I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Discuss upcoming, current, and previous song fights.
Aahz
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by Aahz »

I just got a CP around xmas! Loooove that thing, had plans to use it on this track but spent all my time wranglin' the steel. No wonder I liked your EP sound. :) The robot drummer visual is pretty apt. Been working on incorporating lofi sampled stuff into an Americana vibe. Daydreams of live shows... but it's usually been easier to find a real drummer than work out the sounds myself. It progresses...
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by j$ »

w.a.i.l. i.a.a.c.

Aahz - nifty guitar-picking! Superior C&W pastiche - not my bag musically but that's hardly your problem and this is perfectly pleasant listen. Like the little story that evolves throughout the song. The random swear-word sits a bit odd in the rest of the song; then again I can hardly talk about unnecessary swearing this week out, can I?

BBS - See my review in Nur Ein. Everything I said there still stands. I was hoping you might ditch/change the words to/replace with a solo the 'This is not a test' section lyrically. It still sits odd and also that clacking artefact on the guitar in the pre-chorus/bridge/whatever is still very distracting for me but hearing it a few more times, it is definitely a massive grower (matron).

Go-Kups - not sure what a Go-Kup is, I keep reading Go-Karts. I like this. Not sure at the 60s Rawk Singer vocal performance. It's a good voice, just a little over the top perhaps but then again I guess it's a silly title deserving of such an approach. A good listen, it doesn't really go anyway where but what it does, it does well.

AJ Owens - That's not a bad Johnny Cash impression. "The only time I think of you is every single day' is a good line. More C&W pastiche, done very well, which is not a genre that excites me much but this is impressive. Good sound, great mix, doesn't outstay its welcome. Good stuff.

Jerkatorium ft. Micah - This has a good Pogues feel to it. Accordian VSTs for tah win! (tee hee). The skank rhythm guitar is good but maybe fills up the overall sound a little too much? I am listening in headphones but the accordian seems a bit quiet in comparision? maybe not. Yeah, this is good - doesn't reach out of the speakers and throttle me for attention but it gallop past at a fun, catchy pace and there's f-all wrong with that.

j$ - is me. I wrote this with someone else singing it in mind but the person in question wasn't available so I ummed and ahhed and ended up reccording the vocal with an hour and a half before the deadline. The 'Ted Kord' line refers to DC's 'Countdown to Infinite Crisis' (2005) for me the point when DC decided that going dark on characters, even those for whom it makes absolutely no sense, was the turning point where DC comics became joyless and dour for the sake of appearing 'grown-up' and that the logical conclusion of this awful progress is 'Batman vs. Superman'. So the song's intended as a spiritual successor to X-Tokyo River God's 'Don't Break My Heart Again, George Lucas'. 'Rot in Hell, Max'. Anyway, it is what it is and the mix is a little bassier / flatter than I hoped.

Levitdown - Another C&W-tinged entry. What is it about this title? Anyhoo, this is fine. A little sparse in the arrangement (that 16 bars around 1.10 are crying out for a solo atop for instance) and I like your voice despite/because of some of the more strained high notes. it has a vulnerability that suits the song/title.

Macaque Attack - Nice slab of pop. Some nice images scattered in here - 'Jim Morrison's spirit animal' and 'purple unicorns' are fun. The ending is great, the guitar riff should have been louder here, the voice is overpowering the mood at that point a little. Yeah, this is a fun listen, not the biggest ear-worm on the first few listens, and there are a few flat notes here and there but I'm not reaching up to skip / turn it off so it definitely has something!

