review pet peeves

[Lunkhead]

While we're on the topic of reviews, I've got some review pet peeves:

Sometimes people will write reviews and say things like "this sounds like all your other songs!" even when you've only done 1 other entry. So, technically, saying "all your other songs" doesn't really make sense, it should be "your other song". And also it seems fairly premature to say that "all your other songs" sound alike when there are only two data points so far. WTF?

Also, I get annoyed by people who have genre biases against genres that I think, on average, contain way better entries than other genres, again, on average, as far as SF! goes. For example, people who complain about acoustic guitar music, who would rather hear another bad wannabe nerd core rap over awful awful "beats", or another bad electronica song with no/robot vocals. WTF?

Likewise annoying are people who say your song isn't "the best" but give no indication of what songs in the fight they like better. WTF?

One of the comments that stings most for me, especially when it's not completely unjustified, is when people call a song I actually worked hard on "boring". Ouch. I hate you! What about the other shit songs in the fight that somebody spent 20 minutes on? What's more boring than another crappy SF! entry? Haven't we had a million of those already? WTF?

Also I don't like it when I think I have written some clever lyrics and somebody just plain doesn't get it. Get a clue!

Also, and fortunately for you all I'm running out of steam here, so what if I used lyrics from the lyrics mart? Bite me!

I hate those reviews where the person just tells you which seconds of your song they listened to. I want to pretend that everyone who wrote reviews, who didn't hate my song, actually listened to the whole thing, OK asshole?

Less annoying is when people assume that an entry was done by a full band, when most of the time even full band sounding entries on SF! are just some guy/girl in his/her bedroom.

OK, I'm done ranting. Anybody else? And let's try not to name names or be overly specific or anything. My intent is not to start a thread for personal attacks, somebody else can do that.

[Denyer]

i would rather hear some idiot try to rap over bleeps and bloops than hear some idiot sing over a guitar. bleeps and bloops at least don't all sound the same. On average, g&g is better than nerdcore, but a good nerdcore rap song is a lot more interesting than a good g&g song.

[Egg]

I think it's amusing when people say that reviews are too nice or that folks don't just share concise, opinions of the songs. So I guess I have a pet peeve concerning the way people review reviews.

Now, the rest of this is a compilation of some reviews I've gotten within 30 days. If that sounds boring, you should skip it. It's the Internet forum equivalent to a blooper reel or a "I really dislike very specific aspects of what you're phunting here" reel. Here are the first five reviews my last few efforts have received for the reading pleasure of anybody who thinks people are too kind or that this has become beataroundthebushfight!:

Hit By a Train - Phuntpaper Orchestra
1 I didn't enjoy: Phuntpaper Orchestra, Ratt Poizon

2 the stereo guitars are not in time with each other sometimes, which is pretty distracting. the pitch of the vocals and trumpet in the intro is a bit off, it seems like. gets better when the drums kick in. sounds like it's clipping in the chorus (is it the panned backup vocals?). singer reminds me of narbotic a bit. whoa, that trumpet is definitely off a couple minutes in. this is alright, but i'm just not getting into it that much. too many strange noisy tracks for me.

3 The background vocals are really annoying. And so is that trumpet. The song is just too amelodic and random for the most basic 4/4 drumbeat in the world. And then something happens and I like the last minute of the music here. Maybe turn down the vocals next time.

4 I was three seconds away from skipping this when I heard Dan's voice. The lyrics are alright, but the drum is too loud, the guitar is too soft, the trombone/trumpet/whatever that is is out of tune, and the backing vocals sound like zombies. The guitar that comes in for the last two minutes is also out of tune. I like the clapping, but it sounds like it's been subjected to some overzealous noise reduction.

5 I do like Lo-fi…. But not your song. It’s not the good sloppy. This is the bad sloppy. Sorry.

Jesus on the Intercom - Phunt Your Friends
1 You jacked up my counting skills. Now I’m failing math.

2 ok Yoko, we get it.

3 Favorite thing: Believing that there is some kind of code here, or that it has something to do with rudimentary computer programming, numbers and such...odd tones here and there, on either side. Parody of Jesus.
Least Favorite thing: Very difficult to understand the relation to the title...worried that it is simply hapless number listing...want it to be larger that what it appears.

4 0

5 Or this. Damn you, Yoko.

Influential Film - Phunt; don't tell.

1 this song is lame. its fun to hear the talking in the background. the song really sucks. haha. its not really a song. anyways, sorry, but it sucks.

2 not again.

