Generic wrote:Reist, if you'd spent less time being schizophrenic and put more work into your Andrew Reist song, I might have voted for it.
If this helps my case, I might as well say it.
I put plenty of effort into this song - into the writing and the performance, but perhaps it sounds lazy to you because I skimped on production intentionally. Just as last week I overdid the production intentionally (although several people still told me to turn down the reverb), I felt that this week I needed a skimpy mix and vox/guitar recorded simultaneously for the emotion of the moment to be emphasized.
As well, I recorded the JR song in one straight take, but I spent a total of 1 hour on it. It was a joke - and it didn't detract from the effort I put into my main song at all.
Adam Adamant- I like this song. The production is interesting, and I’m always loved acoustic guitars juxtaposed with Synths. The only thing that really holds this back for me is the vocal melody. I like your voice. I think it works well for the verse, but then it stays in the same register and affectation for the chorus. Ultimately this puts this into pleasant background music. Did you have to stay very quiet while recording vocals at 3am or something? Cool stuff, short of a vote I’m afraid.
Anarchia Aardvark- Nice distorted keys riff. Nice melody. Groovy bass line (although a little to low in the mix for my taste). Bummer, lots of potential, excellent verse and totally weak chorus. Too short, but perhaps a good length for the one idea. You need one or 2 more ideas for that song. It’s a good starting point.
Andrew Reist- Acoustic gets a little sloppy in some places, especially for a drummer. Other than a few fretting stumbles it’s played very well. I like the vocal synth solo. A pretty darn good G & G entry. “what say you” reminds me of Bill O Riley, and makes my skin crawl. I think everything has too much reverb. I like the vocal delivery, the melody is OK but could be stronger.
Balance Lost- Did Those Meddling Kids really break up? The guitar reminds me of “Coming Up” by Paul McCartney. This is fantastic. The music is adventurous and beautiful. You are quite the master of dynamics. Your use of loud, soft, space and intensity is among the best around. I’m a nig sucker for the start stops in the last 30 seconds. This gets a VERY BIG VOTE
Bax- This is not bad, but the verse is very monotonous. The chorus is a nice relief, but it doesn’t grab me. At least there’s enough cow bell. Nice guitar solo! I like the last chorus with harmony.
Big Crouton- Wow! What a start! Guitar, bass, and drums sound huge! Verse rap-rock thing is great. Chorus is cheesy, perhaps by design. Tongue and cheek be it may, I cringe a bit. I like the break down. Excellent guitar solo! I think this deserves a vote even though I don’t like the chorus. The rest is sooo bad ass. Vote.
Boltoph- This is the best intro in the fight. I had to rush to the computer to see who this could possibly be. Ah Boltoph. Of course, I’m not the least bit surprised when I hear something fantastic from Boltoph. If this song was just the 1st 30 seconds it’d get my
vote. This progresses nicely. You’re such a great vocalist! I love all the monstrous riffs. You know based on these last 3 songs, a good show would be Berkeley Social Scene opening for Big Crouton opening for the Boltoph as the Headliner. BIG VOTE!
Bourbon Drops- Gorgeous! Erin’s voice sounds wonderful as ever. I love the production. I feel like I’m at chez Zabor on New Years Eve. Who let the folk band into this rock/metal show? Gets a vote. edit-Even though I've played live with you gals, apparently I've had you swapped in my mind. Amy, love your singing this week!!! Erin, I meant your voice as a Ukuleleist (buy that ?), actually i's very nice flea jumping too!
Sven/Spud- I like the big dirty riff. The melody isn’t melodic enough for me to vote for it. The guitar solo is nice, but strangely low in the mix. I think the song is too long for the lack of variation. Cool stuff.
Composgnathus- I like the Jim Morrison vocals. The verse riff is a bit monotonous. I wish the vocal melody varied more. The paradigm shift is rather jarring. Everything gets sloppy in the slow part. I like the idea, but the vocals seem unsure, the drums sound random. This is a fun listen, but it doesn’t sound completely worked out.
Deetak- Your voice is rather captivating. This vocal melody is amazing! The orchestration of this track is great. It’s so nice to hear piano at all. The bass line is very well done too. Wonderful! BIG VOTE!!!!
Drum Machine- Talk a bout a paradigm shift. Ok I need to cleanse my mind from this. I will listen to Deetak again and then move on.
Generic Sp00ns- The drums are sloppy. Wow, terrible guitar solo. I don’t mean to be so negative. This is a good song. The singing in particular is very nice. Backing vocals are great too. The drums are distracting. Bass is nice. Wonderful melody! Sounds like a show tune. I love show tunes. Short of a vote I’m afraid.
