The Lost Crosby/Hope film? (Road to Hana reviews)

[JonPorobil]

Luau it up!

[jack]

where's the state shirt video?

[Reist]

wow, I really should have entered this one. my odds of winning would have increased drastically.

[Ross]

I'm just hoping to make the top ten this week.

[Kapitano]

wow, I really should have entered this one. my odds of winning would have increased drastically.

I had the same thought. Then I realised ten times zero is still zero.

So just time to write some quick reviews before FAWM....

[ken]

I would have also accepted "The Long and Winding (Road to Hana) Reviews" as the title of this thread.

[stateshirt]

where's the state shirt video?

couldn't finish it in time! I did a live version of this song so I may post that...

[Manhattan Glutton]

where's the state shirt video?

couldn't finish it in time!

Really? I just found it on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=240Vq6tIxio

[roymond]

THB : Nice counter play between guitars and bass, and the chugging groove. The chorus is so smooth and compliments the verse so much that it really needs a bridge that breaks out of itself, though.
roymond : I love the elements of this, but it stops abruptly and feels very incomplete. The bamboo flute thing at the beginning (sent me from Hawaii by JB with orders to enter the fight with it) needs a bigger role. And the story (about visiting Hawaii, being seduced by the only US state I haven't visited and knowing I'll never leave once I get there) should be flushed out better. Certainly needs to be followed up and posted to somesongs.
Amelia : I like the percussive guitar part, but the changes don't change. I like the vocal parts playing off each other, but instrumentation could have built a lusher energy, even just tracking more and more of the same, then pulling back at the end. I like that you turned Hana into your dear, but you don't really do much with it beyond the typical angst of youth. Maybe she's an Ethiopian spy? A Peruvian astronaut?
State Shirt : I hear Thomas Dolby all over this. I love Dolby but I don't know if that's a compliment. Beautiful arrangement, however I think the style outshines the message. I feel like there should be more tension, but that's really a personal bias and this is really well done.
The Chthurfin' Dead : Lovely. This works as is. I like the reverb and the vocal delivery is spot on.
Ross Durand : This has the story that Amelia doesn't bring. More evocative reflection than story telling, but it brings a sense of emotion and head space. Nice performance.
MC Milk-Plus : Holy shit, this is funny as hell. "Banana bread diet" should be in more lyrics. Beautifully done. I love it through out. Thanks!
The Weakest Suit : I like the "it's a paradise" part, but don't repeat it as many times the first time through. It can overstay its welcome. Your guitar voicings are really cool, nice, that. I think hand percussion would have been a better approach. The drum machine is too exposed. Nice fade, it works well here.

[JonPorobil]

I would have also accepted "The Long and Winding (Road to Hana) Reviews" as the title of this thread.

Ooooh, well-met good sir.

[Madren]

So, I was going to try and do reviews tonight because there were so few entries. I didn't and State Shirt is at fault. I hit his song and then proceeded to put it on repeat and listen to it a few times lying face-up on my bed with my headphones on and my eyes closed.

THB gets credit for his song segueing from State Shirt's song nicely.

I'll try and get some reviews in later. Blame State Shirt for being awesome.

[Spintown]

I put the song up that I voted for yesterday, but I just posted Sammy Kablam's review of the round.

http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/01/ ... nt_31.html

[mcmilkplusuk]

I put the song up that I voted for yesterday, but I just posted Sammy Kablam's review of the round.

http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/01/ ... nt_31.html

I found it quite easy to find the meaning of "Road to Hana" All it takes is a web connection and some basic typing skills.

[jast]

All it takes is a web connection and some basic typing skills.

Those are pretty high standards, all things considered.

[JonPorobil]

State Shirt, do you have a cold this week or something? Your voice sounds decidedly different from normal.

Full reviews forthcoming.

[tonetripper]

MC Milk = kick ass!

[mcmilkplusuk]

MC Milk = kick ass!

[ujnhunter]

Dear Spintown, this is a message board where people usually have discussions. This is the review thread where people usually post their reviews and comment on what others have said about their songs. If you'd like to take part in the discussion, I'd suggest actually posting the reviews in the thread... that is after all what the purpose of the thread is... no one wants to click on your SPAM links re-directing them to your website... this is the Song Fight! website... I understand you'd love to gain hits on your pages, but you come off looking like that's all you want from the Song Fight community. If you want to post a link to your website, I'd suggest you make a link in your Signature.

[Spintown]

@ujnhunter: Well since you're not the first to feel this way, and my objective isn't to annoy people or only to get hits I'll do as you & others have suggested. Despite the reviews by Sammy, I actually do like this community. I'm currently getting caught up on all past archieved fights (I'm only done with most of 2009 though), and I wouldn't be listening to all that music if I didn't think highly of a few songs it seems every round.

This is copied & pasted right from the blog:
http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/01/ ... nt_31.html

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

Fight: The Road To Hana

Alright! Finally, the next installment of Song Fight, and with a number of entries that doesn't bring my soul to weep on its knees. I have no idea what "The Road to Hana" is or means -- is it a legend? Is it a local metaphor? I couldn't tell ya -- but I expect it to be made nice and clear, since it's the weekly challenge. So, without any more talk, let's jump headfirst into unkown waters!

