Don't call it a conspiracy (Just A Theory reviews)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

"Almost all of history is an unbroken trail of one conspiracy after another. Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." - G. Edward Griffin

[Pigfarmer Jr]

.

Put your lyric here, please: viewtopic.php?t=12713

.

[Lunkhead]

Songs posted!

[Hoblit]

Songs posted!

Thank you, sir.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Allen "Wink" Iverson: Not a huge fan of the ska style (in general) but I'm loving those horns. This is a grower, though. Liking it better on second listen. I think the vocal on the last chorus is the best take of the bunch.

a person named Rose: Missing the lyric on the lyric thread for this one. The vocal seems a bit muddy for some reason but the guitar is pretty clear. I like the effect on the title line. The casio keyboard line is a nice touch for the outro.

Berkeley Social Scene: Digging that left panned guitar line right from the start. A throwback to the mid 80's guitar lines on some synth pop songs. (Maybe the Cure?) I like chorus melody over those guitars quite a bit. And the doubled/harmony vocal of the bridge. I really like the 52 second outro/squeal. Not bad but post the damn lyric, would ya?

The Hell Yeahs: Cool guitars. I like the verse melody and vocal quite a bit. This is cool. Might be my favorite of the fight.

Hoblit: This started off and I thought it was kinda cool then 40 seconds in I noticed it was 4:00 long and thought FUCK! But then you saved it for me with your arrangement. It went by pretty quickly. The phrasing on "theory" is a tad distracting for me. It's an odd word, really. The stress is on syllable one but the second syllable is stressed almost as much, usually. That downward melodic turn seems a little off. I'm sidetracked and it's not that big of a deal and I should just shut up now.

The Idiot Kings: I like the lofi/low key industrial feel. Another cool entry but it feels part of a whole rather than something I'm drawn to by itself... not sure that makes sense. It's just a feeling.

The Mellfire Trifecta: I'm getting some weird associations with this. Almost a Grateful Dead vocal harmony feel just after 1:00... I like that section quite a bit. I'm getting a kind of throwback feel from this but it doesn't hit anything I can think of on the head. If you'd describe the non word vocalizing on the second half I'd be sure I'd hate it but it works very well for me.

[Hoblit]

I had a busy weekend (no he didn't) so I couldn't get to the review sooner (He's totally lying, don't listen to him) !

On a serious note, I listened to these all weekend and I'm glad to have let a couple of them sink in a little better because of it.

Allen "Wink" Iverson:

I think this song is the winnerand I'm voting for it. You've managed to somehow channel an old Sublime vibe. This is an excellent production and everything sounds great. Ska is not my thing but it's also not foriegn to me either and I've got a spot for it in my life because of a band my wife really likes. The horns are nice, guitar tones supreme, and the vocal delivery is smooth with the back-up, almost gang-vocals is a great touch and really ties the whole thing together. Great work!

a person named Rose:

While it took a couple of listens, it's grown on me a bit. I'm glad there was someone else who went a little early-Floydish. Those are my favorite parts, the half step chording with the chorus'd vocals in the ...chorus. Cute song and worthy of the fight.

Berkeley Social Scene:

I do like the arrangement. The guitars seem 80s'ish in multple ways. The deep reverb / echo along with quarter note downstroke parts and casually repetitive fills. Those separate parts and different tones for each of them keep the whole thing interesting. The rolling bass also keeps the energy going while other instrumentation slithers in and out. While I can appreciate guitar-noise-feedback, I'm not fond of the squeal frequencies were getting in this song. Headphones, beware.

The Hell Yeahs:

Rawk. I dig this quite a bit. The minimal guitar allowing the vocals to drive along with the drums. Which brings the emphasis to the bad-assery, if-you-will. This also contrasts with the chorus which is a nice dive in the song. The lyrics are fun as well and I dig the spacy, psychadelic vibes of this song too. Great work and y'all get a vote from me.

Hoblit:

Explanation of this song is that it uses music theory to generate repetitive lyrics. For the verses, the vocals are dancing on the root note of the key. (A, in A minor) Crossing that against a traditional conspiracy rant. (I once had a friend who experienced trama and from there they thought people were following them... and it got so bad...everybody was in on it at some point...) So later the same vocals can be placed over an array of chords in A minor... spookily. The guitar solo was just relief at the end. It should be noted that i modeled this song after 70's Pink Floyd.

The Idiot Kings:

So I was hoping the whole fight would be a bunch of dark songs and I appreciate you doing your part. This reminds me of 90s industrial and almost specifically of ones I would see at local shows. Reminding me of Ministry & Skinny Puppy, things like that. I like the patches and the deep base bounce. The spooky lyrics and vocal delivery is just blood on the cake, man!

