Review A Little Bit More (Love Me reviews)

[JonPorobil]

"air" in the vocals is the range of eq above say, 15khz. It's the high end breathiness that is activated by the upper end of the eq, and is heard as "closeness" or "liveliness". Since high frequencies don't travel through space or material as well as bass frequencies do, humans have learned to associate high frequencies with "present" and "right in front of me".
Since it's easier to remove than it is to add any specific frequencies in the mix, you are probably missing out by not mic'ing the "air" in the first place. If you're using a cardioid mic such as a Shure SM 58, you are probably recording with the mic close to your face, which enhances the bass frequencies.

Ken says: I tend to roll off as much low end as I can for clarity, boost a little bit at 1.5K for presence and then a slight high shelf at 10K for "air".
http://songfight.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5956

Thanks a lot. I'm going to try to remix the vocals when I get home, bearing this in mind.

[Manhattan Glutton]

I finally finished my reviews. If you're not in this group, you were reviewed in my previous post.

Babylon
Usually something like this goes on an album, in between... more conventional songs.

Berkshire Social Scene
The way it's sung is just a little too zany for my tastes, but the music is solid.

Cabin Fever
This is a pretty sweet groove. The style reminds me a bit like 80s music.

The Chadderandom Abyss
... It was worth listening to for the panning in the end. A+ panning!

Chopped Liver Meat God
What a cool name. You need to get yourself a modern synthesizer. The singing could win you major points with a different genre and better music.

Cobalt Stomach
OMG awesome instrumental intro. I feel like I'm playing Descent. Sing with your chest instead of your nose. This could be a winner with better singing.

Cock
Totally missed this one my first pass through. The build-up is a little long, but it totally rocks when it reaches the climax.

Country Martyrs
I could get into it save for the flat singing... why? And please crop out the smacking of your mouth in between phrases.

Deetak
The piano is pretty cool. Project more with your singing - get away from the mic so you have to. The line noise of the mic is killing me.

Durand Durand
Bonus points for trumpets. Something about the chorus doesn't jive right with me... it sounds like something's off. Pretty rad and different tune, though.

Dutova
Very chill, and nice instrumental arrangement. Could use a little less of a lo-fi sound.

Embers of Autumn
Very good for a G&G. Next time double-track your guitar and pan one track right, one left. The vocals are off in a few places (but that's been my pet obsession lately, so don't feel bad). Otherwise you have a great voice to work with.

Eric Strom's Daily Song Dot Com
The ID3 tag made me lol. "looooove" The on/offness is nice, but I would prefer more breaks from that or maybe something in the background.

Evil-E
Well, you had some good ideas. Next time turn up the music. Cool breakdown at 2:45. The song is kind of repetitive. Try again next time and produce a little harder.

Heine
Pretty solid entry, but it needs something... maybe harmonies?

The Hell Yeahs
I could probably listen to an album of this on loop. It's definitely grown on me.

Hostess Hostess
You get bonus points for incredible singing. Though, the music leaves something to be desired. Maybe more guitars (double track) and make them louder.

Howl Down the Chimney
Your singing reminds me of a local band called the Treats. Great, rough voice. The song kind of drones on. The bridge is a nice change. Go for a different style next time.

Jimmy Jet and his TV Set
Cool name. Singing: A-, guitar: A. Song may be a little too long. Add drums and you're all set to have a fan favorite for the end of your concerts.

John Kloberdanz
Echo me a little bit more... I mean... hehe. Vary up the strumming. The singing melody is a little slow for my taste, too, but it's a solid entry. Lots of good G&Gs this fight.

Jonathan Mann
So much cool stuff going on at the beginning. The vocals are a bit weak at parts. I think double-tracking them would improve the song a lot. I'm not so fond of the chorus part, but I really like the rest.

Jon Eric
You almost scared me - I thought this was another G&G. It seems like the bass and drums are mixed a little loud. Turn down the nose on the vox. Pretty cool tune, though. I always like when someone throws "fuck" into a song with a misleadingly chill intro.

LSK
NO. Well, OK. I lolled. The lyrics totally save it. "Maybe I would learn more [chords] if you loved me a little bit more"

Maggie Kanuka
Your lyrics are sweet. Your singing is nice too. As is the piano. The only thing missing is a bit of polish.

Manhattan Glutton
OMG I just blew my ears off since it's so much louder than the previous one. Anyway, yeah, my song is lacking in composition, but it holds a special place in my heart.

Mar la Alma
NO.

