It's just across the Bay (City in Fog reviews)

[glennny]

Do you guys write your reviews in another program and then paste them in here?

Yes, I always write in word, then post. I've lost too many reviews, writing directly here.

[Teplin]

Very frustrated right now. Just spent the last 2 hours reviewing everyones songs, hit preview, and it went to the log-in screen. Couldn't get them back. This is only the second time I've done this "board" thing... so, is that supposed to happen? Do you guys write your reviews in another program and then paste them in here?

Yeah, this happens a lot on forums. I've lost enough long posts on various forums that I don't trust any of them anymore. I've been using wordpad and pasting, but earlier in the week I'd reviewed almost half of the songs when my power went out and I had to do it all over again. Ugh. I'm going to start using google docs, because it automatically autosaves.

[Teplin]

My first set of reviews, take 2.

BSS - Dreamy. Use of an ebow gets you bonus points. Nice arrangement with enough quirk to keep me interested all the way through. Vocals are the weakest part.

Jan Krueger - Great vocals! I love songs with this many vocal parts, and you do it so well. Lo-fi drums are cool. Actually, I'm not hearing anything I don't like, so, well done!

Vater Unser - The way it's panned doesn't sound great through headphones. I like the arrangement and your choice of sounds, you've got an ear for that sort of thing. Though the vocals are on the weak side, in general I like where you were going with it.

Elaine - Shades of the Dresden Dolls, which is never a bad thing. I'm hate the piano sound itself, I wish it was less... "adult contemporary". You seem to always be trying new things, which is great. I voted for your medieval "stomach for it" song.

MC Paul - It's got more variety than commercial hip hop (the lack of which is my biggest problem with hip hop in general). This is different. I dig these sounds, and you've got the mysterious quality known as "flow".

Paco - I like this a lot. Very mysterious vibe. The verses contrast well with the chorus, and you keep it interesting all the way through. Production is generally high, great drum sounds. I'd like to hear the vocals a bit wetter. Favorite part: The spanish guitar solo at the end.

Hans Gruber - Great slow beat, great vibe. Yeah, this is doing it for me. There's a bit of '60s in there, and a bit of Tom Petty. Love the acoustic guitar with delay. Vocals and background vocals are working. I like the strings that come in near the end. The details keep it fresh. I know it's catchy because it's been stuck in my head all week. A highlight of the fight for me.

Naked Philosophy - I'm finding this hard to listen to through headphones, too much panning? Nice guitar harmonies. Good vocals. The playing isn't tight enough, drums are too gated for my tastes. The song itself doesn't stick with me, I JUST finished listening to it and I can't recall the verses.

Weakest Suit - Your songs make me feel like I'm somebody's living room at 2am and they're playing me a song they're working on. And... I kinda like that feeling.

Cobalt Stomach - Hahaha, this reminded me of Homestar Runner too. The vocals aren't good, but it feels intentional, and fits the goofy lyrics. I think the chaotic guitar is brilliant.

Embers of Autumn - The acoustic guitar is really harsh, and made me turn down my volume. Ok here come the vocals... out of key, but A for sheer effort. The song itself needs... something. It's too same-y all the way through.

Ross - You know how to record an acoustic guitar and I like your voice. I liked your previous entry better than this one, but that doesn't mean I dislike it. It's hard to make these same old chords sound fresh.

Hand Formula - Call me a sucker for toy pianos, but I dig the minimalism and shy, doubled vocals. It's short enough that it doesn't wear out it's welcome with me. I could hear a harmonioum or something coming in on the third verse, but I suspect that you have a basic recording setup and not many instruments to choose from. I think you'd be fun to collaborate with.

Terra Sula - Good voice. Another simple song, and I'm in the mood for it today. I'd rather hear this played on a real grand piano, after a bit more practice, but we all have to work with what we've got.

Manatee Matinee - Killer band name. This is like a recording of the inside of someone's head during a bad trip. I want to like it, because I LIKE weird music, but even Animal Collective would listen to this and be all "Too far, bro."

Chadderandom - Be honest me with. You're Jandek, aren't you? As I listen to this for the second time, it occurs to me: If I ever made a horror movie, I'd hire you to do the entire soundtrack in this style. Tell me that wouldn't sound infinitely creepier than any horror movie soundtrack made so far.

Todd - I think I'm hearing some plosives in the verse. Mastering is too aggressive for my tastes (I'm a "less is more" guy when it comes to mastering). I can tell I'm going to hear good things from you... you've got the skills. This particular song... too sweet for me. It's very well done but I need my pop with a side of edge, quirk, or darkness. Or maybe it's just that I was not ready for Christamas songs in November.

