ha.
Wreckdom – Your stuff always freaks me out. That being the intension though, good job.

[Duncan, of Level Nivelo]

Oh yeah, I was sick this week and couldn't sing, so you get an instrumental.

It should sound the best with headphones (that's where the Left/Right thing comes in). Reviews from me tonight!

[bortwein]

15-16 Puzzle Besides the feeling that the song is being forced, I liked the sound of the piano and the lyrics. The vocals felt only half sung (if sung is a word). I really liked the concept behind this song and I think the lyrics are great. A cover of this song is greatly needed, because unfortunately I don’t think the original does it for me. Ok, song but didn’t keep it.

Baker Ok, I really didn’t like the vocal style. It felt forced. I didn’t care for the political take in a white guy rap style either. This song is Not my thing.

Down with Gender Ok, I think I passed the hearing test. Next song.

Future Boy Very nice song. Quite mellow and calming. Yet it feels almost a bit too flat overall, with exception to that one section of crescendo and doubled vocal near the end. Some of the vocals felt a little off key as well, but overall I really like when you do songs like this and Soft Orange Glow. Good song, it’s a keeper for me.

Hobbes The beginning had a very Eve 6 sound, which I think could have been a little more unique. How? I’m not really sure, but I’m trying to be helpful. I really like the sound of the lead vocal. The song kept my attention the whole way through but at times it felt a little hollow needing more depth. I enjoyed the lyrics, and after a few more listens I might find more in the story, but I did the reference to snow. (I’m in Texas, so I miss snow) Good song, it’s a keeper for me.

Jeremy Martin The drums feel hallow and have no impact. The song has a muddy feeling, but I think that is because the Drums issue and the vocals almost compete with each other in parts. Some of the background vocal parts feel forced and choppy. I see where this song was going but it just didn’t get there for me. Ok, song but didn’t keep it.

Josh Woodward Yah! Driving guitar! Go Go Go. “Pffffarasite” and “Pfffffower” had tooo much Pfffff sound. I get the Pfffoint, but it kind of ruins a good song. Usually you get it Pfffferfect. It’s a good song with an Ok Pfffferformace, of course I still keep it. I enjoy your songs and I look forward to hearing them each week. Bonus points to Josh for finally adding tags to his MP3s I always hated having to create tags for all his songs before. I know this has been happening for a little while now, but I’m finally finding time for doing reviews again.

Level Nivelo Very nicely played. I enjoyed listening to this song. Ok, song but didn’t keep it.

Max the Cat I like the guitar… electronic noises, uh not as much. Vocals, yeah always enjoying Max’s voice. “Didn’t want to write this song” ? what’s that all about? Ok, song but didn’t keep it. I enjoy your work but this song wasn’t up to par with your other songs.

Neil Thrun and the Doom Fairies Recording of the vocals here seems to be hurting this song. They felt too far back in the mix, but when I turn up the volume on my headphones the guitar gets to loud and the vocals come up enough to enjoy them. I also enjoyed the guitar riff. Overall out of all the political songs this week, I enjoyed this one the most. Ok, song but didn’t keep it.

Poor History uhm…no. I think I failed my history quiz because I didn’t make it all the way through this song. Next song.

TV's Kyle I’m not sure what to say about this song. I find it a bit annoying. The vocal sounds like you are singing it out your nose and the music is well annoying. Next song.

WreckdoM I enjoyed the Bush re-dubyah quotes at the end. Points for that.


My top 5 in no order:
Future Boy, Hobbes, Josh Woodward, 15-16 Puzzle, and Neil Thrun and the Doom Fairies

[erik]

15-16 Puzzle Besides the feeling that the song is being forced, I liked the sound of the piano and the lyrics. The vocals felt only half sung (if sung is a word). I really liked the concept behind this song and I think the lyrics are great. A cover of this song is greatly needed, because unfortunately I don’t think the original does it for me. Ok, song but didn’t keep it.

When you use the word "forced" here, what do you mean?

[king_arthur]

"strangers in the night..."

Possible vote, despite his party affiliation. He came to speak at our community college last week and I got to run the soundboard. Actually, he was originally scheduled to speak the day before the Presidential debate in Tempe, and the plan was to have W show up as an surprise guest, but they couldn't get the security together enough (W did speak at the school last September, but in a more defensible building...).

McCain is very well respected 'round these parts; I think maybe he's hoping to be Arizona's next well-loved elder statesman / failed presidential candidate (in the Barry Goldwater style). Hey, anybody who can go on the Daily Show and come off well is okay by me...

Charles (Art is my middle name!)

[for-hobbes]

15 – 16 Puzzle – Sounds like Mr. Rogers trying to sing after his 'fridge collapsed on him and the only thing near him was his xylophone.

Baker – The keyword to rap is rhyming... Ain't that right Mr. Mofodyte?

Down With Gender – Same review as Southwest's.

Future Boy – Sounds like I just beat Zelda and then the Velvet Underground jumped in.

