Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

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Ross
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Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by Ross »

Begin conspiring.
"I don't like this song, but at least it's good." - veGetar Ianra Ge
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by nyjm »

Nice artwork, Rabid.

... uh, yeah, music reviews forthcoming. Probably later this afternoon when I run out of steam at work.
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by glennny »

After a couple of listens I'm pretty impressed by : Future Boy!, Paco!, Balance Lost!, Swilington!, and Ross Durand!

And I'd like to thank CLMG for sending me on a Rush kick starting with Mystic Rhythms!
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
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Future Boy
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by Future Boy »

Balance Lost

Really catchy, nice energy. The vocal recording quality is low, obviously, but it's not getting in the way of me understanding the lyrics, nor enjoying the song. Well done!

Banging Betty

So, the ID3 tag says this song is called Aphrodisiac Bubble-Gum. Um? Regardless, the lyrics on this are clunky and also clunkily delivered. The guitar part sounds pretty generic to me.

Beefwestern

Think the lead vocal delivery is well done for what you are going for. The ahs at the beginning are horribly off key, though. Not a huge fan of the backing music, it's not as "on" as the vocal is. When the lyric gets to the point of just insulting GWB, I get less interested. It's not that I completely disagree with you or anything, it's just not very compelling to listen to at that point.

Boxer B

The music isn't terrible. There are some sloppy bits in the performance here and there, but for the most part it's competent enough. The lead vocal is not very good. The lyrics don't draw me in, neither does the delivery. This "spacey" bit at the end just isn't grabbing me.

Chopped Liver Meat God

At first I was annoyed by what sounded like yet another crappy distorted guitar song, but then it got to the part where you start singing. I'm gonna go ahead and call this pretty great. It comes across to me as not only a song mocking the title in a way that isn't "oh I'm on songfight and this title is dumb", but ALSO a mockery of crappy distorted guitar songs. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but if not, well done sir. Also quite fond of the streetfigher breakdown, though after reading the lyrics I didn't understand why those lines were there.

Crack My Jaw

This would work pretty OK as an interlude on an album. As a standalone song, prob not something I'd listen to very often.

Doscientos

Vocals are intelligible, yay! Mix sounds WAY back, but whatevs. It's a fun, energetic song, but not at all in the realm of what I typically listen to. It's not eliciting an "oh god awful" feeling from me, though, so it's prob ok.

Ford's Theater Disaster

Lead vocal totally puts me off this one. Sounds like you are being over affective with your voice and also you're not really singing notes. There's a distorted guitar part that is kind of quiet, just off center to the right. It just sounds like static back there.

Future Boy

Not very happy with the mix on this one. Will probably revisit it. Also want to rerecord the vocals so I don't have to compress them so much. Wonder if the song is a bit too slow. This recording hurts my ears.

Gooey Caramel Centaur

This is a nice song. The vocal rhythm on the verses is maybe not as tight as it could be. I say, practice it more, get yourself a better mic situation, and rerecord it. Oh, right, when I read the lyrics was really not a fan of the kerfuffle / snuffle rhyme. It's not too bad when it occurs in the song, but I think I'm still opposed to it on principle. ;-)

Looking For Alaska

Generally not a fan of this kind of sleepy folky thing. That aside, I don't like the way you drop off in pitch on the last note of every phrase, rather than just holding the note until you stop singing it. Maybe this is a stylistic thing, but I would not describe it as good singing. Or, at the very least, if you are going to do that for affect, limit it to places where it makes the most sense musically and emotionally. Right now it just sounds like something you've gotten in the habit of doing without thinking about it.

Lord of Oats

These lyrics are pretty much godawful, read to me out of a DMV manual why don't you? The one-note, poor singing doesn't help. Not very fond of the music, really. It's not terrible, seems to be mixed relatively well, it's just kind of bland, nothing really hooks me in. This is George Carlin at the end, is that right? I mean, he's cool and all, but I'm not sure how using this much of him makes the song any better/more potent/more compelling.

Marrs and Denny

Someone has been watching auto-tune the news. Not very nice to bite someone else's gimmick. Also, it's not as good.

Mister Shot

Music is kind of fun. Vocal is too low in the mix. Rapping could be tighter. Not much more to say about this.

