Post-apocalyptico (The Last Year reviews)

[wages]

Reviews, anyone?


Edit: My tune this week is very personal in that it was written from my stepfather's perspective as he deals with cancer (post-operation).

[Lunkhead]

Welcome back Ice Weasels. It's been a while. Nice song.

EDIT: Way to show some major versatility, Reist, with the nice piano ballad. Good playing and good singing.

[TheWilsonHeightsGang]

These are all really really good. I honestly don't have a favorite...they're all so good!

[Reist]

EDIT: Way to show some major versatility, Reist, with the nice piano ballad. Good playing and good singing.

Thanks!

EDIT: Hmmm ... not much action in this thread. Maybe I'll write some reviews.

[Reist]

Reviews! - By Andrew Reist

Andre was here at midnight - Your voice has a lot of emotion, but it sometimes suffers in tone and pitch as a result. That said, it's still a pretty solid vocal effort. I'd like to hear a more solid guitar tone and better drumming/drum recording. Was this recorded live? I think it's a really well-written song, but it really suffers from performance and production.

Drew Piston - I like the pitch-correction/vocoder sound ... I figure a lot of people won't though. It's actually a really intriguing sound you have here, and I like your use of dynamics. The lack of variation in lyrics makes it a bit boring though. Great effort though - vary the lyrics next time. Making it a bit shorter couldn't hurt either.

Ice Weasels - Fake drums ... man I feel your pain. Get a drum set/drum recording equipment ASAP. Your voice isn't too bad, and the guitar performance is pretty solid. Your songwriting is good too ... this is pretty enjoyable. If there were realistic drums, I would definitely consider this for a vote. Good length too.

Jach S Feat Iona - Really beautiful song. The guy (Jach?) sings a bit too much through his nose for my liking. Power up the abs when you sing to get a more airy tone to your voice (not too much though ... I'm still working on that). The girl's voice has a really nice tone to it, if sounding a tad unpracticed. Your voices work pretty well together, and the chorus is killer. When I say killer, I mean KILLER. Great entry (and perfect length - it ended right when I was about to close it)

Lockheed Symphony - Man, that's some heavy compression. Try taking the final mix compression down a bit. I'd like to hear a stronger vocal in there too. Once again, pretty solid songwriting, but not a great performance. Pretty decent.

Lord of Oats - I really like the writing in this one, but your voice falls astray when you get way up in your range. Ah, there's the Lord of Oats guitar solo. Wasn't expecting that ... . Your chorus is solid too. Man, this fight is going to be tough to vote for. Good song, and pretty good length.

Max the Cat - Really good guitar performance. I'm enjoying this a lot more than your last entry. Good vocals too. The voice cracks are not really becoming of your voice, but I can see what you're going for. Another really good chorus. I don't like that spoken word part - actually, that killed the song for me.

MC Paul Denyer - This is actually pretty flow good for Denyer. I'm not sure how much I like the effects, but I honestly can't see this song any other way. It's a bit too lyrically offensive to get my vote, but I'm honestly surprised at how enjoyable this was. You should have cut it off a bit earlier.

The Narcaloungers - Turn up that guitar a couple dbs. Your harmonica sounds a bit muffled - try upping the highmid/treble ranges to help with that. Vocal performance is heartfelt, which gives some bonus points. Lyrics seem a bit generic, but with only a week to write it, what can you really expect? You could probably lock some of those notes a bit closer to the key, and vary the harmonica solos a bit, but it's still a really solid effort. I'd like to hear some more Narcaloungers entries in the future. Good song.

Reïst - This is the first full song I wrote on my keyboard. I hope you like it.

Ross Durand - All I can think of is Mike Lewis when I hear this (don't worry if you haven't heard of him - he's a guy who goes to camp with me). I always like your songwriting, but I wish you'd beef it up with a full band. I really like the harmonies. Another great song. Is that a keyboard flute? The accordion sound is very welcome, as is your heartfelt vocal performance. The chord progression's got a certain epic quality to it. Cool song, man.

Steve Durand - Nice intro! I'm already enjoying this one. I like your voice in this range - you should practice this range up more, and I think you'd do really well as a vocalist. Your horns are always excellent. I'd say this is probably my favorite SD tune yet. Great.

Surf Train Surf Industry - I had hope for this song to be great until the fake voice came in. Some of the music parts aren't bad though - this has a certain experimental sound to it that I can actually dig. Solid musical effort, but use a real voice next time to gain my favor.