Melvin - It's well performed, recorded, and produced. I'm hearing some nice details.

Coder Lyte - It's not that there's too much synth, it's just... those particular synths. Those particular synths are bleh.

Heine - I like the sliding guitar, especially as the song ends. Vocals are distinct. The song doesn't stand out, but it's not bad either.

Jk Chrvt - Hard to review this without age bias, because this is very f.... uh.... effing impressive for 13. It can't compete with the best songs in this fight, but the people recording those have more experience. Keep it up! And, you know.... stay in school.

Jeff - Could have been too "pop" for me, but it's saved by all the little details and instruments coming and going, like those static-y drums. It reminds me of Jon Brion, and I dig it. I'll forgive you for bringing a Christmas song before it's even December, but just this once!

Big Crouton - "You got barbershop in my metal!" "You got metal in my barbershop!" This is epic. I love the narration and dialogue, and everybody's part has a distinct sound. Well crafted.

Adam, Adam Ant - I can't resist a stylophone, and I dig the sidchip synths during the chorus when the drums stop. The drums sound is lackluster and needs more punch. Vocals are quirky, but there are pitch issues.

MC Eric - So random and weird I can't tell if you're serious or not. The enigma is making me look forward to hearing whatever you do next.

Slats - I love that lead guitar tone! I think you're being screwed over by your equipment. It's not craptastic enough to be charmingly lo-fi, it just makes everything sound kind of muddy and dull. At least I THINK it's the equipment, probably your soundcard, but the mixing might be at fault too. The bass seems too loud for being that thumpy. I know, I know... this isn't production fight, and we all have to work with what we have. The song itself is alright. Not bad, but not different enough to stand out. Oh, and I vote in favor of the fade-back-in.

TFC - I like the fog drenched, slo-mo feel. Drumming is very good, ditto the keyboard and 60's guitars.

Weta T-shirt - Peter Gabriel, is that you? This is pretty well done. Best part is the gregorian chant-ish background vocals.

Quimby - I like the effect on the background vocals. This is well recorded, and the vocals are good, but I can't get excited about the song.

Whew... is that everyone? I miss anybody? Probably should have done these alphabetically, but I listened in random order to be more fair to people who aren't close to Aardwolves. Huge fight, but I enjoyed it.

Howl Down the Chimney - This was scads of fun to write and record. Originally, there were different autoharp chords for verse and chorus, and the bandoneon was bridge. I was tweaking it until the very end. Some of the vocals were recorded last minute, and I can hear flaws I just didn't catch or have time to fix. It's completely unmastered because I just wasn't willing to mess with the dynamics. So turn it up! I'm happier with this than anything I've recorded so far.

[Teplin]

Just wanted to thank people for the reviews too. Now that I've done it, I know how hard it is!

Slats - "Sounds like you have some instruments lying around the house, and know how to use 'em."

Yeah, odd instruments are the one thing I collect. I can't get enough samples of odd instruments, either. You say I know how to use them now, but you haven't heard me butcher the cello yet.

Glennny - "Is that a Mellotron?"

A sampled one, but yes.

Crouton - "Is that one of those instruments where you push the button for the chord and then strum all the strings? Anyways, whatever it is, it's friggin' awesome."

Yes, it's the thing you're thinking of. My newest toy, the autoharp.

Melvin - "instruments that sound like they were recorded in an underground parking garage."

Ha! I knew someone would call me out for being a reverb junkie sooner or later. Sometimes I even add reverb to other artist's MP3s in my collection, because the track sounds too dry and it bugs me. Yes, it's really that bad.

[ElaineDiMasi]

Elaine DiMasi – I don't like your piano sound. Too early nineties cheese. A more straight acoustic sound would've been preferred.

Elaine - I'm hate the piano sound itself, I wish it was less... "adult contemporary".

In retrospect I agree with you. I cranked up the "brilliance" and turned on the "chorus" on my Privia, and when writing in my living room the sound reminded me of my grandmother's old upright, which matched the idea of nostalgia I wanted. But within the recording, I agree, it morphed into something for an American Idol wannabe to audition with at a kiosk in the shopping mall. Not what I was going for.

Thanks to everyone for the reviews! Actually, I think I have to vote for Chadderandom's review, even though it didn't remind me of the Residents.

[Henrietta]

Huge fight! Here are the first 15 reviews.... more to come later today.

