The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Wow. I thought (and on listening back, still think) that I had a fantastic week for vocals. Oh well...

As far as other people's songs, I have just downloaded them, and if they excite me as much as reading the lyrics did, I will be very excited indeed.

WreckdoMelle wrote: Ross Durand – Cool fuzzed-out guitar...

thanks for noticing that was fun for me.

AA: subtle sexy sweetness. The only thing that tripped me up was the opening drum lead in - expected Beat It. obvious starts and stops. Youre definitely safe there. The song really pops when you add the synth halfway thru. Sorry bout the girl man.

ADD: i like the intro. kind of progressive feel to it. Donald Fagen style vocals are unique and not unliked, not by me for sure.

BGM: i forgot my yarmulke, just a minute while i go get it. ok. whats this - now a squeezebox? French maybe? i give up. at least i can recognize the song structure. oh, and there are plenty of stops and starts too. almost fooled me into thinking it was over before it was. cool.

BYD: owww. you aCOMMODOREd the challenge just fine. yeah, i'm laughing, owww.

CChips: i wondered what harmonies and doubles would sound like autotuned. thanks to you, now i know. the ending is a bit abrupt, i wasnt expecting it there, perhaps a bit of an outro?

CCog: sped up this could have been a gin blossoms tune. as it is, it meets the challenge. i love the outro the best - kind of beatlesque.

DJRD: i like your vocal styling. kind of meandering tho, the song didnt grab me. maybe a chorus with a defined beat would have done so.

FBF: at first i didnt get it. but now I understand that the radio was playing you ... david bowie would have given you his third left toe for this tune, i really really like.

GJ&tC: I feel happy and joyful as the two of you (or however many CR can get to close in on the mic) breathe the song out. You sexy crossdressers always bring a smile to my ugly face.

Gooey: Look here, its not fair that you have a Lou Reed voice and you play 10x better than him, dammit. so shut up.

JonE: they dont have 'coast to coast am' on here anymore. the start of this evoked that show. the diverse sections are clever, but that bubbling folk rap section is my fave. You really sing well on the second section with the keys. I love this. its the best i've ever heard from you.

MG: wait, i have to finish my toke. phhhhhhhhhh, ahhh. ok, now i'm listening. i'm going to disobey and turn the volume UP. You are dan akroyd without belushi, biden without obama, my daddy without my mama. sorry, couldnt help it. overall, its easily my fave in this set.

Meri: anyone need their floors mopped? my tongue is available, as long as you play this song. its hanging down as i'm listening. gross. (me, not the song dummy)

Oyster: i'm looking for a lawyer who's gonna take my case since i was near the pit while you played this. not only was i soaked, but i was crushed by the stupids bailing the stage.

RD: Randy Newman comes to mind except when you do the harmonizations. Ok, you pass the challenge.

S&F: Its long, but clever. The end conversation seems out of place tho.

Wreck: Redneck vocal doubling and goofy shit all rolled into a soggy burrito dripping salsa and farts. Cool stuff dude. BTW: did the car ever start?

WSA: kind of early genesis like, but the vocals evoke ......... the eagles!!??!@@

"sasssage" i like that moniker. maybe i'll keep it. if you pulled up bricks all day then tried to write something, you'd probably sound this bad too.

EvelBist wrote: JonE: they dont have 'coast to coast am' on here anymore. the start of this evoked that show. the diverse sections are clever, but that bubbling folk rap section is my fave. You really sing well on the second section with the keys. I love this. its the best i've ever heard from you.

That's not me singing in the second section, but I'll take the compliment anyway.

EvelBist wrote: RD: Ok, you pass the challenge.

whew!

Finally have a free night to listen to the songs! And write reviews!! Nur Ein!!!!!!!

Adam Adamant - Hmm....out-of-tune singing is a problem for me. I like your stops and starts, though! Reminds me of the early days of fluffy porcupine. Okay, by 2:30 the stops and starts are aggravating. Sorry this isn't so positive.

