Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by frankie big face »

thirdcatmusic wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 8:50 am
FBF - I kinda loved this one and I think the main "where there's shock, there's value" bit is really sweet. the crazy news stories are interesting the first couple of times but I don't think would have great relisten value. the lead guitar is really cool sounding.
Hey thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by frankie big face »

lichenthroat wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 10:20 am
Frankie Big Face – Sorry to read about your illness; I hope you feel better. Under the circumstances, I can see why you recorded your song the way you did. The spoken-word stories are interesting (and speaking fast was a good idea), but I didn’t care that much for the underlying music.
Thanks. I'm getting better. Drugs are helping. I was going for an LCD Soundsystem kind of thing with the music. Not everyone's thing and obviously polarizing for some (check out that 24 from one judge and 2 from another!), but it was fun to make. Appreciate the review!
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by iVeg »

Wasn't shocked with the results. See you in Ohne Ruhm.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Niveous »

frankie big face wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 5:08 am
Niveous wrote:
Tue May 07, 2019 10:14 am
frankie big face wrote:
"Strawberry Fields Forever" was a b-side so I'll take that as incredibly high praise. :P
Not a B-side. Double A-side.
Okay fine. "Rain" was a B-side. And so was "I Am the Walrus." You can insert those titles into my comment if it makes you feel better. :P
I would have went for "Revolution" but that works.
(I have a thing about double A-sides ever since I did the listen through of all the Billboard Top 10's of the rock era. Double A-Sides were a pain in the neck.)
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by frankie big face »

Niveous wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 12:34 pm
frankie big face wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 5:08 am
Niveous wrote:
Tue May 07, 2019 10:14 am


Not a B-side. Double A-side.
Okay fine. "Rain" was a B-side. And so was "I Am the Walrus." You can insert those titles into my comment if it makes you feel better. :P
I would have went for "Revolution" but that works.
(I have a thing about double A-sides ever since I did the listen through of all the Billboard Top 10's of the rock era. Double A-Sides were a pain in the neck.)
Haha. That makes more sense now.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Spintown »

Lucky Spoon wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 6:41 am
WEW!!! Thanks for the save, Spin.
lol no problem. I actually had no idea my ranking of you was so different from the other judges. I'll try to get my reviews posted later today. I've been swamped lately & struggled just to get my rankings in a place I was happy with.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Chumpy »

Once again Ryan and I are presenting our reviews in podcast form, because that's what all the cool kids are doing.

Here is how you can jibe with this: Tell us things: feedback@twojerksonevote.com.

If your podcast player supports chapters, you should use those instead, but if not, here are where the chapters lie: Nur Ein!
Last edited by Chumpy on Sat May 11, 2019 10:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Lucky Spoon »

Chumpy wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 2:28 pm
[*]00:34:09 - Lucky Spoon

Thanks for the reviews. I found Shock Value a difficult title. There's the obvious grotesque or vulgar, the ends of certain south park episodes that leave your jaw dropped, but I didn't want to write about any of that. The original premise and inspiration for my song is the idea of someone who has found themselves out of their element. They do not fit in, but they try (possibly using shock value to gain attention). Eventually, there is a moment where they come back to people who they are like, who get them... and the true shock value is revealed in being able to be themselves while still being loved and accepted. The actual song failed to really nail that reveal and ended up more a prodigal son type story. I'm still happy with it as a stand alone song and glad I still skimped to the next round!
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by grumpymike »

Chumpy wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 2:28 pm
Once again Ryan and I are presenting our reviews in podcast form, because that's what all the cool kids are doing.
I agree and respect the criticism of the second guy. The first guy... you didn’t find any of it shocking because it hits too close to home, doesn’t it? And don’t tell me your blood didn’t boil at me calling Jar Jar Binks a Star Trek character. ;) Nah it’s fine I have a habit of making songs I wouldn’t particularly like to hear from others. I don’t like explaining or even posting lyrics, but I had the threat of getting title-dinged for not using “shock value” so I did. In fact, I’m pretty sure most people *still* didn’t notice that my chorus was about car suspension (shocks) and my bridge was about “shocker”. Sigh. Too clever by half.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by frankie big face »

Chumpy wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 2:28 pm
Once again Ryan and I are presenting our reviews in podcast form, because that's what all the cool kids are doing.
Okay, so I would never say this prior to the judging because I never want to inadvertently influence your decision-making, but I have been really sick and was thisclose to withdrawing altogether from the competition. I had no voice and couldn’t sing which is why I didn’t. *shrug* So I made this.

