This group of songs is not as rocking as the Evil April group. At first I was disappointed. Then I tried to listen without expectations and found some real gems. dB Collective, Kerosene Martini, and signboy are my favorites this week. I will review the other songs soon.
Ben Foxworthy – The song is definitely tighter this time. In terms of catchy melody, though, your Evil April song was superior. The lyrics of the verses may be pun-filled, but the chorus makes or breaks a song. I find the chorus here filled with lyrics and imagery that is just not unique enough to engage me fully. Generally, I like your music, from what I’ve heard. I am not trying to criticize your song. I just want to be absolutely wowed next week.
dB Collective – Wow. Just wow. Totally unexpected and completely amazing despite all of my deep set musical tastes. My only complaint is that it is pretty quiet, but that doesn’t have anything to do with the awesomeness of this song.
Freddielove – Just like dB Collective, I find myself liking something that is outside my usual tastes. The flow of the chorus is nice and dream-like. Good job. You got me to rethink what I think about music.
Ghost RIDAZ – OK. To be honest, I don’t get all the “alligator” stuff, phonetically the chorus comes off clumsy sounding. It reminds me of “Informer” by Snow. Anyone remember that tune? The flow here is good with one of the voices, and not as good with the other. It leads to inconsistency in the overall product. The song is entertaining, though.
Kerosene Martini – For something so low-fi, it’s incredible that under headphones it sounds like you’re in a room with everyone sitting around you jamming. The depth to the mix is amazing. Was this just achieved with a stereo mic, or was everything tracked and panned separately? Either way, the listener is brought right into the middle of the creation of this song. Everyone should listen to this under headphones. The vocals are also cute and perfect for the song. I enjoyed every bit of this except for the popping microphone, but that does add to the atmosphere.
MC Eric B – Right off, I like the French atmosphere. I like the singing to rapping alternation (did I just make up a word here). Lyrically there are some great lines here. There are still a few parts where there are too many syllables for the flow, but I think that’s what you are going for. The overall atmosphere makes this a charming little love song.
Melvin – Your Evil April song is still in my head. The falsetto parts in this song are great. The “awwww yeahs” are instantly catchy. The phrasing “fall tired” sounds strange to my ears, but that’s just nitpicking. This is another song I really like.
My Chemical Blumpkins – I like this much, much better than the other two Blumpkins songs I have heard.
Sheail – This is not my thing. But I like it. I like the beginning. I like the transition to the dance beat. The whole thing is cool. This one definitely stands out from the pack.
Signboy – Love it. This song rocks in a fight where not much does. The driving vocal melody is great, then the toms kick in halfway through. Great. The vocals are kind of quiet in the mix in the “fuck you paris” part. But, I do like the calm “you ran away to paris” part. The background vocals are perfect too. Not much else to say.
Review Away (Ran Away Reviews)
Last edited by jackfrost on Wed May 16, 2007 2:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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HamNoBurger
- Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Tue May 01, 2007 8:14 pm
- Location: Richmond, VA
Paris Reviews
Ben Foxworthy - Catchy tune. I can see this one getting stuck in my head. I'm not entirely sold on the lyrics though. It's a little TOO much Paris in one song. Also, I'd like this one a bit more with a fuller production. Good effort though - especially with the catchiness of it. (Is "catchiness" a word?)
dbCollective - Hmm.... errr... huh.... As a fellow musician, I applaud the fact that this fight entry is like nothing else I've heard here at SongFight! With that said though, I just can't get into this one. It's well executed, but I can't see myself ever wanting to hear this again.
Deconstruction Enterprise - If I had paid to have listened to this, I would have demanded my money back. This one gets an F. And with that said, I will happily hand out F's to pretty much anyone else who submits a song that is about Paris Hilton.
Freddie Love - Good 80's vibe (which always scores more points in my book). It almost reminds me of a chill Human League meets Erasure meets Depeche Mode. My only minor complaint is that the vocals could be turned up a bit in places. Well done though - so far, this one is a contender.
Ghostridaz - Not bad. I can definitely hear the Snoop in this one. I'm definitely more a rock-guy than a rap-guy, but I kinda like this one nonetheless. I'd say this is on the same playing field as Urbanmail's "Evil April" entry.
Ham No Burger - I'll review my own this week too, I suppose. I definitely rushed the vocals on this one - the chorus doesn't stand out enough from the verse and bridge. I forget who mentioned it earlier, but whoever said that this tune was dull and drab, I can definitely see where you're coming from. I prefer my "Evil April" entry to this one, but I still dig my outro solo here.
Kerosene Martini - The mic-bumping (or whatever that sound is) detracts from this greatly. It's nit-picky, but it's very distracting. I find myself really, really wanting to like this, but I just can't get on board completely.
Klownhole - This one sounds like Danzig after one too many cocktails. (Actually, it's not quite as bad as I just described - especially because I'm a fan of Danzig.) All jokes aside, I really dig the music here, but the vocals.... The vocals are a bit too out-of-synch with the music, for my tastes.
Luke Henley - When I was younger, there were these two retarded/handicapped/disabled kids who lived in my neighborhood. As a young child, these two retarded kids scared the hell out of me whenever they rolled on by when I was outside playing. Listening to this mess reminds me of those frightening times from long ago.
Mailbox - Yes, definitely some Steely Dan happening here. I don't have too many complaints about this one - it's pretty solid. Yeah, I like this. Possibly a contender, though I'm still leaning towards Freddie Love a bit more, I think.
MC Eric B - Very nice intro - very Frenchy. This is a step up from your rapped tracks. Each entry you submit is very different from the last, and I look forward to that each week. You seem to be unsure about how to deliver your vocal tracks though. Keep at it, and I think you'll find your niche.
Melvin - This is another solid Melvin track. However, this one seems to be lacking a distinctive hook. If this track had a stronger chorus (hook-wise), I think it could have been a contender. This is a good entry, but I prefer your "Evil April" tune.
Mike Lamb - Maybe I'm just not in an acoustic-mood today, but this is another track I wish had more production behind it. However, this ain't bad at all - even as stripped down as it is. Sounds like it would be a good coffeehouse tune.
Monte Carlo - This one's just meh. Not bad, not that great. I'm trying to find something constructive to say, but the only I can come up with, is that this song would come off better with a stronger vocal melody. I'm still waiting for one of these "Paris" entries to knock me on my ass.
My Chemical Blumpkins - Don't like the screaming backing vocals. I dig that this song is a bit more up-tempo than most of the other entries this week. This is another track though, that could have achieved greatness if the chorus was hookier.
Nocturnal Brothers - Holy Mother of Baby Jeebus! This guy's range makes Johnny Cash's range sound like Mariah Carey's (in her prime) range. This track just makes me sad.... sad that I wasted 3 minutes listening to the whole thing.
Phunt Your Friends - Sorry, maybe I just don't "get" it. This one sounded like the soundtrack of a bad released-only-in-Japan Nintendo game from 1986. I was going to say something nasty about the vocals, but why bother?
Satin Tails - This. Needs. Vocals. I would suggest investing in a drum machine of some type, instead of using a keyboard's preset rhythm. With that said though, the sax sounds pretty good. If that's not a real sax, congrats - you had me fooled.
