Review A Little Bit More (Love Me reviews)

[Billy's Little Trip]

(image of poo removed to keep the thread short)

You know, BLT is just letting the art-poo speak for itself here. But this piece ("Complex Shit" by Paul McCarthy) is particularly appropriate in this context, as it caught by the wind while on exhibit, destroying landscaping, downing trees and electrical poles, grinding over cars & blowing out their windows, eventually crushing a Childrens' Home.

That story always makes me smile.

I love that story. Of course no one was hurt by the fecal catastrophe, which is the message here.

[glennny]

Nicegeoff wrote:

Keyboards?

Generic wrote"

The driving beat, the layered synths in harmony; I've heard this trick before, but it's no less compelling

.

There are no synths in the Worldly Self Assursance track. You're hearing 2 Ebows on a guitar in harmony. Although i have been known to record them simultaneously, this was actually 2 tracks.

[PiGPEN]

I've grouped the songs this week into three tiers.

(Berkshire Social Scene, Durand Durand, The Hell Yeahs, Hostess Mostess, Jimmy Jet and his TV Set, Jonathan Mann, Max the Cat, Raisin Brain, Rik Gerblick, Roymond feat. BLT, SomeGuyCalledNoel, Todd McHatton, The White Hat, The Worldly Self-Assurance)

(Cabin Fever, Chopped Liver Meat God, Cobalt Stomach, Cock, Deetak, DuToVa, Embers of Autumn, Eric Strom, Evil E, Heine, Howl Down the Chimney, John Kloberdanz, Maggie Kanuka, Manhattan Glutton, Melvin, Paco del Stinko, Pathetic Wannabes, Pet Squirrel, Red Skeletons, Roymond, Signboy, The Sky Looks Pissed, Slats, Steve Durand, Swilington, Tribe Called Quoons, The Weakest Suit, The Wet Towel Society)

(Babylon Horuv, Chadderandom Abyss, Country Martyrs, LSK, Mar la Alma, McRamahamasham, Melvin is God, Ocho del Culo, squidbird)

I'm apparently in some sortve secret tier....like what presidents use.

[Teplin]

Welcome to the age of mindless relativism, where shit and art have become one.

I think that ought to be pretty much the final word on this discussion...

Really? It's such a tired old argument, though. Every art movement thought the one that followed it was shit. Practically everybody thought Jackson Pollock was shit at the time, but just the other day I noticed that Google was celebrating his birthday. Art IS relative, one man's shit is another man's treasure. But I reaaally don't want to get into that argument, and it's irrelevant anyway. It wasn't so much that Jon questioned the validity of the submitters music as art, it was that he questioned their motivations. That's what I think was so objectionable. Ugh, I really don't want to set off the flame war again, but that old clunker is sorely insufficient as the final word in the discussion.

[JonPorobil]

I've grouped the songs this week into three tiers.

(Berkshire Social Scene, Durand Durand, The Hell Yeahs, Hostess Mostess, Jimmy Jet and his TV Set, Jonathan Mann, Max the Cat, Raisin Brain, Rik Gerblick, Roymond feat. BLT, SomeGuyCalledNoel, Todd McHatton, The White Hat, The Worldly Self-Assurance)

(Cabin Fever, Chopped Liver Meat God, Cobalt Stomach, Cock, Deetak, DuToVa, Embers of Autumn, Eric Strom, Evil E, Heine, Howl Down the Chimney, John Kloberdanz, Maggie Kanuka, Manhattan Glutton, Melvin, Paco del Stinko, Pathetic Wannabes, Pet Squirrel, Red Skeletons, Roymond, Signboy, The Sky Looks Pissed, Slats, Steve Durand, Swilington, Tribe Called Quoons, The Weakest Suit, The Wet Towel Society)

(Babylon Horuv, Chadderandom Abyss, Country Martyrs, LSK, Mar la Alma, McRamahamasham, Melvin is God, Ocho del Culo, squidbird)

I'm apparently in some sortve secret tier....like what presidents use.

Oh, sorry about that. You're towards the top of the middle, actually. I've already written your review, so I might as well post it now:

PiGPEN - It wouldn't have taken much to make me want to vote for this. If the voices were a little more in sync, and a little more on key, this would be a total keeper. I love the happy peppy NES music, and you're clearly having a lot of fun singing those "Dun dun dun da-dun de-dun dun dun"s, which shows through, and makes the difference between a mediocre song and a fun, silly one. I like the animal noises toward the end, too. So close. Really.

[A Bootleg]

Really? It's such a tired old argument, though. Every art movement thought the one that followed it was shit. Practically everybody thought Jackson Pollock was shit at the time, but just the other day I noticed that Google was celebrating his birthday. Art IS relative, one man's shit is another man's treasure. But I reaaally don't want to get into that argument, and it's irrelevant anyway. It wasn't so much that Jon questioned the validity of the submitters music as art, it was that he questioned their motivations. That's what I think was so objectionable. Ugh, I really don't want to set off the flame war again, but that old clunker is sorely insufficient as the final word in the discussion.

Just as glib universalist condescension of relativism is a poor way to end the discussion, trotting out Jackson Pollock as an artist is equally insufficient. Pollock's name gets bandied about fairly often by people who consider themselves rogues or outsider artists because they like to see themselves in his 'complete departure from convention' or whatever. The fact of the matter is that Pollock was championed by the elite and even used by the Government as a sort of cultural propaganda. Clement Greenberg boosted Pollock because the inscrutability of his paintings fit well in with Greenberg's theory that art was progressing towards total decontextualization. The CIA promoted his work (through the CCF) because they believed it stood in diametric opposition to the Soviet Realist school of art being championed in the Eastern Bloc and the Motherland. At the time, nobody liked his art because it was pleasing or good; they did it because it either furthered their professional or political ends, or because it was fashionable. Folks still do.

Sorry. I know you didn't want to continue on with this, but so many of my friends have used Pollock as an excuse to lounge around instead of improving their art. It's a bit of a sore spot for me.

[Albatross]

Widescreen version of a Pollock painting:

[BabylonHoruv]

Babylon – I wish the woman’s voice was more sincere. Is this from a movie? Scary. 

Not from a movie, the woman is Pandamonieum, the man is me, the announcer is Atryom.

She did struggle a bit with making the lines come out with the right feeling in them.

