Walking through Shadowy Reviews (In The Valley Reviews)

[EmbersOfAutumn]

Review Thread, tally-ho!

[signboy]

Here's my reviews. Gotta go, I need a tv and more beer.





Adam Adamant- 6/10
Oddly enough, I kinda like this. The drums suck puppy pouch, but with the organ, it has a bit of a "lapdance Is Always Better When The Stripper Is Crying" feel. I really like the synth solo. Like most of my favourite solos, it's nothing spectacular, but it fits the song very well.

Cutiepies- 5/10
I'm digging the trashy bass. Not so much digging the arpeggios. No, wait... The arpeggios fit now that I realize how cutesy the vocal melody is.Good production.

Donkeypunch- 7/10
I'm a bit of a whore for polished electro production values, but the live "raw" feel really helps this song. Good vocal delivery. Thank you for not overdoing the distortion there.

Flvxxvm Florvm- 3/10
I was going to give you a 2, but I really like the chord progressions. This is one of those ones that I'd like to hear covered.


Give Our Regards...- 7/10
Great groove. This feels like one of War's b-sides. I think you might have tried for a bit too much loudness, and distorted the whole thing. The reverb on the solo makes it feel a bit displaced, and gives it a surf feel that just seems wrong in context. The background vocals are great, and the stereo is well placed.

Glennwood- 7/10
This sounds like christian music. There's a bit of distortion when things get loud, perhaps some limiting below 0db would help. Good melody, though, and well written even though I don't personally like it.

The Hand Formula- 3/10
Listen to Adam Adamant's song. I know I'm being a bit of a dink, but this is a bit TOO minimal. You did a good job on the vocals, though. With some harmonies and a bit of instrumental "filling out", this could be a decent song.

i.p.-9/10
Hm. This is distorting too. Maybe I should check MY system. I love the counterpoint going on. The whole thing has a very full feel, without being busy. This is a great "rainy day" song. Vote from me.

Johhny Cashpoint- 7/10
The hi hat is a too loud, and it needs to stop when there's fills & such going on. The organ is a great touch, it completes the retro feel almost as much as the vocal effect at 2:40. I think the lead vocals could be brought a touch more to the front, but other than that, they're pulled off well.

The Kreugen- 2/10
I was SO not prepared for what followed the intro kick&snare. I don't like that. And then to dub? dubbya tee eff, mate? Is that you singing? Why wouldn't you do that all the time? You could be the next Remy Shand. The unrealized potential in this song pisses me off. You can do better.

MC Eric B- 3/10
The music sounds like a casio demo. If you programmed it yourself, good job. If you didn't, that's cheap. The vocals, well...

Melvin- 9/10
I hate entering a fight and then seeing that you did too.

Noah McLaughlin- 6/10
That kick is crazy, but it works in a Sigur Ros kind of way. Maybe a bit too loud in the mix. Or maybe it's that it's panned to the left. That makes it really stick out. Yeah, that's what it is. On speakers it's distracting, on headphones it sucks. No more panning for you if you can't use it responsibly.
The vocals are well performed, and the francais works well with the feel of this song. The instrumentation fades right out of the attention window when you start singing, which (to me) means it did its job perfectly.

Osharenistas- 8/10
Two ukes in one fight! I don't like this at all, but I have to admit that it IS well written, performed, and mixed. Even the lyrics are good. Vote from me.

PiGPEN- 1/10
That synth is brutal. I had to turn this song down, which is what you should have done with the knob labeled "Suck".

Plain Songs For Doves & Tigers- 7/10
That's a really wierd noise at 1:02. Strangely enough, I like that it comes back later. It sounds like a ghost or something;) The vocals... are funny.
What was that guy's name on "The I.T. Crowd" that lived in the closet? If I had never watched that show, I would have liked this song a lot more. Other than having a depressed british goth stuck in my head, this is pretty good. Actually, I like it more each time I hear it.

Rone Rivendale- 2/10
You need ritalin. I laughed at some of the valley girl jokes, but I think you could have laid it on thicker if that's what you were going for.

The 'Scow- 6/10
This has personality. I don't think it would have worked nearly as well if you had used a full band. Are there two singers, or are you pulling a fast one?

Signboy-
It seems masturbatory to review my own self. I will use this spot, however, to thank Kristy Husel for learning how to use Garageband, writing lyrics, and sending the track in less than two hours.

Some Guy Called Noel- 10/10
You make me want to learn to play the guitar. This is great, it sounds a bit hillbilly until you toss in the blue notes. If I had only one vote, it would go to this song.

The Weakest Suit- 7/10
This has potential, but is brought down by the drums and guitar noises. I love the vocals. More the writing than the performance, as it feels a bit restrained, but under the right conditions, this could be absolutely fucking anthemic. Needs to be covered.

William L... hey wait a minute... ha ha hahah ahhahathatsfuckenhilarious-9/20
I know your standpoint on dynamics, so I'm just gonna turn this up and not bitch about that. The low voice saying "in the valley" sounds like we're gonna get some rap. This is good.

[rogerroll]

From least to most favored. (If you'd like me to be a little more specific, let me know, and I'll give it another listen.)

Rone Rivendale - Blegh.

Give Our Regards to the Earth's Core - Didn't grab me at all. Seemed repetitive.

The Weakest Suit - I hate this beat. So much.

The Kruegen - Forgettable.

PiGPEN - Didn't catch my attention.

MC Eric B - Hmm.

Donkeypunch - The mud/poor encoding and time flubs were distracting.

William L Tripowtski and the Tripowtski Players - A little too... Andrew WK.

Adam Adamant - I'm sorry. I got distracted by Miley Cyrus' creepy voice while I was listening.

Glennwood - The melody could be improved a lot if you didn't end every phrase at the same low note, I think.

