I can't see through the windscreen (Covered In Bugs reviews)

[Future Boy]

Level Nivelo: Fuckin' awesome.

[Emosaurus Regina]

Ok, this is only the second time I've entered/reviewed and I'm gonna use my same system- thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs sideways.

Carpetburn- I like how this starts out. I couldn't understand a lot of the lyrics, but it was fun to listen to. After it kind of changed I liked it less, but it still gets a thumbs up.

Cutie Pies- This is automatically right up my alley. It reminds me of the Postal Service ( I mean it as a compliment.) The lyrics are pretty cheesy but heck, you're named Cutie Pies, so... it fits. Thumbs up.

Damien Verrett- It's a little hard for me to listen to but as my entry would indicate, I am down with the acoustic. However, it's not catchy enough for me to listen to it very often. Thumbs sideways.

Level Nivelo- The lyrics remind me of Weird Al and the vocals remind me of either the Mountain Goats or Neutral Milk Hotel. Also I'm not sure if there was an intentional Nirvana reference toward the end there, but either way, I liked it. It's a fun song, I would definitely listen to it in my regular rotation. Thumbs up.

MMMC- I like how the bugs in this song are not physical insects. The song is good, but it's just not my style. Thumbs sideways.

Older Brothers- I really liked this. I mean, I'm a big fan of the whole singer/songwriter genre. So far, I think I'm voting for either this or Cutie Pies. Thumbs up.

Paco Del Stinko- I wasn't a big fan of the vocals on this one. It sounded pretty good, but there are just other things that I like better in this fight. So Thumbs sideways.

Phunt Your Friends- I don't hate everything you do. I don't even hate this. At the same time... I wouldn't listen to it just for fun. Thumbs down.

Popular Electronics- This sounds a lot heavier than anything else in the fight so far. I like the voice. And the production is superior to some of the other songs I was considering voting for, so that's a plus. At the same time, I'm not sure if this is something I would listen to again because it's just not my style. Thumbs sideways.

Prophets of the Robot Wars- Umm... k. I just can't get into this. It's a lot of noise. Thumbs down.

Ratt Poizon- This is just so not my style. It just kept going and was really long, or seemed to be. I don't really know if it's bad or good, for it's genre, I just know that I don't like it. Thumbs down.

Wreckdom- Yeah, this is another thing that is just... not my style. I can't get into it, I can't sing along to it.... Thumbs down.

Your Money Wasted- This sounds pretty good. But seeing as how it's the last one I've listened to, I know there are other things I like better. Thumbs sideways.

Ok I'm going to clear up what seems to be a misconception about my entry (cuddlebuddies). It's not just me and a guitar, it's me, the New Stenographer and a guitar. The song is about Cthulhu, for those who haven't read/didn't understand the lyrics. We're sort of... anti-filk.

[Ratt Poizon]

I'm going to try something different with reviews.... I'm turning it into a drinking game... I need to get smashed tonight, so this should help. I'll take a swig of gin every time I hear something I don't like, and I'll slam an entire milwaukee's best when I hear something I do like..... lets start this bastard off!!!!

Carpet Burn
nice sofar... haha!!! that almost sounds like a rush song... (chugging beer)... I'm not sure if I really like your voice. (gin sip). some interesting things in here.... I'm impressed. don't take this the wrong way, but if it wasn't for the singing I might actually REALLY like this song.

Cubble Dubbies
no. GIN TIME!!! I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, but this kinda sucks. I'm not impressed. not really my thing though, you know. 8)

Cutiepies
nice sound so far! (half a beer chug). Production is awesome, but I'm not sure if the song really is. I'm definately not liking the voice. (gin sip) cool sounds though.

Damien Verrett
booo boo bee doo. (gin sip) It sounds like you had a good Idea but it didn't come together how you wanted. I hope anyway. well... I like the whistling... just half of a beer like it though.

Level Nivelo
haha!! yes. you get a sip of gin and a beer chug. obviously this should be louder... and a little less muddy. but that's ok, I think. wow! my stomach's a little upset I hope this is a long song. damn it. good job!

Mr. Man Masturbates Cows
I like this song. I guess it's all with computers though isn't it? I supose that fits your subject. that usually pisses me off, but not now. I don't like your rapping much (in parts). I don't like rap though, so who am I to judge? cool song. the little ending riff is my favorite.

