Dear Jury: Vote not guilty; I'll pay you! /Acquitted Reviews

[Lord of Oats]

NO REVIEWS FOR YOU

[Ross]

It's remotely possible I might be in, as I now have lyrics and have posted them. As insurance against the likely event that I won't make it, burglars are welcome.

It isn't quite a "worked collaboratively with" relationship, but I certainly wouldn't call it the songwriting equivalent of rape, either. Back on topic, anyone? Anyone?

Thanks, Eric, for making a reasonable case that you deserved a review - I'm sorry it's not a very good one, but here it is

The Lyric Burgler Inside your Head - this is pretty monotonous - some of the tune and changes don’t quite fit together - like at the end of the verse right before the first verse. It sounds quite menacing - when I think the lyrics, at least in the chorus seem hopeful and celebratory. The guitar solo seemed sort of sub par and maybe unnecessary. The ending worked against you for me.

[Lord of Oats]

You seem to be implying something, here, and I believe you're mistaken. That is, I didn't mean to imply that I wanted a review from you. I certainly wouldn't admit to it, in any case, given your approach to the whole situation...which I'm not really even clear on.

[Eric Y.]

Thanks, Eric, for making a reasonable case that you deserved a review ...

Thanks, Ross. I wasn't really trying to 'plead my case' as it were, just trying to nip that particular tangent of the conversation before it got out of hand. I do appreciate you taking the time to write, though.

sounds quite menacing - when I think the lyrics, at least in the chorus seem hopeful and celebratory.

"Menacing" is a good description; it's the interpretation I was aiming for. I understand that as written, on the surface the lyrics seem to imply a narrator who is innocent and wrongly accused. I wanted to play with that perception a little bit...
Whether it's actually true or not, the main character in *my* version of the song/lyrics is the guy who is wearing the T-shirt that says "Heaven doesn't want me; Hell's afraid I'll take over" -- and really believes it.

The guitar solo seemed sort of sub par

Heh.. the first two times I read this, I thought you said "short of sub par", meaning (I guess) sub-sub-par? Either way, I'd have to agree.

[king_arthur]

Favorites (votes) were:

Paco
Howl Down
Chtonic Pop
Crank
Elaine Di Masi
Jon Tittering
Noah McLaughlin
Dolphins

I'll try to post some comments on the ones I didn't vote for and why, but in general, it came down to out of tune instruments or vocals, losing the beat, and a couple that were just "not my thing." Elaine's was kinda borderline for me; on an acapella song, the lyrics need (IMHO) to be really, really strong, and I just felt like they should have been more focused... but she did get my vote.

This is the first time I have fought / voted since the "vote for multiple songs" thing started, so it's been a while... if I'd only been able to vote for one song, Paco would have taken it, edging out Howl Down.

Charles (KA)

[museicalrevolt]

This is the first time I have fought / voted since the "vote for multiple songs" thing started, so it's been a while... if I'd only been able to vote for one song, Paco would have taken it, edging out Howl Down.

Charles (KA)[/quote]
I haven't submitted in awhile, what's the whole multiple votes thing?
B. Ellison, light with heat

[Pow Pow Power Series]

Hi I voted for these songs:

Chthonic Youth - Actually did remind me of Sonic Youth and early Pavement wanderlust. I thought the voice parts were kind of sloppily recorded.

Jon Titterington - Solid songwriting. I liked the lyrics and delivery except for "I'll be acquitted ... by you" which sounds very forced to me. There's a weird phasing sound to the keyboard that I associate with the same MIDI note being played simultaneous with itself, like with an incorrect loopback configuration.

Crank Radio - A decent rock song whose main drawback is its poor setting of levels (particularly the extremely loud bass).

Howl Down the Chimney - Great recording. Creative, creepy and weird in a good way.

Mantzfield - Starts off like an eager Sound Blaster 16 version of a metal tune, which is only appealing inasmuch as it reminds me of music from F-Zero or DOOM. When the singing comes in I was surprised by some rather interesting barely-hanging-together counterpoint. I don't think it needed to be five minutes long.

Ripping Hammer - This was my favorite. The recording is well-conceived (though there's some bassy peak that sounds unintentional), the song is weird but instantly catchy, and very concise. Nice.

[king_arthur]

I haven't submitted in awhile, what's the whole multiple votes thing?
B. Ellison, light with heat

Here's how it works. Click the names to listen, then check the boxes next to your favorites to vote for as many as you like. Check all the good ones, don't check any of the bad ones, then press the vote! button to register all of your votes at once. One round of voting per fight per customer, please.

[championvinyl]

Jon Titterington - Solid songwriting. I liked the lyrics and delivery except for "I'll be acquitted ... by you" which sounds very forced to me. There's a weird phasing sound to the keyboard that I associate with the same MIDI note being played simultaneous with itself, like with an incorrect loopback configuration.

