Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

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Pigfarmer Jr
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Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

There's a limit, you know?
Last edited by Lunkhead on Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:48 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: normal
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Please post your lyric here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12203
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Songs posted!
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ken
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by ken »

Here are some quick reviews on my first listen on my laptop. There are some really good songs in this fight!

Berkeley Social Scene:
This song came out good. I like how collaborative this track was for us. The first draft of this song was 6 minutes long. Glen and Martin cut it down to tight 3 minutes. Then we built it back up to what you hear now.

Duncan Martin:
Lovely finger picked guitar. The vocals are a bit muffled on my laptop speakers. The harmony vocals are a nice touch, elevating this track from what seemed like a live performance at first.

Lichen Throat:
I like the upbeat drums against the guitar line. Your vocals sound out of time during the verses, but better in the chorus.

Madame Breathehard:
Great retro synth sounds. The big chord stabs are a bit hard to take as they jump out of the mix. Not sure what to make of this, but at least it was short.

The Magnetic Letters:
Loungey! My personal preference would have been to make this less earnest and more cheesy. The same song done with Casio auto-ccompaniment may have been a bit more charming. Keep doing songs like these.

mellfire:
That's some good whistling. I don't love that it seems like the guitar and piano are playing the same thing in basically the same octave. (Wait, is there guitar in this song or is it only piano?) Still, this makes my foot tap along. It is nice when the vocal sings higher. Excellent harmonies at the end.

The Pannacotta Army:
More finger picking this fight! This is lovely. I really like the way you end the chorus with the title in a beautiful melody line.

Pigfarmer Jr:
Drums are really hard to hear on my laptop speakers. The guitar and vocals are so loud, I'm not sure you even want this to sound like a band playing. Some distorted guitar on the chorus would be nice. Huh, the drums suddenly seem much later in chorus. I think this track has some mix issues. Otherwise, all the parts are good. Your vocals sound good and the song progresses nicely. What about some vocal harmonies at end when you repeat the chorus?

Robyn Mackenzie:
This kind of track was surprising at first, but your vocals fit really well over the backing track. The vocals just seem too loud on top. Lyrics are good too, so I'm also glad I can hear the vocals. The tremolo guitar is also really nice. It might be cool to have some high synth lines snake around everything at times as well. More ear candy!

ShoehornTC:
There is something really familiar about this melody. This is a nice take on the title. I hear some really good lead guitar work, but it seems like the band is struggling a bit to keep up and are loose in a bad way. I think that lead guitar could be louder in the mix. Yeah, I wish this was just tighter overall. Good effort.

Starfinger:
This isn't what I expected from starfinger, but I like it. The main piano riff is evocative and good. I really love the big drum fill. I like that this song goes somewhere. Not sure how I feel about the spoken word 3rd verse. Maybe it needs to be even more effected to fit better into the song? Yeah, that transition from the drum fill into the big chorus is really good.

Third Cat:
The chorus and the way this song develops are the best parts. I like the drum beat under the guitar. Seems to end a bit suddenly.
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

ken wrote:
Mon Nov 15, 2021 1:14 pm
Pigfarmer Jr[/b]: . Huh, the drums suddenly seem much later in chorus. I think this track has some mix issues.
Yes, it has mix issues but the drums were on purpose. Thanks for the review.
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by thirdcatmusic »

Berkeley Social Scene: I like the bass (although maybe mixed a bit high?) and the way the guitars kick in. Pretty cool the way the layers of vocals kick in during the chorus but I don't love the way the one voice does the title line, seems a bit disjointed or something. My favorite part of the song is probably the instrumental breakdown around ~2 minutes in.

Duncan Martin: Nice lo-fi indie folk jam. I really like the loose kind of vibe here. This was an enjoyable listen despite my distaste for harmonicas - at least it's not mixed overly loud.

Lichen Throat: Big improvement in instrumental sound from the old Lichen Throat songs I remember in the past. The fx used on the guitar & bass work pretty nicely on this one.

