It's just across the Bay (City in Fog reviews)

[EmbersOfAutumn]

Embers of Autumn -- I think the low MP3 bitrate (or something else in your signal path) hurts that guitar sound a lot.

Bingo. I actually re-read the rules for submission for the first time in a year, and the SongMaster recommended 128-bit for keeping the files at a manageable size. However, I recorded in 192. I think the reduction of bit-rate after recording everything hurt the production value.

[jast]

Jan Krueger – An Etheral Old-School Linkin Park feel... Vocal harmonization is pretty good—I can't tell how much is done live and how much is synthesized.

I can clear that right up for you. The only purely synthetic tracks in this are the bass, the piano and the drums. Everything else is sung. Vocals without words are all live, lead is live in verses (except for the last two lines of each) and choruses (except parts of the last one). Remaining vocals backing up the lead are aggressively pitch-locked, as are the things mentioned as exceptions. If you care you can listen to what it would have sounded like without any synthetic elements whatsoever (not counting delay, reverb and EQ), here.

I actually re-read the rules for submission for the first time in a year, and the SongMaster recommended 128-bit for keeping the files at a manageable size.

We had a thread about this the other day; the conclusion was that it's not really that important anymore. My submissions are all 192 kbps (except the first one where I went a bit overboard).

[coder_lyte()]

Adam Adamant - Was a little too thin, not a good melody, and the synths just don't sound very good.

Berkeley Social Scene - Pretty enjoyable, with a good rhythm. The guitar solo probably had too much reverb though.

Big Crouton - You're stuff is always a treat; never know what to expect. I love the solo, just not so much the death metal parts. Oh, and Hail Satan.

The Chadderandom Abyss - What's it missing? Rhythm, harmony, timing, chords, song structure. Anyway.

Cobalt Stomach - Scatological humor does have its limits. The song's not a turd, but It was just a little too repeditive and didn't have enough rhythm.

coder_lyte() - Way too much synth, I know. Video game music is my biggest influence, as some have picked up on. I'm going to have guitar in my songs from now on, but I just didn't have time to get any in this one. This was my first time working with vocals, and I'm still struggling with mastering. The quality turned out sounding much worse than I'd expected.

Elaine DiMasi - Pretty good overall. I like the rhythm especially in the opening. The constant hi hat seemed a little odd when it came in, and something was clashing in the second part.

Embers of Autumn - Great rhythm guitar, and a good overall sound. The singing just get too forced in the later parts.

The Hand Formula - Pretty much the same as The Chadderandom Abyss

Hans Gruber: Ultimate Villain - Very good sound. The drums are a little too sparse, and it seemed to be missing something crucial until the solo.

Heine - Can't say anything bad about the music, even though it's not a style that I usually enjoy. I just couldn't dig on the lyrics.

Howl Down the Chimney - I kind of love this. Very weird.

Jk Chrvt - This is really good. Hard to believe he's just 13. The vocals need some work, but I'm sure that'll change when his voice does. The lead guitar in the second chorus is a little too prominent (it covers up the vocals too much) and could probably use a little reverb. The rest of the Guitar playing is great.

Manatee Matinee - Seizure inducing.

MC Eric B - I could really get into the ragtime if there was more accompaniment. Pretty awesome lyrics.

MC Paul Denyer - I don't really like sampling of other songs, especially when it's repetitive.

Melvin - Pretty awesome.

Naked Philosophy - the beginning of the intro was lacking something, but then it came in with a great rhythm in the intro and chorus.

Paco del Stinko - I would love to hear more Spanish accompaniment in this. Quite good though.

Quimby - I Like the harmony with the guitar. I just can't get too into songs with only guitar though.

Ross Durand - Great guitar playing as usual. If it had some more blues style accompaniment it would be awesome.

Slats - The first half of seemed a little bland, but it picks up. I think the shaker was too loud. But a great listen.

Terra Sula - What's there is great but it does need more. Amazing singing.

Todd McHatton - Great sound and rhythm, but the loud vocal harmony and very constant tone get a little old.

Transatlantic Fight Club - It's too murky without any stereo separation or distinct sounds. I can't really make out any rhythm.

Vaterunse - The vocals are too low and there's not enough accompaniment.

The Weakest Suit - Sorry, nothing but guitar.

Weta T-Shirt - Too much echo on the vocals, and it is missing something. Otherwise this could be really good.

[melvin]

Fight long. Reviews short. One sentence with numeric value.

Adam: Too random. 4/10

BSS: Very catchy with mood-lifting potential. 9/10

Big C: Fascinating and brilliant. 10/10

Chadderandom: Total crap. 0/10

Cobalt: Great music with awful vocals. 4/10

Coderlyte: Weird. 4/10

Elaine: Boy chaser is loose but still kind of pleasing. 7/10

Embers: Nice vibe but chorus needs some work. 6/10

Hand: Hopefully this is just a phase for you. 3/10

Hans: Great groove but not loving the melody and getting a little bored. 7/10

Heine: 40-year old virgin forms a halfway decent band. 5/10

HDTC: Charming tune with great playing and instruments that sound like they were recorded in an underground parking garage. 8/10

JK: Impressive vocal layering but song not very appealing to me. 6/10

Jeff Hendo: Bittersweet awesomeness with a pure pop centre. 9/10

Slats Jr.: Lyrics/vocals are boy genius, music is just good kid. 7/10

MM: Garbage. 0/10

MCeB: Misses the mark relative to previous entries of yours. 5/10

MC PD: Can’t believe how good this is in every possible way. 10/10

Melvin: THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO NOTICED AND COMMENTED ON MY 100TH ENTRY... I really love Songfight and all of you wonderful people! Hoping to finally meet some of you in San Fran in the new year. 80/100

Naked: Brilliant and disastrous at almost the exact same time. 8/10

Paco: Pass the bong. 8/10

Quimby: Same great voice, way better song this week. 7/10

R. Durand: Not nuts about the soloing, but the rest sounds real (even though I’m pretty sure you’re not really that blue). 7/10

Slats: Nice progression/melody, and dig the super-saturated lead tone. 7/10

Terrasula: Your voice could sell 70 million records. 8/10

Tad: Outstanding (but still over-compressed). 9/10

TFC: Lovely song hindered only by a grating and persistent hi-mid guitar sound. 7/10

Varerunser: Too few ideas, too much time. 3/10

Weakest Suit: Amusing if abbreviated lyrics. 4/10

Weta: Was Wellington Vice a popular show down there? 8/10

[Heine]

Hi to everyone, this is my first review.


