Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Discuss upcoming, current, and previous song fights.
User avatar
Pigfarmer Jr
Jump
Posts: 2293
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:13 am
Instruments: Guitar
Recording Method: Br-900CD and Reaper to mix
Submitting as: Pigfarmer Jr, Evil Grin, Pork Producer, Gilmore Lynette Tootle, T.C. Elliott
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Contact:

Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

... just kidding. You should do the reviews.
Last edited by Lunkhead on Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: make normal
Evil Grin bandcamp - Evil Grin spotify
T.C. Elliott bandcamp - T.C. Elliott spotify

"PigFramer: Guy and guitar OF MY NIGHTMARES." - Blue Lang
User avatar
Pigfarmer Jr
Jump
Posts: 2293
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:13 am
Instruments: Guitar
Recording Method: Br-900CD and Reaper to mix
Submitting as: Pigfarmer Jr, Evil Grin, Pork Producer, Gilmore Lynette Tootle, T.C. Elliott
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Please post your lyric here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12118
Evil Grin bandcamp - Evil Grin spotify
T.C. Elliott bandcamp - T.C. Elliott spotify

"PigFramer: Guy and guitar OF MY NIGHTMARES." - Blue Lang
User avatar
Lunkhead
You're No Good
Posts: 8107
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:14 pm
Instruments: many
Recording Method: cubase/mac/tascam4x4
Submitting as: Berkeley Social Scene, Merisan, Tiny Robots
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Songs posted!
User avatar
Lunkhead
You're No Good
Posts: 8107
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:14 pm
Instruments: many
Recording Method: cubase/mac/tascam4x4
Submitting as: Berkeley Social Scene, Merisan, Tiny Robots
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

There was a snafu around the new Yaks song which has been sorted out and it's now in the fight.
User avatar
the idiot king
Push Comes to Shove
Posts: 332
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 1:28 pm
Instruments: Guitar, Bass, Keys, Programming, Stuff for Hitting
Recording Method: Logic Pro X
Submitting as: The Idiot Kings
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: Derry, NH USA
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by the idiot king »

In the order listened:

Night Sky: The sax hit me right off the bat. The vocals seem a bit uncertain or hesitant but I think that works here. "I broke my silence about that week in Warsaw" is more amusing to me than it should be. Fun lyrics. The real star here is the sax work, it's consistently very strong.

Lichen Throat: Fifteen seconds in and instrumentally this is really up my alley. Great lyrics! "Not everything in Aristotle
Agrees with dispassionate math" made me smirk. My only criticism is that the vocals are pretty disproportionately loud, and with Stephin Merritt sort of ranges I find that the vocals sit better a little further back in the mix than most pop.

Robyn Mackenzie: This groove is killer, and I love the slight arrangement changes you make from section to section. It's never incredibly dense but it's always different enough to keep momentum going. The vocal performances are super strong, and the harmonies are really nice. Solid contender for a vote.

Duncan Martin: The first verse lyrics in particular are really good. Stripped down folky music isn't necessarily my cup of tea but you're not doing anything here that really bothers me. The strong lyrics and vocal harmonies really work for me. I love that you included the chords with your lyrics, it reminds me of when Blur did that on one of their albums.

Berkeley Social Scene: Great to be in a fight with you again! I'm really digging the almost Superdrag-esque vibe with almost a Stone Roses vocal approach. Killer guitar tones! My only complaint is that there's a bit of clipping throughout; I would love to hear a slightly less hot version. Best use of the glock solo so far! Very good harmonies at the end.

Jon Porobil: Two fighters of a similar vintage to myself in a row! Glad to be in a fight with you, too, dude! So this was a fun piano ballad for two minutes and then you cranked it up to the next level and I am here for it. This is the best use of dynamics so far in this fight. The "stupid thing like running away" bit is so catchy. Solid vote contender.

Brown Word and the Big Whine: Loud discordant guitar intros FTW. We went along similar lines lyrically, that's funny. This is loud and unforgiving and the lyrics are fun and I really like it. Having said that, I'm not getting a hook. This would be a killer album track for me but not a single.

Pigfarmer Jr: There's not enough dark ballads out there these days. Sometimes I like getting a twisted story in my song. That can totally be a good thing. In this case it is. Great guitar tones, and good chorus melodies. Potential vote contender.