But I do love how polarizing it is. It makes me happy to hear you guys each be genuinely stunned by the other’s opinion. And in Round One, I feel like I can get away with it. Thanks for the review.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by vowlvom »

Excellent podcasting. I forgot that a lot of people don't like slower songs, we may have to take that into account in the coming rounds!

Disappointed that there was no follow-up discussion on embedded mp3 album-cover pictures after I went to all that trouble photoshopping GG Allin's tattoos ;)
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by glennny »

@ Jerkatorium

You guys really don't like Alice Cooper? Have you listened to early 70's AC? Songs like : Dead Babies, Billion Dollar Babies, Welcome to My Nightmare, I Love the Dead, No More Mr. Nice Guy?

The "YEAHHHHH" you refer to is from "Won't Get Fooled Again" off of Who's Next.

great podcast!
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Cybronica »

Nur ein xiv 1

A brief note: we at Mandibles had an extensive talk about how this challenge would manifest. It seemed like it could go in two directions- Dynamics meaning Volume, and Dynamics meaning color. If compression is added to the song, then the volume option is voided. Often in classical singing, Dynamics are referred to as more of a color change than a volume change, and truth was pretty confident that since that’s how the pixies do it, that’s probably what the challenge wanted. We elected to go that route because of how much people complain about ‘riding the volume knob.’ I think both are valid for the challenge, but the latter is better for listenability (though at first I did float the idea of retooling Haydns surprise symphony).



Abominominous - I love the sound of it from the very start. Those fast triplets are great. Like with last time, I love the sound of your lyrics; the phonemes really pleasing, particularly the way you use assonance. The way you say the words, too, is fabulous. I really like how you say ‘close’: [klaous]. From there, let’s go into your choice of words- things like fog of lore, eviscer-valuation- is really great. Your lyrics are beautifully crafted, and as a nice nice bow on top, they depict this hilarious story about antiques road show! I suppose technically there are dynamics, but it seems to be mostly a everything-drops-but-one-track kind of thing. Totally counts, but as a whole it felt like it had the same energy. I like this track more and more every time I hear it. It’s going in the permanent collection.

Agony Sauce - well, you def have Dynamics. I am extremely unmoved by the lyrics, but the music is good and I quite like the chorus. Great solo!

Berkeley Social Scene - again not moved by the lyrics. I feel like I’m listening to a 3 minute ad for bss. Also, I know you were doing the song for song fight too, but the bend the knee bit rubbed me the wrong way. As always, great production and sound. I would have liked deeper breaths under the higher notes, like in high caliber rocking. Sounded a little pinched.

Boffo Yux Dudes - this was a fun song. I like like the intro a lot. The lyrics painted a cool picture. Is this also about Milgram? Or about an alien abduction? Dynamics: present.

Faster Jackalope - I was unimpressed. It’s an interesting idea, I can hear truths hand in the lyric writing, but I think you can do better. Well sung. Flute playing is good- didn’t know you had one! The transition to the flute is too abrupt. I need a couple of measures of polyrhythm before the tempo shift.

Frankie Big Face - I like the intro. Reminds me of bio shock. This is one that I got into the more I listened - musically, I mean. The words are creepy. Reminds me of that Simon and Garfunkel silent night. Are those real stories, or made up?

Grumpy Mike - I see what you’re doing, I respect it, I love the line “just like I’m driving a book,” the start trek/jar jar line caught me off guard, it’s probably not going in the perm collection. Though I really was jamming out to it at work today... ah, the words get in the way.

Inflatable Vegetables - sounds very phantom of the opera. Has dynamics.

Lichen Throat - your singing is getting better with each round! I like that now I can tell it’s your song before I hear you. “Fed with greed and soaked with gin” love that line. The poetry is great.

Lucky Spoon - I love this song. The prodigal son story, the sweet music, the rocking choruses, the happy ending, the well worked words, the false end, the harmonies... all great.

Mandibles - one of the reviews mentioned last time that we should chose between alt rock and rock opera.... be careful what you wish for. ;) this was fun to put together. As mentioned before we went for color change over volume, but I think it reads as volume. Milgram is one of those experiments that really put the human race into perspective for me, so I’m glad we got to do a song about him, even if it’s a little all over the place. I’m really glad to have brought in Estaphonia on the bridge. You’ll be hearing more from her!

Max Bombast - Man am I glad you were after us- same material, done with more finesse, and with a princess bride reference? You deserved the win.

Merisan - I really like the panned intro to this song. It’s so satisfying when you hear it come in on both ears. Dynamics in there with the lead into the bridge by virtue of color- compression takes out volume dynamics. I like the ooohs you do there. I’m not sure if I have a slight genre bias against you or if I’m just really envious of your talent, but this doesn’t really stand out to me. I suspect the first, because listening to your nur ein back log, i really like your early stuff (and I loved your winning song last year, which I think harkened back to that sound). It could also be a case that you guys are just so good that I unconsciously judge you more harshly. Good thing I’m not a judge, huh? This is an objectively great song. Well done!