Older Brovers
I hope these lyrics get funny. Hmm.. I don't really like this... I should, but I don't. sorry. (ginny gin gin gin). production sounds great! I almost puked... you better not have anything that sucks coming up. GOOD!!! it wasn't a kick-ass dual guitar solo, but it was a dual guitar solo. I like guitar solos. I really don't want to sound like an ass... but it is a little boring.

Paco Del Stinko
thankyou! I don't feel the need to drink gin or a beer. my stomach is killing me. fuck! wah guitar is cool.... (beer). yelling... mentioning maggots and rock guitar... (beer)... hmm this is odd, going into this I really hated it. by the end you made it better though. or I'm just getting drunk.

Phunt yo' Friends
yes. (I will now slam a beer)... but after this I think I'm changing it from an entire beer to: I just have to sip the beer. what is that sliding noise? I love it.

Poopular Electwonics
ehhh... that's interesting how the bass is in the left kinda and guitar in the right... and the panning on the drums. this needs to be heavier. that guitar sound is very cool (beer). starting out I did not like this. I'm starting to enjoy it, now though. I don't like the singing (gin). guitars are getting better. I'd suggest keeping the soft singing and guitar sound for the parts you want like that... but then turn everything up to 11 and try yelling a bit. seriously. more variety. I like. (production sounds GREAT!)

Poopheads Of da DildoBattle
SKULL I guess I have to slam a beer now. dude, you should try this review drinking game, I'm honestly getting fucked up rightnow... I think that did have something to do with recording the bass and drums at the same time. the bass comes through good. but the drums are definately still muddy (i've listened 4-5 times to try to figure it out). you have too much shit going on. fucker.

HAHA!!! IT'S ME!!!
I guess I should do a shot and drink a fuckin' beer. and a chew of snuff. ok.. I doubt anyone will read this... but the idea was combine the styles of captain beefheart and Fantomas (I love both of them). I really hated the vocals, but the more I listen the better they sound, I still might redo them. and how the hell are people getting satan worshiping metal out of this? you crazy bastards. I thought it was kinda "jazzy"

PEE BREAK!!!!

wRECKDOm
god damn you! I have to drink another beer. yeah!!! why exactly did you think I sound like ween? because this is TOTALLLLY ween-esque. I really like ween now. I can't do alot of those computer noises. I record everything with an tape 8-track. I really did enjoy your song. Perhaps we should combine forces. and become "CAPTAIN PLANET."

Your Money wasted
alright! listen. I hate music like this. but not this music. I hate to admit it but I really do love this song. the right channel guitar especially. you suck. I will drink gin because I'm an ass... and chuga beers because this really is good. but it is "pop" sounding. I know none of us weirdo's are going to win so I hope you do. your songs too short.. or I'm drunk... one or the other...

YES!!!!!! as one Mr. George W. Bush once said: "mission accomplished!" I'm going to go record me covering Kyuss's song "big bikes." what? never heard it? LISTEN TO IT! IT'S FREAKING AWESOME.[/b]

[Egg]

Carpetburn - I love me a good jingoistic detritivore song. The laundry listing of bugs is a cool idea, but I can't help thinking that it's too conventionally enthusiastic. I want it to be actually dripping with bugs. But this song stands pretty tall otherwise, with a lot of changes that seem relevant and very different but connected parts. I think the vocals in the laundry listing are throwing me off more than the music. Overall, cool carpetburn entry.

Cuddlebuddies - That Haster rhyme makes me angry. You've got a really bad reverb in the room where you're recording vocals and I recommend you sing under a blanket with the mic. I do appreciate how entirely obnoxious filk is. The Herbert West reference is sort of a throwaway, but a good rhyme. It also makes me think you won't be doing many more of these if you're getting rid of all the good Lovecraft references early on. Phew. The lofi would have worked better if the vocals weren't as reverby.

The Cutie Pies - This feels pretty daring compared to Tanker Truck. I'm enjoying the break from those really prominent female vocals you know you could coast on. It's perfect in the back up, although that fat synth is mixed a little loud and risks some very dangerous buzzing that sounds like it's competing with the lead vocals, but I like how long those synth hits are. They create a really nice backdrop for the poppy blip bloops. This song is also an appropriate length because it isn't taking me anywhere but it ends before I get bored with how fun and giddy it is.