WreckdoM: Good to fight with you again as well! Pure grime, I love it. The lyrics are morbid and fun. The guitar at the end is a nice addition. Equal parts sound collage and song, this is definitely a potential vote contender.

The Idiot Kings: It's me. I wrote this on piano and tracked it, programmed the drums, and recorded vocals and bass. The plan was for there to be a lot of weird guitar chords on top of everything. Then one night while making dinner I accidentally nearly removed some of my index finger instead of the hard bread I was cutting. Ergo, the plan changed, and the clean guitars that are doing actual chords were recorded separately so i could get my fingers into place before hitting record, and the rest were all just taking advantage of dropped-D so I could play everything with my middle finger. On the plus side I got some use out of a custom fuzz box my friend built for me, which would not have happened if I went with plan A.

Yaks of the Industry (feat. miscellaneous owl): Instrumentally, this is TMBG meets the Cure and that ain't a bad thing. The way layers are added is very fun. Is that ARP Solina samples I hear? Fun tune! Have you ever heard of Freezepop? This reminds me very much of them.

Critical Rave Theory: I love the lyrics, I thought about going this route with a turn of phrase regarding house music. I didn't because I've been obsessed with Jarvis Cocker's latest record and he did the same exact thing and I would have that nagging at me if I did. I'm dancing slightly in my chair as I listen. Everything about this arrangement is working. I was a bit disappointed with the amount of lyrics, thinking that would translate to a shorter song, but the instrumental outro is great. Top notch track, this will likely get a vote.

The Magnetic Letters: "uke-lay-lay" really got me. Very strong lyrics. The beat changes up just enough to keep things interesting, and adding sparse elements really makes everything propel forward.

Sweeney Toad: Similar topic to my track and Brown Word yet all three are very different. So good. In regards to this song, I like it a lot. Something about the aggressive vocals really sells it. Mellotron choir is always fun. This is a strange arrangement, but it works.

Mellfire: Great guitar tones! The song itself is solid, but I'd love to hear a bit of reverb on the snare, and maybe a limiter on the master bus to bring some more volume to the table. Your vocals remind me a lot of Xiu Xiu's stuff on the Fabulous Muscles album (but way less pitchy) with the vocal distortion.

Tomdg: Wonderfully lo-fi. How do you record? This is the kind of song if played live in a basement show I'd happily lose my shit over it. Recorded it's a little less engaging.

Sumner Sloane: Great little slice of jangle pop, no qualms with the song but the production could use a little work. If the bass were compressed more effectively, it could have sat lower in the mix allowing the vocals and guitar to shine a bit more.

1b92d9ce-8365-428c-a81f-bd1ab8d9522b: Is this actually the band name? If so, kudos. If not, something may have gone wrong during the upload of the song. I'm guessing likely not though as soon as I hear the industrial stomp. Thank you for including space in an industrial song. The clanging on the right speaker sounds like it's actually coming from somewhere. Too much industrial is bone dry. I would have liked to see the lyrics in Ye Olde Lyric Archive
to try to make sense of what's happening. But I love noise, I love industrial, and this is good stuff. Potential vote for sure.

Shoehorn TC: Everything on here is very well produced and performed, but lyrically this is treading water a little too close to the utter nightmare that is actual reality, as opposed to playing around with it and not being super literal. It's a well crafted song, it's just a bummer for me to listen to.
Last edited by the idiot king on Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"You know the change will do you good."
-Gang of Four
User avatar
sleepysilverdoor
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1087
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:02 pm
Instruments: Drums, Guitars, Keys
Recording Method: Focusrite + FL Studio
Submitting as: Phl*b*
Pronouns: bruh
Location: Not super far from Atlanta but definitely not Atlanta
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

1b92d9ce-8365-428c-a81f-bd1ab8d9522b is indeed the artist name and it's the output from a UUID generation tool. As for the track, running a volca sample through a fuzz pedal and an envelope filter and chanting meaningless hype slogans is really fun, you should try it. As for the genre tag, industrial is fine, I was kind of doing a piss take on the sort of stuff you'd find on Perc Trax!