[MisterQuoons]

Really? It's such a tired old argument, though. Every art movement thought the one that followed it was shit. Practically everybody thought Jackson Pollock was shit at the time, but just the other day I noticed that Google was celebrating his birthday. Art IS relative, one man's shit is another man's treasure. But I reaaally don't want to get into that argument, and it's irrelevant anyway. It wasn't so much that Jon questioned the validity of the submitters music as art, it was that he questioned their motivations. That's what I think was so objectionable. Ugh, I really don't want to set off the flame war again, but that old clunker is sorely insufficient as the final word in the discussion.

Just as glib universalist condescension of relativism is a poor way to end the discussion, trotting out Jackson Pollock as an artist is equally insufficient. Pollock's name gets bandied about fairly often by people who consider themselves rogues or outsider artists because they like to see themselves in his 'complete departure from convention' or whatever. The fact of the matter is that Pollock was championed by the elite and even used by the Government as a sort of cultural propaganda. Clement Greenberg boosted Pollock because the inscrutability of his paintings fit well in with Greenberg's theory that art was progressing towards total decontextualization. The CIA promoted his work (through the CCF) because they believed it stood in diametric opposition to the Soviet Realist school of art being championed in the Eastern Bloc and the Motherland. At the time, nobody liked his art because it was pleasing or good; they did it because it either furthered their professional or political ends, or because it was fashionable. Folks still do.

Sorry. I know you didn't want to continue on with this, but so many of my friends have used Pollock as an excuse to lounge around instead of improving their art. It's a bit of a sore spot for me.

Blah blah blah. Bunch of gay cowboys eating pudding, got it. Look, I don't know from all this academic blathering, and I agree that this discussion should probably just end (although I can't seem to stop contributing to it; go figure) but I honestly like stuff Jackson Pollock, not necessarily because I want to be perceived as some arty douchebag, but on an honest-to-God aesthetic level. What's pleasing is entirely in the eye of the beholder, and what's "good" is even more so. Music is the same way. I can listen to stuff like Edgard Varese or The Residents all day long. Some people can't. On the other hand, every time I hear "Hey There Delilah" I want to put a gun to my head, and look how many people love that song.

Takes different strokes to rule the world, I guess is what I'm trying to say.

[Heine]

Heine - cool solo at the beginning. this sounds like it'd be fun to play.

Yes, it was!

Heine: You said there is a german version? I'd like to hear it. I like this song.

Yes, same story, German words - you can find it here. (Called "Noch ein kleines Stück mehr" - Ooops! Can you read the umlaut?)

Heine- So the German guy blatantly rips off the Scorpions? I usually like your stuff, but a Weird Al-ish cover of Rock You Like a Hurricane, with new lyrics is a bit offensive. It's not an exact replica, just incredibly similar riffs and structure and dynamics.

I'll take the blame for that. In another thread, he mentioned how he was from the same towns as Scorpions and I declared something like "give us a little Scorpion sting" or something equally as corny. Well, he did, and surely prompted by a thoughtless peer. For what it's worth, the cheesy guitar lead in my song was inspired by Uli Jon Roth, former Scorpions great. Nowhere near as good as that guy, he's inhuman.

Yes, I also prefer the "Roth"-years. He had such a Hendrix vibe. My favorite albums are Fly to the rainbow and the live killer Tokyo Tapes. They are so great.

OK Heine, I'm sorry. i was on the outside of the joke. At least it's deliberate!

That's o.k., everybody's free to like it or not. I was trying to imitate some Scorpions stuff but with a very loving eye! I feel very comfortable this time with music, mixing and chorus vocals. I took Jon Erics advice to work more on the vocals, so I made a CD and shouted this song while driving in my old Ford for some days. Must've listened to it over a hundred times but still love it!

Reviews are in progress. Still writing.

[reve]

I've grouped the songs this week into three tiers.

I'm apparently in some sortve secret tier....like what presidents use.

Yeah, I'm in that tier too. But I figure if you're hangin' out there, it must be a good tier.

[MisterQuoons]

Now then. What did I log on here for again? Oh, yes. To post moar reviews. Then without further ado:

Reviews Part Two, Electric Boogaloo

Heine - Wow, this rocks. I actually can't think of anything to say about this besides "great job." Only real suggestion I have is that I think there should have been a longer guitar solo somewhere in the middle.

The Hell Yeahs - This also rocks. I'm not quite sure why, but I think I could maybe hear a hammond organ or something fitting in here, especially in the chorus parts.

Hostess Mostess - What is that bass instrument? To me, it sounds like an upright acoustic bass with an effect on it. I like it. This is a nice song. It's mellow. It makes me want to sway my hands back and forth. This is like, if a Bob Ross painting could be a song, it would probably be this one. If there is ever a songfight where the title is "Happy Little Trees" you are so going to take it. This sounds like the kind of song I would expect to hear in a movie, at the point in the story where the main character has to come to terms with something, usually his feelings, and does some kind of a montage. If I ever need to come to terms with anything, I will put this song on and do a montage. I may put this on my "Drunken Relaxation" mix, along with Cabin Fever's entry for Diggin' Out.

Howl Down the Chimney - You are truly the They Might Be Giants of Songfight. We could all use a little more theramin in our lives. Somehow, you've managed to convey precisely the sort of humorous yet creepy vibe that I was trying for, except you did it with only a couple of instruments that don't sound like they were programmed, and you didn't need computer effects to mask how shitty your voice sounds. I may just have to become a student at your academy.

Jimmy Jet - Nice singing, and I rather like the tinny solo ukulele or whatever it is. However, I kind of found my attention sort of wandering while listening to this. I feel like the nature of the kind of song it is pretty much let me know more or less what it was going to be about, so I couldn't really pay that much attention to what the lyrics were saying, specifically. Not the most original thing on earth, but nice, I guess.

John Kloberdanz - The guitar came through very nicely. A lot of the people I've heard here who do the whole "solo acoustic with voice / Look at me, I'm one of those moody singer-songwriter people" type of thing don't know how to get that nice, full acoustic guitar sound in a recording, but you do. That kept me listening all the way through. Although I'm fully aware of the complete idiocy of me trying to tell anyone that their song needs more variation, I'm nothing if not a hypocrite and a complete ass, so yeah, this needs more variation, I think.

Jonathan Mann - You know what would be awesome? If at some random point in the middle of this song, you just have an entire room full of people start singing "The Ants go Marching One by One" over the tune of this.

