Will I ever know (The Thrill Of Getting Away With Something reviews)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

The thrill is gone
The thrill is gone away
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away
You know you done me wrong baby
And you'll be sorry someday

Lyrics go here: viewtopic.php?t=12995

[Lunkhead]

Songs posted!

[roymond]

No deep insights here, but a quick response to some great songs! And to think there was only one ready for the deadline! Awesome job by all.

Berkeley Social Scene:
Love these vocals and the retro guitar and wah solo. The solo section is a bit long, not quite a jam tune but hinting at wanting to be a jam tune.

Brown Word and the Big Whine:
Love this line: "I'm the devil in the details and I'm running this scam". Now we know it's a scam, but I don't feel the "thrill".

East Bay Rivals:
Like these guitar lick parts. I like how it opens up in the break section.

The John Benjamin Band:
I know you can throw together vocals but these loops are a very fun assembly. Except that cello sample...dude! Do you have dreads now?

The Lonely Socks Club:
"Flirting so dangerously with a cross-the-line energy" is nice. Evocative and bouncy. Love the riff on MTV and all things 80s. Tremelo throw-back vibes in the outro along with Ferris...those were the days.

The Mellfire Trifecta:
This is sweet and cute. But not sure what you got away with. That's ok, I don't say it either, but I can't really connect the verses with the chorus. Do love the Charlie-Brown piano and the vocal harmonies.

Mystic Colossus:
"The thrill of getting away with something can be its own reward" I think was a core philosophy of my childhood. Nice layers and textures, though pretty dense throughout. It could use a breather in there.

Pigfarmer Jr:
Always love your guitar. Heartfelt and contained. Beautiful!

The Reverend:
I've entered as The Reverend since last year's SFL. This is about one of those thrills that are unexpected, unmentionable and, well, very thrilling. I can't say exactly what, though. The vocals need a re-do but the rest sort of took care of itself in one sitting.

Siebass:
Winner. Dynamic. Clever. Break box, harmonies and wah. All the thrilling ingredients necessary...to get away.

[MellyP]

The Mellfire Trifecta:
This is sweet and cute. But not sure what you got away with. That's ok, I don't say it either, but I can't really connect the verses with the chorus. Do love the Charlie-Brown piano and the vocal harmonies.

Thanks for the reviews and comments! This is the gist: The guy was getting away with a $20 couch, or so he thought! After finding out he wasn’t, can he or can he not describe the thrill of getting away with something?

I plan to do reviews this weekend. Thanks again.

[WreckdoMelle]

Brown Word and the Big Whine:
Love this line: "I'm the devil in the details and I'm running this scam". Now we know it's a scam, but I don't feel the "thrill".

Thanks for reviewing! I was kind of having a tough time tying it all up: she usually has never gotten away with anything and finally she does and now she's super full of herself over it.

[BoffoYux]

Are people interested in a listening party? I'll host one on Monday 3/9 at 8pm EST.

Drop in and chat with the artists and listen and comment on the tunes.

[TLSC]

Berkeley Social Scene 

I really enjoyed your vocal tone—there’s something very engaging about the texture of your voice, and the overall sound of the track is strong and well balanced. The wah wah wah really lands and adds a nice bit of flair. The solo was solid, though it ran just a little longer than I personally needed. One of my favorite moments was in the second verse: “the mystery is elusive, there’s always drama / I need you to share the exclusives, but you don’t wanna / The questions get intrusive when we’re on camera.” That slant rhyme works beautifully and gives the verse a clever, conversational rhythm. Nicely done overall. Earns an honorable mention nod from TLSC.

Brown Word and the Big Whine

This one didn’t quite click for me overall, but I did appreciate the distorted guitar tones—they had a gritty edge that added some character to the track. Even if it didn’t fully land for me musically, it’s clear there was effort and intention behind the performance, so I’ll give credit where it’s due.

East Bay Rivals

I really like the vibe you’ve created here. The track has a relaxed but confident feel, and the chorus is catchy and enjoyable—it does exactly what a good chorus should do and sticks with you after it’s over. Solid work all around.

The John Benjamin Band

This track feels like a fun musical smörgåsbord—there’s a lot going on, but it’s presented in a playful and engaging way. It’s the kind of song that invites another listen just to take in all the little details. The vocals are strong, the production is clean and polished, and the whole piece feels thoughtfully executed. I’d happily go back for seconds.

The Mellfire Trifecta

So much goodness here. The intro and outro piano immediately caught my attention—it gave me strong City of Stars from La La Land vibes, which is a great way hooked me right from the start. The tremolo piano in the chorus is absolutely beautiful and adds a lot of energy to the song. Your vocal tone is wonderfully calming and really complements the arrangement.
And I absolutely love these lines:
“I got hookered, lined and sinkered
Shoulda never gone snoopin’ on the web
Because now I’m the sad old owner
Of a tiny dollhouse sofa bed.” That’s clever, vivid, and genuinely funny songwriting. It paints a picture instantly. This one definitely earns a high five from TLSC.