Also re: your Yaks review thank you for reminding me of Freezepop, we used to play them all the time back when I worked college radio!
"There's a lot to be said about a full-on frontal assault on the ear drums" - Pigfarmer Jr.
User avatar
the idiot king
Push Comes to Shove
Posts: 332
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 1:28 pm
Instruments: Guitar, Bass, Keys, Programming, Stuff for Hitting
Recording Method: Logic Pro X
Submitting as: The Idiot Kings
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: Derry, NH USA
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by the idiot king »

sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:16 am
1b92d9ce-8365-428c-a81f-bd1ab8d9522b is indeed the artist name and it's the output from a UUID generation tool. As for the track, running a volca sample through a fuzz pedal and an envelope filter and chanting meaningless hype slogans is really fun, you should try it. As for the genre tag, industrial is fine, I was kind of doing a piss take on the sort of stuff you'd find on Perc Trax!

Also re: your Yaks review thank you for reminding me of Freezepop, we used to play them all the time back when I worked college radio!
That's really funny, they're big on the PAX music scene but I don't know about elsewhere. They're old friends of mine, I've known Sean for over 15 years.
"You know the change will do you good."
-Gang of Four
User avatar
mholland
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Posts: 170
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2020 8:18 pm
Instruments: Saxophones and other things
Recording Method: Scarlett 18i20, Logic
Submitting as: Night Sky
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Davis, CA

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by mholland »

sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:16 am
1b92d9ce-8365-428c-a81f-bd1ab8d9522b is indeed the artist name and it's the output from a UUID generation tool. As for the track, running a volca sample through a fuzz pedal and an envelope filter and chanting meaningless hype slogans is really fun, you should try it. As for the genre tag, industrial is fine, I was kind of doing a piss take on the sort of stuff you'd find on Perc Trax!

Also re: your Yaks review thank you for reminding me of Freezepop, we used to play them all the time back when I worked college radio!
Ha, I was thinking it was a hash of "I am lord phlebia" or something like that.
Night Sky is Sally on lyrics, Steve on drums, and Matt on the other stuff
User avatar
sleepysilverdoor
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1087
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:02 pm
Instruments: Drums, Guitars, Keys
Recording Method: Focusrite + FL Studio
Submitting as: Phl*b*
Pronouns: bruh
Location: Not super far from Atlanta but definitely not Atlanta
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

the idiot king wrote:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:25 am
sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:16 am
1b92d9ce-8365-428c-a81f-bd1ab8d9522b is indeed the artist name and it's the output from a UUID generation tool. As for the track, running a volca sample through a fuzz pedal and an envelope filter and chanting meaningless hype slogans is really fun, you should try it. As for the genre tag, industrial is fine, I was kind of doing a piss take on the sort of stuff you'd find on Perc Trax!

Also re: your Yaks review thank you for reminding me of Freezepop, we used to play them all the time back when I worked college radio!
That's really funny, they're big on the PAX music scene but I don't know about elsewhere. They're old friends of mine, I've known Sean for over 15 years.
I've got no personal connection to them, but they did play our on-campus (WKU) music festival a couple times around 2008 or 2009. Our music director was OBSESSED with them. And well, everything synthpop for that matter. Words cannot describe how stoked he was when he managed to track down Stacey Q for an interview once. Heh, funny how a single artist can bring back a torrent of random memories.
"There's a lot to be said about a full-on frontal assault on the ear drums" - Pigfarmer Jr.
mo
Mean Street
Posts: 514
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2004 9:46 pm
Instruments: guitar, bass, synth
Recording Method: Reaper 4eva
Submitting as: duboce triangle, ellipsis, agony sauce, moody vermin, spite, yaks
Pronouns: n/a
Location: hell a
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by mo »

Freezepop was mentioned a couple times in the Yaks chat, yes hahahaha
User avatar
lichenthroat
Mean Street
Posts: 543
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2016 12:54 pm
Recording Method: MuseScore & Ardour or Reaper
Submitting as: Lichen Throat, Dimetrodon, Sparetooth, Dessert Tortoise
Pronouns: he/him
Location: New Mexico

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by lichenthroat »

1b92d9ce-8365-428c-a81f-bd1ab8d9522b—It doesn’t sound all that similar, but this reminds me of Babylon Zoo’s “Spaceman.” I think this could awesome if you added a soaring vocal over all the noise. The noise itself is well done. Not quite my thing, but it’s still pretty cool.

