Don't Have a Cow, Pig, Goat or... (Our Forfeited Friends Reviews)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Although "bacon tastes good. Porkchops taste good."

[Lunkhead]

Songs posted. Unfortunately the Macaque Attack song was nowhere to be found in the fightmaster inbox for some reason. I DM'd about it and will add it to the fight as soon as I get it.

[GravityJohnson]

Hi Lunkhead. Macaque Attack have just resubmitted our track for the 'Our Forfeited Friends' songfight.
Thanks for all your hard work in keeping these fights up and running, we all appreciate it. Happy new year.

[Lunkhead]

Got it, song added.

[GravityJohnson]

Not got too much time today, so just a quick review:

Berkeley Social Scene - This is good stuff, feels a bit like The Clash. Definitely a catchy verse and a hugely earwormy chorus. Could maybe have done with something (another guitar layer perhaps) to lift the chorus, but certainly still gets a vote from me.

Lichen Throat - This is unusual but a really pleasant listen. It has a strange sense of optimism about it despite the nature of the lyrics. Threatens to burst into life but somehow doesn't quite get there, it almost feels like an extended introduction to a song. That said, I really like it. Probably my favourite of the fight. Gets a vote from me.

Dark Side Of The Son - Has a Magnetic Fields feel to this, and the more I listen the more it grows on me. The sleigh bells are a little off-putting (maybe too prominent) for the first half of the song, but they seem to start working a little better towards the end. Another vote.

WreckdoM - I like this if it were part of a song but feel it is in need of another section or two to mix it up because it does get quite repetitive even for its sub-two minute run time. That said, the bass, drums, and guitar sound great in this so I'm giving it a vote anyway.

Macaque Attack - That's us. Our second attempt at a rap track.

Votes all round this week, good work one and all.

[MessOfFun]

Dark Side of the Son: Very nice melancholy feel. I like the sleigh bells!

Macaque Attack: nice driving feel. Love that bubbly sound underneath the track. Gets super heavy with the guitar coming in around 1:30. Great work.

Lichen Throat: I love the piano chords and the way they move around. Also, the overall structure of the changes is very nice - some unexpected changes there.

WreckdoM: I like the back and forth in the vocals. Some great lyrics too. Love the line about the mimosas! Interplay between the guitars, bass, drums heavy as hell. Very cool.

Berkeley Social Scene: Great groove in the verse - I like the way the verse phrasing fits in with the rhythm. Pre-chorus sets things up nicely and the chorus is super catchy. Good job!

[vowlvom]

Berkeley Social Scene - I like the guitar crunch, you’ve nailed that classic rock punchiness again, but the vocal melody and guitar solo follow really meandering paths in this one, which doesn’t really do it for me.

Dark Side of the Son - definitely agreed on the Magnetic Fields vibe, at least until the vocals come in. I feel like this amount of Sleigh Bell SHOULD be too much, but somehow it works. Good stuff.

Lichen Throat - really like the arrangement, the pulsing piano and the melodic guitar twangs. Your vocals sit really well on this one too, I like the phrasing. One of the best tracks I’ve heard from you and definitely my favourite from this fight.

Macaque Attack - synth-rap! You’re good at this stuff. The track is really well produced, full of really interesting, gritty sounds, and the lyrics again have a great flow to them.

WreckdoM - that main hook is really catchy. I agree with GravityJohnson above that this could probably use a different section to break it up a bit, but still really enjoyed it.

[lichenthroat]

Berkeley Social Scene—I like the intro, the chorus, and the instrumental bits. The pre-chorus doesn’t work as well for me. Really nice guitar work on the bridge.

dark side of the son—The reminds me of The Bats, particularly at the beginning. (That’s a compliment.) You’ve somehow managed to make a song that sounds both loose and cohesive, which is hard to pull off. I think this may be my favorite of yours.

Lichen Throat (me)—I was trying to write a twelve-bar blues song, but the only thing that sounds even vaguely bluesy is my attempt to imitate Webb Wilder on one of the vocal tracks. I wasn’t too happy with this when I submitted it, but it’s grown on me a little since then.

Macaque Attack—I don’t think the drum rhythm fits with the rest of the song, but otherwise this is well done. Good vocal performance. I like the pulsing bass throughout.

WreckdoM—I like the guitar and the repeating backing vocal. I think the song could use a bridge or some changes in phrasing to introduce a little more variation.

[Lunkhead]

Macaque Attack wins!