Nur Ein III Round One "Sleepwalking"

[jb]

I'm starting to hate all technology.

This M-Audio Firewire 410 and it's f-ing BUGGY drivers is going back to the goddamn store. Every time I restart my computer the drivers stop recognizing the 410 and I have to reinstall the drivers, which involves not one, not two, but THREE installation procedures.

And the sound just doesn't compare to my Delta 66. I think I may just go back to it and find a different way to get MIDI in.

And one of my monitors just up and quit on me today. Just turned white. Doesn't even give the ACER startup logo, which means the hardware is most likely fried.

I'm cursed.

[ujnhunter]

My Lexicon Omega was flaking out on me... It's a hardware problem but it would disconnect and ask to install Hardware drivers constantly... but I just bought a Tascam FireOne from musicians friend for $149 w/ $15 rebate & free BBE Sonic Maximizer plugin... and I recorded my Round One NE with it... it's pretty spiffy... it's only got 2 Inputs but it has Midi in and out as well... might be worth a look...

[Reist]

the Nein thread sounds cool... people who get cut can still have fun making songs...

I don't like the idea. Then when you're cut, it's not like you're actually cut. It seems more like a feel-good thing, whereas Nur Ein is supposed to be harsh and brutal. If you write songs for later rounds and you're no longer in Nur Ein, I don't want to see them posted anywhere near the Nur Ein threads - because then there's no reason to remain in the competition.

[Niveous]

All the songs have been posted in the first post and at nur-ein.livejournal.com

[Märk]

Haha! Reading through the lyric thread, quite a few people have "Don't wake me up" in their song. (including me)

Just an observation.

[king_arthur]

All the songs have been posted in the first post and at nur-ein.livejournal.com

1. It looks like there are only 23 songs posted. Are we still going to eliminate five, or just enough to get us down to 20?

2. If I go through and crop / pad / resize the band photos so that they all display properly in a square format, would you update them on the site? Sorry, but badly out-of-aspect photos make me crazy (as does watching a hi-def TV where the broadcast TV picture has just been stretched wide).

Thanks,
Charles (KA)

[Caravan Ray]

Yeah, but what of jb, hoblit, fbf, eoa, and blt? Dang, that's five.

All recorded farts entered go through to Round 2!

[Niveous]

1. It looks like there are only 23 songs posted. Are we still going to eliminate five, or just enough to get us down to 20?

2. If I go through and crop / pad / resize the band photos so that they all display properly in a square format, would you update them on the site? Sorry, but badly out-of-aspect photos make me crazy (as does watching a hi-def TV where the broadcast TV picture has just been stretched wide).

1. EoA and Hoblit are eliminated in absentia. 3 more eliminations to come.
2. Badly sized pics are a staple of the Nur Ein, but if you wanna resize them all, I'll post them.

[GlennCase]

In the meantime, please to enjoy this STREAM ALL.

I don't know about y'all, but I am going to try to unlock some more things on Mario Kart Wii while listening to this new batch of songs.

ROCK!

Glenn Case

[Spud]

Yeah, but what of jb, hoblit, fbf, eoa, and blt? Dang, that's five.

All recorded farts entered go through to Round 2!

Apparently not. It seems that he just hadn't uploaded a couple of those yet. That's what I get for fence-poking.

[Spud]

I have burned the songs onto a CD an listened to the whole thing, and the only thing I can say is this: HOLY SHIT.

note to JB: we gotta start a label.

[Rabid Garfunkel]

Special thanks (but no special preference) to Cara... errr, Tex Beaumont et al, for making my neighbor laugh.

You see, I was mowing the knee-high strip of lawn, in the rain, with a push mower, when she and her man pulled up while that little bit o' loud-ass techno had me prancing at running speed through the leafy carnage.

Sometimes I wonder what the neighbors think of me. Sometimes, heh.

[Märk]

I'm with Spud here, pretty much everything here is blowing my mind.
Good job, everyone. I see this is not going to be an easy battle

[MintyHandy]

Here is the Nein thread. Now I'm gonna go listen to the round one entries.

Hey Reist, what do you care if it makes people feel good to write songs against Nur Ein titles/challenges and share them, for whatever reason? You got something against happiness? It's not like I'm asking for a "My son is songwriter-of-the-month at SongFight" bumper sticker...

[bck15]

I'm with Spud here, pretty much everything here is blowing my mind.
Good job, everyone. I see this is not going to be an easy battle

Agreed. Very impressive, and I've really only listened to them all once.

[frankie big face]

This week, I'm only saying nice stuff and leaving out the nitpicking. I mean, christ, you all wrote and recorded a song in, like, five days! Be proud!!

15-16 Puzzle - Awww.....you turned your song into a Mother's Day card! That's sweet. Nice job, brola.

Adam Adamant - I like the spare instrumentation and the bouncy chorus. Catchy, and not like this nasty cold I now have.

ADD - another bouncy piano, but tempered with some sweet guitar and nice fake cello. You are a master of layering simple parts on top of each other to create a nice open-air pop arrangement. It's like that really nice salad I get at Cosi. Every bite has something different. And good stuff too, like pistachios, dried cherries, pears and gorgonzola. Good song too.

Reist - So you play all these instruments, right? That's pretty awesome. Those guitar have that late-period Alex Lifeson sound to them. Just try not to get up on stage in a Florida bar, okay? That never ends well. Anyway, I'm impressed by your musicianship and you have some impressive wailing going on in the vocal track this week.