Those Meddling Kids - I never know what to expect from you. I'm glad I'm listening to this with headphones, since it helps the advance the mood I think you were going for. Another good song ... I think the vocals could have been miced better, but I'm really nobody to ask for advice for that. ... another good song. I think I like the lyrics, but I wasn't paying a lot of attention to them throughout. Vocals could be a bit tighter, but it doesn't really hurt the mood of the song. Good entry.

Wages - I hope you went all out with a full band instead of typical Wages G&G fashion. Nope. I can't really judge this, since entries like this are really just demos. Get a backup band and some equipment to record it, then send in your songs as they're meant to be heard. I see a lot of great potential in this, but it just can't be heard in this format. Sorry.

The Weakest Suit - Cool - I've always been a fan of the Phil Collins vocal reverb sound ... but it's good you took it down a notch from that. Good performance all around, but as usual, your production's a bit weak. Get some percussion and bass in there, and maybe some backup singers. This is pretty well written, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. I just wish it has a beefier sound.

Great fight - I don't think there was a nasty, rotten song in the bunch. A few under ripe songs for sure, but solid songwriting/creativity all around. I'm honestly not sure who my vote goes to in a fight this strong. The ones I still vividly remember are Drew Piston, Jach feat girl, Ross/Steve Durand, Andre and Max (and of course mine ). The others were all good.

Hmmm. After narrowing it down, it's between jach feat iona, ross and steve. I'm really not sure right now.

[irwin]

Ross Durand - All I can think of is Mike Lewis when I hear this

Why would Ross Durand remind you of me?

And come to think of it, isn't that not a very nice thing to say about poor
Ross?

[Reist]

I didn't know that your name is Mike Lewis. You don't happen to live in Red Deer, do you?

ps - where are the reviews? You guys are all lazy.

[irwin]

I didn't know that your name is Mike Lewis. You don't happen to live in Red Deer, do you?

Nope.

[Reist]

I guess you're not the real Mike Lewis then.

[max the cat]

Andre was here at midnight – Pocket is a tad loose. There’s a fine line between deconstruction and destruction. Not sure which side of the line this song is on, actually I am.

Drew Piston – I’m not sure why the vocoder. From what I can surmise through all the vocode the vocal was good enough to stand on it’s own un-filtered self. I must say tommy guns are hard to find, kind of an interesting gift. What did you get this year?


Ice Weasels – Like this lyric, nicely twisted. Actually, I like the whole thing.

Jach S Feat Iona – Great hook! Not sure if it’s a reverb or the space you played in but it’s a little cold and hard to makeout the words. Keeper

Lockheed Symphony – Bad Day Sunset. Sgt. Pepper bits all crumpled up. I like how all those Beatley elements are smooched around in nowadays.

Lord of Oats – I love that she says she doesn’t want to hurt you but you know she reallly just wants you to still like her. Could have used more of that kind of insight. Nice minimal track. I can accept the wanky vocal style it sounds like a loser guy, perfect for the lyric but sometimes there’s a drop off at the end of the phrases, kind of loses the needed emphasis. Guitar solo is great the way it changes colors unexpectedly.

Max the Cat – Happy New year Songfight. Lets pray for better days. I really enjoyed the songs this week.

MC Paul Deny jr – Well crafted Nastiness! Could have done with less verb.
The Narcaloungers – Nice to hear songs in their raw unadorned state. I quite like the harp set up, nice mournful match for the lyric. The Dotted quarter eighth note cadences at the end of some of the melody lines ie: “All your life…” Feel a little too, um… skippy. “Today I saw a bird I’d never seen before…” is another example. If you lost the “before” and maybe a rhyme for “seen” I think you could soften the edges and make a stronger smoother emotional mood. Over all, the words feel a little awkward against the music. They tell a good story, a familiar story but always a good story. Sounds like a songwriter new to the craft. If so, good work.
Reïst – Good song! This particular style cries out for more production and a slick keyboardist. But it’s fine in it’s raw state, songwriting wise. Could have used a little hotter vocal. Not sure what it has to do with “Last Year?” Nice though.

Steve Durand – I’m drunk with horns, nice vibe.
Ross Durand – Same last names same key of C different genres. I Like this lyric. I’m a sucker for good gloom Nice job.

Surf Train Surf Industry – Yeah I think so. But It’s not out enough yet. I picture this G4 tower riding a big curl at Waikiki… oh wait, net surfing, so much net surfing that you have become computerized. Okay that’s kind of amusing. If that’s the intent, kudos. I really missed it on the first listening. If that’s not the intent then it should be.