Naked Philosophy

By this point in the fight I'm pretty tired of listening to lo-fi distorted guitar songs, which puts you at a disadvantage. Song didn't really grab me at all.

Paco del Stinko

Not very fond of the lyrics on this one. Don't remember having a super negative reaction when reading them in the forum, so maybe it's just how you've set them to music. Mostly just tired of listening to this song after a couple minutes.

Pathetic Wannabees

This song is collapsing under the weight of the recording quality. However, I can imagine this might be fun to see live.

Rone Rivendale

This vocal is bad. Really, it's not good at all. Might I suggest that you collaborate with someone who can sing better? Not overly fond of the lyrics, but I think probably someone who is actually carrying a nice tune could make them palatable. The music doesn't really cohere and your panning choice seems odd.

Ross Durand

This is a nice song.

The Semolina Pilchards

The odd meter on the verse doesn't groove as well as I'd like. The doubled vocals are nice but more time getting the multiple takes matched in terms of rhythm, consonant placement, and note lengths would have been worth it. That's something I agonize over in my own stuff, though, so maybe other people won't notice as much. Chorus is good, though I fully expect the last word to rhyme with "job", but then the last word is "me", which makes me feel a little let down.

Smile Case

I having trouble hearing a song in all of this. It sounds like some buzzy thing along with meadering guitar strumming and meandering vocals that seem totally unrelated to the guitar.

Swilington

Synth stuff doesn't become as cool as I was hoping for, given how the song started. Could do without the Bush clips at the beginning. Mix seems really off once you start actually singing. Drums in particular are way too quiet, IMO. The lyrics are too straightforward, not in concept, but in the way you say what you are saying, if that makes sense. I mean, it's a song, try to be a little bit poetic or something.

Walrus Gumble

Shoe-horning the title into a song that has nothing to do with it? Why is everything over in my right ear?

The Weakest Suit

Didn't really like the lyrics when I read them, like them even less in this delivery. If you are going to write such a bland chord progression, the lyrics and melody better be pretty gripping. They are not, therefore I find myself unable to care about this song.
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HeadShot
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by HeadShot »

Future Boy wrote:Music is kind of fun. Vocal is too low in the mix. Rapping could be tighter. Not much more to say about this.
Holy crap, I was thinking they were too high in the mix O.o I dunno how that could have happened.
I've got a better idea. You go in there and talk to him. I'm going home. http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/REFLEKT ... 011?ref=nf
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by signboy »

So, just because I have time today, and to make a template for days when I don't have time, everybody gets reviewed on the Space Amp!
(I hope this doesn't completely ruin this forum page)
911waij_review.jpg
911waij_review.jpg (1.43 MiB) Viewed 8502 times
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by rone rivendale »

Pretty neat Signboy. You should use that every time.
From spoken word to actual singing, I can screw up any style with style. :D
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by jb »

My Yamaha keyboard has dials like that, and I had to paint the settings lines with whiteout so I could freaking tell how much juice is going to a parameter.
blippity blop ya don’t stop heyyyyyyyyy
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by signboy »

Okay. This is the second one of these now, I'm going to have to give them a name:
"Late & unwitting Collabs" or maybe just "Whole Damn Song Burglar" :lol:

http://ringeli.googlepages.com/911_bangingbetty.mp3
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by Ben »

signboy wrote:Okay. This is the second one of these now, I'm going to have to give them a name:
"Late & unwitting Collabs" or maybe just "Whole Damn Song Burglar" :lol:

http://ringeli.googlepages.com/911_bangingbetty.mp3
Whoaa! wtf?

Is it too late to switch this with my original version? :D

I guess this is a lesson in what I could have accomplished if I hadn't waited until 4hrs before the deadline.
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by medavox »

Just so you know, I'm having some issues with my internet, so I officially blame that on the lack of some reviews for Dry Spell. Also, I'm sorry (with the same excuse) if I don't review this week.

ps, the title sucks (from an uninvolved british songfighter's point of view).

have fun!
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by jast »

I'm not feeling charitable towards people who took the title in the most obvious direction.

Balance Lost -- 10/15
C:2 (Fun choice of instruments, but not much happening.) L:2 F:2 P:2 (Female vocals are much better than male vocals.) M:2 (Vocals sound muffled.)