Hobbes – I like it.

Jeremy Martin – Makes me feel like I should be at the beach. Go get a song from “Beulah”. This sounds a lot like their unproduced songs.

Josh Woodward – I've only been on Songfight for a little bit and so far I've really liked everything I've heard by you. Lyrics are very close to good “Connor Orburst” stuff.

Level Nivelo – I don't know what to say. I really want to make fun of it but I can't think of anything. Good job.

Max The Cat – Sounds like the intro to some political fighters cartoon on Saturday morning.

Neil Thrun + Doom Fairies – Same review as Southwest's. Again.

Poor History – If I was to play an early Nintendo game and listen to a collage professor at the same time, hence “Poor History”.

TV's Kyle – Lounge against the machine.

Wreckdom – Guitar about halfway through is cool... Thats it.

[Bolio]

Reviews -

15-16 Puzzle – I enjoy the sound of the bells, the melody is neat. But it’s hard to get into your vocals with that style (too quiet most of the time & unemotional.)

Baker – Dull backround, forgettable rapping.

Down With Gender – Left and right as in stereo channels? You guys are too damn clever. As annoying as it gets, congratulations I guess.

Future Boy – Great vocal song (not entirely smooth but I would still call it great.) Incredible harmonies in the chorus, love the chords you’re producing. Nice keyboard, very Paul Simon-ish. This chorus is seriously making the hair on my neck stand up. May I never get tired of it. Keeper.

Hobbes – Very good contrast in the dynamics & styles between the verses & choruses. Love the way the overly simple backround starts kicking it at the chorus. Really cool 2nd chorus with the vocals fading & the cool synth line coming out & then BAM back in again. Nice laid back outro too. Very good song, keeper.

Jeremy Martin – This sounds eerily close to the last song (busy vocal style w/ good harmonies.) I’d have enjoyed it as much if you had mixed it up a little. The backround is okay, but seems to do the same thing over & over for the whole song. The chorus is a different progression but it all sounds the same. The vocals are really good on this though, & I bet you had fun putting it together. Okay song.

Josh Woodward – Cool lyrics. Great guitar & vocal performance beginning to end. Not one of your great hooks though, don’t know if I’ll listen again.

Level Nivelo – Cool little tune, great performance. Left or right? Guess it doesn’t matter.

Max the Cat – Very fun. Awesome intro (yes, this would make a great Square Dance.) Very good lyrics & I love the style of this from the vocal melodies & harmonies to the groovy sounds in the backround. Normally a backround like this wouldn’t do much for me but it fits this song perfectly. Very timely.

Neil Thrun & The Doom Fairies – Not a good mix, vocals get buried often. Guitar solo could be out in front more also. I vi IV V progression gets a bit tedious, please throw in a curveball once in awhile. Decent song.

Poor History – Voice too quiet. Not that it matters, not my style. Meh.

TV’s Kyle – Backround does nothing for me. Drums like this…cheesy organ… well I feel your pain. Definitely needs some guitar, way too empty. Vocals okay.

Wreckdom – Neat sounds, oddly appealing this week. Like the little voices. Then after a minute I’m sick of it... 2nd half is definitely better than the first. The guitar & accordian & vocals is really cool. Too bad it's an afterthought.

HOBBES & FUTURE BOY were my favorites. Vote going to Future Boy.

[bortwein]

15-16 Puzzle Besides the feeling that the song is being forced, I liked the sound of the piano and the lyrics. The vocals felt only half sung (if sung is a word). I really liked the concept behind this song and I think the lyrics are great. A cover of this song is greatly needed, because unfortunately I don’t think the original does it for me. Ok, song but didn’t keep it.

When you use the word "forced" here, what do you mean?

hmm, good question. Maybe forced isn't the best term for it. It just seems to take a bit to get past attacking sharpness of the piano mixed with the low key vocal style. The contrast is interesting between the two styles, so I like it for that. I think it is a good song, I'm just not sold on the overall performance I think.


Edit: and now of course after listening to it, upmmillion times, it has now made it to the downloaded and playlisted... I see your evil ways 15-16 puzzle it was all just a ploy.

[TVsKyle]

Folks, may I humbly request something a little more constructive in your reviews? I can't get any better if I get nothing but short, dismissive reviews.

Josh, you're excluded from this request. You always give helpful and fair reviews and I appreciate it.

Edit: Actually, Bolio's was constructive as well... Unfortunately the things he's criticising are things I can't do anything about.

[NeilThrun]

Josh, you're excluded from this request. You always give helpful and fair reviews and I appreciate it.

Josh's (production,preformance,song) review system can bite me.

Thanks for all of the positive reviews. Especially those of you who commented on my lyrics. I tried hard on those. Thanks.

Yeah ill review soon. Once I get a chance to listen to all of it a bit more.

[bortwein]

Folks, may I humbly request something a little more constructive in your reviews? I can't get any better if I get nothing but short, dismissive reviews.