Noah Mclaughlin - It's different.

Signboy - Didn't catch my attention.

Johnny Cashpoint - Meh...

The 'Scow - Didn't strike me as remarkable, but performed well.

The Hand Formula - Once again endearing. [vote]

SomeGuyCalledNoel - Extremely fine guitar work. [vote]

Flvxxvm Florvm - I would love to hear this without that polka guitar and slowed down a lot. More atmospheric. With maybe a lot of grain silo reverb on the vocals (but with the same tone of voice) a la My Morning Jacket. [vote]

Plain Songs for Doves & Tigers - Really interesting. Textured is a word I want to use. I don't know if it works. But I'm using it. Enjoyed! [vote]

Melvin - Sugary, poppy goodness. [vote]

The Cutie Pies - Reminds me of Stephen Merrit, in every sense, really. Lyrics, melody, vocal performance, and music. Enjoyed. [vote]

i.p. - Is this all live instrumentation? Epic. I think something needs to be done with the vocals. And it would benefit from some fuller strings (like maybe a cello, and replace the bass guitar with a contrabass). But otherwise. I mean. Fucking epic. [vote]

[phetal]

i.p. - Is this all live instrumentation? Epic. I think something needs to be done with the vocals. And it would benefit from some fuller strings (like maybe a cello, and replace the bass guitar with a contrabass). But otherwise. I mean. Fucking epic. [vote]

All live.
Louis Bodin and Benny Caiazza on trumpet.
Miles Schneider on Violin.

The original arrangement included Bass and Bass Clarinet, but due the the time constraints and a weekend obligation, we had to record everything in the last two days, and it would have required perfect luck to get everyone we needed together for that. We got that lucky once already with "Late to a Funeral," so for that to work out again...


Quickie review!
SomeGuyCalledNoel - Great song!
more later...

[MC Eric B]

Adam Adamant - I like the music, but vocals sound a little like a novelty type song, even though I don't think that is what you are going for. Good overall though.

The Cutie Pies - Good dance club type music. I think the vocals are a little too loud in the mix for a dance song though. Very catchy, and good singing by both of you. Great song.

Donkeypunch - The lyrics and your singing go very well with the way the music sets the mood of the song. Great song.

Flvxxvm Florvm - I like your vocals, but the music part is a little boring after a while since it just repeats the same music over and over. The songs needs something added to jump out at the listener, and break up the song.

Give Our Regards To The Earth's Core - I like the background music/drumming/noises and it is well timed with song. The somewhat sophisticated musical arragement seems at odds with the somewhat silly lyrics and the bar/pub type way the song is sung. I am not a bar type person (I don't drink or smoke), so this is not my thing, but still good.

Glennwood - Good song and I like the piano a lot in the background, and I like how you start to wind things down in the last 25% of the song, which keeps it interesting.

The Hand Formula - The production sounds a little amateurish because it seems distant, but I like the melody of the song and the way you sing it. Overall a very good song. It reminds me a little bit of The Honeymoon Song by Everclear (take a listen at http://www.rhapsody.com/everclear/songs ... yrics.html )

i.p. - Pleasant sounding and great instruments, but it needs something in the middle to break up the song to make it less monotonous. It was nice to listen to, but there's nothing about it that I will remember later, other than that it had a trumpet.

Johnny Cashpoint - Good song. Maybe the vocals could have been doubled/overlayed less though, to give it some variety.

The Kruegen - The intro was good, but then led to a totally different sounding song, which was a little odd. The singing is good, and each part of the song is good, but I wish the song was just done as a normal song.

Melvin - Brilliant as usual.

noah mclaughlin - Good singing and good production. I don't know French, so that made it a little boring for me, but this could be a hit in France. I think will do my next song in Latin.

Osharenistas - Great song! I like everything about it.

PiGPEN - The synth should be mixed softer. The drum beat is catchy, but without being able to get into the vocals/lyrics, it was hard to get into the song. Remixed, this could be a good song.

Plain Songs for Doves & Tigers - Nothing wrong with the song, but it just didn't catch my interest personally.

Rone Rivendale - I like your vocals much better in this song as compared to the previous few songs of yours. But, it was hard to hear your lyrics, and since the music was not especially catchy, having funny/good lyrics that I could hear and follow to move the song along would have helped a lot. Overall though the song does a good job of capturing the valley girl feel.

The 'Scow - Unique, funny, and well done.

Signboy - This has the right ingredients, but I am not sure it all came together so great. I would be interested to hear how this would have sounded with a male vocal instead. I think maybe the song is a little too hard rock for the female singer, who sounds more like a singer of slower songs. But, what do I know, I suck at singing and suck at playing instruments. Still a very good song though.

SomeGuyCalledNoel - I like it, although I am not sure why the other reviewers are so crazy over this. I don't play guitar, so I guess I can't appreciate the great guitar playing.

The Weakest Suit - I like the electric guitar parts. Overall the music and mixing sounds a little chaotic, but maybe you intended that. The verses flow well into the chorus, and the chorus sounds distinctive, but I am not sure the notes in the chorus are a good melodic choice, in terms of being catchy. Overall a good song though.

William L Tripowtski and the Tripowtski Players - I like the intro part, and I like how the song is fast moving and frantic, and the deep vocals background singing is nice. Very creative and well done, and different than most of the typical Songfight songs I hear.

[Learned Hand]

Hello & thanks for all the interesting comments, this week & last & awhile back too. I am finding the recording bit rather challenging. Can anyone recommend a good instructional book? I am puzzled & scratching my head.

PS I totally dig Adam Adamant & The Cutie Pies. First reminds me of Of Montreal, second of Heavenly's C is the Heavenly Option. And that's about as complimentary as I get.