Hostess Mostess- Pretty good playing. Very nice singing. The composition is very plodding. I find myself doing little skips to get to the next part. I guess the melody doesn’t grab me enough. It’s pretty , just not really engaging.
Jolly Roger- Interesting drum beat. Why the kooky echo and reverb on the vocals? Weird little piece of music.
Styop Quoons- That guitar guide vocal is annoying in its tone. Interesting song, hate the lyrics. I don’t see repeated listens to this.
Larry Knox- Nice piano playing. The vibrato on the vocals is a little distracting. This is a really cheesy song. This does not sound youthful. Well done I suppose, not my thing.
Leaf62- YES! This rocks. Love the drums and guitar. Chorus is a bit weak. I like the “I Could Not Be Lieve Poop” part. Great playing, song isn’t strong enough for my vote. Great track.
Lynette Lewis- It’ll be fine with me if I never hear that hand clap pattern again. This is a really catchy song! Nice melody. I’d love to hear a good producer get a hold of this. The harmonica I could’ve done without, although I appreciate the variance. Good song, not quite a vote.
Lucky Spoon- Funky bass! The guitars sound super thin. Cool double vocals. Kind of Love and Rockets. Nothing wrong with this, doesn’t really grab me.
MC Joevdy- I will not give you any grief for this because I am equally addicted to Coke, especially Cherry Coke.
MC Paul Denyer- Look at the stars, look how they shine for you…….. OK I admit this made me laugh “she said Ughughuargh”. After that it’s downhill. Bored with the story. Music isn’t so interesting, but non-offensive.
Mike Cotruvo- Quality Rock! Here in the KFOG lounge we have the gentle melodies of Mike Cotruvo. The problem with this title is I never know if the cheese is tongue and cheek or serious. This is way too adult contemporary for me to get into. It’s done very well. Nice playing and performances. Good singing. Lyrics do nothing for me. 5 minutes, will there be a solo? There better be. Aw man, way too short. Not bad. Not a fan of that much echo, but I heard ONE tasty Eric Johnson lick in there. So there’s another minute of chorus? C’mon, SHUT UP AND PLAY YOUR GUITAR! Sorry to ramble. I’m sure I’ll like one of your songs some day, not so much this one. Hey it cuts off weird too.
Paco del Stinko- This is my FAVORITE of the fight!!!!!!!! So me and the kids have been dancing a lot to the BSS tune this week, and more often than not the PDS track follows and we enjoy dancing as well to this gem. There’s sooooooooo much right with this track! Huge bass, groovy slanky drums, AWESOME guitar tones, very cool synth lines. Excellent solo. Good story! Wonderful vocals! I just love it!
Pathetic Wannabees- This is funny. This is fun. Spud has some precious vocal moments here. The lo-fi is part of the charm. edit- I mean Mad Dog, I tried to be cool and act like I knew who was who. I've had this wrong for ages. Anyway, Mad Dog you make me laugh! Thank you good job!
The Sky Looks Pissed- This is very nice. I enjoy this a lot. There is one major flaw. That is the doubled vocals that is not tight with the lead vocals, Tightened up this would get a vote. Great playing. Nice melody. This is one of those songs to file under “needs to be covered”. Good stuff! Just do another take or 2 to get the 2nd vocals tightened up.
To the rest I apologize, I’m out of gas and I have to go listen and judge Nur Ein now.
Manhattan Glutton-Vote
South Sycamore-
Trident Jones-
The Weakest Suit-
Well Read Skeletons- VOTE! Wreckdom- BSS- That’s us. I love this song. Vote!
Last edited by glennny on Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:50 am, edited 2 times in total.
Phillipso, Older Brothers, Semolina Pilchards, Zipline , Thank Glennny for the Frisbee, The Odoriferous Valley, The Worldly Self Assurance, Berkeley Social Scene, Very Gentle Knives, Daddy Bop Swing Set, GUNS, The Kraken Lives, Cavedwellers
Hey Glenny,
Thanks for the glowing review, but I cannot take the credit for singing this week. Those sweet tones are coming from Miss Amy, but feel free to compliment me on my uke strumming abilities. That was me singing on last weeks entry though, just to clear things up. I know that there aren't that many ladies on songfight, and I can see how it might be hard (because there are three ladies in the band) to tell us apart. Sometimes I can't tell us apart either!
