And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Discuss upcoming, current, and previous song fights.
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sleepysilverdoor
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

Abandoned Bandana: I like how this has that sort of cheery major key feel to it, despite the totally depressive lyrics. This is some sombre self-reflection, and I really dig how it’s juxtaposed against the bleepy, harsh chiptune instrumental. I’m curious how this project differs from Sweeney Toad other than being more serious than usual and having more singing. I really don’t have anything to bad to say about this -- it’s one of your best tunes, and alphabetically speaking this is a great way to start the listening session.

add: I really like the guitar riff on this. That upward shift into that VI just sounds great and I really love when you start fading in all of the reversed guitar stuff. Mix is totally solid, and I love how it rhythmically opens up for the bridge/chorus/whatever. Personally I would probably have liked it to be a *little* bit faster but really I don’t have any gripes. Very excellent tune -- I know you’ve been around forever but please continue to linger!

Balls To Monte: This is a really good stream of tunes so far, I’m impressed by the quality of this fight. I’m trying to figure out exactly what song this reminds me of. Maybe a whole handful of them from the late 70s rock scene, which is obviously a major touchstone for you...and you pull it off well! I’m not entirely sure that I follow the lyrical metaphor throughout the whole song -- the second verse makes me thing psychedelics, but whatever it means it sounds cool.

Berkeley Social Scene: Oh I’m digging those harmonics, and the panning on those lead guitars just sounds great. Is that the same part multi-tracked with one in the left channel and one in the right channel. The bridge and those higher notes in that “yearning” vocal melody (is that what it’s called?) sound great, and those tremolo-ey wah bits just sound good. Guitar solo totally wails. And cowbell. Very fun song!

Brown Word and the Big Whine: This is definitely a fun tune, I kind of like how crisp the snare sounds, even though I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of virtual drummer. I will say that the drums are totally buried in the mix, and the guitars are just a little bit too loud. Honestly my ears are having a bit of trouble figuring out exactly what needs to be fixed in this mix. Like everything’s clear and separated but it just doesn’t sound right to me. Maybe put the bass in the center channel or something to anchor it a bit more. I don’t actively dislike this song but it isn’t sticking with me, though I like the “etc etc” bit after the horse to water.

Future Boy: I welcome your departure from the mellow Rhodes sound, and you’ve got this super crunchy digital percussion. I *love* that sustained rhythm that’s going through the “mothers and brothers and friends and our lovers”. I think I’ve written so many reviews this year for songs with sociopolitical lyrics that cover more or less the same ground that I’m kind of sick of this particular theme -- not that it’s a bad theme, but just one I’m tired of. The “die in the fall and in the spring I come alive again” is a damn good line and one of the most memorable ones I’ve heard on here in quite some time, so obviously my boredom with songs about all of the world’s problems doesn’t apply if the lyricism is good.

Giraffes for Wings: Is there a vinyl simulator periodically popping up in this? Or am I hearing things? Typically I’m not one for obviously programming/generated drums but the tom rhythm that drives this is groovy and I enjoy it. Not sure how much I like the kind of twee beep boop synth, and the bass is very not present until there’s the random slaps. But this is happy and puts me in a good mood and I like the horns. It ends right when it starts to really get going. I don’t hate it, but for some reason it doesn’t seem to have much...distinct character to it. Like it sounds like something that I’d make using like stock loops in a new DAW. Not the vocals, those are good. But … eh. Cool band name though.

Glenn Case: Are you gonna write 3 more albums this year? I’m not sure who’s more productive, you or the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Love that funky quick attack synth. The drums in this have a looseness that makes me figure you’re probably playing this live on V-Drums. And if this is programmed, you’re doing a fine job at masking that and getting it to swing. Vocal harmonies are as rich as always. What kind of microphone/vocal processing do you use? It’s so rich sounding. Another solid entry from one of our most consistent artists.

Hot Pink Halo: Quincy Jones, is that you in the intro? For some reason I hear it and I’m expecting it to turn into Thriller or something. I’m assuming you’re using more loops or samples here than usual cause you usually don’t all all of these funky elements. Anyway, vocal melody here is really good, thread thread thread thread sounds good, and this is probably the most well-realized of your entries I can think of in recent memory. Violin reverb sounds dope, I would have never guessed that’s what you did -- that’s actually a cool reverb/modulation effect! I should sing into my acoustic sometime.

