There's only one thing that I like... (SitD Reviews)

Discuss upcoming, current, and previous song fights.
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ken
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There's only one thing that I like... (SitD Reviews)

Post by ken »

There's only one thing that I like and that is shaving in the dark.
Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff - Berkeley Social Scene - Tiny Robots - Seamus Collective - Semolina Pilchards - Cutie Pies - Explino! - Bravo Bros. - 2 from 14 - and more!

i would just like to remind everyone that Ken eats kittens - blue lang
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Post by Eric Y. »

there's only one thing that i know how to do well, and i've often been told that you only should do things that you know how to do well, and that's be you, be what you're like, be like yourself. and so i'm having a wonderful time but i'd rather be shaving in the dark.

best thread title ever! thanks ken.
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Post by jimtyrrell »

Awesome.
Thylacine 9
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Post by Thylacine 9 »

I can't vote. What gives? Get a weird message.
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Post by Eric Y. »

it's because you haven't posted reviews yet
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Post by Eric Y. »

no reviews yet? man what's the deal? this fight needs some lovin' too!

bell green - a pretty mundane subject, but the sparse, haunting music gives it a pretty eerie quality. i like it.

forty-second songs - is that a ukulele AND a mandolin and a guitar? pretty clever apocalyptic theme you've got happening... i love the dingy noise on the choruses, and the "oooooh" vocals. nearly five minutes, but it didn't feel overly long -- the last minute was terrific.

grovy coldslaw - when it first starts i am thinking it's going to be a sunny carribbean mambo thing, just from the first couple notes. but then it immediately switches gears and surprises me -- great melodies, and i am really digging on the mournful, almost ethereal quality of the harmonising vocals. lovely. i didn't really understand the purpose of the sneezing at the end, but when the other guy says "bless you" it's kinda funny...

johnny cashpoint - musically this is pretty much of a departure from all your other songs i've heard, but the piano based stuff and the high-pitched synth thing that kind of hovers above everything -- (i have no idea what it is, but it almost sounds like when you run your finger around the edge of a water glass) -- i really like. and of course the bassline when everything else drops out... vocally, these choruses are amongst the best i've heard you do...

king arthur - i like the line "satisfaction ain't guaranteed", i'm not sure why. the percussion here has a really fun quality to it; i enjoy the little guitar riffs (on the left side) between the lines, and the electric piano thing (on the right side) that sometimes just sounds like randomly struck notes going along with the melody, but adds a lot to the overall feel. great ending too.

motherfunker - i don't really feel the spoken "i love you" at the beginning was necessary, it doesn't seem to fit in with the music, which i really like. but ,,, the drums have a really good sound to them; the song itself (not the instrumentation or the performance, but just the chord sequence and the melody to an extent) makes me think of mellower queensrÿche. the spoken parts towards the end work much better for me than the beginning did.

neil thrun & the færies of doom - i'm guessing everything here (the vocals, guitar, and cello(??)) were all recorded at the same time in one take. that's really too bad, because i think the lousy sound quality is really holding this back. the vocals aren't bad but could probably be improved by being recorded by themselves without playing the guitar at the same time... if it was possible to re-record this with better equipment i'd love to hear it because it seems like an amazingly written song.

pIgpen - heh, this is really funny. the music sounds okay but it doesn't always line up perfectly with the vocal part. delivery is better than most of the sub-par rapping i hear here, and the lyrics are fantastically humourous. nice. [edit: i also wanted to point out that the rhythm and pace of the rhyme-slinging here, it sounds like i hear some doctor octagon influence in there...]

wRECKDOm - the guitar sounds cool... overall the music is really creepy. the guy talking, i'm not totally sure what he is supposed to be doing -- is he preaching at a revival, or telling the story of his life at an AA meeting or what? it never is really clear what's going on. but just the sound of his voice and the applauding plus the scary-sounding music (wonderful theremin stuff by the way) blends together in an uneasy way, giving the whole thing a sense of urgency...

so anyway.
man, oh man, i haven't a clue who i am going to vote for. this whole fight ranged, consistently, from above-average to pretty darn good...
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Post by Leaf »