Banging Betty -- 10/15
C:2 (More arrangement please!) L:* F:2 (Works, but would have worked a lot better with more accompaniment) P:2 (Vocals are quite nice. Guitar isn't too exciting, and timing seems to fall apart near the end) M:2 (I don't really get why you've got all the noise in the beginning...)

Beefwestern -- 8/15
C:1 (Boring arrangement. Not my kind of harmonies.) L:* F:1 P:2 (Yucky vocals in the intro.) M:2 (Clippy.)

Boxer B -- 12/15
C:2 (A bit generic bluesy stuff.) L:* F:3 P:2 (Drum timing seems pretty loose at times. Vocal intonation isn't too great and vocals sound a bit pressured at times but somehow I still like large parts of it. Guitar playing in the coda isn't that good.) M:3 (But please cut off the noise stuff at the beginning. Audacity works nicely for that. Awesome guitar sound in the solo. Awesome stuff in the coda, too.)

Chopped Liver Meat God -- 7/15
C:0 (Two minus points for ripping off Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4" and for making the song so long. Another for random break into another rip-off (forgot the name of the original song, though).) L:1 (Umm... no.) F:2 (I think this may work a lot better without vocals... at least without these vocals.) P:1 (Vocals are very strained and similarly off key, particularly in higher regions. Fun guitar stuff.) M:3

Crack My Jaw -- 9/15
C:1 (Pretty random.) L:* F:1 P:2 (Vocals not so great.) M:3

Doscientos -- 11/15
C:2 (Not much going on here...) L:* F:2 P:3 M:2 (Vocals are pretty buried.)

Ford's Theater Disaster -- 11/15
C:2 L:2 F:2 P:2 (I don't think the vocals quite cut it.) M:3 (Some of your guitar has a LOT of distortion at the high end. It seems a lot more present than the remaining distortion. I'm not sure I like that.)

Future Boy -- 12/15
C:2 (The destructified drums are all great and everything but still, does the intro need to be that long? Slightly repetitive, though the arrangement loosens it up a bit.) L:2 F:2 P:3 (The highest vocal notes might sound greater if they were coloured a bit differently.) M:3 (Almost too saturated.)

Gooey Caramel Centaur -- since I like this very much, you make the cut with an arbitrary bonus point. 13/15
C:3 (Very likable. Also not boring. Good combination.) L:3 F:3 P:2 (The spot of backup vocals pulled this down from a 3... lead vocals aren't perfect either but there it fits...) M:1 (Levels are not good. Drums/percussion are way too present. Uke almost disappears. Clippy.)

Looking for Alaska -- 12/15
C:2 (Not too exciting.) L:* F:3 P:3 (Singing sounds like your nose is stuffed which indicates that there's a LOT of room for improvement in your vocals. Intonation is good, though, so by local standards I guess I'll ignore that.) M:2 (Noisy mix. Clippy, but also overcompressed? Weird...)

Lord of Oats -- an arbitrary minus point for ripping off Carlin. 8/15
C:1 (Isn't the intro a little bit long? And the whole song?) L:* F:1 P:2 (Vocals are a bit off key.) M:3

Marrs and Denny -- 8/15
C:2 L:* F:1 P:1 (Okay, it's sort of cute but it's not vocals.) M:2 ("Vocals" are very uneven; could have used compression.)

Mister Shot -- 11/15
C:2 (I don't think the unaccompanied vocals work too well. I like the accompaniment better than on most rapped things but I still think rap isn't an excuse for simply looping something over and over in the background with no variation whatsoever.) L:2 F:2 P:2 (Sung vocals are off key and rather out of rhythm at times.) M:3

Naked Philosophy -- 12/15
C:2 (There isn't much to this song, musically. The intro seems too long to me, too. A few fun sections, though, e.g. the outro.) L:2 F:3 (Rock!) P:3 (Seems like you lose timing in the vocals once.) M:2 (Interesting stuff you did on the vocals. I think. There are little crackles in some takes. Vocals get buried as the arrangement builds up.)

Paco del Stinko -- 11/15
C:2 (I find the verses rather boring; the chorus saves you.) L:2 F:2 P:3 M:2 (No fan of the noise fest. Clipping in speech.)

Pathetic Wannabees -- 7/15
C:1 (Very repetitive.) L:1 ("Verses" seem arbitrary.) F:1 P:2 (Vocals and guitars lack definition. It all just mashes together.) M:2 (It's not that hard to cut off leading silence/noises.)