JP Nickolas: The guitars here are lacking a LOT of body, did you do a hard high-pass on them to make room for the bass because if you did, you went too hard on it. Vocal harmonies are good, though they get kind of pitchy and some times the melody seems like it’s just sort of drifting along in a way that makes it sound...ill-defined? I mean you’re on key. There’s a couple bass notes that don’t quite sound in tune. While I complained about the guitar MIXING, the actual playing is good, I love that short guitar solo with the harmonies. Like the distortion on the guitar sounds very “80s shredding hair metal” and the song itself sounds very “90s alternative” it a way that I can’t describe. Lyrically this is a potent “you suck” break up song. All in all, could use more polish but not terrible.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff: Oh that synth sounds good and those major 7th chords are great. Structure seems to be fairly well in line with how you often arrange stuff -- you’ve got a distinct style. I’m all about those major 7ths, in case my overuse of them this week didn’t make that apparent. Vocal harmonies are good, though I’d have lowered your vox in the mix (or compressed it less?). I can never tell if you just have really steady pitch in your singing or use pitch correction… there are zero audible artifacts of the latter so I just assume that you’re just always on pitch and have really good breath control! This is one of the better songs you’ve submitted and I liked it a lot. Lyrically...is this about a bipolar woman?

Lichen Throat: You’re way better read than I am cause I haven’t read anything by the Bronte sisters or Thackeray. I wound up skimming the Wikipedia article about Vanity Fair while I was listening to this and I think it gave me a decent idea of what you were talking about. As usual, great lyrical imagery. This is mixed a bit loud, there’s some audible clipping going on throughout -- maybe drop it down just a little bit to keep your peaks more out of the red. Yeah yeah, pot, kettle, that’s probably weird coming from the guy who did screaming nu metal last week. But still, it’s noticeable given the rest of the song is clean. I like the more “rock” backdrop you’ve got for this one. I know your songs are somewhat simple but I still don’t know how I’d write one, even though you told me.

Night Sky: Oh hey it’s the sax guy and he’s really kicking ass on the sax yet again. Is that a soprano sax for the back half of the solo? It sounds great! That was a generally pleasant listen -- I had no idea who the characters that you were talking about were. I googled “Ollie and Lilly” and got to Hannah Montana, which matches -- is this about a Hannah Montana episode? I mean I keep writing songs about Grey’s Anatomy. Writing songs about TV is fun. I liked it quite a bit.

Phlebia: Probably could have done a bit of pitch correction on this one at times but I was trying to keep it as simple and organic soundings as possible. “Guitar” is my bass guitar never going below the 13th fret. Reviews keep commenting on my nice tone, so I’ll say that my signal chain is Ibanez SR305 with tone knob set to treble and using the bridge pick up, run through Joyo jf15 with no drive but EQing and volume boost, then BOSS Dimension C as a general “soundgoodizer”, then into FL studio where I used the iZotope Trash 2 plugin’s built in convolver as an amp sim and a bit of delay. This song is about these two Grey’s Anatomy characters who meet and bond after being impaled by a huge metal pole. The lyrics are from the perspective of Bonnie, who later reappears in a dream sequence several episodes later after Meredith nearly drowns. Image

Robyn Mackenzie: I saw someone else say this vaguely reminded them of “where is my mind” and I hear it, but it reminds me of a few other things, all of which I generally like. I feel like you draw influence from all of the songs and styles that were super cool when we were growing up, but I only listened to sparingly despite liking them...and that’s a great thing cause you do it well and it makes your sound resonate really well with my ear drums. This song is good and well produced and you nailed it and I like it a lot. Lyrics are in that sort of “vague but make me want to listen to them more to figure out what you’re talking about” vibe that works well for me.
"There's a lot to be said about a full-on frontal assault on the ear drums" - Pigfarmer Jr.
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sleepysilverdoor
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

SweeneyToad wrote:
Sun Nov 15, 2020 12:59 pm
phlebia - i like the intro, reminds me of something, incubus maybe? but when the lyrics come in it reminds me more of something like hum, it's nice to hear a change of pace from you. i really like the effects on the vocals, it goes well with the music and gives the whole thing a spacey feel, if this was a music video i could see you floating around in a space ship with zero gravity, i dug it!
Hmmm, is it the intro to Nowhere Fast? Cause the opening guitar arpeggio does sound kind of like this. I think there are a couple songs on Morning View that may resemble it in spots. I will unashamedly name drop Mike Einziger as a HUGE influence on my playing style so while unintended you probably nailed that.