Madame Breathehard: I like the retro sounding synths but there's not much to hold onto here as a listener. The heart beat sound is kind of overwhelming the music. The mix is muddy.

The Magnetic Letters: This is a fun listen. Sounds very tongue in cheek but vaguely reminds me of Moondance era Van Morrison instrumentally.

mellfire: As a whole this comes off as kind of mechanical but sloppy at the same time which isn't quite working for me. The whistling is well done.

The Pannacotta Army: Your stuff pretty much always impresses me, this is no exception. Sounds excellent instrumentally & vocally. Easy vote even though this one is a bit too twee/soft for my personal taste, it's just really well done.

Pigfarmer Jr: Some nice melodic ideas in there, I do think maybe the vocal should cut through a bit more with this kind of track. Could be a bit tighter.

Robyn Mackenzie: very nice vocals but the instrumental seems a bit canned. Bass sound doesn't quite work imo, something about the attack on the bass is putting me off. Maybe a bit over repetitive. Still; the vocals are strong. Not just the tone of the voice which is very nice but I think there's some good melodies too.

ShoehornTC: Some very nice catchy vocal parts on this one. This might be my favorite of the fight mostly because of the vocal/vocal melody. The ramshackle vibe of the instrumental I think mostly works for this style of song.

Starfinger: I like some of these ideas ... there are some pretty psychedelic instrumental sections which are up my alley. I'm not crazy about the vocal parts though. I think this may be a grower though, I can imagine this one being my favorite of the fight after multiple listens.
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by MellyP »

thirdcatmusic wrote:
Wed Nov 17, 2021 12:20 pm
As a whole this comes off as kind of mechanical but sloppy at the same time which isn't quite working for me. The whistling is well done.
That's what she said.... :lol:
But yes, this was rushed because I had decided not to submit this week, but then had an idea in the morning and put everything together very quickly. Thanks for commenting on the entries Third Cat.
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by lichenthroat »

Oh wow, the first fight I ever entered, "Pitchfork Nation," is featured in the five years ago section!

Berkeley Social Scene—I like the increase in energy for the chorus and the change in vocal arrangements. The vocal performance is good too, as is the solo (as usual). Good solid song.

Duncan Martin—This sounds pastoral and melancholy (in a good way). I like the harmonica. (I don’t think I’ve ever typed that last sentence before.) I like the strategically applied double tracking. This reminds me a bit of Gregory Alan Isakov.

Lichen Throat—I had more trouble than usual with the mix. I was fairly happy with this, but I don’t think it quite lived up to its potential.

Madame Breathehard—I think it would like this a backing track, but without a vocal it feels like it’s missing something. I do like how you’ve managed to include a discernable narrative in an instrumental, though.

The Magnetic Letters—Hey, the last poem I wrote also referenced Mac Tonight! If I wasn’t paying attention to the lyrics, I would perceive this is a totally legitimate song to be played at a swanky piano lounge (not that I can recall ever setting foot in such a place). This was fun.

mellfire—That whistling is great: well-recorded and effective in its context in the song. I like the piano line a lot. It’s hard to tell without having actually listened to it repeatedly over a long time, but I feel like this song would have a lot of staying power. Nice work.

The Pannacotta Army—This is powerful in its gentleness. Okay, I like your harmonica too. And the vocal. I even like the squeaks.

Pigfarmer Jr—I’m not sure what to make of this phenomenon: the phrasing in the first line bothers me with the emphasis on “to,” but then whenever I try to sing it differently, I can’t, and then it sounds okay to me. I’m sure that’s not super helpful—sorry. I enjoyed this overall. Good drums and good guitar tone.

Robyn Mackenzie—This is exactly as sultry as I think you intended. Very, very nice vocal performance. I’m guessing that you’ll win this week.

