You Call That a Moment? (Reviews)

[fluffy]

There have been a few times that people have done that. The first one I remember is what led to a prototypical remixfight.

[wages]

Has there ever been a "re:songfight"

That sounds like a great idea! Sounds like a sidefight in the making. How do you proceed? Does each artist pick one of their own songs, or do we have people post songs they'd like to hear re-done and then the artists choose from those selections?

[sleepysilverdoor]

Emcee "Que BFF?"
Quality again, my friend. Do you like The Soft. Pink. Truth.?

I do now.

[king_arthur]

One of the old coverfights was a "cover yourself" fight, I think it was to give everybody another chance at something they thought didn't come out well. Pretty sure it was not limited to the current fight, though.

Thanks for the comments on the mix on my song, all. There are three guitars on there, a 12-string acoustic, a distorted electric rhythm and a lead that probably had too much phaser/flanger on it. The distorto-boost electric was on purpose, as was the wide panning (I like that, not everybody does) but my sense is that it's not sounding good in the final mix. Will listen again and try to figure out where I went wrong, and maybe even try replacing it with a wet classical guitar bit; in the meantime, I'll just rest on my laurels from last week

Charles (KA)

[Spintown]

http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/08/ ... oment.html

Steve Durand - This song was catchy. Something I thought was lacking this round overall. There were some solid tunes turned in, but this one gave me a reason to listen again & again. Great work Steve. (voted)

Jon Eric ft. Manhattan Glutton - For some odd reason I normally don't enjoy collabs between 2 artists that I enjoy. In this case I think you both hit a home run, and should be in the running for a victory. I really thought the lyrics were well thought out in this song. (voted)

Cock - Nice vocals. Nothing really stood out about the music or the lyrics. I think this is a song I'd enjoy listening to multiple times, but it doesn't have anything that makes me want to seek it out. #CatchyFactorLow (voted)

The Affirmative Mention - Really dug the music...A LOT. Unfortunately I didn't care for the lyrics & the vocals were just alright. (USE THE LYRIC ARCHIVE)

Berkeley Social Scene - I listened to all these songs right after waking up. And the 1 minute instrumental opening nearly put me back to sleep. To be fair I should mention that the next day it didn't, but I still thought it was a bit long. The music was kinda pretty, but any time I tried to focus on the lyrics I just got lost. I could get into them at all, and the song overall fell into the catagory of nice background music...too me at least.

King Arthur - I enjoyed the chorus...and felt extremely let down with the rest of the song. Just feels like you got an idea, and the deadline came before you could fully construct it.

queef mcbeef - For what this is it isn't bad. It reminds me of Eclectic Method. Unfortunately I don't care for Eclectic Method's music if you take away the video. For me, he's an audio/visual experience, and one without the other isn't good enough.

Sockpuppet - That was f'ing stupid...but I laughed. :p

[wages]

The Affirmative Mention - Really dug the music...A LOT. Unfortunately I didn't care for the lyrics & the vocals were just alright. (USE THE LYRIC ARCHIVE)

Sorry I forgot to post the lyrics. I'd do that now. EDIT: I DID post the lyrics, but I think just under my name of "Wages". I'll add a note.

And I suppose I should take this opportunity to tell what this song is about. I was at the Kings of Leon pigeon poop concert. This is about the incident, the attitudes, forgiveness, moving on, etc. Therefore, "Hardly a moment goes by that they don't try" means "the fans try to forgive/move on". Don't know if knowing the meaning changes the view of the words any, but there it is.

Incidentally, I have another set of lyrics about that show that is more direct. It's called "Un-K.O.L." I can share that somewhere if desired, otherwise it will remain buried in the KOL forums.

[Spintown]

Thanks for explaining that. Sorry I missed your lyrics, but with a lot of people having multiple band names (and some differing from their login name) I still haven't figured out who everyone is.

[wages]

Totally cool. This is the first time we've used this name, so there's no way you or anyone would have known.

[khyde]

Thanks for all of the good input. I definitely have a long way to go as far as making shit sound good, so that's somewhere for me to get some learning done. I was also pretty amped up to get a debut song on the site, and I maybe cut a couple corners. We'll see how future recordings come out sounding, but keep the good ideas coming. I aim to sharpen my chops.

I won't offer up much in the way of criticism, but there were some tracks that I really dug.