[Caravan Ray]

"Would you blame Hootie & the Blowfish because your kids are boring?"
-Marylin Manson

not heard all songs yet - but I love that quote. That is hilarious

just one comment now:

Great job BLT! Awsome production.

Are you writing about Fortitude Valley too! Or is there another "The Valley" somewhere?

Instead of doing seperate things for each others songs (or at least planning to in your case) - we should have actually done this together. Our songs seem to go together like Evie Parts 1 and 3 (we still need a slow Part 2 bit where the chick dies)

[EmbersOfAutumn]

Glennwood- 7/10
This sounds like christian music. There's a bit of distortion when things get loud, perhaps some limiting below 0db would help. Good melody, though, and well written even though I don't personally like it.

I caught some distortion on my work computer as well, but at home, hunky-dorey. There was just a tad of going over the threshold on the chorus, but I cleaned up what I could. Good catch, and thanks for the compliment.

Glennwood - Good song and I like the piano a lot in the background, and I like how you start to wind things down in the last 25% of the song, which keeps it interesting.

Thanks.

(By the by, am I the only one having a problem streaming the songs?)

[EmbersOfAutumn]

In The Valley Reviews

(I do my reviews at work, and recently, due to my old computer crashing, I got a new one. I haven’t done reviews on it yet, but I’ve noticed that, even installing an updated driver, my song I submitted sounds a little blurry, thus this could cause some other songs to do this. If I mention that a song is too echo-y or blurry or anything and it really isn’t, please accept my apologies. It’s what I’m hearing)

Adam Adamant – Alrighty then. First up to bat. Seems the intro is a little long. I like the bass riff, always a sucker for ‘em, personally. The drums are pretty… I guess superficial. I guess that’s the way it is with this genre, but it gets a little boring. And a tad loud in the mix. Specially those hats. I do like that little bridge at 2:25 or so… until the ‘la la la’s come in. 4 of 10.

The Cutie Pies – Shouldn’t I be playing Kirby or something while this is going on? It reminds me of the old HP intro movie that used to play on some of the machines around 1995 – 1998 or so. Vocals harmonize well, but the mixing sounds a little off on the female voice. (See intro note) Whatever sounds like a woodblock in the percussion could come down a little, I think it overtakes in a few places. Otherwise, this is a catchy song. 7 or 10.

Donkeypunch – I like songs that deviate from 4/4 time – 12/8 in this case. I’m liking the song up to the chorus…. That is, I like the guitar riffs in the chorus – it’s talented – but there’s just WAAAYYY too much going on there. I know it probably was what you were going for given the type of song this is, but it just put me off is all… Guitar gets slightly off in parts, but I do it to, so I won’t get too much into that. Drums overpower in the Chorus, I can tell in the second chorus. Again, the guitar is awesome, soft bridge works, too, but not enough to redeem this song past a 3 of 10.

Flvxxvm Florvm – Guitar riff is fine. Especially the ‘Dry Bones’ parts. It, unfortunately, is a little threadbare. Needing some… bass at least, probably some other things, if not for filler, in the background. 4 of 10.

Give Our Regards to the Earth’s Core – Like the band name. The intro is cool. Not keen on the Rancid-esque ‘Hey!’s. Once the verse kicks in, I see that it fits in, though. I like all the things going on in the background (as far as instruments). Guitar riff is nice also. I think it’s clever with all the talking and whatnot, but my language threshold was kinda building up quickly in the second verse. For music, this song is probably a 6 or 7, altogether though, a 4 of 10.

Glennwood – This was us. Glennwood normally isn’t this soft as far as music, but this song kind of evolved into it. As mentioned in the note above, this track is majorly mumbled on my computer here at work. However, everything plays fine at home, so I’m pretty sure it’s a driver problem with the computer or something. The keyboards are really overpowering right now, but they’re not supposed to do that. If they’re still doing that to everyone, let me know and I’ll host the song somewhere and link it here once I’ve verified it’s cleaner. (I have a lot more to say about the song, but I’m not going to bore you all with it)

The Hand Formula – Mix could use a little cleaning up. I’m hearing a buzz on one of the instruments I think…it’s soft, but there. The string hits need to fade instead of just drop after each note. It would add some verisimilitude to the track. As it is, it sounds fakey. Also, wake up before singing. Sounds like you’re kind of mumbling on a few lines. 2 of 10.

i.p. – I like all of the different instruments. Vocals and harmonies are nice… Main vocal should be brought up just a little in the mix. Big fan of trumpets—I like its usage here. In a few places, the background (harmony) vocals delay slightly from the main. This can work, but as slow as this song is, it just makes it sound even more sedating. Violin is a little strong at times as well, but I need to stop picking this apart—it really is nice. I’d just like to hear it tightened up a little on the mix. 7 of 10.

Johnny Cashpoint – Nice intro. Nice delay and distortion on the guitar. I always personally have a problem picking out the right ones. I like this. It’s been said, but yeah, the hat is a little overbearing. There is a lot right with the song, though. 8 of 10.

The Kruegen – Sounds like ‘The Twist’, then it sounds like ‘Beverly Hills Cop’, then it sounds like a Megaman video game… talk about crossing genres quickly. Mix on the vocals a little echo-y (see above note, again). What? Did the song just end? Majorly bad ending there, my friend. 2 of 10.

MC Eric B – Nice little intro there. Vocals need something, reverb or better mixing or something… they just sound so naked. I do have to give some props, Silicon Valley was the first thing that came to my mind when I first saw the song. I like the jazzy bridge. The last note sung (before the ‘in the valley, etc.) wasn’t very successful, but I do like the music. 6 of 10.

