bush could die tomorrow (i wish i was so sure.. reviews)

[SaxManRunning!]

Well, now's as good a time as any.

Coming your way, out of 5, that's my opinion alone.

Bolthoph: Besides when the vocals come in at 0:03 which sounds a bit unnatural, I like the sound of the voice with the mix. The higher electric guitar sound is a bit unbalanced in places, but nothing serious. Overall nice job. Probably 3 or 4, it all sounds good but seems like it drags a bit for my taste.

Carol Cleveland Sings: Classic intro. Just what I expect to hear from ya'll.
it's nice in a way. Good stuff, nice grabby I like 1:58 on, and the intro especially. 5, sounding good.

Deshead: Sounds framiliar. Snare is alittle of at :46 but that is nitpicking. Yeah, it's not quite as catchy as what I'm used to you playing. Not quite my taste this week. 4. just because of the chorus. Killer man.

Historyman: the organ sounds good, but you sort of monotone the lyrics out. Nice mix but it's too depressing for me. 1:08 volume jumps a bit for no reason. not bad but... 2.

HostessMostess: Mmmm... Sing it Brutha! I like the sound with the precussion sounds. Chorus is awesome to say the least. Vocals are just right in my opinion. I like this one. 5 easy. Backup vocals near the end push it over the top. Hot!

Carlsmom and the Delicate flowers: It's exotic souding. I don't mind that there are no lyrics, it just makes it hard to tie it down to IWIWSS. I like the idea. 3 atleast.

Poor June: Yep, just your style as well. I like the piano parts you write and the overlapping vocals (or reverb). It's definatly poorJune material. When the chorus starts it sounds a bit awkward but for the msot part solid all the way around. 3 for sure.

R Mosquito: My friend has been listening to this one all week, I'm fairly sure he voted for you too. I like it, just not as much. Lyrics are funny to say the least. I had never thought of mamel-jacking, nice touch. Sounds like the work of a madman. All around solid, flows, nice work. 4, just too weird at times.

Stubbyp Feat: Dr. Water: Groovey feel. Bass is funky. Singing feels right for the song but I'm just not a fan of the style. All good on productions things are balanced. Qudos to the bass guy too. 2 just not my cup of tea.

ToneTripper: The music is really muffeled at the beginning and the bass is preey quiet in the mix. At :20 the little chicking sound comes in but it is really annoying. Things don't seem to go together here... and then a big switch... not really doing it for me. 1.


oh... I say I like hostess the mostess, followd By Carol Cleveland, and then Deshead.

[hillbilly]

Great fight guys! We have found it to difficult to choose between Deshead and Hostess! You two are both incrediable
In our book you both our the winners,so this week we will not vote.

[historyman68]

Historyman I like the lyrics, and the arrangement really suits them. (This reminds me of something Pink might have sung about 2/3rds of the way into The Wall.) The vocal track would benefit from double tracking. A real second take, though ... Not just running it through a doubler. One other thing: if I said "you slide between notes a lot", would that make sense to you? The best example I can find is at 0:57, when you sing "cry", and then the "from" that follows it (in "far away from you"). Unless you were going for a specific effect, your voice will sound a lot more confident (and hence tighter) the less of this you do.

Hmm... interesting. I'll try both of those suggestions when I re-record in a few weeks. I know what you're talking about in the sliding thing. You think it doesn't work? I'm not sure what you mean by intentional-- I intended to do that particular melisma (the term for moving between notes on one syllable), but if it sounds less professional, I'll see about changing it.

re: originality: I didn't mean that originality was ripping someone off well. I meant that if you rip someone off, and it sounds good, then it's well done. Some people put a lot of effort into trying to sound exactly like some particular artist, but all that's going to yield, in the end, is "well, why should I listen to this guy, when I could be listening to the original?" That is not creative. What is creative is if you learn how to sound like all sorts of artists, then filter it through your own creative ideas and taste, picking, say, this chord progression for Booker T and the MG's, this singing style from Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and this subject matter from Barbara Streisand (optional challenge for next fight!), then use your own unique experience to make something that, despite all its influences, sounds like YOU.

to poor June: I'm glad someone picked up on the chord progression I thought I was ripping off -- Tears in Heaven -- rather than the one everyone else heard -- SFF.
And, no, I was not being sarcastic in the song, just, you know, sentimental. But whatever floats your boat.

