Where's That Damn Remote? (Turn Off Your TV Reviews)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Did you check the seat cushion?

[Lunkhead]

Thanks for creating the review thread. I appreciate the community taking care of that part of the update process. I'm waiting to hear back from Deep Throat with the new title. Once I have that I'll get the site updated post haste. Hold tight!

[Pigfarmer Jr]

You're welcome. I was always reluctant to start the review thread until I realized how much work it was keeping this thing going. Thanks for that.

[Sober]

Thanks for creating the review thread. I appreciate the community taking care of that part of the update process. I'm waiting to hear back from Deep Throat with the new title. Once I have that I'll get the site updated post haste. Hold tight!

Well? What are we paying for here, anyway?

[Jerkatorium]

HFB (1).jpg (28.87 KiB) Viewed 8917 times

[Lunkhead]

Lol. Happy fun ball was the best!

I went to update the site, but, the results of the voting were, let's just say, interesting, and I got sidetracked whipping up some visualizations of the votes. One thing I made was a line graph showing the accrual of votes over time for the songs.

Screen Shot 2016-08-20 at 3.11.24 PM.png (71.39 KiB) Viewed 8907 times

At the time I took a snapshot of the voting data, there were 73 different voters and 48 of them voted for The Grim, 37 for JRS2. 58 of the 73 voters voted for only 2 artists. A lot of votes came in from very similar Verizon IP addresses. I don't really have a strong conclusion from these bits of info though.

Anyway, everything's updated now, thanks for waiting.

[fodroy]

The art, which is very cool, reminds me of the cover of this super trippy book, which is also very cool.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Is there a prize for most last place finishes *evil grin*

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Short reviews after one listen each (or two in one case.)

Praise Muzak - Vocals are a little off putting for my taste. Kind of like the trippy vibe with the vocal and the dubstep sounding bass drum sound combined with the acoustic instrument (weird banjo vibe thingy.) There are hints of cool that just doesn't solidify for me. But it's a decent attempt. A minute long outro? Wow. And no lyric in the lyric thread.

Glennny - That intro was like a cross between Van Morrison and ELO. I have to admit I like the arrangement and the feel. I like the vocal effect but it muffles the vocals a bit too much. Good thing you had the lyric up for me to read along. I do like the lyric, though.

Paco - Okay, my ears are going tonight as I'm having a little bit of trouble with the vocals here, too. Must be the tinnitus acting up or something. Cool groove and vocal performance/attitude pull it off but I had to concentrate way too hard to hear the lyric. And I have a headache. Cool lead tone, too.

Luntar - I like the guitars. This was fun for what it was.

Pepper Jane - I love your vocal here. I think you have a great take on the title and your performance gives this a depth that most of the others don't have. It's hard to pull off guitar and vox (especially around these parts) but I'm digging this more than most.

Jerkatorium - I'm digging the updated old school vibe with the bopping beat and the background vox and the nearly rockabilly (but not quite) guitar lines in the background. Cool shit. The music is a bit too happy for the lyric, but I like it thataway.

Bob and the Boggles - Kind of a cracker like vocal but not as good. The cacophony in the chorus section was a bit off putting, too.

The Pannacotta Army - I've been a fan for years now. And you brought the smooth in spades. The bass drum is a just a bit heavy in the mix, but otherwise, I love the whole thing.

Truth - A solid entry but I'm not sure I like the rhythm in the drum on the chorus. I like that it adds some energy but it's a bit too busy for me. I like the melody and was enjoying the lyric. It's hard to put off the AAA rhyme scheme in the pre-chorus? section, but you did it. Love/glove/above is
pretty ordinary, but it works here. And who puts "gadgetry" in a song so successfully? Not many, I'm sure. Cool lead tone/playing, too.

State Shirt - Good vocal performance. Nice texture. I really like the chorus vocals, the layers are great. That high range vocal was well done.

[stateshirt]

Whoops I made a video for my entry

[Lunkhead]

Whoops I made a video for my entry

More "whoops" like that please! I really enjoyed the song and the video. I was impressed that you managed to shoot all but the last moments of the footage in Target without any other people being in the shots.

[BobandtheBoggles]

Short reviews after one listen each (or two in one case.)

Bob and the Boggles - Kind of a cracker like vocal but not as good. The cacophony in the chorus section was a bit off putting, too.

What is a cracker vocal? You mean like unkle cracker? Follow me and everything is alright

[PepperJane]

Whoops I made a video for my entry

I think I'm in love.
I want to cry out "HOW did you get you on the TVs" but I don't want to take away your mystique.
I especially love the part where the (Target payment plan) footage says "KEEP WHAT YOU BUY" followed by "NEVER EXPIRES with active service".

Also I just dig the song n all that too.
And the state shirt :-p fluffy will be with me on the loving the literality :'D

Oh yeah, there were other entries... They'll cop a feel later on this balmy Darwin eve.