Rone Rivendale -- 7/15
C:1 (Rather boring arrangement.) L:2 F:1 P:1 (Some parts of the vocals are better than most others I've heard from you. Still, most are lacking definition and nearly all are lacking rhythm.) M:2 (The panning slides on the synth sound like a squirrel on caffeine.)

Ross Durand -- 12/15
C:2 (Standard fare.) L:3 F:2 (The whole accompaniment feels strangely uneven. I can't really explain it.) P:2 (Vocal intonation doesn't meet expectations, particularly on the title line.) M:3 (The reverb on the lead vocals doesn't sound that great. Perhaps you could reduce it a bit in the count-in. I think the tinkery part of the percussion should have been pulled down a bit.)

The Semolina Pilchards -- 14/15
C:3 (And I thought the time signatures wouldn't work. I was wrong. Very enjoyable song.) L:* F:3 P:3 (Some parts of the doubled vocals are a bit shoddy.) M:3 (Vocals a bit buried. Great overall sound.)

Smile Case -- 7/15
C:1 (Seems rather random.) L:* F:1 P:2 (Vocal intonation not that great. Guitar playing not that great.) M:1 (Grating tremolo/pan wankery in the background. Vocals a bit buried.)

Swilington -- 8/15
C:1 (Minus point for excessive speech samples. ... make that another minus point.) L:* F:1 P:2 (Vocals are weird.) M:2 (The mix of dry (?) and vocoded vocals doesn't work for me.)

Walrus Gumble -- 7/15
C:2 (I like this but it's repetitive.) L:1 (That doesn't seem to make any sense.) F:2 P:1 (Guitar out of tune. Vocals off key.) M:1 (Left channel only? Why? Too much delay.)

The Weakest Suit -- 11/15
C:2 (Mostly seems like an afterthought.) L:2 (I think you're drawing it out for too long. Interesting enough idea.) F:2 P:2 (Practice breathing. I like the guitar more than usual.) M:3

Voting for Gooey Caramel Centaur, The Semolina Pilchards.
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by tbuk00 »

REVIEWS

Balance Lost: Easily my favorite song thus far. I was actually putting some stuff away in my room and I put this on again just to listen to it. The only thing I didn't really like is how it just ends, but either way I like it a lot! (Vote)

Banging Betty: Pretty boring as well as being poorly delivered. The lyrics aren't nearly as clever as they think they are...

Beefwestern: I understand what you're going for and I feel like your voice fits it well. As for the lyrics, they are just kind of weak. They are not subtle at all and it just kind of feels childish... I don't like GWB either, but you can't just rattle off a bunch of elementary school insults and expect to be taken seriously... Besides the lyrics(which I could go on for hours about how mindnumbingly retarded they are...), the music starts out as a good intro background, despite being really generic guitar and bass lines, but then just becomes really monotonous going on and on until I want to physically harm something...

Boxer B: The song started out good, but the vocals lost it for me. They were ok at the beginning but when the chorus came in it really exposed how bad they are. I liked the guitar solo, but the rest of the band seemed to fall apart at times. I could see where you were going with this and I can see the potential, but its just not there right now.

Chopped Liver Meat God: Intro is way too long for me, I feel like a condensed version with more interesting guitar playing would be better. I find it hard to take a song seriously when the lyrics ask for someone to suck on their balls... Street fighter seems kind of random... Bad singing aside(oh and believe me there was a lot of it...), the lyrics completely turned me off. And wtf is with the Nirvana rip off??? This is just stupid... I didn't even finish the song...

Crack My Jaw: Bold lyric choice, good for you! I'm not really sure I would consider this a song though... Its really short. The sounds are interesting and everything, but I would never really find myself listening to it again. I feel like this would be the background music on some creepy experimental art film, not something I would listen to on my ipod...

Doscientos: I like this, although I feel like it could have been louder. The drums seem sort of off sometimes, but not to where it's a big deal. A good song that just needs some minor tweaks. (Vote)

Ford's Theater Disaster: You had my complete attention, and then what followed was kind of anti-climactic. After the guy shouted at the beginning I was expecting full blown rock out after that but it was just kind of a weak G&G intro that didn't match the intensity of the sound clip. When the rocking starts its kind of a mess, I feel like I'm listening to a group perform who hasn't practiced very much and are kind of playing loud to cover it up. It just doesn't sound clean or together and the singing sort of fell into the shouting category where I had to look up the lyrics to find out what you were saying. In general I feel like there could have been a song here, I really like the sound clips and the concept you were going for, but I feel like it just wasn't executed well.