[Poor June]

to poor June: I'm glad someone picked up on the chord progression I thought I was ripping off -- Tears in Heaven -- rather than the one everyone else heard -- SFF.
And, no, I was not being sarcastic in the song, just, you know, sentimental. But whatever floats your boat.

yea i used to play tears in heaven all the time... 'oh play tears in heaven so everyone can hear it'... sort of thing... i know those chords very well haha...
well i still liked how the vocals were for that part... probably one of my favorite parts of the song...

[king_arthur]

Quick comments:

Keepers were Boltoph, Deshead, and Hostess, plus Historyman just because it sounded a lot better than past stuff (I am, however, WAY behind in SF listening, so maybe you got good a while ago and I just missed it).

Cashmere, the song just didn't grab me.

Historyman, rather than muting the vocal track on the intro, you might want to let it play... a little hiss would be less distracting than having the hiss start suddenly right before the vocals.

Tonetripper & Mosquito, a little too un-mellow for my taste. That may not be a bad thing...

Karl's Mom, I'm into lyrics, so I'll pass.

Stubby, rhythms and tuning were just too raggedy for me. Nice voice, though, nice lead guitar tone.

Vote: Hostess - well done song with great lyrics; the only song that I could tell you after hearing it once what it was about.

[Jordan]

Greetings.

Boltoph
Yeah. Great energy and really moves along nicely. Good song. Vox could be a little quieter in the mix. All instruments really well played. Very good singing and lovely harmonies. I would go to this concert. Nicely done.

Cashmere Cat
Loving this off the bat. Oh...well...that's a big freakin' surprise. Carol Cleveland Sings. Is Cashmere Cat your new name, or just a one-off thing? I hate you I hate you. I am seriously so envious of your talent and skill. I honestly can't even comment on specifics, because I just like everything about this and it would just end up being a list of everything in the song.

Deshead
Wow, another good one. This is a good fight. I dig that funky guitar riff. And the stadium rock chorus. Kwal-i-tee. Just listening and enjoying. Nice vocal harmonies, textural changes, arpeggiated synth part. Very good.

Historyman
I'm a sucker for Wurli and this is a nice, sappy chord progression. There's another song it's reminding me of, but I'm not sure what it is. Singing is so-so, but strangely doesn't bother me that much. Maybe it's just that your so earnest about it, it's endearing. Sweet song.

Hostess Mostess
Really good production, harmonies. Excellent interpretation of title. I like the instrumentation a lot. I'm not so hot on a few lyrics here and there, but they're good overall -- good job of getting complex stories into lyrics. Yet another enjoyable song.

Karl's Mom and the Delicate Flowers
Imbued with weirdness. If "They Might Be Giants" was Japanese, they might make this song. It's good. Although it could be a bit shorter for me.

Poor June
Cool piano chords. Not liking the vocals -- sounds like you're singing though a closed mouth. This needs to grow as it goes along somehow.

R. Mosquito
Love the instrumental track, particularly the guitar and the 70's synth lead. The vocals are killing it for me. They don't have the energy the track demands. Sell it, man!

Stubby P. Feat. Dr. Water
Not really enjoying the instrumentation here, and it all feels kinda draggy and plodding. The vocals are almost but not quite. There may be a good song in here, not really sure.

Tonetripper
I like that kick drum. Sounds like the way a kick drum sounds from the sidewalk outside a dance club. Cool. Whoa. Cool "wind-up" sound. I like the change here, but something's not quite falling into place for me. Not sure you found the pocket there. Oop, changed again. Vocals are real close to being excellent, just gotta let go a bit more. Not bad.

A lot of good stuff in this fight. Listening again to:
Boltoph -- A very enjoyable experience.
Deshead -- Nice BIG sound. Second place for me.
Hostess Mostess -- Packs a whole lot into 3 minutes.
Cashmere Cat -- I have no constructive comments. Voting for this.
Deshead

Thanks everybody!

Jordan

[Leaf]

Tonetripper: I liked this alot. There are some familar elements here, and I wish I'd had the time to get in on this one. Lot's of cool stuff going on. CONTENDER. That opening bass riff....yummy. I love stuff that goes into a completely other dimension... it works in my books.

Boltoph: Very nice laid back punky vibe. Nice vocals too. another CONTENDER. REally like the breakdown vibe after first chorus.. like the drumming on this one too. Reminds me of the deadmillmen, if they were more serious or something. Yeah, I like this one, it has a good rock vibe, yet it's smooth. Have you heard Sam Roberts? Reminds me of that too. Also get a funny little Alexis on Fire thingy... if Alexis on Fire sounded like this I'd dig them... it's in the shots on the drums, and the punky vibe. I like the solo , but it's buried in there.