Maybe I'm missing the intent of your statement, but you know the piano was tracked live, right? I overdubbed the piano twice (three times at the big parts) so that's probably what you're hearing.

[championvinyl]

doublepost/reviews

votes - Chthonic Youth, Howl, noah, Paco, Ripping Hammer, Dolphins, Water Bill, Weakest Suit

Comments:
Before the Fire -
Seems like you accomplished what you set out to do, but it's not really enjoyable to listen to.
Berkeley Social Scene -
Song hangs at about the same energy level, which can be fine for some groove-oriented music, but the rhythm section doesn't have much of a pocket. Vocalist sounds bored to me while he's singing, which makes me bored in turn. Lyrics remind me a little of The Stranger by Camus, which I guess is a compliment.
Chopped Liver Meat God -
In time and in tune, so that's good. Really bland songwriting, IMO. Suffers from melodyitus. My advice next time would be to skip tacking on a B section, and spend more time on writing melodies and arranging what you have in the A section. Take that for what it's worth.
Chthonic Pop Ensemble -
Props for live trumpet, but the drums just bleed the energy out of this one in the beginning. Rhythm section reminds me of a backing track for Wesley Willis. Appreciate that there are multiple movements, but the whole thing sounds disjointed to me.
Chthonic Youth -
First submission that really grabbed my attention--for example, there is a dynamic shape and stuff. Confident vocal delivery, in the vein of Jon McCrea or Yoni Wolf. Thank you for not writing a song about a literal trial. Enjoyed your lyrics, and the song in general.
Crank Radio -
Solid vocals. Don't think the solo section really added much to the song in this case. Also, there's some dissonance between the bass and guitars towards the end of the solo. Doesn't sound intentional, but maybe I'm wrong. Lyrics aren't particularly elegant, but they grow on me with each read.
Elaine DiMasi -
Nothing to hide behind here, so points for being gutsy. Your voice can't really pull it off, though. To paraphrase Royal Tenenabaum however, that's just one man's opinion.
Howl Down the Chimney -
Compelling vocals. Time is kind of shaky throughout, and runs off the rails a bit at the "I'll never give them up to you" part. Solid effort, though. Sax solo reminds me of Pink Floyd for some reason.
Jon Titterington -
Should've worked more on my melodies, in retrospect. Lesson learned.
King Arthur -
Lyrics are workmanlike. Rhythm section is locked in, but the song starts to wear out its welcome after chorus 1.
Light With Heat -
The song can't hold my attention on the verses. I zone out until the chorus hits the first two times. Instrumental break before verse 3 was a good choice. Lyrics are workmanlike. Vocals fit the genre well.
The Lyricburglar Inside Your Head -
Sorry, can't get all the way through this one. Pitchy vocals, shaky time.
Mantzfield -
Bass is mixed really muddy. Can't get a sense of there being a harmonic structure...which isn't good. Can't it make through this one either, sorry.
noah mclaughlin -
Solid instrumentals. Vocal delivery sounds a little bizarre to me. I don't really think I understand what you're aiming for in that arena. Some folks on the boards seem to like this one, so maybe its just me. Lyrics work.
Paco del Stinko -
Solid rhythm section/instrumentals. Confident songwriting, though some of the vocal phrases sound stilted (e.g. "I won't forget the past or my time with you")
Pathetic Wannabees -
Weak vocal delivery. Time is shaky. Workmanlike lyrics. Keyboardist sounds like a cat walking on an organ.
Ripping Hammer -
Production style catches my ear, even if it sounds a bit rough. Glad you didn't drag this one out any longer than it needed to be. Solid.
Rone Rivendale -
Lyrics are realllly workmanlike. Guitar and vocal production are poor. Can't get through this one.
Sh*tload of Dolphins -
Confident vocals. Melody and songwriting approach remind me of Ben Gibbard (cept for the lyrics). Time gets a little shaky at points. Liked this one.
Water Bill -
Fruity loops. Nice. Workmanlike lyrics. Nothing fancy, but I think it works.
The Weakest Suit -
Punk. K. Drum production is pretty weak. Otherwise sounds like you did what you set out to do. Not really my thing, but I can't fault you for that.

[Pow Pow Power Series]

Jon Titterington - Solid songwriting. I liked the lyrics and delivery except for "I'll be acquitted ... by you" which sounds very forced to me. There's a weird phasing sound to the keyboard that I associate with the same MIDI note being played simultaneous with itself, like with an incorrect loopback configuration.

Maybe I'm missing the intent of your statement, but you know the piano was tracked live, right? I overdubbed the piano twice (three times at the big parts) so that's probably what you're hearing.