Sometimes I wish I were an art teacher, so I'm giving out grades today. Honestly, the difference between an A & B was usually something in the overall production, so take the grades with a grain of NaCl.

Elaine: Great playing, delivery & obvious musicianship. Structure-wise, this tune has plenty of great changes to keep me interested. The only part I'm not getting into is the rhythm change the drums take in the third verse. I'm going to assume you meant for that entire verse to have a different feel during the dance hall scene, but the rest of the arrangement probably needs to somehow change more drastically in order to get that desired effect. B+

Heine: Wow, you totally surprized me, for the first 40 seconds I thought this was a G+G+Drum Machine entry for sure. Love those melodies & basslines as well. Maybe add more slidey guitar soundscape touches in the intro & the second verse, just because those bits work so well throughout the rest of the song. Nice! B+

Hans Gruber: Melodies and feel conjur up Peter Murphy. I like what you've done with this. Turn up those vocals! B

BSS: I love the instrumentation on this. The vocals could use a little more confidence in the delivery, but otherwise are good. Great job! A-

Melvin: Holy crap, great production.... love the doubled vocals. Awesome groove. Just gets better all the way through til the end. This gets an A+ and a gold star.

Manatee: For the first 30 seconds, I thought "Oh cool, a Mike Patton fan". For the next 30 seconds I thought "Too much flanger, I'm getting a headache." I'm sorry I couldn't listen to the whole thing. :/ D-

Vaterunser: The vocal melody is lovely, and makes this track a very nice listen. I like the bass line a lot. The keys are a bit plodding. I'd really like to hear the keys go off in their own direction, or a new instrument come into the mix, like a clarinet. B-

Ross Durand: I like this right away. Really nice guitar work. I love the sound on that acoustic. What mic(s) do you use? Electric style good, but could be cleaned up in spots. B+

MC Eric B: It's like you get this really awesome looking cupcake and you bite into it and well... it's not bad, it's just sort of meh, okay. The verse is really eyecatching and picques my interest, but the chorus doesn't quite live up to the potential of the verses. If that makes sense. C+

Howl Down the Chimney: Great all around! Wow. I love everything. Esp. the accordian solo. I love how during that solo, you used a different instrument to the same oompah riff the accordian did previously. <Teen Girl Squad Voice> Soooo gooood! </TGSV> A+

Terrasula: Nice! Style reminsicent of A Fine Frenzy. Beautiful melody and singing. Maybe add some instrumental layering, and expand on the bgvox ideas you have. B

Cobalt Stomach: The least pretentious entry of the week. I like all the individual bits, especially the badeebydoops. Are those spoons? Vocals are the weaklest link. Not a keeper. C++

MC Paul Denyer: Sounds great. I don't know much about rap and sampling and all that, but I like this. A-

Big Crouton: OMG, this is waaaaaay creepier than Howl Down the Chimney's version of creepy. It's like satan is gonna crawl out of my headphones. Either Satan or Tenacious D. Awesome! I'm curious how the quartet would sound if it were in some sort of chain gang or gospel style, instead of barbershop. A

Adam Adamant: This has some potential, but it's just not mixed well and that distracts from the quality of the song underneath. The lead synth is overbearing, and I kinda wish you chose a different tone the rhythm synth. Casio circa 1986 is really fun and makes me want to like this, but overall the track falls a bit short. C

More to come...

[Chadderandom]

You're Jandek, aren't you?

Haven't you heard? I'm actually Jandekito the 214th Resident Eyeball reincarnated from men who haven't died yet.

Actually, I think I have to vote for Chadderandom's review, even though it didn't remind me of the Residents.

I think you should listen to the Residents "Confused (By What I Felt Inside)" and re-read it, I think you might see some things.

The Hand Formula - I think I actually yell at you when you get to the third verse at 1:10, singing "whiskey in the basement" in the exact same tune and tone as all along.

Nothing to do with me but what should've happened here? I can't picture that song doing anything that it didn't do. That line in particular, if a change was going to happen, I really can't see it happening there.

[Henrietta]

Ten more down!!