Ross Durand - Cool sound of solo guitar, reminding me of early Stones‘ Time is on my side.

Quimby - Like this song, very strong melodies and vocals.

Adam Adamant - Simple but nice intro, maybe a spark of Kraftwerk?

Manatee Matinee - Sorry, could not get into it.

Hans Gruber - Cool! Definitely one of my favorites. Unusual melody hooks, the way I like. (Maybe samples from Chaka Khan?)

Hand Formular - Don't know why I had to think about Syd Barrett...

Slats - Just good music - would like to listen to it while riding in my car (maybe on a foggy highway.) The color of the voice is something to remember.

Jk Chrvt - I like this one. Reminds me of Elastica.

Embers of autumn - Intro maybe Brit Rock? Nice refrain. (I’m not sure if there a bass.) I love the feeling of this song.

Melvin - Groovy, funny lyrics, nice backings - good work.

TFClub - Very much atmosphere.

Cobalt Stomach - Funny. Nice melodies.

MC Eric B - MC and no phat beat? That’s different! Nice.

C. Abyss - I’m not sure if I understand this one, but it made me smile...

Terra Sula - Simple but haunting. Love the color of the voice.

Paco del Stinko - Little psychedelic, nice drumming.

Howl down the chimney - Cool. Something totally different. Catching melodies.

Vaterunser - Nice melody, kind that reminds me of Gentle Giant. But could not understand the lyrics (though I tried hard). When naming after the Lord’s Prayer - is it something religious?

Jan Krüger - Fine backing vocals. Starting small but growing more and more.

Jeff Travis H. - Excellent! Full of catchy melodies. Did I hear Marc Bolan sing?

Big Crouton - Heavy. Changing. Funny ‚Fat Bottom‘ break. Very fine guitar work.

The weakest suit - Short.

MC Paul D. - Cool samples! Normally I hate this kinda music - but this one rocks!

Berkeley Social Scene - I love the guitar sound and melody from 2:00 on.

Todd McHatton - Nice guitar sound. Wish I could do vocal arrangements like this...

Elaine DiMasi - Good songwriting. Nice vocals.

Weta T-Shirt - Nice. Found myself practicing some guitar solos while listening.

coder_lyte() - Sunny pop sound. What about mixing the vocals a little clearer?

Naked Philosophy - Very catchy refrain. Sounds a bit independent. Coming back to the refrain feels like coming home.

Heine - Me. After posting Hollywood Wax in such a poor quality, I've tried hard to make City in Fog sound better.
@ Elaine: Thanks for your kind review. I really love The Moodies but never even dared to sound like them (maybe I’m still ‚In search of the low-cost melotron‘). The Rattlesnake lyrics are done and it's going to be a little bit more serious - I hope there’ll be enough time for playing, mixing and so on.
@ jast: Next time the ID3-tag will be better. Did it with Mp3tag where it is shown correctly.
@ Embers of Autumn: The 'weird' outro should be a little Ummagumma (listening too much to early PF made me buy a new bottleneck).
@ Melvin: Maybe some disappointments - it's just a fictional story, no band - just enjoying myself doing some home recording

Is it true? Only one vote? ...wish I had at least five or more votes to give. But finally Jeff Travis Henderson made it.

Bye,
H.

[ElaineDiMasi]

Is it true? Only one vote? ...wish I had at least five or more votes to give.

Not true. Vote for ALL of the good ones.

[slats]

A lot of moody pieces this time around, which I thought fit the title well. Here's my take.

Berkley Social Scene - Great feel all around. I think you captured an excellent mood. Backed up with a solid performance. Definitely one of my faves this week.

Adam Adamant - I think I like the song itself, but some of these synths are driving like a spike thru my head. I bet I'd like it better as a standard guitar/bass/drums thing.

Big Crouton - Two great tastes that taste great together! Defintely fun and creative, and well executed. Another fave.

Chadderandam Abyss - Maybe this would grow on me eventually. I do own some Residents albums. Right now it's not, though.

Cobalt Stomach - This one managed to make me laugh. And also reminded me of the Residents a little bit, especially the Snakefinger guitar.

Embers of Autumn - Really like the chorus-y guitars. Your voice is really stressed for much of the tune, and for me it became distracting. I feel your pain, as I'm guilty of the same thing with some frequency. But I think the song would've benefitted from being a few steps lower.

Heine - Another pleasant sounding guitar song. I liked your last one, too. The crash cymbols are much louder than the rest of the kit, is that by design? Overall, a good, moody feel.

Jeff Henderson - The intro grabs you right away, and it drops into the verse very nicely. I think it's too much after that, though. Maybe if the buzz was toned down just a little. But that's nit-picking. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

MC Eric B - I'd claim genre bias, but I don't know what genre this is. I like your lyrics, and it makes me wonder how it would've gone as a full blown out hip-hop tune.

MC Paul Denyer - I can claim genre bias here, but I have to say that I'm totally digging the Frankenstein sampling. Like the instrumental break at 2:30 or so, too.

Melvin - I can see why you have your fans here. Really solid production, great voices, nice song. Like the moody instrumental ending.

Quimby - At first listen, it's really sparse. But after another, I really like what you did with the production. The tremolo on the backing vox is a neat trick. Like your voice a lot, too.

Ross Durand - I dig the front porch blues sound. Like how you brought in the second guitar, and then the backing choir. Another one that grew on me the more I listened to it.

Transatlantic Fight Club - This is another genre I can get down with. Pass the bong! It reminds me of the obscure Who or Rolling Stones stuff that I like so much better than the crap they play on the radio.

The Weakest Suit - It didn't have to be so short, you really weren't in danger of being gonged.

The Hand Formula - I do like that you're trying for some sort of mood. Another one I'd like to hear with more conventional instruments. Sounds like there's a decent song in there.

