My new exercise regimen... (Run Away Screaming reviews)

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Scream, scream, scream, and run away,
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run,
Or die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die,
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run
Or die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die.

Lyrics go here: viewtopic.php?t=13056

[HeuristicsInc]

ya know, i thought of that song too

[Lunkhead]

Songs posted!

[WreckdoMelle]

Dollar Bill & the Inkpoints - the beat with triplets is formidable, I got a new set of headphones and I'm getting used to how loud they might be (adjusts settings), there, my head is not getting crushed. I love the giant synths. Residents-like dream state, or nightmare state?, in the chorus, lyrically nice twist on the situation. The answer could be, "Yes, a little..."

add - Beautiful-toned minor synth that revolves around, joined by a slinky piano at the hook. Doubled vox great touch. "Feels so close that it must be the end", shiver! So many nice lyrics, and dark. I like it!

Twin Snakes Motorcycle Club - I like the guitar tone and the bounce in the verse, the bass walkin' around. Dreamy doubled vocals, plus, though a bit indistinct in parts. Good touches on the piano. I want to see your club's logo!

Jeff DeSantis - Sounds really good, as in well executed, well mixed. Jangly guitar, a plus, and I admire its tone, good guitar tones all around. Are those the triplets I hear? (For being a rhythm player I'm bad with beats...) The guitars are doing some really pretty things on the side. Toe tapper, that repeated ending sticks the landing.

Pig Farmer Jr. - Strong start! (Are those triplets? see comment above). I like when you do rockers like this. Well mixed, suitably aggro, fun. I like the Arrrgh!s a whole lot. It reminds me of Green Jello, that band in the 90's who had to change their name to Green Jelly. There's a documentary about the band, it is also an artistic endeavor and local fans make puppets and join in their shows.

The Mellfire Trifecta - Impeccable guitars, such pretty transitions. You have a good voice, necessary for the spareness and space of the arrangement at outset. This has a mature sound about it. Sounds like autumn. The dynamics, layering in of the drums and bass and finishing up with heavy guitars down to silence, nicely done.

shrts - Promising start, punk sound, nice to hear around Song Fight lately. Ugh, yeah, I'm not into talking about the Beatles either. But I do like the call and response in the hook and I wanna know what is going to happen... that is to say I appreciate a narrative within a song. Alright, I'm into that schaum sound that flies in toward the end.

Brown Word and the Big Whine - Well this one sorta got away from me. I was messing with time signatures and it usually gets iffy results, but then here arises an excuse to learn more about programming my own beats as I did not achieve triplet feel. Then lyrically it was dicey, but when I hear "run away screaming" I think of Cathy (that office lady from the comics with no nose) running off Ack! in the middle of some person talking, their words broken off. I'm Midwestern nice (secret asshole) and I'd never openly run off screaming, so it would take these scenarios described to get me to inch toward the door... and then run and scream in my car or something once I was free of the potential prison, you never know with people! Hopefully the tipping culture reference isn't too insensitive. I needed to break it up, 3 rounds of verse "chorus" not really chorus or hook, more of a chant, is alot to ask of listerners without offering some variety, but then it really got outta hand, so people who are sticklers about rhythm, or tuning, or melody, or harmony, will probably agree.Dollar Bill & the Inkpoints - the beat with triplets is formidable, I got a new set of headphones and I'm getting used to how loud they might be (adjusts settings), there, my head is not getting crushed. I love the giant synths. Residents-like dream state, or nightmare state?, in the chorus, lyrically nice twist on the situation. The answer could be, "Yes, a little..."

[Pigfarmer Jr]

I like when you do rockers like this.... I like the Arrrgh!s a whole lot.

Thanks! I was second guessing the arrghs after submitting but the fun part is doing something and then living with it.

It reminds me of Green Jello, that band in the 90's who had to change their name to Green Jelly.