Jonas Murdock and the Child Inside - Whoa. Okay, this needs a lot more love than it's been receiving, especially compared to other predominantly guy and guitar tracks. You're mixed too quietly for me though. The whispery vocals are amazing though and they're mixed in well relative to the guitar, small percussion and whistling but the whole thing needs to be less normalized or whatever you did to it. Then again, I like just turning up the volume and listening to it louder at the peak of where these speakers can go. The whispery stacked vocals are sort of Animal Collective but the guitar is much more tamed and organized so it's still distinguishable.
There are some subtleties in this song and the good mix allows them to be noticed. "Now if everybody would just hush" is such a great moment in the song with that big switch. And the whistling takes it to a new level with the faster guitar part. Pretty much everything is great after that.

Level Nivelo - The lofi isn't really working for this song. Is there a lot of useless silence at the end of the track or is that just my player? The popping is kind of annoying. The vocals sort of have a Steve Durand quality to them under all that lofi. I actually went through and listened to some Level Nivelo the other day because you came up in conversation. I'm not really a fan of your humor. I'm immature enough to really get hooked on silly jokes, but I feel like your brand of novelty isn't novel at all. Again, this comes from a soundscaper who can't stop laughing at WreckdoM's fart and blood jokes. I don't know what else to say. You've chosen a solid chord progression and recorded vocals that are cute enough to make me smile at times. If that's all you were going for, awesome.

MMMC - Those snaps are really good. The part where the mix fails me is on the chorused voices. I feel like you've doubled the vocals and the vibrato or reverb on each one is slightly different so that they end up rolling all over each other and those moments sound a lil' fuzzy because of it. It's got some interesting changes and layering. The main vocals are very clear while maintaining breakneck speed. Overall, gay.

Older Brothers - I laughed at the moans of disgust and how long they went on. I don't know if it deserved so much laughing, but you got it out of me. There's a bit of a volume shift between the verse and chorus, and I'm not sure why you did that. "protecting for the sake of protecting" is much quieter than the line right before it, maybe because of doubled vocals? I really like the sound of "succulent synapse vestibule" and I smirk at a "freakin disaster". Okay entry with some good smirks and laughs, but it reminds me of all these bug bites on my back and it didn't really take me anywhere musically outside of the interesting play between the bemoaning sample and the guitar.

Paco del Stinko - "spirals down" prompts a good change. Ooh, funkier than I expected from Paco. I think the histrionics in the vocals add a good bit to this song's 'tude. So many changes in style. Those high and low vocals in the chorus are cool, especially the low one. You actually sang both of those instead of pitchshifting and it works. The narratorial voice at the end might be a little too dramatic for its own good. but when it's half singing "I've got to take myself away," that's a good way to phase back in.

Phunt Your Friends - This is all cakewalk midi except for the thing that clearly isn't. It's me bowing a fiddle with a dried out palm frond.

Popular Electronics - Neato. I like the building drums and attitude during "Big bug eat the little bug" .. and the bass sounds really good after that in the return to the verse. The switch at "soft tissue" is good too and reveals that whispery "oooooh" that I hadn't noticed on the first listen. But the the very next ooooohh seems a little too prominent. The ones after that, where other sounds are occuring, are less distracting. Nice prompt end.

Prophets of the Robot Wars - This is probably one of those tracks that I'll like a lot more in a couple weeks if I listen to it a few more times. There is obviously a lot going on. I like how the robotic vocals can keep up with the rolling instrumentation without feeling really at odds as is so common with robot audio samples. The droopy "covered in bugs" that sounds like it's triangulating about during the lull toward the end of the song is really cool. It sounds like it really is stuck in the mire of bugs. Good ending sounds. Interesting in general. I'll keep listening.

