Who Needs Coffee (WNS Reviews)

[glennny]

Berkeley Social Scene- I am not on this BSS track. I love this track. It’s sooo good to hear Martyr’s voice again! The drums are perfect! The punches at the end of the chorus are my favorite parts. The chord pattern “breathing” at the beginning of the 2nd verse is begging for a lead in melody. Smooth solo! Nice job Steve. Is that an edit I hear after the solo before the final chorus? 3:20!!! You hit the goal on the head! Yeah I wish I could’ve been part of this one, but you guys don’t need me. This is excellent! BIG VOTE!

Cain-I love the main riff and the bass line. The drum machine works well too. The lead guitar sounds best when the notes are fewer. Especially in the chorus the lead guitar could be reduced to 3 or 4 key notes, the line it has is fighting with the rhythm guitar and vocals. I like the vocals a lot. The intensity goes a long way. BTW I love swearing, more than most, but my 2 year old hears the F-Bomb in your song and repeats it at embarrassing times. Is it really necessary? This is long but I’m enjoying it all the way through. Don’t get me wrong there definitely needs to be lead guitar in this song, but rethinking the line would improve it immensely. Short of a vote, but I did download and keep this.

Doscientos- Listenable!!!! It’s super hissy but a wildly huge mix improvement from some previously submitted songs. Now I can actually talk about the song. The echoey bass line seems to be a guide vocal also. The biggest problem with this song is how redundant it is. There’s a 4 bar phrase that’s the verse I guess, then the chorus has the same bass line plus “oooh ahhhh”. I suppose the distorto guitar is a clue it’s the chorus also. The lyrics are not interesting enough to make up for the lack of music. It’s a good solid 4 bars of music, but I really don’t want to hear it 28 times in a row. More variation will go a long way!

The Elephant Choir- Hey your chair squeaks, just like mine! This is gorgeous! I love the restraint and the gentle introduction of instruments and different vocals. Everyone of the vocals does an excellent job. The arrangement is the real brilliance of this track. VOTE!

Erin Kleh & Tash- The whistling is a bit pitchy. The Mandolin and backing vocals are great. Sounds live and one take. Very nice. I wish you could’ve dropped the whistling and overdubbed some more vocals. Let the other one sing the lead this time? There will be plenty more fights when your voice is all better. If you’re new you’re probably not aware of the whistling virtuoso on this site. I look forward to future entries!

Gooey Caramel Centaur- The drums are excellent. I would call this folk drumming. The bass is as minimal as can be. I’d prefer more motion in the bass line, but this is fine. The acoustic playing is tight and well done. The few flourishes we get are tasty, I could stand to hear more. This is a keeper and a download. It fills out the album that this fight is, however not enough for a vote. The vocals are good. However the vocal melody is not very engaging, it’s a bit passive and background like. The harmonies are nice. You digging the Monsters of Folk album or what!?!?! (I love it too). Good stuff.

Ice the Man- every rap cliché is visited and not done very well. There’s a lot of genre bias. But on the other hand MC Milk Plus transcended such with an awesome track on Ring Them Bells and got my vote. No thanks.

Johnny Cashpoint featuring Andy Balham- The vocals and vocal melody is the star of this track. The quirky piano line is nice too. The bass line is very good. There’s something a little awkward about the drums. I enjoy this lot. It’s sooo strange. Gets a vote.

Jonathon Mann- This is a rather normal chord pattern and melody. However it is arranged very powerfully. There’s a great vibe created here. All the playing is superb. Excellent choice of rhythms. Been watching True Blood? The solo is too sparse for my tastes. My favorite part is the big backing vocals and intense drumming at 1:20. The dynamics are what we should all strive for. Very well done. VOTE!

LML- If you’re going to have one simple bass riff, it would be nice if you could hit it accurately. This sounds like the bass is way to big for you and it’s just so heavy. You have a really good voice. The glock and the lead guitar are a little painful. The percussion loop is a bit grating as well. Good vocals with too much echo. Melody is rather standard rock, but good. You need a good backing band!