I haven't listened to much Hum but I did enjoy their last album before moving onto...whatever I moved onto after that. Shoegaze appreciation comes in waves for me.
"There's a lot to be said about a full-on frontal assault on the ear drums" - Pigfarmer Jr.
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by SweeneyToad »

sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:29 pm
SweeneyToad wrote:
Sun Nov 15, 2020 12:59 pm
phlebia - i like the intro, reminds me of something, incubus maybe? but when the lyrics come in it reminds me more of something like hum, it's nice to hear a change of pace from you. i really like the effects on the vocals, it goes well with the music and gives the whole thing a spacey feel, if this was a music video i could see you floating around in a space ship with zero gravity, i dug it!
Hmmm, is it the intro to Nowhere Fast? Cause the opening guitar arpeggio does sound kind of like this. I think there are a couple songs on Morning View that may resemble it in spots. I will unashamedly name drop Mike Einziger as a HUGE influence on my playing style so while unintended you probably nailed that.

I haven't listened to much Hum but I did enjoy their last album before moving onto...whatever I moved onto after that. Shoegaze appreciation comes in waves for me.
I went back and listened to Nowhere Fast and I agree it does kind of sound similar. Incubus was one of those bands that I'd enjoy hearing when they came on the radio but never really got super into them, I did own their first album s.c.i.e.n.c.e on cassette tape though, I used to listen to it in my first car as a teenager every once and a while until Incesticide by Nirvana got stuck in my tape deck and I've had a love/hate relationship with that album ever since.
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sleepysilverdoor
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

SweeneyToad wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:58 pm
sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:29 pm
SweeneyToad wrote:
Sun Nov 15, 2020 12:59 pm
phlebia - i like the intro, reminds me of something, incubus maybe? but when the lyrics come in it reminds me more of something like hum, it's nice to hear a change of pace from you. i really like the effects on the vocals, it goes well with the music and gives the whole thing a spacey feel, if this was a music video i could see you floating around in a space ship with zero gravity, i dug it!
Hmmm, is it the intro to Nowhere Fast? Cause the opening guitar arpeggio does sound kind of like this. I think there are a couple songs on Morning View that may resemble it in spots. I will unashamedly name drop Mike Einziger as a HUGE influence on my playing style so while unintended you probably nailed that.

I haven't listened to much Hum but I did enjoy their last album before moving onto...whatever I moved onto after that. Shoegaze appreciation comes in waves for me.
I went back and listened to Nowhere Fast and I agree it does kind of sound similar. Incubus was one of those bands that I'd enjoy hearing when they came on the radio but never really got super into them, I did own their first album s.c.i.e.n.c.e on cassette tape though, I used to listen to it in my first car as a teenager every once and a while until Incesticide by Nirvana got stuck in my tape deck and I've had a love/hate relationship with that album ever since.
Lol, which one? Incesticide or S.C.I.E.N.C.E? Cause I definitely have a love/hate relationship with Incesticide -- half of the songs are just kind of generically punky sounding and make sense as outtakes, and some are positively incredible. Both were regular fixtures to play along to on my walkman back when I was learning how to play drums.
"There's a lot to be said about a full-on frontal assault on the ear drums" - Pigfarmer Jr.
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by Giraffes for Wings »

sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:25 pm

Giraffes for Wings: Is there a vinyl simulator periodically popping up in this? Or am I hearing things? Typically I’m not one for obviously programming/generated drums but the tom rhythm that drives this is groovy and I enjoy it. Not sure how much I like the kind of twee beep boop synth, and the bass is very not present until there’s the random slaps. But this is happy and puts me in a good mood and I like the horns. It ends right when it starts to really get going. I don’t hate it, but for some reason it doesn’t seem to have much...distinct character to it. Like it sounds like something that I’d make using like stock loops in a new DAW. Not the vocals, those are good. But … eh. Cool band name though.
It's possible that the thing you're hearing as a vinyl simulator is my attempt to meet the optional challenge of "playing an instrument in a way that wasn't intended": I sampled buttons, snaps, clasps, etc. on my accordion and accordion case and put together a little beat out of it. It comes in on the first chorus (00:16) and sort of keeps clicking throughout, occasionally popping through the other instruments. If that's not what you're hearing, then I'm not sure.