The Hand Formula: I love the melody. A good start, needs more depth or width or height or mass. C-

Jk Chrvt: Your guitars & basslines are awesome, young sir. Why did this remind me of that one song by that one band where Iggy Pop sings "Cuz I'm a punk rocker yes I am...." Real drums would make this killer. B+

Paco: I luuurve your basslines. And vocals. Something about the transition from the chorus back to the lulls of verse... I want to hear the groove of the chorus keep going, but the verses leave me hanging. Another drastic buildup of anticipation is not what my ears crave at that moment. I know that prolly makes no sense and doesn't help you at all, but I don't know how else to describe it. B+

Todd McHatton: I'm torn. On one hand, the whole thing is suberbly executed. All the pieces are solid. On the other hand, I really don't enjoy the song itself. I feel the same way about the Polyphonic Spree. Too much sweet, not enough irony for me. B+

Slats: I like this. You could prolly cut it down to less than 4:00. The verse melody is somewhat similar to the chorus melody, and that minimizes the feel of transition somewhat. B

Jan: Holy crap, I love your harmonies. I've always wanted to do something like this. That chorus is killer. A-

WetaTee: Everything really good about the 80s. I like it. I can't tell how much is you and how much is pre-programmed, so I'll say... B

Naked Philosophy: I love exactly half of this song. The chorus & solos are awesome. The verses and bridge remind me this is SF where everyone has pretty much a week to cobble something together. The lyrics & melody on the verses need more something something. B

The Weakest Suit: That's it? 44 seconds? The verse starts out soooo good, and I really mean that... but then I get to the chorus & suddenly realize you started your assignment on the school bus this morning. D+

CoderLyte: I don't know what to think of this song. It brings me back to the demo song programmed into my keyboard from 1989... the one that tricked me into thinking I'd be able to play like that as soon as I got the thing home. So, it's fun and good and extremely dated all at the same time. The vocals don't fit well because they are far too soft and organic. They could use some cyborging up. B-

Almost done....

[Henrietta]

Alright now, who am I missing...

Embers of Autumn- Great energy. Starts off strong, very radio friendly transitions. Between 2:45-3:15 seems a little too stream of consciousness for me and feels the least polished piece. If there was a warp in time and those 30 seconds disappeared, I wouldn't miss them one bit. B

JeffTH: Wow, sounds great. No complaints. Oh wait, one. Turn up the vocals! Oh wait, two. No, wait one. I listened again, and found you did say "city in fog" afterall. Lyrics are a touch overly sweet. But I dig the melodies a lot. A

Chadderandom Abyss- Interesting experiment. There's something interesting about the detuned guitar, but there are just too many great songs in this fight to spend much time thinking about it. C-

TransAtlFightClub: I love the overall feel. It's missing a little something, but I can't put my finger on it. The harmonies on the chorus are a great touch. I don't mind the reverbyness one bit. B

Quimby: Me again. This song is about someone who is close to me whom I love that just sort of gave up on the idea that any of his best years could still be ahead of him. So, my city in fog is a great big beautiful place that's obscured by a big fluffy layer of discontent. The overall structure & production needs bunches of work. B-

What I learned this week: 1. If I unplug my Firebox *before* closing CubaseLE, all of my effects settings will be erased from every single track of my project. (Grrr!) 2. I really should put down a vocal track before writing my bassline, or else it might clash with the melody. 3. Writing bridges is hard. 4. If you try to use a cliche, even if you've convinced yourself it has some useful virtue as a literary device, someone on SF will call you out on it.

Votes for: Melvin, Howl, Paul Denyer, Jan, JeffTH, Berkeley, and Jk Chrvt. (edit) Oh, and Big Crouton!

[MisterQuoons]

Last-Minute Reviews: (in order of appearance in browser)

Also, please take into consideration that I am drunk as shit right now.

The Hand Formula: I kind of like this, even though it sounds like every other song you've ever submitted. Is that a glockenspiel or what? If so, then I approve, but you should really do more with it than just hit the root notes.

Quimby - Definitely like this better than the last thing I heard by you. Really like the way the chorus hits. Good vocals, too. Is that an acoustic guitar with a strange electronic filter on it, or some instrument I'm not familiar with? Or maybe just a guitar recorded in a manner I'm not familiar with? Either way, I dig.

Weta T-Shirt - Can't understand the words, but liked it musically. The retro-eighties programmed echoing percussion and echoing guitars were pretty hip.

Jeff Travis Henderson - Conventional and unremarkable, but somehow enjoyable. Liked the programming.

Transatlantic Fight Club - Probably would not have liked this if I wasn't drunk. However, since I am, I did. Interesting ideas.

Weakest Suit - Meh.

Vaterunser - Bump for great justice.

Elaine DiMasi: Nice tune, I guess. Didn't get the feeling that you put as much effort into this one as your previous entries.

MC Paul Denyer - It's like if David Byrne and Eminem could have babies.

Jan Krueger - Intstresting. Liked the eerie melody and the vocal overdubs.

