Watch this, guys (Bunny Hop reviews)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Put your right foot forward
Put your left foot out
Do the Bunny hop
Hop, hop, hop
Dance this new creation
It's the new sensation
Do the Bunny hop
Hop, hop, hop
All join in the fun
Father, mother, son
Do the Bunny hop
Hop, hop, hop
Put your right foot forward
Put your left foot out
Do the Bunny hop
Hop, hop, hop
Dance this new creation
It's the new sensation
Do the Bunny hop
Hop, hop, hop
All join in the fun
Father, mother, son
Do the Bunny hop
Hop, hop, hop

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Please place your lyric here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12296

[Lunkhead]

Songs posted!

[Pigfarmer Jr]

I was able to listen a through times at work (thanks, Lunkhead for the jukebox) before I sat down this morning and gave these another listen. I kind of want to vote for them all for one reason or another. That won't happen. Here are some brief thoughts as I prepare to reseed the lawn.

Berkeley Social Scene: I like the rhythm throughout. And I like the melody. I like this one more the more I listen to it. The mix maybe isn't quite as clean as some, but I think that lends a bit of grit that works very well.

Gil Sans: That live feel suits this track well. Not sure I've heard a crowd stay that solid throughout a whole track, though. Perhaps I need to go to better concerts? You're only missing a "goodnight, Rochester!" or something. I like the throwback surf feel. The tone of the guitar is cool if pretty standard for the genre.

Paco del Stinko: Speaking of throwback, your backing vox takes me back a bit. A cool bit of contrast with the chorus. Nicely played. (Both instrument-wise and arrangement wise.) You're vocal attack is great here.

Phlub: I typically hate those deep, growly vocals that are hard to understand but they work damn well here. It helps that I can hear what they are saying (not that you have too diverse a lyric.) And just when it feels like I need a change up the song ends. I'm digging this dark dirge. Perhaps this could be the vorpal bunny theme?

Pigfarmer Jr: This sounds rushed (it was) and needs a bigger sounding ending but I like it nonetheless.

Possum Sauce: The vocal could be cleaner, less muddy. Well, the whole track, I guess. But I like this guitar bit and the melody and your vocal delivery. This kind of reminds me of some of Tim's entries (The Pannacotta Army) which is maybe why I feel more critical of the less clean mix than I think I usually would be. But I like this a lot.

WreckdoM: I've been liking your entries quite a bit of late. Cool arrangements, nice dynamic shifts. A cool use of vocal samples. Good mix.

[sleepysilverdoor]

Phlub: I typically hate those deep, growly vocals that are hard to understand but they work damn well here. It helps that I can hear what they are saying (not that you have too diverse a lyric.) And just when it feels like I need a change up the song ends. I'm digging this dark dirge. Perhaps this could be the vorpal bunny theme?

Heh, I am completely unfamiliar with vorpal bunny. But I also haven't played a Final Fantasy game since Mystic Quest came out. And that was not recent.

In my mind I was creating the sort of music that Snowball from The Secret Life Of Pets listens to while he drives through inner city streets. Y'know. Bunny crunk. Only I couldn't get Lil Jon to feature on it.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Oh, right. Sorry. I was referring to the bad ass bunny in Monty Python's "Search for the holy grail." There was a MUD a long time ago (Vincent's Hollow, actually) that had big parts of the screen play as part of a quest and you had to fight the vorpal bunny at one point.

I've never played Final Fantasy, at least not more than about five minutes back when it was new-ish. Sorry for the lack of context.

[sleepysilverdoor]

Oh, right. Sorry. I was referring to the bad ass bunny in Monty Python's "Search for the holy grail." There was a MUD a long time ago (Vincent's Hollow, actually) that had big parts of the screen play as part of a quest and you had to fight the vorpal bunny at one point.

I've never played Final Fantasy, at least not more than about five minutes back when it was new-ish. Sorry for the lack of context.

No need for you to apologize! I kind of forgot about that bunny. I'm horrendously uncultured when it comes to classic films, but I have watched bits and pieces of it. Life of Brian on the other hand, I've seen several times, my high school gf was obsessed with it.

Anyway, glad you could bounce with my tune

[sleepysilverdoor]

Reviews. I am listening on laptop speakers. This is my second listen through.

Berkeley social scene starts of the set. I am enjoying these kind of garage-ey vibes. The rhythm reminds me of something that I would have heard on the radio in like 2001 or 2002 or something. Drums are insistent, not terribly attention grabbing. A fill now and then would have kept it more dynamic. I heard the reference to 13th of Friday, so I’m assuming this was a Nur Ein thing too? Mine was supposed to me a nur ein entry, but I couldn’t come up with a good Friday the 13th song so I turned it into Bunny Hop. There are some moments where it sounds like I’m hearing some pretty heavy pitch correction. If my ears are correct, I recommend easing off of it a little bit, cause it sounds very unnatural. Some more rhythm switch ups would really have made this better.

