Thank God for Reviews!

[Billy's Little Trip]

I think the hardest part of Song Fight! for me is having patience.

Then you should have been a Doctor. *budunp bump*

[Lord of Oats]

I think the hardest part of Song Fight! for me is having patience.

Then you should have been a Doctor. *budunp bump*

Oh, the pun never stops!

[TommyD]

Snape was my friends first song - Most of the Central Wis Crew is all starting to get into Songfighting - Snape, 4 AM Cig, Blues Train, and Pirate Bingo Steakhouse.

Snape thought it would be funny to write a song about Memphis... Egypt :p

That's not bad for a first song, but some vocals would have gotten to the point more effectively. If that had a more solid beat and some rap or something, it might have been more interesting.

And I don't mean to sound too cynical, but the Central Wis Crew seems like a production values nightmare.

Yes, theres alot of hassle right now. It's not that we dont have the equipment to do some good stuff... Our jobs require travel, we might bring a guitar and a drum machine and a computer, but forget a mic - so have to suffer with a usb headset someone brought (4 AM Cig).

Our fights will definetly keep stepping up notches , and rather fast soon. Sorry for the poor quality of our submissions so far. But thank you all for the welcome , and the reviews (even if horrible, we do appreciate them)

Tommy D.

[melvin]

Melvin – Authentic sounding – but far too close to Big Boy Cruddup’s (as covered by Elvis Presley) That’s Alright Mama for me. Do you know what I refer to?[/quote]

Yep! I listened to that tune about 18 times the night before writing and recording this. That Elvis track is seriously amazing... and I'm not sure why exactly I thought it would be a good idea to submit a pale imitation. Long live the King!

[Steve Durand]

Anyway - this is how I see 'em - in order of merit:

I guess I just can't be categorized!


Steve

[blue]

Melvin – Authentic sounding – but far too close to Big Boy Cruddup’s (as covered by Elvis Presley) That’s Alright Mama for me. Do you know what I refer to?

Yep! I listened to that tune about 18 times the night before writing and recording this. That Elvis track is seriously amazing... and I'm not sure why exactly I thought it would be a good idea to submit a pale imitation. Long live the King!

par for your songfighting career?

[mc_wino]

4 a.m. Cigarette - Yeah, i really didn't like it. I know people already touched upon the microphone cracking and whatnot so work on that i guess. Also the guitar seemed to get a little repititious.

ADD Music - I liked the melody of this one. It had a nice flow. Your voice isn't that bad either... kind of reminds me of Neutral Milk Hotel. good job.

The Anchors - Music is good. I like the fast pace after the pause, hits nicely. Vocals seemed to be straining alot, some groups go for that sound but i really couldn't get into it. No complaints about the music though. If you could see me i would have a thumb up, only one though.

Bad Cactus - Not bad, vocals fit the music good. Guitars are nice as well. Took me a few listens to appreciate it, but you did a good job.

Big Matt Hyatt and His Rusty Red Rider - Clusterfuck... didn't like this at all.

Billy's Little Trip - Good tune, very dark. I like it. The drums are bumping and the guitar riff is really original... Chorus makes me want to start running into battle with 2 swords. I'll do it! Maybe it's me but your vocals remind me of the singer from the Offspring. that's a compliment as far as i'm concerned.

Blues Train Blues Industry - Sounded like you faked a southern accent for the song. Vocals were bad and the music was hard to make out...

Blumptown Singers – First thing i thought of was Mullholland Drive, then i got a little scared. But your voice is very sweet. I like the oldschool style, but i really don't like the word loopy. So you loose 1 point. But it's ok, cause you get that point back on originality. Ok, i won't take that original point away cause the guitar solo is kickass. Fine, you get all the points, just take them.

The Booty Chesterfield Trio – Nice smooth music... Feel like cruising around the streets in a caddy with a 9 on my side. Then the vocals came... i really don't like speaking vocals, they don't hit me that good. Music overcompensated for it though, it was really good.

Chris Cusack – Props for doing a deut. It was a nice little ditty... Nothing i would listen to over and over again but better then alot of the crap posted. Thumbs up baby.