Hans Gruber - Another good, semi-psychedelic feel. Like the voiced percussion. Kinda reminds me of Beck, which I consider to be high praise.

Coder Lyte - Gotta claim genre bias on this one, too. The vocals and synths all create something a little overly sterile to me.

Elaine DiMasi - This is another song I can like that would benefit from at least a bass guitar to provide a little more structure. Sounds like a show tune to me, in that I could easily envision a character on a stage singing it.

Howl Down The Chimney - The second show tune in a row! This one would do well in a Tim Burton production. Another nice production. Sounds like you have some instruments lying around the house, and know how to use 'em. I really like it.

Jk Chrvt - My only guaranteed vote. I look forward to hearing more vocally as you get more comfortable with your voice. I like the way you bounce things in and out of the mix. I could learn something.

Jan Krueger - Really got the mood here. Love the voices. The song builds nicely all the way thru. Very impressive.

Manatee Matinee - Another Residents piece that I probably wouldn't fully get without a number of listens.

Naked Philosophy - Like the guitars in this one. This is the type of stuff I listen to. Has the complete feel of that great late 70's post-punk alternative that wasn't yet called new wave.

Paco del Stinko - You've got a charismatic voice. You got these dark and moody verses that segue into this warmer sounding chorus, bookended by your Spanish guitar sounds. All in all, a nice package.

Slats - In retrospect, I'd do something with some background vocals. That's next on my list. I had no intention of going over five minutes, and I'm not sure how I got there. I only wrote two verses! I loved my ending. 8)

Terra Sula - Outstanding vocal performance. This is another song I'd love to hear with a full band treatment.

Todd McHatton - You did a great job getting a Christmas feel, without the obligatory jingle bells. Great backing vocals. Great production. The type of thing here that intimidates me.

Vaterunser - This one has more of a soundtrack feel. Maybe I'm missing something with my lack of German, but I don't understand why this is a seven minute song.

Wetat Shirt - Very 80's feel, and in this case I mean it in a good way. Really captured a mood. I like it.

[Heine]

Is it true? Only one vote? ...wish I had at least five or more votes to give.

Not true. Vote for ALL of the good ones.

Thanks!

O.k., my number one votes:
J. Travis H., Quimby, Hans Gruber, Naked Philosophy, Terra Sula, Howl down the chimney, Elaine DiMasi & MC Paul D.

bye,
H.

[roymond]

Embers of Autumn -- I think the low MP3 bitrate (or something else in your signal path) hurts that guitar sound a lot.

Bingo. I actually re-read the rules for submission for the first time in a year, and the SongMaster recommended 128-bit for keeping the files at a manageable size. However, I recorded in 192. I think the reduction of bit-rate after recording everything hurt the production value.

You record in MP3? Can you not record uncompressed? Or did you re-encode your final MP3 @ 192 to 128? That will surely cause problems.

[EmbersOfAutumn]

Embers of Autumn -- I think the low MP3 bitrate (or something else in your signal path) hurts that guitar sound a lot.

Bingo. I actually re-read the rules for submission for the first time in a year, and the SongMaster recommended 128-bit for keeping the files at a manageable size. However, I recorded in 192. I think the reduction of bit-rate after recording everything hurt the production value.

You record in MP3? Can you not record uncompressed? Or did you re-encode your final MP3 @ 192 to 128? That will surely cause problems.

The latter would be more correct... I think I might have gotten 'bitrate' and 'frequency' mixed up in the previous post. Actually, what happened was that I just remixed it as 128 from the uncompressed file, but the issue came in with the fact that every time I tested the mixdown as an mp3, I was testing as a 192. At the time of submission, I quickly mixed it as a 128 without test-hearing it and submitted (deadline and whatnot). So, any issues of quality that I didn't hear at 192 may have come through on the 128.

[glennny]

City in Fog reviews-

I was hoping someone would do a Lando Calrissian Cloud City play, I didn’t catch one. We being in the Bay Area had to treat it San Francisco. I was surprised with the Christmas themes a couple times, and the frequency of “Shit” this fight.

Adam Adamant- The several voices in the same register get muddy. There’s something I really don’t like about the drum machine in this song. I like your voice! There’s half of a good melody in there. The intro seems unrelated to the song. Some of the sustained notes are really grating with that synth patch too. I really like a lot of your stuff, but this one doesn’t grab me.

Big Crouton- WOW! The a cappella is amazing! This freaking rocks! And it tells a story like a good country song. Bitchin guitar solo (s)!!! I always hate double bass drums, but it is genre appropriate. Very pretty acoustic for part 3! How can this not win? BIG FREAKING VOTE! A classic is born.

The Chadder Random Abyss- The tension is created. Will release come? To justify this out of tune torture? Nope. Could have been brilliant. Instead this is terrible and torturous. I guess the drums aren’t bad.

Cobalt Stomach- Alright! Starts off like Wolfie or Mathlete Lo-Fi coolness. The music had me, then the total lack of a song, no lyrical ideas, no melodic ideas. I’m embarrassed now that I like the beginning. Sour guitar, yuck. Terrible!

Coder Lyte- Nice synth sounds! The 80’s new wave vibe is catchy. I think the melody is too low for your range for the 1st verse. The vocals sound very unsure. Nicely constructed song! The vocals could use a couple retakes, with more conviction. Pretty good, no vote however.

Elaine Dimasi- The drums don’t groove with the rest of the song. The part where it starts swinging is out of left field and its like none of the other instruments followed. There’s some really great changes, and some great melodies as well. The piano is very nice! Is that you on piano? From 1:56 on I love it, great crescendo and outro! As a whole it is short of a vote I’m afraid.

Embers of Autumn- “You just don’t get it, keep it copasetic”. Actually your chords are much nicer than that Local H song (Bound for the Floor). Very good vocal performance! I wish the bass line was more interesting. The drum rhythms are cool! Sounds like you’re aware of the production issues. That lead guitar line is really wimpy especially against your bad ass vocals! I’m not a fan of the Taking Back Sunday screamo backing vocals. I think a re-record is in order. Good song, no vote.