Mike Lamb - what a sad song over such ambivalent music. I suppose that was the point. I like the bass line.

Mousehole - this is a very confusing song to me. It has hiphop vamp sounds mixed with final fantasy midi video game sounds, and a siren sample that I haven’t been able to take seriously since the Trial by Fire challenge last year. I read your lyrics and looked forward to the song, but every time I went through the list, i didn’t notice it. Then I realized it was because every time it came on I didn’t hear any of the words because I was focusing on the strange amalgamation of pitches and beats. Normally I’m all for political songs, but this seems more angry than critical. A little more lyrical finesse would be good. All in all, pretty good for a hotel/traveling song, but not one I will come back to.

Nick Soma - this strongly reminds me of an English language Rammstein, especially in the chorus vocals. I love how you did the dynamics.

Paco del Stinko - I don’t really get this song. You perform really well, and the challenge execution is superb.

Rachael Layne - this is going on the permanent playlist. The lyrics are great, really well realized, and I love your diction. The harmonies are great. A great pump up song. I want to listen to this every morning. I’m get a strong Joan Jett bad reputation vibe. I love it! One of my favorites from this round.

Rain Watt - God I love this song. At first I thought it was a general statement made about the some (more privileged) members of the LGBTQ community who don’t always show the most compassion to other members. Now that I know about that chad guy, I’m especially impressed. This has some great use of line breaks (“to put yourself down
....as a writer”), great disses, coulda been used for this week. Really well sung, love your voice, especially when you come down to the quiet chorus bits.

The Sunday Colors - another great song! The music is pleasing to listen to, the message is sweet, and lyrics are beautifully crafted with a medieval twist. Production is quiet, but I’m not the one to ask for tips on that front. Maybe sit closer to the mic?

Third Cat - super vague lyrics. They are definitely not what makes this song great. I love the two vocal lines. The swelling of the arrangement is lovely; but like others the compression takes out some of the volume dynamic making it color dynamic.

Ujn Hunter + Friends - I liked the intro a lot. I think the SF crossover lessens its validity as an entry for both, though. I like how you guys sing.

Vowl Sounds - as always, the instruments and singing are exquisite, but starting the song with two girls one cup put me off. I think with several of the songs in this round, the words just got in the way of some truly great music. The panning done in this is really tastefully done, especially with the “nothing nothing nothing” and some col legno sounding thing early on. Ok and going back and rereading the lyrics, the lyrics really are beautiful. I suppose this one’s a grower. The first line of a song is one of the only things I remember in the first few listens, so starting with that left me feeling put off rather than enjoying this great piece.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

For what it's worth, my song is indeed about a flasher. Yuck. And I listened to Alice Coopers first album, Pretties For You, for inspiration. No flasher songs on it, except maybe the pervo cover art, but plenty weird. Also listened to Killers. You should too!

Great work everyone, love it all.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Cybronica »

Paco Del Stinko wrote:
Thu May 09, 2019 10:41 am
And I listened to Alice Coopers first album, Pretties For You, for inspiration... Also listened to Killers. You should too!
Will do!

Ok, now I get the song. Doesn’t do it for me, but it’s really well executed!
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by owl »

Thanks for the reviews so far, everyone (and great podcast as usual, Jerks, glad you unearthed all the references and now I also wish I'd made a lyrical nod to Debaser)--I'm super behind with my listening/reviewing and not even sure now if I should try and finish my Round Zero reviews, or just ditch that and try and get through Round One...

It's been interesting seeing the reactions to my lyrics this time around.
  • I definitely had a lot of doubts about the wisdom of starting the song with "Two Girls, One Cup" but I ultimately decided that philosophically, for a challenge called "Shock Value," I'd rather not shy away from something for being too gross. I might have made a different decision later on in the contest...
  • I was also really interested in the contrast between the super-delicate vocals and instrumentation and the disturbing content, and the idea of grabbing your attention with a somewhat mysterious series of references up front before making it explicit what the context was.
  • For most of the things I referenced, I wanted to pick something with a neutral to even pretty sound to the words, e.g., Flower, Un Chien Andalou, despite what was behind them, rather than going right out and citing something obviously horrible-sounding like "'A Skull Full of Maggots' by Cannibal Corpse". ("Piss Christ" is an exception, I guess... but it's still relatively tame.) "Two Girls, One Cup" fell right into that bucket. Super ordinary words. Really awful connotations. I also liked the juxtaposition of that with the historically shocking but nowadays tame Stravinsky.
Anyway, just thought I'd give a few notes about my thought process! Aaaaand mostly people seem to hate it and be totally disgusted by it, so depending on your point of view about what to go for in a "Shock Value" round, mission accomplished, I guess...?

