My Darling Reviews

[Spud]

Be gentle.

[Rabid Garfunkel]

Damn, beat me to it! "Run in, grim lady" is an anagram that was almost a seed for this title's non-entry. One of these days, p++ will have an entire song composed of anagrams for the more... challenging titles. Though tying that to "Grind my urinal" and "I run grimy land", well... it's better for all concerned this way.

[Hoblit]

yay, just in time for lunch too!

[furrypedro]

crap, I thought I had till the 10th cos of your rubbish date format. My bad, my song kicked ass too.

[roymond]

yay, just in time for lunch too!

"The Internet destination you have requested has been blocked in conformance with company policy."

Well, for some of us it always means...later

Which begs the thought, can there be a songfight.net mirror of .org?

[roymond]

crap, I thought I had till the 10th cos of your rubbish date format. My bad, my song kicked ass too.

Yeah, April 10th, dude.

[furrypedro]

I'm there

[Hoblit]

I'm only 2/3 the way through the playlist but I must come right out and say that ADD's entry is freakin' nice.

Also, MSP's voice is really good... theater good

and there are plenty of other solid entries. Pretty decent fight if I might say so myself.

Good work... of course, full reviews in a few days. (and after a few listens)

[jb]

yay, just in time for lunch too!

"The Internet destination you have requested has been blocked in conformance with company policy."

Well, for some of us it always means...later

Which begs the thought, can there be a songfight.net mirror of .org?

Does this work at your office: http://songfightorg.dreamhosters.com/

?

[roymond]

yay, just in time for lunch too!

Which begs the thought, can there be a songfight.net mirror of .org?

Does this work at your office: http://songfightorg.dreamhosters.com/
?

That's what I'm talkin' about
Knowing there's a nice, simply Dreamhost configuration screen in JB's back pocket made asking the question easy. Thanks!

[edit]Oh screw, the mp3 paths are still at a blocked site. duh...[/edit]
[edit2]ok, got around that (duh again) and ADD is indeed the schnizziots[/edit2]

[obscurity]

I didn't get this finished in time, but if anyone wants to hear my entry for My Darling Ruin (featuring me actually playing guitar!) you can grab it here.

[jb]

Which begs the thought, can there be a songfight.net mirror of .org?

Does this work at your office: http://songfightorg.dreamhosters.com/
?

That's what I'm talkin' about
Knowing there's a nice, simply Dreamhost configuration screen in JB's back pocket made asking the question easy. Thanks!

[edit]Oh screw, the mp3 paths are still at a blocked site. duh...[/edit]
[edit2]ok, got around that (duh again) and ADD is indeed the schnizziots[/edit2]

Correct. Songfightorg.dreamhosters.com is an exact mirror. So if you can't get to an URL because sf.org is not resolving, try the mirror. But the HTML pages may have hard links rather than relative links; therefore you'll have to type the dreamhosters equivalent in order to view them through the mirror. All of this as Roymond deduced today.

[Spud]

I will take a look at making the links relative...

SPUD

[Märk]

First listen reviews.

Acid Cadillac: The music is okay, but the vox are kind of killing it for me. Sing with some emotion, plz. Bad.

Add: I don't know what to say about this except that it's awesome! Everything approaches perfection here. The only things I didn't like was the short little synth thing, and the slow ending kind of dragged after a bit, but. Fantastic.

Down With Gender: Not a huge techno fan, but this is enjoyable nonetheless. I can't understand a single word. Perfect length. Good.

Embers of Autumn: No changing dynamics throughout the entire thing. Vocals get kind of pitchy at times. I usually like this kind of song, but this just ain't doing it for me. Okay.

Strangers (? that's what the id3 says, not sure who this is): Beck-ish. I likey. Good song. Great.

Joblito: Heh, nice gear change there. I thought I wasn't going to like this while hearing the start, but it gets pretty rockin'. I'm expecting a guitar solo.... and it never comes. Oh well. Good.

Level Nivelo: Like a cynical Hank Williams. This is a pretty standard chord progression, but it works good. Good.

Lopez and the Destroyers (? id3 tag, I have no idea): This song makes me feel like throwing up. So, uh, good job, if that's what you were trying for. Bad.

Lord of Oats: All along the watchtower. The lyrics are horrible. It sounds pretty okay, but... hmmm. This is the first thing I've listened to from you, and it seems like you could do better. Okay, but just.

MC Eric B: I'm sorry, I can't even listen to this all the way through. It's probably just me.

Melvin: Usually when a song references itself, it bugs the crap outta me, but it's easy enough to overlook that here. Just a mellow, chillin track, and I like it. Good.

MSP: More techno-ish stuff. This sounds like (I know, I hate when people say 'sounds like' too, but I can't help myself) NiN, at least in the beginning.. gets better, now it sounds like Faith no More on The Real Thing. Multi-dimensional and interesting, it keeps changing a bit and keeping me listening. Not great, but good.

Of Science and Numbers: I can't decide if I love or hate ska, but this sounds pretty good. Some bad frequencies in there, but that's just a production nitpick. Maybe roll off the autotune a bit next time, m'kay? Good.