The Hand Formula- This is a nice little ditty. Sounds like an intro to an Islands song. Not enough song for a vote, but I enjoyed it!

Hans Gruber- This is enjoyable. The bpm is sooooooo slow and plodding. Vocals and synth patches sound nice. I like the chorus, instrumentally, a lot! Although this does uild up for the end, I think it could build up a lot more and be more powerful. Good song! No vote.

Heine- All the instruments sound really good! I especially like the bass guitar tone. The drum machine is a bummer, it’s not bad, but with every other instrument sounding so good , I really want to hear some real drums. The slide is tasty! I like this song a lot, I don’t love it. I think I’m going let this one go un-voted for by me, but I was really thinking about it.

Howl Down the Chimney- Yes! This title really needed a sea chantey! This is very well done! The production and mix is stellar! Is that a Mellotron? The vocals remind me of Absolutely Free era Mothers. Gets a VOTE!

Jan Krueger- vocals are pretty great! Some of those notes get a little nasal. The music is very nice, although the vocals are obviously the strong suit of this track, I wish they were lower in the mix, to hear the drums and keys better. Very cool entry! Just shy of a vote.

Jeff Henderson- WTF? Why Christmas? Vocals are great, I like the big riff. I hate the lyrics. I don’t see the City in Fog at all. Seems like a contender for a Holiday Song side fight. Good song. No vote.

Jk Chrvt- Groovy bass! Swirly guitar. Goofy vocals. Horrible lead guitar, painful. The rest is cute. Lyrics are dumb. I like the bass the drums and the silly voice, but the rest is crap. EDIT: You’re only 13? I’m a big jerk. This is pretty impressive with that in mind. The fact that you’re soloing at all at 13 is amazing. There’s a lot of room to grow on your phrasing. You’re going to be a monster!

Manatee Matinee- Awful

MC Eric B- Brilliant in a Ricky Gervais uncomfortable comedy kind of way.

MC Paul Deneyer- FRANKENSTEIN! I really hate popular samples. Why not sample something obscure? Genre bias. Nice flow I guess, well performed. I’m just too offended by the sample to give this a fair shake.

Melvin- 100 songs! Congrats! (what’s the count with collabs and sidefights etc?) This absolutely rocks! The riffs are all very good. You’re such an excellent producer! I have a Dust Pipe song with a similar open string riff. Wow the dynamics are just awesome! The vocal “Na NA NA NNA NA NA” is my least favorite part, but it’s still good. I just LOVE the build at the beginning and the descent into piano noodling at the end. Fake drums? They’re un-humanly tight is all. Yeah this is top shelf Melvin! BIG VOTE!

Naked Philosophy- Michael Stipe is slumming it. The drum machine is pretty painful. I don’t like the lyrics. They seem really stretched. Self aware songs make me cringe. The parts where the guitar is worked out to have a guitarmony is nice, but it seems to meander a lot otherwise. No vote.

Paco del Stinko- Always a fan, this is a nice change of pace for you, but I still prefer the zany up tempo side of you. Drums sound great, the acoustic is good. I like the chords a lot. Fretless bass? You see I regularly listen to your “Whale” so I was hoping this would kick in and rock my socks off. Still a very good song, just shy of a vote this time.

Quimby- “dream the impossible dream”? yikes. Cliché’s aside, vocals are pretty and awesome. I think I like the heavy chorus on the backing vocals. The bass is way too quiet in the mix. I don’t get the lyrics. Those bend down long vocal notes epitomize LA power ballad. Good effort. This song doesn’t quite work for me.

Ross Durand- Man that acoustic sounds good! Your voice sounds great too! This is a damn 12 bar. However, great performance, excellent producion. Lyrics are good by most standards, but not really a stand out Ross Durand entry. I enjoy this, but no vote.

Slats- Nice chords. I don’t like the clean tone too much, is it an acoustic electric/ pickup? I think those sound terrible. Mike your acoustic! When you have the opportunity. Nice vocals and melodies. The drum machine is pretty stale. Verses work well, but the chorus lacks luster.

Terrasula- Oversinging, it’s like you’re auditioning. I don’t buy the emotion. Good voice, melody is pretty cheesy. Lyrics are a bag of clichés, I wish I couldn’t hear them so distinctly. Fade out? Write an ending! Pick a chord to end on. Anything, just stop, but don’t fade out.

Todd McHatton- Production is fantastic! The bass with the slight distortion is really cool. Backing vocals are excellent. I freaking hate these lyrics however. WTF with the Christmas thing? Do you say City in Fog? Does this have anything to with City in Fog? Ah yes you say the city is in fog. This is my least favorite of all of your entries. For the 1st time I think I’m not going to vote for you. I’m sure its an exception.

Transatlantic Fight Club- Well I know it’s Niveous and Johnny Cashpoint, who else rounds out the line up? The production is very J$. I like the tones of most of the instruments. I wish there was a lot less hiss overall. This is a nice little goth death march. Entertaining, shy of a vote.

Vaterunser- I love the cello patch and the double bass bass line. Not a fan of the keys tone. The beat poet jazz trio is very cool. I like the German too! Vocals are good. Enjoyable listen, I’m not blown away, but I like it.

The Weakest Suit- Strummy last minute entry? Not much of a song, sounds improvised.

Wet @ Shirt- You’re telling me this isn’t Caravan Ray or Tex? This is a very cool track, it’s very virtual. You have a distinctive vocal styling and propensity for certain rhythmic timbres. I like this a lot, not enough for a vote however.

Berkeley Social Scene- This was an odd track. Ken was not available, Lunk has a friend named Geech, who came in and jammed with us. So the session was live drums (Geech) and Bass (me). Then Lunk over dubbed his guitar line. BTW Lunkhead is the Furry Pedro of this collab and wrote the seed that everything is built on. His 6/8 part became the verse, I wrote the 4/4 part as a chorus. I got my diminished chord in there nice and prominent. The outro evolved from the jam with Geech, Lunk and myself. So I had dinner and board games with Martyr that night before it was due. At about 12:30 AM we decided to finish it off with martyr vocals/ lyrics, 2 e-bow tracks, and another rhythm guitar track. This ambient/ jazzy space is my total comfort zone. When a track ends up like this, I think I’ve had too much input. I really love this song. I like Martyrs gentle side of vocals as a nice change up. The Lunkhead part is super infectious also. Also Geech hadn’t played drums in years, I think he said, but you wouldn’t know it, he was very pocket!

