Nur Ein XVI Round Two "Drag Me Around"

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Cybronica
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by Cybronica »

Niveous wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:55 pm

Mandibles
Starts off with the big ol' epic of Semiprecious. This song is killer. It has a good build. The composition is solid. The ending with all the vamps is just the best. In fact, this may be my favorite Mandibles song.. Screw indecision. This is my favorite Mandibles song. If I get a chance to see another Mandibles live show, I will be singing along in a ridiculous fashion- "You're not a diamond!". Sonically, I don't get the transition to DMA but I can get it lyrically. I'm not big on this one. It's got a touch of country, a touch of 60's folk but neither hits. Passionate singing of "Benefits, Health Care, and Dental", I'm not on board with. This is an okay song but I wouldn't listen to it if it weren't for my job as a judge. So putting DMA in front of Pareidolia makes it that jobs drive you crazy. I'm sorry but this is the antithesis of Semiprecious for me. I don't enjoy this soporific song at all. It doesn't spark emotion for me. I couldn’t enjoy the music. This is all wrong for me. The suite is kinda there. I can link SemiP to DMA but it gets harder to do with Pareidolia.
Thank you for these long, well thought out reviews! I really appreciate seeing the thought process, even if we don’t know which rankings are yours. It helps us improve for next time!

I agree, I think semiprecious is probably the best whole package song we’ve ever put out, and it was a blast to work on. Next time we play live, I’ll make sure it’s in the line up! And you’re right, pareidolia and semiprecious are polar opposites. When I saw we had to connect the two, I did a double take. That was definitely a CHALLENGE! Our take was mainly narrative, but we were also going for a tonal middle ground. I will say, I really like our DMA. It’s funny, and stand on its own out side of the context of the challenge. That’s what matters, right? That we like the songs we make? Lol

Side note- are reinstatements a thing this year...?
“It's like opera for toddlers or something.” -furrypedro
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Cybronica wrote:
Thu Jun 03, 2021 3:31 pm
Side note- are reinstatements a thing this year...?
They are not.
Evil Grin bandcamp - Evil Grin spotify
T.C. Elliott bandcamp - T.C. Elliott spotify

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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by j$ »

W.A.I.L. I.A.A.C. 1+1+5+ ...

Balance Lost -
Pretty but bland. I didn't mind it at all.

Berkeley Social Scene -
like the vaguely post-punk direction. Can't decide whether it's pretty catchy or slightly clunky. Both, probably.

Brown Word and the Big Whine
Hmm, not so keen on the verses (though I like the harmonies in the second verse very much) but the choruses have me captured. Joan Jett rather than the Runaways. EDIT: Actually I am thinking of Suzi Quatro in the choruses, which is meant as a compliment!

Budget Bears
Well, this plays in my favourite room in the whole big ol' house of music. love it!

Cavedwellers
Love the big ol' drums. Improves any Jethro Tull(circa "Under Wraps") pastiche. Once again, it goes on a fair bit without getting camp enough, but hey, that's a long-standing complaint that you rightly take so notice of ...

Ever Kenievel -
I really like the synth lead under the choruses. The rest not so much.

Governing Dynamics -
The whiney lyric isn't my favoured approach and it must be said (as I'm sure you know) the vocals a bit wavery/pitchy, especially on the chorus. However there's a fair bit here to like in the arrangement. I also like the subtle variation in your style this round but I fear this will be a one off and we'll be back to the Lincoln Parks next time round. Hope not.

Grumpy Mike -
Well, that's adorable. You never said 1890s! I love subpar Bertolt Brecht pastiches and you nailed it.

Heid -
Nice ukulele tone on the chorus. I don't like the verse style choices as much but that's personal taste. It's clearly very well composed and performed so I won't hold it against you.

Hot Pink Halo -
I really am not a fan of this. It should be working for me and I can't quite describe what it is that stops it moving up from average to brilliant in my soggy brain. Sorry about that.

