Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by vowlvom »

My track features my girlfriend Anni on blind (bathroom and dining room), kitchen hob ignition, fridge door, matchbox, ironing board and lamp.

It's about holidays and I wrote it while on holiday, including writing the lyrics while sat on the beach! Never done that before.
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by noma »

I just sent in my song. It's among the weirdest ones I've ever done for SF or Nur Ein. Don't know if it's weird genius or weird crap. Perhaps just mediocre as usual. :mrgreen:
It's written from the point of view of someone with a mental illness such as schizophrenia, in whose mind a thought is slowly building - the idea of "psychos" ruling over the "normal" ones, who then would be in the minority. (See this article for some information on the Socialist Patients' Collective, after which the industrial band SPK was named; this is just one instance of a similar idea.) In the end, the patient sinks into a lethargic state of resignation. The thought is bound to return, cyclically.
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by carlo bruno jr »

Sent!
Carlo's daughter, Valentina, plays scissors
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by Lunkhead »

We'll be cutting it close with the deadline again per usual but we should be in. Our guest is my friend Tyler playing Tupperware hand drums and shakers.
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by Cybronica »

Cybronica here posting on behalf on Mandibles as truth is out of town for the long weekend. Our song this week is a love ballad sung by me and zidong, and guest starring my love playing the percussion on his QWERTY keyboard, and a balloon hitting the ground at rapid speed for the kick drum (He also plays an accordion we had lying around our house, but I guess that doesn't count!).
“It's like opera for toddlers or something.” -furrypedro
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by thirdcat »

Sending Third Cat in now; my guest is my girlfriend and I recorded her playing wooden spoons & wine glass. I also added some of her vocals onto the chorus.
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by Caravan Ray »

Owls are in.

with my daughter hitting a bowl with a chopstick
and my girlfriend making coffee on the espresso machine
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by RangerDenni »

Hey everyone. :(
I tried my best this week, but I've had been ill with the coughing and they put me on these steroid things for my voice. I was going to have my niece sing the whole thing and my one year old nephew on percussion, but I couldn't get the mixing together with all the rehearsals and family stuff and being just exhausted. The recording is pretty cute, but I can't do it justice and I'm not great at being sick.
I'll look forward to hearing everyone and check in throughout the week. I wasn't able to be at my best and participate like I wanted to anyway...and everyone was so great with the reviews in Rd 2. I wish I could have participated more rather than sleeping and being a Germ-a-zoid.

xxx Den
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by BoffoYux »

Sorry, folks. BYD is a deadline victim.

Al’s cat literally pissed on his computer and fried it. And I’m in MN until Tuesday- so we’re out for this year.

I did write a song I’ll try and get in for the listening party Tuesday night if things time out.

Good luck, and Nur Ein!
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by grumpymike »

This is the first time in a long time that I cut it this close. Please excuse my messy mixing and mastering.

I will not forgive my take on the challenge. I had "a friend play a household item" for my song and he's maybe not so great at songs or rhythm or anything but whatever.
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by Niveous »

"I'd like to see 1984 redubbed with this in the soundtrack."- Furrypedro.
NUR EIN!
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by vowlvom »

Making up for my late listen to the last round by launching right into these. Sorry to see Den and Boffo leave the contest!

Carlo Bruno Jr. - really enjoyed this. Atmospheric, epic, melodic rock songwriting with some virtuoso scissor percussion! I love the backing vocals and the little gap in the drums before the chorus kicks in.

Cavedwellers - all kinds of unusual sonic treats going on here. Love the weird chord sequences, layered vocals and synth solo.

Grumpy Mike - this is cute and catchy. Love the backing vocals on the “lets eat hotdogs together” section, and the harmonies in the chorus remind me of REM a bit, sorta.

Inflatable Vegetables - really funky and fun, with lots of charming household percussion clearly in evidence.

Lookylu - hmm, this didn’t quite work for me as well as your other songs. The vocal feels a bit uncertain in places. Still has an engagingly strange atmosphere though.

Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost - really like most of this, but it lost me a bit in the middle 8. The rest of the song is solid though and your mixes keep getting better.

Mandibles - as I said last week, Mandibles sound like a different band each week which is always fun, but I guess I'm not going to like all of those different sounds, and this incarnation is way too “musical theatre” for me, sorry.

Matchy Matchy - love the household-item stuff you’ve done here and the song is another catchy and energetic one. Really good stuff, love the brass at the end.

Merisan - stompy glam-rock drums! Incredibly chunky bassline! Really strong return to action for Merisan. My girlfriend just shouted “I liked that one, Tom!” from the next room.

Nick Soma - a very good kind of weird, this one. Really excellent dark atmosphere.

Owl Chemist - some really cool guitar sounds on this one, some of the lead guitar reminds me of The Cult and later on it gets into a very Joy Division-esque groove. Good stuff.

Rob from Amersfoort - hey, another holiday song. Good household percussion, which fits perfectly into the RfA sound!

Third Cat - nicely atmospheric sound but this one doesn’t grab me like your last track did. Reminds me a bit of that kind of “atmospheric indie-folk” thing that Damien Rice and David Kitt do, which I seem to find vaguely offputting for reasons I find hard to justify.