Those Meddling Kids – Wow, this so fresh! Really interesting synth work. It feels like something that “Mouth Music” might have done if Martin Swann still did stuff.. Maybe that’s an obscure reference but it has an Edinburgh inventiveness of like, um, Blue Nile? Brilliantly quirky yet so refreshingly melodic. It feels like it could do with a good mix. Seems a little small. The quality of the music demands a better lead vocal. I don’t really care about the lyric any lyric would be fine here the music is so fresh the lyric can just be decoration.
Wages – “…See the brighter side of what is left to do?’” Live your life while you have some too?”
Seems that this lyric is wandering down a very crooked road I don’t have enough traction to stay with it.
The Weakest Suit – The music is very interesting nice changes and nice guitar sound. This would make a great instrumental theme. Some how the vocal hurts the effect. Not sure if it’s the vocal performance or the quotidian lyric against what is a more dramatic musical background. I really like the composition.

[Reist]

Not sure what it has to do with “Last Year?”

The last line in the chorus - "it's hard to be the one to know it's the last year you'll be alive". It's good to hear you liked the song! I'm always trying to improve, so your advice is appreciated.

ps - if anybody has some advice on how to develop some technique/style on keyboards, advice on that would be great - I'm just starting out. In fact, I might make a thread for just that within the week.

[Steve Durand]

Steve Durand – I’m drunk with horns

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

[irwin]

I guess you're not the real Mike Lewis then.

Or maybe he's not.

Or something.

[max the cat]

Steve Durand – I’m drunk with horns

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Good! They set an inebriated mood that gave the lyric a lovely slosh.

[ice weasel]

the weakest suit:
i like the mood you set. it didn't grab me by the shoulders and scream "love me!" but it got under my skin. kinda just ended by stopping. overall i liked it but wanted it to change a bit instead of being the same all the way through.

wages:
i'm not a big fan of this singing style. for what you set out to do, i think it's done well.

those meddling kids:
my favorite so far. i'm a sucker synthetic drums. it's catchy and i feel like i'll like it better the second time. the lyrics are a less exciting but i did end up listening to it a few more times.

surf train surf industry:
nice growly bass, organ intro. oh no, talking robot voice! go listen to how poorly most of us sang. and yet it sounds better than this robot. get motivated and sing. it would've made this song a lot more interesting.

steve durand:
the horns are making me so jealous. love the way the music fits the lyrics and instruments. sounds like a big band song. A+

ross durand:
i started off thinking i wouldn't like it, and you changed my mind within the first minute. it makes me want a beer. it's kind of a deceptively simple song, but it's moving.

reist:
had to come back to this one, cuz i wasn't sure what to write. i love it. there's really nothing else to say. the strings maybe come in a bit strong. if they were subtle, and you let the song hang on the piano and your voice, it would've been perfect. also the "come back" chorus could be more energetic. but that's nitpicking. you aced it.

the narcaloungers:
nice harmony and harmonica. i think it's missing something but i don't know what, maybe just some sort of break or climax. not bad.

mc paul denyer:
the whole fake accent hip-hop thing, ugh. okay well actually if it has to be this way, it could be much worse. the premise made me laugh, at least.

max the cat:
haha! big ole grin. brash cheesiness that crosses into just nice feel-good. i wish you hadn't stopped to read the dictionary in the middle, but it didn't ruin the song. just would've been better without it. i had to listen again because this song really made me giddy, right from "oooh, look out!". i mean that in a good way.

lord of oats:
i thought you were starting down the residents path until the bubbly keyboard. cute. whoa, guitar from nowhere makes it a completely different song. i might've liked the guitar song better. 3 point landing on the ending, congrats.

lockheed symphony:
beatlesy. strike that, really really beatlesy. the structure works really well for me since it keeps progressing and the chorus has tension.

jach s feat iona:
simple and echoey, but i like the female voice and duet.

ice weasels: hello!

drew piston:
acoustic guitar + bubbly keyboard = ear candy to me. the vocal effect might get old but it's all good for the length of the song. the lyrics are dumb. but i forgive you.

andre was here at midnight:
it all sounds a bit off. chorus is good in the context of the song, but i think the combo of sloppiness plus that singing is too much.

favorites: those meddling kids, reist, drew piston.

[ice weasel]

Ice Weasels - Fake drums ... man I feel your pain. Get a drum set/drum recording equipment ASAP.

Hey I happen to like fake drums! It took conscious effort not to distort them all to hell like I usually do.

[furrypedro]

Dre: I've decided I really like your vocal style. It sounds desperate, the whole track has a feel of tension about it. For whatever sloppiness and simplicity this has it hits all the right buttons in terms of melody and creativity. Not always easy to listen to but definitely worth it. Possible keeper.

