My pinata was full of jello (I'm Covered In It Now reviews)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

but my glass was full of tequlia so it's all good.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Will all y'all please post your "I'm Covered In It Now" lyrics here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12015

[ken]

Wow. Hope you like Berkeley Social Scene this week. We have a collaborative track and you also get solo tracks from Lunkhead and Glennny.

[Lunkhead]

Songs posted.

[vowlvom]

My song is missing! Do I need to submit again?

edit: have submitted, but shall respect the fightmaster's decision, looks like I fucked up.

[Duncan]

Really enjoying these. Agony Sauce has some quality sounds coming through. Harmonies remind me of a Moxy Fruvous tape I have (minus Jian). That's a compliment from me -- I know Canadian nerd folk can be polarizing and I respect all viewpoints.

[Lunkhead]

Vom's song has been added.

[vowlvom]

Thank you!

[mo]

Hi all, some initial reviews. I reserve the right to change my mind on multiple listens. I’m listening on laptop speakers and so anything I say mixing-wise should be taken with that caveat. If anyone really wants more of my in-depth perspective on anything, I’ll be happy to give it. I have tried not to mention vocal intonation issues as I assume most people are aware of the flaw in their voices, but I do mention phrasing a lot because I find that the songs I like most, always have superior vocal phrasing. I don’t talk about lyrics much because for the most part I don’t really listen to them much the first few times through a song.

Overall I thought it was a fun fight, some good memorable songs, good efforts all around. Sorry for the bloated intro, on to the reviews:

Amby Moho: love this vibe, sits right in the pocket. I would like to hear a little more vocal. Feels like the song wants another section or something, not quite finished if you know what I mean.

BSS: Very well polished as usual. Very nice George Harrison-esque melodic guitar solo going into the doo wop progression ending, lush arrangement. I kind of wanted the doo wop to fade out much earlier, but that’s a whatever comment, just my taste.

Brother Baker: I like this song a lot, but the mix is kind of not well-glued to my ear, so the whole thing sounds kind of discombobulated to me.

Brown Word and the Big Whine: what strikes me is the looseness of the guitars vs the vocals, I guess it’s part of your style, but I would’ve preferred them to have an equal amount of precision in the feel, since to me they don’t, it sounds a little, I don’t know, messy.

Duncan Martin: Hahahahahahha I like this take. I have the opposite feeling to the Brown Word song in that I think here the vocals could stand to be a bit more precise in the phrasing, compared to the instrumental part.

Firebear: While not all songs need hooks, I would’ve preferred one in this song as for me, the melody is not super exciting, or the instrumentation, so I feel like I’m missing something to really sink my teeth into.

Glennny: In that bit near the beginning where the drums have a little bit of draggy feel, that didn’t 100% work for me. The slide has a lot of balls, me likey. There’s a lot of things to like but for my taste, the vocal melody could be a bit more across the chords.

Gross Tones: a jammy jam jam song like this also needs something to pull me in musically, whether that is a hook or a melody or a cool beat or something sonically special. This song sounds unfinished to me as result.

Jeff DeSantis: Is that added reverb on the voice or is that the room? Less of it I think—to me this song wants to sound intimate, and the vocal treatment detracts.

Lichen Throat: I like this groove. One thing I notice is that you have a tendency, not every time, but often you lack rhythmic precision in the vocal coming into the second line of a pair. It feels like it might be a breathing thing? It happens on the first beat of lines too, but not quite as often. On this song I feel like more time on the vocal phrasing would be a little thing that would make a huge improvement.

Lunkhead: Nice punk driven guitar tones. Good opening lyric, draws me right into the world. Fun, great energy.

Night Sky: Ah, whistling. I’m not a fan of how the whistling pushes the beat while everything else is slightly behind the beat. Actually the vocal does that too. The song sounds like a clash between those two different feels to me.

Robyn MacKenzie: Starts fun. The vocal might sit a little high in the mix, but I like the phrasing of the “hold your head underwater” bits. That guitar solo is likely way too high in the mix, it sounds harsh to me rather than edgy also, but maybe if it sat better I’d feel differently. For this kind of song I want to hear more the energy from the snare.

Sly Eli: I feel like this takes a little long to kick in. Might just be the laptop speakers, but it sounds discombobulated, like everything is in a different space. The chorus doesn’t have a big enough lift for me either.

