The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Generic wrote:

fluffy wrote:I had not. Thanks - I like it. Also it's making me need to cry, and I'm still at work, you jerk.

I'll try to get around to reviewing the songs posted so far at some point.

There's a sequel, but I'll spare you until you're home. :-)

Who dies first, the cat or the depressed owner who has been neglecting him?

Here are some first-take reviews. Take 'em with a grain of salt as per usual. If I didn't like it, it doesn't mean it's bad.


Caravan Ray - "Eggshells"
title suggested by DJ Ranger Den

Is that a sample you found somewhere? Why is the voice so weird? It's weird and makes me feel vaguely uncomfortable, which I suppose was part of the point... But it also doesn't seem to have much of a message other than the title, over and over. Am I supposed to care? Sorry, but I just don't.
Title review: Really nice title; I feel like almost anyone could derive a different inspiration from this.

Milo Dunderville - "Comply with Red X"
title suggested by InevitableGuy

This is a nice smooth classic-rock vibe. I like the slinky bassline and the smooth electric piano. The harmonies remind me of Bad Company. Very well-executed. It takes a while to get to the relevance of the title, and you only ever vaguely hint at it, but it's kind of a weird title.
Title review: A little out there. I probably wouldn't have been happy to draw this one.

Billy's Little Trip - "Spare Parts"
title suggested by The Real Sign

This sounds a little muddier than your usual stuff. I like the dirty funk vibe, but the vocals feel overly EQ'ed and are difficult to hear. You're one of Songfight's pre-eminent guitarists and you know it. This is catchy. I like when you drop down to kick, vocals, and bass. That's a difficult bassline you pulled off, there. I enjoy this, but I'm not sure I'll remember it in an hour.
Title review: I love this title. It evokes an image without railroading the asignee into a particular story.

DJ Ranger Den - "Retrophile's Patrician"
title suggested by BBABM

Yeah, I would have had to make an instrumental from this, too. And mine wouldn't have been as nice as this is. This just radiates tension at every turn, even when it seems to settle into a euphonic melody about halfway through.
Title review: What were you thinking?

Paco del Stinko - "Alice Vs. Alice"
title suggested by Heuristics, Inc.

From the very first second, I'm hooked in with the toe-tapping fuzz groove. I like the second-verse introduction of the pizzicato strings. I'm not really clear on what's happening in the lyrics, though. Is Alice schizophrenic? Does she have some kind of deep dark secret? There are some lyrics that might have been cut in favor more compelling or informative replacements, such as the opening couplet about looking in the mirror. Still, you're my pick to beat so far.
Title review: Are you trying to exact some karmic revenge for the title you got in Circle of Titles I?

Naked Philosophy - "In My Hand"
title suggested by fluffy

That distorted intro and "Whoa!!!" is quintessentially Naked Philosophy. You should play this in Austin! The title feels a little jammed in there, but that happens sometimes. I like the turn in the melody every couple of lines, like you feel yourself getting too conventional and reminding yourself to shake things up. The groove is unpredictable, but I like it.
Title review: Not bad, but a little vague.

Jon Eric - "I Like It Both Ways"
title suggested by Caravan Ray

I like how everything seemed to fall together on this one. I spent a lot of time on the mix/master, and a few days later I still don't hate it (though I'm still not crazy about my own voice). Thanks to Lunkhead for the bass!
Title review: I was mad about this draw at first, but once I got past the bisexual innuendo, I was able to write something fun to this, so it wasn't all that bad. Probably the exact middle of the road, out of the titles we've seen so far.

Niveous - "27 Moons (But One Thing on my Mind)"
title suggested by BLT

Maybe if you'd gotten a title that wasn't so weird, you'd have turned in a song that I can say something constructive about. Maybe this didn't need to be so long?
Title review: Niveous said it all. You submitted a gonzo title and got a gonzo song.

Sockpuppet - "You're Never Around"
title suggested by Paco del Stinko

This melody would probably be the song's best asset if you'd spent more time rehearsing it and really nailing a take. I like the lyrics, but the subtext might be a bit too "sub." On my first listen, I thought, right around the line "You feed and treat me well," that you might be singing about your cat, and I ended the song still not 100% sure. You've since confirmed it. I do like the tightness of the "band," and the dynamics throughout.
Title review: It's tough not to write something that sounds whiny when you have a title like this. It does feel like a title, though.