Neil Thrun Well Neil. Your voice sounds deeper. Guitar's better tuned. Vocals are predicitably juvenile... but let's call that your charm... The cello sounds pretty good... I can't say that this is that great, but what is great is that you constantly get better, and this is why you should continue torturing us, cause eventually you'll be able to sit back and say "fucking told you I was good"...but not today Mr. Thrun... no vote for you. That being said, I ALWAYS check your tunes out when you fight, so you obviously are doing some things right already... I'd say that what you seem to need is simply more time working your gear, and your craft (mind out of the gutter Mr. Thrun...)
Pigpen This is the first track I've ever heard of yours... I think. It's not that great to be honest... You see, Neil get's my partial respect cause I've been listening to him slowly, occasionally painfully improve while sticking (this is not a rude pun Neil) to his artist ideals. So, I got nothing to say about your tune other than it's pretty weak, unappealling and not deserving of a vote. AS far as Pigpen the "artiste" goes, well, I'll have to listen to more of your stuff to get the idea.. as many have said before, and I'm paraphrasing here with a little added info: Experimenting, learning and growth in music is great, and should be encouraged, but submitting crappy stuff for a competition opens you up to some serious abuse! Anyway, better luck next time Mr. PP... take solace in the fact that I am not a rap afficondiatio, or a good speller, although when I hear good rap, I totally love it and get into it... so ... that's all.
Bell Green These seems a bit different from past stuff (this summer and such) from you.. man, me ears and mind must not be very tolerant right now, cause dude the vocals have tuning, confidence and power issues. It sounds like you're choking back on your vocals, like you were singing somewhere where you did not want anyone to hear you... giving it this repressed kind of tone.. and some notes are just not there... however, the tune itself is kinda cool, and the tone of that istrument is such that I'm not sure if it's a really bassy guitar, or a bass on the upper strings or what! As a song, it's not bad, but it needs rehearsal!! Kind of reminencingt (fuck spelling anyway) of The wall... with that kind of bitter depressed thing in your vocals.. I liked that element. I suppose my final feelings on it are neutral...a neutral vote for Mr. Green. (on a side note, this one had a very "scary" sound to it.. very Halloween so you get a bonus point for that, edging you into the decent category....)
40 second songs Good. In one week, you got a well put together, interestingly orchestrated, ditty. This seems more organic than other things I've heard of yours (bearing in mind I've probably only got about 6 or so of your tunes right now).. as the song works it's way along, I like it more and more... possible vote...in fact, this is pretty inspiring man, cause it makes me want to go and write asong... and I'll tell you why..it sounds (to me, this isn't some kind of "fact") like you've exploited every possible musical idea that came to you this week in a very coherent/cool manner!!I enjoyed this.. imagine doing this one live... that'd be cool!
wrekdomI dunno... have you heard of yoko ono? Apparently she was a brilliant artist too... but .... well, I think listening to wrekdom at work, and in the car just doesn't do it.. the jokes aren't super funny... I think I need to be baked to appreciate this in anyway... and I don't think I would. Sorry Richard and crew, not happening for me right now...
Johnny Cashpoint Very nice. Your vocals always give the best visuals... I see you in a dark studio, cameras panning around as you twist and contort... since I've never really seen you... I imagine you looking like Pink in the wall. So far, it's between you and 40 second songs... I wonder if anyone's gonna hassle you about "darryark"... I like it. This is a good mix too man...sometimes something might get lost or buried in your mixes, but this one sounded real good, and that's through my shit work speakers.. good song. In fact, this is proably the most "song" like entry so far in this fight.... I liked it.
Groovy coleslaw intro reminds me of chick corea, then it seems like abc or something...very 80's pop anyway. Interesting little chord shift there.... Those drums sound fake and annoying, but the whole piece is pretty well constructed and has a nice flow to it. Only thing is, it meanders on ... it was probably fun to play on for that long, but it just starts to ... well, you get the picture. I liked it for the most part, but my vote is still between J$ and 40sec...
Mother Funker There are things I like about this track, and others I don't. It seems like tuning is an issue occasionally with the singing... and as a song goes, it's a tad sappy for my tastes. But then , there's this section where the guitar arrpegiates, and it reminds me of Northern Pikes "snow in june" album.. which I liked a lot... so, this is a neutral, leaning towards not so great simply cause it also seems like it goes on in a super sappy cheesy way... ah well...
King Aurthur Already off the top I liked it for it's psuedo country feel. I was not a huge fan of yours before, however, I like to rate my opinions on what I hear now, not what I heard before. I like the feel and country vibe, nice guitar tone. The shaker is too loud for me... yeah, I'm not liking the percussion track (just too phoney sounding... is it electronic based? ...) it reminds me of van morrison or something (percussion parts that is), but I like that lead guitar, and the overall structure of the tune. Pretty good job King, I'll have to listen to you, 40 secs and Johnny again, but I'm leaning towards Johnny for my vote. You done good though!