adamadamant - This is pretty sweet! The mix could use a little help. It sounds like you're really utilizing all of the tools at your disposal to their maximum potential, and it works very well.
anarchicaardvark - It's a decent composition, but a little thin.
andrewreist - Sounds like you're tripping over the guitar for the main riff, but it adds to the emotion of the whole composition. The verse is great, chorus not so compelling. Cool theremin ending.
balancelost - I'm kind of a sucker for this kind of music. It could use a little more filling out at points, and while the vocals are generally excellent, there are some cringe-worthy moments (mostly verse). Very cool composition.
bax - The is a bit generic, though worthy of head bobbing. It could benefit from thicker guitar sound and better mixing/production. The crash cymbal is annoyingly repetitive.
berkeleysocialscene - That 5" combo amp in my right ear needs to be destroyed!!! This song has a lot of interesting things, and the chorus is pretty catchy - love the harmonies. I'm a bit lost in the rest, I must say, though.
bigcrouton - That is an awesome guitar riff, and the composition in general is rockin'. Especially like the piece before the chorus. I think you would have been better off choosing straight rap or straight rock, as the chorus kind of loses all of the momentum you built up. Excellent job on the instrumentation.
boltoph - Intro gets a bit long, but what happens after that is worth it. Chorus = awesome. All the pieces are there, but they aren't in the most optimal order. Excellent performance, nonetheless.
bourbondrops - I would be angry that you've started yet another song with counting, but since it's in 3/4 I can't be too angry.
brittanyspud - Too much clipping, but the guitars sound so full and great. Vocal style/melody doesn't do a whole lot for me. My pants are, however, rocked off.
composgnathus - This chorus is kind of boring. Vocals could use more takes. I like the quiet parts.
deetak - Very impressive! Your best entry to date performance and production-wise. There's still a bit of distracting mumbling going on, and the vocals could be a little quieter in the mix. As for the composition, I like the chorus - it's very powerful; I do get a little lost during the verse, but that helps build the suspense.
drummachine! - This reminds me of something that would be on Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
genericsp00ns - I imagine Richie Cunningham is singing this. In fact, I imagine Generic looking like Richie Cunningham. Moving on... so you got drunk and played guitar (hero)? It took 30 seconds to say that and it's not even the outro! And it leads into a lackluster guitar solo. The lyrics, vocals, and instrumentation are performed near flawlessly, despite their repetitive nature.
hostessmostess - This is somewhat Todd McHatton-y. Vocals a little REM-y. A little draggy. Excellent performance all-around, especially the vocals. I think I would have upped the BPM and cut the song off at 2.5 minutes, though.
jollyroger - This is what I come to songfight for. Yes. It would be great if it burst into guitars and screaming at some point, but hey, that can be the next track on your album, right?
kingofquoons - I have no idea what is going on, but I'm entertained. The main instrument that's following your voice is a bit harsh.
larryknox - Excellent job with the piano. The mix and production is great. Vocals are greatly improved, though could still use a little work. Great composition. A pop-screen would be a nice addition to your recording setup.
leaf62 - Hehehe modeled solid-state guitar - might want to tweak those settings. I like the range of vocal talent you've exhibited, and it's all done perfectly. As for the song itself - it's very daring, but it takes a few listens to get into the hook.
lml - OMG is that you singing? A++++++. The instrumentation is Just Right, too. I look forward to hearing more. Also, the verse riff kind of reminds me of a Katamari Damacy song.
luckyspoon - Since I helped a little with production I may be a little biased, but the chorus and bridge are really cool. Aside from a few mastering issues and the need for moar vocal takes! this has been stuck in my head a lot. When I play it in my head, I pronounce the R in "yourself".
manhattanglutton - I had 2 goals with this song. 1. Sample LSK's Back From Juvie for a beat. 2. Not sing like Weird Al. The rest sort of just happened - not my favorite song, but not my least favorite. It was a very mechanical process with not much creativity involved.
mcjoebudy - Ssssssssssssssspin! the bottle! This is less comical in its terrible awkwardness this week.
mcpauldenyer - Okay, so you downloaded the music track from Brad Sucks, and put some 1-take rap over it. I almost want to like this, because the rap is pretty decent, but cmon... you didn't make the music.
mk+lc - You have an incredible knack.... for making incredibly well-done songs... for which I have an incredible lack of interest. Don't get me wrong, it's all great - the singing, instrumentation, composition. It may well be the most polished song this week, even. I just don't know what to think. It's like I've heard this exact song before on a casual radio station or commercial.