Max the Cat
A+ for acoustic guitar recording/mastering. I'm not sure how I feel about bass being panned right... The vocals are good for what they are, but the style doesn't really appeal to me. And it goes on way way too long. I think doing that rambling for the verse and then switching to more conventional singing for chorus would have been nice.

McRamahamasham
Funniest in the fight so far. But YOUR VOCALS ARE CLIPPING, as is your guitar. I actually like the song for what it is, but the mastering leaves something to be desired. I understand that a song like this doesn't need mastering, but the clipping is intolerable.

Melvin is God
A++++

Ocho del Culo
A++++++++

Paco del Stinko
I could dig this if the singing weren't in that weird voice. It's like you're trying to ruin the song. If you're not purposely making those voices, I apologize from the bottom of my heart.

Pathetic Wannabees
Backing vocals: A++++++++++++++++

PigPen
Daffy Duck: A++++++++++++

Plain Songs for Doves & Tigers
Is that a tiger in the background or are you hitting the microphone or what?

Raisin Brain
Shift the key so you can sing in your normal register. You get a free pass on vocals for your accent/natural voice. WTF did this just turn into Tainted Love?

Red Skeletons
The instrumental composition is pretty sweet. It feels like the song needs more 'volume'... perhaps bass or synthesizer.

R. Mosquito
If I looked at this in a wav editor, it would look like a square. Turn that shit down. And stop singing like that.

Roymond ft. BLT
It's OK but seems a bit saturated. Like a sponge in the ocean. The vox are hit/miss. I like the guitar solo, though.

Signboy
A valiant effort at rapping. Needs crunchy generic guitar instead of/in addition to distorted bass.

The Sky Looks Pissed
Reminds me of Bright Eyes. Needs much polish and drums.

Slats
Something about the mix is a little jarring, but I like the composition and the sound overall.

SomeGuyCalledNoel
Great guitar playing, especially if you did a whole take instead of looping it. The vocals could use some work. The song actually reminds me of a band called Cloud Cult, for whatever reason.

Squid Bird
This is ridiculous, but hey, it works. Birds: A++++++++

Steve Durand
The music is great. A little bit of tune correction and EQ on the vocals would go a long way.

A Tribe Called Quoons
The effects on the vox ruin the cool groove you had going. Scrap the vocal track altogether and rap or sample birds or something.

The Weakest Suit
Bonus points for "woahs"! You kindof lose me at 0:42, but you get me back at 0:55. It might just be the mix, but it seems like the singing needs more power. I think some harmonies would help a lot, too.

Wet Towel Society
I am so conflicted. Pretty good singing + bland synth. The little things you do in between singing are a welcome change, but then they go away. It seems like the last verse you did in one take when the vox get shaky.

The White Hat
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... oh nevermind. Overall very good. Need to de-ess the vox and then come in with 20 instruments at the chorus.

[Rik]

It’s been a few years since I’ve really gotten into a SongFight. Quite a few things have changed: one song(instead of three); multiple votes(instead of one); shitloads of entries.

I’m going to start my reviews with the artists I recognize from 3 years ago in no particular order.

Max The Cat – Wow, right off the bat, production is a 10. This sounds very professional, a hard act to follow. I don’t care for the vocal stylings, but that’s just a style preference, your voice is fantastic and sits perfectly in the mix. Everything is well played and I really can’t get over how good this sounds. (Favorite old Max The Cat song: Feet (minus the joke at the end))

Melvin – This didn’t grab me at first, but is definitely growing on me. “Just a little bit, just a little bit”, I can see that getting stuck in my head later. This wasn’t what I was expecting from you, but it’s very good. The piano and cello foundation work very well, but being a guitarist I prefer the 2nd verse with guitar and cello. The synth sounds later in the song don’t sit well with me, but the strings over guitar at the end is fantastic. Overall, this is a great song I really enjoyed. (Favorite old Melvin song (also one of my all time favorite SongFight! Songs): I Know My Rights)

The Hell Yeahs – What? It’s over? Another great song, another fantastic production. Great sound, snotty guitars, excellent drum solo. Although I’m not a fan of the chronological day of the week device (I’m guilty of using it myself), I’m still digging the lyrics. This will definitely get a few more listens, not only because it’s so short, but because it’s a tough song that deserves a vote. (Favorite old The Hell Yeahs song: Brand New Car)