MC Eric B - Again, this is one I probably would not have liked had i not been drunk when I listened to it.

coder lyte - electronic songs + enjoyable chord progressions = win

Melvin - good song as usual. I like you, but you're very predictable. I'm never surprised when I listen to your tracks.

Todd McHatton - Meh.

Berkely Social Scene: Meh.

Howl Down the Chimney: Accordion + interesting percussion + interesting lyrics + awesome arrangement = mega win!! Would vote if not already committed.

Slats - Nice guitar at the intro. Otherwise, rather a dull song.

Paco - different from what I've heard of your other stuff, but still good.

Embers of Autumn - This sounds like the Ataris, minus all of the things that make them good. Your music is bad and you should feel bad. Take your emo shit back to emo town, emo turds.

Cobalt Stomach - nice little electronic melody. dug it. guitar probably didn't need to be there, or maybe it did. Not sure, but liked it either way. Your base sound reminds me a little of another group I heard on here called Lithium Institution, who I also liked. Any relation, or just coincidence?

Big Crouton - LOL. Bump for great justice. Oh my god, this song is fucking awesome. If I didn't feel obligated to vote for my friend's submission, your song would get my vote.

Heine - substantially more creative than your last entry that I heard. enjoyed it a lot.

Ross Durand - Another fantastic song. Superb guitar work, great lyrics, awesome song overall. You make me feel bad for being a lazy guitar player, which is good, because that makes my ass want to practice. If you ever release an album, let me know; you and your brother both kick ass.

Hans Gruber - Loved it until I found out it wasn't a low-budget rap song. On second listen, a pretty good song, but not the most memorable thing on earth. I saved it, but I'm not sure who else will. Might want to work on making your vocals more distinguishable in the mix.

Terra Sula - Piano + female hippie vocals. = usually groovy, at least to some. Uh, what was this song about again? Shit, where's my bong? Seriously, though, this is not a bad song at all. Just needs a little more instrumentation, or if you want the piano to carry the whole thing, then I would suggest more changes.

JK Chrvt - Funky and simple. Only prob I have with this song is the flange (or whatever it is) on the guitar part on the chorus. Gets annoying. Word of advice: effects are fun, but don't rely too heavily on them. Beyond that, good effort. Keep at it. You've got some talent. I liked your song this week better than your dad's.

Adam Adamant - Cheezoid and terrible. I love it.

Chadderandomabyss - Another avante garde masterpiece, with just a touch of blues. Great stuff. Love your work.

Manatee Matinee - Boss. Loved it. Weird as fuck.

Naked Philosophy - Generic. I didn't not like it.

[Reist]

If I didn't feel obligated to vote for my friend's submission, your song would get my vote.

You know you can vote for more than one submission, right?

[glennny]

Congrats Mel!!!!!!!!!

Well deserved! I like this song more and more with each listen, and it has emerged as my favorite by far of the week!

It's hard to choose a favorite Melvin song of those 100

this could be it, but I don't know.........

[slats]

I liked your song this week better than your dad's.

Hey!

Seriously, I appreciate all the nice reviews my vowel-less son got for his first entry. I'm sure you'll be hearing more from him. Me too, unfortunately.

[melvin]

this could be it, but I don't know.........

Haha! Thanks Glen! Thanks voters! This is a really awesome way to ring in the big ol' 100!

[Billy's Little Trip]

Yep, good song Mikey and happy 100! You had me with the panned intro guitars and it just got better.

[HansGruber]

Sorry for taking so long. Tough couple of weeks. Hope these are still relevant.

This was an amazing fight. Definitely one of the over-all best that I've heard in the several years that I've been listening. It's a tough call for the winner. My favorites were Quimby, Howl, Paco, Heine, and Elaine. They're not necessarily the 'best', but they tickled me somehow.

What's up with the awesome-christmas-song conspiracy? Isn't that some sort of heinous songfight violation of the highest order? Plus, when the songs were posted, it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet! THAT should be a violation. Save the *&!**! christmas crap for christmas. If anything, you should have done thanksgiving songs...

Anyway, they're both so competent and sparkly and wonderous that I do not dismiss them with ease. No, I'll have to blow their infectious hooks out the back of my head. I'll impose my own brand of justice by combining both or your reviews in one. Muhahaha!

Jeff Travis Henderson and Todd McChatton- Nice chord progressions... and super melodies. These are both awesome songs, and could compete for the next 'We Are The World' replacements. I'll save these for later when it really is Christmas.