Jon Eric & Friends - I just went back and read that little rant I wrote at you last night and wow, I really need to stop reading this board when I'm trashed on cheap rum. But then again, I probably need to stop doing a lot of things when I'm trashed on cheap rum, and it's just not going to happen. Sorry if I got a little carried away. However, I still basically stand by the jist of what I said. Anyways, about your song. This is a good enough song in its own right; nice standard singing, nice standard playing from all parties involved, nice standard angsty lyrics about a failed relationship (or at least I assume that's what they were about; I kind of stopped paying attention after awhile). All in all, this is a very nice, standard interpretation of the title, so I guess you don't have to eat a dick for breakfast, unless you want to, in which case go ahead. I could hear Eagle Eye Cherry or Matchbox 20 or Jason Mraz or that one guy who did Babylon, or someone like that doing this song.

LSK - I really, really, really, REALLY like this song. Vote.

Maggie Kanuka - Looks Elaine DiMasi finally has some competition for the whole "artsy chick with a piano" routine. I would probably think this was a good song if I was into this sort of thing, and I really don't mean to be as much of an ass as I am, but I'm sorry, I couldn't stay awake for most of this. I would, however, really like it if, at the end, you suddenly jumped into that whole "vaudeville piano / play me off" schtick from Family Guy. That would be freakin' sweet.

Manhattan Glutton - I really dig the guitar work in this. I actually think this is one of my favorites from this fight. I doubt I'll get around to it anytime soon, but I think I might even like to cover this at some point in the distant future, if you don't mind, that is. Definite vote.

Mar la alma - Have you ever heard the song "Numb Erone" by the Residents? Because this reminds me of it. This is another song that I am going to put in my random playlist to weird out my friends. Also, I may vote for this. Will have to hear everything else before I make my final decision, because I still have a looooooong way to go, but yeah, I like this.

Max the Cat - I like some of the images in this one, particularly the one about the cheese doodle. Okay, listened through to the end, and yeah, this is clever. It's definitely a mark of talent when you can't quite tell whether or not a person is trying to be serious for a good chunk of the song. But yeah, though, this is just one pretty acoustic ballad too many for me. I'm going to stop for now.

Hopefully I'll blow through the rest of these in another couple of days.

[JonPorobil]

Jon Eric & Friends - I just went back and read that little rant I wrote at you last night and wow, I really need to stop reading this board when I'm trashed on cheap rum. But then again, I probably need to stop doing a lot of things when I'm trashed on cheap rum, and it's just not going to happen. Sorry if I got a little carried away. However, I still basically stand by the jist of what I said. Anyways, about your song. This is a good enough song in its own right; nice standard singing, nice standard playing from all parties involved, nice standard angsty lyrics about a failed relationship (or at least I assume that's what they were about; I kind of stopped paying attention after awhile). All in all, this is a very nice, standard interpretation of the title, so I guess you don't have to eat a dick for breakfast, unless you want to, in which case go ahead. I could hear Eagle Eye Cherry or Matchbox 20 or Jason Mraz or that one guy who did Babylon, or someone like that doing this song.

Eh, I read that you were a little drunk, so I took that whole post with a grain of salt. Not that I didn't expect a little backlash anyway. Thanks for reviewing the song somewhat objectively in spite of whatever beef you have with me.

And the singer you're thinking of is David Gray.

[glennny]

Love Me a Little Bit More reviews:

Babylon etc.. WHY!
The Chadder random Abyss- WHY!
Country Martyrs- WHY!!!!
LSK- WHY!!
Marla Alma- WHY!!!
McRamahamasham- WHY!
Ocho del Culo- WHY!!!!!!!



Cabin Fever- It only took one guitar lick for me to know I would vote for this. Tasty guitar playing! All the instruments sound great! There’s not a lot of a song here, but a Hell of a lot of vibe and good playing. Great singing too. This reminds me of a mid 90’s jam band. Good stuff, gets a vote.

Chopped Liver Meat God- David Byrne joined the Basement Jaxx with the Flock of Seagulls guitarist. Little Space Aged love Song lick at 1:11. This is fun in an 80’s camp kind of way. Lifting the FoS lick is disappointing.

Cobalt Stomach- One of the Rone entries I gather. I actually like this. Everything is programmed, but still entertaining to listen to. I like that key counter melody to the vocal line. With a little different production this could pass for the Faint. Cool!

Cock- Sounds like an intro. Not much of a flow, just kind of a dancey trancey groove. Gothy and uninspired.

Country Martyrs- More Rone. There’s some charm to the lo-fi ness of this. The out of tune vocals make this barely listenable. Yeah, this will not get repeated listens. I like the guitar tone. Everything else is pretty painful.

Deetak- VERY hissy! That’s some wicked vibrato on your vocals! I think it is overused. It’s pretty awesome, with a little more restraint it’d be stronger. This sounds almost improvised. Interesting entry. Please try and do something about your recording technique. The Hiss is very distracting.

Durand Durand- BAD ASS! Nice guitar tone! Those horn punches put this over the top! Cool bass line too! I wish the verse vocal melody was a little more melodic. Everything in this track is pretty great! Keeper, vote getter! This Chorus Rules!

Do It Over – I like this a lot! There’s a John Wetton quality to your voice. This really appeals to the prog geek in me. This sounds like 1970. this gets a vote. No complaints! Awesome track! This fits right in with ELP, Genesis, King Crimson, Cream. EXCELLENT!

Embers of Autumn- There’s a good song here. I like your voice. There’s a stylistic thing that bothers me a little bit. You’ll hit a note at the end of a phrase and then bend it down. You just do that a lot. You sound unsure of the key patch that came in loud and then sat in the background. It shouldn’t be there at all. Without the drums the acoustic instruments provide the rhythm for the song.

Looove- This is too long for what it is. Not a bad song, not a bad melody. The gimmick is very annoying. You made me doubt my internet connection.

Evil E- Am I on the outside of a joke again? Led Zeppelin: The Rover. I always like your vocals and your playing. I just can’t get past the Zeppelin riff on this one.

Heine- OK, sorry again about the slam. I hear I get to blame Paco del Stinko for having you rip off the Scorps. Mission accomplished. ( now can you emulate Accept?....JK)

The Hell Yeahs- This is solid. This sounds like every Hell Yeahs song. Days of the week, is pretty lyrically weak to me. I like the extended drum fill!

Hostess Mostess- Wow it’s nice to hear some really really good vocals! This song has a nice build. Great acoustic solo! The 2 vocalists compliment each other very well! Yeah this gets a vote. I don’t remember liking Hostess Mostess this much. My impression is that HM is high quality stuff, but usually not my thing. Now I have to go check out the back catalog. This song is really good! Gets a vote!

Howl Down the Chimney- Nice ¾ waltzy haunted house music. This is entertaining, but a little too samey for the majority of 3 minutes. I think it needs more sections.