Melvin – Drums slightly heavy, especially bass drum, but, once again, may be my sound driver on this comp. Another catchy song, though I’m starting to see some similarities in some of your songs. Not that it’s bad or anything, I’m just saying. You’re songs are always good—I hate to say it, but I almost have to hold you to a higher standard cause of it. 9 of 10. (PS, nice ending chord)

Noah McLaughlin – The guitar is very nice, and the background ambience is a nice touch. Don’t have much to say about it. Slightly repetitive, but it’s nice. 7 of 10.

Osharenistas – Vocals at intro very soft. Nice chord prog. Uke’s a little loud, just slightly… Very catchy though. 8 of 10.

PiGPEN – Hmm, someone watching General Hospital, much? Definitely needs to come down a little (read: a lot), but I like the patterns and the bass. I can’t hear you, which may be good or bad, I’m not sure. Heh, just kidding. It’s redeemable in my opinion. But that keyboard really kills the mood hard. 4 of 10.

Plain Songs for Doves and Tigers – Strings are doing something weird at one point. Guitar needs a little fleshing out with EQ, or reverb, or something. Effort here, possibilities, but the presentation was a little lacking. 4 of 10.

Rone Rivendale – Instrument Pot Pie… not a fan of just ‘throwing things together’. And this… well… that’s how it comes across. Vocals poor also, mixing needed. 1 of 10.

The ‘Scow – Oooh, catchy intro. Vocals are wayyy heavy on bass. EQ that down a little. Guitar licks also seem a tad unsure of what it’s going to be doing. Background vocals are cool. I like the tonal quality of all the instruments—just needs a little more attention to volume mixi… Oh wow that was bass heavy. Yeah, those lead vocals need to come down… Backgrounds too now… I like what this song has potentially. Please clean it up! -- Especially with the background vocal’s voice, kind of sounds like something like this guy. 5 of 10.

Signboy – Nice lick there at the beginning. Little Red Hot Chilli Pepper-ish. I love the lead-out of chorus. This song is very catchy indeed. Vocals seem to ring a little bit (see note at intro of reviews). Heh, kind of a Third Eye Blind effect on the guitar during the bridge. 9 of 10.

SomeGuyCalledNoel – Nice intro. Something in the mix is a little murky. I think vocals should be clearer. But the guitars are very awesome. Has a Spanish guitar / Folk Rock feel to it. Would love to hear it cleaned up in the mixing a little. 8 of 10.

The Weakest Suit – I like coming to your song. You’re like my brother at SongFight—we started around at the same time and have both improved a bit since we’ve started. This song has potential, and I love the distortion guitar. Something is missing. Rhythm guitar I believe could help. Vocals are a tad harsh at times. There’s talent showcased in this song, but needs to have some stuff added and, again, cleaned up (and again, this just could be my sound driver). 5 of 10.

William L. Trapowtski – Huh? Hold the phone… Weakest Suit isn’t the last song this time around on the playlist? Heh, just used to that is all… alphabetical and all… Nice mixing and sound. This is very catchy, and I like it. This is a very ‘get-everyone-going-at-the-concert’ kind of song. Song number one of the Opening Act type deal here… I like the soft guitar on the bridge, followed by that keyboard. I must admit, this would be a runner for the vote when it was one vote per fight. I’d love to see what you and B.L.T. can do together… (If this isn’t him already, heh…) 10 of 10.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Great job BLT! Awsome production.

Are you writing about Fortitude Valley too! Or is there another "The Valley" somewhere?

Instead of doing seperate things for each others songs (or at least planning to in your case) - we should have actually done this together. Our songs seem to go together like Evie Parts 1 and 3 (we still need a slow Part 2 bit where the chick dies)

I was talking about our valley, the San Fernando Valley. The valley is the place to be on a Friday night. In fact, the movie Thank God It's Friday is set in the SFV as well as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, La Bamba, Boogie Nights, Down in the Valley and I think the 40 year old virgin was too. Tons of great clubs and tons to do. I mentioned Burrito King, which is a famous Mexican food stand with a walk up window and it's open all night. They are scattered around Los Angeles. Their every night special was a HUGE carnitas (pork) bean and cheese burrito and Fanta orange soda, for 1 dollar. Basically it's their left over carnitas and beans from that morning that are already starting to spoil so they need to get rid of them so they can start cooking for the new day. Umm Numm num.

And yes, I was thinking the same thing about our parts but couldn't put my finger on it. Evie! LOL.

[Billy's Little Trip]

For those that didn't see my collab thread, this song is pieced together from 16 count clips sent to me that I arranged. Except for the lead vocals, every part in the song is a 16 count clip pieced together. Thanks again to the Tripowtski Players.

William L... hey wait a minute... ha ha hahah ahhahathatsfuckenhilarious-9/20
I know your standpoint on dynamics, so I'm just gonna turn this up and not bitch about that. The low voice saying "in the valley" sounds like we're gonna get some rap. This is good.

That low voice would be one Caravan Ray. And funny you say that, I almost did a rap type thing, but decided it would be too predictable. Thanks SB

William L Tripowtski and the Tripowtski Players - A little too... Andrew WK.

Never heard of him, but he must be crappy. Thanks Rog.

William L Tripowtski and the Tripowtski Players - I like the intro part, and I like how the song is fast moving and frantic, and the deep vocals background singing is nice. Very creative and well done, and different than most of the typical Songfight songs I hear.

Yep, Caravan Ray knows how to bring the drama with his voice. It was hard mixing so many parts without it becoming a mess. I couldn't use them all, but I did magage to use around 15 different clips. Thanks, E

William L. Trapowtski – Huh? Hold the phone… Weakest Suit isn’t the last song this time around on the playlist? Heh, just used to that is all… alphabetical and all… Nice mixing and sound. This is very catchy, and I like it. This is a very ‘get-everyone-going-at-the-concert’ kind of song. Song number one of the Opening Act type deal here… I like the soft guitar on the bridge, followed by that keyboard. I must admit, this would be a runner for the vote when it was one vote per fight. I’d love to see what you and B.L.T. can do together… (If this isn’t him already, heh…) 10 of 10.