Future Boy: At first I was like "this beat is sick!" but then it just kept going and going and I feel like it was kind of distracting once the vocals came in. Lyrics are pretty good, although I'm always turned off when a song starts with the same words as the title but that's just personal preference and doesn't really reflect the quality of the lyrics. Alright I got used to the beat, I would call this a pretty solid song. Good Work! (Vote)

Gooey Caramel Centaur: Nice use of Ukulele! I'm a fan of songs that the tone of the music does not match the tone of the lyrics, causing the listener to really think about what is being said. I'm not too sure about the break where you think the song is over and then it starts back up again. This can be effective, but I felt myself checking to make sure the song hadn't just started over rather than realizing that something new had been brought up. Either way great song! (Vote)

Lord of Oats: At first I wanted to like this song, but the delivery of the lyrics and how they go with the music sort of turned me off. Not to mention the lyrics just aren't that great. It sounds kind of like the postal service to me, but not as good... sorry. I feel like with a different singer and different lyrics this could be a good song because I liked the instrumental part.

Marrs and Denny: Wow, voice is annoying... not really a song... I feel like I'm listening to a documentary on a messed up cassette tape or something that keeps changing the pitch of the voice...

Mister Shot: This kind of reminds me of sage francis, if you have ever listened to him. I like the beat, but the vocals don't seem confident enough to me. At times they are kind of mumbled and get a little off beat. Either way, I liked this and so I'm voting for it. (Vote)

Naked Philosophy: The song itself is well put together, but just not that memorable or catchy. The lyrics sound kind of forced at times, like you were just trying to rhyme things and so you took the most obvious route... Yeah nothing really bad, but nothing really impressive...

Paco del Stinko: Buzzing in the background at the beginning is pretty annoying. The song itself is well performed and everything, but the style just seems so corny I can't get over it. Its just not my thing. The singers voice just doesn't match the intensity of the song, it has this kind of nasally tone to it that's hard to take seriously (kind of sounds like the pharmacist's voice in family guy). Either way its put together well and the lyrics are ok, I just can't get into it.

Pathetic Wannabees: Pretty cool little song, wish it wasn't so fuzzy but I'm going to assume you have no control over that. (Vote)

Rone Rivendale: Keyboards start out as a good intro, but just gets kind of disorienting once the rest comes in. The drum beat is corny and simplistic as well as being kind of harsh on the snare. I would say the singing is bad, but its not really even singing. The lyrics, are kind of mumbled, which could be done for a stylistic thing but it doesn't really work for this. Song just gets kind of annoying after a while, especially that damn keyboard riff...

Ross Durand: Good song, nice take on the title! Are those spoons in the background? Whatever they are, they seem to be a little overbearing after a while but that's just me. Great playing and good singing for the style you were going for. (Vote)

The Semolina Pilchards: Pretty good song, like the lyrics and I feel like they go well with the music. Sometimes the synth backgrounds are a little loud but that didn't really take anything away for me. (Vote)

Smile Case: I really liked the lyrics you opened with, but I feel like everything sort of fell apart after that. At first I was hoping for a really cool take on the title, but the lyrics are either really cryptic or they don't actually go with anything. But everything is so mumbled and unorganized that no one would ever be able to tell if they were about the title. Along with this, the song is just poorly put together. None of the instruments are really performed well and after a while I couldn't figure out where it was going and what I was supposed to be listening to.

Swilington: Intro = Awesome! I like the clips a lot. I'm not so sure about the voice distortion, I think it would be better if it was less robot like... Song itself is good though. The lyrics are pretty straightforward, but I feel like it works for this. I see definite potential but the singing doesn't really draw me in and if it was any longer I'm sure I would have been bored.

Walrus Gumble: Everything is panned to the left... The lyrics have nothing to do with the title so you can't really get any credit for that. Guitar has a very stringy sound and the strumming is a little rough, its also out of tune. The echo doesn't really add anything and is pretty distracting.