The Odoriferous Valley- Once upon a time there was a young go getter in Silicon Valley. He was warding off sleep as much as possible, only taking a few short and shallow power naps. He was spending 20 hrs a day at work, trying to get his start-up company off the ground. Meanwhile the Sandman found himself with a surplus of sand. It seems no one was sleeping like they used to. The fashion of espresso seemed to be the main nemesis for the Sandman. The Sandman had patience and knew he would eventually get the go getter, but he was growing angrier having to wait. Instead of giving him a nice dream the Sandman decided to give him a nightmare. Sure enough eventually one day the go getter was worn down and wanted only to rest his eyes. This is when the Sandman saw his opportunity. The Sandman sent him into a slumber so deep and terrifying that he missed several days of work and his start-up failed.

The story goes something like that. So whenever I’m in Boston for work, I try and drive up to New Hampshire and hang out with Paco del Stinko. I showed up Saturday night. We decided to wait until Sunday to write and record. We listened to a box set of jazz guitarists and had a few Guinness. I know the heavy dose of jazz affected my writing the next day. I’m very proud of this composition. We pack a lot of great riffs and balanced composition into a short amount of time. I happen to be a big fan of Paco’s voices. I think his vocal performance is spot on for the character. I wish I was a better vocalist. I realize my voice isn’t the best, but singing sure is fun, especially when the material is silly. I thought this track would blow everyone away. It’s looking like the vocals are going to be keeping us down. Sorry man. My favorite parts are the bridge and the end of the bridge. That bridge acoustic part is easy for a couple bars, but it’s fast enough I had to really concentrate. It’s one of those riffs that is musically tense, so you have to divorce your fingers from the emotion of tensing up while performing it. Can you believe with the 2 of us we only have an 8 bar solo? I have the 1st and 3rd 2 bar licks. Clever key changes, chromatic riffs, interesting modulations, pretty chord patterns, huge awesome dramatic bridge. This is my favorite of the fight, but I am obviously not objective. SCARY VOTE

Paco del Stinko- When I arrived in at Casa del Stinko, I got to hear the instrumental version of this. I loved it. The vocals only make it better. The production is fantastic. The fretless bass is Awesome! The soloing is unparalleled. The Charlatan salesman was a great angle for the lyrics. I think this has a shot of winning. It certainly gets my vote. This will be listened to repeatedly for years to come. VOTE!

Panna Cotta Army- A+ on production. The dynamics are wonderful. All the instruments sound great. Excellent orchestration! The interlacing piano and organ are very tasteful. My problem with this song is how incredibly normal and predictable the structure is. Also the vocals are good, but the lyrics don’t do anything for me. A couple of lyrical clichés make me cringe. Keep doing what you’re doing. This is a great album track for an emerging Panna Cotta Army album. I would not call this a single though. Good job, but no vote.

The Red Cow Society- This hits a sweet spot for me. I totally expect this to come up on my Pandora quick mix. This screams lo-fi indie. The harmonies are sparse and perfect. The bells and keys throw this into indie town. It’s smart to keep this the length that it is. If the vocals were an octave lower (or 2 octaves higher) it could be a Magnetic Fields song. Well done! Vote.

Rone Rivendale- Meta song violation. Extreme stereo violation. Drum machine violation. Out of tune guitar violation. Pitchy vocals violation. Horrible quasi rap affectation violation. Scooping violation. Extreme hiss violation. If this took you more than 6 minutes to create, waste of time violation.