Yeah, I wanted to give Weakest Suit a break. What can I say, I'm a giver.
That soft guitar on the bridge is one Jeff Robertson, as well as the chorus riff. Thanks Embers.

I'll get some reviews out later. Some really catchy tunes this week. I really like what J$ did, for starters. A really good rocking groove.

[Steve Durand]

Great job BLT! Awsome production.

Are you writing about Fortitude Valley too! Or is there another "The Valley" somewhere?

Instead of doing seperate things for each others songs (or at least planning to in your case) - we should have actually done this together. Our songs seem to go together like Evie Parts 1 and 3 (we still need a slow Part 2 bit where the chick dies)

I was talking about our valley, the San Fernando Valley. The valley is the place to be on a Friday night. In fact, the movie Thank God It's Friday is set in the SFV as well as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, La Bamba, Boogie Nights, Down in the Valley and I think the 40 year old virgin was too. Tons of great clubs and tons to do. I mentioned Burrito King, which is a famous Mexican food stand with a walk up window and it's open all night. They are scattered around Los Angeles. Their every night special was a HUGE carnitas (pork) bean and cheese burrito and Fanta orange soda, for 1 dollar. Basically it's their left over carnitas and beans from that morning that are already starting to spoil so they need to get rid of them so they can start cooking for the new day. Umm Numm num.

And yes, I was thinking the same thing about our parts but couldn't put my finger on it. Evie! LOL.

It's also the valley that Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl" was about.

[PiGPEN]

PiGPEN- 1/10
That synth is brutal. I had to turn this song down, which is what you should have done with the knob labeled "Suck".

Yeah, my knob has "suck" written all over it.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Great job BLT! Awsome production.

Are you writing about Fortitude Valley too! Or is there another "The Valley" somewhere?

Instead of doing seperate things for each others songs (or at least planning to in your case) - we should have actually done this together. Our songs seem to go together like Evie Parts 1 and 3 (we still need a slow Part 2 bit where the chick dies)

I was talking about our valley, the San Fernando Valley. The valley is the place to be on a Friday night. In fact, the movie Thank God It's Friday is set in the SFV as well as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, La Bamba, Boogie Nights, Down in the Valley and I think the 40 year old virgin was too. Tons of great clubs and tons to do. I mentioned Burrito King, which is a famous Mexican food stand with a walk up window and it's open all night. They are scattered around Los Angeles. Their every night special was a HUGE carnitas (pork) bean and cheese burrito and Fanta orange soda, for 1 dollar. Basically it's their left over carnitas and beans from that morning that are already starting to spoil so they need to get rid of them so they can start cooking for the new day. Umm Numm num.

And yes, I was thinking the same thing about our parts but couldn't put my finger on it. Evie! LOL.

It's also the valley that Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl" was about.

oh yeah, I totally, like, forgot about that. Gag me with a spoon.

[Stu]

The 'Scow - My entry with Mr. Marcus Kellis. The 'Scow is Theophilus Monk minus one member.

Adam Adamant - I'm not a big fan of the drum sound, but considering I've never tried to use any sort of drum sound in anything I've submitted here, I don't have the right to complain. Catchy progression. Pleasant enough song, but not particularly memorable. I wish the "La La" section would've been hookier.

Rone Rivendale - Man, I just don't know what to say here. I've heard some of your stuff, I know you can do better than this.

Johnny Cashpoint - Sounds a bit like Oasis during the intro and verse, which I enjoy. I like the quarter note triplet section. A lot of this is pretty catchy, overall enjoyable. Vote.

The Weakest Suit - The vocal melody is really good, I guess I just wish there was more harmonic interest going on during that part. The guitar sound is very nice. The lack of harmonic interest is made up for by metric interest. Thank you for that!

Flvxxvm Florvm - Nice harmonic shift on the "dry bones" line. At first I didn't like what you were doing with the voice, but I'm really liking it now. I appreciate the static "strings" in the background. I would've liked to hear a big accented hit on that string sound on the last "dry bones" repetition, just to differentiate it a bit from the other statement. Vote.

Osharenistas - Very catchy verse, chorus could use a little work I think. It's pretty different from the verse and I think that threw me off a bit. This kinda reminds me of a Fountains of Wayne song, but I can't think of which one at the moment. Tasteful drumming too, thanks for that. Upon a second listening, I remembered what Fountains of Wayne song this reminded me of. "Mexican Wine" Just in the chorus though. Vote.

Donkeypunch - Oh man, am I about to hear some rock? Nope, it's just kinda muddy. Oh snap, here comes the rock chorus! Thanks for the chorus there, I was worried it was just going to be that repeating guitar line over and over again. Sounds like there was some sort of problem with the drums being on in the mixing. I love this section where it gets lighter where it's talking about things getting better. Then the kick back into the heavy chorus again was sweet. I'll vote it!

Signboy - The intro gave me a bit of flavor of that Savage Garden song "I Want You." I think it was just the guitar tone. The vocal line in the verse sounds a bit like "Man In The Box" by Alice in Chains. The chorus doesn't quite bring the song home like I was hoping it would, but it's still a pretty good chorus. I wish the chorus would've followed a bit more of what it was doing for the first four bars instead of doing that repeated F# to E progression. Very good production. I feel like production quality is valued over songwriting a lot in songfight, so this will probably get a lot of votes. To me, this song is average, but the production is top notch.

The Cutie Pies - Anyone who knows me knows that anything remotely techno sounding doesn't do it for me at all. It does sound like a pretty cute song though, maybe if this were stripped down to something a little more acoustic, I would like it more.