Huge fight! Lots of good stuff, but the excellent get my vote this time: Melvin, Big Crouton, Howl Down the Chimney, and a non-objective vote for BSS.

[ElaineDiMasi]

Elaine DiMasi -- I'm not sure the first long note in each verse fits well with the accompaniment; the second one (that shifts from an E to an F) avoids this. Admittedly, that makes a for a contrast/development, but I can't help but wonder if one could have done that differently.

Interesting thing for you to notice. I spent some time wondering whether to do that differently. (I had plenty of time for that since I had given up on most other efforts.) Leaning into that E natural while the chord changed to the Bb major felt like motion even though the same E was being held. Next, shifting to the F did feel like development. Felt the best so I went with it.

1.45x listen: Nothing has changed.

1.45x listening?! Allow me to be the first to announce that you're insane!

Seriously: you have a fourier deconvoluter in your brain for when you listen to music. You're aware that this is very unusual, right?

[slats]

Slats- Nice chords. I don’t like the clean tone too much, is it an acoustic electric/ pickup? I think those sound terrible. Mike your acoustic! When you have the opportunity. Nice vocals and melodies. The drum machine is pretty stale. Verses work well, but the chorus lacks luster.

Really?

There is an acoustic mixed down pretty low that I did mic up with an SM57. The other "clean" is one side of a Rickenbacker 360. I used the "Rick-o-sound" jack and sent the neck pup to a little Laney amp with some dirt tuned in, and the bridge pup over to a Fender Deluxe Reverb with the reverb and tremolo both dialed in. I was pretty happy with that.

The drums are the GarageBand loops that I'm kinda stuck with for the foreseeable future. I do what I can.

[jast]

Interesting thing for you to notice. I spent some time wondering whether to do that differently. (I had plenty of time for that since I had given up on most other efforts.) Leaning into that E natural while the chord changed to the Bb major felt like motion even though the same E was being held. Next, shifting to the F did feel like development.

Actually I can't come up with anything clever either. Perhaps a C instead of the E, though that's not really a great alternative.

1.45x listening?! Allow me to be the first to announce that you're insane!

Why, thank you!
Actually, I have a history with listening to sped-up music, and I'm not going to say any more than that.

Seriously: you have a fourier deconvoluter in your brain for when you listen to music. You're aware that this is very unusual, right?

As far as I understand signal convolution, it's typically used for generating artificial reverb by convolving a signal with a reverbed impulse. That would make deconvolution a de-echoing. I tried listening to what happens if you convolve signals in the Fourier domain but got only gibberish. I assume you were implying that I can't tell the difference in frequency spectrum when I speed up a song; that's not the case. I hear the same squeakiness everyone does. I don't even do magic tricks like knowing from the formant shifts by what percentage the song was sped up. The only party trick I have is knowing what notes people are using. Most of the time. Sometimes people fool me, perhaps it's got something to do with formants after all.

[glennny]

Slats said -

There is an acoustic mixed down pretty low that I did mic up with an SM57. The other "clean" is one side of a Rickenbacker 360. I used the "Rick-o-sound" jack and sent the neck pup to a little Laney amp with some dirt tuned in, and the bridge pup over to a Fender Deluxe Reverb with the reverb and tremolo both dialed in. I was pretty happy with that.

That all sounds good, I should ask Ken or Melvin or one of those other great engineers around here, why that sounds so plinky to me, I tried headphones and stereo system. Maybe it's totally dry and the attack is amplified?

BTW I'm digging the lead guitar tone on these repeated listens, there's something that bugs me about the rhythm guitar tone, sorry I can't nail it down for ya. It's just my opinion anyway.

Cheers

[big crouton]

Adam Adamant – this is a bit of an offputting intro. I dig the melody, but I don't care for the instrumentation or the unsynced hits. Alright, that was unexpected. This feels really eclectic, but not really in a good way. Quantization is your friend. The whole 'I need a diamond' section is pretty cool. Actually, I like the melody, lyrics, and progression of the whole thing, I just really don't like the instrumentation and performances. If I didn't find your choice of instruments annoying, I would really like this song.

Berkley Social Scene – Very nice intro. That was a weird thing before what I assume is the chorus. Whoa, was the first verse in 6 too? I didn't even notice. This strikes me as a pretty cool song with fairly weak performances. Oh, cool guitar solo. I dig the atmosphere you guys have going on throughout. I wish your drums weren't so clanky. Is this supposed to cut off at 2:39? It sounds like it's just about to start up another section and then it's cut off.

Chadderandom Abyss – I don't think I'm going to bother listening to this all the way through, as the other reviews have given me the impression that this song doesn't get any better than the first 5 seconds have been.

Cobalt Stomach – Cool intro. Kind of catchy. Nice high take a shit there. Sweet scattin'. Cool solo. Not big on the lower vocal part, but it's not bad. I don't know if this is supposed to be funny, but you doubling the synth line with your voice made me laugh. The guitar often seems to be doing nothing worthwhile, but it definitely has it's moments where it's really cool. Tuning it would've helped though.

Coder Lyte – This sounds very Nintendoy to me. More the intro than the rest of the song though. It still has a bit of a Nintendo/Sega vibe. I dig this chorus. It's pretty catchy. This actually sounds like it was made in guitar pro. Yeah, I definitely dig the chorus. The rest doesn't grab me at all, but I do like the chorus.

Elaine DiMasi – I don't like your piano sound. Too early nineties cheese. A more straight acoustic sound would've been preferred. Your drums sound excessively compressed. Cool background vocals. The 'in my city in fog' section is quite cool.

Embers of Autumn – This sounds somehow familiar. The drums are a bit too spastic. I don't really care for what they're doing. They distract from the song rather than adding to or working with it. I'm sure this verse chord progression is from a Hagar era Van Halen song. I just can't place which one it is. Anyways, I dig the song. I just with the drummer was working with the band more. This could be really cool with a better arrangement.