Can't do anything about people not loving the slow tempo... but I do love me some slowcore, I guess the feeling isn't universal.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Spintown »

Abominominous
Pawn Shop, the rock band. Lyrically it’s a little hard to follow the first time around, but with the lyrics in front of me it was easier. You had my head movin’ to the music, and the more I listen to this the more I like it. Really enjoyed the use of alliteration in this song as well. Well done.

Agony Sauce
Let me start by saying I love the song. If I was still making them, I’d actually ask to use it in one of my old “Pain For Laughs” videos. The story & lyrics were interesting throughout, and it was a pretty obvious take on the title, but really well done. I don’t know jack about the use of dynamics, but I will say going into the solo felt off. It had me ready to go up, and it went down. I know that the use of dynamics was the challenge, but this was the only point that kinda took me out of the song. Oh, and also I noticed the use of spelling again. I’m curious to see how many Nur Ein challenges you can cram into a song by the time we get to the later rounds….if you’re still with us.

Berkeley Social Scene
Vocals were solid this time around, and I have to admit I really enjoyed the music as well. It’s early in my reviews at this point, but this might be the biggest turn around from Round 0 for me. Lyrically it wasn’t the most creative, but you still painted a picture I found enjoyable. I know in Round 0 you claimed victory. That was a little ballsy, but to continue the self congratulatory lyrics into round 1 might be too cocky considering I still haven’t received a bribe from you. (there’s still time!)

Boffo Yux Dudes
I swear I don’t understand why people would Yoda the first line of a song. (unless it’s a Weird Al Star Wars parody) Just use your best Yoda voice, and read your first line. Don’t set the tone of your song that way. It’s more annoying when the song overall isn’t bad. Interesting story, and the vocals didn’t seem bored this time around. It held my interest all the way through, but annoyed I was.

Faster Jackalope
I liked how you used 2 different people in the story to meet this challenge. Had no issues with the vocals or music, found them both to be enjoyable enough. I honestly don’t have much feedback to give. It’s been a strong round so far, and as the rounds get tougher, the creativity you showed in meeting this challenge will probably help you when things start getting tight.

Frankie Big Face
I’m not totally against spoken word pieces...but damn they better be really well done. With this the music wasn’t bad, but it also didn’t hold my attention throughout. The spoken parts were interesting little nuggets I might want to read in a bathroom reader I suppose. Not sure I was a fan of them being strung together in this format. I’d much rather be transported into story & world you created that might elicit an emotional response. This is like having someone read the subheadlines in their facebook feed to me.

Grumpy Mike
I’m really digging all the takes on this title. The voice overs were done well, they made me want to punch you in the mouth. By the time the first verse is over I had a very Weird Al feel from this. The chorus was catchy & I enjoyed that you changed it up a little a couple times at the end. Really strong song despite the Jar Jar reference. You should have no reason to be grumpy this round.

Inflatable Vegetables
My biggest complaint here is that the first chorus is so sparse. Other than that I have no major issues. You could probably cut & paste my previous review for you. Unfortunately I think your competition mostly stepped it up while you maintained a steady course.

Lichen Throat
Ok, I get that singing isn’t your strong suit, but you have to do something to change up the tone of your songs. As they are you start to zone out after 8 lines or so cause they all sound the same. This is 2 in a row that seem more suited to be read aloud in a poetry house, and not performed as a song. I actually like the writing at times, but transforming that into a song hasn’t worked out so well.

Lucky Spoon
I think this is a more relatable song than most I’ve heard this round. The title isn’t used in the song, but it’s clearly inspired by it. The story was great, and the singing was solid (especially the chorus). The one thing I’d have done differently is the final chorus though. I’d like to have both characters singing that together with 1 singing “your home” & the other “I’m home”. I really enjoyed this, well done.

Mandibles
I actually thought about the Milgram Experiment when I thought of this title. I didn’t remember the name, but yeah when your song started I knew exactly what it was about. Vocals were great, and I enjoyed the sounds of the pain being administered. My favorite part of the song lyrically & performance wise would be the bridge at the end. Overall solid entry.

Max Bombast
I JUST listened to the Mandibles...and that’s unfortunate for them. This blew my mind because I thought I just heard a really good song on this topic, and I honestly liked everything about this more so than the previous song. Like last round, you might have my favorite song to sing this round.