Glennwood - I felt like there should've been a harmonic shift after the 4th bar after the voice comes in, right where the drums come in. And again where it says "still they fall." It finally does change during the B section, and that part is catchy and I like it. The piano has a very cool riff going on during that section. I like how there is a bit of a pause whenever you say "still" at the end of each four bar section in the verse.

i.p. - Great harmonies, and live strings and trumpet? Excellent. There's a fair amount of metric change too, which adds a lot of fun. Overall the song is a little boring though. There isn't a lot of harmonic variety, just things added on top to give the impression of variety. The musicianship is superb though, and I appreciate that. I'll give it a vote, but I do wish there was more development of the song. It just kinda puts me in a trance.

Melvin - Once again, your production is spot on and musicianship is also top notch. I don't think this is one of your better songs though. But your middle of the road songs are still better than 90% of what I put out. Parts of it are very catchy though, like the repeated "Oh Oh" part. Flutes? Really? I'm gonna go ahead and assume those aren't real flutes, but I really think that's cool. Overall very catchy and probably a winner. Vote.

SomeGuyCalledNoel - Nice guitar playing. Song is okay, though not particularly interesting. Ooo, I love this shift on the "cast your line" section near the end. I wish I'd heard a bit more harmonic change before that though. The guitar moves quickly enough though to keep your interest for a lot of the song, though not all of it.

The Hand Formula - This is a cute, catchy song. A bit repetitive, and could be pretty good if fleshed out a bit. It really needs more than just that same chord progression throughout.

Give Our Regards To The Earth's Core - I don't comment on lyrics for the most part because I think they pretty much don't matter, except if they're taking away from the song, which is what happens here. The musicianship is pretty awesome though, great lead guitar tone. I know the raucous drunk street punk thing is what you were going for, but I guess it's not working for me.

noah mclaughlin - The arrangement sounds like a song of war. I don't know french at all so it may very well be about that. The harmony is a bit static though, which makes it a little too boring for me.

The Kruegen - This keyboard patch sounds like the sound on the very first keyboard I ever owned. That brings me back. Haha, this reggae switch is awesome. I wish I could vote for this based on how it made me laugh in a good way, but I just can't. I wish the reggae part had been the whole song. Is that a sample?

William L Tripowtski and the Tripowtski Players - Holy crap this rocks. I can't really think of anything much negative to say about this tune. Everything seems to fit where it should. Love the rock organ. The vocals could be a little better, but who really cares? Excellent stuff Billy. Vote.

Plain Songs for Doves & Tigers - Fairly complex harmonic structure. Someone else mentioned Of Montreal, and I can hear that too. The violin is nice, but that squeaky synth sound is kinda pulling me out of the feel of the song. Pretty good tune though.

PiGPEN - Man that synth is loud. I'm listening to this on headphones and it's kinda blowing my left ear out. The song doesn't sound too bad though, I just really have to try hard to block out the synth. This would probably be way better without it, straight up. I got about halfway through when I thought it was wrapping up, but then I looked to see how much was left, and I was like "Man, how could this be expanded more to warrant doubling the time I've already listened to it?" The answer: It didn't. Just did the same thing for the rest of the time. Song would be way better without synth and if it were cut in half.

MC Eric B - The bluesy breakdown thing is probably the only part of this song I really enjoyed. That part was really well done. When you repeat "in the valley" over and over again, it's really grating and not very catchy at all. Maybe it would be better if it traded phrases back with background singers in harmony. Something like "In the valley (something something) In the valley (yada yada)" Etc. I hope that makes sense.

[j$]

WAIL.


Adam Adamant – your voice reminds me of Dan Treacy, (although obviously musically there’s not much in common). This has a certain charm, especially in the wavery vocal, but when you sing ‘we have nothing to say’ halfway through the song I have to admit it did ellict the response ‘no sh*t sherlock’. I do quite like this but two things – firstly the mix is odd for most of the first half of the song, and then gets reasonable towards the end. The keyboard at the start needs to come up a lot. Secondly, the Lalalas is not very catchy, and certainly not catchy enough for double-tracking. All that said, not bad at all.

Cutie Pies – great dance track, nice clear mix, very FB. Voices harmonise very sweetly. I like this, although lyrically it doesn’t really engage me all that much. Perhaps it’s just a little too knowingly twee for my tastes. Why would dad have the blankets, especially, and couldn’t you just ask him for them, rather than resorting to crime? I dunno – good song.

Donkeypunch – good name for a band. The drums are good on this, well recorded (though perhaps a little less reverb on the snare?) Nice tones all round, actually. The vocal is clear and confident, though a little over-performed at times for my personal tastes (though I do like the way you sound disgusted on ‘tall buildings’). Also like the staggering, lurching nature of the song structure – the looseness lends a certain loucheness to it that is not unwelcome. When it goes all break-down chat-tastic I lose interest as the spoken word sounds acted – it jerks me out of the mood of the song hearing the vocalist trying to sound tough but failing!

Fluxxm Floride – Why dry bones especially? As opposed to wet ones? Drunk ones? This is nice and simple and the swelling drone keyboard is a nice touch. The vocal falls somewhere between Waits & Cash. Doesn’t outstay its welcome. Yeah, fine, though I wouldn’t rush to play it again – as it doesn’t really develop anywhere. It just starts at a pace and carries on through the end. Though it's not like I couldn't be accused of the same thing.

Give My Regards To Caravan Ray – I like the music – particularly the sliding bass. It’s got a great feel to it. Vaguely Spanish meets Rolling Stones. But the vocals are so (deliberately?) raw and clippy distorto on the ear, and the lyric content (aggressive drunk on a Friday night) so uninviting without any of the punning I have come to expect from your good self, it turns me off. I am all for arbitrary swearing, but the contrast between the music and the lyric is jarring, without any obvious meriticious result and kind of turns me off the song.