pacodelstinko - Your singing! Much improved! Great song. I'm still trying to figure out how the government fits in. Final mix seems a bit over-compressed at points, but so what?
patheticwannabees - Why are you singing like a muppet? And the vocals are mixed too loud again.
skylookspissed - Good little G&G as always, but more refinement would be appreciated.
southsycamorewheelbarrowfactoryensemble - Well, this isn't as terrible as last week. Drums are a bit loud, vocals a bit quiet, and it's all a bit repetitive.
tridentjones - It's deetak a month ago, but with a really small guitar. Oh my, I think I just heard you punch yourself into a live recording. Perhaps look into getting some recording software, because I'm sure you didn't want to sound like you recorded this on a cell phone.
weakestsuit - I regretably agree with Generic's comment.
wellreadskeletons - This sounds remarkably similar to your We Keep Them Alive entry, but with a few things moved around and not as much hook. It's very well done and superbly performed, I just feel like this style only worked on me once.
wreckdom - lol.
Last edited by Manhattan Glutton on Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If I had a dollar for every one of my songs j$ has called a 90s pastiche, I'd have $1 for every song I've written.
Since I couldn't go to work today (well, I tried but puking three times on your way tells you it's time to go home).. I'll try some reviews here.
First off: Like anyone, I'm gonna make assumptions in my reviews. Of course, that's an assumption in itself, but I'm not here to debate that.
Before I review, a few comments that require (for my state of mind) a response.
Manhattan Glutton wrote:
leaf62 - Hehehe modeled solid-state guitar - might want to tweak those settings. I like the range of vocal talent you've exhibited, and it's all done perfectly. As for the song itself - it's very daring, but it takes a few listens to get into the hook.
Solid state modelled guitar? LOL it's a Marshall JTM 30 valve state all tube amp. That's kinda funny to me cause it's the FIRST time I've used a tube amp to record, usually I use the amp simulators like WarpVST. Oh well... personally, I like the sound of my guitar. It's intentionally thin. I did tweak the mids a bit at a friend's suggestion...and I"ll take your opinion into consideration, but um... no, it's a tube amp. I appreciate your review, thank you.
kittay wrote:
leaf 62- Again with the cock rock! Straighten my hair, bleach it blond, turn the amp up to 11, put an armadillo in my trousers and it's time to ROCK!! Song goes dark pagan rock ala Black Sabbath suddenly, then it gets nerdy. Why?
.
You know a whole group of songfighters secretly convened to produce as many cock rock tunes this week as they could eh? No seriously, to answer your question: Because that's who I am.
Nigel (spOOn) Clements wrote:
Leaf 62: Vocals could doo with being a bit more dirrty, this is far too clean, sometimes its a good thing to be a bit sloppy in the studio, i reckon this is one of those times, good track, but maybe a bit too good!?!
Just so ya know, the drum track, two rythm guitar, bass and lead noodlings... all first takes. I wrote the lyrics in under 5 minutes, I wrote the riffs in about an hour... I arranged the whole tune in under and hour... the vocals however, I did do multiple...multiple times...so as far as "being a bit sloppy".. it IS sloppy all over the place! Your perspective interested me the most so far in that I left a whole whack of stuff I"d normally edit and fix. Riffs that aren't in sync with the drums, etc etc. I find it interesting that I hear it as sloppy but you hear it as tight? More interesting, how can something be "too good"? I don't get that. I just play what comes out... that's pretty much what I've always done. I also tend to play an instrument, at least for 30 minutes a day...min. I call that practice. (That's not meant to be condescending by the way... ) So... um. Yah. I simply can't play any sloppier than that without going against who I am, and I simply do not want to ever flirt with making original music that is not "me" again. It's a waste of my time. The only tunes I've written for SF that I actually like..are the ones I wrote for me. Perhaps sadly, I seem to have great success playing covers in cover bands, and not much in playing the songs (if they could be called "songs") I have constructed...and frankly, (if I can call you frankly) I realize, at this point in life, there are many who do that much better than I ever will anyways.
So, my solution to this is to realize...when writing stuff, write for me, speak my truths,and move on.
Reviews to follow... how many I get through depends on my bowels.
Leaf wrote:Solid state modelled guitar? LOL it's a Marshall JTM 30 valve state all tube amp. That's kinda funny to me cause it's the FIRST time I've used a tube amp to record, usually I use the amp simulators like WarpVST. Oh well... personally, I like the sound of my guitar. It's intentionally thin. I did tweak the mids a bit at a friend's suggestion...and I"ll take your opinion into consideration, but um... no, it's a tube amp. I appreciate your review, thank you.
