Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

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ken
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Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by ken »

Review thread. Check.
Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff - Berkeley Social Scene - Tiny Robots - Seamus Collective - Semolina Pilchards - Cutie Pies - Explino! - Bravo Bros. - 2 from 14 - and more!

i would just like to remind everyone that Ken eats kittens - blue lang
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Re: Bear With Us... Bear Food Reviews

Post by Kill Me Sarah »

Submitted first song since 2008. Check.
"[...] so plodding it actually hurts a little bit" - Smalltown Mike
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ken
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by ken »

Songs are posted!! Listen and review.
Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff - Berkeley Social Scene - Tiny Robots - Seamus Collective - Semolina Pilchards - Cutie Pies - Explino! - Bravo Bros. - 2 from 14 - and more!

i would just like to remind everyone that Ken eats kittens - blue lang
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by glennny »

Which entry is Kill Me Sarah?
Phillipso, Older Brothers, Semolina Pilchards, Zipline , Thank Glennny for the Frisbee, The Odoriferous Valley, The Worldly Self Assurance, Berkeley Social Scene, Very Gentle Knives, Daddy Bop Swing Set, GUNS, The Kraken Lives, Cavedwellers
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glennny
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by glennny »

oh, Hurrikitten
Phillipso, Older Brothers, Semolina Pilchards, Zipline , Thank Glennny for the Frisbee, The Odoriferous Valley, The Worldly Self Assurance, Berkeley Social Scene, Very Gentle Knives, Daddy Bop Swing Set, GUNS, The Kraken Lives, Cavedwellers
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Thanks For The Frisbee
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Thanks For The Frisbee »

Its been a couple of years for me too. some great tunes in this fight
Thanks for the frisbee is on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music ect.
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

LOL "Manic Pixel Dream Girls" is a great band name.
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RangerDenni
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by RangerDenni »

fkmuse is pretty clever. I liked it too. :)

ps. this is turning out to be a REALLY cool fight. the BSS song is fantastic.
"Really interesting how the point you’re making slowly emerges like Martin Sheen from the mud in Apocalypse Now..." ~j$
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Off. "Manic Pixel Dream Girls" made a really bad song. :( Oh well.
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Kill Me Sarah »

Yes, did all the instruments for this fight as Hurrikitten. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out who is doing the vocals :)
"[...] so plodding it actually hurts a little bit" - Smalltown Mike
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by martyr »

I haven't reviewed in awhile... Here we go!

Berkeley Social Scene - This is our proud song #100 as BSS! Almost 5 years to the day on song fight under that band name, to celebrate we collected as many of the folks that have collaborated on entries over the years and produced a 7 minute epic ballad of soft subtle rich tones and vamping. Inspired by the movie Grizzly Man (probably along with everyone else in this fight), ominous timbres seep into the plodding auras of lazy long wilderness days until the bitter end becomes apparent. The reunion goal was successful: the final track has three rhythm guitars, baritone guitar, bass, drums, rhodes, lead bass, lead guitar, sax, and dual vox. Hope you like it. Enjoy!

Glenny - Soooo Glenny! I like the acoustic guitar backing. You've really perfected your multi-autotune-vox magic, and work those iPad string/drum/synth patches like none other.

Gregg Boethin - Good bluesy drive and tonality. Solid.

Hurrikitten - I'm a sucker for such syncopated beats. Like the electro-clash / ambient / drum+bass with soft pop vox atop verse. The chorus has a nice contrasting pickup in tempo. Cool!

JeebasJones - Huffing and puffing, bears oh my. Redneck lecture talking your ear off over campfire sausages and western acoustic guitar licks. Don't know about this. The vocal saturation is busting up my hearing aid... Having trouble concentrating on the story... Gets a bit more musical last few seconds.

King Arthur - Mastered to 99.99%. I like some of the guitar and bass ideas, and the resolution of "tellin the truth". The tones are cool -- nice and clean with a little fuzzy meat on the attack. The bridge has a touch of Elvis Costello -- pushing harder in that direction would be cool. This song is starting to grow on me. Not getting the bear food connection, but that's probably my attention deficit. Nice.

Manic Pixel Dream Girls - Very cool name. I like this -- ambient mix medley tones with amateur radio spy splices of sample overdubs. "That's what bears like to eat" "Bear's eat food, it's true". Glittery glory. Sonic art installation journey.

The Old Round - Indie rock B side cut in the bathroom on a 4 track circa 1991.

Paco del Stinko - Strong Paco flair from the get go. V Ch SOLO! Wastes no time. "Run with the bear." Sounds like this one is about Grizzly Man as well. Takes a more rock steady take. "Be one with the bears." You've got such a great signature sound -- always a pleasure. Rippin!

Pigfarmer Jr - Singer songwriter type of stuff -- acoustic in the dorm room. The chorus progression is a classic -- longing for harmonies over that bit. Pleasant.

