Gah! She kicked me in the (Tri-State Area reviews)

[TVsKyle]

Ok, Dan-O Review:
Production's good, if a little tinny. Playing's good. Singing's ok, but the vocal's a little low in places, but only a little. Where's the new and different? Where's the fun? Come on, go the extra mile. It sounds like you're giving us the bare minimum here.


Thanks for the confusing review, by the way.

[Dan-O from Five-O]

Ok, Dan-O Review:
Production's good, if a little tinny. Playing's good. Singing's ok, but the vocal's a little low in places, but only a little. Where's the new and different? Where's the fun? Come on, go the extra mile. It sounds like you're giving us the bare minimum here.


Thanks for the confusing review, by the way.

Too much scheduled over the weekend + trying to race to the finish = rushed mix. You're right about the content, I do have a tendency to be a little bit on the pop side. Hanging out here will hopefully improve that. Now let's clear up your review.

I really do like your song. It's clever and probably more inventive than the road I pursued. The instrumentation is interesting and just the direction I wouldn't go, that's the only thing that bothers me. I just don't know how to let go of the safe road yet and take a chance. In the end I will probably vote for Cow Exchange, but yours is the definitely in the running. I like to listen a lot before I make up my mind. This is a pretty good fight, I wish I had made it in time.

[the idiot king]

Idiot Kings....I totally love your tune this week, very jesus and mary chain. fuck all these people that think it's boring, this is great, very subtle builds and drops dynamically, and great wall of sound. but man, this is way overcompressed. i really wish the tracks had more breathing room on this but i love the tune. any chance of opening up the mix a little?

yeah, it really came down to "do i do eleven guitar tracks or do i mix this well?"

i plan on remixing this and doing better vocals at some point, perhaps this weekend. i'll pm you when it happens.

thanks for the kind (as well as the not so kind) words from you and everyone else. i've been a leech lately and have not been reviewing. i will make up for this eventually, when there are not a million school projects due in 48 hours.

[Southwest_Statistic]

Sorry “Dan-O from Five-O “, I'm not Josh Woodward. However, I thank you for the complement - I was just telling my friends I thought Josh Woodward was one of the most talented artists to ever grace Songfight. As far as the tone on my electric guitar sounds, I know it sucks. Whenever I get a few bucks I will buy me a nice overdrive pedal. What you are hearing is On-Amp overdrive, which sucks monkey balls.

Brice Henry: See, this is real music. This is what people really sound like. This guy has a lot of talent and not enough recording equipment. I admire the effort.

Cow Exchange: This has to be the most creative thing I've heard sense Schoolhouse Rock. Possible vote.

Idiot Kings: Vocals not loud enough. I can't hear you dude. But it sounds like you are a pretty good singer if it where a little louder. Possible vote.

Liechty: Huh? Are you drunk?

Midiots Huh? Bad Gangsta Rap?

Poor June: Huh? Overly depressed are we?

Southwest Statistic: Huh? Oh-(ahem)- It's me. Yeah I agree, treble is too high. There, now it's fixed.

Sven Mullet: Very good. Drum production could be better in my opinion, but the harmony's are excellent. You have a fantastic voice.

TV's Kyle: This is insane. I love it. Are those candy whistles?

[Dan-O from Five-O]

Wow, can you say "Dan-O is an Ass-O"? So SWS is not JW? Hmm, you really do a good imitation of him then. Don't get me wrong, I mean the comparison as a complement. Despite how it might read I don't dislike the guy or his work, I just envy the crap out of his talent, his youth, his equipment and his spare time.

[TVsKyle]

TV's Kyle: This is insane. I love it. Are those candy whistles?

It's a slide whistle, actually! I love the stupid thing, but I rarely find an excuse to use it in a song. Thanks!

[Dan-O from Five-O]

Sorry “Dan-O from Five-O “, I'm not Josh Woodward. However, I thank you for the complement - I was just telling my friends I thought Josh Woodward was one of the most talented artists to ever grace Songfight. As far as the tone on my electric guitar sounds, I know it sucks. Whenever I get a few bucks I will buy me a nice overdrive pedal. What you are hearing is On-Amp overdrive, which sucks monkey balls.

Save your money, buy a tube amp. No pedal or modeler can replace real tubes, a good cabinet and speaker, and a microphone in front to catch it all. If you must settle on the direct in route, Line 6 makes a pretty good unit in the POD.

BTW, your reviews read just like JW's as well. Do we have a little bit of SWF going on here? Remember that movie? Maybe you're the talented Mr. Ripley. Another freaky one. So, any reason I should be suspicious of the fact that you've been a member since, uh.....yesterday?