The Lowest Bitter -
I really like the twitchy guitar part very much, but not the vocal. Not that it's bad, just drab and steals the fun out of the tune. I do like the "it if helps" BVs but they come and go and then we're back to the drab bits.

Mandibles -
Ugh. Comedy Country songs about the difficulties of being a touring musician and ... tour buses? Really?? I like the vocal and it does what it says on the tin. That's just a tin I wouldn't have on my shelf.

Max Bombast -
Love the synth-y sound - then due to the Falsetto, it goes a bit Muse to these ears. Or Therapy? Anyway perfectly fine using those criteria, I guess.

Moss Palace -
That is a brilliantly sleazy bass tone/riff. PJ Harvey called and asked if she could have her 4 track demos back :) I quite like this one, despite myself.

Nick Soma
Nice atmosphere created by the first 15 seconds. Pretty good. Probably needs a more distinct chorus section but hey what would I know It develops nicely, though I am unsure if story of the words do.

see-man-ski -
My only real problem with this rather Rag 'n' Bone Man-esque track is the 4-chord chord progression is just not interesting enough to support the song. IMO obviously. However it's quite the big problem. For me...

Third Cat -
I think it should be 10-20 bpm faster. It drags after the initial atmosphere. This would sound good with a faster, Depeche Mode-ish arrangement. At least it doesn't hang around too much, but for once I will add it could do and maybe should.

WreckdoM -
Oh no, not to my taste at ALL. I admire the Prefects / Nightingales vibe but i'm not enjoying the song. I think if the mix made a bit more impact, it would move up my list but not by many places. Disappointed fan!

(Crown Shy) -
You see, this is why we shouldn't have immunity at all, as it means a song as good as this kind of falls by the wayside. I love the Laurie Anderson-esque Spoken Word verses and the chorus is fantastic. Best song (not) in the fight and would have voted accordingly if I could.

(Not going to review the shadow entries as is the judge's perogative but I almost did as I liked Dento I-Veg's song a fair bit, and decided not to as I didn't like Lichenthroat's that much and I take no pleasure from endlessly ragging on people.)

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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by lichenthroat »

I’m not reviewing as a guest judge this time, just as a normal eliminated entrant. Reviews of shadows are mixed in alphabetically with all the others, to avoid giving anyone short shrift.

Balance Lost—I love the jangly guitar tone. The song is good overall, too; I’m surprised you didn’t score a little higher. I think this is my favorite of yours of the competition so far; I particularly like the chorus.

Berkeley Social Scene—This is a little more fun than the median BSS sound. I like the retro sound of the chorus. It’s evocative of old time rock-‘n-roll without slavishly replicating it.

Brown Word and the Big Whine—Okay, that piano is cool, and it’s mixed just right to get the effect you want. I’m not quite feeling the vocal melodies, but this the song seems well constructed, both in arrangement and production.

Budget Bears—This very solid: no exceptional moments, but good all the way through. Good rhymes. Your high finish is well deserved.

Cavedwellers—I would have ranked this a lot higher. As usual, you’ve got a lot of interesting stuff going on, and it’s listenable all the way through. I was going to say that the chorus was a highlight, but then the next verse just started and I liked that too. You’ve got some nice lines in the lyrics, too.

Crown Shy—I have to admit that I thought this was super weird at first. And maybe it still is. But somehow all the weirdness eventually coalesces into a cohesive whole. I like how you fulfilled the challenge too.

Dented Bento—This is a big upgrade over your last entry. I like how the guitars sound, and the arrangement is cool, with the gritty background with the vocal and sparse guitars interspersed. Nice increase in energy for the chorus.

Ever Kenievel—This seems like it would have been hard to sing, but you did a good job. The song feels like it needs to be a little livelier, but everything else about it seems good to me.

Governing Dynamics—More 90s goodness. The guitar interplay is great. The more I concentrate on this, the better it sounds. I would have ranked this higher, too. I’m glad you didn’t get eliminated.

Grumpy Mike—This reminds me of the swing revival a couple of decades back. That wasn’t my favorite time in music history, but your execution is pretty good. Your vocal works quite well in the context of the genre.