BLT - Come together right now! Ooh, I like that change from the verse to the chorus. Total change in feel, but you held the tempo right in check. I'm so terrible at writing riffs and you've got two really good ones right here in a single song!

BK - Every time I write your initials, I think a Whopper. This song reminds me of Steve Earle a bit. I love the organ in the background--that's a great touch. I always enjoy your guitar playing. I know it's not as easy as you make it sound.

Cock - This is so stark and cold and sterile. Nice atmosphere. I especially like the synth bassoon at the end.

FBF - That's me, deconstructing Mahler's 8th Symphony for my own gain. Shameful, really. It's a tad slower than I'd like it to be and there are about a dozen things I'd like to have fixed, but I either didn't have the skill or the time. But there are parts I like too, like the crazy dissonant (near-)crescendo at the end. By the way, if you're interested in the original Mahler, it's available on iTunes here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSt ... 4&s=143441 (Track 7 - Album Only, I'm afraid)

Glenn and Rachael - Wow. I really like this song. The falsetto part is gorgeous and the progression coming out of that section is sweet. As with many of your songs, it reminds me of the best things about Todd Rundgren.

Jim Tyrell - Good idea, nicely executed. I would have enjoyed a nice Chuck Berry-ish guitar solo in the middle, but you know, Chuck Berry's hard to get a hold of on short notice.

JBB - Nice guitar lick. Uh oh, the cello has come out, the cello has come out--he is serious. This is old-skool JBB. You should have asked me about the M-Audio 1410(?)--I knew knew you wouldn't like it, though the driver issue is puzzling. The cello sound great on this track and your chorus vox are well-executed and mixed.

Ken - I love the synth arpeggios on the chorus. Good backing vox too. This has a nice Wallflowers vibe to it. Good crescendo, too. Ever-so-slight nitpick (sorry): A bridge would really make this tune.

King Arthur - Hey, that's a DEcrescendo! No fair! Great lyrics. And super-nice characteristic guitar licks. Great pop.

Lord of Oats - Why were you in the hospital again? No, I'm just kidding. This is obviously weird, but I can appreciate the experiment. Good kazoo and guitar solos.

MC Eric B - I like the sentiment of this song.

Octothorpe - True story? I hope so--that would be fun. Clever/cute lyrics.

Paco del Stinko - You misspelled shepherd (wait, that's nitpicking!) I like the arrangement--sounds like a children's song. Vocal delivery is perfect for the style. And the ending is very effective.

Ross Druand - Heh--verse reminds me of that Icicle Works song I liked so much as a kid. Catchy chorus with some clever lyrics. And a crescendo that would make U2 proud!

Sausage Boy - I like the energy of this track and the chord progression. And the ending with the crazy vox. I would call that more of a subito fortissimo, however. (Nitpicking!)

Starfinger - Funky! As always, interesting and ambitious vocal melodies. Nice collection of sounds.

Sven Mullet - "Tom Cruise is gaaaay. Sleepwalking!" Nah, I'm just kidding. I really enjoy your voice and it sounds great on this track. Nice sleep-still-in-your-eyes ambiance. Your chorus melody sounds exactly like this Vapors song I used to enjoy. "Don't leave me, don't leave me, Don't leave me now/I'll make it up to you somehow." I'm sure I'm the only person who knows the song--they weren't exactly popular.

Tex Beaumont - Good backing tracks! Fun!!

Worldy Self-Assurance - This is so different from your last track. I am intrigued. This is very chill and sleepy--nice concept. I like this one a lot.

Goodbye Hoblit and Embers of Autumn--we will miss you.

[Spud]

Octothorpe - True story? I hope so--that would be fun. Clever/cute lyrics.

95% true. I had to make up "it's got me by the knees" in order to rhyme with Chinese. But the rest is God's honest truth.

SPUD

[Reist]

Here is the Nein thread. Now I'm gonna go listen to the round one entries.

Hey Reist, what do you care if it makes people feel good to write songs against Nur Ein titles/challenges and share them, for whatever reason? You got something against happiness? It's not like I'm asking for a "My son is songwriter-of-the-month at SongFight" bumper sticker...

I read this after I saw the other thread. You can read my other comment, or you can read this.

It's not a competition if those who are eliminated continue to participate. That's just how I see it. I don't care if you want to write them for yourself, but don't act like your song is part of Nur Ein, because it isn't. It just has the same title.

Maybe I just care too much. If my opinions bother you, sorry - I just don't like the idea of it all.

[obscurity]

Where is anyone acting like the 'nein' songs are part of nur ein?

#include <what-frankie-said-in-the-other-thread>

[Nigel (spOOn) Clements]

"My son is songwriter-of-the-month at SongFight" bumper sticker...

Can I get one of those....

[Ross]

Ross Druand - Heh--verse reminds me of that Icicle Works song I liked so much as a kid. Catchy chorus with some clever lyrics. And a crescendo that would make U2 proud!

I'm gonna go ahead and take all of that as compliments. Icicle Works were cool.

Thanks for the review, I'm hoping to have some up by the end of tomorrow.

[Billy's Little Trip]

"My son is songwriter-of-the-month at SongFight" bumper sticker...

Can I get one of those....

HA! Firsts thing I thought too. I would SO sport one of those bumper stickers on my gas hog.