Hey, all..
This was my first fight and I've loved the reviews coming from everyone. I generally have a very hard time getting blatently honest critique from my peers, so stumbling across Song Fight! was amazing. I haven't had a ton of time to listen to everyone else's tracks but I figured that, for what it's worth, I would throw my 2 cents in (or 24 cents, as it may be.) Sorry if I throw in too many references to other artists, but I'm afraid that's just how my mind works. Also, I don't intend to come across as mean-spirited but I do want to be honest.. understand that these are just my immediate opinions and they should not be taken personally. All in all this first fight has been a great experience for me thus far and I can't wait until I see everyone the next time around for "A Friendly Reminder"!
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<b>History of My Broken Heart REVIEWS:</b>
<u><b>Add :</b></u>
This is nice enough, melodically and lyrically. It's a good length as I always prefer to be teased as opposed to getting bored. It could stand to have a few more surprises, though, either inside the context of the song itself (melody, vocal presentation, etc.) or as far as doing more than just your voice with a guitar. I'd love to see this sort of work a bit more fleshed out, and I don't see any reason why you shouldn't - I can easily imagine some subtle touches, at least (glockenspiel? brushed drums? accordian? maybe something along the lines of Page France?) Anyway, you should play a bit more with the format.. have some fun!
<u><b>Andre Was Here At Midnight :</b></u>
The lead guitar sound is too tinny/trebly for my taste and I find it a bit grating. I like your voice, both the ways that you manipulate it physically and the subtle production touches on it (or is it just double tracked?) I could almost imagine Will Oldham doing this if the instrumentation were a bit more interesting. As is, though, it's not compelling enough to me to justify it's length.
<u><b>AUDIO VIDEO iNTERCOURSE :</b></u>
I'm simultaneously into this but still feel like I've heard it done before. In general, I feel that the production is quite strong and compelling but all of it sits more or less in the same frequency range on my system. I think that you should play with the mixing being a bit less static. I've actually done a few tracks with quite similar vocal distortion, and I don't hate it, but for me I know that it was just an easy way to mask my voice and I think you might want to try playing with different sorts of effects. It's hard for the changes between sections to really grab me with everything sitting in the same places, EQ wise. All that being said, though, I do dig it.
<u><b>Billy's Little Trip feat. Wages :</b></u>
No major complaints here. Good mixing and good performances. One tiny quibble is that the phrasing of "the history of my broken heart" at the beginning of the chorus sounds a bit awkward to me. I think I'd prefer just "his- to-ry of" minus the "the". Again, though, that's pretty damn petty
Good job.
<u><b>Blues Train Blues in D :</b></u>
This doesn't really do it for me. It just feels far too tossed off in almost every way. I can't imagine that you spent to much time with this and I'm sorry if you did. The guitar playing is far too meandering and I actually think that it would work better if it were actually even more sparse and a bit more repetitive (I'm thinking blues based riffs instead of the strumming, which seems to be all over the place.)
<u><b>Bushido Stylus :</b></u>
I want to love this, but I'm held back. The beat is sparse but I still find it compelling. The subtle video game bleeps at the end of every other bar are nice, especially the first time they appear (as you're introducting Link.) The concept is a clever twist on the title, and I certainly have no qualms with the nerdy, Zelda-based content. I'm afraid, though, that as clever as anyone can be you still cannot neglect performance and that's severely lacking in the MC'ing here. Any form of rap music, even 'nerdcore' (if that's what you consider this to be) needs to have compelling vocal presentation above all else. It's not that I expect you to be the next great MC, but it hardly seems like you're trying and in order to be successful you'll definitely need some more passion or character than this. I can easily imagine you going in more of a Buck 65 type direction and that would sell me on this track far more. I'm not sure if it was on purpose or not, but around 2:48 your voice changes and sounds much more natural - I actually like it quite a bit more when it doesn't sound like you're straining to sound deeper. As is, I feel like this would work much better as an interlude (1:30 - 2:00) instead of a 4:30 song. I'll be interested in hearing more from you.