RWB (again with the WTF id3 I have no idea who this is thing): Yee haw. I guess this was enjoyable. I guess. Okay.

Roymond/Anti-M: Nice! I love that this has that creepy vibe, and if you follow the lyrics, it tells a REAL STORY, not just an excuse for putting the words 'my darling ruin' in a song. The changeup is perfect. Roymond is a master songwriter. Anti-M has a lovely voice. Another fantastic.

Spinlock: Well produced, but so were the Backstreet Boys. I kid, I kid. This is a bit poppy for my tastes, but a good song. You're a really good singer, BTW. Good.

The Weakest Suit: Wow, depressing. Nice, though. Not much more to say about this. Good.

My vote-fu is heading in either Add's or Roymond's direction.

[Hell Biscuit]

Strangers (? that's what the id3 says, not sure who this is): Beck-ish. I likey. Good song. Great.

yeah, i'm pretty sure that's mine and should have been listed as "Hell Biscuit." no clue why it would show up as "strangers." but i use a ton of different band names and that's one from the not-too-distant past.

anyho, glad you liked it!

[milothefultz]

Lopez and the Destroyers (id3 tag, I have no idea): This song makes me feel like throwing up. So, uh, good job, if that's what you were trying for. Bad.

Due to the...?

[ofscienceandnumbers]

Some bad frequencies in there, but that's just a production nitpick. Maybe roll off the autotune a bit next time, m'kay? Good.

Ah . . . Guilty. You're talking about the horns, right? When you say "roll off," are you suggesting not autotuning at all, or just eq-ing out the upper frequencies? Because I really can't play those things in tune. Thanks.

[roymond]

I'm liking this fight and have lots of reviews brewing, but early indicators are smiling at ADD, Spinlock, Joblito and MSP but props to Embers and others for some engaging songs.

Seems that use of the stereo field could really open up some folks' mixes, even in lo-fi.

[Hoblit]

All of a sudden something hit me...

MSP 's singer sounds like the guy that was in a band here in the Tampa Bay area called Wiseguy... and the overall sound is like as if that guy from Wiseguy was taking style lessons from Frankie Big Face's late 80's early 90's band. (I don't know where to find that material now...but I've heard it after it was posted around these parts a few years ago)

This post is useless...but something about that song sounded really familiar to my ears..and thats just the conclusion I came to.

[EmbersOfAutumn]

I’m back for some reviews on this fight:

Acid Cadillac : I like sound clips that either proceed, finish or come during the bridge of a song, but I think that yours was a little odd. Vocals stand out a little too much in opposition to the music. Mixing could have been a little better in that aspect. Reverb makes it sound like you’re singing inside of an Igloo Cooler.

Rating: I can’t give you more than a 3, though the music was alright. 3 of 10.


ADD : This is just a good song. I think everything works just fine. I was anticipating a different chord progression during the chorus given what the lead was doing, but it works great as it is. Love the Accordion synth bridge at around 2:30. Break down bridge at 3:00 is cool too. An ending at 3:22 would have been perfect. I think if you would have either toned down or removed the synth during the outro, it would have done it a little better justice. But I’m only picking because I like this song a lot and that’s all I can pick on.

Rating: 8 of 10


Down with Gender : “In the western town of…” Oh wait… sorry about that. Instead of Down with Gender, the band should have been called Down with Eardrums… or possibly Down with Clarity. I like Techno, and the music is just fine. The angst-Vanilla Ice just isn’t doing it for me though…

Rating: 4 of 10 (for the music)


Embers of Autumn : This one’s me… and there obviously are a number of things wrong with it. A friend informed me I was ripping off Going away to College by Blink 182 with the intro—wasn’t even aware of it at first. Vocals are horrible… I just can’t sing and I think I’m getting worse. I actually was alright with the second verse I thought, much more than the first verse at least. I, also, am very much not a drummer. That was my Casio drum kit recorded on about three different tracks looped in together. The song came out a little better than I anticipated, but it still isn’t the caliber as many of the others on SongFight. I work off of the feedback, not the votes, so please let me know what you think.



Hell Biscuit : Guitar tracks a little soft. A little better at 1:15, but it still could come up a little more. I do like the rhythm pattern change around 1:30. Makes me move a little. The song as a whole, though, just lacks that panache that it needs to be anything more than just a demo track.

Rating: 5 of 10


Joblito : The music is fine for this song. I just think that the raspy, “I’m-angry-at-just-about-everything” singing style doesn’t do it. We also need more lyrics than the same four over and again.

Rating: 4 of 10


Level Nivelo : Another “Music-via-PA-system” sounding song. 2 points for putting Bologna into a rhyme. But that’s about all I can give…

Rating: 2 of 10.


Lopez and the Destroyers: Very Pac-Man intro. “Old Man Jenkins”… fan of SpongeBob much? Actually, the deep voice does sound like Patrick—was that what you were going for? The Arnold sound wave on “I’ll be back” was a little too cheesy. I actually love story-songs, even if talking is replacing the singing… but I think that this was a little too goofy for my tastes. And not that Weird Al goofy either… more like Nick Jr. goofy… (See above: SpongeBob)

Rating: 4 of 10


Lord of Oats : Nice little lick to open up with. Blues-Rock style. Felt a little odd on the chorus—almost a genre change. Kinda Blues turns to Reggae (is it just me?). Love when people do guitar solos, and I like your solo definitely.

