(Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Discuss upcoming, current, and previous song fights.
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Pigfarmer Jr
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(Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

.....right after I take my nap.
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by Lunkhead »

Songs posted. We've got more songs than in the last several fights. Did y'all like the title or was it something else...? Just timing?
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by MessOfFun »

Lunkhead wrote:Songs posted. We've got more songs than in the last several fights. Did y'all like the title or was it something else...? Just timing?
Well, I suppose no one wanted to be called a "Lazy..." (you know)
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Timing for me. Other music projects are taking up a lot of my time, but I had an hour or two to kill so...
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Did I tell you about the time that I double posted? I did, didn't I? But I repeat myself.
Last edited by Pigfarmer Jr on Sat Jan 20, 2018 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by martyr »

Lazy Boy reviews:

James Owens
More Tom, less Waits. Nice embodiment of a lazy feel to represent the title. Slow, thick-as-molasses blues grooves that're heavy in the keys and mild drug consumption references. More Rocky, less Pictureshow.

Lichen Throat
More Boys, less Petshop. Abstract bells arrangement with deep throated Magnetic Fields talk-over. Hear my snore.

Pigfarmer Jr.
Nice slow licky start. Folky country rock road trip complete with endless, unchanging yet strangely majestic scenery. More Crows, Less Counting.

WreckdoM
Oscar the grouch waking up from a nap. Some kind of Sebadoh noise leaning smashed with Weenish apathy. Less Scrape, more Bubble.

The Magnetic Letters
Sitarish synth and whispery robo chant overlays. Does some middleware filler in the rap vein. More Work, less Kraft.

shrts
Punky coolness. Over before it started! More Minute, less Men.

Macaque Attack
Electro gothy industrial factory complete with Streets sing song story delivery. Quite nice actually. More Chemical, less Brothers.

Mess Of Fun
Poppy skip fest through a field of lollypops and flowers. More Lion, less Pedro.

Berkeley Social Scene
Pastoral organ intro. Kind of a Psychedelic Furs vox sensibility over a Cars main track. More Distortion, less Social. Really enjoyed this one!

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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by Merle Fyshwick »

James Owens - I smiled at the contrived (but cute) YouTubie and Tonic-and-Ginner rhymes, and the Bing reference. Great voice. And I like the abrupt ending.

shrts – Great, tight, nice self-B.V.s

Berkeley Social Scene – The double-tracked guitars sound great, as does the square wave synth sound. The line about the threadbare pyjamas was pretty funny.

Mess of Fun – I like the change to D in the chorus, and the chord progression in general. It has a sentimental feel to it.

Macaque Attack – the stuttering “boy” is cool. The production is really good.

Lichen Throat – Interesting instrumentation - celesta and clavichord? That deep voice is convincingly lazy, too. One of my favourites.

Pigfarmer Jr. – Long intro. Oh yeah, this is the one about the old dog. That line about putting him down – so sad . I miss my old dog. Pretty good production and nice tight ending.

WreckdoM – Pretty rad. That synth lead is good. Cheese puffs and champagne – awesome. Well-produced, too. One of my favourites.
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

shrts - What this song lacks in transitions it makes up for in brevity. I like the backing vox. I feel the lead vox track needs something, maybe some space, a slight delay or a tube emulator or something? I like the guitars.

WreckdoM - The backing vox works really well for me, except for the few spots that they are obviously out of time, then they are distracting. I like the guitars, the synth line and the attitude in the vox. I would have liked some dynamic change in the music. A cut out, a build, a... something? But overall, I thought you had a good entry this week.

The Magnetic Letters - I could use a set of good magnetic numbers at work. You know, for the so many days without a lost time injury board. I like the arrangement pretty well. That bass comes through nicely without being overpowering. I liked the rapping better than the singing, but that could be partly due to the effect and the way it sits in the mix.

Pigfarmer Jr (me) - The intro is too long and at 86 bpm it is too slow. I'm trying to write a bit more alt.country/americana/roots rock/whatever music. The guitar is one take and then I used the Haas effect to spread, the bass was third pass and the vocal was the second take. I've been sick for three weeks so the vocals were a bit a challenge. I had to cut out the coughs between half the lines. So I'm pretty happy with how this turned out considering... Not bad for an hour (or so) worth of work.

Lichen Throat - I've complained in the past about low vox in the mix, but it works well here. I like the tone of your vocal. The music is cool and interesting. I'm not entirely happy with the drum mix in places (mainly on the lazy boy lines,) but it works.

BSS - You taking me to church? Oh, are you singing a cure song? (Okay that's unfair other than the two verse lines.) I like the guitars. The arrangement is good. This has a cool 80's throwback feel for me, but not with a shitty connotation. That kind of lazy feel in the vocal really works well, especially toward the end. I like this.