Berkeley Social Scene—This is my favorite BSS song that I can recall, and there have been a lot. I like the instrumental melodies, particularly how they sound a little disparate and then coalesce. The vocal is smooth and understated, meshing well with the music. There’s nice differentiation between the verse and chorus.

Brown Word and the Big Whine—The harsh guitar and the glockenspiel work surprisingly well together. Crank up the drums and play them more wildly. I’m not enamored with the vocal melody, but I do like the vocal delivery.

Critical Rave Theory—Bringin’ the funk. I’m not an afficionado of the genre, but this is among the better examples of it. I’m bobbing my head, so that’s good.

Duncan Martin—Your snare sounds good, but I can’t hear whether there’s a bass drum. (If there’s not supposed to be, then obviously your mix is okay.) Your acoustic bass sounds good. Your vocal delivery really reinforces the atmosphere and style.

The Idiot Kings—I liked this a lot. The chorus is kind of how I aspire to sound but can never achieve. I wouldn’t mind your voice a little more prominent in the mix. Not much else to say other than nice job.

Jon Porobil—I wasn’t enthused at first because I thought the whole song was going to sound like the intro, but then I was pleasantly mistaken. Taken holistically, this works well. There’s a real feeling of progression as it goes along, and it seems like every note is well considered.

Lichen Throat (me)—This is more midi keyboard and less MuseScore programming than usual. I think the voice is probably mixed too loud, but I don’t think this song works at all if the words are hard to make out, so I erred on the side of loudness. If I could sing better, this wouldn’t be an issue, of course. The lyrics are about Galileo, who lived the last years of his life under house arrest.

The Magnetic Letters—I like your voice and your vocal delivery. This is outside my area of listening familiarity and general preferences, but I enjoyed the wordplay. Pretty good rhythm too.

mellfire—I like the crunchy guitar. Your vocal is super smooth in the verses, and they you add more tension in the chorus, which is a cool approach. I’m (genuinely) not sure whether I think the blues ending meshes well with the rest of the song.

Night Sky—This is my favorite Night Sky song. I often have a hard time properly appreciating horns, but they fit perfectly in this song. You’ve got exactly enough melancholy here, and the melodies of your vocal and the brass interact very well. Good, good, good.

Pigfarmer Jr—This is like a museum specimen for a straightforward hard rock song. Lyrics and instrumental atmosphere complement each other well. Very solid.

Robyn MacKenzie—It’s cool to hear a different style from you. You’re good at this one too. The double-tracking is tastefully applied in just the right places. Nice vocal performances.

ShoehornTC—I think I’m a little burned out on 2020-was-hard songs. Nevertheless, I like this to the extent that it reminds me of the 80s New Zealand sound (like the Clean, etc.), which I think is mostly the cool guitar tone. I’m happy to bop along with you.

Sumner Sloane—Your vocal seems way too distant, especially considering how clear and present the drums are. This works okay as retro-inspired rock, which I neither hate nor love.

Sweeney Toad—I appreciate the variation you’ve injected into your vocal delivery and timbre. I can totally picture people dancing to this at a club. Not a dance club I’d go to, but a decent club nonetheless.

Tomdg—This is sort of a weird hardcore punk song, which I hope (and think) you had in mind. It seems like you are innovating in a very prescriptive genre, which is conceptually cool.

WreckdoM—Good drums, as has become usual for you lately. I’m not sure the purposeful disorder works for me, but I think the glockenspiel fits best in your song of any of the entries this week.

