Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

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Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

I have to say something here or I can't post this...
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by dirgetheband »

...any chance someone could correct the track titling? The word "the" in The Pannacotta Army is throwing everything after then off.

Good fight, though. I liked a lot of the songs. Will review later.
DT
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Doh. I'll take a look.
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Fixed. Please don't put "the" at the beginning of your mp3 filename, folks. I was in a big rush this morning and I didn't catch and fix that before posting.
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by dirgetheband »

Again, super duper excited to be back. Only listened to the songs through my crappy ear buds during my lunch break, but, with Child fully in tow, I can't guarantee I'll actually get to listen to them all at home on the HiFi. Sooooo...... (bolded bands got a vote).

Dirge - Wow wow wow. This was a total departure from like, everything I've ever recorded. I wanted it done hard and fast. Given that, I wrote the bulk of the song over the first few days of the fight and tracked it and mixed it over the span of three hours on my 4-track the day before it was due. Rhythm guitars were recorded in one take; solo, bass, and vocals took two takes each. Yes, the levels are hot. Yes, the vocals are gnarly. Yes, the drums are machine. Yes, the mistakes are plenty. I really like how my Quorthon-style vocals turned out. I wish the guitars had more presence, but I'm going to blame that on the tape bounce.

Glenny - I love the interplay between the guitars and the keys. Reminds me of nerdy-Andromeda but less metal-y. Is this Hawaiian proto prog?

Jeff DeSantis - Nice rhythmic feel here. This is the type of "country" song I like; reminds me of Skynyrd. The guitars could use more body.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff - I feel like this song falls between King Arthur's and DeSantis', but I just don't like it. Feels too stiff to me. Are the drums too loud?

King Arthur - Reading the lyrics beforehand, I wasn't sure how the heck this was going to work. I really like how it all came together. Reminds me of someone from the 60s/70s... The Band? Sounds like The Band. This should have been in the Bull Durham soundtrack. Or any Kevin Costner movie, for that matter. And that's a good thing.

Neon Veins - Are you John K Samson? Well... The guitars don't seem to sit well in the mix and the piano seems a bit overpowering. The bass is unsure of itself. If it were played with more gumption it would really help.

NMDT - Woah. Opens like a Faithless song. Don't hear that too often. Hello - RAPPING. That comes up on SongFight about as often as death metal. How many dudes are rapping/singing on this song? Sounds like 5. This is awesome. The music is cool and ominous; spooky.

Paco del Stinko - I like the busy bassline. The words are busy too, and I don't think I like how they work together. It's like there's too much happening all at once.

The Pannacotta Army - Hmm, the lyrics are whinny to start. "You hurt me." Okay. Just not a fan of this one. So I feel it's like this: the music just doesn't fit the lyrics. If you're so pained why does your playing seem so non-committed? It's like the instrumentation should be either really soft and fragile or really pissed and powerful, but it's neither.

Pepper Jane - For all your complaining pre-fight, this was really good. The guitar needs more "body" to it, please. Why does the vocal sound change so much throughout the song? Intentional or just a by-product of rushed production? I really, really like the lyrics. The song's bones are so strong; don't stow this one away, please work on it later.

Pigfarmer, Jr - Love it love it love it. It's like the soundtrack to a demented training video. Yes, I signed in. Are there donuts? Can someone validate my parking?

Squirrels in the Attic - The rhythm section seems out of sync. Did you record drums then other instrumentation and then follow up with bass? If so, I recommend maybe recording the bass while just listening to the drums. I do that sometimes and I find that it helps me get the two locked into a groove TOGETHER. Just a suggestion. A little too much processing on the vocals. Yeah, and that's from the dude who submitted a song with pitch shifted and reverb buried pipes. Whatever.

Seriously, good work everyone. Your respective gold stars are in the mail.
DT
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by dirgetheband »

So, did I break the message board with my reviews? I'm going to assume everyone is busy/out of town/laid up in the hospital and not just coming up with excuses to not review the tunes.