Sumner Sloane: Vocals are touch low, and muddy. That crash and the other cymbals are just too loud also. This is another song that doesn’t have a strong mix identity yet. I’d like to hear it a little better before making comments about the song part of the song, but from what I can tell now, it’s ok, also doesn’t have a strong personality yet.

SunLite: Nice figure to open, the finger noise is a little distracting for me though. I like the musical break right before V2. The ccean/commotion line is a little cute for my taste, but otherwise, a fine tune.

Tim Hinkle: I find the bass really distracting when it comes in, something about the sound or mix doesn’t quite sit right. The harmonies are a little distracting also. Also I think the main vocal might be a bit too dry, makes it sound like it’s in a different space than the rest of the song.

Vom Vorton: Nice phrasing on the verse here. The thing you’re doing with “covered” is definitely a take on how to phrase it, but I’m not sure I like it. The harmonies are nice! The chorus sits better with me the second time I hear it, whatever that means. Good pacing with the build and breakdown into the last choruses. And then the build to the end, great energy.

Agony Sauce: That’s a Glenn Case solo guys! This is the first Agony to have a Case lead guitar, doesn’t it feel good? I recently got a Pickaso Guitar Bow, so that’s the bowing you here, charango for that 12-string-ish vibe, just one clean electric guitar for texture underneath there somewhere. I tried to do a stereo panning thing for the choruses but I’m not sure how well it turned out.

[slyeli]

Sly Eli: I feel like this takes a little long to kick in. Might just be the laptop speakers, but it sounds discombobulated, like everything is in a different space. The chorus doesn’t have a big enough lift for me either.

Discombobulated is exactly the effect I was going for so I'm happy you got that feeling. With the music I was trying to give the impression of starting to lose your mind. Thanks for the review.

[SunLite]

Agony Sauce – I very nice tune. Great layers. Nice transition chord into the bridge too. Very much like where I’m at, a little tightening of finger performance timing on a lot of the guitar work would of course tighten everything and make this track really pop, but a wonderfully built track all and all.

Amby Moho – I really like the tones and textures you’ve chosen for this. Great tonal balance in this mix as a whole as well. I like how the vocal thought matched the “covered” theme and went along with the “quiet and distant” piece to your lyrics. Great track!

Berkeley Social Scene – I really liked your working of the theme phrase here as the punch line of your chorus; felt very natural and forceful. Sometimes these titles can lead us to have lyrics that end up feeling as though the theme phrase was forced in a little. Well done here. A nice track overall. I’d just love to hear you add some harmonies in. There’s a little bit of a doo wop feel in the chorus that screams for some ooo’s, ah’s, or some light tongue-in-cheek harmonies of that nature. I think as you have approached that style, if you lean into just a touch more it would only add to this track.

Brother Baker – Lots to like in this track. I wonder about adding the acoustic guitar in in the second phrase of your opening whistle phrase. Love all of the vocal layers. I think to put this track over the top, having even more restraint with ambience and reverb would have made things a little clearer and more impactful, especially just taking it off the whistle when it happens later in the song, I think the reverb bleed got a little muddy. I appreciate a lot about this one. Really great!

Brown Word and the Big Whine – I like a lot of what you’ve got here. I thought the transition to the new key center in the bridge was a touch abrupt. I think the next step for this track would be to make the drums sounds a bigger part of what’s going on. Making the bass drum the starting point of your mix and then having snare and then high-hat work that feel more leading would help to drive the energy forward in this. Lots of good things happening in the vocals and guitars especially!

Duncan Martin – Such a pleasant combination of sounds. I like how you worked the fight phrase in. I might bring the instruments all up in the mix just a bit. I love, love, love the choice of organ sound. Pleasant is just the perfect word for this track. I feel so light and content after listening to this.

FireBear – Oh yeah. This one hits you in the chest right away. Great vocal. The punch of the bass and bass drum is perfect and really leads this song all the way through. I like your play on straight and swung sections. Not sure I’ve heard whistle in this style before and I love how you’ve employed it in the heaviest part of your song instead of a quiet place. I like your choice in guitar sounds throughout. The bridge is very nice. The only spot that I was left a little disappointed was coming out of bridge 1:51-1:54 sounded like it ran out of gas. I might have done a building quarter note guitar chug, and then a dry cut of the guitar when the drums hit the fill, but there was still a good punch when everything came back in.