I haven't thought about them in years. I only ever listened to one of their CDs and I don't really remember it all that well. But I see a Green Jelly filled rabbit hole to go down a little later.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Pretty darn good batch of songs overall. Well done y'all.

Add: I love that the vocal is so clear and balanced and I like the vocal performance. I'm enjoying the arrangement quite a bit as well. The grit in the synth and the e-drums work well together. The clear keys is a nice contrast that fits well. The lyric is maybe not connecting perfectly, it seems to be about a specific event but at the same time has a big problem feel. That being said, I like the phrasing and it's effective and enjoyed this very much.

Brown Word and the Big Whine: Liking the title line delivery, it's a nice contrast to the timing and pace of the verses. The "hell is other people's children" breakdown/disintegration is a cool change. I feel like this is a grower, I'm enjoying it more on second and third listen. It felt a little dark and, well not muddy, but not clear on the first listen but those concerns have evaporated. I'm liking the guitars. The whole note bass line is solid and efficient, works nicely.

Dollar Bill & the Inkpoints: An almost poppy feel in the verse melody but the vocal delivery keeps it firmly in the indie camp. I like the title line effect, the smooth and distant feel works very well for me. The synth line might be a hair hot/loud. It distracts from the vocal in places. I could say the vocal is low but I think it works perfectly where it is. It would probably be a trade off, though, so I see why it's where it is.

Jeff DeSantis: Man, this has an old school alt.country feel while still fitting nicely in a more mainstream playlist. Like the sound of this would fit on "The Rookie" soundtrack. Whatever that genre/feel is. Everything seems solid and well done. I almost feel like I'm rediscovering you after your last couple of entries. At any rate, you're hitting the sweet spot in what I like to put on and listen to while working around the house.

The Mellfire Trifecta: Delicate, almost late era REM feel to start. Great vocal performance. The arrangement is simple and straightforward but very effective. When the guitars kick in, it's very welcome but all the more effective for the wait. I like that they don't go over the top. I would have definitely ruined the vibe. Excellent.

Pigfarmer Jr: Been on a dirty guitar, rock kick of late because it's usually in short supply at songfight but when listening to the first half of the songs it just feels out of place. And the good news is my voice recovered from the aaarghs in just a day or two.

shrts: Husker Du is on tour again. Weird, right? I'm not gonna make it but my college roommate who listened to them like 24/7 off and on for two years is excited. Not sure the stylophone (ish) line fits perfectly for me but I enjoyed listening to this.

Twin Snakes Motorcycle Club: The vocal is buried and it annoys me. I'm liking the guitars, the drums are cool and the bass line is groovy. The bounce works for me and doesn't get too tiring after only 94 seconds. But the vocal levels seem less of a choice and more of a mistake when I can't make any of them out at all. Almost makes me angry and I have no idea why. Probably because I like everything else so much.

[Twin Snakes]

But the vocal levels seem less of a choice and more of a mistake when I can't make any of them out at all. Almost makes me angry and I have no idea why. Probably because I like everything else so much.

Thanks so much, and sorry! I have been burying the vocals, I just can't really stand hearing myself, and the words are not great, just something to make a song around. I haven't really Done Music in 15 years or so, maybe I'll get over it.

[Paco Del Stinko]

What does BBC mean to you? Well, to me today it means Burlington Beer Company. Burlington, VT. Quick comments, fight ok, did not rise above. Ain't sayin' I would've made it better, just sayin'. Top three get votes. Red Sox!

Add - Midi Reggae vibe with enough light coming into the moody and occasionally wandering verses and bridges. Pleasant. Great trippy outro, thank you.

Brown Word and the Big Whine - Summertime fudge with a whiff of diesel exhaust. Love to hear a high and mixed way back vocal harmony on the chorus vocal. Oh, a deeper whiff of fumes, nice. Very 4-tracky.

Dollar Bill & the Inkpoints - Half step journey as the opiate fog lifts. Opiates not for me, I like this inhalation as a preferred substitute. Tight and yet floaty, where things (often) should be.