Signboy- Nice vocals. I like the backing vocals especially. The verses are perhaps too sleepy. Maybe that was the point. The clock is cool. Editing would help this a lot. The music really doesn’t change from verse to verse. Typically I like to hear 2 verses then MAYBE a half verse for a 3rd verse. You have a 16 bar verse 8 bar chorus, 16 bar verse, 8 bar chorus, THEN a 3rd verse which is not only full length but 8 bars longer. Why is there this super long 3rd verse in there. Is the meta point that the main character was too sleepy to remember to go to the chorus? Perhaps that is a bridge, but it sounds so similar to the verse I didn’t realize it was a bridge. This song really needs a solo, a distinctive bridge, and a lot less 3rd verse. I haven’t paid attention to the lyrics, nothing grabs nor offends me about them. There’s a lot of good stuff here, it needs more variety and some editing. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy this listen, and have listened to it many times since its release.

Todd McHatton- Man you make really good music. The vocals are fantastic. It’s nice to hear the sparse electric guitar. The descending riff (the “we do”) is my favorite part. The piano and electric guitar and all those harmonies are just blissful. Yeah I’ll buy your next album too. This is great. Winner? This easily gets a vote!

Wages featuring Michael Winter- That intro doesn’t fit with the groove that emerges. Vocal pop and clipping. Are bass and guitar are fighting each other. It’s good to hear your vocals are on pitch. The band is painfully awkward. The least groovy band ever. Nice vocals. The drums, bass and guitar need to be redone. All the ideas are good that the band has, but they are not executed well. Perhaps there was a lining up the tracks issue? It’s a drum machine I realize, but it really needs more variation. It does not sound like a drummer programmed it.

Weakest Suit- 5:53? Seriously? Guy and Guitar for 6 minutes? Taking it super slow. I actually really like this. Orchestrations are dancing in my head. This really wants a band to kick in and an orchestra to kick in. As a guy and guitar I think it needs to be about 2 minutes instead of 6. Good melody , good chords, too Jean Claude Van Damme long!


Excellent fight everyone! This fight made a good album, and I’ve been enjoying it all week.

The exceptional awesome tracks that got my vote are:

The Berkeley Social Scene
The Elephant Choir
Johnny Cashpoint featuring Andy Balham
Jonathon Mann
The Odoriferous Valley
Paco del Stinko
The Red Cow Society
Todd McHatton

[oddbod]

Panna Cotta Army- A+ on production. The dynamics are wonderful. All the instruments sound great. Excellent orchestration! The interlacing piano and organ are very tasteful. My problem with this song is how incredibly normal and predictable the structure is. Also the vocals are good, but the lyrics don’t do anything for me. A couple of lyrical clichés make me cringe. Keep doing what you’re doing. This is a great album track for an emerging Panna Cotta Army album. I would not call this a single though. Good job, but no vote.

Thanks for the frank review, which I pretty much concur with. To be honest I very nearly didn't submit this song as I wasn't very happy with it, but at the last minute decided, what the heck, what else am I going to do with it?

[wages]

Panna Cotta Army- A+ on production. The dynamics are wonderful. All the instruments sound great. Excellent orchestration! The interlacing piano and organ are very tasteful. My problem with this song is how incredibly normal and predictable the structure is. Also the vocals are good, but the lyrics don’t do anything for me. A couple of lyrical clichés make me cringe. Keep doing what you’re doing. This is a great album track for an emerging Panna Cotta Army album. I would not call this a single though. Good job, but no vote.

Thanks for the frank review, which I pretty much concur with. To be honest I very nearly didn't submit this song as I wasn't very happy with it, but at the last minute decided, what the heck, what else am I going to do with it?

Welcome home, frank?

[LML]

Isn't criticism on this board supposed to be constructive? Whatever.

[glennny]

Isn't criticism on this board supposed to be constructive? Whatever.

I know right!?!
Look at the review I got this week:

Odoriferous Valley- 3/5 I just can't get into the vocals. Sorry.

I'm left wondering why? Timbre? Attitude? Pitch? Melody? Performance? Big Words?

LML- If you’re going to have one simple bass riff, it would be nice if you could hit it accurately. This sounds like the bass is way to big for you and it’s just so heavy. You have a really good voice. The glock and the lead guitar are a little painful. The percussion loop is a bit grating as well. Good vocals with too much echo. Melody is rather standard rock, but good. You need a good backing band!