If I'm going to be unproductive at work it should be for a good reason, right? LOLZ.
DT
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by king_arthur »

Well, okay, you can probably tell I'm 20-30 years out of date in terms of music styles 'n' stuff, but I just try to check in once or twice a year. I've been doing some songs over at singmeastory.com (under my real name, Charles Wolff), where the weird stories the kids write maybe fit my style a bit better...

Anyway, given all that, votes to Jeff DeSantis (my favorite, good performance and lyric), Ken's (good song, the vocals maybe a little ragged), Paco del Stinko (clever lyrics, the whole thing is consistently raggedy, but I know that's your sound), Pannascotta Army (like the guitars, the lyric is clever, wish the vocals had a little more spark to them, but this was my second fave). And I'd vote for me, although I might not vote for this same song if it was by somebody else...

Dirge, NMDT and Pigfarmer, I just don't know these styles well enough to make any useful comments. Sorry.

Neonveins, it was close but the lyric just never pulled me in.

Glennny and Squirrels, the performance was just a little too raggedy - the harmonies on Glennny's and the rhythms and tuning on Squirrels.

Pepper Jane, I'm a sucker for a good girl singer (love your voice), but the copy & paste guitar part bugged me (given how good the vocal sounded, was the guitar deliberately lo-fi? or just equipment limitations?) The lyric was a little too murky for me. If it's any consolation, this is the song that will stick in my head and I'll come back in a week or so and save it off, it just didn't grab me on voting day.

Apologies, these are not very good reviews and in most cases are based on a single listen... but thanks for letting me participate and maybe something will be useful to somebody...
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by dirgetheband »

king_arthur wrote: Dirge, NMDT and Pigfarmer, I just don't know these styles well enough to make any useful comments. Sorry.
But I thought death metal was a universal language.

...and I've heard pop music made in the last 20 years; I'm not sure you are really missing much. Also, what was once in vogue often comes around again. So be ready?
DT
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

I got a little more sounds like this band name droppy than I like to, but, uh, there it is. Ask for clarification if needed.

Dirge - Funny, the guitar sounds good until the other instruments come in, then it sounds gravelly. Less gain for rhythm parts actually helps, despite the inclination to fuzz it out. Excellent lead work. This works well as caveman music. Not an insult, that. Abrupt ending is a distraction.

Glennny - Very active song. Rush and Crimson elements add up to your sound here. I admire what it does but get a little confused in where it goes at times. Regardless, an excellent arrangement and top notch playing, varying the sections subtley. I have no idea how you put this together, please don't say that it was all done on your phone.

Jeff DeSantis
- Something funny sounding about that kick drum, overcompressed or something. I like the laidback, summer evening vibe of this. Easygoing riff as casual hook. Missing is the trio of gal singers doing soft backing vocals, what's there sounds like a synth pad or something, but a nice tune.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff - Cute, catchy. My nature keeps expecting the story to take a dark turn, sorry. I think the drum track could be softer in the mix and I would love to hear a near loopy lap steel for a short lead taste, perhaps mirroring the melody. Let the sun shine in.

King Arthur - Glad to hear you back again. Tasty intro/guitar hook and I love the Band type set-up. The vocal line sounds settled in like you've been doing it for more than a week or whatever. The arrangement is very good and I like the 'shortened' verses. Excellent tune.

Neon Veins
- Pavement sounding to me, or that lo-fi band from Philly I can't remeber the name of right now. Free Energy, I think. Anyway, I like the almost lazy feel of this. The piano gets a little loud, but I think it's because of impassioned playing. Nice little minor key change out of the verses.

NMDT
- I think that this is the same gang of folks that show up each week, but under a different name each time. Great production, energy, love the synth work. The vocal deliveries are fantastic and I love hearing melody. It's so important, to me, to have the machine gun vocal delivery broken up by something melodic. Most excellent work here, start to finish. Impressive.

Paco del Stinko - I get the busy comments, makes sense. I like the lead tone here, has some bite. The lyrics are just playing with words, mean nothing. Or even less than usual, if you prefer!

