The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Oops... thanks for pointing that out..I think! For those of you who held back your comments, I applaud you. I will try harder to choose safer words when reviewing "Cock" (the artist) in the future. Great. now everything I say regarding "Cock" sounds like it can be misconstrued. I may just have to cleverly refer to "Cock" as something else. Actually, I think there is no escaping it. I will have to read other reviews to see how others craftily avoid making a spectacle of said artist.

ujnhunter wrote:I was too busy seeing she called out 1983, as that is exactly what reve said.

Yeah. "1983 sound" was an explicit goal this time around. So much so that I wanted to avoid using synthesizers developed after 1983. But somehow a JX10 (c. 1986) did crawl in there towards the end.

ken wrote:STYLOPHONE!!!

...through an octave pedal. Fattens it up nicely.

The JX10 is also very "Human League", "The Cure", and "Pet Shop Boys" sounding.
...not that I was into them... ahem...or anything....

Albatross wrote:

Niveous wrote:I'm shocked the BLT Joke-o-meter did not go off.

It broke the BLT Joke-o-Meter.

I have no idea what you two are referring to. I read that with complete and udder maturity. I don't need to milk a joke out of every little thing. Sure, it would have been legendairy, but can we moove on?

I honestly don't have time for full reviews, but from listening through the tracks in my car a few times, here's my verdict.

I very much enjoyed: (in roundabout order of favorites):
Cock
Nouveau Pavre
Ross Durand
Billy's Little Trip
Howl Down the Chimney
Glenn and Rachael
Tex Beaumont and the Dirty Hearts
Frankie Big Face
Paco Del Stinko
Signboy
Tiny Robots
Todd McHatton
Jon Eric
Andrew Reist

I skip through:
Adam Adamant
Chopped Liver Meat God
John Kloberdanz
MC Eric B
Nigel Clements
Rabid Garfunkel
Sheail
Student Band
Swilington
Test Week Hiatus
WreckdoM

I don't necessarily hate the ones I've been skipping through, but my assumption is that I'm not really enjoying a song that I feel the need to skip. Overall, a lot of good entries, and I'll definitely be keeping the tunes on my top list on the iPod.

Dang, I need to step it up if I want to make it past round two - there's some amazing stuff here.

ps - thanks a lot, Cock - your song was stuck in my head the entire time I was writing my social psych exam.

BLT wrote:bad things

Your joke-o-meter is broken. Just stop now.

Reïst wrote:Cock...was stuck in my head

Ouch?

Haha, that guy needs to change his band name, I guess I dropped a boatload of innuendo in there - all by accident, mind you.

Albatross wrote:

Niveous wrote:I'm shocked the BLT Joke-o-meter did not go off.

It broke the BLT Joke-o-Meter.

My Joke-o-meter is set to go off when Cock writes in a review "...I'm enjoying the Wreckdom entry. It's really tight..."

Hi - So I know that there are a lot of songs and that the judges are busy and have lives and all - so this is not meant to pester, but is a genuine question - will judges be posting reviews for round zero?

Thx

Yes we will post reviews. Our reviews don't come until after the round's over, of course. Speaking of which...we are experiencing technical difficulties...please stand by.

Idle thoughts:

Swilington: The whistling on this cracks me up, it's so enthusiastic. I freakin love the way this starts, it's like Grandaddy backed by BSS. You kind of lose me at the first change but when it kicks in it brings me back. I wish this whole track was like the first 50 seconds but it's a fun journey in only 2 mintues.

Howl down the chimney: Spooky. nice chords and atmospherics. I like the wind effect.

Tod McHatton: I had high hopes for this song when it started and I think I can say they were at least half delivered. I dig the sound and definitely goes somewhere, the last 30 seconds is my favourite bit.

Ross Durand: The more I listened to this the higher I felt it ranked against the other songs. The changes are very good and you nailed the challenge. The only thing I'm not sure about is the opening piano refrain.

Tiny Robots: It's got a bit of a dark edge, but not too dark. Nice.

BLT: Funky. Middle sections get a bit directionless. Generally very good effort, although the style doesn't lend itself too well to the title and challenge.

Cock: The sounds here are weak but the songwriting is solid and you sing it well.

MC Eric B: Shit and creepy.

Andrew Reist: Nice song, whistling is okay.

G&R: I'm a big fan of the Drake-esque picking. First keeper of the fight methinks.

Adam Adamant: Nice chords, droney synth. whistling crowbarred in a bit. drums that come in at about 1.14 and again at 1.41 are good and should be used more. Hesitant singing.

Wreckdom: This song has some brilliant lines in it, my personal favourites are "putting on my gloves" and "slumber in a chloroform mist". Also, I love that you've got a spring in your step, you filthy bastard. What is this genre of music? Deliverance rock?

FBF: Well rounded track but there are some rhymes which are too lacadaisical for the music (that just a nice way of saying they were shit).

John Kloberdanz: Nothing bad technically but just not feeling the blues country stylings.

Student Band: I'm 50/50 on this one. I'm not sold on the first part until it changes into the second bit at 1.21, at which point you seem to lose confidence in your vocals which is a shame cos that change saves the song.

Rabid Garfunkel: Kinda sounds like the Stooges.

Tex Beaumont & The Sappy Hearts: It's a slick production but too darn ballady and cheese-infested, particularly for my currently Pavement-infested brain. Not nearly dirty enough, sonically speaking.

Nigel Clements: I struggled through this song a bit, partly because of the weird Midi-jerk backing that may have existed in an alternative dimension, and partly because of the occasionally bizarre vocal stylings, but then it reminds me of listening to the album Countdown by Pulp. This is a good thing.