I agree about the bass and a few other aspects of this song that will get fixed in a more final version (love my twee synth, though), but this is my first songfight, so I feel pretty good about the overall product.

Also, no one's ever specifically mentioned my vocals and then gone on to say something positive about them, so I basically consider this a rave review!
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by Giraffes for Wings »

the panna cotta army wrote:
Sun Nov 08, 2020 1:47 am

Giraffes For Wings - This is kind of cute on a budget. I really like the constantly evolving arrangement. You won me over at handclaps and I'm totally sold when the synth arpeggio comes in. My favourite for this fight.
I don't totally know what "cute on a budget" means, but it's my new favorite phrase and I want it on a T-shirt or something. Thanks for the kind words!
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by mholland »

sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:25 pm
Night Sky: Oh hey it’s the sax guy and he’s really kicking ass on the sax yet again. Is that a soprano sax for the back half of the solo? It sounds great! That was a generally pleasant listen -- I had no idea who the characters that you were talking about were. I googled “Ollie and Lilly” and got to Hannah Montana, which matches -- is this about a Hannah Montana episode? I mean I keep writing songs about Grey’s Anatomy. Writing songs about TV is fun. I liked it quite a bit.
Haha, thanks. The song has nothing to do with Hannah Montana. Ollie, Hannah, and Lily are actual children in our family. I’m open to writing songs about TV, though. For us it would probably be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Or Firefly. If we ever get the title, “This was a Good Death,” it will be about Firefly/Serenity. Solos are soprano, alto, then soprano back in to double the guitar line that comes after the choruses.
Night Sky is Sally on lyrics, Steve on drums, and Matt on the other stuff
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by SweeneyToad »

sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 5:42 pm
SweeneyToad wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:58 pm
sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:29 pm


Hmmm, is it the intro to Nowhere Fast? Cause the opening guitar arpeggio does sound kind of like this. I think there are a couple songs on Morning View that may resemble it in spots. I will unashamedly name drop Mike Einziger as a HUGE influence on my playing style so while unintended you probably nailed that.

I haven't listened to much Hum but I did enjoy their last album before moving onto...whatever I moved onto after that. Shoegaze appreciation comes in waves for me.
I went back and listened to Nowhere Fast and I agree it does kind of sound similar. Incubus was one of those bands that I'd enjoy hearing when they came on the radio but never really got super into them, I did own their first album s.c.i.e.n.c.e on cassette tape though, I used to listen to it in my first car as a teenager every once and a while until Incesticide by Nirvana got stuck in my tape deck and I've had a love/hate relationship with that album ever since.
Lol, which one? Incesticide or S.C.I.E.N.C.E? Cause I definitely have a love/hate relationship with Incesticide -- half of the songs are just kind of generically punky sounding and make sense as outtakes, and some are positively incredible. Both were regular fixtures to play along to on my walkman back when I was learning how to play drums.
My love hate relationship was with Incesticide because it was stuck in my car for many many months and I would listen to it every time I drove because I hated driving with silence and there was something wrong with my fm radio as well. It was my least favorite Nirvana album at the time but it really grew on me as I was forced to listen to it so many times, then I got sick of it obviously after a while, then I liked it again. Eventually I got it out of my car and I don't think I ever put it back in, but I would also listen to it on a walkmen as well when I was in the mood. Eventually I upgraded to the cassette tape thing that plugs into a portable CD player. I played Hello Nasty through it and it blew out my speakers lol
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

mholland wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 7:40 pm
sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:25 pm
Night Sky: Oh hey it’s the sax guy and he’s really kicking ass on the sax yet again. Is that a soprano sax for the back half of the solo? It sounds great! That was a generally pleasant listen -- I had no idea who the characters that you were talking about were. I googled “Ollie and Lilly” and got to Hannah Montana, which matches -- is this about a Hannah Montana episode? I mean I keep writing songs about Grey’s Anatomy. Writing songs about TV is fun. I liked it quite a bit.
Haha, thanks. The song has nothing to do with Hannah Montana. Ollie, Hannah, and Lily are actual children in our family. I’m open to writing songs about TV, though. For us it would probably be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Or Firefly. If we ever get the title, “This was a Good Death,” it will be about Firefly/Serenity. Solos are soprano, alto, then soprano back in to double the guitar line that comes after the choruses.
ha, well now I know that my interpretation was way off. So far the only other show I've really written a song about was Letterkenny, which wasn't an exact synopsis but it gave me the idea to write about geese on golf courses. Actually the first thought that went through my mind with that series of name was my ex-girlfriend and her dog Ollie, but there wasn't a lily to flesh out the trio and you don't know them so...
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

