It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Discuss upcoming, current, and previous song fights.
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: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by lichenthroat »

Banda de Luchadores Melodiosos—At first I though this sounded like musical theater, then a World War I era tavern song, then a Queen song. It also seemed like a light-hearted version of Bob Dylan’s “With God on Our Side.” You’re probably doing something right if one song can evoke so may different things.

Berkeley Social Scene—I found it hard to get a handle on this for comments. It’s neither conspicuously good nor bad. I like the rhythm. The weird keyboards might be too much, but maybe not; that solo is kind of fun. I liked the guitar solo, too.

Brown Word and the Big Whine—Nice guitar playing on this. I kind of feel like the song slows down too much for the part with the vocal, especially after the incendiary beginning. I like the drums; they seem like they might be too dense, but I think they work pretty well. There’s a good sense of narrative.

Critical Rave Theory—This felt a little too slow for me; in particular, I think more frequent bass notes might help, even leaving everything else at the same bpm. I like the keyboard(?) rhythm that gets going later in the song. I’m probably affected a little negatively by genre bias here.

Dadathèque—I feel like you’re attempting something that’s outside my expertise to evaluate. This seems reasonably cohesive, despite all the disparate elements. I admire your commitment to concept.

Duncan Martin—I definitely got a “She’s Leaving Home” feel on this, right at the start. This suffers somewhat from the production limitations you mentioned, but I’d rather have this than no song at all. I appreciate that your language sounds unlike everyone else’s; the use of specific detail and unusual rhymes is a strength.

Instabandits—This is a nice merging of diverse styles of the instaband members. It’s cool to see how the instaband randomness can lead to the creation of unorthodox, but still pleasant, musical styles. The lightly tapped percussion works well.

Jeff DeSantis—This sounds very professional (in a good way). I would completely accept this as a late 70s FM radio staple if I didn’t know better. Buttery smooth. Good mix, too. I like it.

Lichen Throat (me)—I’m mostly happy with this, but I’m sure there some knobs I could have turned that would make it sound better, if only I knew how.

The Mellfire Trifecta—Parts of this sound too light-hearted to match the lyrical content, but other parts don’t. I think the rhyme scheme might be part of it; AABB somehow just seems lighter than ABAB (often, at least). Even though the lines are pretty long, some of that effect remains. I do like your lyrical concept, though and I really like the synth in the bridge.

My Social Uniform—I think you might need more effects on your vocal to make this sound as epic as you seem to have in mind, but you’re most of the way there. I like that you went for a style that we don’t often see in SongFight. The drum sounds and slap bass are well chosen and contribute to the atmosphere.

Paco del Stinko—Nice guitar tone. This sounds fun without going over the wall into novelty. The rapid vocal lines are delivered well. This sounds like you’ve been playing it for a long time, even though I know it’s brand new.

The Pannacotta Army—Your vocal sounds great, which by now is no surprise. I like how you’ve got the drums mixed loud. The overall presence and clarity of the mix is excellent and important; I think this might sound boring if the mix wasn’t as good, but that’s not a problem as it is. The transition from verse to chorus is good.

Pigfarmer Jr—The minimalist arrangement and discretized-sounding melody makes this sound like a song a chain gang would sing, which is cool. Lyrically, I like the ambiguity in assigning blame. (I mean I like it aesthetically in this particular song; in reality I’d rather everyone took a strong and correct moral stance, of course.)

Richard Donner Party—This sounds like the Field Mice covering a Vom Vorton song. That sounds like something I’d enjoy, and I do enjoy this. It also reminds me of a band called the Shake-ups, which I doubt anyone else has heard of, but which I like. The gentle-yet-active feel of the duet vocal is a great fit with the music.

Sumner Sloane—Your guitar mix is so good that I took me a while to realize that there weren’t any other instruments. More of a rhythm section might be an enhancement, though; the drums are hard to hear. This is pleasant but not especially memorable.

Sweeney Toad and the Synthlads—Is the “whopper house” Burger King? I like the inventiveness of some of your turns of phrase. Good head-bobbing rhythm. I’d rate this in the better half of your oeuvre. Good ending.

WreckdoM—Very Captain Beefheart. I like how the lyrics are violent without being too gross. Well, not too, too gross. I like your bass tone.

Yaks of the Industry—That whistling is pure. This has sort of a tropical feel. This is not among my favorite Yaks songs, but it’s very well made; the production is impeccable.