Merisan
Another solid entry, that has me mostly sold. Overall it’s a driving force that keeps me engaged throughout. At times there are places I’d like to hear the vocals more...strained? Not sure that’s the right word, but for example I’d like to hear the last 4 “You pay any price” shouts be really belted to the point of a voice crack or even a little gravel.

Mike Lamb
There are certainly songs this round produced better than this, but I still really enjoyed it. I thought the performance was good enough to give a very topical song some heart. I don’t really understand people like the one you’re singing about, but it’s a growing issue that can’t be ignored. Whether it’s a beauty vlogger, gamer, musician, reviewer...the extent to which people are valuing themselves based on an online reaction is scary now.

Mousehole
Slower paced songs don’t usually go over as well with me. I get bored easy, and this bored me. It doesn’t help that I don’t really follow your politics, but that’s not really the problem. I mean I get what your doing it’s just that I didn’t like that song. Wasn’t catchy, wasn’t fun to sing, and the music wasn’t memorable in any way to me. Sorry, this just missed the mark for me completely.

Nick Soma
This one is hard for me to rank. Your vocal performance conveys legitimate emotion at times, and then a line later it’s conveying boredom. I did like the fake build ups at the end of the verse & in the prechorus, but overall I found myself having a hard time focusing on this. My interest just wasn’t being held. I have no clue where this will land in the scoring. I’ve had it in the middle of the pack & near the bottom. Good luck.

Paco del Stinko
I couldn’t follow the story, and have no clue as to what it’s about. I hate saying that because it means it wasn’t clearly spelled out for the listener or the listener is too dense to pick up on it. (both equally possible in this case) But it caused me to be disinterested either way, and the music or performance wasn’t good enough to overcome this.

Rachael Layne
Vocally might have been my favorite performance of the round. You got attitude, and I like it. You didn’t use the title exactly, but clearly it was inspired by the title. Lyrically I felt it was creative enough, and had great flow. My biggest complaint would be the instrumental secetion, which just felt weak.

Rain Watt
Not all that familiar with Chad Felix Greene so I hope that didn’t take some of the enjoyment away from this song. I didn’t dislike it, but I just struggled to connect with the verses. I thought the chorus was extremely well written & catchy. The vocals & music got the job done, but didn’t really blow me away. The vocals did do a good job of putting some feeling into the lyrics.

The Sunday Colors
Really enjoyed the guitar playing on this one. I’m curious to see how far you can go in this competition without upping your production value though. Your lyrics flow nicely but, the story didn’t really draw me in, and was a little vague for my liking. I may not listen to this again, but it did get me curious enough about your work to want to here more.

Third Cat
I get that you think there’s no shock value anymore, but other than that your lyrics just confused me. A bit of a dreamy sound, and that’s what this song reminds me of. Waking up from a dream you can barely remember anything about.

Ujn Hunter + Friends
90 seconds or so until we get lyrics...great… You set a dark mood with the music, and it sounds like it could be the backing of some movie from the pits of hell. When the lyrics start it's more jarring than anything & seems out of place. At least you have friends you can blame this on.

Vowl Sounds
This is my 2nd favorite song ever with a 2 Girls 1 Cup reference. It’s only the 2nd one I’ve heard, but that’s still something I guess. In the end this was the biggest disappointment of the round for me. The dreamy sound was pretty, but the lyrics, lack of a clear story, all combined to make me sleepy. That’s the only thing I felt from it….sleepy.
Last edited by Spintown on Fri May 10, 2019 2:36 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Pop Machine »

Spintown wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 2:05 pm
Boffo Yux Dudes
I swear I don’t understand why people would Yoda the first line of a song. (unless it’s a Weird Al Star Wars parody) Just use your best Yoda voice, and read your first line. Don’t set the tone of your song that way. It’s more annoying when the song overall isn’t bad. Interesting story, and the vocals didn’t seem bored this time around. It held my interest all the way through, but annoyed I was.
OK, I was genuinely stumped by this and had to go back and re-read the lyrics. (Hey, I sing this stuff, I don't necessarily read it. Sorry, guys.) Sure enough, that's an uncommon way to structure that sentence; I don't hear it as full-on Yoda, but I see how someone might make that connection. Huh. Sorry it annoyed you, if I had realized what the deal was there I would have either fixed it or really leaned into it further. Damn, missed opportunity!