Paco - Always rely on Paco to up the pace. I heard 'The fat can't be ignored' - which is a title I want to see on SF! Love the verse riff, the chorus is not the strongest part of the song by a long way (bridge into solo takes that trophy). Cute little 'true' story to the lyric. Can I ignore the fact, Paco? I feel like you didn't tell me enough times for me to be sure :)

Sly Eli - that's a nice chord progression. Nice voice as well. Heh, just read the words - very wry!

tbd - I like the rehearsal room recording vibe (though not the chat introducing the song) and despite the distorting fun, it's just a blues riff. There's a lot of inventiveness going on lyrically and structurally but it kind of doesn't really go anywhere and the minimal 'arrangement' (bass, drums and vocals I think?) means that everything is more exposed. You don't need a guitarist or a synth player but the pressure on the bass-line to be strong enough to listen to it on its own is increased tenfold, even in a punk song. Anyway, this is short, to the point and sounds like it was a lot of fun to make, so who am I to be churlish?
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Lunkhead
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Re: BSS. Long explanation. Ken and Glen and Ryan tracked the drums, rhythm guitar, and bass Tuesday night. Ryan brought some bass he hadn't played at our space before and played through the bass amp at our space. I think they knew the tone was not good but he didn't want to adjust the EQ on the amp for fear of messing up the way Martin had it set. In reality though, it wasn't actually set in any particular way and his caution was totally unnecessary. :/ Ken sent out a demo from that night to us all, and wrote some lyrics. His mom came to visit so he had no more time to work on it till after the weekend. I took it upon myself to finish the song in time to submit for Nur Ein, editing the lyrics, tracking the vocals, keys, and solo, and mixing my tracks on top of the demo Ken sent. I didn't have the individual bass track so I couldn't really EQ the clacky sound away. The bridge vocals thing, what I wanted to do was to make some trippy phased sounding vocals but it didn't really turn out the way I wanted in time.

I guess for all the talk that this "is NOT production fight" apparently one instrument that sounds really bad in just the chorus of your song can pretty much tank your song. Kind of frustrating, especially considering how many entries here are all instruments that sound bad the entire time... Also it makes me suspect everybody's listening on laptop speakers or something, as when I was mixing I noticed that the clacky noise is super pronounced on laptop speakers but not nearly as bad on headphones.

Anyway, I want to try to find time to actually write reviews this time around because I enjoyed every song in this fight. Great work everybody! My favorites were Aahz, The Go-Kups, and j$ (I enjoyed the commentary on the state of the DCEU).
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by j$ »

I don't think it tanks the song, which I like; I just think it's a bit distracting. In that every time I hear it I'm thinking 'oh what's that'?' I should know by now but listening again today it caught me out. It's not a major thing and it gives even more organic dynamic - And with the 'bridge' - it's not the idea, which again is great, it's just not the words I want to hear there? I know that makes no sense but it's what I feel every time I get there (I must have heard it 7 or 8 times between the two fights now) - I am not saying I won't vote for this because I really like it and myself I'm not 'production fight' enough to let very minor issues get in the way of a deserved vote. I just need to think about it a little more to be sure ... the fight was very much that way for me, all good songs but nothing immediately shouting 'VOTE FOR ME' - so I'm giving it a day or two (and another listen) before deciding.

(oh P.S - I generally listen on headphones as I have a partner who is always busy / not in the mood for being distracted - but I think I'm in the minority?

j$
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slyeli
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by slyeli »

Thanks for the review everyone. Here are mine:

aahz - The country style fits really well with the lyrics. It's peformed and recorded well too.

berkleysocialscene - Love the keyboard sound and playing in this one. The only thing that puts me off is the clicky guitar sound. It seems out of time with the music, which I guess is intentional, but it's too distracting for me.

gokups - This is great. The rough vocals and loose feel to the playing suit the subject matter. Catchy chorus too.

jamesowen - Like the Johnny Cash feel to this one. Good work.

jerkatorium+michsommersmith - This is performed and recorded well. I'm not a fan of the melody in the chorus, it doesn't feel right to me, but that's just personal taste.

johnnycashpoint - It's good to have something that's a different style to break up the fight. I'd put the vocals a little bit higher as it's a bit difficult to make out the lyrics. The melody isn't doing it for me but it's performed well.

levittdown - The timing seems a bit off on this. The loose feel sounds deliberate but I think it's been pushed a bit too far for my tastes. I think I'd like this if it was a bit tighter.

macqueattack - The verse melody in this really reminds me of another song but I can't quite put my finger on which one. It's a good song that's well performed. I like it but it's driving me nuts trying to place the song it reminds me of.

pacodelstinko - This is good, very catchy. I'm not a fan of the solo but other than that I like it.