ADD - Hey, guitar-based ADD is back! Excellent production as usual. Wish I knew how to do that. Good stops and starts. (I think MG was actually paying you a compliment when he said they were probably so good he didn't notice. They are.) Intriguing lyrics. Song is a bit long for my tastes. (Haha - lyrics remind me of the time I fell asleep at the Wilco concert in Denver. I blame the altitude.)

bgm - So you're the new favorite, huh? The new super-Canadian to conquer. (see also: Puce [I was robbed!] and then Reist.) Some cute moments. But I'm not going to tell you how great this is because I am in the process of INTIMIDATING YOU.

Boffo Yux Dudes - If I'm reading between the lines correctly, this is pretty hilarious. I'd love to hear this with a real funk band. Fun!

Chocolate Chips - this seems really stiff to me. Like the guitarist and vocalist decided to record their parts separately and had two different ideas of what the feel is (and maybe also the key occasionally). There was a discussion about prosody going on earlier--was that for you? Really awkward delivery of the title, imo.

Chris Cogott - Cogott!!!!!! Who let The Byrds into your house? Nice chord progression leading into the prechorus. These lyrics are a miss for me, unfortunately. Nice, clever chord progression on the chorus too and beautiful harmonies as usual.

DJRD - Ranger!!!!!!! (these are shout-outs) So you're a cabaret noir artist now? Very, and I mean VERY, cool orchestration. Great sounding samples too. This is what you were panicking about? It's great.

Genevieve, etc. - This is very unexpected from you. (I haven't listened to the earlier rounds so maybe this is how you sound now.) First, I thought this was going to be a four-minute Mentos commercial--such a saccharine melody. But the chorus sold me. Nice one.

Gooey Caramel Centaur - I really hate the vocal delivery/timbre. If that's what you always sound like, I'm sorry for being so blunt. But if it's just for this song, I think it detracts from the song and it is also creating occasional pitch problems. Not a fan of the lyrics either. Sorry - I'm not being very positive. Love the key change actually! Well placed.

Jon Eric - Someone mentioned the timing issues and they are serious. Especially since the end is supposed to be the big finish where the two parts come together unexpectedly. It doesn't work in this current recording. Ambitious, but I'm not a fan. Sorry.

Manhattan Glutton - I'm not a big fan of the spoken word verses, but they kind of work for this song. Clever stops and starts for sure. I'm not that excited about this song, but it's definitely not terrible.

Merisan - Erin makes singing sound so effortless. That's a real talent. This song grew on me. Nice work. Good arrangement - smart to keep it simple. Many in this competition could learn from you how to set such an awkward phrase (the title) so that it works melodically and rhythmically.

Oystercatcher - You're just so fucking clever. What else can I say? It's good.

Ross Durand - I don't have a lot to say about this. It's not a style I like at all.

Sausage - A song like this needs a real band to make it palatable, I think. You could probably mix it differently and get a similar effect, but it would rock properly with a band. Lyrics aren't doing much for me.

Snappy + Floyd - This has some decent moments. So loooooooonnnnnnggg.

WreckdoM - I don't know. I don't like it but I can appreciate what you're doing.

Worldly Self-Assurance - This sounds like a song that was written and recorded in five days by people who live very far away from each other. Worthy of the Relayer Award™ for being massively self-indulgent.

My faves are bgm, DJ Ranger Den, and Merisan in no particular order. Honorable mention to ADD, Genevieve and Oystercatcher.

EvelBist wrote:"sasssage" i like that moniker. maybe i'll keep it. if you pulled up bricks all day then tried to write something, you'd probably sound this bad too.

Didn't mean it as a dig, if you took it that way. Thanks for the review!

frankie big face wrote:I'm not that excited about this song, but it's definitely not terrible.

You know, if we actually did a road trip to Seattle, there would be a constant war over the radio.

EvelBist wrote:Gooey: Look here, its not fair that you have a Lou Reed voice and you play 10x better than him, dammit. so shut up.