Glenwood – Ah pretty stuff. Not my end of the listening spectrum at all but undeniably good in a college MOR way, well performed and recorded. Not much to say other than that. I like the piano fills a lot. Gentle voice is warming my black, black heart. Summery.

The Hand Agenda – Is that name a wanking metaphor? I digress. I think there’s a really great song here – I like the fragile quality of the music and your voice sounds really sweet under all the static. I could almost justify the background hiss and piss by saying it sounds like it was being broadcast from a valley but I imagine it’s cheap recording software. No biggy. However I can barely hear it – could do with some mastering. It’s a little repetitive as I can't make most of the words (except for ‘penny lane’ bizarrely) without aurally squinting, which I don’t for anyone unless there’s some hand agenda in it for me afterwards.

I.P. I am a sucker for the stringwerk and the beautiful trumpets. The lyric kind of passes me by – it’s just a little ‘whatever’ and I wish it picked up in the second half of the song in terms of something driving it to a crescendo, ‘cos it just kind of wistfully scampers across my mind’s valley and disappears into the mist. But undeniably pretty, and if I was super depressed or hung-over I might reach for this and lie back contemplating the mysteries of my universe.

Johnny Cashpoint – would be me. This one is for my friend Jamie. Don’t go to Spain!

Snake Sheep Whatever – I think the track is fun enough – and it’s suitably short and sloppy. I wouldn’t listen to it a lot, or a lot of it, though.

MC Eric B – novelty rap (nerdcore or otherwise) is not my bag at all, I’m afraid. The casio backing track is too quiet and the vocal needs something (compressing, re-record to make it tighter, maybe examine the lyric and tighten up the rhythm?) I can tell you’ve gone to some effort with the words but it's still not really appealing to me.

Melvin – Not my bag, natch. Clearly well done, pretty enough. A little bit moany/phoned in on the lyric. Nice backing vocals. The oh oh ohs are a bit square to the rhythm perhaps. Hey I listened to it all the way through, what more do you want from me?

Noah – I haven’t heard a song of your for a while. Nicely done on the recording! Much improved on previous efforts (that I recall). Ummm, it’s got a slight Leonard Cohen feel to it (in that it’s in French, acoustic sad ballad, ever so slightly portentous ). There’s maybe not enough variation between the sections? The organ could be turned up in the mix a fair amount – that might fix the problem. Just a thought. Yes, so very pleasant listening experience, probably a little long for what's there.

Osharentinas – Heh I like this one. Uke is a winner (or is it a mandolin? Any road up). Like all the voices on this, cutesy and sweet. Song has a very nice evolution, subtle and effecting. Slightly nostalgic feel which though not my thang I can enjoy. The bass tone on this is so smooth! What can I say? It’s a little slow for me, but given that the title seems to have brought out the ‘shiny happy relaxing in the sun’ moods in most entrants, I can forgive that.

PigPEN – the constituent elements of this are pretty good actually. I like the piano and the synth (but turn that mother DOWN, don’t pan it so hard, and also break it up a little bit – interludes would reduce the relentless quality that currently puts me off wanting to listen to the end) I like the attempt to come up with a catchy chorus to hit up against the rapping but it was way off-key. Get someone else in to do it if you’re not comfortable with it. Or sing it then work out which key you’re actually in and write the chords to fit that. It’s not that you’re all over the place tune-wise, it’s just the song and the vocal are in two different, clashing keys. The rapping, which doesn’t sound too bad at all, should be louder in the mix. I like the rhythm of the vocal although it reminds me of something else which won’t come to mind …

Doves & Tigers – nice folky track – I like the ‘stuck in the middle’ style rhythm on the rhythm guitar and the violin is great. Some really interesting chords going on here and the arrangement works. I like the little bursts of incongruous bleeps that emerge. My problem (and I have said it before) is I just don’t like the vocal style at all. It’s far too labored / affected. No doubt that’s just the way you sing and I am not saying change it, unless you desperately want me as a huge fan, which would be a mixed blessing anyway.

Rone Rivendale – I really am over being mean to people who obviously try their best but sadly this song is rubbish and you rap like a gimp. That’s the nasty bit out of the way. Weirdly the very badly played guitar could have accidentally created some good avant-jazz had the rest of the track backed it up. That’s the kind bit out of the way.

The ‘Scow – MK, right? I couldn’t really mistake that vocal, I ‘sppse. Acoustic could come up a little and the vocal is possibly a bit loud – I would slide the two together more, and hi-pass the vocal to take some of the resonance out of it, but that would be the death of its character. Hmmm I don’t think the two voices work that well together – they are both fine, it’s just too much of a leap from baritone to some kind of alto for these ears. Still it’s pleasant listen (tho’ a tad long – trim at least a minute somewhere)

Signboy – Another one of those ‘not my thing but undeniably good’ tracks. I like the female vocal – the guitar riffing / shredding / whatever it’s called (!) is well played but a little standard to these untrained ears. It’s certainly demanding of attention but it’s a little too metal / gothy / Castle Donnington for me ... despite these caveats, it's a good song.

Some Guy Called Noel – fingerpickin’! Have you sped this up or do you really play that fast? If it’s the latter I see retarded hillbillies coming over the hill… the recording is a little rough but the melody is cool (vocals louder please! The guitar is swamping their space a little in the mix) The mix issues, the rough edges to the recording and most importantly the lack of variation stop this really winning me over completely but it’s a good little tune.