Heid—I was afraid this was going to be boring at first, but then the fast section started, and all those worries vanished. Now, in retrospect, the slower sections make a nice counterpoint. The drums sound good, as does your vocal. Nice work.

Hot Pink Halo—I like the chorus more than the verses, but I think this is a pretty good song overall. If I knew more about production, I might be able to suggest something that would make the different sounds pop out more, but you’ll have to get someone else’s advice for that. I did like this, though.

Lichen Throat (me)—I worked a lot on trying to have more variation within the verses. I was relatively happy with the vocal in the chorus, but I had trouble coming up with a good verse melody, especially on the first and third lines of each verse. Overall, I think this is interesting, but not entirely successful.

The Lowest Bitter—This isn’t quite my jam, but I think that you’ve put together a good song. There are lots of nice little details in the arrangement and vocal performance.

Mandibles—Most of this works really well as an Americana track with hints of more classical vocals, which is an intriguing combination. The stark contemporariness of the bridge (and later) lyrics kind of brings me out of the timeless atmosphere, even though it’s kind of a cool idea to have that contrast.

Max Bombast—Your falsetto is pure. You also lay down a nice groove, and I like the arrangement. The mid-song switch to your normal voice (double tracked) is a good addition. Good song.

Moss Palace—I enjoyed your previous entries more than this one, but that probably has more to do with genre than with quality of songwriting and performances. That solo is pretty cool.

Nick Soma—There are three kinds of Nick Soma songs: ones I love immediately, ones I love once I hear them a bunch of times, and ones that I never develop affinity for. This song falls into the second category. This one sounds better every time I hear it. Your voice sounds great here, especially on the bridge.

see-man-ski—Your vocal expression is very effective; this sounds appropriately plaintive, given the lyrics. This kind of sounds like a song that would appear on an album that would make the rest of the songs sound better—like it’s an important piece of a larger concept.

Third Cat—I’m bummed that you got eliminated; I really liked this track. The instruments sound great, and I like the interplay with your vocal. All the effects on the vocal are well-placed.

WreckdoM—I like the rhythm and the boomy drum and bass that comprise it. I’m sure it’s no surprise that I’d prefer a more conventional vocal, but then perhaps it wouldn’t really be a WreckdoM song.
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by arby »

My extremely belated shadow is up. (I do not expect a single review but will be happy if anyone hears it.) I was so discouraged by how hard the challenge is that I was happy to sit this round out, but my DH and bandmate Nivs encouraged me to try anyway, and I'm glad I did. Even if it doesn't make much sense outside of the world of these challenges, I don't hate my song, and unlike Round 1, it IS a real song, not just extemporanous randomosity.

I am going to attempt a Shadow for Round 3 as well. And not be almost a week late!!
Last edited by arby on Fri Jun 04, 2021 4:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by arby »

Also I am here to report that I got hit by the lyric posting bug - I had no quotes in my text at all. I was able to get around the bug by disabling BB code. Hope this helps debug.
"That organ is piercing my soul" - Adam Adamant
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by grumpymike »

j$ wrote:
Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:17 am
Well, that's adorable. You never said 1890s! I love subpar Bertolt Brecht pastiches and you nailed it.
I don't know if this is sarcasm or not, but I sincerely thank you for having more than "I forgot to listen to this song and now I forgot I listened to this song". FWIW I did have a post-grunge song with the same lyrics and scrapped it.

I try to avoid responding to reviews with explanations, since the votes are already in and I can't change anyone's mind at this point, but this is too fun to pass up, and I have writers' block and it's Friday night.
Niveous wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:55 pm
I hate the person in this song.
Good, you're supposed to! Maybe for the wrong reason, though. It's about a person who sells body parts.
Niveous wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:55 pm
Great transition to DMA.
Thank you very much! I thought it was cute.
Niveous wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:55 pm
Hate the horn choice. There has got to be a better virtual instrument out there.
I tried a bunch. You can't replace a real horn. However, ever since I learned they have spit-traps, I find them disgusting, so I never learned to play the one I have.
Niveous wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:55 pm
why on earth would you emphasize those words so strongly.
It's kind of like when a paranoid person talks about UFOs or the CIA. "Shhhh! They're listening!" The person in this song is kind of talking about demons. I'm sad I didn't have time to add the diabolical laugh I wanted to.

