No worries, it's all... (Good Trouble reviews)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

... gonna be alright.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Please post your lyric in the appropriate thread. It's located somewhere near here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11874

[Lunkhead]

Songs posted! (All 19 of them!)

[the panna cotta army]

19 - biggest I’ve seen for a while
Better get listening early

[sleepysilverdoor]

Apparently people dug this prompt, eh? I know I had fun with it!

[Sober]

Quickly skimmed through all the songs. No bullshit joke entries

Immediate kudos to PannaCotta for having better dobro than me

[SweeneyToad]

I made a music video for this one! viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11879

[the panna cotta army]

Immediate kudos to PannaCotta for having better dobro than me

Cheers
It’s good to get some positive feedback about the tone, and particularly from you as the recordings of yours that I’ve heard have been very slick.

[Paco Del Stinko]

I don't know when I'll do them, but I'll commit to writing reviews. I've been very bad and hope to make amends. Course, you might not see it the same way when I submit them.

[sleepysilverdoor]

So much good trouble this fight! I dig a lot of these.

Votes likely for Sober, Pannacotta, Sweeney, My Social Uniform, and JTTJ. And bonus points to Sober for submitting my favorite entry in general since Berkeley Social Scene's "Four Corners", which I'm still jamming several months later.

[AbCred]

I've only listened about halfway through thus far, but damn that My Social Uniform track is great!

[pauley g]

These may be brief, a LOT of songs! As always, these are just my opinions, take them for what they're worth...

Sweeney Toad

I love the arps and the lyrics...I think the layered vocals are cool, especially the way they move in the stereo field. I'm a sucker for twitchy synths and this delivers. I do like the lyric, I only wish you could have sung it or at least given it even a little more melody. Not to be picky but the drum sample choices aren't working for me, I would like this much better with a more analog sounding drum machine. Bonus points for the creation of the video, that was great!

Blonde and Bald

This song reminds me of why I became obsessed with music. We write songs to communicate and this does that in a clear, concise manner. Simple, fun, and clearly the singer understands the lyric! I would tell you I think it would benefit from a more developed instrumentation but I think it could quickly lose it's charm.

Lichen Throat

Pretty good arrangement and lyric is clever. "I wear T-shirts with screen prints" is kinda awesome! I like how the bass line revolves around the bell tone. Can you sing this in a little higher key? Almost feels like you have to work to get the vocal out. Not too much, just like a step or two? You might find it opens the song up?

Wow(!)Signal

You have to share where your band name came from! Great intro, got my attention right away. Very well mixed and super guitar performances and tones, they blend well. guitar fade up around 2:05 could've created a really dynamic entrance but felt more like they stumbled in. Honestly, that's my only criticism, you have a great seventies art-rock vibe going and your baritone suites it well.

Balance Lost

Great chord structure. Great bass line. Mix seems a little off but I can't seem to put a finger on it, drums too quiet or bass too loud? I like the stops and the arrangement sounds super natural and varied, it does a good job of defining the different song sections. Melody is catchy and BG vocals are spot on. Nice job!

Jon Eric

I think I may have told you this before but have you given any thought to writing for musicals? This is extremely well put together and I am envious of your piano chops. Hey Hey Ho Ho parts probably singlehandedly got you a vote from me. Only thing I can think of to improve would be to not dead stop quite as many times as you do, keep the vibe rolling as much as you can. Is that a real live sax played by a real human?

Shade and Honey

Swampy suburban stoner chill would be the genre. This is good but just doesn't have anything that pops out to me, all of it is too similar. Maybe you could try varying a guitar tone for the verse as opposed to the chorus, just something to give the listener a reason to commit. Maybe only use the vocal effect in the verse but completely change up in the chorus or even the more legato vocal sections?

My Social Uniform

This is me. I just wanted to do something fun musically and to me, that means funk. It's been an unbelievable year and I have found myself longing for a good, crazy time. I tried to capture how that feels, being on the precipice of a night you KNOW you'll tell your grandkids about. Thanks AbCred, glad you like it!

Max Bombast

Like the guitars, good vocal performance and lyric. Loving the chorus, catchy and delivered well vocally and musically. Short and sweet. I can't think of anything I would change...

Brown Word and the Big Whine

I really dig the lyric, chorus is fun in a garage-band-The Donnas-Runaways sort of way. Like the change up at 1:31, you really paint a picture with the lyric and instrumentation. I also like how it gets just a little louder right after. Drums definitely need to be louder and punchier, the song would benefit greatly!