Manhattan Glutton – I enjoyed this song, though I felt it got a bit repetitive. I didn’t realize the lack of bass until you kicked into heavy part. Some low end right there would have really given it the punch that it deserved, especially with everything else being so heavy. Great vocals, especially when you really get on it later on. (Favorite old Manhattan Glutton song: High Enough)

Roymond Featuring Billy’s Little Trip: This has a very cool classic feel. I’m digging the overdriven bass, and the hard panned guitar is authentic to genre. Everything jives until around a minute in, when the bridge part comes in, until the solo. During that part it seems that more of the harmony vocal notes clash than click. The song ends out solid, kind of Beatles-esqe. (Favorite old Roymond song: Save New Orleans)

Steve Durand: Stylistically I just can’t get into this song, it’s like Don Ho meets Lawrence Welk. All kidding aside, this is a well produced, well performed song. On the performance side, I think the stand-out moments are the drum fills. They are full of cool hits and provide good transitions without distracting from the song overall. I find the weakest point to be your vocals, I guess they’re just a little too passive and shakey, not enough emotion. It’s a nice song, I just don’t dig it that much. (Favorite old Steve Durand song: One Less)

I have more reviews coming, but like many other reviewers, I need to do it in chunks to get it all done.

[Pet Squirrel]

The lyrics are a little blah

After some thought, I realized that part of the issue is that I didn't succeed at conveying the actual premise of the song. Specifically, that the "person" singing is a television. Of course, I'm a bad judge of whether it comes across or not since I've known all along.

Granted, I'm aware I'm not the greatest lyricist in the world, but IMHO there's some more interest to the lyrics when one knows the premise. I'll have to think about how to better get it across in the actual lyrics though....

[Henrietta]

Here are a few random reviews. I apologize in advance for posting only a few at a time. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write up all 55 this week, but I'll try my darndest to get them done.

The White Hat: Man, this just needs a few more layers, upright bass & maybe some harmony vox. This is awesome! I wonder how it would sound transposed at least whole step up. The song has such a good energy to it, and placing the vocals in a slightly higher place in your range might reinforce that energy. If that makes sense. My genre bias easily wins you a vote.

RMosquito: Sounds a lot like Stephin Merritt on vox (meant as a compliment!) I wish the vox were mixed a little more present over the fuzz so I could enjoy them even more. Vote!

Deetak: Really pretty. The melody kind of reminds me of Fiona Apple in a reflective stream-of-consciousness mood. The recording production could be better.

DuTova: I really like this verse. It almost reminds me of XTC. The chorus doesn’t quite grab me. It’s just not “big enough” somehow. I love the prog instrumental break.

Roymond featuring BLT: This rocks, gentlemen. Nice grit. I love the 2nd vox at first, but might be just a tad overused throughout. That one last “little bit more” at the end wins my heart. Vote.

Squidbird: Genre bias. Not my thing, but I like it some.

BerkeleySS: Something’s a bit off. I can’t tell what it is. Don’t get me wrong, this is a *great* song, and I love all the elements there. It’s just not as tight & slick as your stuff usually is. Possible vote.

Melvin: Vote.

Slats: The music here is great. The guitars and awesome bassline kinda demand a more energetic driving vocal. The delivery seems a bit bored at times. Like you don’t really feel what you’re saying. If that makes sense.

Heine: Did I read that this is inspired by the Scorpions? I hear that. Nice!

LSK: I think you just discovered that elusive E#.

Maggie: Really pretty melody. I can’t quite make out the lyrics. It’s not even so much that the vocals are quiet in the mix, it’s that the mic just isn’t picking up enough frequencies for the words to be clear.

Mar a la Alma: I didn't get into this.

John Kloberdantz: The verse sections are great, I love the melody. There’s not a separate chorus and I think it works for the most part…. although, that could be why the bridge feels a bit oddly placed to me. Possible vote (I have a folkie genre bias)

Red Skeletons: Nice! Louder vocals please. Awesome prechorus. Vote for sure. Too short though.

McRamahamasham: You gradually build up your typically genius thing… but then at 2:04, just as I think we’re finally there, it sorta just drops off and ends. There are some new ideas left undeveloped, and maybe old ones left unresolved. Is this a metaphor for season 2 of Twin Peaks?

Howl Down the Chimney: I always love your haunted style, and this is no exception. Could possibly use an additional instrument to play off the organ during the verses. Vote.

Jimmy Jet: This is sparse, but 100% pleasant.

A Tribe Called Quoons: These lyrics cracked me up.

[Teplin]

I'd like to have a genuine theremin someday, but I'm sure I'd need a lot of practice do anything like I did in the song.