Yaks of the Industry (feat. miscellaneous owl)—I’m still burned out on covid-19 songs, but this is so endearing and appealing that I have to make an exception. I’m not going to say more, since I think you all know how good this is.
mo
Mean Street
Posts: 514
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2004 9:46 pm
Instruments: guitar, bass, synth
Recording Method: Reaper 4eva
Submitting as: duboce triangle, ellipsis, agony sauce, moody vermin, spite, yaks
Pronouns: n/a
Location: hell a
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by mo »

RE: Yaks

No, we really don't
User avatar
Duncan
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Posts: 199
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 1:53 am
Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Sax, Clarinet, Harmonica, Voice
Recording Method: Reaper
Submitting as: Duncan Martin
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Vancouver, BC

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by Duncan »

@LichenThroat there was no bass drum in there, but there probably should have been.
cookie
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2014 9:02 am
Instruments: bananas, eggs, that thing with the strings
Recording Method: Audacity
Submitting as: Cookie Blue
Pronouns: he/him or they/them

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by cookie »

Aah I have an almost-finished recording of my "house arrest" but that glockenspiel thing... it's been waiting for me all week and it's still waiting. Can I make a late entry, if I ever manage to finish?
come to the dark side.
User avatar
sleepysilverdoor
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1087
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:02 pm
Instruments: Drums, Guitars, Keys
Recording Method: Focusrite + FL Studio
Submitting as: Phl*b*
Pronouns: bruh
Location: Not super far from Atlanta but definitely not Atlanta
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

cookie wrote:
Fri Jun 18, 2021 5:32 pm
Aah I have an almost-finished recording of my "house arrest" but that glockenspiel thing... it's been waiting for me all week and it's still waiting. Can I make a late entry, if I ever manage to finish?
You're welcome to post it here and you'll probably get a few listens! It wouldn't be in the fight though.
"There's a lot to be said about a full-on frontal assault on the ear drums" - Pigfarmer Jr.
User avatar
furrypedro
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1265
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 12:06 pm
Instruments: Guitar, programming
Recording Method: Cubase, Reason
Submitting as: Balance Lost
Location: Kyoto
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by furrypedro »

I enjoyed the BSS tune this week. Nice clicky drums, and I liked the guitar and vocals
User avatar
Duncan
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Posts: 199
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 1:53 am
Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Sax, Clarinet, Harmonica, Voice
Recording Method: Reaper
Submitting as: Duncan Martin
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Vancouver, BC

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by Duncan »

cookie wrote:
Fri Jun 18, 2021 5:32 pm
Aah I have an almost-finished recording of my "house arrest" but that glockenspiel thing... it's been waiting for me all week and it's still waiting. Can I make a late entry, if I ever manage to finish?
I second the suggestion to post it. I haven't done reviews yet, but will include it in mine if you post it, for what it's worth.
User avatar
robynmackenzie
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Posts: 105
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2020 8:24 pm
Submitting as: Robyn Mackenzie
Pronouns: she/her

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by robynmackenzie »

Night Sky: I like the chorus a lot and the sax is just lovely. Nice imagery in the lyrics. I want the drums to be a little louder, they feel like they’re sitting in the background without much oomph.

1b92d9ce-8365-428c-a81f-bd1ab8d9522b: Oh my. Massive wall of kinetic sound. Not sure what else to say about this.

ShoehornTC: The lyrics are a little on-the-nose for my taste but musically this is really fun and well-done. Nice harmonies.

Yaks of the Industry (feat. miscellaneous owl): Fun and well-produced as always. I really like the chord progression in the bridge.

Sumner Sloane: Getting Billy Idol vibes from this. I wish I could hear your vocals and the lead guitar better--that bass is pretty overwhelming, albeit very good.

mellfire: I really like these lyrics! This builds and flows really nicely. Nice lead section, and the change of pace keeps things interesting.

The Magnetic Letters: The synths really carry this song in my opinion. The chorus is catchy and I like the doubled vocals. Very nice.

Lichen Throat: Cool bassline. Your lyrics always impress me with their originality and flow.

WreckdoM: I like the music but I can barely hear your vocals, which is frustrating. I’ve often wondered if my dogs would eat me if I died so the lyrics were relatable. Cool blend of sounds you’ve got going on here.

The Idiot Kings: I can super relate to these lyrics. After working from home for over a year I’ve gotten even more hermity than I was before the pandemic. You captured the feeling well.

Robyn Mackenzie: I’m glad to hear that people are enjoying the vocals because I feel like they’re all over the place. I’ve been trying to work with flex pitch in Logic and sometimes it makes me want to throw my computer across the room. Any advice or tips are appreciated!

Sweeney Toad: This has a similar sentiment to The Idiot Kings and you expressed it equally well. There’s been an internal shift toward fear and hesitation when a year ago we were all raring to get back to “normal.” Great lyrics.

