Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Spud »

No, I mean you missed us.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Smalltown Mike »

Yes, but he already knows that when he DOES review you, Spud, he's going to spell your band name wrong. He's just acknowledging that ahead of time.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by boltoph »

Leaf wrote:Boltoph: ...sweet review...
Thanks dude. Psyched that you're looking forward to playing it for Dana.

My drum kit situation: same kit (an ancient Japanese-made jazz kit), a much nicer Paiste crash and hihats than I used to have, but same two Apex ribbons, Okatava lg diaph on the kick, sm57 on top of the snare. I think for the past year, especially the past six months I've been working on finding the best convolution room reverbs, and also have been working on eq. For the snare though, this snare is a mix of 1. sm57 micing the top head 2. tube preamp overdriven and dbx compressed room mic, gated with a sidechain to the snare track, and 3. Drumagog'd in snare samples from the free natural sounds kit. I think the paperyness is coming from those drumagog'd samples, they have alot more "snare" tone to them then my sm57 over the top and I was sort of looking for more snare tone here so I mixed the samples louder than the acoustic snare and gated room snare. I think you might like more of just the sm57 snare mic, it's a dryer snappier sound. I was just pushing that snarey tone of the samples here more than usual. Usually I don't do the drumagog thing but I was having fun with 'em this time. The toms get a nice sound using those ribbons in the recorderman overhead fashion. Plus my floor tom is a separate floor tom that's as big as the jazz kick drum. I actually had to pull back some 400hz and low cut the overheads. You should'a heard the toms before I did that. Tonetripper would crucify me if I allowed those toms to boom any more than I did.. :) Oh and the lead guitar solo is way too quiet, I know it, it was a mix error by me. I have a fixed mix of that that I haven't finished quite yet. Am also possibly recording a different intro vocal melody, but maybe not. I'm attached to the cheesiness of that vocal melody in the beginning because it makes me laugh every time.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Leaf »

Spud wrote:No, I mean you missed us.

??? I REVIEWED IT. So, that means it's still on my computer at home in a word doc! (AND I REMEMBER SPELLING IT WRONG...LOL).


Off the top, I was digging the tightness, the sonic wall of guitar, the vocals. I'm on a huge NomeansNo kick right now, and anything that has that down-home edgy raweness I'm enjoying. But, when I get home tonight I'll find those ramblings and post 'em!
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Manhattan Glutton »

Hah, apparently WreckdoM sampled from this (um... movie?) for the "can't piss on hospitality part. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OiD6IlBmtk

In case anyone was dorky and curious as well.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Lucky Spoon »

Manhattan Glutton wrote:Hah, apparently WreckdoM sampled from this (um... movie?) for the "can't piss on hospitality part. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OiD6IlBmtk

In case anyone was dorky and curious as well.
yeah it's definitely official: WreckdoM = best song of the week.

in other news I may or may not be getting to reviews soon... for some reason they're actually wanting me to do work at work so i can't listen and write reviews all day... tsk tsk.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Lucky Spoon »

oh, and i know it's my fault for not getting the mix loud enough... but to everyone giving me drive-by reviews (saying things like 's a bit lame or flat energy etc) please turn my track up and listen again. I understand, with 30+ songs to listen to i'd probably blow past it too if it were quiet... soooo right.

anyways if you can hear a rumbly/growly/electronicish drum hits in the opening drum beat and if during the opening bassline you can tell a distinct difference b/w the two string hits/clicks (p-puh) then you've got it loud enough.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Spud »

Um, never mind, Leaf. My bad. I found it. And thanks. Yeah that was me "singing".
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

OK. Done hastily today, but I'll be glad to clarify if anyone feels confused. I voted for more songs than didn't, but if could pick only one it might be...mmm...Hostess, WreckdoM, or the Skeletons. Need a three head coin.

Adam Adamant - Like strong sun on a cold day. Maybe a few clouds and occasional breeze, but still pleasant to be outside. Actually, I like watching the clouds go by.