Yeah, I hear it takes quite a bit to get past the "making crazy sounds" stage when learning theremin to get to the actually playing the instrument in a controlled way. I have a kit to build one (from paia) which I still haven't quite gotten around to finishing. Maybe I'll try to get that done soon and check it out. I've always loved the sound.

So yesterday I was in a used music shop, and to my surprise they had a theremin (also a paia). How often does that happen? I had to get it.



Just for grins, I took a stab at re-recording the "theremin" part in my entry with it.

http://www.supload.com/listen?s=TAIcoN

Clearly, I'm no virtuoso, but I did better than I thought I'd be able to do after such a short time playing it. Thought you might find it interesting, anyway. A very fun instrument to play with.

[Spud]

What is used music?

[sliced carrots]

So, I'm a noob, haven't even submitted anything before, plan to eventually.

Anyway... I'll try and pop back to do some commenting/reviewing now that I've signed up for the forum, but offhand- anyone else notice that the Cobalt Stomach song and the Melvin is God song seem to have the same/very similar lyrics?

Sorry if there's already some discussion or commenting about this I missed... I think I've read all of this thread but there's a lot here...


eta: Heh, I'm getting the feeling I've just missed something being a noob... b/c I just noticed a 3rd song with the same lyrics.

[PlainSongs]

Hello there, sliced carrots - have a look here.

So yesterday I was in a used music shop, and to my surprise they had a theremin (also a paia).

Cool. May you be healthy when it breaks, as a saying goes. I think it does sound richer than the VST version! If you got to this point in one day, I wonder what is so difficult about it - staccato notes? Or you're a natural :)

Is that a tiger in the background or are you hitting the microphone or what?

Neither - it's a pitch-shifted rotating tv table. I bet it could sound good if played well.

[Pet Squirrel]

Just for grins, I took a stab at re-recording the "theremin" part in my entry with it.

http://www.supload.com/listen?s=TAIcoN

Clearly, I'm no virtuoso, but I did better than I thought I'd be able to do after such a short time playing it. Thought you might find it interesting, anyway. A very fun instrument to play with.

Sounds pretty sweet for one day of practice! The sound is nice, and the subtle timing stuff (since its human played) make it sound less dry than the faux one.

Cool. May you be healthy when it breaks, as a saying goes. I think it does sound richer than the VST version! If you got to this point in one day, I wonder what is so difficult about it - staccato notes? Or you're a natural

One of the things that is really difficult is being able to be solidly on pitch, since you have to rely almost entirely on muscle memory without really having much to gauge off of since your hand is just floating in the air.

In slower passages you have a little time to correct, but in faster passages especially with leaps I think it becomes quite tricky. Which also means that staccato notes would be really difficult since you have basically no correction time.

[mrbeany]

Okay, I know, I'm late with my reviews. There were a lot of them this week, and it isn't really like my reviews are all that helpful.

Babylon Horuv Feat. Pandamonieum and Atryom - An interesting first piece. It walks a fine line between noise and music. The overall effect doesn't quite work for me.

Berkshire Social Scene - How is this different from the Berkeley Social Scene? Regardless, it is some yummy stuff. Vote!

Cabin Fever - So far I've been consistently enjoying the stuff released by Cabin Fever, and this is no exception. Vote!

The Chadderandom Abyss - So when I was reviewing last week, the thought occured to me that Chadderandom may actually be a genius -- but the kind of genius that borders on madness. It appears instead of a passing fancy this thought has taken root, and while listening to this song I found myself thinking, "You know, I could make my next song in the style of the Chadderandom Abyss." Vote: Simply because he has led me down this road to madness.

Chopped Liver Meat God - The first time through, I listened to these alphabetically, and for better or worse, when I heard this my first thought was, "What band is the Lord of Oats submitting under now, I wonder." It wasn't that I thought it was the Lord, I just reminded that I was missing my Oats. (This was before I read the DRC and found that the Lord has taken to hiding Himself.) It is a cute name, by the way.

Cobalt Stomach - To my untrained ear, this sounds like the Lord of Oats. I've been missing my Oats. Vote!

Cock - That's some tastey cock! Vote!

Country Martyrs - For starters, you seem to be having a problem a lot of folks have on occasion. The way the song is mixed, it sounds like the guitar is the lead and the vocals are the accompaniment. I mean, the vocals really seem to be the softest instrument in the mix -- this is fine in the case of progressive/artsy pieces where the vocal lines are ancillary, but this really seems like it is supposed to be a song with words.

deetak - This almost sounds like an art piece. I like it. It's refreshing. Vote!

