Even if we're just... Drinking in the Dark (reviews)

[Aciniform Artifice]

You can't start a fire / Can't start a fire without a spark
This gun's for hire / Even if we're just Drinking in the Dark

Put your reviews here!

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Please place your lyric in the appropriate receptacle: viewtopic.php?t=12646

[Lunkhead]

Songs posted!

[genecawley]

Add - Your songs are always amazing, and this one is no exception. I love the little production touches with the one, like the Leslie'd vocals on the chorus. The organ sounds amazing, and slightly-jazzy lead guitar throughout is such a nice binding element. The spoken verse is a great turn as well. Pretty much pulling out all the stops without sounding forced at all. Excellent.

Balls To Monte - This is us. Basically, this is a Rockpile/Dave Edmunds-type number. I actually think it turned out pretty well.

Berkeley Social Scene - LOVE the raw, live feel of this. Lyrics are great, as usual. This has kind of a Pavement vibe that I love.

Frankie Big Face - My favorite overall song so far. LOVE the production and arrangement on this. Just fantastic overall. While you may hear crickets, I hear standing ovations [if you can actually HEAR standing ovations, of course. Maybe not the best analogy].

Hoblit - Wow. Another great one. Really moody without being morose, and effective vocal harmonies. Great guitar work. Damn. Another possible contender.

LunkMoChump - LOVING the mandolin on this. Great song, vocals and production [the acoustic slide guitar work is especially great]. Is the lyric “goes down like a bittersweet parable”? Even if it isn’t, I really love this one.

The Mellfire Trifecta - Mellfire raineth and rocketh you!! [for you Sifl & Olly fans in the audience] You’re neck and neck with Frankie as far as being the overall best song, especially the lyrics. SO great.

Pigfarmer Jr - Damn. Another great one. REALLY love the banjo on this. I love the story involving the loss of electricity leading to drinking in the dark. Never even considered that. Like, ACTUAL dark. Great job.

Robyn Mackenzie - Particularly beautiful lyric. I generally love all of your songs, but almost never for the same reason. In other words, this has such a great laid-back 70s kinda vibe, only with a more modern sensibility, if that makes any sense. Either way, it’s great.

Soft Rick - Never heard you before. Really nice guitar work and arrangement. And I relate WAY too much about not being able to drink like I used to. The vocal harmonies are a definite highlight.

Starfinger - The vocals are the real highlight here, though the whole performance really serves the song well. Are you detuning your bottom E-string to D? I really love that, for some reason. A really nice combination of techno and folkie energy here.

Sunspire - Another really great lyric, maybe the best of the lot. Fantastic bass line.


Well, damn. There are quite a few great ones to choose from. It’s so great to listen to your collective music again. Yeah, I know I could’ve all along, but I’m a lazy bastard.

[Lunkhead]

A late song by Los Vigilantes Oscuros has been added to the fight.

[Jefff]

May or may not get to reviews, but wanted to be sure to say: nice song, Hobs.

[SoftRick]

sunspire
Starts off with a swanky bluesy feel. I hear a neat synth in there. I like the harmonies. This reminds me of a number that would be in a musical. The distorted vocals was a surprise. kinda reminds me of Tom Waits. I like the overall dark vibe of it.

Lunkmochump
Nice boomy drums. Very lush arrangement. Vocals sit well in the mix. Has a folky vibe about it. Like the plucky mandolin. This reminds me of spring and rolling meadows. Like that electric piano that comes in a few minutes in.

Ballstomonte
Rock n roll. Nice harmonized vocals. like that slap back delay on the vocals. It all sounds really good but it could maybe stand to be mastered a little louder.

Frankie Big Face
I like the intro alot. Reminds me of something. Its kinda like a gothy Everly brothers. I like the way the bass comes in. I like the lyrics alot. Has a real classic feel to it. Well done.

Hoblit
Nice guitar right out the rip. Sweet intro. Kinda Tarantino esq. This has a dark tropical feel to it. I can hear this in an action movie. Nice harmonies half way through. The middle is my favorite.

The Mellfire Trifecta
Piano! Anthemic progression. Cymbals. Sweet drums. Reminds me of Ben Folds. Not a bad thing! Cool effected guitars. Oh like the "ahhs" The lyrics are witty. Nice arrangement.