See, the title implies that the song will have an antagonist performing the dragging. The narrator of the song can't be doing the dragging. So the song has to be about someone or something else. In this case, the narrator is pinning the blame of his failed life on demons/vices. He's using an elusive "they" to avoid spelling it out more discretely for... well... pick your reasons here.

But yeah, I totally understand how it could be strange without all that context.
Niveous wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:55 pm
The suite is there.
You're referring to the fact that the first song is about pure evil, the second song is about the road to hell, and the third song is about the road to redemption, right? j/k
Niveous wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:55 pm
DMA is the lowest scorer.
Of course, that means I did the challenge even better!! A bridge shouldn't be the best part! The bridge song is the short, kitschy side bit that plays while the roadies change out gear.


Sadly, I am too busy to do the New Ugly right now and good reviews, but I really liked a lot of songs this round. Especially Crown Shy - that sounded PRO.
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by j$ »

grumpymike wrote:
Fri Jun 04, 2021 7:04 pm
j$ wrote:
Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:17 am
Well, that's adorable. You never said 1890s! I love subpar Bertolt Brecht pastiches and you nailed it.
I don't know if this is sarcasm or not, but I sincerely thank you for having more than "I forgot to listen to this song and now I forgot I listened to this song". FWIW I did have a post-grunge song with the same lyrics and scrapped it.
All the clues you need to work it out are in the post. Yes, I apologised about the round 1 review already {though your interpretation isn't what I originally said)and I will get round to righting that wrong, before the end of Nur Ein.

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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by furrypedro »

j$ wrote:
Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:17 am
(Crown Shy) -
You see, this is why we shouldn't have immunity at all, as it means a song as good as this kind of falls by the wayside. I love the Laurie Anderson-esque Spoken Word verses and the chorus is fantastic. Best song (not) in the fight and would have voted accordingly if I could.
j$
Or perhaps, this is what people are capable of when they're not trying to take the opinions of 5 random weirdos with bizarre taste into account ;) I think the results so far have indicated that just because one judge thinks something is tops doesn't necessarily guarantee that entrant's survival. On the other hand, it looks like you and I actually agree on a song. How rare!
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by j$ »

furrypedro wrote:
Sat Jun 05, 2021 7:45 am
j$ wrote:
Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:17 am
(Crown Shy) -
You see, this is why we shouldn't have immunity at all, as it means a song as good as this kind of falls by the wayside. I love the Laurie Anderson-esque Spoken Word verses and the chorus is fantastic. Best song (not) in the fight and would have voted accordingly if I could.
j$
it looks like you and I actually agree on a song.. How rare!
Don't care!

So there.


j$
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by Evermind »

j$ wrote:
Sat Jun 05, 2021 8:51 am
furrypedro wrote:
Sat Jun 05, 2021 7:45 am
j$ wrote:
Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:17 am
(Crown Shy) -
You see, this is why we shouldn't have immunity at all, as it means a song as good as this kind of falls by the wayside. I love the Laurie Anderson-esque Spoken Word verses and the chorus is fantastic. Best song (not) in the fight and would have voted accordingly if I could.
j$
it looks like you and I actually agree on a song.. How rare!
Don't care!

So there.


j$
(narrator voice) Johnny narrowly escaped human connection. He was safe... for now.
I am definitely too square for how experimental this is, but I can imagine that if I was in the right state of mind, the section starting at 2:20 might transport me to another dimension - jeffhenderson
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by furrypedro »

I wrote half of these last week and thought I might as well finish them off.


BSS: This has loads of little twinkles and rhythmic jerks that I dig. I'm pleased that there are more of the little arrangement details that felt a bit absent from the last tune. Nice harmonies in the chorus.