Next I’m taking back to some surfy rock set and it’s like 1962 or something along those lines. The crowd is loving it! I want to hear them chanting your name at the end. Gil Sans! Gil Sans! Gil Sans! Admittedly I can’t bring myself to vote for it, because I don’t know, even when I greatly enjoy them, instrumentals just feel out of place on songfight. Even though I have entered them…I never really expect any votes. However, I want you to play at my birthday party. They’re historically at bowling alleys, so just imagine the surfy acoustics with the crashing of pins and the deep roar of rolling bowling balls.

All of a sudden we have this…kind of rockabilly type, doo-wop thing that comes in, courtesy of Paco. That’s two songs in a row that are evoking some of that boomer childhood vibe. Drums in this are really crisp, and I like the sound of them in all of their looseness. My toddler is currently distracting me with a fist full of crayons. But my attention snaps back around the time that I get this really cool descending guitar riff that I’m just digging, following by a crescendo and a wailing solo. I’m not entirely sure what the nature of the relationship is in the lyrics, but I think it gives me a decent idea.

A familiar sound comes through. I know this beat. I made it. I got to playing with my whammy bar, and I came up with this bouncy thing. I ad-libbed the refrain, decided it worked well enough, added a crunk beat, and decided to say bunny a bunch of times cause it had a good rhythm to it. I keep doing microtonal stuff, and if you notice that half-step up in the chorus synth is actually a third-step of about 60c. Not that it matters in a song this silly.

Pigfarmer comes in with a music box. Little bunny sounds a little sinister. I feel like this song would be better if it were transposed down a few steps. Just tune your guitar way down. The music box is a nice touch, though I’d have liked it to have gone away once the distorted guitars came in. It would be best more sparingly. As for the little bunny, I’m curious if little bunny is actually a little bunny or like a gang nickname for somebody. I didn’t dislike it, but it definitely sounds like it could use some refinement.

A soft Possum appears. I’m listening to some sort of up folkie indie thing. This sounds like a song that I would hear in some sort of mid 2000s sundance film, very twee. And the whistling definitely cinches it. Fortunately I have a degree of nostalgia for that decade (though admittedly lately it’s been the opposite of this sound…more crunk). Anyway, I like the chorus of this, it’s super mellow, and definitely the most mellow of this fight. Singing sounds great, you’ve got a great timbre to your voice, especially with this sound of music (your voice would not work with crunk). Not much else to say, good job.

WreckdoM, another name that has been around since my SongFight infancy 15 years ago. Always reliably interesting. I like the slow burn of this, I like the breaking glass. I wish it was a little bit faster. And I would like to hear a little bit of reverb on that guitar, riff. Or at least the higher one. I wish there was more melody though. And I’m having trouble really following the lyrics, I feel like I’m reading something that somebody submitted to Erowid before the experience was over. There are moments of brilliance here that I like. The ending part settles into a good grove on many occasions.

[the panna cotta army]

Possum Sauce: This kind of reminds me of some of Tim's entries (The Pannacotta Army) which is maybe why I feel more critical of the less clean mix than I think I usually would be.

It might actually be a case of me sounding like Mike (aka Possum Sauce).
We've been posting and listening to songs on the same websites for a number of years so we're well acquainted with each other's styles. His stuff has certainly rubbed off on me a bit.

[Leon]

Berkeley Social Scene: I enjoyed the melody and the instruments/arrangement but the lyrics were a little hard to make out in places. Maybe thw mix was a little off or not compatible with me device.

Gil Sans: Loved the crowd! I could totally picture this live concert and was trying to imagine what the heck yall were doing on the stage to keep the crowd so engaged! I didn't even realize that there were no lyrics until we'll over a minute in! Loved it.

Paco del Stinko: What a fun song! This one get my vote for most unique take on the title for sure. Nicely played too.

Phlub: Great mix. I was kinda hoping it would go techno or something! it got a bit repetitive. I loved the chuckle at the end though. It Made the song IMO!

Pigfarmer Jr: Well sir, I respectfully disagree with your review of your song!! I didn't feel that it was rushed at all and that it sounded perfectly sized! But "special seeds!?"... ewww!! Great story. Always a 420 fan! Little bunny sounds like a few people I used to know!!

Possum Sauce: I thoroughly enjoyed this authentic feeling, simple song, with all its little complexities! I think you should listen to some of Craig Cardiff's earlier stuff (love is louder or to be safe) I see a lot of similarities. I liked the whistle too. This was my favorite song and, I'd you don't mind, I'd like to add it to my playlist.

WreckdoM: I really enjoyed this one too. It reminded me of the advice song (wear sunscreen!) a bit (but much, much more dynamic! Broken 6 fish bowls was my favorite line for some silly reason. I have a rabbit as a pet. Originally we were told that it was a girl and aptly named it Carherine.... We found out it was actually a boy when it started humping anyone or anything that came near! I literally laughed out loud at the line, "humping ones way across the universe"! Great Job!