Anarchic Aardvark - The kick could use more kick, but the song is mildly catchy. I like the progressions and distorto keys. Sounds hastily done and weird how the vocals lose their pitch as the song advances.

Andrew Reist - This has to contend for best song of yours. Passionate delivery and great vocal performance. The mouth solo part is great, nice and spooky in such a short time. Great job, Mr. Reist, you nailed this one.

Balance Lost - Where are those guitars going and who are they hanging out with? Wonderful. I have no idea how your guitar parts come to be, they are so exotic and delicious to me The vocals are fine, but seem like catsup on escargot, or something. The song kind of goes just for the sake of going, but what a sunny, and fun ride.

Bax - This goony riff could've come right out of my playbook, but it's too catchy. Little tempo struggles there. Love the grungy bass and dig the catchy monster riffs. Some gang3ed up backing vocals on the chorus would be cool, even if not necessarily harmonizing. "TOO LATE" "SO FAKE", etc. works at the end, feels bare prior. Good fun tune that needs to be cranked up and listened to while drinking and/or driving, not both at the same time.

Berkeley Social Scene - What a rocker and what a treat. Guitars took the wheel behind this one and refused to let anyone else drive. Love the rhythm and tempo change, that's the nuts. Sun to gut-punch in a mili-second. Needs a big, fat, phasey, bass synth solo or something else ball rattling. Digging the Martyr vocals belting out as well, great fit.

Big Crouton - Super job all around. The guitars, of course, are perfect and the energetic performance sells the vocals. The mega-heavy part about halfway through is the nuts, though. It can't get huge enough or face-punchingly better, except to give me a little bit more of a beatdown. Excellent.

Boltoph - Mist on the water under rolling white clouds, initially. The rock is great and all, but I was actually kind of hoping it would stay in dream land. Regardless, the rock is tasty and the quiet breakdown is beautiful, thus making the rock even tastier when it returns. Great work all around and a top shelfer for sure.

The Bourbon Drops - It's like I returned to the same set that's been going on for a few weeks now. Not same song over and over, so I mean that in a good way. Love the vocal lines and won't pretend to know who's singing, and the little guitar phrae that kind of resolves things is beautiful. vocals shake a little bit, but no matter, they are a treat.

Brittany Spud - Huge! Sounds like the singer is leading a sing-along, but got no-one to join him. Great playing all around even if the song wanders a little bit. I like the chorus and think it would sound good with backing vocals as well. Good tune, a little half baked at times.

Composgnathus - I like the moody vocals, the supporting one could tighten up though. It sounds like the song wants to build to something that doesn't come, and the acoustic breakdown is a bit of a surprise. This almost sounds like Plain Songs at times, maybe with a partner? This wobbles and stumbles a bit, but I like where it goes. Bonus point for mention of Satan. Always.

deetak - Nice melody that goes all around the world without feeling like it gets lost. The supporting tracks are well done and seem to come and go at will, while like the vocal, aren't all random feeling. Sounds like Bowie at times, an oncoming cyclonic wind at others. Mysterious and beautiful.

Drum Machine! - Alright, get on with the show already. Zzzzzzz. Refund, please. Good clapping, though.

Generic Sp00ns
- I would never have thought of this tag-team. Guitar tunage aside, this sounds great. Sweet Beatle-esque flavorings over a jaunty early 20th century vibe. I like the starts here and ends over there arrangement, though it comes around again by the end. Drunk solo for sure, but mostly pain free. Very nice tune, if wobbly.

Hostess Mostess - Beautiful. Love that minor change into the chorus. I like the many moods of this song. It sounds almost mournful at times, but the wonderful bridge section offers up some optimism, even if only from the mood. Gentle pacing and patience are key here and it all works well. Should contend, if not outright win.