Brown Word: Cool kind of louche trip hop in the verses here. I like that guitar lurch into the chorus, where the song reminds me a bit of "Free your mind and your ass will follow". I like those piano overlays in the verse.

Budget Bears: Vom's got another semi. I like when choruses go quieter than the verses as you do here. nice shimmery guitar tone and fun little rock out.

Cavedwellers: Whether it works or not I always give kudos for trying 5/4. I like the melody in the verse. I feel the squelchy synth is a little loud in the mix and slightly too omnipresent. After the breakdown this starts to build a nice bit of momentum. Good to hear those echoey guitars from Paredolia return too.

Ever Keneivel: I like the mix of synths and this is another pleasant pop tune. I feel the chorus lyrics are sung a little too quickly. The more I listen the less weird it seems though so maybe it just takes a little getting used to.

Governing Dynamics: Straight off the bat this is very much my bag. Loving the rumbling low jangle and twinkly high jangle. Feeling strong Superchunk vibes. Your vocals sound good here too. I like that quick fire middle section, or was it a verse? Whatever. Good effort.

Grumpy Mike: I made a conscious decision to say mostly nice things in these reviews, so...I don't have much to say about this. Sorry. Musically I guess it's mostly well executed. Just really not my thing. Lyrically, not feeling it at all.

Heid: Gotta admit this is not usually what I listen to, but your invention and execution is really impressive. The contrast between the creepy, brooding verses and the rousing chorus is great. Your voice is exceptional and those haunting backing vocals add great atmosphere.

Hot Pink Halo: This song is really nice. All the usual HPH hallmarks are here; super jangly guitars which I love, and very catchy melodies. I wish you had a better drumset than these (what I assume to be) Garageband drums as I don't think they do you justice. Nice minor chord to end on too. Your breathy vocal reminds me of Sleeper's Louise Wener of whom I was a fan back in the day. If Sleeper had done a C86 style album (which they definitely should have done) it probably would've sounded like this.

TLB: This track was the most frustrating one of the batch for me. Musically I totally love it. The pulsing bass feels great. Love those guitars, did you play those? It sounds different from your usual guitars so I thought they may be samples? The horns are really joyful and uplifting. Were this an instrumental it would be going right on my phone and getting repeated listens. But...while I don't think the lyrics are bad from a technical point of a view and the singing is good, some of them are just (even for you) too overwhelmingly neurotic for me to stomach for more than a few listens. Sorry. I wish there was some of your wit or self-deprecating humour to take the sting out a bit. Please put an instrumental mix on soundcloud!

Mandibles: Very well done. Massive genre bias in play here against it I'm afraid. The lyrical angle is original, bit weird to dream of a life of office drudgery mind you. The spoken "overrated" possibly a questionable choice. But yeah beautifully played and sung.

Bax Mombast: I kinda like the slightly edgy discordancy of the opening riff and those lead guitars. I was going to say this suffers from the same disease that Nick and my tunes have in that the verses go on too long, but this is all verse and as a result feels like it doesn't really go anywhere. But it's pretty good.

Moss Palace: The retro-ness of this has a very contemporary feel. Very stylish, the buzzsaw bass is awesome, the squirts of hammond are a nice touch and the jerking guitars are cool. Starts to lose me a bit at the proggy solo section but pulls it back nicely into the final verse. This sounds like what The Serviettes are going for but executed with more panache and proficiency.

Nick Soma: The drums sound massive. All the parts are well done. I like the initial strums of acoustic guitar, but I would've liked if you left it at that instead of the constant acoustic rhythm from that point on. This song feels like it takes forever to get to the chorus and then when it hits it doesn't reach the heights I was hoping for. An accomplished performance, but doesn't get me in the feels or hit many of my musical buttons. That's on me more than you.

Mike who sees the man skiing: Moody tune this one. I like the distorted piano overdub in the chorus, but I wish the 4th note had a little push on it to match the rhythm. Not much I can say, it's well done, but I usually prefer stuff a little more upbeat and sunny. Just a taste thing.