tbd - This reminds me a bit of Fugazi, in a good way. I know that distorted vocals fit with the style of this song but it sounds like digital clipping rather than a nice analogue distortion. If you could fix that I think it would greatly improve this recording.
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slyeli
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by slyeli »

Aahz wrote:Sly Eli - Nice enough guitar playing but poorly recorded or mixed. Roll some lows off the acoustic guitar and low mids from the vocals to clean things up and give it a little sparkle. Keep working on the vocals, pleasant voice but pitchy on sustained notes.
I only had an hour to write and record this and I guess it shows :). There are lots of mistakes in the performance but I'm happy with the song writing. I recorded it on my Tascam dictaphone which is why the recording is so rough. Normally I'd spend more time on the performance and recording.
gramparsons wrote:Sly Eli - "All of this shrimp are making me feel limp." Great line. Really good, clever song.
Thanks. I usually struggle with lyrics but these ones seemed to write themselves.
j$ wrote:Sly Eli - that's a nice chord progression. Nice voice as well. Heh, just read the words - very wry!
Wry was what I was aiming for so I'm glad you picked up on that :).
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slyeli
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by slyeli »

Lunkhead wrote:I guess for all the talk that this "is NOT production fight" apparently one instrument that sounds really bad in just the chorus of your song can pretty much tank your song. Kind of frustrating, especially considering how many entries here are all instruments that sound bad the entire time... Also it makes me suspect everybody's listening on laptop speakers or something, as when I was mixing I noticed that the clacky noise is super pronounced on laptop speakers but not nearly as bad on headphones.
I wrote my review before reading your comments so I didn't realize that it wasn't a deliberate effect. For me, listening on headphones, it wasn't really pronounced but in places it sounds like an echo on the bass that is at a different tempo to the song. It didn't ruin the song for me, I still enjoyed it.
Aahz
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by Aahz »

Sly Eli - wow, much credit given for working fast with available gear!
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by Chumpy »

Paco: Snotty lead vocals, killer BVs, and I woke up this morning with 'The fact can't be ignored' bouncing around in my head. Nice intro; panned crunchy guitar, unison drum & bass, snare fill + bass slide provide a running start into verse 1.

Ahhz: Great country guitar sounds, clear production, solid singing, tells a story. Pick and choose your F-bombs, I feel like they were overused here.

Go-Kups: Well executed competent straight-forward Rock & Roll circa 1970. Add a rhodes and you could pull off a convincing Three Dog Night.

Macaque Attack: Pop sensibilities, you guys have them. The chorus has a great hooky lift to it, but the 'out of my gourd' outtro wears thin at the end, a bridge might have helped.

Levittdown: The unaffected and and resigned character of the singing wins me over. The lack of pretense turns minor recording clacks and pops turn into character rather than annoyances. Hooky use of the song title in the chorus.

Jerkatorium & Micah: Unison chorus singing isn't, and defects are copy-pasted. Second vocalist does a marginal Shane McGowan impression. Tasty accordion solo.

BSS: Over reliant on Western ideas of functional harmony, dominant to tonic resolution is so Baroque.

James Owens: Nice honky-tonk guitar, that's a Telecaster right? Maybe it's about baking, maybe it's about getting baked, the ambiguity frankly annoys me, but who cares; it's a legit-sounding toe-tapping country number that's over before you know it.

Sly Eli: Recording sounds decent to me. Good singing, solid playing, pretty folky melody, and fucked up fun lyrics that an actual stoned person would likely find hilarious.

TBD: Turn down the mic. Guitar is dull it blends with the bass so much you could hardly hear it. Fiddle with the pickup selector, crank up the treble. Good live energy, good drumming. Lyrics not bad, singing not bad, hope to hear you next fight.

j$: Minor key 80s synth pop combined with tedious mainstream comic book fandom. The verse vocal melody is ponderous and gloomy, the chorus builds to something, but never gets there.
"I don't recommend ending on a bad joke." --ken
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GravityJohnson
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by GravityJohnson »

The verse melody in this really reminds me of another song.
Hi Sly Ely. Thanks for your comments, please let us know if you remember. :)
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GravityJohnson
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by GravityJohnson »

A few thoughts from me:

Levittdown - Nice little simple ditty. Quite enjoyed this. I think it benefitted from being nice and short or it would have needed some additional instruments, sections, and interest. But as it is in this form it was just fine. A really nice listen.

