Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish (Season Finale Reviews)

ken · Post by **ken** » Mon May 23, 2005 11:52 am

TV guide reviews songfight.

blake walker · Post by **blake walker** » Mon May 23, 2005 2:40 pm

blake walker
this song is obviously made to sound like nintendo, as opposed to most songs called "nintendo-esque" on here. the reverbed backup vocals sound sweet, but you need to mix the regular vocals better (sounds like you need a better mic). catchy. vocals drown out music a bit. i love the use of "fuckin'" in there. get, um, voice training. too raspy and you sing from the nose.

Hussalonia
love the fake audience. this is well-produced as hell. but goddamn if it isn't a bit long and slow for a songfight. i love me the fake drums. use your production ability and resources to make more rockin', catchy songs (i.e. cater to my tastes). still one of the best of this week though.

Id3 Tag
is the name some sort of a joke? i don't get it. the guitar in left speaker rocks but make it louder. chorus vocal/keyboard melody rawks. but this is all a bit too Nintendo 8-bitty. i feel like i'm playing mario and shooting the metroid with my sonic spin. ooo, the ending is chilling! momma like.

Ken's Super whatever etc
whoa, let the rock begin (finally). catchy, especially in the chorus. that's very important to me. great recording and the only suggestion is to have vocals lower in the mix cuz they're pretty high and not exciting enough to be the main focus.

Manhattan Glutton
uuhh, interesting. maybe have more drums than just a hi-hat because even though the guitar might suggest "rocking-out," it doesn't really....and "rop" definately needs a beat. i guess there are bass and snare in there, but it's barely audible. make the beat loud and the hi hats softer. okay that just ended. also be black.

Ross Durand
vocal melody is awkward as hell. bongos and acoustic guitar aren't enough. keep trying! the end is the only part i like.

nuero · Post by **nuero** » Mon May 23, 2005 2:56 pm

Suggestion for topic: spell riddance right.

Blake Walker – This song really reminds me of playing Final Fantasy 7 and Super Mario 64, but it's probably because the music sounds like the music in those video games. The background vocals are silly!

Hussalonia – This is neat and produced very well, although kind of slow. I'm kind of turned off by your voice, but it's not too bad at all. I like this.

id3 tag – This is horrible. The mixing, the production and the vocals are all awful. Completely untalentless shit.

Ken's Suprfgbvf – This is really nice. I think the backing/melody guitar should move up/become louder in the mix when it solos, especially, but it's pretty good everywhere else.

Manhattan Glutton – This is all right, except I don't like the drum beat! Because it bores me! There seems to be a snare beat thing at 1:01 but it really should have come in at an earlier point and also been louder.

Ross Durand – I don't really like this. I agree with Blake that the vocal melody is really weird and it makes the lyrics awkward, and that there should probably be a little more to this, musically.The ending is weird BUT WEIRD IS COOL.

j$ · Post by j$ » Mon May 23, 2005 4:40 pm

Blake Walker - hey this is really nintendo-esque. And therefore sounds like your other songs

Actually I really like the chorus a lot. 'Another fucking day, another fucking dollar'? Eep. 'A broken fax means the start of summer' is quite cool if that's what you say. You should o more like this. Oh, hang on ....

Hussalonia - I hate unwarranted applause on records. The beat is too slow for the song the way it's played, but I guess that's a deliberate choice, especially with the way you throw in little bits of distraction. Doesn't stop it being a deliberately screwy production wise flaming lips / modern take on pink floyd song, but I certainly don't mind it. Although the end should come somewhere between 2.00 and 2.30ish imo....

ID3 Tag - Oh that's some sloppy keyboard playing/sequencing at the beginning. Settles down quickly enough, though. This sounds like Hussalonia part two - the wrath of slightly faster electro. I don't mind it, but are you, Hussolonia and Blake 'Another fucking dollar' Walker all related in some crazy kissing kousins kind of way? Just wondering, Like the spindly guitar solo.

Ken - it does seem that every songfight for you lyrically is 'song title=metaphor for love' .... not bad, but feels a bit weedy - maybe it's the popping bass. Well-played but wrong for this song??? Still I like it.

Manhattan Glutton - the genre makes fun of itself of itself quite nicely without your help, thank you. The vocal in my right 'phone sounds a bit too loud ... hmmmm, it's okay I guess.