Jolly Roger - Put the bong down, and step away from the microphone. My, how you've changed since college, no? Dark and full of stoner mood, I love the restrained, but unrelenting bass groove over the open beat, advancing like a shrk in water. Bong water, that is. Extra points for going to the dark side.\

The King of Quoons - I love the mood shifts here, and the Middle Eastern meets hoe-down vibe. I'm a little split on the Thing Fish vocals, as they could get you in a heep of trouba. Ends too quickly, but I guess that it goes where it needs to go. The psychedelic aspect of this is very tasty indeed.

Larry Knox - The piano intro is almost TV showish, for a couple of seconds. The chorus is well arranged but I don't care for the game of life line. This appears as though it's very personal and could mean a lot to you. A bit too lite 80's for my taste, but well put together and arranged. Nice work.

Leaf 62 - Love the wah intro. This is sloppy? Ha! Not but my scruffy standards. Great riffage and direction. The descending bridge section is my favorite part although the bumblebee bass line near the end comes in close second. Good fun tune that makes me want to drive fast.

LML - Sweet and pleasant, a key change to break up the register that you hang around in might be nice. The harmonica touches are nice and I like the clicky clack rhythm. Nice song that works as is, but nice be sweeter with one or two simple harmonies added, for color. I like the lean arrangement as well.

Lucky Spoon - Love the Arabic spicings at the start. Good vocal work on some good melodies and the harmonies are nice and tight as well. A super fast, twinkling arpeggio flourish swirling in might've been fun, but the song is strong enough as is. Good work, sir.

Manhattan Glutton - Great start, poundage-wise. I'm not sure about the yelling, though. But the off kilter groove is fab, as are the guitar/key accents. The breakdown works well and the return of the rock is great. makes me want to hear the return jump way up high and tear off into the stratosphere. Heady and rocky, an excellent tune.

mc joebudy - Midnight at the Joe-asis. I can almost see you reading the lyric sheet, which most of us must do, but you gotta try and get rid of the impression that that's what you're doing. Hipper people than I might call it flow, or something. The backing tracks are fine, but lack dynamic punch. Feels like an exercise. Keep at it, you'll only improve.

MC Paul Denyer - What a mash-up. Hillbilly metal rap. The vocals are nice and clear, but I'd like to hear some overlapping vocals as well and maybe even a mock crowd singing along. Good tune even if it makes my nuts feel sore.

MK and LC - Mature and well balanced, this tune could work well in a tv show aimed at 20 something women. Or one of those Melrose Place type jobs. It's very well done and emotive, and nobody says it has to rock, by any means. Sung well, performed well, and excellently arranged.

Paco del Stinko - No depth to this, at all. I had hoped to have the Twinkies and whatnot represent government or something, but it's all quite literal as explained in the bridge. But hey, it's got MOOG, and if Teplin reads this, HOG!

Pathetic Wannabees - Meanwhile, down at the corral...I would love to add baritone guitar to this and if I were fortunate enough to join you in stage, I would do just that. Love the Indian chant sounding part. Just the right amount of swamp here as well, another great tune from you guys, who only seem to get better each time out.

The Sky Looks Pissed - Cootchy-coo nursery rhyme. The delicate guitar is nice and the vocals work well even though they get hard to understand at times, due mainly to lack of tightness. Pleasant song that could benefit from a re-do.

South Sycamore Wheelbarrow Factory Ensemble - Right idea, but misses the mark. It's all a bit disjointed feeling and therefore misses the mark, rock-wise. Also feels a bit aimless at times. And the mix is lopsided. And the guitar is too fizzy. And...kidding. Try again next week.

Trident Jones - Chip-chopped vocals are a wee bit sour although almost convincing, delivery-wise. I can't quite figure out the guitar sound, like it's an unplugged electric picked up on the vocal microphone. I like that weird, high flute harmonic going on, or whatever that is.

The Weakest Suit - This feels less demo than some of your others, as far as structure and delivery go. I like the "we sold out", quite effective and very right to the point. Another candidate for sounding great with a full band, it's strong enough to stand on its own.

Well Read Skeletons - Whoa, this is kooky delicious. Carol Cleveland-ish. Am I on to something there? I'm not too hip. Anyway, this is just manically fantastic and a delicious pop and psychedelic treat. I have no idea where it's going to go next and love it for that. Great stuff.