State Shirt

Well. If U2's illegitimate offspring formed a band and wrote a theme song for the grand opening of a planetarium, this would be that song. Honestly, it sounds like something I'd put on reapeat for background noise next time I spend a night on acid, staring at my Xbox menu screen. Ambiance is good, but there's this thing called "overkill". When your music makes me zone out completely -- before I even GET to my stash of illegal substances -- then I miss out on the lyrics. Which means I miss out on the point of the song. In fact, this thing kinda sounds like the end of a movie, where the credits are rolling and everyone is leaving, so nobody's paying attention to it, anyway. But if they were, the lyrics they DID hear might make them wonder if you're on a road trip or trying to recruit members for your cult. Overall, the music is nice and epic, but it's background/montage music. And I still don't know what "The Road to Hana" means.

roymond

What the... Hold on, I need to listen to this again.

O.k. Um. Forget not knowing what "The Road to Hana" is; what the hell is THIS? Less than two minutes in length, the first half is instrumental, and when the lyrics kick in...well, what the hell are you talking about? And the music sounds like a hotel lobby version of a MegaMan stage. But then the singing sounds like a Norse battle hymn. And they don't exactly mesh. I mean... Really. This is like one of those sitcom gags, where they take ice cream, pancakes, licorice and V8, dump it in a blender, and one guy drinks it like a delicious concoction while everyone else throws up. That's not to say the ingredients are bad, but cramming so many unrelated things together doesn't make the end result enjoyable, it makes it confusing and awkward. I really don't have a damn clue what you were going for here, which brings me back to the fact that not only did this not make any sense, I still don't even know what the challenge is supposed to be!

MC Milk-Plus

Y'know, I don't come across a lot of disco-rap. It's amazing, the things you don't know you're glad you don't know about until some jerk says "Hey! Look at this miserable thing!" And then you're pissed. Anyway... I guess the message I'm supposed to take from this song is "I like to drive". If there's more to it than that, you'll have to draw me a picture. I would go into more detail, but there's actually nothing here to really talk about. Dude likes to drive, yo. Me too. Driving is...great. Oh, and I guess he's driving on The Road to Hana. But he doesn't care about that specifically -- if he did, he might tell us what the Road to Hana is -- or even just what fucking HANA is. But nah, see, that doesn't matter; the destination's not important, as long a Grand Masta Vroom... gets to drive. Oh, and you have a really stupid name.

Ross Durand

This is not a bad song; at this point, I'd be surprised if I heard a truly bad Ross Durand tune. However, it is, so far, my least favorite. Even if I knew what Hana was supposed to be, I probably wouldn't be too keen on this one; it just doesn't have the same genuine feel as his previous songs. Might just be me.

The Chthurfin' Dead

I'll bet the Doors are pissed. Oh, and Depeche Mode wants their riff back. On the plus side, this was the shortest song on the list, so I didn't have to sit thru the pseudo-hardcore imagery and not-really-trying-very-hard lyrics for more than a minute. Oh, and speaking of lyrics, there's this thing I mention a lot called "lyrical rhythm". It's when lyrics flow naturally thru a verse. You have GOT to work on this. As Mike Myers might say, you often put the wrong emPHASis on the wrong sylLABle. It makes your lyrics sound both forced and unprofessional. And that means it sounds like they were written by someone who can't write. Just something to think about.

THB

Your verses find me wondering what it might be like if the Swedish Chef did an album of AutoTune songs. Maybe call it "Buumer Shuuten" with the hit single, "Bork Me, Bork Me (All Night Long)". Maybe not. But I digress... What I'm getting at, is your lyrics are remarkably jarbled. Here's my recap of your first verse:

I'm a guy in a match / There was a hungry retard
And he's wasted / Always confidant to size
Much to la-ha-ha / Shoots the head above the clouds
Oh, feel your under / Times are just hard to cease

Now, I could go on, but you get the point. I would be admittedly shocked if those were the actual words to your song. Thus, the fundamental problem that I, perhaps alone, have with this song: as I don't know what the hell The Road to Hana is, your song may have been the key to finally understanding this particular premise. But seeing as how I can't make out your Navajo code, I'm shit outta luck. I'm starting to get the feeling that Hana is a really awesome place to be, and you bastards are doing your best to keep me from getting there. Like those manipulative pricks at PBS. I just wanted directions!!

The Weakest Suit

Sweet Mother of Cheese, son. I can't really think of anything about this song that wasn't incredibly annoying. I guess you play the guitar alright, but your "na na na na"s triggered a mild and involuntary grinding of my teeth. And your refrains...man. You just truly baffle me. With your level of skill (and I just said he has a level of skill, so that's technically a compliment, and this better make the damn cut) you should be aiming for witty -- dare I say comical -- angles of composition. You + Trying to be serious = really bad. But if you switched gears and had fun, instead of trying to be artsy and impressive, you might actually BE impressive. As it stands, you come across as someone who is trying so damn hard to appear to be deep and serious that you actually come across as a giant goober. This week, I'd say you are very aptly named.