Josh, you're excluded from this request. You always give helpful and fair reviews and I appreciate it.

Edit: Actually, Bolio's was constructive as well... Unfortunately the things he's criticising are things I can't do anything about.

<constructive review> Try to sing less through your nose, and work on creating a better back beat to your songs. </constructive review>

[TVsKyle]

<constructive review> Try to sing less through your nose, and work on creating a better back beat to your songs. </constructive review>

That's my singing voice. I've tried several variations, but I have a nasal voice. I can't do anything about it.

Short of getting a drummer, all I have in my posession to make backbeats with is a couple of keyboards, some bongos, a tambourine, and a few assorted noisemakers. Have any suggestions?

[Southwest_Statistic]

TV's Kyle, forgive me if this sounds harsh, but how can we give you any advice if there is never anything you can do about anything? If you would ever like to talk to me about how my cheap production works, just drop me a line. Way too much stuff to post here.

[TVsKyle]

TV's Kyle, forgive me if this sounds harsh, but how can we give you any advice if there is never anything you can do about anything? If you would ever like to talk to me about how my cheap production works, just drop me a line. Way too much stuff to post here.

Here's what I'm looking for: "You're having a problem with this. Here's a way to make it better... "
Here's what I'm getting: "You suck."

There's been plenty of constructive criticism that I've gotten on other songs. I followed it to the best of my ability, and I improved. Your "never anything you can do about anything?" theory doesn't fit.

[DELETED]

DELETED

[Southwest_Statistic]

TV's Kyle - Actually I thought your production was really good... the style just reminds me of Richard Cheese Lounge music. Lol.

[TVsKyle]

TV's Kyle - Actually I thought your production was really good... the style just reminds me of Richard Cheese Lounge music. Lol.

Thanks! Let me get to the bottom of this Richard Cheese thing, though. I've never actually heard him before, so I don't know whether I mind the comparison, but is it anything besides the vocals?

[TVsKyle]

Wreckdom- Not my favorite Wreckdom experiment. I was actually starting to dig it until the funky computer voice came on. It was hard to understand and repetitious. It got more pleasant again for the accordion and normal voice part, but I stand by my theory that if you guys did something more less anarchic, you'd be a true force to be reckoned with.

Josh Woodward- I hear what you mean about the encoding issues, but I can overlook that. I like this a lot, but it's far too powerful to just be guy with guitar. It's just screaming for more instrumentation. I wish my vocals were that good.

15-16 Puzzle- I think the piano is overpowering you, but that might be intentional. I like the song, but the oversimplicity of this one is killing me too.

Hobbes- This sounds pretty good. Kinda OkGo-ish (in a good way). I kinda wish the backups were a bit off to the side so we could hear the lead better on those parts. I think this loses a little something when it goes to the harder sections. "Put loud guitar here" just seems like too easy a solution for a song this interesting.

Neil Thrun and the Doom Fairies- Is this all one track? I wish it wasn't. I want to hear your vocals more. Another one that's killing me with simplicity. Am I the only one who this bothers? To me, it takes a very, very strong song to get away with doing it this way. The songwriting seems stronger on this fight than the past couple I've reviewed, this song included.

Baker- Woah. Starts kinda suddenly. Don't be afraid to belt it out, man! I want to HEAR you! Throw back some Red Bull before you sing or something! Some chords might've been nice. The drum sounds off somehow in some parts.

Level Nivelo- Nice use of stereo right off the bat. Is this played, or sequenced? Either way, it's nice. Sounds like it'd be the bgm for a Super NES RPG... like the FF3 opera house scene or something. I can't bring myself to vote for an instrumental, though. Are there words to this? I'd love to hear it if you did a version with vocals later after you're feeling better.

Jeremy Martin- The first part of this song is actually pretty nice. The chorus isn't as catchy, sadly. The background vocals are a bit messy and I wish they were a little quieter, but this is overall still a pretty good effort. It reminds me a bit of Disintegrated Einstein, but not as polished.

Future Boy- You're quickly becoming one of my favorite SongFighters. This is pretty cool, but I wish the instrumentation varied a little more often. The harmonies on the bridge are really good. You're at a disatvantage here when it comes to getting a vote from me, because I know you can do better.

TV's Kyle- Not one of my better melodies, but I think this is some of my better production. I'll admit the singing is cheddar, but there was nobody home and I wanted to take advantage of it.

Down With Gender- I want so badly to stay constructive, but I can't consider it a song and it's hurting my brain, so I'm going to have to repectfully bow out.

Poor History- Hard to hear the lecture over the music. It sounds like you were playing a bunch of random stuff. I prefer something more organized.

Max the Cat- This arrangement and instrumentation are pretty sweet! The production's nice on this thing, but I wish the verses had the hook of the chorus. I need to check out some of your other stuff.

This is a tough one. It's a close race between Hobbes, Jeremy, and Josh. I think I'll sleep on it.