WreckdoM - Blurpy and nasty, as it should be. And tasty too! This is a great balance of heady WreckdoMosity but keeping it tight and focused. I used to take husky, but now I'm just a regular. Absolutely one of the best songs this week, and should contend for the win. Great to see you guys here, as always. Love, Paco.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by JonPorobil »

Paco Del Stinko wrote:
Generic Sp00ns - I would never have thought of this tag-team.
I love that about Songfight, don't you?
Guitar tunage aside, this sounds great. Sweet Beatle-esque flavorings over a jaunty early 20th century vibe. I like the starts here and ends over there arrangement, though it comes around again by the end. Drunk solo for sure, but mostly pain free. Very nice tune, if wobbly.
Thanks for the review!

I assure you, the guitar sounded fine... until I added the piano. At that point it was way too late at night to rerecord the guitar part (sleeping wife, etc). Oh well. That's what I get for procrastinating in the first place.

Speaking of procrastinating, Nigel was a real trooper. I took forever to get the arrangement back to him, at which point he returned that guitar solo within about twelve hours. Good show!


Everyone else... I voted for Deetak, Hostess Mostess, and Well-Read Skeletons.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by The Weakest Suit »

Paco Del Stinko wrote:The Weakest Suit - This feels less demo than some of your others, as far as structure and delivery go. I like the "we sold out", quite effective and very right to the point. Another candidate for sounding great with a full band, it's strong enough to stand on its own.
thanks for the kind words. the whole song is play on words, though. it's not about a musician selling out, it's about someone who bought a wii that everyone wants to play back at the time when they were sold out all over, hence the "wii sold out" line. if you check out the lyric page with that in mind, the words will, hopefully, take on a bit of a different meaning.
btw: love the nur ein songs. you're definitely a front-runner again.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Leaf »

I"m gonna finish up my reviews tonight. I didn't vote for anyone unfortunately... life got WAY TOO f**ked this weekend...to even think about it...but i sure liked Wrekdom, and I think it was Jolly roger that stood out... mind you I got more to listen to...and I must admit I am looking forward to hearing what Hostess had to say, always appreciated his stuff...


So, more rambling stream of consicous thoughts on the remaining tunes tonight... not a promise, merely an intention.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by furrypedro »

glennny wrote:Did Those Meddling Kids really break up?
Break-up, name-change. Same whatevas yo.
Paco Del Stinko wrote:Balance Lost - Where are those guitars going and who are they hanging out with? Wonderful. I have no idea how your guitar parts come to be, they are so exotic and delicious to me The vocals are fine, but seem like catsup on escargot, or something. The song kind of goes just for the sake of going, but what a sunny, and fun ride.
They're going down the park to play some frisbee with Dick Innocent and the Dunkling. They came to be via the likes (or licks) of Voo, American Football, Foals (and hence Don Caballero by association), and probably a number of other bands I choose to "flatter" on a regular basis. You're absolutely right about the 'catsup on escargot' comment, imagine how I feel every week when I finish my track and think "there, done, and perfect in all possible ways, now to waste all that goodness by drowning it out with my tuneless caterwauling". How many fights would I have won if this was instrumentalfight? We shall never know. Maybe six.

Thank you for your comments, all of you.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by JonPorobil »

Congrats to Hostess Mostess for a well-deserved win!

And to the two people who voted for my little collaboration with Nigel... congrats on the loss of your sanity! :D
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

furrypedro wrote:now to waste all that goodness by drowning it out with my tuneless caterwauling
Well, I didn;t mean it quite like that! I enjoy your voice, and I'd say that your singing has improved much over the couple of years I've been here. Just meant melodically.
generic wrote:I love that about Songfight, don't you?
Yes. Yes I do. And Nigel is fun to work with, he and I being overdue for another collaboration.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Lucky Spoon »

Sorry if these reviews suck.... if you want me to pay more attention to your song and give you better feed back let me know. i've been listening to these all week but too busy to write stuff down... trying to jot down the things i've thought of while listening to them.

also, is it just me or is the entry:review ratio fairly low this fight?


