How much blood did you spill? (Let's Get Bloody Reviews)

[JonPorobil]

You guys are so lucky

It's -3 degrees in London

You're trying to confuse Americans with Celsius, aren't you?

It's -4 C in Atlanta right now!

Well in that case, it's an even 0° here in central Texas.

[AJOwens]

Annie Albers Quilts - A psychopathically cheerful ditty with Imaginative changes of pace and turns of rhythm, and nice melodic touches. The frenetic pace sounds physically impossible, but no matter, it works. Probably a vote.

Asperse - Whimsical lyrics, but sometimes they seem filled in with whatever to complete the line. The tune doesn't have a lot of range and gets repetitive, but the song does have a nice rythmic groove.

Baby Jaguar - Slow to develop -- I'm expecting the lyrics earlier. A pretty, gentle tonal palette. Trails off without really getting started. That last drumbeat isn't needed.

Bax - That live band sound is great. I like the trumpet. The song grabs me, but the "Come on, come on, let's get bloody" chorus is more of the same -- needs to be set apart somehow. The extra harmony is a move in the right direction, but that distinctive rhythm at the end announces that you're still in the same place. Just stop doing that in the chorus and this song will get instantly more interesting, in my opinion.

Berkeley Social Scene - Complex and fascinating. The instruments feel close together in the spectrum and the dynamics are more or less constant, giving the song a rather narrow feel. But the rhythm has energy and the arrangement has some air, letting the curious progressions and eccentric beats come to the fore.

The Big Let-Down - It's daring to carry the song with just the bass for a while, but the playing is skilful and the recording is sonically interesting, so it works. The voco-keyboard is distractingly artifical. When the lead comes in, the song really picks up, but the barrage of instrumentation at the end somehow loses the momentum -- too much of a good thing, maybe.

Chthinny Kitten - Parts of this song work very well, but the unadorned vocals in some sections sound, well, normal; their mortal, human quality doesn't go with the hard-core setup. Maybe they need FX treatments of some kind, or maybe they just need to be more demented in their delivery.

Eurotrashjuice - Good dance beat, musically straightforward, not sure if it's a club tune or a pub tune. The curry thing is fun but a bit belaboured.

Flvlxxvm Florvm - Nasty vocal, bent melody, nice out of control lead. Not my cup of tea, but the whole thing hangs together convincingly. Probably a vote.

The Hell Yeahs - Great energy as always. Lots of interest and variety, cool-sounding hook. Probably a vote.

Internet Famous - Good sound collage. I especially like those organ-based sprinkles. THe lyrics seem to be working hard to be impressive. This is a distinctive sound, which I seem to recall hearing under another name -- am I wrong?

Jayne Dreams of Thornfield - (Lead guitar is out of tune, I think.) The voice is warm, well-suited to folk, and this song has a bit of a folk influence on a blues-rock foundation. It develops a hypnotic intensity, but instead of going up an octave in the singing at the end, which unintentionally transforms the mood to someting like faerie-folk, I'd try subdued coupling, or sending an instrument up there instead.

Jonathan Mann - Builds nicely to a good chorus. The lyrics have a pretty good Dylan thing going, or maybe just a Keith Reid thing, I'd have to pay more attention to decide. Entirely listenable, I might vote.

Jon Eric - Some distracting rhythmic imprecision, but infectiously boppy, with a sixties turn or two in the chords. The chorus doesn't quite work for me -- it starts off well but loses its way, stops building rhthmically or melodically perhaps. I like the bridge a lot better.

Mister Mann - This song has an unusual quality. I don't fancy it, but it has an internal musical consistency that I can see might work for someone else. There's a moment near the end of the verse when I am hit with a powerful memory of Aladdin singing "A Whole New World" in the Disney flick, I don't know why exactly.