Bad Boys at Bat Mitzvahs - "Concentrated Evil"
title suggested by Irwin

And the award for best-matched title and performer goes to... BBABM! This isn't bad, for its genre, but I'm just not that interested in songs this mopey. It's kind of acoustic grunge. I'm wondering if you might have found a way to cut maybe a minute out of it, to end up with a song that gets to the point then gets out of the way.
Title review: For a title like this, the performer could either go melodramatic or go for parody. It's a grabby phrase, though. If I saw a song of this title anywhere else, I'd probably still want to listen to it at least once.

Generic wrote:Billy's Little Trip - "Spare Parts"
title suggested by The Real Sign

This sounds a little muddier than your usual stuff. I like the dirty funk vibe, but the vocals feel overly EQ'ed and are difficult to hear. You're one of Songfight's pre-eminent guitarists and you know it. This is catchy. I like when you drop down to kick, vocals, and bass. That's a difficult bassline you pulled off, there. I enjoy this, but I'm not sure I'll remember it in an hour.
Title review: I love this title. It evokes an image without railroading the asignee into a particular story.

1. "a little muddier than your usual stuff" - I've been playing with new methods on the final mix/mastering to warm things up. I'm just getting completely tired of digital sterility. I find myself dirtying up things to give it a real feel, but it's not quite getting me the result I want. So in short, the muddiness you mentioned is correct. I'm still finding the sweet spot. But one thing I love so far is the warmth and big size of the bottom end. The snare hits strong, the kick is thumpy and the bass is smooth. My goal now is to create a more analog finish.

2. "the vocals feel overly EQ'ed" - They aren't EQd, that's why they sound over EQd, lol. True statement. I recorded this on an SM57 with my standard vocal chain with one new VST added and minus one old VST, the de-esser. What you are hearing is the high end "esses", "cha" and "kuh" sounds that are too present.

Thanks, Jon.

Billy's Little Trip wrote: 2. "the vocals feel overly EQ'ed" - They aren't EQd, that's why they sound over EQd, lol. True statement. I recorded this on an SM57 with my standard vocal chain with one new VST added and minus one old VST, the de-esser. What you are hearing is the high end "esses", "cha" and "kuh" sounds that are too present.

Dynamic mic. Why didn't I think of that? Of course that's why it sounds "dull" to me.
Don't you usually use a condenser for your vocals?

Generic wrote:

Billy's Little Trip wrote: 2. "the vocals feel overly EQ'ed" - They aren't EQd, that's why they sound over EQd, lol. True statement. I recorded this on an SM57 with my standard vocal chain with one new VST added and minus one old VST, the de-esser. What you are hearing is the high end "esses", "cha" and "kuh" sounds that are too present.

Dynamic mic. Why didn't I think of that? Of course that's why it sounds "dull" to me.
Don't you usually use a condenser for your vocals?

Yeah, I've been using a condenser for a year or so. But I use a dynamic when I do backup vocals on the BatP project because it seems to mix in better. I was reminded of the duller sound and used it for lead vox on the last two songs I've done. Again, in my efforts to go backwards in time to a much warmer world.

Milo wrote:..........

Milo wrote some reviews, and then deleted them. I wanted to come here and quote his review of me, then thank him for it, because it was particularly flattering (in fact, I think he singled my entry out as his favorite). Now they're gone. He is of course free to post and edit as he pleases, but I generally wish people wouldn't tear down their reviews.

Anyway, I also wanted to comment because he mentioned some mix issues (a booming bass and some conflicts in the mid-range) that I hadn't been able to hear prior to submitting. Upon relistening a few days later—especially alongside my Nur Ein Round 0 entry—I can hear the "booming bass" issue plainly, and it's driving me crazy. I might submit a minor remix in the next couple of days, if Mr. Lamb will post it.

Generic wrote:
Milo wrote some reviews, and then deleted them.

I think someone chased him off because he couldn't believe it to be humanly possible for someone to have a different opinion then him.

But that someone did post a vid in jest to show his sense of sarcasm. So.....

fluffy wrote:

Generic wrote:

fluffy wrote:I had not. Thanks - I like it. Also it's making me need to cry, and I'm still at work, you jerk.