Soft Rick
As you can probably tell from this song my biggest influence is Taylor Swift. Probably the best songwriter of this generation and I was just kinda trying to do a Tay Swift song. I wrote it and produced it in 35 minutes so Its definitely rough around the edges but I think it turned out alright.

Berkeley Social Scene
Nice guitar intro. Nice intro overall. Has a slacker rock vibe to it. I like the panning. Nice instrumentation. I'm not completely sold on the vocals but thats probably just me.

Add
Nice levels. I like the vocals. I maybe hear a mellotron in the back? I dig the laid back nature of this. I really dig this. Probably a vote from me. I like those choppy panned vocals. Good job!!

Starfinger
I could hear this in a local bar. I like the hard panned guitars. Nice shaker. Oh the synthy chorus was a nice change up!! This really surprised me. Kinda reminds me of Dan Deacon. I dig it!

Los Vigilantes Oscuros
Nice synthy sound. Dig the electronic drums. Spoken lyrics cool. Like the delay on them. Kinda like a synthy cake. Nice vocoder chorus. I dig this. Kinda spacey.

Robyn Mackenzie
This sounds really good right off the rip. Like the panning. Nice levels. Good vocals. Very well produced. Sounds like a nice cruising song. Oooh like the doubled vocals in the chorus. Definitely a vote.

Pigfarmer jr
That banjo! This sounds really good. Vocals fit well in the mix. I like the chord progression, the lyrics, the whole vibe. Vote!

[Aciniform Artifice]

Interesting that several of you decided to purposely construct chord structures that are anything BUT I-IV-V, presumably to spite the whole concept of the optional challenge.

Anyway, look what we found in the park in the dark! We will take him home, we will call him Clark!

**

Add – The ratio of title to non-title lyrics is a bit high, but the decision to rhyme “drinking in the dark” with “drinking in the dark” actually makes the song stand out (ever so slightly) from the rest of the pack. I liked the change-up of the heavier guitar parts.

Balls to Monte – Seems like you tried to squeeze every possible chord in the most unexpected places, to avoid that optional challenge as much as possible. Thank you for rhyming the title with “question mark.” My general overall impression: this is like when the Beatles would do their version of emulating a blues-rock song.

Berkeley Social Scene – This one really avoided potential cliches by drinking at night (with some near-rhymes), and leaving the dark out of it altogether. This song feels like what would happen if one of the early-to-mid-90s proto-pop-punk bands tried to pull a Great Rock n Roll Swindle and covered a David Bowie song, which they meant to do ironically but it actually ended up sounding better than their own material.

Frankie Big Face – The song itself is deceptively simple, but the lyrics are rather impactful. Points deducted for leaning heavily into the “sleeping in the park” bit, but at least it isn’t used directly as a rhyming couplet with the title except once at the very end. And the song itself is lovely enough for that to be forgiven.

Hoblit – This guitar intro is the closest I’ve heard to a I-IV-V, but you’ve still got some extra random minor notes that throw it off. Another one with points deducted for rhyming “in the dark” with “in the park.” I think there may have been some I-IV-I-V in here, which is almost there but not quite. The sound of the bass, although it doesn’t seem like much, really helps to round out the arrangement beyond just the guitar and the singing.

Los Vigilantes Oscuros – A couple offhand direct mentions of the title, but all the rest of the lyrics are various oblique references to both “drinking” and “dark”: good job. Sounding absolutely nothing like this listener might have expected based on your name: good job again.

LunkMoChump – Automatic bonus pts. for rhyming “unbearable” and “terrible” with “parable” instead of rhyming the title with anything. Those harmonics during the intro were pretty cool, thought that idea might pop up again later like in a bridge or outro or something.

The Mellfire Trifecta – This one also refers to sleeping in the park, and also repeats the title quite a few times. However, I do dig the semi-psychedelic-folk arrangement.

Pigfarmer Jr – By this point, feeling like I’m about to lose my mind – had to check the lyric archive to see if you’re rhyming the title with your “rusting heart” or your “rusting car.” The sound of the banjo is very nice.

Robyn Mackenzie – Near-rhymes of “dark/heart” are definitely giving “dark/park” a run for its money in terms of overused cliches throughout this collection of songs. The double-tracked (I think?) vocals on the choruses sound pretty cool.