<u><b>Embers of Autumn :</b></u>
In theory I like this a good deal, but the recording is a bit too shambolic for me (not shambolic in a cute/twee/Television Personalities sort of way, but in such a way that your ideas don't end up having enough to hold them together well. The section starting at 1:37 is a bit painful for me ("another.. another..) as I feel like the vocals are too strained. There might actually be a few too many sections to this song, as I feel like some parts could be very strong but I have a hard time following it. I think that if you removed the weaker sections, held onto the strongest stuff, and then built some simple and more similar (melodically) instrumentation around it that this song would be much more effective. Unfortunately, rock music along these lines just needs stronger production in order for me to follow it well.
<u><b>Hans Gruber: Ultimate Villain :</b></u>
The production is solid on this. You've got some interesting ideas as far as instrumentation and how you implement different sounds. I think I'd actually prefer the guitars to be a little less prominent and that if you fleshed out the general vibe with more electronic instrumentation that it could be more effective.
<u><b>The Hell Yeahs :</b></u>
This is solid and the length is perfect. The palm muted power chords are a bit generic to my tastes.
<u><b>KB Bren :</b></u>
This is okay but it doesn't do too much for me. I just feel like I've heard it all before, and it goes on a bit too long for me. I know that plenty of people are into this sort of lead guitar work, but personally I find it a bit boring and would rather hear more compelling songwriting instead of just technical flash.
<u><b>Klownhole :</b></u>
I'm all for demented cirus metal if done properly, but there's not nearly enough going on for me here to justify the track length. This just meanders too much - I keep wanting it to turn into some powerful, repetitive, nasty sludge metal but it just never coalesces. I want for it to blow my mind but instead I'm just bored. If I were really really stoned and hanging out in some friends' basements at 3 in the morning then this might be amazing. Sober, though, I think you should take that 7 minutes worth of ideas and effort and focus it into a more exciting and much shorter whole. Music like this needs more dynamics and surprises.
<u><b>Kristin :</b></u>
I like the introduction/buildup of instruments at the beginning and the pad fills up a nice sonic space though it feels a bit vanilla. I like that the chorus/section 2 is a good deal different than the rest of the track but I feel like it's a bit too much of a 180 degree shift and derails the nice, calm momentum that you have elsewhere. In general the track is nice but there's no one strong moment or melodic idea to really keep me coming back. I do think that you did a great job of being mindful of structure and changes, though.
<u><b>Lonbobby :</b></u>
I love a majority of this track. Everything is well paced and well produced. The vocoder or auto-tune abuse is a dealbreaker for me, though. The melodies are decent and I'd be happy with them except that the vocal processing kills it for me. Honestly, I think I'd like this quite a bit more if you had just used a more natural voice or less overt processing, and I think that a more organic voice would provide a nice counterpoint to the more electronic elements of the song. Certainly, I've been very prone to try and hide my voice as well but I think it's just a bit too much. Still, I can see why people would be picking this as their favorite track for this fight.
<u><b>Lord of Oats :</b></u>
The acoustic fakeout intro is nice as I do love to be surprised. The cymbal hits are a bit too monotonous and overpowering for me before they stop near the minute mark. I like vocals if they're a bit strained, but I feel like you're too far outside of your range, and the stretch up at 1:39 is particularly grating to me. By the time that 'Satan' arrives, it's hard for me to take the song seriously at all. I think that you would be much better served by a bit more 'natural' screaming if that makes sense (eating the mic less and not relying on clipping and distortion quite so much - more along the lines of Frank Black of Pixies or Kurt Cobain who would just use more subtle distortion effects while straining their voice further from the mic.) Also, this is far too long for me (though I'm not even sure if I can justify 'Stairway to Heaven's length.)
<u><b>MC Eric B :</b></u>
A young Bruce Springsteen backed by musak? I like the song but I'm not a fan of the basic MIDI-sounding keys and backing. I think that if the pacing were a bit more measured/slowed down that I'd be more into it, and if the keyboard sound was just a little more unique.
<u><b>Melvin :</b></u>
I think that this is pretty fantastic. I like tracks that are superficially upbeat but seem to be winking about it a bit at the same time, which is the impression that I get here. It's got a very classic pop song feel in the vein of The Magnetic Fields. It's easy for me to follow but not too repetitive or boring. The instrumentation and mixing is perfect for the style, and there are enough ideas and changes to justify its length. Very strong melodies that all work well together. My favorite song of the fight!