SweeneyToad wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 7:49 pm
sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 5:42 pm
SweeneyToad wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:58 pm


I went back and listened to Nowhere Fast and I agree it does kind of sound similar. Incubus was one of those bands that I'd enjoy hearing when they came on the radio but never really got super into them, I did own their first album s.c.i.e.n.c.e on cassette tape though, I used to listen to it in my first car as a teenager every once and a while until Incesticide by Nirvana got stuck in my tape deck and I've had a love/hate relationship with that album ever since.
Lol, which one? Incesticide or S.C.I.E.N.C.E? Cause I definitely have a love/hate relationship with Incesticide -- half of the songs are just kind of generically punky sounding and make sense as outtakes, and some are positively incredible. Both were regular fixtures to play along to on my walkman back when I was learning how to play drums.
My love hate relationship was with Incesticide because it was stuck in my car for many many months and I would listen to it every time I drove because I hated driving with silence and there was something wrong with my fm radio as well. It was my least favorite Nirvana album at the time but it really grew on me as I was forced to listen to it so many times, then I got sick of it obviously after a while, then I liked it again. Eventually I got it out of my car and I don't think I ever put it back in, but I would also listen to it on a walkmen as well when I was in the mood. Eventually I upgraded to the cassette tape thing that plugs into a portable CD player. I played Hello Nasty through it and it blew out my speakers lol
For what it's worth, I blew out my car speakers with Music for the Jilted Generation. Gotta blow them out with something!
"There's a lot to be said about a full-on frontal assault on the ear drums" - Pigfarmer Jr.
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by crumpart »

mholland wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 7:40 pm
sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:25 pm
Night Sky: Oh hey it’s the sax guy and he’s really kicking ass on the sax yet again. Is that a soprano sax for the back half of the solo? It sounds great! That was a generally pleasant listen -- I had no idea who the characters that you were talking about were. I googled “Ollie and Lilly” and got to Hannah Montana, which matches -- is this about a Hannah Montana episode? I mean I keep writing songs about Grey’s Anatomy. Writing songs about TV is fun. I liked it quite a bit.
Haha, thanks. The song has nothing to do with Hannah Montana. Ollie, Hannah, and Lily are actual children in our family. I’m open to writing songs about TV, though. For us it would probably be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Or Firefly. If we ever get the title, “This was a Good Death,” it will be about Firefly/Serenity. Solos are soprano, alto, then soprano back in to double the guitar line that comes after the choruses.
Several of my songs draw from Angel, or the Buffy/Angel relationship. (Tricked For The Last Time and I Used To Know You Better come immediately to mind.)
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by crumpart »

sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:25 pm
Hot Pink Halo: Quincy Jones, is that you in the intro? For some reason I hear it and I’m expecting it to turn into Thriller or something. I’m assuming you’re using more loops or samples here than usual cause you usually don’t all all of these funky elements. Anyway, vocal melody here is really good, thread thread thread thread sounds good, and this is probably the most well-realized of your entries I can think of in recent memory. Violin reverb sounds dope, I would have never guessed that’s what you did -- that’s actually a cool reverb/modulation effect! I should sing into my acoustic sometime.
Thanks! The main vocal is straight with probably my usual picks of slapback/plate applied, but the “thread thread thread” background bit is all sung into the violin with very minimal processing applied. You can probably get a better idea of how the violin reverb sounds from my Songfight live cover of Micah’s song: https://youtu.be/AswaX3YoLx4