Ross Durand - I am perpetually in awe of your lyrics. You always set them well, too, and then you put together a fine, well-played recording. I listen and learn. Very likely a vote. Pretty good lead guitar. If anyone around here is really good at that, you should do a collab, it could make this song a monster.

Scrap Heap - I liked the texture until the hard-core drums came in. The chords and the melody track up and down exactly at all times, which is not good. You need to mix that up a little.

State Shirt - Sensually gorgeous. The liberal application of echo can be tiresome -- think Enya -- but here the use is deliberate, varied, imaginative, and well-controlled. The absence of a drum track is noted with approval. More people should try that. Probable vote.

Torrentz - I never realized how much Swan Lake had to do with Gotham City until you pulled out that sample. (It is Swan Lake, right?) But Tchaikovsky's 3/4-time treatment seems to gasp for air, producing a heart-gripping sense of dread which completely evaporates in 4/4, leaving you with an anticlimax. Mess with Tchaikovsky at your peril! I don't know what rap in 3/4 time would sound like, but if anybody could do it, you could.

The Weakest Suit - Good performance, nice headbanging chorus. The verse is weirdly slow in contrast, doesn't work as well.

[mcmilkplusuk]

Torrentz - I never realized how much Swan Lake had to do with Gotham City until you pulled out that sample. (It is Swan Lake, right?) But Tchaikovsky's 3/4-time treatment seems to gasp for air, producing a heart-gripping sense of dread which completely evaporates in 4/4, leaving you with an anticlimax. Mess with Tchaikovsky at your peril! I don't know what rap in 3/4 time would sound like, but if anybody could do it, you could.

Really went out on a limb with this one.... Looks like it didn't really work for most people. Oh well... thanks for all your reviews... and yes it is swan lake (but it's 6/8 time signature )

[AJOwens]

Really went out on a limb with this one.... Looks like it didn't really work for most people. Oh well... thanks for all your reviews... and yes it is swan lake (but it's 6/8 time signature )

Good point. Interestingly, I think Tchaikovsky chooses that moment to switch into 6/8 (from 4/4 or 8/8 or something. . .)

[Spintown]

Here's a link to this review on my blog: http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/02/ ... ement.html

Here's the songs that got my vote, and videos I know about from this round: http://spintown79.blogspot.com/2010/02/ ... eview.html

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:

An Unfair And One-Sided Review
by Sammy Kablam

Fight: Let's Get Bloody

All right! We've moved on from the inexplicable "Road To Hana" challenge that had no clear-cut meaning, and onto a normal, universally understood phrase. And with the return of a widely recognizable concept comes, too, the return of an average number of contestants! Equal portions "hooray" and "fuck". So, let's roll up our sleeves and see who amongst us is truly the Bloodiest of All.

Scrap Heap

First, I suggest managing your levels; your music was kinda drowning out your vocals. I could make out most of them, but I had to focus to do so, instead of just listening. Secondly, let's talk about your music. As far as I'm concerned, the only guy who can get away with making a song limited to three chords is Tom Petty. Your little number here just doesn't cut it. And as if the redundancy of the chords wasn't enough, you have no hook: your chorus is the exact same thing as your chorus. You do a higher second chord and your drum beat simplifies, but it's the same thing. This sharp, nearly incesant repetativeness makes it very difficult to keep up the strength to stay focused on your lyrics. And when I do finally make it thru to the end? Well, this IS no end. It just stops. But, to be honest, I'm neither surprised nor complaining. There really wasn't enough creativity put into this to exect an ending, and I have no qualms with it being over as suddenly as possible.

The Weakest Suit

Your music's not bad this time. And I really do appreciate what you did with the challenge phrase. But I swear, I really have no idea what you're doing with your vocals. I can understand them, don't get me wrong. But they're fairly redundant -- not as bad as Scrap Heap's music, of course, but redundant nonetheless -- and the distortion kills me. It kinda sounds like you're singing thru a telephone. I will say, this is a pretty big advancement from your Road to Hana, and in relative terms, I'm impressed. But it still comes with a heavy sigh.