Third Cat: I wrote this after the results were released and I am sad that you got the chop as I like to hear your stuff above a lot of the field here. I like the arrangement here and your characteristic mix of guitars, synths and spacey production. I think the song's quite hooky, but maybe it wasn't hooky enough, who knows? It's quite downbeat and fades out a bit abruptly but I think it's a nice production. Hope you do shadows.

Wreckdom: Of all the songs this week this sounds the most like a band just goofing around. So it's kinda fun. I like the trumpet and synth bursts in the background. It sounds like there's a party going on the other room.

Crown Shy: Based on johnny's comment earlier I'm curious to know if you'd have submitted this if you didn't have immunity since it's markedly more discordant than your usual ouvre. But those atonal guitars are really cool, and this is one occasion where the spoken bits really work adding a creepy atmosphere without sounding goofy or weird. It's a tune that doesn't seem to care who's listening and benefits from that added swagger.

Dented Bento: Not sure those euro disco beats are the right choice and the guitars are too loud. The song itself passes me by.

Lichen Throat: Another interesting midi guitar line and jerky drum beat. There must be a name for this genre. It's like midi-post-punk-americana. I worry I might repeat everything I've said in previous reviews of your songs. The atmosphere, lyrics, and musical direction is pretty cool, vocal timing and melody are almost non-existent.

Virgo Power: The twinkliness of this makes me want an omnichord. I'm not sure about the chorus lyrics that repeat semi-para-precious-dolia. It's like hitting us over the head with the challenge. The other lyrics are alright though, I wish you'd leant into them a bit more.
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by j$ »

Evermind wrote:
Sun Jun 06, 2021 2:38 pm
j$ wrote:
Sat Jun 05, 2021 8:51 am
furrypedro wrote:
Sat Jun 05, 2021 7:45 am

it looks like you and I actually agree on a song.. How rare!
Don't care!

So there.


j$
(narrator voice) Johnny narrowly escaped human connection. He was safe... for now.
Ha ha! if I was craving human connection, do you really think I would come to THIS sub-forum, narrator? ;)
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by thelowestbitter »

furrypedro wrote:
Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:41 pm
Love those guitars, did you play those? It sounds different from your usual guitars so I thought they may be samples?
I found a real sounding midi guitar sample in ableton and then moved a load of the notes around to make my own tune while keeping the different velocity settings programmed on each note that make it sound real, probably gonna be going back to that well in the future as I can never record real guitar that I like the sound of, and imo it turned out pretty convincing for midi.
furrypedro wrote:
Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:41 pm
too overwhelmingly neurotic for me to stomach
yeah definitely went overboard on this one. But also I love this as a description of my music, pls can I use this as a sticker quote if I ever get round to finishing my album.
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by owl »

Thanks for the kind words on my shadow, those of you who commented about it!
furrypedro wrote:
Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:41 pm
Crown Shy: Based on johnny's comment earlier I'm curious to know if you'd have submitted this if you didn't have immunity since it's markedly more discordant than your usual ouvre. But those atonal guitars are really cool, and this is one occasion where the spoken bits really work adding a creepy atmosphere without sounding goofy or weird. It's a tune that doesn't seem to care who's listening and benefits from that added swagger.
Oh yeah this was absolutely an "I have immunity so I'm going to do whatever the fuck I want without worrying about it" song, and what I wanted turned out to be dicking around with a bunch of discordant guitar layers and then figuring out words and structure later. I probably would have approached the writing process differently if I didn't have immunity, and so probably wouldn't have ended up with this. I had fun!
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by Chumpy »

The Jerks have returned with a podcast, where we review all the songs for the Nur Ein XVI Round Two!

Here is how you can play along at home: For those of you not familiar with our shtick, you can either download the whole podcast above, or you can just click on the the chapters in the index to listen to just the parts of the podcast you're likely to care about.

INDEX: Hope ya enjoy your just rewards!
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by crumpart »

Chumpy wrote:
Mon Jun 07, 2021 8:09 am

INDEX:
Re watching the listening parties. I would love to, but they happen at 2am here and I need to go sleepy bye. I do definitely catch up the next day and read through everyone’s chat though.