Well, that's my one off reviews.... seems harsh for some reason... either that's the place my brain is at... or there were some weak entries... only way to know for sure is listen to the whole fight later on this week... I'll try to do that, and if I change my mind about something, I'll let ya all know...
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Post by PiGPEN »

Leaf wrote:Neil Thrun ...blah, blah...then something about me...the only type of thing i notice cuz im an egomaniac..."...but submitting crappy stuff for a competition opens you up to some serious abuse!"
I hadnt realized this was a competition...song fight is the name. No one wins in a fight...except the band-aid makers. Infact when i come into a fight i EXPECT serious abuse (my mind is forever warped by Fight Club).

So in conlucsion...shuttup, im a rapper. I'll pop a cap in yo ass if you dont quit the yakkin, Cracker!
Last edited by PiGPEN on Tue Oct 26, 2004 3:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by j$ »

tviyh wrote:johnny cashpoint - the piano based stuff and the high-pitched synth thing that kind of hovers above everything -- (i have no idea what it is, but it almost sounds like when you run your finger around the edge of a water glass)...
It's actually a section of the rhythym guitar part run through a vocoder. Just to give away trade secrets/spoil the illusion of me hunched over a half-full wine glass ... :)
leaf62 wrote:I wonder if anyone's gonna hassle you about "darryark"...
Almost certainly! It felt natural for me to sing it that way, but when it was done I thought just that, so as a kind of 'heads up - yeah I know it's unexpected' a put a little hi-hat crash at the end of each one. It sounded good so I left it in.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. I was expecting/still expect a bit of a battering to be honest. If it's at all like my other stuff, I guess it's my 'Snooter' crossed with our 'The Gutter' with a bit of my anti-falsetto from 'Save a Pony' thrown in for good measure. I tried to write a Nick Cave murder piano ballad, but then started adding bits that sounded good to me, et viola. This thing. :)

j$
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Post by NeilThrun »

Leaf wrote:Neil Thrun Well Neil. Your voice sounds deeper. Guitar's better tuned. Vocals are predicitably juvenile... but let's call that your charm... The cello sounds pretty good... I can't say that this is that great, but what is great is that you constantly get better, and this is why you should continue torturing us, cause eventually you'll be able to sit back and say "fucking told you I was good"...but not today Mr. Thrun... no vote for you. That being said, I ALWAYS check your tunes out when you fight, so you obviously are doing some things right already... I'd say that what you seem to need is simply more time working your gear, and your craft (mind out of the gutter Mr. Thrun...)
[
I thank you for the praise and suggestions. I am honored that you always check my stuff out. But Im not sure what your implying about my lyrics in this weeks fight. I did write them last week but I really dont remeber putting anything obscene in my song.
tviyh wrote:neil thrun & the færies of doom - i'm guessing everything here (the vocals, guitar, and cello(??)) were all recorded at the same time in one take. that's really too bad, because i think the lousy sound quality is really holding this back. the vocals aren't bad but could probably be improved by being recorded by themselves without playing the guitar at the same time... if it was possible to re-record this with better equipment i'd love to hear it because it seems like an amazingly written song.
I agree with the sound quality. My equipment is far from profesionnal. My quitar and lead vocals were recorded together. Back up vocals and cello were added later. I did my best to balance everything but the bass on the cello is a little off. And thank you for your compliments aswell, it makes me feel good.

As I write all of this im listening to everybody's stuff, I should have my reviews up later.
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Post by Bell Green »