Sheail - I think this one is my guilty-pleasure-of-the-week. The acoustic intro was good, but the genre-shift into the dance part of the song definitely grabbed my attention. The devil on my shoulder wants me to vote for this one, but the angel on my other shoulder is warning me that the majority of the song has no vocals at all. I'm torn. This one's in the Top 4 at least, so far.
Signboy - Great catchy intro riff - I hope I get to hear this again later in the song. Ooh - there it is again! This is definitely a contender. After listening, I decided that this song reminds me of a few of the tracks on The Music's first album. Well done.
Sober Irishman - This is definitely unique.... and I like it. Great guitar skills, catchy melody.... yeah, this is near, if not at the top, of my list. This might be the one to beat so far.
Supraliminal - My name is MC Ham and I'm here to say, that Supraliminal shouldn't rap this way. Sorry, this isn't good.
Wages featuring everybody - The kick drums sounds way off on this track. Other than that, it's just an ok tune. Maybe I'm not in the right frame of mind for this genre, but this one seems to drag a bit. A slight tempo increase, and I'd like this a whole lot more.
Weakest Suit - Another song that I wished had some more production put into it. You caught my ear with the chorus though. I'm waiting patiently through Verse 2, hoping to hear that chorus again. Ah, there it is. Hmm.... this one's tough. Yeah, after a little thought, this one is also a contender. Very nicely done.
dbCollective - Hmm.... errr... huh.... As a fellow musician, I applaud the fact that this fight entry is like nothing else I've heard here at SongFight! With that said though, I just can't get into this one. It's well executed, but I can't see myself ever wanting to hear this again.
Deconstruction Enterprise - If I had paid to have listened to this, I would have demanded my money back. This one gets an F. And with that said, I will happily hand out F's to pretty much anyone else who submits a song that is about Paris Hilton.
Freddie Love - Good 80's vibe (which always scores more points in my book). It almost reminds me of a chill Human League meets Erasure meets Depeche Mode. My only minor complaint is that the vocals could be turned up a bit in places. Well done though - so far, this one is a contender.
Ghostridaz - Not bad. I can definitely hear the Snoop in this one. I'm definitely more a rock-guy than a rap-guy, but I kinda like this one nonetheless. I'd say this is on the same playing field as Urbanmail's "Evil April" entry.
Ham No Burger - I'll review my own this week too, I suppose. I definitely rushed the vocals on this one - the chorus doesn't stand out enough from the verse and bridge. I forget who mentioned it earlier, but whoever said that this tune was dull and drab, I can definitely see where you're coming from. I prefer my "Evil April" entry to this one, but I still dig my outro solo here.
Kerosene Martini - The mic-bumping (or whatever that sound is) detracts from this greatly. It's nit-picky, but it's very distracting. I find myself really, really wanting to like this, but I just can't get on board completely.
Klownhole - This one sounds like Danzig after one too many cocktails. (Actually, it's not quite as bad as I just described - especially because I'm a fan of Danzig.) All jokes aside, I really dig the music here, but the vocals.... The vocals are a bit too out-of-synch with the music, for my tastes.
Luke Henley - When I was younger, there were these two retarded/handicapped/disabled kids who lived in my neighborhood. As a young child, these two retarded kids scared the hell out of me whenever they rolled on by when I was outside playing. Listening to this mess reminds me of those frightening times from long ago.
Mailbox - Yes, definitely some Steely Dan happening here. I don't have too many complaints about this one - it's pretty solid. Yeah, I like this. Possibly a contender, though I'm still leaning towards Freddie Love a bit more, I think.
MC Eric B - Very nice intro - very Frenchy. This is a step up from your rapped tracks. Each entry you submit is very different from the last, and I look forward to that each week. You seem to be unsure about how to deliver your vocal tracks though. Keep at it, and I think you'll find your niche.
Melvin - This is another solid Melvin track. However, this one seems to be lacking a distinctive hook. If this track had a stronger chorus (hook-wise), I think it could have been a contender. This is a good entry, but I prefer your "Evil April" tune.
Mike Lamb - Maybe I'm just not in an acoustic-mood today, but this is another track I wish had more production behind it. However, this ain't bad at all - even as stripped down as it is. Sounds like it would be a good coffeehouse tune.
Monte Carlo - This one's just meh. Not bad, not that great. I'm trying to find something constructive to say, but the only I can come up with, is that this song would come off better with a stronger vocal melody. I'm still waiting for one of these "Paris" entries to knock me on my ass.
My Chemical Blumpkins - Don't like the screaming backing vocals. I dig that this song is a bit more up-tempo than most of the other entries this week. This is another track though, that could have achieved greatness if the chorus was hookier.
Nocturnal Brothers - Holy Mother of Baby Jeebus! This guy's range makes Johnny Cash's range sound like Mariah Carey's (in her prime) range. This track just makes me sad.... sad that I wasted 3 minutes listening to the whole thing.
Phunt Your Friends - Sorry, maybe I just don't "get" it. This one sounded like the soundtrack of a bad released-only-in-Japan Nintendo game from 1986. I was going to say something nasty about the vocals, but why bother?
Satin Tails - This. Needs. Vocals. I would suggest investing in a drum machine of some type, instead of using a keyboard's preset rhythm. With that said though, the sax sounds pretty good. If that's not a real sax, congrats - you had me fooled.
Sheail - I think this one is my guilty-pleasure-of-the-week. The acoustic intro was good, but the genre-shift into the dance part of the song definitely grabbed my attention. The devil on my shoulder wants me to vote for this one, but the angel on my other shoulder is warning me that the majority of the song has no vocals at all. I'm torn. This one's in the Top 4 at least, so far.
Signboy - Great catchy intro riff - I hope I get to hear this again later in the song. Ooh - there it is again! This is definitely a contender. After listening, I decided that this song reminds me of a few of the tracks on The Music's first album. Well done.
Sober Irishman - This is definitely unique.... and I like it. Great guitar skills, catchy melody.... yeah, this is near, if not at the top, of my list. This might be the one to beat so far.
Supraliminal - My name is MC Ham and I'm here to say, that Supraliminal shouldn't rap this way. Sorry, this isn't good.
Wages featuring everybody - The kick drums sounds way off on this track. Other than that, it's just an ok tune. Maybe I'm not in the right frame of mind for this genre, but this one seems to drag a bit. A slight tempo increase, and I'd like this a whole lot more.
Weakest Suit - Another song that I wished had some more production put into it. You caught my ear with the chorus though. I'm waiting patiently through Verse 2, hoping to hear that chorus again. Ah, there it is. Hmm.... this one's tough. Yeah, after a little thought, this one is also a contender. Very nicely done.
loved it!!
GHOSTRIDAZ! loved your song. i really like the way both your voices sound together... it's hott!!! i think i know what would make it hotter though..... maybe one more voice?? hehe. hope my vote counted for something 8)
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MUMBLES-TheRedEyedSamurai
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Thanks for the review. I like the snow comparison, and yes I remember that tune well.jackfrost wrote:Ghost RIDAZ – OK. To be honest, I don’t get all the “alligator” stuff, phonetically the chorus comes off clumsy sounding. It reminds me of “Informer” by Snow. Anyone remember that tune? The flow here is good with one of the voices, and not as good with the other. It leads to inconsistency in the overall product. The song is entertaining, though.
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MUMBLES-TheRedEyedSamurai
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Re: loved it!!