ShoehornTC—This sounds like you’re missing the low end, but maybe that’s appropriate to the genre. This is out of my wheelhouse, so I’m not sure. I’m probably not competent to evaluate this style of song, but it sounded pretty good to me.

Starfinger—I don’t think you need the super round-sounding vocal delivery. I like the piano track. I like the synth line, too. (Is there a proper term for having a cycle of notes that goes from low to high and back to low like that? It seems like there should be.)

Third Cat—I really like your vocal melody: smooth, wistful, and powerful. I felt like the intensity dropped a little on the “circling around” part, but the rest of the song was very good. I wouldn’t have minded this being longer.
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by MellyP »

The Magnetic Letters – I like the mood you set and the bass and piano playing really stand out for me here. It swings. A little lounge-lizardy. I wish for a melody that is a bit more distinctive (hooky) but love the lyrics. This is really good work.

Lichen Throat – It’s a great start. It’s so good it’s almost familiar, which is the ultimate trick. Like all great riffs, the one here keeps coming back and comforting you later on. I’d like it if the timing of the vocal was a bit more precise. The guitar here is really great, as is the drumming. Good job.

ShoehornTC – The guitar part is extremely cool in this one -- I like it very much. The playing around the “I’m Weightless” part particularly. I think at times that same guitar is too loud when it’s not leading the way as the accompaniment to the vocal melody – like when it’s just alternating between two notes. That's maybe just me. This one grew on me on second listen. Good vocals too.

Starfinger – The first vocal line sounds different from the rest, not the same sustained style. Small quibble as I feel it’s a good, emotional performance and suits the song style you’ve chosen. The middle, spoken-work part is odd, and not in a bad way. There are some pretty unusual lyrical choices. I like the high synth parts, and how you ended this. Would like to know how you get that swirling effect, actually. While it’s not my preferred style I respect the good, hard work you did here.

Pigfarmer Jr – This is touching and very melodic, with a great mix of parts that I feel blend into each other well. I had a friend over who listened and said it seemed to be made up a set of chorus parts – didn’t hear verses. I feel that’s right. Maybe the acoustic riff is the verse. But who cares. I found I enjoyed all the parts. Harmony vocals during the “Weight of My Heart I can’t bear it….” sections would make it better, but it got my vote.

The Pannacotta Army – For me, the verse's chord sequence is basic, but don’t get me wrong – I liked this quite a bit. Anyway, the chords everywhere else go in a less predictable direction. The lyrics feel whimsical yet it's definitely about something. I would have liked to also hear some basic percussion. Quibbles. It’s a pretty song.

Berkeley Social Scene – The mixing here is top notch. Can hear all the parts and everything’s crystal clear. I like the verse more than the rest of the sections, some of which sound a bit pasted together. “Wait for the day to start…” that part. Really good guitar tone. This band is tight.

Third Cat – The doubled vocal is nice, and harmonies come in close to the start, which I like. It seemed like the chord structure would be super basic throughout, with only one repeated section, but you do add the new part: “Circling around…” and we get a new trajectory for a bit. A nice, short-but-sweet tune.

Madame Breathehard – I like your playing and the (weight of your) heartbeat here, but would choose a different synth sound for the song if it were me -- and of course it isn't. How about some spoken word if you’re not going to sing along? Just a thought.

Duncan Martin – A little o’ the old Neil Y influence on here huh? I like the father character – you paint that picture well. There’s some funny vocal timing to fit the lyrics as written – only a couple of times. Doesn’t hurt my enjoyment of this song. Voting.

Robyn Mackenzie – I like the music and the guitar, and the way it comes in, is extremely cool. I didn’t get right into the lyrics on this one. Not always sure what you're saying but I wanted to know so I could feel more emotionally connected to the action. But your singing/playing is always good and there’s a nice panned harmony vocal part in this one that's kind of a treat.
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by Merle Fyshwick »

Madame Breathehard: This one's dark! For a tune (as opposed to a sung song) I reckon it's effective in evoking the title. That chord stab at 18 seconds is cool. Obligatory Ween comparison: this has a similar off-colour medical vibe to the H.I.V. song.

