It's got appeal! (Bitter Orange Reviews)

[Rabid Garfunkel]

Mmm, zesty! Zing!

[Reist]

When are these going to be posted? I really want to hear the fight.

[nyjm]

The Hells Yeahs return!

(and i'm going to get so owned in this fight...)

[Heather. Redmon.]

[boltoph]

Melvin + State Shirt + The Hell Yeahs + Rabid Garfunkel?

YEAH!

[johnsonic]

Are you guys this hell yeahs? http://www.thehellyeahs.com/

[Rabid Garfunkel]

Holy crap, now this is a fight. Hot damn!

Well, I've yet to start listening, but the lineup is kick-ass. Whoo-to-the-hoo!

[Heather. Redmon.]

Are you guys this hell yeahs? http://www.thehellyeahs.com/

Nope, we may have come first, but I could be wrong. We entered our first fight back in April 2004, they recorded their debut album that came out in July 2004. Either way, I don't think either band knew of the other's existence when choosing a name.

[philtr]

I'm going to come back later and listen to these more in depth, but my favorites right now are State Shirt and Eidolon.

[MC Minimum]

Melvin + State Shirt + The Hell Yeahs + Rabid Garfunkel?

And MC Pudding Delicious? It's like a sublime orgy of glorious song.

But seriously. Songs are up, woo. Will post reviews later today.

[a bebop a rebop]

Andrew Reist - You could stand to turn the vocals up, a lot. They're mostly drowned out for me by the guitar. Those drums are just anti-septic, there are plug-ins you can get to make them sound less robotic, I think. I kinda like the groove of this song but it's pretty boring.

doscientos - Pretty damn goofy. Like the roomy sound. That's all.

Eidolon - Nice little acoustic riff, you had me hooked there, and with the drums, ok, but I'm sorry, I don't like your vocals at all. Work on hitting your pitches, and they don't feel congruous with the rest of the song. They're just too big in general for the sparse sounds behind them. Also you basically sound like a nice, happy guy, and the rest of the song doesn't really have that vibe. Every time you sing "orange" at the end of the line, it's just way off, and in a different way each time.

Evil-E - The only thing I can say I really like about this song is the harmony singing in the chorus, and even in that section you start to get a little pitch-confused right towards the end. The rest of the song is kinda floating along under my radar.

The Hell Yeahs - Yeah, this is what I want from a band called the Hell Yeahs. I really like those vocals, and the wild drumming, are they programmed? Nice chorus-y section, and nice gritty outro. I like this one a whole lot. Whoever the vocalist is sounds vicious.

Melvin - Sounds fine, I'm just not really interested in what you're selling. I do like that circular guitar line.

Mighty Mouse and Pudding Delicious - I like your chill-ass geek-ass rhymin'. You sound a whole lot like MC Frontalot, which is cool I guess, though the whole nerdcore thing doesn't really do it for me. Like the nice simple backgrounds, you could probably stand to add a little more back there though. Lyrically... it's just not really that funny, and it feels like it should be.

Noah McLaughlin - I like the little creepy choral noises in the background. Oh, now they got significantly more creepy. That shaker is annoyingly out-of-rhythm here and there. I don't particularly care for your voice, but this song is really working for me. Really like that ending.

Rabbit vs. Table - Right on, that hits the sweet spot. Nice and crunchy, although it feels like it's taking a while for this song to get going anywhere. Nice little bridgy thing, and I like the stripped-down bit at 1:35. The drumming feels a bit rhythmically haphazard at times, and the song never quite feels like it gets anywhere in particular.

Rabid Garfunkel - Nice little march-of-the-demon-fuckers intro. Is that a ... a theremin? I guess that's not the intro, it's the whole song. The vocal melody feels completely random a lot of the time. "pretty girls to view" - awkward.

Rone Rivendale - You're still not listening to the beat while you're record, or else you're completely rhythm-deaf. Other than that little unlistenbility, this is pretty cool.

Starcrossed Voyager - Those busy, anti-septic drums aren't doing it for me in this song. Either have more musical stuff hanging around or simplify the drums or maybe even get rid of them. Your voice is nice, though I'd like to hear more melody and less delay.