Mystic Colossus

This track takes an interesting approach musically. The keyboards really stand at the center of the arrangement—they feel like the sun in this musical galaxy, with everything else orbiting around them. It creates a distinctive sonic identity and makes the track memorable. Good stuff.

Pigfarmer Jr

Your guitar playing is genuinely beautiful—there’s a warmth and expressiveness in your playing that really comes through and hits emotionally. At times it actually hearts my heart a ittle. I also appreciated the unique spin you put on the theme of “thrill”; it felt personal and thoughtfully interpreted.

The Reverend

This one connected with me right away. It’s direct and heartfelt—you hear it, and you feel it immediately. There’s no unnecessary fluff, just a clear musical statement that gets right to the point. That simplicity works very well here. Earns a fist bump from TLSC.

Siebass

The bass line immediately stands out and gives the track a solid groove to build on. I’m also really digging the b box elements—they add a fun rhythmic texture. The vocals carry a subtle sense of desperation that comes through effectively and adds emotional weight. I especially enjoyed the quick, punchy “ooo” backing vocals and the line “Well bless my biscuits,” which genuinely made me chuckle. Nicely done.

[Siebass]

The good part about entering a fight where they need more entries is that you get more time to work on them. The bad part is apparently there are lots more high quality songs! I think the songs on the whole this round were even better than the last one for Run and Don't Look Back. Here's some totally biased Siebass reviews:

Berkeley Social Scene:

Is that the baritone guitar in the intro and transitions? I really did the glennny doubled vocal, as well as the pattern in the vocal, with the long held notes like on trauma and drama.
The high harmonies sliding up on thrill are also excellent in the chorus, it's very satisfying when the line goes up. Wah solo is nice, sounds like it's also got a doubler or pitch shifter on it as well.

Brown Word and the Big Whine:

This one the backing harmonies are really nice, I think the guitar may be too loud/too big/not quite eq'ed tight enough, particularly with singing in the lower register, it's hard for me to understand when listening in my car, but okay on headphones, so something to think about. You can really feel the difference when you switch to single notes in the bridge section and the guitar is playing single notes, there's a lot of clarity there that goes back away when the distorted chords come back in, to my ear. I like the distorted tone on the guitar. I enjoyed the attitude in the vocal, you can really feel how self-satisfied and self pleased the singer is, especially on the outro, good work if you can find it line was particularly pleasing on the ending.

Berkeley Antisocial Scene (East Bay Rivals):

Digging that bass groove coming in. I don't know everyone in glennny's various bands, but I think this is, Geech singing? You guys can correct me if I'm wrong. The talk-sung vocal; it works really well for some bands like cake and the violent fems, like when this will go down on your permanent record. I'm not sure why I'm not vibing with the talk sung vocal in this track. Maybe I would have preferred a more forcefully sung vocal in the chorus, or maybe something in a higher register to contrast against the more angsty talk-sung verses, or even perhaps more backing vocals in the chorus. Probably just a me thing though, just something to consider. Nice attitude in the vocal, keyboard makes some nice accent melodies in this too, echoing the vocal. Spacey solo works, I think I recognize that drum fill from other BSS tunes with the toms during the solo, it's kind of like a finger print at this point. Great guitarwork, solid song.

The John Benjamin Band:

I really enjoyed instrumentation and percussion in this one; very different than what I'm used to hearing, djembe or something? Cool percussive bass tone, feels more like world instrumentation. Clever lyrics, interesting perspective. Key change sneaky in there in the middle too, nice falsetto vamping, layered harmonies for textures around in a few places too. Really well put together all around. Strings, flutes, lots of interesting patches. This whole song feels like it stemmed from the seed of the last line of the song, "the worst prison is getting away". The music is great in this. The only nit I have to pick is as far as the story goes, it feels like the lyrics and story in the song didn't quite set up and reach all the way to the conclusion for me; the vast majority of the song talks about how he sleeps well, no sweat in the sheets, deserves an oscar for his great acting; it never really gets into the chasing shadows, fear, anxiety, or even slow degradation into that state of running away from shadows or nightmares etc; just keeps on happily whistling or humming a tune that he never quotes, paired with the joyful music, it feels more like the singer is still carefree and happy to have gotten away with it, rather than trapped in the worst prison of getting away. Just my 2c.

