Do come here to review! (Don't Come Here to Live reviews)

[Lunkhead]

We got more songs this time, how 'bout more reviews...?

[fluffy]

DON’T COME HERE FOR GOOD REVIEWS

p++ - In person this sounded okay although it didn’t really capture me. As an artifact off of the Youtube stream it sounds like some sort of alien artifact. It’s also exactly the right length.

Fake Teak - The line about not singing in tune would make more sense if you weren’t singing in tune. I mostly found this to be a bit boring and monotonous. And maybe a bit muffled? I don’t know, I’m having sinus problems because of the wildfires here and my hearing’s all screwed up.

Klownhole - well, this one I’m hearing loud and clear. or loud, at least.

Sockpuppet - Learn some new fucking guitar strum patterns. Also inhaling mid-line is so amateur hour, I don’t care how much your lungs are fucked up right now. Drums are a goddamn mess.

Flvxxvm Florvm - Good start with basic power chords and straight-up drum machine drumming. Vocals sound weirdly strained like you’re trying to take a shit. Let it all out, man. Bass could use a few more takes. Solo at the end is way too long. Also, maybe end the song with an ending instead of a noodly fadeout.

Rabbit and Ram - This is quirky in its lo-fi indie charm. I liked your live performance at SFLive better but it’s always hard to recapture that. This is probably the nicest song I’ve ever heard about the Cascadia Subduction Zone, but it’s also the only song I’ve ever heard about the Cascadia Subduction Zone. But since threat of rain didn’t keep people away from this region, maybe the threat of grievous property loss will.

Aliens In Leather - This was fun. A shame you didn’t get a better recording. I don’t remember seeing this one up on stage at SFLive. I must have been in the bathroom at the time. That drummer sounds AMAZING though. Why the fadeout at the end?

Cheesequake - This was the most amazing one at SFLive. Hearing the ground open up below us while the angels descended from on high and blared their heavenly trumpets at us as we were all caught up, enraptured? I’m still shivering. You totally deserved to win. But this recording came out poorly so I have to knock off points for that.

BSS - I tried coming up with a snarky review but by the time I’d chewed on a half-assed attempt at suggesting you become The Polyphonic Spree it was over

JBBSS - This… this is a mess. I’m sorry, it just is. Endless noodling with occasional incomprehensible lyrics. I’m not even sure what’s going on with this one. Is this JB pretending to be BSS or is it JB working with BSS or… gah I don’t even know

James Owens - One of my musical pet peeves is multiple vocalists singing in unison with an instrument. I also can’t make out the lyrics with all the weird reverby chorus whatever. Makes me think of a national anthem being performed at a high school sporting event.

Cygnet’s Yarn - Hey, it’s Bob Dylan!

Jerkatorium - Somehow I am surprised that you're doing indie folk rock whatever. And that it sounds good.

[anti-m]

Aliens In Leather - This was fun. A shame you didn’t get a better recording. I don’t remember seeing this one up on stage at SFLive. I must have been in the bathroom at the time. That drummer sounds AMAZING though. Why the fadeout at the end?

Hahahaha! How on earth did you miss this one? Costumes! Glowsticks! It was the SFLive Rave.

[anti-m]

Aliens In Leather - This was fun. A shame you didn’t get a better recording. I don’t remember seeing this one up on stage at SFLive. I must have been in the bathroom at the time. That drummer sounds AMAZING though. Why the fadeout at the end?

Hahahaha! How on earth did you miss this one? Costumes! Glowsticks! It was the SFLive Rave.

Oh, wait! I get it. I'm slow. : )

[Niveous]

I missed Aliens in Leather too. So did Den, Mike, Roy and Caravan Ray. Crowded bathrooms, I guess. It sounds like it was quite the spectacle.

Now I can't say for certain why there's a fadeout at the end of the entry by Aliens in Leather, seeing as it was probably entered by little green men, but I suspect the video where the sound was captured from had a weird ending and the fadeout seemed cleaner. But that's just a theory...unless that info was implanted in my mind perhaps via probes.

[anti-m]

In my defense, I STILL have this awful cold that I'm attributing to SFLIVE. I believe it's making me stupid.

SFLIVE Portland: Don't come here to live, shitty viruses! At least not in my sinuses!

[user]

Aliens in Leather
Fun, wacky, love the message. This is just begging to be brought to its full potential by being covered by Klownhole.

Berkeley Social Scene
Not bad. Standard fare, nothing wrong with it. You get a free pass on production since this is a live recording.

Cheesequake
This is a message to everyone in the universe. Don't come here looking for permanent residence; you show up, you stick around for a while and try to make some positive changes, and then you get deported.