Half solid state! I knew I recognized the sound somewhere, because I have a Marshall VS (and I am not very fond of it's sound as well).
If I had a dollar for every one of my songs j$ has called a 90s pastiche, I'd have $1 for every song I've written.
Anarchic Aardvark: There are things I like about this. There are things I don’t. I’m not keen on the lyrics yet, they don’t speak to anything that commands me to listen again. (that’s ok, my good buddy said the same thing about mine, only WAY HARSHER…lol)
The drums. Boring. A sit on the three as a back beat groove would work nicely. Good recording, too many keyboard type sounds for me, voice sounds familiar for some reason, to quote Randy (ad nauseum I’m sure) it is a bit “pitchy”… but it certainly isn’t a BAD compostition.
I like the intro… I would like to hear this go more of that mid-90’s dance track thing. LOUDER kick drum, some extra percussion, and yeah. Some back up vocals in some choice locations. Reminded me, briefly, off the top of New Order…maybe that’s why I want to hear this all dancey. There’s a few lyrics in there I find interesting as it progresses.. I suppose I should go read them now to get a drift of what it’s all about…
Andrew Reist: I really like the sound of your guitar right off. Very bright and “real” sounding. An acoustic bass would fill this out without sacrificing your “guy and guitar “ thing. I like your singing voice. Sounds a bit rushed at times, ahead of the guitar? Maybe I’m imagining that. Yeah, there’s a marginal disconnect on the chorus between the vocal line and the guitar line. LOVE that humming part. Very cool. I enjoyed that. Liked the attitude in your voice too.
Big Crouton: Sweet riff off the top, ah.. fucking fat. I like that. Vocals sound a bit too … plain or something on the verse. If you don’t mind the suggestion, you should not choke back on your vocals so much. I have this very same issue. It takes me a while to get past critiquing my lyrics, then my melodic choice. Your rap line is delivered with good flow but the tone is … not selling it to me. And the chorus obviously sounds choked. But you’re sound quality of the recording, and guitar playing is fucking sweet. Very enjoyable. I love the half time riff at the end.. that would be a ton of fun to just rock out on. Dude. Solo is too buried. HAVE NO SHAME!! Drums… programmed or played? (I hope you will answer that one). Yeah. Could you consider trying to redo at least your chorus vocals, and instead of “speaking” really FUCKING SCREAM ‘EM. OR something. I dig this track, but those chorus vocals are not up to par with the rest of the track. I have no clue who you are but I refuse to believe you can’t do better…lol.
The range of styles songfight can randomly throw at you can cause moments like “Big Crouton” to this…
The Bourbon Drops: Well, you better catch it then.
Just a bit of punning. This sounds like it was recorded in a nice club with one mic. That doesn’t mean I think it was, it’s how it sounds. Nice vocalist, and this reminds me a LOT of REM. Less hiss, better mixing and I’d enjoy this more… it’s because this type of thing, for me, creates an…environment.. so I”d like to sink into that. Back up vocals are not in tune..and kinda unnecessary. This would be more fun if I was there jamming along or sitting back and listening. As it was, it was ok, but a good ok, if ya know what I mean.
Well read Skeletons: I like the start. That keyboard riff is fun, creepy and cool. Yeah. Reminds me of that “carolclevlandsings” guy and that “fortysecondsongs” guy. Well mixed, DIFFERENT (which I really like)… and fun. I like the techno-bossa nova feel on the snare part …oh…it just stopped. Oh, it’s back. Yeah, this has a very techno-bossa nova vibe. Is this techno-nova? Great singing… and a real good song. I like this. I got nothing more to say about it, just gonna listen now. (and it ended so I’ll listen again..lol) I really liked this.
Balance Lost: Everything seems disconnected. Sounds good. I like the ideas. This sounds like it came out of the “Joy Division” play by play book. Now, are you actually British, or are you “affecting” your vocal style ala Killers? I grew up in the 80’s … and I enjoyed this kinda stuff back then. This is so 80’s ..(ouch …that one “ohhh… was not in tune). Yeah. If someone told me this was early New Order I’d totally believe it. NICE guitar work in the middle. That was sweet. But the near perfect resemblance to New Order is turning me off a touch. You clearly know what you’re doing… and that ending was cool. Just not sold on this particular tune, but I like your overall style and playing. I think if I was watching you play this, I’d be totally into it. Listening, I find myself more critical of the stylistic intent.