Tomdg: Love these lyrics and the lo-fi punk vibe you’ve got going on. I’m hearing some Dead Kennedys influence. The glockenspiel solo works surprisingly well.

Jon Porobil: Great vocals and I like how you worked in the glockenspiel. Nice chord progression. Structurally solid and well done.

Critical Rave Theory: Killer beat. All the elements of this fit together perfectly--the bass, the glockenspiel, the samples. I think this is my favorite.

Pigfarmer jr: Solid playing and writing as usual. I don’t have too much to say about this one other than that I enjoyed it.

Brown Word and the Big Whine: This is great--big energetic guitars, vocals full of attitude, and just the right amount of dissonance. Love this.

Berkeley Social Scene: Yet another great use of the glockenspiel. Really digging that beat and the echoey guitars. This has both an 80’s and early 00’s feel which is impressive.

Duncan Martin: I really like the juxtaposition of the cheery music and dark, foreboding lyrics. I definitely think your vocals could stand to be louder, and the drums sounded hissy to me at some points. Nevertheless, this is another favorite for the lyrics alone.
User avatar
sleepysilverdoor
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1087
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:02 pm
Instruments: Drums, Guitars, Keys
Recording Method: Focusrite + FL Studio
Submitting as: Phl*b*
Pronouns: bruh
Location: Not super far from Atlanta but definitely not Atlanta
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

Brown Word and the Big Whine - You always sound like you’re having so much fun when you’re making your tunes. The “tonight we’re gonna take it to the top” has a kind of 90s vibe. But for some reason it doesn’t sound like the bass and the guitar are that aligned there. The rest of the song sounds pretty good.

Critical Rave Theory - Housey. Cause it’s “house” arrest. I dug the bassline and that diminished 5th upward jump you have going on there. I’m not huge on the sample part, it’s better off when it’s just your voice. Kick drum is a little thin, you gotta make it THUMP. And that snare is so dry, it needs more WHAM. But that’s okay. This is fun.

Duncan Martin - Well, I didn’t dislike it exactly, and there were some clever lines within there. But it kind of just entered my ears and then floated on out. I think it’s the general lack of dynamics, this song just kind of enters and does its thing at the same intensity the whole time and it never grabbed me.

WreckdoM - This makes me sway my head back and forth and periodically get stank face. I like the warbly theremin part with the funky ghost house going on. This instrumental is doing something to my head and I think I like the effect.

The Idiot Kings - Too much echo on the vocals, drums too dry. Needs an amp sim or something on the guitars. I like the part where the vocals get all filtered though. I would love this a lot more if the drums sounded HUGE. That’s a gnarly breakbeat, I want it to kick my butt.

Tomdg - The drums. Oh my what a pulse. The guitar and bass sound so muddy and blah it’s like I’m stuck in a swamp. Makes me think of Sleaford mods but with less rhythm and more discordance.

Sumner Sloane - This is so thin sounding, like the bass has no body at all. Bring out that low end and compress this a bit geez it’s just so quiet and thin! It’s fun. This needs some deathcore style “breeeeeeeeeee” screams. It reminds me of something I’d hear used as a jingle for why I should go to my nearest wholesale furniture outlet.

Mellfire - Trim that silence at the start it’s very there. I dunno I accidental tdo that a lot. The guitar in the beginning is panned too far left. I feel like I keep complaining about sterile sounding drums in this fight but a lot of the drums are sterile. There’s a certain proggy inclination in this chord progression that suits you well. Fun rhythm shift towards the end, the shuffle is fun. The “shame shame shame” part was cool!

Magnetic Letters - This is so absurd. The bass synth you went with reminds me of a swishy fruit. This is the most bizarre hip house I’ve ever heard. I don’t hate it. I keep grinning. The choral bit that came in around 1:20 was fun. I love it. I think. Do I? Lol the part about sweating and the 909s got a chuckle out of me.

ShoehornTC - I don’t like the topic of this song. I’m tired of hearing about how times are hard and this entire song just isn’t jiving with my mood lately, I swear if I hear another song that’s all about COVID I’m going to explode. Sure the song is well executed stylistically and the mix is solid but I just don’t like what you’re doing.