Vom Vorton - since I had immunity and spent most of the week on holiday I decided to… somehow spend more time on this track than any of my others? Pleased with the tempo shift into the chorus and the backing vocals. I think it possibly shows a bit that the household item stuff was added at the last minute (I was waiting for a couple of other collaborators to submit stuff but they were too busy in the end, although one of them has sent me some tracks this morning so I can make a Bonus Mix). For the record, I named the matchbox percussion track “Matchy Matchy”.

I think I’d go for Merisan as best song, Matchy Matchy as best take on the household item challenge, but I really loved Carlo’s track as well. Strong round in general.
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by thirdcat »

some first listen reviews:

Carlo Bruno Jr. - Loved your track as usual. Your use of space and contrast is really cool, the song breathes. Your style in general might be my favorite here. Great backing vocals. Some neat changes. Good mix too.

Cavedwellers - I like the sparseness of the verses, the way everything has it's place. Killer synth solo.

Grumpy Mike - Catchy chorus. Vocals remind me of Placebo. I like the backing vocals. The randomish squeaking doesn't necessarily work that well but I imagine that's for the challenge, so it's all good.

Inflatable Vegetables - This is pretty fun, kind of a Beck singing over a Ween backing track feel.

Lookylu - Some really neat ideas and sounds here. Still I often feel like I'm straining to hear the vocal and like the whole mix sounds a bit like it's under a blanket. Which I imagine is probably on purpose, might be a thing that grows on me with multiple listens.

Lucky Witch & the Righteous Ghost - I dig the energy and the general '60s garage band vibe. The chorus reminds me a little bit of "Lump" by the Presidents of .. Really groovy b-section bit where it all gets quiet, love the trippy keys there. The lofi thing seems to work well here. I think this is my favorite of the LW & the RG songs I've heard so far.

Mandibles - The piano sounds nice, I think it sounds like a real piano, if it's not I want to know what VSTi you're using. I have to admit this isn't my personal style much but it seems like a pretty nice song. I like the restraint you had to keep it minimalist. Some real nice vocals in there.

Matchy Matchy - Really like that change on "we should be fine." I'm not as crazy about the verses but there's some nice little bitties in there too.

Merisan - Your vocals should be illegal, they're too good. Huge advantage. But even not considering that, your backing track sounds excellent, it's a bit dark but that just lets the vocals float over top in a very appealing way. Love your synths on this track. Just killer. Wouldn't be surprised if you win this round too.

Nick Soma - Some pretty mesmerizing stuff in here. There are times when I can't really hear the vocals very clearly, and I am really enjoying the lyrics that I hear. That main repeating synth thing (the bit that's by itself at the beginning and end) is probably my favorite bit, something about that is entrancing. I wanted it to stay throughout and was a bit taken out of the song when it went away. Kind of took me out of the hypnosis if you know what I mean. I was getting ready to walk my banana through town.

Owl Chemist - Lots of energy in this track, I like the instrumental breakdown quite a bit. Hopefully you'll take this as a compliment; it reminds me of '80s era U2.

Rob from Amersfoort - I think the verses work pretty well, but I'm not as sure about the chorus. Some neat weirdness in here for sure.

edit; forgot to listen to Vom Vorton's song because it was below the people who didn't submit a song:

Vom Vorton: Interesting mix of synthy bits and what sounds like heavily manipulated/sampled guitars. I wasn't really loving it until the chorus, I really like how the layers come in there. Lovely.
Last edited by thirdcat on Mon May 28, 2018 8:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by glennny »

We Should- reviews

Carlo Bruno Jr.- I love this. The mix and the playing are excellent! The scissors work very well! I enjoy the lyrical tie in to the challenge as well. Great structure! This is the 1st listen to any of these songs, it’s hard to imagine this won’t be the winner. Good work!!!

Cavedwellers- I hope you all like it.

Grumpy Mike- The squeaky toy cracked me up. Brilliant take on the challenge. I’m impressed that the song is really built around the guest challenge. I think the verses are much stronger than the choruses. Overall, I liked it very much!

Inflatable Vegetables- I’m not into the falsetto much, I think falsetto needs to be sung louder, farther from the mic. So I actually like the idea, but not the execution. I enjoyed the verse a lot. Mix wise, those synths are so much louder than the drums. All that said, I’m bobbing my head along. Challenge is met well.

Lookylu- I can’t find the lyrics. The challenge is loud and hard panned. I feel like maybe the challenge took over the song. That’s some badass bass playing! I wonder if the band sounding like it’s in the next room has a lyrical purpose. The vocal melody is not as catchy as your previous entries.

LW/RG- Making new strides in recording! Challenge met. The lyrics are great! I’m very familiar with the lyrical style of Niv, I assume these are Niv lyrics. The backing vocals sound awesome a lot of the time, but they fight the lead vocals in a couple spots. That tag to the verse melody takes me straight to “Pure Morning” (Placebo). e.g. your “ If you think you want to risk it”, sounds like “ ...a friend that’s dressed in leather”. I enjoy this a lot!