Quimby - This is the song that got stuck in my head from this fight. I absolutely adore your singing. You've got some Johnny Cash melancholy and charm. I'm usually for more obtuse lyrics, but for the way you sing, the sincerity and forthrightness totally works. Not sure about the heavy chorus on the vocal harmony - I certainly understand what you're going for there, but I'd like to hear it clean. You could work the recording a little more to tighten things up a bit, but it's really excellent now.

howl down the chimney - awesome theatrics and bohemian tone, this is really complimenting my absinthe(and smack, but don't tell anyone) buzz. Love the vinyl scratching, it casts an amber oil-lamp-light glow... Great autoharp integration... Nitpicking: The beat is spot-on, but the percussion choices are a bit too earthy, they sound more shaman than gypsy . Pull back on the 'verb just a touch. Awesome song. Best interpretation of the song title.

Melvin - Wow, 100 songs; I don't remember any that didn't blow me away - same for this one. From lyrics to musicianship to production (polish!), you've got it all nailed. The only only criticism I can offer is a matter of taste - I'm not into gratuitous double bass drum rolls. I can't exactly articulate why; I think it's because they steal my attention (stand out too much) away from the overall groove. The ones you're playing here seem 'tacked on', (do you really need to fill that hole?). I mean, that could be it, but I don't know...[damnation, someone beat me to the pun ]

Big Crouton - Oozing perversion and heinousness... It's like metalocolypse with a country wrapper! This just gets more epic as it goes on...Good god, smokin' guitar solos! If this is what Satan-worship gets you, sign me up! I mentioned above to Melvin that I'm not a fan of the double-bass-drum-radimacue, of course that doesn't apply here.

Paco DelStinko - What's this?! You pop a 'luud? This is way more mellow than I remember you. You're also singing in a higher register..? Man, those sliding and sustained bass notes are AWESOME! Goddam you can play the guitar! You know, this is taking me back a bit to Pavement and Dinosaur Jr, but way better. I don't think anyone in either of those bands could play guitar like this. Wow! Love those overtones that come in about 1:00 - sending chills down my back...

Ross Durand - Nice one, man; The blues-ier the better with you. I could do with a little more restraint on the noodling guitar; it's great for fills and bridges, but it distracts from your awesome lead vox. LOVE the backup gospel singers too.

Transatlantic Fight Club - Juicy ample atmosphere, rich hammond tones, melodic tom-tomming... nice. Droney dreamy goodness, and man, I love that cicada-like noise that fades in about 2:30. Unique and haunting...

Heine - Love it. Some psychedelic/punk hybrid. Starts off reminding of Violent Femmes, then that slide guitar is soooo Pink Floyd. And the bass with it. Great voice, love it when you hit that la-la-la-life crest and the ride kicks in; nice touch.

Naked Philosophy - Can I have your voice please? Awesome! The guitar fills are amazing, they remind me of some Boston song, I think 'More than a Feeling'. Man, I'd love to hear those drums played on real drums - those are so chilly, is it an SPD-11? Sounds like Roland. Actually, love the new-wavey 80's vibe that they're helping along. I appreciate the attention to detail: the panned toms sound great.

jan krueger - ***LOVE*** the vocalized synth sweeps! Brilliant! got some nice tones in here - though it feels a little over-saturated towards the low-end at times. I really like the minimalist static-ridden beat track. Is the piano helping? Haunting, immanently listenable...Damn Impressive

coder_lyte - I like! it's a really catchy melody, and your tone choices are great. Your singing sounds like you're trying not to wake someone up. I totally understand if that's the case, but I'd like to hear you belt it out a bit more.

Weta T-Shirt - Mmm, nice mellow groove, way to work the delay. Cool artsy percussion and muted guitar plucking... Your vox are getting a little overwhelmed in spots, but I do like them low and slow. I love the groove, but I think you need some contrast somewheres, maybe at the bridge at 1:07... something with a bit of melody and sustain...

Berkeley Social Scene - Ooo, love that reverse reverb guitar. You really sound like David Byrne. Some of those transitions loose a little steam. The drums aren't quite nailed down as much as the song requires, but that's a minor quibble. A little loosey-goosey, but I enjoyable. The verses are really magical. Especially love the 'verb drenched muted guitar plucking at the end.

MC Paul Denya - Awesome! Way to grab my attention...and keep it! Great flow, you're really nailing the rhythm. Where the hell have I heard that guitar vamp before? Emerson Lake & Palmer?

Jk Chrvt - I love what you do, kid - what a great jam. You're already a better guitar player than this old man. I'm really impressed with your vocal inflections, they work well for your style. I think you can tighten up the song a bit, there are a few weak spots where you lose a little momentum, but overall it's a good song.