Carol Cleveland Sings: Why do I think of Steve Carell when I listen to you? This is much more Beatleseque than usual... I love your style. Everything is so lush, and sonically full, yet you have a majestic flow or something. Good as always... CONTENDER

Deshead: Ok, so far every tune in this fight has been fun to listen to, and well done. This is no exception. When are you and Tone gonna hook up for a collab? Aren't you in the same freaking town?? (I lived in the TO once too... good tune. I like this one more than others I've heard. This is the kind of tune that I would be just losing it too live...it's got great energy and performances to it. Great job... what do I do when every song get's CONTENDER?

HistoryMan I'm getting a cool vibe off the keys... I like those. Your singing has issues. Obviously there is tuning issues (and air too, you need more air in your lungs on some of those parts) but, actually , that's not what is the issue to me...it's the character. This is a tune where I can hear more of it... but not enough to forgive tuning issues. There are times when you grab a hold of a lower note...and your timbre is nice. The song is pretty good. You just need more performance vibe... this is close, but not a contender for me.

Hostess: Ok, the bass is too quiet for me... but I love that guitar playing, and your voice. This tune has a Paul Simony thing going on...you know, if he could rock or something. A CONTENDER. Great back ups. Very good. So far, I think I may vote this one... so we'll call this my SERIOUS CONTENDER.

KArl's Mom: If I was an A&R rep, I'd be moving on to the next one... this is like a movie soundtrack... you should forward this to the filmfight lads. I like this, but I'm getting college flashbacks of PErcussion Ensemble...it's ok, definitely risky stuff, and gutsy, but I probably would be more forgiving if I heard this in Poor June's listen to my song thread, cause it doesn't evoke the title in me one bit. Cool though.

Poor June.... Speaking of the Junester....this is by far the best finished thing I've heard of yours. You can play that piano good man. I wonder if you're gonna end up getting coffee house gigs and the like? I could see you...sitting in a smoky bar, pluggin out this tune. That's great, see I'm getting visuals off your tunes rather than being distracted by technical issues. Man, you are a heart beat from me giving you the contender label.. well done June.

Mosquito: I always like your tunes. This mix seems heavily compressed...maybe a bit too much? Nice and heavy, I like that. The vocals seem occasionally strained, but I dig them anyway. I love the snotty tone you use, like around 1:30ish. This tune seems a little more narrow in scope than I recall you would normally do? Maybe I'm off base on that one. Is this about Dr. Evil? It's pretty good, but not sticking out to me. Good, not a contender this time.

Stubby... The disjointed groove isn't doing it for me. The ideas are cool, but the executtion just makes this ok.

I'm torn between Tonetripper and Mostess...listen to both again...hockey style...

1ST PERIOD
Tonetripper: Man, you sound like Micheal Hutchence... shit you should have tried out for that contest man! Two goals for quirky star power, a goal for vocals, and one interference call for the loud cymbal.

Mostess: Nice defence... your offence gets into gear early for the tight presentation and great presence...but you fail to score on the powerplay cause something in your strum threw me off around 1:20 ... but you get a goal for solid play off the top...
1st period summary:
shots TT: 12 HM: 9
goals TT: 3 HM:1
PIM TT :2 HM 0
meanwhile, in the 2nd period, HM pots two nice goals...the kind that shit hot teams get on a regular basis... while TT counters with another fine deke in the early minutes for that hot bass riff... another call for the use of drum loops though... will HM capitalize?? NOpe. TT's quirky change keeps me moving...
Shots: TT 8 HM: 5
goals: TT 1 HM: 2
PIM : TT 2 HM:0

The score after two... 4-3 for TT

THIRD PERIOD:
HM 's intro is quite solid, like a team that wins the face off clean... with a cool riff in it... but there is a chink in the armour... it's the accoustic tone.. I like it, but I don't love it... reminds me too much of GreatBigSEa...so you get a holding call for that one... don't worry, TT fails to capitalize on the powerplay... and get's a call against him for having collabed with me, and your tight songwriting and the use of smart lyrics that show off your intelligence allows you to knot the game up at four with only a few minutes to go.... but TT's got the edge for the twisted approach, his offense overwhelms HM , the more pumping groove with the twisted changes allows him to slip in behind HM's usually solid D, and he manages to slip one in with 45 seconds to go... OR DOES HE?