Ratt Poizon - I feel like the drums are a little clean/snappy. Maybe they should undergo the same treatment as your vocals. Just a light layer of static or something to break them up a tiny bit. This is pretty cheesy before the long pause/shift, but that's fun. After the pause/shift, it gets cheesy in a new way. Interesting way to pair off the vocals and the guitar hits though. There's enough going on in this entry to have me listen more. I appreciate the sound of the vocals without discovering any greater meaning in the lyrics. [edit] I hear the fantomas thing you mentioned now that you said that... but I originally heard this as cheezy metal. But it really does successfully carry a bit of that fantomas and maybe beefheart. cooool. I recommend more sampling of short abrupt sounds to accompany big strikes of the guitar. And add some weird samples for bassy rumble in some places. I like how clean it is in others. This song is already growing on me.

WreckdoM - That tinkling in the background behind all the theremin's WHWIIRIRRRR and the people's "AAaahahhahahhhhhhahaahhh" is very neat. Again, you manage to stack so many disparate sounds so well. You guys have a real ear for just going at it and filling space very well with the right amount of sounds. Did somebody just say "hush little, pup"?

Your Money Wasted - I think somebody brought the indie. Ya, there it is. This is a very short entry. I like the doubled guitar tracks being hardpanned. The lyrics are kind of funnier than they are good. The "here and here and there" bit is comical in a self-concious bad rhyme kind of way. The vocals sound a little weak for the song's attitude at the very first but then they end up doing the job. Interesting, but I don't think this has much to grow on me. I look forward to future entries though with more developed songs of this nature.

[Cärpetbürn]

It's fights like these that make me love Songfight, so much really good stuff; and to think some of my friends are still under the impression it's full of talentless nerds

Carpetburn: woohoo, we get to go first. follow this bitches! I'm glad we managed a song about the rise of bugs without saying the word. and we can retrospectively attach all kinds of meaning to the fact we sung a dead language in the chorus - hope that wasn't too up our own arses for anyone, all Latin words rhyme, it was too easy not to do.

Cuddlebuddies: Starts of sounding like Listers 'Indling Song' (that'll mean nothing to you if you've not seen Red Dwarf; but it's a ridiculously forced song where every line ends with '-indling'). Some of the chords in there work quite well; the bit where you sing "..New England.." has the kind of melody which I can feel getting under my skin (in the good way). this has it's moments

Cutie Pies: this is cool, I like the bleeps in the chorus. It's a really strong song but you don't win many points for originality. It feels like every section warns you that it's coming before it actually happens which makes the song a bit boring. Final chorus right on time. Good, and well executed.

Damien Verrett: I think I'd like to try this song with the band, it sounds like it goes all over the place but all the little sections are cool in their own way and I like the way the dynamics change really quickly over a couple of bars, that's exactly the kind of approach I admire in songwriting. The guitar jangles just the way I like it and you've layered them up a bit which is cool. It's good that it's all slow and whimsical and then goes hyper; you DO like the Unicorns don't you. This is still pretty quiet but your mixing seems to have improved; I'd like to hear you cross this with the Nintendo type stuff you used to do. I think it would sound cool if you did it right. good stuff

Level Nivelo: the song's pretty good in a kind of lo-fi rustic way. nice sunny afternoon on the porch type stuff. crappy recording but I get the picture

MMMC: I'm not digging much about this. It doesn't sound too badly done, but most of the lyrics are delivered too fast to be intelligible and I just don't really like the sounds and loops you've used. Possibly a genre-bias thing, sorry. I'm not into the contemporary tech-hop thing that's going round but this track feels like it's going for that and does an okay job apart from it's not nearly as glossy and produced which in this case has a detrimental effect (garage bands can get away with somehow). the rhythms are okay, and they may grow on me.

Older Brothers: That guitar sounds really lo-fi but I like the tone, and the drums really help this to skip along nicely. haha, I like the way you rhymed 'now' with 'ow'. ooh, nice guitar harmonics! mullet-tastic. the Player's lying to me about how long this is but I don't mind cos it's pretty good. There's a couple of dodgy moments here, overall I like it.

Paco del Stinko: The whole of that intro was really nice. I start to go off it a bit as it goes along, mainly due to your voice (sorry! I know there's nothing you can do about it, I'm sure I'll get over it) and also the wah-wah. It's cool the way it gets all creepy later on. good beginning and ending. no, the whole song is really good, but I had to get used to the Tom Waits vibe that creeps in after the lovely intro. Falsetto vox are great. You seem to have been around for longer, is this your first entry? good fucking debut if it is. there's so much good stuff in this fight I doubt this will win the vote but it is up there easily and could have won most other fights easily.