The Pannacotta Army
- I hate to compare to another artist, like I've done in several of these reviews today, but man, this brings Fleet Foxes to mind. My mind, anyway. This is wonderfeul. Flowing like like air meets water, organic, not very heady, breathes where it has to. Simple and effective touches to the arrangment keep it flowing and alive. This is professional and a genuine delight, thank you!

Pepper Jane
- I like your middle of the night tunes, so personal. Intimate, like in a crowd kept rapt sort of way. Or perhaps exorcising the demons. Dark works for me, but I like to come back into the light, too. Hopefully you as well. True art, this. perhaps an unfinished canvas, most likely leading to a future masterwork.

Pigfarmer Jr - Well, this is different for you. Informative, I suppose, if insurance talk doesn't make one drool into a coma. I admire how you put this together, would be a better lesson at half the length. Still, hats off for doing the unexpected.

Squirrels in the attic
- I like this song, or what it wants to be, but it certainly is sloppy. 60's psychedelic lead breaks over a late 70's club rock vibe. Despite the messiness, a mostly dark, groovy vibe can be felt. Re-do this with enough focus to keep it tight but not lose the 'in the now' feel.
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by dirgetheband »

Paco Del Stinko wrote: Dirge - Funny, the guitar sounds good until the other instruments come in, then it sounds gravelly. Less gain for rhythm parts actually helps, despite the inclination to fuzz it out. Excellent lead work. This works well as caveman music. Not an insult, that. Abrupt ending is a distraction.
I wonder if maybe the presence on the bass took away some of the body of the guitar? I almost always like your bass playing and your tone. What is your typical bass setup? My ProTools recordings are usually a mixture of my Tech21 BDDI and AmpFarm; with the 4track it's the BDDI alone.

Also, my recordings are always so quiet relative to everyone else's. I have to try some mastering on the back end I guess.
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

@dirgetheband - If you just want volume a super simple method is as follows (forgive the unasked for advice.)
Get a simple one button limiter (I use the free kjaerhus limiter) and put it on your master fader. Play the loudest section of your song. Turn the dial until you see the light come one which indicates it's actually limiting. Back it off slightly (or increase it until you hear squash and then back it off a bit.) And you've raised the audio level without doing much other than maybe knocking off the highest spikes.

You can also play the track and just increase the master fader until it starts to clip and then back it off until it doesn't. I like using the limiter because a very slight squash is almost never noticeable.
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Dirge: Thanks for sometimes liking my bass parts. I have several basses, but the one I use most is an early 80's Tokai Hardpuncher. It's a P-bass and easily my fave. I typically run it into an Eden pre/di, then into both a Summit Audio compressor and a Bluetube pre-amp. There are other things I do on occasion, but this has been my preferred route for a while.

Also, I'm curious as to why you use your 4-track. Not saying you shouldnt or anything, just curious. I was a Tascam Porta One guy from '89 til '99. Loved it.
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by dirgetheband »

Paco Del Stinko wrote:Dirge: Thanks for sometimes liking my bass parts. I have several basses, but the one I use most is an early 80's Tokai Hardpuncher. It's a P-bass and easily my fave. I typically run it into an Eden pre/di, then into both a Summit Audio compressor and a Bluetube pre-amp. There are other things I do on occasion, but this has been my preferred route for a while.
So nothing too crazy. Although I imagine that Summit cost a nickel or two I wouldn't put anything else in the HOLY SHIT YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE categories. I've got a decent bass, too; the Eden Preamp looks like it does the same thing as my BDDI; my mic pres aren't chopped liver, either. So yeah, I think the tone is mostly in your fingers. I guess I play bass too much like a guitar player.
Paco Del Stinko wrote:...Also, I'm curious as to why you use your 4-track.
How much time do you have? I'll try to keep this under 5,000 words... When I make music, I focus too much on the MAKING and not enough on the MUSIC. I have, in the room I type right now, a 4 track, an 8 track, 10 guitars, 1 bass, 6 microphones, 4 mic pres, 3 drum machines, 3 DI boxes, probably 40 guitar pedals, 4 amps, a pair of studio monitors, a stereo, a handful of outboard gear, and a custom built Dell PC to run it all. That is so much... SHIT. Shit that I don't use to actually write and record music. Isn't there a Chinese proverb or something about the starving man and the buffet line? I feel like that's me; caught in the headlights, completely unable to make musical decisions anymore.

