Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

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Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Cash only. See the pig for details.
Last edited by Lunkhead on Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: normal
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Please post your lyric in the appropriate thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12220
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Lunkhead »

Songs posted!
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Duncan »

Reviews
Really great submissions. I didn’t manage to review last week so I’ll kick it off here if nobody beats me to it.



Hippy Militia: I enjoy the juxtaposition of depressing messaging and pleasant post-Beatles George Harrison sounds. This is great – and it’s extra funny because as much as there are the obnoxious P.j. O’Rourke types who scoff at their ‘naive” hippie past, there’s also a not-small contingent of new-age hippie dippy folk out there holding up the status quo so they can continue their “news diet”. I hear a bit of Phil Ochs here.

King Arthur: Blues. I like the idea of sending a Halloween card. Nice attitude in the music. Great delivery. I don’t quite understand what the speaker is getting at. Is he smothering this person. Some lines reminiscent of the Romantics’ “What I Like About You”

Leopard Magic; Sounds great in stereo. I like the mix of sounds a lot. It’s not too busy, but it’s a good mix of traditional and electronic. I like this imagery and harmonies. I’m hearing some Buffalo-Springfield-type harmonies in this (A Child’s Claim to Fame), and a bit of the Gotye thing, and it sounds terrific.


J.P. Nicholas: A high-octane tale of grift. Great vocal delivery – I love the laughs, the “ahh-I must postpone” and the throat-clearing before “I’m a confident man”. Usually syllable-filling utterances bother me, but when they’re done with such playfulness I dig them. I like the refrain that discourages the customer from seeking a second opinion. The instrumentation seems a bit over-compressed, I don’t really know. Lastly, (**Not accusatory, but flattering if yes:** Is the verse melody at all influenced by my “A Thousand Cuts” entry?

The Panna Cotta Army: Macca’s been replaced!!!! Great line. I love the delicate way that people broach conspiracy theories when they don’t know what the listener may think. One time a dude at the Okanagan Family Faire (AKA Barter Faire) was going on about Pizzagate, and I said “dude, I’m really not interested and I don’t want to hear about this.” and he politely said we could talk about other conspiracy theories instead. So he looked at me and was like, “OK how about Bob Dylan – Don’t Think Twice? He wasn’t playing guitar on that – he’s never played that well. But they’d have you think he did.” I give the guy credit for trying to connect.
I like the falling chorus with that organ, and the punchy quarter-note bass and drums.

Rone Rivendale: Thoroughly enjoyable listen – needs some work on phrasing and melody, but I like how you bring in the seasonal predictables like Xmas radio programming, seasonal change and Taylor Swift albums, but then disrupt the cyclical theme with early budding on the trees. It’s all familiar and depressing, and here’s another thing to bring you down. If you can get farther from the mic and then amplify (or raise your voice), you can avoid some of that p-pop.

The Gross Tones: So far these intro tones are more Marshall Tucker, and less Gross. As the verse comes in, it becomes a fun trip through different styles. The movements give this a great texture. Talented guitar work. I can’t tell if this is sarcastic or not. The use of “only if you believe it” is a little ambiguous. Is it saying not to get the shot if you don’t believe it? But get it if you do?

Dave Styles: Oh my goodness Dave, that intro and chorus instrumentation sure is fine. Bring that sax up at some point! This bridge has a real Pet Sounds thing going on. The cheese factor is very high here. A big platter of cheese. I think my only criticism is to have a tighter narrative correlation between the message of the chorus and the content of the verses. It’s a lot of Christmas imagery, but very broad. A+ execution of the challenge.

Mellfire Trifecta: This is beautiful and heartbreaking tale of a relationship losing whatever indescribable glue that’s keeping it together. I think you nail it here with the pairing of lyrics and melody. Instrumentation sounds really good. This is another one that reminds me of the Peter Buck/Gary Louris partnership from “Paging Mr. Proust.” Really well mixed. Definitely getting a vote.

