Shutdown Reviews
Brown Word and the Big Whine: The song itself is sort of grunge-by-numbers, except for the pirate-sounding middle bit. Like Mudhoney’s kid brother? The weirded vocals really put me off. They sound a little like Jello Biafra meets the chipmunks?
Chthonic Chthock: Should I be doing aerobics in leg warmers to this in a montage training video? This is like Devo from 1985, which was definitely my least favorite period of that group. I think the part I like the most is the mostly instrumental bit with your oh-ohs. I wish it went back to the chorus instead of ending there, though I like the ending “Yeah”. Good use of background vocals.
Geech Sorensen: Yeah, me! The story of the true hero of the movie Ratatouille - the health inspector!
I wanted to do something stripped down, something that sounded like me bashing on my acoustic at home, but yet with enough variation happening to keep it interesting. The panning changes were proxies for the introductions of other instruments, like drums or bass. I’m surprised that people thought it was a straight-up mistake, I think it sounds cool and is an interesting hook that is repeated in the second half of the song. I am particularly proud of the bridge and how the various parts, including the harmonies, come together. And the lyrics.
John Gillespie: This is nice. Good guitar and vocal interplay. This reminds of something, but I can’t place what it is. The DBs maybe? Nicely done. I wish it were a little more hi-fi, but the vibe is cool. I like the organ pads. Good use of space, seldom scene in Song Fight. This is a bit too long though, I kinda wanted it to end before the last chorus with the instrumental section.
Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff: I tire of the pandemic and also of songs, shows, news, commercials and media references to it, so it was hard for me to dig this. I just want it all to end already. The production on this is so clear, though, and the keyboard lines are hooky. I want to give them a hug. That said, I want your vocal melodies to have some more complexity and variety to them.
Paco del Stinko: This song made me LOL crack up. A lot of fun. Nicely done. Great backgrounds and live feel. Leads reminded me of J Mascis.
Phlebia: This is my favorite song I’ve heard of yours. Very clear production for this vibe. I knew you went for the Cure but it reminded me more of Joy Division, except for the bridge. The chorus is hooky and I sang it around my house during the week. There are some vocal pitch issues and the structure is a little weird, but the bones are good. My one real wish is that you ended the chorus with “I never shutdown” overlapping into the subsequent part, where “down” would hit the one of that part. That would have been so good.
roymond feat. mo: Is there a song in here? It’s just atmospherics to me, without any hooks. Some cool sounds though…
seemanski: Solid sounding, great recording, though this goes on too long for me (says the man whose song clocks in barely over 2 minutes). I definitely got bored halfway through the solo. You step a little close to aping The Black Keys - be careful.
shrts: I got a cookie, looked up and this ended.
Sober: Great recording, fantastic sound, moving story, strong performances, tight arrangement. All the pieces are there. Hard to believe this is a Song Fight entry, it’s that good. The drum sounds are great for what I know is a machine. Maybe I would put the keyboard louder? I don’t have much else to say, you should be proud of this.
Sweeney Toad: This is not my thing, I have to admit. It is so bleak sounding. The alternating ping pong left/right kick snare is weird -> rap tracks usually have kick and snare right up the middle for a reason. Everything hangs off them.
Sweeney Toad x Johnny Cashpoint: I like the music more on this one than the other Sweeney Toad track. These two tracks help me imagine what an ST album would sound like - not my thing, but there is a common artistic approach here. I like the “I shutdown and then go blind” part the most, by far. I like that guitar line there a lot and how it ends.
Tomdg: This is so minimal; I like the vibe. The atmospherics you put in half-way through are cool. Vocals are too low in the mix. Why are the two main instruments completely panned opposite each other? Put the vocal straight up the middle. Pan the guitar maybe a little to one side if you want. Harder pan is ok if there are other instruments I would say.
WreckdoM: I shut down on this. The music is sort of a bad acid trip. Horrible lyrics and cookie monster vocals. And vomiting in the track? Ugh.
My faves, besides my own, of course, were Sober, Phlebia, Paco and John G. Ken and seemanski, I dug on yours, too.
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