Also, I think you’re the first person to pick up that this is all loops, which makes me happy. I’d had the main idea for the song in the shower one day, which was the chorus and the idea of a song that gradually unravels, as opposed to what I’ve been concentrating on recently (songs that gradually build up). And then I had a few days of headaches/poor sleep and just didn’t have the energy to make something from scratch. I was gonna skip this week, but because I’d had the idea already and really liked it, I decided to just lie in bed with my iPad and see what I could come up with just using GarageBand loops. I shoved a whole bunch of disco/funk ones in there then gradually pulled out bits and fucked around with them sonically until I was happy. I think I’ve only used existing loops a couple of times (not counting the logic magic drummer I guess) because I normally find them really frustrating. Usually any fake instruments you hear me do are things I’ve played on a midi keyboard myself, or recorded and sampled myself.
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by ken »

sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 4:25 pm
Berkeley Social Scene: Oh I’m digging those harmonics, and the panning on those lead guitars just sounds great. Is that the same part multi-tracked with one in the left channel and one in the right channel. The bridge and those higher notes in that “yearning” vocal melody (is that what it’s called?) sound great, and those tremolo-ey wah bits just sound good. Guitar solo totally wails. And cowbell. Very fun song!
BSS was actually able to mask up and play as a group for this song. When we are able to track as a band, I try to get at least a couple of full takes before we call it a night. That way I can use previous takes as doubles in the final mix. For this one, I used a few different takes to spread out the guitars on the chorus. It took a minute to plan out which tracks needed to go where, but I think the overall effect was worth it to make the chorus big. Solos were cut live while tracking, but the cowbell was a last minute addition suggested by Geech.
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Lunkhead
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Future Boy wins!
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by genecawley »

Lunkhead wrote:
Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:56 pm
Future Boy wins!
Totally deserved. Congrats!
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by SweeneyToad »

Lunkhead wrote:
Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:56 pm
Future Boy wins!
THIS WAS RIGGED! TOTAL VOTER FRAUD ACROSS THE BOARD! THIS WAS STOLEN FROM ROBYN, FUTUREBOY HAD FAKE VOTES!! ROBYN WON THIS BY A LOT!

lo jk, congrats futureboy, your track was deffo my fav
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by jpnickolas »

Woo! Congrats Future Boy!
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

My favorite of the fight won. Not sure that's a ringing endorsement, but I'm glad it won. Congratz!
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by crumpart »

Congrats Future Boy! Real good song.
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by Jefff »

I'm late, so here are... not so much reviews, but random comments.

Phlebia - Soothing guitar tone. I like the relaxed vibe of the vocals. It fits the arrangement and the story. There's a nice trick there where the lines sound sort of banal until you realize they're not figurative ("when they tear us apart").

Abandoned Bandana - Cool noisy synths. They gel really well with the vocals for a fun sound. Love the energy. All the transitions feel good too. I like this a lot.

Night Sky - Strong melody. It's got a pleasant groove too. I think it needs a turn of some kind. The solos make some gestures in that direction, but not enough for my taste.

Giraffes for Wings - This grew on me as it went. I was a little bored at the start, but I enjoyed how the pieces came together to reveal the groove. The claps could be louder. Is that a cheering sample? That's a nice touch. I enjoyed this even more on the second listen.

Brown Word and the Big Whine - As always, I dig the thick sound. This is a good chorus.

Balls to Monte - It's a great moment when those harmonies peek in.

Lichen Throat - Cool guitar hook. The rhythm of the instruments is really locked in, but the vocals aren't quite finding their rhythm. I like the words as I pay more attention to them on the second listen. It seems like it could stand repeat listening to get a better sense of the story.

Robyn Mackenzie - Interesting sound on the guitar. It works. Nice harmonies on the chorus.

Berkeley Social Scene - I'm into the guitar line during the chorus. I also like that wooshing sound effect. Rhyming "won" and "one" is a little tricky...

Glenn Case - I like this sound. Especially the bendy bass synth. Mix-wise, I wish there were a little more space for the main vocal. The block chords feel like they're right in front of you. Super-catchy chorus.

Future Boy - The drums and bass are ... uh ... "banging". I'm always impressed with your topical songs. You're able to be more direct than I am when I try to address real things. Congrats on the win!

Ken's SDBNS - Yeah, lounge rock. I mean that in a good way. That high tone works really well going into the chorus. It gives it a nice rolling-off feeling, along with the drum fill.

Hot Pink Halo - Oh, love the groove. And the arrangement in general. There's something about the vocals that isn't selling the melody for me. My ear is. just okay, so I can't tell whether it's a pitch thing or if I just want some more power. There are some great sounds in here, especially the glitchy flute and a breathy saxophone.

JP Nickolas - Cool double guitar solos. It feels like your vocal is trying too hard to keep up at times. I like the vocal timbre.
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Re: And now you see (How It Comes Apart reviews)

Post by Future Boy »

Whoa, wow, cool, thanks y'all.
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