Astroid Strike! (a credible threat)

Æpplês&vØdkã · Post by **Æpplês&vØdkã** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:57 pm

or the like.

erik · Post by **erik** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 6:23 am

Apologies if this has been addressed before, but is Lord of Oats the same person as Blues Manufacturing Facility?

the idiot king · Post by **the idiot king** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 7:02 am

i should probably mention that my lady friend is responsible for the background vocals on the idiot kings' track this week. so the vocals that are sung well aren't me.

Æpplês&vØdkã · Post by **Æpplês&vØdkã** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:48 am

erik wrote:Apologies if this has been addressed before, but is Lord of Oats the same person as Blues Manufacturing Facility?

Hmm. Haven't thought about it, but it makes sense. Kind of. Really, the drumset is probably the best clue.

erik · Post by **erik** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:57 am

Æpplês&vØdkã wrote:
erik wrote:Apologies if this has been addressed before, but is Lord of Oats the same person as Blues Manufacturing Facility?
Hmm. Haven't thought about it, but it makes sense. Kind of. Really, the drumset is probably the best clue.

For me it was the similarity in songwriting, the use of guitar solos, and the style of lead guitar playing.

jeff robertson · Post by **jeff robertson** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 10:20 am

erik wrote:Apologies if this has been addressed before, but is Lord of Oats the same person as Blues Manufacturing Facility?

That would explain why no member of Blues Manufacturing Facility has come forward and identified as such.

OTOH, I've been accused of being people I wasn't, so who knows?

Reist · Post by **Reist** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 11:36 am

I will probably write reviews after lunch.

jackfrost · Post by **jackfrost** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 11:38 am

erik wrote:Apologies if this has been addressed before, but is Lord of Oats the same person as Blues Manufacturing Facility?

this is from the Thank God for Memphis reviews:

TommyD wrote:Most of the Central Wis Crew is all starting to get into Songfighting - Snape, 4 AM Cig, Blues Train, and Pirate Bingo Steakhouse.

i thought Blues Train Blues Industry from TGFM was the same as Blues Train Blues in D for HOMBH, and he settled on the name Blues Manufacturing Facility for AFR onward. i thought he was the only one of the "central wis crew" that stuck around. but then again, they were obnoxious on the boards for the TGFM fight and they have been silent since then, so i could be wrong.

erik · Post by **erik** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 11:57 am

I don't think the Blues Manufacturing Facility songs sound like they were written, played or recorded by the same person who made the Blues Train Blues songs.

Reist · Post by **Reist** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 11:57 am

The lead guitar in Blues Manufacturing Facility sounds just like Lord of Oats - I'm pretty sure it's him (or he's at least in the band)

I don't think the word "Blues" is enough reason to assume that 2 bands are the same.

Reist · Post by **Reist** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 1:24 pm

Revïews! - By Andrew Reist

Blues Manufacturing Facility - The effect on the vocals makes it difficult to understand. The guitar solo has some pretty nasty notes in it. Personally, I would never make a guitar solo into half a song, unless you're able to give it more variation. Try some dueling guitars next time with harmony, and maybe I'll be interested. 4/10

The Boiler Room - This doesn't deserve a review. Make a song next time please. (I think I used these exact words the last time I reviewed you) 0/10

Dr. Atkins' 100% Natural Good-Time Family-Band Solution - I found myself skipping through this pretty early on. I'd suggest using more variation in chords (more than 2 or 3 chords per section). I guess 2 or 3 chords per section wouldn't be bad if you had more notes in the melody. 5/10

Eddie Lance - I like the intro. I don't really like the rest - the piano's nice, but it doesn't seem like an actual song as much as a combination of different sound clips. Sorry. 4/10

The Humanists - This has the best intro so far. Bonus points for that. Once the vocals stop, it gets pretty boring until the drums come in. I don't think I like the vocals - 2 notes isn't enough for a melody unless you're writing a really chill Jack Johnson song. It's really repetitive. I couldn't make it to the end. 5/10

The Idiot Kings - I'm expecting electronica. Best so far by a longshot. This is the only one that I've actually enjoyed so far. Each part of the song works towards making the song better - it flows really well. I'd listen to this again. It feels like it should be shorter though. 8.5/10

Jimmy Jet and his TV Set - Good intro. The mix is pretty weak. Turn up the vocals in the verse. It's weird, since your bass was really high in the verse, and it disappeared in the chorus. Try and get the bass even through the song. Same goes for the vocals. I really like that chorus. With a better mix and a better guitar tone, I'd rate it higher. It's a bit long for what it is, too. 7/10.