Phlebia

Love the modern rock vibe. Is that a decimator on bass line? Feels like Tool being played through a Speak-n-Spell, love it. Great chords progression, love the vocals and spoken parts, spot on... Falls apart at 1:46! NO!!! What would happen if you dialed the distortion on the low end back just a bit and made the kick drum power through the mix?

seemanski

My favorite. You had me at the cassette loading to open the song. You killed it. Vocal performance top shelf, arps swirling around each other, thumping synth bass line, all clutch. Guitar solo is a really pleasant touch as well. Be proud of this one.

Night Sky

Okay, so this is what happens when David Byrne sits in with Steely Dan. It just works. GREAT horn arrangements and performance. Timing is a bit loosey goosey in spots, and almost seems like the vocal was too hot and distorts at times...maybe you meant to do that but I find it a little distracting. Other than that, pretty well put together!

JTTJ

Super mix! Like the watery effect on the vocal...interesting arrangement change-up at :51. I'm into the vibe your creating, feels nice and syrupy. Maybe some backing vocals? I really like the way your progression makes you wait for the resolve. Very nice!

Paco Del Stinko

I'm in on the lyric by itself. Loving the backing vocals. Maybe the instrumentation could've been more varied at times but I don't think that's a deal breaker. It really feels like the lyric carries it. Quality entry again Paco.

Pigfarmer Jr.

This is good, clean, balanced mix...love the electric piano peeking out. the line "I can't help but kiss you on the lips" feels out of place where it is. Other than that, you tell a nice love story here. Be aware that this is not my genre but I can appreciate the work you have in it and it feels very natural and effortless.

The Pannacotta Army

Outstanding mix, very well recorded and performed. The lyric is really cool and fits the vibe of the song perfectly. Harmonica not overdone, it shows up exactly when needed and no more. Only a handful of instruments going on but you found a way to define the sections of the song without getting repetitive, that's not easy. Another song where I can't think of a single thing that would help it.

Sober

Banjo performance is outstanding, that's an instrument that can become deadly in the wrong hands. Love this thing. I dare you to resist grooving to it. Chorus is so much fun to sing along to! The humming harmonies at 2:11 are. spot. on. Another great one.

Hardmonica

Power rock flute, nice! Goes without saying who your influences are and you've hit the vibe spot on. Some of the lyrics have me scratching my head but that doesn't mean they don't work. they're delivered well vocally and I think that's way more important. "the trouble you're in is the right kind of sin" definitely sounds bad ass! Overall, great.

I want to add how impressed I am by all of the entries. I really did struggle to find any criticism. All of these songs are worthy. Mostly, please accept my apologies for the brief critiques, there are just more songs than time tonight!

[sleepysilverdoor]

Pauley: hey, glad you liked it! My wife pointed out the same thing -- that sort of sloppy transition right at the end of the first chorus. Alas, I ran out of time to fix it. I find it humorous that I get compared to Tool on a semi-regular basis here, cause other than Lateralus I'm really not sure into them. Though I do suppose in hindsight this track bears a bit of a resemblance to "Sober". The song not the songfight contestant. As for the bass tone, I forget exactly which setting it is but I got it by running my bass through iZotope Trash and then scooping out almost all of the mids with an EQ. Oh and sticking an overzealous noise gate on there so it cut the tails off of a note of notes. I also slapped every single note through the song. Glad you enjoyed it!

[Shade&honey]

Brown Word and the Big Whine

Dig the heavy rock intro. Vocals have attitude. Nice double tracked vocals in prechorus. Drums seem a little low in the mix. Good use of title in song.

Wow(!)Signal

This track kinda reminds me of late 90's early 2000's nu metal/rock. Vocals have nice ambience surrounding them. I like the use of autotune. The crash cymbols are a little busy.

Night Sky

Horns! Always a winner imo. Dig the motown vibe. Dig the 70's vibe and jangly guitar. Think the drums could stand to come up a little. And maybe you should lean into those vocals? Overall i dig it!

Pigfarmer Jr

I dig the vox and harmonies. Track has a nice live vibe to it. Like the panning in your drum fills. These real drums? Track has a soft rick vibe to it....and there is nothing wrong with that!


Sweeney Toad

This wins the award for most different this round. Its like electro punk. Double vox is nice. Like the video game soundtrack noises. Its a little busy. Might wear me out by the end of it.

Phlebia

Heavy metal vibe. This reminds me of korn, In the vocals and in the bass. Dig the lyrics.
I could honestly hear this on my local rock radio station.

Lichen Throat

Synthy! New wave vibe. Dig the bells. Bowie-esque vocals. Funny lyrics. I wouldnt seek this song out, but I wouldnt change it if it came on the radio while I was driving.