Jonathan Mann

There are so many things going on here, I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to get from this song. Frogs and fiends and ancient Rome...and let's get bloody. I have no idea. And I don't just mean the lyrics, the music is very odd. Not bad, really, just...odd. I don't know what the tone is supposed to be, and the lyrics are so damn strange, I have no idea what message you're trying to get across. I keep hearing all these great things about you and your work; I hope to echo them eventually.

Baby Jaguar

Ladies and gentlemen, our first Disappointment of the evening. The musical intro had me listening with genuine interest. "This could be nice," I thought to myself. Then the intro just kept going. Then the lyrics started, and lo and behold, it's T-Pain on valium. Can't understand a word, and it's such a "god dammit" moment, that I'm not going to bother trying.

The Hell Yeahs

Well...your music was alright. And your vaocals weren't as big a let down as Baby Jaguar's, because I could hear most of what you said. However -- and this is just a suggestion -- but if you're going to do a song about wanting to get into a fist fight, you might want to sound less like Spongebob Squarepants. Doesn't strike me as threatening.

Flvxxvm Florvm

...Would you like a lozenge? Half your music is fine, then--you know what? I can't listen to this. Damn, man. I'm sorry, but that's just a horrible noise.

As I was saying, before turning off your crap, half your music is fine, but then you start following the "melody" (I think) with what sounds to be a synth of some kind, and it really takes away from the whole. I mean, your shitty voice is the deal breaker. But minus that, that weird synth element takes away from the music, itself. I dunno what to tell you, really, except that sometimes less is more, and this was one of those times. Or maybe just use a different sound, or something. Or just...stop writing music.

The Big Let-Down

Turn up your vocals.

Internet Famous

When your song started, I thought a very defeated "What the hell?" But when the mix started to fill out, I started feeling a little better. I can only hear half of what you say, but I get the general idea. It's pleasantly dark, but... I dunno. Not for me, I guess. It's very easy to tune out the vocals, and then it's just a weird ass beat mix. To be clear, there's nothing inherently bad about being weird. I just don't see a lot of repeat business on this one.

Mister Mann

Music is fantastic. It feels like it's somewhere between Duran Duran and Broadway. Take that how you will, I guess. I do think your vocals could be louder, or at least clearer, at the chorus; the piano hits tend to overwhelm them just a little bit. But I really can't say anything bad about this one. I'd like it to be a little longer, but at this point, I'll take whatever goodness I can get.

Eurotrashjuice

I was skeptical as soon as I saw your name -- I didn't even want to type it into my review. Admittedly, the song isn't nearly as bad as I expected -- it's not even the style I expected. I was kind of blindsided by the late 80s half-rap techno pop. I hope you recorded this in legwarmers, with all your hair ponytailed to the left side of your head. In a scrunchie. Anyway, the song itself, for being what it is, isn't bad. It's not exactly a genre I'd long to break into, but then again, I wasn't a huge Chumbawumba fan. But, other than teasing you about your style, there's not a whole lot I can complain about here. So, I guess...well done.

Jon Eric

This is written fairly well. But the presentation seems really sloppy. I dunno what it is, but it just doesn't feel very...tight, I guess. I like it, I think it could be a pretty cool tune, but it just doesn't feel very cohesive. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, that's fine, because I can't really explain what I'm trying to say. In fact, you should probably just ignore this entire thing, because I really doubt it'll do you any good in the long run, and I'm going to forget about it by the time I get to Anni Albers Quilts.

Anni Albers Quilts

How very 60s pop. But I don't like 60s pop, and that's the only thing about this song that stands out. Which means I don't have anything to else to say.

Berkeley Social Scene

This isn't bad, per se, but it's definitely forgettable. And amongst a collection of songs, as it currently is, it's very easily passed by. Not sure exactly what tone or feeling you were going for, but it's really kinda dull.