Glad it was OK otherwise, though.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Spintown »

Pop Machine wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 2:27 pm
Spintown wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 2:05 pm
Boffo Yux Dudes
I swear I don’t understand why people would Yoda the first line of a song. (unless it’s a Weird Al Star Wars parody) Just use your best Yoda voice, and read your first line. Don’t set the tone of your song that way. It’s more annoying when the song overall isn’t bad. Interesting story, and the vocals didn’t seem bored this time around. It held my interest all the way through, but annoyed I was.
OK, I was genuinely stumped by this and had to go back and re-read the lyrics. (Hey, I sing this stuff, I don't necessarily read it. Sorry, guys.) Sure enough, that's an uncommon way to structure that sentence; I don't hear it as full-on Yoda, but I see how someone might make that connection. Huh. Sorry it annoyed you, if I had realized what the deal was there I would have either fixed it or really leaned into it further. Damn, missed opportunity!

Glad it was OK otherwise, though.
Yeah, I enjoyed listening to it, but that first line bugged me a lot. The Dudes have had a good Nur Ein so far imo. And don't try to do a song about Yoda next round just to fuck with me. I KNOW YOU GUYS TOO WELL! It wouldn't surprise me. ;p
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Pop Machine »

Spintown wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 2:39 pm
Pop Machine wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 2:27 pm
Spintown wrote:
Fri May 10, 2019 2:05 pm
Boffo Yux Dudes
I swear I don’t understand why people would Yoda the first line of a song. (unless it’s a Weird Al Star Wars parody) Just use your best Yoda voice, and read your first line. Don’t set the tone of your song that way. It’s more annoying when the song overall isn’t bad. Interesting story, and the vocals didn’t seem bored this time around. It held my interest all the way through, but annoyed I was.
OK, I was genuinely stumped by this and had to go back and re-read the lyrics. (Hey, I sing this stuff, I don't necessarily read it. Sorry, guys.) Sure enough, that's an uncommon way to structure that sentence; I don't hear it as full-on Yoda, but I see how someone might make that connection. Huh. Sorry it annoyed you, if I had realized what the deal was there I would have either fixed it or really leaned into it further. Damn, missed opportunity!

Glad it was OK otherwise, though.
Yeah, I enjoyed listening to it, but that first line bugged me a lot. The Dudes have had a good Nur Ein so far imo. And don't try to do a song about Yoda next round just to fuck with me. I KNOW YOU GUYS TOO WELL! It wouldn't surprise me. ;p
Damn it!! Two steps ahead of us, as always. :lol:
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by Niveous »

Wakko: It’s that time again.
Yakko: Time to make pants out of salami?
Dot: Time to look into the heart of darkness found deep inside ourselves?
Niv: No, it’s time for Nur Ein reviews.

Hello and welcome to another set of Nur Ein reviews from Niveous. If you’re new to my reviews, I cluster them in huge paragraphs. The trick is they trigger the “too long, didn’t read” part of your brain so thusly I can get away with saying anything. Insert evil laughter here. This week’s Nur Ein is brought to you by Detective Pikachu, now in theatres. C’mon, we gave you the title “Shock Value” and not one song about Pokémon but two songs about the Milgram Experiments on Obedience? Why do you have to be so darn erudite? Might as well start with those two, which also had the misfortune of being back to back in an alphabetical playthrough, so they are immediately judged against each other. Max Bombast’s song is so very well done. Starting off with the heartbeat and then leading it into the thumping bass is great attention to detail. Then there was having the guitars come in right on the line “get a shock”. I think the song tells the story very well especially with the great chorus. And the “Not to Fifty!” line. I adored this song. Mandibles went with the same story but tried to go for more drama. Very good dynamics in the song between the verses and the chorus. I’m not a fan of some of the lyric choices especially the line “In the name of science, this will be worth somethin’” which comes off as the equivalent of a shrug. Then there’s the bridge which feels like it changes the story of the Milgram Experiments by making it sound like it’s not an actor on the other side getting shocked but an actual victim. Not the biggest flaw but it did irk me when I listened. All in all, it’s a decent song from a hit Broadway musical based around psychological experiments (the song about the Stanford Prison Experiment includes a tap routine). Speaking of elaborate performances, let’s talk Alice Cooper. Inflatable Vegetables went for a song about shock rock and as someone who has been to an Alice Cooper live show and thoroughly enjoyed it, it’s a concept that I can get behind. The problem is the execution. This song needed more oomph. The song is the lament of a shock rocker and I wish it was a bit more over-the-top in the delivery. And then there was the bridge which just fell flat. And that non-existent ending just kills me. One more big sustained note at the end would have helped a bit. Since I’m talking big rockers, I’ll transition to Ujn Hunter and Friends. As a metalhead, this was right up my alley. The intro languished a bit but then it became this Suicidal Tendencies-esque rocker and that was fun. Sure, it’s a double dipper (Bend the Knee/ Shock Value) but it pulls it off. But it’s extremely short and never really has a chance to hook you or get going. It’s intro, intro, more intro, verse, chorus and we’re done here. Too little to sink my teeth into. But hey since I’m talking about double dippers. Berkeley Social Scene just shoehorned Bend the Knee into their song. That last verse just doesn’t belong here. It’s a real stretch and it’s a shame because it’s probably better than most of the rest of the song which is a little bland and a little cheesy. I get the campy nature of the song with its “high caliber rocking” and “six strings straight to heaven”. I can tell that the tongue is firmly in the cheek with this one but it doesn’t make the joke good.