Rating: 5 of 10.


MC Eric B : “Oh, Mickey, You’re so fine… You’re so fine you blow my mind, Hey Mickey…” I’m not sure what exactly to comment on here, but there are a lot of things missing from this to make it work. I know what you were trying, but it just didn’t work.

Rating: 1 of 10.


Melvin : “End-of-the-night; clean-up-the-barroom” feel to the song. Nice mix and instrument choice with the keyboard tone (Jazz organ). This is a good chill-down song. Not what I usually expect, but it works just fine. You get an ‘A’ my friend.

Rating: 8 of 10


MSP : Cat fell asleep on synthesizer, but in a good way. I like some of the guitar licks. The noise is quite ‘busy’, almost too much, but it works. I think whatever is making that static/fuzz (phaser effect, maybe?) sound is one of the things that should go. It’s got replay value to it, for sure.

Rating: 7 of 10


Of Science and Numbers : Huge Reel Big Fish fan, which I think contributes to my tastes in Ska… and I love this song. Punk Ska as it should be done. Especially like the breakdown around 1:45. Great Outro. Got nothing bad to say about it.

Rating: 9 of 10, and my vote.


Ralph Makes Music : … Ralph shouldn’t make music… at least not like this. The tempo changes went about as smooth as that wooden roller coaster at Dollywood, TN (i.e. not smooth at all). There was at least some attempt at rhythm, but there’s a long way to go on this one.

Rating: 1 of 10


Roymond f/ Anti-M : Psychedelic rock, almost like a dark “Don’t Come Around Here No More” ala Tom Petty. I’m at work, so this song would probably suit me better when I get home and down a couple glasses of Rum. Actually… that sounds pretty good regardless of the music. So… um… thanks for making me want to drink.

Rating: 2 of 10


Spinlock : I must admit… if you really break the chorus down, it’s nice. It struck me as odd the first time or so, but I grew to like it. Unfortunately, the chorus is really the only part that grabs me on this song.

Rating: 3.5 of 10


Sven Mullet : Now, I must admit, I was a little wary coming in to this song, mostly because of the word Mullet in the band name. (If that is actually your name, I mean no offense by this comment… I’m just from the south, and I’m not too happy with this trend.) Your song has some charm to it. The verse and the chorus are both likeable. The lead-in to chorus kind of works, but is a little too flat (minor?) to really appreciate the chorus to come. The song is good though, don’t get me wrong.

Rating: 7 of 10


The Weakest Suit : Much like Melvin’s “Night-is-over-and-full-of-regrets” feel to it, but darker. More on the regret feel. I… think it’s a little too dark and short to really move me. It was heading great, just needs some energy and another minute or two.

Rating: 4 of 10.

[ofscienceandnumbers]

Of Science and Numbers : Huge Reel Big Fish fan, which I think contributes to my tastes in Ska… and I love this song. Punk Ska as it should be done. Especially like the breakdown around 1:45. Great Outro. Got nothing bad to say about it.

Rating: 9 of 10, and my vote.

Wow. Thanks for the comments and the vote. I really appreciate hearing that. I love Reel Big Fish, too. They (along with Mustard Plug and Less Than Jake) are one of the few ska bands that I still listen to regularly (but I was really into the 3rd wave in the 90s).

Embers of Autumn : This one’s me… and there obviously are a number of things wrong with it. A friend informed me I was ripping off Going away to College by Blink 182 with the intro—wasn’t even aware of it at first. Vocals are horrible… I just can’t sing and I think I’m getting worse. I actually was alright with the second verse I thought, much more than the first verse at least. I, also, am very much not a drummer. That was my Casio drum kit recorded on about three different tracks looped in together. The song came out a little better than I anticipated, but it still isn’t the caliber as many of the others on SongFight. I work off of the feedback, not the votes, so please let me know what you think.

I think you're better than you give yourself credit for. I don't think the drums are that bad. True, they could be tightened up a bit. Are you recording to a click track? If not, maybe that could help.

The vocals aren't horrible, either. I can at least tell what you're going for and you have way more emotion in your voice than I can ever get. No matter what I do, whenever I play my stuff back, I sound like I'm bored. I'd suggest working on your pitch, but I have no idea how to do that.

Also, don't forget to give yourself credit for the writing aspect. I liked it.

Further, don't feel bad about ripping off the Blink song. I think we've all done that. At least you knew about it first and pointed it out before anyone else here had the chance. On the other hand, you should listen to my "The Red Door" from December of 2005 and then read the reviews. And to top it off with some good-natured salt in the wound, listen to Melvin's "Iron Goddess of Mercy" from the next week. Hilarious.

[erik]

Everyone should strive for making songs that don't make people think "Dude, this sounds like some other song." No one has to beat themselves up over it, but don't start believing it's okay and that everyone does it. It'll end up making you less awesome than you could have been.