Mess Of Fun - I like that vocal melody right from the start, especially the rhythm you sing. The drums might be up a hair too much in the mix for my taste, maybe. And I'd like them to break again with the vox on "too lazy", but maybe that'd be too much? The bridge is a nice change in melody. Drums a little samey throughout, but only really noticeable on the bridge. But overall, I think I like the feel and melody of this one the best of the fight.

Macaque Attack - Reminds me slightly of Rob from Amersfoort right on the start of the vox which is cool to my mind. I know the drums are suppose to be that up in the mix, but just a hair less up would be better for me. Somehow this works really well for me. It's not something I'd normally be drawn to, but yeah, this works for me. By the 2:00 mark I think the drums are at the right level. So maybe a gradual increase or maybe I'm full of shit?

James Owens - Cool throwback feel. But maybe not completely my cup of tea. Still, I like the organ, the bass comes through (maybe a hair strong, but not in a bad way) and there is no doubt this has that cool vibe. I'd have loved the lyric in the ol' lyric thread forum post thingy so I could see what the heck you're saying on a word or two. The keys are the highlight in the mix for me.
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by AJOwens »

Berkeley Social Scene
This stands out for the curious church-organ intro and the doubled leads, first on guitar and then on synth. Also for the good groove, helped by the steady exchange between the synth punctuation at the start of the bar and the rhythm guitar punctuation a little later. The accelerated beat toward the end of the verse adds kick. The song structure is quite simple, with a minimal chorus and no contrasting part. The lyrics are endearingly romantic. The AAB scheme is so drawn out it's almost unnoticeable; points for meeting the optional challenge. Good performance and recording. It sounds to me like Paco is part of BSS lately, am I right? All in all, not what I'd call a memorable tune, but an entertaining diversion.

James Owens
What's lazier than writing a blues song? Forgetting to pan the tracks, for one. The AABAAB scheme led me straight to a Takin' Care of Business ripoff, so I quickly changed a couple of chords and took it from there. I thought the words were pretty clear, but I will post them.

Lichen Throat
Your unique take on music continues to develop. The hammered strings are your signature sound, but here I particularly like the rapid bell sequences and the rhythmic eccentricities. Definitely not a traditional approach to music; I'm struggling to find something to compare it to. For many, the singing would take some getting used to, but it's not unpleasant. Compositionally interesting, and the recording is rich and pure. The lyrics are thoughtful and wry, the rhymes well-crafted.

Macaque Attack
The drum track is outstanding. The breakdowns in the song are good, but need to be more conspicuous. This is a very simple yet hypnotic composition using machine drums, two voices, and a vocal, with occasional additions. It starts with a great chorus, and then the verse melody drops interestingly. At this point you need to save the chorus for the chorus. The groove doesn't stand up for the whole song; it needs to be a bit shorter. The words are witty and inventive, and the delivery has that British charm.

The Magnetic Letters
A fascinating modal intertwining that creates a very apprehensive and anxious mood. This comes from the minor modality, the sinuously approaching musical phrases with their tonal snarl, the seized-heart rhythm, and the weirdly altered vocals, among other things, but the lyrics seem to increase the threat level. I do like the dig at the modern weight loss disaster. If dread is what you were going for, you got it down. It's an interesting song.

Mess of Fun
The attitude expressed by the lyrics makes me want to take this entry ironically. The composition makes all the right moves for the musical rules of early modern pop. This is still an active school of music, in the form of Blue Rodeo for example, but here the vocal melody is more nostalgic in its rhythms and cadences. To go there completely, the production would need more brightness, more sparkle in the guitar strings for example. The middle eight comes in later than I expected. In all, a capable entry and a curious love song. Welcome to Song Fight!

PigFarmer Jr
The lyrics are personal and emotive rather than abstract and clever, and their connection with human experience gives the song life. The music is the sort of timeless, Marshall-guitar, lick-driven, three-chord rock perfected by the Stones, with a punchy but understated, functional bass, steady, unassuming drums, and a down to earth vocal, and it's done well. The C chord adds a slightly unusual twist. The singing is soulful and melodic.

shrts
Over almost before it starts, this token entry is nevertheless packed and eventful, with chords that defy the key, bass with momentum, and drums that push the envelope. The vocals have a slightly laid-back energy that's just right.

WreckdoM
Parts of this remind me of erstwhile SongFight participant Octothorpe. The lyrics are madcap, unafraid to say anything and heedless of what anyone may think, rich with the random significance of the postmodern. The music is a wall of inspired, barely organized noise, achieved by laying down a driving rock track and then adding layers of counter-rhythmic craziness, and the vocal delivery is way beyond irony and into the territory of voices in one's head. You gotta love something this intense and out there.
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by lichenthroat »

Berkeley Social Scene—Okay, that organ bridge was awesome. I like the lyrics. Good mix, particularly with the guitars. I wish the chorus was catchier.