Phlub: I like this a lot. My favourite of yours. I have to admit that's because it seems more accessible. I like this fuzz coming in at intervals. I think this would sound really good with some dirty guitar and a punk yelling the lyrics. Don't get me wrong, I like the flat robotic vocal style, but I think it would sound great shouted too.

Lichen Throat: “Of course that didn’t go too well” great use of understatement. Another fabulous set of lyrics. The music and vocal phrasing sound very similar to some of your others. I like your songs because they make me want to research what the hell you’re talking about. And it always comes with rewards.

Toby Roktot: Nice gentle folk tune, and I like the harmonica. I didn’t get my reviews in last week, but I like the harmonica interlude on this much more than running throughout on your last one. It complements the coval well. The vocal sounds reeeeaaally intimate and not projected– I would probably add some reverb and move the mic away a little. That’s more of a personal preference. This sounds like it comes from a place of contentment - not explicitly a holiday tune, but it sounds like a year-end reflection


PIgfarmer Jr.: I like whatever you do with your guitar panning and eq. I’m hearing different parts of the same take in each ear. Nice riff on Orwell – although I can’t figure out what the iron call is referring to. It sounds like you’re taking today’s reality and relating it to 1984. This sort of reminds me of Jennifer Lawrence in “Don’t Look Up” when she tells the skateboard dudes that there isn’t a big cabal pulling the strings – it’s wayy dumber than that. The chorus melody really opens up nicely.

Glenn Case: Ooh this is a sexy groove. You can’t take back what’s been said – is that the adage. This song is well made- clear message, tight phrasing, clear vocals, doesn’t overstay its welcome, but makes the point in a couple different ways. I think it would sound cool to have a little funky wah wah guitar with some palm muting punching in and out. I added it in my head as I was listening and I promise it sounded cool.

Duncan Martin (me): This is about a statue of Willard Scott that an artist installed inside a silo in my hometown for 1 year while I was in highschool. The song's story is fictional, but I was the DD to go buy cigarettes during a party one time and I insisted that everyone in the car walk through the snow about 500 feet and go see this thing on the way back. They were in heels and fancy sneakers and stuff, and a couple thought it was cool. The others were sort of unimpressed and really cold.

Third Cat: Cute lyrics, post the song in the chat if you get it finished.
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Duncan wrote:
Mon Dec 27, 2021 6:40 pm
PIgfarmer Jr.: I like whatever you do with your guitar panning and eq. I’m hearing different parts of the same take in each ear.
Two separate takes*, hard panned, EQ'd a little with a bit of delay on each. (EQ= high pass the lowest bit, a cut in the lower mids, a cut around 5k ish to make room for the vocals and either the high end was boosted slightly or cut slightly, I forget which.) I ended up using the same short delay on both sides but had intended to change one of them slightly to better differentiate the panning.

* I did replace part of the left channel with a part from the right channel where the timing was off a bit. I ended up leaving most of the other timing issues because I thought it sounded more alive. And, also, I'm lazy.
Nice riff on Orwell – although I can’t figure out what the iron call is referring to. It sounds like you’re taking today’s reality and relating it to 1984.
Yeah, I was attempting to put 1984 in a modern context. The iron call is also pulled from the book. The bridge is supposed to be a critique of cancel culture and the iron call is the willingness to follow along rather than risk being canceled or outcast whether it's from the left or from the right.
This sort of reminds me of Jennifer Lawrence in “Don’t Look Up” when she tells the skateboard dudes that there isn’t a big cabal pulling the strings – it’s way dumber than that.
I've never seen it. But recently heard about it somewhere. I'd say I'd go watch it, but my movies to see list is years old and not much shorter than when I started it so that's not likely to happen.