Adam Adamant - I like the synth/canned beats over the acoustic guitar. gives it this really big feel. Vox don't quite fit in where it could go... where *is* it going?

anarchicaardvark - 80s synth intro requires more leg warmers and scrunchies. vox are a bit timid.

Andrew Reist - This song is bigger than G&G... i'd like to hear it recorded full band.

Balance Lost - Kinda reminds me of PigPen's wkta. the break down/calm part really rounds the song out

bax - some good ol' rock and roll from the 90s. i dig this one... the chorus makes it memorable.

Berkley Social Science - Not a bad song.... well produced/professional sounding. if this song were on an album i'd probably like it after i listened to it a few times, but i'd skip to the other songs that grabbed my attention for awhile first. (e.g. tatod)

Big Crouton - OMG ur intro rawx my face off! then the awkward pop-rap part... but i tolerate it for the "they sooold out they sooold out" awesome... chorus is ok... it averages out.

Boltroph - love the vox, very appropriate to the music. overall great song.

Burbon Drops - Do we really need the count off every week? stylistically ok.. where does it go? the harmonies at the end are pretty painful.

Sven/Spud - WUHHHEEELLL I COULD DIE RIGHT NOW!!! are you using some sort of vocal processing? sounds like a nice drunken bar song... please never do this again. :)

Composgnathus - vox aren't bad, but could use more energy -- nice harmonies. the break down in the middle doesn't seem to fit the song...

deetak - you still sound like you have marbles in your mouth when you're singing (and pitchy)... it's hard for me to get past this. some interesting parts. i haven't jumped on the deetak is a misunderstood amazing artist band wagon, though.

Drum Machine - A+ for "you'll never get away with this" lol.

Generic Sp00ns - rrrrrRRRrrrrg... please tune your instruments to each other. guitar, piano, and vocals all have different tuning. it hurts me so bad. nice poppy song, though... i think (cringes and presses skip)

Hostess Mostess - yeah you know why you won. beautiful. maybe in a future entry you could start with something like this and work it into and epic rock ballad? think about it...


Jolly Roger - one of my favs this week.. very cool feeling to this song. love the chill grove going on here. could do without the wavery vox/effects things.... not enough to distract from the feel of the song, though.

Styop Quoons - some weird sing along with a keyboard then some weird breakdown talking part with random shit in the background. i can has pot?

Lary Knox - would expect you to wear neil diamond outfit while performing this on stage (at a kareoke bar)

leaf62 - Manhattan Glutton will never be satisfied with your guitars until they are ginormously huge and dominative... learn to live with it. the vox (tone) doesn't fit 100%... which is a common problem of writing songs and then getting them recorded (understandable). oooo ooo, yeah i like the break down part towards the end... best part of the song.

Lynette Marie? Lewis - since you take "sounding like Liz Phaire" as an insult, i'll just say i like your voice. the verses are great... maybe add some more instruments to other parts to fill it out more. just a suggestion.. overall i like this song

Lucky Spoon - damn it all! why can everyone and their dog get their song at a decent level but it takes rocket science for me to turn it up to a listenable level without clipping. is learning about all this compression/peak hammering/line tapping/ape slapping stuff just common knowledge? i didn't have the voice for this song... i wanted Serj to come sing it (so A+ to the comment about SoaD part sounding cool). i did the best i could by covering up my lack of appropriate tone with harmonies. the bridge is really my favorite part and i have to listen to it again and again...

Manhattan Glutton - he sampled LSK... get it? I can tell this isn't your best work as far as song writing, but because you can crap out good sounding songs it came out sounding pretty good. I still like my LSK cover better.

mc joeudy - try to find a vocal style/hook that makes your song more than just talking over some padding music (that you'd hear on the selection screen of a video game) the part at 0:52 reminds me of the Blizzard Man sketch on SNL... "Rap song! rrrap song!"