Jimmy Jet and/or His TV set- File under Jack Johnson school of songwriting. OK the guitar is played well. The vocals are good. The song is pretty normal. But if I went surfing all morning and then smoked some pot, this would be the perfect song to listen to while I eat fish tacos and drink Bohemia.

John Kloberdanz- The acoustic is a little shaky. The high end is a little piercing too. The vocals are good. The song doesn’t really grab me. I hate fade outs. The lyrics didn’t do it for me either. Not bad.

Jonathon Mann- This is tasty! I enjoy the video too! Great melody! No complaints. This is very catchy. Gets a vote!

Jon Eric- I like the Dogs strummy guitar. I like the melodic bass licks. The backing harmonies are good. I don’t think the chorus has enough of a hook. I think you could have ended at 2:55. the guitar solo is nice and loud and slightly obnoxious, but then the bass solo just sounds like those licks we’ve been hearing for most of the song. It is a real ending, but just not as strong as the rest of the song, especially the verses.

Maggie Kanuka- Video Killed the Radio Star. OK something different. Well it sounds like a good idea for a song. It needs more variance in the melody and piano playing. This is the kind of demo that is fun to run with. Nice melody.

Manhattan Glutton- Shine on You Cray Diamond lick. Taken for a dinosaur stroll. This has some Eno riffs as well. It remonds me of something off Begnungen. Now there’s a good Alice Cooper voice! I wish the Alice Cooper section lasted longer and didn’t transition so jarringly.

Max the Cat- Pretty guitar! Excellent restraint for the drums. The atrocity of the verbosity is reminiscent of Alaniss Morisette. I like your voice. I wish you focused more on a melody rather than these lyrics. Sweet bass too. Yeah, different vocal line and I’d be all over this.

Melvin- I like traffic lights, although I’m not named Bamber. I like traffic lights, sometimes when they’re Amber. I’m sorry (I’m a jerk) Seriously, this is amazing! This orchestration is excellent. The strings, the melody, the performance, the singing, the structure, is all top notch! This gets a vote, but when I cover it live, I’m going to sing the Python bit to start it off.

Melvin is God- Another Rone song. This is presented sarcastic, but the riffs are pretty freaking cool. It’s a shame you wee trapped in the Rone song. Lots of music to enjoy here.

Paco del Stinko- After 3 seconds I know I will vote for this. Your reputation proceeds you, but you live up to it here. This is silly and cool! Oh YEAH! That guitar bend is SWEEET! OK this is my favorite!!!!!!! This goes into my top 10 PDS songs. VOTE

Pathetic Wanna Be- This is fun. The mix is very strange. The lead vocals are super hot, and the guitars are buried. Silly.

Pet Squirrel- This is too long, especially since it’s a drum machine. The singing is just fine. This is OK, I’m just getting bored. I like the string bits around 2:27.

PigPen- Girls! All I really want is Girls! OK, this is pretty cool. Lo-fi and quirky. Not enough there for a vote from me, but I enjoyed the listen.

Plain Songs for Doves and Tigers- I like the sax. The lazy guitar is cool. The song goes nowhere and meanders. The vocal melody is equally lost. No vote. I like a lot of the space and instrumentation, but the song doesn’t really work as a whole to me.

Quimby- Love your voice. Hate your lyrics. “Hey hey My My….” And several other cliché’s. Wait! That Hannity and Colmes line is funny! OK I hate most of the lyrics. I really want to hear some drums. I look forward to your next entry, I’m pretty sure one of these weeks you’ll knock it out of the park.

Raisin Brain- This is the absolute most average song I have ever heard. Not bad. Not good either. I guess I like the dopey keyboard. WAIT! That’s a cool change up. The drum machine is annoying. The abrupt transition back to the verse after that cool bridge is jarring.

Red Skeletons- YES! Here’s some pop gold! WONDERFUL arrangement! Fantastic melodies! Cool solo! Gets a big vote!

Rik Gerblick- This genre depends heavily on the pocket. You guys fall out of the pocket a few times like at 1:11. Pretty good jam band song. It’s not performed very well by the band. The vocalist is good, although a little cheesy in his affectation. Sounds like some more takes were in order.

RMosquito- Tired beat. Obnoxious distortion. Mixed to be clipped. Distorted vocals. Very noisy. Very noisy indeed.

Roymond & Billy- This is cool! Nice guitar solo. Cool beats. I love your voice, but I think the verse needs more of a melody, and the harmony especially needs more of a melody. That bass line is really catchy. Good song!

Signboy- Yeah! Nice riff! Nice drums. Those keys are groovy too. Again, I don’t think the vocal melody is very strong. Too wordy and not much melodic interplay with the guitar and bass.

The Sky Looks Pissed- When your counts and clicks aren’t in time there’s not much hope for the song. The timing issues are really bad on this one. I like the energy put into the strumming. But it sounds like you made yourself tired and slowed down accordingly. You sound like a Bright Eyes fan. I respect that. Nice voice. Just some performance issues really.

Slats- Cool intro. Too much echo for my tastes on the lead vocal. Guitars sound good. Not much difference between the verse and chorus. I like the bass playing. Just doesn’t grab me. Not bad.

Some Guy Called Noel- Finger Picking Bliss. I LOVE that bass line. The slide guitar is very well placed and performed. Yeah this gets a vote! Great Song!

Squid Bird?- this sucks.

Steve Durand- I don’t like the drums on this one. Your previous 2 songs, the drums have worked very well. This is a tasty little number of a song, however the drums distract enough to keep my vote away..

Swillington- This is super cute! This is a keeper and a vote getter. Nice unassuming 2 minute gem!

Todd McHatton- WOW! This is REALLY good!!! I[m continually amazed by your vocal arrangements. That guitar solo is excellent as well! VOTE!

A Tribe Called Quoons- Talk about meh. You’re obviously talented enough to sing in key and play in time. (Something before this week I took for granted, but this week has shown me not to do such.) I can’t believe you chose these notes and tones etc. It’s not exactly a genre bias, but I just don’t like this. I think the feeling is mutual judging from every review I’ve received from you.

The Weakest Suit- Tambourines are dangerous instruments. They can make a pop song poppy or bring a perfectly good G & G into the realm of annoying. This is an OK G & G, but the tambourine has to go!

The Wet Towel Society- I’ve heard these lyrics earlier in the fight. So disregarding the lyrics, the music is pretty fun.

The White Hat- You’re one of the best guitarists I’ve heard here on Songfight. Your banjo is impressive, but not as impressive as your guitar playing. The structure is pretty simple. But there’s so much vibe and great playing both banjo and harmonica, I have to vote for this. Great song! VOTE!