[Märk]

Sven Mullet: (some stuff) You have a fantastic voice.

Uhhh... Are you insane by any chance? Tone deaf, maybe?

[Southwest_Statistic]

Another freaky one. So, any reason I should be suspicious of the fact that you've been a member since, uh.....yesterday?

Long time bystander, first time fighter. I cant think of any reason to be suspicious.

P.S. - That was a classic Fender Tube Amp.

[Hoblit]

Cow Exchange,I'll be voting for you.


I love your tune...it's great!

although, it will date itself before too long. There's a good chance that 'Twinkies' is going out of business...

however, now i want a twinkie real bad...

Also wanted to say that this is the best fight of the three

Thanks Sven, TvSky,SWstat, and TIK... ya'll made it quite listenable and I really dig on the SWstat song!

[Niveous]

I just wanted to say that the title to this thread is quite disturbing. But it reminds me of this horrible yet hilarious rap song called "My Dick is So Large" by Yaggfu Front; which included such genuis lyrics as "Yes my dick, is longer than an Amtrak train, running from here to Maine! Nonstop!"

Anyway, I have regained the ability to stream on my PC, and I have listened to all the songs in all 3 fights for the first time in months. Reviews on the way!

[Duncan, of Level Nivelo]

Tri-State Area Reviews:

<b>Sven Mullet</b> - Wow, I have no idea where this is going. Cool unusual chord changes & rhythms. Nice harmonies. Well done. Like the voices fading back into the music on "Hiding those who got in the way", then resurfacing later.

<b>Liechty</b> - Liked the muddled, disjointed intro- kind of Shakira-esque. I can't understand any of the lyrics other than the title. Nice beat (did you run it through a vocoder?), but I wish there was more orchestration on this- it just seems so bare-bones. Liked the suddenly-mellow vocalese at the end, but again, one of the few times I could actually understand what you were saying.

<b>The Cow Exchange</b> - Wow, it's like South Park if it was an informational kids show, instead of a raucous comedy. Nicely orchestrated. Startlingly well-researched. Nice Twinkle-Twinkie ending.

<b>The Midiots</b> - These are some of the most annoying sounds I've ever heard. Every time I thought it had stopped, that vibrato synth came in again.

<b>Brice Henry</b> - Catchy, cute, but there's no variation in the verses, and it gets boring quickly.

<b>Idiot Kings</b> - Vocals are a little low in the mix. Pretty but bland music. Nice emo lyrics.

<b>Poor June</b> - I like the synthesizer figures in the back. Music sounds kind of spooky for the subject matter the lyrics might indicate. This would be good as end credits for a horror movie, after the leads have escaped the hideous monster, and are on their way home, and at the last minute we see that the monster has attached itself to the bus. Fade to black as music continues.

<b>TV's Kyle</b> - Just adorable. Perfectly-crafted song (Hooray, a hook!). It's recorded a little too loudly at the chorus. Love the out-of-tune recorders.

<b>Southwest Statistic</b> - Who brought the Emo? YOU DID! Also very well-done, also too loud in the choruses.

My vote goes to TV's Kyle, with honorable mention to Southwest Statistic.

[Niveous]

Level Nivelo brings the Disqo!!! Disco Inferno!!! WTF?!

[Duncan, of Level Nivelo]

Level Nivelo brings the Disqo!!! Disco Inferno!!! WTF?!

Wow- scared that you know who he is. I just enjoy the little dancing icon of him, and I was getting tired of my icon from the other board.

[Märk]

Hey JB, how do you turn avatars off again?

[Chico]

Reviews:

Liechty - While I really love the languid groove, I can barely make out what you're saying. It's like you hit the pipe a half-hour before me, and your drugs have kicked in before mine have. It pisses me off, but I know that soon I'll get it. Also, the song isn't all that hot. I've heard you do better.

Poor June - This soaks in its own torpid juices even more than Liechty's. Songs like this one need something contrasting and a little harsh just to cut through all the malaise: harder percussion, a bit of dynamic range, glass breaking, something. I couldn't get into the song, even though I actually kind of liked the lyrics and there's a song in here someplace, because I kept thinking maybe I should call 911 and see if you were really okay. Poor you.

TV's Kyle - After the last two weepy drippy sleeping-pill-overdose music, this dorkified badass thing is a breath of fresh air. I love the backing vocals, though, um, They Might Be louder than the lead. And that child's slide piccolo thing works really well. Not sure if I like this yet, or whether I ever will, but it sure did make me smile.