Jerkatorium feat. Micah Sommersmith - Firstly, loving the accordion! Quite like this Irish-tinged offering, particularly like that the voice changes for the second verse, makes it feel like an informal gathering in a bar somewhere. Would have been great to end this with some bar room background noise, people laughing and chatting, etc. Great work on this.

The Go-Kups - Just personal taste of course, but this may have benefitted from a fuller sound. So more guitar layers, an organ maybe, other instruments too. I like the straight up rock n roll vibe but kinda feel it still has unfulfilled potential.

Sly Eli - Nicely played and very nicely sang. This simply arranged folk track is one of my favourites this week. Good stuff.

TBD - For my taste, the distortion really doesn't work. Controlled distortion is fine, but this sounds like the mic itself is clipping badly. The guitar in there is badly buried too. Nice idea with the recipe though :)

James Owens - Nice slice of country music, nicely sang and nicely put together. Certainly one of the best entries this week, in my opinion, as it seems you've totally nailed the sound and style you were aiming at. Good stuff.

Paco del Stinko - Good fun and nicely played. I'm personally not totally taken on the repetition in the chorus, but that's minor and just personal taste. Really like the backing vocals. One of my favourites of the week for sure.

Aahz - Nicely played, sang, and produced. Hits the target in terms of the sound and style aimed at. Not huge longevity, but basically a good solid effort. Nice work.

Johnny Cashpoint - I can't quite decide if I like this or not. It thoroughly kept my attention through a few listens, so that must be a good thing. I think I have a bit of a blindspot for 80's synth pop, but I think you've probably done a pretty good job here.

Berkeley Social Scene - I really like this song a lot, but that crunching on the guitar (I think that's what's causing it) is seriously distracting and cuts right through the track. I would certainly re-record that instrument I think. That issue aside, this is my favourite track of the fight.

Good work one and all. :)
Aahz
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by Aahz »

I agree that curse words can be a lyrical cop-out. This song was written really quickly - in about twenty minutes! - which is really rare for me. There's a good amount of genuine emotion (paging Dr. Angst, Dr. Catharsis, Dr. Angst...) behind the f-bombs, and it felt good to sing, so I let it ride. It's honest and that's good but yeah, it ultimately doesn't improve the song.
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by MicahSommer »

Anybody still here? Well, in any case, here are my reviews.

Aahz - Solid country tune, though I would have liked some real (or at least more real-sounding drums). The Casio drums at the beginning were not an accurate harbinger of what was to come. :) I like the slide guitar too.

Berkeley Social Scene - The little pause and descending melody in the third line of each verse is really great, as is the ascending “Now I’m baked out of my gourd” in the chorus. An impressively wistful and melancholy song given the dumb title you had to work with. And nice job rhyming “Haight Ashbury” with “dispensary.”

The Go-Kups - Fun, loose, live-band feel. I was hoping for a guitar solo, but alas. The chorus is catchy enough but on the whole the vocal line is not very melodic. Still a pleasant enough way to spend 2:32.

James Owens - The Johnny Cash invocation is inevitable, and you do a good impression. Your voice seems a little uncertain in the higher range, but when you get down into the lower register it’s rich and warm. Fun instrumental, and clever play on the title just hinting at the interpretation everyone else went with.

Jerkatorium feat. Micah Sommersmith - This was a fun collaboration. Thanks to the jerkfaces for letting me climb on board their train. And I didn’t even have to leave my accordion in checked luggage!

Johnny Cashpoint - Buggles-style electropop. Thanks for confirming my instinct to stay away from this movie.

Levittdown - Ah the tribulations of growing up. Nice acoustic rock ditty that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Some kind of melody instrument (like maaaaaaybe an accordion???) would have been welcomed during the instrumental break, but otherwise there’s nothing to complain about.