Brittney Spud: Drums too quiet. Love the riffage. Nice tight feel. I like the massiveness of it. I like the SOUND of it, despite the drums being too buried. I like the sound of the vocals (I’m guessing this is Spud on vocals) and the solo is great. I wish there was a second “mode” (I don’t mean harmonically necessarily) … you have these moments that come down a sec on the main riff… a BIT more of that .. another dynamic so I’m not bludgeoned throughout the entire tune, so that there is a sonic rest point of some kind would be nice. Maybe a bit more time on the intro riff too… drag that out a bit, to create a bit of mood before you leap into the guts of the tune. I like the tone of the bass, sound heavy and fat. This tune could use a bridge too, if it were up to me. I’d take that riff where the guitar is by itself and take it for a bit, after the solo, with half time drums… MOSH!!!
Composgnathus: I will stop here, cause I was immediately tuning this out and getting all negative. It is NICE to check out tunes with an open mind and freshness… so I’ll go re-fresh and post what I got here…but … um… yeah. I’m not so sure I’m gonna like this.. although the drum tones are good…and the chaos is good for the sake of chaos but the … what is it? Way too much mid for my liking in there… yeah. This has no coherence. I’ll try again later… but this level of eccelcticism doesn’t do it for me cause it seems to be eccelectic for the sake of it rather than by some cosmic design. No purpose to it. That I can hear. Yeah. I’ll listen again, but I doubt it.
Still to listen to:
MK and LC
MC Paul Denyer
Lucky Spoon
Pathetic Wannabees
Paco del Stinko
The Sky looks pissed
MC Joe Buddy
Generic Spoons
Deetak
Larry Knox
Boltoph
Hostess Mostess
Wreckdom
Bax
Berkely Social Scene
Manhattan Glutton
Jolly Roger
Trident Jones
LML
The Weakest Suit
The King of Quoons
Drum Machine!
South Sycamore Wheelbarrow Factory Ensemble
Adam Adamant
Manhattan Glutton wrote:
Half solid state! I knew I recognized the sound somewhere, because I have a Marshall VS (and I am not very fond of it's sound as well).
Don't take this the wrong way, but your fondness or lack of fondness for the JTM 30 doesn't make it solid state.
Now, me using the Direct OUT xlr instead of micing it, might have something to do with how you are hearing it. lol.
But the amp itself, totally NOT solid state, and sounds great. I'll mic it next time, see if you like that better... this series of amp was produced by Marshall to try and tap into the Fender market for clean tones... all I know is it's a ton better than the rocktron taboo I was using previously. ...and I STILL like it, so we'll stay in disagreement on our appreciation of that sound, which is fine by me.
In case he doesn't mention it himself, Lunkhead also rocks the Marshall JTM 30.
Valve = tube in British.
Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff - Berkeley Social Scene - Tiny Robots - Seamus Collective - Semolina Pilchards - Cutie Pies - Explino! - Bravo Bros. - 2 from 14 - and more!
i would just like to remind everyone that Ken eats kittens - blue lang
Teplin wrote:Looks like the JTM 30 isn't a valvestate after all. But since you said it was, MG should be excused for insisting it was "half solid".
I agree 110%! I just assumed it used the same 'valvestate' technology which Marshall touts. Anyway, I guess that means that I'm not just not a fan of their actual Valvestate series, but also not a fan of their regular amps.
I used to have a Marshall VS-265 and traded up for a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier. I never, ever, want to go back... in fact, I should sell that thing.
For the record, I'm too lazy to mic my cab when I record. I use my line6 pod... fail. (edit: not just laziness - I really like cranking the thing and my neighbors would hate me since I record at night)
Last edited by Manhattan Glutton on Mon Apr 20, 2009 5:06 pm, edited 8 times in total.
If I had a dollar for every one of my songs j$ has called a 90s pastiche, I'd have $1 for every song I've written.
Yes, I have one as well. It's definitely a tube/valve amp. I think it sounds pretty nice. The XLR direct out is very convenient, and sounds passable on the clean channel, but I never got a good distorted tone using it. I think I recorded my whole "guitar symphony" side fight entry with the direct out from that amp beacuse I was up all night writing and recording and didn't want to wake my roommates or landlady.