Durand Durand - This rocks! I don't know how well you work together, but this result is grand. If you enjoy each other's company, and it produces results like this, I recommend you try it more often! Vote!

DuToVa - I don't really understand the band name. It looks like it is supposed to be either foreign or the first few letters from a phrase like "Dudley Touches Vacuums", "Dunking Toby's Varan" or something. Whatever the reasons for the name, the music is yummy. Vote!

Embers of Autumn - I aspire to be as good as Embers of Autumn one day.

Eric Strom's Daily Song dot Com - I dislike this song, and I can't quite say why. Were it not that I really enjoy some of works of Cynthia Size, the @eclectic spOOns, and Lonbobby, I would claim genre bias. This clearly seems to fit with their genre, though. I just don't like the song. I wish I could tell you why.

Evil-E - I know I'm a fan of words, but I think I would have preferred the mix tilted just a little more toward the vocals. By the end of the song seemed to get repetitious, even though you were trying to mix it up now and then.

Heine - I liked it. Vote!

The Hell Yeahs - I liked some of your lyrics a lot. They made me smile. Vote!

Hostess Mostess - I liked it. Vote!

Howl Down the Chimney - So far, I've been consistently enjoying everything produced by Howl Down the Chimney. This is no exception. Vote!

Jimmy Jet and his TV Set - Is this genre "Island Music"? I have some genre bias here, as I've always enjoyed more complex music. However, I really appreciated the fact that the vocals and banjo were in the right places in the mix, and the vocals stood out sufficiently so as to be easy to hear.

John Kloberdanz - Another nicely done piece of folk!

Jonathan Mann - You have to work hard to make music I don't enjoy, and you didn't work hard enough this time. Vote!

Jon Eric & The Transpacific Babble Brigade - I've not yet listened to all your stuff, and some of the earlier stuff I listened to left me lukewarm, however the more recent stuff (within the past year or so) has been really great. Vote!

LSK - So, having had that thought with the Chaderandom Abyss, I got to this song and thought, "Am I too late? Other people are already doing songs in the style of Chaderandom Abyss?"

Maggie Kanuka - The piano is totally drowning out your voice. If you only have one mic, you should consider recording the two tracks separately.

Manhattan Glutton - I mostly liked it. It seemed to get a little rough when it got it broke out in to the harder bit. Still... Vote!

Mar la Alma - If LSK this week reminded me of someone aiming for the style of the Chaderandom Abyss, then this song started convincing me that perhaps I shouldn't try to aim for that style. There's no point in my doing something in that style, as there's already too much competition.

Max The Cat - In general, most artists fall within a flexible range of enjoyment where from one week to the other I could really be digging a song, or I may just not dig it that well. This week you fell on the upper end, but not quite high enough to vote for. Overall, I enjoyed it, I just enjoyed the competition more.

McRamahamasham - And then I was like, "You know, there's just a glut of artists trying to sound like the Chaderandom Abyss. How does Chaderandom do it so much better?"

Melvin - Back when we could only vote for one artist, I specifically set out to mix up my votes from week to week, as otherwise folks like Melvin would hog all the votes. Except for some minor bouts of genre bias, I have to say that Melvin is consistently great. Vote!

Melvin is God - I understand the sentiment behind the band name. With such a band name, though, I would have hoped to have heard some singing.

Ocho del Culo - At this time, I started being astounded by the number of people trying to be like Chaderandom. (Though I clearly understood the sentiment, as I, too, thought about making music in his style.) I started wondering if there wasn't some sort of experimental noise board somewhere that found out about SongFight.

Paco del Stinko - I think there was a little bit of a curve once I started listening to more SongFight songs where Paco started growing on me. It seems like the more I listen, the more I like his work overall. Vote!

The Pathetic Wannabees - I could have loved it a little bit more.

Pet Squirrel - I know someone who had a pet flying squirrel. It was living in a wall or something, and would swoop down to eat popcorn. This is a nice initial contribution. This week it wasn't quite vote worthy, but I fully expect that to not always be the case.

PiGPEN - I could have loved it a little bit more.

Plain Songs for Doves & Tigers - I've loved some of your other stuff quite a bit more. The vocals sound like they're either trying to go places where they really can't, or they just needed more takes to get it all right. That was really my only issue, but it seemed reasonably serious.