Er, are you sure you were listening to my song? Thanks, I guess.

frankie big face wrote:Gooey Caramel Centaur - I really hate the vocal delivery/timbre. If that's what you always sound like, I'm sorry for being so blunt. But if it's just for this song, I think it detracts from the song and it is also creating occasional pitch problems. Not a fan of the lyrics either. Sorry - I'm not being very positive. Love the key change actually! Well placed.

I'm afraid that's how I sing these days and I think this is a lot less pitchy than I usually am, so I'm still counting the vocals as a win. As for the lyrics, I agree that they're not as strong as I'd like -- I was very hesitant to settle down to an idea for this title and I think they took the hit. I thought I might get hammered for the key change, so I'm glad it was actually a redeeming feature .

Thanks for the reviews!

My totally biased ranking places my band atop:

1- WSA- This is my kind of song. WSA songs are always my kind of songs, but those who know me will recognize the glennniness of this submission. When I heard the challenge there were 3 main songs that sprung to mind, and were clearly influential in this composition:

Fleetwood Mac- Oh Well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z4lE44idqs
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y87px1zcYYk
Lyle Lovett: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvDPezXTzlI

With all the super fun riffs, my favorite parts are the Frisbee harmonies! I find it super fun to listen to, but I am obviously biased.

Here’s how I’d rank the rest (mostly unbiased as I can be), at this hour anyway. This is a top notch fight, I could juggle these rankings around a lot. Everyone has a good song. No offense if I rank you lower than others. Conversely, if I rank you high, don’t get a big head (or face) about it, you’re barely there above the others.

2- Oyster Catcher-Reminds me of Judas Priest and the whispering reminds me of System of a Down. You warned us the gloves were off, indeed! This kicks ass!, I am so jealous of your hard rock vocals. I really hope I get to see this song live someday at the best place in Manhattan (though I really don’t need to see urination on stage, unless it’s puppets doing puppet urination). These lyrics are brilliant and hilarious! That 1st stanza is going to be in my head from now on, every time that happens.

3- Frankie Big Face- Maybe this is my favorite? I mean the 5 and the 6 are done so well! Are you counting them as measures of fives and sixes? I’d love to see the sheet music. I’m studying up for the next time I get to jam with you. This is an instant classic! This is close to my dream of Geddy Lee getting laryngitis, and David Jones (Bowie, can he have his name back now?) steps in on lead vocals. My only nitpick is I don’t think you need the megaphone or whatever vocal distortion you have going on. Awesome!

4- Merisan- Erin you sound better than ever! Lunk, you’re amazingly solid, great playing! This song is solid. This would be a fun video shoot yeah? I am missing some upright bass, and sparse jazz drums, but it works splendidly without it. The accordion really sets the mood. I LOVE Erin’s phrasing, something she always does well, but this is particularly done well!

5- Wreckdom- This challenge attack is awesome! I’m glad someone did the car starting gag. You did it a lot better than I was imagining! The bluesy song fits really well with your bands strengths. Slip and slide at the slaughter house cracked me up! Great job!

6- Ross- Immunity man turns in a gem when he doesn’t have to! This would be a contender for the top spot too. If I were to tweak this contest, I would make it so the previous winner was immune from elimination, but not immune from winning. The trumpet adds vibe like no other instrument. I like the backwards intro too. The dynamics are really strong on this song. Well done! I’m glad you’re staying sharp for the next round.

7- ADD- I love the grooves. I love the weird riff. The vocals are amazing too. I enjoy the length of this song, but I think it would probably be stronger if it were edited down a little. Excellent production!

8- DJ RD- I think one repeat on the echo would make it sound like you were in an empty-ish room. The multiple slapbacks make it sound like you’re in a canyon. The strings are beautiful! I enjoyed this, I wish it was longer and found more of a structure. The delivery of the title is a little awkward compared to the rest.