Vater Unser - Hmmm... some mellow swing... nice tone, if not bit 'dry'. Love the sparseness, but I'd love to hear some of the instruments (namely the cello) with more natural-sounding samples. A little brainy for my tastes, but interesting...

Cobalt Stomach - Wonderful electric piano melody (contagious hook), which you totally destroy with that awful drum fill leading in. AH! HURTS! The 'take a shit' line gave me a few yucks the first time around. Love the out-there guitar solo, and how you 'scat' along with the melody, really fun

The Weakest Suit - I totally agree! Fun, light-hearted - I envision you busking this song in a shopping mall. That would be awesome.

Elaine DiMasi - This is really ambitious, and really has some impressive moments. It's not a perfect performance, but you could improve it with a few more takes. The opening is a bit thin, but I think you already discussed the piano tone earlier in the thread. Also, everything sounds 'set back' in the mix a bit. The song really grabs me at 1:05; the swing kicks in and it really clicks. Your cascading vocals are great - very Brian Wilsonish, followed by the Who...interesting composition...love it..

MC Eric B - nice! I like the creepy theatrical feel, I like the whispery lyrics, but more dynamic would be good when you go to the chorus.

Embers of Autumn - Another great song, but hurt from the recording. Everything sounds real papery - not sure why. You have some good moments, but the singing is pretty off key... I'm not a good singer either, so I don't have any sage advice, but you sure can belt it out - would love to hear you harness it. Rough recording making it a little hard to enjoy, but I like the song.

Adam Adamant - I love the giddy-up skittishness of your drum beam and the overall 8-bit terseness, but the sawtooth drilling into my middle ear is a bit much. There are a few spots that are barely holding together...Vox aren't doing much for me; they're a little uninspired. Interesting possibilities here, but the frequency is jamming my circuits.

The Chatterandom Abyss - Reminds me of the 'Blind Mellon Chitlin' Cheech and Chong skit. I do loves me some incoherent bumbling, but, good lord, 3 minutes of this? You know those things don't mix with alcohol! There could be some interest here, but something needs to be in focus (tune/time) to anchor the rest and keep me listening past 2:00. I grant you this: It's foggy.

The Hand Formula - Interesting at first, but a bit much for a few minutes. Interesting lyrics, like the lo-fi instruments, sounds like you're jamming in the nursery

manatee matinee - cool for the first 20 seconds.

Slats - You got the cowbell 1/4 time! I see Will Farrell jamming with Blue Oyster cult every time I hear 1/4 'bell Dude, this is so mellow... you certainly play the instruments well, but the song's boring me a bit. Perhaps you're already aware, but your son is way more punk rock than you The lead guitar tone is horrifically papery, what are you using for the distortion? I dig fade-outs (and sometimes returns) but overall it feels about 50 seconds too long.

Terra Sula - Good song, but the execution's a bit rough. I love the fact that you committed to the vocals, but the piano gets lost. A few notes come off a little flat - I think I saw you discussing that earlier with someone else. I think if you had some solid accompaniment, you could really soar with your vox. Well worth another go to perfect it.

[Chadderandom]

maybe I'll vote for it when I actually get around to voting.

Or if I actually remember to, which like usual, I kind of forgot to.

[jast]

Sorry for taking so long. Tough couple of weeks. Hope these are still relevant.

Reviews are always relevant, even if they say that I suck (unpossible!). Really, I'm not participating here for the votes (if I was I'd probably be gone by now ), I'm in it for the having a deadline to adhere to and for the reviews. Thanks for yours, and thanks for everyone else's.

[inevitableguy]

Brilliant and disastrous at almost the exact same time.

I think I'm going to quote this the next time someone asks me what kind of music I write.

I think the lyrics are good in this one. Humourous?

Yes. I really hope no one tried to take them too seriously.

Can I have your voice please? Awesome! The guitar fills are amazing, they remind me of some Boston song, I think 'More than a Feeling'. Man, I'd love to hear those drums played on real drums - those are so chilly, is it an SPD-11? Sounds like Roland. Actually, love the new-wavey 80's vibe that they're helping along. I appreciate the attention to detail: the panned toms sound great.

Ha! I've never had anyone actually want to have my voice before. Thanks for the kind words. The drum machine is actually a Boss DR-5 drenched in reverb. I chose fake-ish sounding drums to give it a new wave kind of feel, I'm glad someone picked up on it.