Whew! So this was a very special week for me. Furry Pedro was in town from England and staying with me here in California. I was determined to get a lot of recording out of him. We got 3 songs done. One for the NPCA album. Then the BSS & WSA songs for this title.

Berkshire Social Scene- We brought Pedro to our Berkeley Social Scene rehearsal studio, and jammed and wrote this song. Pedro suggested a verse riff in 5/4. Then we gamelan for 4 or 5 measures (20 beats) and are in 4/4 for the choruses. So the main music was a live take as a band. Pedro-guitar, glennny-guitar, martyr-bass, ken-drums. We wrote the structure then recorded 4 takes. We decided the 4th take was the best. So that was supposed to be the one we built on with vocals. As a testament to the bad ass in time in pocket ability of Ken, we realized Pedro recorded his vocal line over a different take than the rest of us. I overdubbed additional guitars for the solo section. It wasn’t until we got together again that we realized the take confusion. None of these were done with a click track. Ken is a machine! So we had a background vocal session with Ken, Martyr and Myself. I had a lot of fun bossing Martyr around. We do a lot of cool (I think) tricks for the backing vocals. My favorite part is the vocal gamelan at 2:16. Where I sing “you don’t need me” 5 times over Ken singing “you just don’t need me” 4 times. They’re a 3rd apart and stereo separated. Lunkhead showed up for some backing vocals in this session and threw down some keys as well at the end. It sounds good, but a little loud to me.

The Worldly Self Assurance- having Pedro around, and more important having him near recording equipment allowed the WSA to make a track. This is our classic method. Pedro came up with some rhythm guitar and a chorus. I threw down some bass with Pedros direction. Melvin proceeded to throw down some verses and drums. Then Frisbee got some harmonies in there. I finished it off with guitar solos and nuances. Melvin masterfully mixed it into another WSA classic. Well we love it anyway!

My votes go to: WSA, BSS, The White Hat, Todd McHatton, Swillington, Some Guy Called Noel, Red Skeletons, Paco del Stinko, Melvin, Jonathon Mann, Hostess Mostess, Dutova, Durand Durand, and Cabin Fever

[bambamoozle]

I just wanna say that I'm really enjoying the reviews of my LMALBM! I wrote a cute little song for my wife, and then shared it with y'awl. I wish the songfight vote system allowed for rankings though, because history will likely group me at the bottom of the pack along with the ones that are so controversial in this thread (and I'm not naming names).

But, in the end, that's just fine. I love writing. Although I'm usually folky and usually a guy with a guitar, I don't usually do the Gordon Lightfoot/Jim Croce sort of thing, a bit off the sappy quotient for me.

On the other hand, the next song is coming out somewhere at the intersection of Spin Doctors, Lenny Kravitz, and Black Crowes. Not the Counting Crows! Not Black Flag! Not Black Sabbath! I wish like Frank Black, or Black Francis, he's cool, but not like him either.

John K.

[Heine]

Love Me...Reviews...

Songs which I like from the start:

Durand Durand - Best band name. Best song. Hope you win that challenge, brothers. It's got soul, it rocks and some cool wind playing. Great soul vocals (though maybe a bit too loud in the mix). Hope you will collaborate more often. Congratulations.

deetak - You've got such a fine sense for melodies. The chorus is so great. I'm glad you don't hide your vocal behind silly effects. Your voice is unique and it's great.

Slats - Beatlesque guitar sound of '66. And I dig those lyrics, I need security, too. I'm a fan.

Max The Cat - Coming quite easy, kinda Paul Simon. Nice.

Maggie Kanuka - Don't hide your voice in the background, it's beautiful. Something reminds me of John Kincade's Shine on me woman, which I really like.

PiGPEN - Dundundun... hu! Not perfect but it put a smile upon my face Catchy.

Paco del Stinko - Nice. Vocal melody reminds me a bit of Slade's Run Runaway. Nice synthy sound. Drums sound o.k. but I think I would use a little reverb.

The Hell Yeahs - I suppose you are married? Everyday life! Music fine as ever, listened to it with a grin. The drum break is a bit too weird.

DuToVa - Nice song. Love this kind.

roymond Feat. Billy's Little Trip - Well sung. I like the melodies.

Todd McHatton - Melodic as ever. Nice guitar solo this time. Fine.

Jonathan Mann - 6/8. Nice, moody.

Jimmy Jet and his TV Set - Cool name. So laid back. Putting this fight into a story is also something different. (I guess most fighters - me included - singing the I/you-way).

Quimby - Not too catchy this time, but nice and moody as ever.

Evil-E - Nice riff, nice bridge, nice effects. Would be a killer if the mix wasn't that muddy.

raisin brain - Funny name. I like how the keyboard parts enhance the chorus.

Jon Eric & The Transpacific Babble Brigade - Oh, quite desperate this time. Some of the guitars are out of place. But still a remarkable song.

Embers of Autumn - A pleasant song. Vocals clipping?

Steve Durand - A charming one. I like the harp very much.

The Worldly Self-Assurance - A nice rocker.

Hostess Mostess - Is this name a Frank Black reference? I was enjoying this one.

Rik Gerblick - Nice song. Vocals are great. I like it when they come to the „Winwood“ edge.

SomeGuyCalledNoel - Some fine picking. Reminding me of Bring on the night. Please buy a better microphone. You are great!

Pet Squirrel - A simple and great pop song.

The Weakest Suit - The song itself is brilliant. Could benefit from a band arrangement and some „Uhhh...“ parts in the background (of that g#, g, f change).

The White Hat - For me, coming from Germany, it's typical american folk. I like this one.

John Kloberdanz - Another 6/8. One of that Donovan/Dylan thing. Fade out is o.k. I think the high frequencies are overrepresented.

Melvin - A fantastic pop song. Brilliant as ever.



Songs which might take longer to fall in love with:

Cabin Fever - Nice but not your strongest.

The Chadderandom Abyss - Kind of Alice Cooper Vocals. Guitar got more rhythm as usual. Would like to hear it together with some drums.

Country Martyrs - Very Rone'ish. I really like the guitar.

Cock - Quite industrial, would have been nice for the Elegy-Fight.

Red Skeletons - Nice.

Babylon Horuv Feat. Pandamonieum and Atryom - Interesting. My first thought was: „How many of those movies you had to watch to get all of your samples?“ But I already read it... no movies...

Swilington - French Air crossing early Kraftwerk. Not the worst.