Hardmonica

Jethro vibe. Heavy guitars, what kinda amp you playing through. Thats some crunchy tone. Like the double tracked vox on the chorus.

JTTJ

Your name is both an abreviation and a palindrome lol. I really like this all around. Floydish. Dig the phaser or whatever on the vocals. Nice low end. It has a weird vibe i really like. A definite vote.

Sober

I hail from Appalachia so I'm predisposed to this sound. I love it, it sounds like home. I play in a string band. Love the group vocals. Love the stomp clap rhythm. Vote.

Shade & Honey

This is me.

I was going for a beatles meets 90's indie rock sound. I have mixed feelings about it. Mainly the levels. I probably did about 6 different versions. The vocals are a calf plugin thats a vinyl simulator. A common critique for my songs is that 'they go nowhere' I hear that and am going to try to work on it. No guarantees.


Max Bombast

Franz Ferdinand comes to mind. Dig that guitar and bass tone. Vocals seem a little nasally, but damn those vocals and that melody are smooth. Like the attitude. This will be a vote.

Jon Eric

This has a classic vibe to it. Dig that and the melody. Like the juxtaposition of the modern lyrics. Chorus vocals seem to go up in volume, but thats alright.


My Social Uniform

The funk! Mix sounds great. This has a daft punk meets lonely island vibe. Like that vocal effect in the pre chorus. This has a professional sound to it.

Paco del Stinko

Dirty surf vibe. This reminds me a song on a spy movie soundtrack. I like how you follow that vocal melody with the guitar. Mix sounds great.


seemanski

Dig the intro and the fade in. Digital drums. Nice vocal harmony. Nice synth. Nice track. New retro wave is a guilty easure of mine. Vote.

Balance Lost

I like this. The intro has an offspring feel to it. Double vocals are neat albeit a little loose.
Im a sucker for that indie alt rock feel. The higher vocals caught me by surprise in the chorus. I dig this track.

Blonde and Bald

Ahh yes. Classic acoustic singer songwriter song. Short, simple and sweet. I like it.

The Pannacotta Army
Whats not to like about some dobro and harmonica. This kinda sounds like a street performer playing all the instruments at the same time. Ill always have a soft spot for blues music. Vote.

[sleepysilverdoor]

@shade: Appalachia, eh? Whereabout? Grew up in Knoxville. Married a woman from middle of nowhere southwestern Virginia. Ancestral roots go back pretty heavily tin western NC and West Virginia. Gotta love those hills...I miss them.

As for the comments on my tune: I was not going for Korn in the vocals, but the bass tone? Caught me. I love that rattly nasty tone Field manages to get.

[Shade&honey]

@shade: Appalachia, eh? Whereabout? Grew up in Knoxville. Married a woman from middle of nowhere southwestern Virginia. Ancestral roots go back pretty heavily tin western NC and West Virginia. Gotta love those hills...I miss them.

As for the comments on my tune: I was not going for Korn in the vocals, but the bass tone? Caught me. I love that rattly nasty tone Field manages to get.

I live on the Ohio river in a sleepy little town called Parkersburg. Mid-ohio valley. Though I grew up and picked my first guitar in Tennessee. I really dug your tune and look forward to hearing more!

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Pigfarmer Jr I dig the vox and harmonies. Track has a nice live vibe to it. Like the panning in your drum fills. These real drums? Track has a soft rick vibe to it....and there is nothing wrong with that!

Superior Drummer 2 - I did use some urgitone midi packs that are... very humanized in the timing and recording. (Read that, the timing looks pretty off in the midi editor but seems pretty good to my ears.) I have used my own drumming on songs in the past and I've been told that I need to find better loops or that I need practice (not necessarily in those words.)

[Shade&honey]

Pigfarmer Jr I dig the vox and harmonies. Track has a nice live vibe to it. Like the panning in your drum fills. These real drums? Track has a soft rick vibe to it....and there is nothing wrong with that!

Superior Drummer 2 - I did use some urgitone midi packs that are... very humanized in the timing and recording. (Read that, the timing looks pretty off in the midi editor but seems pretty good to my ears.) I have used my own drumming on songs in the past and I've been told that I need to find better loops or that I need practice (not necessarily in those words.)

I use a digitech sdrum pedal for alot of my quick demo ideas. Its not the best by far but it sure is fast at putting a beat down. Though, on this track it was a friend who supplied a custom midi drum track for me, also bass.

[seemanski]

Wow, that's a lot of tunes this week. Slowly working my way through the reviews, I've had a few listens whilst walking and all of the tracks are really good. I'll put my words of non-wisdom up once I've gone through whilst jotting down random thoughts as I listen.

