Surely you can't be serious?!?! (Autopilot reviews)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Don't call me Shirley and put your lyrics in the lyric thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12491

[Lunkhead]

Songs posted!

[Frostytheshowman]

I'll be honest, I'm nervous to post reviews because I don't trust my own opinions about music. I'm gonna try, though.

Johnny Cashpoint:
I found this one pretty hard to listen to the first time, to be honest. I do like the chorus, and I got a little more into it with repeat listens, but the mix is pretty loud, the guitar is a bit grating and sounds out of tune with the vocals, and call me a prude but I'm a bit turned off by the lyrics (which if I'm understanding correctly are about a guy going on a grindr date, hitting his date with his car and then having sex with his corpse?) Overall, this one just isn't for me.

Pigfarmer Jr:
This song immediately puts me at ease. It reminds me a little bit of late 90s/early 2000s rock, but more mature. The lyrics are certainly relatable. That said, after a few listens there's not a lot about the song that sticks with me after I'm done. Like, once I've figured out what the song is about (which you do a good job of conveying early on) my brain turns off and I'm just carried along by the smooth groove. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it ultimately means that the song doesn't stick out from the pack for me.

Pulpo Jamon:
I very much enjoyed this one. The edge in the vocals reminds me of Erich Talaba and Jeff Cummings' "Ode to Somewhere". I'm obsessed with that song, so I'm obsessed with this one too. I keep thinking about the chorus. "I place my faith in machines around me..." is one of those lines that says a true thing that I nonetheless never think about. Probably a testament to the impact of this song that when I read the lyrics I was like "seriously, that's all you said?" It felt like a lot more happened than was captured in the lyrics alone.

Robyn Mackenzie:
This reminds me a little bit of the Scissor Sisters, but it reminds me a lot of Eva Cassidy. It's got this beautiful venom to it. I can't tell exactly what the lyrics are talking about, but I don't need to because I can tell you do and the emotion of your understanding pervades the song. The lead-in to the chorus is so satisfying every time. It's impressive that this song manages to be so melodic and so utterly vicious at the same time. Beautiful vocal harmonies -- beautiful vocals in general! I'm really looking for more to say about this, but ultimately I just want to say I liked it. That's all.

Starfinger:
This song has big emotions, and I am here for it. I say "big emotions" because at the end of this I don't even know whether to be happy or sad. There's this great sense of the movement of time, carrying you towards great events but burying good times as it goes. The arrangement kept me on my toes while feeling totally cohesive. The continual variation created all of these little unexpected moments that I continue to enjoy on repeat listens -- the very Jack-Black sounding delivery of "I'm on autopilot," the overlapping of "You blink and the child is grown." "Looping fragments like the beating of a dog" really got me. Talk about an unexpected place to end a line! I will say that something about the way the vocals are processed makes them feel just a little bit grating on the high notes. I don't understand vocal mastering at all, so I can't say why it sounds this way to me, but I figured it was worth calling out. (Actually this is a problem I have with my own recorded vocals too, so if you figure it out then let me know!)

[j$]

II'm a bit turned off by the lyrics (which if I'm understanding correctly are about a guy going on a grindr date, hitting his date with his car and then having sex with his corpse?) Overall, this one just isn't for me.

Fair enough. In answer to your question, that is pretty much what it's about. Maybe not your last interpretation - the story is left at the point he definitely hits him. I think that someone into carplay ending up in that situation is funny. But hey, takes all sorts, right? It's left a bit ambiguous, but there is the implication of other things happening is there, for sure ...

j$

[Frostytheshowman]

II'm a bit turned off by the lyrics (which if I'm understanding correctly are about a guy going on a grindr date, hitting his date with his car and then having sex with his corpse?) Overall, this one just isn't for me.

Fair enough. In answer to your question, that is pretty much what it's about. Maybe not your last interpretation - the story is left at the point he definitely hits him. I think that someone into carplay ending up in that situation is funny. But hey, takes all sorts, right? It's left a bit ambiguous, but there is the implication of other things happening is there, for sure ...

j$

Thanks for the clarification! And for what it's worth, your song has been stuck in my head for most of the past several hours since I posted those reviews so you must be doing something right!

[Smalltown Mike]

Good gawd the Pulpo Jamon song is good. There's something about the delivery of the autopilot line that doesn't quite work for me — the delivery? the tone? not sure. But that's my only beef. Solid song.

[robynmackenzie]

Pigfarmer Jr.: This is like a cross between Jimmy Eat World and Weezer and I'm into it. Really evocative, relatable lyrics and the jangly strumming sounds great. Only thing is I'd like to hear some harmony, especially on the chorus. It would really add more depth and ear candy.

Johnny Cashpoint: Gnarly bass, I really like it. Not sure how I feel about the crunchy lead guitar against the vocals, and I feel like the vocal effects could be a little crisper, but overall this has a really cool post-punk vibe. The repetition of "autopilot" is really catchy and engaging.

Pulpo Jamon: Very cool beat, a bit 60's-ish. I feel like I'm in a quirky indie movie listening to this. Also, great lyrics. Well done.

Starfinger: With those vocals, I feel like I want the overall production to be...bigger? More theatrical somehow. I mean, you've got some of that going on, it just feels like it's missing something to me. The writing is spectacular though.

Robyn Mackenzie: I don't have too much to say about this one. I like it enough to maybe perform at gigs, but let's see if I do anything else with it. Shrug.

[Lunkhead]

Pulpo Jamon wins!