Amelia

This was not exactly great. BUT, it displays a great deal of potential. I will, first and definitely foremost, go back to my mentioning of lyrical rhythm. I believe I hear two distinct singers, so I'm going to say this: The 2nd vocalist is spot on. The first vocalist isn't terrible, but he may need more time to polish his vocals. And his verse lyrics are where the lyrical rhythm really gets busted up. That said, I am absolutely thrilled that this was the last song on my list; I was beginning to think I would end all my Song Fight reviews on disastrous downers, and I can safely say that this was my favorite entry of this challenge. A challenge I didn't understand, but so what? As flawed as these vocals may be, this is my #1. No offense, Ross.

So. Is The Road To Hana a spiritual experience? A transcendence into paradise? The retrival of a lost love? A horshky dervin doovish bork, bork, bork? I still don't know. And I probably never will. And to be honest, that's o.k. As a matter of fact, I think I have my own definition for "The Road to Hana": Being caught up in phrases or terminology that have no clear explanation, and are so open to personal interpretation that they appear to hold no legitimate meaning of their own.

Unitl next time,
S. Kablam

---------

I ended up voting for:
1. Ross Durand - Loved the tune & lyrics, but I thought the vocals could have been better. Awesome song overall.
2. Amelia - I enjoyed this song as well, but to me it sounded like the vocals were recorded in different places or something. I know it's 2 different people, but I don't know why I it that way. Not saying I didn't like the the vocals, just that they didn't feel right together...if that even makes sense.

[reve]

@ujnhunter: Well since you're not the first to feel this way, and my objective isn't to annoy people or only to get hits I'll do as you & others have suggested..

Greatly appreciated, Mr. Town. I know we all appreciate the thorough reviews and we double-appreciate having them here.

[bdog5778]

Well now, with just a few songs I can easily knock this out in one sitting. In this manner, I hope to atone for NOT reviewing ~8 different people last week. Or not....

Amelia -Pleasant enough. Definitely radio-friendly. The kind of thing that you will dance to with a hot girl at the school dance -heck, you're just excited that she's dancing with you- but will hate immediately afterwards because her boyfriend showed up and cut the dance short. Of course, the song ends up being the "Class of XX" song. The guitar needs a little more rhythmic variation. Would be good if the two voices came together to harmonize at some point (like the 2nd chorus). The mix sounds like it's clipping/distorting -I believe that this is coming from the second singer's mic. This is good.

Cthurfin' Dead - Apparently Sammy Kablam is unaware of the existence of Surf and Rockabilly - which predates Depeche Mode by just a few years. Quick, dirty, and doesn't overstay its welcome. To be honest, it could be a little longer. Love the laughter on the fade-out. Pitch perfect tones and production. Love the fact that you did the grunge last week and the surf this week.

MC Milk Plus - Holy Leisure Suit, Batman! I'd have to listen to this a bit more to catch all of the clever lyrical mayhem. The music just doesn't necessarily move me. That said, what are you using to get that rhythm guitar tone? It really amazes me how intricate the whole thing is. I could never finish something like this in 10 days.

Ross Durand - What a great voice you have. The chorus is really moving. Pay attention all of you "guy 'n guitar" folks: this is how to vary the accompaniment without it getting stale. Verse lyrics feel a little clunky to me in spots. Again, though, the chorus more than makes up for this. Like the dynamics here. It might actually a bit too dynamic, in fact: I would probably compress things a tiny bit more. That's a personal preference, though. I think that I like this more than anything else I've heard of yours.

roymond - Atmospheric. Vocals need to be higher in the mix and have a few more effects on them to fit into something of this nature. Lots of elements in place - the finished product will sound great.

State Shirt - So, you think you can just add some eBow, delay, and acoustic guitar on a track and we'll think it's cool/portentous/momentous? Well, okay. Much like Mister Mann, this one stayed on endless repeat for me, too. This is just so wicked good. It should be on a Cadillac ad. Cue shot of the CTS driving along the beach, the driver's side tires strategically splashing up the surf. This one gets the download and the vote. WINNER by a long shot.

THB - Genre-defying. Everything doesn't need to fit into some nice tidy little box, though, does it? I could see driving down the road with the windows down jamming this one. Well, until I pull up next to the guy blasting rap music -then out comes In Flames. The disparate elements and jazziness reminds me a little bit of Steely Dan -and I like a little bit of Steely Dan. Really solid production. I believe this one gets a download as well. Repeated listens make me like this more.

Weakest Suit - Don't like it. The effect on "It's a paradise" sounds a bit spacier (reverb-wise) than the rest of the song. That chorus just kind of annoys me along with the marching repetitiveness of it. Production-wise: nice clean vocals and the acoustic is well-eq'ed/compressed for the smooth strumming and percussive parts.

[Manhattan Glutton]

my objective isn't to annoy people or only to get hits I'll do as you & others have suggested.

You should have auxiliary content on your blog to drive the hits, while simultaneously posting the textual reviews.

My suggestion is for you to draw MS Paint pictures of what you think we look like based solely on each entry.