Torrentz

I get a very Insane Clown Posse feeling from this. And to me, that's good; I don't like much rap, but this particular style is A-O.k. by me. Also on the plus side, your verses are great -- not just written well, but, unlike other artists, I can hear everything you're saying. But the rhythm of your hook is really throwing me off. It just doesn't feel right. It totally throws me off--and this is at least the second time I've had a problem with your hook. I don't know if the beat actually changes, or if it's just the way the vocals are working, but I can't manage to keep the beat. Other than that, this might be the first rap song I've heard here that qualifies as "Not Bad".

Ross Durand

Another excellent offering. Clearly the absolute best of the bunch, both the music and the story fit the challenge -- and you did it without feeling the need to be depressing or "scary". I really wonder if the contestants here actually listen to each others' songs, because there are some who would really benefit from listening to and trying to emulate Ross Durand.

Cthkinny Kitten

So, we get sucked thru a wormhole into a universe of angry slam metal. Interesting. Oooh, and a static voice is narrating a morbid tragedy. I'm guessing the message here is "Don't trust anyone because everyone in the world hates you and wants to see you dead". At least that's not tired or cliche, or anything like that. Of course, to be fair, neither is sarcasm. Speaking of fairness, your melody was actually alright and the music, for what it is, is fine. Might consider easing up on the unnecessary static effects on the vocals, though.

Jayne Dreams of Thornfield

Hahahaha. So, I'm sitting here, writing this damn review, and your song has started. And it's fine. And then you started singing. And you sounded like Mumbles from "Dick Tracy" on a Helium binge. Let me stop laughing and start it over.

"I'm thirty apples / moose hot stop man flight"
"We hate the ground beavers / Hiss moon being my dolls"
Seriously laughing so hard my stomach hurts. There is no way I'm going to understand this. O.k., I understood about half of your chorus. Then we go back to singing with a mouthful of glue. Good lord, I'm crying. This is too much. My advice: find a vocalist. Because judging by the tone of your music, I shouldn't be laughing like this.

State Shirt

For a moment, I thought maybe my stereo was on drugs. Then I realized it was probably me. But no! I, too, was sober! Which makes me wonder why I'm hearing your song as if it was produced by a pod of humpback whales. Curious, indeed. There might be a niche for this kind of weirdness, but seeing as how I couldn't understand what your little-girl-in-the-television voices were saying, I don't even know if you met the challenge. Just don't go touring in Japan; you may not make it back.

Bax

Man...I really hate ending my reviews like this. This is about as bland as bland can be. It's not poorly done, mind you; I'm not saying it's BAD. It's just...really generic. And uninteresting. I guess the best I can say, really, is "This didn't totally suck".

Well, we ended on another anti-climactic kneecapper, but that's generally the expectation. I think, for the most part, the bloodiest things here are my ear drums. And I think I got an ulcer. But, it's finally over. "Good job" to those who did a good job, and to everyone else, please: take considerable heed of the next prompt.

Until then,
S. Kablam

[Madren]

Listened to everyone a few times this week.

X = Voted
* = Gold Star

Anni Albers Quilts(X**): Charming and very indie-quirky. This song made me smile every time it came on. To me sounds ALMOST like Hot Hot Heat covering a song by They Might be Giants. I think that's a great thing

Asperse: For some reason, this song just drags on and on to me. Vocal style is not one of my favorites. You could try backing off the vocals and up the rest of the track (especially bass). Also, maybe go for some more uptempo swing-style drums.

Baby Jaguar: Reminds me exactly of Owl City, which is both good and bad. See, I like Owl City's mixes. His devotion to autotune? Not so much. Really nice chill mix. Vote withheld because it's connection to "Let's Get Bloody" feels awkward and contrived.

Bax(X): An attempt at ska? Ooooo I love the smell of Zombie Armageddon in the Morning. Kind of reminds me of Cake with slightly less-deadpan vocals. Voted for clever lyrical concept and decent mix. Turning up your vocals wouldn't hurt though.