Thanks much for the review. I appreciate it.
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Toby Roktot »

Thank you Duncan, I will try your suggestions and really appreciate the review.
Cya,
Tob
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by rone rivendale »

This fight is even better than the last one! I swear I wanted to vote for basically every song I heard just now. But my votes are going to:The Melllfire Trifecta, Dave Stiles, Glenn Case, Hippy Militia, JP Nickolas, and King Arthur (and me).

I know I'm not the best person to give this specific advice but, Lichen Throat, you sound bored when you sing. I've been told similar things in the past so I know how it feels. Just let loose. Also to Phlub, I'd like to hear your vocals without all the extra effects once. I think it devalues your natural singing talent.

As for my own song, I apologize for the messed up mixing on the line "It's kinda unusual if you catch my drift". Somehow I changed the volume on that one line twice instead of once as I did the other lines to keep them in line with the volume of the beat. It's jarring, I don't like it myself.

Amazing job overall guys. The level of production, the catchiness of the music, the interesting lyrics, I had a great time listening to the playlist while playing NCAA Football 14 tonite. ;)
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by rone rivendale »

*knock knock* uhh, guys? Are we only going to get 2 people to review? lol
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

My reviews are halfway done. I've been doing them one or two at a time cause by the end of the day I'm just tired. I was also finishing up a submission to the Joni Mitchell tribute at prfmonthlytributeseries.bandcamp.com !
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Duncan »

rone rivendale wrote:
Sun Jan 02, 2022 3:21 pm
*knock knock* uhh, guys? Are we only going to get 2 people to review? lol
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by king_arthur »

I've listened once but want to listen a bit more before posting reviews... if I suddenly disappear and am never seen around here again, it's going to be because Glenn Case's song is so good it makes me not sure I even belong in such esteemed company. Lots of really good songs this week. Rone for most improved from last week.
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Toby Roktot »

Right behind you King…

I’ll have ‘em in sometime from now .
Cya,
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Well, I've downloaded all the songs so I could listen... step one: complete.
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Toby Roktot »

I review the songs as they pop up when I log on. No rhyme or reason, just random.
Ok, let’s go…

Phlub - Your signature note at the end of your posts says it all, for me at least. Your are too far advanced for me to actually understand.
That being said, I kinda like your song. I would have liked it a lot more if you had sang a few of your lyrics. Sayin’

Rone Rivendale - I like this song a little more than yours last week. However, two weeks in a row with Taylor lyrics. What’s up, you have a secret crush, kinda like in grade school….pull her hair, make her cry kinda thing?
And for the love of all that’s Rock And Roll…..I would NEVER have to change ‘back’ to Aerosmith from, God forbid, No , I can’t even say it , let alone write it….

PigfarmerJr - Such a sweet melody for a protest song. (Seems to be a bunch of those, lately)
PJr, I like your stuff and always enjoy listening. Much better subject than last week.
Nice job.

Lichen Throat - Such whimsical lyrics!! You Sir, are the only one that can pull this off.
I like it… I don’t actually get it but, I believe it !! Nice

The Mellfire Trifecta- I really like this one. Completely understandable. Girl and guy, girl pulling away, guy pulling her back. Nice song…Vote!

Hippy Militia - Nice song. Nice lyrics, harmonies and music. Kinda like the Cowsills.

Toby Roktot - This song takes simplicity to a new, lower level. Not much to see here but, I do like the harmonica. You know, the non-singin’ part. Sayin’

Leopard Magic - Another good submission. I really like the bass being up front and center. Nice tune and delivery… vote!

King Arthur - I believe this is the winner this week. Very clever with simple lyrics and a have-to-tap-your-foot tune. I believe these goals have been the gold standard for decades. I’m voting’ for this one, Red is voting for this one and, we may even get the cat and dog involved . Vote x 4 !!!!

Glenn Case - This is a good song. Not quite a toe tapper. I like it but, I like the King better…..But, that’s just me.

Duncan Martin - Good song. One like you’d hear at the Same Ole Shillelagh bar. This song is shorter than your song last week but, seems longer.