Cygnet's Yarn
Not a fan of the whininess in the voice, but the song is pretty. All the other songs are inside having fun at the party, while this one is sitting alone outside on the trampoline, thinking over what went wrong. I like how you skip a beat on the titular line.

Fake Teak
"So I sing out of tune," says the best singer in the fight (JB being the possible exception). Just rub it in, why don'tcha. If we could get your voice with Cygnet's guitar, we'd have quite the dynamic duo. This hints of Radiohead, nothing wrong with that action. I like the spacey keyboard. The drum beat, I'm not crazy about; I'd remove it or improve it.

Flvxxvm Florvm
Decent rock. I'd prefer a little more oomph to it. Maybe make stuff louder?

James Owens
The lyrics are epic. The music, kinda meh. I feel like I'm standing in the pews, holding a hymnal open and fidgeting uncomfortably while other people sing. Which might be exactly what you were going for. Good satire, anyway.

JB&BSS
I dig the fuzzy guitar, the one that really kicks in at 2:56 and then starts going "woooOOOOOooo". The ethereal keys are also nice. Vocals are a little buried at times. This is trippier than your typical BSS; maybe y'all should collaborate more often.

Jerkatorium
The genre tag says "Country". If that's country, I'll kiss your ass. It lacks the essential redneck twang, but that's probably a plus. This is really good. The harmonies seal the deal.

Klownhole
Haha, you guys are ridiculous.

Primitive Screwheads
[the exact same thing I said to Aliens in Leather]

Rabbit & Ram
Are those your Chinese zodiac animals? '87 & '91? This is cutesy & catchy, like all your stuff, but it has a slightly more serious tone than previous songs, which I think is a good thing.

Sockpuppet
Chuckleworthy lyrics. The drums are indeed a goddamn mess, but they've grown on me and I'm glad you added them, because otherwise this would be way too sing-songy. I mean, it still kind of is. Yeah, hit that high note, baby! This was a lot of fun to see live, but there's not much replay value.

I voted for Klownhole, Jerkatorium, & Cygnet's Yarn. None of whom met the optional challenge. *glares accusingly*

[Jerkatorium]

Berkeley Social Scene: Many years ago my sister was in a Portland garage rock band named Scribble, and I liked their music a lot, and this song reminds me of them. You guys did an excellent SFL performance, great song, fun to watch. That female vocalist is a real ringer, and I've always liked that guy's voice, and the instrumentation is tight and bright. So good. Voted.

Cheesequake: Genuinely flattered at the introductory diss; I guess that means Jerkatorium has really arrived. Not fond of the fake audience sounds, but I'm voting for the song anyway because it is interesting, and different, and your voice sorta reminds me of Melvin (the multi-winning SongFighter, not the NOFX guitarist). Voted.

Klownhole: Great intro. I voted for Klownhole in the "Beat the Heat" fight because it took balls to submit an uninspired 10-minute rambler. I voted for Klownhole on this fight for the interesting lyrics and the quality of the tune. Voted.

Aliens in Leather: I'm not sure the sound on this track was ever meant to be separate from the visuals of the SFL 'Art School Gwar' live performance (which I loved). Voted.

Rabbit and Ram: Just awesome. Great lyrics, great vocal harmonies on the chorus. Totally charming. Voted.

James Owens: Hymnlike. Reminds me of when Daniel Johnston would sing to player piano songs. Voted.

Primitive Screwheads: This song goes for both ribald humor and quirkiness, but it's not particularly successful with either of those. I feel compelled to vote because it met the optional challenge. Voted.

Cygnet's Yarn: Too long. Too slow. Nice voice and beautiful guitar sound, so I voted for it. But it's too long. Voted.

Jerkatorium: Sorry about the gratuitous profanity. I'm fine with the song, I just think we should have spent a little more time on the mix. Voted.

Fake Teak: Beautiful voice, interesting lyrics. It's a really good song despite the criminally awful drum machine setting. I think a bassline (or synth bass or whatever) might also help. Voted.

Sockpuppet: I actually prefer the SFL live performance, but this version is still a real charmer. Great lyrics, hard to avoid singing along with the chorus. It sounds like the singer gets more comfortable with the song as it progresses. Good electric piano. Not sure what is going on with the drums. Voted.

Flvxxm Florvm: Sometimes the only thing wrong with a 5-chord song is that it has two or three chords too many. Rocking' guitar licks. Voted.

JBBSS: Wow, really nice. Almost makes me wish I hadn't cheapened my voting power by voting for all of the other entries too. Voted.

[Niveous]

Cygnet's Yarn: Straightforward guy & guitar with a little twang in the strings. The vocal delivery makes this. The only problem is that the song needs more dynamics. If the song would've hit the halfway mark and sped up and added some more musically, it would've been fun. Instead it lumbered on at the same pace and got threadbare by the end.