PYF: what's that sawing sound? the stabs make give me more of an impression of the title relevance (I don't know how, maybe because they sound a bit sinister) but I'm diggin the pad-type sounds more. They make me wish this went on longer. they're haunting, and make me think of....a wintery forest at night. don't ask me why, maybe because it seems to add a bit of rusticity that I don't hear in a lot of your stuff

Popular electronics: Sounding good so far. I like the drumming. alot, I like that your avoiding the obvious patterns. hella good, vote? good stabs and spikey guitar tone, I really like those 3 rim shots at the end of the stab section cos they help it flow more. This is way cool, but I might like it more if it wasn't so consistently dark and brooding, it lifts a bit in the chorus, I'm being really picky but only cos I like this a lot, but if there was a section of ethereal twinkly dual guitar action this would be a legendary track for me. this is Puce? respect

Prophets of the Robot Wars: I'm hearing a big Neu! influence. I like the mantric, driving rhythms and you've got some good random noise and audio effects which add to but don't overpower the track too much. I'd like this more if it had a more concrete musical motif which you could have used to extend the song's duration by a few more minutes. this seems like a first take, and the instruments don't play off each other at all which makes it feel more shambolic. still not bad though

Ratt Poizon: Holy jeez. nice breakdown, is that you whimpering? or did you just tell your kids their mother died? I love listening to your stuff cos I know it's gonna be a musical journey in the space of 3 minutes. I like the fact this is tight and chuggadelic, you're a good guitarist, you've got big ideas and you don't sound like Dreamtheater, so well done and thankyou. If I was you I'd vote for myself too, there's nobody doing this style better than you on SF right now (with the possible exception of Leaf but even he's a bit conventional compared to this)

Wreckdom: You and Ratt poizon should collab to form some kind of uber-Rammstein tribute. I've actually just shat myself from listening to these last two songs. Unfortunately personal taste issues prevent me from liking this much, but it's got a good consistent wall of sound building up and plenty of atmosphere.

Your money wasted: This is good, I almost wish it was longer but then I can always listen to it twice. The very opening chord makes it sound like Poseidon by Appleseed Cast which made me excited initially, but this delivers in other ways; good groove, and a shouty chorus make for entertaining listening for people with short attention spans (i.e. me). contender for the vote

Paco, Popular Electronics, YMW, Ratt, Damien...and fuck it, Carpetburn shall wrestle in my mind for the vote.

[Damien Verrett (Jonas)]

I love love love The Unicorns.

I might be liking Islands more now, though.

[Duncan, of Level Nivelo]

In the order they were delivered to me:

<b>Ratt Poizon</b>
Woo, hardcore! Music's kickass. Have no idea what's going on here, since I can't understand the lyrics. Was that something about a "one-eyed Jew"? Quiet middle part with the crying is creepy, like a low-budget horror film where someone's hiding in the closet and you know they're about to get knifed anyway.

<b>Prophets of the Robot Wars</b>
That was some interesting noises. Don't know what any of it was about. Enjoyed some of the electronic beeps and so forth.

<b>The Older Brothers</b>
Pretty music. Catchy hook. Nice harmonies. Like the solo with the grossed-out shouting over it. Will keep this one to listen to in future.

<b>MMMC</b>
Wow, that was okay. Shame about you being a douche.

<b>Phunt Your Friends</b>
Interesting, like something my music teacher would have made me listen to in high school to broaden my horizons. Props for trying something unusual. Didn't get what that had to do with the title, if anything.

<b>WreckdoM</b>
This is like a electropunk version of "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly". That's pretty awesome. Strange ending.

<b>Carpetburn</b>
Best opening line of the fight. You sound like another band, but I can't quite place who; someone from the 80's? Had trouble understanding the lyrics. Really liked the slow middle echoey part. I think I would have preferred to hear a female voice sing this- don't know why. Do with that what you will.

<b>Your Money Wasted</b>
Woo! Stereo! Okay, this rules. My favorite so far. Not too long, either. Bam. Keeping this one.

<b>The Cutie Pies</b>
This also rules. Recorded a little loud, but then mine's too soft, so who am I to complain? Really dig the squeaky noises in the back. Nice lyrics. Keeping this one.