Let's see... I butter you up with compliments on your great voice (it is rather great). I also mention the whole fight is good and listenable..

Then specifically:
Your song would improve with more practice on the bass line, the performance is shaky.
The glock, the lead guitar are not up to the quality of your voice. They need to be re-recorded to improve the quality of this track.
The percussion loop lacks variation, and with more variation the track would improve a lot.
The track would improve with less echo on the vocals.
The track would improve with a more adventurous melody.

All constructive things I'd say. And of course, this is only my opinion. You're certainly welcome to disregard my opinions.

Let's both kick more ass next fight!

[heipa]

Here's some reviews. Its only my opinion so don't get upset, it's not worth it.

Todd McHatton - Nice playing and vocals in this one. You've nicked the chord progression from dear prudence in the instrumental bits. Too complicated an arrangement for me, I feel a bit dizzy.

ErinK + tash - I like this one, it's nice and laid-back. I think I'll go and fetch my smoking jacket and slippers. Could be longer and develop more.

pacodelstinko - It's not doing much for me. As usual excellent playing,arrangement,production etc. The song itself is a bit donkey kong. Too gimmicky and in a bad way. Your obviously very talented, is this really the sort of music you want to make? Or is it a joke? Sorry if I sound like a school teacher.

Icetheman - I hate this nerdcore stuff. I like hip-hop/rap music, but this stuff is just retarded.

Cain - The song is good. It's quite catchy in a surprising way. The drums could do with a bit of work. Their extremely monotonous and very high in the mix. The mix overall isn't doing you any favors.

Johnnycashpoint - I'm not sure what to write about this. It's unlike anything else I've ever heard. Maybe that's enough?

Signboy - I like this one. It sounds a bit like radiohead at the start. It's really quiet, you could do with making this a bit louder before submitting.

Ronerivendale - No comment

Doscientos - High hat is too high in the mix, it's so high I can't listen to this properly. Nice reverse sounds.

Jonthanmann - This is the best song so far. This is really nice rhythmically and great guitar sounds. It's well arranged with the drop ins and outs. Vote

Odoriferousvalley - This is good. There's some really good playing in this one,especially the guitar. The higher vocals could have been sung with a bit more confidence and be a bit higher in the mix. As usual with the people involved in this, excellent arrangement, production etc. Worth a vote for the playing.

Gooeycaramelcentaur - This is nice to listen to, it just kind of nicely drifts along. Nice harmonies in the 2nd verse. I like it.

elephantchoir - nice vocal harmonies in this. I like the simple arrangement it works really well. I especially like the banjo (at least I think it's a banjo), if you had used guitar or piano for the rhythm part it wouldn't have worked so well. Vote

Redcowsociety - There's some nice background sounds in this one, which definitely improve the texture, it would be a bit durgy without them. The vocals are OK, but you sound really bored or stoned. Maybe you were taking inspiration from the title?

pannacottaarmy - This is one of the best. Everything is here. It sounds a bit like the doors playing a cover of a kitschy Italian ballad, which is in my opinion a good thing. I'm giving this a vote.

Wages - I've heard a few of your entries. I like your voice, but the playing on this is sloppy. Overall, It sounds a bit like a music therapy lesson project put together by a fifteen year old schizophrenic patient. You might not find that very constructive, but I think you could do a lot better.

LML - I saw that you were a bit unhappy with Glenny's review, but he was spot on. The bass is sloppy, as is the rest. If you think people on here are harsh, go to music college and see what they think of this in a song writing class. P.S Take a box of tissues with you.


Berkeleysocialscene - This is not one of your better entries. The bass is really off at some points. The female vocals a couple of weeks ago were really good and I think they really improve your overall sound. Bring her back and your usual bass player.

[j$]

Johnnycashpoint - I'm not sure what to write about this. It's unlike anything else I've ever heard. Maybe that's enough?

I'm not sure what to write about this. It's unlike any other review I've ever had. Maybe that is enough

[wages]

Here's some reviews. Its only my opinion so don't get upset, it's not worth it.