Scott Gesser - I like the arpeggiated mechanical (or should I say tight) feel of this one. Like the guitar to drum machine build up. Like the stop. Like the hammer on bass loop. Coolness.

Thanks for the frisbee - Frisbee! Looking forward to this one. ;) Love your vox sensibility, dude. Very cool triple vocal overlay on the guitar/drum loop deal. Good build on risky need to run. If I were producing this, I'd have suggested trying out a massive hit of distortion during that crux part. Though it's a beautiful thing as is. Excellent!

:mrgreen: :geek: :o
m++
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Thanks For The Frisbee
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Thanks For The Frisbee »

Thank you for the review Martyr!
Thanks for the frisbee is on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music ect.
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Thanks For The Frisbee »

The old round: you have some really great ideas in this song. If the mix was better you could have capitalized on those ideas. The low voices are too loud when they come in. also the extra instruments are overpowering the vocals. The vocals should get louder as the music gets louder. That is just my opinion, I am not a mix master.

Magic pixel dream girls: very…artistic? This must be yogi bears first acid trip.

Hurrikitten : Love the music, This was fun ;)

Jeebas Jones: the intro is promising. Very specific story. Interesting story set to background music.

pig farmer jr.: nice and simple. Sounds like some hunters became the hunted. I didn’t understand “can a form picnic” I havent checked the lyrics page, but I just cant understand what you were saying there. Nice straight forward story song.

Scott gesser: this is a good song. I like the story. At first I didn’t really like the “its co-oooo-o-o-o-old” line, but it quickly grew on me. I think you have a good sense of risk taking when it comes to vocal performance.

Paco del stinko: obviously the best production quality so far. I know this story. Clever double entendre with“tread well dear timothy” . solid rock song oozing with paco personality and musical greatness.

King Arthur: the intro sounds like surf rock, which is really rad! Interesting take on the title. This must be about the recent uprising of the fast food nation. I love the perspective you take here, calling out the corporate sphincters. Good production, cool take on the title, great lyrical ideas.

Berkeley social scene: congrats on your hundo. Pumping out quality songs every week is no small feat. You guys are truly amazing. One of the more poetic set of lyrics. This is the type of song that you can take at face value and also identify with as a metaphor. The sax was a surprise, the good kind. I like the slower groove, well done dudes..and dudette.

Glennny: oooo cool! I love the vocals man! I love that line “ I was totally almost an eagle scout in my youth” these lyrics are bananas J this song is genius… complete with some totally ripping musical bridgework!! Super rad man. So far I think this song is the winner.

Greg boethin: nice bluesy groove backing the bear attack. Good song.

Thanks for the Frisbee: me



A lot of good songs here.
My favorites were Glennny, king Arthur, BSS, Paco...and of course Hurrikitten!!!!
Thanks for the frisbee is on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music ect.
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Thanks for the nice words, thanks for the frisbee. I knew I would lose people there as I had to look it up, too. The line is "caniform picnic." Caniform is just a fancy way of saying bear or bear family. And I ain't too fancy most of the time so it might be out of character.
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Paco Del Stinko »

Ya know, maybe my reviews suck, and I'm too kind on people. BUT AT LEAST I DO'EM! Ask for clarification if needed.

Berkeley Social Scene - Funny, it starts getting a little sloppy right when it starts to open up after the straight forward start. I can't drum well and can't do better than here, but I wish the drums got more smashy bashy during the lead(s) section in the middle. It would make the mellow return of the vocal section feel less draggy. Everything sounds the nuts but it could do more than it does at this length.

glennny - When I was young we used to call these jazz chords. Now I think they should be called Glen chords. Great vocal work and the overall restraint of this song helps it out greatly. Soemhow, the strings are Zeppelin-esque, in a very un-Zeppelin-esque song. Super playing and arrangement, this has to be one of your best songs ever. I have no idea how you put this together.

Gregg Boethin - Back from the swamps, eh? Been a while. This sounds good. I am desiring a tremolo guitar and some backing vocals but I dig the progressions and would love to jam this live with you in...ooo! Tremolo! This could be a little grittier but works fine. Good job.

Hurrikitten - Welcome back, Sarah. But is that the Friz singing? Catchy chorus section, I dig the vocal processeseses. it appears that a lot of learning occured during your absence. This is groovy and I imagine that 'chill' type terminology might apply, if I were hip enough to do so. Perfect length, this is a brief treat that doesn't overstay its welcome and beckons a re-invite to listen.

JeebasJones - Ha! I thought this was Rabid Garfunkel for a minute! Good thing the yodely bit has some melody, as the wonderfully delivered narrative doesn't necessarily bear (he-he) repeat listens. I dig how gonzo this is and thank you for being this loose.

King Arthur - Good play on the title, I used to think like that. Not as much since I stopped smoking pot, for whatever that's worth. The melody doesn't stray too far from itself and the arrangement threatens to take off but doesn't quite cut loose. Great twangy near-surf riff though.