The Mellfire Trifecta - So tasty, especially for a winner. I love where and when this moves, echoes from the back of a theater, all rapt. A JC Superstar belt will be great in one of the covers. Right arm, man.

Pigfarmer Jr - Awright! Poppin' a wheelie! Yeah! Couple of shots before the vocal might have given more yeah to the yeah. Good rocker under-rehearsed, I understand.

shrts - Great intro for the Repo Man updated soundtracker. Great production, would love to hear a bit more aggressive lead vocal, but oh, lead section rhythm and lead makes me loosen my shorts. Or is that shrts?

Twin Snakes Motorcycle Club - The fucking mystique, like I said. I will make myself available if you ever need a touring bassist. Just put the vocals up, please, it's ok to be you. A werbly delight.

[WreckdoMelle]

Thanks for the kind reviews guys! Nice to "see" you Paco.

[HeuristicsInc]

I've been away but will try to get reviews written and votes in tonight.

[Smalltown Mike]

Husker Du is on tour again. Weird, right?

No — Sugar, Bob Mould's other band, is on tour. Du's Grant Hart is dead and I don't know believe Mould is on good terms with Greg Norton (who has other bands anyway), so I'd be surprised if Du ever plays again —though I believe Bob plays a Du song or two live.

And thanks for the review!

Jeff DeSantis — great tune! Really nice.

Also great to see Add on here again. I always liked your Systematic Panic from YEARS ago.

Nice Mellfire track, too.

[Pigfarmer Jr]

Husker Du is on tour again. Weird, right?

No — Sugar, Bob Mould's other band, is on tour.

Ah, right! I should have known that. I was an innocent bystander back in those days.

[HeuristicsInc]

tonight instead!

Add: digging these sounds. this song rolls along nicely and has a really nice mix of different timbres.

Brown Word and the Big Whine: there's a weird space/sound difference between the vocal treatment and the cleaner music sounds. hah love the effect on children there. and a good reference to the gambler...

Dollar Bill & the Inkpoints: j$ and me. we did the fawm sprint and j$ asked if i wanted to do a songfight after a long absence. definitely! i played the drums and bass live and they resisted every attempt to quantize them. so they remain as i played them originally even if they are a little wonky.

Jeff DeSantis: i like the repeated myselfs. it's good, but not entirely my thing.

The Mellfire Trifecta: the vocal cadences are not to my taste... i know a lot of people like that, but it's not for me. sorry. i like the part with the heavier guitar better.

Pigfarmer Jr: enjoy that care/dare doubt it rhyme. the change to the bridge effects is a good subtle one. kinda devo, i like it.

shrts: devoid of meaning is good. i like the contrast between the lead and backing vocals. "it's just ok" heh.

Twin Snakes Motorcycle Club: the vocals kind of disappear into the music, not sure that was on purpose. i kind of like the mood of it. short and sweet.

[WreckdoMelle]

Brown Word and the Big Whine: there's a weird space/sound difference between the vocal treatment and the cleaner music sounds. hah love the effect on children there. and a good reference to the gambler...

Thanks for the review! Yes, that disparity of tone between vox and music was confounding me, it's a skill I'm learning, how to make the things meld together rather than fighting, and it's usually the vox vs other elements. I'm getting to the point where I can notch out in spots where frequencies overlap but the overall timbre of the song needs to mesh. More ear-resting and subsequent knob-twiddling.

[HeuristicsInc]

yeah, it's a skill for sure, and not sure it's one i'm good at either. i don't mean to nitpick, but it stood out to me so i figured i'd mention it.

[Lunkhead]

The results are in and the fight has been won by ... The Mellfire Trifecta!

[freff]

Congrats MT! Nice work.

[WreckdoMelle]

Huzzah Mellfire Trifecta!

[MellyP]

Thanks -- for the reviews and votes. Sorry I didn't get to reviews this time. It was a close race!