I am Ghengis Khan (Me the Merciless Reviews)

feldspar · Post by **feldspar** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 10:17 pm

nyjm wrote:Feldspar
- i like the hamlet reference

Hey, thanks. I always appreciate when somebody catches the little things like that.

There's another 'Hamlet' reference in my 'Things to Do in New York'. Can you find it?

j$ · Post by j$ » Sun Mar 20, 2005 7:20 pm

Boltoph - Very pretty. I really like the slightly unexpected chord progressions of the 'bridge' after the toad the wet sprocket-y verses - my, that's a rocking chorus! The solo at 2.00ish is pushing this into the pantomime a little ... I really like everything except that verse - I can see how it works in relation with everything else but it's the weak point structurally (it's really well performed and everything) because I don't want to hear it when its moment comes round ... still, very good, if a bit ridiculous

.... CONTENDER

Feldspar - I love this lyric. The song feels a little under-developed but then again maybe that's its charm ... pretty camp, and the piano sounds like it's been recorded down the corridor, while the guitar sounds like it's recorded up against the speakers, but I like! (though I don't really like Shakespeare references in songs - if you're gonna go for a 'look at my erudition, baby' angle, then maybe you could choose soemthing a little more obscure?) CONTENDER.

King Arthur - nice swing to this, KA. Nice lyric as usual, although maybe lacking a little of your usual dry humour - not that it suffers as a result, just noticed it ... there's a bluesy feel to this which I really like, and your voice sounds great ... CONTENDER

three great songs in a six song fight so far ...

Luke Henley - I like the clumsy flamenco element to this. Not sure that it wouldn't sound better better recorded and perfomred in this instance though.

Noah McG - that's some flange on the guitar! I love the electronic percussion - the thing that sounds like a frog being hit with a mallet repeatedly is a big plus. Really enjoyed the break down at 1.03. At the TTS works pretty well as well, unexpected and yet makes sense as soon as it comes in. Although maybe too much in one go - split it into two parts and half it later in the song? There's a lot here to enjoy but it's probably a little too long for what is? CONTENDER

Stan Green - Good production and a good rap voice - but the lyric isn't convincing - I like the chorus a lot - nice synth sound - but you shouldn't repeat it twice the first time round - there's just not enough variation - good sample at the end! I like - it's better than most of the rap I've heard through songfight, but I don't really knwo enough about the genre to be able to comment in any helpful way ...

So in reverse order of enjoyment, it's Noah McG, Boltoph, King Arthur & Feldspar for the vote, for that lyric mainly!

nyjm · Post by **nyjm** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 5:06 am

j$ wrote:Noah McG - that's some flange on the guitar! I love the electronic percussion - the thing that sounds like a frog being hit with a mallet repeatedly is a big plus.

haha! first of all, thank you very much. i got a lot of mixed reviews about the computer-voice/break. definitely too long.

anyway, the whole frog/mallet thing has me chuckling days later. it's really just me whacking on the plywood desk that my laptop sits on. run it through a cheap mic and a bit of reverb and voila! hammered frog.

WeaselSlayer · Post by **WeaselSlayer** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 2:37 am

Boltoph - Jesus man, this sounds so warm and just... generally well-done. It feels like Jackson Browne kind of, but doesn't sound like it, does that make sense? On top of being a great song, it FEELS great. The harmonies are magnificent. Aw and it rocks out even. You sir impress me. This kind of makes me feel stupid for being so lo-fi.

Feldspar - Unfortunately, I'm not a very big fan of the vocal style you're using which kind of paints the rest of the song perhaps unfairly. In addition, though, the spare percussion and keyboard just don't grab me enough. Nor do the lyrics. The guitar parts add a little needed flash, though.

Noah Mclaughlin - I kind of dig the junky sinister vibe. The vocals sound very affected, though. My general rule is if you're not a bonafied badass, you shouldn't try to sound like one. This isn't a slight to you, mind you, just advice. I mean, hell, I'm no badass. Few people are. Johnny Cash, for example, and Henry Rollins. Not many of us have that kind of cred to back our voices up, so it's not your fault.