The tracks that really stood out for me were My Social Uniform, Sober, Balance Lost, The Pannacotta Army and Phlebia for one reason or another, but that could change with more listens. I'm not sure there is a cap to the number of votes I can put down either, I would like to put more because there were lots of great tracks.

My favorite. You had me at the cassette loading to open the song. You killed it. Vocal performance top shelf, arps swirling around each other, thumping synth bass line, all clutch. Guitar solo is a really pleasant touch as well. Be proud of this one.

thanks I really enjoyed making it. FWIW yours was my favourite before I read this, cross my heart and hope to die.

[Adam!]

I had a lot of fun making my song. Wanna see?

[Paco Del Stinko]

Once upon a time, I had more reviews entered than songs. If I remember right, I had submitted reviews before my first entry, even. Anyway, those are days long gone, and I have been negligent in my reviewing duties for longer then I care to admit. So. Here are my morning pot of coffee comments. No beer, no Alka Seltzer, no Ketamine, formaldehide, etc. And I'm listening on home stereo, not suffering through headphones. I'll be glad to answer any questions raised by what I have to say.

Balance Lost - Loving the dissonant guitar at the start, could take more of that. Snazzy, hip music for walking in your headphone bubble and singing along to. Bass sounds ballsy but programmed. I'm taking this as a song of the time, thematically. Always with the guitars I tell myself I can't figure out how to play. Pleasant chorus, good song length although ending feels abrupt. Oh, and "woo"!

Blonde and Bald - Very cute. The chase me up a tree line makes me smile most, for some reason. Nice collab, and a great start for a budding talent.

Brown Word and the Big Whine - I can see a drunken slob smashing beer bottles in the back of a club to this. I don't mean that as a smear, though it doesn't sound good. I dig the classic rock sound and feel of this. A big, long pick scratch at the breakdown would've fit right in. The lyrical theme is very good, if almost in the wrong musical setting, but works better in the bridge. The bridge is probably my favorite part and transitions nicely out. Be a great live song, you have to be Iggy here..

Hardmonica - Love the flute and the Dungen vibe under it. Yeah, shuffley hippy groove, leaning a bit hard, works for me. All the instruments sound great, mixed as a nice wash of sound, not necessarily all clean and separate, a live feel with overdubs. James Owens and Jim Tyrrell had a man-baby to sing this. Straight forward progression works well and a balanced arrangement take it no further than it needs to go.

Jon Eric - I'd like to hear the third chord in the verse keep descending. Guess I'm hearing something there/not there. Good arrangement and chordage, the melody is nice, not straying too far from itself, but remains a constant companion. Could've doubled the chorus, line-wise, or repeat I think, and not have caused suffering. Song doesn't feel as long as it says it is, and takes nice nice turns along the way. Good singing, hope it's all unaltered. I'm struggling to hear the mob vocals well, could be my ears though.

JTTJ - Mash of modern influences here, with a strong whiff of Bowie, vocally, to me. The off rhythm is a surprise, I'm not sure that I like that as much as I should, but you did right to break up the slow pace of the verses. Works better after the first shift, with the spacey twinkles added. The end section is very good, could go even bigger in wall of soundage if you had time or tracks, but nice shift, although the ending disappoints a bit, leaving me less than floored after the promises of the first half of the song. Regardless, I am a fan of this, and understand that making something in this vein is not in my bag of capabilities.

Lichen Throat - Oo! Pretty In Pink soundtrack start! It's the 'verbed drum machine and then chorusy guitar. Works for me, seriously. I like the lyrics, I am thinking there's some autobiographical elements to them. Your voice is EQ'd well and sits nicely, mix-wise. Very Joy Division/Bauhaus era type vocal. The standout here is the lean arrangement, not packed with too much movement or notes. I don't understand why the drums drop out, but it's all good when they restart. Good direction for you.

Max Bombast - Well, this certainly got "polished" after the video, didn't it? Very Stonesy vibe to the intro and verses. Rolls nicely into and out of the chorus. This is a good lesson in doing a lot with a little, meaning, melody and simple instrumentation are all you need, not a wall of poop like I tend to do. Not an all-time classic, but especially for a quickly done tune, very nice. Sing-able and moody, not too far into darkness.

My Social Uniform - Very professional sounding, written, arranged. Excellent 'club music'. It reminds me of the 80s, the synth and guitar work, especially, but still fresh and timely. The lyrics are perfect for this, all I'm gonna sex you up, or whatever, hooky and doesn't lean too far into eye roll territory. Leaning that way, yeah, but no tippage. Great vocal work all around, you obviously know what to do. Sounds like a winner.