And now a word from our sponsor, Detective Pikachu starring Ryan… okay, back to the songs. But an ad pop up makes me think of YouTube and one song in here made me think of YouTube as well because I heard the Frankie Big Face song and said to myself “I didn’t plan to watch a Matthew Santoro video today and yet, here I am.” Now, I do enjoy a good listicle from time to time and I do enjoy weird bleeps and blorps from time to time, so this has some charm. It’s essentially Herbie Hancock if he worked for Buzzfeed. Not the best FBF song but it amused me. Oh no, I have no transition. Um, Lichen Throat, I choose you. I think I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve settled into hearing Lichen Throat’s unique vocal style. It’s that same point when you hear Tom Waits and you stop thinking “I wish he hadn’t gargled those shards of glass”. I enjoy this song. I like the fake strings and the rhythm to the song reminds me of something Peter Gabriel would do. Not like a “Sledgehammer” but closer to a “Salisbury Hill”. But this song lacks a solid chorus and a good ending. Like FBF a few sentences back, this is not without its charm. Sunday Colors made a solid chorus and it’s fun to listen to, though it’s a bit long so I found myself struggling to hook to it. But I enjoyed this song every time I heard it, riding on some tasty acoustic guitar and a nice vocal take. I could have used a bit more in the way of dynamics in this song but it succeeded in the challenge. In fact, I don’t think anyone flat out failed the challenge which is good because it’s Round 1 and it’s still early. You know who needs to step it up in Round 2? Third Cat. This is the second week where I’ve got a song by Third Cat that hasn’t made waves with me. It’s not bad. In fact, I don’t think I flat out hated any song in this round but this kind of middle of the road song isn’t gonna win the contest. It’s coasting. I think the big flaw is the chorus. It should be the most interesting part but it’s missing some energy and dynamics. Listen to that “now I feel, nothing’s new”. It feels like the same note on every syllable. It’s not but it’s so close you can’t escape the feeling. Well, I’m over the thousand word mark. Should almost be done. How many songs remain… O Dios Mio! Okay, this is gonna be a long one. It’s “War and Peace” as brought to you by the Warner Brothers hit movie, Detec…

Moving on. Agony Sauce, whose name I just realized is an anagram, got a little funky with it. It’s a good song, better than last week’s Agony, especially because of that chorus which had flavors of Hall & Oates. Yes, Agony Sauce is the Hall & Oates of the Nur Ein. Mo, are you willing to get a jheri curl? That song is just fun with well done vocals and guitar work. I’ll stick with guitar guys and go over to Paco del Stinko. The curse of having listened to well over a hundred PDS song is that sometimes a song can feel old hat. This is a classic Paco, no new ground broken, this is what Paco does. But that’s not saying that it’s a bad song. It’s an alright song, not my fave. One knock is the title. I get that it’s about doing something for shock but if someone told me that this was Paco’s entry for the “Mean To Me” fight from back in 2005, I’d be fooled (Okay, I wouldn’t really because I’m a nerd and I know that Paco hadn’t started Songfighting in 2005 but you get the gist!). Last round, Rain Watt missed the title prompt. This time, Rain was right on the money. I think the best review that I can write is that I had to go back and write this because when I first attempted I got distracted by simply rocking out to the song. Love the interplay between the lead and rhythm guitar. Smart dynamics choices abound here. And the lyrics are so biting. Well done. Let me transition to another song full of good guitar bits, Grumpy Mike. Again, Mike has been sneaking around in my record collection. Found my Blink 182, Nada Surf and Dynamite Hack. This screams out watching 120 Minutes on a Monday morning. Does this song feel like “Shock Value” to me? Debatable. Is this song catchy af. You betcha. Now, I wanna go listen to “Adam’s Song”. BRB. Just picture another joke about Detective Pikachu here and I’ll be back.