Jon Eric - I don't like the distortion on the acoustic solo, to be honest. This is probably the catchiest verse so far. Sometimes you overprounce your words, and it almost seems like you don't take yourself seriously, which hurts an otherwise great song. I'm glad you kept it short, since there wasn't a lot of material to work with. I'm glad I listened to it. 8/10

Max the Cat - For some reason, I think nerdcore when I see this. More like catcore ... wow. This is really annoying. More than anything, this really creeps me out. That high voice is freaky. I don't think there's a lot of musical merit, but I think you accomplished what you wanted. 6/10

MC Eric B - Let's see if you've improved since the last time I listened to you. The vocals are not high enough in the mix. Turn those up. Also, I advise taking the 'MC' out of your band name, since there's not a lot of rap in this. Anyone that has 'MC' at the start of their band name loses a lot of points in my book unless they rap a lot. I like this, but I wish you'd break out a singing voice more. Great improvement over your first stuff. 6/10

Merisan - I guess I don't stand a chance in this fight.

Good to see you guys in a fight. I look forward to good guitars and beautiful, soaring vocals. I like how you don't struggle to hit a single note. Your voice is unstrained throughout. The guitar solo is great, the production is stellar, and the melody has hook written all over it. I can't give any advice for this, since you surpass anything I could do. I honestly don't think I can vote for anything else. 10/10

National Public Relish - I don't think the songwriting is bad here, but your vocals are a bit off on almost every note. Either practice more, or get some pitch-correcting software. The chorus could be really good with a solid vocal performance. To be honest, you sound like Lord of Oats too (at least vocally). 5/10

Peter Piper Picked a Pack of Parliament Lights - Terrible band name detracts from points. This is bad. Did you write a song, think it sucked, so you reversed it to make it sound 'experimental'? Reversing songs doesn't do that. Please try again. 2/10

Pumpkin Buzzard - For some reason, I always thought that Pumpkin Buzzard made really heavy metal, so I'm pretty disappointed. I thought Jute Gyte was in this band. To be honest, this wasn't really enjoyable at all. 3/10

Reïst - Yes, I made a song. I hope you like it (and yes, I'm aware the vocals are weak)

schmlurgh - I wasn't expecting to enjoy this, but I'm really enjoying your vocals in this one. Your songwriting is cool - nice and lively. This earns the "Surprisingly Good" award of this week. Good job ... I might even listen to this one again. 8/10.

Technical Difficulties - schmlurgh is a toughie to follow. This is also surprisingly enjoyable. Bonus points for effective use of dissonance for creepy effect. The vocals could be a bit tighter, but I don't see much else wrong with them. Good ending. Overall, quite fun to listen to. 7.5/10.

The Thomas Jeffersons - I don't really know what to say. Your verse's melody is really weak. I think it's due to the forced nature of the weird time signature. I understand that it's hard to write a song in 5/4, but if you're not really feeling it, don't force yourself to write that way. 5/10

The Weakest Suit - My advice for this - up the tempo in your songs a bit (it's tough for a song this slow to groove at all). Your vocals are a bit off in some spots, but I think with a bit more practice, your voice could be really good (emphasis on really). Not bad, but nothing really special here. 6.5/10

Overall, I found this fight to be loaded with bad songs, with a few really great ones. There were quite a few that had potential, but never turned into anything I could enjoy.

My vote definitely goes to Merisan, with The Idiot Kings, Jon Eric and schmlurgh getting my respect.

jeff robertson · Post by **jeff robertson** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 2:15 pm

Reïst wrote:The lead guitar in Blues Manufacturing Facility sounds just like Lord of Oats - I'm pretty sure it's him (or he's at least in the band)

I don't hear this supposed identicalness in this weeks fight. Similar, but not enough to say it has to be the same person. Is there another fight that is a better example?

jackfrost · Post by **jackfrost** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 2:22 pm

erik wrote:I don't think the Blues Manufacturing Facility songs sound like they were written, played or recorded by the same person who made the Blues Train Blues songs.

those songs are just all "blues this blues that" followed by some guitar. i can't even get through listening to them once let alone have the patience to study them. i did notice that the guitar got better from the blues train blues songs, but it all just seems like a hollow gimmick, and i've quit downloading these. same for the surf manufacturing thing. one week was enough for that.

erik · Post by **erik** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 2:41 pm

jeff robertson wrote:
Reïst wrote:The lead guitar in Blues Manufacturing Facility sounds just like Lord of Oats - I'm pretty sure it's him (or he's at least in the band)
I don't hear this supposed identicalness in this weeks fight. Similar, but not enough to say it has to be the same person. Is there another fight that is a better example?