The Mellfire Trifecta:

So this reminds me of early REM. My wife too...and then I said RADIO FREE EUROPE and she's like no, GARDENING AT NIGHT...and then we listened to both of those and decided we're both right. There's also an old 70's sound to it at the same time ... Moody Blues'ish I suppose. Basically I like the instrumentation, arrangement, including the backing aaahs-vocals, and the sincere-sounding lyrical delivery. This is very nice.

Pigfarmer Jr:

I can't vote for every single song in this fight, but I can vote for this one. This is my favoriite of the fight, and would fit in playlists I listen to these days. I really like the lyrics, and especially the chorus. The recording itself is nice. I like where the drums land and interact with the rhythm instruments. The electric guitar splashing the chords and wiggling through the verses are great. The dynamics of the instruments dropping out and then punching back in is a good touch. This is on par with some of Jason Isbel's past projects and is overall, the best song of this fight. That's just like, my opnion, man.

[Hoblit]

Hoblit: This started off and I thought it was kinda cool then 40 seconds in I noticed it was 4:00 long and thought FUCK! But then you saved it for me with your arrangement. It went by pretty quickly. The phrasing on "theory" is a tad distracting for me. It's an odd word, really. The stress is on syllable one but the second syllable is stressed almost as much, usually. That downward melodic turn seems a little off. I'm sidetracked and it's not that big of a deal and I should just shut up now.

I'm a long time fan but I really did my homework on Pink Floyd for this song. I was aiming for a 70's version of them and if there is anybody else reading this, there's a fan-site called Gilmourish you should check out. This guy has done his level best to log the equipment Gilmour used on all of their records, including tours in the same time-frames. So I'll have you know that the real Pink Floyd version of my song would be far longer. In fact, it was a fairly restrictive property to keep under control for this type of thing!

I apologize for putting the emPHASIS on the wrong syLABLE there ... although I've heard the word said many times, many ways...Merry Christmas! But I hear ya' on that and I've been a bit guilty of forcing words into beats, improperly. But it's not a crime! (yet?)

But honestly, thanks for the listen and your time as well as the constructive feedback. I do appreciate it, sir!

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Pigfarmer Jr:

I can't vote for every single song in this fight, but I can vote for this one. This is my favoriite of the fight, and would fit in playlists I listen to these days. I really like the lyrics, and especially the chorus. The recording itself is nice. I like where the drums land and interact with the rhythm instruments. The electric guitar splashing the chords and wiggling through the verses are great. The dynamics of the instruments dropping out and then punching back in is a good touch. This is on par with some of Jason Isbel's past projects and is overall, the best song of this fight. That's just like, my opnion, man.

Damn! Thank you.

I'm a long time fan but I really did my homework on Pink Floyd for this song.

I didn't get Pink Floyd from this when I was listening through but now that you mention it there are some brush strokes. Especially in the bass, how the drums came in and the backing vox. The guitar solo is a little reminiscent of Gilmour. That tremolo guitar in the background in a place or two, as well. Yeah, I hear it now, for sure.

[the idiot king]

The Idiot Kings: I like the lofi/low key industrial feel. Another cool entry but it feels part of a whole rather than something I'm drawn to by itself... not sure that makes sense. It's just a feeling.

Maybe an Idiot Kings industrial concept album? It's just a theory.

The Idiot Kings:

So I was hoping the whole fight would be a bunch of dark songs and I appreciate you doing your part. This reminds me of 90s industrial and almost specifically of ones I would see at local shows. Reminding me of Ministry & Skinny Puppy, things like that. I like the patches and the deep base bounce. The spooky lyrics and vocal delivery is just blood on the cake, man!

Blood on the cake is a wonderful turn of phrase. Thanks for the Ministry/SP comparisons!

[the idiot king]

Allen "Wink" Iverson: You get all the credit for the left field lyrical topic. I prefer my ska slower and minor key, so you’re in luck there. The vocal delivery is just on the good side of sounding too much like Sublime. The horns are great.

a person named Rose: Sucking everything under ~100Hz out of the vocals would make them stand out a bit more clearly. Wish the lyrics were posted. Short and sweet, wasn’t expecting a synth outdo, but I’m here for it.

Berkeley Social Scene: Guitar right is great. Overall this reminds me of the mid aughts when there were a million bands that had a huge single (Stellastarr, Editors, Kasabian) and could have definitely all played on a package tour. I like the noisy end.