Glennny – I liked the different type of texture/sounds this opened up with, and enjoyed hints of them throughout. I also really liked illusion of mixed meter you’ve created in the 4/4. I would’ve loved to hear you do something in the vocals to play further with this illusion during the verses once. There’s just a touch of early Art Alexakis (Everclear) in what you’re doing with your sound and vocal style, and that’s a plus for me. Solid way to end the song too. Nice work!

The Gross Tones – A fun track for sure! I like this a lot, and can imagine it would be fun to hang and jam with you guys. It sounds like this was quite possibly a live take, not necessarily multitracked. Am I right in that? One suggestion if that is the case is to just get the drums a little more love on the track, they can really be a huge part of the drive to what’s going on and push some of those long tone vocals along. Fun jam!

Jeff DeSantis – Nicely done. Great job on all of the accompanying strings and sounds; good layering and good voice leading. A longer fade to nothing to let the track settle and sigh its last breath at the end is all I’m looking for here. Very nice.

Lichen Throat – I believe is one of your better tracks! Lots of great timbre choices for your instruments. Snare sound is especially great. All of the instruments play off of each other really well. I’m telling you man, I really want to hear you explore a different shelf of your voice. You sound like you’re down in your vocal fry a lot, probably not great for your vocal chords. Raise that key up a few notches and try out a more middle range in your voice (maybe even a higher range) you may be pleasantly surprised! Aside from that, lots of very good stuff going on in this one.

Lunkhead - Lots of great stuff here! Your sounds are spot on for your guitars and bass (the bass sound is so tasty at that 1:58 mark). Yeah, I just love the tones you chose for all of your guitars and the way they're mixed is perfect in my book. Cymbals sound great too. The snare is a little more dry (while everything else is layered with it) in my book, but just a small preference thing. Love the lyric themes and there's a solid vocal delivery to back up those themes. The one thing I'd try if you were to continue developing this track is adding more vocal layers at the end of each vocal statement (a little Beasty Boys type thing or something); I think that would really drive home the aggressive, punk, "not going to take it" type attitude this song has.

Night Sky – You’ve got some nice whistling pipes, I love the pairing with the sax. Good I like all of the sounds introduced as the song fills out more. Sax and organ are always a great pair. As Gordan Ramsey would ask, “Right, what would I do different?”: To me the bass is introduced slightly to early, playing out mid-ranged long tones as long as it is before it gets a little more rhythmic. I’d save it for the :40 mark or even the :55ish mark, or you could have it up or down the octave until that :55ish mark. Aside from that, I’m just looking for more rhythmic and syncopated action going on as the song is fuller. The whistle at the end was even better than the ones in the beginning; I hope to hear more of them in future fights for sure!

Robyn Mackenzie – Nicely written and performed. Like I mentioned to Berk SS, you’ve utilized the fight phrase really naturally and effectively here. The only thing I’d suggest for this one is possibly adding a second brighter rhythm guitar track just to thicken the guitars a bit across the spectrum and bring a little more drive and energy. I think the rhythm guitar presence could be just a touch higher in the mix too. Love the bass sound on this one. As with a lot of your material, this could be one that is stuck in my head throughout the week. Great track!

Sly Eli – Love these type of intros where you can’t quite be sure if you’ve got the right beat pegged as the downbeat until the drums come into their true pattern. I’m not sure you needed the extra measure before the guitar entered at the beginning. I think pretty much everything worked well most of the time/ The synth bass movement was sometimes a little distracting; it may have to do with a combination of the rhythms it was playing and the octaves it was in at certain times. Lots of good stuff happening in the vocals. I would have loved to hear some falsetto parts throughout too. I think it would fit the style of this song well. Nice track!

Summer Sloane – A nice little ditty. Sounds a little Pirates of Penzance meets Hall & Oats. I’m assuming it’s because of the recording method, but there’s definitely a wash sound. Nice track overall and nice piano performance.

SunLite - It felt really good to get back into this fight. I started with an idea, but trashed it after I accidentally built it around "I'm stuck in it again." But Saturday I got a new thing cooking and was able to finish at 4:00AM before that 10:00AM due time! I feel pretty good about how this one came out, even though I didn't get to re-record everything I wanted as I was coming up against it. Totally agree the extra string noise is distracting and unpleasant in the beginning. I hear you on the cutesy "commotion" choice too. The real let down for me was that somehow the bass mix I thought I had didn't translate into the mp3 I ended up sending. The bass is/should be more present in the mix and really blends to create just a beautiful texture/soundscape when things come in after that first chorus. With the bass as low as it was, things didn't blend correctly, and that bass drum sounds way to dry and exposed. Other than those things, I was fairly pleased with this submission and am just glad to be back to song fighting!