Wages - I've heard a few of your entries. I like your voice, but the playing on this is sloppy. Overall, It sounds a bit like a music therapy lesson project put together by a fifteen year old schizophrenic patient. You might not find that very constructive, but I think you could do a lot better.

I agree! I promise there will be a better version of this song posted here. I've got the music from Michael all re-recorded and sounding tight, so now I just gotta add the vocals (without pitchiness!), and then we'll have it. More to come, I promise!

[rone rivendale]

Ronerivendale - No comment

All these years I've waited for the review that could turn my songwriting career around. That one crit that would show me the correct path and make me into a better musician. And today, I have found it. Thank you so much for taking the 2 seconds to write out that you didn't even bother to give a crap about my song. Trust me, I feel the same way about you. Good day.

[heipa]

All these years I've waited for the review that could turn my songwriting career around. That one crit that would show me the correct path and make me into a better musician. And today, I have found it. Thank you so much for taking the 2 seconds to write out that you didn't even bother to give a crap about my song. Trust me, I feel the same way about you. Good day.

To be honest, I was trying not to be rude. I don't think it's really cool to write out a pompous paragraph critique slagging off something that you don't like. I made some jokes in my reviews cos' hey is life always that serious? Like you say, maybe you'll find someone who thinks your songs are good. Some people even like Meatloaf's songs! Sorry if I upset you. Please except my apology.

[LML]

Hah, I actually went to art school for awhile. Critic doesn't bother me as long as it's more than "This sucks.". No harm no foul Glennny; you have the right to an opinion, and I don't have any idea how to play bass. My songs are usually very bare and without much refining so being told to get a backing band just rubbed me the wrong way. I figured by now most reviewers had figured out that I like to keep things simple. Anyway, I appreciate the review just the same and I'm over it.

[wages]

Please except my apology.

I'll except it.

Couldn't resist!

[Spud]

Ronerivendale - No comment

All these years I've waited for the review that could turn my songwriting career around. That one crit that would show me the correct path and make me into a better musician. And today, I have found it. Thank you so much for taking the 2 seconds to write out that you didn't even bother to give a crap about my song. Trust me, I feel the same way about you. Good day.

No one is obligated to review anything here. Some people feel that if they don't have anything to say, it's better not to say anything. Some prefer to blather on with meaningless nonsense. I prefer the former.

Same goes for the music, by the way.

[j$]

Hey Rone, how many reviews have you done recently, even of fights you're in? I would say you probably at least 100 ahead in terms of no comments.; or are you such an artiste that you expect your music to do the talking for you?

It does, by the way - in volumes.

Hypocrite.

[j$]

WAIL. IAAC.

BSS – There’s more than a little of Bloc Party to this, methinks. Or of that ilk, anyhoo. LIKES: great riffing going on here (especially that insistent one under the chorus), the harmonies 2nd verse are sweet.,the camp bobbly bass. NOT LIKING SO MUCH: not sure the vocal melody is very memorable? ALL IN ALL: Adorably stabby & spinny.

CAIN – I like this much more than your last week’s entry. That drum is sharp and incisive, the lead work is intruiging. The vocal is good (though occasionally off-pitch. Not that can’t be a good thing, it’s just the arrangement is skeletal bare so the voice is more exposed.) I’m afraid once again I’m going to have to say this song is far too long for what it is. I am not naturally opposed to 4 minute songs I just expect a bit more … variation … that said, the solo at around 3.15-3.30 is f**ing fantastic and probably my fav. bit of the song! Also lyrically I love the ‘you can have the days …’line but hate the ‘who the f*ck are you’ line which follows it. I guess what I am trying to say as rambling is this is a curate’s egg. Great in parts and not so great in other, immediate, areas.