Leaf wrote:Bell Green These seems a bit different from past stuff (this summer and such) from you.. man, me ears and mind must not be very tolerant right now, cause dude the vocals have tuning, confidence and power issues. It sounds like you're choking back on your vocals, like you were singing somewhere where you did not want anyone to hear you... giving it this repressed kind of tone.. and some notes are just not there... however, the tune itself is kinda cool, and the tone of that istrument is such that I'm not sure if it's a really bassy guitar, or a bass on the upper strings or what! As a song, it's not bad, but it needs rehearsal!! Kind of reminencingt (fuck spelling anyway) of The wall... with that kind of bitter depressed thing in your vocals.. I liked that element. I suppose my final feelings on it are neutral...a neutral vote for Mr. Green. (on a side note, this one had a very "scary" sound to it.. very Halloween so you get a bonus point for that, edging you into the decent category....)
Hey man, everyone is quoting you, so I'm gonna join in the fun. Great reviews by the way. Must have taken you at least an hour to do. That's almost as long as it took me to do that song. Well, it actually took me two hours from the time I decided to do it, first thinking that it might be too late, to sending it in. I thought, fuck it, not my usual style but I have kind of an idea so why not. The vocals are all first or second takes. No time to rehearse. Wrote the lyrics (which need work), while eating lunch, and I was singing while eating as well. So I didn't follow any of the rules my singing coach taught me. The idea is kind of Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang" as featured in Kill Bill. So it's just bass and vocals. My wife sat on the sofa behind me sniggering, which hopefully the mic didn't pick up. I'm surprised that anyone even liked it.

Anyway, enough blathering about my own song, I'll get down and do some proper reviews later today.
so . . . when was the last time you backed up?
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Post by Thylacine 9 »

Sorry for not reviewing the shaving in the dark songs, I got caught up in the Moon Shine skite cause I wrote a song for it (but couldn't finish recording it in time)...

I will say that I voted for 40 Second Songs because upon first listen to the tracks, theirs jumped out, reminding me of Fountains Of Wayne a little.

But now that I've listened to the songs a couple of more times my favorite is johnny cashpoint. I can see where he was going for Nick Cave but it ended up sounding completely prog. Very Floyd. Very calculated and cold, with completely fake-sounding emotional singing. (Although Murder Ballads has the same quality, so it's easy to see how the song degenerated to this.) Gutter Roger Waters. Love it.
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Post by j$ »

rocket rebel wrote:But now that I've listened to the songs a couple of more times my favorite is johnny cashpoint. I can see where he was going for Nick Cave but it ended up sounding completely prog. Very Floyd. Very calculated and cold, with completely fake-sounding emotional singing. (Although Murder Ballads has the same quality, so it's easy to see how the song degenerated to this.) Gutter Roger Waters. Love it.
Thanks! That means a lot more to me than the vote. (not to say I wouldn't have liked it, mind!)
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Post by Leaf »

[quote="NeilThrun"]
I thank you for the praise and suggestions. I am honored that you always check my stuff out. But Im not sure what your implying about my lyrics in this weeks fight. I did write them last week but I really dont remeber putting anything obscene in my song.

[quote]


"but not my face"



I think that qualifies!!!


...good line by the way...
I didn't mean "bad" when I said juvenile... I just meant ... funny and immature... which often can provide great rock lyrics in my opinion!!

Anyway, keep on rockin out dude.
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Post by Leaf »

PiGPEN wrote:
Leaf wrote:Neil Thrun ...blah, blah...then something about me...the only type of thing i notice cuz im an egomaniac..."...but submitting crappy stuff for a competition opens you up to some serious abuse!"
I hadnt realized this was a competition...song fight is the name. No one wins in a fight...except the band-aid makers. Infact when i come into a fight i EXPECT serious abuse (my mind is forever warped by Fight Club).
Uh... song fight.... vote for the best song... actually the fight club analogy is pretty apt!!

PiGPEN wrote: So in conlucsion...shuttup, im a rapper. I'll pop a cap in yo ass if you dont quit the yakkin, Cracker!
Bet your white.


Like your attitude though... but realize, when you throw your craft out for the world to hear, you're gonna get feedback... in fact, you can play and write and record something super sofisitkated, (yo PinV!!) with shit hot playing, and the best sounds, and EVERYONE could just ...not...get...it... and that is the result of art I suppose... anyway... nice to meet you man... now rap something that will make me quiver and shiver with my biggity boon liver, feelin wilder than myguyver...
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Post by Mogosagatai »

Reviewing in the dark (is what this is a result of):


<b>WreckdoM:</b> I love the crazy, live, campfire story-telling feel. Especially the emphatic cheering and clapping after each horrible thing. Holy shit. Great stuff, though the ending was too drawn out.

<b>People in Greenly Polka-dotted Eggplant, Nerd!:</b> Wow. This is infintesimally bad. Decide if you're joking or not before you make a song.