<u><b>Paco Del Stinko :</b></u>
This is pretty badass. Ridiculous and overblown, but in a good way as you obviously don't take yourself too seriously. Any music that can simulate drug use without any drugs involved gets a bit of respect from me. Young suburban friends of mine would love this. I like that there are a lot of ideas crammed into a short running time, but it manages to still gel for me and not feel overly spastic (even though it's spastic.)
<u><b>Rabid Garfunkel :</b></u>
This is a great companion piece to the Paco Del Stinko tune, and it's nice that they were sequenced together. The running length is good, though by 1:30 or so I was hoping that it would finish or go somewhere new. I can imagine this as the soundtrack to a cartoon version of hell.
<u><b>Ross Durand :</b></u>
Good lyrics and good performance. It's a bit too close to Bob Dylan for me (not that sounding like Bob Dylan is a bad thing, but it's just been done before and I'd prefer to hear something a bit more unique.) Overall a great song, but I do think I would like it more in a different context or presentation.
<u><b>Sheail :</b></u>
The instrumentation in this is very strong but it sounds like you're not quite in your range vocally and it's distracting for me. I don't feel like the chorus section/melody really fits well with the rest but it's not too bad. The general musical performance feels very strong throughout.
<u><b>Slit Tearduct :</b></u>
Slightly amusing. I'm going to put as much effort into reviewing this as you put into recording it.
<u><b>Tig :</b></u>
I like this quite a bit. I think that I saw that this is your first fight as well, and it's definitely a solid entry. It does a good job of maintaining a mood while still holding enough changes to prevent it from becoming too monotonous. I like the (electronic?) flourishes that start around 3:00 and think that you could flesh something along those lines out even more. A bit too long for me, as it doesn't seem to change much after around that 3 minute mark. I'd much rather be teased into repeating a track than feel like I've been given too much.
<u><b>veGetar Ianra Ge :</b></u>
Hmm.. along with Hans Gruber and MC Eric B (to a lesser degree) this seems to complete the trifecta of vaguely tropical histories of broken hearts. I know that you've caught some criticism for the lo-fi 'answering machine' vocals, but they're funny to me and I think they actually fits the track quite well. It's all quite ridiculous, but relentless in its ridiculosity and I can appreciate that. It goes on a bit too long (the flute part is nice, maybe cut some of the middle?) but it makes me smile inside.
<u><b>The Weakest Suit :</b></u>
I like most of sections of this song ("now I'm shaking like a leaf..", "how can I love someone..", "my heart still stops..", the instrumental segments) but the "I love you I love you.." doesn't work for me and its presence takes away from the parts that I'm into. In general I do like the structure and the way things are introduced, as well as how many melodic ideas you have crammed into a short span of time while still holding some consistency. The stutter on 'shaking' right before 2 minutes is a nice touch.
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But now, for what you <i>really</i> all came here to see..
<b>History of My Broken Heart AUDIO REVIEW REVIEWS:</b>
<u><b>Rabid Garfunkel :</b></u>
Creative move bringing the Mrs. into the fold. It's nice to have two opinions to take in at once, and helps to fill up the space a bit. The songs are at a nice level in the background, so that it's easy to follow along with your critique but not too distracting.
<u><b>Ross Durand :</b></u>
It sounds like you really spent a lot of time with these tracks before speaking about them, and that's definitely appreciated. I like that you offer some very specific technical/production critiques as they're far more useful than a simple "I'm not into this."
<u><b>Wages :</b></u>
I think you might have found a new calling! Your charisma is compelling and you have solid feedback while retaining an 'off the cuff'/'anything goes' sort of feel. It sounds like you could've had a few drinks beforehand, though I'm assuming that's probably just your natural personality. The singing additions are very entertaining while often adding new dimensions to the tracks. I think it would be a shame if we don't hear more audio reviews from you, as I think your personality is very well suited for them.
<u><b>The Weakest Suit :</b></u>
You strike a nice balance between being entertaining but also quite honest with your feedback. You can be a bit harsh but for me that's a good thing, as I'd prefer that people don't hold back with their criticism. It seems like the tracks that you were compelled by you spent a decent amount of time considering/analyzing and it's nice that you paid that much attention to detail.