DOSCIENTOS - Hmmm, Adult. spring to mind. I appreciate that shaker sound and the distant mixing of the music is possibly meant to capture sleeplessness, certainly works if that was the intention, but it doesn’t make for a great listen because the shaker’s tremendously annoying in its relentlessness! I like the melody - and the arrangement as I can hear it. The portamento fuzzbox guitar thing is great. This would be a better song if it was played faster. Maybe 15bpm or so? it’s a tiny bit plodding, is all. Another overweight song, length-wise, as well. Target size 2.45!

THE ELEPHANT CHOIR – Banjo? I like banjo. This is lovely. Good arrangement – just as I start to get a little bored, the organ comes in to keep my attention. Ah, that percussion is great as well. Is it my speakers or are the vocals jumping around the mix? Also how many singers are there, here? Too many! When it comes down I guess the melody itself is a little simple and repetitive – but the arrangement covers that up nicely. The tune change comes in way too late – 2.30? And then almost sounds like another song tagged on. The harmonies at the end seem tacked on unless it’s to remind the listener it’s still the song they started. Still my overall impression is this is lovely.

ERIN KLEH - Whistling and ukulele? All my dreams come true at once! Especially as the whistling isn’t quite the tune that the ukulele playing suggests. Seriously, I mean this as a compliment – gives the feeling of width. Short and to the point but the lack of words do make it seem longer. Hate the crash at the end. I would vote for this if there were more words. Very pretty tune.

GOOEY CARAMEL CENTAUR – Fey, cubed. ‘Surely the internet would not move on without me’ is genius, mind. Is there a stumble in the drums or is that deliberate? Very nice and dreamy, natch. Not much else to say, other than it’s a most pleasant listen. My mind drifts as I’m listening but that’s no bad thing, I guess.

ICE THE MAN – The title’s not ‘don’t sleep.’ I digress. That’s a relatively huge gap between you saying ‘bring the beat’ and the beat actually being brought. My major problem (apart from some chunky rhyming) is that Nightmare On Elm Street II-VI are shite. Not scary in the slightest. Actually I is pretty lame too. The rhythm is good, in vocal and music, and a fair stab at the Eminem end of the market, but markedly Not My Thing.

J$ (FEAT ANDY BALHAM) – that’ll be me. I find it strange that people seem to find this strange. Worth noting the piano was added at the last minute, replacing a more driving, rhythm ukulele section. As I’ve said elsewhere, it’s meant to reflect the insistent, frustrating, aggravating nature of insomnia, but also be a lullaby. Oh and ‘Morpheus has loaned me cudgel’ is a reference to sleeping pills, not to beating someone into unconscousness. I really should have made that clearer.

JONATHAN MANN – Damn you, Mann, as showtune’tastic as ever! Somewhere between Tom Waits and Thompson Twins is a wonderful place to sit. Love that surfy lead guitar and how do you get some tremendous kettle drums? I am assuming that you don’t have a kettle drum in your kitchen. Not sure I like the second part of the song (the bit where it goes all Tight Fit Afro-beat) as much as the first, but it’s certainly makes the song stronger having it. VOTE

LYNETTE LEWIS – love the tone on that bass. Shuffling percussion and Karen O style vocal are also enjoyable. At about 50 secs I was worried that it wasn’t going anywhere but the keys / xylophoney thang is welcome but it should hang around longer. I love repetition but I think the trick is to actually change up each instrument in turn. So a couple of bars without the bass before the very end would help give it more longevity. Ah well, this is very good. VOTE

ODORIFOUS VALLEY – Great song. Bonkers and all over the place. Not sure about the ‘Monster Mash’ vocalist but the contrast with the other singer works. As a gay man, I feel I can get away with pointing out just how GAY this song is It’s like Lux Interior, Bobby Pickett, Kurt Cobain & Freddie Mercury have formed a showtune covers band in heaven. Or Hell, depending on your viewpoint. VOTE

PACO DEL STINKO – Cool walking bass. Ooooh, creepy spoken vocal! Really, less jazz sexy and more milk carton – this is not bad thing There’s something of the DK in this, just a tint. Obviously a more pop take than say ‘I am The Owl’ but that’s what I’m hearing. And then Frank Black turns up at 1.35. Great stuff and stop/start always floats by boat, so here you go, another VOTE.