JP Nicolas - I really like the tempo of this song.Punk, but, not, Punk. Enjoyed listening…thanks

Dave Stiles - I’ve added this song to our families Christmas song rotation. You know, the one with Charlie Brown, Peter Kater, Paul and John…the best ones. This song belongs on THAT list….
Great song and the strongest part for me, is the chorus. So sweet.
Welcome to SongFight Dave. I’m sure you’ll be winning on a regular basis.
Cya.

The Pannacotta Army - A really nice, solid song. It’s what I’ve come to expect from you guys. It does kinda fall in line with several of the songs in this fight.
Explaining later…

The Gross Tones - Love the tempo and energy. The change ups, the guitar, all great. BUT,
I’m just soooo very tired of the whole Covid thing. So very tired.


Just coming from a long week in NYC and seeing several plays Red dragged me to, ( right after we left, the plays were shut down for a few days … again . Not soon enough for me) it seems to me a lot of these songs are more Broadway than pop, rock, rap, whap, whatever. Even singer-songwriter is kinda missing.
Not saying this is bad, just my lop-sided observation.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good night !!!!!

Cya,
Tob
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by rone rivendale »

Rone Rivendale - I like this song a little more than yours last week. However, two weeks in a row with Taylor lyrics. What’s up, you have a secret crush, kinda like in grade school….pull her hair, make her cry kinda thing?
And for the love of all that’s Rock And Roll…..I would NEVER have to change ‘back’ to Aerosmith from, God forbid, No , I can’t even say it , let alone write it….
I had to go back to the lyrics for Tearing Up to make sure in case I was wrong, but nope, this is the 1st reference to Taylor Swift in a song. Thanks for the review though. I'm glad you enjoyed most of it.
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Toby Roktot »

Rone,
My bad…I should have fact checked myself.
No excuses, and yes, I like your song. Fun to listen to.
Cya
Tob
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

I don't think I forgot anyone:

Rone Rivendale - Is this “Plucked!”, the FL studio synth? Oh god the robot vocals sound like something I would have made in FL studio in like 2004. Honestly this is a nostalgia trip just from the sounds alone. It’s 1 am and I am staying up way too late at Alex’s house because he just showed me a copy of FL Studio 3 he downloaded off of Kazaa and I try it and I’m hooked for life.

Lichen Throat - I wish you used a snare drum that sounded like a trash can. For some reason I think that would be really funny. But you didn’t. Melodically expresses a lot wider range of pitches than you usually go for. Lyrics are intriguing. Not my favorite Lichen Throat song I’ve heard, but not bad.

Melfire Trifecta - Drums sound really flat in the mix to bme. Could probably be fixed with some EQing. I like the panning on the vocals when the harmonies kick in on the happy couple part. All in all this is a bit too simple for my taste. The singing is well done and I honestly bet this would sound better in a professional recording studio. There are some moments in this that remind me of R.E.M. Not the whole song. Guitar solo could probably have come a little earlier in the song. That’s a pacing issue I suppose.

Phlub - That’s me. I wanted to write a moody post punk piece in 11edo temperament so I did. The world is in an epistemological dystopia these days and so I wrote a song about it.

Gross Tones - Another song touching on a hot button issue. Mix is a little muddy and you need a better drum recording! They’re all flat sounding. Yeah I’m a little unsure about this track. Is this an anti-mandate message? Or just a “get a vaccine if you want, whatever” message? The former is more forceful from a songwriting perspective (and tbh I may be reading my own life and views into this). But the latter seems like a closer match…but it doesn’t really say anything, what’s exciting about “vaccines are cool if you believe it”. It’s kind of an unclear one, but maybe that was intentional? The extended slow jamming is probably my favorite Gross Tones moment I’ve ever heard. Also please post reviews more often.