Soft Rick – Our narrator has chosen to really turn a cliche on its head, apparently formerly having been able to drink in the light, but now “no longer able to drink like I used to.” The vocals seem like they’re mixed a little too high compared with everything else, but this is definitely a different way of looking at the title, which is appreciated.

Starfinger – Perhaps the most effervescent-sounding song I’ve heard deal with clinical depression and alcoholism. “Fixes the part where I care” is quite a turn of phrase.

Sunspire – Certainly the most unique way of approaching the title. Funny how drastically the meaning can be altered by reading the same four words as a verb phrase plus direct object, rather than a verb and prepositional phrase. The way these tracks have been pieced together feels a little bit sloppy, but the song sure is fun.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Pigfarmer Jr – By this point, feeling like I’m about to lose my mind – had to check the lyric archive to see if you’re rhyming the title with your “rusting heart” or your “rusting car.”

Next time, listen to mine first.

[Aciniform Artifice]

Next time, listen to mine first.

Need to use the old yellow pages technique and submit as

AAAAAAAAAUTO BODY REPAIR AND PIG FARMER JR. INC.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Don't think I haven't thought similar thoughts. A Junior Pigfarmer has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Maybe, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, PIGFARMERS!!!

[HeuristicsInc]

I guess i gotta get my reviewing chops ready for nur ein…. Here goes

Add: love that little (tremolo?) effect and the change in vocal tone. The way the guitars interplay is very nice. Maybe a little long? vote.

Balls To Monte: my blurry point of view is good. Not my preferred genre, but done well.

Berkeley Social Scene: quite like the intro. Another one with nice guitar interplays.

Frankie Big Face: i really like that quavery synth from the intro. Or whatever it is. I really like how the first two verses mirror each other. Gonna vote for this one.

Hoblit: for some reason this makes me think of leonard cohen. Maybe the phrasing. It’s good. I also like that guitar a lot. I’ll vote for this.

Los Vigilantes Oscuros: too bad you didn’t post the lyrics, the vocoded section is a little hard to understand. The spoken word bit reminds me of negativland. I’d prefer the music behind the spoken word to be a bit less clean personally.

LunkMoChump: the instrumental interlude with the plinky stuff makes me happy, was that some ahh voice in the back? Yeah i dig the backing vox.

The Mellfire Trifecta: funny that the bench in the park is popular. Is there room for both of you? Like that other song it’s not my favorite genre but it’s good.

Pigfarmer Jr: i guess this title brings out the country in lots of you folks. As above, not exactly my thing. Those backing vocals are good stuff tho. Banjo? I like that too.

Robyn Mackenzie: the vocal treatment on the chorus is cool. Ooh that solo guitar is awesome. I’m not sure what you’re drinking, but when you’re in the ocean it seems hard to drink anything but ocean… or dark.

Soft Rick: rhythm track is good. The vocals aren’t my favorite.

Starfinger: yes, the country has certainly taken over haha. But your version of country is weird. That little noise after “all the bees are dead” is awesome. It really underscores the lyric there. And the growly vocal at the end is great. vote.

Sunspire: this is fluffy, evermind, and me. I did the weird synths. And the other synths that aren’t as weird. I’m voting for myself too. i like our take on the title. And the somewhat sloppy timing feels good to me, i like what somebody said about tom waits. And what fluffy did with the drum fill and then the great vocal effect.


Votes: add,, frankie, hoblit, starfinger, sunspire

[frankie big face]

Frankie Big Face
I like the intro alot. Reminds me of something. Its kinda like a gothy Everly brothers. I like the way the bass comes in. I like the lyrics alot. Has a real classic feel to it. Well done.

I love that this reminded you of the Everly Brothers. When I wrote the song, I 100% figured I was just going to do a 50s 12/8 thing à la the Everly Brothers or any other number of pseudo doo-wop-ish acts, complete with big vocal harmonies, etc. But I decided that didn't really fit the aesthetic of the lyrics so I resisted vocal harmony and only allowed crickets into the vocal booth with me. Anyway, I'm glad it retained some of those 50s characteristics even though I made it more sparse and modern and theatrical.

[frankie big face]

Frankie Big Face – The song itself is deceptively simple, but the lyrics are rather impactful. Points deducted for leaning heavily into the “sleeping in the park” bit, but at least it isn’t used directly as a rhyming couplet with the title except once at the very end. And the song itself is lovely enough for that to be forgiven.