Yes!!! GeishaGun you are the bomb.GeishaGun wrote:GHOSTRIDAZ! loved your song. i really like the way both your voices sound together... it's hott!!! i think i know what would make it hotter though..... maybe one more voice?? hehe. hope my vote counted for something 8)
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MUMBLES-TheRedEyedSamurai
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Re: Paris Reviews
Head on the nail. Same playing field?...Same team.HamNoBurger wrote: Ghostridaz - I'd say this is on the same playing field as Urbanmail's "Evil April" entry.
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Mostess
- Panama
- Posts: 799
- Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2004 5:49 am
- Instruments: Vocal, guitar, keyboard, clarinet
- Recording Method: Ardour 5, JACK, Ubuntu
- Submitting as: Hostess Mostess
- Pronouns: He/him
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
- Contact:
This fight mostly sucks. Seriously. Listen to some archives if you're new and don't believe me.
If your song isn't on this list, I couldn't stomach more than 30 seconds of it. Except for Kerosene Martini, which I listened to all the way through because I couldn't figure out if you actually didn't care and thought it was funny or actually did care but suck. Like watching someone laughing while slowly driving a nice car into a lake. Seriously, how much is your time worth to you?
Among the listenables:
Ben Foxworthy: This is a cute list of French-related things. Even some French words you know. Happy melody for a sad song. La la la, quel domage.
Db Collective: Cute and kind of silly, but repetitive and dull. Sounds shiny and novel, which I like. And the chorus deceptive cadence is sweet, but the structure is boxy and the melody is plodding, there's no rhythmic variation, the orchestration has way too much doubling.
Hamnoburger: Takes way too long to build up. I don't feel any energy until the first chorus(?) at :56. That chorus(?) progression is way too cliche, predictable and repetitive. In general, this is harmonically and melodically uninspired. It has a kind of nice climax around 2:45. But it just spills into nearly a full minute of stupid guitar wanky-panky.
Klownhole: You are still Klownhole. Which is becoming happily familiar week by week. MP3 needs a new "number of beers" rating tag to accomodate the fanbase of Klownhole.
Mailbox: Trim the intro. Sing about something you actually care about. Sounds like you wrote that keyboard part first and then tried to think of some France-related things (some even in French!) that you could string together to sing on top of it so you wouldn't get busted for writing an instrumental. Vocals are nice, guitar parts are nice, drums sound great. But man that elec. piano part is so dull and relentless and... (review fades out prematurely for no reason)
Mike Lamb: I like the pace of the vocals on the verses. I like the hocket on the chorus. But the guitar work is really basic stuff. And the high vocal is way off sometimes, like it shouldn't be there. And the "ran away to Paris" is so tossed off. Not even part of the song, let alone the whole point of it.
My Chemical Blumpkins: Screaming is the best part. Otherwise it kind of drones on. Needs some dynamics.
Sheail: Whither techno? Melody recapitulation that starts at 2:05 is very pretty, so thanks for the repeat. But what about the opening thing from :25 to :52? That was the best part, and you threw it away to focus on the genre shift? Bad judgment right there.
Signboy: I really like the guitar stuff under the verses. I like the vocals on the chorus. The ostinato (band-pass at first) vocals are out of time, lazy sounding, and don't fit with the rest of the song. But mostly, the structure keeps shifting and keeps me from grooving. That fast fade at the end is a hint that you knew it wasn't going very well.
Diamonds in the rough:
Monte Carlo: Guitar work is stellar (lose that solo, though, to save 30 seconds of wasted song). Mix is stunning (though, like me, you're obviously seduced by that compressor). Vocals are nice, too ("though I dream and dream it never lasts" is really cool). The French stuff sounds kind of tacked on (ooh la la?).
Freddielove: Atmospheric and retro. Chromatic work towards the end is really clever and much needed. But where's the energy? Even the guitar work feels uninspired. Robotic vocals over MIDI-driven keys and drum samples are 80's, but at least the spiky-haired guitarists tended to pour some soul into their effects pedals.
Nocturnal Brothers: Now <i>this</i> is a song. Heartfelt and fascinating. I really like the way this sounds, the spaces between the careful lines. There's some real love in this, and some real poetry. Nice work.
The Sober Irishman: Chorus is perfect. Verses seem a little empty, and solo (while sweet) is unnecessary, but I love that goddamn chorus. From 1:20 (it's that keyboard rhythm, I think) I'm singing along. Could have used another 2 choruses at the end to keep the joy going, but at least it had a solid, confident ending.
Melvin: This is really good. The progression is interesting, the guitars sound really good together. Bass sounds crisp on my crappy headphones---no small feat that. Melody is varied and has a couple good hooks ("but you are still mine" is spot on). There's some love, some energy, some pacing, and some technique. Easily the best of the lot.
If your song isn't on this list, I couldn't stomach more than 30 seconds of it. Except for Kerosene Martini, which I listened to all the way through because I couldn't figure out if you actually didn't care and thought it was funny or actually did care but suck. Like watching someone laughing while slowly driving a nice car into a lake. Seriously, how much is your time worth to you?
Among the listenables:
Ben Foxworthy: This is a cute list of French-related things. Even some French words you know. Happy melody for a sad song. La la la, quel domage.
Db Collective: Cute and kind of silly, but repetitive and dull. Sounds shiny and novel, which I like. And the chorus deceptive cadence is sweet, but the structure is boxy and the melody is plodding, there's no rhythmic variation, the orchestration has way too much doubling.
Hamnoburger: Takes way too long to build up. I don't feel any energy until the first chorus(?) at :56. That chorus(?) progression is way too cliche, predictable and repetitive. In general, this is harmonically and melodically uninspired. It has a kind of nice climax around 2:45. But it just spills into nearly a full minute of stupid guitar wanky-panky.
Klownhole: You are still Klownhole. Which is becoming happily familiar week by week. MP3 needs a new "number of beers" rating tag to accomodate the fanbase of Klownhole.
Mailbox: Trim the intro. Sing about something you actually care about. Sounds like you wrote that keyboard part first and then tried to think of some France-related things (some even in French!) that you could string together to sing on top of it so you wouldn't get busted for writing an instrumental. Vocals are nice, guitar parts are nice, drums sound great. But man that elec. piano part is so dull and relentless and... (review fades out prematurely for no reason)
Mike Lamb: I like the pace of the vocals on the verses. I like the hocket on the chorus. But the guitar work is really basic stuff. And the high vocal is way off sometimes, like it shouldn't be there. And the "ran away to Paris" is so tossed off. Not even part of the song, let alone the whole point of it.
My Chemical Blumpkins: Screaming is the best part. Otherwise it kind of drones on. Needs some dynamics.
Sheail: Whither techno? Melody recapitulation that starts at 2:05 is very pretty, so thanks for the repeat. But what about the opening thing from :25 to :52? That was the best part, and you threw it away to focus on the genre shift? Bad judgment right there.
Signboy: I really like the guitar stuff under the verses. I like the vocals on the chorus. The ostinato (band-pass at first) vocals are out of time, lazy sounding, and don't fit with the rest of the song. But mostly, the structure keeps shifting and keeps me from grooving. That fast fade at the end is a hint that you knew it wasn't going very well.
Diamonds in the rough:
Monte Carlo: Guitar work is stellar (lose that solo, though, to save 30 seconds of wasted song). Mix is stunning (though, like me, you're obviously seduced by that compressor). Vocals are nice, too ("though I dream and dream it never lasts" is really cool). The French stuff sounds kind of tacked on (ooh la la?).