Ever heard “Laughing in the Sugar Bowl” by Veruca Salt. Probably not because not that many people listen to Veruca Salt that didn’t happen in the 90’s. Okay, why do I bring up obscure but good Veruca Salt? It’s what this week’s Merisan reminds me of, especially with the double tracked vocals. It’s punchy with a driving drum beat. I like this a lot. Not every “You pay any price” hits perfect but it’s good. Moving on to Mousehole, just because. I have no clue who Fraser Anning or Pauline Hanson is. Having to dig up information for a song does take some of the enjoyment out. But now that I know, screw those guys. Still a song about neo-nazis is a hard sell. The spar arrangement and the klaxons work for creating atmosphere. The delivery on the chorus doesn’t. It’s such a strong line but it only connects because of the shock of hearing the word Neo-nazi. Speaking of shocking to hear, Vowl Sounds opened with the cinematic classic “2 Girls 1 Cup” and you can’t help but suddenly go “What’s going on here.” I like the theme of the shock of losing a lover making all these other shocking things pale in comparison. I feel like lyrically; the concept begins to fall apart as the song goes on. By the time the song pumps up at the end, it’s getting threadbare and the pumped up bit feels like the antithesis of what the song is trying to tell. Why is the main character singing with feeling about how much they want to feel something? Shouldn’t they still be numb? It’s tough. The song needs to grow but the story really says no. It should be cold. There’s a way to handle this dichotomy. I just don’t know how to do it. Maybe the music escalates but the vocals stay disaffected? Okay, I’m in the home stretch of these reviews. I’m saying a lot more than I expected to. Guess I’m invested. Either that or I’m just trying my best to find a way to throw in another reference to Detective Pikachu. Onto Mike Lamb. I appreciate the percussion choices and I like the guitar fills. I wish the bass in this song was a little more interesting to help move it along. It’s an okay song all in all. Not the hookiest chorus so it didn’t stand out as much as it could. I’ve kind of moved into a group of songs that weren’t bad but didn’t knock it out of the park. Lucky Spoon and Faster Jackalope both went for the parent/child dynamic and neither hit the “Cats in the Cradle” mark. Lucky Spoon did the prodigal son tale and it’s okay. The chorus isn’t exciting, and the story is basic. It makes no waves. Decent song. I just wouldn’t have listened to it this many times if it weren’t in a contest and I was a judge. Faster Jackalope missed the mark because it’s harder to get the story in their song. The chorus is supposed to be a different character from the verse and that isn’t clear. It just seems like the guy in the verse got shouty. Why in a band with more than one singer didn’t they just use two vocalists? But hey, flute solo. Look at us, making Ian Anderson proud. Nick Soma also falls into the didn’t rock my world playlist. It’s got the dynamics but I don’t like the vocals in the quiet sections. I don’t know if they are conveying the emotions he had hoped for. Then again, I feel a bit confused on that. I know that the song is about BPD and the song is a bit all over the place emotionally because of that and I don’t know if that works. I listen to the song and I feel like I just don’t get it. That and a bit more enunciation would help. But I listen to black metal so I don’t ding anyone for bad enunciation.

Wow. Still going. Nothing outlasts the energizer reviews. They keep going and going. Hmmm. Energizer bunny. There’s gotta be a way to go from that to Detective Pikachu but I’ll refrain because I’m almost done here. I think there are only three left and I liked them all. Huzzah. Finishing strong. Boffo Yux Dudes decide to go dark. I hope that’s not just for my account. Then again, I enjoyed this a ton more than the ha-ha side of BYD. Sure, it has some flaws like a double tracked vocal that clashed at times, but I enjoyed the dark tones and the dynamics bringing some crunchy guitar. I could headbang to this. Just get rid of that last verse with that “my hair stands up, what little is there” line. Yuck. Rachael Layne brought some good grunge to the party and as 1/4th of a sparkle-grunge band, I am here for this. The heys have the right amount of oomph. They don’t come off as forced. Great guitar bits. I really enjoy this song and will be listening to it more post competition. Final song, Abominominous. Okay, I don’t get the “Shock Value” part of this song. One of the Jerkatorium boys tried to explain it to me and I had a moment where it was like the Zack Galifianakis numbers meme. It just didn’t add up but Abominominous brings word salad and it’s the tastiest word salad. Off-white wedding. Oh, that’s good. And the musicality is there. Just listen to those bass riffs. They are so juicy. There’s a lot of good stuff here. And that’s it, round one reviews. Tune in next week when I try to make as many references as I can to next week’s movie du jour, A Dog’s Journey starring Josh Gad as a dog who is going to die repeatedly for your entertainment dollar. I’ll see you then.
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Re: Nur Ein XIV Round One "Shock Value"

Post by mo »

How do you know I don’t have a Jheri curl?
At least someone finally mentioned Hall & Oates. I went through a phase of them for a couple months last year, the “before they got big” stuff.
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