Zac McMillan—I’m impressed by this. It’s not the kind of thing I want to listen to a lot, but it’s very interesting how you’ve paired a croony lead vocal with a near-acapella backing. Thumbs up for inventiveness and for a good performance.
User avatar
SweeneyToad
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Posts: 234
Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2020 12:31 pm
Instruments: FL Studio
Recording Method: Pro Tools, Soundforge
Submitting as: Sweeney Toad, Stylus Bazaar
Pronouns: he/him
Contact:

Re: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by SweeneyToad »

lichenthroat wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:52 pm
Sweeney Toad and the Synthlads—Is the “whopper house” Burger King? I like the inventiveness of some of your turns of phrase. Good head-bobbing rhythm. I’d rate this in the better half of your oeuvre. Good ending.
She was posing like a model by the jukebox at the Waffle House
I will definitely be referring to Burger King as the Whopper House going forward now and forever though.
Sober GF: I can't explain why but I hated it

Toby Rok: Sweeeney Toad...I can’t explain why, but I like it...

sweeneytoad.bandcamp.com
User avatar
Paco Del Stinko
Hot for Teacher
Posts: 3542
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 11:20 am
Instruments: Basic rock, at a basic level.
Recording Method: Roland 2480
Submitting as: Paco del Stinko
Location: Massachusetts. God save the Commonwealth!

Re: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Quick comments in this, at times, very professional fight. People besides me, that is. I thought of Steve Durand a couple of times this fight which to me, is a good thing. Ask for clarification if needed, first thoughts here.

Banda de Luchadores Melodiosos - A very excellent stage production, professional writing, singing, structures, crazy, man. But this has got to have been composed prior to this fight. Great stuff, rousing, but ya know...pre-cooked...

Berkeley Social Scene - There's a lot of new-wavy stuff going on here, teetering into near goofiness at times. I like the chorus more after it repeats, but therein lies the tilt factor. Love the leads, synth one the nuts. Good, a crackling thunder flash would add danger.

Brown Word and the Big Whine - Are you my old guitar guru from when I was a teen? Opening rhythm says yes. Yeah, Steve, man! Images of flame and flickering snake tongues in the desert, orange and yellow sun. Love the bass tone, grody good. So many good ideas, also makes things dense at times.

Critical Rave Theory - Patient and moody slow jam with good late night vibe. The vocal work is All well done, there's a nice anticipation that carries through-out the song, breakdown is nice, continues the build up. Loops or riffs hooky nice and I totally dig the bass lines, right on, however you did them. Is it missing vocals at the end?

Dadathèque - Diggin' the bass and heady vocal trip on top of it. Late night could lead to head spins. Very good for drugs, but not required. Holy Adrien Belew, Bat Man! Smart and well done, still manages to maintain the groove. But need some air, too.

Duncan Martin - Way lo-fi works here for a strummy ditty tale. The melody works well, nicely sung. I'm sure the campfire gang was captivated, and that's cool. I'd watch and clap!

Instabandits - The lengthy progression sets the semi-bittersweet tone, accented nicely by the solo voice. The rappy voices work, little synch wiggles. The bridge is swell, nice colors. You could get away with corny hand claps in here at the right times, like last chorus. Spaghetti guitar = almost always good, like here.

Jeff DeSantis - Cracker-ish. I enjoy folky rocky tunes like this, generally speaking. Easy going but not wimpy. Bassy mix on my stereo. Understated guitar works well, doing not more than it should, could take on a wee bit of theme to make it stand tall. See, a nice groove cookin' along. Be fun to play guitar to this. Backing vocals not required, but might have fit if done juuust right.

Lichen Throat - I like the menace of the firsat half, would like to hear the music even more aggressive at times, the vocals tightened, esp. delay wise. Creepy into that cowboy section, where gets all howdy. Get a bounce fatigue warning near the end, then it ends. Like the ideas, tighter all around would be good.

The Mellfire Trifecta - King Arthur. Driving straight, good mood handled tight without being stiff. Vocals are together and all in the right places. Soaring keys takes me to an 80s club, maybe Grover's in Beverly, MA. Lite ending good decision, able to un\furrow your brow to take it home.

My Social Uniform - Polished soundtrack tune for an action movie, or Rocky. Montage or credits. Very well arranged, layered so smooth and not crowded. Bridge vocals esp. well done. Professional all around, well done.

