WAIL. IAAC.
BSS – good bass drum tone and keyboard is super-funky-hot-town as well. Very pretty arrangement – love that falsetto-thang in the chorus – could do with some harmonies in the background? Mix is excellent though the solo is very far left in my ear-piece but is nice and inappropriate in tone … oh ok there you go it’s just jumped to the right. That’s bizarre on heaphones. Actually I am not so keen on the slightly flat (not tune-wise, just vocal phrasing) mood of the verses. A minute over-long for my incredibly poor attention span. But VOTE anyway.
Cain - nice atmospheric start. Shoegazin’ away. I love that little keyboard noodling away underneath the streams off guitar. Ah, this is just personal taste – it’s very proficiently recorded, but I just don’t go for sloooooow songs like this generally – songs you can only sway to not dance to, and it’s not dragging me back over the enjoyment line. Not your fault, I am sure there are thousands of people who would nod with furiously concentrated expressions on their faces to this. Play it back for me at 150% of the speed and we may have a little more in common
Christopher Coggett – did I spell that right? Great harmonies in the chorus though a bit wobbly at times. Actually, the chorus and the verse seem to come from two different songs, I skill which I admire. The lyric is cute but a little throw-away, that’s the title more than the wordsmith, one supposes. Like yr solo. I realise that I can barely hear the bass. At first I thought there wasn’t one. Yank that sucker up, give the tune a bit more swing, which it deserves. Other than that, pretty.
Doscientos – It’s weird but occasionally the a-capella sound slightly out of tune to me, Maybe there’s some resident tone in the sampled drums that are jarring. That sample (or pad, if you made it yourself) is great – reminds me of Tom Waits at his most ‘bone machine’ – actually this song really gets going so to speak in the second half. Doscientos recorded one of my top five all-time great SF songs (Thanks For Coming) so I always want them to re-create the mood of that, but I love their experimentation and at least they’re not doing that awful sludge rock they occasionally slip into, so these get a VOTE.
Reist – No, I won’t use that dreadful new name
As to the song? Oh welcome back, the Eighties, how we didn’t miss you! Actually that’s a bit harsh – it’s the Nineties as well. Heh. It’s a good song, if you like that sort of thing (which naturally, I don’t,) though I don’t like the simpering, anguished vocal approach, though it’s very well performed and recorded. I’m not sure the words suit the lyric content, but maybe I’m missing the point as per ususal. However, solid track and I kind of expected this to kick off into full on metal mode rock out, so extra points for that
J$ - is me and the mighty Andy Balham on rhythm section and weird ukulele / guitar hybrid. It’s my ukulele that’s out of tune, I have since discovered. In retrospect, deliberately sticking to “line-in only” as a statement on primitivism. You may not like the tone but it’s meant to sound like that.
Manhattan Glutton – Having head a few of your sf entries before, I must say I have always liked your voice on the sort of music you make – it adds a little tone of variation and distinction to an otherwise standardised genre. That said this song is well done but not my thing at all.
Other White Noise – As someone else said, do you NIN much? Still, it sounds f*cking awesome so I’m not complaining. Lyrically it doesn’t sound much so a wise mouth to obliterate all trace of meaning with the Robo-Rezonorizer (available to download from Ableton now, maybe) – great fat drum sounds. Wet and wonderful. Ridiculously short which I guess makes me angry but also glad I didn’t bore of it. I will consider my VOTE as I don’t feel much inclined to vote for a third of a song.
Paco Del Stinko – hey, hey, dangerously close to an American Thom Yorke there, C. Bonkers lyrical content and fabulous indie-operatic wall of harmonies. Awesome kick-in! Much welcome – wasn’t quite ready for a whole Prog Rock ten minutes! I love the joy you infuse in your music, the fun you’re clearly having, and the see-what-works-and-even-better-if-it-doesn’t-quite. There’s no discernable verse / chorus structure here – it’s feels like by listening I am lifting a flap on your forehead and peering down into the maelstrom of your psyche. That is worth a VOTE .
Ross Durand – Is that slap bass? Love the ‘tee hee hee’. You recall that I think the harmonica is the devil’s instrument and there is a HELL of a lot of harmonica here. And slap bass. The devil’s other instrument. Still it’s a fun lyric and it sounds like a solo 80s effort from the lead singer of some big 60s CCR-style rock band, which is meant as a compliment. I like the warmth of the vocal as well. Not to my personal tastes (HARMONICA!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!) but solid.
Scomber & friends – got the title wrong calamity! Like that trumpet. Nice shufflin’ tone to the drums. Lyric is a bit, ummmm, well, I don’t know, a bit earnest without being particularly profound? Also you seem to have forgotten to add a chorus
The groove is good but if you’re asking people to lollop along, maybe there needs to be something more to act as a centralising focus? Ack, who knows? Not like I’m an arbiter of music or anything.
Semolina Pritchards – I’m not sure the showy picking start adds anything. When the song kicks in it’s good enough in itself. Good mix. Good guitarin’. Great rhythm section tone. Vocal is well performed and in tune, not too keen on the spat-out double speed phrasing cos it sounds like the singer is not entirely comfortable doing them. There’s a lot of indulgence here – I kind of knew your guitarist was good without the 25 riffs and solos. Could have done with a few less of them and a bit more time spent on the lyric which is cute but undermines the mood of the song, for me. hamsters on the wing, indeed. This is a good song but does no-one write choruses anymore?
Signboy – my god, this is quiet! I actually checked that my headphones hadn’t come out slightly. Is it meant to be this quiet? Or did the last song partially deafen me? what I can hear sounds like pretty good stuff, within a genre I don’t particularly like, but this is very distracting. Hang on (plays end of last song, into this one again) nope, it’s too quiet for me to make out. I don’t feel I can review it fairly. Any chance of a second mp3 with the volume boosted?
The Weakest Suit – surprisingly catchy and fun for someone who I 9probably unfairly) associate with taking his music far too seriously! Like that microphone effect on the vocals. Drums are a little loud over the lead guitar steppin’. Nothing revolutionary but I am toe-tapping. Some interesting chord shapes down in the mix there as well. Have yourself a cheeky little VOTE, why don’t you?