Thanks! I didn't think that "sleeping in the park" bit was *too* over the top. Just the right amount of over the top.

EDIT: Oh! And my song is mostly I, IV, and V (okay, yes there is a vi), but I did use an augmented V occasionally. And yes, of course, the bridge is chromatic for contrast:

Gmaj7 E/G# D/A D+/A# Bm C°7
Em7/B Bb+ D/A E/G# Gmaj7 A7

[frankie big face]

Frankie Big Face: i really like that quavery synth from the intro. Or whatever it is. I really like how the first two verses mirror each other. Gonna vote for this one.

I had two production goals with this recording. Test out the new UAD "Capital Chambers" reverb plugin I bought and decide whether I needed to buy the UAD Waterfall Rotary Speaker plugin or just use the built in Apple equivalent. So the quavery synth is a stock patch with Rotor and Fuzz Wah added. That worked out pretty well. Thanks for the vote!

[frankie big face]

These aren't great reviews, but I like to read reviews of my music (even when they're not super-positive), so I (unfairly) assume you do too.

Add:
My favorite thing about this song is the loose feel. But I also love that this could have been posted in 2001 - you haven't aged or matured a bit! Surprised to hear a major 7th chord from you. Anyway, I am meandering, but this is great. VOTE.

Balls To Monte:
This song rocks *and* rolls! Your songs have always sounded like the 70s to me. And leaning toward glam, which I enjoy. You often remind me of Sweet. Nice guitar solo.

Berkeley Social Scene:
To be honest, the vocal kills this song for me. That's a hard thing for me to get past. Sounds a little like a Ziggy-era attempt at Bowie. (I just don't know why anyone would deliberately sound like David Bowie. I mean, who does that?) So that's it. Some nice guitar stuff, but the vocal makes it unpalatable for me.

Hoblit:
NICE guitar sound! That's not a stock DAW preset for sure. Anyway, this is really well-done. Great mood, great playing. VOTE.

Los Vigilantes Oscuros:
I assume this is an "Instant Band"? If I had more patience, I would pay more attention to the lyrics and I'm guessing that's where I would find the reward, but I'm not engaged enough to look for it. Having said that, I think there are other people who would *really* like this. I don't think I'm your audience.

LunkMoChump:
Another "Instant Band," I presume. I sense an "Instant Band-Wagon." HAHAHA. I'm so funny. This song has a nice blend of colors, but the mix seems a bit crowded at times. Also, a little bit long, imo. Folksy, but bordering on jammy. Nice vocal. I will say this - it sounds like a real band, like in the same room with one another, so congrats on that.

The Mellfire Trifecta:
Is this also an Instant Band? If so, that might explain the disconnect I'm hearing between the drums and everything else. It just feels a little...misaligned. Not literally, but just slightly off. Anyway, I like this song and I dig the lyrics for the most part and the singing is good.

Pigfarmer Jr:
This isn't exactly my cup of tea, but it's undeniably good. Your voice fits in perfectly with this sound. (If this is your usual sound and I'm just stupid, I apologize. I feel like I've heard other types of music from you.) Great mix and arrangement. Banjo works really well. Good lyrics too! VOTE.

Robyn Mackenzie:
This is going to be a very specific criticism, but I feel like the blue note (Bb) you use of the I chord is overused. It's really effective during the intro, but I would drop it during the verses and bring it back sparingly later on during the instrumental interludes. For some reason, I want to hear you do your best Ann Wilson (of Heart) imitation. I think you could bring the RAWK. As down and dirty as this is, it still sounds a little reserved in its performance.

Soft Rick:
Instantly reminded me of "Faithfully" by Journey at the beginning. Great guitar solo. Vocal performance could be better both in terms of pitch and phrasing. Some nice dissonance in the harmonies, but maybe overused. Re-voicing those harmonies instead of doing them the same way each time would be more effective, imo.

Starfinger:
At first, I was...appalled! (Not really.) I was like, who is this? This isn't Starfinger! But then you twisted and turned and everything was right in the world. This is just plain weird, but very creative. Flight of the Conchords would be proud. VOTE being considered.