<b>Neil Thrun et al:</b> Guytar. Hmm, the prettiest chord progression I've ever heard from you, but also the most unoriginal and boring. Good use of strings, though.

<b>Johnny Cashpoint:</b> The instrumentation could stand to be thicker, less fake sounding. The piano in particular is tinnier than one would hope. The tune itself is pretty, while too repetitive. Not liking the general delivery of it, though.

<b>Bell Green:</b> This gets dull pretty quickly into it. At about :45, I find myself caught up in it again, thanks to your well-done singing, but then you cut straight to the "Sha-a-having, I was sha-a-..." and whatnot and whatever seriousness I was collecting from the song is instantly washed away.

<b>Forty Second Songs:</b> Nice. I was starting to get a little bored with all the slow twang, but then I was swept off with the oohing and doo-woppy style singers. Then, when I thought I had hit the climax of the song, those drums came in with a whole new attitude, and I was knocked flat. And back to the twang for the ending, which is subtlely appropriate.

<b>Grovy Coldslaw:</b> This just sounds so cheesy, like something the heroic man in some cheesy 1980s movie that some cheesy housewife watches religiously while working out to work off those luxury pounds caused by being boring ::gasp::, would listen to. The song ain't bad, but it's generic enough to be easily ruined by the delivery, and I can't stand your instrumentation--just so...ya know, cheesy.

<b>Motherfunker:</b> Your singing is good but needs much more reverb and "far away" feel. The music is quite pretty. I think I would prefer real strings to the quirky synth sounds, but the organ is really nice, even if a little jarring at first. The woman talking is really cool sounding, and it's nice that you brought her back near the end. After that, you might should've stopped a little sooner. The paths you took were cool, but they perhaps should belong to different songs.

<b>King Arthur:</b> Like Mr. Coldslaw's, your instrumentation always tugs a bad nerve in me. Your songwriting is usually, and definitely in this case, not bad at all, but also vulnerable to heavier importance on delivery. And your delivery just isn't really for me, I guess (usually--there are a few that I like well enough despite my distaste for the instrumentation).






So, I'll vote for <b>Forty Second Songs</b>, whose almost-boring song suddenly knocked me off my feet. But if FSS <i>weren't</i> in this fight, then I would most certainly toss the vote to <b>WreckdoM</b>, whose advant-garde <i>play</i> of a song tugged me along by the ears quite hilariously. But, if <i>those</i> crafty fellows had not been present for the fight, then the smooth-sailing yet off-roading <b>Motherfunker</b> would catch the prize.

Huzzah!
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Post by NeilThrun »

user wrote:Reviewing in the dark (is what this is a result of):


<b>Neil Thrun et al:</b> Guytar. Hmm, the prettiest chord progression I've ever heard from you, but also the most unoriginal and boring. Good use of strings, though.

<
Gracias, Ive been working hard at moving away from simple power chord progressions.

And Leaf, Ill post the lyrics later in the lyric posting place,i forget what its called. But anyways im pretty sure "But not my Face" is not a line in my song. Which leads me to believe i should work on enunciation a bit more when I sing.
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Post by Leaf »

NeilThrun wrote: And Leaf, Ill post the lyrics later in the lyric posting place,i forget what its called. But anyways im pretty sure "But not my Face" is not a line in my song. Which leads me to believe i should work on enunciation a bit more when I sing.

HAHAHA!!! I thought you sang "I will start to shave.... but not my face... "

I listened again.. it's "I will start to shave... my face"

Is that right?
Damn.

I liked the first version better!!

Ah well....I stand by my assertion that you are a work in progress...I enjoy listening to it.
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Post by Bolio »

Reviews...

Bell Green – I like eerie. But nothing really holds my attention here.

Forty Second Songs – All kinds of fun here. Some very good lyrics stick out to me. Nice first verse & I’m very impressed when the chorus starts. These days it’s so easy to plug into midi, so all of the real sounds are a major plus. Cowbell, triangle, bells, banjo…. ooh waa oooooh. I like the way you sing this one, very reminiscent of ‘Pass / Fail’, a favorite melody of mine. By the end of the song it is a whirlwind of sound, very effective. Great job!

Grovy Coldslaw – Neat intro. Kind of has a U2 feel to it, busy guitar with a layed back band. I like the way the busy synth replaced the busy guitar. Melody isn’t holding my attention (but I like the progression.) Outro a tad too long, the line “Shaving in the Dark” has now become tedious. (‘later on’ note – hook is still going through me head. Points.)