PANNA COTTA ARMY – Another Tom Waits-ian mood instantly created. Have you been hanging out with Jonathan Mann? Love the mix on this, and the effect on the vocal, though down in the mix, it sounds like ‘Don’t need to comb my hair or have a shit' – chorus is very pretty. That piano and Wurlitzer is a personal oh-dear-I-think I’m-getting-a-bit-damp moment. I am supremely jealous of this song, and give it a VOTE.

THE RED COW ARMY – Mighty in its simplicity. The various synths and keys in the background and the occasional brief harmonies give it a welcome variety and depth. Pretty song. Doesn’t outstay its welcome. Gets a VOTE.

RONE RIVENDALE – No comment.

Oh since you’re an artist, all I can offer beyond “be better” is don’t hard pan the drums EVER and your little chord sequence should be dirtier and bassier – without a bass line this sounds weaker and thinner than it might do without a low-end. Also, I recommend not writing about writing songs – a casual listener doesn’t care enough about you in particular to be engaged in listening about it, and it also gives the impression (probably erroneous) that you have no ideas about what to sing about.

Maybe there’s a posthumous career as a Daniel Johnston Lite Outsider for you.

All that said, I have seen people offer you spot-on, helpful criticism in more than one occasion, much more useful than mine, and you clearly have never even bothered to try and take it on board, so asking for detailed criticism you are now wasting my time on the boards as well as in the music archive. Thanks.

SIGNBOY – I can hear it! A very pretty, well-done song, great vocal, a simple but effective chord progression. Yet I find it strangely unengaging – I can’t say why, except maybe it’s a little earnest and serious. Not that there’s anything wrong with being earnest and serious but I guess it’s a ‘not my bag’ scenario. Sorry, I know that’s not very helpful. I do love the Massive Attack / Portishead – style rhythms though!

TODD MCHATTON – this is cutey mccute cute. It’s Squeeze-like (or maybe ELO-esque) in the way it emulates the Beatles but ends up somewhere else almost as good. I like the chikka chikkas (or whatever you’re saying) – the vocal melody isn’t all that strong but the massive, slightly eccentric, arrangement means that isn’t too much a distraction. Clearly fun was had making this and it comes across.

WAGES / MICHAEL MCWINTER – A reasonable tune, a little too slabby in the rhythm section – if it was slightly faster it would make this rock more; it’s played a bit too rigid to be funk. My main problem as ever with Wages is the vocal – a great tone and great phrasing, but with striking inevitability it goes strikingly sharp on the high notes. That’s (theoretically) easier to fix than being flat – just aim lower, so to speak – but it’s a massive shame, because as I say, I do love the tone and don’t care usually about a few bum notes. But it’s so distracting, especially in this simple arrangement, that it’s all I can hear. Sorry.

THE WEAKEST SUIT – wow, your vocal sounds good when it’s just G’n’G. the lyric is a bit pap - ‘kiss like caffeine’ is simultaneously brilliant and awful – ‘defenestration of all I am’? Really? Oh this is 3 MINUTES TOO LONG! It starts sounding very indulgent around 2.50, especially as you’re repeating words at this point. With some sharp editing (no more than 2.30) and some word reconsideration this could be truly amazing.

[LML]

Thanks for the vote J$. Karen O huh? Interesting.

[bdog5778]

Thanks for the vote J$. Karen O huh? Interesting.

Yup. My first thoughts exactly. Shades of "Rich", yes?

Love your voice. Love the bass tone as well. How are you achieving that (i.e., what kind of bass through what kind of gear, etc.)? Wicked cool.

Now, (quite) a few caveats:

I want some rock. Okay, so I always want some rock -but that's besides the point. You threaten to invite your "friend" inside, but then things just kind of peter out after that. There's no payoff. There's no drunken monkeylove that you wake up from the next morning with a haze over you and breath that tastes like back end. You wonder "did I EAT back end?" "No, not possible. I'd never...ooh my head hurts".