Affirmative Mention - Yeah, file it under Adult Alternative, but the vocals have a gutsy, almost Shannon Hoon vibe, which is great. And the piano track is excellent.

Bella D's Melodies - This is the song I immediately had to play for friends to hear. One of the most psychadelic songs I have listened to on Songfight. Oh Baa-ybie!.

Berkeley Social Scene - In some ways it reminds me of a Chavez song, and that more than works well for me. Nice structure, I like it. Definitely on the short list.

Cock - It is super easy to make a bad synth pop song, but if you put together solid vocals like on this track, you pump out GOLD.

Josh Millard - Agree with most previous criticism, but I am in no place to judge. The vocals and change ups do it for me, and I hear a really good song. Something that I think would be cool to hear live.

King Arthur - I hate to build my reasons on comparison, but I am a nostalgic guy, and this song takes me back to the summer I spent wearing out a Go-Betweens tape. And for that I thank you.

Pillars of Paprika - I have a lot of reasons for liking this song, topmost is doing a lot with a little. Straightforward song structure with layers putting a ton of space in the sound, and you've got a very nice vibe. Shortlisted!

[Stubby Phillips]

What's this? A glum chuckle? A pitiful shake of the head? Punching holes in the wall again? You must be enjoying "Mr. Diagnosis' Helpful and Insightful Song Review: Part 2"! And yes, we still have some prizes from the backyard to award, so Let's Go!

Tailirine Irene: Actual singing raises this above 'voice memo with computer music in the background' status to 'song'. I like the clean/telephone vox thing. It's kinda hard to hear what you are talking about -- too much going on in the midrange frequencies where your voice sits. I award you one songbird (species unknown).

Sockpuppet: I actually listened to this one TWICE. That hardly ever happens. Congratulations. You are now the proud owner of the occasionally dissonant sound of a 767 on approach to SEA.

Josh Millard: Transition to refrain is kinda clumsy. Actually, the whole thing is falling all over itself. Seems like that would be difficult to keep it together right on the edge like that. The lyric is great and the tension that never resolves makes me, well... tense. The vox really adds to that feel, almost like you are inhaling while you sing. But there's no "there" there, so you probably didn't inhale. You get a tree that's leaning precipitously over majestic Thornton Creek. Careful.

The Affirmative Mention: Very cool feel. Sounds great on my little black boombox -- good amount of upper bass, but it might sound boomy on a 'real' sound system (like a Home Theater with tiny satellites and an $80 sub). The vox is pretty good, and reminds me of somebody... a singer in a band, I think. Anyway, good job, all. You get the roof vents on the neighbor's house.

Jon Eric ft. Manhatten Glutton: Another tense song -- the piano and drums make me feel like I'm tumbling end over end in space... oh wait, that's not why. Never mind. Good job with the main and backup vox. The structure is unremarkable, however. Everything sounds pretty good (says boombox). Oh, and boombox also says you get whatever CD is on his platter right now -- either Stacy Kent or Art Tatum -- maybe Bereli Lagrene. Really, boombox?

King Arthur: Everything is good except for the vox. Boombox looks at me.
What?
O.K.... I like the noodling guitar.
The singing isn't that bad -- it's just wavering around the notes, and I find that distracting. I can forgive bad/limited production techniques, but the performance is of primary importance. One four-leaf clover. Good luck.

Bella D's Melodies: Good job, Bella! I really enjoyed this. I want to hear more from you. Awesome!
(Boombox says the nihilistic component re temporal perception in the lyric is disturbing). Your prize is a pretty pink flower! See you next time!

New Result: Ah, the definition of insanity. Boombox says the CD is damaged. It's not a CD, boombox! It's an audio file. There must be a buffer underflow problem, or something like that. I hope you can get it worked out. One moth fluttering around the light.

MC Who Izzy: Juxtaposition. I had to look that up. That's when I found out it's not the word I want. I'd look up the right wurd, but I'm jerkink aruund to mush to evem tipe., That beat was brutal. One rusty handgun hidden in the bushes since 1990.

queef mcbeef: 2001: A Space Odyssey. Primitive hominids touched the obelisk and look what happened. Damn shame. You get an animal bone. Try again.

That's all for this week-and-a-half to two weeks. Congratulations to all the contestants -- give yourselves a big hand right across the face. Most of you deserve it.