The Hell Yeahs: Riffage. Yes, please. Great lyrics, solid vocal performance. The lead guitar is a little lost in the mix, but that’s a minor nit. Solid entry.

Hoblit: I was initially confused by the relatively small amount of lyrics and four minute length, then I remembered the repeating vocals optional challenge. Really cool arrangement, you definitely got Floydy without being too on the nose. As mentioned elsewhere the runtime breezed by.

The Idiot Kings: I’m glad the industrial/Skinny Puppy vibes were felt by others. I was feeling noisy so I went noisy. The coworker is real, though he doesn’t collect barrels of rain (he just mentioned the desire to do so once). He’s actually stranger than that.

The Mellfire Trifecta: This has strong vibes of the second (and excellent) Hot Hot Heat album. The harmonies and lead acoustic guitar are clutch. This kinda rules. As usual, Mellfire delivers.

Pigfarmer Jr: This may be the first Songfight song I’ve heard with a country tinge….ever? No complaints, I dig it. Great performances all around, I like the harmonies. The drop in dynamics in the last chorus is so good. Congrats - you’ve produced my favorite track this week.

[rose]

Allen "Wink" Iverson: oh man, this is goood. digging the kinda sublime-y vibe, these chords swirl around my head. LOVE the horns and the organ that comes in when they're around. i could totally hear this on the radio in like, saint's row 2 or one of the grand theft auto-s. such a jam.

a person named Rose: i did this one on tape! been in a 4-trackey mood for a few months, and since i was going through the depths of the SongFight archive i figured i'd do something on older equipment to sorta invoke that brand of stuff. i mixed it digitally though - it's how i put that weird flange effect on the vocal (i need to teach myself how tape effects work). the synth is from this VTech Rhythmic 2 keyboard I found at Goodwill for $15, it's ever so slightly sharp so i had to raise the tape speed to get it in A440 when slowed back down.

Berkeley Social Scene: seconding idiot king, that right panned guitar is awesome. digging the vocal delivery on this a bit, the music kinda reminds me of REM... or at least the five-ish REM songs i know. "is this the end, or just a scene / in this cosmic in-between?" is a really good couplet. the guitar noise outro is a little weird through my headphones, but i don't mind, kinda reminds me of Burnt by the florida band Precious. good stuff.

The Hell Yeahs: ooh rock music! i like the synth-marimba esque arp a lot. the rhythm guitar is good, i wish the lead guitar was a bit higher but i like what i hear. this is awesome.

Hoblit: putting the repeated lyrics challenge to good work! very trippy in a nice way. i like the backing vocal in the chorus-ish section where it sounds like you're shouting it from the other side of the room, i do this sometimes and it's always fun. the bridge ROCKS, the lead guitar is very David Gilmour-esque. sort of a tiny thing but that jaw-harpy sounding processed vocal in bits of the song is a really good touch too. i dig it - it was four minutes long but i was fully ready for it to go on for way longer!

The Idiot Kings: this rules!!! the industrial vibes suit the title very well, reminds me of Ministry. i like the weird noises and what sounds like a digitally pitch-shifted vocal deeper in the mix, they complement the song greatly.

The Mellfire Trifecta: i feel like i would hear this in a low budget movie made by some college students filmed on intentionally dated equipment that isn't really like, a "movie" movie as much as them documenting just kinda messing around in the summer and having a good time - i hope this comes across as a compliment. i love this, your vocal delivery does wonders with the jangly guitars and chord prog.

Pigfarmer Jr: it's very modern country, but that isn't a bad thing to me! the vocal delivery is good and the harmonies work really well with it. pretty good jam, i can groove with it.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

a person named Rose: i did this one on tape!

Awesome

the synth is from this VTech Rhythmic 2 keyboard I found at Goodwill for $15

I was gonna say I didn't want to disparage your synth with my casio comment but then I did some research (ie, googled) and found one on reverb for $40 American (plus $20 shipping) and figured 1985 was a good year to produce keyboards. I love stories like "I found this instrument for 15 bucks at Goodwill so used it on this song!"

Maybe Fightmaster the Third should make that an optional challenge. Casiocore (or similar) or maybe Cheap instruments. Which maybe we've done before?

Anyway, thanks for the reviews, all y'all.

[ujnhunter]

I'm always down for some Casiocore.

[Heather. Redmon.]

Great fight everyone! Here are my thoughts about the entries:

Allen "Wink" Iverson: I like the rhythm of the vocal delivery. I agree with everyone saying Sublime. The horns are a nice touch and add to the vibe.

a person named Rose: This is cute in a good way. Short and sweet. I don’t mind that the vocals are a bit hard to hear because the melody is nice and upbeat.