Jon Eric: I couldn't make my mind up on this one , sometimes it made me warm and fuzzy and sometimes it seemed to drag in a really hackneyed way. I think it's a touch too long but it ends well so leaves on a good note.

Test Week Haitus: I wanted to place you lower than this for being the billion squillionth person to say 'bed bugs' but you're song isn't as cheesy or downright poor as those below so there you go. I highly recommend making shorter songs in future (;) MASSIVE WINK).

Sheail: This is well executed but too much of it is way too cheesy. The acoustic picking is nice.

Nouveau Pauvre: Who is this!? The dark horse of NE4. The bass is so dirty, I love the way it squelches along. Persistent beat and minimal atmospherics are executed nicely here, but it's the voice that really steals it. Kind of reminds me of White Town's "Your Woman" - Derby reprezent.

Chopped Liver Meat God: Not enough ideas to stretch for four and a half minutes. Whatever patience I had runs out pretty quickly as the same old loops are reintroduced.

Francisco Del Stinko: The man of 1001 ideas, I enjoy trying to anticipate what you'll do next and I dig the sections and changes in this. More jaunty than usual and I like the way it sounds, y'know, mixwise. For once an extended outro worth having.

Signboy: Suffers from the same things as Sheail but without the nice acoustic guitars and decent drum kit. Extended fade out!

fürrypedro wrote:Idle thoughts:
Ross Durand: The only thing I'm not sure about is the opening piano refrain.

Yes, well, that's just the Westminster Chimes tune. Seems we all had bedtime on the hour as little kids, so I was using it to try to signal time as an event. Believe it or not, for years bedtime at my house was signalled by the opening of the Tchaikovsky Piano concerto which is the theme of a syndicated classical radio show here in the states.

That's fascinating, but it's one (and probably the only) reason why I thought the song sounded hackneyed. If it was just at the beginning rather than at 2 or 3 points in the song I would've ignored it.

Pro'lly won't get around to reviewing this round, but here's my short list of tasty treats from Round Zero:

WreckdoM
BLT
(me, but don't listen in the car, ugh)
Paco, Ross, Howl, & John Kloberdanz
Nouveau Pavre

Nigel (spOOn) Clements wrote:Rabid Garfunkel, Drumming seems a little distant, and that's a really big nit-pick to what is essentially a pretty damn big kick up the arse track, I found myself actually looking over my shoulder for the wolf in question, with a more upfront drum line this'd easily be a killer track!

I totally agree.

erin. wrote:Rabid Garfunkel- This song makes me want to pour myself a double shot of whiskey and smoke a cigar.

Are you watching me?

fürrypedro wrote:Rabid Garfunkel: Kinda sounds like the Stooges.

“[The Stooges] didn’t really have proper songs, we had pieces of riffs—we were just a riff band, and pieces of it developed into the first record… You get frustrated sometimes because your head hears what you want to do and your hands can’t, but you block that out, and you just go and go…”
- Ron Asheton, 2008

What he said!


...and from Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies, which I've been I-Chinging lately, "Disconnect from desire". Not too auspicious for the title "Bullets and Lovers".

fürrypedro wrote:That's fascinating, but it's one (and probably the only) reason why I thought the song sounded hackneyed. If it was just at the beginning rather than at 2 or 3 points in the song I would've ignored it.

Fair 'nuff.

Whoa. I had to doublecheck the Nur Ein math. I was blown away by how good the entries were. Here is my own favorite 10:

Tiny Robots
Wreckdom
Frankie Big Face
Howls Down the Chimney
BLT
Glenn & Rachel
Andrew Reist
Cock
Tex Beaumont
Paco

fürrypedro wrote: BLT: Funky. Middle sections get a bit directionless. Generally very good effort, although the style doesn't lend itself too well to the title and challenge.

You've always been a straight shooter with your opinions, which I like a lot. But the highlighted part. Yikes. I'm an outside the box kind of person. I hope that doesn't hurt me in the next round. I'm thinking you mean that I should have stuck with a tried and true lullaby'ish theme or something in that realm. Is that what you mean? I was really pushing for the Vampire with psychological issues.

But yeah, my whistling chorus part certainly didn't come out the way the music Gods wanted it, so they are none too happy with me at the moment. Also, my bridge background dogs barking/animal sounds part was eliminated at the last minute because I didn't want people to think I was on heroin, so it left the bridge rather empty.

Billy Vanilli, don't worry too much about that comment as far as the title part is concerned, a good song is a good song. Normally I'd say that thinking outside the box will score you points with me and here will probably be no different, but I make no promises.

As far as the challenge goes, I'm not going to go into it cos it's one of those endless debate type topics, but I'll say, you're safe for now, easily, but when the going gets tough it's those who can produce a kick as track which also nails (not just satisfies it) the challenge that I will be marking up.

I could say more but I get the feeling I'll get the chance when the future challenges are announced.

As others have said, this was an excellent, excellent set of tracks all around. You all deserve a cuddly little puppy. But I'd like to call particular attention to a couple of my favorites in the fight (round?).

First, the much under-appreciated Howl Down the Chimney. Tep, that was sheer genius my friend. You deserve two puppies.

Second, the venerable R. Durand. While Mr. Durand always gives us good goods, this was a particularly excellent track.

Just couldn't resist stirring that pot,could ya?

You can have more than the required elements and be okay. If you can pull off an extra verse, chorus or solo...more power to ya. You just need all the required elements to be fulfilled.