Toby Roktot - I feel like I’ve heard this chord progression in a lot of songs. Lovely bass singing. Or is that baritone? I don’t know, but it fits the guitar style well. Good job not going honk crazy on the harmonica. I’ll admit that I sort of zoned out the first listen-through of this one. It’s not really the sort of song that grabs my attention and holds it. But I’m also just generally not a “quiet, intimate music” sort of fellow – my own submissions may hint at that lol.

Pigfarmer Jr. - You would so benefit from live drums to give your style a kick in the pants. The drum machine isn’t *bad* it’s just kind of lethargic sounding. Heck I’ll do it sometime if you ever want. This is another song that’s tapping into a sentiment I very much resonate with. Admittedly I kind of wrote my song on a similar theme so of course I’m all for it. Guitars are well recorded. Chorus is well done and the harmonies are spiffy. If you’d believe it this may be my favorite Pigfarmer song.

JP Nickolas - The delivery of the second verse is super well paced imo. Do you have a background in musical theatre? Something about this power metal style always sounds so theatrical both musically but especially vocally. I’d rather do like a Motorhead musical or something if I’m gonna do more old school metal styles. But anyway, this was fun and the guitar solo was dope. Drums sound good for being artificial (you may note I knocked other people for this). I feel like it started off kind of weak in the first verse and then gradually got better and by the end of it I genuinely liked it. Possibly also my favorite song of yours.

Duncan Martin - Oh man I love this. Great story. Wonderful lyrics. Charming delivery. I’m bad at following highly lyrical music so thank you for posting the lyrics so my brain could process the story better. I can’t really criticize this, great tune.

Glenn Case - An artist I always have high expectations out of (and rightfully so). From that intro I was expecting to dive right into like an Ozric Tentacles space jam adventure. But no, no, deep pocket grooves. There’s a couple moments where the drums fall kind of out of sync and that bugs me. But then again it’s songfight so whatever. The keys and guitar and bass is really making this groove work. Vocals are great, and your harmonies are as well executed as ever. The section that starts at the 2 minute mark needs something else going on in the guitar or something to keep the energy up…I’m wanting a build there. Yeah other than those two things (the bridge and the drum/drum machine combo) this is pretty good.

Dave Stiles - Ho ho ho. Got those sleigh bells. Man this is a pretty good christmas song. I wish the melody had a way wider range of pitch. As it stands, the chorus is melodically the flattest part of the song, and it’s so peppy and fun that the chorus needs to be like pow. Like go for some higher notes. Nice switch to the marching percussion and jingle bells interpretation. If I heard this on a christmas playlist I would be content.

King Arthur - This needs a HEAVY kick drum to drive it forward. Like the bassline is there, but those drums are so tinny! I mean it kind of works with the snare but compress them at least or something! That being said I’m grooving to this, especially in the pre-chorus. Nails the optional challenge. A nice bluesy rock tune. This reminds me of fun times in my childhood. Stylistically speaking at least.

Pannacotta Army - Aliens are cool. It would be cool to sneak into area 51 but you’d probably get shot at and that doesn’t sound fun. This is bouncy, I like the beat. It’s very 60s sounding to me in good way. The guitR solo does some cool stuff harmonically. Okay maybe it was just two keys. My wife sounds this seems like the sort of song someone would listen to in the break room while eating a BLT. Then he wants to get a bag of chips out of the vending machine, so he presses the button and gets him some chips. I don’t know how to really criticize this. It’s well executed. Not my favorite song but it doesn’t have to be.

Hippy Militia - These lyrics could use a bit more abstraction. These rhymes are kind of predictable. Well at least in the verses. It comes together in the chorus, wow that’s a good chorus! Yeah, the “don’t agree with what you say” bit…I dunno, the way it’s written is just a little too…on the nose? Be more oblique about it. I love that chorus. After awhile this song kind of gets repetitive but it’s a nice chorus. I want to chop and screw it into a vaporwave track.