Probably, but like jackfrost I'm not really dying to study these tracks more than I already have. I just wanted to know if one person was sending in multiple tracks per week is all.

JonPorobil · Post by **JonPorobil** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 2:50 pm

Reïst wrote:Revïews! - By Andrew Reist

Jon Eric - I don't like the distortion on the acoustic solo, to be honest. This is probably the catchiest verse so far. Sometimes you overprounce your words, and it almost seems like you don't take yourself seriously, which hurts an otherwise great song. I'm glad you kept it short, since there wasn't a lot of material to work with. I'm glad I listened to it. 8/10

Thanks for the review, and the respect granted me at the end.

One point where I might trouble you (or those others who have yet to review) to elaborate: Since you don't like the distortion on the acoustic solo, do you have a suggestion for how to record an acoustic solo so that it doesn't wind up "hiding" in the other guitar's sound? Distorting it was the only way I could find to make the lead part stand out.

bz£ · Post by **bz£** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:13 pm

Generic wrote:One point where I might trouble you (or those others who have yet to review) to elaborate: Since you don't like the distortion on the acoustic solo, do you have a suggestion for how to record an acoustic solo so that it doesn't wind up "hiding" in the other guitar's sound? Distorting it was the only way I could find to make the lead part stand out.

I guess I'll do my part to make this a credible thread. Try changing the rhythm part so it isn't hitting in the same register. It may help if you drop from full chords to the lowest note (or two) only when the solo is playing. (Maybe go to arpeggios?) I'd also try playing the solo an octave higher and see if that helps.

You could also try playing around with eq but I don't think that's going to help enough in this case. Maybe a chorus effect on the solo would help, but, again, I don't think that'll do enough unless you also change what the guitars are actually playing first.

Post by **Lunkhead** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:28 pm

You could try a clean or distorted electric guitar for the solo instead, or, if that's not an option, you could try one or more of the following: turning up the acoustic solo track; EQ-ing it differently from the other acoustic tracks, eg bumping if up a few dB in the high mids; doubling your rhythm acoustic part and panning the doubled tracks to the left and right, while putting the solo track in the center.

EDIT: Ben's suggestions are very good.

JonPorobil · Post by **JonPorobil** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:42 pm

Thanks, guys!

JonPorobil · Post by **JonPorobil** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 4:40 pm

Blues Manufacturing Facility — The music is cleanly produced, the instruments are well-played, but the vocals ruin everything. I actually enjoy the second half of the song—the part where you're not trying to sing. Were prerecorded loops involved in this recording?

The Boiler Room — A minute in and all I hear is a drone and some breathing. I'm moving on. If I missed the best part because the first minute was too boring, then I guess you should learn a lesson about putting over a minute of crap on the beginning of the track.

Decline (aka Peter Piper and so on) — This is Green Day's “When I Come Around” backwards. You're fired.

Dr. Atkins' and so on — Silly.

Eddie Lance — Not really a “song,” so much as a “sketch,” really... The instrumental parts are nice and all, but... well, I'm sure you know. Kind of a cute ending, but not enough to redeem the piece into being a keeper.

The Humanists — Hey, a track that doesn't hurt my ears! Your voice is McCartney-esque, which is probably why my betrothed sitting next to me says “It sounds like pretentious Wings.” Oh, and then the drum machine kicks in. When the full arrangement kicks in, your vocals become less comprehensible. I'm hearing the “Don't Panic,” but the rest is getting swallowed by the mix, which suggests to me that you know how stupid it sounds. Oh well. Started off well.

The Idiot Kings — Yay! Really catchy opening, sounds very professional. I kinda wish there were more lyrics, and that they were mixed a little louder. I also wish that one of the two singers were singing harmony. At about 1:55, I realized that there's not much structure, which makes the song a lot less catchy and memorable than it might have been. Still, you're the real deal. I'll probably listen again, even, which is more than I can say for most of the other entries. Definitely a keeper.

Jimmy Jet et al. — Nice opening licks. I wish the drum were a decibel or two louder. Hmm, this is a genre I haven't heard in a long time... Dispatch, O.A.R., et cetera. The performances are nice, and the harmonies are placed right, but the lead vocal could use a little more reverb. It doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the mix. The whole thing threatens to fall apart around 2:20 until 3:00. You're working very well with what you've got. This one's a keeper.