Paco del Stinko - Goon rock de-luxe. Another Oz inspired connector to my place of employment. I used a borrowed tube overdrive, direct into pre-amps, for main guitar. Decent enough sound, I guess.

The Pannacotta Army - Lush without being too wet. Everything sounds nice and articulate, moving at a gentle pace without dragging. I like the vocal, but wonder how a whiff of croon would do. Small hint. Festival ready, could jam over this too. Balanced and adult.

Pigfarmer Jr - Oh man, a wee little penny whistle type thing accenting would send this all the way home. Gang vocals and/or as well. I dig the marching off to somewhere mood, fade out parade stating and moving on. Works as is, pulse, electric band would do a good version as well. Earthy.

Richard Donner Party - Velvety Jesus in the bath. I like this a lot. The chords, melodies, pulsing race sweet cake with just enough swirl of frosting. Those changes are back of neck good. The backing vocals are thick, I love what they do. This would be a great live song with a kickin' drummer. This would be it for me in the one vote days, a keeper.

Sumner Sloane - Way familiar melody, Bob Sneaker, but nice mood and shaping away. The simple arrangement is a fine and effective foundation, fading away at the right time. An easy lesson, tasty minor chord.

Sweeney Toad and the Synthlads - Great electric vibe. I dig the dut-dut-dut-dut vocal, but am almost begging for a Ha!, a swoopy Tarzan Spaceship to blast off. Fat synth tones like this work well, their hugeness somehow adds a touch of being almost organic. Fun fast ride.

WreckdoM - Righty playing lefty guitar is a fine thread to hold ths together, at times then rubber balls the walls with tht e rest. Great cult ritual song.

Yaks of the Industry - Clouds going by, over a tropical island. The breeze. Soaring leads/guitar parts are very nie, all arranged well. Club feel with the beat driving with the top down. All good, I would think that there are little corners that could be tucked in, with more time, that would add a gleam to this, without losing its warmth.

Zac McMillan - Very well done, hooky, the chorus gets better as it goes. What is this song called, again? I enjoy this very much, great singing, vibe. But I smell something pre-packaged. Good song, thanks for sharing.
Bringin' the stink since 2006.
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: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by Duncan »

Paco Del Stinko, can you explain what Bob Sneaker is? I've seen this mentioned a few times and googled it, to no avail. Thanks for reviewing
User avatar
Paco Del Stinko
Hot for Teacher
Posts: 3542
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 11:20 am
Instruments: Basic rock, at a basic level.
Recording Method: Roland 2480
Submitting as: Paco del Stinko
Location: Massachusetts. God save the Commonwealth!

Re: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Bob Sneaker = Bob Segar. Credit to my friend Rob for the inspiration. Yeah, part of that song's melody sounds like a big song of his, accidental I'm sure.
Bringin' the stink since 2006.
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: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by Duncan »

Paco Del Stinko wrote:
Fri Jul 16, 2021 7:29 pm
Bob Sneaker = Bob Segar. Credit to my friend Rob for the inspiration. Yeah, part of that song's melody sounds like a big song of his, accidental I'm sure.
It's always bittersweet when you realize you've just reinvented the Seger. But mostly sweet. Thanks for clarifying.
User avatar
Mostess
Panama
Posts: 795
Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2004 5:49 am
Instruments: Vocal, guitar, keyboard, clarinet
Recording Method: Ardour 5, JACK, Ubuntu
Submitting as: Hostess Mostess
Pronouns: He/him
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Contact:

Re: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by Mostess »

Paco Del Stinko wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 7:50 pm
Banda de Luchadores Melodiosos - A very excellent stage production, professional writing, singing, structures, crazy, man. But this has got to have been composed prior to this fight. Great stuff, rousing, but ya know...pre-cooked...
Thank you for the kind review. But for the record, this was not pre-cooked at all. Our first idea for the title was to write a drinking song (hence the bar hall piano) and we wrote the chorus first with this goal of having a lot of voices singing along. We wrote the lyrics next and recorded instruments with the goal of setting the lyrics to it somehow. The lyrics had more syllables than the verses wanted to hold and as we jammed them in it started to sound more like Queen so we went with that.