Johnny $ - Verse loses my interest a bit. Love the melody & lyrics in the chorus though, I’ll probably keep it for this alone. Ok song.

King Arthur – Very solid song. Great sound quality, good vocal performance & lyrics throughout. I love the chorus & the bridge is a very nice touch. I admit, I’ve probably listened to this song 30 or more times. Ever since I’ve heard your songs, you sound just like a singer & I’ve never been able to determine who. This song especially sounds like them, the way you say ‘fading fast.’ I almost think of it then D’OH! Don’t you hate having something on the tip of your tongue? If anyone can help me out here… at least it’s gotten me to listen to a pretty kickass song over & over again. :!: Out on the highway… :!:

Mother Funker – Dynamite melody, I like your style on this one. Very good piano & guitar throughout. And this is the best vocal performance I’ve heard out of you. Major points for the tempo/style change later in the song. Piano / vocal outro is pretty cool too. Very good song, keeper.

Neil Thrun & The Doom Fairies – Very cool progression (reminds me a little of Rain Song by Led Zeppelin), wish the guitar was a little cleaner so all the notes ring out. Not the greatest Boy + Guitar performance, clean up the guitar & vocals & you have a keeper.

PiGPEN – Backround is an afterthought, terrible. Might as well have rapped a capella. Not my style.

Wreckdom – Kinda funny in parts. Not funny enough to make me overlook the fact that the rest of the song isn’t that interesting.

Good quality fight. Top 3:

3 - King Midas
2 – Mother Funker
1 – Forty Second Songs
I may not know karate, but I know KA-RAZY! -James Brown |Bolio on SoundCloud
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Post by NeilThrun »

Ah thanks everyone for the compliments. I do apologize for the poor recording quality a couple of you have mentioned.

Anyway its REVIEW'O'CLOCK!

Bellgreen-Totally awesome. Great melodies and hooks. Vocals work well too. Clever lyrics. It could use percussion of somekind. maybe a a slower reggea like beat or just a shaker. I dont know. Awesome. Completely Awesome.

Forty Second Songs-Alright guitar hooks. I dont like the back up guitar or whatever it is thats playing those high notes. Cool Vocal pattern. The refrain is neat.

grovy coldsaw-borring. Lame vocals. blah. maybe back in 85 this would have been cool.

johhny cashpoint-I like your voice as usual. Otherwise the lyrics are too quiet to catch the ussual cleverness and comedy of your music. The refrain comes through well. I like the melody of the refrain. The refrain to verse transition is poor. Good Job overall, the things i picked out were miniscule to the overall coolness of the song.

King Arthur-Yeah 9 minutes long. Luckly if flys by once you get into it. Or completely space it out like I did the first time. Regardless its well done. The percussion needed to very a bit more. And that shaker is way to loud. Good guitar and vocals as usual. Just needs to be balanced a little more and this would be a classic. Needs some gong. Not enough gong at all.

Motherfunker-I dont get the womans vocal samples and what in the world it has to do with your song. Nice piano and vocals in the begining. While I am guilty of this from time to time too, try to keep away from synth crash cymbals. They sound fake. It gets weird around 2:40. It should have cut out there. The Spoken word is lame and unneeded. You hurt your song with it.

Neil Thrun and The Doom Fairie(s?)-I put quite a bit of thought into the lyrics. Fairly symbolic with out getting to far away from the idea of shaving in the dark. And hey I got out my cello for a change. Boy is it out of tune and shitty. Bad sound quality, I guess thats what I get for a 12$ cpu mic.

Pigpen-Good job sucking. Your beats barely fit with what your singing. If your not making your own beats go get fruity loops or some similar program and start doing so now. Yeah and in general your rapping sucks. But keep at it. We cant all be MC Hammer.

Wreckdom-WTF. I dont know what this is about. well done? I like the urine selling line. As usual you are beyond comprehension. Good job.

So who gets my vote? As tempting as it is to vote for myself, Bellgreen gets it. Congrats.
joshw
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
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Post by joshw »

Scoring Key: (Production, Performance, Song)

Bell Green (8, 6, 7) Very nice intro. The verse needs something a little more to spice up the arrangement. Very creative song, and I think it works. Vocals are weak in parts. Short, but I think the length is good. I'm really starting to get into your stuff.