Lunkhead wrote:Yes, I have one as well. It's definitely a tube/valve amp. I think it sounds pretty nice. The XLR direct out is very convenient, and sounds passable on the clean channel,
I tried like hell to get the extension cabinet, but they don't make 16 ohm cab (YES I KNOW you cal rewire them... ) or that cab in particular. i thought about other manufacturers, and I did see one for sale in Germany of all places... but I ended up ordering all the parts direct from Marshall and a friend of mine's Dad who builds custom kitchen cabinets is going to construct the wood box portion. The parts arrived yesterday, so I' m stoked to put this thing together!! (Mind you, I got the G12 75 watt speaker instead of the greenback that's in the amp... no particular reason other than to be different... )
But the grill cloth, logo, corners, etc... all match. So... a project for teh weekend!! I think that'll fatten up the sound for live. This amp is totally killing the rocktron I was running through a 4x12 berhigner cab with Jesens though. BIG time. Especially after about 30 minutes with the pre-gain around 11 o'clock and the main output around 1 o'clock.. starts to get all beefy and fat and ... yeah.
Leaf wrote:.. starts to get all beefy and fat and ... yeah.
the best part is that it's like Meatknob
I love that Leaf 62 multi-hybrid strain of art-funk-metal song, I think it's damn original and a sweet style. I like the direction the BSS is taking and would love to double bill that tour glenny! I like a bunch of other stuff, too. I'll be back.
I got some real reviews coming I swear
by the moon and the stars and the sun
MC Paul Denyer: First off… acoustic? No cheesy rap beats? But fun lyrics… ya know… I like this. First off, I was simply expecting what I had heard before, so to hear total improvement across the board… fucking cool. Nice FAT FAT guitars there on your… chorus? I’d say the only part that is a downer…is the moments it sounds like you’re catching your breath… and maybe the vocals are too low? ON my speakers they seem too buried. I really love the tone of your voice man… maybe my memory is way out here, but it seems much more… “real” than stuff of yours I heard before… sounds like someone doing their thing rather than trying to do someone else’s thing. I love the “punch ‘em in the nuts” part. That snare tone by the way, very nice. Yeah, I enjoyed that for two reasons…. Liked the piece, and liked that I recognized your name and got to hear a lot of development in your approach, tone, and mxing! Sweet.
Deetak: Right off, I like things about your voice, and don’t at the same time. I like the tone, the …timbre…but the excessive emotive point of view with the Chack like mumbling... sorry for the “past life” songfighter comparision but it fits. The harmony part is good… you know, if it was me, I’d tone down the “reaching to the depths of my soul emotive perspective” off the top, and then, when that chorus kicks in, it REALLY kicks in. All the harmonies are great so far… I like the mix of acoustic, piano, shaker:? Something taking up that territory… and the real sweet wandering bass. I dig the falsetto…”scrambling” moaning type thing. That’s a risky choice, but you make it work, and I personally don’t think that’s easy to accomplish, so right on. Pretty nice tune, well done.
Boltoph: I got tired of going in order of my list of ya, and jumped to ya. Nice jazzy intro man. I hope you realize what a gift your vocal tone is. You’re tone on “ohhh’s” is ALWAYS so fucking sweet. IT draws the ladies in man… you have that. (bastard…lo. That’s right, I laughed, but not out LOUD. Cause it wasn’t that funny... ) GREAT vocals.
The “guhgughgugh” before the chorus is ridiculously tight man. I always want more of your hard rocking riffs than the sweet stuff. Is that your kit? Sounds shit loads better than other tracks from a year or so ago when you got it. Is that you drumming? Why is your solo so buried… it sounds buried on my speakers… NICE appregio riff… okay, I guess I love the sweet stuff too, but you know me.. I want to rock it more often than not. FUCK that bit before the chorus is like the fucking hook for me!! CHU CHU CHU!!! Yea!! Hahah.
Seriously, that part makes me wet every time. Fuck, that chorus harmony has me thinking I’m listening to Journey or… who sings “more than a feeling”… oh yah, BOSTON how appropriate..(but is it Boston in four.. hmmm? We'll see on that one. ) That was sweet man, but now I got to listen without typing to catch that solo cause it was hiding somewhere, I swear to god!! Excellent. Glad to see the Attention Deficit audience is receiving a lot of love from Songfight these days. (Dude I took NO time to even figure what your lyrics were… snicker… I was all grooving out to just the music… so… let’s try listening again… hey, maybe that solo should crank right up in the second half of it…then you sink into the track trying to hear the solo, and get suckered by the nice ambient heavy, and THEN!! BOOM!! The solo kicks your head in for a minute before chillin out on the jazzy bit and then… CHU CHU CHU!!! HYEA!!
Just a thought.
:Let’s not neglect how sweet it is to hear one dude sound like a band, with good and great tones through out. I think you’re snare tone is too paperish. Toms sound nice and huge… which I personally like. Great track man. I’m looking forward to playing it for Dana!