Drew Piston: I like the softness of the guitar but I think everything needs to be louder as the vocal is a bit overbearing, doesn't sit in the mix too well. I like the tune to this though, with the guitar and the vocals, and then the nintendo bits when they come in. I wish there was some natural vocal to counter the vocoder as it can get a bit much and sometimes sounds a bit thin. But then I guess what you lose in tone you gain in pitch accuracy.

Ice Weasels: Interesting guitar sound, it's so fuzzy in a flat tight kind of way it could almost be a wurlitzer with extra distortion. This is all mixed pretty well and the song's pretty good. Not my fave but pretty good. I like your name.

Jach S feat Iona: Dawson's Creek music. I like the sound of the guitars but the rhythm seems a tiny bit dull. good voices.

Lockheed Symphony: There are parts of this I like, it's quite driving. The vocal is too dull tonally, it needs to cut through the mix more. I like the melange of sounds but it feels like there needs to be some guitar helping it drive along - I'm thinking 'Shoot Speed/Kill Light' by Primal Sceam stylee.

Lord of Oats: The falsetto is pretty bad. The track sounds pretty fun, it reminds me of Phunt Your Friends 'Left at the Mortuary' which is a Songfight classic in my mind. On the other hand elsewhere in the fight I think TMK makes a much better fist of a similar genre, but then I would think that. The sounds feel a bit cheap and the drum programming is functional. The song is okay but not good enough to be a diamond in the rough.

Max: woo lookout. The slight country style isn't really my thing but honestly I can't fault this. I love the guitar playing, the vocals and lyrics are pretty strong, and the spoken middle bit is amusing. All I can recommend is to do what Jach S did and get some lady friend with a nice voice to sing instead, then I'd consider keeping this. I may still do but it will have to grow on me style-wise. Best so far.

Paul Denyer: Classy. you take that back about Hasselhoff! hmmm post-hop, not sure what the point of the 2nd half is but hey. cool, I'll give this a few more listens.

Narcaloungers: Good recording, sounds like you used a tape. Nothing technically wrong with the song but it's not grabbing me, it's abit too long and a bit too ploddy. It needs a sweet chorus like 74/75, the way the harmonica keeps coming back gets a bit repetitive. Nice singing and nice recording. I'd have liked another section and some jangly guitar Stone Roses style.

Reist: This sounds pretty good but it feels like you weren't quite sure what you were going to sing when you were recording. It's not just the la la la's but the vocal level fluctuates a bit in a kind of hesitant way. Impressive playing, I half expect you to come back next week having learnt to play the saxophone as well or something. I'll be interested to hear if you incorporate your piano into more band orientated stuff later.

Ross: Unfortunately I think there's only so much of your stuff I can really appreciate, and your few recent entries I've not liked as much as Night Terrors so I kind of dismiss them - Night Terrors was really good. This is also good though, it reminds me of the Pogues in places. I like the arrangement, it's a reminder that I certainly should not dismiss your songs so easily. Good effort.

Steve: I think your voice suits a lower range best. It works quite well here. Life would be pretty swell if you did cabaret at our local, for the duration of this song I'm going to pretend that it is so. In that very last line your voice actually sounds very strong, and ironically (or coincidentally) it's the only time in the song that Kermit sounds like making an appearance. and then it ends...

Surf and turf Industry: Midielicious! stephen hawking must be a damn good surfer by now. I have also gone surfing more times this year than ever before, what are the odds? This is really strange stuff, on one hand it's bedroom rubbish, on the other hand I'd really like to hear it in a film soundtrack, dunno why or what film. Possibly one by Danny Boyle.

Wages: You've been doing the old GnG thang for a while now and it tends not to get more interesting as time goes on. However this song sounds stronger than anything else I can remember from you. The vocals are always strong but here they don't miss any notes too. There are a lot of other GnG's out there I think you could learn from, to branch out from just strumming or get a new angle, you've been playing pretty much the same way for ages - I'm going to namedrop Boo Hiss and Mark Kozelek for their beautiful guitar playing, and the Lemonheads for great simple songs. You could learn a thing or two from those guys. Let's take it up a level!

Weakest Suit: That is a ridiculously eighties guitar sound, it sounds so much like the Durutti Column. There's not much to say about this, it has not blown my mind but it's alright.

I agree that there was not a really shit song here. My vote will be a toss up between Dre and Max.

[Reist]

For a fight this size, the lack of reviews is disturbing. Where is everybody?

