Generic wrote:It's too late to vote, but not to review!
OK, I'll bite.
Berkeley Social Scene - Starts off sounding pretty; I like both vocal parts. But once the male part comes in it feels like there are way too many different things happening at once (in the background). Like somebody decided, OMG! there is a relatively empty space at some point on the stereo spectrum, we need another little bit of guitar or something to throw in there! Around the guitar solo before the last chorus, there are slightly more loud-sounding, electric, parts which either do a good job of covering up some of the rest or else some of the other parts have dropped out at this point. Either way, the arrangement sounds more cohesive for about the last minute or so.
Chopped Lyricburglar Meat God - It's very strange where you've chosen to stress some syllables or put pauses within phrases. Like, "... they can think- - - OF" and "every phone- - - call I- - CAN". The doubled vocal line is appreciated for the way it enhances/complements the pseudo-melody. Getting near the end, the guitars and vocals definitely take a turn for the heavier, but not much happens with the drum part in terms of dynamic change, which detracts a lot -- and emphasises (in a bad way) the fake-programmed-sounding-ness of the drums.
Elaine DiMasi - Great use of harmonies and "his bowtie is really a camera" style countermelodies. The singing and overt 'positive' attitude of the narrator (by the way I like the change from "I expect to get.." to "I better get..") are nicely undercut by the somewhat ominous and foreboding background tones that are mixed amid all the electronic psychedelia.
Hijack & the Requests - I absolutely hate the vocal effects used here -- all of them. The backing track is a bit too minimalistic; next time maybe skip the train and give the "A" game a try? (Somehow I can't shake the comparison that this is like Pumpkin Buzzards' little brothers snuck into their studio and were screwing around with their equipment).
Jon Eric Sings - This is precisely what would happen if Ben Folds Five covered "A Long December"; whether that's more complimentary to the writing or the performance is a matter of your own opinion.
Mantzfield - This kind of lacks a certain chemistry, possibly due to the drums. Especially in the breakdown parts, it sounds like somebody tried to program random hits to add a human element but that isn't something that can be emulated.
Noah McLaughlin - I'm curious what exactly is the difference between Noah McLaughlin and Ford's Theater Disaster -- does FTD always use collaborators? Anyway, this is the best mixing job I've ever heard from you, everything comes together very well, nothing sticks out, the vocals aren't too high. In particular, there is a strummy guitar part just a bit left of center that sounds really nice - is that an acoustic/electric where you've mixed the direct signal and a mic together? Whatever it was, the tone of that is great. (Oh, the song is good too).
Old Man Grumpus - reminds me a little of Jim of Seattle, whatever happened to that guy? These double-tracked vocals, the way they are just somewhat slightly out-of-sync, throws off my ears, makes it a little tough to pay attention to.
Paco del Stinko - The "False positive / true negative" line sounds like the kind of thing that teenagers latch onto and think, "wow these lyrics are so deep and meaningful" (see "Smells Like Teen Spirit") but doesn't really mean anything at all. Everything sounds good, especially the drums, but that slinky bass tone doesn't really fit the overall mood of the song, I thought.
Pathetic Wannabees - The lyrics and vocal delivery are both awesome. Great overall feeling, and a perfect length (just enough to leave me wanting more).
Punch Camel - Was this guitar recorded through the headphone jack on a teeny tiny practice amp? The vocals sound like some kid from New England trying to affect a Mississippi Delta accent. Overall, pretty vanilla.
Rone Rivendale - Can't hear the vocals very much over all those goofy synthesized noises. Not really a complaint.
Ross Durand Sings - This is precisely what would happen if Ross Durand covered "This Old Apartment"; love the instrumentation here, and the (chorus? pre-chorus? whatever) is fantastic -- the "he's a non- he's a non- he's a non-" part.
Steve Durand - Funny story, quite cutely delivered. Makes me smile each time I hear it.
Stolen Holiday - Once I manage to get the association with "In My Garage" (melody) out of my head, this is a great song. Love the way the dynamics keep increasing just fractionally in intensity, adding more vocal parts, but nevertheless it stays really mellow.
The Weakest Suit - Starts out kind of promising, with interesting imagery -- using "land of the dragon" is a nice metaphor -- but the rest of the song (besides the chorus) suffers from a complete lack of imagination. A bit too specific in its use of concrete details, like you were afraid there was any slight chance the listener mightn't decipher what event you are referring to.
WreckdoM - Coolest theremin this side of Melting Euphoria. Odd how well it fits in with the stoner rock extravaganza here, but it really does. Nice job stealing Butthole Surfers' guitar and bass, too. Sorry I didn't get the chance to vote for this one.