Tim Hinkle – Great, great, great whistling! Jealous! Great lyrics as well. Definitely chucked at the point of “blow from a gardening tool.” I’m not sure the bass sound works until you get to the 1:21 mark. Overall, this is a nice story telling song that is fun to listen to.

Vom Vorton – Another great story telling song, that may just be a slightly to honest look in the mirror for many of us to varying degrees. I thought your mix was very nice and you had some nice whistling skills as well. I guess if anything, I’d take the vocals sitting in the instrument tracks just a tad bit more, but that’s just a maybe. Just a nicely put together song.

[Lunkhead]

SunLite, any particular reason you skipped my song ... ?

[SunLite]

SunLite, any particular reason you skipped my song ... ?

So sorry Lunkhead!!! I've since edited my post to include my review for yours. I was in the middle of reviewing when my wife put me on baby duty for an hour. When I came back, I think I assumed where my jukebox player was was where I left off. You'll be happy to know that in spite of this, yours was one of my votes!

[Lunkhead]

No worries, thanks for the review and vote!

[Duncan]

*** I don’t typically listen to a lot of the genres presented here, but I really enjoyed all of them. If I don’t have a lot to say about your track, it’s because I don’t know a whole lot about mixing or I was tired at the time. I say “fun”, “great” and “nice” a lot. I also name drop a lot -- that’s just me hearing parallels and appreciating them. It’s never an underhanded accusation. ***

Lunkhead -- Love the pre-chorus and chorus. The song has a “Gotta Serve Somebody” feel to it. The mix is pretty tight with panning that really works. I think some of the word choices require stress on the wrong syllable, which always stands out to me when I hear it.

SunLite -- The tracks come in at a great pace without overdoing it. The solo and crescendo sound very natural and well-textured. Agree that the ocean/commotion rhyme is too conspicuous, amid really strong lyrics and phrasing. Soothing sound.

Glennny -- Fun variety of movements and chord choices at “An elusive situation” and at the bridge “If I wanted to come clean with you”. Could probably use slightly louder vocals and a stronger delivery of the title phrase.

NightSky -- Reminds me a bit of Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See” -- great sound. Acoustic guitar could be louder and fuller -- that’s sometimes hard for me to do without it getting muddy. The sax sounds terrific but sometimes competes with the vocal -- could be lowered in verse. The whistle/sax duet is a treat.

Brown Word and Big Whine -- Channeling Gene Ween! I think I want to hear more drums. Revolutionary War battle interlude is delicious. This was a really fun and humorous track.

FireBear -- Harmonies work really well, and the wide vocal pan in the half time sections sounds really nice.

Brother Baker -- Creative vocal arrangements and force. It was hard to make out some of the lyrics, but sonically it was really pleasing. The wall of sound is well constructed. Very full

Robyn Mackenzie -- Catchy tune. Great lyrics. In the now, no, now, now part, I think it could build a lot more. The emotional crescendos are there, and I think some volume automation or layering could complement that more.

Amby Moho -- Love the descending pattern of the verse. I think it can be louder. The guitar has a cool George Harrison sitar sound to it -- “Within You and Without You”

Sly Eli -- This is great. A good mix of sounds and the chorus is a cool smooth break from the confusion of the verse. They work well together. Very cinematic. Minor point -- I would maybe have a less tremolo and a longer-fade at the end.

Tim Hinkle -- Great Beyond the grave song. I love these. The early whistle solo was almost a nod to Axel Rose on “Patience.” I would bring in the bass at 0:54. The bridge is hilarious, especially how you tie it back with a parallel verse to the first. A+
Summersloane -- The song has a great carnival/Nilsson/Buddy Holly/Turtles sound. So theatrical and the vocal phrasing is right on. Love it. The cymbal should be there but it’s too loud! Poor narrator -- hope he finds true love.