Berkeley Social Scene: I enjoyed the guitar solo and the guitars throughout are nice, but I don’t prefer the outro, too squealy for my tastes. I thought the song was at least a minute too long.

The Hell Yeahs: Making a Hell Yeahs song is such a fun experience for me and Phil. This one was no different. Thanks for all of the kind words!

Hoblit: This song certainly takes the optional challenge seriously! The various guitar parts keep it interesting and the vocals keep it spooky indeed. But, again, I feel like it is about a minute or so too long.

The Idiot Kings: Very industrial, done well. I wish I could hear the vocals a little bit more because the lyrics are interesting.

The Mellfire Trifecta: Speaking of good lyrics, I really like these! And the vocal delivery fits them perfectly. This is delightful. I enjoyed the guitar in the ‘just a theory’ section, especially the first time it came around.

Pigfarmer Jr: I don’t usually like country stuff, but this is only lightly country-flavored so I can enjoy it. There’s a nice sentiment to the lyrics. The guitar is well played and I like the vocal harmonies.

[jack]

Just a theory.....so I know who Allen Iverson is (one of the greatest basketball players ever) which makes me think the "wink" is a nod to "AI". Not as in the NBA player but the other "AI". The singing sounds real (and really good!). So is AWI AI?

It's good! I'll vote for it (in the event it gets zero votes again)

[MellyP]

Pigfarmer Jr
I needed a couple of listens but this one got under my skin. The production is awesome. This offers a great arrangement, great vocal, nice harmonies, a perfect bridge, and you have changed the strumming at times to keep things moving. Really nice guitar playing and tones. The only thing that might improve it is a lyric that pulls me in a bit more. That said, the words go together well and they fit the music very nicely. Sometimes the direct method works. Vote.

Berkeley Social Scene
Others have complimented the excellent guitar tones and playing here and I must agree. Love the panning. Great attention to detail too. The singing is great, but I wish the vocal was coming through to my ears more clearly. Got my good headphones on and it’s not muffled, but it sounds like some effect is added that diminishes its quality. (I’m not technical enough to explain this and it could just be my personal preference.) Would love to have seen the lyrics to help me follow this. I really love the screaming eagle outro.

The Idiot Kings
This really hits hard, with a booming and complete mix. Lots going on. I would love to hear the vocals slightly up in the mix but feel it’s possibly low by design(?). This song makes me move. I can’t dance, really, so I’d look like Frankenstein clomping to this in a club, but it’d be fulfilling. Love the whispered sections. Great little starts and stops. I find I’m rewarded by multiple listens. Vote

A Person Named Rose
Short, strange… and sweet. My favorite part of this is the unique backing/answer vocal – would love to know how you got that sound in the voices. The way you sing this really works for the material and your acoustic playing is nice. Fascinating choice to use the simple keys part at the end. Works! Good job.

Allen “Wink” Iverson
Guess I don’t always know what’s AI and what isn’t anymore, or where/when, but I will say that the result of this work is brilliant. Drums, bass, horns, guitars, all sound terrific. Vocals stellar. The bridge section makes me think of the excellent Hamilton soundtrack – the singer's inflections. In future, please don’t “Wink” at me, okay? just tell us who you are? Lol. Good result!

The Hell Yeahs
This is unique writing, and the vocal delivery has great charm. I love the second line of each verse and how the words are jammed but fit perfectly! Lots of great and inventive guitar work in the background that I didn’t notice on listen one, but for me, really make this song. Vote

Hoblit
Because I read the other comments, I saw that you modeled this after ’70s Pink Floyd. I’m not an obsessive fan of the band – even though I love things like Bike and Arnold Layne – but I appreciate this a lot. That style choice means you have a fitting accompaniment for these lyrics, with their repetition, as per the optional challenge. I think this is cool and that you probably ended up with exactly what you wanted. The low-mixed yelled ending, which I really like, made me visualize Syd B bellowing into the mic in a darkened, deserted studio (though I know he wasn’t really part of Floyd by the 70s).

The Mellfire Trifecta
This was us. Our bassist also played mandolin during the first chorus. I liked this title because I thought it could lead in so many different directions – and judging by these entries that did happen. Good job all.

[Lunkhead]

Berkeley Social Scene taking another win isn't just a theory, it's a fact. Better luck next time, The Idiot Kings.

[the idiot king]

Congrats, Berkeley!

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Well, that's BSS (for the win.) Congratz!