SongFighter Cover Thyself due June 18, 2005

[j$]

Johnny Cashpoint:I think it’s the British impression of the old Wild West stuff that gets to me. I’m sure you’re using a lot of metaphors, and I’m just missing what or whom it is you’re trying to describe with them....

It's interesting that lyrically, this song garnered exactly the same response first time round when in fact there are hardly any metaphors at all. It is the story of Gram Parsons, fairly much copied from a biography. All the imagery is his own.

j$

[Heather. Redmon.]

I hate to ask a question in the middle of a review, but aren’t you the same Heather that’s like in her last trimester of pregnancy? If so, I can’t imagine what a rocker this baby is going to turn out to be. My 17 year old daughter thinks you folk’s sound like “The Donna’s” or “Bikini Kill” if that means anything.

Yep, that's me! She just came out and she will be awesome!

Thank your daughter for the Donnas comparison! And thanks for the cool review!

[Freddielove]

Bolio
Love the synths to start. There is a lot to like in the instrumentation, quirky which fits the title. I like the verse melody as well. The vocals could use a little work, slightly off key and a little dry. Not a huge distraction though. Not sure how I feel about the beat in the breakdown, but I love the keyboard patterns, very cool.

Brainpipe
Right off the bat I like the drum track a lot better. The bass patch is a lot cooler as well. I like the overall dub feel to it. The verse chorus synch better in this version as well, they felt a little disjointed in the old one. A lot of cool sounds, but the thing bringing this down is a lack of variation in the chorus line between the piano and the vocal, which are playing the same line.

Caravan Ray
Overall pleasant sound. Has a distinct 80s indie feel to it, with the chorus guitar, and ska inspired rhythm guitar. The vocals could be a bit more in front, especially with the amount of reverb on them which pushes them further back.

Fluffy Porcupine
You know, the solo acoustic thing is hard to pull off, especially on a recording. I've heard a lot of musicians do live in studio versions of songs that I otherwise like, that aren't very interesting without the benefit of a studio and full band. Same problem here. The song itself is good and the performance is solid, but there's not enough to hold a lot of interest all the way through, which is not a knock so much as it is a measure of how difficult it can be.

One tip I can pass along from Josh Woodward, say what you want but he was fairly good at this sort of thing, is that strumming away on the strings sounds ok in the coffee shop / friend's house party, but it doesn't record well. Try backing off a little bit. Also, dynamics are key. Speed the song up, slow it down, sing loudly, and softly, change the strumming pattern. You only have two instruments, so use them to their full potential.

The Hell Yeahs
Wow, this one has even more attitude than the first one. The guitar tone is awesome. The start stop in the chorus is great. That riff behind the second verse is very cool. Only 1:18, there’s a punk song. I could almost go for a solo after the second chorus, that builds on that riff from the verse, but I guess that doesn't really fit the punk aesthetic. Less is more, great song.

Jack Shite
That drum loop reminds me of the song from Night at the Roxbury, whatever that was. The guitar is a bit muddy, it obscures a lot of the other instruments in the song. I noticed that this song has the same chord progression all the way through. Works here though, since there is so many things going on with the instrumentation.

Johnny Cashpoint
This song is a great example of how far you have come in both performance, arrangement and production. I kind of like the original intro although the new one is great too. Actually, I played the first two bars of your first song, then skipped to the next one, try that, it sounds really good, opens up the song. Also I liked the original drum track. I can see why you changed it, the first is a canned loop or something while the new and improved is original programming, meant to fit the particular song. I thought the first worked really well in the context of the song, as only an English take on western lore could be.

Everything else is a huge improvement. The tone on the first lead guitar is great, and on the lead in the solo is perfect, with just a bit of bite to it. Reminds me of something from the early 90s, but I can't place it. I adore the way you approach the guitar. You don't try anything to fancy, and with the up and down riffs you have developed a signature style. The vocals are clearer. I love the change in the mandolin in the b section, then to a great solo. The feedback is bugging though, is that on purpose? I guess it is, the song would be improved without it. Overall, great.

King Arthur
It is amazing how much you can improve a song just by tightening up a couple things. All of the chorus and reverb on the original guitar was distracting. There is less going on in this one, and the guitars are eqed mixed a lot better, creating a lot more space in the mix. Another less is more example. The song sounds like it could be a late 70s Fleetwood Mac tune. Overall, the balance is greatly improved and things like the high hats and rolls sparkle. The best job of getting the most of new production without making significant changes to the song.