[fodroy]

I just noticed my song (Praise Muzak) from last week's fight is posted on the Turn Off Your TV fight. I don't know why that is, though it should be taken down since it was written for Turn Off Your Phone and participated in that fight.

[Lunkhead]

Oops! Oversight on my part, sorry. Will fix.

EDIT: OK, should be fixed now on .org, will be fixed on the Jukebox shortly.

[fodroy]

So, if last week's entry received any votes in this week's fight, can I maybe save those votes as credit for use in future fights?

[the panna cotta army]

My effort to win friends and influence people...or perhaps make enemies and alienate people.

Bob and the Boggles - I quite like the opening section, it reminds me of Beck. The timing is a bit loose but not too irritating for this style. The guitar sounds okay with the toy keyboard backing it up. However, after this from 0.37 onwards it all goes pear-shaped with everything becoming a bit of a turgid. It all sounds out of tune as though every element is being performed in a different key. Mercifully the total running time is only 1.27.

Glennny - This has a great slow groove. The drums give the song a solid backing although the bass is a bit anonymous. The guitars and brass which have a Steely Dan-ish vibe are very nice and provide the big bright interest to the arrangement. The melody is a real grower and it gets into your bones after a couple of plays. The main disappointment are the vocals which have a nasty distortion effect all over them. Just makes them sound indistinct, rough and dirty (not in a good way). Otherwise, this is a pretty good one.

Jerkatorium - Mix needs attention - the vocals sound too dry and up front or to put it another way, the music is too quiet and in the background. Overall there's plenty of energy and drive but it's a bit relentless. I think if the arrangement was a bit more dynamic it would make the song more interesting. What's good though are the instrumental performances which are all well laid down.

Luntar - Another with too dry/up front vocals although the range is kind of impressive if a little strained. This sets off like there's something interesting developing but then after 40 seconds it doesn't know where to go. The final 30 seconds are just like some aimless jam which is why I assume it's so short as no one knew where to take it next.

Paco del Stinko - You catch my attention straight away. I like all the layering of guitars. All the vocal work with harmonies and backing are excellent. Nice big grungy sound to the whole caboodle. The breakdown is a nice touch too. Good production. Maybe lacks a strong melody but all in all this is an impressive number.

Pepper Jane - Putting the very basic nature of the recording aside, there's nothing much else to really criticise here. Lovely vocals - great controlled emotion in the delivery. Yeah, you could do a lot more with backing but the simple guitar works well on its own. The quality of the performance shines through.

Pigfarmer Jr - There's something kind of stuttery about the timing that slightly spoils the groove of the song and vocal performance needs a bit more of a natural flow. I like the folky feel and when it gets a bit anthemic in the chorus with the extra vocals - quite catchy that. The acoustic bookends are nice.

State Shirt - Lovely smooth and spacious opening. The layers of vocals are all very well executed. It's all impressively put together and dreamy. Not sure if the lack of any percussion holds it back somewhat but that doesn't stop it soaring away and making you feel uplifted. This is good stuff. Your video is also extremely cool although to be even-handed I didn't watch it until I'd heard and assessed everyone else. You using a real Rhodes? Nice. I was also trying to ID your vocal mic - it looks like my SE2200 but no doubt it's something much more serious.

Truth - The feel I get is that this is like a song from a musical - a theatrical flavour but it's very poppy (no bad thing for me) and ear-wormy. Some intriguing chord changes and I like the way it does that thing where you keep the same bass note though the chord changes, I can't remember what that's called....pedal point? The guitar solo, although very good, doesn't quite fit for me - a bit OTT. Possibly just its tone.

[Lunkhead]

So, if last week's entry received any votes in this week's fight, can I maybe save those votes as credit for use in future fights?

Ha. Sure. Sadly it had not received any votes yet in the new fight. You should've waited longer to point out the issue.

[Toby Roktot]

A big nod to Stateshirt....groovey like a movie !!!! Sayin'

[stateshirt]

Whoops I made a video for my entry

More "whoops" like that please! I really enjoyed the song and the video. I was impressed that you managed to shoot all but the last moments of the footage in Target without any other people being in the shots.

Thank you! It was an unusually slow day at Target. Which is good for covert filming especially when a little bit self-conscious about it

[stateshirt]

Not sure if the lack of any percussion holds it back somewhat but that doesn't stop it soaring away and making you feel uplifted.

Yeah I struggled with whether or not to add drums at the end. Everything I tried was at the expense of the strings, so I left it!

You using a real Rhodes?

It's a Wurlitzer 200A.

I was also trying to ID your vocal mic - it looks like my SE2200 but no doubt it's something much more serious.

It's a Groove Tubes GT66 mic I got on clearance at Guitar Center about 10 years ago! Not the greatest but I've gotten used to it.

[stateshirt]

This is a good fight! Lots of very nice songs.

I’m no good at writing reviews, so I’ll just say that I got a lot of enjoyment out of the entries by Pannacotta Army, Pepper Jane, and Glennny.