Hey who turned out the lights? (Switch Hitter Reviews)

[LukeU]

Im on the internet!

[Bjam]

Abominominous
Very grungy rock. The vocals are a little hard to understand so I have no idea if your lyrics are any good. Looking at the lyrics they're pretty good, I just wish they were easier to understand in the song. Overall it's an okay rock song, but nothing is really popping out for me.

Bjam
Mmm. Pop.

Chin Music
Holy quiet ambient sound, Batman. Is the 'music' panned more to the right or something? This is strange. I guess it's so... floaty that it doesn't have much substance and it's all a little too airy. Vocals sound a tiny bit like J$, but mostly it just sounds weird. When I faint my ears go all weird and everything sounds tunnely, and it kinda sounds like this. There's nothing bad, it's just very "well, okay then".

@eclectic spOOns
A lot of the rhymes feel forced. The vocal is... eh. I get that it's probably a choice, but it just sounds silly. And that... synthy organy harpsichord playing the big chords :25 and :55ish is just peculiar. Paging the Crypt keeper, Crypt keeper to the front desk. (That said, "B&Q"? High fives.)

Fish Sausage
The vocal needs some work. Nice acting inflections in the verse/spoken part, but the chorus sounds a little strained. Just another take or two so it's not too much of the "Line line line line BREATHE line line line". The lyrics are funny, but it's all a little... I dunno. I think I've heard similar songs to this, the "it's funny because it's about sex but the music is so straight". Good, but nothing grabbed me.

Hostess Mostess
Damnit, why did you have to be in the fight I'm in It's peculiar not hearing your voice more 'processed' as you've done less post-production on your songs this week(or so I remember reading). That held note on 'hitter' is nice, but I think you sometimes overuse the effect in the chorus and bridge at 1:00-1:30. The guitar is awesome though. (I had eggs at half past ten today!)

King Arthur
I never know how to review your songs. They're always very King Arthury. I like the last line of the chorus, that little descend is lovely. I don't really get the lyrics, but they're not bad. Vocals in the bridge are lovely. That duh-duh-duh music is lovely too. "Some people been around the world/I still can't raise a sailâ€

[PiGPEN]

Sounds like a lot of other rock songs.

Woo, thats exactly what i was going for. Its an accomplishment to get an average sounding rock song with no instruments whatsoever....that "guitar" is a piano sound with lots o distortion.

The music sounds really familliar... No idea where from.

Yeah its a really simple progression.

The vocals sound really unbothered. I think that could be down to the fact that the lyrics have no purpose. Are you angry about a girl, are you playing awesome baseball, are you commenting on the world at large? Get a perspective and sing like you mean it, not like a choirboy watching baseball on the television.

Best advice ive ever gotten (or best phrased) ...i suck at vocalising emotion or having an emotional direction in general (because im an emotionless demon).

[Bjam]

The vocals sound really unbothered. I think that could be down to the fact that the lyrics have no purpose. Are you angry about a girl, are you playing awesome baseball, are you commenting on the world at large? Get a perspective and sing like you mean it, not like a choirboy watching baseball on the television.

Best advice ive ever gotten (or best phrased) ...i suck at vocalising emotion or having an emotional direction in general (because im an emotionless demon).

Try listening to very emotional songs. Be they angry or sad or happy or whatever. And then if you're ever feeling a really strong emotion and you're speaking to someone, listen to your voice(though you may be a bit preoccupied. Maybe try listening to someone else that's emotional) Listen to words that they stress, how their throat is. If you're upset, you're more likely to stumble over words and have to force them to come out, so there are a lot of breaths afterwards because you're all "Oh thank god, I got that off my chest." Also try emoting your face when you sing. If your lyrics are happy, smile while you're singing. If you're angry get all in that mic's face and tell it you're angry.

Personally I listen to a lot of musicals, but I dunno if that's quite the genre for you(after all, if you don't like the genre/song, how are you going to learn from it). But musicals are pretty good in the emotional vocal department, because if someone is sitting way at the back of a 2000 seat theatre, they can't see little smiles or angry faces, they need to hear it.