The Pathetic Wannabees - Strange but funny. Gimmegimmegimme...

A Tribe Called Quoons - Cool name. It's like background music for some stylish café.

Signboy - Cross over?! O.k. song.

Cobalt Stomach - I like the piano chords in that. Chorus is quite catchy.

Chopped Liver Meat - U2-like guitar is nice. Vocals are a bit too loud. Not a bad song.

Howl Down the Chimney - Once again perfectly done. But I'm not fond of that organ sound used as the main element - (maybe only for me) there should be also some strings or something. I enjoyed the middle, Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite kisses Heep's Return to fantasy. (By the way, thanks for your kind Elegy review.)

squidbird - I wouldn't have used the bird sounds throughout the whole song. Only to spice up certain parts of the song.

Berkshire Social Scene - Canon vocals. Nice. I enjoy the „you're not good for me“-part but it takes a bit too long to get there.

Wet Towel Society - The instrumental parts are great. Played live or programmed?

Plain Songs for Doves & Tigers - Some parts are a little strange and some are lovely. 2/3 rhythm works well here.

The Sky Looks Pissed - Sounds like you were much too far away from the microphone. I like the harp.

LSK - I was wondering what to think of this one... so it took me 1:40 to realize there's only one chord. Maybe I should go to bed.

R. Mosquito - The noisy sound can't hide the classic Rock'n'Roll structure. I could love it better if it wasn't overdone.

Melvin is God - A bit weird.

Manhattan Glutton - Strange, but nice. I'm not fond of the assumed voice in the middle.

Ocho del Culo - ?!? Sorry... no idea what it's about.

Mar la Alma - Sorry. I tried but gave up. That vocal effect destroys it.

McRamahamasham - I don't dig the intention of it. The music itself could turn into a pretty tune. The solo has a nice feel.

Eric Strom's Daily Song dot Com - The staccato is a bit overdone. This one could be nice played with a bluesy feeling or maybe in style of Brandy and Monica's Boy is mine.


Still don't know whom to vote for. Sure: all D's (Durand Durand, deetak, Dutuva), Maggie Kanuka, PiGPEN and Slats.
I'm tired now. Good night everybody.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I took Jon Erics advice to work more on the vocals, so I made a CD and shouted this song while driving in my old Ford for some days

This is a great technique. I do it often.
....by the way, my first real Scorpion introduction was Love Drive and still one of my favorite top 20 albums of all time. I could never sing like Klaus, which was depressing as much as it was motivating. I became angry that I couldn't sing and I sang the way I felt, which was a pissed off rebellious punk. Then sometime later I read an interview with him and when asked about his voice, he said he doesn't have a great voice, he has passion and sings with emotion. He likes any singer that sings with passion that comes from the soul and tells him just how he feel. From that day on, I sang my balls off, because that's how I felt.

Heine, I really liked your song this week. Rock!

[Teplin]

Just as glib universalist condescension of relativism is a poor way to end the discussion, trotting out Jackson Pollock as an artist is equally insufficient. Pollock's name gets bandied about fairly often by people who consider themselves rogues or outsider artists because they like to see themselves in his 'complete departure from convention' or whatever. The fact of the matter is that Pollock was championed by the elite and even used by the Government as a sort of cultural propaganda. Clement Greenberg boosted Pollock because the inscrutability of his paintings fit well in with Greenberg's theory that art was progressing towards total decontextualization. The CIA promoted his work (through the CCF) because they believed it stood in diametric opposition to the Soviet Realist school of art being championed in the Eastern Bloc and the Motherland. At the time, nobody liked his art because it was pleasing or good; they did it because it either furthered their professional or political ends, or because it was fashionable. Folks still do.

Sorry. I know you didn't want to continue on with this, but so many of my friends have used Pollock as an excuse to lounge around instead of improving their art. It's a bit of a sore spot for me.

Ok, you read too much into what I've said, let me clarify. I really wasn't bringing up Pollock as a classic academic example of "outsider artist makes good". I'd recently seen his birthday being celebrated on the front page of the world's most popular website, so he happened to stick in my mind. My point was more along the lines of "Here's an artist that almost everybody thought was shit in his own time, and many still do today, but many others now genuinely appreciate his paintings." Your input about the propaganda machine, and nobody really liking his art at the time, doesn't invalidate my point, it only sharpens it. Alright, so NOBODY liked his art at the time, and today he is celebrated by many. And if you think that nobody alive today likes his art for what it is, without regard to politics or fashion, you, sir, are sadly deluded. Or, to borrow a term of yours, "closed-minded". I, personally, like a good deal of modern art. I promise you I'm not lying. I'm not saying it to be fashionable or cool. I really, genuinely like it for how it makes me feel and what it makes me think.

Anyway, I understand your sore spot. I realize there's a lot of pretentious wankery going on in the art world. But there are also a lot of sincere artists, following their muse and making stuff you hate. Who's to say your tastes are any more valid than theirs? If by "improve their art" you mean "stop making art because it's what they think is fashionable and might get them paid", I fully support it, but if you mean "change their artistic tastes to bring them closer to mainstream tastes", I want nothing to do with your brand of "improvement".

[MisterQuoons]

And the singer you're thinking of is David Gray.

Believe it or not that's been bugging me all weekend.

[PlainSongs]

I'm going to state that everyone who participated ultimately needs a little bit more love, so I will be dealing out ♥s to the ladies and ◤s to the dudes, where ♥ stands for heart and ◤ stands for liver.

People! Use mp3 tags! They're sexy, as those of you who do use them know all too well.

babylonhoruv...
I thought this was quite good story-wise, and with adequate music, but I found the end disappointing. I don't enjoy B movies. Who did the vocals? ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** *

berkshire SS
Makes me think of Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros. That's good! Strong guitar and drums. Cookiecutter lyrics. Vocals a bit whiny / boring on the chorus, otherwise good. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

cabinfever
I really like the funk and the subtle psychedelic guitar in the background. Cool vocals. But I'd hoped it would take a bit of a turn half-way, instead it just drew out its message. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

The Chadderandom Abyss
I think I would enjoy this more if there were a melodic trickle in the background (kind of like in hip hop) and/or more prominent/understandable/pithy lyrics. Now it's just too raw - that may be what you want; but I want you to show me the beauty or at least interest in the wreckage. ◤◤◤◤* ***** *

Chopped Liver Meat God
Your vocals are not bad at all, but the guitar at the start was even better, for it was excellent. I instincitvely love new wave and then it quickly bores me somewhat. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** * +1◤ because of the band name of course