The Lonely Socks Club:

I felt this last time, and again this time, but this band really evokes the strokes with those guitar chords and tones, two guitar harmonies and eighth note strumming, and feeling it here this time as well. Mix is cleaner this go round as well; solid vocal double is clear to hear and understand, and I can hear the bass and drums much better this time too. This song feels like it's aiming for a nostalgia bomb; the vibe I get is SR71/Lonely Soup Club "1985" mashed together with that bit from REM "It's the end of the world as we know it" with the list-style delivery portion. I like the piano parts as well giving extra support. In looking for nits to pick, the vocal spoken bit on the "make Ferris Bueller blush" sounds less clean and more boxy than the vocal for the rest of the song, like that part was done on a cell phone or in less-optimal conditions, but otherwise I don't think I had anything else, nit-wise. Ferris Bueller clip at the end was a nice touch.

The Mellfire Trifecta:

Fun progression here on the piano, generates a waiting vibe. Great details on Debbie looking up from the tv to yell. Catchy chorus. My favorite line was sending Alan Musk to space, though I didn't like the "book of face" one; that one didn't quite land for me and felt a bit contrived to me, even for this poor sap ordering the wrong size couch. Hookered line and sinkered was also a nice line.

Since the thrill of getting away with something shifted from the singer, I would have liked some reflection of that in the final chorus, "Can't describe the thrill they got away with something" or "Can't describe the thrill of not getting away with something", as a nod to the poor dollhouse bed. I chuckled at this song, fun idea and solid execution.

Mystic Colossus:

The backing music makes me think of an 80's cleaning or training montage, in a fun way. Upbeat. Vocals are a bit pitchy to the point of being distracting in the chorus, and the doubling is not tight here as well, which again makes it hard to understand the lyrics, both of which took away from my enjoyment of the song. I personally have been trying to use less pitch correction in my own works these days, whether that means re-singing a part until I get "close enough" or using it sparingly on the notes that feel the most off to me, but I think that either a few more takes on the chorus to land the right note for the end or some gentle pitch correction there would have improved this a lot for me. Fun little synth solo lines in this.

Pigfarmer Jr:

I liked how this song had a different take on the challenge, in a fun and satisfying way. If I were giving out points, I'd give you a bonus one for that. The baritone guitar sounds lovely with the picking, and the vocal works well with it. While the lyrics are not blazing super-original ground here, there are two things that work to overcome that, effectively, IMHO. 1: Most importantly, the delivery is earnest, emotive, and believable; 2: there are some interesting lines and fun progression tricks that are very satisfying where it breaks out of the mold; specifically the rhyme of grounded to "found", which I liked a lot, emphasized by the chord underneath the word found the (I think the secondary dominant chord? Thanks for that dumb challenge, Micah, now I hear these things EVERYWHERE). I enjoyed this song.

The Reverend:

Some really cool instrumentation; I dug the guitar riff, and also the chromatic bit in the can you feel it. Some muddiness in the vocal in my car, but it sounds clean in my headphones so something to think about; could be something related to the double, eq, or something else, just what I heard. Nice groove on the getting away. Lyrics a bit inscrutable, but best I got is perhaps a forbidden/taboo/clandestine relationship with someone. My favorite part by far was that guitar riff, it slaps, and pairs well with the punchy snare.

Siebass:

This is me. I could have done a better job on the beat box, but I wanted to do the traditional "boots and cats" style. I also probably could have spent some more time on the main vocal EQ. Overall, I was super happy with this. Even if it doesn't do well, I feel pretty pleased with capturing the vibe of this B-list minor villain, getting away with tons of tiny injustices. Bassline inspired by the Mysterioso Pizzicato, the villain music from almost every cartoon I used to watch growing up when someone was sneaking around, it's in the public domain. I'm also pretty pleased with the swap to the 8th note progression in the chorus bassline. My favorite line is "I shred artisanal cheese in your vegan casserole." Fun fact, I got in a lot of trouble for actually washing my wife's delicates on the normal cycle in the past when trying to be helpful, so inspired by true events; now I just wash my own and the kids' laundry, ha. Some of the vamping at the end is gibberish, with a plan to go back and make it coherent, but I liked the way it sounded, so I kept it in. This is near the top of the best I can do, so if this doesn't make the cut, thems the breaks, but I thought I put out a strong song this time.

[roymond]

The Reverend:
Some really cool instrumentation; I dug the guitar riff, and also the chromatic bit in the can you feel it. Some muddiness in the vocal in my car, but it sounds clean in my headphones so something to think about; could be something related to the double, eq, or something else, just what I heard. Nice groove on the getting away. Lyrics a bit inscrutable, but best I got is perhaps a forbidden/taboo/clandestine relationship with someone. My favorite part by far was that guitar riff, it slaps, and pairs well with the punchy snare.

Thanks for the review! I've really got to get back to proper EQ on each track, totally get that. I didn't have time this fight to even touch the defaults. I added a simple synth bass part in the bridge, since my vocals were a bit wonky and the chords are less than obvious in the mix. You are spot on concerning the lyric...nothing clandestine, though likely forbidden/taboo in the traditional sense, depending on one's view about monogamy. And once that riff landed it was undeniable, so glad you like it.