Basically try and listen and learn. :/

[roymond]

Personally I listen to a lot of musicals...if someone is sitting way at the back of a 2000 seat theatre, they can't see little smiles or angry faces, they need to hear it.

That's why musicals rarely sound emotional to me. They sound exagerated, or "put on". It doesn't apply to recorded music very well (or applified for that matter) since you can capture intimacy in a way that doesn't work on theater stages (yes, they wear those little mics now...it's not the same as a real mic).

[jseavers05]

[quote="Bjam
Mr. Man and Dr. Funk
God, studio talking songs. Some people dig it, I'm not one of them. It feels cheesy to me. The song is a good pop-rocky song, but the "I'm so cool!" feels forced and eh. But you sound like you had fun doing it at least And the multiple voices in the chorus are nice.
[/quote]

i am so cool, you musnt feel a need to mention it.

you are cheesy

im sorry you didnt dig the song so much, but thanks for the review. i think you will win this fight because you totally bjam.

[PiGPEN]

Try listening to very emotional songs. Be they angry or sad or happy or whatever. And then if you're ever feeling a really strong emotion and you're speaking to someone, listen to your voice(though you may be a bit preoccupied.

Me? Strong emotion? Like i said, emotionless demon, ive been detatched for a looooooong time...its a way of life.

Maybe try listening to someone else that's emotional) Listen to words that they stress, how their throat is. If you're upset, you're more likely to stumble over words and have to force them to come out, so there are a lot of breaths afterwards because you're all "Oh thank god, I got that off my chest." Also try emoting your face when you sing. If your lyrics are happy, smile while you're singing. If you're angry get all in that mic's face and tell it you're angry.

Well i think i know all this stuff (and more) cuz i voice act in animations i do and its not that hard to fake emotions and excitement i dont actually have.....but i cant really manage to apply that to singing. It's hard enough trying to stay on key and rythym :/

[LukeU]

Bjam, seriously. When do we ever say "I'm so cool." Please just stop being a jerk, and that would make you so much cooler! thanks.

[Mostess]

Bjam, seriously. When do we ever say "I'm so cool." Please just stop being a jerk, and that would make you so much cooler! thanks.

I believe Bjam is referring to "the 'I'm so cool'", which isn't the spoken words "I'm so cool", but rather the tone of lyrics like "What is it, man?" and "Woohat? You don't know nutthin' about no baseball!" and all the meta-song stuff, including the disingenuous ballad fragment at the end.

But you knew that, I'm guessing. And it's more fun for you to feign innocence and lob insults at honest revewers. Real cool, kiddo.

By the way, that stuff turns me off, too. Pavement had a few moments ("Hey, listen to me, I'm on the stereo!") that won me over, and I'll admit that my inner child still longs for the old Dr. Demento days when a novelty record actually meant that someone spent real good time and money doing something stupid. These days, though, it's kind of sad to hear such silly clap-trap recorded by people who obviously have good skills. Cartoonish is pretty cheap cool.

[Treachjuris]

Fish Sausage is my favorite from this fight.

Really? *blush blush blush* Haha! Honestly, this was the first one cranked out for this fight; came quickly and easily and without much effort, so for that reason, one of my faves, too. Why is the truth stranger than fiction? Thanks for the stroke, man. Tough fight this week. *hug*

[LukeU]

I'm terribly sorry, I didn't know. But just putting it out there, the song wasn't supposed to be serious or anything, it was mostly for fun. Sorry for the terrible mixup guys. Won't happen again.