Instead of sitting down at the PC and doodling for hours over an uninspired rhythm section, using the 424 is forcing myself to compose tunes first. It's almost like I'm removing the left side of my brain from the equation and forcing the right side to stand up and be counted.

I'm not saying that song I submitted is better for it; that's simply not true. I will some day add that song to a pile of death-ish metal songs I'm working on, record it on Pro Tools, tweak the arrangement, and it will sound infinitely better. It's not that I couldn't have recorded that song on anything other than the 4-track; it's that at this moment, I couldn't have submitted that tune to Song Fight! using anything but the 4-track.

I'm getting kind of emotional as I type this. I guess I've just hit the point in my life (bum job, mortgage, [awesome] kid, [awesome] wife, another kid on the way) where I have to decide if I really want to do things or not. I want to do music and to do so I need to re-learn how to do music.

So, short answer: I'm simplifying?
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Dirge: Thanks for clarifying. I too have a ton of gear (don't want to turn this into Gearfight! or a gear porn page) and often reflect on how much more the limits were often pushed when you had to stretch your imagination due to restrictions in gear or technology. A few years back, I decided to keep things simple in the writing/recording process by limiting things to a 'band' type set-up. One or two guitars, bass, drums, no heaps of overdubs. But I let that fade as the desire to stack it all up returned. Now, I alternate between the two approaches as needed or due to time restraints. Anyway, I hope you can manage to keep on making music and find the right balance of tools, approach, life, etc. I'm tired, I hope this all makes sense!

Also, you're right. Nothing too wow on my gear lists. And the Summit compressor is just a TLA-50 that I got used 8-9 years ago. I am rather fond of it though.
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by Chumpy »

neon -- soulful. i like the way you drawl the word faaaith, and the cake line. faaaiittth. subdued but with feeling.
king a -- sweet subtle backing vocals add a lot. laid back vocals. snare drum gets repetitive.
squirrels -- 'stential crisis. i must chew celery on the truck, or give it all up to ISIS. my fav squirrels song.
pannacota -- great handclaps. nice fleet foxes vibe here, i think it's that pretty acoustic guitar sound. super sound.
pepper -- like the experiments: vocal effects, dropping the guitar out... bracelet smacking the guitar body tho..
jeff -- hits me just right. love your country twang, my fav of the fight. your slaltm was also fantastic. glad yer back
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by jb »

dirgetheband wrote:
Paco Del Stinko wrote:...Also, I'm curious as to why you use your 4-track.
Instead of sitting down at the PC and doodling for hours over an uninspired rhythm section, using the 424 is forcing myself to compose tunes first. It's almost like I'm removing the left side of my brain from the equation and forcing the right side to stand up and be counted.

I'm getting kind of emotional as I type this. I guess I've just hit the point in my life (bum job, mortgage, [awesome] kid, [awesome] wife, another kid on the way) awhere I have to decide if I really want to do things or not. I want to do music and to do so I need to re-learn how to do music.

So, short answer: I'm simplifying?
Creativity freed by restriction is the heart and soul of Song Fight. Here's to fewer options!

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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by dirgetheband »

Haha, is this where I respond with the lyrics to Michael Bolton's "Steel Bars"? Yes? Well then...

Steel Bars wrapped all around me
I've been your prisioner since the day you found me
I'm bound forever 'til the end of tiiiiiiime
!
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by JSmitty »

neon veins: I like this. I would have liked a little more production on the vocals. It's a little sloppy but the idea comes across loud and clear.

Pepper Jane: I LOVE YOUR VOICE!!!!! I really like the guitar on this one. I like that your playing with different vocal fx still needs some work in the production department but this is a REALLY good song!!!!