Ross Durand - you do what you do so well. I don't really know what else to say about this? it's fine, but I wouldn't listen to it too often .... i like 'I don't wanna be the one who dies'. Cute ending makes this ditty but is also probably the only reason the song exists!

Hmmmm it would have to be Ken or Ross. I would vote for Blake Walker just in the hope that he would win and that would really screw his whining once and for all, wouldn't it? But no, for once knowing the reasoning behind the song makes it less atrractive. Ross is a bit too throwaway for my tastes tonight and Ken is probably gonna win anyway, so who knows?

Dan-O from Five-O · Post by **Dan-O from Five-O** » Mon May 23, 2005 9:49 pm

Blake Walker: Well you almost followed through on your promise to make your song sound more like you said a lot of people said it sounded like last week. Note two things here, I’m not mentioning that particular sound now and I didn’t last week. I will say if that’s the tone you’re going for, you’re succeeding. I’m hoping that with the promise this song shows (minus the gratuitous “F” word) you’ll move on to better things.

Hussalonia: This has got a great mix going on, it’s not my favorite style I will admit, but if it works for you, go for it. Very nice split of the vocals on the chorus, through the headphones it’s very effective. I’ll have to go back and listen tomorrow through speakers to see if I like it as much. The more I’m listening to this, the more I’m not hearing any particular style going on and I’m really liking it. It’s like listening to a TV series, lots of plot twists, changes, turnarounds. Man this just gets better as it goes along. Nice work. If I had one piece of advice it would be to lose the laughter at the beginning and the end. I know why you did it, but it doesn’t fit the mood of the song.

ID3Tag: This doesn’t really strike me in any way. The guitar sounds like crap, that fuzz sound in my left ear is both distracting and annoying, the drums don’t sound good and I can tell they’re fake, and lastly, the keyboard sounds are cheezy. The latter is probably the most redeeming quality of the song. I can’t tell you if I like the lyrics because everything else you have going on doesn’t entice me to listen to them. Maybe I’ll try again later.

Ken’s Superband and Stuff: Now see, here’s a song that cries “Hey, listen to the damn lyrics asshole”! Or something like that anyway. I know immediately that I’m not going to hear anything groundbreaking from a new style or chord progression kind of thing, so I should listen to the lyrics. And do you know why I want to listen to the lyrics? Because the sound of the real instruments Ken is using are pleasing, and the melody is enticing me to do so. Sorry Ken, that kind of reads like a continuation of my last review and doesn’t focus enough on your entry, which by the way is solidly written, both musically and lyrically. This song has a great story, a good hook, is well sung and played. Did I mention the good recording? Very nice work Ken.

Manhattan Glutton: There is no more sure way to lose my attention than to start a song off with an unexciting bass line and someone using way too played lines like you start this off with. “This one goes out to” and props to “beautiful ladies” and your “posse” should be saved for live stuff. Nevertheless I made it past the annoying beginning long enough to discover the unoriginal and mediocre guitar playing, “let the drum machine run” crap beat, and near complete lack of reference to the title. Thank the Lord it was short.

Ross Durand: Acoustic guitar and bongos, always a nice combination. It’s a bit safe in the style department and isn't going to break any new ground either, but it’s a nice safe sound. The biggest issue I have with this song is that, I feel like I’m stuck inside a season finale that …….

No real cliffhanger hear, Ken is the clear choice for me. Hussalonia was a lot closer than my review might have given him credit for. Ross, I thought you song was fairly…..

Did I mention I won't debate my reviews here in the forum? If you need clarification, PM me. If you're nice I'll respond. If you're rude, I'll respond accordingly.

nuero · Post by **nuero** » Mon May 23, 2005 10:14 pm

EDIT: NEVERMIND

Ross · Post by **Ross** » Mon May 23, 2005 10:32 pm

Season Finale

Blake Walker – This didn’t grab me right away, but I like the way the multiple vocals came in on the F-word stuff. From there on you had me more interested. Good drum programming choices, too.

Hussalonia - There’s a slight Sgt. Pepper (Mr. Kite) feel to this intro. Another one that got me more interested in the middle, on the “It’s the season finale” line. I like the way that the changes of sound are incorporated into the song, in many ways they seem like they ARE the song. There’s a post-Beatle aesthetic that seems to continue throughout. PS- I think I would have liked if these words had been on the lyric board to look at while I listened. I’m not sure I got them all put together.