Sunspire:
Fluffy putting on her Residents eyeball! As AA mentioned, a nice twist on the title. I enjoy the lyrics much more than the song.

[Hoblit]

EDIT: I'm not sure what happened but the first half of my post was missing and I've updated my reviews for A-L.

Add:

Classic Add. Love this sound overall. The soft cadence with the filler guitar with those warmer tones is noice. Using the word again, classic is the sound of your songfight! voice. At least to me. It has that indie feel, naturally. The harder parts in the middle and nearer to the end feel like your singing-character is losing just a little control... just a little too drunk for a moment there so I dig THAT on an 'artistic level'.

The tremelo on the vocal track is just icing, delicious icing.

The stars are thinning out so I gotta' get to the next song before black out.

Balls To Monte:

Nice kick-start of a song. It might seem a little 80's movie-sound-track but it's well put together and not quite that parody. I particularly like the singing and harmonies. It has a standard-rock feel but executed so well that it's not the trope it could be. Good guitar dueling and fun lyrics all tied together in a nice rock-n-roll bed of music and vocal performance.

Berkeley Social Scene:

I wasn't crazy about the intro into the clumbsy verse until I began to understand that it was supposed to be a little drunk. The song is about drinking after all. So I appreciate the arrangement and performance points even where they may suffer a bit. (We only get a week and boy do I get that, myself.) The clean chord-pick-through parts are nice and I do like the shaky lead in the middle too.

I want to say that I like the vocal delivery where I could see others being a bit more picky about that.

Frankie Big Face:

This is really good and should win. Where I've forgotten how to record, you've only gotten better. I love this production but it's not just the mix & mastering that assentuate the performance. I like the way your voice sounds in this piece and really like the night-air atmosphere that you've managed to create. It is pretty dramatic and again, you only seem to improve. You are the professional here after all. This song is strong in all aspects, including lyrical content. Everything else has been said and I can only say that this is the strongest entry this week.

Both of us thought to drink in the park, and that too I can appreciate.

Hoblit:

I didn't get around to putting in the percussion I wanted. I wanted some floor tom stuff here and there or maybe even a kettle drum during those choruses. As much compliment as I have gotten on the guitar, I wish I had more time to polish those solos. I could have done better.

Los Vigilantes Oscuros:

I will say that this is interesting and put together well. I am not necessarily in into it. In fact, to me it reminds me of a more modern beatnic type thing. It's got the poetry and drama but of course it's bigger than bongos and finger snaps. I appreciate the level of effort in making a listenable piece even if it really isn't my thing.

LunkMoChump:

I love how this music starts with the airy but small roomed drums. It breaks into something of a folk song that falls in that strange area that I'm not crazy about. I love Crosby Stills & Nash but hate John Denver and Gordon Lightfoot while this song leans to the latter. Just a not-my-thing type thing. But it's executed well and the vocals are very nice. The performance is very nice and has a really good feel. Toooo-good... but I can appreciate the instrumentation, and not find enough flaw to harp on.

Good work.


The Mellfire Trifecta:

Another fun intro right into a nice airy piece. I love your voice and delivery here and the instrumentation, clear but still filled in nice, is really pretty. Where this could fall into boring 70's hippy music, something saves it from falling into that. It reminds me of that kind of music a lot though, which isn't bad as I like a lot of it. The backing vocals are very nice and I like the story. I feel like I lived your song. (Well, I've lived a lot of songs in this fight.) Another solid entry in this fight, and thank you for such a nice song.

Pigfarmer Jr:

I love this. It reminds me of a lot of that modern folk music that I can dig. The lyrics are great and the instrumentation (specifically the banjo) are authentic choices for this style. I appreciate the right amount of reverb which is even better than some of the modern folk can be, especially the kind in the 2010s (and back through the decade before.)

Good vocals, good performance, another great tune for this fight.

Robyn Mackenzie:

This leans into the indie-rock sound of the last 25 years. I think the vocals may be setting too loud in this song but they're good enough to do that. I love the guitar half-stop transition sliding into each other through the soft crunch overdrive. The hook "keep on drinking in the Da A aark" is a nice touch and is in danger of getting stuck in my head as the chorus is repeated, leaving it stuck in my head.