[Lord of Oats]

Okay, fine.

Andre WHAM - Your review generator is broken. Probably has something to do with the multiple titles. I like the song. I like the way it builds. It's great when the drums come in. But it could be tighter. Right after that part, and then a bit later on. If you could make everything line up better, you'd be in the territory where you'd be a lot more likely to get my vote. You still could. We'll see how it goes. I think you just need to do more takes on the drums or something. Are you using a metronome when you're recording? If not, that would probably push your sound through the roof. Basically very good aside from these rhythmic difficulties. Your voice is good. Lead guitar is wonky, but in a charming way, and it's not overexposed, so it doesn't stick out. It feels like its part of the arrangement.

Drew Piston - It was really hard to get through this more than three times. No, never mind, I don't think I did. Three times was enough. The verse is good, actually, but the chorus lyrics are really really really annoying. And it repeats too many times at the end. The first time I listened, I thought it was going to be an alright song, as long as you didn't rely on the chorus too much. But you did. You repeat it ad nauseum at the end. It's kind of fun how you play with different notes, but since you keep using the same words, and they don't make any sense to me and I hate them. This has to be one of the worst choruses I've ever heard in an SF song, ever. Otherwise, I really like the blending of the synths and vocoder with acoustic guitar. There's really a lot to like here. But your chorus ruins the whole thing. Second-worst song of the fight, I think.

Ice Weasels - Did the Fall of Troy have sex with Minus the Bear and a drum machine, and give birth to this band? This is actually very good in most aspects. Weakest link is the drum sounds. I love drum machines, but I don't like when they pretend to be drums. I want a drum set, or sounds that aren't afraid of being electronic. That said, the programming is good, and this an alright substitute until you get that drummer you've always wanted for your next birthday. Next weakest thing is probably the vocals, but they're not terrible, or even bad...they're like...okay to fair. Everything else is good, I think.

Jach S feat Iona - If electric guitar and voice is all you have access to, you're doing a great job of maximizing your resources. If you have any more instruments, why aren't you using them? Good verse, good chorus, that is, musically. I'm not as sure about the lyrics. But good vocal and guitar performances, except for that bit of lead guitar at 2:03. When you play something like that, DO ANOTHER TAKE, regardless of how good the rest of what you played is. It might be alright if you played it with more confidence. Play it once, it's a mistake, play it twice, it's jazz. You played it like a mistake. But maybe it only stands out because everything else is spot-on.

Lockheed Symphony - This is good and stuff. Not as good as the last one you submitted, but still above-average for the fight, and perhaps for you as well. I notice here that your voice doesn't have a ton of power to it, but it gets the job done. Unlike most here, I think that's totally great. Hmm...you also really like to try different styles...but you're better at it than me. I think we should collab soon. Instruments sound good. Mix is weird. Vocal effect is weird. Makes the lyrics hard to understand..."Gaia's water breaks"? Clever. Good chord structure and stuff...good interaction between the different parts.

Lord of Oats - Well, even I don't like the sound of my voice on this one. Minimalist electronic music seems to be frowned upon, for some reason. Whatev. It probably could have used a vocal arrangement with a little more depth, but that's not really my specialty. Then again, what is? This is probably the most direct and literal song I've written, ever. At this point, I would not let the subject of the song hear it, although it is publicly viewable. I'm pretty non-confrontational. That's why I wrote the song in the first place. Because I don't actually like to say these things to people.

Max the Cat - Are you excited about the election this year or something? It wouldn't be hard for anything to be better than Bush, I guess. What's schturm? Musically, this is nice and pleasant, and well-executed. Spoken word is good, if a bit rushed. Your voice is very nice, for speaking or singing. I've yet to figure out why almost every one of your songs relate to current events. It's like you're just asking for them to become outdated quickly. It's almost like you're writing them specifically for the internet...oh, wait.

MC Paul Denyer - I'm not sure how I feel about the out of tune piano. Seems like a pretty bad idea. Drums are good and stuff. Surprisingly not as offensive as it seems on the surface. Still not very interesting to me. I don't specifically understand the purpose of this. I feel like you're trying to be offensive, so when I find that you're not, I can't understand what your song accomplishes. The instrumental development is probably slightly above par for rap. It'd probably be more recognized as such if it weren't so weird.

The Narcaloungers - Music is pretty good. Lyrics are too amateur, I think. There's some good poetic intent, but the talent isn't developed enough. The word life seems way overused, for instance. Being at the end of the first two lines in the chorus and everything, yuck. It seems like good songwriting that mostly fails on just that one level.