Id3tag – Seems like there’s a pretty interesting, good song lying underneath here. Ok structure that feels incomplete to me, and your less-than-confident sounding vocals don’t support it very well to my ears.

Ken, etc.. – I like this, but my stupid brain thought “stage? Season finale?” that seems incongruous to me. Ok, let go, Ross. This is a solid song – almost radio ready, I’m still trying to deal with the stage v. traditional interpretation of the title thing. It’s so interesting to hear such a familiar sound out here, if you know what I mean. Oh, I also really like the call and response guitar across the stereo mix – nice choice.

Manhattan Glutton - If this is a reference to a specific show I haven’t seen it, which may be limiting my appreciation. The treatment seems a little heavy handed to me, and I was expecting a second verse that never came. So it ended up seeming incomplete, and I didn’t really have a reference for it. Hopefully someone else can give you a more constructive review.

Ross Durand (me) – So, I tried to construct something that would work in the time frame that I had and I think I was relatively successful. The rhythmic work that people are commenting on as awkward was my attempt to lyrically create the effect of these so-called finales, where all they do is leave a giant cliffhanger which is not resolved until next year. So in a way, I was trying to make each line a cliffhanger which was not resolved until the next line, which leaves you with a new cliffhanger…Anyway, that was the idea.

Ross · Post by **Ross** » Mon May 23, 2005 10:35 pm

j$ wrote: Ross Durand - you do what you do so well.

Thanks! I'll take it. A nice complement in my book.

j$ · Post by j$ » Tue May 24, 2005 2:37 am

That's how I meant it to be taken, so cool. Even if a song does not pump my own love bags that much I like to think I'm open-minded enough to be able to appreciate it for what it is.

j$

nuero · Post by **nuero** » Wed May 25, 2005 2:01 am

Hey! Review this fight!

nuero · Post by **nuero** » Fri May 27, 2005 2:41 am

Please.

erik · Post by **erik** » Fri May 27, 2005 8:30 am

nuero wrote:Please.

Alright, you sad sack of hammers, here are some reviews:

Blake Walker: Okay, so this is your song to show all those folks how non-nintendoesque all your other songs were. Hmmmm. I don't really care for it. The vocals are so bored and sound so very removed from the music, it just feels like karaoke. The lyrics don't push the song forward. Not every topic is meant to be sung about. "Cuz it's the end of spring/ and I can't do anything" might be an okay line, but when you repeat it 8 times in a row (or more) it's like saying "Hey, I think this line sounds cool enough to be repeated this much", but it just makes you sound whiny, which makes me like the song less.

Hussalonia: hmmmmmm, this is an interesting start. hmmmmmm. I like this song, pretty much. I wish your voice wasn't *quite* so present in the mix: not because I don't care for your voice, but because it has that mumbly-got-out-of-bed quality that it sounds weird to be so clear. Hmmmm, then you rock it. wheeeeeeeeee, belt it out more. MORE. This has a very nice late-Beatles-Lennon vibe to it. I dig your song.

id3tag: Eeeek, okay, same thing I said about Blake Walker. Vox are so bored sounding, probably because you shouldn't be singing about this topic. The music sounds like it's being played really loudly from the apartment across the hall, and it makes the loud vocals seem like a weird match. I don't care for this song much.

Ken's Super Duper Band N Stuff: Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, this starts out all fun. "At the end of the season we will run away", that's a good refrain. Hmmmm. The transition from the bridge to the guitar solo sounds clunky. Hmmmm. Maybe if you had yelled or something. If you ever do a remix of this, turn up the bass, it's so fun. This would sound really cool live, I imagine. I like this song.

Manhattan Glutton: Oh, I really don't care for the bored rapping over uninspired riffing. At least it was short.