Soft Rick:

This sounds late 70's, early 80's and seems to embrace that cheesy sound. Don't get me wrong, the performance is mostly solid and the lyrics aren't bad. It's just the instrumentation and effect choices that box it into that category. Which isn't my favorite but I do have a soft spot for that guitar solo sound over it as my mind perceives it as 'smooth' somehow. (maybe it feels R&B to me)

On a personal level, the lyrics are my life. As a famous country singer once sang, " hangovers hurt more than they used to ".

Starfinger:

Wow this song is weird but you've been known to be so. Another song that feels drunk and I love how wobbly the first section is despite it having a 'normal sound'. The second part kicks in as almost a relief because it seems to embrace the weirdness instead of my brain trying to sort that out for itself.

I particularly love your vocal delivery here and the instrumentation choices are excellent. The lyrics are solid even if a bit meta but this song makes me want to drink in the dark. (And yes, we can hear you wearing TMBG on your sleeve here!)
i
Love it, one of my favorites this week.

Sunspire:

This is pretty good and I can hear the idea, most everything you're going for even if you don't fully achieve it. As said earlier, and I will most certainly say again in the future, I understand how the time limitation and crunch can make our songs suffer a little. I won't get into particulars except to say that I think you might probably agree. I do like it and it is interesting and listenable among a solid set of songs this time around.

I like the 'feel' and atmosphere you create with the percussion & effect choices along with the vocal delivery tying it all together.

[SoftRick]

Soft Rick:

This sounds late 70's, early 80's and seems to embrace that cheesy sound. Don't get me wrong, the performance is mostly solid and the lyrics aren't bad. It's just the instrumentation and effect choices that box it into that category. Which isn't my favorite but I do have a soft spot for that guitar solo sound over it as my mind perceives it as 'smooth' somehow. (maybe it feels R&B to me)

On a personal level, the lyrics are my life. As a famous country singer once sang, " hangovers hurt more than they used to ".

Thats exactly what I am going for and anytime I post under this project it'll be yacht rock. Lol thanks for the review!

[Hoblit]

Hoblit - Wow. Another great one. Really moody without being morose, and effective vocal harmonies. Great guitar work. Damn. Another possible contender.

Thank you!

Hoblit
Nice guitar right out the rip. Sweet intro. Kinda Tarantino esq. This has a dark tropical feel to it. I can hear this in an action movie. Nice harmonies half way through. The middle is my favorite.

First, thank you.

Second, I always appreciate it when someone says one of my songs sounds like it belongs to some visual medium like a movie or TV show. It means that I was able to create a mood, feel, or otherwise conjure a scene.

In this case, strangely enough, I too thought it sounded like it could be an old Miami Vice TV show piece. Something where a detective sweating through an undershirt, drinking straight from the bottle, in the dark. So we're both on the same page there!

Interesting that several of you decided to purposely construct chord structures that are anything BUT I-IV-V, presumably to spite the whole concept of the optional challenge.

Hoblit – This guitar intro is the closest I’ve heard to a I-IV-V, but you’ve still got some extra random minor notes that throw it off. Another one with points deducted for rhyming “in the dark” with “in the park.” I think there may have been some I-IV-I-V in here, which is almost there but not quite. The sound of the bass, although it doesn’t seem like much, really helps to round out the arrangement beyond just the guitar and the singing.

I'm not the music nerd that Frankie is but lemme' tell YOU somethin'.

My whole song is I IV V.

Sure, you can argue that only the chorus is if you were to simply believe I wrote the whole thing in in A major. But I didn't.

I wrote this in two keys with the verse in F# Minor. (Go ahead, laugh it up, all the way back to coming around on it!)

While I AM being tongue-in-cheek here, the challenge was accepted and I did do this deliberately.

Post Script: I have been drinking in a park, in the dark and have even woke up in a couple. So I've earned the right to rhyme those words dammit!

Hoblit: for some reason this makes me think of leonard cohen. Maybe the phrasing. It’s good. I also like that guitar a lot. I’ll vote for this.

You're the second person to get into my head this fight. The first was the 'tropical feel / action movie' mention by Soft Rick.

I've been listening to a lot of Leonard Cohen recently and was trying to fit in "kneeling through the dark" as an homage to So Long Marianne, a song I used to cover. While I wasn't able to get it in there, I imagine some of it rubbed off in there anyway.

Thank you for the vote!