That sort of thing.

This atomosphere would, naturally, be accomplished with a squall of oversaturated guitars with a nice fuzz lead up the middle. Which means that you also need some drums (they should come in around the 2nd bridge/prechorus). I actually downloaded this last night, synced it up (120 bpm), and put some drums on there. Sounds awesome. I added some guitars too, but they were a little too Nickelback (I know, you're cringeing. I am too, but they kind of set the standard right now for modern rock rhythm guitar tones). I'll play around with things tonight, though, and put on a more appropriate guitar tone. Perhaps some tambourine on the first chorus -in anticipation of the drums coming in later.

To be honest, I'd want to replace that cheesy keyboard with the fuzz guitar tone. I REALLY like the clean lead tone that you already have. A few people were rather dismissive of the lead and/or the tone, but I think that they work great.

The bells ARE in fact piercing. Voxengo makes a free VST Spectrum Analyzer which you should download and use immediately. It makes it very easy to pick out problem spots in your mix. In this case, the problem is peaking at ~6.3 kHz. A little more compression on the bells and a narrow, deep cut at the aforementioned frequency and you should be just fine.

As for the echo on your voice, I'd say go with it. Maybe use some automation to pull back on it as the mix progresses. The lyrics evoke a sensual, dangerous atmosphere. My only qualm is that there seem to be too many similes and not enough metaphors ("Dropping like flies"? You can do better.)

So, the plan: After the lyric about being the designated driver would be where the big guitars come in (perhaps preceded by you singing/speaking "let's rock" or "let's f#@$"). No vox here. Then a changeup/bridge and a final chorus. Big guitars go bye-bye. More bells and clean lead. Maybe some ad-lib vox here. Fade. More push-pull. More tension. More ROCK. I know, you're an indie girl. Just...give it a thought. I would definitely be interested in pursuing this.

[0ddb0d]

Just wanted to say thanks for the reviews (flattering or nay), the standard of comments tend to be more in-depth and insightful (a word?) here than at the KVR Audio contest which I frequent more regularly.
I must do some reviewing here soon. I'm already in for WHF, so I'll see if I have the time (although I'm off tomorrow on a break for a few days)

[rone rivendale]

Just wanted to say thanks for the reviews (flattering or nay), the standard of comments tend to be more in-depth and insightful (a word?) here than at the KVR Audio contest which I frequent more regularly.

You must be joking.

[LML]

What a review! Okay, I'll admit, this song was kind of tame. Not as much anger and snarkiness that I usually have and the lyrics were lazy. You were right in saying that I should tighten things up. The keyboard was cheesy, and that's why I used it for 5 seconds instead of featuring it in the song. Glockenspeil never seems to go over well when I use it so maybe I should give it to my 5 year old nephew and keep it out of my songs. Rocking guitar solos I simply have no idea how to do. I'm a simplistic 4 chords melody type of girl but I'm sure my music wouldn't be ruined by some modern rock power chords. Shredding I leave up to other people--I cannot "shred". This WBF song isn't gonna be my next entry, but I'll see if I can add some more clean guitar to my next entry.


Oh and about the bass. It's some craptastic fish looking jazz bass I traded an acoustic/electric. Sold for 100 dollars. I paid 500 for the fucking acoustic electric 4 years ago at Guitar Center. I hate you Guitar Center... I HATE YOU! I use a griffin line in cable to my mac. I can't play bass, so it was just some dumb "riff" I came up with.

[oddbod]

Just wanted to say thanks for the reviews (flattering or nay), the standard of comments tend to be more in-depth and insightful (a word?) here than at the KVR Audio contest which I frequent more regularly.

You must be joking.

I assure you young man, I am 100% serious.

[rone rivendale]

RONE RIVENDALE – No comment.
Ronerivendale - No comment

Yeah, they are insightful and in depth. You are so right.