Wreckdom: Cinnamon? So far, I’m fucking loving it. What happened to Wreckdom being annoying to be annoying. Now, I’m hearing fucking art. I love it. Seafoam? This is FUCKING great. I’m sure I’ve possibly (sure possibly… ah, the politician emerges…) but really, sure, you might let the comment about being annoying bother you, oh well. Suck it up. Cause this track, is FUCKING COOL. Total fucking cool. Love it. Absolutely nothing that I have say negative about this. Also, HAD to listen again. Who’s voice is that on the “can’t piss on hospitality” bit? Cool voice. You know, off the top of my head, I've always kinda dug your perspective, but not your presentation of ideas... this is going back like two, three years ago now. But, two "things" stick out that I dug. This one has me wanting to go in the archive and see what else you've been up to. I'm aware this has more conventional structure and a steady beat... but ...hello.. I like that kinda thing. So, awesome, thanks.
Berkely Social Scene I loved the intro. Vocals seem buried compared to the main riff, which seems a tad too dominant. Anyone else hear that or what? ( I ask this cause I’m getting very frustrated by my mixing environment… it needs attention an d treatments, of which I just have neither right now). I think I here Ken’s vocals on the chorus… do I? This is very good. Almost sounds like if the Barenaked Ladies went hard rock. I like the shift to the shuffled 6/8 vibe there in the middle. I love the tightness of this, the different parts, very fun. The angry vocals in the middle bits…very nice. (angry=nice…heh heh). Great groove Ken . I’m assuming that’s Ken. The toms sound very nice, very woody but tonal. In my room, at this volume, seesm there’s some sibilant stuff going on. Damn, I wish I had more technical skill that would give me the language beyond “sibilant stuff”… sigh. Still, that was great, thanks.
Jolly Roger: Right away I was digging it. Have you listened to Laundry, Tim Herb from Primus’ solo band? This sounds a lot like that, but with WAY better vocals. Dude. I LOVE IT right away. Funky, SWWEEETT pocket on the drums and bass…just gelled real nice. And you’re vocals are inspiring. So… fuck yea. I LOVE the depth…. This is the kind of grooves I remember just sitting back, in an open yard in the summer on Quadra… laying out the groove…so I also appreciate how the vibe put me in a place. I’d appreciate a clever bridge of tonal textures that approaches a melody but still has lots of layer to it…but that’ s just cause even at 37, my ADD demands a lot of diversion. So far, my fav, I love the swampyness of it. (not much of a review, more a wank fest, but in my books you deserved it so… whatever…)
South Sycamore Wheelbarrow Factory Ensemble: I always get a Blue Monday flash back when a kick starts the tune. This simply sounds like someone with a lot of ideas and passion, and a vision for what they want, but either not enough time, or enough skill to pull it off. The mix is unbalanced for me, the musicianship is too loose and mistake ridden for me to say “yeah!”… it really all sounds to me like “you can do better, way better”. It should be obvious that there is something about it I appreciate and am drawn too, but I know enough to know I won’t listen to it much again, if at all.
Manhattan Glutton: Well let’s get the first bits out the way: your tone is sweet. In fact, the whole thing sounds sonically great.
I dig the separation on that laid back part … things going on all over, but gelling well. The rocking bits remind me of more modern alternative rock sounds that to me are birthed from that “White Zombie” meets NIN thing… but I barely listened to those groups..well, white zombie I did… not saying this is what you’re going for, just saying what it makes me think of. You’re solo reminds me of U2 for some reason… lol. Are drums live or programmed? The intro reminds me of Pink Floyd. I like it.
You’re lyrics made sense to me right away, probably the first tune to do that for me that I’ve listened too. Great mix. Alice in Chains came to mind there… on the harmony bits on the part that was off the top? Not sure how you’re labeling you’re parts. See, I’d mix the guitars down if it was me… so we clearly see that type (see..hear?) of thing differently. I liked. Nice vocal tone too.
Still to go:
Hostess Mostess
Bax
MK and LC
Lucky Spoon
Pathetic Wannabees
Paco del Stinko
The Sky looks pissed
MC Joe Buddy
Trident Jones
LML
The Weakest Suit
The King of Quoons
Drum Machine!
Generic Spoons
Larry Knox
Adam Adamant
I just assumed it used the same 'valvestate' technology which Marshall touts. Anyway, I guess that means that I'm not just not a fan of their actual Valvestate series, but also not a fan of their regular amps.