Macaque Attack - Melodically excellent with a very nice vocal performance. My only complaints are that the lyrics are just a little too silly at times, and that the relentless wall of sound is a bit fatiguing to listen to, even for only 2:21. Though I will always welcome a good triple time section like your ending.

Paco del Stinko - A reliably excellent Paco guitar solo, and great backing vocals during the bridge and ending.

Sly Eli - Great goofy lyrics and great melody/vocals, but they don’t feel like they belong together! It made for an interesting listening experience.

TBD - I know what I’m having for dinner tomorrow! Props for going with the less popular interpretation of the title, though the sound quality leaves plenty to be desired, and a little more variation from the standard twelve-bar blues form would have been appreciated.

AWARDS:
Most creative interpretation of title: James Owens
Best rhyme for “gourd”: Macaque Attack with “Lauren Bacall” (somehow they pull it off; must be the English accent)
Best guitar solo: Paco del Stinko (not a lot of competition this time around)
Most likely to be used in a DARE presentation: Berkeley Social Scene
Certified “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes: Johnny Cashpoint
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Aahz
Like I said, I enjoy the drum machine plus country bar band vibe. Just the slight deviation from being a straight genre exercise keeps it more interesting to me. Good playing. Good mix. I think some backup vocals on the "oooooh me oh my"/"ooooh me of Lord" lines in the chorus could sound cool. One thing I'm not happy with about the volca beats is that the snare is relatively weak sounding. It sounds a little weak/soft in the mix here. I've been trying to address that myself by lowering the level of the kick, since it seemed like that was so much louder than everything else. With the kick lowered I could raise the overall gain on the volca beats and get a better mix.

BSS
This time around, we've got Ken on drums and lyrics, Ryan on unintentionally clacky bass, Glen on rhythm guitar, and me on keys, vocals, lead guitar. I was rushing through getting all my parts done to try to get this song finished in time for Nur Ein. I think it turned out ok though. If nothing else it was a successful maiden voyage for my Yamaha reface cp keyboard.

The Go-Kups
Glad to hear you here again! I don't have a whole lot of feedback on this one, it's a good solid rock song that I enjoyed. Maybe the guitar could use a little reverb or ambience or something to match the roomy/live feel of the drums?

James Owens
Your vocals have a bit of an "in the bathroom" sound. Maybe try a different reverb? Also a high-pass EQ on them if there isn't one already. I like the country rock vibe in this one too. Really nice guitar pickin'. Short and sweet.

Jerkatorium feat. Micah Sommersmith
This song is borderline too hectic feeling to me. For some reason though the accordion really makes me care less about that. I really like the singer in the first verse, good delivery though some occasional pitch issues (e.g. "dry"). By the second verse I'm really hoping for some respite from the frenzied pace. The pace seems a little in conflict with being stoned. Hm, no break, but, I do like the accordion solo. Anyway, good overall, well done.

j$
I like the backing track. That octave jumping bass synth line, it's a bit of a trope but it works. There's enough other stuff going on, with the drums and other melodic synch parts to make things pretty interesting. I really enjoy the lyric. When I collected comics a long long time ago I was a Marvel fan so I'm not as excited about the DC movies. I feel like they're "cinematic universe" is not starting off on nearly as solid footing as Marvel's. I saw "Man of Steel" but I haven't seen "BvS:DoJ" yet. Due to the reviews I think I'm just going to watch it at home when it comes out on digital/blu-ray. It sounds really bad.

Levittdown
Another well done song here, too. Nothing mind blowing but well put together. I'm bobbing my head by the chorus. Your vocals sound kind of muffled, not sure if you recorded into a laptop mic or what. Sounds like there's room for some kind of instrumental solo around the 1 minute mark. Short and sweet song though. Good idea repeating that last line as the ending.

Macaque Attack
Yet another fine head bopping rocker. If only every fight were at least this solid. Minor nitpick, but you should try varying the volume of your hi-hat/ride cymbals. It sounds like they're all 100% volume which sounds both unnatural and mildly annoying. A more natural pattern is if the upbeat hits are lower volume. Short and sweet again. Your outro could probably have been a touch shorter even.