King Arthur: When I close my eyes and listen to this song I see drunk old people dancing and singing along. Good vibes good faith good song!!!!

Kens Super Duper Band: I am the worst person to review this as I am not a fan of this style. With a different drum line and some better production on the vocals I could see this as a good song but not my genre.

NMDT: For those that don't know NMDT is made up of myself Violent Bob JShaw (who is my other half in JRS2) The Lip and The Grim (yeah the metal guy raps too) Most songs only feature a random 3 of us. This one was JShaw Violent Bob and myself. We have fun with it and try to blend hip hop with the other music styles that influence us. Hope you enjoy.

The Pannacotta Army: This is not my style at all but I can tell it is a good song. Production is decent and well put together. I like the music breakdown at 2:15.

Pigfarmer Jr: What am I listening too?? Musically its ok at best. The insurance talk is annoying.

Dirge: Vocals ruin this for me. I like the Pantera style guitar but the vocals have way to much reverb and just aren't that good.

Glenny: This is pretty cool. Musically its very intersting. The vocals are a little hard to swallow at first but they grow on you..

Paco Del Stinko: What can I say but I love your style. Not normally my thing but I can't help to get in to your songs and this one is no exception. Well done sir.

squirrels in the attic: Bad production and sloppy execution make this a tough listen. But there are parts where it comes together nicely and you see the potential. Put a little more time in the recording and I'm sure you will have a fine song.

Jeff Desantis: Not my style but this is a really good song. Well written musically and lyrically. This could be a radio hit. Well done
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by dirgetheband »

JSmitty wrote:NMDT: For those that don't know NMDT is made up of myself Violent Bob JShaw (who is my other half in JRS2) The Lip and The Grim (yeah the metal guy raps too) Most songs only feature a random 3 of us. This one was JShaw Violent Bob and myself. We have fun with it and try to blend hip hop with the other music styles that influence us. Hope you enjoy.
I thought I heard a number of voices there. You guys do great work. Welcome aboard and keep it up. What are y'all recording on?
JSmitty wrote:Dirge: Vocals ruin this for me. I like the Pantera style guitar but the vocals have way to much reverb and just aren't that good.
LOLZ, Pantera is probably the last band I would have ever thought someone would name drop on me. I've actually been listening to a lot of Entombed (especially Wolverine Blues) lately; I guess that's what I was going for although I'm pretty sure any time I write/record with some other artist in mind as a tribute I fail miserably. Should probably just stick to being me. Thanks for the review.
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by BoffoYux »



Got back in time from work, so sneaking in the 'Good Fight' Listening party tonight before final votes.

Starts at 9pm est, which is, basically, now!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIo1nd5tsbM
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by PepperJane »

So, since I thought this was a songwriting forum, not production fight, I'll aim to not mention those things again in my reviews (I too have been guilty) but focus on the craft of composition.
(Of course I appreciate the practical production tips exchanged here though)

glennny: I like the rhythmic feel incl all the mini breakdowns and certainly the riffs. Personally I'd prefer it without the synth kind of 'atmospherers', maybe they detract from the other excellence for me, and I think the harmonies put me off but I AM being fussy.

Pannacotta Army: perfect soundtrack for this train trip, I feel like I just broke up all over again, and I'm a sucker for a good tambourine. The offbeat clap is very clever but I'd drop it out completely for that lovely bridge. I really like this but, curiously, something about it won't let me vote for it :|

Squirrels: the 'shaker' at the first five sec surprises me a little unpleasantly. Sounds a little like Caravan Ray is speaking "existential crisis". :) Catchy, but busy.

Super Duper Ken & co: This intro is one of my faves, curious phrasing but I guess it's on purpose.

Paco del Stinko: I'm out of toothpaste from a few days ago, so it gets points for relevance. There really is only one Paco. I love the harmony refrain build at the end

NMDT: I sure did like Linkin Park, and I dig the reverb-laden key notes. Super catchy hook.