I'll try to get around to reviewing the songs posted so far at some point.

There's a sequel, but I'll spare you until you're home.

Who dies first, the cat or the depressed owner who has been neglecting him?

Man. I just listened to the second song for the first time in years. I remember being unaffected and kind of disappointed when I first heard it (honestly, the whole Reunion Tour album was underwhelming to me), but today it hit me with this onslaught of melancholy. I think I missed the significance of the repeated line "The sound that you found for me." Or maybe I've become more of a softie since I adopted a bunch of degus and two dogs.

Anyway, it's called "Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure," which I suppose answers your question. I mis-remembered the cat returning, but upon a relisten it's pretty obvious to me that she never comes home.

Steven Page (late of the Barenaked Ladies) performs an excellent cover of this song on his album A Singer Must Die, with the Art of time Ensemble.

NOT GOING TO LISTEN

Billy's Little Trip wrote:

Generic wrote:
Milo wrote some reviews, and then deleted them.

I think someone chased him off because he couldn't believe it to be humanly possible for someone to have a different opinion then him. :D

But that someone did post a vid in jest to show his sense of sarcasm. So.....

Jeeze, I hope I didn't chase him off simply by wanting to know more about what the hell he meant with the one sentence he decided to keep around from what sounded like it was originally a longer review.

Generic wrote: Paco del Stinko - "Alice Vs. Alice"
title suggested by Heuristics Inc. <no comma>
Title review: Are you trying to exact some karmic revenge for the title you got in Circle of Titles I?

No, why, do you think it's a bad title? I looked at my long-standing titles list and picked one that seemed evocative of a story, but that I hadn't come up with a song for yet. I liked this one.
-bill

HeuristicsInc wrote:

Generic wrote: Paco del Stinko - "Alice Vs. Alice"
title suggested by Heuristics Inc. <no comma>
Title review: Are you trying to exact some karmic revenge for the title you got in Circle of Titles I?

No, why, do you think it's a bad title? I looked at my long-standing titles list and picked one that seemed evocative of a story, but that I hadn't come up with a song for yet. I liked this one.
-bill

If I had drawn that title, I'd have been at a loss. To wit: I think I'd have an easier time writing something for "We Degender Bawdily! Ha Ha!" than for "Alice Vs. Alice." But hey, Paco got the dose of inspiration he needed to make an awesome song, so I'm just being judgmental.

Generic wrote: Title review: What were you thinking?

magician's apprentice if it was a mars volta song... i have no idea, i thought it sounded cool.

We have gotten hijacked by ...everything. Hope to be done on Tues.

Also: Damn, BLT, DEADLY GROOVE!

Generic wrote:Bad Boys at Bat Mitzvahs - "Concentrated Evil"
title suggested by Irwin

And the award for best-matched title and performer goes to... BBABM! This isn't bad, for its genre, but I'm just not that interested in songs this mopey. It's kind of acoustic grunge. I'm wondering if you might have found a way to cut maybe a minute out of it, to end up with a song that gets to the point then gets out of the way.
Title review: For a title like this, the performer could either go melodramatic or go for parody. It's a grabby phrase, though. If I saw a song of this title anywhere else, I'd probably still want to listen to it at least once.

...as i realize that i totally missed your review of my song. wow, thanks! acoustic grunge fits perfectly. i decided to rely less on melody for this song and more on the building and falling of the music. i really like the way it comes into the chorus. i wish i could have recorded the drums better (or in time) but my home office doesn't provide the best studio space. i agree that several bars of instrumental could probably be cut.

hopefully i will have time this weekend to listen to all the entries, and give reviews.

i can finally do some singing without coughing up a lung, so i got back to this song. need a better chorus. still in progress though.
-bill

This is coming along good. Should be in tonight, just gotta mix & tame.

We are in, with guest vocalist Richard McNab, who deserves a very special thank you for bailing us out with noises we just couldn't make.

Have any of the other "Stiffers" made any progress on their tracks yet? It been a few weeks since the deadline at this point...

I'll get the stiffers list up today or tomorrow. I haven't had much time for anything lately.

Stiffs are up

http://sheepsound.com/circle/

Any stiffers with an update/ETA let me know.

Yeah, I got a lot done this past week and especially Friday. Should be complete in a day or two.
Sorry about the delay, that's your title I see
-bill