You Mean We Do Reviews? (You Mean The World)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Who'd a thunk it?

[Crates]

Hey, just curious... why didn't my submission get included? I submitted it on December 1st under the artist name "SmaBoi"...

[Lunkhead]

Because your email is not in the fightmaster mailbox. Nor do I see it in the junk folder. Did you get the automated confirmation reply?

Anyway, try sending it again. Don't include a URL to your Web site in the email this time, in case that got your message caught up in spam filtering. I will look into creating a profile for you in the archive. I've never done that before. I think I know what I need to do but it will take some investigation later.

[Crates]

Yeah, I did get the confirmation e-mail. I'll send it again. You can also download it here (just say you want to pay $0):
http://smaboi.bandcamp.com/track/you-mean-the-world

[hillbilly]

lot of good songs this week------Charles and Pierre- man I like this.Great lyrics, love your vocals.
Berkely---There is nothing I can say but like the mood and good job all round.
pig---good picking.
Nick----What's up, glad to see you back.
Veg---- You'r beginning to grow on me a bit.

[Chumpy]

Berkeley Social Scene
Really like the way the guitars trade licks on the solo with different tones and different panning, sounds really good. That "kick me when I'm down" in the chorus stuck in my head after a few listens, and I found myself humming it later.

Charles and Pierre Etienne
You know what I like about this song? Everything. The plucky and bowed strings, electric and acoustic piano, the bell, the killer soulful vocals, it all just works really well. It doesn't sound like it was made in somebody's basement, this shit is prostyle. VOTE.

glennny
Oh man, there are some great rhymes in this one. Tatooine/Dramamine, Jupiter/stupider, and your voice fits perfectly with the laid-back sorta country-rock sound. The slide guitar sounds great, and the 'looking for patterns / rings around Saturn' build up is sweet. Nice job Glenny, enjoyed it. VOTE.

Inflatable Vegetables
Got that iVeg 80s synth sound in spades. I like how you flipped the title a bit, "you me and the world" which sounds kinda like "you mean the world" but is better. One of the reasons we didn't participate in this fight is I hated the title, but I like your take on it. In think in a few places your vocals have some slight crackle & distortion to them, maybe they need to be brought down a tad? The vocal harmonies on 'you me and the world' are solid.

Jim Fallope and his Fallopian Dudes
Man that stereo acoustic guitar sounds sweet, and then your prog rock vocals come in, and I'm so digging it. A complex earth there is no dearth of factors contrary. This is some seriously awesome G&G, and the vocal harmonies on 'flat' are on right on. And the tease pause right before the final flats is great. I can hear your computer keyboard at 1:05, like you're hitting 'stop recording' in your DAW or something. It also gets a little sloppy in the editing at the end, I can hear a pop where two regions are joined at a non-zero crossing at 2:06, cross fade that. Vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote.

Nick Soma
That's a nice effect with just the mandolins, bass and voice. A pretty melody for sure, but I think it needs a change-up somewhere in the song. I kept expecting it to break into new section with drums, or maybe some other variation.

Pigfarmer Jr
Damn pig, this is a sweet composition. I really like this song, the melody, straight-forward Southernish rock style, the singing, the guitars, the lyrics, but the timing issues are distracting. Damn, I almost want you send me the stems so I can load this thing up in Logic and push little flex-time markers around so everything lands on the beat. Regardless, I voted for this song because it's great, timing warts and all. Great bridge, love the acoustic guitar breakdown.

[iVeg]

Thanks for comments, Chumpy and Hillbilly.
I was struggling with the original title, so I added a space. Then it was easier.

[Lunkhead]

i finally got around to adding the SmaBoi track. Sorry for the delay, very busy with the pending holidays and whatnot. I'm going to update everything this weekend, so you won't get a lot of time for folks to listen and vote. My bad! Better luck next time.

[hillbilly]

Charles--- kicked your asses this week, if he dosent win, this is fucked up.

[Crates]

Charles--- kicked your asses this week, if he dosent win, this is fucked up.

I totally, completely, 110% agree. =)

[AJOwens]

Berkeley Social Scene -- I like all the individual parts -- especially the bass -- but somehow this isn't coming together for me; it seems to drag a bit, as if it's just going through the motions. The arrangement is clear, maybe even a little sparse.


Charles and Pierre Etienne -- The rhythmic syncopation is very effective. The vocals are persuasive, and the reverb in the chorus takes them up a notch. Good groove, good hook, good vibe; a solid entry.


glennny -- I like the peculiar bass opening. A comfortable lilting rhythm gives this appeal, and the slide adds a lot to the atmosphere. The backing vocals are a bit indistinct, and when the instruments go to double time it gets muddy, but this is a sweet, touching song. Did you just rhyme "Jupiter" with "stupider"? -- points for cheekiness.


Inflatable Vegetables -- The vocals are a bit too out front in the mix, and the music is too subdued, lacking dynamic range. This means I can hear the lyrics quite clearly, but nothing about them grabs me. Compositionally the song has some interest, but in the end, not a lot of energy.


Jim Fallope and his Fallopian Dudes -- Crisp guitar recording and playing. The vocal delivery reminds me a little of of Cat Stevens -- sort of Cat-Stevens-meets-Bilbo-Baggins, actually. A simple song with some weird bits; quite listenable, but it's not jumping out at me.


Nick Soma -- I like the bright, energetic, mandolin-driven folk sound in the arrangement, but the drawn-out, meditative vocal style seems to be coming from somewhere else. One guitar in the mix seems also a little out of place, drifting without finding a home. Even so, the overall effect is hypnotic and not without merit.


Pigfarmer Jr -- A punchy sound, something like country-rock grunge, gives this an original and appealing character. I can warm to it. Good break in the middle eight, and a reasonably infectious tune that puts me in mind of Blue Rodeo. The production could use a little polish, but this is a good entry.


SmaBoi -- A well-chosen palette for a delirium. The lyrics are completely buried, creating a hallucinatory effect. When the percussion comes to life in the second minute, it adds some energy and helps sustain interest, but at the same time it gives me something to focus on, which disturbs the trancelike, dreaming quality.