Jon Eric — Silly.

Max the Cat — Holy cripes, these vocals are annoying. I do like the lower voice. The joke runs thin really quickly, so I'm glad the song is short. Beyond that, just refer to Eddie Lance's review, above.

MC Eric B — I'm not sure whether to criticize you for mixing your voice too low, or to praise you for recognizing that your vocals suck, and mixing them low as a favor to us. The ideal, of course, would be to make it so that the vocals don't suck, and then mixing them at an audible level. The lyrics sound a little jingoistic, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that they're satirical. The music is wholly forgettable... what, all loops? Oh well.

Merisan (lyrics by 15-16 Puzzle) — In this case, the vocals might be a little bit too loud. Otherwise, very pleasant to listen to. My only complaint is the lyrics don't really seem to add up to a complete picture, but hey, there's some great lines in there. Your voice is great; I even like that little “Go!” right before the solo, which is also great. Keeper, likely vote-getter.

National Public Relish — The first line made me want to stop listening. I didn't, so I was able to hear that the singing gets worse. The last line of the first verse falls particularly sour, and the faux-falsetto of the chorus just plain doesn't work. I finally gave up at 1:15.

Pumpkin Buzzard — Interesting vocal effect...But overall, the synths just don't sound together enough to make me want to listen again. The group vocal in the chorus saves it a little. The synth breakdown at 3:10 is pretty neat. Nonetheless, it should be noted that that was also about the time I glanced at the time code and saw that there was still a minute and a half left, and groaned. Too long. Not a keeper, but close.

Reist — Maybe it's my speakers? No one has their vocals mixed loud enough this week. Nice guitar playing. And hey, are those real drums? Always a pleasant surprise in Songfight. This song is kinda Green Day-ish, and it would be even more so if it were shorter. Does it really need to be 4:40? That's pretty long for a song of this tempo. And the vocals could do with some more punchiness on certain lines, like the ends of each verse... louder harmonies, maybe? Maybe the harmonies shouldn't all be straight octaves? Once again, not a keeper, but close.

schmlurgh — This time I don't mind the loud vocals. Probably because this song is a little more tongue-in-cheek. I like the melody, the tight rhymes, the use of little instrumental punctuation... You remind me of Jim of Seattle. What's with the two songs about dieting and Ho-Hos and stuff? Weird. Keeper. Not in the sense that I'll probably listen a whole lot to it, but well done. Are you Roymond? Keeper.

Technical Difficulties — Clean recording, though the whole song has this quality about it that makes me want to pay attention to other things... Sorry about that, I'm pretty sure it's my fault. The singing is fine, the mix is a bit muddy, but less so than many others this week. It certainly doesn't help that I can't figure out what the hell you're singing about. Oh well.

The Thomas Jeffersons — Oh boy, 5/4 time. The thing about 5/4 is that it's not too horribly uncommon, but uncommon enough that it scares people into looking for a safe way to do it, which means that most people who try a 5/4 song for the first time wind up making it sound just like yours, with the whole ba-DAH ba-DAH DAH DAH cadence. I've done it too. It's been done to death. In your case, it also results in a lot of words being mispronounced to fit the rhythm. Around 0:42, you hit an obvious sour note on the word “try.” There's no way you didn't notice it. Oh well. Better luck next time.

The Weakest Suit — The flanged vocals are a bit much after the music comes in. I like the background vocals. Even though it sounds like they hit the wrong note every time you switch back from IV to I. Good lyrics, though. I'm looking for a bit more variation in the melody, and maybe a stronger hook, but a solid effort. Keeper.

The obvious vote, and probable winner here, is Merisan, with honorable mentions to the keepers. Nice fight, guys!

Oh, and of course, if you think I didn't give you a fair shake, plead your case; I might be tempted to listen again and reconsider.

Reist · Post by **Reist** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 4:54 pm

Generic wrote:Maybe the harmonies shouldn't all be straight octaves?

I'm pretty sure they're only straight octaves in the chorus and prechorus.

JonPorobil · Post by **JonPorobil** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 4:56 pm

And I'm pretty sure I need to listen closer next time. Sorry, good sir!

mkilly · Post by **mkilly** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 1:35 am

I'd just like to say good work on the Arrested Development reference, whoever submitted that band name.