Reist - You just started keyboarding? Are you kidding? I guess it could be tighter, but it's really very good, overall. The piano sound is good. But I know that it's not real. Why? Because you've told me. I might have just thought...ooh, piano, I wonder if it's real...blah blah...but now I know it's a Korg X-50. Thanks. I'm now prevented from enjoying your song as much as I should, because you've divulged too much personal information. Do you understand why I don't want to talk about my set-up? The lyrics don't quite make as much sense to me as I'd like them to, but I think I can forgive that. All that said, this is very good, I love that you're doing something outside of your typical pop-punk-prog-metal box, and I might vote for this. When you sing, "tell me what's going on," it's melodically reminiscent of the verse in Radiohead's "The Bends," maybe it's easiest to hear when he says "have they all got the Bends?" Yeah, those are both six syllables. Check it out.

Ross Durand - Is this about global warming? Do you think you can call Al Gore and make some fat money off of this song? I think there's some possibility there, and it'd be sweet for you if that happened. Might be good for your songwriting career. Everything is very good here. I'm very excited that I really like your song this week, instead of realizing that it's good, but finding myself unable to like it. This is really great, the way it builds. The keyboard sounds a little too keyboardy when it first plays, but it's good after that. Maybe Paco will think it sounds like a guitar. I really like when the drums come in and stuff. Songwriting is good. Everything is good. I could definitely see myself voting for this.

Steve Durand - I didn't like this at first. I've warmed up to it since then, but I'm probably still not voting for it. I guess the lyrics aren't as good as I usually expect from you. Steve, you've set your own bar too high. It's not that there's anything wrong with them. They're better than average for this fight, but they don't stand up to your past work. That said, there's a lot of good stuff here. As was said, your voice sounds good in the lower register. Good horns as always. The other instruments sound good, too. I guess it's good that someone approached the title from this angle, but the lyrical and harmonic approach is a little too rudimentary to really excite me.

I want to finish these, but I have to take a break for work. I will edit the rest of them into this post when I get back.

[Edit: Back!]

Surf Train Surf Industry - The music is pretty solid. The text-to-speech is slightly annoying, but not a deal breaker. The little organ solo is pretty sweet. The bass solo is a little oddly constructed. For some reason, it sounds totally epic when the talking is happening over the bass, after the solo section, like some serious impending doom. And then, oh no...tritones! For the rest of the song...and then unaccompanied speech at the end. This band is pretty consistently gimmicky. I'm not sure if there's any long-term sustainability. I think it will get old pretty quickly. That said, this is a marked improvement over the last one, despite being a little too obvious in its reference to it.

TMK - Instruments sound good. Vocals sound good. Lyrics are a little weird. A pop chorus shouldn't be so awkward. As you've pointed out, based on our songs this week, your skills at manipulating electronic instruments greatly exceed mine. To be fair to me, I think I've defeated you in terms of writing a good pop chorus. Your verses may be better, but mostly in terms of arrangement and performance. They're pretty close in a songwriting sense, I think. I think I want to get with you and start a Postal Service type thing. You play the part of Jimmy Tamborello and I'll play Ben Gibbard. In the mean time, go ahead and use this and write some more and make a Dntel record. Those are sweet ass, too. I'll try to find three other dudes and make a Death Cab album. Pff...wtf am I talking about...no, seriously...let's collab it up. I could possibly vote for this, but maybe not, especially if I vote for your other band in the other fight.

Wages - Some of the lyrics sound a little forced. Your usual problem, I think...lyrics are too conversational and not poetic enough. It can go wrong in the other direction, too. It's not like I favor poetry over conversation. You just tend toward the one end, and you need to find a good balance. Your delivery on the chorus is a little weird the first time. I started the song over, so I noticed that it was different from the end. It seems like it really fits, rhythmically, the last time. And I guess the second time. Maybe it's fine. I don't know. Generally, chorus is good. I think it's the verses that are weird. It's hard to write songs for or about people. You really have to get everything right. At least for yourself. I think other people are usually so thrilled that they couldn't care if a rhino were singing the song. How has this song gone over with its subject?