Quimby - It shouldn't be surprising that I enjoyed this. I've enjoyed all the stuff you've made as Quimby so far. I've not heard your stuff from early 2004, but I think I've enjoyed most of what I've heard of your earlier submissions. Vote!

raisin brain - Wait, now, is *this* the Lord of Oats? With him hiding his identity it makes me more curious. I'm seeing the Lord in all things!

Red Skeletons - This sounds like Carol Cleveland Sings. Just the other day I was thinking that when I start making good music, I'd be happy if I sound something like Carol Cleveland Sings. Even if you're someone totally new, you get a vote for reminding me of one of my favorites. Vote!

Rik Gerblick - I liked it. Vote!

R. Mosquito - After your Diggin' Out entry, I felt I needed to re-listen to your earlier work to re-evaluate it. I continue to be very interested in what you'll make next. Vote!

roymond Feat. Billy's Little Trip - I liked it. How could I not? Vote!

Signboy - I could have loved it a little bit more.

The Sky Looks Pissed - Did you not have enough mics? The main vocal track sounds like it wasn't miced at all, and instead picked up on another mic in the room.

Slats - This is even better than last week. How did this happen? Vote!

SomeGuyCalledNoel - Odd. I'd already listened to it once. I had listened to it once at work. However, when I tried to listen to it through the setup I use at home to listen to music stored at work, it fell flat. It worked when I downloaded it from my work PC to home, though. *shrugs* Anyway... Your stuff is consistently good. Vote!

squidbird - Genre bias. I'm an old fart that can't get in to rap.

Steve Durand - Your ability to play instruments is enviable. Also, I like the lyrics. Vote!

Swilington - This actually got repetitious. I know that may be odd for a 2 minute song.

Todd McHatton - You're another band that I consistently really like. This week is no exception. Vote!

A Tribe Called Quoons - The verses don't have a tune, and the accompaniment is short and highly repetitious. Yeah, I know things change if you listen to enough of the song, I'm just not a fan.

The Weakest Suit - I like the mix here a lot more than last week. The lyrics are cute and understandable. (I'm not just throwing another Hoosier a bone, as I've liked some of your previous works, too.) Vote!

Wet Towel Society - It really seems like perhaps I shouldn't be enjoying this song so much. Somehow your voice is a perfect fit to the rest of the song, and I'm really enjoying the result. Vote!

The White Hat - It seemed well-done. I just wasn't enjoying it as much as some of the competition, though.

The Worldly Self-Assurance - I've enjoyed all the previous entries of the WSA, so it should come as no shock that I also enjoyed this one. Vote!

[mrbeany]

Unfortunately I have no (regular and prolonged) access to a computer with speakers/CD burning facility + CD player so that's my excuse if I happen to not review this fight. My apologies. I could always review band names as a consolation.

That post was better than some of this week's songs! Very funny!

[furrypedro]

Berkshire Social Scene - How is this different from the Berkeley Social Scene?

Berkshire Social Scene- We brought Pedro to our Berkeley Social Scene rehearsal studio, and jammed and wrote this song.

Thank you for your reviews so far everybody!

I would do reviews of the coments on my reviews but that would just be silly, and one thing I am definitely not is silly. Wibble.

[Spud]

This just in, addressed to Generic...

signed "luv & kisses from the Pathetic Wannabees"

(it came by email, as the Pathetic Wannabees are too pathetic to figure out how to post it here
fortunately, they are also probably too pathetic to read this text. Hi Jeff!)

My Shame

My shame
My shame
Your wares
My pain

My shame
My shame
We share
Your stains

Dark room; Wrong ‘Looms; Mistake; My Doom!

My shame
My shame
Your smell
My brain

My shame
My shame
In Hell
Never same

[break]

My shame
My shame
Reflect
My blame

My shame
My shame
Respect
Down drain

Dark room; Wrong ‘Looms; Mistake; My Doom!

My shame…My Shame…My shame…My Shame…

[JonPorobil]

[Teplin]

Cool. May you be healthy when it breaks, as a saying goes. I think it does sound richer than the VST version! If you got to this point in one day, I wonder what is so difficult about it - staccato notes? Or you're a natural

One of the things that is really difficult is being able to be solidly on pitch, since you have to rely almost entirely on muscle memory without really having much to gauge off of since your hand is just floating in the air.

In slower passages you have a little time to correct, but in faster passages especially with leaps I think it becomes quite tricky. Which also means that staccato notes would be really difficult since you have basically no correction time.