DJ Big Dick – Man what the christ is this shit. Worst sampled track i have ever heard in my life.

Embers of Autumn – The music is very nice. I like the piano guitar combo, it goes together good. I can't really get into your vocals though but i think if you keep singing you will structure them after a while and it will sound really good. I shouldn't really give out advice on how to sing, i'm terrible at it... but i think you could definitely sound better with lots of practice. good job.

Flvxxvm Florvm – The guitar was nice, reminded me of some "o brother where art thou" stuff. Just some old timin' music. Vocals weren't the best but you pulled it off. Good Job.

Gurdonark – No, the vocals are like nails on a chalkboard. I would suggest try and sing differently, cause in my humble opinion, i couldn't handle it.

Hans Gruber: Ultimate Villain – Nice crunchy bassline... Vocals don't seem powerfull enough for the music, but the music is nice... it reminds me of a song you would find on the guitar hero video game. Guitar is tight with the music which is good, considering you have the pauses in it.

The Hedonistic Calculus – Man this beat is straight up dirty man. And i mean that in a good way, really relaxing but with good room to flow on it. Sort of Everlast style there, i liked it. Vocals need a little more authority in my opinion, but nothing to fret over, i thought it was a good song.

Hoblit Was Here at Midnight – I didn't really like this one. The twelve string intro was nice. Song kind of dragged on though.

“Iron Man” Bobby Graham – Boring song. I really didn't like it. Vocals were very monotoned.

Ken's Super Duper Band n' Stuff – Alright song. Not horrible, i would of liked it to be switched up a little more.

King Arthur – Good for the style, i'm not a fan though. Vocals didn't really fit, but music was really tight and well recorded.

Lord of Oats – School house rock style, somebody should make a video for this song. Melody is nice too, real happy.

LSK – Waste of time.

Lyricburglar – This song is pretty damn cheesy. I don't really like it.

MC Eric B – Music was generic and the voice wasn't good. Bad combination.

MC Wino – YOOOOOOOOOO

Melvin – Not bad. I liked your last weeks entry better... Music was good.

Paco del Stinko – Goofy ass song. Almost like richard cheese exageration. Pretty good.

Puadxe – I like the leads in the background. Nice dark song. I liked it.

Ross Durand – Souns like a monster ballad. Vocals are weird... i don't know if they are good or bad. You decide. Kind of cheesy for me but it was recorded nicely.

Snape Killed Dumbledore – This was boring as hell.

Steve Durand – what the fuck... made me laugh. good recording.

Urine Luck – it was good, but kind of short. sounded really good though.

Wages – Guitar was alright. Vocals need a little work.

The Weakest Suit – .no. well maybe.

WreckdoM – Man, what is this shit.

x-tokyo-river-god – YEAAAAH SOUTHERN COMFORT!!!!... i love getting drunk. man getting drunk is the best thing possible. oh, your song was cool... cause im gonna get drunk.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Anyway - this is how I see 'em - in order of merit:

I guess I just can't be categorized!


Steve

If only Song Fight had a documentary musical section.

I liked it Steve.

[chrisq28]

Hans Gruber: Ultimate Villain: I was really expecting some Joe Strummer vocals here, what with the crunchy guitars and all. Instead they're kind of mellow and moody. This is still a great recording--one of the better ones, production-wise. Lyrics weren't anything to write home about, but didn't put me off, so that's good. I didn't care for the cock-rock solo--it makes the song feel a little less tight somehow. This also seems like a song you'd want to end suddenly; the fadeout seemed out of place.

Andre Was Here at Hoblit: Strong song, overall. The vocals were slightly low. Liked the reverb guitar over the acoustic for sure--gave it that nice haunting surf-guitar feel. Definitely in the top five.

4 A.M. Cigarette: I get that it's a live recording, but "live" doesn't have to mean "first and only take." But you've heard this a million times already. Give yourself a little more time, do multiple takes, and people will probably spend more time on your review. That buzzing in the background is giving me a headache, not to mention your breathing on the mic.

Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff: This is one of the better live recordings, both in terms of recording and songwriting. It didn't feel hackneyed or forced, and I think the vocals fit the song well. The drums could have been a little more present, rather than just a little high hat, but no biggie. I was definitely getting into it by the end. I was really hoping that the audience would start clapping along.