Could definitely be the overdubbing, yeah. That's the problem with samples; they have have weird self-interfering properties if played on top of themselves that you wouldn't get with real instruments. (PS. I do love fake instruments.)

[championvinyl]

Jon Titterington - Solid songwriting. I liked the lyrics and delivery except for "I'll be acquitted ... by you" which sounds very forced to me. There's a weird phasing sound to the keyboard that I associate with the same MIDI note being played simultaneous with itself, like with an incorrect loopback configuration.

Maybe I'm missing the intent of your statement, but you know the piano was tracked live, right? I overdubbed the piano twice (three times at the big parts) so that's probably what you're hearing.

Could definitely be the overdubbing, yeah. That's the problem with samples; they have have weird self-interfering properties if played on top of themselves that you wouldn't get with real instruments. (PS. I do love fake instruments.)

Either I'm still misinterpreting what you're saying, or we'll still not on the same page.. When I say 'tracked live' I mean it was recorded on a real piano. No MIDI, no samples, just my macbook pro pointed at an upright piano.

[Pow Pow Power Series]

Either I'm still misinterpreting what you're saying, or we'll still not on the same page.. When I say 'tracked live' I mean it was recorded on a real piano. No MIDI, no samples, just my macbook pro pointed at an upright piano.

Huh. Well, I am clearly off my rocker then.

[AndySucks]

Hi everybody! I'm a long-time lurker, first time poster. I had a really good time listening to these songs. I hope I don't come off too negative on any of these, I'm just bein' a little dick:



Chopped Liver Meat God - I am a former metalhead. In fact, I was so metal that I rusted. I have a soft spot for this kind of thing, but I just couldn't get into it. The vocals sounded really awkward and the lead guitar grated on my nerves. When the violin first came in I thought it was cool, but that feeling didn't last long. Abrupt change towards the end made things a little more interesting.

Cthonic Pop Ensemble - There's a lot going on in this song. It seems to draw from a really wide array of influences. It didn't totally grab me for some reason, but I thought it was interesting.

Light With Heat - Kind of struck me in a Tom Petty-type way. I'd like to hear the vocals a little more, but that could be because of my crappy speakers. I think the hook could have been "hookier," but all in all a good tune.

Mantzfield - Here's an odd one... Points for not being afraid to try something different. I actually enjoyed the poppier bits of this song the most though. There are flashes of brilliance here, but a lot of it is too avante garde for me. There is definitely an audience for this kind of thing though.

The Lyricsburglar Inside Your Head - Sludgy in a good way. The vocals are kind of goofy (I'm assuming that's what you're going for). The guitar solo needs to go though.,,seriously.

King Arthur - This one was right up my alley. Toe tappin' fun. Voted.

Howl Down the Chimney - Extremely chill and just a little creepy. The Saxophone could not have come in at a better time. Very good song. Voted.

Pathetic Wannabes - I need more cowbell! An interesting song, the vocals didn't really sell me. It's not that they were bad, it just seems like the singer is doing an impression of a singer rather than really giving it his all.

Sh*tload of Dolphins - My favorite band-name of the bunch. Pretty good, but it didn't strike me enough to earn a vote. Something about the song just seemed lacking. I honestly can't put my finger on it,

Elaine DiMasi - I can't say anything bad about this. It just doesn't feel like a complete song.

Rone Rivendale - That was a good try...

Crank Radio - Really well done. Obviously a lot of talent here. The song wasn't as interesting as I hoped it would be, but I have a lot of respect for what's on display on this track.

Before the Fire - Annoying. I guess it was supposed to be funny, but it just irritated me to no end.

Berkeley Social Scene - Had a nice dreamy quality to it. I wasn't crazy about the vocals and it didn't feel like the song really went anywhere. I more or less enjoyed it though.

Paco Del Stinko - Loved the intro, but there's so much to love about this song. The background chorus, yes! The guitar solo, yes! Dramatic cymbal crash, yes! By the end of it I felt like standing up and clapping. My favorite song of the fight. Voted.

The Weakest Suit - The guitar riff reminded me of "Mommy, can I go out and kill tonight?" by the Misfits. You can't really claim rights to a riff that simple, so I wouldn't call it a rip-off. However, it was distracting enough to me that I couldn't fully focus on the song. Seemed pretty good though.

Jon Titterington - I really like this one. Really soothing. This will be my next break-up song. Voted.

Noah McLaughlin - Not bad, but really generic. I feel the same way about this song that I feel about bologna, I'll eat it if I'm hungry enough.

Water Bill - I was hoping this would be an instrumental when it started. I listen to a lot of old school video game music and remixes. Then the vocals kicked in and I was disappointed. Not only because there were vocals, but because the vocals didn't work with the song at all.