9- BGM- I don’t think you came anywhere close to your potential with this challenge. Your vocals are awesome as usual. The production is immaculate! Your lyrics are good. It’s really short though. I kind of feel like you’re resting on your laurels this round. Why did this challenge and title bring out the ¾? Even our song has a ¾ section. Good stuff, not your most exciting.

10- Chis Cogott- This is maybe your dullest song. I’m a big fan of your work. This is done well, vocals sound great! Where’s the band? The 12 string (Ricky?) keeps reminding me of “If I needed Someone-Beatles”. The ending is really pretty, but I like it best when you rock.

11- GJ and the C- Dangerously close to “Girl from Ipanema” melody at times. I’m sorry about your situation. I understand why there is only a guitar for orchestration, but I still want to hear some of your usual entertaining accompaniment. You should stay alive.

12- MG- It’s not your fault, but this groove reminds me of another deep and slow groove. It’s certainly different, but Paco’s “Sold Out” is a heavily listened to song by me, and this sounds like the opening act.

Sidebar: Why would say the rivalry is enflamed? This is not an 8th note down stroke song like; you used to be stuck in. Aren’t we friends? Didn’t we kind of collab with your remix of the BLT Bag of Bones? I understand your slight in reference to our song: “it becomes a song around 1:30….” What you mean was it becomes a POP song at that point. There are other kinds of songs, like the 3 I linked in the beginning.

Back to this song: I don’t really like the “volume down” gag. The drums sound great, the bass is not as present as I like it. You’ll be fine, I’m not into this as much as other MG tunes. Done well, just not very inspired it seems.

13- Adam Adamant- The pauses between the starts and stops are pretty long. I get why you did that, but it sure makes me feel like without the challenge they wouldn’t be there. Some of your phrasing sounds really awkward, especially pausing after “Best” as an adjective it usually is immediately followed by the noun it is describing. That little pause makes it seem like it’s being read or something. Your orchestration is weird and cool. I like this!

14- Sausage- The noise seems louder than the notes on the guitars. The drums are not fitting with the guitar and bass to me. The drums sound like they are in their own world. Bring that solo front and center. That’s the best part of the song! Your rock vocals are good! The song is good, the bass and drums are letting you down.

15- GCC- Okay what kills this song is the capo 1 D chord at 3:26. (natural D#/Eb). During that chord you sing C (C# natural) which is the dominant 7 of what you’ve established as the 4 chord (after the key change). Which should clearly be a major 7. The key change is awful cliche’ I must say. Up a step is the laziest and most tired of all the key changes. Your vocals are scoopy which makes them pitchy sometimes. It’s a pretty good performance otherwise, you need to let M Glutton auto-tune you. The guitar and vocals could stand to be recorded a whole lot better. I still like the song writing, I still don’t know who Hana is or if I even should.

16- Bofo Yux Dudes- This is maybe your best recording. The over affectation in the vocals is a bit cringey for me. The “hit me” bits are my favorite. This would be a lot stronger if it was just 2 minutes. It’s too long for what it is.

17- Chocolate Chips- I’m over the sped up vocals. But that’s not why you’re down here. You’ve been very good at writing super catchy choruses. This would be your first fail in that department. I still like the simple groove of the song and the guitar parts are really good. It’s weird how you make “Darkest” sound like “DAR (dielectric absorption rate) – Kest”. I think you should rethink the chorus. The title feels shoe-horned in. Nice tone on the solo, needs a few more licks.

18- Snappy and Floyd- Oh Lord of Oats this is long! I actually like the last 1:40 the most. I don’t get why the title works in that conversation, but after the past 5 minutes it’s nice to take a breather.

19- Jon Eric- I applaud the ambition. I think it’s a failure. The weird timing issues have been mentioned. They are tough to forgive. I don’t get why these are sewn together. I don’t know why you’re rapping. The meta song I don’t really like or think works. I do like the micro songs, once I forgive the production, and the timing. Mr Peart has quite a good voice! Going to let him do more song fights? Sorry man.

supremeedible wrote:

EvelBist wrote:Gooey: Look here, its not fair that you have a Lou Reed voice and you play 10x better than him, dammit. so shut up.