Also I love that WELCOME TO NUR EIN song. It’s so good.
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by Lunkhead »

Sweet! It's awesome to see the return of the 2 Jerks podcast!
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by furrypedro »

Chumpy wrote:
Mon Jun 07, 2021 8:09 am
The Jerks have returned with a podcast, where we review all the songs for the Nur Ein XVI Round Two!
Yay, thanks for putting this together guys. Very fun to listen to. Also thank you for the song feedback, particularly re: the harmonies. Having spent 99% of my life being a shitty singer I was never confident enough to try harmonies, so they're kinda new to me and I'm not aware of any rules so it's good to get tips. I really wanna go back and rework my tune to get rid of the rubbish and salvage the good parts.
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by Geech »

Chumpy - "There's been a lot of effort put into these songs over the last three rounds and there's been a number of one-sentence flippant reviews from the judges and I'm like, shit, these people deserve better than that."

Hell yes. Thank you!

(Upon further reconsideration after hearing Jerks' BSS Review)

Well, maybe amping to paragraph-level flippant reviews is actually not better than that.
Last edited by Geech on Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by Cybronica »

Hooray for podcast! I can’t wait to give it a listen!

I finally got around to writing some reviews! I did no proof reading, so sorry in advance for any and all typos.

Nur Ein 16 r2

Heid: I really love this song. You remind me of Florence and the machine on this track. The dark moody verses juxtaposed with the peppy, angry chorus is brilliant. The verse winds us up, and the chorus pops jack out of the box. The backing vocals are beautiful, a nice subtle touch. Well won. Only possible note is that the uke sounds like it’s recorded in a different room. I don’t know what to do about that production wise, and it’s so minute i don’t think you need to worry about it.

Budget Beats: the intro makes me laugh. The song is angry and up beat, passive aggressive, and I like that. The guitar solo is great.

Moss Palace: the distortion on the voice is fine, but I think it’s overdone, especially since it sounds so similar to the guitar tone. I would have liked maybe either the verse or the hook without it, for contrast. I really love the sound of your voice on the Oohs. Favorite part of the song.

Nick Soma: I looove the eerie sound on your guitar in the intro. The sound you get with the half time and chorus is a perfect match for the narrators character. Great job capturing his inner mind in music. The little touches like the reverb/echo on sensory overload is great. And then the shift with the rocks is really effective. I have to say, I kinda don’t like the narrator, but that’s good- you fleshed him out enough that I have fEeLinGs about him. And really, he has a good character arc over the course of the song, so I’m not really complaining.

Max bombast: I appreciate your adherence to the letter of the challenge, but I really hope that you have a version without the tail of semiprecious and the foley into pareidolia. They detract from the song itself. Your singing is beautiful, and I like the adding of different timbre layers. My fav thing about this song is the pitch bending in the front third of it. It is such a cool effect, and I revel in it.

Balance lost: sane comment as above regarding the tail of the previous song. The verse vocal gets lost, and I think it’s because you’ve got a lot of instruments in the same frequency range. This is alleviated in the chorus because you add the higher harmony. Chorus, BTW, is the catchiest part. The addition of ‘this town‘ is enough to set it apart from you’re average pop chorus.

Lowest bitter: the intro/guitar is really cool. The quick, precise snippets are great juxtaposed with your fast and loose, slip n slide style vocals. I’m a sucker for sax- it makes the song for me. I know the lyrics are trying to say something, but I didn’t read the lyric page for these reviews, so it just comes off as a list of mental health issues.

See-man-ski: what a great opening. The pianos sounds great, and I love that slow build in the orchestration. That low bass synth is a delicious timbre. I like how the backing vocals interact with the lead, especially when they don’t line up - not in a sloppy recording way, but in a purposeful, this starts a beat later way.

