What's that? Timmy fell down a well? (Let's Go Boy Reviews)

[Niveous]

Thank ya 8LO. Much appreciated. I've been thinking about ways I can switch up the process. I can make Nataly sing but it's odd the results so I prefer the talking. But x-tokyo is all about experimenting so next entry will be something completely different. Maybe mixing the acoustic Niv with the electronic x-tokyo into something ungodly...

[DELETED]

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[deshead]

Bolthead: Boltoph writes fantastic songs, and I was just along for the ride on this one. There was so much energy and feeling in the vocal tracks he sent me, the rest of the parts wrote themselves.

Also, regarding "mother lover": best hook of the week! Like the line or hate it, I'll bet it's the first thing you remember about this fight months from now. I'm telling ya: Boltoph writes fantastic songs.

Daj Werkenhorse: The percussion is interesting, yet the song somehow isn't.

Eight Legged Oedipus: I think this just needs production polish (especially in light of your comment about having no mixing time.) It's a good song, really inventive. I found the lead guitar a little messy, but mostly 'cause it distracted from the vocals, which probably wouldn't happen if you'd spent more time mixing.

Justio Von Awesome: I have no idea what I just listened to. Was it even a song?

Liechty: Heh, "boy" sounds like Bill Clinton. Well-produced overall, but the kick drum doesn't really kick. You could boost a lot of sub-40Hz on it, and actually engage my sub woofer.

Marcus Kellis: Commit to the note, man!! You're sliding all over the place.

Max the Cat: This is solid. Flawless production and mastering, etc. I'm not sure if I'd listen to it repeatedly, but then, I'm also not sure if you want me to. It's that kind of song, ya know?

The Meanness: and me without my heroin.

Preparation H: Crank the drum track. And crush the whole thing with a compressor/limiter. Even though it's more sonic experiment than song, I listened all the way to the end with no urge to stop. I think that says something.

The Red Lights: The acoustic guitar tone is great. Along with being too quiet (as you noted), the verse vocals sound muffled, so you may need more high-end on that track. I don't want to speak for 8LO, but I think the 'fag' comment was directed more at the "dirty south" (??) bit. The speaking-voice call-and-answer sounds SO out of place. You have a great groove going, then the Barenaked Ladies appear for two lines and break the spell.

Song Fight Orchestra: Great job. I would have voted for this if Boltoph hadn't brought the 'A' game.

Thee Trepinations: No title evocation AT ALL for me.

Vanilla Dragon: I wonder, if the title had been "that's no toy" or "we like roy", would you have submitted the same track?

x-tokyo-river-god: I can hear this in a CSI episode. In a good way, it's really creepy! ... "I want someone" who will help me shower after listening to it.

Despite my contribution, I have no problem voting for BoltHead. I didn't write the song, and simply put: it's the best song here.

[EightLeggedOedipus]

Eight Legged Oedipus: I think this just needs production polish (especially in light of your comment about having no mixing time.) It's a good song, really inventive. I found the lead guitar a little messy, but mostly 'cause it distracted from the vocals, which probably wouldn't happen if you'd spent more time mixing.

Agreed. Based on the feedback here and listening with a fresh pair of ears (yay for surgery) I will definitely be spending some time at the console before this hits the CD. I would be interested to hear if you have any EQ recommendations to help keep the identity of the instruments separate. Your production has always been a couple notches above mine.

The Red Lights: I don't want to speak for 8LO, but I think the 'fag' comment was directed more at the "dirty south" (??) bit. The speaking-voice call-and-answer sounds SO out of place.

I was planning on clarifying this. Excuse my use of a taboo homophobic term to describe how you guys soudn like pansy posers in the speak-shout dirty south part. Like, listen to all that clipping, too. I can just see the VU meters all red right there. Is that where the name comes from?

Despite my contribution, I have no problem voting for BoltHead. I didn't write the song, and simply put: it's the best song here.

No one faults you for this. I speak for everyone. Officially. Except for Rockandrollrobot and Daj Werkenhorse, because those guys are ASSHOLES.

[Ross]

I know I like getting reviews, so I’m trying to write them, too. Sorry if these are brief.

Justio Van Awesome – Wow! There’s a lot more here than there seems like at first. I think I like it! It’s a little creepy, but the thumping build (which at first I thought was a reference to “The Downward Spiral”) is very effective in building tension that serves the actual vocal entrance. This seems careful in its simplicity to me.

Preparation H – This bopped along and there were some interesting sounds, but didn’t do much for me.

Vanilla Dragon – So this is a genre bias alert that also applies to PrepH, I don’t generally see the value in techno unless something jumps out at me. Nothing is jumping out at me.