3 Film over the eyes. Another inspired track.

4 we can always rely on thee to take a different angle on the title. The one thing that bugs me slightly about phunt (and this may be me being boring) is your phobia of beats. I like the textures and tones in your aural smorgasboard but I don't walk down the street when I want to hear sounds, I put on some music. I wish that instead of taking musical elements and making a random sound field out of them, you took everyday sounds and gave them a rhythm or something, no matter how ramshackle. I listened really hard to try and some kind of theme regardless of how buried or skeletal it was, but if it's there i didn't find it. The tracks always hint at something that I can really get my teeth into and think "wow", but I always end up thinking "interesting.......sigh, maybe next time"

5 What are you eating? in places this is interesting!?! 6/10


These reviews are, on the whole, rather pointed and helpful. I like SongFight!.

[sausage boy]

First of all, sorry Egg if I have offended you with any reviewing practises I may have used in the past.

But you gotta give props to the people for at least coming back and writing something, even if it is a pile of unhelpful shit.

Personally, a really bad, useless review comes out of me when I listen to a song and think, "There is absolutely nothing I can offer here", but you have to review every song, or else the entrant feels all wierd because they missed out.

Having said that, I would like to say, leave my stupid drum alone! I like my stupid sounding drum!

[Caravan Ray]

Now, the rest of this is a compilation of some reviews I've gotten within 30 days.

You left out this one:

Hit By a Train - Phuntpaper Orchestra
Phuntpaper: Oh great! Self-indulgent adolescent caterwauling! My favourite!
...

I suppose my pet peeve is people being peeved about their reviews. When you post on here (or when you perform in public anywhere) - what you are really doing is dropping your trousers, dangling out your bed-flute and saying to the world "Here it is you bastards - do what you want with it!" You really shouldn't be at all surprised if not everybody wants to fondle it lovingly.

[Gemini6Ice]

But you gotta give props to the people for at least coming back and writing something, even if it is a pile of unhelpful shit.

True. I rarely seem to get around to writing reviews. Also, I'm far behind on LISTENING to songs. I'm on "The Stink" right now. :(

[jack]

I suppose my pet peeve is people being peeved about their reviews. When you post on here (or when you perform in public anywhere) - what you are really doing is dropping your trousers, dangling out your bed-flute and saying to the world "Here it is you bastards - do what you want with it!" You really shouldn't be at all surprised if not everybody wants to fondle it lovingly.

yes. you nailed it.

what's the alternative to my opinion? silence.

[furrypedro]

Ray, that's what I was gonna say.

we're all lucky anyone bothers to listen to the songs, let alone comment on them. That's not to say I wouldn't encourage people to review more, just that I am grateful for the ones I get. You're all well within your rights to ask for further explanations about the reviews too, but nobody is obliged to give them.

It is worth considering that most of us have our particular niches and that the majority of people may not understand (or be 'in to') exactly what we're going for musically, and hence whether we achieve it or not. Sometimes it feels like I'm getting reviews from my dad, and as we all know if your dad likes your song you should can it immediately, but it's interesting seeing how some of the dross we churn out stands up to public (sort of) exposure.

[jack]

i think it's ok to point out things that bug you about people's review styles, like lunkhead did. that constitutes opinion and dialogue in the hopes that maybe people might change.

i also think it's ok to ignore their opinion.

[Egg]

These reviews are, on the whole, rather pointed and helpful. I like SongFight!.

I think I said that those were largely good reviews.

[fodroy]

My pet peeve is reviewers who see production as everything. Fuck that. Go listen to your Britney Spears album if that's all you care about.

The other thing, which really can't be controlled, is how most of the time when reviewing songs, it's hard to understand how the song compares to the rest of the artist's work. Most of the time we review the song without really knowing who the artist is or what they're about. It would take forever to become familiar with the music of every artist in every fight, so the whole review system, in my opinion, is a little skewed. I just don't think that one song is enough to judge an artist by. Context changes everything.

Also, a more personal one, it annoys me when people tell me that my voice sounds bored or apathetic.

And also, I can't stand when you can't tell if the reviewer liked your song or didn't like it.

[Nigel (spOOn) Clements]

I personally look forward to the reviews more than anything else on this whole (insert personal adjective to describe songfight!), and I will admit that I generally listen to all the songs at least 17 times regardsless, and then start whittling them down to the ones I want to keep (I do all this at work the day after the songs are posted), BUT! I'm absolutely crap at reviewing myself and it's also hard to be enthusiastic about something you genuinely don't like, I've also stated many times how much admiration I have for anybody who can pick up an instrument and make it do what its supposed to do.

personally though I probably get more than my fair share of "this is shit fuck off" reviews, that's only because the vast majority of what I churn out is shit and should fuck off!

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE LEARNED!
Not many people will like what I do
But it only takes one good comment to make it all worthwhile!

Thank You!

[jute gyte]

My biggest pet peeve is "not my thing". Other than that, it bothers me when people criticize vaguely. A negative review is fine but I like knowing where the attacks are aimed. A recent Pumpkin Buzzard entry had a review which contained the fragment "Confusing." It would be interesting/helpful to know exactly what about the song was confusing. I'll take any review over no review, though.