The Weakest Suit: I liked the guitar rhythm at the beginning, but then it just sort of drug on and on and never changed. At first I thought the lyrics might be clever or something, but when it just kept going on and on I realized that I was mistaken and pretty much stopped listening after a while. Nothing really kept my attention.
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by Future Boy »

tbuk00 wrote: Future Boy: At first I was like "this beat is sick!" but then it just kept going and going and I feel like it was kind of distracting once the vocals came in. Lyrics are pretty good, although I'm always turned off when a song starts with the same words as the title but that's just personal preference and doesn't really reflect the quality of the lyrics. Alright I got used to the beat, I would call this a pretty solid song. Good Work! (Vote)
FWIW, I think the balance between the bass line and the kick drum is probably reverse of what it should be. The bass line is the more interesting sound and is also the thing that outlines the chord progression during the intro, so that's probably where the focus should be. As for the intro being too long, eh, I tend to think that's a matter of taste. I agree with you about the opening lyric. I feel like I've done it right if I can manage to not use the title in the actual lyrics at all or bury somewhere in the middle. In this case, the third verse was the first one I wrote, and leading off with the title was a sensible way for the character of the song to make his declaration. Also, I'm trying to get back on the wagon of writing songs, so starting with the title right out of the gate has helped me kickstart the lyric writing process, which is where I tend to slow down or falter.
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by tbuk00 »

Yeah I wrote that review while I was listening to it for the first time and that's why it seems like i contradict myself in it, because I liked it more as the song went on. I was just kind of lazy and decided not to change it but I did really enjoy the song despite the earlier remarks.
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Rabid Garfunkel
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by Rabid Garfunkel »

nyjm wrote:Nice artwork, Rabid.
Hey, thanks! :D
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by beuhiss »

My top 3 pics were Balance Lost, Gooey Caramel Centaur and Ross Durand. In that order, well, I could debate spot2 and 3.

:)
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by JonPorobil »

FBMF#1
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by glennny »

I'm impressed everyone! Pretty good fight for what i thought was a tough title.

Balance Lost- YES! Have you been listening to Heavy Vegetable and Thingy lately? This is just awesome! Who is the girl? I think you rock harder than anyone on song fight! Those wicked fast strum stutters are sooooooo fantastic. Hey we should work together! All of your projects are fantastic Pedro! This song is so sweet with the popness whilst rocking! If anything I wish this was longer! Or I want 13 more songs like it. Seriously I listen to this about 5 times in a row during each listening session before I’m temporarily satisfied enough to move on to the next song, but I miss this song when I’m not listening to it. VOTE! Winner?

Banging Betty- Your voice is not bad. Writing a bluesy like ditty over Whole Lotta Love does nothing for me. Well it makes me want to hear some Zeppelin. This is unoriginal; it is listenable, but pretty forgettable. You need drums, bass, your own riff, and perhaps a catchier idea.

Beef Western- This very interesting! I love the bass playing and the vocals. Although I must mention that the vocals get a lot better as the song progresses, the ”Ohs” are sketchy at the beginning. The echo guitar is pretty cool in a lot of places. Who is in Beef Western? Is this the Kasper guys? Drum machine + funny lyrics + tasty bass = Mike and Chris? Good stuff, short of a vote I’m afraid.

David Wolgemuth- This mix needs a lot of help. I like the vocal passion, but they’re too loud in the mix. Some of the licks are tasty, some are incredibly cheesy, the direct guitar is really annoying. Nice to hear real drums, but they could really use a click track. When it ‘kicks in’ it is underwhelming. A good idea was lost on sloppy execution. I don’t think you need the last 1:13 of the song, nothing develops, and it’s repetitive, and you’re no where near a dancy groove to dance the night away to.

CLMG- Come on! Mystic Rhythms? Chicago? I like you vocals. This is a terrible song. You can do much better. No original melodies. This song pisses me off. ANTI-VOTE! I want a vote back from a previous vote I’ve given you.

Must cleanse my ears: more Balance Lost!
WHEW! Ok 3 more listens to BL can help me carry on.

Crack My Jaw- “911 wasaninsidejob” is the tag. This is very short and weird. I like this. It’s artful, it’s horrible, it’s interesting. Nice addition to the fight. Not much of an accomplishment in songwriting, but a cool piece sounds. Lyrics need a lot of help.