The Landfills
Another 80s inspired number. You do a good job of recreating the sound. The vocals could fit in a bit better. You sound like you are trying too hard to be dramatic, rather than just singing. The low synth could sit further back. The patch is very cool, and it adds a nice dynamic to the song. Everything else fits right in place and is produced well.

Noah McGlaughlin
Love the intro with the acoustic guitar. Right off the bat my criticism is that you don't seem to singing anything in particular in the verse. I would give more consideration to developing a melody. The chord progression is nice and well played, but the melody sung on it doesn't build on it. Perhaps just listening to the recording sans vocals, and playing something on a keyboard would lead to some ideas.

Rabid Garfunkel
I like using the bass for finishing the line the guitar starts, although I liked the accordion in the first one, although not through the whole song. The vocals are improved. I like the guitar, the jangly rhythm gives it a nice feel in the verse. The whole thing has a French Canadian gothic feel to it. Not sure what that is, but this would fit.

Son of Supercar
Very Seattle. I like the way the intro is sparse with the echoes of the second guitar creating anticipation. Great opening lyric. Great tom sound in the drums. I love how the chorus starts when you don't expect it. I was waiting for a pause or something there leading back to the verse. The vocals really lift the song. I also like how you wait till almost the end of the song for it to take off, great. This song sounds like the last song on a film soundtrack so it is fitting that it closes the fight out.

For my song I was going for a M83 / Doves feel to it. I made it a point though to try not to listen to their music while recording this so whatever I produced would sound different enough from the inspiration for it. I thought the songwriting could have been stronger, this was more of an effort to work on recording and production.

Dano, thanks for the comprehensive reviews. If your links work I will post a review of yours as well.

Good
Bolio
Caravan Ray
The Landfills
King Arthur

Great
The Hell Yeahs
Johnny Cashpoint
Son of Supercar

Although no one was really bad.

Overall the extra time boosted the production curve a lot.

It would have been nice to hear more originals, and more different versions of the songs, but since I couldn't be bothered to have an original song myself, I guess I can't harp on that too much then.

[j$]

Thanks, man. I like the idea of old song into new song that you suggest - I remember Jordan Yaruss doing a lo-fi into hi-i thing at the start of his song for a fight a while back and it worked really well. Good idea!

As for the drums I don't actually have the old loop any more. It was a recording of Blue playing in the studio that he very kindly offered up for everyone around the time of Dusty Plains fight that I snaffled - unfortunately they became really flangey in use because I only had mp3s of the original playing.

And the feedback is deliberate - I wanted the song to have a little bit of edge and that's always a handy shortcut

j$

[drë]

my top 3 picks,
<b>
1-Freddielove
2-King Arthur
3-The Landfills
</b>

[HeuristicsInc]

j$ - think i still have all those loops of blue's if you want them. i also used one of them for "fight the sea."
-bill

[HeuristicsInc]

how long do we have to vote on this? i need to get on the ball.
-bill

[jb]

Dan-O's links are fixed. Dan-O, please check that I put the right one as the original, it was hard to tell from the file names you sent. It's entirely possible that I reversed them.

JB

[Dan-O from Five-O]

Dan-O's links are fixed. Dan-O, please check that I put the right one as the original, it was hard to tell from the file names you sent. It's entirely possible that I reversed them.

JB

Yeah, they are reversed. Ha- Ha, I told you there wasn't much difference in the takes. No biggie, thanks for getting them up, and hosting them. I seriously appreciate it.

[jb]

fixed.

[Dan-O from Five-O]

fixed.

And thanks again JB, you're the man!

[jb]

Everybody done voting on this?

[HeuristicsInc]

ummmmm.... not yet?
sorry. i forgot to download the tracks.
i think i was waiting for the rest of the originals to show up, then i forgot.
i'll get on it tonight!
-bill

[Dan-O from Five-O]

I've voted. I wish the options were a little wider. Good and Bad doesn't leave much middle ground.

[HeuristicsInc]

why is bolio listed twice for the same file?
-bill

[Gazelles]

Please make a stream all?

Thank you.