Freddielove: Atmospheric and retro. Chromatic work towards the end is really clever and much needed. But where's the energy? Even the guitar work feels uninspired. Robotic vocals over MIDI-driven keys and drum samples are 80's, but at least the spiky-haired guitarists tended to pour some soul into their effects pedals.
Nocturnal Brothers: Now <i>this</i> is a song. Heartfelt and fascinating. I really like the way this sounds, the spaces between the careful lines. There's some real love in this, and some real poetry. Nice work.
The Sober Irishman: Chorus is perfect. Verses seem a little empty, and solo (while sweet) is unnecessary, but I love that goddamn chorus. From 1:20 (it's that keyboard rhythm, I think) I'm singing along. Could have used another 2 choruses at the end to keep the joy going, but at least it had a solid, confident ending.
Melvin: This is really good. The progression is interesting, the guitars sound really good together. Bass sounds crisp on my crappy headphones---no small feat that. Melody is varied and has a couple good hooks ("but you are still mine" is spot on). There's some love, some energy, some pacing, and some technique. Easily the best of the lot.
Last edited by Mostess on Fri May 18, 2007 9:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
"We don’t write songs about our own largely dull lives. We mostly rely on the time-tested gimmick of making shit up."
-John Linnell
-John Linnell
Finally, after all these years some actual constructive input we can use. Consider it done. From this day forward all Klown submissions will repurpose the comment tag to indicate the alcohol rating. In cases of extreme excess and alcohol variety, we will provide additional info in the ID3V2 comment tag, which allows for more characters. Because it's rarely beer, and it's rarely a single type of alcohol.Mostess wrote: Klownhole: You are still Klownhole. Which is becoming happily familiar week by week. MP3 needs a new "number of beers" rating tag to accomodate the fanbase of Klownhole.
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doorite
- Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
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Re: loved it!!
GeishaGun wrote:GHOSTRIDAZ! loved your song. i really like the way both your voices sound together... it's hott!!! i think i know what would make it hotter though..... maybe one more voice?? hehe. hope my vote counted for something 8)
okayyyyyy......... thanks for the awesome review.
art is what you can get away with - Andy Warhol
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Mostess
- Panama
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- Submitting as: Hostess Mostess
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- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
- Contact:
You're welcome, Sober Irishman. I mean...j$ wrote:Errrr thanks for the review, HM, but I don't actually have a song in this fight. I can't figure out who you are mistaking for me ...Mostess wrote:Johnny Cashpoint ....
Oops. (corrected)
"We don’t write songs about our own largely dull lives. We mostly rely on the time-tested gimmick of making shit up."
-John Linnell
-John Linnell
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Mike Lamb
- Somebody Get Me A Doctor
- Posts: 236
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- Instruments: Bass, Guitar, Tin Whistle
- Recording Method: Reason
- Submitting as: Mike Lamb|The Nutwalls|Kasper|The Narcaloungers|Die Toten Schlaghosen|IRCUSM
- Pronouns: he/him
- Location: Woodland, CA
Well I thought my reviews were pretty harsh until I read Mostess'. What the hell is a hocket?
Signboy
Cool rockin intro. The “ran away to paris” choruses seems kinda tacked in. Choruses seem slow and weak compared to the rest of the song. The “ran away” part about 2/3rds of the way through makes a LOT more sense in the scope of the song. Nice production, and well mixed and mastered.
Destruction Enterprise
The first part of this song reminded me of that “Pure Energy.. Pure Energy” song .. which kinda turned me off because I don’t like that song. No real hook here, very monotonous. Bland rapping with no particular style or focus.
Phunt
More kitchen percussion it seems. OK. It’s like Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk meets some kind of new age space band instead of the intergalactic funk crew. Production-wise, nice. I like the FM synth noodling. Very weird overall.
Klownhole
Getting kind of a “wall of noise” feeling from this. Not into the vocal delivery, not too melodic overall, very long and repetitive.
Ben Foxworthy
Pretty good overall. Couple spots sound like the guitar is rushed or digitally pasted in or something is really odd with the timing.. Vocals and harmonies sit well in the mix, although I’m not terribly partial to the lyrics. Nice job.
Ham No Burger
The music is good, needs some lead though, it gets a little monotonous.. I can’t hear or understand the lyrics really at all, and what I can hear seems oddly out of key with the music in the beginning but not at the end. OH WAIT.. there’s a killer guitar sound at the end. Holy shit that is awesome. Man, if you’d had that weaving through the song from the beginning and brought the vocals up more in the mix, this would have been really excellent. That last part was really well done. What’s your effects chain on the guitar?
Monte Carlo
This reminds me a lot of early “The Church” recordings. The electric sounds like it’s playing somewhere in my backyard it’s panned so far left. Nice vocal sound, not sure what the samples/female vox bit is though, hard to hear. Well done.
Ghost Ridaz
Didn’t like the intro. Overall decent flow, but you really need to mix up the loops. The little guitar hook started to eat into my brain like a fat alligator.. fat alligator.. holla at ya later…
MC Eric B
Kind of a departure from your usual stuff, with the singing. I think I like it better than the rapping. I also think the vocals would have sounded better without the weird EQ, even with the pitch problems towards the end. With regards to the rapping part, every song you have done (that I’ve heard) has had an almost identical meter and inflection pattern, which, to me, makes it sound kind of recycled from old 80s breakdancing records, and not in a particularly good way. If this is your vocal schtick, then that’s cool, but I’d suggest trying some different rhyming and delivery techniques.
Db Collective
I’m sorry, I friggin HATE opera. Just hate it. I’m sure this is a good piece, but I don’t have the background to review it, nor do I care to. Sorry.
Mailbox
Heh, this was the first song I listened to when the songs were posted, and my first thought was “dang, I’m never gonna get any votes with competition like this.” Nice piano line. Vocals are a bit loud and up front for my taste, but they are nice and clear. Nice drum and guitar riffs.
Freddielove
Ah, cool, I was wondering where the 80s synth was in this fight. Very nice texturing, but I cannot understand the lyrics at all. I’m starting to wonder if I’m going deaf or something, since I think I’ve only been able to hear/understand the lyrics on like 2 songs so far.. anyhow, not much that grabbed me about this. More like a soundscape than a song, but well made.
Sheail
Oh, you hurt me with this..so deeply.. so deeply. It was so nice at the beginning, and I was going to make kind allusions to the everly brothers and simon and garfunkle. I was all set to comment on how I wish there was more of this sort of thing on Songfight.. then in comes the jetsons car and all of a sudden I’m in some European discotheque. So, I guess you ran away to a French disco? Such high hopes.. Oh well..not my thing.
The Weakest Suit
Decent song layout, but some of the rhymes are pretty strained. The falsetto hurts.. sounds like this was recorded in one pass on a single mic? Pretty good if that’s the case. Could have used some EQ, but overall ok. Kind of nondescript guy+guitar.
The Sober Irishman
Interesting French power-polka. Cool guitar riff for sure. The solo is killer, but seems a little too metal for the song. Nice Hammond. Very good overall, well mixed, levels are great, everything is clear. I like it.
Satin Tails
Woah, horns are NOT what I was expecting when I heard the intro to this.. I guess it’s a study in horns. Not a big instrumental fan, lost interest after the first 1:45 or so.