[micosaudad]

I know BSS, and definitely loved their entry for this, but after listening to all of the entries, I'm in complete alignment with Possum Sauce insofar as their nom du guerre is not concerned. Listening to this you ain't a goddamned bird, feels accusatory in a way that has me evaluating my life under the absurd rubric of what it means to be someone with an avian pretense. For me it was an extremely clever bit of storytelling. I'm still considering what I can learn from this. And also I have a bit of PTSD from the sort of thou shalt not mindset of the gregarious narrator. I feel like you're the Dick van Dyke voice guy floating over a dystopia describing the situation below. I've got so many thoughts about this song that it's hard to articulate them all sufficiently. That's about the highest compliment I can give a song.

[Michael]

Berkeley Social Scene - BSS songs always seem to give real thought to structure. Good twist here, with the emphasis on verse and pre-chorus, the chorus itself almost an afterthought. Not a huge fan of that autotuney effect on the vocals. The pre-chorus bit is my favourite, with that switch to the hopping rhythm. Cool mood.

Gil Sans - Great roadtrip song. Reminds me of Aussie band The Cruel Sea: they used to pull out the occasional instrumental with this breezy, summery feel.

Paco del Stinko - The section at 1:35 is woozy and excellent, and lovely drawly doo-wopping. As with BSS, a song where the most interesting stuff is happening outside the chorus.

Phlub - Really nice groove built up between that distorted synth and the percussion. Growling and hungry. I'm conflicted about the rap here: I respect nonsense for nonsense's sake, but at the same time would have preferred it if you'd smuggled more weirdness into the nonsense.

Pigfarmer Jr - First time through I thought this was an outro to Phlub's song, so wasn't expecting a new vocal. (Worked well.) Nice build from innocent toy-piano to growly rock, mirrored by the lyrics and delivery. Story's a bit 'Reefer Madness', but you sell it. I think you could have gone even bigger/more distorted on the electric guitar, maybe.

WreckdoM - I like this a lot. There's a dirty/sweet Pixies vibe to that main guitar line, nicely observed lyrics, and the drums pack a good punch.

Cheers for the reviews, all. I'm off overseas for a bit without a mic or guitar. See you later in the year.

[Michael]

Possum Sauce: The vocal could be cleaner, less muddy. Well, the whole track, I guess. But I like this guitar bit and the melody and your vocal delivery. This kind of reminds me of some of Tim's entries (The Pannacotta Army) which is maybe why I feel more critical of the less clean mix than I think I usually would be. But I like this a lot.

'Slightly muddy Pannacotta Army' sounds good to me! Yeah, I mixed on headphones and probably laid the reverb on a little thick. As Tim says, we've cross-pollinated styles a bit over the years, but I haven't managed to absorb his production skills yet. Annoying, that.

I'd you don't mind, I'd like to add it to my playlist.

Sure thing. I'd be honoured. Just posted the lyrics up in the other thread.

I've got so many thoughts about this song that it's hard to articulate them all sufficiently. That's about the highest compliment I can give a song.

About the best response a songwriter can hope for, too. Cheers.

[sleepysilverdoor]

Phlub - Really nice groove built up between that distorted synth and the percussion. Growling and hungry. I'm conflicted about the rap here: I respect nonsense for nonsense's sake, but at the same time would have preferred it if you'd smuggled more weirdness into the nonsense.

It's a guitar, not a synth! Just bouncing along on the whammy bar. But yes, it doesn't make much sense. That's why it's short, any longer and you'd stab me.

[Toby Roktot]

Bunny Hop reviews
I know, title not much to work with here…. Everybody gets a trophy just for submitting…

WreckdoM. The vocals remind me of Blondie in the snarky kind of way. She is really good at that. Backing rhythm is cool. Sometimes the vocals get lost in the music. Not a bad thing, just hard to focus on the lyrics. May be what you intended. Good song.

Pigfarmer Jr. Haha…. A bunny on a trampoline. Now that’s hoppin’.
Lots of stuff going on here. Bunny has a dark side…who knew ?
Good stuff…

Possum Sauce. Of course, I love the cool guitar stuff. I’m into the song after only a few bars….. just a really pleasant sound. Not a fan of the whistle, but you pull it off very well. Nice song.

Paco del Stinko. I love the through back stuff. Not so much the manic stuff. Ok.

Gil Sans. Had me from the first notes. Best song of the fight. Checks almost all the boxes.
Great rhythm and easy to dance to. (For you American Bandstand fans). VOTE…

Berkeley Social Scene. Great intro and that vibe continues throughout the song.
I’m rethinking that this is the best song…(sorry Gil). Yes, this is the best I’ve heard from you guys in a while….thanks for putting this together. I will add this to my stadium rock playlist because the guitar solo is so cool (but not long enough)
What’s with the abrupt endings guys? This song screams for a loooong drawn out Guns and Roses outro !!! Again…sayin’ VOTE !!!!

Phlub. My wife sounded like Suzy Creamcheese…..”TURN IT DOWN”……
So, I did. But, I kinda liked it. Kinda…

[Lunkhead]

Possum Sauce wins!

[sleepysilverdoor]

Congrats to the possum!