Yeah, as you can hear, the biggest problem I had was coming up to the correct pitch at the beginning, I had to move around until I found it. The longer I played it, the more I learned where my hand needed to be for each note. What you're hearing is my second take (I didn't want to spend TOO long on an already submitted project). If I'd had the theremin earlier, more time to practice would have definitely helped, I might have been able to actually pull it off. You definitely need to finish your kit, Pet Squirrel. It's great fun running it through tons of effects and make spooky noises.

[Chadderandom]

the kind of genius that borders on madness.

Does that happen when the genius braincells get killed by alcohol?

[adam b]

Babylon Horuv - Frontier Psychiatrist? interesting, not sure if I like it or not.

Berkshire Social Scene - pleasant but nothing really stands out, mix is a bit crowded.

Cabin Fever - liked it, vote! well done on a different style

The Chadderandom Abyss - Hi Rone!

Chopped Liver Meat God - Very well mixed. Strange but good feel to it.. indie? old school punk/goth rock stuff? lots of words coming into my head. Doesn't quite do it for me, but keep it up.

Cobalt Stomach - hehehehe. Rone-abbe! This one is a bit more sensual than the others, it almost gets vote. You've reworked the whole thing to make it almost palatable. You sound like a Prince-wannabe as well. After a second listen, you get a vote. Solo is sick. Fully sick.

Cock - Vocals way too low in the mix for the intro. Vocal processing and music is pretty cool. very edgy feel to the song.

Country Martyrs - can't tell if this is Rone or not. Guitar and drums are actually quite pleasant. The bass can be annoying at times. Vocals are somewhat better than usual, and properly mixed this time. I actually managed to listen to the whole thing. If it is Rone, well done, keep working on your voice and it should get stronger, making it easier to stay on key.

deetak - not my style

Durand Durand - Horns were a great touch. Vote!

Dutova - vocals are a little low in the mix, otherwise nice.

Embers Of Autumn - nice progression, sounds like every other emo band i've heard, including my older music... a lot more polished than my older music though ending is funny. good job.

Eric Strom's Daily Song dot Com - very Bloodhound Gang at first. Really well produced, entertaining lyrics. The first part of the glissando synth reminds me of another 90s song. Also has a cutesy Hellogoodbye feel to it.

Evil-E - Cool song. Maybe turn up guitar once everything else comes in. Synth is a cool touch. Maybe the song drags on a bit, I dunno.

Heine - Rock! Vote!

The Hell Yeahs - cutesy at times, tough at others. Reminds me of Veruca Salt in a good way, mostly close to Voclano Girls. Would love to hear more from you - it's really well put together. Vote.

Hostess Mostess - Not bad at all, just unremarkable.

Howl Down the Chimney - Nice and edgy, well put together, interestingly creepy lyrics. Vote.

Jimmy Jet and his TV Set - great tune, I love how it's so stripped back. Lyrics come through nicely too. Vote!

John Kloeberdanz - vocal melody works really well, this is a great stripped-back song.

Jon Eric & TTBB - intro seemed a tiny bit weak, good song as a whole. Vote.

Jonathan Mann - The intro already has me hooked. Really great. Vote!

LSK - roned again. this one really hurt my ears.

Maggie Kanuka - Very pleasant sounding, can't hear the words though... like everyone else said - turn up that voice! Will love to hear more from you

Manhattan Glutton - Rone Cover? The clean melodies clash a little, lyrics are odd - not such a good thing - but the voice isn't bad.

Mar la Alma - didn't really like it. music is ominous, reversed(?) vocals are incomprehensible and detract from the song.

Max The Cat - Nice piece, vote!

MC Rama......sham - eclectic style, didn't really do it for me, but i do like the change-up. try to not get as much clipping in any of the tracks, it will definitely add to the quality. solo is cool, especially the staccato parts.

Melvin - Really well put together, especially the vocal harmonies. Vote!

Melvin Is God - hahahahahaha. It definitely has the lack of musical sensibility, but some parts are really enjoyable, and everything is in time. Probably could have done better by not keeping to the beat and mixing vox a little lower.

Ocho del Culo - Rone dying? Couldn't listen to it all the way through, very close contender for that category. Now don't do this ever again.

Paco del Stinko - prefer your voice in this to Elegy. Nicely put together.


The Pathetic Wannabees - pretty decent, if you put a bit more thought into it and more work into the production, i think this one could go far

Pet Squirrel - Cool tune, put a bit more emotion into the vox and you'll do well.