Forty Second Songs (8, 7, 8) You're nothing if not distinctive. :) I was worried about the length of this until the cool stuff came in at :45. Almost a Tom Waits vibe or something for awhile. Then the "oo-wah-ooo" part comes in and is beautiful. One thing that I don't like about this is that it takes me on a journey during the first "verse-chorus" (or whatever), and then takes me back for the same journey again from the start. Hard to explain, hope I'm vaguely clear on that. Your thick arrangement is beautiful. Towards the end I start drifting until the great part at 4:20 comes in. It might still be a little long, but I'm not sure. Very nice, there's a ton of substance to this one. Possible vote.

Grovycoldslaw (7, 6, 6) This is interesting. There's something about it that's keeping me distant from it, though. It seems like you're not really getting into the groove enough - as if you're just going through the motions. It takes two minutes to get to a reasonable evolution in the song, which seemed long. Neat solo. Some pitchy vocals. The keyboard that comes in after the solo helps, but I'd like to hear some real movement in the dynamics. The repetition that starts at 3:22 was too much.. I was already getting tired of the line by that point. Some economy of arrangement to trim a minute or so away, and some dynamic variation would really help this one out.

Johnny Cashpoint (6, 5, 6) The chord progression is nice, but the melody on the piano hangs on notes too much. The delivery of "daaaayeahhhk" around :50 made me want to shave in the dark to be sure. I'm dead bored by the 2m mark, but the part that comes in after that helps.

King Arthur (7, 7, 6) The intro has me expecting Wesley Willis to come in. The one isn't doing much for me. It's really generic. It's perfectly pleasant.. I wouldn't change the channel if this came on the radio.. but I probably wouldn't even notice that it's on. This doesn't play to your strenghts in my mind - you're at your best when you lend the cheesiness to something a little more innovative.

Mother Funker (7, 6, 7)

Nothing was grabbing me until the pretty instrumental section at the minute mark. The extra instrumentation on the next verse, especially the bass, adds a lot. Vocal delivery is a little too Cashpointy in parts. The big changeup was unexpected. I don't think it meshes especially well. Funny ending.

Neil Thrun (6, 5, 6)

Some pretty musical moments, but you don't sound like you're even remotely trying to sing or play guitar. It doesn't strike me as the fun Wally Pleasant thing, it sounds like someone who is deliberatly dumbing down their performance like Markus Kellis. I can't really give you a fair opinion on the song because the quality of the performance (and the production to some extent) keep pulling me out of it. I suspect it's better than my rating gives it credit for.

Pigpen (6, 5, 5)

For what it's worth, this is the first song of the batch where I've been paying attention to the lyrics. Unfortunately, it's the one song that I don't *want* to pay attention.

Wreckdom (6, n/a, n/a)

Boring.


And FSS it is.
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Caravan Ray
bono
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Post by Caravan Ray »

last minute reviews:

Bell Green: I like this. Well done. Different, interesting, engaging, listenable
42nd songs: Excellent. I enjoyed this a lot. Probable vote
J$: Nice piano. Vocals start good. Your deep voice sounds good. Your higher register makes me look back fondly on the times you were singing deep. Apart from that – I liked the song a lot. Well done.
King Arthur: Now this is a great voice. Not much more to add – good song – well played – great voice.
Pigpen: Yo dog, I’m jumping on the Pigpen bandwagon – I like your style. I liked your song last week and this one too. This is voteworthy.
GrovyColdslaw: ABC? Bad 80’s memories.
Neil: Sack the Doom Fairies man, they’re just holding you back. Keep the cello player though.
Wreckdom: Hands down the best thing this fight. But it had sod all to do with the title. Tacking “Shaving in the dark” on at the end doesn’t cut it with me. Idiots!

Given that I disqualified Wreckdom, it’s a toss up this week between style and substance. 40 second songs was excellent, but as mentioned, I just love the style of Pigpen – that nice short little thingy tinkled my bells – vote for Pigpen. (Ok, apologies to Wreckdom – but I’ve voted for you guys a few times before and I figured Pigpen may appreciate the vote more)

Unfortunately this week I had to listen on my crappy home dial-up and things were coming in 20 second bites. With better perusal of the songs I think King Arthur would have also contended for a vote – it sounded like a great song but I just couldn’t get the continuity.
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