Paco del Stinko
Everything I've come to expect from a Paco song. Was there some conspiracy to enter <2:30 long songs this time?! Anyway, nice one.

Sly Eli
Guy-tar sounds refreshing in this fight, for a change. (Song Fight had a long period where it was mostly guy-and-guitar stuff and nerdcore rap. OMG, I haven't really heard any nerdcore this fight! Yay!) Nice and simple. Guitars sound good, singing is good. I think this could benefit a lot from some one tiny extra thing happening somewhere, like some shaker/tambo for a bit, or maybe some late in the song "oooh oooh" backing vocals. I like the story though.

TBD
More rock! This reminds me of WreckdoM, also a little bit the Dead Milkmen. Another solid rock song, I like the legitimate recipe as lyrics take on this.

I want to vote for everybody this time. So weird!
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by AJOwens »

Aahz -- Unusal choice of percussion, but it ends up providing a nice two-kick. Crisp acoustic guitar work, sweet slide, straightforward bass with tasteful decorations. The composition uses hillbilly-folkish modalities in a pleasing and original way, and the vocals work well. Clear recording, good mix and production.

Berkeley Social Scene -- Dreamy groove, with an eventful, busy arrangement (maybe a little too busy now and then). Pretty and melodic composition, gentle and sweet singing, well-placed harmonies. The Rhodes sound and playing pulls everything together beautifully.

The Go-Kups -- This entry combines a dizzying array of influences; I'm hearing elements of power rock, grunge, CCR, early Stones, with Sixties vocal treatments. The band is tight in a loose and comfortable way, if you know what I mean. The chopped-up rhythms keep it interesting, and the chord patterns add simple, effective tension. A good listening experience.

James Owens -- I'm not trying to do a Johnny Cash impression, honestly, but I'm starting to wonder if I should have taken up C&W when I was young instead of emulating Procol Harum. Compositionally, there are bits of Stompin' Tom Connors, Kenny Rogers, and Dirty Maggie Mae, and I knew that going in. In fact, I took small steps to try to cover it up.

Jerkatorium feat. Micah Sommersmith -- Great Celtic quick-time, sold by the energetic drums, and of course the fine accordion. The verse and middle eight have a satisfactory ruggedness. The chorus does not feel as natural; the melody is undermined by the harmonization, which offers no contrast. I enjoyed the spirited and authentic delivery. The lyrics are clever, focussed, and well-constructed, although they seem to straddle two worlds without a clear bridge. If it's one voice, then the singer must be a drudge IT guy by day, and a famous musician by night.

Johnny Cashpoint -- This hearkens to the era of Brit synth-pop, offering a concordant, distortion-free collection of synthetic sounds and textures, intelligently arranged in a way that maintains momentum. As in that tradition, the composition is angular; its components seem straightforwardly major-scale and musical, yet the composite effect has an oddly twisted aspect. The grammatically incomplete sentences of the lyrics lend a stream-of-consciousness quality.

Levittdown -- The arrangement would benefit greatly from an intro, borrowed from the first few bars of the interlude after the second verse. The song is not adventurous in terms of composition, arrangement, or performance, but it has a pleasant tune, the vocal delivery is distinctly engaging, and the lyrics are gently wry.

Macaque Attack -- A notably dense, rich production, helped by playing that is solidly on the beat. The composition is interesting melodically, and it adds to this by making unexpected moves rhythmically. There is a curious dissonance between the melody and the chords, which grows on me. The tripletted outtro is longer than it needs to be, but the horns at the end add an evocative touch.

Paco del Stinko -- A high-energy headbanger -- lighter in its production than, say, a Ramones headbanger, but nevertheless driving, and well played and well recorded. The chorus doesn't draw me in, but I like the insistent, never-mind-about-that "you can't go back" harmonies later in the song. Fun wrap-up.

Sly Eli -- The persistently sketchy rhymes make me think you're doing it on purpose. This is a good guy-and-guitar treatment with some nice moments, in particular the opening line when you hit the E minor, which opens and brightens the song, and the sweetness around the B minor and C. The singing is, in places, off-pitch, but in an endearing rather than an unpleasant way.