Yaks - Well the Freezepop comparison holds up. I thought this was absurdly fun. Also hearing Owl with a lot of autotune is very entertaining. I wonder what kind of owls yaks are usually exposed to in their natural environment.

Jon Porobil - The rhythm of this is kind of fun in the verses a bit. Something about the drum timbre here isn’t doing it for me. The mix gets way better when you switch it up hard around 155 or whatever. But then when that more aggressive tone goes away the track goes to being anemic. Gotta get it filling the headphones the whole time!

Robyn Mackenzie - I like the panning on that synth. There’s something about the mix with the vocals and the synth tones that doesn’t quite work but I can’t figure it out. Maybe they’re just so much more present, I dunno. A bit of a high pass or something. Could even be environment you’re recording your vocals in. And the combination of that panned hihat sound for some reason brings out the sibilance in your vocal track. Seriously it’s a good song, I’m just trying so find something productive to say?

UUID - I was playing with my volca sample and my effects pedals.

Y’all: I’m tired, I’ll try and finish you tomorrow.

Lichen

Night Sky

Pigfarmer Jr

Sweeney Toad

Berkeley Social Scene
"There's a lot to be said about a full-on frontal assault on the ear drums" - Pigfarmer Jr.
User avatar
sleepysilverdoor
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1087
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:02 pm
Instruments: Drums, Guitars, Keys
Recording Method: Focusrite + FL Studio
Submitting as: Phl*b*
Pronouns: bruh
Location: Not super far from Atlanta but definitely not Atlanta
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

Lichen - I’m digging that really “wooden” bass sound that’s featured so prominently here. Glockenspiel is very present, good job on the optional challenge. Something about the “electric guitar” preset reminds me of a Super Nintendo. “Look at the crescent of Venus it’s definitely a sphere” is a line that stuck out for some reason. I’ve been doing a lot of stargazing lately. Found M10 the other day.

Night Sky - Your saxophone is at peak smoothness here. I know there’s something about that particular range that brings to mind local on the 8s to a lot of people, but I used to just leave local on the 8s on and listen to the music all the time so that’s fine. Of course once the track kicks in the smooth jazz overtones diminish. This is the best Night Sky song I’ve heard so far and probably one of the most votable ones this round. The prolonged instrumental break is sublime.

Pigfarmer Jr - I wish there was a big 80s gated reverb on your snare drum and a slightly more compressed guitar tone. That would really flesh it out. I liked the guitar solo. I started getting into it more as it went on, but all in all not much of an impression was made on me.

Sweeney Toad - Lol you’re practically a bandmate at this point. The “blagaluguhuuhu” tongue trill effect was well utilized. The chorus makes me really happy, it kind of reminds me of some of the MC Devvo songs David Firth used to put up on FatPie back in the day. You should have held that choir pad out for 3 minutes.

Berkeley Social Scene - I like elements of this, the vocal delivery is nice and I like how each bar of the verselasts just a little longer than it needs to. I’d have cut the reverb off of the “I know you know that I’m enthralled” to make it sit better. The glockenspiel solo was welcome and well executed. Maybe not my favorite thing in the world, I kind of wish it were higher energy.
"There's a lot to be said about a full-on frontal assault on the ear drums" - Pigfarmer Jr.
User avatar
Lunkhead
You're No Good
Posts: 8107
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:14 pm
Instruments: many
Recording Method: cubase/mac/tascam4x4
Submitting as: Berkeley Social Scene, Merisan, Tiny Robots
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact:

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Critical Rave Theory and Robyn Mackenzie tie!
Nanja Sorya
A New Player
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu May 27, 2021 6:53 pm
Submitting as: Banda de Luchadores Melodiosos
Pronouns: He/him

Re: Here's an alternative to (House Arrest reviews)

Post by Nanja Sorya »

Lunkhead wrote:
Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:05 pm
Critical Rave Theory and Robyn Mackenzie tie!
Congratulations to Ms. Mackenzie for a rhythmically driving entry. You brought the sultry funk. (I voted for you!)
Nanja Sorya なんじゃそりゃ
~ Banda de Luchadores Melodiosos 🎶
~~ aka BdeLM (pronounced Bay-Day-El-Ehm)
- Critical Rave Theory 🍭
Post Reply