If we'd had another week with it I bet it would have become a theme song or a piece of rock opera. It had a mind of its own. It might have landed on the moon.
"We don’t write songs about our own largely dull lives. We mostly rely on the time-tested gimmick of making shit up."
-John Linnell
User avatar
Paco Del Stinko
Hot for Teacher
Posts: 3542
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 11:20 am
Instruments: Basic rock, at a basic level.
Recording Method: Roland 2480
Submitting as: Paco del Stinko
Location: Massachusetts. God save the Commonwealth!

Re: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Mostess: Wow, man, wow. That is crazy and very impressive. The moon or beyond! Hats off to all involved and I'll not make a precooking presumpation about that talented bunch again. Great work.
Bringin' the stink since 2006.
User avatar
Mostess
Panama
Posts: 795
Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2004 5:49 am
Instruments: Vocal, guitar, keyboard, clarinet
Recording Method: Ardour 5, JACK, Ubuntu
Submitting as: Hostess Mostess
Pronouns: He/him
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Contact:

Re: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by Mostess »

Paco Del Stinko wrote:
Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:07 am
Mostess: Wow, man, wow. That is crazy and very impressive. The moon or beyond! Hats off to all involved and I'll not make a precooking presumpation about that talented bunch again. Great work.
Yeah they are a very talented and creative bunch. Old friends, recording over long distance. It's a real hoot.
"We don’t write songs about our own largely dull lives. We mostly rely on the time-tested gimmick of making shit up."
-John Linnell
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: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by Duncan »

Wow, lots of talent among these Songfighters.  I hope I didn't leave anyone out.  trying to post these before the results.

Richard Donner Party:  I love the song structure. The lyrics are a bit vague, which I think was a pattern with a lot of entries this week  The synth and the doubled vocals sound great.  The harmonies are especially good in the Act 1, 2, 3 parts. I like the semi-distorted mic sound.  Thanks again for submitting my tune.

Sweeney and the Synthlads: I don't care that you do the prosody thing, because it's so well executed.  Vocal delivery is top notch. So many treats in the lyrics. It builds really nicely.  You're an inspiration

Sumner Sloane:  Nice little fall into "we knew it was never enough."  Something in the timing reminds me of the same struggles I have with lagging strumming or drums.  Something is a little behind something else. Sad story, like one of those modern romcoms where they don't end up together.

Critical Rave Theory:  Cool right out of the gate.  Great voice, reminds me of Diana Ross.  Very original song. I don't know if the second vocalist fits into this one.  I was feeling so lulled into the first movement that the changeup was unwelcome.  But the clanging synth is fun if you're going to go all out, and you bring it back really nicely. 

Duncan Martin (me)  I wasn't that into my part 1, so I made this part 2 of the Beatles song. I thought it would be funny if She Left Home, and then just ended up a couple towns over and repeated the settled life of her parents, the hippie stuff just got forgotten.  It's sort of that annoying self-important Greenwich Village voice that Phil Ochs uses/mocks.  I thought it came out pretty well, but not much happens.  SlyEli, that was why I repeated the "show her around" part-- I was hoping to really lean into the banality.  It picks up in part 3 with Lyle's sad story.

Banda De Luchadores Melodiosas: Great vocal arrangements! It's kind of annoying! But it's really fun!  I like the bouncy piano and crescendos.  Sounds like you had a lot of fun on this.  

Wreckedom:  I love getting lost in your songs.  I feel like the SongFight title holds you back here.  I'm glad you just get it out of the way and then go back into the weirdness.  "Fang of the dog" harmonies/falsetto are velvety and luscious.

Zac McMillan:  Well executed.  Great melody.  I gave this a few listens -- love all the backup parts. Sounds like you bottom out a little bit in the pre-chorus, maybe a different key would suit better?  But  it sounds like everything else is in a really sweet spot of your vocal range. 

Mellfire Trifecta: Sad story.  I guess they held it together to give the narrator a secure upbringing.  The arrangement and production is A+ as far as I can tell.  I like your 3-notes in the word "grieving".  Really well written and put together.  

Berkeley Social Scene:  Music starts out strong.  The singing begins too off pitch, which throws me at first, but it relaxes into a solid rock song.  The solos are dope, if we are still saying dope. I like the call and response and the melody, and the general feel. 

 Instabandits:  You two make a cool duo.  I love SlyEli's choruses and Sweeney's melancholy delivery.  It's pretty incredible. Sly's George Harrison-y bridge bumps it up a notch, and the verse comes in really well.  big vote

Pigfarmer Jr.:  I like the rawness of it., although probably would work well as a very loud punk song.  I can't quite make out how the fight title works its way in.  Is this a case of the partner saying "we did everything we could" as an excuse for why they are cheating?  