Sockpuppet: This had a lot of charm during the live fight and it's still there in the studio version. The lyrics are fun and the chorus is very catchy. The drums are a little wonky but it doesn't hurt this much.

Rabbit & Ram: Valerie & Damien earned a fan in me at Songfight Live. Every day could be earthquake weather is a great lyric. This is a fun little song. I love the harmonies.

Klownhole: Yes, this certainly a Klownhole song. The rock is solid but this one doesn't do much for me which is a shame because I do love me some Klownhole.

P++: Rabid plus Kara Van Rae for a minute or so of punchy messy punk. Fun.

JBBSS: Take a dash of pretty John Benjamin vocals and then add heaping helpfuls of BSS super guitar wank. As much as I love BSS guitar wankery, I wish there was more of a balance between the two parts of this song as more JB is desperately needed.

Jerkatorium: Simple and cool. I'm a sucker for good harmonies. I wish there was more of this song.

Flvxxvm Florvm: I'm not big on the vocals. Musically, there is some potential here. I just wish there was a better vocal delivery driving this. Strong ending.

James Owens: This is very anthemic. Reminds me a bit of a church service. It's that sound of a strong singer leading others who aren't necessarily hitting the harmonies. Wow, that sound brought back a lot of strong memories...

Fake Teak: I like the atmosphere of this song. It makes for a nice tune to have playing in the background while doing other things. It's a gentle groove. The only issue is that it doesn't stand out very well. Still it's an enjoyable listen just for the ambiance of it all.

Aliens in Leather: Klaatu barada nikto.

BSS: Good time BSS Rock. Wish I could make out the lyrics a bit more. Short & sweet.

Cheesequake: It's as if User and James Owens were on the same mental wave length but it hit some interference on the way to User. A very anthemic tune. I could see this being played by a marching band...in Night Vale. Kinda dig it.

[Niveous]

Aliens in Leather: 'Art School Gwar'

I wasn't a part of this performance as stated earlier in this thread. But if I was a part of this, I would have to say that this is the best review ever given to me. And I would cry a little because finally somebody gets me.

[user]

Genuinely flattered at the introductory diss; I guess that means Jerkatorium has really arrived.

Yep, like Nirvana being mocked by Weird Al (not that I'm anywhere near Weird Al, even at the Song Fight! level). Besides, it had to be someone, and I figured anyone who calls themselves Jerkatorium or Chumpy probably has thick skin.

[AJOwens]

can't review, no time -- sorry all.

Shout out to Cygnet's Yarn for striking lyrics

[AJOwens]

I missed my flight. But now I can do reviews, so every cloud has a silver lining.

Aliens In Leather Alien invasion always draws me in. I love the insanity in this.

Berkeley Social Scene -- The performance gains confidence as it goes on. For a while the song feels a bit hazy, and then it goes through some changes, and then there's a nice hook on the title, and suddenly everybody hits stride and the energy comes out.

Cheesequake -- This is awesome. Those trumpets are on acid. The slow, sprawling composition puts the whole thing in a time warp. I wish I'd seen this live.

Cygnet's Yarn -- Good intimate sound, maybe a bit thick in the lower frequencies. A good sense of holding the room. The lyrics don't mean anything at all to me, but they are nevertheless striking in the way they play over images, and over syllables. The weary vocals hint of timeless pain and joy. Very nice guitar work, clear in execution and full of sensitive timing.[/b]

Fake Teak -- Occassionally this song veers into a middle-of-the-road sixties sound that is done pretty well, but doesn't appeal to me personally. Other parts of it have strangely sculpted melodies made of major-minor ambiguities. These parts of the composition are intriguing, although sometimes they feel confined. They suggest a unique musical vision behind the composition. The whole thing is textured in Terry Riley minimalism for a rather hypnotic effect. The singing is fairly sweet, but the vocal cords need to relax just a little. The lyrics aren't pulling together for me.

Flvxxvm Florvm -- I'm not sure a whole lot of thought went into this, so I won't review it extensively. The band sounds pretty good, needs to be tighter.

James Owens -- My failed expermiment. I was trying hard not to write a hymn, especially because I've already done one. As for the way it sounds, oh well. Didn't work. Thanks to my daughter for some help with the vocals.

JBBSS Grows nicely, sets up a gentle drone. Frippish bits. I think you needed to practice this a couple more times, and compositionally it seems to need more of an overall arc, but it's got this great bright warm cheerful sound that I really like.

Jerkatorium -- The rocking between two notes I don't get, it seems unexciting. The rest of the song is tuneful, although the tune tends to go up and down with the chords. The lyrics are frank.

Klownhole -- Right, another Klownhole song as someone said. Always fun, great band, reliable riffs, off-the-wall attitude.