Night Sky - I like this a lot. Shuffley, bluesy. The loose vocal could be a bit tighter on the notes that crack. Doesn't need to be tight and flawless, but the cracking takes away from some of the real feel to the delivery, to me, but the vocal certainly has a lot of genuine feel to it. The patient sway of the instruments feels nice and organic. Smokey, late night club music with a good feel.

Paco del Stinko - The main progression is Am Em G, but only sounds like two chords being played, to me. The Em/G are close, I guess. Some real story in here, if trouble wasn't what I really went looking for. Strat on top of baritone guitar for the riffs.

The Pannacotta Army - Sheesh, talk about organic sounding. I almost hear piano in here, but don't think there is, is there? Great builds in the arrangement, simple and effective. It's almost tempting to want to hear layers of vocals or whatever come in, but that would probably take away from the river slowly going by vibe of this. Nice delivery on the lead voice, casual but not lazy. Very nice work here, patient but not draggy.

Phlebia - Korn Tools! Kidding, I saw earlier comments. Love the Bonham style beat and skanky bass line on top of it. The guitar work is good too, could be bigger, somehow, I suppose. The vocal work is well done, your voice cuts through nicely without grating. Powerful tune, just shy of clobbering me, but not for lack of trying. I like the pre-chorus lyrics and the I can see theme throughout, nice.

Pigfarmer Jr - Very nice love song, hats off to you for doing this, takes some balls. Love the chord changes in the hooky chorus, and how it transitions out. Not a fan of the distorted guitar, maybe just needs to be tightened up, fuzz wise or something, as it's going in the right direction, just sounds too loose for this. Nice song, last dance at the prom type thing.

seemanski - I remember a club in Ingolstadt, Germany, that I went to a long, long time ago, where the young people danced in front of mirrors. Odd, I thought. Well, this could have been played there. That's not an insult, just a weird memory it brought about. Perhaps the moody reflection (har) made me picture the people being dancey and uh, moody. Lovely synth work, heady, twinkly and throbbing simultaneously. The harmony lines moving underneath are quietly effective. Good vocal work as well, not overdoing any of it. Good tune, both day-dreamy and a little dark.

Shade & Honey - Hazy days vocal and echoey bits are anchored on earth by the straight ahead beat. If noo beat, this might float off into the clouds. I wonder if I might like that more, I dunno. I can't understand most of the lyrics, but I like when you start to sing higher in the chorus. Takes its time, no need to rush, makes this pleasant. Simple and effective arrangement.

Sober - I'm struck first by the professional production as the song gets going. Not a surprise from you, but always impressive. The song does everything it needs to do, in the right places. This isn't suggesting that it's color by numbers, but some things just need to be done a certain way, I suppose. Perhaps one might call that traditional. Love the vocals, the instrumentation is right on, and there's nothing wrong with that dobro, although I'm sure you know that. Lord, river, take me home, all make me think of the mysterious (to me) south, being a Yankee and all. Great pacing, rhythm, and lead vocal is part of it, not some show-boaty thing. Winner, if people don't go for the clubby Social Uniform bit.

Sweeney Toad - Manic goofiness, loaded with either paranoia or sarcasm, I'm not sure. Regardless, no need for chips for people to become robots to their technology and idol worship. S'all free will, man. Or was. I like this a couple times, the turbo-percolation is fun, but too much wears me out. I can dig it, then need a break.

Wow(!)Signal - This promises to be an epic classic/prog rock tune, with a well known vocalist holding you rapt. However, the auto tune stuff dents it for me. I do enjoy the layered builds, although I'm not sure that they build to anything more than established mood. I like the mood, don't get me wrong, but the epic doesn't quite materialize. Great airy mood, misty moors or something. Not bad at all, just thought it was going to go bigger, further, or higher or something. Sonic textures are very nice.

[Shade&honey]

Shade & Honey - Hazy days vocal and echoey bits are anchored on earth by the straight ahead beat. If noo beat, this might float off into the clouds. I wonder if I might like that more, I dunno. I can't understand most of the lyrics, but I like when you start to sing higher in the chorus. Takes its time, no need to rush, makes this pleasant. Simple and effective arrangement.

Thank you, Paco! Thats basically what I'm going for. Alot of my influences keep the same mantra of simple and effective, and I'm a product of that. I love bands like Sparklehorse, grandaddy, and Mac Demarco. I was a little over zealous with the vocal effects but will tone them down in the next song, and will also post the lyrics!