That's right... we need a video replay... (TT and HM are left aimlessly skating around...does it hold...) the ref points at the centre line...IT'S A GOAL !!! It looks like it might be over for HM.... but he wins the faceoff, pulls his goalie and penetrates the blue line... his secret weapon, the catchy chorus that is fun and easy to sing along to (the CCtifaetsat Line) executes a fine play from behind the net...stunning the crowd and TT's team....

SHOTS: TT : 7 HM : 13
Goals :TT : 1 HM : 2
PIM: TT :2 HM : 2

The score after three periods is 5-5 THIS GAME IS GOING TO OVERTIME.

Unfortunately for TT, 12 seconds into the third, HM scores a highlight reel goal on an end to end rush.

6-5 to Hostess Mostess.... I vote HM.

What a fucking great game.

[Mostess]

THIS GAME IS GOING TO OVERTIME.

Me heart! Ack, my heart!

This fight is splendid. Every time I go to do reviews, I start rearranging the song order as if it's an album. And a really good album at that. I can't vote. Any vote does the other songs a disservice. It's an honor to be among you!

My favorite moments:

Karl's Mom and the Delicate Flowers' entry is gripping and unique. The whole thing is very exciting but at 2:20 or so, it becomes an unstoppable locomotive.

Historyman's entry has been stuck in my head all week. And the only way to get it out is to hum Deshead's chorus, which is a hook I wish I'd written. Perhaps I will steal it someday. It's that good. And R. Mosquito's "laser from their eyes" line tickles me every time.

I love Cashmere Cat's song; the rambling is intriguing and the melody is golden and never stops. Boltoph is perfect.

[deshead]

I know what you're talking about in the sliding thing. You think it doesn't work? I'm not sure what you mean by intentional-- I intended to do that particular melisma ... but if it sounds less professional

I think I used a bad example with the word "cry". Relistening, it does sound right. A better example is the first time you say "from" in "I am far away from you". Do you hear what I mean? You start low, and slide up to the note you want. Unless it's an intentional melisma, as you say, a singer sounds more confident when he hits the note he wants cleanly.

Or even gets close to the note he wants. I'd rather listen to a pitchy singer who goes for the note directly than someone who slides all over the place. I can't listen to Courtney Love because of this. It's not her tone or her timbre that offends me, it's the way she never starts a single note cleanly. I mean, check out this horror.

Heh, I don't mean to compare you with that freak show. But I do think your song'll sound a lot better if you attack most notes head-on.

[tonetripper]

The hockey game.

It's come to that has it Leafy (NHL strike is making him deranged)....... chuckling....... HM had me beat hands down in my world..... felt like a hack against the competition cuz my mix kinda blew chunks (rushed). Thanks for the review.

As far as Deshead is concerned, I broached him on the topic a while back and anytime he needs some low-end accompaniment or back-ups, I'll be happy to indulge with him in a little collab. Maybe a few more fights into the year and he'll be into it. Maybe we can do some kind of Canadian contingent or something or other with all the kids in redcar, puce, Sven et al. Anyway, dare to dream.

Top 5 in proper voting order:
1) CCS
2) Deshead
3) Botolph
4) HM
5) Stubby P feat. Dr Water

[HeuristicsInc]

1: deshead, hostess, ccs, june, rmosq, stubby
2: historyman, boltoph, karlsmom, tone

unfortunately, my vote for deshead (catchy catchy) came too late.
-bill

[deshead]

unfortunately, my vote for deshead (catchy catchy) came too late.
-bill

Thanks Bill.

Only 70 votes in total ... That surprises me, for such a good fight.

Still, the best Weezer tribute won. Congrats Reve!

[historyman68]

Best song I've written so far, and I get the same ol' two votes. Oh well. Neither of them from me.

[deshead]

Best song I've written so far, and I get the same ol' two votes. Oh well. Neither of them from me.

For what it's worth, your song really grew on me. It doesn't get you any more votes, but I'd take fans over votes any day.


Also, Pablo:

Maybe we can do some kind of Canadian contingent or something or other with all the kids in redcar, puce, Sven et al. Anyway, dare to dream.

While I love this idea, we must have assurances that the result won't resemble the last collaborative effort between so many Canadian musicians.