The Weakest Suit – cool guitar tone. The vocal is too far back in the mix if you want it to act as a ‘lead’ – in fact the mix and the repetition in the drum machine programming stop this being the get-down-and-groove funky dance metal song that I think it wants to be. Seems well enough played and performed but I’m all but done listening by 2.02 which is a shame because it should make me leap around the room and it comes across flat. Also the final chorus fade goes on a little long

WLT – Yeah, that’s cool in a rawk 'stepping stone' way. The chords are a bit basic but there is a nice swooping edge to the melody line and the ‘ahhs’ work well. Nothing especially outstanding lyrically but it got’s me tapping my foot so that’s a good sign. Coming where it does in the stream probably means I am less well inclined towards any artist after ‘M’ anyway. Cute little breakdown that does what it needs to do then scarpers. Probably should have sat down at 3 minutes-ish but it’s definitely a good'un.

j$

[rone rivendale]

Rone Rivendale - Man, I just don't know what to say here. I've heard some of your stuff, I know you can do better than this.

I agree. I knew when I entered it that it wasn't my best. But not every song can be the 'best' one you've ever done. And it's not my worst either. I'd say middle of the road.

[Billy's Little Trip]

But not every song can be the 'best' one you've ever done. And it's not my worst either.

There's worse? j/k

[rone rivendale]

Are you kidding me?

Go to my page on the archive and look up Left At the Mortuary or Galaxies Floating on a Dark Matter Stream. There are more epic failures but those are 2 good examples.

[Märk]

Donkeypunch – good name for a band. The drums are good on this, well recorded (though perhaps a little less reverb on the snare?) Nice tones all round, actually. The vocal is clear and confident, though a little over-performed at times for my personal tastes (though I do like the way you sound disgusted on ‘tall buildings’). Also like the staggering, lurching nature of the song structure – the looseness lends a certain loucheness to it that is not unwelcome. When it goes all break-down chat-tastic I lose interest as the spoken word sounds acted – it jerks me out of the mood of the song hearing the vocalist trying to sound tough but failing!

What, no "THIS SOUNDS LIKE MATTHEW SWEET!"?
The spoken word part was supposed to be me on the telephone with a concerned person. Not trying to sound 'tough'. The drums are Eric Y (aka. 'the voice inside your head') and his timing was a bit off in parts, but whatever, it's just songfight. I mixed/mastered this horribly.

I'll do reviews soon. Too tired atm.

[nyjm]

Donkeypunch
/// sounds more like smashing pumpkins than matthew sweet ///
+++ looseness gives it a live feel +++
--- threadbare sarcasm of the telephone bridge ---

Adam Adamant
--- casio pop bores more ---
+++ "lalalalala" +++
+++ the vignette of the lyrics +++

Tripowski et al.
/// BLT does Caravan Ray? ///
+++ great pop groove +++
--- superfluous solo --- [full disclosure: i'm guilty of my faire share of these]
/// the bridge/solo/breakdown section does too much; the whole song should have the punch of the ending ///

Signboy
+++ guitar riff à la garbage +++
/// vox melody borrowed from Alice in Chains ///
--- i love fem vox, but this needs more snarl ---
+++ overall production excellence +++

The Kruegen
--- c.f. Adam Adamant review for my general opinion of casio pop ---
/// 1:00 - there's a change... ///
--- pointless mash-up ---

Osharenistas [vote]
+++ dynamic and harmonic arrangement +++
+++ lyric imagery +++
+++ anti-chorus ("lalalalala") +++

Give Our Regards to the Earth's Core [vote]
+++ bass riff +++
+++ percussion groove and "heys!" +++
/// choral interjections make this as much a soundscape as a song ///

noah mclaughlin (me)
+++ a solid song that plays its role well in my latest album swim for shore +++
/shameless plug
--- i'm still not sure about the vox harmony on the first verse, despite recorded that part a dozen times ---
/// lyrics are the French translation of Psalm 23; here's an English version ///

PiGPEN
--- organ WAY TOO LOUD ---
--- uninspired ---

i.p.
+++ arrangement reminds me of Revelling/Reckoning-era Ani Difranco +++
/// pretty but mopey ///

Melvin
+++ consistent, solid pop music +++
--- lyrics like "all we need is love," "rather die on my feet than live on my knees" ---
--- guitar and general groove gets a little samey ---

Some Guy Called Noel
/// good Guy 'n Guitar, but falls to pitfalls of the genre: needs to be more dynamic ///
+++ good solos: technically impressive, short and too the point +++
--- vox are drowned by the guitar ---

J$ [vote]
--- too loud high-hat ---
+++ guit tone and organ +++
+++ lyrics +++

Rone Rivendale
--- poor imitation of Dead Milkmen ---

The 'Scow
+++ fun guit riff +++
--- off-key vox ---
--- meandering and seemingly nonsensical lyrics ---

The Cutie Pies
+++ M/F duet +++
+++ fun lyrics/story +++
--- music is nothing new ---

MC Eric B
--- Ross Durand or Hostess Mostess have done this kind of thing better ---
--- singing ---
+++ neat take on the title +++

The Hand Formula
--- white noise hiss ---
+++ melody +++
/// gets in a gets out, but still almost overstays its welcome ///

Glennwood
/// maybe its my hardware, but the full instrumentation gets close to clipping and the bass definitely resounds too strong in the mix ///
+++ recorded live? sounds it at least, which makes the arrangement impressive +++
--- some instruments seem out of tune ---

Plain Songs for Doves and Tigers
+++ instrumentation +++
+++ strange mix of Leonard Cohen and Johnny Cash +++
+++ no vote but downloaded for the "strange songs" file +++

The Weakest Suit
--- singing ---
/// is that Hammerhead? ///
+++ chorus explosion +++

Flvxxvm Florvm
+++ minimalist and creepy +++
+++ like PSDT, downloaded on principle +++

[PiGPEN]

Why is everyone saying my song is too loud? You know you can turn it down right? ...well you can if youre a vagina.