X-Tokyo River God: Enjoyable and interesting, at least among a vast array of faux-country acoustic songs like mine. Definitely like your synth. Vocals were super effective with this arrangement. It is a little weird to have a song of this subject matter done in this way, but I guess Memphis isn't monopolized by steel guitars. You must do this professionally, at least at some level.

The Hedonistic Calculus: Definitely a unique entry. Everyone hates to be compared to someone else, but I'm immediately reminded of Portishead + Violent Femmes/Thom Yorke vocals, which is no insult. Interesting take on the idea, and a very strong recording. I'd like to hear more of your stuff.

Wages: The best of the acoustic blues numbers. Awesome vocals, very effective with what you're doing. A few of the lyrics ("Don't want to puke anywhere but Memphis, Tennessee"; "Got my debauchery goin'"; "Best barbecue you'll ever eat") seemed a little affected, but you better believe that voice made it as believable as it'll ever be. I really liked it overall.

Brainpipe: I love it. When the drums kicked in, I was like "Fuck yeah!" and then when the screaming "Thank God for Memphis!" came in, I knew I was in love. This is one of my favorite entries. Just lo-fi and dirty.

Steve Durand: This is my favorite entry. If you have a website or something, I want to listen to all your stuff. The recording was very strong, obviously, but it would have been great no matter what song you recorded. The idea is what makes this stand out, and it's well written and professionally executed. I love the shoutout to Raymond Scott.

Paco del Stinko: Really well done. The instrument levels are perfect, and the vocals match well. I liked the bridge, and the solo fit well. (This is an example of an effective solo; it had what I would have preferred with the Hans Gruber solo.) Do you have an entourage of people that you record with?

So that's the first ten. I think I'll die and/or be unfair to other entries if I do them all at once.

[blue]

So that's the first ten. I think I'll die and/or be unfair to other entries if I do them all at once.

you're gonna hate it when you click refresh and the songs are all in a different order

for future reference, the "stream all" link has them ordered.

[Billy's Little Trip]

So that's the first ten. I think I'll die and/or be unfair to other entries if I do them all at once.

you're gonna hate it when you click refresh and the songs are all in a different order

for future reference, the "stream all" link has them ordered.

So does the second page, or what ever that page is called when you click the cover art pic. I just copy and paste the list of names. Also, I have trouble with the stream all thing to my itunes, so I do them one at a time. It's right click, save link as, hell. But it works good.

[Spud]

So that's the first ten. I think I'll die and/or be unfair to other entries if I do them all at once.

you're gonna hate it when you click refresh and the songs are all in a different order

for future reference, the "stream all" link has them ordered.

So does the <a href="http://songfight.org/podcast.html">podcast</a>.

[Ross]

The podcast is excellent. I subscribe through iTunes, then burn an mp3 cd to listen to in my car (where I have an mp3 spinner) I can see who the artist is as I drive.

As such - reviews are coming eventually - I listened to many in my car today.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I put them on my ipod, which plugs into my truck system. The names come up if they're tagged. But what I do, is listen a few times as I go about my day. Then, when I sit down to write a review, I listen to the song for each artist as I write to remind me of what I liked about their song. On a fight this size, it's a lot of work actually.

[Paco Del Stinko]

Both you guys need to keep your eyes on the road.

mc_wino: I know I'm goofy, but what's an ass song?

chrisQ28: I've done some collaborations with several talented folks here, but that's all me. I just pretended a guy named Billy took the lead. If I had an entourage, I would be very scared to see what they looked like.

Thanks for all the write-ups people, ya gotta love the reviews. Don't be shy about writing them either, let'em rip!

[mc_wino]

Both you guys need to keep your eyes on the road.

mc_wino: I know I'm goofy, but what's an ass song?

chrisQ28: I've done some collaborations with several talented folks here, but that's all me. I just pretended a guy named Billy took the lead. If I had an entourage, I would be very scared to see what they looked like.