The Hand Formula – I do hope this picks up at some point. I don't like double tracked vocals like this. This isn't picking up, which is too bad.

Hans Gruber – Sweet. I love the feel of this song. Damn, this chorus is cool! I really dig your voice too. It's pretty distinct, and in an awesome way. The 'get on your knees to pray' doesn't seem to fully work. I think it's just note choice. Very cool solo. Man, I really like this. Very cool vibe. This is worth a vote for sure. That outro could've gone on longer I think, and perhaps faded out. I don't like the way it ends, but that's about the only thing I don't like about this.

Heine – Cool. This wasn't grabbing me until the 'it's like a release' part. Sweet. I like where this has gone. This picked up a lot, and I'm quite enjoying it. I love that sliding guitar part. Yeah, I don't have much to say about this, but I definitely dig it. I believe this will be receiving a vote from me.

Howl Down the Chimney – Well this is ominous. Oh, awesome. Accordion! This makes me think of Jolly Rogers Lagoon from Banjo Tooie. Dang, this is awesome! I love that bass drum. Cool aahhs. All around so far this is fantastic. Is that one of those instruments where you push the button for the chord and then strum all the strings? Anyways, whatever it is, it's friggin' awesome. Accordion solo! Oh man, this is really well done. Great arrangements. Everything about this is sweet. Definitely a vote.

Jan Krueger – I like the backing vocals. Cool. Like that piano, and that loop that's going on too. This is a big step up from your shoelace soup entry. The backing vocals occasionally distract from the lead, but they're cool, so it's alright. I like how this has built up as it goes along. Not sure whether it gets a vote or not, but it's pretty cool either way.

Jeff – I love this. Fantastically catchy. I checked this out when the fight first went up, and I've caught myself singing this chorus many times since then. Very catchy. Definitely love the main piano riff. I'm not big on the bridge. It just doesn't seem to fit in. It's cool once it's been going for a bit and you forget where it came from, it's just going in that I don't care for. Love how it goes back into the chorus though. Dang, this is an awesome tune. Definitely a vote.

Jkchvrt – This is pretty cool. I like that bass line, though it gets a bit repetitive. Yeah, I don't have a lot to say about this, but it's pretty good. I like the beat you've got throughout, and the song as a whole has a cool thing going on.

Manitee Matinee – wow. I don't know how long I can listen to this if it doesn't change. Really rather ridiculous. Awesome name though. The breakdown around 4 minutes was appreciated. Can't say I've enjoyed any of this though. The last minute and a bit of this has sounded like a descent into insanity. Take that as you will.

MC Eric B – ha, this is cool. I love the piano. I don't think the vocals go well over the band though. I like this music, and the vocals work over the chorus except the 'fighting the world' line which seems off.

MC Paul Denyer – This city really is on acid. Part of me loves this, and the other part is annoyed by it. FIIIRRE! Awesome. Yeah, I'm really torn on this. It's really cool in a way, but it is also a bit weird and offputting. I really like the building part though, and the part around 2:30 is really cool.

Melvin – Love that harmonizing guitar. Really groovy drums too. Nanas are really cool. I really like this. Another remarkably solid Melvin tune. Catchy chorus. I don't have many specific comments on this, but I really enjoy it. I really like how the 'this could be it but I don't know' part builds. Cool outro, just too long. Was this intentionally made to be 4:20 long? Cause there's about 10 seconds of silence at the end. Anyways, great tune, and congrats on number 100.

Naked Philosophy- Cool. Dig the harmonized guitars. Drums are a bit cheesy for my taste. Yeah, I have almost nothing to say about this. Pretty well done, drums could be much better, guitars are good, good chorus, nothing stands out about this to me though. I like the return to the intro at the end.

Paco del Stinko – Nice Spanish vibe. Cool, I really like this part that I assume is the chorus. I like how it comes in and goes out. I like the bridge. Sweet bass fill after the bridge. Oh, this is cool at 3:08ish. Nice leads. Quite well done, though the final chord sounds out of tune on the lead acoustic.

Quimby – I like the guitar no the right. This song doesn't really stand out to me, but the chorus is really well sung. Great voice. Bass seems a bit busy in the verses, and is a bit distracting to me.

Ross Durand – I like this progression. Nice lead. A bit much verb on it for my tastes though. The solo seems a bit aimless. I like the aahhs as well as the increased percussion activity. This all sounds like it could've used more time for sure. Could've been better put together, but it's not bad.

Slats – Nothing really stands out to me about this, except I find it weird that your bass is coming from the right. It just leaves the mix feeling quite unbalanced. There's nothing going on in the left. I like the leads. I'm not sold on some of your note choices in the solo, but it has it's shining moments. What the hell?! That fade-back-in at the end was disconcerting.

Terra Sula – There's not nearly enough piano representation on song fight. This is nice. Vocals stand out way too much though. They're good, but they're just a bit jarring with how far they stand out in the mix. Piano is really simple, but in a song where it's the only instrument it could definitely stand to be spiced up to some extent. These vocals seem to just be getting louder as the song goes on, and that's not good. Weird fade out.

Todd McHatton – I'm not sure I like this. Your last tune grew on me significantly as it went along though, so perhaps this will too. I like this bridge. Really cool how it goes back into the chorus too. And this chorus has definitely grown on me since the first time I heard it. I like the backing vocals going on. Pretty cool.

TFC – The mix isn't as overwhelmingly wet as I expected based on a couple reviews I saw. I think it works with the idea of a city in fog. Nothing about this really stand out to me though. I like the guitar in the 'I can't take it anymore' part. Actually the guitar throughout work really good. Weird ending.

Vater Unser – This is pretty cool. I know I've heard the first half of your melody somewhere before, I just can't place it. Cool instrumentation. I like the feel of this. I like the trailing off fog that pans around. Cool tune.

The Weakest Suit – I appreciate these lyrics.

Weta T-shirt – Cool vibe. Very cool vibe. Love the percussion. I like the 'let you go's'. Man, this is really cool. I really dig this instrumental section. Vocals are really cool whenever you have a couple parts going on at once. I quite like the guitar line too. Don't like the ending though. I would've enjoyed another chorus, as it was really cool.