Ross Durand: Eeeek, a very morrisettish phrasing of the lyrics makes it hard to get into this. Also, the lyrics just gank me out "I'm stuck inside a season finale": what does that mean? If your going to be obtuse, make the lyrics make less sense. If you're going to make a metaphor or something, give out some more clues. I don't care for this song, but if you gave it the the Talking Heads and told them to slow it all down and find the groove, then maybe this could be something.

nyjm · Post by **nyjm** » Fri May 27, 2005 10:12 am

man, this makes life sickeningly easier. :-)

Blake Walker
- ... avoiding beating the nintendo dead horse ... the music makes an interesting contrast with the (relatively) under-produced vocals
- interesting, however, doesn't mean really sucessful; the vox give an unfinished feel next to to the hyper-shiny music
- i like the overlapping vocals
- i also like the "another fucking day, another fucking dollar" line

Hussalonia
- let me second the beatles comparison, though this is more white album than sgt. pepper for me; i really like this stuff: meandering, but dynamic, and never uninteresting
- it's kind of twisted, but i'd love to run this song through the x-tokyo grinder; it's just experimental enough to possibly yield some really neat stuff
- and i would like to do that b/c, while very interesting, this song is heavy on shine and low on some grit that could make it all the more interesting. it's not a beat thing (i don't think this song is too slow) but a texture thing

Id3 Tag
- back off the mic
- the chorus, with those distorted guitars, should kick it out more; it wants to rock: let it!
- i like the bell-sound; maybe some more contrast with those distorted guitars would do you well

Ken's Super Duper Band n' Stuff
- competent, tight, rock n' roll, but nothing that grabs me
- kinda of a catchy little chorus
- really like the bridge, but those drums seem distant in the mix

Manhattan Glutton
- hehe
- like the guitar work and the vox mix is well-done, too
- takes itself too seriously

Ross Durand
- interestig lyrical metaphor; and i love the ending (took me a few listens, tho)
- i like the percussion and the vox rhythm (don't listen to the naysayers, it captures exactly what you were looking for and i got it)
- still seems a little lacking somewhere; perhaps another vocal part or something else to fill out the sound just a LITTLE bit

Jim of Seattle · Post by **Jim of Seattle** » Fri May 27, 2005 10:18 am

In an attempt to maximize time, I decided to try recording my reviews on my commute. I am speaking into a cell phone, so audio quality is lousy. This is an experiment. I have no idea whether it will work or not. Any feedback, let me know. These recordings are only going to stay posted for a limited time.

Blake Walker
Somehow your recording got messed up. Sorry. I don't remember what I thought of the song, so you are going to be bereft of a review this week. Sorry again.

Hussalonia
http://www.jimowen.org/Songfight/Review ... ding18.wav
Ken's Super Duper Band
http://www.jimowen.org/Songfight/Review ... ding19.wav
Manhattan Glutton
http://www.jimowen.org/Songfight/Review ... ding20.wav
Ross Durand
http://www.jimowen.org/Songfight/Review ... ding21.wav
ID3 Tag
http://www.jimowen.org/Songfight/Review ... ding22.wav

blake walker · Post by **blake walker** » Fri May 27, 2005 1:17 pm

son of a bitch.

jack · Post by **jack** » Fri May 27, 2005 1:39 pm

blake walker wrote:son of a bitch.

don't feel bad. there a whole nother fight he left out.

Jim of Seattle · Post by **Jim of Seattle** » Fri May 27, 2005 1:41 pm

Hey, 'tis Friday afternoon. I have one more commute during which I will finish my reviews. Blake, if you'd whined and made a big stink I might have been less lilkely to re-do my review, but a simple "son of a bitch" was very effective. Check back tomorrow and I will have edited my review post to include yours.

blake walker · Post by **blake walker** » Fri May 27, 2005 2:08 pm

Jim of Seattle wrote:Hey, 'tis Friday afternoon. I have one more commute during which I will finish my reviews. Blake, if you'd whined and made a big stink I might have been less lilkely to re-do my review, but a simple "son of a bitch" was very effective. Check back tomorrow and I will have edited my review post to include yours.

heh, i was actually just kidding. you didn't have to redo it. but sweet, thanks.

HeuristicsInc · Post by **HeuristicsInc** » Fri May 27, 2005 3:38 pm

id3tag - interesting opening. kind of fakey sound, but it's cool here. ah, vocal isn't so good. it's a little loud, a little dry, and should probably be sung out more than it is. don't be afraid. fun solo.

hussa - weird intro, i like that. great bass. maybe the vox need a touch of fx to smooth them out a little and mesh better with the music. the higher vox are v good, especially around 2:00. who are these people?

blake - the music's kinda cool. needs more deep sounds in the drums. the lead synth is a lot like an old videogame sound, that's cool. not too fond of the vox. they're ok.

ken! - i envision you on stage singing/playing this. like in a movie. great. i love this at 1:40. glenn case could cover this song. fun and head-boppy.

manhattan - the vox and guitar feel like they're living in different spaces. i like it except for that...

ross - weird cadence... start stop start stop. hmm, weird ending. makes me feel unsatisfied.

