I idiotically insisted on trying to post all the reviews at once, which means I lost a bunch of them to the Forums. Next time I'm posting in batches. I'll try and go back and fix the ones I'm missing if I have time.
Banana Dan
Forums ate my homework.
Berkeley Social Scene
Forums ate my homework.
Billy and the Psychotics
Intro is a bit slow for my taste. I like the mix a lot once the vocals kick in. Very clear, easy to follow, which I appreciate. Backing vocals (esp in the chorus) add a lot of depth without being distracting. The instrumental break doesn't provide enough contrast for my taste. I like the extra choruses, esp the vocal technique around 3:20, but by that time the song is feeling long to me. Not enough variety to keep me going all the way.
Bombernaughts
Feels like an 8-bit video game soundtrack at first. Castlevania anyone? Legend of Zelda? I can only make out some of the lyrics, as they speed up I can't make the words out anymore. But I really like the overall sonic texture during the verses and chorus. Well until the rounds part around 2:30. I still think this could make a great video game soundtrack, even with the vocals.
Christopher Broxson
Like the bluesy opening. Uh oh, is somebody ill? By :40 you've lost me.
Chuck Chuck Moose
I like the guitar riff, which I think is unsurprising considering I used a very similar chord sequence and tone myself. Vocals don't sound good to me, but I'm not really skilled enough to explain what to do differently. By 1:40 I would have stopped listening if I wasn't listening for review purposes, honestly. During the instrumental break I think the background keys/organ (which I can barely hear) could be brought front and center and made more interesting. In terms of the song itself, I feel like this is the most literal way to go with the song title. It's almost too literal for me.
enter it in the art show
Like the intro, when each new element comes in it adds a lot. I think the vocals blend really well the with backing tracks. I like the structure/sequence as we go from night to day. By 1:50 I'm waiting for something new to happen. It's all a little hypnotic for me so far. The vocals are extremely inconsistent but the errors don't bother me - I think maybe because the emotion is coming through clearly and the mix is working. OK I like the new backing vocal around 3:05, but I wish this had happened much earlier in the song. Same with the return to the spare mix at 3:30, nice contrast but I wish it'd been sooner. I think there is a great 2-3 minute song in here with some editing.
Foobar
This is me. I often start with some piano improv to flesh out a song concept. For whatever reason this week I couldn't actually produce anything I liked very much after this stage. So I got to the deadline and figured I'd try an instrumental entry, which I've never done before. I appreciate that people took it seriously and that some liked it. Thanks for taking the time and energy to review.
Listening to it now, I wish it was about 50-60% shorter.
g Rock
I like the short intro and the way the vocals come in. Love the contrast at :40 as the chorus kicks in. Vocals are good and clear. I'm hardly one to talk, but is it possible that the rhythm piano is not totally on-tempo? Love the guitar solo but the last 5-10 secs of it aren't strong. The return to the verse at 1:55 could use some work. By 2:20 I think we could use some variety in the backing parts. Maybe switch to a different playing pattern on the piano and guitar. Or come right back to the minor part at 2:45 right after the solo. There's almost a little bit of a James Bond feeling right around 3:00 that would make a great second part to the song if it came sooner. And for the outro, I think it would be great if the distortion and apparent volume on the guitars steadily increased so you could go out on a note of high intensity.
I think I remember you saying you don't produce these tracks in DAW software. Is that right? If so, you will be so so so happy once you make the switch. I think a little processing (noise filters, varying the guitar tone) and a little editing will dramatically improve the results your getting. In fact, I think it's remarkable how good you sound without modern tools - the songwriting is strong, I think. If you need help getting started, let me know and I'm there. I'm excited to see what you'd do with it.
Havarti on Rye
Axel F! Start with that, it's great. Ouch, this is getting painful by 1:45. I don't mean artistically, I mean you're breaking my speakers on my laptop and it's physically unpleasant to listen to.
The Hell Yeahs
This is catchy and fun right away. By 0:30 I'm excited to hear more. Great vocals and mostly great backing vocals (seems like some minor errors but it's all going by so fast I can't really tell). It's losing steam for me around 1:30 or so. I can't quite put my finger on what has changed, but it just feels like the energy is slipping away. The last few bars of the guitar solo at 2:20 or so is great; I think something like that kicking in sooner would add some needed energy. Maybe that riff could start soft in the background and then build up through the second verse. Or maybe that wouldn't help at all; I'm not really sure. +1 for is that a stack of vampire novels? Thanks for writing a song that's straightforward, fun and understandable.
Hey, It's Romer
I don't know quite what to make of this. The verses are tight, the choruses are less so. I think maybe I'm just spoiled from listening to MC Frontalot et al so my standards are too high.