Good fight. There were some really cool tunes in this one. Almost all of them were from artists alphabetically ranging from H through M. As for my tune, I'm quite pleased with it, and I'm glad others seem to be enjoying it too. This is my first songfight entry that I don't feel the need to make excuses for, so I reckon that's a good thing.

[adamadamant]

Reviews so far, more to come.

+ denotes a probable vote. Sorry also as my opinions are mostly tripe.

+Mc Paul Denyer - Love it! Some really great lines in this and a solid flow and decent music behind it. Really well put together. Though I'm not sure about the "Fiyah!"

Embers of Autumn - Seems like a nice song, the production is a weak and it sounds quite washed out. The weird guitar in the background doesn't help. Not really my genre of choice either.

Mc Eric B - Still don't really get this. The verses are ok and sems to fit well with the vocal style and odd tunes, the chorus I didn't like so much nor the effect on your vocals.

The Weakest Suit - Nice and simple. Sounds good for what it was I guess.

+Naked Philosophy - I think the lyrics are good in this one. Humourous? The song is quite cool, I like the drums, but they are a bit awful. The instrumentation is a bit sloopy but i like it still. I genuinely like the guitar wailing too.

Transatlantic Fight Club - Solid but a bit uninteresting I'm afraid. Creates a good atmosphere and everything sounds nice but the song went through me a bit.

Coder Lyte - Usually I think i would love this kind of thing, but i don;t that much. The lyrics are quite weak and the music is too much like a parody of a video game, i.e. well done but too authentic I think.

Slats - A technically solid entry that leaves me again a little bored. The vocal delivery, which I feel should be important in this kind of music, is not really there.

Cobalt Stomach - Kind of funny and the music's not that bad. Though I don't want to listen to a song about shit all day it was good for a few minutes. The worst bits are the 'boop boop ba doop' bits.

+Todd McHatton - Good stuff, nice and cheery and has a good atmosphere. I like the vocal backing throughout. The piano breakdown is cool too. Minus points for Xmas in November but you get a vote at least.

Manatee Matinee - Rubbish, but I think you new that.

Terrasula - The song is not terribly strong but the vocals are really good. Definitely OK.

[slats]

That all sounds good, I should ask Ken or Melvin or one of those other great engineers around here, why that sounds so plinky to me, I tried headphones and stereo system. Maybe it's totally dry and the attack is amplified?

BTW I'm digging the lead guitar tone on these repeated listens, there's something that bugs me about the rhythm guitar tone, sorry I can't nail it down for ya. It's just my opinion anyway.

I appreciate any and all feedback. I'm very much the novice with this recording stuff. I'm trying to digest everything I get, and trying to do better the next time.

I'm glad that the lead tone is getting a lot of positive reviews. For the record, it's a G&L S-500 thru an Analogman Sun Lion into the clean channel of of a Laney L5T-112 with an EHX Deluxe Memory Man in the FX loop. Not even my poor recording skills should be able to screw that up too badly.

Slats – Nothing really stands out to me about this, except I find it weird that your bass is coming from the right. It just leaves the mix feeling quite unbalanced. There's nothing going on in the left. I like the leads. I'm not sold on some of your note choices in the solo, but it has it's shining moments. What the hell?! That fade-back-in at the end was disconcerting.

Really?

That was the problem in my last entry, so this time I was very careful not to screw with the panning at all. I used a Univox bass with a stereo output, recorded in stereo on one channel and touched nothing. I thought it was nicely, evenly displaced(?). The neck pup's going to one side, while the bridge is going to the other. I was so happy with it that I planned to record my bass like that for -well- ever.

I liked my disconcerting fade-back-in, but then again - I used to smoke a lot of pot.

[Billy's Little Trip]

The neck pup's going to one side, while the bridge is going to the other. I was so happy with it that I planned to record my bass like that for -well- ever.

The only problem with that is that the neck pup is deeper and warmer than the bridge pup, so by letting them go left and right, it sounds like the bass is panned to the side that the ear picks up the lower tones.
It's just easier to keep the bass mono when you record. Use your pup and tone knobs to get the sound that you want before you record. Then if you have to EQ different later, then go ahead. I sometimes copy my bass track after it's been recorded, then I EQ the copied tracks to bring out tones I want and then mix all the bass tracks to the desired sound.

[Chadderandom]

Coder Lyte - I don't really hear this nintendo feel that people are talking about but its definitely synthy and 80sy and for some reason the beginning reminded me of Cyndi Lauper and I really don't know how that makes me feel. I also hear a little of The Damned and I like the Damned but this song, I don't know about because I know I've heard modern bands use all these elements and still sound modern but this song sounds like it should go back to when it came from.

MC Eric B - I listened to this one the other day and it seemed like something I should like yet I just wasn't feeling it but this time, my ears must be in tune to the ideas being presented because it seems like it clicks perfectly together. VOTE!~

Todd McHatton - I can't listen to this song. The intro gets me ready for some rockin out and then the song starts and I want to throw my headphones off but instead I just stop the music because these are some nice headphones.

Slats - I'm not digging the singing. I know, funny coming from me right? Maybe I'm not digging the music either. Although I like the last 30 seconds.

Jan Krueger - I like this and I hate this but I'm unsure of what I like about it and what I hate about it. In the end I think I like it more than I hate it though.

Jk Chrvt - I didn't like the swirling guitar in the beginning but when it comes back in, I kind of dig it. When I was 13 I was obsessed with cool sound effects, so if I had the ability to swirl things, everything probably would've been swirling in all different directions, vocals and all, but all I had was echo'd vocals, distortion and a whammy bar. So I think I'll vote for this due to the fact that you're not an insane 13 year who'll overuse every sound effect available and the song was actually kind of good anyway.

Naked Philosophy - I like this, vocally and musically, it sort of has a nostalgic feel... I'm not sure what that even means, all I know is that I want to vote for it because of it though.

Ross Durand - I'm a sucker for alt-country. Well, alt-country done well. And this is. And I can't not vote for it.