Ripping Hammer - This is a good example of how to properly mix traditional songwriting and the experimental. I enjoyed this one, but it didn't quite get my vote.

Cthonic Youth - Too gangsta. Not really. A little boring but it made me smirk from time to time,

[Eric Y.]

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your comments so far -- mine will be forthcoming in a few days.

FYI, I haven't forgotten -- but the CD I burned all these onto (to listen while doing work around the house this weekend) was encoded goofily or something (about half the songs -- possibly the VBR ones -- came out all warbly and gargly). I promise I will get to these soon.

[The Weakest Suit]

The Weakest Suit - The guitar riff reminded me of "Mommy, can I go out and kill tonight?" by the Misfits. You can't really claim rights to a riff that simple, so I wouldn't call it a rip-off. However, it was distracting enough to me that I couldn't fully focus on the song. Seemed pretty good though.

i've never, ever heard one song by the misfits.
in high school one of my friends had a poster of them looking all "satanic" and i thought it was the stupidest thing i'd ever seen, so i never got bothered to listen to them.
i was trying to rip off "i don't want to hear it" by minor threat (not really riff-wise though, more the feel). either way, it's not a very good song.

[Authors Of]

I'll try to post some comments on the ones I didn't vote for and why, but in general, it came down to out of tune instruments or vocals, losing the beat, and a couple that were just "not my thing."

King Arthur, I chose to comment on your post because of the "not my thing" statement. I have difficulty with the same thing because sometimes I encounter music that isn't my thing also, but when I critique I feel I have to overlook that. Again, I'm going back to the issue with subjectivity. If something's not my cup of tea, I still have to find fault in it and point that out in order to improve the workmanship of the musician.

[Eric Y.]

sometimes I encounter music that isn't my thing also, but when I critique I feel I have to overlook that. .... If something's not my cup of tea, I still have to find fault in it and point that out in order to improve the workmanship of the musician.

Technically, no, you don't have to. You might feel obligated, or you might want to, but you don't have to. Nobody has to.

[AndySucks]

i've never, ever heard one song by the misfits.
in high school one of my friends had a poster of them looking all "satanic" and i thought it was the stupidest thing i'd ever seen, so i never got bothered to listen to them.
i was trying to rip off "i don't want to hear it" by minor threat (not really riff-wise though, more the feel). either way, it's not a very good song.

I never thought that you were trying to "rip off" anyone. It's just that since I enjoy the Misfits so much it was hard for me to stop thinking about how much your riff reminded me of theirs. So really the problem is more with me than with you (does that make sense?).

On a side note, you really should check out some of their stuff sometime. I know they look silly, but it's intentionally campy.

[king_arthur]

King Arthur, I chose to comment on your post because of the "not my thing" statement. I have difficulty with the same thing because sometimes I encounter music that isn't my thing also, but when I critique I feel I have to overlook that. Again, I'm going back to the issue with subjectivity. If something's not my cup of tea, I still have to find fault in it and point that out in order to improve the workmanship of the musician.

Yeah, I know some people feel saying a song is "not my thing" is a copout, and in this week's batch of songs there wasn't anything that I rejected purely on that basis (although I suppose my original comment made it sound like there was)... but at the same time, whatever we do in a song is a choice, and the choice of music style will turn some people on and some people off. So, y'know, if somebody chooses to do a song with screaming distorted vocals and the rest of the instruments so loud that I still can't make out what's being sung... well, that's just "not my thing" (again, not referring to any of this week's songs), I'm not going to think of it as a "good song" even if it's a stellar example of the genre. Somebody chose to make that kind of a song and not everybody's going to like it.

And I have been known to be so impressed by a song that it overcomes my genre bias... I voted for sonofsupercar in "Red Flag" but I think that's the only one of their songs I've cared for. Rap doesn't really do it for me, yet I think Prince's "Release It" (Graffiti Bridge) is pure genius.

The other part of the deal is that if somebody is aiming for a style of music that I don't "get", I may not have any useful comments to make. "Back off the gain on your input channel" doesn't really help if what they were going for is distorted vocals...

Anyway, I guess I better get around to doing reviews this week; when I do reviews, they're generally pretty detailed and if all I have to say about a song is that it was "not my thing" then it means the song was so far from what I like that I didn't feel I had anything useful to say. But I do think it's a valid reason for not liking a song - and then it's up to the artist to decide whether the 55+ demographic is important to them or not

Charles (KA)

[rone rivendale]

Speaking for myself, I enjoy reading reviews no matter whether it's good or bad. It's the people who don't bother to include me that I get upset with. Everyone has the right to their opinion, so voice it!

[signboy]

I'm not sure where to put this, but I remixed Elaine's track. I can't resist messing with it when someone sends in an a cappella.

http://ringeli.googlepages.com/elainedi ... _remix.mp3