Idiot Kings - Nice guitar sound. You might want to speed this up about 5 bpm (okay, maybe 10; those verses are slo-o-ow). Once you Weezer it up a little in the second half of the song, and you lean into the vocals a bit, it makes way more sense. If you hate this place, make it clear to us that you really want out and it's not a pose you picked up from some Aidan Quinn movie or something.

Brice Henry - Those low keyboard pads don't need to be very high in the mix at all. Even on my cruddy work headphones, they rattle my back teeth. Also, the vocal track could have used another take, and it doesn't sound like you mean it. The choice of instruments is good, but you need to seriously remix this one.

The Cow Exchange - Holy sweet filling of white fuck, this is cute. Seriously, I love this song. It's equal parts geektacular, nerdlicious, and creamological! It's funny, and it's true! I've already sent this to a twinkie-obsessed friend. Great job. As well-organized, creative and well-executed a song as I've ever heard on this site.

Sven Mullet - For a song with not much to it, this actually kind of works. Admittedly, it doesn't make me want to hear it again, but there's nothing wrong in it. You might want to work out another section in the middle someplace where the tone changes, just for contrast. But it's quite good.

Midiots - Have you tried an antihistamine?

Southwest Statistic - I really like this song, except that the big fuzzy guitar in the chorus steps on the vocal, and it disappears. But that's a mixing problem. The music itself cooks with gas, and the writing is strong. I like how the sections blend together. The song holds together and keeps the energy high, which is all I can ask for. Nice work.

[Eric Y.]

ok i have no idea what is going on there and i'm not sure i WANT to know, but i think chico's avatar is even more disturbing than duncan's and jon eric's... (but not more disturbing than those two put together. THAT would be truly disturbing)

[TVsKyle]

Just when I thought I was going to get through this whole fight without a TMBG comparison.

[Future Boy]

Is it just me, or does the vocal in Southwest Statistic's song sound like it was lifted from a synth-pop song? Maybe he went a little too heavy on the auto-tune, hey?

I would, in fact, love to be given just the vocal tracks so I can the synth-pop tune in which they belong.

[Future Boy]

ok i have no idea what is going on there and i'm not sure i WANT to know, but i think chico's avatar is even more disturbing than duncan's and jon eric's... (but not more disturbing than those two put together. THAT would be truly disturbing)

You've never seen "The Big Lebowski" by the Coen Brothers?

[Chico]

tviyh: It's this guy, mang, with whom you should not fuck.

[Andy Balham]

And now the votes from the Balham jury, written as I listen to them on headphones...

Brice Henry
Interesting start. The panning of the sounds makes is a bit distracting, I find it hard to make out what you’re singing about. Nearly two minutes in, I need some sort of variation. The break is most welcome, but doesn’t add much. Overall it’s too long and repetitive and a bit too coarse sounding.

The Cow Exchange
Fun intro. Ah, the old gambit of name checking as lyrics – an oldie, but goodie. Nice production, the fun feel is carried off well. There might be a bit of education in there too. It definitely put a smile on my face.

The Idiot Kings
Good if somewhat formula backing, but the vocals are a bit low in the mix for me. It builds quite nicely, but doesn’t build as far as I’d like. I’m waiting for the traditional 2:30 change up. None arrives, which means I’m left with a bit of a monotonous feeling. Enjoyable listen though.

Liechty
I quite like the opening. The hard to decipher vocals aren’t really doing it for me, though the overall sound is not unpleasant. Again, there’s not really enough to it to hold my attention for the three minutes.

The Midiots
The backing is again repetitive, and a bit annoying, and the vocals aren’t adding much for me. Then again, as it goes on it starts to grow on me a bit – maybe I’m hearing a bit of Kraftwerk in there.

Poor June
Oops! This started and I thought it was a continuation of the previous one. It segues quite well. In fact it strikes me as remarkably similar. So far, apart from The Cow Exchange, it’s been pretty downbeat all the way. The various sections here sound a little pasted together and yet again I’m yearning for more variation. Maybe I’m too impatient and traditional. Hi ho.

Southwest Statistic
This sounds more promising. Oh dear, it’s not too cheery either. There are some odd drops in volume that are spoiling it a bit for me. That said, it could be my headphones running out of juice. I like the little piano riff and song has a good feel to it, but the volume issues are killing it for me.

Sven Mullet
C’mon Sven, cheer me up. I guess it ain’t going to happen, what is it about this title? The melody in this sounds very familiar. I like the overall sound and the traditional 2:30 change up is most welcome. It’s too long for my liking with not enough variation for my goldfish like attention span.

TV's Kyle
I can smile at last. The pipes are a hoot and the backing vocals a treat. Good honest fun.

Top 3:
3. The Midiots
2. TV's Kyle
1. The Cow Exchange