Stan Green - I've been listening to a lot of Madvillain lately, and this reminds me of it at first. Unfortunately, this sounds either out of place or mocking of the genre. Maybe I'm just biased against songfight rap acts. I dig the rhythm under the rhymes, though. A lot.

King Arthur - I've been accused of not knowing how to have fun with music. I think this is an example of this. I just can't get into this, it's too light. It's completely my problem, though, as this is a very well-crafted song.

Luke Henley (me) - I like it. I threw it down in like 20 minutes and I guess it shows. Plus I've been almost exclusively listening to Will Oldham, and I think it shows as well. But anyway, sorry my recording setup isn't very good. The way it sounds is never really my focus anyway, my focus is on the vibe of the piece, the visceral effect of it. I hope someone caught that a little bit.

HeuristicsInc · Post by **HeuristicsInc** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 5:10 pm

boltoph - nice groove. the vocals are interesting, and not in a bad way. electric guitar entry was unexpected. good ending.

noah - i think the mix has problems. the guitar is hardly there. the vox are overloading the mic at points. the tts part is dragging the song down, i think. pretty good song under that, though.

the author, or maybe stan green - heh, your rhythm is good. the section around 1:10 is v cool. i have to admit i'm not listening to the words but i like this.

feldspar - boppy. so many rhymes for "me" is good. i'm not as excited that the last line of each stanza doesn't rhyme with anything.

king arthur - nice guitar sound! i might turn the vox up a bit. might be too much repetition on the chorus. it does make me feel slightly weird to hear the same words sung over different parts of the line... love the music, though.

luke henley - i kind of feel like if you cared more you'd do more takes.

1: boltoph, stan
2: noah, feldspar, kingart

my vote goes to boltoph!
-bill

WeaselSlayer · Post by **WeaselSlayer** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 6:09 pm

I honestly just think it sounds better if I keep my first take and move on. It's sort of a jazz philosophy, or like Howe Gelb's work which I adore. I care a lot about each of my songs, though.

-Luke

HeuristicsInc · Post by **HeuristicsInc** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 7:56 pm

dunno, i guess i just don't get what you do. sounds like you're just tossing stuff off. but if it's the way you want to work, don't let me stop you. different styles for different people, and all.
-bill

tonetripper · Post by **tonetripper** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 9:31 am

Boltoph - This tune kicks serious ass. As in recent, the tunes that you have submitted are some of my favourite songs on Songfight. Your voice has great tone in general. If you are not a star soon, I'd be surprised. Your rockin sensibilities in the heavier sections appeal to me in a way that I would honestly be all over backing you up in a band. Killer arrangement. Very Tool like in the heavier parts. Killer. Killer. My only criticism is the guitar has a little too much presence, a little too much bottom end and by virtue has a tendency to eat a bit too much sonic space in the mix. Splitting hairs. This song rules for the title. Got my vote.

Feldspar - Hahaha, the lyrics are great in this tune. The sparseness, spacially, in the arrangement are cute, but the tune, albeit funny, doesn't really appeal to me for the title. Tuning on the vocals is a little sketchy at points. No vote.

King Arthur - Great production in the music end of this song. "When do I get my say" is a little hard to understand at first. The vocals, although strained sounding at points, have a bounty of character in keeping with the music. This may be one of my favourite King Art songs I've heard. Good use of the title.

Luke Henley - I dig the general vibe that is Luke Henley. The vocal reminds me, big time, of Broken Social Scene or J. Mascus. That whiny desperation that seems to be prominent in your submissions. Your ability to achieve that visceral feel with your one time efforts on the vocal takes translates well for me. I'm a big fan of your need to feel so affected by where it takes you. I guess the big issue is that although you feel the need to be so jazz oriented in your parts, your production could gain more points in the back-end. The loud distorted parts just sound bad. Digital distortion sounds like shit. I think this is where you could make a difference. The care is in the recording quality as well as the energy. Good energy. Bad production. I know you can give more care on that front while not distracting from your need to be in the moment. You got second.

Noah McLaughlin - The pitchiness in the vocals is really distracting. I'm sure you must be able to tell the difference between something that sounds wrong to something with personality. The sample is out of character, from my perspective. The breakdown makes it better, but then the pitchiness comes back and all is lost. I skipped it once I heard the digital distortion.