Cobalt Stomach
Great intro... After that, yeah, it's okay actually, and some nice touches (piano sound for instance) so, well-made but it still says 'spoof'. ◤◤◤◤◤ ***** *

Cock
This is neat; after the boost in the middle I'm missing some extra in the bass register, whether percussive or vocal growls or bass guitar. Interesting experiment though. I'd be curious about the next song on the album. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

Country Martyrs
What to say - take singing lessons; like it or not the permanent off-keyness is real distracting. There's some interesting sparse song structure burried here though. Guitar sounds nice. ◤◤◤** ***** *

deetak
Pretty nice but needs some crunch somewhere, and for this degree of sparseness you need very precise playing or a very distinctive voice I guess, which you're on the way too but not there yet. Really the warbling voice is cool but it doesn't make me grasp the lyrics, which may be a pity. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

Durand Durand
Alround this is truly good-sounding and skilful, I like the lyrics and the guitar and the trumpet (?) and the bass around 'love me...'. Somehow the different parts don't gell together as compactly as I'd like, making it drag on a bit. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

dutova
Vocals should be a little more prominent - now I don't know if your lyrics are great or merely medium. Nice psych folk sort of thing otherwise. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

embersofautumn
Sweet, indeed a bit too innocent 'n' boring with no grins. I feel the vocals are a bit grating at times. Overall this is more for "my sister when she's in a funk" than for me. But it's well-played and by no means a bad song. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** *

loooove
This is pretty fun, both the synth and the garbled vox, however my heart isn't really moved by something like this. Drags on a bit. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** *

evile
Guitar sounds well played, but alas buried in three fathoms of soil. Nice tune but a bit too understated, maybe due to the production. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

Heine
Ausgezeichnet! Cool vocals and precise playing. I like how it rocks slowly. Good composition, even if it's 'inspired by'. Just watched RYLAH on Youtube - frankly your tune seems more mature. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤◤* *

The Hell Yeahs
Fun. Some witty lyrics... Short. A bit generic if not for the lyrics. ♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥*** *

Hostess Mostess
Oooh. This is good, this is very good. Nice subtle weird chord there. Great voice. Nice metallic guitar chiming in. It's borderline schmaltzy but I hear you're beyond that, and you keep it out of that zone musically too. Don't wanna listen to a full CD of this weeping but by itself this is excellent. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤◤* *

Howl Down the Chimney
Good circus sound, if a tad too harsh. Don't tell me you don't love "For the Benefit of Mr Kite"! I like the lyrics a lot - "where in the brain do you keep your affection etc." That theremin-like thing (is it really??) is neat. Super! Love this. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤◤◤ *

Jimmy Jet etc.
Vocals / lyrical theme a bit too whiny and not an awful lot happening around it. It's like Jimmy Jet in a funk without his TV set. Don't get me wrong, it's nice enough and full of potential, but not standing out. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** *

John Kloberdanz
Good vocals and lyrics! Strumming pattern and chord choice are overly generic and therefore dull - that's a shame. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

Jonathan Mann
Lovely pseudo-Andean melodic phrase. Dude it sounds all chopped-up here - use a lower or variable bitrate please coz we don't all have 21st century internet - you'll still sound great! (Yes I can download separately and I will.) Not only is this excellently played, but I love the restrained composition. If this is autobiographical good luck to you :) ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤◤◤ * -1◤ for being chopped up

Jon Eric
That intro seems a bit /too/ quiet relatively. A bit wordy but still good lyrics - the medical theme works so well for love songs (cf Howl Down the Chimney). I like the atmosphere of this song, the composition stays a foot or two out of generic tune, with enough small surprises. Yep, quite memorable. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤◤* *

LSK
This is surprisingly cool. By all rights it should suck, for the lyrics are dumb and the music, well, the lyrics say it. And yet it's cool. You wiped your feet and it sparkled with a dull glow. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

Maggie Kanuka
Pity about the hiss. I get a lot of that too but because of the sparse piano and singing it sounds through more here. Sweet but a bit too depressed to tolerate the so-so production. ♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥*** *

manhattanglutton
This has a bit too much loud generic indie rock flavour for my tastes. Nothing particularly bad about it but ho-humish. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** *

marlaalma
This is fairly annoying... fastforwarding... still the same... skip. ◤**** **** *

maxthecat
Last time I heard Paul Simon it was a newish album and I thought he was better before he veered into his trademark half-talk style which I tend to find pretentiously pseudo-selfdeprecating. "Look how klutzy I am, but you know, my heart's the opposite." And you do something like that here and likewise I like it better when you don't. Still a great way with words. Alright melody. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

mcram...
Abrasive without much merit. Forgot the artist tag. Skip. ◤**** **** *

Melvin
Is it gonna be Melvin-the-innovator or radio-Melvin? :) It's radio-Melvin :/ I could see a teen coming up to their parents with this and claiming it was the best ever, and the parents would appreciate the quality, think of all the crazy exciting shit they've been listening to in their lives, and smile indulgently. But that's ok and you do other stuff too so on you go. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

Melvin is God
Well it's a spoof and it's a drag... Pity for Melvin and God. ◤*** **** *

ochodelculo
Fastforward... it's del culo alright. Skip... ◤**** **** *

pacodelstinko
I'd say not quite as interesting or well composed as usual, gets better at the handclaps. Still I find the main drumming + guitar too rote with not much else really drawing attention. 's okay. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** *

patheticwannabees
Haha, "give me all your stuff... whoo!" Love the zany vocals but dump the 'too close to the mic / to my ear' effect, without giving up the exaggeration, if you can. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

Pet Squirrel
That synth drum stuff is a bit too clunky, especially to go with those vocals. If my pet squirrel acted like that I'd say it was schizophrenic and needed some fresh air. Really this feels like two or more pretty good but not very compatible song ideas superimposed. Lyrics ho-hum but nice voice. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

PiGPEN
So I don't like this computer game sound, funny vocals though. The quacks and similar are excellent. Had you muted and overlayed that Nintendo with a violin or bagpipes along the way you'd have gotten extra liver. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

Plain Songs for Doves & Tigers
I liked this enough to submit but not much more. An evening's work, it would sound better if it were properly played and mixed, but it would still be more of a "hm yeah some of it" than "bam!" thing. Live and learn. I'm glad people liked bits of it and thanks for any detailed critique.