State Shirt - Love those orchestral-ish loops, and your vocals. Are the loopy bits sampled or hand-crafted? That guitar that comes in towards the end is super-pretty. Are your vocals auto-tuned? Like this a lot.

Sub-Atomic Particles - I really like that opening. Like the grit and attitude in the guitar and the vocals. Nice guitar solo bit at 2:18. The "juice in the eye painfully" line is a bit off. Nice song.

Standouts: The Hell Yeahs, Noah McLaughlin, State Shirt, Sub-Atomic Particles, and of course, Basket of Hands.

[Rabid Garfunkel]

Is that a ... a theremin?

Yup. craigslist + poor impulse control = TOYS.

Dug the Zorn & Morricone samples. Who was the third one?

[a bebop a rebop]

It's something-or-other from Jesus Christ Superstar, I'm not exactly sure.

Love the theremin.

[McMoses]

Andrew Reis – The vocals were a bit soft and hard tounderstand with the reverb. The chord progression gets a little tired, but overall good song. I liked the mix of electronic and acoustic drums (I think?)

Basket of Hands – I liked the background music, but I wish it could have been a little fuller. The lyrics didn’t really go for me and you need to flow more. I read the lyrics and thought they were good, you just need to work on rapping them.

Doscientos – This is my favorite so far, this should be made into a real commercial. I didn’t really see anything wrong with it.

Eidolon – You got off key some, but the music was tight and pretty on beat. The synth was pretty cool. I sort of got lost listening to the lyrics.

Evil-E – Again the lyrics were a little too soft for me. The harmonies were very Beach Boys, which I liked. There were little pitch issues but nothing major, and overall I liked it, thought it was pretty well written. (Liked that bass riff at the end.)

The Hell Yeahs – I thought this was really good and definitely a front-runner for me. My first though hearing it was "Hell yeah, this is what I wanted." The vocalist’s voice is really interesting, great up tempo song. Exactly what I thought you were going to sound like, and something I definitely didn’t expect to come out of “Bitter Orangeâ€

[j$]

Heather, what is it with you and Phil and Women Doin' Crime and/or Time?

Fantastic, as ever, mind

j$

[Reist]

I don't have time to write a review just yet, but from what I've listened to so far, it's going to be hard to judge ... good fight.

[The Anchors]

The Sub-Atomic Particles' Bitter Orange is my favorite thing I've ever heard on Songfight.

[RodneythePenguin]

wow. i felt mine was a weak entry.

i will not review, but pick favorites. i am not in the least a music critic. and i won't even pretend i know anything about music.

favorites after i go to the post office.

-the sub-atomic particles

[Heather. Redmon.]

Heather, what is it with you and Phil and Women Doin' Crime and/or Time?

Fantastic, as ever, mind

j$

Yes, the crime lovin' tuff chick has been a recurring theme in the Hells Yeahs songs of the past. Since she has now been caught and locked up for good, the crime spree has ended. It was fun while it lasted!

[RodneythePenguin]

TOP FIVE:

1 - Melvin !!!!!
2 - State Shirt !!!!
3 - The Hell Yeahs !!!
4 - Rabbit VS Table !!
5 - Eidolon !

[MC Minimum]

Reviews were done in a totally random order:

Andrew Reis
Good: The music itself is well played, well recorded, and well composed. Vocals are pretty well delivered as well. I like the reverb you've got going on.
Bad: As far as use of the title goes, this is pretty lame. This is your run-of-the-mill love song. I swear i've heard some of these lines before. When you stuff bitter orange into this otherwise unremarkable song, you get a pretty disturbing image.

Basket of Hands
Good: Some good lyrical flow when you keep up with the beat. You paint some interesting images. I always like listening to rap because I enjoy the poetry.
Bad: In my personal experience, it is better to record to a slow beat and really enunciate than try and keep up with a fast beat and end up falling behind. You can go offbeat as long as there's some indication you still know what you're doing, and i'm not getting that. The lyrics don't really seem to have anything to do with anything. Maybe that's just me being slow. Try a slower beat where you can really lock into the melody. And you're wrong. You do have to rhyme for me.

Doscientos
Good: Fun, upbeat, very funny. I especially like "healthcare industry be damned"
Bad: I can make head nor tail of some of the female vox. They're too squeaky and non enunciated enough. And the vocals are what the song relies on, so that's dangerous.