Vom Vorton -- The chorus is really catchy. I think I have the same comment on phrasing (in the verses) as for Lunkhead, and probably me too -- sometimes syllables seem forced in order to fit a word in there. The vocal might do do be a little wetter, with some more stereo sound from the instruments --maybe -- things sounded a slight bit disconnected from each other, but i’m no expert in this



The Gross Tones -- Sounds like Jimi’s guitar on that Isley Brothers tune “Move Over and Let Me Dance”. Fun tune. Slick chorus -- cool close harmonies, good punk sound -- kind of jarring but they work so well. Zion

BSS -- Pretty damn professional sound. I wish I could reach those pitches. Love the ‘70s sounds of “whatever you think of me now when you see….” I’d love to hear a pared down version of that song with sparser instrumentation, but it works well as is too.

Jeff Desantis -- This reminds me of a Jayhawks song, one of my favourite bands. Very personal and emotional but without becoming sappy. Good imagery and seamless use of the fight phrase. The strings are layered in nicely.


Duncan Martin -- I’ve been trying to no avail to write songs that aren’t cheeky and topical. This is obviously another failure. But sometimes an ode like this is a way to still write and sing tenderly without the crap that comes out when I go full-earnest. My buddy Justin offered to be my own personal open-source drummer, so I sampled a measure of him for this. Bass and organ are a shitty Casio that proves to be a pretty decent workhorse. I always hear little bits of phrasing that could have been tighter, but that’s the way it goes. Dr. Bronner was a wacky dude -- his wiki page is interesting.

Lichen Throat -- That’s quite the opening image! I am picturing a Mazda Miata Man (https://soundcloud.com/duncan-martin-94878471/miata-man). The skiing verse is awfully sad. I agree with the last review -- make sure you don’t hurt your vocal cords, and it would be cool to hear something in your higher range. This one could sound cool sped up a bit too. It might help with some of the stretching of words when they need to take up space.


Agony Sauce -- The harmonies are really well-worked. It really takes me back to the ‘90s, lyrics and musical style. As I said before, sort of a Moxy Fruvous harmony. Maybe some Steely Dan sounds in there too. The stop-and-start meter is really well managed.

[mholland]

NightSky -- Reminds me a bit of Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See” -- great sound. Acoustic guitar could be louder and fuller -- that’s sometimes hard for me to do without it getting muddy. The sax sounds terrific but sometimes competes with the vocal -- could be lowered in verse. The whistle/sax duet is a treat.

Damn! You found me out! The first version was even more reminiscent of "Can't You See," but it was just a nagging familiarity that I couldn't identify. I had to sit down with chord sheets from a former jam band I played in to find the song that I was afraid I was plagiarizing. Also had a tough time avoiding the bass line from "Sympathy for the Devil." I usually get better results recording acoustic guitar (pencil condensers in an X-Y configuration), but this time it wasn't happening, and I was up against the clock to record a take that wasn't too too sloppy. Thanks for the review!

[BoffoYux]

The Listening Party will be delayed until at least 10 pm. Running a little late.

[slyeli]

There are so many great songs this week that it makes it difficult to decide who to vote for. Anyway here are my reviews:

Agony sauce - Really nice verse, the melody fits well with the start-stop arpeggios. I like this song a lot. The way you play around with the timing is interesting. It mostly works but makes things a bit messy in the transitions, I'd prefer it if they were a bit tighter.

Amby Moho - this is one of my favourite songs in this fight. It reminds me of The Bees, in a good way. I particularly like the drop out section. I think keeping it short and sweet was a good idea, it suits this kind of music.

Berkeley Social Scene - another good one. The descending chords in the verse contrast well with the chorus. I'm enjoying the little touches you've added like the mandolin. The only negative I have is that the mix is very full and without a break that gets a bit wearing on my ears. Adding some dynamics such as having a verse where most of the instruments drop away would help with that.

Brother Baker - this has a lovely mixture of sweet sounding verse and rough chorus. I like the spacious feeling of the vocals and harmonies. They have a Fleet Foxes quality that's great. There's a few places where the vocals swap between sliding up to notes and hitting them outright and to me it sounds better when you hit them straight on.

Brown Word and the Big Whine - there's some nice transitions and build ups in this song. The guitar have a really thick sound from all the layers you've built up, that's distinct, and when you add in the clean vocals it give this a unique sound.

Duncan Martin - this is another of my favourites this week. It's a case of two wrongs make a right. The mix of the instrumentation makes this seem like you're listening to a band through the wall, late at night, and singing along. It gives the song a dreamy, sleepy quality that I love. I thought this was a drug reference at first and you were singing Dr Browner but I like it more now I know it's about soap. There's some bum notes in there that can be cleaned up but that doesn't detract from the songs charm.