The Weakest Suit - Guy and electric guitar is an interesting game to play. It works alright, though it gets a bit dull after a while. For the first few listens, though, I think it's lyrically interesting enough to circumvent that. I've started to notice that there's a lot of dialog in your songs. I suppose that's part of the storytelling...something I don't use enough of, myself. It doesn't always come across in the recordings, but you've got a lot going for you as a songwriter. Here's the thing with this song, though. I become interested enough in the characters that I'm dissatisfied with the inconclusiveness in the ending. And I'm unsure of the sincerity of the speaker at that point. Since it plays on the previous choruses in a repetitive fashion, I get the idea that it's supposed to be meant with tongue in cheek, but the major chord ending makes it sound sincerely optimistic. I'm going back and forth on which of the two you meant it to be. If that effect was what you were going for, your songwriting may be a few levels deeper than we typically get around here. Congratulations, man. You've made me feel like I'm back in literature class, trying to decide how I want to interpret the piece.

ugh done

reviews on the other fight: maybe tomorrow, maybe after deadline, maybe never

[loopio]

Ok, its my first shot at giving reviews. I have to say though "The Last Year" entries were all pretty good. I was really surprised after I started listening. Nice Job!

Narcloungers Great song, fantastic writing, good harmonies, loved the harmonica, good drum sound, I really liked this song. It sounded slightly familiar, but the delivery of the song and the tone of your vocals made it different enough to be original.

Reist Wow Reist, this is the best song that I have heard from you since I started with song fight. Simple, straight forward, good vocals good instrument sounds all around. Nice!

Lockheed Symphony: I like the punch right at the intro of this tune. The lower sub bass is really cool to. The lead rocks I love the dissonance of it. All the panning of the instruments was interesting also. The only thing I thought this song needed was a little break up in key up a little or down to give the song a little more change. All in all really good though.

Drew Piston: Love this guitar rhythm, the synth sounds good, and I like the way you panned it. This was a very different tune. I thought it was artistically really creative. A mix between an Ice Cream Truck with a Gangster Driving it singing. It was awesome!

The Weakest Suit: Good groove to this song for no drums. I would have liked some more music in this one. It was an enjoyable tune though.

Max the Cat: Great writing! The musicianship in this song is really polished. You definitely have this type of sound and style nailed.

Loard of Oats: I love your stories of being beat down by the girl. I like this song the most right when the lead kicks in,it rallies. Synth arrpegios were on to. The ending caught me by surprise, I thought I had knocked my headphone plug out!

Ross Durand: Consistent! Ross you definitely have your sound down. I have liked everything I have heard from you since I began listening to songfight. This song is good to. I loved everything in this song.

Jach S Feat Iona: Good to hear a duo in the fight. I like the hook in this song. The vocals would sound much better with a little more practice and time. But when you only have a little time to get it done I can’t complain.

Surf Train Industry: Sweetly Strange, and I surf, so I thought this song was hilarious. Actually the reason I can’t do the songfight this next few weeks is because I will be surfing and kiteboarding in the BVIs. (I hope I am encompassed in a barrel).

Ice Weasels: Great Groove to this tune with that interesting off beat. A very original score. I like the pitch change build up (very cool) and great ending…

Andre Was Here At Midnight: I was wondering where this song was going, and then it kicked in. Not bad, but not my favorite of the fight. Kind of off tempo but listenable. I liked the lyrics. Again though as with most tunes, a little time and you could make a great song out of it.

MC Paul Denyer: MC, you’re a sick bitch. I actually like this more than some of the other tunes that I have heard you do. It’s not the kind of music I make, so I had to transport myself to a different place in my head to listen and like it. After changing all my morals and values I started enjoying this. I am a little concerned.

Those Meddling Kids: More Punch, More LOW END! I don’t know why, I liked this song, but I kept waiting for some major punchy low end kick. It was making me crazy waiting for it. Good song, but it needs some “balls” then it would kick ass!

[wages]

Wages - Some of the lyrics sound a little forced. Your usual problem, I think...lyrics are too conversational and not poetic enough. It can go wrong in the other direction, too. It's not like I favor poetry over conversation. You just tend toward the one end, and you need to find a good balance. Your delivery on the chorus is a little weird the first time. I started the song over, so I noticed that it was different from the end. It seems like it really fits, rhythmically, the last time. And I guess the second time. Maybe it's fine. I don't know. Generally, chorus is good. I think it's the verses that are weird. It's hard to write songs for or about people. You really have to get everything right. At least for yourself. I think other people are usually so thrilled that they couldn't care if a rhino were singing the song. How has this song gone over with its subject?

Thanks for the review! I know what ya mean about the lyrics, especially with such a focus. Still working on that balance. My stepdad hasn't heard the song yet and probably won't for a few months.. until the next time I see him.

[drë]

Wow, this was very enjoyable playlist.

<u><b>Surf Train Surf Industry :</b></u> Am quickly becoming a huge fan.. digged your last week entry, and i like how your keeping your surfing theme going on.. Keeps it going? text2spech can cheapen a song, but this is tastefully done.. Very groovy. Fun song, possible vote.