Mandibles- I don’t feel the least bit bad for you. Without Truth you still have immaculate vocals. This is a beautiful song, with amazing vocals. The challenge is met, but it feels more like a box check. I think I’d prefer this song without the challenge element. Great song! I loved it!

Matchy Matchy- You guys have terrible taste in tunes that spin. The challenge is hit out of the park. The recording is awesome. The chorus is not very catchy, which is weird for you guys. Nonetheless, the recording is so pleasing, there will be multiple listens.

Merisan- Our only hope for your defeat is if you burn out. This is awesome! I assume the percussion in my right ear…. Yep (checked boards) .. is your guest Tyler. Maybe he did too good of a job? The tupperware sounds like it absolutely belongs. Amazing job as usual. I’m incredibly impressed! Love it!

Nick Soma- The challenge took over this song too. It all culminates rather interestingly. This is another favorite for this fight. This song is super cool. The melody isn’t as catchy as it could be. The rest of the music is so interesting. I love it!

Owl Chemist- The brilliance of this song is the art of tension and release. It gets really tense and weird, making the pay off all the nicer. This is easily my favorite Owl submission this Nur Ein. Excellent dynamics. Good stuff!

Rob from Amersfoort- Challenge met off the bat! Cool groove. Can you belt out loud notes in your characters voice? I hear the click track at the end. This is a nice song. I liked it.

Third Cat - I’ve been admiring your guitar playing all Nur Ein. Lots of tasty playing in this song as well. Wooden spoon and wine glass is very subtle. Fits in really nicely, good job!

Vom Vortron- Immunity submission! Kudos to you! This is really fun! I’m impressed with the tempo shifts, they work really well. The matches are very subtle. ( I just realized I should stop waiting for the female vocalist to appear, this project is Vom Vortron, not Vowl Sounds). Excellent job! I loved it!

Wow people!
My favorites are:

Merisan
Owl Chemist
Nick Soma
Carlo Bruno Jr.


(3 champs and a runner -up, go figure)
Phillipso, Older Brothers, Semolina Pilchards, Zipline , Thank Glennny for the Frisbee, The Odoriferous Valley, The Worldly Self Assurance, Berkeley Social Scene, Very Gentle Knives, Daddy Bop Swing Set, GUNS, The Kraken Lives, Cavedwellers
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by Manhattan Glutton »

We're planning on doing a live video recording of the podcast if anyone's interested...
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by glennny »

Very interested, but I have to watch the Warriors.
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by bennyharv3 »

Mike and I are trying out live streaming for our New Ugly coverage of this round! You can check us out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kl2QCPx6TM
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by Lunkhead »

I'm tuned in. Pretty cool, I'd love to hear in a separate thread info about how you guys set that up.
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by arby »

glennny wrote:LW/RG- Making new strides in recording! Challenge met. The lyrics are great! I’m very familiar with the lyrical style of Niv, I assume these are Niv lyrics. The backing vocals sound awesome a lot of the time, but they fight the lead vocals in a couple spots. That tag to the verse melody takes me straight to “Pure Morning” (Placebo). e.g. your “ If you think you want to risk it”, sounds like “ ...a friend that’s dressed in leather”. I enjoy this a lot!
Haha! Thanks!! I had never heard that Placebo song but I listened and I totally see what you mean. Cool song!

Our lyrics are by our bassist Tom! Guess he did a good job of writing like Nivs :lol: I get what you're saying about the backing vocals. I think that's a casualty of the deadline because we had only just written the melody in the rehearsal studio, so our arrangement didn't really have time to gel. Both Ellen (drums & backup vocals) and I were not totally happy with our vocal takes. I pronounced "invent-or" strangely and think I was slightly pitchy and hoarse. Which I think is not the end of the world for this song because it sounds a little bit punk rock, but I would have loved to have one more rehearsal to really nail it. Oh well!

Listening to the other songs now and will report back later.
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by iVeg »

Loved the video podcast, guys. I missed about half of it, but came back and listened to it.
I wonder if there's a way to see your faces more clearly? The mic + stand + pop filter + bracket blocked about 1/3 of Mike and 1/2 of Ben.
With Mike in WI and Ben in [NY?] I thought there might be lag, but your interplay was great. Good job!
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by arby »

so sorry to hear about DJ Ranger Den and BYD. RIP!! :(
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Re: Nur Ein XIII Round Three "We Should"

Post by bennyharv3 »

Hey everyone! If you missed our live take or prefer the podcast version, it's now up! http://podcast.songlander.com/?name=201 ... in13-3.mp3

Lunkhead - I will write that up at some point! It definitely needs some tweaks, but we're basically using YouTube's Events to stream with Hangouts on Air, and my MacBook is setup to steam the music and my audio all into a single channel so it comes over Hangouts and gets in the livestream (and that's probably partly why the music sounds a bit not great).

iVeg - We've definitely been setup to do podcasts all this time and haven't thought about our camera presence before. I'd love to be more in the camera, though! I might need to find a real place aside from my studio apartment to record or buy a better sound setup.
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