FireBear - the verse in this song is really strong but for me it loses it a little bit in the other sections. It's still a good song overall, I just like the verse more.

Glennny - you really threw me with the intro. I thought it was going to be very different style before the guitars came in. I like being caught off guard and you follow it up with a catchy chorus. Good effort.

The Gross Tones - the funky guitar in this is cool. I like the loose feel the whole band has. If you're going to double vocals though you've got to hit your notes otherwise it stands out like a sore thumb. If you tighten up the vocals it'll make this song great.

Jeff DeSantis - your lyrics paint a very vivid picture. I'm liking the strings, they really lift the song.

Lichen Throat - this has a Leonard Cohen feel to it that I like. I struggle to pick out the lyrics in parts but the bits I can make out sound good and I think this song would benefit from a slightly clearer vocal mix.

Lunkhead - I'm nodding my head and tapping my foot whilst listening to this one. It's got a strong rhythm and I get the feeling it would be great to hear it loud and live. Nice work.

Night Sky - great saxophone playing. I like when the organ comes in, it could stand being a bit louder. Your voice reminds me a bit of Nick Cave, which is meant as a compliment.

Robyn Mackenzie - I love the glam sounding guitar riff. It reminds me of T. Rex. The chorus on this song is great. I like how you delay when the vocal comes in, that works really well. Nice guitar solo too.

Sumner Sloane - the intro reminds me a lot of You Make My Dreams (Come True) but you take it in a different direction after that so it's not derivative. The cymbals are mixed a little high compared to the rest of the instruments and it's distracting. The chorus has an Elvis Costello feel to it that I like.

SunLite - this has a catchy chorus that sticks in my head. I like how you start off with really sparse instrumentation and slowly build things up. Nice drop out at the end to make it feel like the song has stopped and then you bring it back in.

Tim Hinkle - the 3/4 time signature works well on this. I like the contrast between the lazy sounding verse and the pounding of the chorus.

Vom Vorton - nice bass line in the verse, it adds a bounce to the song that lifts it. I like what you've done in the call and answer sections, with the main vocal and the backing vocals. Very catchy. This is a very joyous sounding song.

[Duncan]

Slyeli thanks for the review! I was pretty sleepy as I recorded it and trying to keep my voice down for the roommates. The dreamy sound has become a nice little side effect of COVID -- quiet recording as everyone works from home. Plenty more bum notes where those came from! But without great technical skill I just play till it sounds good enough and drop the volume here or there if it's too heinous.

[slyeli]

Sly Eli – Love these type of intros where you can’t quite be sure if you’ve got the right beat pegged as the downbeat until the drums come into their true pattern. I’m not sure you needed the extra measure before the guitar entered at the beginning. I think pretty much everything worked well most of the time/ The synth bass movement was sometimes a little distracting; it may have to do with a combination of the rhythms it was playing and the octaves it was in at certain times. Lots of good stuff happening in the vocals. I would have loved to hear some falsetto parts throughout too. I think it would fit the style of this song well. Nice track!

I get what you mean about the bass, it was the one instrument that didn't really sound how I wanted. I played it on a Fender Precision Bass and my skills are a bit rusty. I'm going to re-record it with a simpler part that's more in keeping with the rest of the instruments.

Sly Eli -- This is great. A good mix of sounds and the chorus is a cool smooth break from the confusion of the verse. They work well together. Very cinematic. Minor point -- I would maybe have a less tremolo and a longer-fade at the end.

I did struggle a bit with the outro. Originally I had all the instruments fading out together but that didn't work. I went with the simple approach because I was trying to get the song finished. I might re-visit it and see if I can come up with something better.

Thanks for the reviews.

[lichenthroat]

Agony Sauce—The guitar sounds good: nice and clear and well-toned. For some reason the vocal melody of “I’m covered in it now” does not sound good to me. I like the stop-and-go surges of the instrumentation.

Amby Moho—I like the overall tone: Appalachian folk meets electronica. I think the song structure could use more variation, however. The whistling fits in well. More lyrics, please.

Berkeley Social Scene—I like the transition from verse to chorus, as well as the chorus itself. The falsetto is a nice touch. I also like the chimey guitar (or maybe mandolin). Nice and solid. I can picture everyone dancing to this in the last hour of the prom (by which I suppose I mean that the rhythm is clean and well-defined).