Melvin
Good vocals, especially in the chorus part. Well recorded. A few too many “oh yeahs” for my taste. Good instrumentation. I like how the bass sits, it’s mixed well, and it has a nice sound. I would have preferred less “oh yeah” and more lead guitar. I like the “break” about 2/3rd through with just the bass/drum/vox and the way the guitar comes in, real nice. Well done, very nice.
Supraliminal
Took 15 seconds or so before you found the beat at the start.. the entire song is the exact same musically, very very very dull. Monotony! Please, Song Fight! rappers, please, for the love of Pete, mix it up a little! A chorus is good, a break-down is better.. something, anything.
Wages feat a bunch of other peoples
This seems WAY below your usual standards.. pitch, timing, what’s up with that electric kickdrum? Great singing, but it sounds like you were singing to an imaginary pitch that wasn’t there, and it just doesn’t carry the rest of the song.
Mike Lamb
Uggh. This is what I get for recording at the last minute. Had some weird phasing problems on my lead guitar, sounds like it’s out of tune in places (it’s not.) Sorry about the maginot line reference! I was strained for lyrics, I thought it would be funnier than it turned out to be, but I really wanted to get a “surrender” line in there someplace, heh heh..
Kerosene Martini
Uhh. I’m not really sure what to say about this. I'd honestly like to review this, but I'm speechless. I will say that I like the multi-girl "harmony" thing. I would also like some of your drugs please. PLEASE.
Chemical Blumpkins
Well done pop number, well engineered, good mix, but what was going on with the screaming guy? Talk about blowing a whole song with one bad idea, jeez. Usually I just pretend like I'm recording the drunk guy...nice try, hope to hear more from you without the spaz.
Nocturnal bros
I like the guitar riff, but the vocals really lag. So droning... Must.. review. morre...zzzzzz. UH.. yeah, nothing really stands out, but very soothing, like ambien and vodka.
Signboy
Cool rockin intro. The “ran away to paris” choruses seems kinda tacked in. Choruses seem slow and weak compared to the rest of the song. The “ran away” part about 2/3rds of the way through makes a LOT more sense in the scope of the song. Nice production, and well mixed and mastered.
Destruction Enterprise
The first part of this song reminded me of that “Pure Energy.. Pure Energy” song .. which kinda turned me off because I don’t like that song. No real hook here, very monotonous. Bland rapping with no particular style or focus.
Phunt
More kitchen percussion it seems. OK. It’s like Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk meets some kind of new age space band instead of the intergalactic funk crew. Production-wise, nice. I like the FM synth noodling. Very weird overall.
Klownhole
Getting kind of a “wall of noise” feeling from this. Not into the vocal delivery, not too melodic overall, very long and repetitive.
Ben Foxworthy
Pretty good overall. Couple spots sound like the guitar is rushed or digitally pasted in or something is really odd with the timing.. Vocals and harmonies sit well in the mix, although I’m not terribly partial to the lyrics. Nice job.
Ham No Burger
The music is good, needs some lead though, it gets a little monotonous.. I can’t hear or understand the lyrics really at all, and what I can hear seems oddly out of key with the music in the beginning but not at the end. OH WAIT.. there’s a killer guitar sound at the end. Holy shit that is awesome. Man, if you’d had that weaving through the song from the beginning and brought the vocals up more in the mix, this would have been really excellent. That last part was really well done. What’s your effects chain on the guitar?
Monte Carlo
This reminds me a lot of early “The Church” recordings. The electric sounds like it’s playing somewhere in my backyard it’s panned so far left. Nice vocal sound, not sure what the samples/female vox bit is though, hard to hear. Well done.
Ghost Ridaz
Didn’t like the intro. Overall decent flow, but you really need to mix up the loops. The little guitar hook started to eat into my brain like a fat alligator.. fat alligator.. holla at ya later…
MC Eric B
Kind of a departure from your usual stuff, with the singing. I think I like it better than the rapping. I also think the vocals would have sounded better without the weird EQ, even with the pitch problems towards the end. With regards to the rapping part, every song you have done (that I’ve heard) has had an almost identical meter and inflection pattern, which, to me, makes it sound kind of recycled from old 80s breakdancing records, and not in a particularly good way. If this is your vocal schtick, then that’s cool, but I’d suggest trying some different rhyming and delivery techniques.
Db Collective
I’m sorry, I friggin HATE opera. Just hate it. I’m sure this is a good piece, but I don’t have the background to review it, nor do I care to. Sorry.
Mailbox
Heh, this was the first song I listened to when the songs were posted, and my first thought was “dang, I’m never gonna get any votes with competition like this.” Nice piano line. Vocals are a bit loud and up front for my taste, but they are nice and clear. Nice drum and guitar riffs.
Freddielove
Ah, cool, I was wondering where the 80s synth was in this fight. Very nice texturing, but I cannot understand the lyrics at all. I’m starting to wonder if I’m going deaf or something, since I think I’ve only been able to hear/understand the lyrics on like 2 songs so far.. anyhow, not much that grabbed me about this. More like a soundscape than a song, but well made.
Sheail
Oh, you hurt me with this..so deeply.. so deeply. It was so nice at the beginning, and I was going to make kind allusions to the everly brothers and simon and garfunkle. I was all set to comment on how I wish there was more of this sort of thing on Songfight.. then in comes the jetsons car and all of a sudden I’m in some European discotheque. So, I guess you ran away to a French disco? Such high hopes.. Oh well..not my thing.
The Weakest Suit
Decent song layout, but some of the rhymes are pretty strained. The falsetto hurts.. sounds like this was recorded in one pass on a single mic? Pretty good if that’s the case. Could have used some EQ, but overall ok. Kind of nondescript guy+guitar.
The Sober Irishman
Interesting French power-polka. Cool guitar riff for sure. The solo is killer, but seems a little too metal for the song. Nice Hammond. Very good overall, well mixed, levels are great, everything is clear. I like it.
Satin Tails
Woah, horns are NOT what I was expecting when I heard the intro to this.. I guess it’s a study in horns. Not a big instrumental fan, lost interest after the first 1:45 or so.
Melvin
Good vocals, especially in the chorus part. Well recorded. A few too many “oh yeahs” for my taste. Good instrumentation. I like how the bass sits, it’s mixed well, and it has a nice sound. I would have preferred less “oh yeah” and more lead guitar. I like the “break” about 2/3rd through with just the bass/drum/vox and the way the guitar comes in, real nice. Well done, very nice.
Supraliminal
Took 15 seconds or so before you found the beat at the start.. the entire song is the exact same musically, very very very dull. Monotony! Please, Song Fight! rappers, please, for the love of Pete, mix it up a little! A chorus is good, a break-down is better.. something, anything.
Wages feat a bunch of other peoples
This seems WAY below your usual standards.. pitch, timing, what’s up with that electric kickdrum? Great singing, but it sounds like you were singing to an imaginary pitch that wasn’t there, and it just doesn’t carry the rest of the song.
Mike Lamb
Uggh. This is what I get for recording at the last minute. Had some weird phasing problems on my lead guitar, sounds like it’s out of tune in places (it’s not.) Sorry about the maginot line reference! I was strained for lyrics, I thought it would be funnier than it turned out to be, but I really wanted to get a “surrender” line in there someplace, heh heh..