Quimby
Nice guitar sound. Very pretty voice. Neat chorus - love that hey hey my my. Not groundbreaking but nicely done and very charming. ♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥* *

raisin brain
Sorry to say but I find everything (lyrics, tune, instrumentation, vocals) a bit mediocre here - that means nothing is really bad of course. Hey, the rhythm change is cool - that part is a lot swankier. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** *

Red Skeletons
Neat lyrics and well delivered. Like the composition as well as the instrumentation - the banjo (?) and so on. Not overwhelming overall but many truly interesting elements. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

Rik Gerblick
Too much radio rock for me I suppose, but it's well done and such. Just not the kind of music I'd listen to much, so it gets long for me. As an element I like the energetic strumming bit. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

rmosquito
I don't think this is meant to be funny but it makes me smile. I wonder what you're saying and if it's interesting... Oh there you go... beseech. Nightingale. Right... I can't quite explain why but this is the kind of noise that my brain likes. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤◤* *

roymond Feat. Billy's Little Trip
Hey I like those vocals. Hm I almost really like this, but it all sounds pretty muddy. And then it doesn't freak out enough, being too close to the loud ceiling on the whole to expand. Like a fun fair on a busy Saturday, it's partly enjoyable and partly mindbreakingly overcrowded. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

signboy
Thumbs up to the bass. Really. I'm really digging that bass. All the rest bobs on it dynamically like a healthy otter with enough clams in its stomach to feel brawny and free. I'd say the vocals are maybe overchorused or -reverbed or whatever it is, but it's a minor qualm. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤◤* *

The Sky Looks Pissed
Well it's not exactly tightly played... I'm afraid this needs a fascist to beat a bit of discipline into it in the right places. That fascist is maybe called "more rehearsing" or "more time". Some good potential here though. Which shows when you're just singing with a bit of guitar and there's no chance for it to become messy. Props to the harmonica. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** *

Slats
Nice drums, vocals a bit too reverby (metal room sound), overall rather generic rock-ish. I think this is quite good for what you're going for though, it keeps up the groove. Do you like 80s arena rock? ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

SomeGuyCalledNoel
Nice guitar playing but sounds a bit muddy. See J Mann about 320kbps. It's kind of nice but not very expressive, a long drive along a pretty motorway. I can't concentrate on the lyrics much, but when I do, they seem typical so I drift off again. Hey, not bad though. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

Squid Bird?
See J Mann about 320kbps. The music it's set too is vaguely annoying. I don't know what you're on about so I've no idea if I agree with your message (I suspect not) but I like bits of the lyrics and the whole bird thing is... well I like the birdsong samples. Hm. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** *

Steve Durand
Simple effective lyrics. You make me think of cruiseships and roaring twenties calypso. Not super exciting but charming. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

Swillington
Well I like the vocoder. But I'm not a great fan of those synths, a bit too bare-bones. Nice enough but not all that much going on in this song and the one idea is something we've heard before. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

Todd McHatton
Has a helping of Beatles, which makes it nice... I'm not sure why I don't like the vocals very much. I think your voice is alright. Maybe the whole thing is too reverby. Nice lyrical bits. Overall quite good. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

A Tribe Called Quoons
This has to be rather good because it caught my attention while I was clicking through some other programs. Good voice. Solid tune. It's the voice and the lyrics that do it though - good contrast between the daft hamster theme and the vocabulary. Both funny and serious. The 'love little bit more' line seems a bit forced in, but whatever... this is very good indeed. I'd almost dock a liver for your gratuitous drunk post but that ain't your tune now is it. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤◤◤ *

The Weakest Suit
Nice... quite clean sound, good lyrics, nice rhythm to it. A bit underdoggish and monotonous but still. The chopped "I. wish. that. you." is a good idea! ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤◤** *

Wet Towel Society
So I've heard these lyrics before... The music here lacks some subtlety. And variation, but mainly subtlety. Starts to grate. ◤◤◤◤◤ ***** *

The White Hat
It's quite ok and well played, but I don't think it stands out as country music, and then country music generally doesn't stand out among music for me - it does when it has a good story or a surprise, which I don't find here. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤◤*** *

The Worldly Self-Assurance
Radio rock-ish... not very interesting to me. The rock is too hard for how soft the lyrics are. Either play something prettier or sing and play something nastier. But that's a critique on a genre, not particularly on you... okay for what you're going for. ◤◤◤◤◤ ◤**** *

[john m]

Didn't have enough time to participate in or listen to the fight, but I just want to chime in to say how nice it is to see huge fights again. Great titles lead to such fights, and I've been vocally critical of titles in the past, so I want to be equally vocal about my happiness with this title and hope it's only one of many great titles to come.

[Pet Squirrel]

Hi all,

Thanks for comments, both positive and negative.

For efficiency's sake, I'm just going to in no particular order give random thoughts I had on some of the entries in the constructive criticism vein. Here goes:

swilington: The vocoder is a tad bit overbearing. Maybe bring it down a bit, or EQ it to make some frequency space for the other parts.

todd mchatton: Really cool sounds, but the arrangement is a little hard too follow. And I think that makes it a little hard to follow the meaning. I guess if there could be more overall contour that would help

raisin brain: Nice retro action, to complete the image though, you need to be more careful on the voice especially keeping in tune.

signboy: The bass line is super-badass. When the vox get a little screamy, I think theres something there, but the rest of the time I don't feel the conviction. Not that it should be any more screamy, but if the non-screamy parts could have the same conviction, it would be great

howl down the chimney: The circus music stuff is great, and if it led to more of a climax somewhere, it would be even better. Also, the simulated-theremin solo is a cool idea, would sound better/more realistic if you did more portamento, less regular vibrato, and *slightly* less dead on rhythm

jon eric: Instrumentals nice, vox need to be a little tighter rhythmically with the music

melvin: Solid, except the drums need a bit of work: vary the patterns a bit and slightly vary/randomize the velocity of the drum hits, add some little, weak pre/post hits on the snare or a flam or two. That would all help the drums be less monotonous. Also the snare is a bit too ballsy (distracts from the vox espc. in verse).

pigpen: Synths good. Vox need to come down and (imo) be *slightly* less sloppy. Also, the dun dun dun stuff is great in the verses. But when you do it through the whole chorus it gets too tiring and old hat before the next verse. Do something else in the chorus to keep it fresh in the verses

cabin fever: Love the almost porn-groove grind. Great voice for this song too, and interesting choice of effects but don't lay the effects on so heavily. Up the dry:wet ratio on those to keep it more focused and cohesive.

durand durand: Great music. Love the horns. One thing: the vocal quality is on track, but if you up the breath support, and belt more from the diaphragm etc. it could take it up to the kickass face-melting level.

Thats what stuck out for me. Definitely some clever/talented people around here.