Evil-E
Good:Great singing voice you've got there, and the melody is pleasing to the ear. Good use of the title.
Bad: When I see a name like Evil-E, I expect some hard rocking or hardcore rap. The only thing evil about this song is that it forces me to listen to country-esque music for several successive minutes. Try changing your name to something like Easy-E, to go along with your easy listening music.

Eidolon
Good: Rockin guitar and high-pitched thing. I like the way the high-pitched thing (keyboards?) seem to skirt the vocals. The lyrics are fun and funny.
Bad: Every once and a while the singing falls off key, mostly during the chorus.

Hell Yeahs
Good: This song rocks the house and all adjacent houses. The lyrics are badass. The use of the title is awesome to the max. The music may cause certain socks to be rocked off. Yes.
Bad: Eh. Maybe it's just my speakers but it seems like this could rock slightly harder. Specifically it could be louder and/or more basstastic.

Melvin
Good: I like the line "curious like george," production is great. Solid beat and melody. The singing really meshes well with the song.
Bad: The connection to the title is flimsy at best. Although this IS alot like something I might hear on the OC.

Mighty Mouse + Pudding Delicious
(I am Pudding Delicious. I can't decide on a name.)
Good: I got compared to M Frontalot, so that's objective number one complete.
Bad: I need to work on my phrasing and emphasis. The song is a bit slow. I could go on.

Noah Mclaughlin
Good: The guitar and the chorus work well together. The chorus especially is fun to listen to.
BadYou got one thing right. This song hasn't got much rhyme or rhythm. And I can't understand you. You sound like you're singing with a mouthful of bitter orange. And come on, there are plenty of things that rhyme with orange. Doorhinge, torn generally, forelorn just, etc.

Rabbit vs. Table
Good: Rockin' beat, the chorus is catchy. I like the heavy drums. The vocal delivery matches the tone of the song well.
Bad: The vocals sound as if they're coming from BEHIND the music somehow, and that doesn't fly. The song starts to tend towards monotonousness about halfway through.

Rabid Garfunkle:
Good: The wacky space-age sounds are fun to listen to. The drums and chords are solid to begin win.
Bad: Everything gets old by the time the overly-long intro is over. And it's very hard to sing a melody when the background isn't melodic at all. And you're not on key.

Rone Rivendale:
Good: Hehe. Bitter orange = vomit. Funny. "I feel sorry for him because now he'll see alot more of you." is a good line. Wacky background.
Bad: The chorus is totally offbeat. It's all good when you're doing the spoken word, but when you're singing it's just not working out.

Subatomic Particles
Good: The drums are tight. You tell a funny story. The chorus is catchy. I'm partial to any chorus that uses humming or gibberish because I can't bring myself to write them.
Bad: I know you did the fuzzy voice thing on purpose, but it's not working for me. I like to be able to hear what you're saying. The guitar get's monotonous by the end of the song.

Starcrossed Voyager
Good: The lyrics are smooth and fairly well delivered, the keyboard is good. You tell a good story, and not too sappy.
Bad: The same loop going over and over caused me to zone out a little bit. That may be because i'm sick and also tired, but it also has something to do with the lack of variation. There are a couple points where you fall a little offkey or offbeat.

State Shirt
Good: Fuck yeah. Right from the beginning I know i'm gonna like this. Fat, laid back beat with well sung lyrics. The changeup is a nice surprise.
Bad: I can't for the life of me understand what it is you're saying. But that's about it. My vote goes either to this or to the Hell Yeahs.

That's all for now. gotta go flip a coin.

[rone rivendale]

"Rone Rivendale:
Good: Hehe. Bitter orange = vomit. Funny. "I feel sorry for him because now he'll see alot more of you." is a good line. Wacky background.
Bad: The chorus is totally offbeat. It's all good when you're doing the spoken word, but when you're singing it's just not working out."

My intent was actually for Bitter Orange to be like "Red in the face" only I used the title and made it "Orange in the face"

But of course, alot of different people make different reads off of songs. And by no means would I rob you of your enjoyment of the song by telling you your recieved message is wrong.

So far I'm getting better reviews than I thought. I actually don't like this song compared to the last few I've done. My intent was to yell the chorus and I did but somehow it came out as me slightly raiseing my voice. *doh*