Jeff de Santis: my winner. Sitting on a train on a sunny spring day on the Sunshine Coast, air con on full bore, so I'm getting my warm fuzzies from THIS. I could see this being a big commercial hit: it speaks to many. Superbly executed writing and that half fuzzy, half crying guitar :D 6/5

dirge: I think this works. Its lyrical sensibilities (that I could pick up) really suit metal, but the first half of the lead guitar melody doesn't feel like metal, more classic rock, and I've tried very hard to see through the tone when I say that. I really like the feel of the 'break' space leading into the solo.

Pigfarmer Jr: points for originality and double points for using accents other than American (OK esp Aussie, but this is from an Aussie who sings with an American accent). The fact that you're likely to hear an automated voice at some point during such dealings is a final thumbs up. Vote.

Neon Veins: reminds me of a Babel Fish album I bought unheard from a bargain bin once, which I loved. That acoustic pop thing with a bit of a hesitant voice. Crafty inclusion of abstract imagery through the good, real, point.

King Arthur: this puts me in a late night jazz bar jam session. I can't fault it. I'm not in love with it, but I'd definitely keep watching, and get another drink, it all works so carefully well. So either it subdues me comfortably past the point of feeling, or it is subliminally instructing me to vote for it :shock:

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king_arthur wrote: Pepper Jane...the copy & paste guitar part bugged me (given how good the vocal sounded, was the guitar deliberately lo-fi? or just equipment limitations?) The lyric was a little too murky for me. If it's any consolation, this is the song that will stick in my head and I'll come back in a week or so and save it off, it just didn't grab me on voting day.
I hate the cut and paste too. Somehow in the back seat of my car I just couldn't replicate the sound of the first section (a plus for recording live, that I've recently discovered). The vox changing so much is on purpose in part to hide that but also I liked the telephone effect for a few things that I felt helped tell the story, of some of the parts you might hear/say over the phone. Dropping the guitar down in the middle was for literal effect in "to me it is clear", then doubling the vox to create a strange Joker-like echo in "the whole time you were joking".
Also, it wasn't a bracelet, just thumping my wrist on the bridgeplate for percussion, which I do as a live solo performer sometimes... Which sounds better through a PA, and yeah kinda poorly through iPhone mic.
Anyway, this is a documentation of progress...
Everything is about perspective. :shock:
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dirgetheband
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Re: Seal it with handshake (Good Faith reviews)

Post by dirgetheband »

PepperJane wrote:dirge: I think this works. Its lyrical sensibilities (that I could pick up) really suit metal, but the first half of the lead guitar melody doesn't feel like metal, more classic rock, and I've tried very hard to see through the tone when I say that. I really like the feel of the 'break' space leading into the solo.
Thanks for the review. I have to say my guitar playing is a gross hybrid of early 90s grunge (Nirvana, Alice in Chains), late 80s thrash metal (Metallica, Sepultura, Slayer) and 70s arena rock (Led Zep, more Led Zep) with a hint of Hendrix thrown in for good measure. While I can play all kinds of rhythm bits, when it comes to leads, I'm pretty much a natural minor/pentatonic dude, so everything comes out sounding like the blues, which I kind of like 'cause it's my style. Thanks for the review.
PepperJane wrote:Pigfarmer Jr: points for originality and double points for using accents other than American (OK esp Aussie, but this is from an Aussie who sings with an American accent). The fact that you're likely to hear an automated voice at some point during such dealings is a final thumbs up. Vote.
I really liked the change in accents, too. Pigfarmer, if you are around, did someone "perform" these for you? Or were they sampled from some insurance symposium you attended online?
PepperJane wrote:Pepper JaneAlso, it wasn't a bracelet, just thumping my wrist on the bridgeplate for percussion, which I do as a live solo performer sometimes... Which sounds better through a PA, and yeah kinda poorly through iPhone mic.
So, let me get this straight... You recorded, edited, and mixed that on a telephone? And you are griping about how it all came together? Pfff, kids these days. Honestly, great work considering the constraints and congratulations on the win!
DT
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