Kerosene Martini
Uhh. I’m not really sure what to say about this. I'd honestly like to review this, but I'm speechless. I will say that I like the multi-girl "harmony" thing. I would also like some of your drugs please. PLEASE.
Chemical Blumpkins
Well done pop number, well engineered, good mix, but what was going on with the screaming guy? Talk about blowing a whole song with one bad idea, jeez. Usually I just pretend like I'm recording the drunk guy...nice try, hope to hear more from you without the spaz.
Nocturnal bros
I like the guitar riff, but the vocals really lag. So droning... Must.. review. morre...zzzzzz. UH.. yeah, nothing really stands out, but very soothing, like ambien and vodka.
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Project-D
- Somebody Get Me A Doctor
- Posts: 192
- Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 9:50 am
- Location: Hurricane Alley
- Contact:
It might not seem like it, but I'm feeling rather charitable today. I did these all in one fell swoop on Sat. morning. Monte Carlo and Sober Irishman are my tops with leanings towards Sober.
MC Eric B. I think you should do more singing, in all your songs. I like the rap staring with "standing on a cliff" then by "how did we start losing hope" too many words start getting jammed together. I think the effort of singing forces you to make the words flow, which carries on into the rap. Keep doing it.
Supraliminal - I liked the background groove, but it's from a loop CD I expect. See Eric B comments. There was no reason to listen to the whole thing.
Monte Carlo - I like this, the low-fi, the chord progress is nice, the little enchanté thrown in at the right place. The snthesized womans voice in the background didn't really fit. Would really benefit from a female singing the backing harmonies though, but good as it is. Just the right length, worth multiple listens.
My Chemical Blumpkins - I could've used more of the background harmonies and less of the background screaming. It's not outstanding, but it's solid.
Mike Lamb - Nice catchy guitar part, I like the rhythm of the lyrics, in my head I could hear the band kick in on the "when you ran away". I listened to almost the very end, which I usually don't do with G&G.
The Sober Irishman - I like the faux French Café sound done guitar style. I think you could have played up the French cafe singer style even more, the chorus makes me want to get up and dance - it's pretty damn catchy. This one would go in my player.
Melvin - Solid pop music, there seem to be some little timing hiccups in the drums here and there. The drums were a little too forward in the mix, for my taste. Not great but not bad.
Wages - Sounds like a wages supergroup! I'm glad to hear the sound of a band, the little organ part at the end is a nice touch. I like to hear you sing more in the extremes in your range, you could've done it here and it would've added to the emotional impact on the "ran away etc..." I would say it could benefit from more ebb and flow, laid back beginning, screaming chorus etc., your Ten Lies kind of did that more.
Ghost Ridaz - I really need a cut and past review for all these cut and paste raps.
Hamnoburger - It's got an ethereal early eighties vibe that I like, I think the vocals could be more forward in the mix. I only got 2/3 of the download so I can't comment on the rest.
Freddielove - Good dance music, I probably wouldn't want to listen to the whole thing if I weren't dancing, but dance music is for dancing, listening music is for listening. As far as trance music goes, this is a lot more interesting, and with more variation, I just don't "just listen" to this type of music, but it's great in a club.
Phunt Your Friends - Go into the iTunes store, download Poéme électronique by Edgard Varése. Listen to two minutes of it (or listen to the 30 sec. sample 4 times, it would be the same thing). Now you know what the rest of us feel like.
Weakest Suit - It's got some interesting rhythmic variation competently done.
Mailbox - Anthing with an organ gets an extra star in my book. I suspect the bass was played with a pick (although well played) which is a shame. It needs to be a big, fat, seventies sounding fingerstyle part. The lyrics are clever, the singing is a little middle of the road, not bad just without the stylistic punch of the instruments.
Klownhole - the vocals were well delivered, but seemed to be a bunch of phrases thrown in a hat and pulled out randomly. I like the music fine, but the lyrics made me loose interest in it.
Signboy - Rawk! I'm glad to hear some nasty fuzzy git-tar without a bunch of super compressed crunch. I like the kind of arpeggiated guitar line that starts right before the vocals come in, it's a interesting change after the choral stuff in the begining. Builds nicely, got some nice airy vocals there at the end that provide a nice contrast too.
Nocturnal Brothers - Kind of has a Leonard Cohen vocal, without his clever lyrics or guitar chops. At least solo over the top of the guitar instrumental, with a different instrument preferably, but at least a guitar.
Ben Foxworthy - Clever lyrics, nice vocal echo parts, all well delivered, guitar part well played. One of the more interesting G&G entries, if it had a full band I'd download it for the player.
Kerosene Martini - You have the best name.
Satin Tails - Not for lack of trying.
Destruction Enterprise - Café beat poetry updated for the new millenium.
Luke Henly - I like the piano in the bg, is it slowed down? I can't determine what is making that beat happen.
Sheail - I did like the transition to the electronic sound, but I really missed the lyrics. I think if you'd continued the guitar part over the techo part it would've made it a little more unified.
MC Eric B. I think you should do more singing, in all your songs. I like the rap staring with "standing on a cliff" then by "how did we start losing hope" too many words start getting jammed together. I think the effort of singing forces you to make the words flow, which carries on into the rap. Keep doing it.
Supraliminal - I liked the background groove, but it's from a loop CD I expect. See Eric B comments. There was no reason to listen to the whole thing.
Monte Carlo - I like this, the low-fi, the chord progress is nice, the little enchanté thrown in at the right place. The snthesized womans voice in the background didn't really fit. Would really benefit from a female singing the backing harmonies though, but good as it is. Just the right length, worth multiple listens.
My Chemical Blumpkins - I could've used more of the background harmonies and less of the background screaming. It's not outstanding, but it's solid.
Mike Lamb - Nice catchy guitar part, I like the rhythm of the lyrics, in my head I could hear the band kick in on the "when you ran away". I listened to almost the very end, which I usually don't do with G&G.
The Sober Irishman - I like the faux French Café sound done guitar style. I think you could have played up the French cafe singer style even more, the chorus makes me want to get up and dance - it's pretty damn catchy. This one would go in my player.
Melvin - Solid pop music, there seem to be some little timing hiccups in the drums here and there. The drums were a little too forward in the mix, for my taste. Not great but not bad.
Wages - Sounds like a wages supergroup! I'm glad to hear the sound of a band, the little organ part at the end is a nice touch. I like to hear you sing more in the extremes in your range, you could've done it here and it would've added to the emotional impact on the "ran away etc..." I would say it could benefit from more ebb and flow, laid back beginning, screaming chorus etc., your Ten Lies kind of did that more.
Ghost Ridaz - I really need a cut and past review for all these cut and paste raps.
Hamnoburger - It's got an ethereal early eighties vibe that I like, I think the vocals could be more forward in the mix. I only got 2/3 of the download so I can't comment on the rest.
Freddielove - Good dance music, I probably wouldn't want to listen to the whole thing if I weren't dancing, but dance music is for dancing, listening music is for listening. As far as trance music goes, this is a lot more interesting, and with more variation, I just don't "just listen" to this type of music, but it's great in a club.
Phunt Your Friends - Go into the iTunes store, download Poéme électronique by Edgard Varése. Listen to two minutes of it (or listen to the 30 sec. sample 4 times, it would be the same thing). Now you know what the rest of us feel like.
Weakest Suit - It's got some interesting rhythmic variation competently done.