[HeuristicsInc]

ok, mostly so that jb knows i'm doing something, here's more than half of my reviews, the rest to come hopefully tomorrow.

ratings: [great][good][ok][bad]

j$ - wow, much fuller sound. the guitar might be a touch too loud. vocals have better rhythm here in the places where it got whack before. nice solo. end is too quiet.
does it improve on the original - definitely.
rating - [great]

king arthur - hmm, i feel like the original had more energy. the guitar sound is very nice. vocals sound pretty smooth, but i still miss something from the original. still, it's good to listen to.
does it improve on the original - i don't think so.
rating - [good]

hellyeahs - wow, fast! very different. i liked the chorus part from the old one better, but i think the verses might be better here.
does it improve on the original - wash.
rating - [good]

feldspar - nice piano. i like that change. also the keyboard thingy. i think your vocal rhythm is much better here. vocals sound better too. good job.
does it improve on the original - definitely.
rating - [good]

bolio - don't seem to have an original? awesome guitar solo. i want more vocal reverb. "with his antigravity" is too fast. funny interstellar break. i dig the idea of putting cheering at the end of your song. ballsy.
does it improve on the original - ?
rating - [ok]

landfills - wow, the vocal recording sticks right out as way better than the old one. the synth there is a little too loud, but it's awesome. this song rocks, it's awesome. the vocals by themself make it great in comparison to the original.
does it improve on the original - YES IT DOES
rating - [great]

noah - i worked on this. so yeah i like it better. when i relistened to this i thought it needed some synths in. so i added some. noah was good about redoing a lot of stuff i asked for
does it improve on the original - yes
rating - [great], if i'm allowed to say that

jack - no original? cool anyway. nice drums. i'd like the lead vocal to have more prominence in the beginning. i like the guitar, yeah, very cool song. end is a bit repetitive.
does it improve on the original - dunno
rating - [good]

brainpipe - starfinger did a great job on improving this one with me; he did the drums and the bassline. thanks craig!
does it improve on the original - i think it does!
rating - [good], if i'm allowed to say that

dano - odd guitar sound here, it's interesting. particularly the vocal sound/production is much improved. vocals come out much better and feel like they have more energy in this version. the quality of the song really comes out here when earlier it was masked by the production. nice.
does it improve on the original - definitely!
rating - [good]

-bill

[HeuristicsInc]

continued!

freddie - no original? i dig this. it's catchy and different. i think it's great. i don't know what i'd say to improve it. i love that voicy sound..
. whatever it is.
does it improve on the original - dunno.
rating - [great]

sos - no original? kind of an odd opening - that's cool - and i like when the drums come in. i'd like to hear an electronic remix of this. great ending - i like how it builds up.
does it improve on the original - dunno.
rating - [good]

fluffy - singing's definitely improved. still not a huge fan of it, but it's better! also the instrumentation is a bit more interesting.
does it improve on the original - yes.
rating - [ok]

rabid - yeah, more interesting, definitely. keeps the strangeness of the song while making it better. good work.
does it improve on the original - yeah!
rating - [good]

caravan - wow, the original is 56kbps?? crazy. anyway. i remember this one - i thought the sound quality/production really hurt this song, which i felt sounded like it was a cool song underneath that. new version's feel is pretty different. vocals are definitely better tho i might compress them more. wow, those vox are way better. good job. while i think this is way better than the old one, i miss the feel of the original... i'd like to hear the "new slow" version!
does it improve on the original - yeah!
rating - [good]

bolio, again - see above!

candidates for my favorite cover: j$, landfills, noah, freddie, (won't vote for but: brainpipe)

my favorite is... is.... hmm, i was gonna say landfills, but i think i need to change it to freddie. all of those four i think are great tho.
-bill

ps ok i'm done, thanks for waiting!

[Albatross]

So, like, uhhhhhh....

...who won this?

[jb]

Results are up. Looks like Freddielove won.

[Heather. Redmon.]

Not to nit pick or anything, but The Hell Yeahs and Freddielove tied with 96 (it's possible that I'm misinterpreting the results) ... but, congratulations Freddielove! You deserve the win!

[jb]

Not to nit pick or anything, but The Hell Yeahs and Freddielove tied with 96 (it's possible that I'm misinterpreting the results) ... but, congratulations Freddielove! You deserve the win!

You tied in the "Good/Bad/Didn't Listen" voting, but Freddie got the most "Best" votes.

jb