Pigpen - cutesy track, I find the style a little irritating though. Duck sounds at the end are funny. Sounds a little like Dooba (http://www.myspace.com/doobamusic)

Plain Songs for Doves & Tigers - Pleasantly arranged, but vocals are much too quiet.

Quimby - Great! Vote! Reminds me of Rilo Kiley a fair bit. Vote again if i could!

R. Mosquito - very Strokesy, but also a little noisy. possibly coudl have done better by cleaning up the mix.

raisin brain - nice composition, vocals could have had more presence.

Red Skeletons - really well put together, just not my style though.

Rik Gerblick - pretty cool tune

roymond feat. Billy's Little Trip - This song is perfect. Really well crafted, played and mixed. Vote!

Signboy - sound was cool, lyrics were a little confused

The Sky Looks Pissed - would have sounded much better if mixed properly, at the moment it's really unpolished.

Slats - pleasant song, well written, played and mixed, but doesn't stand out to me. As opposed to the others, I love the rotary-speaker effect on the guitar

SomeGuyCalledNoel - Backing music is great. vocals don't do it for me at the start, though they get pretty good after that. Almost a vote.

squidbird - pretty damn hilarious. Could have fitted better in Half A Million Nerds.... but.... but... VOTE!

Steve Durand - not bad. not bad at all, actually quite good.

Swilington - backing music is great, dunno about the vocoder/multi-vox. Still gets a vote

Todd McHatton - pleasant, well composed and nice dynamics, but doesn't do it for me. background harmonies are cool. solo is nicely done as well, could have been longer but i guess that suits the style.

A Tribe Called Quoons - cool composition! not sure it really suits the title though

The Weakest Suit - really well put together, I think a bit of eq could add more warmth to this song, and possibly soften the tremolo on the electric guitar. Vote!

Wet Towel Society - roned again? not sure. backing music is pretty cool. sounds like you're trying a lot more with the vox at the end.

The White Hat - ha. cool tune. vote!

The Worldly Self-Assurance - vote

[mrbeany]

If new people are being scared away by a couple songs they find unpleasant, do we really need them? I mean, I don't love everything I hear on here, but we're always free to skip things we find unlistenable, and concentrate on the things we like. And anyway, being at least a little open minded is the most positive trait a songfight reviewer can have, in my opinion.

For some reason I'm thinking of little piggies dressed as people squealing "Genre bias! Genre bias!" and running away.

That is, there is always music some people find offensive. The easiest reason is genre bias. John Klobberdanz writes some good folk, but not everybody is in to folk. MC Milk+ writes some decent rap, but not everyone is in to rap. While I have often thought that there was a bit of a median genre where an artist can attain the most number of votes, there is neither reason to expect everyone to write to that genre nor is there reason to expect everyone to enjoy that genre.

Even the Beatles made some music that many people find unlistenable (Honey Pie, or Revolution 9, anyone?).

Heh. This reminds me. Both my wife and I basically agree that the White Album could be a single album instead of a double. The thing is, she likes the traditional/pop stuff, and I enjoy the experimental/progressive stuff.

[mrbeany]

Granted, I'm aware I'm not the greatest lyricist in the world, but IMHO there's some more interest to the lyrics when one knows the premise. I'll have to think about how to better get it across in the actual lyrics though....

Why use lyrics to get it across at all? It sounds like the perfect place to use some careful sound effects.

An intro with a TV being turned on, possibly with someone sitting down, turning the TV on and being called out of the room -- or just a TV being left on in an empty room. You could use a fade-in/fade-out like someone is walking in to a neighboring room.

If you want some examples of what such effects could sound like in finished products, I'd recommend "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" from Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother (my favorite of their albums) or perhaps the Radio KAOS album by Roger Waters.

[mrbeany]

the kind of genius that borders on madness.

Does that happen when the genius braincells get killed by alcohol?

No, no. There have been a lot of alcoholic geniuses, and it is usually only the last 10 or so years where their work really starts to suffer for it.

Not to say that you're an alcoholic, but it sounds like you drink alcohol, and there are few people that drink more alcohol more frequently than alcoholics.

Really, though. While listening to the music I completely forgot about Rone. People have said that your stuff sounded a little like some of Rone's this week. However while I was listening to it, I just heard a genius flexing his muscles and other people trying to be like you.

[Billy's Little Trip]

No, no. There have been a lot of alcoholic geniuses, and it is usually only the last 10 or so years where their work really starts to suffer for it.

Stick a fork in me... 8)