Leopard Magic - I really like this opening soundscape. And what is that, a thumb piano? Fantastically used. And that delay that’s dripping off of everything is so well executed. And a mellotron? You’re landing on a lot of sounds I’m very fond of. This needs drums. Otherwise I can’t really criticize it much beyond that. It’s just really chill and enjoyable and something that’s fitting with my mood perfectly right now. Yay. Who is baby kazai though?
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by jpnickolas »

> Lastly, (**Not accusatory, but flattering if yes:** Is the verse melody at all influenced by my “A Thousand Cuts” entry?

I bet it did in some way subconsciously now that I listen back to it. I was shooting for sleazy, so maybe politician and grifter just have a lot in common melodically.

Reviews
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I kept meaning to write a full set of reviews this week, but I don't think I'll really get around to after today. We'll do some real quick ones (one playthrough each), though:

Dave Stiles:
Definitely the most christmasy. I kept expecting this to take a dark turn, but maybe that's from listening to too many metal carols lately (Ice Nine Kills - Merry Axe-Mas is particularly good). I really like the vocal doubling during the chill chorus.

Duncan Martin:
"Trained the Pain into her brain" stuck out as a fun lyric. The lyrics probably deserve more attention than I'll give them in this review - they're dense enough that I'd need to read the lyrics as I go (not a bad thing, I'm just terrible at picking out lyrics). I wish the guitar and piano more intentionally syncopated. There's a lot of playful back and forth between them that sounds interesting, but it sounds (maybe intentionally) underproduced and like a few folks improvising together.

Glenn Case:
Groovy. This takes me back to playing GTA Vice City as a kid (specifically being in the mall). It's the high pitched synth that comes in for the occasional single note. The harmonized vocal doubling sounds real nice, although there were a few spots where the harmonizing track ended a note abruptly earlier than the main vocals. Real nitpick, but it can be worth manually cutting up and editing those takes to artificially extend the notes - with that harmonized vocal sitting so far in the background, the listener wouldn't notice with some proper crossfading between the original and extended notes.

The Gross Tones:
I like the slowdown. Maybe I'm a bit tired of covid songs, but it's hard to take the lyrics so seriously compared to how dramatic the song sounds in the slowdown. Are you recording real drums? Something sounds muddy with them, maybe I'm just getting a lot of the room in the mix - I know very little on this front. I always use midi drums :) Righteous solo btw.

Hippy Militia:
Very charming to listen to, and stuck out as a memorable chorus. Good background synth filling in the gaps. Overall, this sounds very professional.

JP Nickolas:
Boy was this one rushed, but I'm real happy with how it turned out. Took a lot of inspiration from Hot For Teacher for the guitar parts. Chorus vocals are super flat, and I wish I had stuck with with a more playful tone through it instead of trying for those high notes. I've been experimenting with vocal fry and false chord distortion vocally, and I'm really liking how they cut through the mix. I wish I had a bit more time to put a fun chord progression under the solo.

King Arthur:
Mmmmm, dat fonky funk (https://youtu.be/kOh7YJHSILY?t=36). I dig the jazzy guitar, and I want it even MORE jazzy. I want chords that look like someone just mashed some random letters and numbers on the keyboard. I know I'm selfish and probably too demanding, but the heart wants what the heart wants. The bass is so powerful that it doesn't need the guitar playing the same exact thing, so coming in with a chord one fret down that slides up to the root can give it that extra zing.

Leopard Magic:
I'd love some more drums on top of this. You bring some in in the middle of the song, but having some sort of kick+snare would go a long way. These synths are great. Very interesting, and consistently keeping my attention.

Lichen Throat:
Didn't even need to look at the artist to know whose this one is. I'll have to spend some time analyzing all the Lichenisms that give it away. I dig the bass guitar and bass drum at ~0:50. The background doodly doops around 1:40-1:50 are particularly good counterpoints for your vocals.