My Social Uniform: This feels like a mashup of Madonna's Spanish Lullaby, Africa, Black Eyed Peas, and some Jethro Tull or something.  I like it sonically in some parts and it's a solid number about going to the club.  Well produced.

Dadatheque:  This got better as it went on.  I wasn't into it at first.  I like the story, as disjointed as it is.  Almost reminds me of Robbie R's Somewhere Down the Crazy RIver.

Yaks: I love the tender heart pre-chorus most. The melodies, chord changes, playing, singing are fantastic.  I want a Yaks song that has more coherence to the lyrics.  That would really cement it for me. Right now it's a bunch of really good sounding fragments and lyrical phrases but I have no idea how they tie together.  Maybe that sounds hypocritical.  It sounds like maybe some kind of pep talk to a depressed superhero during a futuristic technicolor world war. 

Jeff DeSantis: Really great warm feel here -- kind of a clean Jayhawks/Ween/Wilco sound here. Great voice, nice country guitar solo.  I like those quarter note keys in there too.  Really fine track

Lichenthroat: Your lyrics are brilliant.  I love reading them.  I usually read your lyrics first in the thread, and then hear the song. Not going to lie, I always hope you've wrestled them into a melodic conventional box, and that hasn't happened yet.  But who cares --  I get a lot of enjoyment from your rhymes, characters, details, and storytelling.  

Pco del Stinko:  Great delivery.  Wizard of Oz? Great different movements and attitude.  You really pack the drama into the vocal delivery.  Everything sits well in the mix. Those Robert Plant "we can fly"s are pretty slick.  

Brown Word and the Big Whine: Out of the gate with an explosion.  Kind of Charlie Daniels feel here in the first verse.  Great story.  Friendly Town is a cool name for a town where this stuff happens.  Like a bouncer named Tiny.  Great energy throughout.  Guitar was exceptional.

The Panacotta Army:  This song sounds so good.  Real autumn tune.  Is the "stars reveal themselves" a T-Hip Bobcaygeon reference?  The vocal parts sound lovely.  Organ makes it really soar. I think someone else mentioned this, but it sounds like this should be the kind of song where they did find love and did everything they could.  Because it wouldn't be such a heart wrenching tone if they hadn't fallen in love. Maybe it could be "we fell out of love" or "It wasn't 'bout love".  Anyway, it's a beautiful song.
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: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Instabandits and Jeff DeSantis tie!
User avatar
the panna cotta army
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Posts: 228
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2011 11:35 am
Instruments: egg shaker
Recording Method: Studio One/Mac
Submitting as: the pannacotta army
Pronouns: He he he
Location: UK

Re: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by the panna cotta army »

Duncan wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 10:17 pm
Is the "stars reveal themselves" a T-Hip Bobcaygeon reference? 
I had to Google "T-Hip Bobcaygeon", which I guess answers your question.

Congrats to the winners - looking at the votes, a very close contest
User avatar
slyeli
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 2:54 am
Instruments: Guitar
Recording Method: Ableton Live, Mackie Onyx 1620, Rode K2, Orange Tiny Terror
Submitting as: Sly Eli
Pronouns: he/him
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: It's never enough... (We Did Everything We Could reviews)

Post by slyeli »

Congrats to Jeff DeSantis and the runners up. It was such a close fight that anyone could have won it.
Duncan wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 10:17 pm
Instabandits:  You two make a cool duo.  I love SlyEli's choruses and Sweeney's melancholy delivery.  It's pretty incredible. Sly's George Harrison-y bridge bumps it up a notch, and the verse comes in really well.  big vote
Thanks for the kind words. We were actually a trio as Lunkhead contributed most of the instrumentation (apart from the drums, bass and solo, that I did).
Duncan wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 10:17 pm
SlyEli, that was why I repeated the "show her around" part-- I was hoping to really lean into the banality.  It picks up in part 3 with Lyle's sad story.
I got that the "show her around" part was deliberate but I missed that she was repeating the life that she was trying to get away from. It's risky when a song spins on a subtle concept, if you miss it, as I often do, the songs loses something. I'm very much guilty of doing the same thing in my songs.
Post Reply