Starfinger: I enjoyed the narrative, like an absurd Nick Cave murder ballad, then it turns psychedelic Schwarzenegger! It flirts with running out of steam (in a way that I perversely enjoy, as if it's almost intentional?), but then the distorted synth chorus powers back up. Yeah, it's pretty great.

ShoehornTC: Yeah, the timing is a bit wonky...it's only distracting a few times though. The chorus is catchy "What could you possibly do" etc. Because I compare everything to Ween, this sounds like it belongs on 12 Golden Country Greats.

Berkeley Social Scene: Unless my ears are mistaken (totally possible) this one's a bit more raw than the usual BSS song. There are a lot of parts to this, and they fit together well. I like the octave-higher vocals in the chorus, probably my favourite part:)

Lichen Throat: I think I said your last song had me tapping my foot or something; this one ditto. I also said something recently about Pigfarmer Jr's song making me feel nostalgic for a place I've never been; same for this song. My girlfriend (who is into cooler stuff than me) just walked in and said it sounds like Calvin Johnson. No idea who that is, but I imagine he's cool if she listens to it.

Duncan Martin: Yeah, this is a good one. I listened to these more than a week ago and thought I gotta review 'em just to say that this is gold. My girlfriend when I was 19 had a horse that she had agisted by this ex-army psycho with a BIG drinking problem. One time he turned mean and I had to quietly walk our bikes away while she talked him down, 'cause he said he was going to get his gun. I hadn't thought about that for ages until I heard this song. Bravo (not sarcastic)!

Pannacotta Army: It's funny that this is in the same key as Duncan's, has harmonica and a similar picking pattern, and VLC plays it straight after his. Anyway, they're both great songs. Because his one gave me major flashbacks, I have to give it the edge. I must disclose a prejudice against plate reverby gentle folk songs with layered 'oohs' - I blame Angus and Julia Stone - but this is a great song anyway.

Pig Farmer Jr: I like it. It's a bit rough, but in a good way. I'm gonna make a comparison which might piss you off, but here goes: Trey Parker. This sounds really sincere, though.

Mellfire: I dig the whistling! Vocally, it's sparse, but that's distinctive. Has good momentum, a toe-tapper, though at times it gets a bit out of sync. Nice harmonies in the chorus, too:)

Robyn MacKenzie: Hehe, trip-hop? Cool, Beth Gibbons-y but more rhotic;) Great harmonies in the chorus, and the verses for that matter!

Third Cat: Melodically it's a bit like a synthy Morricone/Dandy Warhols collaboration. Nice Harmonies.

Magnetic Letters(me): Let me tell you why I think swing is funny: there was a period where everyone was making swing records - vomit, and David Campbell (Jimmy Barnes' son) had an ad on TV for his putrid pile of shit swing record where he said really enthusiastically "I'm David Campbell - and I love to swing!". Cracked me up every time. Hey Lichen Throat - must be the moons aligning for Mac Tonight! Ha ha - Mac Tonight cracks me up too.
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Third Cat wins!
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by thirdcatmusic »

wow. I'm pleasantly surprised, really didn't think I'd do that well with this song. Thanks for the votes!
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Pigfarmer Jr
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Congratz..

(extra period is because I have to have at least 10 characters. *sigh*)
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Re: Extra postage needed for (The Weight Of My Heart reviews)

Post by Duncan »

Congrats Third Cat, and thanks to all who reviewed. I had a busy week and didn't get around to reviewing but loved listening to everything.
Merle F -- I hope I didn't retraumatize, that's a wild story. It was a purely fisctional tale, dictated most by what would rhyme, and from that time that I was watching a lot of "Shetland" on Netflix. Lots of soggy meadows, drunk fathers, and forbidden romances. (And MURDER)
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