Mailbox - Anthing with an organ gets an extra star in my book. I suspect the bass was played with a pick (although well played) which is a shame. It needs to be a big, fat, seventies sounding fingerstyle part. The lyrics are clever, the singing is a little middle of the road, not bad just without the stylistic punch of the instruments.
Klownhole - the vocals were well delivered, but seemed to be a bunch of phrases thrown in a hat and pulled out randomly. I like the music fine, but the lyrics made me loose interest in it.
Signboy - Rawk! I'm glad to hear some nasty fuzzy git-tar without a bunch of super compressed crunch. I like the kind of arpeggiated guitar line that starts right before the vocals come in, it's a interesting change after the choral stuff in the begining. Builds nicely, got some nice airy vocals there at the end that provide a nice contrast too.
Nocturnal Brothers - Kind of has a Leonard Cohen vocal, without his clever lyrics or guitar chops. At least solo over the top of the guitar instrumental, with a different instrument preferably, but at least a guitar.
Ben Foxworthy - Clever lyrics, nice vocal echo parts, all well delivered, guitar part well played. One of the more interesting G&G entries, if it had a full band I'd download it for the player.
Kerosene Martini - You have the best name.
Satin Tails - Not for lack of trying.
Destruction Enterprise - Café beat poetry updated for the new millenium.
Luke Henly - I like the piano in the bg, is it slowed down? I can't determine what is making that beat happen.
Sheail - I did like the transition to the electronic sound, but I really missed the lyrics. I think if you'd continued the guitar part over the techo part it would've made it a little more unified.
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Billy's Little Trip
- Odie
- Posts: 12090
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:56 pm
- Instruments: Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Drums, Skin Flute
- Recording Method: analog to digital via Presonus FireBox, Cubase and a porn machine
- Submitting as: Billy's Little Trip, Billy and the Psychotics
- Location: Cali fucking ornia
-
irvingirving
- A New Player
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon May 07, 2007 5:04 am
- Location: Boulder, CO USA
- Contact:
-
king_arthur
- Ice Cream Man
- Posts: 1753
- Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2004 6:56 am
- Instruments: guitar, vocals, bass, BIAB, keyboards (synth anything)
- Recording Method: Tascam DP-24SD
- Submitting as: King Arthur
- Pronouns: he/him
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Contact:
Observations from the old guy, pretty much on a first
listen.
Ben Foxworthy: an okay song, nothing jumps out and grabs me.
All the french objet-dropping seems a little flippant for
the storyline. Your voice sounds very young, to the degree
that I find it a little hard to believe that this character
would be able to run away to Paris.
Db Collective: I like the "French sound" in the intro, but the
vocal is in the same frequency range as the accordion and
strings, so it's really hard to understand / follow. The
cafe / cabaret style of the song ties in with the idea of
"Paris," but kinda as a result of that, it's not a song I'd be
excited about listening to again and again.
Destruction Enterprise: ah, well, somebody had to have Paris
Hilton in their song so that people could figure out who that
is on the cover art... the joke wears thin after just a little
while, seems like you're picking on a target that's just too
easy...
Freddielove: the rhythm in the bass is SO repetitive; I guess
that's what this style is about, but give us a little variety,
pleeze! It really distracts the listener's attention from
the lyric; after two and a half listens, all I've heard is
"mumble, mumble, ran away..."
Ghost RIDAZ: sorry, this is just not my thing.
Ham No Burger: (did this ever get fixed in the podcast file???)
Listening to the first few lines of vocal, I'm really hoping
that these are backing vocals and a strong lead vocal comes
in soon... nope... I'm a "words person" and the way the vocals
are done here, the words just fade into the background for me.
The song is over and I have no idea what it was about...
Kerosene Martini: ouch, does this distort on the percussion
stuff for everybody else? It sounds like there's a good song
going on in there, but I wouldn't want to listen to the
recording. There are also some rhythm problems in there where
the guitars seem to lose track of where the beat is, that's
another buzzkiller for me.
Klownhole: musically, not my thing, but you managed to get me
interested in the lyric enough to listen all the way through
to see if I could figure out what's going on. "I ain't coming
back yet" is the first "hook" in the fight that's going to
stick in my mind when it's all over. Keeper.
Luke Henley: I was gonna try to listen all the way to the
end, and then I noticed it was nine minutes long.
Mailbox: Hooray, production values! This might've sounded
better in a higher key, singing more toward the top of your
range. Keeper, this is one I'd listen to again. Nice Steely
Dan vibe to it, the lyric has a cynical sort of quality about
it that makes the French / English thing work. Nice lead
guitar tone & playing.
MC Eric B: I like this, although the chorus vocals are really
pitchy. "art of the loo-ver" ??? Keeper. Chorus is good
(lyrically), it makes its point and sets up the rest of the
song.
Melvin: The vocal is better than MCEB's, but I expected more,
too. I guess this is actually what a lot of the current hit
bands sound like, I'm just an old guy... keeper, but Mailbox
still has my vote at this point.
Mike Lamb: this sounds very mono, or at least mixed to center,
I think some stereo spread would help when the second voice
and guitar come in. Second vocal (is that you doing both?)
is noticeably less on-key than the main one. Lead guitar
overdub isn't carrying its weight, I think just the one
guitar would've been a better choice, and maybe just one voice,
too.
Monte Carlo: the rhythm things going on in the guitars seem
inconsistent to me, sometimes the rhythm swings, sometimes
it doesn't. Like some of the players get it, some of 'em
don't. The drum track sounds like it has had all the lower
mids sucked out of it...
My Chemical Blumpkins: like the lead vocal, the harmony one
I'm not so sure about. The screaming isn't my thing, but I
understand it goes with the genre. Maybe the opposite problem
of Ben Foxworthy's song - in this one, the guy is living at
home, singing about mom coming into the bathroom while he's
committing suicide, while the girlfriend is "grabbing her
passport" and stuff. I wonder if "landlady" or "roommate"
would have worked better than "mom" here? Keeper, in any
case, it works as a song.
Nocturnal Brothers: is that as in-tune as this guitar gets?
Maybe it's just out of tune with the bass booming, but there's
something distracting going on there musically. I like the
line about "what is written in stone can be chiseled away."
Ever heard of a guy named Tim Gibbons, CD called "Shylingo"?
If this is your regular style that you're going for, you might
be interested in how he expands this sort of sound into a band
thing.
Phunt Your Friends: wow, I wanna see the video that Tim Burton
makes to go with this... I don't recall whether you even used
the title, but it's obvious how it fits in, and the story had
me hanging on all the way. Keeper.
Satin Tails: if this had vocals, I might be able to forgive how
MIDI-ish everything sounds, but if you're going to do an
instrumental, the instruments have to be good stuff.
Sheail: I wish the first part (with vocals) had been put
together a little more tightly, rhythmically... when it goes
into the instrumental bit, the rhythms come together, but
that's all MIDI stuff, right?
Signboy: Well performed and put together, it just isn't grabbing
me the first time... went back and listened again, I could
call this a keeper...
The Sober Irishman: the whole thing seems a little muddy to
me, just lacking in high end (even the winamp RTA bars suggest
this). Overall, a good song, chorus is memorable. First
line of the chorus "when you're wanted" seemed a little off,
like it suggested an outlaw on the run, rather than a missing
girlfriend. Keeper.