Primitive Screwheads -- It's got rhythm going for it. Sounds so much like you're playing over the telephone that I'm wondering if that's deliberate. It would certainly work with the nervous energy.


Rabbit & Ram -- Appealing personalities, witty lyrics, good solid tune, and good harmonies. Definite pop sensibilities here. the low-budget synth and the ukelele give it a quirky charm.


Sockpuppet -- The lyrics happily violate the scan at every opportunity; a good sign. The lyrics are genius, and the song, more or less boilerplate, gives them exactly the right setting.

[Chumpy]

Aliens In Leather
I listened multiple times to get all the lyrics, which I thought were really fun. I must admit, I wasn't completely sold on the concept of destroying the planet at first. I mean you make excellent points about mind decaying auto-tuned pop songs, but I was still on the fence -- that is until 2:50 where the mysterious lead vocalist fucking SELLS IT, with a passionate plea to BURN THIS LAND. BURN THIS LAND. After I write this review I'm going to set my lawn on fire.

Berkeley Social Scene
Enjoyed the groove and and the melody. There were parts where you could distinctly hear both vocalists doing their parts, and the interplay really worked, but other parts were indistinct, especially at the start. I had a hard time getting the verse lyrics, but the chorus wasn't too hard. I like the take on the title, moving in together often fucks up relationships.

Cheesequake
Haha, love the diss. He noticed me! OMG OMG OMG. The swirling beer-hall music from a bad dream sound is interesting, and your vocals blend into it like they belong there. My ears are still ringing a bit I think, I had the volume cranked from trying to really hear the BSS track. Not sure I want to listen again, it's like somebody put magic mushrooms in my schnitzel gravy.

Cygnet's Yarn
I enjoyed how intimate the recording is. I like hearing you move in your chair and that buzzy guitar string. Really like the vocals, there is a lot of nuance on how things are sung, and every "Don't come here to live" is slightly different, and the bittersweet emotional feeling is well communicated. I really like the way you sing "the paper says they're better off dead", reminds me of Daniel Johnston. I love these kinds of recordings, and I wouldn't add anything except fake tape hiss and that CLUNK sound you get from pressing PLAY+RECORD on a tape recorder.

Fake Teak
This song meanders a bit, and I find some of the instrumentation I find challenging. Having said that, right at around 2:00 things get magical, and everything works. That "I feel like I came from Mars and not anywhere" section really resonates with me, especially on the final 'anywhere'.

Flvxxvm Florvm
The bass guitar in my left ear is pretty sweet, I like the tone and melody a lot. I'm also enjoying the backup vox on the chorus, good placement and volume choice, sounds good. The guitar solo at 2:45 I also like, and it reminds me of the band Free, good classic Rock sound. The main vox lack some punch and don't have as much conviction as I'd like.

James Owens
You captured that anthemic sound quite nicely, it really does sound like I'm hearing a performance in an auditorium. I especially like how the music swells at 'banner of fraternity, and never stop to rest'. I'm standing at attention with my hand over my heart. The lyrics are well written, and the irony is tasty. You guys really accomplished what I think you set out to do, well done.

JBBSS
I really like the alt-rock sound on this track. Jb's multi-tracked vocals really work, the "i will too" line in particular. There are really strong moments during the middle section where both guitarists hit their stride and the interplay there is quite nice, but I would have liked to hear more of jb.

Jerkatorium
More blah, blah, blah, argh fuck kill music.

Klownhole
Oh man, a live recording challenge, how will Klownhole sound without all their studio wizardry? Ass kicking as usual. I kid, I feel like nearly all Klownhole recordings are live, but there are multiple overlapping vocals on this track (that sound fucking rad) that sound to my ears like the same singer, so maybe there is some DAW work done here. The fake ending, with the 'awww fuck', and then the final "didn't come here to live" is epic. I enjoyed all 5:41 of this track, could have been longer.

Primitive Screwheads
Super jealous of their post-punk Gang of Four / Big Black type guitar sound, which impressed me a lot during their live set, which you can hear at the start of this song. Lyrics sung with conviction, this tune is a good sing-along, I remember doing just that during the performance, HEY LITTLE CREEPY CRAWLY!

Rabbit & Ram
Love the lyrics, melody, and charm of this song. I like hearing the sound of the keys clacking on the recording. Craft beer, independent coffee shops and bookstores oh my! Portland is awesome and it could all go to shit when the big one hits. Well written and performed.

Sockpuppet
The chorus on this song is uber catchy, there was a lot of singing along during the live performance. The sloppy drums add character to the song, wouldn't change 'em. The vocals really make this song, besides being able to clearly hear all the hilarious lyrics there are some nice vocal touches on lines like 'never need a car', and of course the final 'and there's always PBR', which ends the song with a bang.