Doscientos
- Hell Yeahs school of predictable pop entry. Something this simple really needs to be a lot tighter to be memorable. The talky part is odd in that it makes one realize the vocals are barely tonal enough to consider as singing. I like your voice but the melody goes no where. At least this is short. Damn I want to hear some super tight upbeat and catchy…….

More Balance Lost……ahhhhhh, this makes my anger subside. There is hope for music again! The snap dragons on my table bloom when Balance Lost plays.

OK more songs-

Ford’s Theater Disaster- The mix needs help. But simple things sound great if they are tight. This is tight. Your voice is pretty strong and awesome, I think your melodies dwell a little too long in one octave. The strength of your voice is diluted by a lack of variance in the vocal melody. The guitar is a little clippy. The drums are played well! I enjoyed this listen. Cool stuff, short of a vote I’m afraid.

Future Boy
- this sounds like the Future! This is AWESOME! The beat is weird and cool! The bass sounds fantastic! Your vocals are excellent. You may criticize my/our vocals anytime and I will hang on your words. Your effort in your vocals really show. Melody is beautiful, interesting, and clever. Love your voice! Well structured song. Ends with a wimper not so much a Bang, while everything else is bangin! Yeah this gets a vote, and is arguably the best thing in the fight. I think it could be even stronger with the ending tweaked a little. Maybe a revisit to the a capella vocal thing. Perhaps a variation on the verse. The way it is I’m lured into the complacency of verse mode, then I’m not satisfied when it abruptly ends. Anyway, that’s a nitpick, VOTE!!!

Gooey Caramel Centaur
- lots of good stuff going on here. I like your voice, especially when you sing. The Uke is nice. The brush drums are very nice too. I like the “…ah ask why” hook. Good job on some well played tambourine, and well placed hand claps. Both of which are usually a mistake for people, but they’re both really good ideas in this song. The lyrics don’t do much for me. Both the guitar and drums get sloppy now and then, but they never lose vibe. I like this a lot, but I don’t love it the way I’m loving Balance lost and Future Boy thus far. Just shy of a vote. Good job!

Thomas Bukovac- This recording is awful. There’s a high pitched note that won’t go away. Feedback? You have a good voice. I like your vocal performance, the strumming is just fine. This recording is nearly un-listenable. It’s too bad, you’d have a strong although wildly normal song. This reminds me of every dude in a coffee shop. What’s with the random bass? PLEASE improve your recording set up! You sound like you’re a serious enough musician that it’s a crime your recordings sound like that.

Lord of Oats- I really enjoyed the 1st minute. I like your voice, but you got serious pitch problems dude. Why the CLMG entry? I like this one better. This is also offensively long. One annoying thing about your vocals, is that they are ON sometimes and they sound fantastic, but then a sour note comes up and jerks me around. I don’t want my George in your song. I like George, so I listen. No vote.

Marrs & Denny-
Auto-tune the Looney Tune news. Is this a sample? The campy jazz is great, but I get the idea it’s just a record.

Mister Shot-
Not bad. You did well with the tones available on your synth. I dig the bass line. Everything is tight. Nice flow, blah blah blah. I’m bored. The singing is excellent. The rapping is good. I’m so bored during this song. Lyrics are doing nothing for me.

Naked Philosophy-
Wow, I’m impressed how 80’s this sounds. Your voice is cool, but again like Noah, you have a comfort octave and you don’t stray from it. More inventive melodies would go along way for you. Nice short and sweet song.

Paco del Stinko
- KICK ASS! I think you’re one of the best vocalists on Song Fight. Your melodies are all over the place (in a good way). There’s like 4 or 5 different characters that come out of your vocals. Everything is pretty damn cool! The chorus is the best part. Perhaps the catchiest chorus of the fight. As usual your drums, bass, guitar are all top notch. VOTE!

Pathetic Wannabees- Wow new lows in recording quality. Mad Dog is hilarious, and now I can imagine him singing. Drumming needs a lot of help. The bass and guitar are cool, though the poor recording is distracting. I only hear sprinkles of keys.

Rone Rivendale- Wow, Ps and Bs are horrible. Have you ever been in the groove? Have you ever sang along to anything?