MC Paul Denyer - smashed it like a boner? can you smash those?

Mike Cotruvo - my bro downloads sf songs every week and deletes the ones he doesn't like on first listen... i think he deleted yours after intro, but i convinced him to bring it back... he liked it. you're welcome.

Paco del Stinko - 1) thanks for understanding my song this week. 2) i like your song (even before you reviewed mine). your vox are good, overall production is good. you took my idea of singing about stuff that's sold out and being cheesy about it (except i was going to do more of a durand brothers parody). and the happy little high synth things make me.... happy. nice job.

Pathetic Wannabees - your first line sounds like it could be "when you're walking down the hall and you feel something fall DIARHEA!"

The Sky Looks Pissed - nice. could be on the Juno soundtrack.

southsycamorewheelbarroyournameistoolong - vox are too quiet... guitar is out of tune and played through a rock tech distortion pedal into a fender 10" combo amp. need more than 3 chords.

tridentjones - sounds from the china shop.... are you trying to sound like deetak?

The Weakest Suit - singing is good. a bit pitchy. g&g style sounds good. will win you chicks at college.

Well Read Skeletons - this the same intro/vocal line as wkta with different instruments. guess you can't win with that twice?

WreckdoM - A+ i don't understand why i can't stop listening to this song but i just can't.
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by Mostess »

Thanks for all the votes and the kind reviews. This was a bit of a surprise. This entry clocked in at over 5 minutes, which is usually a vote killer. Hats off to everyone.
"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
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jast
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Re: Pepsi Presents (Sold Out reviews)

Post by jast »

Stream of consciousness reviews for a change, stolen from Ross. No lyrics reviewed this time, sorry. I had these finished a day or two after the next fight started, except for two of the contestants, and then I was busy. Sorry for the delay.

Adam Adamant: Vocals sound a little bit hesitant. Great mood. Very likeable. B+

Anarchic Aardvark: I love the instrumentation/tone. Vox plosives. I think the vocals could benefit from compression. Gets a bit monotonous. Mixed feelings about this one. C+

Andrew Reist: Interesting guitar tone, but too strong for vocals. Good vocals, by the way; slightly off at times but great tone. Compositionally reminds me of something, don't know what. Something I like, anyway. B+

Balance Lost: Mediocre vocals (the "oooh"s are better than the rest). I think I've heard the syncopated guitar before. Arrangement works, I'm not really a fan of this kind of harmonic structure. C+

Bax: I'm drum-agnostic, is that a cowbell? I find the reverb on it weird. Somewhat generic songwriting. I sometimes can't really feel the melody of the lead vox. Overall structure a bit boring. Arrangement isn't all that exciting, drums feel sort of interesting though. Not quite my thing, though I guess it's a good fit for the title. C

Berkeley Social Scene: The verse instrumentation bugs me... everything's just moving really fast and it sounds hectic to me. I love the chorus, or bridge, or whatever it is. Lead vox is a little bit buried. B

Big Crouton: Great intro. I think this would be really great with a bit more bite in the chorus vocals. Sounds a bit too fast/rushed in the verses. B+

Boltoph: I don't like this kind of song but you do it in a way that makes me love it anyway. Nice changes. Something bugs me about your vocal EQ... too much highs, I think. A

The Bourbon Drops: Great tone, great mood, great performance (but vocals are off at times, especially backup vocals/whistling). I don't really have anything else to say. B+

Brittany Spud: Hard panned guitar at the beginning, ouch! Do you hate headphone people? Ruined by pitch "correction". Clipping in a bad way sometimes. Seriously, I can see how The Autotune Effect fits in here, but you just murdered a couple of those notes. If you want to use pitch correction as an effect, please spend a little more effort on it. Arrangement is a bit boring. I like the overall melodic thingy. Parts of the vocals have dangerously loose timing. Doesn't quite fulfill its potential. C-

Composgnathus: Mix sounds distorted even though it isn't, I don't know if that's a good thing. Probably is. Vocalist could benefit from more practice. I can't really get into this song, sorry. It's okay, I guess, it'd just feel a bit uninspired to me. C

deetak: Great songs, and it's great that there's nothing in it this time that sounds like a cheap MIDI soundbank. I'd still like more chest in your vocals, and perhaps a bit more defined intonation.