Er, are you sure you were listening to my song? Thanks, I guess.

yes, you're most welcome ... it's all good and meant as a compliment.

Manhattan Glutton wrote:

EvelBist wrote:"sasssage" i like that moniker.

Didn't mean it as a dig, if you took it that way. Thanks for the review!

no dig, i dig it.

glennny wrote: 3- Frankie Big Face- Maybe this is my favorite? I mean the 5 and the 6 are done so well! Are you counting them as measures of fives and sixes? I’d love to see the sheet music. I’m studying up for the next time I get to jam with you. This is an instant classic! This is close to my dream of Geddy Lee getting laryngitis, and David Jones (Bowie, can he have his name back now?) steps in on lead vocals. My only nitpick is I don’t think you need the megaphone or whatever vocal distortion you have going on. Awesome!

Haha. Yes, I am counting them as fives and sixes. But there is no sheet music....yet! I kind of thought this one might get your attention (in a positive way). Glad you liked it! (Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure j$ is going to hate it and he is a judge. I'm hoping it's hard enough for Niv and Roymond's prog rock alter ego will keep it close to the top of the rankings.)

frankie big face wrote:(Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure j$ is going to hate it ...)

Well, obviously, I have to, now I've been called out on it.

j$ wrote:

frankie big face wrote:(Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure j$ is going to hate it ...)

Well, obviously, I have to, now I've been called out on it.

No, you don't have to. I mean, it leans toward punk in some ways. It's fast and loud! Plus, the little song on the radio was just for you.

sneak preview of my reviews - "FBF: The song on the radio *was* my favourite part ":)

glennny wrote:Aren’t we friends?

Aww, don't take it too personally. The terms of our peace treaty state that Nur Ein is hostile territory. Let's face it: we're going to have to review each other a lot here (if last year is any indication), and we generally don't have a whole lot of positive things to say. "I'm not into this" gets kind of repetitive - so let's have some fun with it.

I liked a lot of the songs this week. If I had one complaint (if? one?) it would be that many of them were really long. Did the long title inspire people to write long songs? Or was it just coincidence? Or is everybody feeling warmed up now or something?

Lunkhead wrote:I liked a lot of the songs this week. If I had one complaint (if? one?) it would be that many of them were really long. Did the long title inspire people to write long songs? Or was it just coincidence? Or is everybody feeling warmed up now or something?

For my part the length was a combination of self-imposed challenge and a necessary by-product of my interpretation of the challenge. I knew I would be an outlier, but I turned out to be not even the longest in the round. Oh well.

Lunkhead wrote:I liked a lot of the songs this week. If I had one complaint (if? one?) it would be that many of them were really long. Did the long title inspire people to write long songs? Or was it just coincidence? Or is everybody feeling warmed up now or something?

Not sure why it happened with me. Didn't try, and sometimes I do try for length. The song as written actually took 5 minutes to play. It's only got one-and-a-half verses! I'll try to be briefer next time, if there is one.

I'm just listening through right now. I'm not done, but the surprise front-runner for me is Manhattan Glutton. Catchy, engaging, and a great interpretation of the challenge. Thanks for bringing your A-game this time!

Lunkhead wrote:I liked a lot of the songs this week. If I had one complaint (if? one?) it would be that many of them were really long. Did the long title inspire people to write long songs? Or was it just coincidence? Or is everybody feeling warmed up now or something?

I. Don't. Hear. Many. Creative. Stops. And. Starts.

roymond wrote:I. Don't. Hear. Many. Creative. Stops. And. Starts.

Here we go.

Jefff wrote:

roymond wrote:I. Don't. Hear. Many. Creative. Stops. And. Starts.

Here we go.

Oh, come on. You wouldn't want it any other way.