<b>Paco Del Stinko</b>
Good beat, can dance to it. Man, the Taco Bell Chihuahua needs to stop smoking. Cool stuff. Don't much care for the ending, but I see why you went there.

<b>Cuddle Buddies</b>
Woo! Girl! Nice, but don't much care for how the phrases get broken up. Some nice chord changes.

<b>Popular Electronics</b>
If this was on MTV in the mid-90's, Beavis and Butthead would watch this and sing along. Got all pretty at the end. Wasn't expecting that. Nice work.

<b>Damien Verrett</b>
Whoa. I feel like I fell into a bunch of tripping hippies all trying to play the same song with different degrees of ability. This is pretty cool.

<b>Me</b>
Thanks Future Boy, and everyone else who said nice things.
Yes, it was lo-fi; I have a new recording system that needs some work.
And yes, the Nirvana reference was intentional.

[Cärpetbürn]

someone from the 80's? // Had trouble understanding the lyrics // would have preferred to hear a female voice sing this

-stab in the dark. The Cure? I own no albums but that name gets thrown in our direction a bit round here
-I'd be surprised if you didn't, I guarantee you're missing nothing
-So would I, and it's because they have nicer sounding voices than men. We can't find a girl with the good taste to join our band

thanks for the reviews!

[Crates]

Dear SongFight:

Yes, Crates is a dick. Especially when he's been drinking... which is always. If it's any consolation, he'll probably die of cirrhosis of the liver before age thirty.

Nevertheless, I live my life without regrets or apologies-- especially not for my opinions on your music. Look, if your shit sucks, it sucks... and you're welcome to think my shit is just as gay. I can't climb through the computer and stab you in the face for saying so-- and believe it or not, I wouldn't even if I could. I actually support your freedom to be as much of an arrogant dick as you like. If there's one thing I try not to be it's hypocritical, and like Voltaire, while I disapprove of what you say I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

Just so long as you don't insult me to my face.

The fact is, as long as we're posting here, on SongFight, we have to accept a few things: this is a forum for amateur artists, on the Internet. That means that the artists are going to suck, and people are going to be brutally honest about them sucking. The people that aren't have some kind of illusions that they are "hanging out with friends" when they're really just sending messages to anonymous strangers living realistically anywhere on the planet.

That's not to say that we aren't all real human beings here-- perhaps myself a little bit less of one than the rest, for my lack of empathy... or perhaps just a bit moreso, by my penchant for honesty-- but being human only entitles you to freedom of choice and freedom from physical harm. It doesn't mean you get to be treated with false respect: respect is earned, not given, and those who give it too freely will receive false respect in return. It certainly doesn't mean you're special: quite the opposite, in fact, because we are all indifferent insects in the eyes of God.

You submit your music, ultimately, to be weighed, measured, and voted upon. Remember that when you're wiping a tear over the criticisms you in truth were begging for.

And moreover, remember that Crates is not here to be your friend.






On a more personal note, a reply to Paco's message:

MMMC - Crazy-circus of bugs in hot pursuit! I'm very paranoid and can't run fast enough to not let this overtake me. My tongue got sprained trying to speak that quickly and articulately. Is that 3100 or 2900 in Roman numerals?

Strange-- your song didn't give the impression that you were the paranoid type...







Anyway, it's 3100... or you could call it "em em emcee", or "triple emcee", or just think of it as the initials of the suburban white boys who invented it. It all started when four guys named Mike and one named B. K. moved into a 90-year-old house three months before it was to be torn down and turned into a parking lot, only to end up tearing the place down from the inside out themselves with the help of over a thousand drunken visitors through the course of their stay-- but that's a story for another day.

For what it's worth, these last three months in that house-- with the parties, the fist fights, the birth of MMMC and the deaths in our families-- have been the craziest of my entire life. It's a lofty statement to make: I've been a fraternity brother for three years, travelled to more than 80% of the fifty states and across three out of the six habitable continents on the face of the earth, scuba dived with dolphins in the caribbean, served up good will to the aboriginal tribes of Australia in a small village thirteen hours away from civilization, and bungee jumped with those crazy rednecks in Tennessee.

Yet these last three months have defined how I perceive the world easily as much, if not more, than each of those other experiences. Not that any of it has been easy, as fun as it all was. In turn, it's provided me with endless amounts of material for future songs.