Hans Gruber: Ultimate Villain - Maybe its because of the words Ultimate Villian being attached but this almost reminded me of Will Oldham and I hate Will Oldham so much he is the Ultimate Villian but really, since I think I might like this, this sounds nothing like Will Oldham... or maybe it would if that beat wasn't so prominant, its hard to really pay attention to anything else other than the beat, so I don't know if I hate this as much as I think I normally would without that beat. Maybe thats what Will Oldham needs, badass beats. Upon second listen it does remind me of Beck, on that album he tried to channel the Eagles on, I was also unsure whether I liked that too. I think I'll vote for it just because the beat confuses and distracts me from hating it.

Terra Sula - I wasn't sure about this song for the first 2/3rds of it, because I wasn't feeling what it was going for but something in the last third of it caught my ear and caused me to relisten to it and it was good from the beginning, I was just too busy comparing it to stuff to notice. Good enough to vote for.

Melvin - I like this, I probably also like all the bands it sounds like, but I'm not going to vote for it because I hear They Might Be Giant and Cake in it but there is also a third and fourth thing going on that distracts from what I want to hear and won't just give me Giants and Cake.

Embers of Autumn - I would've liked this song better if someone else was singing it in the same style. Someone who could've done it, at least. I tried to google various emo bands from the 90s to see what any of them ended up doing though, so I guess the song did something for me.

Elaine DiMasi - This sure comes from some other time. Then again, so did a lot of this other stuff. But the transition from the 90s to whenever this was, was so jarring that I can't really focus on the actual song. Upon second listen, I think you pull this off and make it work... but I just can't vote for it, because, well, I mean... this sounds like something Marty McFly would've heard while walking around Hill Valley in 1955. The music seems more modern though, its definitely the lyrics and vocals, the vocals are some Fleet Foxes level please go back to that time and stay there type stuff.

Howl Down the Chimney - Whatever this is I want more of it. Vote!

Transatlantic Fight Club - I thought I was going to want more of this too until the vocals started.

Weta T-Shirt - There's nothing wrong with this song but its just not anything that makes me excited to hear it more than once.

The Hand Formula - This song needs to be even more twee than it is for me to vote for it. Actually, upon second listen, this is totally twee enough to vote for.

Vaterunser - Man, if I were listening to this yesterday, since I was in the mood for something like this yesterday, this would've gotten, like, a million votes from me but today, I don't know, maybe I'll vote for it when I actually get around to voting. It'll be hard not to but it also might be easy not to, who knows.

Quimby - I think I like the lyrics, I think I like the vocals, I think I like the music but I don't think I like the song. I like whatever I'm concentrating on at the time but the overall feel of it all together, I don't know. That seems odd but it is what it is, I guess.

Paco del Stinko - The longer this goes, the harder it is to not like and I will possibly vote for it but it seems like I'm voting for too many things.

Big Crouton - If I were only allowed one vote, this is where my one vote would go.

Adam Adamant - When the intro finally ends after what seems like an eternity, it seems like its about to get awesome but then the vocals start and not so much. I think I've probably made a song that sounded like this at some point, so yeah, its just the vocals.

The Weakest Suit - Its not Against Me! but I like it. Actually, I just listened to a random Against Me song and then listened to your song again, I liked yours better. I'll try it with a random Andrew Jackson Jihad song and if I like yours better than it, you've got a vote... and you get a vote.

Heine - Your voice reminds me of Peter Steele if, you know, he started making indie rock, and there was a phrasing towards the beginning of the song that made me think of "I Vant To Suck Your Blawd" so I can't really pay attention to the lyrics now because I'm too busy fantasy producing a track for you that features a droney section where you chant for blood. I'd vote for that track.

Cobalt Stomach - I liked the music but you didn't have me until the boobuhdoopboo stuff, I was ready to write it off because the vocals weren't working enough for me given the lyrics but then it suddenly became awesome. Vote.

MC Paul Denyer - I like some parts of this but not enough parts.

Manatee Matinee - Oooooh? Why aren't there more ooohs? Come on, bring back the ooooohs.. MORE OOHS! I love this. Reality IS just a city in fog, man. OOOOOOOH. OHergasm~! Heeee. Okay, you went too far, it should've ended at the burp. No wait, maybe... no, nothings happening. More oooh's in the needless extra part at the end would've gotten a vote from me. But no more ohs for me, no more vote for you.

Jeff Travis Henderson - I just can't get behind this. I'm glad there's only one more song to listen to.

Berkeley Social Scene - I guess this is okay. I don't really want to listen to it again though.

Meeee - I tried to record something more ambitious but nothing was coming together, so I instead decided to screw around and made this song with the idea that I had plenty of time to record something else, if I really wanted to enter the fight, but then the next day I got sick, so I really didn't have the ability to do what I wanted to do, regardless of whether I had the ability to when I wasn't sick.

So I just kind of sent it anyway, since it was all I had and didn't think it sounded that bad, and maybe I wanted to see what the reaction would be even though I kind of knew but wondered if someone might actually like it and all I really got was my 982nd comparison to The Residents by someone who wasn't even into the song. Oh, and it made someone smile and, well, its a dumb song about eggnog hangovers, so I think I accomplished all there was to accomplish with its potential.

[Ross]

Just saying thanks for the reviews so far. I'm working on mine. I'll do 10 a night until I'm done.

[Todd McHatton]

Very frustrated right now. Just spent the last 2 hours reviewing everyones songs, hit preview, and it went to the log-in screen. Couldn't get them back. This is only the second time I've done this "board" thing... so, is that supposed to happen? Do you guys write your reviews in another program and then paste them in here?
So sorry but I don't have time to go back and do them all again.
The stand outs for me were:
Melvin - Happy 100 - and quite possibly the best tune I've heard since I joined you Song Fighters.
Jeff Travis Henderson - Listened to it several times now. Love it. I'm working on a Christmas album right now and would very much like to do this song - would you remotely consider it? Can I use your backing tracks? Please.
Howl Down the Chimney - very original and enjoyable.

As for the rest, there are a lot of interesting songs this fight. I'll try to get back and run through the rest of them...again, soon.