The Mellfire Trifecta:
Oh man am I a sucker for the classic guy and gal vocal duet during a song about a relationship. Wish there was more of that throughout, although I'm not paying a ton of attention to the lyrics so I don't know if that fits the narrative. I like the solo, but the tambourine stops very suddenly during that party. May have been been better to slow down the tambourine than to cut it altogether - especially noticeable since it comes right back the second the solo ends.

The Pannacotta Army:
Ok, this one I remember from early listens as having a bodacious solo. I like the conspiracy theorist angle. I don't think I saw anyone else take that route, but I also haven't been paying as close attention to the lyrics as usual. Oh, there's that solo. Very snazzy. Gliding across those chromatics as if there isn't really a key under you.

Phlub:
Another one I recognized without needing to check artist section. Probs the prominent bass and general entropy. Gives me some Firestarter vibes (not the vocals, but the background instrumentation). The chord progression's interesting, and I like how the lead will stay on the same note while the bass changes underneath it. The vocal echoes are also real cool.

Pigfarmer Jr:
I like your voice in this one. Not sure why I'm noticing it on this song in particular, but whatever you did keep it up! It does get a little muffled/distorted around ~2:00, but only for that section. Great tone during the solos. The guitar is a bit overshadowed by the higher energy verse at 2:40, which is definitely ok, but I bet you could give those vox a run for their money if you harmonized the guitar from 2:53-3:00. Not really necessary, but I always like more guitar in every song.

Rone Rivendale:
Oh man, those plosives are hitting your microphone hard. If you can, get a pop filter, but you may be able to grab a really thin cloth (like a dryer sheet) as an alternative and hold between you and the microphone when singing. I like the text-to-speech parts. They're pretty charming, alternating between your voice and it.

Toby Roktot:
Nice sorrowful feel here. You really emote every syllable. I mentioned another artist needing drums in their song, but this one really benefits from the intimate, drumless feel.
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by starfinger »

sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Jan 04, 2022 9:15 pm
Yay. Who is baby kazai though?
I’m glad you liked the song but I don’t understand this question.

Never mind, I’m dumb.
-craig.
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jpnickolas
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by jpnickolas »

sleepysilverdoor wrote:
Tue Jan 04, 2022 9:15 pm
JP Nickolas - The delivery of the second verse is super well paced imo. Do you have a background in musical theatre? Something about this power metal style always sounds so theatrical both musically but especially vocally. I’d rather do like a Motorhead musical or something if I’m gonna do more old school metal styles. But anyway, this was fun and the guitar solo was dope. Drums sound good for being artificial (you may note I knocked other people for this). I feel like it started off kind of weak in the first verse and then gradually got better and by the end of it I genuinely liked it. Possibly also my favorite song of yours.
Lol, never done anything with musical theater, but my girlfriend did get into metal because it sounds "dramatic and theatrical".

Glad the drums have been getting better! I've been playing a lot of DTXMania on finger drums to try to get a better feel for drum beats and so I'm not stuck with stock midi libraries. If anything sounded specifically artificial, I'd love a real drummer's insight!
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by Duncan »

jpnickolas wrote:
Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:37 pm
I wish the guitar and piano more intentionally syncopated. There's a lot of playful back and forth between them that sounds interesting, but it sounds (maybe intentionally) underproduced and like a few folks improvising together.
I also wish that. I want to get better at that because it sounds cool in my head when I think about doing it. It's unintentionally underproduced -one dude improvising overtop of himself and struggling with tempo.
Thanks for reviewing --it was a nice long list this week
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jpnickolas
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Re: Bridge for sale! (If You Believe It reviews)

Post by jpnickolas »

Yeah, it's definitely a tall order :) I normally spend at least 30 minutes just repeatedly looping my music and improvising over it until I come up with embellishments and solos that I'm happy with. Let me know if you could ever use a hand and want to collab!
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