Hoblit
Enjoying the intro and energy. Nice intensity in the guitar part without being too loud even on my crappy laptop speakers. When people talk about garage bands, I think this is what they think they all sound like. If only they all sounded so good! Something in the backing vocals is bothering me, but again not sure what to suggest. Loving the part around 1:45, with the background yells. I think I'd like if the prechorus dropped down or some things dropped out in order to give the chorus more punch when it comes back. But overall this is a great track. I am not super sure what the song is about, but it's obviously fun to listen to and just the right length. Tight.
Hortus Ortus
Sweet intro, good vocals. "Population one" is a nice touch. I don't know if this would be a problem outside of Song Fight, but through even 0:45 I honestly couldn't tell if this was going to be a serious song or something funny/ironic. There's something refreshing and straightforward about the song and how it's constructed. I think it's lovely, really. My only thought is that it's at its strongest when the nouns are concrete; hat, water, salt, etc and weakest whenever you use the word town. Maybe the impact could be increased with a little more mystery, maybe using some isolated images to build up the picture of what happened instead of telling directly?
Humanic
Good groove through 0:30. I like the way the different vocal phrases are overlapped. By the guitar solo at 1:50 I'm ready for something new to happen, though. I don't know if this is what you'd want to do, but I think this could be a legit pop song if you added the stereotypical massive bass and kick beat, some token verses, and brought that huge pop synth sound in and out. And I guess you'd need a high-energy break somewhere, but I think you have lots of musical ideas in there already to choose from. Just my $.02. Most songs on Song Fight couldn't be pop hits even if they tried; you've got something different here IMHO.
Inflatable Vegetables
Thanks for getting right to the point by 0:30, fun setup. There's something about the classic sound here that I like, but I'm having a hard time deciding what it reminds me of. Overall, I don't like the production, but I think there's something good in the underlying song. At 2:00 I'm ready for a new verse. OK, I don't know if this is helpful, but I really wanted you to continue the storytelling after the first verse. What happens to her? When you introduced a man in verse 2, I couldn't help but think you were going to get them together in some way, break her out of her trap, etc. Something about the song foreshadowed that to me very strongly and that made the rest of the verse pale in comparison. Much better song than the production allows to come through.
Jay String & DJ Whyz
This style is not really my thing. OK, I must be really dense but I don't understand the lyrics. Far be it from me to argue with the idea of calling out racists and shooting them, but I didn't follow anything more. Maybe I'm overthinking things, as usual.
Klownhole
LOL, that was a funny way to start. Rock on. So is this going to be a funny or serious song? Through 0:45 I can't tell. The lyrics are cutting in and out of legibility for me, I think some bits of the drum kit are masking the vocals when they hit on my laptop speakers. I don't understand how to reconcile the lyrics I can hear (which sound pretty light) with the heavy musical sound. I would have liked to get to the break at 2:40 much sooner. I needed a break. There's some Rush in here somewhere, which I like, but the vocal style clashes with that too much for me. By 3:30 I am getting fatigued listening. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but this track is making me appreciate how good the metal/progressive bands that can produce a great six minute track are. There needs to be a lot more variety to keep a song going this long without getting tiresome.
The Pin Drops
Vocals are very quiet on my laptop speakers. I like the musical texture overall. Was that a brief bass solo? I appreciate the short and punchy nature of the song, left me wanting more.
R. Mosquito
A very dark beginning. Another time when I'm wondering if this is a serious track or a Song Fight parody of some kind. OK, I've decided serious by 0:35. Lost me by 1:50. I just keep drifting off and forgetting to pay attention. I don't mean that in a harsh way, but there's just not something I can latch onto here. I had to stop listening at 2:30.
Roach Bites
Can't make out the lyrics, and I'm not sure I even want to. There's something very dark going on here, but I have no idea what it is even by 0:40. Honestly, I skipped ahead to see if anything changes later. There seems to be some kind of cool guitar solo bit around 3:15 but I just couldn't listen to enough of this sound to tell. Sorry, just couldn't get through it.
Rops
Made me smile to hear someone attempt this style on Song Fight. Verses are strong, but you lose me on the chorus. It's both the vocal sound (which sounds sour to me) and the lyrics, which just aren't clever in the way the verses are. Overall, I think the production is strong although it gets away right towards the end. Bonus points for being extra different from everyone else.
TRJones
Vocals in the first are great except when you sustain a long vowel. I like the build up to the chorus, but then I don't feel like the chorus delivers enough to live up to the expectation. Overall I like the lyrics and the song's construction. Straightforward but heartfelt and the emotion comes through. I was just about to write that I think it could use some more effects, but that I understood you were going for a completely natural sound. But right then, at 2:30, you bring in that processed other vocal sound. So if you're going to do that, then let's get a lot more variety a lot earlier in the track?