Supraliminal: I'd like this more if the rapping was able to
mix "staying in rhythm" with "emphasizing the words so that
the message gets across" better. And given some variation
in the music instead of the same two-chord loop over and
over.
Wages, feat. Kill Me Sarah and Signboy: this one has a lot of
the same problems I've heard in some of your rough demos...
the drums and the rest of the instruments seem like they have
two different ideas of what the beat is. Your vocal style
works well when it works, but on that first "but for now"
(0:21) it misses...
The Weakest Suit: I feel like this would probably work better
as a band song, but, yeah, ya gotta go with what ya got. There
are some nice lines in here, a couple pitchy spots. Keeper
'cause it's a really hooky song.
After one listen, the song that stands out for me is Mailbox.
Vote.
listen.
Ben Foxworthy: an okay song, nothing jumps out and grabs me.
All the french objet-dropping seems a little flippant for
the storyline. Your voice sounds very young, to the degree
that I find it a little hard to believe that this character
would be able to run away to Paris.
Db Collective: I like the "French sound" in the intro, but the
vocal is in the same frequency range as the accordion and
strings, so it's really hard to understand / follow. The
cafe / cabaret style of the song ties in with the idea of
"Paris," but kinda as a result of that, it's not a song I'd be
excited about listening to again and again.
Destruction Enterprise: ah, well, somebody had to have Paris
Hilton in their song so that people could figure out who that
is on the cover art... the joke wears thin after just a little
while, seems like you're picking on a target that's just too
easy...
Freddielove: the rhythm in the bass is SO repetitive; I guess
that's what this style is about, but give us a little variety,
pleeze! It really distracts the listener's attention from
the lyric; after two and a half listens, all I've heard is
"mumble, mumble, ran away..."
Ghost RIDAZ: sorry, this is just not my thing.
Ham No Burger: (did this ever get fixed in the podcast file???)
Listening to the first few lines of vocal, I'm really hoping
that these are backing vocals and a strong lead vocal comes
in soon... nope... I'm a "words person" and the way the vocals
are done here, the words just fade into the background for me.
The song is over and I have no idea what it was about...
Kerosene Martini: ouch, does this distort on the percussion
stuff for everybody else? It sounds like there's a good song
going on in there, but I wouldn't want to listen to the
recording. There are also some rhythm problems in there where
the guitars seem to lose track of where the beat is, that's
another buzzkiller for me.
Klownhole: musically, not my thing, but you managed to get me
interested in the lyric enough to listen all the way through
to see if I could figure out what's going on. "I ain't coming
back yet" is the first "hook" in the fight that's going to
stick in my mind when it's all over. Keeper.
Luke Henley: I was gonna try to listen all the way to the
end, and then I noticed it was nine minutes long.
Mailbox: Hooray, production values! This might've sounded
better in a higher key, singing more toward the top of your
range. Keeper, this is one I'd listen to again. Nice Steely
Dan vibe to it, the lyric has a cynical sort of quality about
it that makes the French / English thing work. Nice lead
guitar tone & playing.
MC Eric B: I like this, although the chorus vocals are really
pitchy. "art of the loo-ver" ??? Keeper. Chorus is good
(lyrically), it makes its point and sets up the rest of the
song.
Melvin: The vocal is better than MCEB's, but I expected more,
too. I guess this is actually what a lot of the current hit
bands sound like, I'm just an old guy... keeper, but Mailbox
still has my vote at this point.
Mike Lamb: this sounds very mono, or at least mixed to center,
I think some stereo spread would help when the second voice
and guitar come in. Second vocal (is that you doing both?)
is noticeably less on-key than the main one. Lead guitar
overdub isn't carrying its weight, I think just the one
guitar would've been a better choice, and maybe just one voice,
too.
Monte Carlo: the rhythm things going on in the guitars seem
inconsistent to me, sometimes the rhythm swings, sometimes
it doesn't. Like some of the players get it, some of 'em
don't. The drum track sounds like it has had all the lower
mids sucked out of it...
My Chemical Blumpkins: like the lead vocal, the harmony one
I'm not so sure about. The screaming isn't my thing, but I
understand it goes with the genre. Maybe the opposite problem
of Ben Foxworthy's song - in this one, the guy is living at
home, singing about mom coming into the bathroom while he's
committing suicide, while the girlfriend is "grabbing her
passport" and stuff. I wonder if "landlady" or "roommate"
would have worked better than "mom" here? Keeper, in any
case, it works as a song.
Nocturnal Brothers: is that as in-tune as this guitar gets?
Maybe it's just out of tune with the bass booming, but there's
something distracting going on there musically. I like the
line about "what is written in stone can be chiseled away."
Ever heard of a guy named Tim Gibbons, CD called "Shylingo"?
If this is your regular style that you're going for, you might
be interested in how he expands this sort of sound into a band
thing.
Phunt Your Friends: wow, I wanna see the video that Tim Burton
makes to go with this... I don't recall whether you even used
the title, but it's obvious how it fits in, and the story had
me hanging on all the way. Keeper.
Satin Tails: if this had vocals, I might be able to forgive how
MIDI-ish everything sounds, but if you're going to do an
instrumental, the instruments have to be good stuff.
Sheail: I wish the first part (with vocals) had been put
together a little more tightly, rhythmically... when it goes
into the instrumental bit, the rhythms come together, but
that's all MIDI stuff, right?
Signboy: Well performed and put together, it just isn't grabbing
me the first time... went back and listened again, I could
call this a keeper...
The Sober Irishman: the whole thing seems a little muddy to
me, just lacking in high end (even the winamp RTA bars suggest
this). Overall, a good song, chorus is memorable. First
line of the chorus "when you're wanted" seemed a little off,
like it suggested an outlaw on the run, rather than a missing
girlfriend. Keeper.
Supraliminal: I'd like this more if the rapping was able to
mix "staying in rhythm" with "emphasizing the words so that
the message gets across" better. And given some variation
in the music instead of the same two-chord loop over and
over.
Wages, feat. Kill Me Sarah and Signboy: this one has a lot of
the same problems I've heard in some of your rough demos...
the drums and the rest of the instruments seem like they have
two different ideas of what the beat is. Your vocal style
works well when it works, but on that first "but for now"
(0:21) it misses...
The Weakest Suit: I feel like this would probably work better
as a band song, but, yeah, ya gotta go with what ya got. There
are some nice lines in here, a couple pitchy spots. Keeper
'cause it's a really hooky song.
After one listen, the song that stands out for me is Mailbox.
Vote.
"...one does not write in dactylic hexameter purely by accident..." - poetic designs
-
Project-D
- Somebody Get Me A Doctor
- Posts: 192
- Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 9:50 am
- Location: Hurricane Alley
- Contact:
I'm a multi-instrumentalist too so I feel your pain, when you're a jack of all trades something has to give. I often argue with myself about making statements like that, after all there's only so much a person can do, and in a week no less. I think there are a lot of songs though, that could go from merely good, to kick-ass with just some minor detail tweaking like that. I'm assuming people will take the suggestions given and apply them to the song in the future. I'd say a lot of songfight songs are written better than the paint by numbers radio crap you hear. Their rehearsal time is greater along with their budget and recording time.Hey Project D, this is the guy behind Mailbox. I agree about the pick vs. finger for the bass. I originally tried to finger it but my chops just weren't up to the task this week. If I had more time to work on the part I probably could've fattened it up with finger playing.