Ross Durand
- Is that a double bass? I love the tinky clinky percussion. Pencil on a bottle? Well placed and played harmonica! I happen to disagree with Future Boy about Rhyming in the chorus. You went to the Bob-Job rhyme which just seems forced. As soon as you named your uncle Bob I saw the rhyme coming. (although I have 2 uncle Bobs, I suppose it’s common). Other than that nitpick, the lyrics are fantastic! Guitar sounds great, the whole thing sounds great! Good harmonies. VOTE!!!

Smile Case
- Recording is terrible. Writing is terrible. Feels like its 30 minutes long. Longest 3 minute song ever.

OK need serious cleanse from that mess- Re-listen to BL, PDS, Future Boy, and Ross

Swilington-
Nice! The music is great! I dig the vocoder vocals. I’m a sucker for it, but it is very 1999. The lyrics don’t do a lot for me. The synth lines are catchy. Cool stuff. Vote.

Walrus Gumble-
Why are you only in my left ear? Is there another version somewhere in stereo? The song is pretty good! I can’t handle it on headphones any longer. Your vocals are pretty great. Lyrics are clever. This is fun. The echo is annoying. Pretty normal song.

Weakest Suit-
I can say this is performed well. I dig your voice, the guitar sounds good. This however is some of the weakest songwriting to come from you. This seems pretty forgettable. I appreciate you enter nearly every week; I just don’t think you were inspired this time.

Semolina Pilchards- I hated the title at 1st. I like what came of it. The highs of this fight are pretty high! So this started out as a diet BSS track. There’s You Tube footage of our writing session’s fruit from that Tuesday (not 9/11/ 2001). Our power was sketchy at our rehearsal space, so we were 2 acoustic guitars with Martyr on vocals and Ken playing drums. I was uninspired by the title lyrically. Some lyric place holders I had were “ I’ve Osama bin wanting to tell you, but I think that you’re Oliver Stoned, I Michael Moore or less believe, Bin Laden didn’t act along” . Martyr will sell any piece of lyrical garbage you place in front of him. Anyway, when I saw the title I thought I ought to make some music in 9/8 and 11/8. (I’ll take any excuse to go all odd time signature). Anyway, based on that flip phone recording (battery power) Ken made a midi version of the song. Upon listening I should have noticed that he short changed the 11/8 riffs. As it stands now they repeat 2 times rather than 4 times. I like how it works now, although it was a bit of a mistake. So on the ultimate recording Ken is on the drums, the bass, the keys and all of the vocals. I added 12-string, E-bow guitar, and I actually played my brothers telecaster rather than my 335, for no good reason, it was just closer. Both martyr and I attempted some vocal takes, my laptop broke down during that effort, so I couldn’t get anything to Ken in time. I actually think it’s pretty damn strong the way it is. Ken’s vocals sound much better than either of us Older Brothers did. When all was said and done the track was a Ken-Glen track, which by definition is the Semolina Pilchards. I’m very impressed with Ken on this song, not only does he nail the 9/8 to 11/8 to 4/4, but the hits are sharp and somehow the chorus is super poppy and catchy. I love the way he ultimately dealt with the lyrics too. I think that concept came from Lunkhead, but Ken flushed them out. Anyway, I love our entry, I must vote for it.

I loved and voted for:
Balance Lost
Future Boy
Paco del Stinko
Ross Durand
Swilington
Semolina Pilchards
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by irwin »

glennny wrote: Who is in Beef Western? Is this the Kasper guys? Drum machine + funny lyrics + tasty bass = Mike and Chris? Good stuff, short of a vote I’m afraid.
Nope, not us.
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Heather. Redmon.
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by Heather. Redmon. »

glennny wrote:Doscientos- Hell Yeahs school of predictable pop entry.
Man, that's not cool. You're picking on us even when we haven't submitted a song. :roll:
jack wrote:heather is the hardest working mom on songfight (in addition to being arguably the rockinist chick....).
Listen to our music!
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Re: Opinions from undisclosed locations (9/11 reviews)

Post by glennny »

Heather,

I'd consider it a compliment. In my world view you guys DEFINE chick vocal- power pop. Perhaps the word "predictable" has negative connotations. Maybe i should say "comfortable" power pop. Or "reliable" power pop.

All I meant was they sounded like son-of-Hell-Yeahs. They sound like they strive for what you've achieved.

If you're still feeling picked on, I'm sorry. There's PLENTY to pick on when it comes to me, and I welcome such.
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