These aren't great reviews, but I like to read reviews of my music (even when they're not super-positive), so I (unfairly) assume you do too.


Hoblit:
NICE guitar sound! That's not a stock DAW preset for sure. Anyway, this is really well-done. Great mood, great playing. VOTE.

THANK YOU!

While it is NOT a DAW preset, it is a stolen sound. I was watching a famous cartoon TV show and it ended with an outro song that I resembled my intro on. It was a bit of a generic sound to my ears but I wanted to recreate it for the mood-effect it had on me.

All this is: An old Fender Telecaster (with an Esquire neck) on the center, 'both pickups' setting, played through a MODELED Fender amp with a hint of chorus & reverb, going in wet due to the time crunch. (and obviously some tremolo was added to the chorus parts, in post)

Thank you for the vote!

[Hoblit]

Soft Rick:

This sounds late 70's, early 80's and seems to embrace that cheesy sound. Don't get me wrong, the performance is mostly solid and the lyrics aren't bad. It's just the instrumentation and effect choices that box it into that category. Which isn't my favorite but I do have a soft spot for that guitar solo sound over it as my mind perceives it as 'smooth' somehow. (maybe it feels R&B to me)

On a personal level, the lyrics are my life. As a famous country singer once sang, " hangovers hurt more than they used to ".

Thats exactly what I am going for and anytime I post under this project it'll be yacht rock. Lol thanks for the review!

Then you nailed it!

[starfinger]

pig farmer: i think this sounds great, and feels like a real song. some of
the vocal phrases seem rushed for their place in the song.

starfinger: this is me, and i don't get why everybody is saying it's weird.
but yeah i like singing with this yokel twang a lot more than i like listening
to other people do it! all the music except for the fake guitars is modular
synth, which makes me happy.

frankie big face: i think somebody earlier mentioned the 50's vibe of this.
it's a very striking, insular yet spacey arrangement. like an astronaut
drinking because they miss humanity.

sunspire: i love the bassline and the general arrangement. the lyrics are
very interesting. the weird sounds in the back are great. around 1:30 when it
kicks into the "first comes the bottomless pit" or something, you start to
channel Violent Femmes for me. love it.

soft rick: i like the 80's sitcom intro music vibe at the beginning. not sold
on how the vocals sit with the rest of it, but it's really fun to listen to.
sloppy yacht rock. (i mean sloppy as a compliment)

robyn mackenzie: this is a classy bar band kind of thing, but the chorus
really elevates it. well done

los vigilantes oscuros: these lyrics really tickle me and i love the vocoder,
but for some reason the word "tipple" bothers me. the spoken word is my
favorite part. it's like a hard-boiled* detective narrating an alien
abduction. *kinda

lunk mo chump: the epic neil diamondness of the early vocals really set the
expectations for the rest of the song! i think this is great, but there's
something offputting in the mix.. like it's too modern sounding .. too loud?
it's really good though! i would love to sing a song like this.

balls to monte: yeah! this feels like so many great things at once. i could
listen to this spontaneously in the future!

hoblit: the plaintive western blues vibe morphing in and out of that more
upbeat sounding chorus part (though i guess the words aren't more upbeat) is
just splendid. oodles of vibe. i feel like i'm with you out in some desert
bar. super good.

add: too many great parts to this.. there are melodies in here that feel like
timeless ADD, and the crunchy guitar bit coupled with the heavily chorused(?)
vocals and the sampled outro feel new. i love it. incidentally and
unrelatedly when I was recording my DITD, I came up with a part that reminded
me of you when i sang it (around the end of the second verse wehre i sing "in
the folds of my bed"). it's probably just me, but i wanted to relay that you
inspired me.


melfire trifecta: i like the conversational rhythm of the vocals. this is
really good. it makes me think of the wonder years.

berkeley social scene: is this your normal singer? i can't remember what the
optional challenge was for this anymore. is this the one where you're supposed
to sound like the early 90's? anyway, it's really good! the chorus feels
very classic!

[Hoblit]

hoblit: the plaintive western blues vibe morphing in and out of that more
upbeat sounding chorus part (though i guess the words aren't more upbeat) is
just splendid. oodles of vibe. i feel like i'm with you out in some desert
bar. super good.

Thank you!

Again, I love it when my music can promote a scene in someone else's head.

I appreciate the words, sir.