Manic Pixel Dream Girls - I'm always impressed by stuff like this, on one level, and turned off on another. This is more on the off side than on. Whether you're a regular here or not, it doesn't matter. This goes nowhere and should be filed under failed. The end loop is kinda ok though.

The Old Round - I love the two chord progression at the start, very garage rock. But it gets too digital soundcard sounding. I would've loved this if it was a sloppy band playing live. Has a strong odor of Jethro Tull, somehow.

Paco del Stinko - Yeah, did this about the Grizzly Man guy. Cheap, I know. Struggled to come up with a second guitar part (the right channel) and ended up using an octave box for a simple riff. Eh.

Pigfarmer Jr - Aw, those poor suckers, lost and on the chow list. Nice, patient delivery here, it kind of disguises the standard-ness of the progression and melody. Still, sounds good and feels mostly complete. You could get away with this at the coffee house if you told a little narrative in the middle.

Scott Gesser - Almost Ross Durand-ish at the start. I like the it's cold part and the bass line that comes in after its first appearance. Good bridge, if a bit sloppy, but it leads into a nice build. This song could use some polish and a few dents could be pulled to make it something a bit more special.

Thanks for the frisbee - Yo Friz! Waaay too long to hear from you. Your vocal harmonies are a little funky, but what they want to do is excellent. This sounds like a more confident you, still personal sounding and bittersweet but also more mature. Love the water theme, I wish I could write like that. I could never pull it off. This song is more demo than finished product, but I like where it wants to go. Take it for a drive and bring it home.
Bringin' the stink since 2006.
Kill Me Sarah
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Kill Me Sarah »

Paco Del Stinko wrote: Thanks for the frisbee - Yo Friz! Waaay too long to hear from you. Your vocal harmonies are a little funky, but what they want to do is excellent. This sounds like a more confident you, still personal sounding and bittersweet but also more mature. Love the water theme, I wish I could write like that. I could never pull it off. This song is more demo than finished product, but I like where it wants to go. Take it for a drive and bring it home.
You think THAT'S impressive? He also wrote the lyrics for the Hurrikitten song. I couldn't come up with decent lyrics for one song and he did awesome lyrics for two!

Thanks for the kind words re: Hurrikitten as well. Shocked I won but not shocked it was a Frisbee collab that got me there :) I don't know if I've learned much in my absence but I did acquire Garage Band and daaaaaang but doesn't that make things easier :)
"[...] so plodding it actually hurts a little bit" - Smalltown Mike
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by glennny »

Congrats Hurrikitten! Well deserved! You had my favorite track in the fight, nice to see you win!
Phillipso, Older Brothers, Semolina Pilchards, Zipline , Thank Glennny for the Frisbee, The Odoriferous Valley, The Worldly Self Assurance, Berkeley Social Scene, Very Gentle Knives, Daddy Bop Swing Set, GUNS, The Kraken Lives, Cavedwellers
Kill Me Sarah
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Kill Me Sarah »

Thanks glennny, I consider that high praise indeed, considering the source.

I was hoping for some feedback on my mix. It was my first full attempt with Garage Band so I'd love to get the thoughts of any you experienced mixmasters out there.
"[...] so plodding it actually hurts a little bit" - Smalltown Mike
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by glennny »

I love garageband. I use it on my iPad for arrangement and the 1st 8 tracks. Usually drums bassand rhythm guitars. i like to do vocals once I get the project on my Mac.

So the mix was really good to me except one minor thing. I love Friz vocals, but I thought they were a touch too loud compared to the rest of the instruments. The music by itself sounded like a really nice mix to me.

please make more music !
Phillipso, Older Brothers, Semolina Pilchards, Zipline , Thank Glennny for the Frisbee, The Odoriferous Valley, The Worldly Self Assurance, Berkeley Social Scene, Very Gentle Knives, Daddy Bop Swing Set, GUNS, The Kraken Lives, Cavedwellers
Kill Me Sarah
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Re: Bear With Us... (Bear Food Reviews)

Post by Kill Me Sarah »

glennny wrote:I love garageband. I use it on my iPad for arrangement and the 1st 8 tracks. Usually drums bassand rhythm guitars. i like to do vocals once I get the project on my Mac.

So the mix was really good to me except one minor thing. I love Friz vocals, but I thought they were a touch too loud compared to the rest of the instruments. The music by itself sounded like a really nice mix to me.

please make more music !
Thanks! I think the problem might have been that all I had to mix with at the time were earbuds. The mix sounded pretty good in those, but I did notice the same thing with the vocals being a little overpowering when I played it over other speakers. I picked up some better studio headphones so hopefully that will improve for the next song. Looking forward to doing another song if we'd get a new title :)
"[...] so plodding it actually hurts a little bit" - Smalltown Mike
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