But I suppose that's more than you asked to know.




-- Crates

[j$]

So, in your head, this justifies you being a homophobe, then, does it? Crawl off and die.

[Adam!]

Wah! People want to censor me!

You are not being dismissed because you're reviews were harsh; you are being dismissed because you are unable to separate the artist from the music when reviewing. Here's an example of how to separate the two: "Crates, I suspected you might be a douche, but after posting your little high-falutin philosophy it turns out that you a whiney douche with a persecution complex. Your song, however, was totally awesome. Good job."

[Mogosagatai]

EDIT: "That" meaning what Johnny said. Also, this isn't to contradict what Puce just said, because THAT's true too. /EDIT

Yeah I think that might be what everyone's so mad about. The non-jokingly,-seriously-disrespecting-homosexuals thing. It offends (and this might be a stretch to say but I don't really think so) <i>most</i> people here on SF, and for pretty legit reasons.

I guess maybe you never got to that part on your recent life-changing journey. Maybe this is that part.

[Smalltown Mike]

Crates' words may say go away, but his avatar absolutely says come hither.

[boltoph]

Crates' words may say go away, but his avatar absolutely says come hither.

Smalltown Mike, I thought you had a new avatar on the way, also? One that clearly states, not only, "come hither", but also suggests, "stretch the tether"?
Or possibly, something of the "Crawl off and die" nature?

[Crates]

So, in your head, this justifies you being a homophobe, then, does it? Crawl off and die.

What a stupid fuckin word. You, like most people, confuse the concept of a phobia of homosexuals with the concept of just not liking their choices.

I'm not afraid of obese people. I just think their choices show a complete lack of respect for their appearance and personal health, and consequently, I have less respect for them-- because of the lack of respect for themselves, or the lack of discipline and motivation, whichever it may be.

That doesn't mean I don't have any fat friends... but the day they decide to get into better shape and prepare to live a longer, healthier life, I'll be right there next to them at the gym, pushing them to go harder.

I'm not afraid of homos, either... and just like the obese people who I respect for their own decent qualities, there is nothing about being a fag that makes you any less of a person, or any less deserving of being treated as such. But should the subject of their sexual preference arise, I'm happy to report that I think it's disgusting-- not because they prefer the company of men, but because they like to suck cock and fuck dudes in the ass.

Anybody who would let someone else's shit touch their genitals (or any part of their body, for that matter) is going to receive less respect from me for the same exact reasons: it's representative of a lack of self respect.

And for those who would argue that it's not a choice on the part of the homosexual, you'd do well to look into studies correlating homosexuality with siblings sharing identical genes-- twins who have the same DNA, yet whose sexual preference differs.

-- Crates

[Kweep]

...Anybody who would let someone else's shit touch their genitals (or any part of their body, for that matter)...

if anyone has ever farted in your presence and you smelled it... you have not only had particles of their shit on you... but IN you... just thought you might want to know that, by your own deffinition, you too are a fag and therefore not worthy of your own respect...

[Mogosagatai]

twins who have the same DNA, yet whose sexual preference differs

That's inconclusive as to whether or not homosexuality is genetic. Perhaps the twin who claimed to be heterosexual was making the wrong choice, relative to his genes. Or perhaps it was the homosexual. Or maybe they were both bisexual and wrongfully (or perhaps rightfully) narrowed down their choices.

Just something to think about.

[TheNedPlimptonOrchestra]

look, the rampant ignorance is starting to grate, so maybe we could discuss songs.

[Egg]

Everybody,

Crates isn't a homophobe. He just disrespects some people based on who they would allow themselves to have sex with. He subsequently draws a correlation between that sort of choice and the type of music a person makes. How is that so hard to follow? Right? I mean, geesh.

The occasional lack of competent use of logic in this forum makes me think there are some real fatties checking the message boards.

[furrypedro]

it's representative of a lack of self respect.

no it isn't, it's representative of personal preferences - which may have been affected by genetics or nurture to varying degrees (I don't claim to know exactly what, I don't think anyone really does - know, that is. not claim to know, which a lot of people do)

besides, you've not lived until you've been spit-roast by leather-clad gimps and felt their hot, salty love piss rebound off your chin. so i'm told.....
I hope this quarrel doesn't put Crates off Songfight cos the man's a fuckin' hot bitch

ooh look, there are some songs here too!