TBD -- On this almost certainly live recording, you peg the needle at the start and never let up; you need to fix that, because the distortion is painful. Good enough band, rhythmically; the song is a twelve-bar, and everybody pretty much stays inside the ropes, so not much to say there. The drummer eventually changes it up nicely, and the singer connects very well throughout.
Last edited by AJOwens on Fri Apr 29, 2016 8:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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AJOwens
Panama
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Instruments: bass, guitar, keyboards, drums, flute
Recording Method: Reaper, Reason Adapted, M-Audio 1010LT + 2496 (Windows XP)
Submitting as: James Owens, The Chebuctones
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by AJOwens »

Aahz wrote:I really love hearing about what gear and techniques people are using to record and how they approach the limited spaces we usually have available.
I have a 9 x 12 room in the basement, crowded with a lifetime's accumulation of junk, to the point that the room echo is dulled naturally. This song features a Hofner Beatle bass, a Northern tele copy for both rhythm and lead (with different pickup switch settings), a low-end Roland electronic kit set to "Brushes," and a high-end Audio Technica dynamic stage mic for the vocal. Everything was recorded through a Mackie board into a couple of PCI-based M-Audio interfaces, and thence to Reaper, where I applied plugin effects. I rolled off the low end on all tracks but bass and drums; EQ'd the mic to take out muddiness; put an exciter on the drums; and added reverb of one sort or another to the guitars and the vocals. I probably used compression somewhere too.

(update) I forgot that there was also a plonky piano on the track. That's an M-Audio Keystation running into Reason Adapted, set for "bright piano" but with a slight, slow LFO on the pitch to give it an out-of-tune feel, and some Reason-supplied reverb.
Last edited by AJOwens on Sat Apr 30, 2016 3:40 am, edited 2 times in total.
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AJOwens
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Instruments: bass, guitar, keyboards, drums, flute
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Submitting as: James Owens, The Chebuctones
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by AJOwens »

Chumpy wrote: that's a Telecaster right?
Good call, it's not a real Tele, but it looks and sounds like one. It's a Northern. The fretboard markers are little black maple leaves.
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AJOwens
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Instruments: bass, guitar, keyboards, drums, flute
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Submitting as: James Owens, The Chebuctones
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by AJOwens »

Lunkhead wrote:Your vocals have a bit of an "in the bathroom" sound.
I did apply the well-known Ambience plugin, set to "Vocal-subtle" or something like that. But the plugin is a little unpredictable, at least in Reaper. Sometimes it adopts a different setting, and I have to keep an eye on it. I may have failed this time.
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Paco Del Stinko
Hot for Teacher
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Location: Massachusetts. God save the Commonwealth!

Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Thanks for the comments, peoples. I'll still get some in, they'll just be tardy. Heh.
Bringin' the stink since 2006.
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MicahSommer
Push Comes to Shove
Posts: 411
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Instruments: Voice, accordion, keyboards, guitar, euphonium
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Submitting as: Micah Sommersmith, All The Robots
Pronouns: they/them or he/him
Location: Wisconsin, USA
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Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by MicahSommer »

AJOwens wrote:I'm not trying to do a Johnny Cash impression, honestly, but I'm starting to wonder if I should have taken up C&W when I was young instead of emulating Procol Harum. Compositionally, there are bits of Stompin' Tom Connors
Really, Johnny Cash is basically the American Stompin' Tom Connors.
"you did a skillful job pulling off the sexy" - RangerDenni
Aahz
A New Player
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Instruments: Bass, guitar, steel gtr, maracas, castanets, raw fish, MPC 1000, anything that makes noise
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Submitting as: Aahz, Longfellow Street, Saint Cale, Gyre

Re: I loved your song! (Baked Out Of My Gourd reviews)

Post by Aahz »

I have a 9 x 12 room in the basement... I probably used compression somewhere too....
Groovy groovy... tnx for the feedback, cool to hear someone using reaper. I like AT mics. Cool on the piano LFO, give it a little waver, some interest. I've used a dano gtr pedal on a recorded piano track to do the same thing. Noisy but plunky and fun :)
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