James Owens—The lyrics made me laugh. This is not my favorite genre, but you do it well. Nice vocal performance.

Lichen Throat (me)—I was pretty happy with the chord progression, but I had a lot of difficulty finding a vocal melody to match the music, especially for the chorus. In response to the question about the instruments, the samples I used are supposed to be a Dobro guitar and tubular bells.

Macaque Attack—The chorus does a great job of being both lazy and catchy. This sort of thing isn’t normally my cup of tea, but I found myself really enjoying it. Vote.

The Magnetic Letters—I like the rap part. I also liked the mix and all the reverb effects. I think the song could use a stronger hook, however.

Mess of Fun—Welcome to Song Fight. This is a pretty good song and a pleasant listen. The vocal sounds a little thin (because of the recording, I think, not the performance). Good lyrics. Vote.

PIgfarmer Jr.—The guitar sounds great, as does the chorus. If I didn’t know better, I might think this was an old-time blues standard. Vote.

shrts—It’s hard to evaluate really short songs like this. I think it sounds okay, but it doesn’t go on long enough to completely draw me in.

WreckdoM—The clean guitar backing the chorus sounds good. I find the grossness—for lack of a better word—in the opening lyrics off-putting, but I will admit to having a pretty strong bias against that kind of aesthetic.
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by MessOfFun »

WreckdoM - Love the lyrics of the verses. A little more of a shift in the chorus would have served well to set it apart from the verse.

James Owens - Can't go wrong with the blues. I like the self-referential lyrics (a song about writing the song). Super enjoyable listen.

Macaque Attack - Very nice hooky verse. I think the chorus needs to have something a bit more different to set it apart. You could probably keep that chorus melody and just make it more chordal instead of keeping that 2-note motif going.

Berkely Social Scene - Love the way the verse kicks in with the two chords.Very cool dual guitar solo. I kept wanting a chorus though! I could hear how it could go to one and really turn it into a monster.

shrts - This totally rocks. You could've repeated a couple more times and stuck in some kind or bridge-y thing and you've have 2 and half minutes!

Lichen Throat - The harpsichord sound sets it up nicely. I really like that chorus - the way it breaks down away from the rhythm of the verse. Very interesting lush sound.

Pig Farmer - The Lazy Boy theme seems to invite the blues. The guitar motif is great. I assume the song is about a pet - very nice way to draw the listener in, since it's not explicitly said. The song has a really nice sentimentality. ("I'm missin' you...")

Magnetic Letters - I really like the modal melody in the verse. Also the way you append "You have the nerve call me Lazy Boy" in a cool way. Very interesting rap section. Great spooky sound throughout.

Mess Of Fun - That's me! I had a fun time writing from the perspective of a kind of jerky guy. Definitely not too thrilled with the vocal sound and I wanted to do a cool 12-string guitar solo, but ran out of time!
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by vowlvom »

Berkeley Social Scene - I suspected I might vote for this one after the Thin Lizzy-style harmonised guitar solo, but I was sure when the synth solo kicked in. Really great stuff.

James Owens - I’m never hugely into this slow boogie style of music but I love the lyrics and got a big laugh out of your pronunciation of ‘Google’ so this gets a thumbs up from me. Very Randy Newman.

Lichen Throat - Not one of my favourites of your tracks, I like that you’ve chosen some interesting instruments but the mix has ended up a little muddy and crowded and the jerky shift into the chorus doesn’t really work for me.

Macaque Attack - nicely produced again, I like the vocal cut-up stuff, the fuzzy main instrumental sound and the beat, but this didn’t really click with me like your last couple of songs have, partially I think because I found the “oy oy” bit slightly irritating.

Magnetic Letters - this is deeply odd and full of great ideas, not entirely sure how well they all fit together but I enjoyed the experience.

Mess of Fun - nice breezy vibe to this one, love the acoustic guitar jangle. Catchy melody, too. The vocal does sound a little lo-fi but it gives the song a nice live-ish feel that works for me.

Pigfarmer Jr - really nice crunchy guitar tone. This kinda bluesy rock just isn’t my thing at all but you do it very well.

shrts - another enjoyable rock blast! This one really feels “complete” despite your usual extremely short running time.

WreckdoM - I really like the intensity of the chorus and that repeating keyboard riff. I find the lyrics a little offputting (apart from “L-A-Z-etc.” which is pretty funny), but mostly this is solid.
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by Lunkhead »

Congrats Macaque Attack.
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Re: (Don't be a) Lazy Boy (or girl and do your) Reviews

Post by vowlvom »

Three in a row! Congrats!
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