Berkeley Social Scene(X): Nice grunge/alt-rock with a good "wall of guitar" mix. I approve. Vocals could be upped a tad.

The Big Let Down: Yay bass. Boo vocals. These are, for me the Big Let Down. It sounds like you're bottoming out on some of those notes (I know because I always do this when I first lay down a melody because I like to pretend I'm a baritone. Don't fall for the same traps I do). Holy cow that flanged guitar and everything after it is so very loud. You may want to balance a little. On a positive note, I like each element besides the vocals. Try singing up an octave and not making it quite so direct and staccato.

Cthinny Kitten(X*): yes, yes Yes, YESSSSS! And then I hear the distorted voice. Needs moar delay and effect on the voice! more, More, MOOORE! I wish there were a few transient clips, whirs, and machine noises.

Eurotrashjuice(X*): Parlez-vous freezepop? Because you certainly sound like them. This is a good thing. Not a huge fan of the spoken parts, but it's well executed. Love the cassette effect at the end

Flvxxvm Florvm(X): Voted but no gold stars. It's well done, but I can't stand listening through it more than once.

The Hell Yeahs(X**): Blondie? Hell Yeah! I like the synth added to the rocker grrrl mix.

Internet Famous(X**): I like everything. One gold star is just for using the Wilhelm Scream. Congratulations. The melty, ebby-flowy basses remind me a bit of the album iMegaphone by Imogen Heap. Vocals could be upped a little to make them clearer.

Jayne Thornefield: Vocals need more volume and less Botox. Also "Let's Get Bloody" forced into the lyrics, although as I listen they don't seem to really make sense at all. Distorted guitar is neutered by making it so muted. Acoustic guitar too loud in comparison. Rest of the mix feels really muted.

Jonathan Mann(X**): Oh, hai twin! Sounds like Bob Dylan backed by an eighties New Wave band, which shouldn't work, BUT IT DOES. It's so curious that I feel compelled to give you two stars.

Jon Eric(X**): Another one that makes me smile whenever I hear it. I love the lyrics. I want to sing along and make a harmony line. Reminds me of those not-hyper-caffienated songs that the Offspring puts on their albums. Vocals could be a wee bit louder.

Mister Mann: This week I experiment with trying to do vibrato because I'm tired of singing straight and flat like my hero Ben Gibbard, and in my excitement put this song near the bottom of my range. This is to mixed results, but I think that I personally like the results. In other news, I hate the intonation on my cheap-o First Act guitar that is otherwise marvelous, as it makes it hard for me to tune it to itself.

Ross Durand(X**): I'm before A Ross song in the lineup? Oh my, and it's a song that I like too, which automatically means that it's getting my vote and gold stars for being awesome. Love the organ in the background that reminds me of the Wallflowers (of the younger Dylan). Well, I'm not getting any votes this week then if I lead into him. My consolation is the great Ross did a song in a genre that I'm not allergic to.

Scrap Heap: Yes to the mix. No to the lyrics and the way that they're sung. Vocals need more melody (less speak-singing) and more volume.

State Shirt(X**): You're the goose that lays golden eggs aren't you? Please keep participating in SongFight until I have no more space to download your songs. Not sure how it fits to "Let's Get Bloody", but it's sooooooo pretty that I don't care.

Torrentz(*): Sampling classical music? Really? It's things like this that make me really dislike the rap genre. They just "ruin" music that I love. See Kanye and how he destroyed "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." It's technically good, but content-wise makes me scrunch my face like I just took a spoon full of elderberries on my tongue.

The Weakest Suit(X): Are you using the distorted megaphone vocals to cover up mistakes or to make your voice sound edgy? Because I'm not sure it's worth it for the former, and I don't know if it accomplishes the latter. Voted because it captures the essence of punk music in spite of this.