Stan Green - Ugh.... more rap. Such an easy way out in trying to be a part of SF. I guess I find the genre tiring and misused in many respects. The warbling vocal is the saving grace for me for the title as the hook is strong at that point. The beat production is pretty cool, but I find the use of 'bitches', 'dick', and all that other shit just filler and not poetic. Good rappers for me are the ones who get away from all that street shit lingo. Lost major points for trying to hard to be a homie. Could even make you last. Production wasn't bad.

Top Five:
1) Boltoph
2) Luke Henley
3) King Arthur
4) Feldspar
5) Stan Green

Me$$iah · Post by **Me$$iah** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 1:37 pm

Reviews!!!Reviews!!Extra Extra !!!Reviews!!!

Boltoph---------Gorgeous intro, great song...i dont like the distguit sound tho sounds plugged in straight to the comp-too middy, top draw

Feldspar---------Excellent lyric, little bland musically could do with filling, good job

King Art---------Funky-voice fits the groovy music. I like this guit sound....great job

LukeHenley---------Good idea, however it needs to have some time spent on the initial recording and then more time spent in prodution. Theres a good song in there it just needs attention to detail- and better recording --good song nasty prodution

NoahMcLauchlin---------music is way too low in the entire mix- I like the girl hawking-needs more work to work- see above

StanGreen---------Better production that the previous 2, however my own style bias stops me enjoying this- I find it a little boring- the rapping isnt great and theres nothing in here to move me- sorry- that said
good job ( just not me )

and there you have it
fist three were by far the best the the fight teetered off a little to the end

I think this time my vote goes to
King Arthur

EightLeggedOedipus · Post by **EightLeggedOedipus** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 8:12 pm

Two words:

Bol Toph

boltoph · Post by **boltoph** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 8:46 am

tonetripper wrote:would honestly be all over backing you up in a band. Killer arrangement. Very Tool like in the heavier parts.

Thanks man, the Tool part is also a huge compliment to me (big fan of them). Coincidentally, I'm working on getting a band together to play some of my newer songs for a pretty high profile Boston show in August...

Eight Legged Oedipus -

ROK!!!

Bolio · Post by **Bolio** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 9:31 am

Boltoph – Delightful intro, nice setup for the song. Verse doesn’t disappoint. Chorus either, excellent progressions. Excellent transition to loud guitar. Nothing less than a fantasic guitar solo. Top notch production. Great outro. I think when you wrote your song this week you said ‘now what would Bolio like’ and you followed through. Major props.

Feldspar – Empty. Backround not appealing. Vary the piano style, it get’s old. Neat lyrics though.

King Arthur – Yeah. Great lazy Friday morning groove here. At times your voice get’s some soul that I don’t remember hearing from you. Toward the end of phrases. This song could use even more of that (that last long run of ‘do you want me to says.’) How good would this sound with real horns playing that synth line? I’m imagining that as I listen anyway. Love the effect on the guitar. Contender.

Luke Henley – Interesting timing on the intro. & then a turn for the worst. A lot of energy in this, much of it harsh. I don’t know when I’d ever pull it out to listen to.

Noah Mclaughlin – Don’t dig the vocal style. Intonation does not match the backround. Computer voice is a nice touch. One listener.

Stan Green – Nice groove. Not bad compared to what I’ve heard on Songfight in this style. The effects on the chorus is very cool. Never been a fan of scratchin’, but right on man. I appreciate when Rap Is a little tongue in cheek & fun YET a serious song. Again, right on right on RIGHT ON!! For the style, this is as good as I’ve heard it.

Keepers: Boltoph, King Arthur, Stan Green

Boltoph’s song was awesome but my Vote goes to Stan Green for finally giving me a serious Songfight Rap song that I can actually keep.

blue · Post by **blue** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:04 pm

Hey Charles, I reeeeeally dug your song this week, man. Super chorus.

boltoph · Post by **boltoph** » Sun Mar 27, 2005 2:56 pm

I never thought I'd win a fight! You might say, I'm a little psyched, so thanks for everyone who listened. Thank you! Thank you!

I am Ghengis Khan (Me the Merciless Reviews)

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