OK, so on with the reviews. Maybe having to review 30 songs was too much for me, I apologize in advance for the short and overwhelmingly negative responses. Posted in the completely random order they were given to me...

Quimby - Kinda dull. This would benefit from more of a full band treatment.

JK Chrvt - I think the vocals could've used a few more rehearsals, but overall, a good song.

coder_lyte() - This sounds like something a guy selling organs at the mall would be playing...and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Ross Durand - There's nothing that really sets this song apart from any other little bluesy number.

Transatlantic Fight Club - The vocals are too far back in the mix - I can't understand most of them, and that hurts this song a lot.

Todd McHatton - This would be better if you took out a few of the repeats. It is stuck in my head, though - so maybe mission accomplished?

Adam Adamant - Sorry, this is just too disjointed for my tastes.

Hans Gruber: Ultimate Villian - Great fit for the theme, listening to this song really feels like walking in fog. It stays on the same theme for too long, though.

Paco del Stinko - The vocals in the bridge are a bit rough. Most of it sounds a bit generic to me, but I really dig the ending.

Jan Krueger - Great use of harmony. Unfortunately, it kept feeling like it was about to build up to something that never came.

Manitee Matinee - There's just no structure to this, it's not working for me at all.

Vaterunser - The repetition started to get to me after a while. I dig the sound of the strings, though.

MC Eric B - This is doing nothing for me - I wish I had something constructive to say, but I'm coming up blank.

Terra Sula - Nice clean sound on the vocal track, but the vocal melody in the chorus feels like it clashes with the piano melody.

The Weakest Suit - There's really nothing here to review. Maybe this would be a good intro to a longer piece?

The Hand Formula - I can't hear the vocals. What is that...a toy xylophone?

Slats - I like the guitar in the intro and the solo - it's like smooth jazz but way, way cooler. Other than that, it just kind of bogs down.

Jeff Travis Henderson - Yes. This is something I'd listen to outside of SF. I love how the hook is just a half a step outside of being discordant without crossing the line. While I was listening to this, my wife wandered in and said, "Wow. This is really cool." Unfortunately for you, we can't both vote from the same IP address.

Elane DiMasi - I'm back to not having anything constructive to say...not bad, not great.

Melvin - Happy 100. You're kinda stretching to get the vocals in the chorus, aren't you? Overall, great groove. Love the build-up and release into the ending.

Embers of Autumn - I think I'd like this more if you sang in a range that was more comfortable to you.

Weta T-Shirt - This has got a nice 80's feel to it. The vocals should be more prominent, though.

The Chatterandom Abyss - There might be a song in there, hiding somewhere.

Big Crouton - I hope this was sarcastic, because it cracked me up. Extremely well executed - I am in awe.

Berkeley Social Scene - Solid work. The vocals feel a little stretched.

Howl Down the Chimney - Yay accordion! A fun little jaunt.

Cobalt Stomach - OK, so I don't quite get the lyrics. Catchy as hell, though.

MC Paul Denyer - I'm not usually a fan of this kind of music, but I actually like this. That's saying a lot.

Heine - I like the overall progression. There should be some more going on in the verses.

Naked Philosophy - Hey, that's me! Admittedly, some of the lyrics were filler that I never got around to fixing due to the time constraint of SF. However, I'm very happy with it musically - I stayed away from the "find 4 chords you like and repeat ad nauseum" songwriting style I have a habit of falling into.

So, for what its worth, I voted for Jeff Travis Henderson, Melvin, Big Crouton, MC Paul Denyer, and myself (conceited little megapuppy that I am).

[jeffhenderson]

What's up with the awesome-christmas-song conspiracy? Isn't that some sort of heinous songfight violation of the highest order? Plus, when the songs were posted, it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet! THAT should be a violation. Save the *&!**! christmas crap for christmas. If anything, you should have done thanksgiving songs...

Anyway, they're both so competent and sparkly and wonderous that I do not dismiss them with ease. No, I'll have to blow their infectious hooks out the back of my head. I'll impose my own brand of justice by combining both or your reviews in one. Muhahaha!

Haha thanks for that.

I'm going to be honest, my decision to enter a Christmas song this early in the year had 100% to do with the fact that "City in Fog" rhymed with "Egg Nog".


PS - I might end up finally getting a chance to do reviews tomorrow.

[Niveous]

Some part of me always wondered about the MC Paul Denyer song. It only took me six years to figure out that it's actually the song "Axis Tilt" by Australian rap group Tzu, which was released in June of '08.

[Lunkhead]

So much for screening out copyrighted music from the fight entries. :/