<u><b>The Narcaloungers:</b></u> Man, that’s some sweet sweet sounding harmonica part you have there. the acoustic guitar is mix too low, it sounds like to me. The lyrics dont do much for me, and the whole overall 70sh folky sound of the song, is ok... the only thing that really grab me was the harmonica.

<u><b>Wages:</b></u> Man this would be the perfect song to finish off the playlist. danmm you TWS. we know the lyrics mean much to you, and the entire song even tho is lo-fi, has this nice laidback sitting in the porch feel to it... digg it!

<u><b>Max the Cat:</b></u> with all your respect, i sometimes get this slightly creepiness feel for your songs..
like a grandfather singing to his grandchild.. i guess is your voice. that said, this is beautifully done song. i liked all the different instruments coming in and out of the song. Possible vote.

<u><b>Ice Weasels :</b></u> liked the intro allot, and the entire songs sounds very well polish. not sure, just not my cup of tea..tho. very groovy with good melody, the lyrics made it a bit hard for me to get into the song, i guess.

<u><b>Lockheed Symphony :</b></u> ohh man you had me going on with that intro..Then the song came in. not bad at all, the shift from intro to verse was a bit drastic.. wished it was a bit more sutle. the instrumentation / guitar wankering on this is very cool and psychedelic. Am not even following the lyrics, is more of a music groovy thing.. i like it. props.

<u><b> Drew Piston :</b></u> like the minimalist approach with the drums/guitar tracks. ooh wow then it open up really nice with the keyboard.
good song, the voicecoder tho.. Cheapens it for me tho... and the lyrics are a bit kiddy, but i guess it goes with the music. Best part is when the chorus comes in, and it just really opens up the songs.

<u><b>MC Paul Denyer:</b></u> sounds like Denyer is in love. Music fits the story very well. the mix is a bit harsh on the highs tho, i mean theirs the bass drum in the low range, and then most of evrything else is in the high range... it's lacking some middle frequencies there. (it could be my earbuds tho.)
liked the twilight zone music on this tho.

<u><b>Lord of Oats :</b></u> Jesus stop bitching, and calm the fuck down oats! kidding.
dude, you have definitely establish you own signature sound here in songfight. very drums/bass driven. and you do it well too. am digging this tune.
reminds me of that song Adam Sanders plays in the wedding singer, u know the one that’s half The Cure/half something else... i like this, possible vote.

<u><b>The Weakest Suit:</b></u> nice way to start off the song.. the lead guitar gives the song a bit of an 80s vibe. some additional instrumentation half way trhough the song, would have been great. cut the song to like < 3 minutes, and give it an better break/ bridge, would be allot better. Good story tho.

<u><b>Jach S Feat Iona:</b></u> ever heard of a vocal De-esser? that girl's track can use some. yikess... a bit painful to my right ear.
hey thats cool, the guy is signing on the left and girl on the right, separated by the music. Suitable. Neat trick. Wish that lead guitar had a bit more direction / melody to it, is just kind of wankering around (i do this alllll the time). the guy should open his mouth more when signing to make the lyrics a bit more audible/understandable... decent song, non the less.

<u><b> Ross Durand:</b></u> your showing allot more power behind your vocals on this song, more so than your previous songs.(had a good warm up?)
melodica? oh yea, now at 2:00 its really going.. digging that one lone snare hit.

<u><b>Reïst :</b></u> look at Andrew... going all power ballad on us... danm, and its a good one too. so let me get this straight, you play guitar , drums and piano, and all 3 very well? and your not even 20 yet? keep signing, developed your vocals a bit more, and see how far you can go with your talents.
this is a pretty simple song, but how you add dynamics to the melody with the "lalalalala" and then some break with the "come back, come back", works great. Possible vote.

<u><b>Those Meddling Kids :</b></u> dude, your sounds is not simple at all, very lush with many layers. props for that. intriging lyrics. Overall sound is very clean and well polish, like the combination of standard drums/bass/ guitar with fx, and samples. Great song. Possible vote.

<u><b>Steve Durand :</b></u> funky and jazzy. you sound a bit drunk... is that part of the song? man that rode organ/brass combo is sweet! and the sax... nice. it be funny to see how this song would have sounded if your brother had singed it, as he can project his voice a bit more and match the instrumentation on this. You can definitely compose some jazzy jazzy numbers, Steve.. Just need someone with vocal power, to really put them on the map. good song.


my vote is between Meddling Kids and Reist... not sure.