BWBW: ‘the flame to my moth’ is a great line- the implication of the song is that this person is holding you to them, but with the moth analogy, it reveals that it’s really yourself who has kept you in this bad relationship. Deep. The bridge is a great tie into the next song. Could have done without the bird sounds. It still would have connected.

Grumpy Mike: the trumpet sound at the start is too exposed not to be heard for the midi. When the brass pad comes in later, it’s buried enough to sound like it *could* be real. Also the trumpet line sounds very pianistic it the way the line was written. The piano and the trumpet could both sound less quantized with a touch of reverb

Cavedwellers: love this song so much. It’s like, Simon and Garfunkel meets industrial grunge. I love the use of the factory sounds in the percussion. This song was stuck in my head ALL WEEK last week, and I didn’t even mind, so good job! The orchestration is so busy; it toes the line between keeps me interested and overwhelming. Love the tone on the guitar in the solo. The harmonies in the last chorus are phenomenal.

BSS: this is my favorite from you guys this nur ein. Love the vocal tone on this. This sounds like a classic.

Governing Dynamics: your voice is so pressed in the chorus. It goes beyond the effect you’re going for and wanders over to possible vocal damage territory. I get more concerned at the end with the soaring vocals, which it a fab melodic line, but I’m concerned about how you’re singing it. The bridge sounds like you’re going for a falsetto voice, but instead putting on a faux whisper that strains your voice. This is a different from your other songs I’ve heard- it seems you went to the wrong extreme on your regular vocal delivery.

WreckDom: Well- weeEEEELLL- WEEEEEELLLLLLL~ what is this? I feel like I did the first time I heard Ives in music theory- just… what was that??this song is funny, and you execute the way I think you mean to, and your vocal production is good, but man am I not your target demo for this.

Ever kenieval: buttery smooth vocal. Love the chorus vocals especially the harmonies. I will say the auto is very evident. I kinda feel like, I see London I see France I see EK’s auto tune.I’m not a fan of ending the song on the field recording, but I am a fan of the sound of thunder, so whaddya gonna do?

HPH: I was painting when I first listened to these songs, so I felt very seen by this song. I love the imagery you use in your song. Having read your liner Notes, I think you a great job discussing the subject. Hey there key change!

Mandibles: Our two song were so diametrically opposed that this challenge proved to be, well, a challenge. This song was meant to be funny, but it seems clear that didn’t come across as well as we would have liked. Still, though, I like it. The bridge would have been better if Estaphonia had been able to record. Our ‘heavenly chorus sings about benefits’ conceit came about cause she was out of town, and I suppose it just wasn’t as funny as I thought it was.

Third cat: how is this dead last??? I loved this song. I love what you do do with the production bringing in and out the echo and reverb. I love how you use echo on the solo. This song is so cool! And then the break down! This is a trippy song, and i love it for that. So sad to see you go.

Crown Shy: What a good use of immunity- I love how experimental this is, no holds barred. The chorus is beautiful, and I love it up against the twilight zone style verses.

Dented Bento: this is interesting because you had no semiprecious to bridge from. I choose the interpret the lyrics as being being about a spirit coming out of nothingness, and that being the connection. And then the lyrics also foreshadow the subject of pareidolia, so we’ll bridged.

LT: i feel like this is your Origin Story. The story flows well, and I like how it progresses. I think you still have a tendency to squeeze a couple more syllables than you should into a line, but the improvement is there and continues.

Virgo Power: the lyrics are a Little too simplistic and box ticking regarding the title and challenge. I do like your singing and the Omnichord, but I would like another instrument in the mix- a bass, a strings pad, something to round out the orchestration. Right now, it’s all very high and there’s not a whole lot of sustain. It feels more like a demo than a song.
Last edited by Cybronica on Mon Jun 07, 2021 12:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Nur Ein XVI: Round Two "Drag Me Around"

Post by Geech »

Dear Jerks - BSS with "the most boring and repetitive chorus I've heard in a long time". Well, I didn't intend to go that far with it, but I was surprised that you didn't make the leap to connect the repetition with the title and and theme of the lyrics. Oh, poor me, another misunderstood artist.
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