Brother Baker—The whistling sounds good. The claps sound a little thin; I know from personal experience that they’re hard to record. I like the whistling melody, too. The long vocal notes are a bold choice, but I think they work and end up as the highlight of the song. You might want to crank up the drums (especially the kick) to glue everything together more. This grew in my esteem the more times I listened to it.

Brown Word and the Big Whine—I love hearing these aggressive, violent lyrics in a female vocal. Very badass. As I listen, I keep wanting a faster section to burst out, but maybe that’s the point: non-realization of desire. Your whistling sounds good. Backing “ooohs” are good.

Duncan Martin—I had to look up Dr. Bronner to seen if it was real. Yep. The lyrics are funny, and I like the timbre of your voice. Your delivery fits the song well. The song seems a bit on the long side.

FireBear—This is a bit too dissonant for my taste, but I think it would be appreciated by aficionados of this genre. The bridge was my favorite part; putting the muted notes in there was inspired.

Glennny—I’m unable to articulate exactly what I like about this, but I liked it. Maybe the off-kilter rhythm? I think you might be doing something sophisticated that I don’t quite understand. Anyway, good work, even if I can’t tell you why.

The Gross Tones—The drunken 60s rock vibe is not my favorite. This sounds like an album closer. The guitar groove works pretty well.

Jeff DeSantis—Your mix is so clear and pure; it’s evident from the first note. I have a soft spot for these super-earnest songs, and you’ve executed this one well. Good use of the strings in combination with the drippy guitar.

Lichen Throat (me)—This is supposed to be a companion piece to Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” which has held a low-level fascination for me since its debut, when I kind of liked it and couldn’t figure out why everyone else thought it was so bad. I don’t know how apparent the connection is; all the allusions I buried in the lyrics seemed a lot more obvious while I was recording than in the finished product. My usual vocal problems are present, but I was happy with this overall.

Lunkhead—I know this is a punk song, but the lyrics seem overly simplistic. Nevertheless, I think this succeeds overall. The main guitar riff is good, as is the chorus. If I went to see a local punk band that sounded like this, I’d feel like I’d gotten my money’s worth.

Night Sky—Your voice sounds very clean and has a good timbre. It’s interesting how the instruments all sound so independent from each other (both compositionally and in the mix), but they still merge into a cohesive song. Your whistling sounds great.

Robyn Mackenzie—The drum rhythm is a strong backbone to the song. A solid exemplar of 90s-style grunge. Loud and dissonant in all the right places. The repeated “you”s work well. Good work.

Sly Eli—I’m intrigued by the pairing of the Alphaville-esque melodies and synths with the crunchier guitar. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything that sounds like this, but it doesn’t sound weird or off-putting. Extra points for innovation. I like it.

Sumner Sloane—Everything sounds a little muffled and indistinct. But only a little. I like your use of the cymbals. The piano chord progression sounds good. This has a exuberance that can’t be kept down. I like this more than I would have expected. The fadeout is a nice touch.

SunLite—So calm with a hint of menace, as befits the lyrics. I think you hit the bullseye of what you were going for. Maybe try a little more reverb on the vocal to match the atmosphere of the song. The guitar solo fits in perfectly. I also like how you vary the instrumentation throughout the song. It feels carefully put together.

Tim Hinkle—That whistling is so pure. I think this one sounds Beatlesesque too. Maybe it’s something about your voice. Nothing wrong with that, obviously. It sounds like you had fun with this, and that fun makes it through to the listener.

Vom Vorton—Your vocal tone sounds good. This is very classic Vom, which is always welcome. Your whistling was recorded well. This sounds effortless; I don’t know if that’s because it really is or because you work hard to make it so, but either way, it sounds good.

[Duncan]

Lichen Throat (me)—This is supposed to be a companion piece to Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” which has held a low-level fascination for me since its debut, when I kind of liked it and couldn’t figure out why everyone else thought it was so bad. I don’t know how apparent the connection is; all the allusions I buried in the lyrics seemed a lot more obvious while I was recording than do in the finished product.

This sparks great joy. It's a whole new listening experience after you pointed that out. I'm not sure how I missed all the hints. I voted for it because it was good and weird, and I'm glad I did. BRAVO!! Love the frontseat/backseat stuff and the Obermeyer snowsuit detail.