[Leaf]

I moved this comment.

[Crates]

From "The Importance of Twin Studies", by N. E. Whitehead, Ph.D:



"Twin studies in their modern form investigate both identical and fraternal twins, but this article emphasizes studies of identical twins, which are sufficient for our purposes. Studies of non-identical twins are detailed elsewhere.

"Earlier studies mostly used informal or 'snowball' samples of twins recruited from gay and lesbian associations, and by advertisements. Such studies are possibly biased by the nature of twins who volunteer, but even so, if one identical twin was homosexual, only about half the time was the co-twin concordant (i.e. also homosexual).

"Better research, however, was based on twins who were recruited for other reasons, and only subsequently asked about their sexual orientation. These are known as "registry" studies, and they similarly gave a concordance rate between identical twins of less than 50%. There have been two major published registry studies, one based on the Minnesota Registry, the other on the Australian Registry. The larger of the two registry studies is the Australian one, done by Bailey, Martin and others at the University of Queensland. Using the 14,000+ Australian twin collection, they found that if one twin was homosexual, 38% of the time his identical brother was too. For lesbianism the concordance was 30%. Whether 30% or 50% concordance (snowball samples), all the studies agree it is clearly not 100%.

"The critical factor is that if one identical twin is homosexual, only sometimes is the co-twin homosexual. There is no argument about this in the scientific community.

"Identical twins have identical genes. If homosexuality was a biological condition produced inescapably by the genes (e.g. eye color), then if one identical twin was homosexual, in 100% of the cases his brother would be too. But we know that only about 38% of the time is the identical twin brother homosexual. Genes are responsible for an indirect influence, but on average, they do not force people into homosexuality. This conclusion has been well known in the scientific community for a few decades but has not reached the general public. Indeed, the public increasingly believes the opposite.

"Identical twins had essentially the same upbringing. Suppose homosexuality resulted from some interaction with parents that infallibly made children homosexual. Then if one twin was homosexual, the other would also always be homosexual. But as we saw above, if one is homosexual, the other is usually not. Family factors may be an influence, but on average do not compel people to be homosexual.

"Twin studies suggest that as a class, events unique to each twin--neither genetic nor family influences--are more frequent than genetic influences or family influences. But many individual family factors (such as the distant father) are commoner than the individual unique factors. Unique events would include seduction, sexual abuse, chance sexual encounters, or particular reactions to sensitive events, when young. Everyone has their own unique path which only partly follows that of the theoreticians!

"A fascinating sidelight on all this comes from the work of Bailey. His team asked non-concordant identical twins (one was homosexual, one not) about their early family environment, and found that the same family environment was experienced or perceived by the twins in quite different ways. These differences led later to homosexuality in one twin, but not in the other."




Ultimately, if the prevalence of homosexuality in identical twins is only 38%, as opposed to a biological predilection toward numbers of 80-100% (accounting for those who would be less inclined to share their beliefs), the statistical representation is that of an acquired, environmental psychological condition. Acting as if homosexuality is at all derivative of genetics is as absurd as suggesting that dressing up as a "goth"-- black eyeliner, black clothes, fishnet stockings-- is somehow genetic rather than the consequence of a child struggling to find identity.

In fact, it's even more absurd than suggesting "goth-ism" is genetic: if homosexuality were biologically inherited, natural selection would have never allowed it a genetic niche in the modern day. Homosexuals would have continued to attempt same-sex copulation, and died out in the caveman ages because of their distaste for heterosexual reproduction. If there is any relevance between homosexuality and genetics, it's negligable... just like my genetic disposition toward being an alcoholic-- and my long history of alcoholic ancestors-- is not responsible for my choice in drinking.


Just because a topic is a hot-button with lots of supporters, controversy and debate doesn't mean that there isn't a disparity between the intelligence of its arguments. What the supporters of homosexuality lack in the ability to recognize and interpret factual data, they make up for in perseverance-- for if they were to be given incontrovertible proof that they chose their path in life, it would shatter the illusions that their persecution was somehow thrust upon them, and force them to re-evaluate their entire identity.


-- Crates