Drum Machine!: the Powerthirst ad did this way better. Pointless sample loops at the end don't make it better. E

Generic Sp00ns: Awesome arrangement and overall tone. Awesome backup vocals. Very appealing songwriting. Lead vocals a bit of out tune in places. Perhaps the mix could have been made a bit punchier, dunno if that wouldn't ruin the overall feeling though. A-

Hostess Mostess: Great performance. Bit drawn out. B+

Jolly Roger: Delay on lead vox is so strong that it almost makes it hard to understand the lyrics. Mood works. I'm not really getting into it, though. My fault, I guess. C+

The King of Quoons: cool arrangement and structure. Nice dark feeling. B

Larry Knox: Wobbly vocals. Some interesting structural elements but a bit generic overall. C+

Leaf 62: Lead vox sounds bit weak for this style. Unexciting arrangement and chord structure. No complaints about performance. C

LML: The sparse arrangement works quite well. Vocals have a bit of a micro-wobble. Weird. A bit repetitive. Nice... and not more, I'm afraid. B-

Lucky Spoon: Nice intro. I was expecting it to get a lot fuller with the first verse, or at least the chorus. Really, it's a nice song and the performance is good, but it sounds a bit wimpy, even if I turn it up a lot. Drums have used a cut by ~2dB, I think. B

Manhattan Glutton: I don't think sampling LSK made this any better. Verses drag along a bit. Bridge is a nice breather. Excellent realization of the concept (it helps that you're one of the better vocalists on SF), but the concept is what I'm not sold (out) on, so you get: B

mc joebudy: Love the arrangement/mood. Vocals suck, sorry... they sound weak and they've got tons of plosives, and I'm not really convinced by the vocal rhythm, either. Sung parts are out of tune. Practice! I think it's missing an ending, too. C-

MC Paul Denyer: Nice guitar playing. I sort of like this. Mastering sounds a bit pumpy. Overcompressed? Bit of clipping on vocals. B-

MK and LC: Cool intro... it's not really new but most of the time you hear this on more distorted guitar, so it's still a bit different. Vocal EQ is missing a little bit of body, I think. I have a strong sense of having heard a very similar song before. Great performance, great mood. Pretty messed up timing in bridge, I think. A bit long... the performance only just carries it far enough. Mixed initials? A-

Paco del Stinko: Vocals are way buried. Awesome arrangement/tone. Bit of a Emerson/Lake/Palmer feeling, with more rock of course. A

Pathetic Wannabees: Arrangement rocks. Cheap-sounding reverb on vocals. Still not sure if I like the vocals. Clippy vocals. B

The Sky Looks Pissed: cool guitar sound. Your vocal doubling needs a lot of work. Nice lullaby feeling. B+

South Sycamore Wheelbarrow Factory Ensemble: Vocals buried and dynamically uneven. Shapeless guitar accompaniment... it's basically just background buzzing. C-

Trident Jones: Meandering and wobbly vocals. This may work for other styles but it decidedly doesn't work for this one. Weird clicks and jumps in recording. Okay song. D

The Weakest Suit: I like the song but find the performance lacking. I think this would need at least a bass track. Please don't use falsetto like this. C

Well-Read Skeletons: Fun song. I like the arrangement. No helpful comments come to mind. A

WreckdoM: No talking in songs! Well, that's just me, I guess. This is interesting in a strange way. I won't listen to it again but I sort of appreciate what you did there. Can't really give you any qualified comments. B-

I missed the voting period again, but I would have voted for: Boltoph, Generic Sp00ns, MK and LC, Paco del Stinko, Well-Read Skeletons.
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