-Mr. Diagnosis

[Stubby Phillips]

Dear Stubby,
I just received my stump and it isn't nearly as rotten as I expected.

To whom do I complain? (doesn't that sound better that "who do I complain to"?)

Sorry about that, Steve. The boys ripped all the rotten parts out because there was a termite colony in it. Whom knows why they do that. Anyway, it's all under my deck now. When I find a big enough Ziplock baggie, I'll ship you the rest.
-Stubby

[fluffy]

Whom knows why they do that.

"Whom" is the object form of that particular pronoun. I believe you meant to use "who" in this instance.

[glennny]

Stubby wrote:

Bella D's Melodies: Good job, Bella! I really enjoyed this. I want to hear more from you. Awesome!
(Boombox says the nihilistic component re temporal perception in the lyric is disturbing). Your prize is a pretty pink flower! See you next time!

Bella has a few Song Fight appearances her best was probably the one that carried us to the win:

Check out the Semolina Pilchards "World's Greatest Dad"
http://www.songfight.org/music/worlds_g ... ds_wgd.mp3

[roymond]

Whom knows why they do that.

"Whom" is the object form of that particular pronoun. I believe you meant to use "who" in this instance.

Yup. If it was him, then whom. If he, then who.

[Stubby Phillips]

Whom knows why they do that.

"Whom" is the object form of that particular pronoun. I believe you meant to use "who" in this instance.

Yup. If it was him, then whom. If he, then who.

I meant to say "Why do they behave so, and by whom is the reason known?"

[JonPorobil]

I meant to say "Why do they behave so, and by whom is the reason known?"

Yeah, but that's passive voice, and almost as bad.

-Your friendly neighborhood grammar police.

[fluffy]

Passive voice is a matter of diction, not grammar.

[joshmillard]

Mistakes were made.

[JonPorobil]

Passive voice is a matter of diction, not grammar.

It's both. Although its use technically does not fall outside the rules of English grammar, the arbiters of such things tend to discourage its use (hence fluffy's assertion of "diction").

In other words, the grammar police were looking for a bust, and didn't much care if it fell a little outside their jurisdiction.

[fluffy]

Passive voice is a matter of diction, not grammar.

It's both. Although its use technically does not fall outside the rules of English grammar, the arbiters of such things tend to discourage its use (hence fluffy's assertion of "diction").

In other words, the grammar police were looking for a bust, and didn't much care if it fell a little outside their jurisdiction. :P

Let me rephrase that: Passive voice is a part of grammar, but is only a faux pas in the context of diction.

[JonPorobil]

Passive voice is a matter of diction, not grammar.

It's both. Although its use technically does not fall outside the rules of English grammar, the arbiters of such things tend to discourage its use (hence fluffy's assertion of "diction").

In other words, the grammar police were looking for a bust, and didn't much care if it fell a little outside their jurisdiction.

Let me rephrase that: Passive voice is a part of grammar, but is only a faux pas in the context of diction.

Common ground. Yay!

Back on-topic...

Cock, your song has stood up very very well to repeated listens. I still maintain that it's not as catchy a hook as your "Back to the Well," but the chorus has been stuck in my head most of today. I also like how the harmony vocal line changes slightly on the last chorus. Another touch that makes the song imminently relistenable. If you guys come out with an album, sign me up for a copy or two.

Wages, unfortunately, yours hasn't gotten any catchier on repeated listens, but I do feel the need to re-emphasize just how much you've grown as a vocalist since your early Songfight days. I remember a couple of years back we both guested on a BLT song, and he was talking about how lucky we were to get you to stay even close to the beat. You turned out a great-sounding vocal performance here, and I'm looking forward to hearing what else you can do with this band.

As for me, my right ear is clearing up - I think I'm hearing at about 75% capacity today - so I hope to have my own mix of my song up here in a couple of days, just so you can play compare-and-contrast.

[Who_Izzy]

MC Who Izzy: Juxtaposition. I had to look that up. That's when I found out it's not the word I want. I'd look up the right wurd, but I'm jerkink aruund to mush to evem tipe., That beat was brutal. One rusty handgun hidden in the bushes since 1990.

-Mr. Diagnosis

Thank you very much. I may just clean that gun up and use it to shoot my song in the head. then repair it to beyond it's current state.