1: hussa, ken
2: manhattan

i like ken's a lot, but i like hussa's more, and it's just weird and strange and good, so they get my vote.
congrats!
-bill

Caravan Ray · Post by **Caravan Ray** » Fri May 27, 2005 7:09 pm

Funny - I get the impression these all seem to relate "season finale" to TV shows. That thought never occured to me - I don't really think that term is ever used much in that way round my neck of the woods. To me, a 'season finale' means a football grand-final. Anyway - vive la difference

Hard to pick a winner - all pretty good - no stinkers, but no real ball-tearers either.

In decreasing order of merit:

8 (vote)
Ken – This is great – wonderful pop song. Although I think I’d prefer to hear it less as a slightly sloppy rock/pop boy band thing (meant in a good way) as you have done – but more as an ultra-tight shiny pop girl band thing with lots of ooohs and ahhs harmonys and tight mini-skirts. And big tits.

7.9
Hussalonia - I like this. Vocals are good – an the whole mood you build up is good

7.5
ID3 Tag – This could be really good – but it isn’t quite. You’ve got a lot of good ideas – but you didn’t quite pull it off. The vox sort of stick out a bit – compression needed maybe. And some of the panned buzzy noises are a bit annoying. Anyway – a good song well performed – the problems were technical recording ones which I don’t understand and won’t pretend to advise on.

7
Ross Durand – Pretty good – like the ending. I like the way it sort of chugs along.

6.5
Manhattan Glutton – like the guitar a lot – but I’m not excited by the rapping

6
Blake Walker – Not bad – but I’m finding the casio thing really annoying

Freddielove · Post by **Freddielove** » Sat May 28, 2005 10:36 pm

nuero wrote:Hey! Review this fight!

Ok, here.

Blake Walker
I think I remember this game, up down up down left right a b a b start. Coolest thing about this song is the studder on the vocals.

Hussalonia
Hmmm.... fake crowd, I remember getting flamed for this once. This gets better in a hurry, I love the instrumentation. The squelches are cool and the slide guitar is awesome. I love the vocals, somewhere between T-Rex and Conor Obert with a touch of CCS in a good way. I love the vibrato in the chorus. I love the way it transitions into the syths, very epic sounding without being overblown. Hey, this is in 3/4, thanks for pointing it out. I feel like I have heard that lyric before though, intentional? I think the end could use some work, almost feels like a let down after the beginning, I like the guitar breakdown at the end though.

id3tag
Anyone remember "Final Countdown"? Vocals way out in front, then not. Ok, the chorus is kind of catchy. This is an instance of good songwriting let down by bad arrangement / production.

Ken's Super Duper Band and Stuff
Everything is in place in the song. Well produced, you can play your instruments, good vocals. It travels a straight line though, would be nice hear a bit of variation. But as I sit here I am bobbing my head to it. Ah, variation, I like the vocals and drums bridge and solo. Good song.

Manhattan Glutton
Frat rock rap about realtiy show. Actually more entertaining than that descrpition would suggest. Short.

Ross Durand
I love the vocal phrasing, makes the song. Slightly repetitive, then stops.

Good.

Ken's Super Duper Band and Stuff

Great

Hussalonia

So who are you guys? I don't know whethere you are a collab of folks here or new fighters, either way I am looking forward to hearing new songs.

Jim of Seattle · Post by **Jim of Seattle** » Sun May 29, 2005 12:18 pm

Blake Walker,

I forgot the cable that connects my phone to my PC at work, so even though I did record a review, I can't upload it. My review basically said I like it, and I'm looking forward to when you have decent equipment. You should hunt down the more natural-sounding patches on your existing equipment. Of course it sounds Midi-ish, but you can offset that somewhat with careful selection of non-arcade game sounds.

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish (Season Finale Reviews)

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish (Season Finale Reviews)

Ross' Reviews

What I do.