Thanks for all the write-ups people, ya gotta love the reviews. Don't be shy about writing them either, let'em rip!

goofy ass being two adjectives. like, he's a goofy ass bastard. not saying you are... im fucking tired.

[wages]

Wages: The best of the acoustic blues numbers. Awesome vocals, very effective with what you're doing. A few of the lyrics ("Don't want to puke anywhere but Memphis, Tennessee"; "Got my debauchery goin'"; "Best barbecue you'll ever eat") seemed a little affected, but you better believe that voice made it as believable as it'll ever be. I really liked it overall.

Thanks my good man! All the statements (unless otherwise stated) in the lyrics are 100% true. There IS a bar that has over 200 beers, there IS a BBQ place down an alley with the best BBQ you'll ever eat, I have been stumbling down Peabody Street (actually, it's called Peabody Place, but that didn't rhyme), and there are cobblestones under your feet on Beale Street. Furthermore, to get to Memphis I do have to drive through Jonesboro (a school shooting happened there a couple years back) and it IS in a dry county. Nothing like being in Jonesboro looking for booze. Ugg. Good times, good times.

I've been wanting to write a Memphis song for a long time and obviously this was the perfect title. I'm very pleased with this tune. I'm considering it my best blues song ever (2nd or 3rd ever anyways, but I like it better than my "Pickle Juice", though that also has merit).

So that's the first ten. I think I'll die and/or be unfair to other entries if I do them all at once.

you're gonna hate it when you click refresh and the songs are all in a different order

for future reference, the "stream all" link has them ordered.

So does the <a href="http://songfight.org/podcast.html">podcast</a>.

Yup. I had to drag myself kicking and screaming into the "Podcast generation", but now I'm addicted. iTunes automatically downloads all the new SF tunes as soon as they are available. On top of that, I use the iTunes rating system to help me with my reviews. Songs get rated between 3 and 5 stars (lesser songs get deleted unless I feel compelled to review it) then I will do reviews on the rated songs and let the writers of the deleted songs PM me for their reviews if they so choose. Anyways, to quote dumber, "I like it a lot".

The podcast is excellent. I subscribe through iTunes, then burn an mp3 cd to listen to in my car (where I have an mp3 spinner) I can see who the artist is as I drive.

As such - reviews are coming eventually - I listened to many in my car today.

Were you able to get all 38 entries onto a single CD? Oh wait, you said MP3 CD... dumbass... carry on.

[mc_wino]

So that's the first ten. I think I'll die and/or be unfair to other entries if I do them all at once.

you're gonna hate it when you click refresh and the songs are all in a different order

for future reference, the "stream all" link has them ordered.

yeah man, i really hated when that happened. But i'm stupid so it happened like 4 times in a row. My method now is to just use a wordpad document and type all the names out first, then you can just save it and go back later. what's all this itunes mumbo jumbo i am seeing?

[Caravan Ray]

Anyway - this is how I see 'em - in order of merit:

I guess I just can't be categorized!

...or the reviewer was drunk. To tell the truth, I was a bit surprised this morning to see I had done reviews - I only have vague memories of drinking half a goon-bag of cheap chardy, then waking up on my computer desk. I'm impressed I only left one person out .

Check the edit - I will add you to my list

[FFSmasher]

I really enjoyed listening to The Hedonistic Calculus as well as MC_wino. It's a close call. The Hedonistic Calculus is deff a way cooler name then wino.

[Hoblit]

Andre Was Here at Hoblit: Strong song, overall. The vocals were slightly low. Liked the reverb guitar over the acoustic for sure--gave it that nice haunting surf-guitar feel. Definitely in the top five.

Hey, thanks. Dre was telling me the same thing that the vocals are low in the mix but on three sets of speakers so far it sounds right to me. I think there may be a problem with it in mono or something. I did put the vocals further to the left in the mix (-25) and maybe that is causing some playback problems as far as vocals go. THANKS AGAIN for the listen and maybe next week I'll re-mix it for my archive. I wouldn't mind fixing some of singing while I'm at it.

[Jawknee]

I really enjoyed listening to The Hedonistic Calculus as well as MC_wino. It's a close call. The Hedonistic Calculus is deff a way cooler name then wino.

The Hedonistic Countdraculator.