Max the Cat – yeah – the dog angle. And the metaphor, too. Not totally dissimilar from the way you worked the quiet pond lyric. I like this, but I feel it could be tighter in tune and structure.

Bolthead - for being pretty interestingly structured and with a good build, this song still didn’t engage me much. I think maybe the tune is a little too flat at the end of the choruses or something. I don’t know, basically pretty nice, but didn’t grab me.

SFO – Brief by requirement, so far (4 weeks) closest thing I’ve heard to fulfilling both assignments, good job.

The Red Lights – I’m sort of bored by the verses, the tune seems repetitive and is fragmented. The banjo/funk thing is cool though.

Marcus Kellis – This song toodles along fine. Poor girl – having an innocent coffe with a guy who’s got one thing on his mind. I guess that’s what I like best about this, the guy’s thinking “I wish she say ‘Let’s go Boy’” and she has agreed to coffee. Ah, the differences between the genders never cease to amaze.

Thee Trepinations – ok – some day we’ll hear an instrumental that is clearly about a title.

ELO – I found all the little changes in this song to be distracting. I don’t feel like the song holds together very well, but I like the sentiment and the underlying groove/feel to it.

Liechty – I don’t feel I can make very valuable comments on this genre.

The Meanness – I can’t tell a word you’re saying. So this is a very ineffective piece for me.

Daj Workenhorse – dog to the vet, good angle, too brief. I think I’m going to have to agree with whoever suggested that you put your time into one stronger song than four like these.

x-tokyo-river-gods – It doesn’t get a lot more goth than this, does it? Pretty effective piece, almost as creepy as last week’s. The best of the electronic-based contributions this week.

This fight really brought out the loopers/groovers.

[HeuristicsInc]

1: 8lo, liechty, bolt, sforch (j$?)
2: thee, max, vanilla, xtrg, jva, prep

i like xtrg's music, but i'm thinking the same exact whispery voice every week is wearing thinner. sorry. real people can sing in different voices:) i agree with the experimentation effort.
i'm in the bolthead camp.
-bill

[Niveous]

Fear not, my friend. Variety is on the way in x-tokyo land. The next x-tokyo song is distorted Niv. And I'm in the midst of landing an actual singer for future tracks. And the scary part is she has the child-like feeling to her voice that Nataly does. It ought to be interesting.

[boltoph]

Boltoph + Deshead = BoltHead

[deshead]

Based on the feedback here and listening with a fresh pair of ears (yay for surgery)

You got new ears?

I would be interested to hear if you have any EQ recommendations to help keep the identity of the instruments separate.

I think you have good separation as is, and the track just needs some level tweaks (vox up a bit, bass and end-guitar down a bit, drums up a good bit.) My instinct is to drop the level of the electric guitar, and pan it left 20-30%, but if you leave it where it is you may also need to dip a little around 300Hz so it doesn't compete with your voice.

Will you be mastering it yourself for the CD? If so, you might also want a little HF boost on the whole mix. Maybe a harmonic exciter?


(Aside: it's funny how much your song grew on me, especially re-listening to it now. I'll bet you would have gotten more votes if the week was longer.)

[Geoff WreckdoM]

Hey Preperation H, I really really dug that song. In fact, I voted for it. Thanks for the flattering tribute. Now, are you a regular songfighter working under a pseudonym or are you new? Either way, will Preperation H be flairing up again, or was this just a flash in the pan(ts)?

P.S.-I plan on listening to it backwards once I get someone computer savvy to help me with that.

[jack]

Hey Preperation H, I really really dug that song. In fact, I voted for it. Thanks for the flattering tribute. Now, are you a regular songfighter working under a pseudonym or are you new? Either way, will Preperation H be flairing up again, or was this just a flash in the pan(ts)?

P.S.-I plan on listening to it backwards once I get someone computer savvy to help me with that.

I'm just a regular kind of guy.

just a flash in the pants. (haha). a tribute for being the iron men you guys are and finally winning with a well deserving song.

if you want to hear it backwards, i'll send you a link. i pilfered a few of your "naked on the meach" lyrics, and anything "insulting" is meant to be tongue in cheek (the kinds of things you guys hear regularly) and not taken personally.

[Geoff WreckdoM]

Whoa, I did not see that coming. I am genuinely touched. and surprised. Of the songfighters who have a tendancy to pan us in the review threads, Mr. Shite is one of the few ones that successfully gets under my skin. Next time that happens I'll play myself this song. Thanks a million, seriously. I really appreciate it. I would like that link, too.