[Niveous]

Switch Hitter reviews in one big old sloppy paragraph:

I was hoping for a sequel to Brown Boxes in Abom's entry but still, Abom did phenomenal work. The guitar is great. Only thing- the song isn't catchy. But I can still listen to it repeatedly just for the guitars. The Bjam song has a much bigger sound that her usual. But there's something odd about Bjam calling herself a switch hitter. You do know what that's slang for, right? It turns the song to a sweet tale of the start of a bisexual relationship. Especially with all the telling of the person to relax. Chin Music's choice to flange the piece was interesting but unsuccessful. I lost interest. More effects came along with the Eclectic Spoons song. Since the vocals aren't powerful, the effects on them just made them annoying. He's a swich hitter, a real go-getter and someone oughta tell her. Using the bisexuality slang, that makes for something interesting. I know the actual line refers to abuse but still. Fish Sausage's song reminded me at first kind of like the theme from Fraggle Rock and then it became a Schoolhouse Rock tune. Oh, it's so a Schoolhouse Rock tune. It screams out "A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing". It's a cute tune. And it uses the sexual terminology, points to Racine. Hostess Mostess brought a simple littel ditty. Can't hate it. Won't run out to download it. It's an okay one. King Arthur goes full on into the baseball. Visions of Mr. 3000 dance in my head. No odes to my favorite switch hitter, Coco Crisp, yet. Shame. King Arthur continues to impress. Not his best song ever but a decent one. Mr. Man & Dr. Funk's tune is silly but the song is catchy as hell. That earns points. But the valuable lesson was ridiculous and lost those points. Still it may get my vote. Paco Del Stinko is singing about tight pants. Eep. This tune is just odd. Makes me think about the computer in the hatch on Lost. Pigpen always shocks me when he doesn't rap. Some off notes on the ending but it was decent. Nothing to write home about but nothing to slit my wrists over. Then there's UDAHL. They were short and difference and defied comment. Wreckdom's guitars are always impressive. But overall, that was short and odd. And I don't know what's the deal with Zipline and the cookie monster death stuff. There some potential in there though. Fish Sausage gets my vote. Abom gets 2nd. 3rd would go to Man/Funk.

[Treachjuris]

Fish Sausage gets my vote. Abom gets 2nd. 3rd would go to Man/Funk.

*blush blush*
Still got your Dux in a row, too!
P.S. - thanks again for the phenom lyrical and vocal contribution to Winters Apart debut.

[Paco Del Stinko]

Paco Del Stinko is singing about tight pants.

It took me a minute to realize what you were referring to - the line is "wearing some Dickies type pants", not tight! That's funny, and I'm sure there are plenty of jokes to be made about Dickies and tight pants! Not by me though!

[frankie big face]

@eclectic spoons – Wow, you can’t even sing one note in tune! Just kidding (sort of), but man, it’s really hard to understand the words with the vocal track sounding the way it does. Some nice musical moments especially during the chorus, but maybe keeping it staccato the whole way through is a mistake.

WreckdoM – not bad for what it is. Probably the most obvious take on the title, but with a name like WreckdoM, why not?

Bjam – your voice sounds nice on this track. Not crazy about the backing tracks, which seem very 80s adult contemporary to me, but they’re recorded nicely and mixed well. Catchy chorus.

Abominominous – intro is 2x too long (/petpeeve). “20 hundredâ€

[PiGPEN]

I like your rap voice, but you should not sing. Ever.

Thanks.

[stueym]

Bjam – your voice sounds nice on this track. Not crazy about the backing tracks, which seem very 80s adult contemporary to me, but they’re recorded nicely and mixed well. Catchy chorus.

C'mon Frankie, what did you expect from an engineer who IS a contemporary 1980's adult....duh!

[fluffy]

Congratulations Bjam!!!

[Bjam]

I'd like to point out that on August 14th 2005 JB said:

P.P.S. I predict Bjam will win a fight in the next year.

One year and a day later, the Songfight gods have made this prophecy to be the truth. If a little late

Also. First songfight win, wooooo!

[stueym]

Many congratulations !!!

[frankie big face]

I like your rap voice, but you should not sing. Ever.

Thanks.

Sorry dude. You'll get better!

[j$]

Not if he follows yr advice, frankie